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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
11/21/08
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
11/8/08
Aloha
State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
10/11/08
NAGA
(BJJ & Sub Wrestling)
(Blaisdell)
10/10/08
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
9/5/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
August 2008
The Quest
for Champions Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous Sparring)
8/23/08 & 8/24/08
Hawaii Training Ctr Boxing
(Boxing)
(Waipio
Industrial Court)
8/14/08
Paragon Fighter
(Kickboxing)
(O Lounge)
8/9/08
K-1 Hawaii Grand Prix
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Stan Sheriff Center, UH at Manoa)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo High School)
UFC 87
(MMA)
(PPV)
7/26/08
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/19/08
Kawano B.C., Palolo B.C., & USA-Boxing Hawai Amateur Boxing
Show
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
Affliction - Fedor vs. Sylvia
(PPV)
7/12/08
Aloha State
Mixed Martial Arts Competition
10AM - 7PM
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
7/11/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 10
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
7/5/08
UFC 86 - Jackson vs. Griffin
(PPV)
6/27-29/08
OTM Pacific Submission
Grappling Tournament
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
MMA Expo
(Blaisdell Convention Center)
6/21/08
Hawaii
Xtreme Combat
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)
Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale
6/20/08
Paragon
(MMA Hybred)
(O Lounge)
6/15/08
Grapplefest
(Submission Grappling)
Anderson Silva Seminar
Studio 4, UH at Manoa
1-4PM
$100
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Seminar
Tropic Lightning TKD
Waipahu
5-7PM
$60
6/14/08
EliteXC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
6/7/08
UFC 85 - Bedlam
(PPV)
6/6/08
Punishment in Paradise
Pound 4 Pound
(Kickboxing)
(Ahuna Ranch, Maili)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
6/1/08
Hawaiian
Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
WEC 33
(Faber vs. Pulver)
(PPV)
5/31/08
CBS EliteXC
Saturday Night Fights
(9-11 p.m. ET/PT)
(CBS)
5/25/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/24/08
UFC 84 - Ill Will
BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk
(PPV)
5/16/08
X-1: Legends
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
5/9/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 9
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
5/3/08
Hawaii
Fight League
Season 1, Event 3
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Full Force 4
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
Heart-of-a-Cage-Fighter
(Kauai
Veterans Center, Lihue, Kauai)
4/25/08
Punishment
in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Farrington High School)
4/18/08
Local Pride
Friday, April 18, 2008
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/12/08
Man Up &Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
4/6/08
GrappleFest: Submission
Sundays
(Submission Grappling)
(Hawaii Room, Neal Blaisdell Center)
3/29/08
Garden Island Cage Match 7
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 8
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Californina State University, Dominguez Hills, CA)
Registration ends 3/22/08
3/16/08
Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous
Sparring, MMA, Submission Grappling)
(Maui High School Gym, Kahului, Maui)
Icon Fitness Gym Tournament
(Submission Wrestling)
(Icon Fitness Gym)
3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/9/08
2008 Pacific Invitational BJJ Tournament
(BJJ )
(Hibiscus Room, Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu)
3/7/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
3/1/08
USA-Boxing
Hawaii, Palolo B.C. & Kawano B.C. Presents Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
2/29/08
X-1 at the O-Lounge
Fight Club Meets Nightclub 4
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Honolulu)
2/24/08
Icon Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Icon Gym)
2/17/08
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
2/15/07
Midwest Invasion: Team Indiana vs. Team Hawaii
(MMA)
(Coyotes Night Club, 935 Dillingham Blvd, Kalihi)
2/8/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 7
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
2/2/08
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery
Ballroom)
1/26/08
X1 World
Events: Champions
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/20/08
Big
Island Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(Konawaena High School)
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(POSTPONED)
1/19/08
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
1/12/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
|
|
August 2008 News
Part 1
|
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
with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday and Thursday with Kaleo
Kwan!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
In Memory of
Lars Chase
Rest in peace my brother
March 10, 1979 - April 2, 2008 |
Looking for a hotel
room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
For the special Onzuka.com price, click on one of these banners
above! |
Check out the FCTV website! |
Fighters' Club TV
The Toughest Show On
Teleivision
Tuesdays at 7:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui
Fighters' Club TV Radio
The Toughest Show On
Radio
Mondays at 9:00-10:00AM
AM1500 The Team
(808) 296-1500
- Call
in with questions and comments
with hosts Mark Kurano
& Icon Sport's Patrick Freitas |
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!
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O2 Martial Arts
Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here
for pricing and more information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught
by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!
We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday
afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught
by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive,
fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick
workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before
the long work week starts.
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
"The
meanest, most contemptible kind of praise is that which first
speaks well of a man,
and then qualifies it with a "But.""
Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887, American Preacher/Orator/Writer
|
UFC
87: "Seek and Destroy" Results
Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota
August 9, 2008
1. Ben Saunders def. Ryan Thomas via submission (armbar) - R2
(2:28)
2. Chris Wilson def. Steve Bruno via unanimous decision
3. Jon Jones def. Andre Gusmao via unanimous decision
4. Cheick Kongo vs. Dan Evensen via TKO (strikes) - R1 (4:55)
5. Tamdan McCrory def. Luke Cummo via unanimous decision
6. Demian Maia def. Jason MacDonald via submission (RNC) - R3
(2:44)
7. Kenny Florian def. Roger Huerta via unanimous decision
8. Rob Emerson def. Manny Gamburyan via KO - R1 (0:12)
9. Brock Lesnar def. Heath Herring via unanimous decision
10. Georges St. Pierre def. Jon Fitch via unanimous decision
|
K-1
USA Grand Prix 2008
Results
Stan Sheriff Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu,
Hawaii
August 9, 2008
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
K-1
returned to Hawaii for its third event, but more importantly,
the first event to be able to break into the most sought after
venues in Hawaii, the Stan Sheriff Center at the University of
Hawaii at Manoa campus. This fairly new arena was built for Hawaii's
nationally recognized volleyball team and other college sports,
but is perfect for a fighting event. MMA promoters have been
trying to get the powers that be to allow them to hold an event
in this arena where there is no bad seat. K-1, with the help
of Hawaii's own Chad "Akebono" Rowan was able to seal
the deal. The event featured the 8 man tournament to choose who
would be the representative in the World Grand Prix. Last year's
winner Mighty Mo returned along with a rematch between Cabbage
Correira and Butterbean increased the anticipation of the tournament.
In their first fight, Cabbage slipped and fell, chipping his
elbow, but still fighting a war with Butterbean, many saying
that he was getting the better of Bean, until succumbing to Butterbean.
In this fight, Cabbage's striking looked much improved. He was
throwing straight punches and setting up his left hook instead
of basing his whole striking game on his left hook. However,
the strike that ended the fight was not Cabbage's hands, but
a well placed and well timed left kick to the head that sent
Bean tumbling forward after catching the kick and to the canvas.
Bean got up prior to the 10 count, but could not continue.
The
fight of the night was Paul Slowinski and Aziz Jahjah. It looked
like Slowinski was going to over power Jahjah, until Jahjah landed
a big overhand right that rocked Slowinski. After that, the fight
was an out all war with both fighters taking turns dropping each
other and stunning each other, with Slowinski getting the best
of their last exchange and sending Jahjah to the canvas for the
final time. The crowd was roaring with excitement from exchanges
and heart of these two fighters.
The
K-1 heavyweight champion, Badr Hari is an explosively powerful
fighter and made short work of his opponent, but was not unscathed.
The entire fight consisted of Domagoj Ostojic landing a leg kick
and then Hari threw a straight left that landed the same time
Ostojic threw a left hook. Ostojic when down and Hari was standing
but wobbling and visibly rocked by the hook. Hari won via KO
in a mere 19 seconds.
The
finals of the K-1 2008 USA Grand Prix pitted Ghokan Saki and
Randy Kim. Kim had the obvious size advantage, but Saki looked
unstoppable. As in his earlier matches, Kim did not have an answer
to Saki's vicious leg kicks. However, Saki sent Kim to the canvas
two times with a left hook to dominate the tournament and earn
his birth into the K-1 World Grand Prix.
Reserve
Fight, K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Rico Vanderhaven def. Koichi (Japan)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (29-28), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
Reserve
Fight, K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Stefan "Blitz" Leko def Junior Sua (USA/MMA Hawaii)
KO at 2:36 in Round 2
Reserve
Fight, K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Randy Kim (Korea, Freelance) def. Vilitonu Fonakalafi (USA-Hawaii,
No Remorse)
KO at 1:13 in Round 2.
K-1
USA Grand Prix 2008 Tournament Quarter-Finals (K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds
- 3 Minutes, Extra 1 Round)
Mighty Mo (USA) def. Justice Smith (USA, Long Beach Kickboxing)
Majority decision [(30-26), (28-28), (30-26)] after 3 rounds.
K-1
USA Grand Prix 2008 Tournament Quarter-Finals (K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds
- 3 Minutes, Extra 1 Round)
Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (USA, Hawaii/B.J. Penn MMA)
def. Eric "Butterbean" Esch (USA /Team Butterbean)
KO at 0:53 in Round 2.
K-1
USA Grand Prix 2008 Tournament Quarter-Finals (K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds
- 3 Minutes, Extra 1 Round)
Ghokan Saki (Turkey, Team Rebel) def. Deutsch Puu (USA-Hawaii,
SPARTAMMA)
KO at 2:15 in Round 1,
K-1 USA Grand Prix 2008 Tournament Quarter-Finals (K-1 Rules,
3 Rounds - 3 Minutes, Extra 1 Round)
Rick Cheek (USA /Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance) def. Nicholas Pettas
(Denmark /Team Sprit AE)
TKO, Pettas chooses not to continue due to a injury (pulled groin
muscle) in Round 1.
Super
Fight (K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes, Extra 2 Round)
Paul Slowinski (Australia, Team Mr. Perfect) def. Aziz Jahjah
(Morocco, Team Rebel)
KO at 1:54 in Round 3.
K-1
USA Grand Prix 2008 Tournament Semi-Finals (K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds
- 3 Minutes, Extra 1 Round)
Randy Kim (Korea, Freelance) def. Wesley "Cabbage"
Correira (USA, Hawaii/B.J. Penn MMA)
*Randy Kim replaces Mighty Mo due to injury, Justice Smith
also could not continue due to injury.
KO at 1:00 in Round 2.
K-1
USA Grand Prix 2008 Tournament Semi-Finals (K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds
- 3 Minutes, Extra 1 Round)
Ghokan Saki (Turkey, Team Rebel) def. Rick Cheek (USA /Nor-Cal
Fighting Alliance)
KO at 2:36 in Round 1.
Super
Fight (K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes, Extra 1 Round)
Min Soo Kim (Korea, Freelance) def. Scott Junk (USA, B.J. Penn
MMA)
Unanimous decision [(28-27), (29-27), (28-27)] after 3 rounds.
Super
Fight (K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes, Extra 2 Rounds)
Badr Hari (Morocco, Show Time) VS Domagoj Ostojic (Croatia, Team
Ostojic)
KO at 0:19 in Round 1.
K-1 USA Grand Prix 2008 Tournament Finals (K-1 Rules, 3 Rounds
- 3 Minutes, Extra 2 Round)
Ghokan Saki (Turkey, Team Rebel) def. Randy Kim (Korea, Freelance)
KO at 1:39 in Round 2.
*Ghokan Saki is the K-1 USA Grand Prix 2008 Tournament Champion.
|
PO’AI
SUGANUMA-JARED
HAMMAN REMATCH
HIGHLIGHTS STELLAR ELITEXC FIGHT CARD
ON
FRIDAY NIGHT, AUG. 15,
AT TABLE MOUNTAIN CASINO, FRIANT, CALIF.
___________________________________________________________________________________
Event
Will Include Return Of Camoes Against Morgan, Terrific Women’s
Match Between Purcell And Sexton, Diabate vs. Fletcher And KOTC
champ Berry Defending Against Lizama (SHOWTIME, 11 p.m. ET/PT,
Delayed on the west coast)
LOS
ANGELES (Aug. 7, 2008) – Same network, same venue, same
fighters. It’s only fitting.
In
a rematch of a fight that demanded one, promising, once-beaten
light heavyweights Po’ai
Suganuma (9-1) of Hilo, Hawaii, and Jared Hamman (10-1) of San Bernardino,
Calif., will clash in the main event on ShoXC: Elite Challenger
Series Friday, Aug. 15, live on SHOWTIME (11 p.m. ET/PT, delayed
on the west coast) at Table Mountain Casino at Friant, Calif.
Suganuma
handed Hamman his lone loss in a controversial fight that lasted
all of 15 seconds in the main event last April 5 at the Table
Mountain Casino on ShoXC.
ShoXC,
an EliteXC presentation that pits developing fighters in tough
match ups, is a springboard for the future stars and champions
of EliteXC. ShoXC is patterned after the popular SHOWTIME boxing
series ShoBox: The New Generation.
Tickets,
priced at $50 (General Admission), $60 (Reserved), $70 (Gold)
and $80 (VIP), are available at the Main Casino Cage at Table
Mountain Casino. They also can be purchased online at www.tmcasino.com/tickets.html.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. First live fight is at 5:30 p.m. PT.
In
other SHOWTIME fights, Fabricio “Morango” Camoes (10-4)
of San Diego meets Sam “The Squeeze” Morgan (19-10)
of St. Paul, Minn., at 160 pounds; Muay Thai striking specialist
Cyrille “The Snake” Diabate (14-6-1) of France will
make his EliteXC debut against ShoXC veteran Jaime Fletcher (9-3)
of San Bernardino, Calif., at 205 pounds; and for the first time
ever, EliteXC will showcase a title fight from one its sister
organizations, King of the Cage, when KOTC middleweight champion
Keith “KO Kid’’ Berry (7-2) of Las Vegas by way
of Murrieta, Calif., takes on Ray Lizama (5-5) of Rancho Cucamonga,
Calif.
Also
on SHOWTIME, EliteXC will introduce a new women’s weight
class (130 pounds) when one of the few true pioneers of women’s
mixed martial arts, Debi Purcell (4-1) of Laguna Hills, Calif.,
faces Cage Warriors champion Rosi Sexton (8-1) of Manchester,
England.
Non-televised
bouts: Promising, exciting Melanie LaCroix (1-0) of Los Angeles
vs. Katrina Alendale (0-2) of San Francisco at 140 pounds; Ralph
Lopez (3-0) of Fresno, Calif., vs. Roberto Vargas (2-0) of San
Bernardino at 150 pounds; Josh Rave (8-4) of Fresno vs. Jesse
Brock (6-3) of Sacramento at 140 pounds; Mike Moreno (3-2) of
Fresno vs. Lucas Gumaza (2-0) of Stockton, Calif., at 170 pounds;
and Marcus Levesser (5-2) of Fresno vs. Josh McDonald (3-3) of
San Francisco at 160 pounds.
The
SHOWTIME and non-televised fights are scheduled for three, 5-minute
rounds with the exception of Purcell-Sexton and LaCroix-Alendale,
which are slated for three, 3-minute rounds. Fans can watch pre-
and post-fight interviews only at ProElite.com. Fighter pages
are below.
Suganuma
had landed a nasty overhand right, followed by a flying knee
combination that rocked and floored Hamman. But a moment before
he could pounce and land what potentially might have been the
finishing blow, or blows, he was pulled off by the referee and
declared a TKO winner.
The
generally gentleman-like Hamman was lived afterward. “I
don’t know what happened or why it was stopped,’’
he said. “I wasn’t hurt and felt completely fine. I
wanted to keep fighting. I felt I could keep fighting. I don’t
make excuses. I absolutely want a rematch if he wants to give
me one.’’
Suganuma
was quick to oblige. “Nobody likes to win by controversial
decision,’’ he said. “I thought I had him dazed
but I don’t think he was completely out. I was a little
surprised the ref did what he did but only because I wanted to
hit Hamman again. If he wants to fight again, let’s do it.
I’m down.”
Hamman
has won all 10 of his MMA fights by stoppage – eight by
TKO and two by submission. A college football coach at the University
of Redlands (Calif.) and former football star at California Atascadero
High, Hamman has yet to have a fight enter the third round.
Suganuma
majored in computer science in college. After moving to Japan
in late 2004, where he worked as a singer, ukulele player and
English teacher, Suganuma became interested in wrestling.
An
avid weight-lifter, he won a grappling competition and, then,
after a month of training, made his MMA debut. He won his first
five before losing a fight stopped due to cuts in August 2006.
Suganuma returned shortly thereafter to Hilo, his hometown, to
train with BJ Penn. He has gone 4-0 since.
The
winner of the Suganuma-Hamman rematch could wind up fighting
Rafael Feijao, who has looked like a one-man wrecking crew since
joining EliteXC.
Camoes,
who has won five in a row, was sensational in his EliteXC and
United States debut last April 5 at Table Mountain Casino. A
black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu making his first start since
Oct. 7, 2006, he scored a scintillating 3:30, first-round TKO
(strikes) over Joe Camacho on ShoXC.
“I
didn’t think it would end that fast,’’ said the
talented Camoes, who once went 27 minutes with Anderson Silva
before losing. “I’m very happy. I wanted to give a
spectacular showing. I came to the U.S. to fight for the belt.
I look forward to fighting anybody that will get me closer to
achieving my goal.’’
Morgan
has made a career of re-inventing himself. Fans’ jaws dropped
when he stopped Duane Ludwig in the first round in April 2005,
and now he’ll try to regain his winning ways after losing
his last pair to world-class Paul “Semtex” Daley and
Cung Le in January 2008 and November 2007, respectively.
A
hard-trying former welterweight and competitor on “The Ultimate
Fighter 2,” Morgan won the first two minutes against Daley
before losing by first-round TKO and he showed great heart against
Le and caught and rocked Le, the Strikeforce champion, a few
times before losing by third-round TKO.
“I’ll
be ready,’’ said Morgan, who got into MMA “to
help vent some off my life issues. I just kept doing it. I want
to fight all the top name guys. I'm not scared of any of them.
I still feel I'm getting better all the time. Every fight for
me is all or nothing. This will be a very good and interesting
fight. ’’
Purcell,
who’s as responsible as anybody for helping put woman’s
MMA on the map, and the talented Sexton recently signed multi-fight
deals with EliteXC.
They
join a group of EliteXC female fighters that includes, among
others, Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg, Tonya Evinger, Shayna Baszler,
Julie Kedzie, Kaitlin Young and LaCroix.
Long
regarded as one of the world’s toughest women and one of
a few to hold a black belt in Ruas Vale Tudo, Purcell has trained
in fitness and MMA for more than 20 years, with competitive experience
also in submission grappling, boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai,
wrestling, Tae Kwon Do and gymnastics.
Purcell
was the first woman to compete and win in King of the Cage, headlined
the first-ever all female NHB card in the U.S., owns a win in
Hook N Shoot, was an Ultimate Wrestler world title belt-holder
and was the first and only female coach in the International
Fight League (IFL).
On
the recent popularity surge of women’s MMA, Purcell said,
“It’s awesome. I’ve been telling promoters for
years what women could bring to the sport. I’ve always thought
that if you brought in skilled women and put them on a fight
card, it would bring in the fans. We come to fight, always give
everything we have and it’s always exciting. You never see
a boring women’s fight.’’
The
founder of fightergirls.com, Purcell will be making her first
start since dropping a decision to Hitomi Akano at a Smackgirl
event in Japan on Feb. 15, 2006.
Sexton,
one of the most courted women in the game before signing with
EliteXC, is fighting for the first time since scoring a second-round
submission (armbar) over Julia Berezikova on Aug. 24, 2007.
“It's
great to be involved with an international promotion of the caliber
of EliteXC," said Sexton, a submission ace who owns notable
victories over Carina Damm and Tomomi "Windy Tomomi"
Sunaba. “EliteXC has a very promising female division. I'm
looking forward to fighting some of the top ones.’’
The
much-admired Brit, a full-time mother and an osteopathy student,
is keen to avenge the sole blemish on her record, a loss to Carano.
“I would love a rematch with Gina,’’ Sexton said,
“but the weight would be an issue. My management tells me
I'm too small to be fighting at 140 pounds.’’
Since
her debut in 2002, Sexton has become a stalwart of the British
scene. One of a few, popular mainstays in women's game, she has
earned international acclaim for her sprightly performances.
Diabate
has won five of six, including a 1:15, first-round submission
(armbar) over Ryan Robinson in his most recent outing on April
21, 2007. The Frenchman was supposed to make his U.S. debut in
late December 2007, but broke an ankle during training. This
is his first fight back.
“It
was the first time I've had to pull out of a fight,’’
said Diabate, whose only loss since July 2005 came to Mauricio
“Shogun’’ Rua. “I was doing light sparring
with takedown defense. One of my sparring partners did a takedown,
trapping one of my legs at the same time. It was completely a
fluke accident.’’
Fletcher
will be making his third start in a row on ShoXC, where he 1-1.
He earned an upset three-round unanimous decision over Aaron
Rosa on March 21, 2008. In his outing before last, a fighter
with decent submission abilities on the ground got submitted
(armbar) by Giva Santana on Oct. 26, 2007.
Berry,
20, captured the KOTC middleweight belt at the age of 19 with
a 2:05, first-round submission (triangle choke) over Sean Loeffler
on Aug. 5, 2007. In his last outing, Berry, a former light heavy,
submitted Omar Luv (strikes) on Dec. 2, 2007.
Lizama
will be making his second ShoXC start. In his debut on Aug. 25,
2007, he came up on the wrong end of a close three-round decision
to Chicago’s Hector Urbina in a tactical match in which
both fighters gave their best.
“I
like to fight guys who stand up in bang. That’s my game.
I want knockouts,’’ Lizama said. “But with this
guy, I had to concentrate more on defense. I thought the decision
could have gone either way, but I can’t complain. When you
leave it in the hands of hands of the judges, anything can happen.”
SHOWTIME
announcer Mauro Ranallo will call the play-by-play for ShoXC
with Stephen Quadros, The Fight Professor, serving as color analyst.
The executive producer of ShoXC is David Dinkins, Jr. with Richard
Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips directing.
For
more information on EliteXC and other MMA-related stories, including
bios, video-on-demand, photos, stats, Fantasy Fight Game TM and
more, please visit ProElite.com and EliteXC.com. For information
on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video,
photo galleries and complete telecast information, please visit
http://www.SHO.com/Sports.
Fighter
pages for televised bouts: Suganuma (http:/poaisuganuma.proelite.com),
Hamman (http://jaredhamman.proelite.com), Camoes (http:/fabriciocamoes.proelite.com),
Morgan (http:/sammorgan.proelite.com), Diabate (http://cyrillediabate.proelite.com),
Fletcher (http://jaimefletcher.proelite.com), Purcell (http://debipurcell.proelite.com),
Sexton (http://rosisexton.proelite.com), Berry (http://keithberry.proelite.com),
Lizama (http://raylizama.proelite.com).
Fighter
pages for non-televised bouts: LaCroix (http://melanielacroix.proelite.com),
Alendale (http://katrinaalendale.proelite.com), Lopez (http://ralphlopez.proelite.com),
Vargas (http://robertovargas.proelite.com), Rave (http://joshrave.proelite.com),
Brock (http://jessebrock.proelite.com), Moreno (http://mikemoreno.proelite.com),
Gamaza (http://lucasgamaza.proelite.com), Levesser (http://marcuslevesser.proelite.com),
McDonald (http://joshmcdonald.proelite.com)
About
ProElite, Inc.
ProElite
Inc. [PELE.PK] delivers the most exciting entertainment experience
in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with live arena-based
entertainment events, cable television programming on Showtime
Networks and community-driven interactive broadband entertainment
via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA with the highest levels
of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem all the while
remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools. ProElite’s
live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular live MMA fight
events that showcase the world’s top fighters [elitexc.com].
ProElite’s interactive business, ProElite.com, capitalizes
on the growing popularity of the sport of mixed martial arts
by building a community of MMA enthusiasts. In addition to streaming
the most exciting live fights to the web, ProElite expands the
fan base of the sport by providing a comprehensive set of online
social networking tools for fans, fighters and organizations.
ProElite.com – Empowering the Fight Community TM
About
Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS
Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks
SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL® and FLIX®, as well
as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE,
SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®,
SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE
CHANNEL® XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD®, THE MOVIE
CHANNEL® HD, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL®
ON DEMAND. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks, a joint venture
between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide
enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes
sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers
on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.
Contacts:
Showtime
Networks Inc. EliteXC (Brener Zwikel & Associates, Inc.)
Chris
DeBlasio /Anne Vantornhout John Beyrooty
(212)
708-1633 / (212) 708-1663 (562) 233-7477
Chris.DeBlasio@Showtime.net
Johnnybey@aol.com
Annevantornhour@Showtime.net
Source: Johnny Bey
|
BJ
PENN ON
FUTURE, PLANS FOR DEC 27 SHOWDOWN
by Tom Hamlin
In an exclusive video interview with MMAWeekly.com at last weekend’s
International Mixed Martial Arts Expo, Ultimate Fighting Championship
lightweight champion B.J. Penn spoke about his future plans.
In
a meeting with UFC president Dana White last week, Penn extended
his UFC contract for “a couple more years,” and said
a Dec. 27 return to the Octagon is imminent.
Penn
returned to the gym recently after a two-month layoff. After
realizing a gap between his talents and ambition, Penn poured
himself into training over the last year and a half, delivering
stellar performances against Jens Pulver, Joe Stevenson, and
Sean Sherk in the process. Now the undisputed champion, Penn
needed to take a break before his intensity compromised his health.
“It
came to the point where it was like, if you don’t do this
it’s going to hurt you really bad down the road,” he
said.
Healed
up from nagging injuries, Penn is again eyeing the welterweight
and lightweight divisions for December. Two benchmark fights
happen at this weekend’s UFC 87 event in Minnesota: Georges
St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch and Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta.
The result of those contests could very well determine Penn’s
next two opponents. He made it clear that his preference is for
the 170-pound division, which means that he is watching the main
event of UFC 87 very closely.
“Without
a doubt. Jon Fitch is a great opponent, a tough opponent, but
St. Pierre brings the whole backing of Canada with him to a fight,”
said Penn. “It would be great to put on a big fight with
me and St. Pierre, but then again, it’s about me fighting
the best fighter and if Fitch goes down and proves he’s
the best fighter, then he’s the man.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Hawaii
Training Center
Home of
Evolution Boxing Club
Presents
a Match Event @ Hawaii Training Center
Aug. 23, 2008 @ 7pm
Aug. 24 @ 1pm
Waipio Industrial Court
94-547 Ukee St., Suite #209
Waipahu, Hawaii 96797
$10.00
at the door
"
Boxers under 16 yrs. old (One parent free admission)
" 2 Coaches per participating club (free admission)
STREET
PARKING ONLY
"
WE WILL BE USING THE NORTH SIDE ENTRANCE
(TOWARDS REVTEK, OZONE GLASS TINTING, TAIRA'S AUTO REPAIR)
"
Please have your boxer ready to go as soon as the prior bout
is completed.
"
We want to keep this show running smoothly & on time.
"
Bring your own music for your entrance during your
Introduction into the Boxing ring.
(no vulgar, inappropriate, degrading language allowed)
If boxer does not bring music, any song will be played.
"
No Outside food/drinks allowed in boxing event.
" Small coolers allowed with ice & water ONLY.
o Participating clubs only.
o Coolers will be checked at the door.
"
Waipio Industrial Court is a private facility.
Keep parking lot area clean.
Please respect other tenants & neighbors.
Please keep the restrooms clean.
No alcohol on premises.
Smoking allowed near driveway entrance only.
"
Kindly pass the above information to those attending this event.
" Thank you for participating in this boxing event.
|
Sidney
Silva thanks
Wand for support
Fighter submits Hideto Kondo at Icon
Four
days after having submitted Hideto Kondo at Icon, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Sidney Silva
(HMC),
who made the Japanese fighter tap at 3:40 min of round one, spoke
with GRACIEMAG.com about his preparations for the fight.
In
his corner, another Silva, like him, Wanderlei Silva, Sidney's
friend, as well as physical conditioning coach Alejarra.
"Wanderlei's
a hero. The guy's too cool. Until a little while before going
to Las Vegas to train at Couture, I'd never imagened one day
he'd be in my corner. Alejarra, who's as good as it gets in physical
training, helped a lot in my getting through the ordeal I went
through at the weigh-ins. When I weighed in, I made weight and
started rehydrating. That's when the organization told me I needed
to weigh in again. Wanderlei helped me with the technical and
tactical part, we did a lot of position simulations of situations
in the fight. And he always talked to me, giving me a lot of
confidence and positive energy. Truth is, just the fact they
were there with me helped me a lot. It was a great honor. Both
he and Alejarra helped me a lot on the psychological and technical
side," said Sidney.
At
the exact moment of finishing, Sidney said that as his boxing
is not up to speed, he tried to keep the distance from Hideto
with kicks, as he feels more sure of his muay thai.
"After
kicking the guy's legs about 20 times, some knees and a bit of
boxing, I think my adversary felt that standing there was no
way and changed strategy. Hideto tried to take me down, so I
sprawled and landed sideways with him on all fours. At that moment
I applied a crucifix, which is a position I like doing a lot
by grabbing the other arm. I punched him some for him to move
and give up the ideal position. He tried to spin and I grabbed
his arm in an inverted armbar. Despite Sakurai [Hideto's coach]
saying in an interview his student didn't tap, he tapped. I felt
his arm pop a lot," said Sidney.
Now,
after the win, Sidney told of how his next step would be to focus
on the No-Gi Worlds. To him, Jiu-Jitsu is the base for everything.
According to the fighter, his next fight should be in California
or in Hawaii once again.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Juanito
Ibarra Talks Rampage
By Jason Perkins
Juanito Ibarra recently spoke to MMAJunkie.com the arrest of
his former fighter, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and also
briefly addressed the rumors that he's been fired by the former
UFC light heavyweight champion. Below are some of the more interesting
comments:
Iberra On Jackson's Recent Breakdown:
"I'm
devastated by what he's been through and some of the things I've
heard. I've not sat down with Quinton to this day to discuss
things. I pray for his well-being, and if I helped Quinton out
a little bit with his growth in the sport, then I've been very
blessed and honored to do that. I love this kid with all my heart,
and I wish him nothing but the best."
Ibarra
On Being Fired By Jackson:
"I'm
not going to get in to storytelling. It's not what I'm about.
I haven't sat down with Quinton Jackson, and I'm not going to
hear things through sources and through people. This is a kid
I've been with for almost four years. I have nothing but love
and support for him. All I want for Quinton right now is what's
best for him. Whatever he needs from me in any way, I'm here
for him and always have been."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Jenna
Jameson Pregnant
The New York Post is reporting that Tito Ortiz's long time girlfriend
Jenna Jameson is pregnant. The couple announced months ago that
they were trying to have a baby.
"She had a bunch of meetings and things planned for Fashion
Week, including meetings for her own line, but she's postponed
everything," a source told The Times. "She's completely
thrilled, this is something she's wanted for a very long time."
Jameson
miscarried the last time she was pregnant and attempts at in
vitro have been unsuccessful in the past as well.
Source: Fight Line
|
MMA
combatives training a hit in military
BY ROBERT CASSIDY
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Not too long ago, GI Joe, a real American
soldier involved in life-or-death combat in Iraq, brought down
his attacker with a mixed martial arts technique and captured
him. It wasn't too long ago that his only choice would have been
to shoot - and kill - him.
"Instead
of using my weapon, I choked him out and we were able to capture
and interrogate him," the soldier said.
Mixed
martial arts (MMA) has come a long way since 1995, when John
McCain, the former Navy pilot now running for president, called
the Ultimate Fighting Championship "human cock fighting."
Today,
McCain's military brethren in every branch of the service are
undergoing combatives training that is rooted in the science
of mixed martial arts.
While
it still faces pockets of opposition in the mainstream - MMA
competition is sanctioned in only 21 states - it is extremely
popular in the military as a spectator sport, training regimen
and intra-service competition. Even though the Army distinguishes
between its "combatives program" and mixed martial
arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and other techniques you see inside
the octagon have become primary combat tools used when a soldier
engages in hand-to-hand combat.
Many
UFC stars - Royce Gracie, Matt Hughes, Randy Couture among them
- have visited Army bases to train soldiers. The use of MMA gives
soldiers who have lost their primary weapon, or who is in a fight
and cannot access their weapon, more options to survive. It affords
them effective strategies for fighting on the ground, standing
up or with someone clinging to their back.
"MMA
is a portion of the combatives program," said Matt Larsen,
director of the U.S. Army Combatives Program at Ft. Benning,
Ga. "The biggest differences are that we spend quite a bit
of time fighting with weapons and learning how combatives fit
into missions. We are always armed and the person we are fighting
is usually armed, so grappling over control of the weapon is
what's really going on. You don't see too many people at your
typical MMA gym grappling over control of a rifle or a knife."
In
1995, the Army began to reassess its hand-to-hand doctrine and
Larsen, a former Marine turned Army Ranger, was given the task
of developing and implementing a new grappling-based system.
It was purely coincidental that the Army's interest in MMA evolved
simultaneously with the sport's explosion in our culture. What
made it popular to Army policy makers was that it saved lives.
"Not
only does it save the lives of U.S. soldiers, but it also saves
enemy lives," Larsen said. "When a soldier is well
trained, he has the option to use a lesser amount of force. There
are many situations now that involve soldiers restraining and
detaining people whom they could clearly have killed under the
rules of engagement."
In
an era of Shock and Awe campaigns and bunker-busting bombs, the
general perception is that hand-to-hand combat was obsolete.
Not true. Larsen has conducted 900 post-action interviews with
service men and women who have engaged in hand-to-hand combat
in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
"Because
of the nature of the war, we are going into buildings more,"
Larsen said. "When a soldier enters a building he doesn't
know if he will end up helping someone or fighting them for his
life."
The
Army has gone beyond training. There are competitions - some
on bases in states where it is against the law to stage a UFC
event - that culminate with the Army Combatives Championships
every October.
The
competitions are seen as a motivational tool and soldiers at
Ft. Bragg in North Carolina have embraced them. Ft. Bragg is
the two-time defending Army Combatives champion and is home to
Tim Kennedy, the Army's only three-time individual champion.
"The
development of the combatives program in the Army has moved so
far, so quickly and as a soldier it's reassuring to see the Army
getting the right people to train us," Kennedy said.
The
MMA instructor on Ft. Bragg is civilian contractor Greg Thompson
who also runs a gym in nearby Fayetteville. On any given night
the place is teeming with soldiers who can't get enough MMA training.
"MMA
training is the hardest training I do," said Major R.J.
Hughes, who works out with Thompson at Ft. Bragg and at his Reality
of Combat Gym. "I wrestled in high school and at U.S. Military
Academy we were required to take a semester of boxing. Each of
those sports requires its own level of conditioning. But MMA
combines both of them. You have to train in a much broader way."
In
one area of the gym, there is Kennedy, a pro who has competed
in the IFL and WEC. But across the room are a dozen soldiers
simply trying to get an edge before they deploy.
Thompson
dotes over all of them.
"For
a soldier to be successful at getting to their feet, they need
to train with someone who can keep them on the ground,"
he said. "For a soldier not to get punched in the face,
he or she needs to train with someone who can punch them in the
face. I take this very personal because these guys are going
overseas so I want to prepare them the best I can. I want to
be able to see them when they come home."
Source: Newsday
|
Rafael
Cordeiro
By Marcelo Alonso
"Gary Shaw told me that Cris is the most brutal athlete
he had ever seen"
One of the best MMA coaches of the world, Rafael Cordeiro, coach
of Chute Boxe , spoke to TATAME about the repercussion of Cris
Cyborg’s performance at EliteXC, and said that everybody
is very happy with her victory. About her next fight in the event,
Cordeiro said everything is already settled down and she can
face Gina Carano in the future. Chegk below the complete interview
with Rafael Cordeiro.
When
will Cris Cyborg fight again?
She’ll
be at EliteXC’s October 4th show, again live by CBS, at
Florida , against a Japanese fighter, Yoki Takarashi. She’s
a very tough fighter and it’ll be a great fight. We signed
the contract yesterday and Cris will fight her.
How
was the repercussion of Cris’ victory in ?
They’re
impressed with her performance. Gary Shaw, EliteXC’s VP,
said that she’s the most brutal athlete he had ever seen
and that Gina is a star of the event, but now Cris is a star
too. We’re very happy, we saw that he was praising both
of them, and said that they can face each other.
How
is Chute Boxe’s American branch?
It’s
great here. Marlon Mathias came here, Cris might come finish
her training here too, Evangelista Cyborg will come prepare here
for his fight too, Fernando Bettega is moving to and it’ll
be great. People are enjoying the training here, the Muay Thai
preparation, MMA, it’s really cool. We won a No Gi competition
last weekend in Long Beach . Each day we only get better here.
Did
you had any situation with American athletes on the team?
We’re
getting used to they kind of work. In the beginning we were shocked,
but then we saw that they want to go where the best training
is. They’re coming here because of our aggressive style,
and now we have a lot of athletes, new sparrings and it’s
great. Our athletes are very motivated because our training is
different, all the attention we give the athlete. I’m learning
a lot here, as a coach, taking care of the athlete, physical
preparation, losing weight… My time here has been great.
Source: Tatame
|
Hermes
on Tibau bout
Brazilian bout at UFC 90
October
25th will be a great opportunity for Brazilian fighters to show
their worth at the Allstate Arena, in Rosemont, Illinois, as
a face-off between Brazilian's Hermes Franca and Gleison Tibau
is set for this date, at the event dubbed "UFC 90 - Silva
vs Cote," in reference to the most heated and anticipated
fight to take place that night, between another Brazilian, Anderson
Silva, and Canadian Patrick Cote.
While
Anderson Silva relishes great prestige for the good phase he
is experiencing with his recent victory over James Irvin, Franca
and Tibau will go toe to toe in a fight of a more delicate nature.
This is due to the fact that both Brazilians are coming off two
losses in a row. Franca lost his last dispute by decision to
Frank Edgar. Now, Tibau was submitted by Joe Stevenson.
GRACIEMAG.com
got ahold of Hermes Franca to find out how he would try to offset
the bad impression left by his last loss.
The
only way, according to him, is winning; and winning in style.
"I always fight to win, of course. Things don't always work
out according to plan, but I'm going in to win," said Franca,
who promised willingness to overcome the odds and strength of
will in getting out of the predicament he is experiencing.
Queried
about his chances of beating Tibau, the fighter said: "After
my fight I noticed several weak points, so I'm going back to
training to work on my weak points. I know that by doing so I'll
have a great chance of beating my adversaries."
Franca
went on to leave a message for his family and fans. "I'd
like to thank my fans, friends and family. I know a loss is a
horrible thing. But when you make your family, friends and fans
sad, you suffer a lot, but that's part of the profession,"
declared the athlete, who also brought up how he has a good relationship
with his opponent for October. "Gleison is a friend. We
saw each other last week, shook hands and I wished him luck.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Affliction,
Horodecki Teaming Up
Sam Caplan
It
appears as though Affliction’s outstanding roster of talent
could be on the verge of expanding even further, as a contract
with Chris Horodecki is expected to be finalized with the promotion
in the near future.
FiveOuncesOfPain.com
learned of this development after contacting Horodecki’s
co-manager, Matt Stansell of North Couty Fight Club. Stansell
indicated that Horodecki had yet to formally sign a contract
with Affliction but that a contract is expected to be signed
soon.
While
Stansell would not comment as to whether Horodecki would debut
during the promotion’s Oct. 11 fight card in Las Vegas,
he would seem like a logical fit for the show considering his
local tie to the city by training out of Xtreme Couture.
The
20-year old standout kickboxer is 12-1 lifetime in MMA and compiled
an 8-1 record in the IFL with notable wins over Ryan Schultz,
Bart Palaszewski, and Shad Lierly. His lone career loss came
at the hands of Schultz during their second-ever meeting while
competing this past December in the finals of the IFL’s
lightweight Grand Prix.
Known
for a youthful appearance and an exciting fighting style, Horodecki
is considered one of the top free agents in all of MMA and has
attracted interest from multiple promotions since receiving a
release from his IFL contract.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Quote
of the Day
"We
know nothing until we know all the ways that we're not who we
should be. Only then do we have a chance at becoming the people
we've wanted to be, and God intended us to be, from the day we
were born."
Marianne Williamson, American Spiritual Author and Lecturer
|
UFC
87: "Seek and Destroy" Today!
Target Center, Minneapolis
Hawaii
Air Times
UFC 87 Countdown Channel 559 3:00PM
UFC 87: Seek and Destroy Channel 701 4:00PM
Main Card Bouts:
-Georges St. Pierre (#1 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Jon Fitch
(#2 Welterweight in the World)*
-Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta
-Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring
-Demian Maia vs. Jason MacDonald
-Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Cheick Kongo vs. Dan Evensen
-Andre Gusmao vs. Jon Jones
-Steve Bruno vs. Chris Wilson
-Tamdan McCrory vs. Luke Cummo
-Ben Saunders vs. Ryan Thomas
|
MEDIA
RELEASE
For immediate release
World's
most popular fighting event coming to Hawaii
Today!
Doors open
at 5PM
Event starts at 6PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Honolulu, Hawaii. August 6, 2008
The FieLDS K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii promotion is still
in full swing with less than a week left before the event. Changes
to the fight card have been made. Chris West and Billy Hall have
been withdrawn due to injury. The updated fight card follows:
Opening Ceremony
[The
1st Match/USA GP Tournament First Round/K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R,
extra 1R]
Mighty Mo (USA/Freelance) VS Justice Smith (USA/Long Beach Kickboxing)
[The
2nd Match/USA GP Tournament First Round/K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R,
extra1R]
Butterbean (USA/Team Butterbean) VS Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (USA/B.J. Penn MMA)
[The
3rd Match/USA GP Tournament First Round/K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R,
extra 1R]
Chalid "Die Faust" (Germany/Golden Glory Gym) VS Deutsch Puu (USA-Hawaii/SPARTAMMA)
[The
4th Match/USA GP Tournament First Round/K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R,
extra 1R]
Nicholas Pettas (USA/Team Sprit AE) VS Rick Cheek (USA/Nor-Cal
Fighting Alliance)
[The
5th Match/Super Fight/K-1 Rules/ 3 min x 3R, extra 2R]
Paul Slowinski (Australia/Team Mr. Perfect) VS Aziz Jahjah (Morocco/Team
Rebel)
[The
6th Match "USA GP Tournament Semifinal Round" K-1 Rules/
3 min x 3R, extra 1R]
Winner of First Round (1) VS Winner of First Round (2)
[The
7th Match "USA GP Tournament Semifinal Round" K-1 Rules/
3 min x 3R, extra 1R]
Winner of First Round (3) VS Winner of First Round (4)
Intermission
[The
8th Match / Super Fight/ K-1 Rules/ 3 min x 3R, extra 1R]
Scott Junk (USA/MMA Development)
VS Min Soo Kim (Korea/Freelance)
[The
9th Match/Super Fight/ K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R, extra 2R]
Badr Hari (Morocco/Show Time) VS Domagoj Ostojic (Croatia/Team
Ostojic)
[The
10th Match "USA GP Tournament Final Round" K-1 Rules/
3 min x 3R, extra 2R]
Winner of Semifinal Round (1) VS Winner of Semifinal Round (2)
[Reserve
Fight (1)/ K-1 Rules/ 3 min x 3R]
Randy Kim (Korea/Freelance) VS Vilitonu Fonokalafi (USA-Hawaii/No Remorse)
[Reserve
Fight (2)/ K-1 Rules/ 3 min x 3R]
Ghokan Saki (Turkey/Team Rebel) VS Junior Sua (USA/MMA Hawaii)
About
the event:
FieLDS K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii, is the US tournament
qualifier for the K-1 World Grand Prix finals that take place
in December in Japan. Broadcast in 135 counties, K-1 World Grand
Prix is the most watched and most popular fighting event in the
world. Through the year regional tournaments are held all over
the world, with the winners advancing to the K-1 World Grand
Prix Final Elimination Round, this yearheld in September in Korea.
The eight finalist then battle eight best fighters from the year
before with the winners advancing to the K-1 World Grand Prix
finals, held in Japan to determine who is the best standup fighter
in the world.
K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawaii 2008 will feature an 8 man tournament
on August 9th at the Stan Sheriff Center to find out who will
be the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii Champion and move
on to Korea.
In the Super Fight attractions, K-1 Superstar and current K-1
World Heavyweight Champion Badr Hari will take on Domagoj Ostojic
and Hawaii's own Scott Junk will face Korea's Min Soo Kim.
Event
Information:
K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawaii 2008
Date: August 9, 2008
Location: Stand Sheriff Center
Doors Open: 5PM
Event Starts at: 6PM
Tickets are available at:
For Akebono's blog and more fight information check out the K-1
Hawaii website at www.k-1hawaii.com
Tickets
are available through:
Stan Sheriff Ticket Office: TEL : 808-944-2697
website : http://www.etickethawaii.com
Stan Sheriff Center, University of Hawai`i at Manoa
Stan Sheriff Ticket Office TEL : 808-944-2697
UH Campus Center, University of Hawai`i at Manoa
Rainbowtique at Ward Centre
OCET Office, Windward Community College
All Military Ticket Outlets
For
all media inquiries in Hawaii please contact:
Contact: Jay Chen
Telephone: (808) 366 1913
Email: jay@kgc-hi.com
Website: http://www.k-1hawaii.com
|
Man
Up & Stand Up Today!
WEIGH INS
WILL BE HELD IN WAIPAHU AT THE NEW WESSIDE FIGHT GEAR STORE ON
94-144 FARRINGTON HWY SUITE 112 (NEXT TO DON QUIOTES DAIEA).
AT 6:30 PM ON FRIDAY NIGHT AUGUST 8, 2008. WESSIDE FIGHT GEAR
IS A GREAT PLACE FOR FIGHTERS TO GET THEIR LAST MINUTE EQUIPMENT
BEFORE THEIR FIGHT AND FOR TRAINING. THEY GOT YOU COVERED FROM
HEAD TO TOE IN BOXING TO MMA. ITS NOT ONLY A STORE FOR FIGHTERS.
THESE GUYS GOT STUFF FOR ALL OF YOU MILFS THAT STILL GOT IT GOING
ON OR AT LEAST STILL THINKS THAT THEY GOT IT GOING ON (NAH JUST
KIDDING). THEY GOT GEAR AND APPAREL FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN SO
COME DOWN AND CHECK IT OUT.
JARED IHA DIDN'T LIKE LAST WEEKS WRITE UP ONE BIT. ABOUT COLIN
MCKENZIE MAKING HIM WEAR A SIZE 10 ACROSS HIS FACE. JARED SAID
THAT COLIN HAS TO SHOW UP TO THE FIGHT IN ORDER TO GIVE HIM SOMETHING
TO WEAR. AND THAT THE ONLY THING HE'LL BE WEARING IS HIS TITLE
THAT HE ALREADY WEARS AROUND HIS WAIST. COLIN IS PRETTY CONFIDENT
THAT HE WILL BE SENDING JARED TO BED IN HIS OWN BACKYARD. (KANEOHE).
BUT JARED KNOWS THAT HIS BACKYARD IS WHERE HE CLEANS OUT ALL
THE RUBBISH AND DOES HIS PLANTING. HE'LL DEFINITELY BE LOOKING
TO CLEAN OUT SOME RUBBISH WHEN HE PLANTS A LEFT HOOK ON COLIN'S
JAW SATURDAY NIGHT. WHO DO YOU THINK WILL TAKE THIS ONE?
SOME OTHER SHOWSTOPPERS WILL INCLUDE:
AMATEUR SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP OTTO AGAINST WAIANAE RAISED JAY
WESTBROOK FOR THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.
BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMP EVAN QUIZON WILL TEST HIS SKILLS AGAINST EAST
OAHU'S BOXING STANDOUT ISIAH MANALO.
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP KOLOA KAHALEWAI WILL FINALLY GET TO BANG WITH
ONE OF WAIANAE'S ONE BLOW K.O. BANGAZ - JUDE KAPUA.
JULIO MORENO WILL MEET UP AGAIN WITH NUI WHEELER TO CLAIM HIS
WIN WHICH HE FEELS SHOULD'VE BEEN HIS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CHAMP RICHARD "HIT TOO HARD" BARNARD
WILL SEE WHO HITS HARDER AGAINST IKAIKA MORENO.
AMATEUR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT MMA CHAMP AUSTIN FIGUROA AND DENVER
GONSALVES ARE VIRGINS TO THE SEMI-PRO KICKBOXING WORLD. BUT WILL
MEET TO TEST THE WATERS AND HOPEFULLY THE WATERS WILL NOT BE
TOO ROUGH.
COLIN MCKENZIE 140 JARED IHA
DALE KAMAI 170 TYLER MAYEKAWA
NUI WHEELER 135 JULIO MORENO
JAY WESTBROOK 260+ OTTO HOOPII
EVAN QUIZON 125 ISAIAH MANALO
IKAIKA SILVA 200 ROYAL LONO
MAKANA VERTIDO 205 KOALI CASTILLO
CARL SUA 190 HOKU CUBAN
ROBERT BANIS 165 JACOB SMITH
FRED RAMAYLA 140 JUSTIN PRATT
KOA RAMELB 155 AARON DEVICTORIA
IKAIKA BULLOCK 165 RYAN DESOTO
DESMOND TALUB 165 DONOVAN
JUSTIN WIKINS 165 DEAN HENZE
RICHARD BARNARD 115 IKAIKA MORENO
KEALE UNCIANO 125 ARMAN KATOKU
JORDAN SCANLAN 115 MELVIN
BRONSON CAYETANO 145 MAX HALLOWAY
DENVER GONZALVES 230 AUSTIN FIGUROA
TONY PERRERA 150 JOHN BARNARD?
JUDE KAPUA 230 KOLOA KAHALEWAI
REGGIE FERNANDEZ 155 KALE KWAN
MATT 155 LAA KAHOOKELE
ALL
MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ROYCE LONO 230 JAIMIE REGO?
|
UFC
87 Breakdown: St. Pierre vs. Fitch
by Tomas Rios
With the UFC welterweight championship snatched from the clutches
of chaos by Georges St. Pierre (Pictures), fight fans finally
get to see the Canadian superstar take on grizzled collegiate
wrestler turned equally grizzled mixed martial artist Jon Fitch
(Pictures). The two will collide in the featured bout at UFC
87 “Seek and Destroy” this Saturday at the Target Center
in Minneapolis.
A
fight MMA fans have clamored to see for some time could determine
St. Pierre’s viability as a champion, as he has appeared
mentally frail at times. On the opposite end of the fistic spectrum,
the bout will also decide whether or not three years of UFC toil
was worth Fitch’s while.
St.
Pierre Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 5’10/170 lbs.
Age: 27
Hometown: Montreal
Fighting out of: Montreal
MMA record: 16-2
Did
you know?: St. Pierre started seeing a sports psychologist after
his devastating loss to Matt Serra (Pictures) at UFC 69 in April
2007 and credits the experience with his newfound focus and determination
inside the cage.
Bio:
Quite possibly the most dynamic fighter in the sport today, St.
Pierre became the undisputed UFC welterweight champion for a
second time after he avenged his shocking upset loss to Serra
and cemented his place atop the division with a second-round
TKO at UFC 83 in April.
While
blessed with immeasurable physical talent, St. Pierre’s
fragile psyche has become a source of much consternation despite
the fact that he has shown an ability to rebound from adversity.
Regardless, a focused “Rush” remains arguably MMA’s
premier pound-for-pound fighter.
Back
in his place as the division’s champion, St. Pierre has
a chance to render any talk of mental weakness irrelevant by
running through the shark tank of contenders that populate the
welterweight ranks.
On
his opponent: “He brings to the table a different problem,”
St. Pierre told MMACrunch.com. “He’s got different
tools, a different style, but I truly believe I will be able
to solve the problem.”
Why
he’ll win: A far more versatile fighter than Fitch, St.
Pierre has the striking and submission savvy to give the Indianan
fits. Better yet, St. Pierre has always been poison for wrestlers,
having already bested the likes of Josh Koscheck (Pictures),
Sean Sherk (Pictures) and Matt Hughes (Pictures) with relative
ease.
Why
he’ll lose: While St. Pierre has mauled past wrestlers who
were put in front of him, Fitch, a titanic welterweight, can
wear down almost any opponent with his meat grinding style. If
this bout stays close, Fitch may be the man to make St. Pierre
fold like a sky blue polyester suit.
Fitch
Scouting Report
Ht/Wt: 6’0/170 lbs.
Age: 30
Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.
Fighting out of: San Jose, Calif.
MMA record: 17-2, 1 NC
Did
you know?: A member of the renowned American Kickboxing Academy,
Fitch will not only fight for the welterweight title but for
the honor of his gym; St. Pierre holds a win over Koscheck, one
of Fitch’s main training partners.
Bio:
Some fighters have title shots handed to them, and some have
to work their way up the ladder. Fitch had to take apart the
ladder, redesign it and wait for his patent to clear before the
UFC finally gave him his crack at 170-pound gold.
With
wins over top contenders Thiago Alves (Pictures) and Diego Sanchez
(Pictures) under his belt, Fitch could have fought for the belt
a year ago but instead had to wade through the bulk of the UFC
welterweight division before being rewarded.
Whether
or not his journey to the UFC 87 main event will end with the
welterweight championship being fastened around his waist remains
to be seen. Win, lose or draw Fitch will still be the kind of
guy about which The GZA was thinking when he said, “Yo,
I’m more rugged than slave man boots!”
On
his opponent: “I think I match up better with him than people
give me credit for,” Fitch told MMACrunch.com. “I’m
not one of the guys who’s chasing fame or money. I don’t
give a [expletive]. I want to fight the best guys, and St. Pierre
is it.”
Why
he’ll win: A rugged juggernaut inside the cage, Fitch excels
at wearing down his opponents and taking control in the latter
stages of fights. While St. Pierre’s offensive onslaught
is considerable, Fitch has shown he handles adversity well. If
he can turn this into a war of wills, he may end up making St.
Pierre’s therapy sessions about as meaningful as Strom Thurmond’s
political career.
Why
he’ll lose: St. Pierre has never been afraid of taking on
ginormous wrestlers, and Fitch lacks the offensive versatility
to give the champion any pause unless he gains top position consistently.
This fight could turn uglier than Star Jones (pre or post-op,
take your pick) if Fitch cannot find a way past St. Pierre’s
preternatural takedown defense.
The
bottom line: It’s been a while since anyone made a dime
banking on a wrestler to stymie St. Pierre. While Fitch’s
wrestling ability and size make him an intriguing matchup, he
has found his way into some dicey positions against fighters
who do not even approach St. Pierre’s otherworldly skill
set.
Watch
for another vintage performance from St. Pierre, as he stuffs
Fitch’s takedowns and forces the action standing en route
to a knockout win early in the second round. That or the rest
of the world will get sucked into a black hole before fight time
and wind up trapped in an endless void. Hey, it could happen.
Source: Sherdog
|
Fitch
Awaits Challenge of a Lifetime
Jack Encarnacao
Until
he was booked to fight Georges St. Pierre on Saturday for the
UFC welterweight title, Jon Fitch was pretty much the dark horse
of his division.
With
the exception of one victory over Diego Sanchez, the wins that
have earned Fitch high placement in the 170-pound rankings have
happened away from the bright lights of the UFC’s big productions,
mostly in preliminary bouts. Fitch, who is 21-2 in mixed martial
arts and undefeated in the UFC, hasn’t done much to trumpet
his triumphs. To hear him tell it, bragging would take away from
his stature.
“The
top level guys, the guys who are at the top are professionals
and are behaving as professionals,” Fitch said. “The
guys who talk trash and the guys who spew all that garbage, they
don’t last. They do that stuff because they need that to
get attention because they suck as fighters.”
If
anything can be definitively said about the reserved, intelligent,
enigmatic Fitch, it’s that he does not suck.
The
former Purdue University wrestler, who nearly qualified for the
NCAA finals his senior year, hasn’t tasted defeat since
Wilson Gouveia caught him with a knee in 2002. His UFC wins are
an impressive blend of submissions, TKOs and decisions, the latter
thanks mostly to his multi-dimensional takedown game. He’s
proven largely immune to submission attempts, and while he may
have not elite credentials in collegiate wrestling, he’s
the perfect type of wrestler for mixed martial arts.
“As
far as wrestling skills go, we don’t utilize all of wrestling
in MMA,” Fitch said. “I think my wrestling style is
more suitable for MMA than a lot of fighters. A lot of fighters
take shots from open waters and invariably get stuffed. I hit
takedowns from all angles, all directions, and I’m just
relentless with what I need to do.”
St.
Pierre has called Fitch, who he faces Saturday in the main event
of UFC 87 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the toughest guy he’s
fought so far. That’s elite company when you consider that
St. Pierre has gone toe-to-toe with Matt Hughes, B.J. Penn, Sean
Sherk and Josh Koscheck.
Some
observers are drawing parallels between St. Pierre’s fight
last August with Koscheck, one of the most accomplished collegiate
wrestlers ever in the UFC, and the Fitch match. Koscheck, an
NCAA national champion, had trouble with the takedowns of St.
Pierre, whose wrestling is top-notch despite having no collegiate
experience in the sport.
Fitch,
who trains alongside Koscheck at the American Kickboxing Academy
in San Jose, Calif., witnessed his teammate being outmatched
against St. Pierre in the area he is strongest. Fitch said he
knows which mistakes to not repeat.
“The
thing with Koscheck, he’s really stubborn,” Fitch said.
“He didn’t want to listen to anybody when we were telling
him to practice his wrestling. He had it in his head that no
one could take him down if he didn’t want them to. Literally,
I don’t think he drilled a single takedown that entire training
camp. He did all stand-up and very little jiu-jitsu, too. I haven’t
taken that approach to it. I always train everything, but I’ve
also gotten back to a little bit of wrestling basics again just
to sharpen things up.”
Much
has been made of the fact that St. Pierre’s only other title
defense, against Matt Serra last April, ended abruptly when “Rush”
collapsed under the pressure and got knocked out. If St. Pierre
shows any hint of that vulnerability again, Fitch will be ready
to capitalize. The Indiana native’s formidable hands are
being shored up thanks to renowned A.K.A. striking guru Javier
Mendez.
“I’m
hitting at least twice as hard as I used to,” Fitch said.
“My cardio is on another level right now. (My) first time
training for 25 minutes, I wasn’t sure where I could take
my body physically. But I’m increasingly surprised with
how great a shape I’m in.”
Virtually
every fighter says he is coming in to his next fight in the best
shape of his life. In the case of Fitch, with his winning streak,
there’s no reason to doubt him.
“I
have a very stubborn attitude where I just won’t allow myself
to fail,” he said.
If
he beats St. Pierre for the UFC title, Jon Fitch will skip the
process of being gradually introduced and marketed to the UFC
audience, the route so many other titleholders have taken. With
a UFC “Countdown” special focused heavily on him set
to premiere Thursday on Spike TV, and the chance the dethrone
one of the game’s best on Saturday, Fitch may jump from
dark horse to top dog all in one weekend.
“I
think because of the way I came up through the UFC, a lot people
didn’t see a lot of my fights,” Fitch said. “People
develop an attachment to fighters that they see fight live. When
they see you on a pay-per-view, or they see you on a live event,
and they watch you fight, they develop a real attachment to you,
rather than just seeing some of your fights on the playback,
like on the UFC “Wired” or on the “Unleashed”
show.” I think a lot fans still don’t know who I am
really, and they haven’t developed that kind of attachment
or an appreciation for me. It’s not really their fault,
I guess. It’s just the way things go. We had a stacked weight
division and I kind of just slipped through the cracks."
Source: The Fight Network
|
Living
on Fighting
by Jack Encarnacao
The longest days for Kenny Florian (Pictures) start at 4:30 a.m.
That’s when the Boston-bred, Boston-based mixed martial
artist rises from bed in the pitch dark, showers, suits up, compiles
two days of research and sets out on a two-hour drive to tape
a weekly fight recap show at ESPN headquarters in Connecticut.
When he gets home, he trains in the afternoon and again at night.
“That’s
wrong,” Florian says. “No one should have to work when
it’s dark; no one should have to get up in the dark. In
a weird, sick way, it’s kind of like going to training.
I know there’s going to be pain and suffering involved,
but I love it so much I do it anyway. It’s kind of a sick
relationship.”
In
the run-up to a marquee fight against Roger Huerta (Pictures)
at UFC 87 this Saturday at the Target Center in Minneapolis,
Florian, 32, finds himself at a strange intersection. As his
MMA career hits its peak, several opportunities have emerged
that could allow him to build a foundation for life after fighting.
In addition to hosting “MMA Live” weekly on ESPN.com,
Florian, an intelligent, verbose fighter who has a communications
degree from Boston College, has also won praise for his recent
performances as a color commentator on UFC telecasts. He keeps
an active blog, his abilities as a seminar instructor are in
demand at MMA gyms coast-to-coast, and he and his brother are
opening Florian Martial Arts in Brookline, Mass., next month.
In
short, Florian is trying to do it all, whether he’s wearing
a blazer or fight shorts.
“Every
fight, I think I’m going to take some time off, and I’m
just not able to do it,” he says. “Either from training
or from other commitments, it’s just been one thing after
another, so I’ve been super busy for this fight, but it’s
like that every fight. I’m always busier and busier. It
means I need to focus that much more on my training when I’m
[home]. Fighting is the reason I’m on the [ESPN] show. Fighting
is the reason I’m able to pay my bills. That needs to come
first, for sure.”
Florian
tapped the breaks on his hectic schedule in recent weeks. He
temporarily yielded the ESPN seat to former UFC heavyweight champion
Frank Mir (Pictures), a well-spoken fighter following a career
path similar to his. Keith Florian, Kenny’s brother and
cageside advisor, who delayed his honeymoon so he could corner
Kenny against Huerta, believes the relaxed schedule came just
in time.
“It
was getting to the point where we hadn’t seen him for three
weeks,” Keith says. “He literally had seminars every
single weekend for about a month and a half. He was still training,
but we hadn’t seen him. He’d be in New York, and then
he’d be training with whoever he trains with over there.
Then he’d be back in Vegas, and he’d be training over
there in Vegas with some other people. And he’d be training
in Mexico with other friends.”
Kenny
Florian may be shuttling all over the map on the UFC’s public
relations circuit, but he’s also finding gyms to train,
keeping a strict diet and refusing to lose a step. His longtime
muay Thai trainer, Mark DellaGrotte, thinks “KenFlo”
has managed to obtain peak form since his last fight -- a TKO
win over Joe Lauzon (Pictures) in April.
“I
used to be able to stop everything Kenny Florian threw at me,
and now I can’t,” says DellaGrotte, who regularly spars
with his charges. “Now I get lumps, and I get black eyes.
He is a 155-pound fighter that is a sparring partner for Patrick
Cote (Pictures) at 185, for Jorge Rivera (Pictures) at 185, Marcus
Davis (Pictures) at 170, Stephan Bonnar (Pictures) at 205; the
list goes on and on. If you call Marcus Davis and Jorge Rivera
and Patrick Cote, they’re all going to tell you exactly
what I’m going to tell you: Florian gives them f--king hell.”
In
Huerta, Florian will face a fighter who has weathered a similar
PR regimen recently. Huerta has been so pressed for time that
he’s publicly expressed his displeasure with the grind and
what the UFC pays for it. The UFC sees the 25-year-old -- a balls-to-the-wall,
gutsy fighter with movie star facial features -- as its potential
centerpiece in the Hispanic market. Huerta’s approach to
combat in some ways resembles that of Diego Sanchez (Pictures),
who overwhelmed Florian at “The Ultimate Fighter 1”
Live Finale in 2005 -- the first time anyone outside of small
clubs and halls in Massachusetts saw Florian compete. It was
a case study in UFC jitters.
“I
think in that fight I was just super insecure and super not ready
for the cameras,” Florian says. “I had no idea how
huge it was. It literally hit me in the face, and by the time
I knew I was in the fight, Diego was mounted on me, and I was
bleeding.”
Florian
learned a valuable lesson in defeat.
“That
was really the big wake-up call to know that 80 percent of this
really is mental,” he says. “Everyone is doing the
right things now. Everyone knows that you need to train in everything.
Everyone knows you need your own strength and conditioning coach,
you need to eat well and all that stuff. So what’s the difference?
The mental difference. That’s really what it is. Who has
the better confidence? Who’s more secure with themselves
and really confident in what they did to prepare for the fight?”
Florian’s
mental will and confidence were forged in a fight with Sean Sherk
(Pictures) in 2006. In only his third UFC bout, Florian challenged
for the vacant lightweight title against a 34-fight veteran moving
down from welterweight, where he’d only lost twice. Florian
hung with Sherk for five rounds, bloodying the Minnesotan and
staying very much in the hunt despite repeatedly being taken
down.
“That
fight was so important to my development as a fighter mentally,”
Florian says. “I think that the Kenny Florian who fought
Sean Sherk had a lot of heart. He was tough but still technically
just not where he needed to be, physically not where he needed
to be. Just the gains I’ve made physically are night and
day. I would smash that old Kenny Florian.”
Florian
has not lost since that five-round affair, rattling off four
straight wins against tough competitors and diversifying his
arsenal each time out. He’s one of the least predictable
fighters in the lightweight division, and that’s by design.
“Somebody
may say, ‘Oh yeah, he fought the perfect fight. We’re
going to fight just like that the next time,’” Keith
Florian says. “Well, you know what? Your opponent is looking
exactly at what you were doing that last fight. They’re
already finding counters for that. That’s exactly why you
have to keep evolving. You can never stand still. If you stand
still, you’re dead in the water.”
Florian
and his camp do not expect to stand still at all in the fight
against Huerta. They expect Huerta, fighting on his own Minnesota
stomping grounds, to come forward tenaciously and try to turn
the match into a brawl, make it a battle of wills and disrupt
Florian’s game plan any way possible.
“I
think Roger’s well rounded like the other fighters nowadays,
but he’s got that something extra as far as heart and determination,
and he’s not going to quit,” Kenny Florian says. “It
has to be something technical that’s going to take him out.
You have to capitalize on a mistake.”
If
Huerta errs, Florian’s camp banks on it having something
to do with hitting a wall with which he is unfamiliar. The biggest
war Huerta has engaged in during his UFC tenure -- a “Fight
of the Year” candidate against Clay Guida (Pictures) in
December -- saw him struggle through two rounds, only to deliver
a stunning knee strike that set up a submission in the third.
Florian, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, hopes to present challenges
that will preempt such a blow from getting through.
“Roger
hasn’t hit that wall yet,” DellaGrotte says. “Most
fighters learn about who they are and what they believe in when
they hit that wall, when they’ve been around the block once
or twice.”
DellaGrotte
senses Huerta and many fans are discounting Florian amidst the
hype “El Matador” has enjoyed for most of his UFC tenure.
Huerta’s done nothing but win in the Octagon, and fans have
rallied behind him as a result. Florian, meanwhile, has had to
slowly build up his fan base; two of his three career losses
have been before massive television audiences.
“If
this was a popularity contest, Kenny would be f--ked,” DellaGrotte
says. “But it’s not a popularity contest; it’s
a fight. So therefore, Roger is f--ked. I love Roger; he’s
a great guy, but every time I see Roger, he kind of gives me
that wink, like he knows something I don’t. He doesn’t
realize the joke’s on him. I’ve never seen Kenny so
hungry.”
Florian
was cageside the night Huerta defeated Guida, calling the action
as an analyst for Spike TV. He straddled the line between objectively
calling the action and scouting a fighter who now stands between
him and the apex of his profession. It was symbolic of the crossroads
at which the multi-talented Massachusetts fighter finds himself.
MMA is his past, his present and his future.
“My
life pretty much revolves around this right now,” Florian
says. “It’s all I do. It’s all I really think
about.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Mayhem
Miller
On Jacare:
"He punches like a girl, he kicks like a girl."
By Jason Perkins
In the newest edition of The Light's Out Show, the fellas interview
Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Below are some interesting quotes
from this hilarious interview:
In the wake of Nick Diaz saying he has not been paid from DREAM,
we asked Jason if he had similar problems:
“No,
no problems. They’re a kick-a__ organization. Money in the
bank!!”
Asking
Jason if he’s looking to land a long term fight contract
with a promotion:
“No.
A long term deal is like being married. You can’t go around
bangin’ other chicks.”
Asking
Jason why he chose not to sign with The UFC when given the opportunity:
“At
the time they offered me the deal, it wasn’t the workable
deal, so I did my own thing. It can be scary for a fighter to
do that because if you’re not with The UFC people look at
you like you’ve got leprosy, but I’m not worried about
it. I’m able to make money, and let’s face it, you’ve
got to make as much money as you can because you can’t go
around punching people in the face forever.”
Describing
Miller’s greatest triumph in the ring:
”I once grabbed a ring card girl’s ass between rounds.”
On
his recent loss to the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter Ronaldo "Jacare"
Souza and if he measures up to his hype:
“He
punches like a girl, he kicks like a girl. He’s good at
jiu jitsu…that’s it. I was stupid enough to grapple
with him. That was my fault. I’m retarded. (But) I showed
the world that he don’t know how to box"
Source: Fight Line
|
Tito
Ortiz to Affliction
Babalu the Bad Boy's target
One
of the best-known names from the UFC, Tito Ortiz is onto his
second marriage. The Californian fighter confirmed on SI.com
that he has signed a contract with Affliction, the organization
hoping to break Dana White and co's stranglehold on the American
MMA scene.
And
keeping to his controversial style, Ortiz alleges to already
have an ideal adversary for his debut: Brazilian Renato Babalu
Sobral. "Babalu has been in my crosshairs. He's already
been talking smack, saying if he sees me he's going to kick my
ass, but right on if he keeps thinking that. He'll get his face
caved in sooner or later," said the bad boy, who went further
by firing off a shot at his eternal rival Frank Shamrock.
The
value of the contract was not released, but according to Ortiz,
it will be like no other contract ever before signed. "It
will be a long-term commitment and I'll put my heart in soul
into the company and help build it," he confirmed.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Murilo
Bustamante bets on Palhares
By Guilherme Cruz
Leader
of Brazilian Top Team, Murilo Bustamante commented to TATAME
about Rousimar “Toquinho” Palhares’ preparation
for the biggest challenge of his career at UFC 88 against the
former Pride champion, Dan Henderson. “He’s ready,
man, we bet on his. We know Henderson is a top athlete and that
it’ll be a tough fight, bus we believe in Toquinho”,
said Bustamante, that told us that Palhares isn’t felling
any pressure about this fight. “He’s loving it, impossible
to be more motivated. He knows he’ll have a great chance
to grown in the division and, if he wins, he’ll make a huge
advance close to his dream: a title shot. We want that”,
revealed Bustamante.
Source: Tatame
|
"Kid"
Yamamoto Has Surgery - Out For The Year
By Jason Perkins
Sports Navigator is reporting that Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto
was recently diagnosed with a complete ligament tear not a partial
tear as originally suspected.
Surgery was required and performed successfully yesterday and
Yamamoto should make a full recovery, but will be out of action
for the rest of this year.
Yamamoto
is currently riding a fourteen fight win streak which includes
big wins over Jeff Curren, Royler Gracie and Caol Uno, but the
5'4" dynamo hasn't competed since New Years Eve and will
now have to go through well over a year of inactivity before
his next fight.
Source: Fight Line
|
A
long chat with Minotauro
UFC champion in exclusive interview with GRACIEMAG.com
Internet users who access GRACIEMAG.com have been yearning for
more Minotauro. The MMA hero of Brazil and Japan, and now in
the United States - for being the current UFC heavyweight champion
called upon to star in next season's The Ultimate Fighter reality
show - now lives in Florida, where he leads Team Nogueira MMA.
And
as GRACIEMAG.com knows no bounds, our collaborator Nalty Junior
chased Minotauro down for an exclusive interview, in which he
evaluates the current MMA scene and speaks about his career in
ascension in North America. Check it out.
You
were voted best fighter several times and continue to be ranked
among the very best. What is your secret to keeping at the top
of your category for so long?
The
secret is in my team's training routine, which shows through.
The UFC's fight calendar is not as constant as Pride's was, so
it's hard to keep up the rhythm. But whenever they book a fight
we take it upon ourselves to be in shape for combat. I'm a fighter
with a certain amount of experience, so I know how much I need
to train to be in shape. I always keep in line with Jiu-Jitsu,
I train a lot of ground positions, I have a good muay thai coach,
a good boxing coach. I prepare myself well, thank God.
What
do you think of Frank Mir, your next adversary?
He's
a good ground fighter, of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school and
has had many submissions along his career. He's an explosive
fighter, so the first few minutes he is very dangerous. But I
believe I'm better on the ground, I have more stamina, that's
why there's a great chance that I'll have better results in this
fight.
What
did you think of your brother Minotouro's performance at Affliction?
I
think Minotouro represented the team well. He hadn't fought since
February. He managed to close the distance, throw some punches,
fought well on the ground, but chose to end the fight standing.
He saw his moment and ended it by knockout.
And
what about the fight between Fedor and Tim Sylvia?
Fedor
fought really well, was explosive and took advantage of his moment,
threw some good hooks. He fought at the right distance, was able
to surprise Tim Sylvia, and at 30 seconds he attacked and didn't
let up.
What
was shooting the UFC reality show like?
It
was awesome. I got to meet several fighters from several gyms
here in the USA. I had the chance to witness the growth of the
sport, how much these kids are athletes. In a short time they
became my friends. I saw how hard they work, all of them have
the dream of singing a UFC contract. Some will make it, others
won't. But all of them battled hard, grew, learned a lot of positions.
It only lasted a few weeks, I sought to teach as much as I could,
keep them in rhythm, in shape, and pass on all my experience.
And I could see all the behind-the-camera work, the guys from
Spike TV, the UFC, it's very organized. I drew a great deal from
the experience.
What
is Team Nogueira MMA's headquarters in Miami like?
Daniel
Valverde and I began this project about four years ago, and now
we managed to conclude it. We put together a gym with all the
necessary infrastructure for MMA professionals and beginners,
in a good part of Miami. We have an excellent structure, new
team, nearly two months since opening, more than 100 students.
It has everything it needs to be one of the biggest teams in
Florida. And in October we'll inaugurate the Team Nogueira MMA
headquarters in Dallas.
Is
there already a professional athlete you can name?
The
team is really new, lots of potential talent, but we still have
to wait for some results.
How
is your training for your fight with Frank Mir going?
It
makes sense that every fight I train specifically for each adversary.
I always keep up my daily training in Jiu-Jitsu, boxing, wrestling.
At the UFC house, I trained hard with the guys every day, now
I took two weeks off, and this week I'm getting back to my training
routine. The fight should take place either at the end of November
or beginning of December.
Would
you like to face Randy Couture?
I
would love to. When I went to the UFC, he was the champion, and
my goal was to fight him and take the title. That didn't happen
because of his contractual problems with the UFC. But I think
this fight might still happen.
And
what about Fedor, would you fight him again?
Of
course. I've already fought him three times, I feel he beat me
twice in these three fights. I believe in myself, Fedor really
is good, but I know I have the right game to fight him. I would
surely accept an offer for this fight. If he comes to the UFC,
I'm ready to put my belt up for grabs against him.
What
are your plans for the future?
To
remain in the UFC, keep my belt for a long time, represent my
country, my team Nogueira MMA. I want to continue to work on
my gym and build the team.
Give
us the contact information for athletes who want to be part of
Team Nogueira MMA...
Anyone
wishing to contact us, visit the site www.teamnogueiramma.com
or call the headquarters in Miami (758) 427 8222. The address
is 90 SW 8th St 3RD Floor, Miami , FL 33130.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
HERRING
READY TO SEE IF LESNAR IS FOR REAL
by Damon Martin
Facing top competition is nothing new for Ultimate Fighting Championship
heavyweight Heath Herring; he’s been doing it his entire
career. But in his next match-up, he faces possibly the most
hyped and talked about 1-1 fighter the sport has ever known.
Coming
off of a March win over Cheick Kongo at UFC 82, Herring jumped
at the opportunity to face former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar
in a showdown that could help push the Texas native into true
superstardom in the sport of MMA.
While
Herring may not have quite the notoriety that Lesnar does coming
into the fight, what he does have is a career’s worth of
experience and that could make all the difference in the fight.
“You’ve
got to remember this guy has never even been out of the first
round,” said Herring. “If the fight does go on and
he gets into deep water, who knows how he’s going to react
when he gets tired, when his hands start dropping.
“He’s
never even really been hit in a fight before. I’ve dropped
somebody in every one of my fights, so we’ll see how he
reacts when he gets caught with a couple of shots.”
It
seems obvious to most observers going into this match-up that
Lesnar, a former NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion, will want
to get Herring to the ground, but that’s not anything new
for him either.
“I
feel really good about (fighting) wrestlers,” Herring stated.
“I’ve fought some of the best on the planet. (Mark)
Kerr, Tom Erikson when everybody thought he was unbeatable, so
I’m not really looking at anything in Lesnar’s skill
set, isn’t really anything I haven’t seen before.”
The
former Pride standout will of course have his own advantages
in the fight beyond his experience. Herring will look to use
his length and reach advantage to give Lesnar problems on the
feet, which could negate the Minnesota native’s wrestling
all together.
“Reach
advantage plus those nice head kicks,” Herring said about
his advantages in the fight. “Those slow everybody down.”
Herring
will hope to slow down Lesnar in dramatic fashion this weekend
at UFC 87 in Minnesota.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Two
More Fights for Affliction 'Day of Reckoning'
Ariel Shnerer
In
the wake of Zuffa LLC buying out the International Fight League,
Affliction has nabbed two of the IFL's biggest names, its last
reigning heavyweight and light heavyweight champions. Two fights
featuring the recently acquired mixed martial artists are in
consideration for Affliction: Day of Reckoning, scheduled for
Oct. 11 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV. MMAJunkie.com
was first to report the tentative bouts on Monday.
The
first proposed matchup would feature a heavyweight bout between
the last International Fight League heavyweight titleholder Roy
Nelson and Xtreme Couture trainer Jay White. The second rumored
battle, a 205-pound tilt, would feature Antonio Rogerio Nogueira,
the brother of current UFC interim heavyweight champion, in a
rematch against the last reigning IFL light heavyweight champion
Vladimir Matyushenko.
A
native of Las Vegas, Nelson (13-2) carries a fight-five winning
streak into his Affliction debut. The 250-pound heavyweight sensation
last competed at IFL: Connecticut in May, earning a first-round
TKO victory over UFC veteran Brad Imes. Nelson's only career
losses are against Miletich Fighting Systems student "Big"
Ben Rothwell and Josh Curran, a man undefeated in MMA, though
only having fought three times. In December, Nelson captured
the IFL heavyweight crown by beating Antoine Jaoude.
White
(2-5, 1 NC), his proposed opponent, has achieved little success
thus far as a mixed martial artist, though his opponents have
been far more experienced, take for instance UFC veterans Jeff
Monson and Jake O'Brien. A trainer at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas,
White will have his sights set on Nelson in hope of making a
name for himself in the Affliction promotion. The 6'3" American
last competed at HDNet Fights: Reckless Abandon in December,
submitting Patrick Castillo via armbar in the first round. White
is also a regular competitor in Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions,
including the North American Grappling Association and Pan American
Jiu-Jitsu Championships.
Affliction's
focus on promoting bigger fighters (literally) is as clear as
day. The signings of Nelson and White adds even more depth to
an already stacked roster of heavyweight talent.
The
reported light heavyweight clash between "Little" Nogueira
and Matyushenko is just about six years in the making.
The
first time around, Matyushenko defeated Nogueira via unanimous
decision at a Universal Fighting-Arts Organization show. The
Belarussian wrestler was in fact the first man to deal Nogueira
a loss in MMA.
Matyushenko
(21-3) carries an eight-fight winning streak into his Affliction
debut, a streak that includes wins over the UFC's Tim Boetsch
and EliteXC's Anthony Ruiz. Matyushenko has lost fights against
Vernon White, Tito Ortiz and Andrei Arlovski, the only three
losses out of an impressive 21-win record. In addition to conquering
Nogueira, he holds notable wins over Pedro Rizzo and Travis Wiuff.
Nogueira
(14-3) was victorious in his Affliction debut on July 19, stopping
UFC veteran Edwin Dewees via technical knockout in round one.
Training under Brazilian Top Team, Nogueira boasts impressive
victories over Alistair Overeem (twice), Dan Henderson and Kazushi
Sakuraba. "Minotauro," as he's known, needs a win against
Matyushenko to erase memories of their 2002 meeting, in what
was only Nogueira's fourth professional fight. The Brazilian
has evolved significantly since their first encounter and with
a win on Oct. 11, he could position himself at the top of Affliction's
light heavyweight division. With Renato Sobral on board and Tito
Ortiz coming on shortly, Nogueira needs a win to put himself
in line for a WAMMA light heavyweight title shot down the road.
Affliction:
Day of Reckoning goes down at the Thomas & Mack Center in
Las Vegas, NV. The main event, announced over the weekend, will
feature heavyweights Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski, in what
will likely decide the #1 contender to Fedor Emelianenko's WAMMA
heavyweight championship.
Source: The Fight Network
|
LARSON
WANTS REMATCH WITH CONDIT NEXT
by Mick Hammond
At this past weekend’s WEC event, Minnesota native Brock
Larson made his case for getting a rematch with current promotion
170-pound champion Carlos Condit by scoring an impressive win.
In
what was supposed to be a tough test against highly regarded
Carlo Prater, Larson came out aggressively and put Prater down
and out for the count in just 30 seconds.
“It
went better than I assumed it would,” he admitted. “I
thought it would be a little tougher than that.
“Prater’s
the real deal, it just worked out that I caught him with the
first shot that I threw and I followed up with many more.”
To
be sure, it was the kind of win that Larson needed, especially
after his last fight – against John Alessio in March –
ended in controversy.
“That
was my goal; to go out there and do it quick and make everyone
open their eyes again and let them know that I’m back and
that the last two fights were kind of flukes,” he said.
“I’m
the real deal and I’m ready for Condit.”
According
to Larson, the rematch of his title fight with Condit from August
of last year appears to be what’s on the horizon next, as
long as a deal can be worked out between everyone involved.
“I’m
ready for it, so it’s just a matter of getting (Condit)
to agree, but (the WEC) definitely wants it to happen,”
he commented. “It’s up to Condit’s camp to figure
out what it wants.”
Normally
Larson would look to stay active, but he explains that he’s
not willing to put his title shot on the line should it take
longer for a fight with Condit to get worked out and scheduled.
“I’d
like to fight as often as possible, but the way it’s looking,
this is the fight I want to wait for,” he said. “I
don’t want to risk anything like I did before fighting Condit
the first time.
“I
was supposed to fight him when I fought Kevin Knabjan two months
before, and I think I peaked too early for that. It’s hard
to peak twice in two months, so if it comes out that way, that’s
the way I’m going to have to take it.”
When
the rematch does take place, Larson feels that it will be a much
different fight the second time around.
“My
confidence level is as high as it can be,” he exclaimed.
“I’ve always been really confident in my ground game,
but now with my hands I’ve been doing a lot of sparring,
and I’m confident everywhere now.
“I
don’t feel like I have a huge hole anywhere. It’s going
to take a pretty tough dude to bury me. I think that right now
I’m doing the best that I’ve ever done and I’m
ready for it.”
With
a three-fight winning streak in tow and only two losses in 26
fights, it would be hard to imagine anyone in the WEC other than
Brock Larson getting a title shot against Carlos Condit any time
soon.
“I
want to thank Warrior Wear and Bowtech for taking care of me,”
he closed out. “Everybody out there, fans of mine, I appreciate
the support.
“Keep
watching and you’re going to see more explosiveness from
me and that belt around my waist.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"When
you're Happy for No Reason you're unconditionally happy. It's
not that your life always looks perfect -- it's just that however
it looks, you'll still be happy."
Marci Shimoff, American Transformational Expert
|
UFC
87: "Seek and Destroy" Tomorrow!
Target Center, Minneapolis
Hawaii
Air Times
UFC 87 Countdown Channel 559 3:00PM
UFC 87: Seek and Destroy Channel 701 4:00PM
Main Card Bouts:
-Georges St. Pierre (#1 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Jon Fitch
(#2 Welterweight in the World)*
-Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta
-Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring
-Demian Maia vs. Jason MacDonald
-Manny Gamburyan vs. Rob Emerson
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Cheick Kongo vs. Dan Evensen
-Andre Gusmao vs. Jon Jones
-Steve Bruno vs. Chris Wilson
-Tamdan McCrory vs. Luke Cummo
-Ben Saunders vs. Ryan Thomas
|
MEDIA
RELEASE
For immediate release
World's
most popular fighting event coming to Hawaii
Tomorrow!
Doors open
at 5PM
Event starts at 6PM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Honolulu, Hawaii. August 6, 2008
The FieLDS K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii promotion is still
in full swing with less than a week left before the event. Changes
to the fight card have been made. Chris West and Billy Hall have
been withdrawn due to injury. The updated fight card follows:
Opening Ceremony
[The
1st Match/USA GP Tournament First Round/K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R,
extra 1R]
Mighty Mo (USA/Freelance) VS Justice Smith (USA/Long Beach Kickboxing)
[The
2nd Match/USA GP Tournament First Round/K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R,
extra1R]
Butterbean (USA/Team Butterbean) VS Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (USA/B.J. Penn MMA)
[The
3rd Match/USA GP Tournament First Round/K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R,
extra 1R]
Chalid "Die Faust" (Germany/Golden Glory Gym) VS Deutsch Puu (USA-Hawaii/SPARTAMMA)
[The
4th Match/USA GP Tournament First Round/K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R,
extra 1R]
Nicholas Pettas (USA/Team Sprit AE) VS Rick Cheek (USA/Nor-Cal
Fighting Alliance)
[The
5th Match/Super Fight/K-1 Rules/ 3 min x 3R, extra 2R]
Paul Slowinski (Australia/Team Mr. Perfect) VS Aziz Jahjah (Morocco/Team
Rebel)
[The
6th Match "USA GP Tournament Semifinal Round" K-1 Rules/
3 min x 3R, extra 1R]
Winner of First Round (1) VS Winner of First Round (2)
[The
7th Match "USA GP Tournament Semifinal Round" K-1 Rules/
3 min x 3R, extra 1R]
Winner of First Round (3) VS Winner of First Round (4)
Intermission
[The
8th Match / Super Fight/ K-1 Rules/ 3 min x 3R, extra 1R]
Scott Junk (USA/MMA Development)
VS Min Soo Kim (Korea/Freelance)
[The
9th Match/Super Fight/ K-1 Rules/3 min x 3R, extra 2R]
Badr Hari (Morocco/Show Time) VS Domagoj Ostojic (Croatia/Team
Ostojic)
[The
10th Match "USA GP Tournament Final Round" K-1 Rules/
3 min x 3R, extra 2R]
Winner of Semifinal Round (1) VS Winner of Semifinal Round (2)
[Reserve
Fight (1)/ K-1 Rules/ 3 min x 3R]
Randy Kim (Korea/Freelance) VS Vilitonu Fonokalafi (USA-Hawaii/No Remorse)
[Reserve
Fight (2)/ K-1 Rules/ 3 min x 3R]
Ghokan Saki (Turkey/Team Rebel) VS Junior Sua (USA/MMA Hawaii)
About
the event:
FieLDS K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii, is the US tournament
qualifier for the K-1 World Grand Prix finals that take place
in December in Japan. Broadcast in 135 counties, K-1 World Grand
Prix is the most watched and most popular fighting event in the
world. Through the year regional tournaments are held all over
the world, with the winners advancing to the K-1 World Grand
Prix Final Elimination Round, this yearheld in September in Korea.
The eight finalist then battle eight best fighters from the year
before with the winners advancing to the K-1 World Grand Prix
finals, held in Japan to determine who is the best standup fighter
in the world.
K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawaii 2008 will feature an 8 man tournament
on August 9th at the Stan Sheriff Center to find out who will
be the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii Champion and move
on to Korea.
In the Super Fight attractions, K-1 Superstar and current K-1
World Heavyweight Champion Badr Hari will take on Domagoj Ostojic
and Hawaii's own Scott Junk will face Korea's Min Soo Kim.
Event
Information:
K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawaii 2008
Date: August 9, 2008
Location: Stand Sheriff Center
Doors Open: 5PM
Event Starts at: 6PM
Tickets are available at:
For Akebono's blog and more fight information check out the K-1
Hawaii website at www.k-1hawaii.com
Tickets
are available through:
Stan Sheriff Ticket Office: TEL : 808-944-2697
website : http://www.etickethawaii.com
Stan Sheriff Center, University of Hawai`i at Manoa
Stan Sheriff Ticket Office TEL : 808-944-2697
UH Campus Center, University of Hawai`i at Manoa
Rainbowtique at Ward Centre
OCET Office, Windward Community College
All Military Ticket Outlets
For
all media inquiries in Hawaii please contact:
Contact: Jay Chen
Telephone: (808) 366 1913
Email: jay@kgc-hi.com
Website: http://www.k-1hawaii.com
|
Man
Up & Stand Up Tomorrow!
WEIGH INS
WILL BE HELD IN WAIPAHU AT THE NEW WESSIDE FIGHT GEAR STORE ON
94-144 FARRINGTON HWY SUITE 112 (NEXT TO DON QUIOTES DAIEA).
AT 6:30 PM ON FRIDAY NIGHT AUGUST 8, 2008. WESSIDE FIGHT GEAR
IS A GREAT PLACE FOR FIGHTERS TO GET THEIR LAST MINUTE EQUIPMENT
BEFORE THEIR FIGHT AND FOR TRAINING. THEY GOT YOU COVERED FROM
HEAD TO TOE IN BOXING TO MMA. ITS NOT ONLY A STORE FOR FIGHTERS.
THESE GUYS GOT STUFF FOR ALL OF YOU MILFS THAT STILL GOT IT GOING
ON OR AT LEAST STILL THINKS THAT THEY GOT IT GOING ON (NAH JUST
KIDDING). THEY GOT GEAR AND APPAREL FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN SO
COME DOWN AND CHECK IT OUT.
JARED IHA DIDN'T LIKE LAST WEEKS WRITE UP ONE BIT. ABOUT COLIN
MCKENZIE MAKING HIM WEAR A SIZE 10 ACROSS HIS FACE. JARED SAID
THAT COLIN HAS TO SHOW UP TO THE FIGHT IN ORDER TO GIVE HIM SOMETHING
TO WEAR. AND THAT THE ONLY THING HE'LL BE WEARING IS HIS TITLE
THAT HE ALREADY WEARS AROUND HIS WAIST. COLIN IS PRETTY CONFIDENT
THAT HE WILL BE SENDING JARED TO BED IN HIS OWN BACKYARD. (KANEOHE).
BUT JARED KNOWS THAT HIS BACKYARD IS WHERE HE CLEANS OUT ALL
THE RUBBISH AND DOES HIS PLANTING. HE'LL DEFINITELY BE LOOKING
TO CLEAN OUT SOME RUBBISH WHEN HE PLANTS A LEFT HOOK ON COLIN'S
JAW SATURDAY NIGHT. WHO DO YOU THINK WILL TAKE THIS ONE?
SOME OTHER SHOWSTOPPERS WILL INCLUDE:
AMATEUR SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP OTTO AGAINST WAIANAE RAISED JAY
WESTBROOK FOR THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.
BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMP EVAN QUIZON WILL TEST HIS SKILLS AGAINST EAST
OAHU'S BOXING STANDOUT ISIAH MANALO.
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP KOLOA KAHALEWAI WILL FINALLY GET TO BANG WITH
ONE OF WAIANAE'S ONE BLOW K.O. BANGAZ - JUDE KAPUA.
JULIO MORENO WILL MEET UP AGAIN WITH NUI WHEELER TO CLAIM HIS
WIN WHICH HE FEELS SHOULD'VE BEEN HIS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CHAMP RICHARD "HIT TOO HARD" BARNARD
WILL SEE WHO HITS HARDER AGAINST IKAIKA MORENO.
AMATEUR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT MMA CHAMP AUSTIN FIGUROA AND DENVER
GONSALVES ARE VIRGINS TO THE SEMI-PRO KICKBOXING WORLD. BUT WILL
MEET TO TEST THE WATERS AND HOPEFULLY THE WATERS WILL NOT BE
TOO ROUGH.
COLIN MCKENZIE 140 JARED IHA
DALE KAMAI 170 TYLER MAYEKAWA
NUI WHEELER 135 JULIO MORENO
JAY WESTBROOK 260+ OTTO HOOPII
EVAN QUIZON 125 ISAIAH MANALO
IKAIKA SILVA 200 ROYAL LONO
MAKANA VERTIDO 205 KOALI CASTILLO
CARL SUA 190 HOKU CUBAN
ROBERT BANIS 165 JACOB SMITH
FRED RAMAYLA 140 JUSTIN PRATT
KOA RAMELB 155 AARON DEVICTORIA
IKAIKA BULLOCK 165 RYAN DESOTO
DESMOND TALUB 165 DONOVAN
JUSTIN WIKINS 165 DEAN HENZE
RICHARD BARNARD 115 IKAIKA MORENO
KEALE UNCIANO 125 ARMAN KATOKU
JORDAN SCANLAN 115 MELVIN
BRONSON CAYETANO 145 MAX HALLOWAY
DENVER GONZALVES 230 AUSTIN FIGUROA
TONY PERRERA 150 JOHN BARNARD?
JUDE KAPUA 230 KOLOA KAHALEWAI
REGGIE FERNANDEZ 155 KALE KWAN
MATT 155 LAA KAHOOKELE
ALL
MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ROYCE LONO 230 JAIMIE REGO?
|
SHO
SPORTS PRESENTS FEATURES
A SPECTACULAR AUGUST LINE UP
“SHO
Sports Presents” Airs Every Weeknight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on
SHOWTIME® 2
NEW
YORK (August 5, 2008) – SHO Sports Presents, a nightly series
featuring replays of thrilling SHOWTIME Sports telecasts from
the network’s vast arsenal, will feature an incredible month
of fights and features in August. (see full schedule attached).
SHO
Sports Presents airs every weeknight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME®
2 and includes event telecasts from the flagship franchise SHOWTIME
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING, the newest sports television phenomenon
EliteXC, as well as both prospect-oriented series ShoXC: Elite
Challenger Series and the acclaimed ShoBox: The New Generation.
SHO
Sports Presents highlights for August include:
You
don’t have to wait for the heavyweight showdown between
Sam Peter and Vitali Klitschko on Oct. 11 to see the “Nigerian
Nightmare” in action. Tune in on Aug. 28 to see the wild
fight between Peter and Jameel McCline that Peter won despite
being knocked down three times in two rounds.
Tune
in for highlights of two of the best light heavyweights in the
world, Antonio Tarver and Chad Dawson. Tarver and Dawson have
been on a collision course for the past year while the two have
dominated opponents in the light heavyweight division. To preview
their highly anticipated showdown, also on Oct. 11, SHO Sports
Presents will air championship battles featuring Tarver vs. Clinton
Woods/Dawson vs. Glen Johnson on Aug. 27 (9:30 p.m. start time),
among others.
The
explosive rematch between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith for the
EliteXC middleweight title originally aired live on CBS. Catch
the encore on SHO2 August 14.
Some
of MMA pioneer Frank Shamrock’s most recent bouts will be
featured throughout August. See Shamrock dismantle Phil Baroni
on Aug. 12 (9:45 p.m. start time) followed by his instant classic
battle with Cung Le the next night (9:50 p.m. start time). Plus,
the inaugural EliteXC event and SHOWTIME debut from Feb. 2007
featuring Shamrock vs. Renzo Gracie will air on Aug. 29 (9:30
p.m. start time).
Don’t
miss the tribute to one of boxing’s best trilogies between
Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez. Vazquez-Marquez: The Trilogy
will re-air Monday, Aug. 25
SHOWTIME® 2 is the network’s primary multiplex channel.
SHO
Sports Presents has been airing weeknights since Nov. 3, 2007,
when it premiered with a replay of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING:
Rocky Juarez vs. Jason Pires from Feb. 1, 2003.
About
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
In
March 1986, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING was born when “Marvelous”
Marvin Hagler defeated John “The Beast” Mugabi in a
spectacular and unforgettable 11th-round knockout in Las Vegas.
Since that time, the network has aired some of the most historic
and significant events in the sport’s long history.
About
ShoBox: The New Generation
Since
its inception in July 2001, the critically acclaimed SHOWTIME
boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has featured young,
talented fighters matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to
televise crowd-pleasing and competitive fights while providing
a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for
a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared
on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes Leonard
Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Rick Hatton, Joan
Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero and Kelly Pavlik.
About
EliteXC
ProElite
Inc., the parent company of EliteXC, delivers the most exciting
entertainment experience in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA)
with live arena-based entertainment events, network television
programming on CBS Television Network, cable television programming
on Showtime Networks Inc., and community-driven interactive broadband
entertainment via the Internet. ProElite embraces MMA on the
highest levels of honor, integrity, discipline and self-esteem,
all the while remaining inclusive for fighters, fans and schools.
ProElite’s live fight division, EliteXC, delivers spectacular
live MMA fight events that showcase the world’s top fighters.
Source: Showtime
|
Fedor
Emelianenko Vs. Randy Couture A Possibility This Year?
Fedor Emelianenko's manager and M-1 Global president Vadim Finkelstein
recently sat down with M-1Mixfight.com to discuss Affliction:
Banned, future projects and the possibility of Fedor Emelianenko
fighting in the UFC. Below are some of the more interesting tidbits
from that conversation:
Finkelstein On Fedor vs. Sylvia:
The
fight was amazing, the speed, hit-and-run attack and the final.
Fedor has exceeded all my expectations. I thought that this fight
would continue about 3 or 5 minutes, that contestants will box
and wrestle, Fedor would look for the possibility to move Tim
to parterre and Tim gonna prevent this, but the reality came
over all the expectations – Fedor had moved twice faster
then Tim and wiped him off like a storm. This fight was very
important for a few reasons. Finally American audience had a
good look at Fedor, because before that a lot of people haven’t
seen him and it made a lot of arguing about who is the best fighter
in the world.
Fedor has finished this arguing. Dana White told a lot of ridiculous
and offensive things about Fedor – and they occurred to
be meaningless – his four-times UFC champion has been destroyed
by Fedor for 36 seconds. Now nobody can tell that Fedor fights
with weak contestants to whom were reconed a lot of very famous
and strong fighters. We are trying to find the strongest cotestants
for him because of Fedor’s level, for example our project
“Fighting Fedor” should prove that a right to fight
with Fedor should be deserved.
Finkelstein
On The Possibility Of Fedor And Randy Couture Fighting In The
UFC This Year:
Couture
said that he is ready to fight with Fedor. I can tell you that
if UFC will negotiate with us then this fight can happen this
year, maybe within the bounds of our joint tournament with UFC.
We are ready to negotiate, the fighters are ready, everything
is ready, the only deal is with UFC policy headed on their separation
and singularity.
Finkelstein
On Aleksander Emelianenko:
I
do not clearly understand what has happened because we found
out that Alexander had been debarred right before weighting procedure.
I suppose that California commission has debarred Alexander because
he was not in time to the date of medical examination –
13th of July, but it had happened because we had problems with
visa in American embassy. For example Alexander’s seconds
didn’t get visas without any explanations and that is why
Alexander came only at July,15. Maybe they haven’t done
some tests and it became a reason why commission didn’t
allowed Alexander to fight.
Finkelstien
On Alexander's Next Fight:
We
do have some variants right now. Maybe he will take place in
superfight at the next M-1 Challenge tournament in Korea or at
one of the nearest DREAM tournaments.
Source: Fight Line
|
Kenny
Florian - In Cruise Control
Krissie Bacho
Kenny
Florian is a busy man. Aside from being one of the most exciting
lightweights in mixed martial arts, “KenFlo” is a jack-of-all-trades
in the sport, hosting MMA Live on ESPN.com and joining the broadcast
team during recent UFC pay per view events. He took time out
of his hectic schedule to speak with the Fight Network Radio
crew about his highly anticipated fight with Roger Huerta this
coming Saturday at UFC 89 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, implementing
more weight classes in mixed martial arts, and branching out
in the fight world.
Co-host
John Pollock, running the show while host Mauro Ranallo is on
vacation asked Florian about the pressure putting on a great
show and being involved in what could be a possible fight of
the year. Florian admitted he himself was expecting fireworks,
hyping the fight by saying, “You have two very aggressive
well-rounded fighters who are going to go at each other from
the start of the fight and I expect a very dynamic and fast paced
fight. That’s the way I fight, that’s the way Roger
fights. I don’t expect any different for this fight. It’s
going to come down to the little details, who did all the things
right and who can capitalize on each other’s mistakes”.
He spoke about his approach to making weight, admitting he’s
about 167 pounds at the moment (12 pounds from his weigh-in weight
of 155 pounds) and that on weigh-in day he’d be about 162-163
pounds. In training for this fight with Huerta, he’d gained
a few pounds of muscle and compared his mental state at the moment
as one of “cruise control. The hard training is done and
now it’s just about being mentally prepared and keeping
the knife sharp”. He further elaborated on his preparation,
stating, “I like to do a lot of visualization; I do meditation
and kind of just get focused. My body just knows, my mind just
knows. I’m not as friendly; I’m not joking around as
much. I know that my body’s getting ready for something
great. I really feel that after all this hard training, all the
pain and suffering I went through for this camp and every camp,
it’s time to perform. I get my reward on August 9th; I get
to go out there and do my job so I’m excited for that”.
Pollock
brought up the Association of Boxing Commission (ABC) Convention
held recently in Montreal. A controversial topic discussed at
the convention was the possible implementation of additional
weight classes in mixed martial arts. Pollock used Florian’s
losses against Diego Sanchez (at 185 pounds, with Sanchez noticeably
much larger than Florian) and Sean Sherk (at 155 pounds, again
with Sherk being bigger) as examples of the difference in weight
classes. Florian was outspoken about the subject saying, “
I would love to see a 195 pound weight class for example, maybe
a 235 pound weight class or a 165 pound weight class. Maybe every
10 pounds would be very beneficial to a lot of fighters out there
who may be in between. We’ve seen problems in the past with
fighters trying to make weight. I’m not making any excuses
for them or anything like that. That’s their job, they should
weigh in on weight obviously but perhaps that would help alleviate
some of those concerns, some of those problems. I think at this
point with the amount of fighters out there, I think the organizations
can certainly sustain the other weight classes so I’m all
for it”. However, he noted that he believed he was in the
right weight class (155 pounds) for himself.
A
trend has emerged with fighters branching out into other divisions
of not only the fight world, but in areas such as fashion and
entertainment. Florian has stuck mainly to the MMA industry,
honing his skills as a host of MMA Live and in the broadcast
booth with the UFC. Florian excitedly talked about those opportunities,
but made clear his heart still lies with the physical aspect
of MMA. “First and foremost my priority is fighting and
that’s still something I’m very passionate about. As
soon as that dies down, I’ll know its time to hang up the
gloves. It’s been a great thing. I was hoping, really, for
something like this to come up a little bit later in my career
but I’ll take it. It’s an opportunity that I really
couldn’t pass up with ESPN. I’m really happy with them
over there, everything’s been going great. Hopefully we
can get the show (MMA Live) on TV and really take mixed martial
arts to the next level and a lot of these opportunities that
have come to me, I just feel real blessed. You can’t fight
forever and you need a back up plan. It’s always good to
have something besides getting hit in the face so these are all
good things and I’m looking forward to what the future holds
but right now, fighting is my number one priority”. He talked
about trying to be an impartial figure in the media, admitting
how tough it is to be personally involved with his fellow fighters
and having to make fight predictions and the like. He even joked
that maybe the reason he hadn’t heard from some of his fighter
friends was because they were offended at his predictions or
remarks.
UFC
President Dana White has put the spotlight on the Huerta-Florian
fight as he has indicated the winner of the fight would likely
face lightweight champion BJ Penn. But Pollock pointed out Penn’s
desire to fight the winner of the welterweight title fight, with
champion Georges St. Pierre defending against challenger Jon
Fitch (the main event on the same card as Huerta-Florian). He
asked Florian if it bothered him in any way that BJ was vocal
about hopping from one division to another.
“No,
not at all. I know BJ’s motivated by different things. He’s
accomplished a lot of great things in his career and just wants
bigger and better things. I’m sure that if BJ gets the belt,
or he ends up fighting St. Pierre and beats him, I’m sure
he’ll be back to 155 pounds. It’s tough for me to say
how another person should feel but I know BJ pretty well and
I know he’s motivated by very specific things, especially
losses that he wants to get back on his record. I’m sure
that he’ll be back at the 155 division and if not, no problem.
As long as I get to fight the best guys that are out there and
the toughest guys, I’ll be happy”. Answering a caller’s
question regarding Penn against St. Pierre, Florian held the
opinion that he believed Penn has the tools to defeat St. Pierre.
After discussing Penn, Florian touched on the subject of lightweights
not under contract to the UFC. Eddie Alvarez, Gesias “JZ”
Calvacante, and Joachim Hansen were brought up and Florian had
respect for them all, especially in regards to Japanese fighters
Takanori Gomi and Shinya Aoki. He simplified his earlier statements
saying “I want to break into the top ten consistently like
those guys and I want to show that I’m one of the best in
the world and in order to do that, you’ve got to fight the
best and I want to keep fighting the best so I can be regarded
as a top ten”.
A
listener, Steve, inquired about a game plan Florian was formulating
with his trainers against Huerta. Florian didn’t divulge
too much, saying, “Mark (Delagrotte) and I have always gone
over a lot of things, and with my brother as well. There are
specific things that we feel we can expose in Roger’s game,
assuming those weaknesses are still there. We’re assuming
that Roger’s filled a lot of those holes but based on what
we’ve seen, we feel that there are a lot of holes in his
game and I think I have the skills to exploit them and God willing,
it’ll happen. I’ve got a lot of great trainers around
me and we’ve done the work and we’ve done our homework
and I’ve put in the long hours and we’re hoping that
it’ll pay off”. To end the show, a listener, Charlie
from Ontario offered Florian his support, stating he felt Florian
would “walk through Huerta easily in the first round”.
Florian didn’t overtly disagree saying, “Huerta is
tough as nails and I have to be ready for sure. I know I can
finish him in the first round and we’ll see what happens
but I’m expecting a war”.
Source: The Fight Network
|
WEC-UFC
Talent Merger in the Works?
by Jason Probst
Talk of a potential migration of the WEC’s 205- and 185-pound
divisions to the UFC could be more than just rumors, and the
answer might play out in the coming months.
For
months, rumors have been circulating -– and, occasionally
reported in MMA media outlets -– that the WEC may disband
those two divisions and send some of the top fighters competing
there to the UFC.
Reed
Harris, WEC president, declined to confirm or deny the status
of a potential reshuffling of the rosters when contacted Monday
by Sherdog.com. Harris did confirm that the concept has been
acknowledged as a possibility by UFC president Dana White, and
matchmakers Joe Silva and Scott Adams of the UFC and WEC, respectively.
“We
have had some discussions about our weight divisions, but nothing
has been set or finalized,” Harris said. “We’ve
heard the same rumors. We’ve had those discussions since
day one. About what weight classes (might be involved), I really
have no official statement. I know people are talking about it.
I’ve had reporters call me and ask the same questions for
eight months about it.”
Indications,
both informal and on the record, have been enough to draw attention
to hardcore industry watchers. At a UFC 83 Q&A session with
fans in April, White addressed the question.
"We're
going to make the WEC the smaller weights and the UFC will be
the heavier weights,” White told The Canadian Press. “We'll
probably take some of the guys in the higher weights, the champions
over there and bring them into UFC. We're still trying to figure
that out."
Possibly
foreshadowing the imminent shift, the WEC’s Sept. 3 show
will headline featherweight champ Urijah Faber (Pictures) in
his sixth title defense against Mike Brown, while 185-pound boss
Paulo Filho (Pictures) rematches Team Quest’s Chael Sonnen
(Pictures) to put to rest a controversial March meeting in the
co-main event that night.
For
the WEC, the move could make sense. While the 135-, 145- and
155-pound divisions have viable depth in their ranks, outside
of Filho and Sonnen, the middleweights lack a top 10 fighter,
as does the light heavyweight division.
Source: Sherdog
|
Jacaré
wants Dream’s belt
By Guilherme Cruz
Waiting
for the announcement of his next opponent, Ronaldo “Jacaré”
Souza keeps training hard without caring about who he will face.
“The expectations are the best, I’ll do my best as
a person and fighter, all my heart and faith to be the champion”,
said Jacaré to TATAME. After hearing about what Jason
Miller said about him. “He’s a jackass with a mouth,
and can say whatever he wants. He calls himself a jackass. He
can say whatever he wants, he lost, and if he wants to fight
again just need to ask”, answered Ronaldo, that said he’s
working everything to win his first MMA belt. “I’m
training everything, Wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu… I’m going
to do MMA. I’ll bring this belt home”, guarantees the
Xtreme Couture athlete.
Source: Tatame
|
Hieron
Fielding Offers from Elite XC, Affliction, and UFC
By Steven Marrocco
Last
week, International Fight League Welterweight Champion Jay Hieron
was released from the camp based organization, a casualty of
its long battle to remain solvent in the turbulent MMA market.
FCF caught up with Hieron at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, Nevada,
where he has been patiently waiting for a return to competition.
In the past few months, he’s been playing side man to training
partners Mike Pyle, Gray Maynard, Tyson Griffin, and Mac Danzig,
and longs to step into the spotlight.
Thankfully,
Hieron may not have to wait that long before he is fighting again.
Hieron told FCF that he is fielding offers from the MMA market’s
current contenders, Elite XC, Affliction, and the UFC. But while
Hieron is dying to fight, he wants to be confident that his next
step won’t leave him in the lurch.
“I
don’t want to go through this again with another show going
under,” Hieron said. “I had good momentum going and
I just don’t want to have another fight cancelled on me.
I’ve trained real hard, it’s my job, and I’ve
focused. I want to go to a show that’s going to be around.”
Hieron
said he had heard rumors of the company’s impending demise
for the last year, but didn’t pay them much attention. When
his August 15th fight was cancelled, Hieron knew a bump was ahead
in his career.
“That’s
when I was like, okay, I’ve got to have a back-up plan,”
Hieron said. “I spoke to my manager and he went out and
talked for me, [and] the other organizations were interested.
So, I could be in a worse situation.”
Recently,
several former IFL fighters have made their way into other organizations.
Perhaps most the most notable example is of Ben Rothwell, who
left the organization at the end of 2007 and re-emerged with
Affliction’s first pay per view effort—and a very hefty
check for his efforts. Standouts Chris Wilson, Rory Markham,
and Reese Andy have made their way to the Octagon, with mixed
results. But ultimately, Hieron is sitting on the fence right
now, trying to weigh the balance between quality of paycheck
and quality of competition.
“Right
now, I’m just seeing what’s the best move to make,”
he said. “I’ve got offers on the table, which is great.
Now it’s a matter of what direction do I want to take in
my career. It’s not only the money, I’m not in it just
for the money. I love to fight, first off. I love the competition.
But at the end of the day you definitely want to get paid for
what you do. Not only do I have to get paid, I’ve got to
pay my trainers, my gym, bills. This is my full time job. I have
a lot of overhead. I definitely want to be compensated for that.
I’m kind of in limbo, but I’m just taking my time and
seeing what’s best route to take.”
Hieron
anticipates an October return to competition, which, lucky for
him, happens to be when three of the companies he has offers
from are planning to hold events. The UFC has two events, one
week apart, with UFC 89 on October 18 in England and UFC 90 on
October 25 in Chicago. Affliction returns on October 11 on Hieron’s
home turf in Las Vegas, and Elite XC holds its third network-televised
card on the 4th. He’s not exactly hurting for options.
“I
definitely want to return in October, but I’m going to take
my time,” he said. “If I’m not on card on October
it’s not the end of the world, I still want to be comfortable
with the decision I make.”
Whoever
he signs with, Hieron is convinced, things will come around for
him eventually.
“I
believe everything happens in circles, so I’m living through
my training partners eyes right now,” he said. “I’m
still involved in fighting, but I’m just not out their fighting.
Which can be stressful, but I just take a step back, and my time
will come again.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
STEVE
CANTWELL RECOUNTS WEC 35 TITLE WIN
by Jeff Cain
When Steve Cantwell and Brian Stann first met in World Extreme
Cagefighting at WEC 26, Stann finished Cantwell by TKO in just
41 seconds. At WEC 35, Cantwell returned the favor by finishing
the former WEC light heavyweight titleholder by TKO at 4:01 of
the first round.
It
was Stann's first title defense and Cantwell's opportunity to
avenge the previous loss and win the WEC light heavyweight belt
that Stann obtained by knocking out Doug Marshall at WEC 33.
"He
did exactly what I thought he'd do," the newly crowned champ
told MMAWeekly.com. "It was exactly what I expected. The
only problem was it was my first title fight and my nerves kind
of got the best of me a little bit."
The
fight played out with Cantwell picking Stann apart standing,
while Stann tried to set up the right hand that's become his
signature. Cantwell's diversity of strikes proved too much for
the former champion. "No disrespect to Stann, but he does
need to mix it up a little bit more," said Cantwell.
Stann's
ability to absorb strikes and continue stood out to Cantwell,
who commented, "I was surprised at how much punishment that
guy took. (Expletive) Jarhead. No disrespect. But damn that guy's
head was hard. My hands are killing me.
“I
kept hitting him with everything that I had and he wasn't going
down. I was starting to get a little concerned. I thought I was
going to have to bite him or something...The guy can take an
ass whoopin, that's for sure. He's a tough guy."
With
each holding a one-sided win over the other, Cantwell isn't ruling
out a rubber match with Stann in the future. "I would love
to fight him again. Definitely," stated Cantwell. "The
guy definitely brought the best out of me. He motivated me in
my last couple of fights. I train hard. I always had him in the
back of my head."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Demian
Maia ready for Jason MacDonald
By Guilherme Cruz
Demian
Maia remains unbeatable at MMA, and when things go right, you
don’t need to chance anything. That’s what Maia thinks
about his training. “I train always what I do best (Jiu-Jitsu),
but if I need to fight stand up I’m ready to do it, but
I believe Jiu-Jitsu has always been my strong part, I’ll
always go to submit”, guaranteed Maia, that won five of
his seven fights with his top BJJ game. “Everything is alright
here, I’m at Las Vegas now and will train a little this
week with Wanderlei Silva and Rafael Alejarra”, told Maia,
that will fight at UFC 87, August 9th, with Wanderlei in his
corner.
Source: Tatame
|
NYSAC
Chairwoman Wants MMA in New York
By Tim Ngo
Newsday is reporting that New York State Athletic Commission
(NYSAC) chairwoman Melvina Lathan is asking her New Yorkers to,
“keep an open mind,” in regards to allowing Mixed Martial
Arts into its state. Former Nevada State Athletic Commission
executive director and current UFC Vice President of Government
and Regulatory Affairs, Marc Ratner has known Lathan for years
and believes that, “the legislature will approve this sport
in early 2009.
The UFC was hoping to make a huge announcement regarding a UFC
Pay-Per-View in New York but when the bill was pushed back until
next January, it put a wrench in the situation.
Although
Lathan is a “boxing purist” by her own admission, she
feels that New York has room for two sports but she knows that
she has an uphill battle on her hands even as the NYSAC’s
chairwoman.
Source: Fight Line
|
Sherk
vs. Griffin Set for UFC 90
Ariel Shnerer
A
155-pound bout between former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk
and Xtreme Couture product Tyson Griffin will likely be added
to UFC 90 on Oct. 25 from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill.
MMAWeekly.com reported the news on Tuesday.
Sherk
(32-3-1) trains at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy along with
Brock Lesnar and Nick Thompson. The 5'6" juggernaut, appropriately
nicknamed "The Muscle Shark," dropped the lightweight
title to B.J. Penn at UFC 84 after returning from a six-month
suspension administered by the California State Athletic Commission.
Sherk,
widely acknowledged as one of the finest conditioned athletes
in the sport, had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs
following a unanimous decision victory over Hermes Franca at
UFC 73: Stacked last July. Although Sherk denies the allegations
to this day, the suspension was stayed and Sherk was stripped
of his lightweight title.
The
Minneapolis-native won back to back decisions against Kenny Florian
and Nick Diaz leading into the title fight against Franca. In
addition, the wrestling standout holds notable wins over Karo
Parisyan (twice), Tiki Ghosn and Manny Gamburyan.
Prior
to dropping the gold in May, Sherk's only losses were against
top-ranked welterweights Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre.
In
his return bout against Penn, Sherk was unable to take the Brazilian
jiu-jitsu world champion to the ground and was dominated in a
standup war due to Penn's superior reach. Sherk was finished
in the second round following a running knee and a wave of strikes.
If
Sherk wants a rematch against Penn, he will need to be in top
form for the October meeting with Tyson Griffin.
Also
a wrestling specialist, Griffin is the only man to defeat (let
alone finish) current WEC featherweight titleholder Urijah Faber.
Griffin won the bout at Gladiator Challenge 42: Summer Slam in
2005 before making his debut in the UFC just over a year later.
Griffin
(12-1) has lost only once in his career -- a bout against Frankie
Edgar at UFC 67: All or Nothing last February. Since the unanimous
decision setback against Edgar, Griffin has racked up four wins
in a row over all the top 155-pounders that the Ultimate Fighting
Championship puts in his way. His winning streak consists of
victories over Clay Guida, Thiago Tavares, Gleison Tibau and
most recently, Marcus Aurelio.
On
the same card as Sherk vs. Griffin, UFC middleweight champion
Anderson Silva will look to run right through another test in
French-Canadian power puncher Patrick Cote.
A
welterweight matchup between Diego Sanchez and Thiago Alves is
also rumored, as are lightweight tilts pitting Melvin Guillard
against Spencer Fisher and Gleison Tibau against Hermes Franca.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Pawel
Nastula at Sengoku 4
Polish judoka returns to MMA after 2-year retirement
Polish
fighter Pawel Nastula, 38, Olympic-judo gold medallist in 1996,
who retired shortly after a disasterous failed drugs test at
Pride 32, returns to competition on August 24 to face Yong Dong
Yi at Sengoku 4.
This
will be Nastula's first MMA bout in two years. Nastula is one
of the world's most successful judokas, but had a turbulent venture
into MMA, winning only one of his four fights in Pride. Nevertheless,
his losses came against standout fighters like Rodrigo Minotauro,
Aleksander Emelianenko and Josh Barnett. After defeat at the
hands of Barnett, Nastula tested positive for the use of steroids
and stimulants. As a result, the Polish fighter was suspended
by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Meanwhile,
Yang Dong Yi is coming off two knockout wins in his only two
MMA fights, which took place in DEEP. Not one of his fights went
past the first round.
Among
the eight participants on the Cage Force card is lightweight
champion Mizuto Hirota and IFL lightweight champion Ryan Schultz,
as well as Kazunori Yokota, DEEP lightweight champion.
Check
out the complete card:
Takanori
Gomi vs Sung Hwan Pang
Makoto Takimoto vs Frank Trigg
Peter Graham vs Moise Rimbon
Pawel Nastula vs Yang Dong Yi
Lightweight
Grand Prix, first stage
Clay
French vs Satoru Kitaoka
Rodrigo Damm vs Eiji Mitsuoka
Bojan Kosednar vs Kazunori Yokota
Mizuto Hirota vs Ryan Schultz
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Character
is determined more by the lack of certain experiences than by
those one has had."
Friedrich
Nietzsche, 1844-1900, German Philosopher
|
Lesnar
faces must-win against Herring
On
Saturday night, Brock Lesnar goes into the cage with Heath Herring
to answer a question: Is previous fame heading into a mixed martial
arts career a blessing or a curse?
Lesnar,
a former NCAA wrestling champion and World Wrestling Entertainment
star, is one of the greatest athletic prospects to ever come
into the sport. He has size, strength and, most of all, incredible
quickness and reflexes for a man who had to cut weight to make
the 265-pound heavyweight limit.
But
as he heads into Saturday’s UFC 87 showdown against rugged
veteran Heath Herring, he runs the risk that his headlining fame
will be over just as quickly as it started.
“There’s
always pressure to win in every circumstance,” said Lesnar.
“Me, being very new, nobody wants to follow a loser. I don’t
want to say my back is against the wall, but I put pressure on
myself. There’s no added pressure in my mind, but I want
to win the fight.”
Lesnar
can’t afford a second straight loss on a major pay-per-view
event and still be considered a long-term main eventer.
And
with a hefty contract, Lesnar (1-1 overall; 0-1 UFC) is unlikely
to be kept around unless he can be a major pay-per-view seller.
It’s not a lock that if he loses he’ll be gone, but
if he looks bad or is knocked out, it’s a distinct possibility.
UFC last year cut Mirko Cro Cop, a similarly highly paid heavyweight,
after two losses.
“I
plan on being around for a while,” said Lesnar.
After
signing a lucrative UFC deal, Lesnar’s first match, on Feb.
2, was against Frank Mir, a former UFC heavyweight champion,
who is noted for being one of the best submission heavyweights
in the sport. Lesnar looked like an unstoppable, but also undisciplined,
force – for about 85 seconds. Lesnar exploded for takedowns
that were more like violent linebacker hits. His quickness in
moving on the ground was freakish for a man of his size, leaving
Mir in immediate disbelief. Lesnar was battering the former champ
on the ground, who kept thinking to himself to just keep moving
so the match wouldn’t be stopped. Lesnar even knocked Mir
down with a punch.
Five
seconds later, it was over, and Mir’s arm raised in victory.
“I
had a dominant position and I stood up and made an amateur mistake,”
said Lesnar.
Lesnar
got to his feet after escaping an armbar on the ground, leaving
his leg behind, and Mir caught Lesnar in a kneebar, causing him
to tap out. It was a spot Lesnar drilled regularly in practice
before the fight, and even more after.
In
response to the loss, Lesnar added Rodrigo “Comprido”
Medeiros, a seven-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion, to
his team of coaches.
“I
worked a lot of stand-up this camp,” he said. “We worked
on all aspects of wrestling, a lot of jiu-jitsu defense, a lot
of leg kick defense. Heath has a strong right hand and is well-rounded
with his kicks. We haven’t left any rock unturned for this
fight.
“First
and foremost, I didn’t like to lose,” Lesnar said.
“Nobody likes to lose. I have to be a little more relaxed.
I’m a little more relaxed and a little more polished. I’ve
had a few more months to train. The Brock Lesnar now against
the Brock Lesnar then, I’d beat him.”
The
estimated 600,000 buys Lesnar’s match with Mir did on pay-per-view
is bigger than any boxing or MMA match has done so far this year,
and among the biggest in MMA history. Even more impressive, UFC
sources indicated nearly half had never purchased a UFC event
before.
Because
UFC president Dana White saw the potential of bringing new fans
to the sport, Lesnar walked into the company as one of its highest
paid fighters, at a $250,000 base guarantee plus undisclosed
bonuses.
But
because of that same drawing power, and the cost, his early path
is opposite to how UFC has treated similar heavyweight prospects
Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, or how Elite XC has booked Kimbo
Slice.
The
others have been given lower or mid-level opponents to start
out with to build their reputation. UFC decided that with what
they were paying Lesnar, there was going to be no such slow grooming
process.
“I
said from the beginning I didn’t want any easy fights, and
Heath is not an easy opponent,” said Lesnar.
Things
are a lot different in match No. 2. The company did an intense
marketing campaign around his debut, pushing him as a former
WWE champion, showing clips of his pro wrestling matches and
using him as an outsider from pro wrestling coming into UFC to
see what happens if a pro wrestler were to fight for real.
But
for this fight, things are different. Lesnar is no longer a novelty
act to either the media or the audience. He’s a name fighter,
but one who has to prove himself. He hasn’t been marketed
as hard as he was for the first show. He’s clearly the draw
for the live show and expected to be the most popular fighter
on the show, which heading into the week has sold 11,000 tickets
for $2.2 million. That’s a 180-degree turn from the Las
Vegas crowd, which booed him out of the arena, seeing him as
a fake pro wrestler invading their sport. But on a national basis,
the main event is clearly Georges St. Pierre’s welterweight
title defense against Jon Fitch.
“I
think experience is something that is much needed,” admitted
Lesnar, now 31, facing a man who is actually a year younger than
he is even though he’s almost a pioneer heavyweight in the
sport.
Texan
Herring has 41 pro fights over the past 11 years, in nearly every
major organization. He became a star in Japan at the age of 22,
and has been in the ring with a Who’s Who list of the greatest
heavyweights of all-time.
“For
me, I’ve been able to get a lot of experience in the training
room,” said Lesnar.
Herring,
a big star during PRIDE’s heyday in Japan when he was known
as “The Texas Crazy Horse” for his unique multi-colored
hair, noted he’s beaten men bigger than the 6-2 ½,
277-pound Lesnar, as well as higher credentialed wrestlers. He’s
best known for a 2000 win over Tom Erikson, a 300-pounder with
better amateur credentials than Lesnar, who had never lost up
to that point. But Erikson was 36 and had never focused 100 percent
on the sport the way Lesnar has. Herring also beat Mark Kerr,
a former NCAA champion, in 2001 when beating Kerr, an early MMA
star, still meant something. Against the top wrestlers, both
opponents come out strong with takedowns. But in both cases,
they started getting tired. In each case, Herring caught them
with knees as they shot in, and quickly finished them.
But
in Herring’s UFC debut on January 25, 2007, that never happened
and Jake O’Brien outwrestled him for three rounds to earn
a decision win. O’Brien, while a good college wrestler,
isn’t nearly as big, as strong, or the level of wrestler
as Lesnar.
Herring
(28-13), is known for being difficult to finish; he went the
distance twice with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in their three meetings,
after being submitted the first time. But he was beaten by his
most famous opponents in Japan, by Cro Cop from strikes on the
ground, and by Fedor Emelianenko due to blood.
Source:
Yahoo Sports |
|
Condit
ready for bigger things
LAS
VEGAS – Carlos Condit may have finally outgrown the World
Extreme Cagefighting’s welterweight division on Sunday.
Oh,
he can make the division’s 170-pound limit just fine, but
after Condit stopped Hiromitsu Miura in a fight of the year-type
brawl at The Joint at the Hard Rock, the list of legitimate challengers
has dwindled to, well, none.
Everybody
who is anybody in the WEC’s welterweight division has gotten
a piece of Condit and come up short. Brock Larson, who needed
37 seconds to dispose of Carlo Prater in a bout on Sunday’s
undercard, made an impassioned plea for a rematch with Condit.
But
Condit submitted him in just 2:21 at WEC 29 last year and made
it look simple in the process.
Condit
had also beaten Prater in a title fight and submitted John Alessio.
He
wasn’t particularly eager to diss the WEC and say he wanted
to fight another fighter from another organization, but it is
becoming painfully obvious that there are few in the class other
than perhaps Miura who can press Condit.
“If
I fight those guys, it will be as the WEC champion,” Condit
said, clearly uncomfortable with the line of question, not wanting
to embarrass any of his competitors or the WEC officials who
were listening to him speak.
The
bout with Miura was a rousing back-and-forth battle that had
the crowd in the tiny concert hall screaming with glee.
Each
man seemed on the verge of victory several times. Early in the
fourth, Miura, a 6-to-1 underdog, dumped Condit with a hard right
and went for the finish. Condit didn’t appear to have the
energy to fend off Miura and it appeared, if ever so slightly,
that a title change was in the offing.
“I
was tired, man, and I didn’t have a lot left,” Condit
said. “It was all heart. All heart.” A judo expert,
Miura had several good throws that landed Condit on his back,
though Condit clearly was prepared for that tactic.
But
Miura was very heavy handed and rocked the champion several times
with hard blows. That was a bit of a surprise, though his submission
defense was not. Condit, one of the best submission experts in
the game, had several opportunities to finish the fight and,
in most cases, he would have.
But
Miura was wily enough to find a way to escape.
“I
wasn’t surprised because I’d seen him fight before,”
Condit said. “I’d seen him fight Jason Miller, who
is very good at jiu-jitsu and he was able to stay out of a lot
of his submissions. I knew he would be tough and resilient and
I knew it was going to be a war.”
It
was a war of attrition more than anything and it was Condit who
finally won out. Condit kept coming and kept looking for an opportunity
to end it. He was clearly ahead on the cards and most fighters
would have been content to ride out the clock and earn the decision
victory.
Condit,
though, is no ordinary welterweight. He is one of the handful
of the best 170-pounders in the world, and he was determined
to end the fight. Eventually, Miura was simply overwhelmed and
a perfectly placed knee in the clinch all but knocked Miura out.
Condit, who seconds earlier was in full mount but didn’t
seem to have the energy to throw more than a half-hearted elbow,
didn’t waste the chance.
He
rained blows upon Miura, forcing referee Josh Rosenthal to stop
it.
That
was the easy part for Condit, who is a natural in the cage. The
hard part was fending off questions about fights against welterweights
outside of the WEC.
He
conceded he’d like a rematch with Elite XC champion Jake
Shields, who defeated him in 2006. He also said he’d like
to avenge his losses to Pat Healy and Satoru Kitaoka.
No
matter how hard he was pushed, though, he managed to avoid saying
he wanted a chance to fight men such as UFC champion Georges
St. Pierre and top-ranked Jon Fitch, who will meet on Saturday
at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., at UFC 87.
“There
are a lot of tough guys, good fighters out there,” Condit
said.
And
Condit is clearly among the toughest of them.
The
WEC is teeming with talent, particularly at its lighter weights.
Men like bantamweight champion Miguel Torres and featherweight
champion Urijah Faber are already among the world’s elite
fighters and it may not be long before featherweight Josh Grispi
is added to that list.
Condit
is every bit their equal. But while they have potential opponents
that could help them put on mind-blowing fights, the welterweight
division in the WEC is all but barren. It’s Condit, Larson
and not a heck of a lot else.
At
least there isn’t much else for a guy with as good an all-around
game as there is this side of B.J. Penn.
“There
are a lot of tough guys – a lot of them, believe me –
but you just have to fight whoever they tell you to fight,”
Condit said. “I’m proud to be the WEC champion and
whoever I fight, whenever I fight, wherever I fight, I’ll
do it as the WEC champion.”
Source:
Yahoo Sports |
Ask
the Doc: Dr. Benjamin on scar tissue, ABC rules, youth MMA and
more
Welcome
to our initial “Ask the MMA Doc” column from MMAjunkie.com.
Every
other week, I’ll answer your questions about current medical
issues and general trends within the MMA industry.
My
initial column takes a look at some of the big topics currently
being discussed within the community, including scar tissue,
the ABC’s new definition as to what constitutes a strike
to the “back of the head,” and whether youth MMA is
really safe.
If
there’s a question you have, scroll to the bottom of the
page to find out how to contact me. We might use it in a future
column.
Here
we go…
Q.
I’ve been watching both Boxing and MMA for years. In the
past year I can’t help but notice that scar tissue seems
to be much more of an issue in MMA. Is there a medical reason
for this? It would seem professional boxers take many more punches
to the face and orbital-bone area. On a recent broadcast it was
even mentioned that Nick Diaz had surgery to remove his scar
tissue and “file” down his orbital bones. I found this
to be strange as I’ve not heard of such a thing before.
I’m sure scar tissue must be an issue in both sports, but
I’ve really noticed it becoming a very common issue in MMA
and even visibly noticeable on the fighters and not so much when
I watch boxing.
A.
Scar tissue formation is the body’s normal response to injury
(cuts). Some people heal with more scar tissue than others (scar
formers). In MMA vs. boxing, there are two distinct issues that
favor a greater likelihood for cuts occurring in MMA contests.
For on, MMA gloves have much less padding than boxing gloves.
And two, elbows are legal in MMA. Since MMA combatants are much
more likely to be cut, they are much more likely to develop scar
tissue. The “healed” skin overlying scar tends to be
thinner and more fragile than normal skin. Also the mere fact
of having a lump of dense/hard scar tissue under that thin, fragile
skin allows for the area to be opened up easier with the next
violent blow. With each subsequent injury to the area, the problem
may grow worse. In certain situations, a plastic surgeon may
remove this dense build up of scar tissue and file down protruding
bone in hopes of lessening the problem. Remember, cuts are bloody
but not particularly dangerous.
Q.
I’m sure you are aware of the recent changes made to the
unified rules by the ABC. I was curious as to your thoughts on
the definition of “back of the head” being “crown
of the head down the centerline of the skull into the spine,
with a one-inch variance to each side.” Prior to this many
officials had adopted the “headphone” guideline, meaning
if someone were wearing headphones, the area behind the headphones
would be considered the back of the head. Is the new definition
by the ABC more dangerous to the fighters?
A.
Unfortunately, this definition does not cover the area behind
the ears known as the mastoid bones. I will not bore you with
an advanced anatomy and physiology lecture, but let it suffice
to say that damage to these structures can potentially cause
significant long-term injury to your sense of balance. And with
the area behind the ear being a legal target, a blow misplaced
by as little as one inch could easily strike the neck with devastating
consequences.
Let
me paint a little picture. A tired opponent gets his or her back
taken. Both hooks go in. He appropriately guards against the
rear naked choke but the elbows start raining down from 12 o’clock
(which is now a permitted blow) targeting the legal areas behind
the ears. The vulnerable combatant is squirming trying to free
himself.. Well we all can imagine where this is going.
The
only safe area to the back of the head or the neck is none at
all.
The
back of the head should be defined as a region extending from
the crown of the head down to the top of the shoulders and laterally
to, but not including, the ears. No portion of the neck should
be a legal target for blows of any kind while grounded.
Q.
I have two sons, one in his early teens and the other about to
enter his teen years. They are both big fans of the UFC and have
expressed their interest in training MMA. They have both taken
Taekwondo in the past without incident. My question is about
the safety of youth MMA. Is it more dangerous for them to take
part in? Should I make them wait until they are older?
A.
Youth participation in MMA is currently a raging issue. Proper
supervision is the key to safety. Children obviously have growing
bones. The ends of the bones around joints (especially the elbow,
hip and knee) have very important cartilaginous growth plates.
When significant force is applied to the joints, the growth plates
are at risk. Damage to a growth plate can affect subsequent growth.
A growth plate fracture is potentially a big deal. No one wants
his or her children to have very short, disfigured arms for the
rest of their lives.
Submission
techniques (for example, an arm bar) that apply force to these
joints need to be monitored very closely by a properly informed/trained
adult. When a submission technique is properly applied, the match
should be immediately called. Children shouldn’t be forced
to tap out.
Also,
concussions are a very serious and poorly understood issue in
children. With this in mind, there should be NO blows of any
kind to the head of a grounded opponent.
With
these basic safety measures in place, I believe that competitive
MMA is a reasonable activity for children older than 10 years
of age. Children younger than 10 years old should only be allowed
to train and develop a basic skill set.
Q.
There seems to be a growing trend toward athletic commissions
not allowing fighters to fight based upon their admitting to
taken doctor-prescribed drugs prior to an upcoming fight. Just
in the past few months, this has been the case for Joe Riggs,
Tim Credeur and Nick Diaz with each using a different substance
prescribed by their doctors to treat medical conditions. Each
substance apparently appears on a banned-substance list for that
state. What are your thoughts on this? Should athletes be penalized
for taking his prescribed medication even if they are not considered
performance enhancing?
A.
I hope that we are not talking about the medicinal use of marijuana
here. Usually these penalties/sanctions result from the use of
prescription painkillers. The issue arises with the interpretation
and application of the rules. Does “banned” mean off-limits
under all circumstances? Or does “banned” mean off-limits
unless I can find a doctor willing to write me a prescription
for it?
In
my opinion, banned substances should be strictly enforced with
very little interpretation or exception. I don’t really
care if you have a prescription or not. Please believe me when
I tell you that there are a lot of groupie doctors out there
more than willing to give a famous, high-caliber athlete a prescription
for damn near anything.
Time
should be invested in serious, informed medical discussion defining
the composition of the list of banned substances. Performance
enhancing substances, precursors and narcotic pain relievers
should be strictly banned. NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naprosyn, etc.)
and glucocorticoids (cortisone) should be legal. Should fighters
be allowed to compete injured while taking narcotic pain relievers,
or should they be forced to heal sufficiently before they are
allowed to compete? Clearly, I vote for the latter. Please remember
with respect to narcotic pain relievers, training is one thing,
but competing is quite another.
*
* * *
Dr.
Johnny Benjamin is MMAjunkie.com’s medical columnist and
consultant, and a noted combat-sports specialist. He was also
recently appointed to the ABC’s medical advisory team and
will help review and refine the unified rules of MMA. To submit
a question for a future column, see the story on MMAjunkie.com.
You can also find Dr. Benjamin online at www.drjohnnybenjamin.com.
Source:
MMA Junkie
|
|
Positive
drug tests expected from Affliction and EliteXC
Though
the California State Athletic Commission has already released
partial drug test results from Affliction’s debut mixed
martial arts event on July 19 and EliteXC’s second edition
of CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights on July 26 with only one
positive result, neither promotion can plan on clear sailing
as the remaining results come in.
Of
the first eight fighters returning drug test results from Affliction,
only Justin Levens tested positive, that being for oxymorphone,
a pain reliever related to morphine.
None
of the results for the first eight fighters tested for EliteXC
returned a positive result.
The
initial test results for the remaining fighters on each show,
however, indicate that there are more positive results forthcoming.
CSAC Assistant Executive Officer Bill Douglas told MMAWeekly.com
that, “Both cards are not out of the woods yet.”
He
would not identify any of the individuals involved, nor would
he indicate how many individuals were involved, but did indicate
that initial testing of the remaining fighters’ “A”
samples returned more positive results.
Each
fighter has an “A” sample and a “B” sample
for the drug testing procedure. The “A” sample is sent
to Quest Diagnostics, Inc. and tested twice to confirm results.
The “B” sample is sent to a World Anti-doping Agency
approved lab in Montreal for the same sort of procedure in an
effort to independently confirm or deny the initial results.
The
lab in Montreal is not given the results of the “A”
sample testing. “They don’t know what they’re
looking for,” Douglas told MMAWeekly.com. “They know
they’re supposed to test for anabolic agents and masking
agents, but they don’t actually know what they’re looking
for.
“That
lends credibility to the test because (between the) two facilities…
they know that something is there, but they don’t know (exactly)
what they’re looking for.”
Douglas
said that the earliest that confirmed results will be released
is August 11.
Aside
from Levens’ positive result, the other Affliction fighters
tested thus far – all returning negative results –
were Vitor Belfort, Terry Martin, Paul Buentello, Mike Pyle,
JJ Ambrose, Gary Goodridge, and Ray Lizama.
The
eight fighters tested so far from EliteXC – all returning
negative results – were Brandon Tarn, Drew Montgomery, Mike
Cook, Carl Seumanutafa, Marlon Matias, David Douglas, Jeremy
Freitag, and Anthony Ruiz.
Source:
MMA Weekly |
|
Kid
Yamamoto has successful knee surgery
Sports
Navigator (Yahoo Japan) reports that Norifumi “Kid”
Yamamoto had successful knee surgery on Monday. According to
the report, two doctors examined Yamamoto’s knee and found
out that he had a complete ligament tear as opposed to a partial
tear. Therefore, surgery was required for healing.
Yamamoto
will not be available to fight for the rest of this calendar
year.
Source:
Fight Opinion |
30
Seconds
With Brock Lesnar
Like
many competitors in mixed martial arts, Brock Lesnar started
as an amateur wrestler. Lesnar was introduced to wrestling as
a 5-year-old in Webster, a small town in northeastern South Dakota.
He went on to win an N.C.A.A. championship at the University
of Minnesota, then gained professional fame during his four and
a half years with World Wrestling Entertainment. Lesnar, who
made his mixed martial arts debut in 2007, is 1-1 in the heavyweight
division of Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Lesnar
is usually photographed with his shirt off, but he also cuts
an imposing figure in a sports jacket and slacks. His crew cut
is always neatly gelled. Lesnar, 31, is training for a U.F.C.
bout against Heath Herring on Saturday at the Target Center in
Minneapolis, his adopted hometown.
PATTY LaDUCA HOW TALL ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WEIGH? I’m
6-3 and 277 pounds.
MIXED
MARTIAL ARTS LOOKS DANGEROUS. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN INJURED? I’ve
never been hurt. I have been hurt more in wrestling. Now, if
I feel my arm is going to snap, I can tap out.
HOW
MANY HOURS DO YOU TRAIN? Four hours a day.
WHAT
IS YOUR FAVORITE MIXED MARTIAL ARTS DISCIPLINE? I’m just
kind of a brawler. I’m learning them all.
WHAT
IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER? Winning the 2000 national title
at Minnesota.
DO
YOU HAVE ANY HOBBIES? I hunt and fish.
WHAT
KINDS OF MOVIES DO YOU LIKE? Drama and action. My favorite is
“A River Runs Through It” with Brad Pitt.
IS
THERE ONE THING WE MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU? I’m
a huge family man. If I had to choose to go anywhere, I’d
rather be in my backyard with my wife, Rena, and my 6-year-old
daughter.
Source:
New York Times |
|
MMA
combatives training a hit in military
FAYETTEVILLE,
N.C. - Not too long ago, GI Joe, a real American soldier involved
in life-or-death combat in Iraq, brought down his attacker with
a mixed martial arts technique and captured him. It wasn't too
long ago that his only choice would have been to shoot - and
kill - him.
"Instead
of using my weapon, I choked him out and we were able to capture
and interrogate him," the soldier said.
Mixed
martial arts (MMA) has come a long way since 1995, when John
McCain, the former Navy pilot now running for president, called
the Ultimate Fighting Championship "human cock fighting."
Today,
McCain's military brethren in every branch of the service are
undergoing combatives training that is rooted in the science
of mixed martial arts.
While
it still faces pockets of opposition in the mainstream - MMA
competition is sanctioned in only 21 states - it is extremely
popular in the military as a spectator sport, training regimen
and intra-service competition. Even though the Army distinguishes
between its "combatives program" and mixed martial
arts, Brazilian jiu-jitsu and other techniques you see inside
the octagon have become primary combat tools used when a soldier
engages in hand-to-hand combat.
Many
UFC stars - Royce Gracie, Matt Hughes, Randy Couture among them
- have visited Army bases to train soldiers. The use of MMA gives
soldiers who have lost their primary weapon, or who is in a fight
and cannot access their weapon, more options to survive. It affords
them effective strategies for fighting on the ground, standing
up or with someone clinging to their back.
"MMA
is a portion of the combatives program," said Matt Larsen,
director of the U.S. Army Combatives Program at Ft. Benning,
Ga. "The biggest differences are that we spend quite a bit
of time fighting with weapons and learning how combatives fit
into missions. We are always armed and the person we are fighting
is usually armed, so grappling over control of the weapon is
what's really going on. You don't see too many people at your
typical MMA gym grappling over control of a rifle or a knife."
In
1995, the Army began to reassess its hand-to-hand doctrine and
Larsen, a former Marine turned Army Ranger, was given the task
of developing and implementing a new grappling-based system.
It was purely coincidental that the Army's interest in MMA evolved
simultaneously with the sport's explosion in our culture. What
made it popular to Army policy makers was that it saved lives.
"Not
only does it save the lives of U.S. soldiers, but it also saves
enemy lives," Larsen said. "When a soldier is well
trained, he has the option to use a lesser amount of force. There
are many situations now that involve soldiers restraining and
detaining people whom they could clearly have killed under the
rules of engagement."
In
an era of Shock and Awe campaigns and bunker-busting bombs, the
general perception is that hand-to-hand combat was obsolete.
Not true. Larsen has conducted 900 post-action interviews with
service men and women who have engaged in hand-to-hand combat
in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
"Because
of the nature of the war, we are going into buildings more,"
Larsen said. "When a soldier enters a building he doesn't
know if he will end up helping someone or fighting them for his
life."
The
Army has gone beyond training. There are competitions - some
on bases in states where it is against the law to stage a UFC
event - that culminate with the Army Combatives Championships
every October.
The
competitions are seen as a motivational tool and soldiers at
Ft. Bragg in North Carolina have embraced them. Ft. Bragg is
the two-time defending Army Combatives champion and is home to
Tim Kennedy, the Army's only three-time individual champion.
"The
development of the combatives program in the Army has moved so
far, so quickly and as a soldier it's reassuring to see the Army
getting the right people to train us," Kennedy said.
The
MMA instructor on Ft. Bragg is civilian contractor Greg Thompson
who also runs a gym in nearby Fayetteville. On any given night
the place is teeming with soldiers who can't get enough MMA training.
"MMA
training is the hardest training I do," said Major R.J.
Hughes, who works out with Thompson at Ft. Bragg and at his Reality
of Combat Gym. "I wrestled in high school and at U.S. Military
Academy we were required to take a semester of boxing. Each of
those sports requires its own level of conditioning. But MMA
combines both of them. You have to train in a much broader way."
In
one area of the gym, there is Kennedy, a pro who has competed
in the IFL and WEC. But across the room are a dozen soldiers
simply trying to get an edge before they deploy.
Thompson
dotes over all of them.
"For
a soldier to be successful at getting to their feet, they need
to train with someone who can keep them on the ground,"
he said. "For a soldier not to get punched in the face,
he or she needs to train with someone who can punch them in the
face. I take this very personal because these guys are going
overseas so I want to prepare them the best I can. I want to
be able to see them when they come home."
Source:
Newsday |
Quote
of the Day
"The
stars are constantly shining, but often we do not see them until
the dark hours."
Source
Unknown |
Wand
back in December
“They gave me a list of 10 names,” reveals Silva
Not
having fought since May, when he brutally knocked out Keith Jardine,
putting an end to his three-fight losing streak, Wanderlei Silva
had some time to relax, flew to Brazil, stopped off in Hawaii,
and savored the feeling of a job well done. However, it’s
time to get back to work, and now at the beginning of August
the Brazilian is already thinking of his next commitment.
“I’m
talking to Lorenzo (Fertitta – one of the UFC’s owners).
They are talking about December (fighting again), as it’s
the biggest event of the year. It’s the best event. There’s
a lot more promotion of it. They told me to get ready to fight
in December,” said Wand in an interview on the Tagg radio
show.
His
adversary in his next challenge has not yet been defined. “They
gave me a list of 10 names. My category is the best in the world.
There are so many good names. I think they will give me a good
opponent,” Wand continued.
With
his confidence regained, Wand is in no hurry to fight for the
belt, now in Forrest Griffin’s possession. “To me,
I have to fight for the title in the future, no problem. I can
wait for my chance. I’ll give my best in every fight. After
winning my bouts, then I’ll have the opportunity to fight
for the belt,” he finished.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
No
Gi Worlds: brimming with aces
Defending absolute champion, Jeff Monson, will compete next weekend
in California.
Saulo, Jeff Monson, Baret
Yoshida,
Hermes Franca and others signed up
The
caliber of competitor signed up calls attention for the for the
black belt No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Worlds, which is about to see its
second event next weekend, in California, and had sign-ups concluded
this Saturday.
The
event, which grew by 20% in relation to the number to sign up
last year, saw an even greater rise in the level of competitor,
even though that cannot be quantified. There are aces at all
weights and from a wide range of different academies. From young
revelations to veterans. We bring you some of the names as an
appetizer for what is to come, with complete coverage on GRACIEMAG.com.
Current
world champion team in the gi, Alliance comes in with Rubens
Cobrinha, Lucas Lepri, Jeff Glover, Bill Cooper and Tarsis Humphreys,
among others.
Gracie
Barra responds with a team composed of Gregor Gracie, Roberto
Tussa, Fábio Leopoldo, Carlos Holanda, Bruno Mamute, Igor
Gracie, Vinicius Draculino and co.
Saulo
Ribeiro brings in his own team, along with Paulo Guillobel.
Current
absolute champion Jeff Monson is coming back to defend his title.
Recently
formed from a branch of Brasa, Check Mat is bringing in such
names as Lucas Leite, Bruno Frazatto and Rodrigo Cavaca and Ranieri.
For
MMA fans, Hermes Franca will be showing his face, as well as
his colleague from the UFC, Joe Stevenson, who will dispute among
the brown belts, and he is coming off a submission win over Gleison
Tibau at the beginning of July.
Defending
last year’s title as well is Pablo Popovitch, who is signed
up in the hard to digest medium heavyweight category (last year
he took the lightweight).
Antonio
Braga Neto, Theodoro Canal, Bruno Bastos, Caio Terra and Roberto
Cyborg also figure on the list, which also includes the surprise
name of Baret Yoshida, veteran finalist from the ADCC.
Other
veterans (going even farther back than Baret) in the competition: Roberto Godói, Lloyd
Irvin, Jorge Pereira, and his student Wander Braga.
Did
we forget anyone? We may very well have, but the aforementioned
list is bound to bring excitement at any event. Stay tuned.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
WEC
BONUSES HANDED OUT; 2 FIGHTS OF THE NIGHT
Following another action-packed show by World Extreme Cagefighting
in Las Vegas, capped off by welterweight champion Carlos Condit
pulling through his toughest fight to date against Hiromitsu
Miura, the promotion handed down bonuses as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com
Each
fighter earning a bonus received $7,500 in addition to the fight
purse in the individual bout agreements.
For
the first time, the WEC also handed out two “Fight of the
Night” bonuses.
Carlos
Condit and Hiromitsu Miura earned a no-brainer for Fight of the
Night after their almost four-round war that saw the incumbent
champion pushed further in the fight than any previous match-up
during his title reign. Both Condit and Miura earned the respect
of all the fans watching the match-up and now a bonus check on
top.
WEC
lightweight champion Jamie Varner and Marcus Hicks also earned
a Fight of the Night bonus for their respective performances
in an amazing fight between the two 155-pound stars.
Knockout
of the Night went to Minnesota Martial Arts Academy member Brock
Larson, who dispatched of Carlo Prater in just 37 seconds in
their welterweight showdown.
Brian
Bowles, who moved his professional record to 6-0, earned a Submission
of the Night for his guillotine choke victory over Damacio Page.
WEC
35 Fights of the Night:
Carlos Condit vs. Hiromitsu Miura
Jamie Varner vs. Marcus Hicks
WEC
35 Knockout of the Night:
Brock Larson
WEC
35 Submission of the Night:
Brian Bowles
Source: MMA Weekly |
WEC
35 FIGHTER SALARIES
The Nevada State Athletic Commission released the fighter payouts
for WEC 35 held at the the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel in Las
Vegas headlined by Carlos Condit and Hiromitsu Miura.
The
fight card featured three title bouts where one belt changed
hands and two champions defended their crowns. Lightweight titleholder
Jamie Varner defended his title for the first time defeating
Marcus Hicks. Welterweight champion Carlos Condit defeated Hiromitsu
Miura to retain his belt while Steve Cantwell became the new
WEC light heavyweight champion by defeating Brian Stann.
Along
with the $230,000 payroll for bout agreements, the WEC handed
out two Fight of the Night awards, a Knockout of the Night bonus
and a Submission of the Night bonus, each garnering a check for
$7,500 totaling $45,000 in bonus money.
FIGHTER
SALARIES:
-Carlos
Condit: $44,000 ($22,000 fight purse and $22,000 win bonus)
-Hiromitsu Miura: $5,000
-Steve Cantwell: $10,000 ($5,000 fight purse and $5,000 win bonus)
-Brian Stann: $11,000
-Jamie Varner: $30,000 ($15,000 fight purse and $15,000 win bonus)
-Marcus Hicks: $16,000
-Brian Bowles: $8,000 ($4,000 fight purse and $4,000 win bonus)
-Damacio Page: $6,000
-Josh Grispi: $8,000 ($4,000 fight purse and $4,000 win bonus)
-Micah Miller: $5,000
-Brock Larson: $30,000 ($15,000 fight purse and $15,000 win bonus)
-Carlo Prater: $7,000
-Blas Avena: $12,000 ($6,000 fight purse and $6,000 win bonus)
-Dave Terrel: $3,000
-Shane Roller: $12,000 ($6,000 fight purse and $6,000 win bonus)
-Todd Moore: $4000
-Mike Budnik: $6,000 ($3,000 fight purse and $3,000 win bonus)
-Greg McIntyre: $2,000
-Scott Jorgensen: $6,000 ($3,000 fight purse and $3,000 win bonus)
-Kenji Osawa: $5,000
Total
fight purse and win bonus payroll was $230,000
Total payout after performance awards was $275,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Condit
passes tough test to retain WEC title
Without a doubt, Carlos Condit’s toughest test as WEC champion
came Sunday night in the form of Hiromitsu Miura. The Tokyo native
was relentless in his attack and bounced back several times from
the brink of defeat with defiant resolve. In turn, Condit put
on what may be his most impressive performance to date, occasionally
looking as if he were simply willing himself to victory.
The
first round set off the fireworks. Both fighters threw cautious
strikes, with Condit getting the better of the exchanges. When
the distance between the fighters closed, though, Miura showed
his judo expertise by sending Condit flying to the mat on three
occasions. At one point, Condit dropped Miura with a straight
right and pounced into side control to deliver strikes from the
top. With the challenger protecting well, Condit went for an
armbar that may’ve gotten him the victory against anyone
else. But Miura was too quick and too strong. He escaped the
armbar and delivered some ground strikes of his own before finishing
the round with another thunderous throw.
In
the second, the champion began to take over. The bout took place
mainly on the ground; with Condit working his top game and taking
mount several times. Each time, though, Miura would explode off
his back and reverse the champion, following that up with ground
and pound. On the feet, Miura actually began to take control.
He nullified Condit’s superior technique with aggression
and power, but left himself open to repeated takedowns.
As
the fight progressed into the fourth round, both men were clearly
fatigued, yet managed to put on an amazing performance. Miura
opened with a flurry of hard punches and transitioned into another
judo sweep. Condit got back to his feet and secured a double-leg
takedown, landing in half guard. Miura swept from the bottom
but Condit went for a leg lock to avoid Miura’s strikes.
A referee stand up allowed the entire sequence to play out all
over again, with Miura’s aggression allowing Condit to secure
a takedown, then Miura sweeping off his back to land some strikes.
As
the fight went back to its feet again, Condit landed an accurate
but tired knee to the challenger’s face. Miura dropped,
seemingly from both the knee and exhaustion. Condit followed
up with hammerfists than Miura had no strength left to defend,
prompting the referee stoppage at 4:43.
“It’s
fortunate that I came away with the win tonight,” said Condit,
after much applause from the Las Vegas audience. “I think
I’m going to walk away from this a lot better fighter --
mentally, physically and spiritually.”
Brian
Stann hopes to be a better fighter in his next fights after eating
a barrage of strikes from Steve Cantwell and losing his light
heavyweight title.
In
the end, Cantwell was simply too technical and Stann too inexperienced.
“The Robot” controlled the pace of the bout, landing
the stinging strikes on the champion. Towards the end of the
first, he slipped on a high kick, allowing Stann to move in with
hard ground strikes and amount his only major offense in the
fight. In the second, Cantwell worked the fight into the cage
and unloaded with punches, knees, and kicks, punishing the “All
American” before finishing him with a big right and follow
up punches on the ground to get the stoppage.
“He
was more technical,” Stann conceded. “He was more accurate
with his strikes. He came and took me out of my own game, so
hats off to him. I have no excuses.”
Admitting
his inexperience in the sport, Stann sounded confident in his
ability to bounce back from this defeat.
“I
have so much to learn, and I showed that tonight. I have not
fulfilled my potential yet. I’m gonna make sure that tonight
was the best thing to ever happen to me.
A
victorious Steve Cantwell proclaimed that he plans “to continue
to chew up 205 pounders”. With a thinning division and the
refined skill set he brings, there may not be much standing in
the way of those plans.
Jamie
Varner secured his first title defense with a bruising onslaught
of strikes against a Marcus Hicks that simply refused to go down.
Eventually, though, referee Steve Mazzagatti had seen enough
and called the bout at 2:08 of the first.
Varner’s
height advantage was clear from the onset. He came out with jabs,
intending to keep the shorter fighter at bay. Hicks closed the
distance quickly, though, and slammed Varner to the mat several
times as the taller fighter went for knees from the clinch. The
Wrecking Ball almost ended the fight early with one of his vice-like
guillotines, but Varner managed to slip out and turn the tide.
A knee finally connected, dazing the challenger and setting him
up a ruthless torrent of strikes. Hicks survived an almost impossible
amount of punishment before dropping to the mat from a ringing
straight right, unable to continue.
“The
Worm” had nothing but praise for his opponent and looked
forward to a potential rematch down the road.
“He’s
very tough, so strong,” Varner said. “I haven’t
been taken down like that in MMA yet. This guy is the real deal
and I’m sure I will see him here again.”
If
there were any doubts about Brian Bowles before Sunday night,
they should be gone now. The 28-year-old from Athens, Georgia
added a third impressive win in a row and kept his unbeaten streak
alive by finishing Damacio Page with a guillotine at 3:30 of
the first.
After
spirited exchanges on the ground, the fighters traded strikes
on the feet, with Bowles’ superior combinations giving him
the edge. After a failed takedown from Bowles, the fighters clinched
up and the Georgia native immediately threw a knee. Page, however,
anticipated well and caught the blow, lifting his opponent up
for a big slam - a bad idea. Bowles used his time in the air
to wrap his legs around “The Angel of Death” and sink
in a guillotine. After fighting as much as he could, Page had
no choice but to tap.
With
the victory, Bowles hopefully quieted skeptics and likely set
himself up for the next shot at the bantamweight title.
Josh
Grispi wasn’t at all concerned about Micah Miller’s
height advantage going into their fight.
“Yao
Ming’s tall but I could still beat his ass.”
With
that said, the 19-year-old prospect came out and took care of
business, finishing Miller with strikes in just 50 seconds.
Grispi
fired kicks from the opening bell. A series of chopping low kicks
set up a high kick that Miller wisely defended. Tired of being
on the receiving end of those kicks, Miller moved in to close
the distance only to eat a right hand to the side of the head.
He dropped to the mat and Grispi didn’t waste a second to
pounce with ferocious rights. Herb Dean stopped the fight, but
Miller immediately got to his feet and protested, claiming he
wasn’t out. Upon replay, Miller ate two uncontested shots
to the face, but did indeed get up rather quickly afterwards.
A strange situation, but fair stoppage.
Rounding
out the televised card was Brock Larson’s 37-second destruction
of Carlo Prater.
After
a brief feeling out process, Larson landed a stiff right that
sent Prater to the mat. A few punches later, Prater was out cold
and Larson improved 23-2-1.
ROUND-BY-ROUND
RESULTS:
WEC
Welterweight Title Bout
Hiromitsu
Miura vs. Carlos Condit
R1:
Condit works kicks to Miura's leg and body. Miura steps in with
punches and tries a judo throw, but Condit defends. Condit clinches
to try knees, but Miura tosses Condit on the floor. Condit stands
up with 2:54 remaining. Miura sweeps Condit, who bounces back
up. Condit drops Miura with a right. Condit has side control
with a knee on belly. Condit traps Miura with a crucifix with
a minute remaining. Condit spins for an armbar but Miura escapes.
Miura tosses Condit on the ground. Miura lands a few punches
before the end of the round. MMAFighting.com scores the round
10-9 for Condit.
R2:
Condit comes at Miura with kicks. Miura slips into guard. Miura
connects with an upkick. Condit passes from butterfly guard to
halfguard. Miura tries escape but gives up full mount. Condit
punches Miura. Miura gives up his back. Condit attempts an armbar.
Miura escapes with 1:26 left. The referee stands them up. Miura
wants another judo throw but loses his back. Miura rolls into
guard. MMAFighting.com scores the round 10-9 for Condit.
R3:
Condit shoots. Miura sets up the judo throw but Condit jumps
on his back. Condit attempts the guillotine. Condit doesn't get
it but has full mount. Condit with punches. Miura sweeps Condit
and unleashes a flurry of punches. Condit looks for another guillotine.
Miura with left hands. Miura with left and rights. Condit gets
up and hits a knee. Miura is fired up. Condit lands on top of
Miura. Condit wiht lefts and rights in full mount. Miura gives
up his back. It works, Condit isn't able to apply a rear naked
choke. MMAFighting.com scores the round 10-9 for Condit.
R4:
Miura with a flurry of punches puts Condit on the ground. Condit
lands on Miura's half guard. Miura sweeps. Condit moves for a
footlock. Condit puts Miura in full guard. The referee stands
them up and they restart with 2:33 remaining. Miura is tired.
Condit takes Miura down into full mount. Condit is also tired.
Miura reverses and grounds and pounds. They stand up with 36
seconds remaining. Both men are gassed. Condit drops Miura with
a knee. Condit wiht punches and the fight is stopped.
Condit
wins via TKO - R4 (4:43)
Condit
retains WEC welterweight title
-----------------------------------------------------
WEC
Light-Heavyweight Title Bout
Steve
Cantwell vs. Brian Stann
R1:
They exchange punches. Cantwell tags Stann with punches. Stann
lands a leg kick. They exchange flurries. Cantwell goes for the
takedown and the two are in clinch. Stann is cut on his right
cheek.They separate with 2:15 left. Cantwell rushes Stann with
a superman punch and then a flurry of punches. Stann weathers
the strikes and clinches with Cantwell. Cantwell hits a knee
to the body, and Stann punches Cantwell off. Cantwell lands a
body kick. Cantwell tries a knee but slips. Stann pounds on Cantwell
with punches. MMAFighting.com scores the round 10-9 for Cantwell.
R2:
Forty seconds in, Stann hits Cantwell low with a right kick.
Cantwell gets a short breather to recover. They touch gloves
to restart. Stann moves in with punches. Cantwell continues to
do a good job slipping Stann's punches. Cantwell connects with
a body punch and finishes with a right. They clinch with three
minutes left in the round. Cantwell blocks Stann's punches. Cantwell
shoots with 2:15 left but Stann defends. Cantwell attacks with
a flurry of punches. Cantwell stuns Stann with a knee and punches.
Cantwell senses Stann is in truble and fires with punches. Stann
punches back but just falls over. Cantwell throws three more
punches on the resigned Stann for the referee stoppage.
Cantwell
wins via TKO - R2 (4:01)
Cantwell
becomes the new WEC light-heavyweight champion
-----------------------------------------------------
WEC
Lightweight Title Bout
Marcus
Hicks vs. Jamie Varner
R1:
They clinch with Hicks' back against thet cage. Hicks grabs Varner's
leg and takes him down, but Varner gets right back up. Hicks
takes Varner down again and attempts a guillotine choke. Varner
quickly escapes and backs off. Hicks follows Varner and takes
him down again. Varner again flashes back to his feet. Varner
klands leg kicks and knees. Hicks looks hurt and goes for a takedown.
Varner keeps attacking with knees and then a barrage of lefts
and rights knocks Hicks down. Varner is unloading on Hicks! After
three straight knees, a third right punch drops Hicks.
Varner
wins via knockout - R1
Varner
retains WEC lightweight title
-----------------------------------------------------
Bantamweights: Damacio Page vs. Brian Bowles
R1:
Bowles opens with a punch combo and Page responds. Page kicks
and slips. Bowles goes into Page's guard. Page sits back in attempt
to stand up. Bowles attempts a guillotine choke, but Page pulls
out and is now in Bowles' guard. Bowles moves into a position
for an armbar and Page stands back up. Bowles stands up. Bowles
aggressively boxes Page. Bowles shoots but Page stuffs it. Page
tries the takedown, but Bowles jumps up and sinks in the guillotine
choke for the win. Page's arms were trapped and couldn't tap
until he was dropped.
Bowles
wins via submission - R1 (3:30)
-----------------------------------------------------
Welterweights:
Brock Larson vs. Carlo Prater
R1:
Larson knocks Prater down with a left. Larson adds nine more
unanswered shots and Prater is out cold.
Larson
wins via knockout - R1 (0:37)
-----------------------------------------------------
Featherweights:
Josh Grispi vs. Micah Miller
R1:
Grispi kicks. Miller falls to his back. Miller gets up. Grispi
fires more kicks and Miller throws a punch combo. Grispi lands
a kick. Miller chases Grispi with punches, but gets dropped by
a right. Grispi follows up with punches for the referee stoppage.
Grispi
wins via TKO - R1 (0:50)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Woman
injured in 'Rampage' hit-and-run suffers miscarriage
Holli Griggs, the 38-year-old woman who was driving a 2007 Cadillac
Escalade when Quinton "Rampage" Jackson sideswiped
her in his monster truck, has suffered a miscarriage, The Daily
Pilot reports.
Griggs'
fiance told the local paper that doctors had been concerned when
they noticed a significant loss of fluid in Griggs' womb following
the accident. Griggs was 16 weeks pregrant at the time of the
incident.
Jackson,
who lost his UFC light-heavyweight title on July 5, wasarrested
July 15 afternoon after leading the police on a wild car chasein
California through Cosa Mesa to Newport Beach.
Jackson
hit twocars turning off the 55 Freeway into Newport Boulevard
and sped away when a police driver tried to pull him over for
driving with a blown tire and talking on the cellphone. Jackson
struck more cars while continuing to evade the police and almost
hit pedestrians when he drove onto the sidewalk. Jackson ran
through several red lights before finally stopping for the police
under gunpoint.
Jackson
was transported to the Costa Mesa City Jail where he was booked
for felony evading, reckless driving and hit and run. He was
released on $25,000 bail by UFC President Dana White.
Griggs
has not yet filed charges against Jackson.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
MMAFighting.com's
MMA Rankings for August 2008
Our MMA world rankings have been updated for the month of August.
Newly
crowned WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko in his 36 seconds inside
the ring at Affliction: Banned, wiped away close to three years
of backlash for participating in non-important matchups. In his
second fight in the US, Emelianenko tapped out former UFC heavyweight
champion Tim Sylvia in a fight few expected to be so lopsided.
Former
IFL standout Ben Rothwell enters our rankings for the first time
despite losing to former UFC champion Andrei Arlovski at Affliction:
Banned. Though Rothwell, who entered the bout with a 13-fight
win streak, suffered a knockout against the Belarusian -- who
looked better than he ever did in the UFC, the Miletich fighter
showed he carries the potential to be a top heavyweight, not
to mention an iron chin.
Fan
favorite Forrest Griffin completed his voyage as a television
contestant to the number one light-heavyweight in the world when
he won a five-round decision over Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson to capture the UFC belt.
Current
Leaders:
Heavyweights
- Fedor Emelianenko
Light Heavyweights - Forrest Griffin
Middleweights - Anderson Silva
Welterweights - Georges St. Pierre
Lightweights
- BJ Penn
Featherweights - Urijah Faber
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
man who has done his best has done everything."
Charles
Schwab, 1862-1939, American Industrialist and Businessman
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 7:30 PM!
A new episode
that features the Pac Sub tournament at the MMA Expo.
We
talk to the pound for pound best fighter in the world, BJ Penn.
East
coast to Guam transplant and technical wizard, Mike Fowler shows
off his leopard print hair and explains how he got his BJJ black
belt in only 4 years!
K-
Team and Relson Gracie competitor supreme, Brad Scott talks shop.
Last,
but certainly not the least, the lovely, but fierce Mrs. Bjjtek
expounds her roll as the enforcer of the Hawaii Ground better
known as the HG.
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
Man
Up & Stand Up
WEIGH INS
WILL BE HELD IN WAIPAHU AT THE NEW WESSIDE FIGHT GEAR STORE ON
94-144 FARRINGTON HWY SUITE 112 (NEXT TO DON QUIOTES DAIEA).
AT 6:30 PM ON FRIDAY NIGHT AUGUST 8, 2008. WESSIDE FIGHT GEAR
IS A GREAT PLACE FOR FIGHTERS TO GET THEIR LAST MINUTE EQUIPMENT
BEFORE THEIR FIGHT AND FOR TRAINING. THEY GOT YOU COVERED FROM
HEAD TO TOE IN BOXING TO MMA. ITS NOT ONLY A STORE FOR FIGHTERS.
THESE GUYS GOT STUFF FOR ALL OF YOU MILFS THAT STILL GOT IT GOING
ON OR AT LEAST STILL THINKS THAT THEY GOT IT GOING ON (NAH JUST
KIDDING). THEY GOT GEAR AND APPAREL FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN SO
COME DOWN AND CHECK IT OUT.
JARED IHA DIDN'T LIKE LAST WEEKS WRITE UP ONE BIT. ABOUT COLIN
MCKENZIE MAKING HIM WEAR A SIZE 10 ACROSS HIS FACE. JARED SAID
THAT COLIN HAS TO SHOW UP TO THE FIGHT IN ORDER TO GIVE HIM SOMETHING
TO WEAR. AND THAT THE ONLY THING HE'LL BE WEARING IS HIS TITLE
THAT HE ALREADY WEARS AROUND HIS WAIST. COLIN IS PRETTY CONFIDENT
THAT HE WILL BE SENDING JARED TO BED IN HIS OWN BACKYARD. (KANEOHE).
BUT JARED KNOWS THAT HIS BACKYARD IS WHERE HE CLEANS OUT ALL
THE RUBBISH AND DOES HIS PLANTING. HE'LL DEFINITELY BE LOOKING
TO CLEAN OUT SOME RUBBISH WHEN HE PLANTS A LEFT HOOK ON COLIN'S
JAW SATURDAY NIGHT. WHO DO YOU THINK WILL TAKE THIS ONE?
SOME OTHER SHOWSTOPPERS WILL INCLUDE:
AMATEUR SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP OTTO AGAINST WAIANAE RAISED JAY
WESTBROOK FOR THE SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE.
BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMP EVAN QUIZON WILL TEST HIS SKILLS AGAINST EAST
OAHU'S BOXING STANDOUT ISIAH MANALO.
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMP KOLOA KAHALEWAI WILL FINALLY GET TO BANG WITH
ONE OF WAIANAE'S ONE BLOW K.O. BANGAZ - JUDE KAPUA.
JULIO MORENO WILL MEET UP AGAIN WITH NUI WHEELER TO CLAIM HIS
WIN WHICH HE FEELS SHOULD'VE BEEN HIS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO.
SUPER WELTERWEIGHT CHAMP RICHARD "HIT TOO HARD" BARNARD
WILL SEE WHO HITS HARDER AGAINST IKAIKA MORENO.
AMATEUR LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT MMA CHAMP AUSTIN FIGUROA AND DENVER
GONSALVES ARE VIRGINS TO THE SEMI-PRO KICKBOXING WORLD. BUT WILL
MEET TO TEST THE WATERS AND HOPEFULLY THE WATERS WILL NOT BE
TOO ROUGH.
COLIN MCKENZIE 140 JARED IHA
DALE KAMAI 170 TYLER MAYEKAWA
NUI WHEELER 135 JULIO MORENO
JAY WESTBROOK 260+ OTTO HOOPII
EVAN QUIZON 125 ISAIAH MANALO
IKAIKA SILVA 200 ROYAL LONO
MAKANA VERTIDO 205 KOALI CASTILLO
CARL SUA 190 HOKU CUBAN
ROBERT BANIS 165 JACOB SMITH
FRED RAMAYLA 140 JUSTIN PRATT
KOA RAMELB 155 AARON DEVICTORIA
IKAIKA BULLOCK 165 RYAN DESOTO
DESMOND TALUB 165 DONOVAN
JUSTIN WIKINS 165 DEAN HENZE
RICHARD BARNARD 115 IKAIKA MORENO
KEALE UNCIANO 125 ARMAN KATOKU
JORDAN SCANLAN 115 MELVIN
BRONSON CAYETANO 145 MAX HALLOWAY
DENVER GONZALVES 230 AUSTIN FIGUROA
TONY PERRERA 150 JOHN BARNARD?
JUDE KAPUA 230 KOLOA KAHALEWAI
REGGIE FERNANDEZ 155 KALE KWAN
MATT 155 LAA KAHOOKELE
ALL
MATCHES AND PARTICIPANTS MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
ROYCE LONO 230 JAIMIE REGO?
|
UFC
COMMENTS ON TEXAS RULING IN COUTURE CASE
Depending upon whom you ask, Randy Couture resigned or retired
from the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 11, 2007.
Since that time, he has been embroiled in a legal battle with
the Zuffa owned promotion.
With
billionaire Mark Cuban’s company HDNet being one of the
main suitors for Couture's services when and if he is ever clear
of his legal entanglements with the UFC, both HDNet and Couture
were handed a clear blow to their legal efforts in the Texas
Court of Appeals on Friday.
HDNet
has pursued a declaration stating the finality of Couture’s
fight contract with Zuffa and when he would be free to fight
for another organization. Its efforts were denied on Friday,
however, when the Texas Court of Appeals found that the lower
court that was acting on the HDNet litigation had engaged in
“a clear abuse of discretion” by permitting it, according
to a statement released by Zuffa.
The
Texas Court of Appeals granted Zuffa’s Motion to Compel
Randy Couture to arbitrate in the District of Nevada, staying
all further action by HDNet against Zuffa in the state of Texas.
“The
practical effect of the Court’s decision is to allow Zuffa
to continue its prosecution of claims against Mr. Couture in
the Arbitration presently underway here in Nevada without any
regard to the flaccid claims of HDNet and its management,”
explained Zuffa’s Las Vegas counsel, Donald J. Campbell,
Esq. “Based upon evidence uncovered during the interrogation
of Mr. Couture during his deposition, we have every confidence
that Mr. Couture will be held accountable for the serious and
ongoing breaches of his contractual obligations to Zuffa.”
The
arbitration process is currently in the “exploratory”
phase of depositions, meaning there are more depositions to come
before the actual arbitration begins, possibly within the next
month or so.
The
arbitration, which is taking place in Nevada, should determine
the outcome of Couture’s fight contract with Zuffa and whether
or not he will be held to it or if he will be free to go elsewhere.
The
arbitration is administered by the American Arbitration Association,
wherein the arbitrators were mutually agreed upon by Zuffa and
Couture’s lawyers.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Couture
and UFC still at it
No mutual understanding on duration of contract
As
reported on Sherdog.com today, when it was announced that he
would be withdrawing from the UFC, in a decision that astounded
the mixed martial arts world, Randy Couture had it in his head
that he would be kept from fighting only till his contract with
the organization expired, which was last July. However, July
went by and it seems the legal battle between the two sides is
far from over. Not having stepped in the ring since August of
last year, the veteran alleges that the deadline for his commitment
is over, and he should thus be free to fight for another organization,
then being able to fulfill his dream of fighting Fedor Emelianenko.
Nevertheless,
the UFC's lawyers maintain that Couture's contract has no pre-defined
end date, since to be released he would still have to fight two
more times for the promotion.
To
settle the impass, witnesses from both sides are being called
upon by the courts of California. There is still no foreseen
end to the case.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
BARNETT
VS. ARLOVSKI HEADLINES AFFLICTION 2
Affliction on Monday announced via its website the main event
for its next event on Oct. 11 at the Thomas & Mack Center
in Las Vegas, pitting a match-up of two former Ultimate Fighting
Championship heavyweight titleholders in Josh Barnett and Andrei
Arlovski.
Originally,
top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko was rumored to be in
the fight against Arlovski, but an apparent hand injury will
keep the Russian fighter sidelined for at least the October show.
Arlovski
steps into his second Affliction bout fresh off the heels of
his dismantling of former International Fight League standout
Ben Rothwell on July 19.
The
Belarus native worked with famed boxing trainer Freddie Roach
prior to the fight and his striking looked outstanding, as he
seemed to beat Rothwell to the punch on almost every exchange.
The former UFC champion looked extremely impressive in his first
fight outside of the Octagon in almost eight years.
His
opponent, Josh Barnett, settled a bit of a grudge match with
Pedro Rizzo during his fight at the first Affliction show. Barnett
knocked Rizzo out in stunning fashion, which avenged the loss
he suffered at the hands of the Brazilian in the UFC in 2001.
Now
Barnett and Arlovski will square off in a fight that will likely
determine the No. 1 contender for Fedor’s heavyweight WAMMA
crown.
More
fights could be announced from Affliction in the coming days
including a rumored Affliction middleweight championship bout
between Vitor Belfort and Matt Lindland, as well as a possible
fight between Tito Ortiz and Renato “Babalu” Sobral.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FISHER
VS GUILLARD AT UFC 90 IN CHICAGO
MMAWeekly.com on Monday confirmed that Ultimate Fighting Championship
lightweights Spencer “The King” Fisher and Melvin “The
Young Assassin” Guillard will face each other at UFC 90
in Chicago on Oct. 25.
Both
fighters have received bout agreements and are in the process
of signing them.
Fisher,
32, is coming off a tough decision victory over sometime training
partner Jeremy Stephens at the Ultimate Fighter Finale on June
21. The durable Miletich Fighting Systems fighter has won seven
out of 10 performances in the Octagon since debuting at Ultimate
Fight Night 2 in 2005. Though he slid against contenders Frankie
Edgar and Hermes Franca in 2007, Fisher has always been considered
among the top-tier in the division.
Guillard,
25, has had mixed results in the UFC after debuting on the second
season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” The New Orleans native
has faced a variety of personal issues outside the cage, despite
several impressive performances since debuting at The Ultimate
Fighter 2 finale in 2005. Guillard’s recent dispatch of
Dennis Siver at UFC 86 was quick and explosive, two words that
are often attributed to him.
Fisher’s
trainer, Pat Miletich, is none too happy about the match-up.
“Spencer
has no reason to fight that guy,” Miletich said. “I
don’t think Melvin’s earned the right to fight him
yet. I think Spencer should be fighting somebody where he’s
got something to gain.”
Still,
Miletich is confident that his student will emerge victorious.
“Spencer
obviously would be the favored guy,” he continued. “Melvin’s
a dangerous kid, but I don’t think Melvin’s a polished
fighter at Spencer’s level.”
Fisher
and Guillard were unreachable for comment.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Eyes
on the enemy neck
Draculino to fight at No-Gi Worlds
Vinicius
Draculino is one of those characters in Jiu-Jitsu who everyone
likes. Charismatic, communicative, and above all, a competitor.
The athlete who came to fame in the 1990's made history as a
master in Belo Horizonte, where he successfully moved the Gracie
BH academy into the limelight. In recent times, he accepted an
even greater challenge, moving to the Texan city of Houston,
where his mission is to command a new academy. After the very
first year he already counts 150 students. But Draculino wants
more. It is not his style to rest on his laurels and will take
on, on the 9th and 10th of August, the dispute for the 2008 No-Gi
Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. In the final phase of training,
Draculino takes time to chat with GRACIEMAG.com. Check it out.
What
are your hopes for this latest No-Gi Worlds event?
It
has everything it needs to become the most important tournament
here in the United States. The disparity between the quality
of tournaments I see here and those of the IBJJF is incredible.
Anyone to participate this time will never want anything else.
You've
developed a strong teaching profect, very focused. How have you
managed to concentrate on teaching and training?
It's
tough. Teaching is my job and training to compete now is a luxury
and passion. I support myself with classes, but I love fighting
and competing, and whenever I can I get in the mix. As long as
God gives me health and strength.
What
has your training regimen been like? What have you been focusing
on to put on a good show?
I'm
training every day. I teach a ton of private classes here in
Houston, where I have my new gym. So I have to train these students
and also the group classes with the advanced students. I'm exhausted,
since I have to take care of the issues with the new gym, which
has grown in record time and my family's issues as well. On top
of that, I've been training wrestling with a great coach, David
Rivera, twice a week. We'll see what happens. I'll try and take
the tournament with technique and experience.
What's
the difference between fighting with and without the gi? Is there
any difference in performance?
I
love both styles and the gi has proven to provide a base and
refinement for submission grappling. One just needs to take a
look at the greatest grapplers in history. So I'm training more
without the gi, but every day I train in the gi too. The basic
difference is that without the gi you become more slippery and
harder to tie up.
Do
you see potential in this no-gi style? Do you think the tournament
will grow, become more recognized?
Here
in the States folks love grappling and there are a lot of tournaments,
so this one, which is of perfect quality, surely will solidify
its position and become the main one. That's a fact! The No-Gi
is derived from gi Jiu-Jitsu, which was always the base for the
soul of all grappling style.
In
case there is something that hasn't been adressed above, please
feel free to add your own comments.
I'd
like to announce that I shall be competing in my age category
and the adult one. Should there be no conflict of time and weight,
I'll do both. I'd like to send my best to my family in Brazil,
and say we're putting together a very solid base in Texas. My
new students are incredible and are helping me a lot and giving
me an unbelievable amount of support. My family and I are very
happy in the United States.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
RELEASED
BY IFL, CIESNOLEVICZ WANTS A SHOT
In the last days of the International Fight League, many of the
promotion’s fighters have been given opportunities elsewhere
on large shows. One fighter however that has been conspicuously
absent from such large opportunities is light-heavyweight contender
Mike Ciesnolevicz.
After
losing his first two bouts with the promotion, Ciesnolevicz rebounded,
winning five straight, becoming a big part of the Quad Cities
Silverbacks team that took two straight team championships.
Eager
to prove himself as an individual fighter, Ciesnolevicz looked
to be a favorite heading into the promotion’s 205-pound
Grand Prix, but due to a deviated septum was forced to sit on
the sidelines and recover from injury.
Roughly
two years from his IFL debut, Ciesnolevicz, one of the last monthly
salaried fighters, has received his full release and is eager
to make his impact on a big show after recent successes on the
local scale.
“I
was actually checking my email a few days ago and I got an email
release from the IFL; and yesterday I got a letter saying, ‘Thanks
for being with the IFL, we’re exercising our right to release
you, so you’re free to fight with any organization out there,’”
said Ciesnolevicz of how he received his release from the promotion.
“It
didn’t really bother me the way it happened. I was waiting
for the day to come.”
Even
with how his time with the company ended, Ciesnolevicz has nothing
but good things to say about his time with the IFL.
“I
look back at the IFL now, and I realize it was really important
for me in my progression from the smaller shows to the big shows,”
he commented. “The IFL was the perfect middle ground.
“I
had tough fights; it made me realize what I needed to change
in my game, and was a real eye-opener. I really advanced who
I am through the IFL, and I’m thankful for that opportunity.
It was a great experience.”
Prior
to his release, Ciesnolevicz had kept busy fighting on smaller
shows, including an old school two fights in two days; and by
cornering his Miletich Fighting System teammates.
According
to Ciesnolevicz, while he’s enjoyed his recent activities,
he’s anxious to get in the ring and prove himself on a larger
scale, like some of his teammates such as Rory Markham have done
lately.
“I’m
kind of getting the reputation at our gym as the new Jeremy Horn,
like as the corner man guy,” he commented. “I’m
just going to all the fights, and now I think I’m ready
for my shot.
“I
figure, 16-3 (with one no contest) now, I should be getting a
three-fight deal somewhere, some big opportunities.”
Ciesnolevicz
feels that his performances in the IFL speak for themselves,
even his two losses in the promotion.
“The
only two guys I lost to in the IFL were Reese Andy and Andre
Gussamo, and they’re both UFC veterans now, so its not like
I lost a fight I shouldn’t have,” he pointed out. “The
guys I lost to are on the same level as me, and now they’re
fighting in the big show.”
“I
love the idea of fighting somebody with a name, getting out there
and show that I belong. I’m ready to get in there, do my
thing and show that I can compete with those guys.”
Where
he ultimately ends up is of no consequence to Ciesnolevicz, as
long as he gets a chance to showcase his skills against the best
competition possible.
“I
don’t know if I really have a preference where I fight,
I just want an opportunity to fight on a world class level or
PPV type level. The only way to know if I’m ready for that
level or not is to put me in there with someone,” he stated.
“There’s
not a fight at 205 that I’ll turn down if they offer it.”
At
only 28 years of age, there’s a lot of fighting left ahead
for Mike Ciesnolevicz, and should any promotion give him the
chance to show that he’s one of the top up and coming light-heavyweight
fighters, he intends not to disappoint.
“I
hope people are looking forward to seeing me fight, I’m
ready to go out there and put on a show; and I’ll fight
anybody,” closed out Ciesnolevicz. “To the people on
the message boards, don’t forget to throw my name out there
when you’re talking about who’s fighting what guy or
who’s filling in.
“I
think I’m doing pretty well and I’m only getting better
over this past year, and I’m really ready to make my mark.
I want to also say thanks to Fairtex, Sandy Bowman with MFS Canada,
and Warrior Wear for standing by me and supporting me over this
year.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Nurture
your minds with great thoughts. To believe in the heroic makes
heroes."
Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881, British Statesman and Literary
Figure
|
Icon
Sport: Hard Times Tomorrow
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
August 2, 2008
Fights
start at 5PM!
145:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Alan Lima (HMC) vs. Mark Tajon (Bulls Pen)
185:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Brad Tavares (MMAD) vs. Devin Kauwe (Bad Intentions)
140:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Ian Dela Cuesta (Jesus Is Lord) vs. Ola Silva (HMC)
170:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Kyle Miyahana (MMAD) vs. Brewski Lewis (Bulls Pen)
150:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Ed Newalu (808 Fight Factory) vs. Ricky Hoku Wallace (Icon Fitness)
205:
3 Rounds x 3 Minutes
Maui Wolfgram (MMAD) vs. Richard Desforge (Bad Intentions)
140:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Sadhu Bott (HMC) vs. Kurrent Cockett (Impact Zone, Maui)
160:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Eddie Rincon (Impact Zone) vs. Dean Lista (HMC)
185:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Jose Diaz (CA) vs. Mario Miranda (AMC)
160:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Sidney Silva (HMC) vs. Hideto Kondo (Mach Sakurai Dojo)
175:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Phil Baroni (Extreme Couture) vs. Ron Verdadero (Jesus Is Lord)
140
N. AM Title: 3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Mark Oshiro (Bulls Pen) vs. Bao Quach (Team Oyama)
180:
3 Rounds x 5 Minutes
Rolando Dominique (Fairbanks MMA) vs. Kala Kolohe Hose (Bad Intentions)
|
Aloha
to All........
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is an Offical Press Release on the 2009 MMA SPORTS & FITNESS
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|
FieLDS
K-1 World Grand Prix 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Honolulu, Hawaii. July 30, 2008
The FieLDS K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii promotion is now
full scale with less than two weeks left before the event. Today
Hawaii’s own the Grand Champion Akebono, who is also the
promoter of the event visited with the troops at the Schofield
Post Exchange.
Joined by a former staff sergeant who was stationed at the army
base Deutsch Puu, who is one of the participants for the August
9th event, Akebono and Puu greeted fans, answered questions,
posed for photographs and signed autographs in what turned out
to be a three hour promotional event.
Local FOX affiliate KHON Channel 2 was on hand to capture the
affair that will be aired on the evening news.
About the event:
FieLDS K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii, is the US tournament
qualifier for the K-1 World Grand Prix finals that take place
in December in Tokyo, Japan. Broadcast in 135 counties, K-1 World
Grand Prix is the most watched and most popular fighting event
in the world. Through the year regional tournaments are held
all over the world, with the winners advancing to the K-1 World
Grand Prix Final Elimination Round, traditionally held in September
in Korea. The eight finalist then battle eight best fighters
from the year before with the winners advancing to the K-1 World
Grand Prix finals, held in Japan to determine who is the best
standup fighter in the world.
K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawaii 2008 will feature an 8 man tournament
with Hawaii’s own BJ Penn protégé Cabbage,
taking on the hard hitting King of the Four Rounder’s Butterbean.
Last year’s K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawaii 2007 Champion
Samoan Mighty Mo will face American Gladiator Justice Smith along
with 12 other exciting fighters from all over the world on August
9th will meet at the Stand Sheriff Center to find out who will
be the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Hawaii Champion and move
on to Korea.
In the Super Fight attractions, K-1 Superstar and current K-1
World Heavyweight Champion Badr Hari will take on Domagoj Ostojic
and Hawaii’s own Scott Junk will face Korea’s Min Soo
Kim.
Event Information:
K-1 World Grand Prix in Hawaii 2008
Date: August 9, 2008
Location: Stand Sheriff Center
Doors Open: 5PM
First Fight Starts at: 6PM
Tickets are available at:
Stan Sheriff Ticket Office: TEL : 808-944-2697
Stan Sheriff Center, University of Hawai`i at Manoa
UH Campus Center, University of Hawai`i at Manoa
Rainbowtique at Ward Centre
OCET Office, Windward Community College
All Military Ticket Outlets
Or on the web at: www.etickethawaii.com
For Akebono’s blog and more fight information check out
the K-1
Hawaii website at www.k-1hawaii.com
For all media inquiries in Hawaii please contact:
Contact: Jay Chen
Telephone: (808) 366 1913
Email: jay@kgc-hi.com
Source: Cliff Chen
|
The
Crippler's mission to beat Bisping
By Donna McKenzie
AMERICAN cage fighter Chris ‘The Crippler’ Leben will compete in the
UK for the first time in October.
And
he is promising another first – to beat Clitheroe’s
Michael Bisping on his home turf.
Bisping,
whose mixed martial arts record is 17-1, has been a rising star
in Ultimate Fighting Championship since winning reality TV show
The Ultimate Fighter in 2006.
But
Leben, a contender on the first season of the show, is considered
by many to be the Brit’s first serious threat since he moved
to the middleweight division earlier this year.
Speaking
from his home in Hawaii, Leben said: “Bisping
is really hyped up now and thinks he is the next great thing
- but I think I am the next great thing.
“Right
now my mission in life is to go to England and to beat Michael
Bisping.”
Leben,
28, and 'The Count', 29, will square up at UFC 89 on October
18 in front of 10,500 fans at The National Indoor Arena, Birmingham.
The
event, headlined by the pair, sold over 6,000 tickets in one
week, which has been attributed to Bisping’s popularity.
But
the American, who is head coach at Icon Fitness MMA gym, says he won’t be intimidated
by the crowd’s support for the hometown favourite - or by
Bisping himself.
“I
realise I’m going to get a lot of boos but I tune the crowd
out,” Leben said. “My job, as a fighter, is to beat
the guy on the other side of the cage. There may as well be a
black curtain around the cage for how much I’m aware of
anything outside it.”
And
the fighter, whose record stands at 18-4 with 10 wins by Knockout,
laughed off comments made by Bisping last week that he would
KO the American.
Leben,
who has only been knocked out once (by reigning middleweight
champion Anderson Silva), said: “I don’t care about
what he says.
“Every
single person has said they are going to knock me out. He is
going to try and knock me out - and if he does then that’s
good for him - but I doubt it will happen.
“I’m
not going to say that I will knock him out, or submit him, or
beat him in the first, second, or third round, but I will give
him the absolute best fight I can and the better man will get
their wrist raised at the end.
“And
that will be me.”
Leben
was first scheduled to fight Bisping at London’s 02 Arena
on June 7 but the fight was postponed when Leben was jailed for
a probation violation stemming from an earlier Driving Under
the Influence arrest.
He
said: “I was really upset when I realised I wasn’t
going to be able to fight in June but now I have got a second
chance.
“I’m
really excited about this opportunity and that this fight is
going to happen now. And I am excited about going to the UK and
visiting England for the first time to fight.
“Bisping
is obviously a great athlete and he had an awesome last fight.
But I am better.
“We
have similar styles and personalities and we are now colliding
to see who will be at the elite level of the middleweight division.
“I
have already been training hard for the last month and it will
be my wrist raised at the end of the fight.”
Source: Lancashire Telegraph
|
DellaGrotte:
Florian Could Run Over Huerta
by Jack Encarnacao
You may have spotted Mark DellaGrotte as the bespectacled guy
in a flat cap shouting instructions in a thick Boston accent
as the cornerman for many notable fighters, from Patrick Cote
(Pictures) to Marcus Davis (Pictures) to Kenny Florian (Pictures).
The leader of the Massachusetts-based Sityodtong USA Muay Thai
academy has risen to prominence as one of the leading striking
coaches in the country, having helped transform Florian from
a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt into an equally dangerous kickboxer
and clinch fighter.
After
his stint as an assistant coach on “The Ultimate Fighter
4: The Comeback,” DellaGrotte befriended several mixed martial
arts veterans who have spread awareness of his knack for coaching
and unique outlook on the fight game. Sherdog.com caught up to
DellaGrotte as several of his charges face pivotal fights in
their careers.
Sherdog.com:
You have an interesting analysis about how the size of the UFC
Octagon factors into how well certain fighters do, as illustrated
by the Patrick Cote (Pictures)-Travis Lutter (Pictures) fight
in the finale of “The Ultimate Fighter 4.” Can you
explain that?
DellaGrotte: A lot of people don’t realize this; it’s
never taken into account. The actual cage, the size of the Octagon,
actually varies from venue to venue. Being at the Hard Rock at
[“The Ultimate Fighter 4”] finale, it’s a small
venue, which means it’s a slightly smaller cage, which plays
a huge role in a fight in terms of defending takedowns. I think
Patrick Cote (Pictures) was not only up against the wall with
his grappling versus Travis’, but also his odds of staying
on his feet and keeping the fight standing are pretty tough,
too, when you get into a smaller cage. The larger Octagon obviously
helps Patrick Cote (Pictures) stay on his feet a little longer.
Sherdog.com:
Can you give me the difference as far as Octagon dimensions?
DellaGrotte: The actual size is supposed to be 32-feet in terms
of the official Octagon size. They often use a smaller one. I
don’t know the exact size of the smaller one. I know the
standard is 32, and they actually go down to a smaller size.
Nobody even realizes it. It’s something that I’ve noticed
and not many other people have. I don’t often talk about
it. That’s just something that goes to show you what goes
on in the mind of Mark DellaGrotte when it comes to planning
a fight. I even take into consideration the actual size of the
venue and the Octagon they’re going to use that night.
Sherdog:
You’ve helped train and corner Travis Lutter (Pictures)
in the past. What’s going on with him?
DellaGrotte: Unfortunately, he had a tough last couple of outings.
He didn’t make the weight, and then of course he suffered
a loss to [UFC middleweight champion] Anderson Silva (Pictures).
That was a huge setback in his career. He hit a big wall. He
appeared to have overcome it approaching the [Rich] Franklin
fight [at UFC 83]. Unfortunately, he did not spend as much time
down here and as much time with me as I think he should have.
But his time was restricted, and he did what he could do. He
only got a chance to spend a couple of days with me, and obviously
that was shown in his performance. It was a little lackluster.
He hit the weight OK, but something along the road went wrong,
and he wasn’t able to do what he wanted to do against Rich.
In
my opinion, I didn’t play much of a role in his training.
I was merely employed by him as his cornerman. A lot of people
will actually bring me in and have me work their corner because
of my experience and my ability to do the whole job … you
know, wrap hands, corner the fighter, give him good strategy.
It’s an overall plan. It’s kind of like you employing,
like, [cut man Jacob “Stitch” Duran] if you wanted
to bring a cut man to Japan. You can call “Stitch”
and say, “‘Stitch,’ I need the best in the business.
I’m up against the wall here.” It’s kind of like
what Travis did for me. He knew me well, and he knew I would
help him if he asked.
He
specifically mentioned on the show, “The Ultimate Fighter”
finale, that he doesn’t have coaches; he doesn’t believe
in coaches. People were mocking him about it: “You don’t
have a coach? Who teaches you? What do you do?” Travis is
a rebel, and he does things his own way. He’s been at it
for a long time, and it’s gotten him to where he is, so
he believes that it works for him and it’s going to continue
to work for him. I think even he now realizes that he needs to
make changes in his training. He needs to listen better to coaches
and to be more coachable. I think it’s a lesson that Travis
not only learned but is still in the process of learning.
Sherdog.com:
You draw from such a deep pool of things when you try to motivate
a fighter in his corner. Either you sound angry at him or sound
like the most inspirational guy of all time. What goes through
your mind when you’re talking to a fighter between rounds?
DellaGrotte: What goes through my mind is, “How can I touch
the nerve?” Part of being a good coach is building a relationship
with the fighters and getting to understand who they are and
what goes on, even in their private life, and what you can do
to motivate them. Sometimes you talk about their kids, and they
get crazy and they want to fight harder. Sometimes you talk about
the struggles that they’ve had and where their career’s
gone and how nobody believed in them and now look at them. It’s
not just going through the gym, and you’re going to win
fights if you hang out with DellaGrotte. That’s not how
it is. You’ve got to get to know the fighter. You’ve
got to get to know them on a deep, personal level, so that when
it’s crunch time and when it’s in the heat of the battle,
you know what nerves to touch to get that fighter to where he
needs to be to win that fight. Sometimes, it’s motivating
them on a positive scale that brings them the fuel they need,
and other times, you kind of got to s--t on them and tell them
that they’re no good. And then they look to prove themselves
to you. It’s all really just a strategy on the coach’s
behalf to get the fighter up for the fight.
Sherdog.com:
What would you tell a Kenny Florian (Pictures) if you didn’t
think he was pulling through in a fight?
DellaGrotte: If I didn’t think Kenny was pulling through,
I would obviously tell him, “Kenny, look at where you are,
look at where you’ve come, look at the struggles you’ve
had.” Kenny Florian (Pictures) is a lot easier to get up
for a fight than some other guys. I’ve often found myself
actually trying to bring Kenny down a little bit so that he’s
not overconfident and he doesn’t go out there and make mistakes.
That happens when you underestimate opponents and everybody tells
you, “You’re going to smash this kid.” You start
to believe that hype, and you go out there and the kid suddenly
is stronger than you thought or suddenly is better than you thought.
Sometimes, you have to actually do the opposite and bring the
fighter down and say, “Hey, listen, this guy’s dangerous.
Don’t get too comfortable out there.” Getting guys
like Marcus Davis (Pictures) up for a fight is not hard. Getting
guys like Kenny Florian (Pictures) up for a fight is not hard.
Teaching them to control their emotions so they use their brains
in there -- that’s the challenge.
Sherdog.com:
What’s your breakdown of Florian’s upcoming fight against
Roger Huerta (Pictures)?
DellaGrotte: In my opinion, I think Kenny’s going to determine
what type of fight he makes it. Kenny could run over Roger if
he really wants to, or he could allow Roger to give Kenny a fight.
I think Kenny’s ability to harness his energy and ability
to control his aggression and not become emotionally attached
to the fight -- like Roger likes to fight -- is going to give
Kenny the technical advantage that he needs. If Roger is able
to get in Kenny’s head and make him fight a sloppy, wild,
Roger Huerta (Pictures)-style of fight, then obviously that type
of fight fits Roger Huerta (Pictures). Kenny knows he not only
needs to use his technical abilities, but he also needs to play
a very mental game with Roger … make sure Roger doesn’t
take him out of the element of his technical ability and turn
him into a brawler. I know Roger’s going to try to do that,
and that’s what we’re going to try to avoid in this
fight.
Sherdog.com:
Does Huerta do those things before the fight’s even started,
or does he do those things during the fight itself?
DellaGrotte: I know Roger, and sometimes he can try to play a
tough guy type of approach before the fight. I know that he told
Kenny when they met recently doing some type of PR that, “Kenny,
we’re friends man; we’re boys, but I’m telling
you man, I’m just going to go at it, man, I’m just
going for it.” Kenny came over and was, like, “Check
this out. Listen to what Roger said.” And we laughed about
it, because that’s just exactly what we know Roger’s
going to try to do, thinking he’s going to intimidate Kenny
into fighting a fearful fight or a wild fight with him. But Kenny’s
smarter than that. Those types of tricks don’t work with
Kenny. Kenny is not going to fight any other fight than the fight
we plan to go in there and fight. He’s not going to be taken
out of his element. He’s not going to switch game plans
on the fly. We know what we need to do to beat Roger Huerta (Pictures)
on a technical level. We plan on it being a fun fight and an
exciting fight, but we also plan on taking Roger out in a tactful
manner.
Sherdog.com:
Can you give me the quick and dirty rundown of your history in
muay Thai?
DellaGrotte: I was introduced to muay Thai by a guy named Guy
Chase; he now owns a gym in New Hampshire. He introduced me to
muay Thai in 1992. I studied with him for a couple of years before
I wanted to take it to the next level. I did so by going to Thailand
in about 1997 or 1998. I went over to Thailand, fought as a pro
for a couple of years, went back-and-forth to Thailand for a
couple of years and was given permission to use the name Sityodtong,
which is very similar to, like, the Gracie family of Thai boxing.
When
I first started doing muay Thai in the early 90s, nobody else
was doing it. Basically, the matches that I would get were smokers,
which were inter-gym matches with guys bringing guys from other
gyms. It was kind of like the underground deal. The UFC had yet
to emerge. It was kind of off-and-on, my career back in the day.
Most of my bouts came from Thailand. It’s tough to say what
an accurate record is. I have a winning record, but I don’t
have many fights. I have probably less than 10 fights, but the
fights that I had were all quality matches. I fought good names
in Thailand. They didn’t give me easy fights. I had a bunch
of wins, ran into a loss [and] had a draw once in my career.
A
lot of people think [I’m] a muay Thai champ and [have] this
extensive fight background. That’s really not the case.
When I started doing muay Thai, it was on more like an underground
level. People still were not hip to the sport, and by the time
the sport emerged, my career as a trainer had already taken off.
I only started fighting because I wanted to be a better trainer.
I had taught martial arts prior to my fight career, and I actually
said, “I don’t want to teach unless I fight.”
And everybody’s, like, “You’re a great teacher.
You already have students learning from you. What do you mean
you want to take off to Thailand and go fight for a couple of
years? Why? It’s working right now.” I said, “Because
I haven’t fulfilled that part of my life yet, and I want
to test myself in that range, in that field.” And also,
I felt that there’s nothing worse than the fat karate instructor
who tells you theoretically what to do but has never done it.
Sherdog.com:
Why do MMA fighters come to you to train their all-around game
if you’ve been so specialized in muay Thai?
DellaGrotte: I think it’s because I just have such a broad
spectrum of martial arts that I’ve taught and I’ve
studied. I think, more importantly, I’ve been around the
fight game a lot longer than some of these guys have. MMA has
just emerged, but I’ve been involved in the fight game since
the late 80s. I’ve been involved in boxing and kickboxing
and helping boxing commissioners organize and sanction things
from state-to-state. I’ve been part of a movement of legalizing
MMA. I think that comes from not only my broad spectrum of martial
arts that I’ve taught and studied but my complete understanding
of the arts and how they all come together.
I
think of myself as a modern-day Bruce Lee and a jeet kune do
practitioner. I don’t believe in just boxing or just muay
Thai or just jiu-jitsu. I think all the arts create MMA, and
if they’re not put together properly, the outcome won’t
be the same. I think the reason it all comes together so well
here is because we’re open-minded and we accept all the
arts. I think a lot of people are biased to one particular style
because that’s their crutch, and that’s what’s
gotten them the farthest. At the end of the day, Kenny Florian
(Pictures)’s not just a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu;
he’s a K-1 Max-level muay Thai striker, he’s a collegiate-level
wrestler, and the reason why he’s good at doing all those
is because we practice all of those.
A
big part of it is my overall experience and time invested in
the arts. For example, at the local fights the other night, one
of the guys was kneed [in the body] right at the bell [to end
the first round], and the ref was debating stopping the fight.
Because there’s no eight count in MMA, the referee was unable
to stop the fight. I basically yelled to my cornermen to get
[the kneed fighter] on a stool. The fighter was almost waiving
us off like he was done, and I told him, “Your muscles are
spasming; it’s just a spasm. It’s going to stop, and
you’re going to be able to breath in about five seconds.
Relax and control your mind. Don’t give up. Don’t lay
down for this guy. You’re going to win.” And before
you knew it, he looked at me, and he’s, like, “I feel
better, my breath.” I said, “Exactly.” Experience
is what I gave that kid. I told him, “This is what’s
going to happen to your body, because I’ve seen this before.”
Source: Sherdog
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New
Leadership for ProElite, EliteXC
Sam Caplan
At
initial glance, there appears to be a void when it comes to leadership
at ProElite with both Chairman Doug DeLuca and Live Events President
Gary Shaw having tendered their resignations in favor of taking
on reduced roles as consultants.
DeLuca,
a television producer, was a founding member of the company.
Shaw, a former boxing regulator turned promoter, joined up soon
after the formation of ProElite and was one of its original directors.
There’s
little doubt their contributions to the company were major. DeLuca
is a charismatic businessman with strong connections in the entertainment
industry. While Mark Burnett and IMG played large roles in making
the deal with CBS happen, it’s been said that DeLuca was
the driving force.
Shaw
was a polarizing figure in the MMA community who never gained
widespread acceptance from the sport’s hardcore fan base
that has followed MMA before it was cool to do so. That being
said, it’s debateable whether the company would have ever
gotten off the ground if not for the deal with SHOWTIME. Considering
Shaw’s existing relationship with key decision makers at
SHOWTIME, it’s not a reach to say the SHOWTIME deal would
have never happened without him.
Up
until December of 2006, SHOWTIME was still involved in negotiations
with the Zuffa about a potential deal with the UFC. When word
spread in the industry that HBO had interest in getting involved
in the MMA business, the Zuffa took a deal with UFC off the table
and instead tried to pitch SHOWTIME on a potential deal with
the WEC. SHOWTIME took exception to the move and broke off all
negotiations.
Once
it became apparent that a deal between SHOWTIME and Zuffa wasn’t
going to happen, multiple promotions made a renewed push at trying
to land a contract with SHOWTIME. However, MMA was still a risky
proposition at the time and SHOWTIME wanted to go with a proven
commodity within the MMA space. But outside of the UFC, there
wasn’t a proven commodity. The next best solution was doing
business with a familiar boxing promoter such as Shaw.
So
while some will be quick to dismiss Shaw and his shortcomings
(something this site has done on frequent occasion), he was an
impact player and also the public face of the company for an
extended duration. The roles that both Shaw and DeLuca played
aren’t ones that will be completely eliminated. Key figures
will have to step up and fill the void. But the reality is that
both Shaw and DeLuca had been operating in reduced roles for
the past several months and their replacements are already in
place.
When
it comes to the corporate side and providing the leadership required
to make a publicly traded company work, Chairman and CEO Charles
Champion has been with the company since February. He has an
established reputation for being a corporate savior and has turned
several companies around in the past, most notably online paramutual
betting company YouBet.com.
Before
getting involved with YouBet, Champion made a name for himself
working on the business side of major newspaper companies such
as the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, the Los Angeles
Daily News, the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Orange County Register.
When he joined YouBet in 2002, the company was near-bankruptcy,
according to published reports. The hiring made little sense
at the time because Champion had little background in the technology
sector. However, he had a reputation for being able to right
sinking ships and YouBet was all bet sunk at the time of Champion’s
arrival.
In
a 2005 article published in the San Fernando Valley Business
Journal, Champion was said to have demanded the resignations
of employees that weren’t committed to making YouBet a winner.
He then went so far as to remove the door to his office to emphasize
that the company would not only have an open door policy, but
that it would have a no door policy.
Under
Champion’s guidance, YouBet became one of the fastest growing
technology companies around and had a five-year growth rate of
930%.
But
ProElite could be his biggest challenge to date. In only two
years of operation, the company has made major deals with SHOWTIME
and CBS. It has also lost over $30 million in funding and has
been forced to make major personnel changes in recent months.
While it takes time to build infastructure and a company has
to spend money to make money, it remains to be seen whether some
of ProElite’s investments will ever pay off.
Champion
also has to contend with the fact that prior to joining ProElite,
he had no experience in the fight game whether it be boxing or
MMA. The fight business is one like no other and it’s one
that is unforgiving. Kurt Otto and Gareb Shamus learned on the
job when they started the IFL and the reality is that there is
little margin for error in MMA. But unlike Otto and Shamus, Champion
is not expected to be involved with major fight decisions. While
in the newspaper industry, he allowed his publishers and editors
to make editorial decisions and while at YouBet, he relied heavily
on his technology officers.
At
ProElite, Champion will be relying heavily on his fight team,
one that currently consists of Head of Fight Operations Jeremy
Lappen, Vice President of Talent Relations Jared Shaw, Director
of Fight Operations J.D. Penn, Manager of Fight Operations J.T.
Steele, Matchmaker Rich Chou, and Vice President of Fight Management
Turi Altavilla. With the exception of Shaw, all had prior experience
in the fight game before joining ProElite.
Lappen
started in MMA as a agent and worked big-name fighters such as
Ken Shamrock before crossing over into an executive role with
the now-defunct World Fighting Alliance. Penn, the older brother
of UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn, was involved with his
family in the Rumble on the Rock promotion where Chou helped
play a major role. Altavilla got his start out of college with
Terry Trebilcock’s King of the Cage promotion before being
recruited by the PRIDE Fighting Championships to be a top-level
executive in its Los Angeles office.
Suffice
to say, there is no shortage of experienced fight executives
for Champion to turn to.
The
promotion will still need a decision maker to step up and assume
the role created by Shaw’s resignation. Thus far, it appears
Lappen is that guy, even though he has been reluctant to make
any public pronouncements of being the fight team’s go-to
guy. However, during recent conference calls and press conferences,
it’s been Lappen who has served as the public face of the
company’s fight operations.
Champion
is clearly the replacement for DeLuca while Lappen is considered
to be Shaw’s heir apparent. The leadership voids that some
may perceive to exist within ProElite have already been filled.
Whether or not the new leaders can get ProElite headed in the
right direction is a question that can only be answered over
time.
Source: The Fight Network
|
BELFORT
VS. LINDLAND IN AFFLICTION 2
According to Affliction middleweight, Vitor Belfort, in an interview
with Tatame.com he confirms that he will face Matt Lindland in
a 185lb title fight at the next show for the promotion on Oct.
11 that is currently rumored to take place in Las Vegas.
Belfort
suffered a broken hand in his last fight for Affliction against
Terry Martin, but the former Ultimate Fighting Championship title
holder doesn’t believe the injury will be a problem.
“The
doctor will analyze it, but I may stay four weeks out,”
Belfort said in the interview. “I’ll come back in October
11th to fight Matt Lindland for the belt”
The
Brazilian looked very impressive during his fight with Martin
and many fans and critics had speculated that a fight between
Belfort and Lindland could happen at a future Affliction event.
For
his part, Lindland, after being out for over a year, came back
to defeat Fabio Negao at the same Affliction show. The Oregon
native has been busy focusing on his fight career while also
making a run for a seat in his home state’s house of representatives.
Rumors
have been swirling ever since the first Affliction show as to
who might appear on the 2nd show. Pedro Rizzo has already mentioned
his return on the Oct. 11 show and everyone from Fedor Emelianenko
to Tito Ortiz has been rumored for the card as well.
Messages
to Matt Lindland from MMAWeekly.com were not immediately returned
for comment on the fight.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Ortiz
rumored to face Babalu
Bout would be one of the main attractions at next Affliction
The next edition of Affliction is only to be held in October,
but speculation has already arisen as to which stars will make
up the card for the organization that is taking on the UFC head
on in controlling the American MMA market. And one of the possible
high-profile bouts to take place may be between former-UFC fighters
Renato "Babalu" Sobral and Tito Ortiz, according to
the site Yahoosports.com.
The
problem is that to be included in Affliction, Ortiz will first
need to sign a contract with the organization. Since his commitments
to the UFC ended, the “Bad Boy", has announced his
career will be taking a different direction.
Another
rumoured bout to make waves would be between Russian Fedor Emelianenko
and Belorussian Andrei Arlovski, former UFC champion.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Fedor,
Sylvia medically suspended for six months
Fedor Emelianenko and Tim Sylvia, the main eventers of the inaugural
"Affliction: Banned" event on July 19, have been medically
suspended for 180 days.
The heavyweights would only have to serve the full sentence if
they decide not to get cleared by an orthopedic doctor.
Fedor
was suspended for an injury to his right hand, while Sylvia was
suspended for an injury to his left elbow.
Fedor
and Sylvia are both expected to compete on the next Affliction
card on Oct. 11.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Pedro
Rizzo back on Affliction 2
By Guilherme Cruz
Pedro
Rizzo’s debute on Affliction wasn’t the way he was
expecting. After ten months away from fighting, the Brazilian
fighter felt a little the time but didn’t searched for excuses
to explain the loss. “It was my fault. I did everything
right, trained hard, but didn’t used it on the fight, I
got stucked on the ring. I believe it’s because of the ten
months without fighting, but I don’t have excuses. I was
trained, ready, but didn’t fought well”, said Rizzo,
that will fight again at Affliction’s second show. “I’ll
fight at October 11th, but I don’t know whom yet. They (Affliction)
talked about Paul Buentello, but there’s nothing right yet”,
finished the athlete, that is back on trainings for his next
fight.
Source: Tatame
|
JJ
calendar still busy
No-Gi Worlds and North Brazilian are next stops
Cariocas
were able to quell their longing for high-level Jiu-Jitsu competitions
with the Rio International Open and International Master and
Senior this past weekend, at the Tijuca Tennis Club. And anyone
thinking it ends there is being fooled.
The
next stop is the No-Gi Worlds, set for the 9th and 10th of August,
in California. Sign-ups for which end on Saturday. Click here
to sign up.
On
the 20th of September the American National Jiu-Jitsu Championship,
a traditional tournament promoted by the American Jiu-Jitsu Federation
that brings people from all four corners of the earth together,
is set to take place. The stage will be in the city of Carson,
California.
And
the month after that the aces from the land of Uncle Sam will
land in New York, where the 1st No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Pan-American
will be held on the 4th of October.
Back
in Brazil, attention will be turned to a novelty that came about
to fill a void in the north of the country. On the 18th and 19th
of October, in Manaus, the North Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship
will take place.
There
are more than enough opportunities to shine on the world stage.
One just needs to mark it on the calendar and get to training.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com and soon we will be back with more information
on competitions taking place in World Jiu-Jitsu.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Thales
Leites Talks Training, Dean Lister And More
By Edu Ramos
Thales Leites took time out from his busy training schedule to
sit down with us and answer some questions. going to face the
North-American Dean Lister, Jiu Jitsu specialist, at UFN 15 –
in September. Check it out:
ER:Dean Lister has beaten Jeremy Horn by submission. He is a
fighter who has Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as his main weapon of attack.
What did you think about the choice of this opponent and what
game plan do you intend to put in practice to beat him?
TL:It's
a good choice for me. Lister is a very good fighter and tries
to fight on the floor like me. It'll be a good fight with non-stop
action. I'm prepared to fight standing up, clenching and on the
ground.
ER:Thales,
if you win your next fight, do you believe you will be the next
contender for the belt?
TL:I
don't know what they (UFC) will decide. So far everything I've
heard about a title shot has been rumor. The UFC has to state
something to be official. I believe in my potential and I'm sure
the moment will come and I'm working for it.
ER:How
is your training going?
TL:Excellent
as ever. The team is always training together and I am increasing
my conditioning and training hard to get ready 100%.
ER:Would
you like to send out a message for fans and sponsors?
TL:Thank
you to everyone. I feel happy to know that people support me
giving good thoughts. Thank you to my sponsors. They always support
me so much: MTX Áudio and SPRAWL.
Source: Fightline
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ALESSIO
& DALEY POSSIBLE CONTENDERS FOR SHIELDS IN ELITE XC
by Damon Martin
The Elite XC welterweight division solidified its first champion
last weekend as Jake Shields finally earned his shot and eventually
a title win over Nick Thompson. Now with Shields firmly in place
as champion, the promotion will now look to find top contenders
for the new welterweight title holder.
One
fighter who may be able to earn a shot is former Ultimate Fighting
Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting veteran, John Alessio,
who signed on with Elite XC as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com by
Vice President Jared Shaw on Tuesday.
Alessio
is 5-2 in his last 7 fights and has earned a reputation as one
of the toughest match-ups in the 170lb weight class. The Xtreme
Couture fighter should make his debut within a few months according
to Shaw.
“Look
for John (Alessio) to make his Elite XC debut sometime early
fall, September, October,” Shaw stated.
Another
top contender in the welterweight division is British heavy hitter,
Paul “Semtex” Daley, who has been rumored for the upcoming
Sept. 20 Showtime card.
Daley
stated previously in an interview with MMAWeekly Radio that he
was offered the winner of Shields vs. Thompson, but wanted to
get another fight in before taking that type of match-up.
Regardless,
Shaw informed MMAWeekly.com that both Alessio and Daley could
be considered for a shot at Shields’ newly won title.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
Beats EliteXC in Key Demographic
Sam Caplan
Spike
TV issued a press release Tuesday afternoon announcing that its
re-airing of UFC 84 this past Saturday drew more viewers than
CBS and EliteXC’s “Saturday Night Fights” in the
key demographic of males 18-34.
According
to the release, UFC 84 outdrew “Saturday Night Fights”
in the male 18-34 demo by 27% with Spike totaling 433,00 men
compared to CBS’ 341,000.
Spike
is also touting the fact that compared to last Saturday’s
live broadcast of UFC Fight Night 14 featuring Anderson Silva,
the UFC outdrew EliteXC by 165% in the male 18-34 demographic
and by 21% in total viewership.
The
press release took a very surreal turn, with Spike comparing
the drop in EliteXC’s second CBS show from the first show
to the XFL on NBC. The release even went so far as to say the
first CBS show featured “the ‘He Hate Me’ of MMA,
Kimbo Slice.”
I
say that the prose is surreal because while Spike TV and CBS
are operated by different subsidiaries that trade under different
ticker symbols on the New York Stock Exchange, they still belong
to the same parent company.
Five
Ounces of Pain has received many ratings bulletins over the past
year and a half and we’ve never seen one written in such
a contentious manner. It’s obvious that the UFC has a strong
and loyal partner in Spike and that they aren’t taking competition
lightly.
But
the numbers don’t lie and while “Saturday Night Fights”
showed improvement across the board when it comes to production
and matchmaking, the ratings weren’t strong. Granted, nobody
was expecting the second show to match the first show, but being
beaten by a basic cable channel in a key demo during an airing
of a taped MMA broadcast where the results are readily available
is not good.
The
lesson here is one we already knew: casual viewers want to see
stars. It doesn’t matter how good your fight card is, the
masses want recognizable names. Robbie Lawler, Scott Smith, Jake
Shields, and Nick Diaz all have a strong following that no doubt
increased following the exposure they received this past Saturday.
But are they stars? Maybe they will be one day but building new
stars takes time.
People
can say whatever they want about Kimbo Slice, but he has the
aura of a star. Even people that had no idea who he was identified
him as a star because of his look and because of his unique back
story. And Gina Carano may have trouble making weight but she
also has the “it” factor.
With
Kimbo and Carano set to return on Oct. 4 in Miami, I see the
show being a ratings success. However, there is a major issue
of what to do when CBS wants a show and Kimbo and Gina aren’t
available that has to be addressed.
If
CBS wants a fourth show in a time frame in which Kimbo and Gina
won’t be ready, then Frank Shamrock has to be the headliner.
As great as he’s done as an announcer, he still has plenty
of box office potential and knows how to promote and market his
fights. Hypothetically speaking, if CBS wants to do a show in
Dec., they should look into a main event of Shamrock vs. Robbie
Lawler for the EliteXC middleweight title.
EliteXC
should also make it a priority to get Eddie Alvarez out there.
Alvarez has star potential thanks to an exciting fighting style.
He also has credibility with the hardcores following his strong
run during DREAM’s lightweight Grand Prix.
Source: The Fight Network
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