Upcoming
Events
Do you want to list an
event on Onzuka.com?
Contact Us
(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2008
11/8/08
Aloha
State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
August 2008
The Quest
for Champions Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous Sparring)
8/9/08
K-1 Hawaii Grand Prix
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Stan Sheriff Center, UH at Manoa)
7/26/08
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/19/08
Affliction - Fedor vs. Sylvia
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
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)
|
|
June 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!
|
Want to Advertise on Onzuka.com?
Click here
for pricing and more information!
Short term and long term advertising available.
More than
1 million hits and counting!
|
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
“Zeal
is a volcano, the peak of which the grass of indecisiveness does
not grow.”
Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931, Lebanese Poet and Novelist
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
FCTV episode
58 will run in our normal timeslot of 7pm on Oceanic Channel
52 Olelo Oahu Tuesday nights.
Episode
59 features:
Highlights
from the Grapple Fest
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
CONFERENCE
CALL QUOTES
KJ NOONS AND YVES EDWARDS,
NICK DIAZ AND MUHSIN CORBBREY,
ELITEXC HEAD OF FIGHT OPERATIONS,
JEREMY LAPPEN,
DIAZ’ COACH, CESAR GRACIE
Monday, June 9, 2008
In
an eagerly-awaited, pick ‘em matchup, EliteXC lightweight
champion and former Big Island resident, KJ Noons (6-2) of San
Diego, Calif., will defend against rejuvenated Yves Edwards (33-13-1)
of Coconut, Creek, Fla., in the main event this Saturday on SHOWTIME
(10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
In
the co-feature, world-class Cesar Gracie jiu-jitsu black belt
Nick Diaz (16-7) of Stockton, Calif., faces dangerous, up-and-coming
ShoXC: Elite Challenger Series alum Muhsin Corbbrey (7-2) of
Hilton Head, S.C.
The
Diaz-Corbbrey winner could be facing the Noons-Edwards survivor
in the near future.
Tickets
for June 14 start at $25 and are available at all Ticketmaster
locations, online at www.ticketmaster.com, at the Blaisdell Arena
and at all Times supermarkets. Doors open at 2:30. The first
live fight is at 3 p.m. The SHOWTIME portion of the card begins
at 4 p.m. Hawaiian time.
Also
on the live SHOWTIME telecast, former EliteXC 185-pound champ
Murilo “Ninja” Rua (15-8-1) of Brazil will meet Australian
Tony Bonello (16-0-1, 1 NC) in a compelling matchup at 185; Brazil’s
highly regarded Rafael Feijao (5-1) meets Wayne Cole (11-6) of
Oklahoma City, Okla., at 205 pounds and heavyweight prospect
Dave “Pee Wee” Herman (10-0) of Indiana takes on Ron
Waterman (15-5-2) of Greeley, Colo.
Opening
Comments:
Jeremy
Lappen: Thanks everybody for coming on the call. Just wanted
to say we're very excited about this event. It's another great
card. We're very excited about it.
(A
reminder that ) Following the SHOWTIME event, the undercard fights
will be streamed on the internet at ProElite.com. It's a great
undercard with some terrific local fighters. Kaleo Kwan is fighting
Mike Aina; Mark Oshiro, the ICON champion at 140 pounds, will
be fighting Chris "Red Bull" Willems. ICON champion
Kala Kolohe will also be on the undercard at ProElite.com.
The
opening fight of the night (on SHOWTIME) is Rafael Feijao, who
comes out of a great camp. (He) trains with (some really good
fighters) and is in against Wayne Cole, who you probably saw
on the Cung Le and Frank Shamrock card - dispatched Mike Kyle
in about 30 seconds. That should be a great match-up.
Dave
"Pee Wee" Herman, an undefeated heavyweight at 10-0,
an up-and-coming guy that we're high on, is taking on Ron Waterman,
so that will give us a gauge where he's at. "Ninja"
Rua, our former champion, is taking on an undefeated fighter,
Tony Bonello. Nick Diaz and Muhsin Corbbrey should be a terrific
fight along with KJ Noons and Edwards.
So
we're very excited about the entire upcoming card. Thanks for
being on the call.
Noons:
I just want to say thanks for having me on. Thanks to my team,
City Boxing, that helped me get prepared for this fight. Thanks
to EliteXC and their whole crew and SHOWTIME. I also want to
thank my opponent, Yves, for coming up and fighting and all the
fighters on the card.
It
takes a lot, you know, to get in there and actually fight. A
lot of people talk a lot of stuff, but it's a lot harder to actually
train and get up there in front of people and fight. On top of
that, (you fight on) TV, so I've got a lot of respect for everybody
on the card.
I'm
really excited about the undercard, the whole card in general.
This is a dream for me to be fighting the main event, especially
back in my hometown. This (Hawaii) is where I started my MMA
career and now I'm defending my title there.
I'm
really excited to be home in front of my family and my friends
and to be fighting somebody -- a fighter of such high caliber
as Yves Edwards who has so much talent and has been in this game
so long.
Yves
and I go back. We used to work out a little bit like nine years
ago. This is a guy I used to look up to. It's funny how things
work out. I stick to my dream and now I have the title and defending
against him.
So
it says a lot about his character, too. You know, never giving
up. Coming back after losses and winning. Now he's in title contention.
I
think our styles are going to make for a very exciting fight.
I'm glad to have this opportunity with only (a record of) 5-1,
5 knockouts, 1 loss by knockout. So every single fight I've had
is exciting, and don't expect anything different for this fight.
I'm super excited, and I think it's going to be a great fight.
Thanks.
Edwards:
I'm really excited about this fight also. I want my teammates
and everybody on American Top Team for helping me get prepared
for this and EliteXC for giving me the opportunity to fight for
the belt.
But
I'm looking at this fight as a really tough one. I've heard things,
and you get on the internet and you hear, ‘oh, Yves will
kill this guy,’ or ‘KJ destroyed this guy, ‘you
know. KJ beat up Nick Diaz, man.
So
for anybody that doesn't have faith in KJ, you know, that still
stands. That still holds true. He beat up Nick Diaz. So that's
a guy that I have to fear for.
I
think I've been focused a lot on this fight. I'm prepared for
it. I agree with KJ that this should be a really good fight.
We
did workout back in the day. But I don't think either one of
us is going back to that time and thinking, you know, I need
to key in on these things from that time. It was too long ago.
But
I've still got a lot of respect for KJ. This is the one fight
I want him to lose. In everything else, I want him to do well.
I like the kid a lot. I'm just really excited about this fight.
I'm
glad to be fighting again in Hawaii. I've fought there twice
before. I love the place. It's awesome. I'm an island boy myself
being from the Bahamas. Going across the mainland and fighting
on the other side; it's a whole lot of fun to be fighting for
the islanders.
(Some
of) You guys don't understand. Islanders love fights. They're
like the best fans to fight in front of. So I'm just looking
forward to this. This is an opportunity for me to fight for a
world title, a quality world title. And I'm looking for my chance
to grab it, man.
I'm
just ready to go. I'm kind of antsy right now. I'm moving around
on my feet right now just excited about the fight. I think this
is going to be a good one. You guys better not blink because
you've got two explosive guys in there and you just never know
what can happen.
Q.
Muhsin, is the biggest fight of your career and what are your
thoughts going into it?
Corbbrey:
I think, definitely. First of all, I want to say thank you for
having me here. Thanks to coach John Blanken and all the guys
that helped me prepare and helped with my game plan for what
I have to do on Saturday.
It's
an honor to be on the call with these guys. All these guys are
tough. Yves is somebody I've looked up to, so it's going to be
great to be on the card with him. KJ is tough as nails and Nick
is one of the toughest fighters out there. So it's an honor to
be grouped in with these guys and have the chance to show what
I can do against these guys.
I
have nothing but respect for all of them. I can't wait for Saturday
night. Hopefully, we'll all put on a great show for the fans.
Q.
Muhsin, who have been on a roll since 2006 when you lost. What
did you take from that fight?
Corbbrey:
The biggest thing I learned is never take anything for granted
and to train hard for any fight.
I
cut down to 145 for that fight, and I shouldn't have. I'm too
big for that. On top of that, my son was due that day, the day
I fought. So my head wasn't there, and I shouldn't have taken
the fight.
I
learned a lot about training and preparing for fights. (I learned
to) Never come into a fight unless I'm at my full potential.
It was a great learning experience for me
Q.
You were supposed to fight Diaz earlier this year; what happened
with that fight?
Corbbrey:
I think the card just fell through. You know, that was a little
too early of notice for me to move up and fight. So luckily everything
fell back into place and we're able to do it this weekend.
Q.
KJ, there was talk you were intended for the CBS card, but it
didn’t happen. Can you clear the air as to if you were intended
for that card and what happened? There seems to be some rumblings
about negotiations and such. If you could just clear why there
was a seven-month layoff for you?
Noons:
I think there were a bit of contract issues as far as they wanted
to extend my contract to be on the card. You know, I didn't want
to do that. I just wanted to do what's best in my favor, you
know what I mean? I felt that if I held off, you know, I didn't
want to sign an extension just yet. So the CBS card happened,
and I'm glad. I'm glad I'm fighting on SHOWTIME and defending
my title.
As
far as (the seven-month layoff), I think we were scheduled for
April 26, I believe. I think we were supposed to fight. That
also got pushed back because of the CBS event and now we're fighting
June 14.
This
is the longest I've ever trained for a fight. (But) I'm in top
shape and I'm just really ready to get in there and mix it up.
Q.
Have the contract issues you had, have they been resolved? Did
it put a strain between you and the promotion? Is there any lingering
problem with that or do you feel everything's been satisfied?
Noons:
I don't think there's any strain. All it was was they wanted
most of the fighters they have on a long-term extension. I'm
on a three-fight deal. This is my first of my three fights. They
wanted me to extend the time with CBS; I declined. They said
they had no problem.
It
turned out better for me. Now I'm headlining on a SHOWTIME card.
So I'm not on the undercard. I'm fighting a very well-versed
opponent, Yves Edwards, and I'm very excited for the whole card.
There are a lot of great guys on the whole card. I think it's
going to be a great card.
Q.
You said this is the longest you've trained for a fight. How
did you handle that? Did you have to stop or restart your schedule?
How did you handle the seven-month layoff in general?
Noons:
Usually, I start about eight weeks before a fight. So eight weeks
before April 26 I started training. That got pushed back and
I just didn't stop. You know, a lot of people think you can overtrain.
You've just got to watch yourself, and I just trained all the
way through four months. This is my job, that's what I do. It
was fun and I'm glad I'm taking a break finally.
I
learned a lot for this fight, too. With only six MMA fights,
I'm still learning a lot. So I'm just getting better, and I just
want to be all around good for whenever the fight goes to make
it exciting for the fans.
Jeremy
Lappen: I also can speak to that. The reason KJ was not on the
CBS card (was not because) of a contractual issue. When we looked
at all the different events we had lined up, when we were talking
about the CBS card and our first date, one of the dates that
we were actually looking at was April 26 in Hawaii. And that's
when we discussed it with KJ.
(But
when that didn’t happen) We needed a headliner for our next
SHOWTIME show. And with it being in Hawaii, and KJ being from
Hawaii and being our champion, than KJ-Yves was the perfect battle
for that. That's actually why KJ wasn't on the CBS card.
Q.
Jeremy, so this is not an ICON card? You're going to have EliteXC
and separate ICON cards in Hawaii go back and forth between the
two brands?
Jeremy
Lappen: Exactly. This is an EliteXC card. But ICON will continue
to do shows in Hawaii. Their next show will be in August. ICON
is fought in the ring; EliteXC is in the cage.
Q.
Muhsin, you had a bit of a professional boxing background before
you turned full-time to MMA. Why did you decide to focus on MMA
rather than boxing?
Corbbrey:
I've been training in martial arts a long time, a little bit
of everything. Boxing is great and I still want to continue to
pursue it. But at the moment, I have a lot (going in) MMA, so
I want to continue in that. I want to accomplish my goals in
MMA before I go full tilt to boxing. But I love both sports equally.
Q.
Muhsin, having done some professional boxing, what do you think
of the level of striking that goes on, and how does it compare
in MMA?
Corbbrey:
A lot of things work from boxing and a lot of things don't. If
you train in MMA, you know what works and what doesn't. You can
take a lot from every sport, and you just have to make it work
for MMA. Boxing is definitely a huge part of MMA, as is wrestling,
so you just have to take what works and leave out what doesn't
work.
Q.
Have you seen your opponent's most recent fight, because he did
win that in a TKO? He was throwing a lot of punches over the
three rounds in that fight.
Corbbrey:
He looked good in that fight, man. I have nothing but respect
for Nick. I think our styles are going to mesh well in the cage
and put on a great fight for everyone. It should be a fun fight
for the fans.
Q.
Muhsin, you think he's going to look more for a submission and
go that route against you?
Corbbrey:
I mean, it's MMA, and Nick's a fighter. Wherever he's comfortable,
he's going to try to make the fight happen. I've prepared myself
to be ready anywhere.
But
like I said, Nick's a great competitor. He'll throw down with
you on the feet or he'll grapple with you. It should be a great
fight.
Q.
For all the fighters: With the number of mixed martial arts organizations
around the world, the sport is definitely growing -- is that
a good or a bad thing? Does it cause confusion for the casual
fan? Does it dilute the talents of the different organizations
and the champions (so that) no one can see who is really the
best?
Noons:
I think the more exposure of the sport, the more people are going
to get to know about it. I think it's just good for the sport
as it grows. It just gives more awareness to people and lets
people know we know the sport and that we train for this and
that it's a great thing to watch.
As
far as other organizations and stuff, you know, it's growing.
I'm happy where I'm at and I'm planning on staying with EliteXC.
Edwards:
I think the more quality organizations that exist, it's a good
thing. There are a lot of fighters. I don't think the sport is
anything close to what it's going to be in its true adulthood.
I think at that point things will happen such as unification
bouts. It could be years away, but I do think it will happen.
Having
these different organizations, it allows the younger fighters
to get that world class experience. Get that experience on a
high level of taking on world class guys and going out there
and fighting a guy like KJ or myself or Nick Diaz or Rafael Feijao
or Anderson Silva. These guys are world class guys.
You
know, you're going to need these organizations to do that. You're
not going to get high-level guys all fighting out of their own
organizations in their home states and hometowns.
Corbbrey:
I agree with Yves 100 percent. I think it's great for the sport
(that they) have options on where they want to go. And getting
a chance to see fighters on TV; with the competition that's out
there, it's a good thing. It can only be good for the sport and
I think that it's going to continue to help our sport grow. So
I think it's awesome.
Q.
Yves, how concerned are you that you've taken the last few fights
on a shorter (notice) than in the past?
Edwards:
I'm not concerned about that at all. Actually, I prefer that.
I prefer to fight. I don't like sitting on my butt. Right now,
being with American Top Team, it's great because we've always
got four or five guys with fights within the next few weeks.
So there's always a lot of training going on, lot of guys trying
to get keyed and trying to peak.
That
always helps having high-level guys always preparing and getting
ready for something important to them. That keeps you pushing
really hard, even when you're not trying to prepare for something.
But
I've been lucky that I've had those guys around. I like fighting
often. I don't like long layoffs. I'm not that kind of guy. If
you look at my record, it would show you that when I do take
long layoffs, I seem to have problems.
I
don't like long layoffs. I like to be in the ring. I like to
be fighting. I love the challenge of fighting. I love the training,
and I love to train hard. So I definitely love taking fights
quickly.
Q.
What is the biggest change as far as training with ATT instead
of when you were out the Third Column jiu-jitsu and training
in the Gulf Coast area?
Edwards:
The biggest thing is having world class guys all the time every
single day. The thing for me with American Top Team, I don't
have to make phone calls and worry about who is going to show
up and try to round up a crew to get together for the day.
For
a while in Houston, I had that. We had guys go in all the time
working out. We had good, high-level guys working out all the
time. But guys started moving away. Guys moved back to Brazil
and Louisiana. Guys fell off, and I was kind of left alone.
Moving
to American Top Team, we've got everybody in the gym every day
of the week. That's been the big difference for me, besides the
fact that everybody in there brings something to the table. We
have a lot of really good coaches that have helped sharpen my
game up quite a bit. It just exposes you to what you're weak
at. (So where) your game is not strong, you can work on getting
it stronger at that point.
Q.
KJ, what are some of the things you'll have to be looking out
for in particular against Yves?
Noons:
I don't know; you've got to look out for everything with Yves.
He's so good all around. A lot of people always ask the first
question, how is your ground game, how is your wrestling game?
If anything, just because you don't see it, and I don't do that
on TV or in my fight, doesn't mean I don't train it.
I'm
training that probably three times more than I am my striking.
Yves is an all-around great fighter. He's explosive. At any time,
something can happen, and you've just got to be ready.
So
I just am prepared on every aspect of my game. (I know I need
to) Just be ready for everything.
Q.
KJ says he thinks the extra five pounds fighting at 160 rather
than 155 is a pretty dramatic thing for him. Is it a dramatic
thing for you or not a big deal?
Edwards:
I don't think it's that big of a deal for me. I know I can still
make 155 pounds. We're basically fighting at super lightweights,
so it's not a big issue. I've fought at this weight before at
EliteXC and I'm comfortable at the weight.
Of
course, it's a little more comfortable just because you don't
have to lose that extra five pounds. But I don't think it's a
problem. I think it is fine. It's not going to change the outcome
of the fight or the strength that either one of us goes into
the fight with.
Q.
KJ, is the chance to fight on a CBS card extra motivation for
you?
Noons:
Like Jeremy said, I'm happy fighting on SHOWTIME in my hometown
and being the main event. Wherever they want to promote me, wherever
they want me to fight, I really don't care. I just want to fight.
About
the weight thing; I'm really glad it's at 160. It's like a science
project for me because if I go a couple of days without watching
my weight, I might be 180. So don't send a stack of pancakes
to my room before weigh-ins because I might not make weight.
But
I like the 160 weight, and I'm happy wherever I fight -- whether
it be on CBS or SHOWTIME.
Q.
Yves, are you motivated by the potential of fighting on a CBS
card or does that matter at all?
Edwards:
A lot of guys would say yes, some guys may say no. Honestly,
I don't really think about it. It's one of those things that
if it comes up, it comes up. But when you get out there and the
fight is going on and you've got a guy across the cage from you
-- even if it's somebody that's a friend or somebody you like
that is trying to pun punch you in the face - all of that goes
out the window.
Would
I like to fight on CBS? Yes. That's a lot of exposure; that would
be very exciting. But as of right now the only thing I'm focused
on is trying to take KJ's gold.
Q.
Muhsin, Nick has an almost taunting, short-punch boxing style
that not a lot of people have been able to figure out, but KJ
did. Do you think that's because of KJ's boxing skills? Do you
think you're going to be able to take a cue from that and use
your boxing experience to cut through that?
Corbbrey:
I think I'm definitely going to try. I think KJ's boxing experience
did come in and it showed a little bit. But I think Nick is a
game guy. He's going to come in and use all of his ability. I've
got to be prepared for that. He's a tall southpaw. He's going
to throw his fast punches and probably finish with something
a little bit harder. So I've got to be prepared for what he brings
to the table.
I
think my boxing will definitely help me out a lot. We'll see
on Saturday night.
Q.
Obviously Diaz is a significant step-up in at least name recognition.
What does that opportunity mean for you and what do you think
it will take to get a victory on Saturday?
Corbbrey:
It means a lot. It's going to come down to who wants it a little
bit more. Every fight he goes in to, he fights tooth and nail
to the end. This is going to be a tough, hard fight. I'm going
to have to stand in there and get gritty with him.
But
it's a huge opportunity. I have a ton of respect for him. He's
a tough fighter that's been around forever. So, you know, I really
appreciate EliteXC giving me the chance to step up and show what
I can do.
Q.
Yves, you're a respected veteran. Where would a win on Saturday
night rank in your career? What are your goals as a fighter at
this point?
Edwards:
This Saturday night is very important. It's the most important
fight I've been prepared for. It's a main event on SHOWTIME,
one of the biggest networks in the country. So that's definitely
a huge, huge thing for me. Definitely this fight's the biggest
of my career up to date.
As
far as goals for my career, I want to leave this game with a
legacy. I want to be talked about when my son is my age. When
my son is 25 years old and he's doing whatever it is he's doing,
if he decides he wants to fight, I want people to say he's better
than his dad. But I want his dad to be great.
I
want to be somebody that people remember as a pioneer in this
sport 50-100 years from now when MMA becomes whatever it is it
is going to be. I want to leave a legacy behind by fighting the
best guys -- the Nick Diaz's, KJ Noons, Corbbreys, fighting these
guys. These are the fights that I want.
Q.
KJ, in your opening statement when you talked about Yves, there
was some clear respect and vice versa. With MMA coming to the
forefront and the mainstream, how important do you believe it
is for new viewers to see the kind of respect that most MMA fighters
have for one another?
Noons:
I think it's very important. I think now that it's becoming mainstream
and it's a professional sport. People are starting to get paid
pretty well. So when you show up to the press conference or show
up to the fights, I think fighters should have a little class.
Dress up a little nice, you know what I mean? Maybe clean shaven.
Treat it like a professional sport.
It’s
already in the limelight on network TV and we're already going
to be on SHOWTIME this Saturday. So I think it's very important
that we show a lot of respect to each other. You know, kind of
like a fighter camaraderie. Because when we get in there, it's
not so much like that. It's punches thrown, blood flying, teeth
flying. But I think it's good that fighters show respect to each
other and we show that to people that are new to the sport.
Q.
Yves, you're certainly a well-rounded fighter. KJ’s done
a good job of defending the takedown recently and staying on
his feet. How important is it to get this fight to the ground?
Edwards:
It is what it is. KJ's defense has been good in the past and
he doesn't have to show what he has on the ground.
How
important is it to get the fight on the ground? I honestly don't
know yet. My stand-up is good. There may come a time I decide
the stand-up is not where I want to play the game, but that might
not happen.
This
is an MMA fight. I know what KJ's weakness is -- I don't necessarily
know what his weakness is, but I think my ground fight is better.
But that's not the only place I'm going to fight him.
This
is an MMA fight, and I'm going to make this an MMA fight. It's
going to be an all-around thing. His defense has looked good
in the past. I'm sure it's gotten better. But he's going to have
to be prepared for everything, as will I.
You
know, the ground game, if that's to my advantage if we get there,
that will be really important. If not, it is what it is. It's
just a thing. I'm just going out there to fight, and I'm looking
forward to a good fight.
If
it goes to the ground, it goes to the ground. I feel comfortable
there. But I also feel comfortable on my feet punching and kicking.
My point is it doesn't have to get to the ground. It just has
to get in the cage, and there will be a big smile on my face.
Q.
Do you think that your MMA experience advantage will play a role
in this fight?
Edwards:
I think it could, but I don't know it definitely will. KJ's had
a lot of fights. He's not only fought in MMA. He's fought in
some open-hand matches here in Texas -- professional boxing and
kickboxing matches. So all of those things come together to form
an experience.
I
don't think the experience is as definitively an edge for me.
But it can come into play, and it could be an edge. But I'm not
going into the fight hoping for it to be an edge, because if
it isn't, then that is a weapon that I planned on using that
I lose. So I don't look for that at all.
Q.
KJ, that’s got to be a good feeling fighting in Hawaii as
opposed to going to Budapest or something. Is it special for
you or you've done enough of them there?
Noons:
Yeah, super nice. No, this is definitely the most special for
me. To have…. this is where my father used to fight 20 years
ago in like the late '70s. He fought professionally at the Blaisdell
Arena. Then I got in MMA. This is where I started my career.
I was the first fight on the fight card my first MMA fight at
Blaisdell. (And now) I'm returning back as the main event on
SHOWTIME, defending my title.
So
this is really special. (To fight) In front of all my friends
and family, and all the fans of Hawaii; it’s just an awesome
experience.
Q.
KJ, do you feel better on the ground game offense or defense?
Do you feel you've come a long way on one or the other, or both?
Noons:
I feel like I've come a super long way on everything. I don't
know where Yves is going to take the fight. But I train every
fight as if, you know, that's what the guy has to do is take
it to the ground. So I prepare physically on the ground so I
won't get submitted or that I can submit, or I can ground and
pound, or I can defend ground and pound. So I work on it a lot.
I'm definitely prepared for it.
Q.
Yves, how much have you been able to scout KJ? Is it just a film
thing you look at or video you look at or do you talk to other
people?
Edwards:
You know, I don't like to talk to other people and get information
from them because everybody's different. It's different for different
guys.
As
far as scouting KJ, fortunately, we both fought the same guy,
and that was Berto, and I've watched that fight tons of times
just getting ready to fight Edson. And then they turned around
and offered me the fight with KJ. So I just watched the same
tape again from the other side. I also got to watch his fights
with Nick and a few others.
But
I prefer to watch tape to study. I think I have a good idea of
what he's really capable of and where I need to take the fight
to him to make it easier for me.
Q.
If it goes the distance, does it favor you or KJ?
Edwards:
He's shown that he has good cardio. And I never had a problem
with my cardio either. That's one thing, I think if it goes the
distance, it's good for the fans. I don't think the explosiveness
goes away in either one of us after the third round. I think
it's still going to be the same fight in the third as it was
in the first and second. So the fans will definitely be pleased
to see that.
In
the end, I'm going into this fight trying to win it. So if you
put a gun to my head and tell me to give you an answer, if it
goes into the later rounds then it favors me.
Q.
Yves, you're going to be fighting in the Blaisdell. Do you think
the crowd's going to be a factor? Are you going to be affected
by the crowd?
Edwards:
I don't know. I've gotten some good love from the fans in Hawaii.
The thing is I wasn't fighting a local boy when I did. It could
be different this time around. But in the end, I've still got
to fight KJ. I don't have to fight the fans. So I don't think
it's going to affect me too badly whether they support me or
not. I do look to not be the favorite going into the fight.
Q.
Any desire to compete in Japan now that the door to Japan has
opened again with the ProElite and DREAM partnership?
Noons:
I'm not looking past Yves this Saturday. I just want to fight
the best out there. That's all.
Edwards:
I fought there before. I love the place. It's a lot of fun. But
that is another fight. It's not this one.
Would
I like to fight there again? Yeah, for sure. But I'm fighting
in Hawaii on Saturday, and that is the one that matters now.
Q.
Jeremy, it was mentioned that Feijao's going to be appearing
and he had quite a debut in February. Are there any plans to
institute a light heavyweight title in the future?
Jeremy
Lappen: Yeah, there definitely are. Probably sometime before
the end of the year or early 2009 we'll have the championship,
and Feijao is one of the people that we're very excited about.
I think he's got a tough test in Cole. Wayne's a terrific wrestler.
He’s dropping down to 205 just like Feijao.
I
think Feijao's got a chance; he's got to get by Wayne Cole first
though, which is tough. But I think he's got a chance to be the
best in the world, so we're looking forward to that fight.
Q.
Jeremy, Eddie Alvarez is doing good in Japan now. Do his wins
in the DREAM tournament impact his standing in the eyes of EliteXC?
Does that move him closer to a title shot?
Jeremy
Lappen: We had Eddie before he fought in DREAM. So he was always
going to be a contender for a title match. Obviously, winning
in Japan helps his cause, and he's one of the top contenders.
We're looking forward to having him back.
He's
got his finals first to get through in DREAM and then he's getting
married. As soon as he's ready, we're looking forward to having
him back in EliteXC. Will it be a title match his first fight
back? We're not sure yet. But he's right there in contention.
Q.
KJ, you've done both MMA and boxing, but you haven't boxed in
about a year. Is there any reason? Is it too difficult to do
both?
Noons:
No, I think EliteXC and Gary Shaw have been focused on building
his promotion and has me fighting on that. I'm concentrating
on that right now. As soon as, like I say, I'm not looking past
Yves, but as soon as I'm done with this fight, I'd like to pursue
my boxing career.
Q.
What about the different styles? What is so different between
the two sports?
Noons:
They have their similarities and definitely their differences.
I take what I can from the boxing and implement them into the
MMA. Then, when I train for boxing, it's definitely different.
You have four-ounce gloves compared to 10-ounce gloves, so you
can take a lot more shots and feel a little more comfortable
in the ring when you're boxing. Compared to MMA, the gloves are
so small, so you really can't take as much punishment. So there
are definitely differences.
Q.
KJ, how do you deal with the mental preparation for a fight as
they get bigger and bigger?
Noons:
I just feel a lot more confident whenever I'm the underdog. The
only time I lost is when I was supposed to win, and I got knocked
out against “Krazy Horse’’ (Charles Bennett).
So
I'm the underdog in this one; I was the underdog in the last
one. I'm fighting guys with a lot of fights. The last three guys
I fought had over 25 or 30 fights.
So
I like the challenge. I like high pressure. I like the chance
to show up and shine. So just pretty much take it. Before I went
into the Diaz fight, before I walked out on stage where millions
of people are viewing and thousands are watching me live fighting
the best guy in the world at the time, I'm laughing at myself
thinking, ‘I'm getting paid for people to see this.’
This is a dream come true.
I
get to fight, and get paid and be on TV and people get to watch
it. It's just an awesome experience.
Q.
On that Krazy Horse fight, do you still have an interest to go
out and fight again in a rematch?
Noons:
Yeah, as soon as they're ready to give me that, I would like
to take that fight next. I would like to definitely show that
I can beat that guy. So as soon as the opportunity comes, you
know, hopefully, I'll be the underdog and I can go out and claim
that win.
Q.
Yves, what does fighting for the EliteXC lightweight title mean
to you?
Edwards:
It means a lot. EliteXC came to me and offered me a deal. I was
excited about it. You know, after two fights in their organization,
three fights since the deal happened, they've offered me a title
shot. I'm excited about it, man. I appreciate the shot. I'm going
to do everything I can to make the most of it.
Q.
What kind of pressure do you feel from this opportunity?
Edwards:
For the first time, I don't really feel any pressure. I've got
the backing of a good team. I'm not doing this on my own. I'm
not trying to make the deals by myself and basically being my
own manager.
I've
got Mr. Don Lambert taking care of things for me. I've got teammates
helping me get prepared and guys that believe in me.
I'm
just excited right now. All I have to do is go out there and
fight. I don't have to think about anything else but KJ. I just
get to lay back, relax, and do what I love to do more than anything
in the world.
Q.
Jeremy, can you give us an idea of the light heavyweight picture
in the future? Any notable names we should be on the lookout
for?
Jeremy
Lappen: Yeah, we mentioned Feijao and Cole as two of our top
light heavyweights. We also have Jared Hamman, who was undefeated
until he lost to Poai Suganuma, who is also one of our top heavyweights,
in sort of controversial fashion.
He
was rocked early and a lot of people think that fight was stopped
too early, so they're going to rematch Aug. 15. That will give
us one of the top contenders. And we're always actively looking
to bring in other top guys.
So
the 205 division is the one we're looking to build out now. We've
got good young guys and we're looking to bring in established
people as well.
Q.
Jeremy, anything going on with the Tito Ortiz situation?
Jeremy
Lappen: We're interested. We'd love to have Tito Ortiz as part
of our organization. Any organization out there would love to
have Tito.
Q.
Are you in any talks or anything?
Jeremy
Lappen: Yeah, we're talking. We'll see what happens. The deal
has to be good for both sides. He'd be a great addition to our
organization. But there are a lot of people actively pursuing
him.
Q.
Nick couldn't be on the call with us today. But his coach Cesar
Gracie has just joined. Cesar, can you make some comments on
Nick's behalf on his thoughts on this fight?
Gracie:
Yeah, he's training really hard. I don't know if you got to see
his last fight. Fortunately, EliteXC allowed him to do a fight
in Japan to make up for the fight that he wasn't able to do with
that fiasco that happened in California.
And
Nick came out like the Nick Diaz of old that we're accustomed
to seeing back in the day, really aggressive. Doing what he does.
He looked really good.
His
focus is on this fight coming up against Muhsin and everything.
But he's not looking past that. He's got to win this fight, and
that's what he's focusing on doing right now.
Q.
Cesar, what do you think Nick's mindset is since he had the surgery
and the fact that he fought? He didn't cut at all?
Gracie:
No, he didn’t cut (which is something that has happened
over and over since his first fight). We had a plastic surgeon
look at it. He said that Nick's ocular bones are extremely sharp,
and he's always going to cut and keep building up scar tissue.
So, fortunately, the plastic surgeon was able to remedy that
by filing it down and making it smooth like someone that doesn't
cut. I think that's the difference.
Nick
is a really tough guy. I think, without getting cut up, you're
going to see Nick is really hard to stop.
Q.
KJ, how prepared are you if Yves wants to make this fight more
on the ground?
Noons:
Like I said before, just because I don't show it in a lot of
my fights -- my ground work or maybe my wrestling or submitting
somebody -- it doesn't mean I don't work on it. I'm consistently
in the gym trying to improve and get better on the ground. You
know, doing submissions or defending submissions. All I can do
is practice every day in the gym and get better.
Q.
Do you want to keep this primarily a stand-up fight? How do you
see this fight going?
Noons:
I feel comfortable anywhere. I trained to be on my back. I trained
to be on top. I train to be standing, train to even take down
to have great takedowns. It's an MMA fight. It's not boxing,
so I'm prepared for everything: Knees, elbows, kicks, strikes,
submissions, chokes. We'll see what happens.
Q.
Yves, what you expect and are you going to want to make this
more grappling?
Edwards:
I go into every fight, just looking to have a good time first
of all. I'm not uncomfortable anywhere in a fight, especially
not now. I've got so many good guys helping me train. I've got
good guys standing in front of me, great strikers. These guys
stand in front of me.
I've
got good wrestlers working with me. So I'm really comfortable
anywhere.
In
this particular fight, I'm just going to take it as it comes.
Wherever I feel comfortable, I feel I'm going to be strong. That's
where I'm going to make the fight happen. I'll just let it play
itself out from there.
Q.
Yves, do you think the ground game is a particular weakness of
his?
Edwards:
I wouldn't say it's a weakness. Take Nick Diaz, for example.
Nick's ground game is legit. He is for real on the ground. (There
was a time) we trained in the same training room sometimes. I
watched him with his brother, and his brother had nothing but
good things to say about him. His whole ground game didn't even
come into play with KJ
KJ's
got some strengths that can help keep you away from parts of
his game that you think he's weak at. But you really don't know.
You don't want to go out there and get surprised. I've been surprised
before, and I'm not going to let that happen again. So I'm not
looking at him being weak at any particular part of the game.
I've trained like he's the best guy in every aspect of the game.
Q.
Do either of you want to make a prediction for this fight?
Edwards:
You'll probably get the same prediction from both of us. It's
just at the end, my hand's going to be raised and the gold's
going to be around my waist. I'm sure he feels the same way.
Noons:
Same thing, but the cup's going to be around my waist.
Q.
Jeremy, what was EliteXC/ProElite's reaction to the reaction
you guys got for the May 31 show?
Jeremy
Lappen: We were obviously thrilled. We were very, very excited.
The news of how it did was terrific. CBS was very excited, which
is obviously important. We're scheduling our next event now.
I
think there was some negative press from I'd call it more the
hard-core community. Honestly, we expected that somewhat. I didn't
expect it to be so severe. But the fight card that we put together,
we stood behind. We were excited about it. We thought they were
going to be terrific, entertaining fights.
It
was a fight card aimed to hit more of the mainstream audience.
I think he we did that. Everybody I talked to outside of the
hard-core world thought the fights were terrific.
There
were some controversial things that happened, but those are things
we can't control. We put the fights together, and the fighters
fight them, and the Athletic Commission and referees make their
decisions and the doctors make their decisions.
So
with what happened, if we could choose for them to be different,
yeah, I think we'd choose them to be different. But it sets up
good things for the future. So we were all very, very pleased
around the office.
Q.
In terms of the hard-core fan base being negative about the show;
do you think it was unjustified in terms of the stuff you couldn't
control? But the things that were under control - people's comments
that the card was not a particularly strong card, especially
in the main event - what are your thoughts on that?
Jeremy
Lappen: I think everybody has different thoughts. But I'd personally
disagree. I think that main event fight was a very exciting fight.
Kimbo gets a lot of criticism because he's got a lot of exposure.
People are just interested in him. People were tuning in to watch
him fight. They were buying tickets to watch him fight.
For
a guy that's only had three professional fights, I thought he
did an amazing job. He fought a very, very tough veteran in James
Thompson, A guy that fought all over the world, fought very tough
people and has had over 20 fights. .
I
think people were tougher on the card than needed to be. Robbie
Lawler and Scott Smith put on an amazing fight. That was one
of the best fights that I've seen. Unfortunately, it ended the
way that it did. But those two will go at it again, which is
terrific. From top to bottom, I think the card was really solid.
All
of the fight that's we put on are always great. We're always
100 percent behind the cards we put on. The one this Saturday
is another terrific card. Our fights are exciting. Our fighters
are exciting. I think they're top-level fighters.
Q.
Yves and KJ, what are your thoughts and reaction to how the general
public reacted to the May 31 card?
Edwards:
Well, Saturday is another fight and I’m excited. On the
May 31 card, they were promoting our fight. I think that helped
a bit. Some of the fans that enjoyed the fight and probably hadn't
watched fights before or knew that we were going to fight on
SHOWTIME will check it out Saturday. We'll get a few more viewers
for it. A few more people will get to see some good fights.
Other
than that, it's the next fight. That's what I'm prepared for.
As far as the event on CBS, it is great to see fights on regular
television. You know, everybody has access to it. I was excited
about that.
Just
like everybody else, I was disappointed with some of the calls
and some of the things that happened, but I also enjoyed the
fights. I especially enjoyed the girl fight between Gina Carano
and Kaitlin Young. Those girls put on a show.
Noons:
I'd like to say I enjoyed the fights also. I thought it is what
it is as far as referee callings. They got their numbers. They
hit the numbers, CBS. It got out there to the audience.
I
don't know why there is so much negativity. Maybe I'm a hard-core
(with) what you want to call underground. If they want to be
so negative, why don’t everybody that has something negative
to say go train for eight weeks and try to get in a cage in front
of 10,000-20,000 people. And then fight in front of five or six
million people. That's not as easy.
I
would say give these guys some credit. They all trained really
hard. They're all great athletes. I thought it was good. Some
of the calls -- maybe the calls weren't the greatest. But give
the fighters some credit.
I’m
super excited for this card Saturday. There are a lot of great
fighters. I do think EliteXC puts on a lot of great fights. I
think there are going to be some really exciting fights June
14.
Q.
Go back to the training you guys did nine years ago. Were you
regular training partners? Were you friends to a point where
there's a friendship that extends until now?
Noons:
Let me start. I don't even remember sparring Yves. It was so
long ago. What was it, nine years ago, Yves?
Edwards:
Yeah, it had to be.
Noons:
I can't even remember. But I can say we were good friends. We've
stayed in contact ever since. I've watched his career. He's watched
my career. And I think it's a great opportunity for both of us.
Edwards:
Actually, I'm doing the math in my head. It was a little bit
less than nine years ago. KJ had probably just graduated high
school. He was coming in to help me get ready. There were not
a lot of guys in Houston, especially back then.
When
the kid graduated from high school, he had good stand-up. So
he came in, helped me out. He got in a few hours. But it's kind
of hard to go back and think about oh, what did he do here? How
did he react to these things? Mostly he was there to just help
me out. He hadn't even fought a martial arts fight yet.
But
he was there to help me out. And yeah, it extended to a friendship.
So much so that I was glad to be there at his first open-hand
mixed martial arts fight. I was glad to see him in there. He
looked really good.
I
remember talking to him afterwards. We've seen each other in
different places throughout the years. We've kept in touch through
MySpace, etc.
So,
yeah, we're friends. But at the same time we will punch each
other in the face come Saturday night.
Q.
KJ, This card is billed as “Return to the King,’’
obviously, in reference to you returning home. What is your background
on when you lived in Hawaii?
Noons:
My mom, all my family on my mom's side are from there. Born and
raised there until I was about 16 years old in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.
That's where my father had his professional kickboxing career
in the late '70s.
Blaisdell
is here I had my first MMA fight. Now I'm coming back with the
title. I'm going to be defending it in front of my family and
my friends, and it's going to be a blast.
Q.
When your dad fought at Blaisdell Arena, were you there?
Noons:
No, I wasn't even thought of yet.
Q.
Cesar, can you provide more detail about the surgery that Nick
had. How long did the actual procedure take? Whether it was in-patient
or out-patient? How long did Nick have to stay out of the gym
and recover, etc.?
Gracie:
It took a few hours. Over his career he's built up a lot of scar
tissue, so it keeps cutting over and over on his ocular bone.
It was out-patient. He came out of it and he stayed a couple
of days in Las Vegas.
He
was out of the gym a couple weeks. He couldn't do anything. Then
he started to roll a little bit. He couldn't box or anything
like that. He's now 100 percent and training with really top-level
guys.
His
main boxing partner is Andre Ward. For those who aren't familiar
with him, he was the only American to win a gold medal at the
2004 Olympic Games. He looked pretty sharp in his last fight
because of it.
Before,
Nick was constantly getting cut, even when he was rolling. I
mean, it was weird. But it's been a complete success and we're
really pleased with it. It's going to really add to the longevity
of his career.
Q.
Is there anything that you guys avoid because of that, or does
he go full-out and gets hit in the face, etc., in the gym?
Gracie:
Sometimes just rolling in jiu-jitsu you take a knee or something
like that, just in the course of it, you get your bumps every
once in a while. It's kind of frustrating when someone might
get a bump and it's just that. Someone else, you'll get it and
get cut like Nick. It's kind of weird.
But
he was getting cut off silly stuff. So we're just thrilled that
we can put that behind him. Now when he loses, it can be because
he got stopped, he got knocked out or something. Look at the
Gomi fight, his face was a bloody mess, and he still came back
and won because fortunately that doctor didn't stop the fight.
He let it go.
But
it's always like throwing the dice out there with Nick, you don't
know what's going to happen. But we're excited that now he's
going to have to be submitted or knocked out to lose the fight?
Q.
What is the status of Nick's relationship with the California
State Athletic Commission? Is that all behind you as well?
Gracie:
We're still looking at legal options and everything. It's just
we've been so busy with so many fights. Nick fought last month;
he's fighting this month. We'll see what happens and how many
fights he's going to do in the upcoming months. We're still negotiating
with some things.
We're
talking to EliteXC about it. It's kind of been the main thing
on the plate as far as Nick is concerned.
We’ll
see what happens. What is behind us is behind us. We'll keep
our eye out to make sure that there's no bias against us, against
our fighters or something.
You
know, Nick is the kind of guy that he stands up against the powers-to-be-type
thing. He doesn't like to be bullied. He doesn't like to be told
what to do. So, that's where we're at.
Closing
Comments:
Corbbrey:
I want to thank everyone for having me here. I want to thank
EliteXC for the opportunity to get out there and show what I
can do. I think it's going to be a great fight. Nick Diaz is
a great competitor, a hard-nosed guy. It should be a fun fight
for the fans. That's what I want to do. I want to give the fans
something fun to watch. So tune in on Saturday, and hopefully
you'll see something special. Thanks a lot.
Edwards:
I'm just like the guys. I'm really excited about this weekend.
And really looking forward to it. I’ve been preparing for
it for a while. I wish all of these guys, everybody on the card,
the best of luck -- KJ included. I just want to go out there
and put on a show, man.
KJ,
just bring it, because we definitely have to put on a show, man.
So bring it, and I'll give back as good as I get. So let's go
out there and do it.
Noons:
Just want to say thanks for the opportunity. Saturday it's on.
I'm excited. It's going to be fun.
Gracie:
Just talking to Nick, and he wanted to thank the fans, foremost,
because they make it happen. And he wants to thank EliteXC and
hopes that everybody is in Hawaii to check it out. And those
people that can't, tune in for it on SHOWTIME. It's going to
be a great fight. He's happy he's fighting a tough opponent.
Source: EliteXC
|
UPSET
WITH UFC 85 STOPPAGE, VERA WANTS REMATCH
Brandon "The Truth" Vera was defeated by Fabricio Werdum
at UFC 85, but the heavyweight fighter did not agree with the
referee stoppage with 20 seconds left in round one and wants
a rematch with Werdum.
"That
ref (Dan Miragliotta) sucks," bluntly stated Brandon Vera
during the UFC 85 post-fight press conference. "I don't
agree with that stoppage, and I'm pissed. I had to walk away
from the ref.
"The
referee was asking me, talking to me, saying something like,
'are you okay?' He was talking to me. I remember he was talking
to me and I was saying, 'I'm okay. I'm okay. I'm okay.' I said
it three times. I made sure I stressed, 'I'm.' My last fight
I fought with a broken hand after the first thirty seconds, all
three rounds, no complaints. I was getting punched in the face
man. Come on."
Vera
continued, "He hit me three or four times. The rest were
on my arms. Fabricio had an awesome mount. I wasn't getting out
of the mount. I figured I'd just have to ride the ass-whoopin
out for the next 20 seconds, get up to our feet in the second
round, and I was going to give it to him... I didn't even start
kicking yet."
During
the press conference, Werdum commented that Vera must work his
way back up through the ranks before getting a rematch, something
that didn't sit well with Vera.
"I'm
kind of disappointed in Fabricio," said the California fighter.
"He said yes earlier in the cage, right after. At least
that's what I thought. He shook his head, yea, we can do it again.
Now he's telling me to get back in line. I understand why he
doesn't want to fight me again."
With
the victory over Vera, Werdum is likely in line for a title shot
against the winner of Frank Mir and current UFC heavyweight champion
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira following next season's edition of the
Spike TV reality series "The Ultimate Fighter."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
PALASZEWSKI
IN BIG NEED OF ADRENALINE WIN
If ever there was a sense of urgency in the career of lightweight
Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski, now would be it.
Currently
in the midst of a three-fight losing streak, the first since
he suffered a similar streak when he first entered MMA in 2002,
Palaszewski is in desperate need of a win to keep his career
aspirations of title contention alive.
Taking
a break from his contractual obligations with the International
Fight League, he steps into Saturday’s Adrenaline event
in his adopted hometown of Chicago, Ill. in search of the kind
of win that can kick-start his stalled career and put him back
on the right track.
“It’s
great, the IFL allowing us to fight on a different show,”
commented Palaszewski of his participation in Adrenaline. “It’s
been a while since I’ve been outside the IFL, a couple years
now, and fought inside a cage too – that’s going to
be interesting.
“To
be home fighting in Chicago has been a while, so to have my fans,
friends and family supporting me there is going to be great.”
As
Palaszewski pointed out, it’s been two years since he last
fought in a cage, which presents tactical differences from the
IFL’s ring. He feels he’s made the proper adjustments
to his game to counteract the divergences.
“I
think there won’t be any adjustment in my game, but more
an adjustment to my opponent’s game,” explained Palaszewski.
“If
I’m on the ground with my head stuck against the cage, things
change a little bit. So, I think it’s more an adjustment
defensively than offensively.”
At
Adrenaline, he is scheduled to square off against Jeff Cox, a
former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter who will also be
making his Adrenaline debut.
“From
what I know, he calls himself a wrestler, and had a few UFC fights,
but didn’t so well there,” stated Palaszewski of Cox.
“I’m not taking him lightly, though.
“I’m
busting my butt as I always do. I’ll go in there and mix
it up. I plan for everything – I’ll be ready.”
It
may very well be now or never for Palaszewski, as he admits to
a sense of urgency heading into Saturday night.
“I
have to win this fight – it’s one of those have to
win situations,” he explained. “I’ve had a rough
ride lately. I’m on a three-fight losing streak, and I’ve
got to get back on the horse.
“Even
though I’m in a rut, I know I’m going to pull out of
it and get back to where I’m supposed to be. I’m training
hard and hopefully go out there and come out on top.”
After
Saturday, he plans on making the most of his time with the remaining
months of the year prior to taking some time off for his impending
marriage in November.
“I
have two more fights with the IFL and I’m going to honor
my contract with them,” said Palaszewski. “I am scheduled
for the August 15 show (in New Jersey), but I’m not sure
who they’ve got for me.
“After
the Adrenaline show I have eight weeks, so I’ve got to decide
if I want to take a fight before the IFL, or just get ready for
it and try to get a couple more fights before the end of the
year.”
Even
with seemingly stable ground ahead of him career-wise for the
remainder of the year, Palaszewski knows if he wants to keep
people interested in having him on their show, he has to get
back to his winning ways, starting in Chicago on June 14.
“I
want to thank my sponsors; Tapout, Critical Clothing, and Premier
Fighter,” concluded Palaszewski. “I want to also thank
all my coaches; Doug Mango, Dave Davis and Jeff Curran.
“Hopefully
I can put on a good show in front of my fans, friends and family.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Werdum
goes off on Vera
"He has to get back in line"
Fabricio
Werdum was one of the winners at UFC 85, this Saturday, in England.
The black belt defeated Brandon Vera by technical knockout at
the end of the first round. Nevertheless, the party was marred
by complaints from the American of premature intervention from
the referee. Dismayed, Vera played down Werdum's vitory, inspiring
ire on the part of the Brazilian.
In
an email sent to the GRACIEMAG.com newsroom, Werdum commented
on the episode:
"I'm
very pleased with my win. I came to England to show my skills
and training, I put on an excellent fight and won, in the 1st
round. I can't go against the referee's opinion, they know what
they are doing and if the ref hadn't stopped it then, he would
have stopped it two punches later. My goal is the belt, I don't
have time for a revenge match with Vera. He was in my way and
I got him out of it. I'm not discarding the possibility of facing
him and knocking him out again. I'm fully prepared, but first
he has to go to the back of the line.
Blessings"
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Kron
loses in black belt debut
Rickson's son submitted by Sergio Moraes
By Ivan Trindade, special envoy to Long Beach
Good advice and comments for all competitors
The
black belt competition didn't start well for Kron Gracie. Rickson
Gracie's son was submitted by Sergio Moraes, of Alliance, right
in the first fight of the middleweight category. The fight was
very disputed, but Sergio kept the lead throughout the entire
match after taking the lead with two takedowns. With two minutes
to go, Moraes managed to pass Kron's guard and mount. In an attempt
to defend, Kron turned his back and had his neck squeezed. The
gymnasium shook with excitement, as is always the case when a
raved-about favorite is defeated.
Kron
receives support after his defeat
Fight
over, Kron remained a few seconds longer in the fight area. HIs
father jumped to receive him on the sidelines of the mat and
the embrace was a long one. Applauded, father and son left the
fenced off area where the fights take place and went beneath
the bandstands of the Long Beach Pyramid. "You lost to his
experience. FOrget everything you've done till now, at black
belt it's all different. But only those who have lost can win.
You insisted a lot on getting the neck, you should have gone
for his foot, tried other things," the father consoled and
commented. "I tapped," lamented the son. Uncle Renzo
turned up: "You fought well. It was a good fight. THe guy
was slick. Nobody knows him, but he has a lot of experience,"
argued Renzo. The next to give his support was two-time absolute
champion Ronaldo Jacare: "It happens. Don't worry about
it," Jacare said soothingly.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Arlovski
talks UFC, Affliction
It
certainly has been a long time coming, but former Ultimate Fighting
Championship heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski has found a
new home.
Thursday,
after months of heated speculation, Affliction finally confirmed
what many fans knew already expected – Arlovski had signed
up with the upstart promotion for its inaugural card “Banned”
on July 19 in Anaheim, Calif.
The
“TBA” facing Ben Rothwell is now a “Pitbull.”
It’s bittersweet news for the former champ.
“I
am excited,” Arlovski told MMAWeekly.com. “Also, I
have mixed feelings – sad about leaving UFC and excited
about my future.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Arlovski
and his management are mum about the details of the negotiation
that led him to leave the UFC, but its clear that the industry-leading
promotion could not offer Arlovski the dollar sign he required.
“My
management and I did what we had to do to work out a new deal
with the UFC,” he said. “But we also had to test the
market. At the end of the day it’s a business.”
If
he had his choice though, Arlovski would have stayed with the
company that made him a star.
“It
is always my choice,” he continued. “I just had to
evaluate everything on the plate, listen to the opinions of my
advisors and make the decision. At this time I felt that based
on everything this decision would be better for me. There are
a lot of things that go into consideration.”
Arlovski
maintains that his relationship with his former employers remains
strong, and that the possibility of a return to the Octagon is
not out of the question.
“In
the last few month both Dana and Lorenzo showed me a lot of respect
on the personal level and I got to know them better on the personal
level,” he said. “They told me that they respect my
decision and wished me success. I am very grateful to them for
what they did for the sport, for the UFC and for me personally
over the years. Everybody indicated that the doors are open.”
Details
on the length of Arlovski’s contract were not forthcoming,
due to confidentiality agreements signed by his management, although
reports put the deal at three fights.
The
focus will now shift to Rothwell, a heavyweight with a penchant
for knocking opponents into next Tuesday.
“He
is strong and very technical,” Arlovski said. “He has
very good stand-up. It’s going to be a difficult fight for
both of us.”
Affliction
made a formal announcement of the signing Tuesday, along with
a partnership with famed entrepreneur Donald Trump, at a press
conference in New York. With an already deep heavyweight division,
there is no shortage of future opponents for “The Pitbull.”
“Currently
(Affliction has) some of the best heavyweights in the world,”
he said. “I am looking forward to testing my skills there.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
"When
so many are lonely as seem to be lonely, it would be inexcusably
selfish to be lonely alone."
Tennessee Williams, 1911-1983, American Playwright
|
Palolo
Boxing Event Results
USA-Boxing Hawaii, Five-0 B.C., Kawano B.C., and Palolo B.C.
Presents a fundraiser Match Event for the
Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team to Marquette, Michigan.
Palolo District Park, Honolulu, Hawaii
Saturday, June 7, 2008
6 p.m.
Red
Corner Weights Blue Corner
Lbs/Birthdate 3 Rounds Lbs/Birthdate
1). Nathan Rodrigues (73) lost/decision to Wilson Savedra Jr.
(68)
Palolo B.C. 07/27/98 1 min. Villaver B.C. 08/10/99
2). Gavin Marques (89) lost/dec. to Eric'e Tuale Auelua (86)
Waipahu B. 1 02/05/98 1 min. Villaver B.C. 02/19/98
3). Keoni Adric (74) won/dec. over Dustin Somera (79)
Waipahu B.1 09/01/97 1 min. PearlSide B.C. 08/13/97
4). Kekoa Balasi (83) won/dec. over James Hashimoto (78)
Waipahu B.1 07/16/97 1 min. Palolo B.C. 08/23/95
5). Austin Dumlao (93) lost/dec. to Justly Laquihon (94)
Waipahu B.1 08/29/95 1 min. Kawano B.C. 11/10/94
6). Arnold Dinong (145) won/dec. over Tyler Agbayani (148)
Waipahu B. 1 06/24/94 1 ½ min. Kalakaua B.C. 07/20/94
7). Ryan Arasato (174) lost/dec. to Steven Cabilis (185)
Palolo B.C. 08/15/77 2 min. Kalakaua B.C. 06/27/90
8). Dustin Awaya (153) won/dec. over Jesse Alonzo (153)
Palolo B.C. 12/08/87 2 min. Kawano B.C. 06/02/86
Hawaii
Junior Olympic Boxing Team to Marquette, Michigan June 14-22nd,
2008. 106- Kalai McShane (Five-O), 110- Kurtis Hagi (Honolulu
B.C.), 114- Emmit Bolibol (Hawaii Youth), 119- Lopaka Armitage
(Five-O), 132- Ezra Cabang (A.P. Big Island), 145- Keanu Sabado
(Honolulu B.C.), 154- Josh Nakagawa (Southside B.C.), 176- Faleauto
Manutulila (Hawaii Youth), Females 119- Chazzette Sau (Southside
B.C.), 125- Helena Dela Cruz- Lopes (Five-O). Regional Coordinator/Team
Manager- Bruce Kawano, Coach- Nante Manangan, Coach- Danny Kaheaku,
and Official- Don Tsarks. Supporting staff- Don Casil, Shane
McShane, Anthony Pagan.
On
behalf of the Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team, we would like
to Thank the Volunteers who donate their time- Boxers, Coaches,
Officials, Announcer, Dr. Suehiro, Door Workers, Medal Sponsor-
Hawaiian Fight Gear, Concession, and "YOU" our Boxing
Fans. Thank You for Your Support!!
SIDE
NOTE: Good crowd, all boxers and fans, well behaved in and out
of the ring. Makes boxing fun for everyone. No bad sportsmanship
or complaints. Coaches and parents doing a good job, teaching
kids humbleness, humility, and good sportsmanship.
Thank You Again!!!
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
The
Quest for Champions (Summer 2008)
Martial Arts Tournament
(Featuring:Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous
Sparring)
Will be rescheduled for August 2008 (Tentative)
* More information will be posted as we get more confirmation
*
Source: Tommy Lam
|
WORLD
VICTORY ROAD: SENGOKU THIRD BATTLE
Yoshida Takes Out Smith, Wiuff Stops Fujita
Thompson Continues His Winning Ways
By Kelsey Mowatt
The
Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, hosted World Victory Road’s
third Sengoku event today, with a card that featured several
notable fighters from both Japan and abroad. Although the line-up
did not necessarily command the intrigue of Dream’s ongoing
middleweight and lightweight grand-prix tournaments, with highly
regarded fighters like Nick Thompson, Kazuo Misaki, Kazuyuki
Fujita, Travis Wiuff and Jorge Masvidal all competing today in
Saitama, Sengoku 3 certainly had some appeal.
In
the main event, noted kickboxing and MMA veteran Maurice Smith,
took on one of Japan’s favorite fighters in the judoka,
Hidehiko Yoshida. Although both men have left their better days
behind them competition wise, due to each man’s considerable
accomplishments in combative sports, one can understand why World
Victory Road believed the bout could be a draw in Japan.
During
the opening moments of the bout, Smith kept his distance, and
threw the odd kick to Yoshida’s legs and inner thigh. After
failing to take Smith down through an outside shot Yoshida eventually
bull-rushed Smith into the corner. From the clinch, the former
Olympic Judo Gold medalist quickly swept Smith to the mat, worked
his way to side-mount, before securing a fight ending neck crank
moments later.
At
welterweight, the now defunct BodogFight 's champion Nick Thompson,
took on Chute Boxe’s Michael Costa. After an extremely brief
striking exchange, Costa quickly shot in on Thompson and took
the Minnesota fighter down to the mat. From there, Thompson immediately
began working on a Kimura from half-guard, and then transitioned
into a full armbar attempt from his guard. Despite the nice maneuver,
Costa saw it coming all the way, and clasped his hands firmly
together so that Thompson could not extend his arm. For much
of the remaining portion of the round, Costa attempted to punish
Thompson while working from within his opponent’s guard,
but Thompson was largely able to negate any of Costa’s attacks.
In
round two, Costa stepped up his striking game, throwing a barrage
of kicks and punches Thompson’s way, before a left hand
from the Chute Boxe fighter landed and sent Thompson crashing
to the mat. Despite taking several more hard shots from Costa,
Thompson was able to recover and pull Costa into his guard. As
Thompson attempted to work back to his feet, he was able to reverse
Costa, and assume the top position. After passing to sidemount,
Thompson attempted a straight-arm-bar and then quickly transitioned
it into a painful looking Kimura, which gave Costa no choice
but to tap-out. With the win Thompson runs his impressive winning
streak to 12.
In
another bout which featured one of Japan’s more experienced
and popular fighters, heavyweight Kazuyuki Fujita took on American
veteran, Travis Wiuff. Each fighter came out looking to test
the waters striking, and other than a few feigned attempts of
a takedown by Fujita, both men looked to exchange. Only moments
in, a hard left hook from Wiuff dropped Fujita to the mat, and
after the Japanese fighter absorbed several hard hammer fists
from Wiuff to the head, the referee jumped in to save Fujita
from any further punishment.
At
lightweight, BodogFight vets in Rodrigo Damm and Jorge Masvidal
faced off. After each man looked to find their range striking
during the opening moments of the bout, it would be Masvidal
who would land first, sending Damm crashing to the mat with a
hard right hand. Despite the shot, Damm quickly recovered, grabbed
on to Masvidal’s legs, and relentlessly pursued his own
takedown. With the fighters nearly falling through the ropes,
the ref halted the action and resumed the bout standing at center
ring. For the remainder of the round the bout remained at its
feet and neither fighter was able to land any telling blows.
Round
two would also see the action take place with the fighter’s
on their feet, and for the first 4 minutes of the round, neither
man was able to dominate the striking game. With less than one
minute to go in the second bracket, Damm landed a thundering
right straight that instantly floored Masvidal. As Damm swooped
in to inflict more punishment onto his fallen opponent, and with
Masvidal already covering up, the ref jumped in to bring the
bout to a halt. A dejected and seemingly coherent Masvidal quickly
rose to his feet while Damm celebrated the win in boisterous
style.
Stay
tuned for a full report in the next issue of Full Contact Fighter
Sengoku
3 Results
Fabio
Silva Def. Kazuo Takahashi by KO R2 0:24
Rodrigo Damm Def. Jorge Masvidal by TKO R2 4:38
Marcio Cruz Def. Choi Mu Bae by Submission (Choke) R1 4:37
Sanae Kikuta Def. Chris Rice by Submission (Armbar) R1 3:54
Nick Thompson Def. Michael Costa by Submission (Kimura) R2 4:13
Kazuo Misaki Def. Logan Clark by Unanimous Decision
Travis Wiuff Def. Kazuyuki Fujita by TKO R1 1:24
Hidehiko Yoshida Def. Maurice Smith by Submission (Neck-crank)
R1 2:23
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Xande
is the open champion
Xande
won his second blackbelt world absolute title after beating Roger
Gracie this Sunday in Long Beach.
Alliance conquered teams contest in the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
2008
The
2008 World is over.
Xande
Ribeiro was the greatest name of the event, conquering the absolute
after defeating Roger Gracie by 4 to 2, points earned by two
takedowns, while Roger scored with a sweep.
Thus
Ribeiro became blackbelt open class champion for the second time,
since he was the winner also in 2006.
Alliance
conquered the contest among teams, followed by Gracie Humaita
in second and Gracie Barra in third
Roger
Gracie took the ultra heavyweight by beating Leo Leite by submission
(the score was 9 to 2 but with a choke settled, Leite tapped
at the same time the time expired). Roger's adversary in the
absolute, Xande Ribeiro guaranteed himself at least one gold
by beating Alexandre Souza by 3 to 2 at heavyweights.
In
the roosterweight decision, the runner-up was the one applauded.
Adopted by the crowd, Japanese Yusuke Homna gave Caio Terra a
hard time, however, the Cesar Gracie student was more effective
and took the victory after the ten regulation minutes.
Another
Japanese fighter to have nearly made it was Samuel Braga's adversary,
Dai Yoshioka, who gave the champion work, but ended up seeing
the Brazilian from Gracie Barra become champion in advantages.
In
an exciting fight, locked in a draw up until the final moments,
Rubens "Cobrinha" Charles didn't give up and managed
to get Bruno Frazzatto by the foot as the stopwatch neared zero,
driving the Alliance gang insane. Cobrinha maintains his domination
over the featherweights.
Celsinho
Venicius mastered the balance to beat Lucas Lepri in lightweight
division. The win came by way of two points from a takedown.
The Ryan Gracie fighter was crowned champion among the lightweights.
Even
though both are from Alliance, Sergio Moraes and Bill Cooper
did not accept "making a deal" to declare the other
champion without facing off. So the solution was to extend the
team's banner along the side of the fight area and go at it.
As time drew out, Sergio Moraes, who was responsible for Kron
Gracie's elimination in the first round, took Bill Cooper down
three times. The two points suffered as a penalty were not enough
to keep him from the gold.
Pan-American
absolute champion Andre Galvao added one more gold to his heap.
His victim in the final was Braulio Estima. The outcome of the
medium heavyweights was determined when the Brasa representative
choked the Gracie Barra athlete out from the back.
In
the super heavyweight final, Antonio Braga Neto had revenge on
Rafael Lovato Jr from their meeting in the Worlds last year.
Lovato had defeated the Gordo JJ fighter, taking the title. This
time, Neto left nothing to chance; he swept and passed the guard,
bringing the score to 5 to 0 by the time the clock ran out.
ULTRA
HEAVY
Roger
Gracie (Gracie Barra) defeated Leo Leite (Brasa) by submission
- Roger managed to sweep, pass and mount. Leo Leite managed to
score with a takedown.
HEAVY
Xande
Ribeiro (Gracie Humaitá) defeated Alexandre Souza (Gracie
Florianópolis) by 3 to 2. Xande scored by passing. Souza
earned two points due to a punishment.
ROOSTER
Yusuke
Homna (Paraestra) defeated Caio Terra (Cesar Gracie) - Caio scored
with a takedown and two sweeps, while Yusuke, adopted by the
crowd, had two sweeps.
SUPER
FEATHERWEIGHT
Samuel
Braga (Gracie Barra) defeated Dai Yoshioka (Tokyo Yellow Man)
by 3 to 2 in advantages
FEATHER
Rubens
Charles Cobrinha (Alliance) submitted Bruno Frazatto (Brasa)
with a footlock
LIGHT
Celsinho
Venicius (Ryan Gracie) defeated Lucas Lepri (Alliance) by 2 to
0 - Celso's points came from a takedown.
MIDDLE
Sergio
Moraes (Alliance) defeated Bill Cooper (Alliance) with points
from three takedowns, despite 2-point penalty.
MEDIUM
HEAVY
André
Galvão (Brasa) defeated Bráulio Estima (Gracie
Barra) by choke from the back.
SUPER
HEAVY
Antonio
Braga Neto (Gordo JJ) defeated Rafael Lovato Jr. (Gracie Humaitá)
by score of 5 to 0, with sweep and pass.
ABSOLUTE
Xande
Ribeiro (Gracie Humaitá) defeated Roger Gracie (Gracie
Barra) by 4 to 2
FEMALE
FINALS
Super
feather: Miriam Cerqueira (UGF) defeated Takato Abe (Paraestra)
by decision
Feather: Bianca Barreto (Gracie Barra Alagoas) defeated Laurence
Cousin (Behring) by 2 to 0 by advantages
Light: Kyra Gracie (Gracie Barra) defeated Luana Alzuguir (Barbosa
Jiu-Jitsu) by 2 to 0
Middle: Hannette Quadros (Carlson Gracie) submitted Fernanda
Mazzelli (Aguinaldo Goes) by foot lock
Médium heavy: Ana Laura Cordeiro (GB) defeated Penny Thomas
(Gracie Humaitá) 9 to 1 in advantages
Heavy: Gabrielle Garcia (Triumph) submitted Maria do Carmo (Carmem
Casca-grossa) with a choke
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
FOLLOWING
WEC 34,
FABER PLAYS THE WAITING GAME
by Mitch Gobetz
At World Extreme Cagefighting 34, Urijah Faber proved why he
is he is the No. 1 featherweight in the world with his dominating
performance over Jens Pulver. Pulver, who was undefeated at featherweight
prior to the bout, was thought to be, and probably was, Faber’s
toughest test to date. Faber passed with flying colors with his
aggressive attack, crisp punching and solid wrestling.
“It's
basically just been good times with my buddies and just relaxing
and being here with all my friends and family,” said a laid
back Faber recently on MMAWeekly Radio. “It's just been
amazing. I've had a great time through the whole process before,
during and after the fight.”
The
fight took place in the Arco Arena in Urijah Faber’s hometown
of Sacramento, Calif. Getting to fight in front of his home crowd
meant a lot to Faber and had his blood pumping. “It was
pretty intense. I feel like it was a first time experience for
me being in a venue that large and having everyone there for
me was amazing. I was a lucky guy.”
Jens
Pulver came into the fight very game, and Faber expected to have
a very tough fight on his hands. “That guy is a warrior,”
said Faber. “I think this was the best prepared he's been
for a fight in a long time. You could see it at the weigh-ins.
He was in really good shape compared to some of his other fights,
even years ago. I knew he was going to be really tough to finish.
It was just something that was kind of a big deal to him and
me and I'm just so glad I won.”
The
one aspect of the fight that seemed to surprise most people was
Faber’s much improved boxing skills. “One thing that
I pointed out after this fight, my last five fights, go back
and watch them and see who took me to the ground. Jeff Curran
took me to the ground. Chance Farrar took me to the ground. Dominic
Cruz took me to the ground. Joe Pearson jumped guard. Bibiano
Fernandez took me to the ground. So, people talk about my ground
and pound. I'm just trying to fight out there. I love throwing
punches.”
Faber
continued to dominate the stand-up with his solid right hand
that kept finding a home. Even though he threw many solid combinations,
his right hand was definitely his moneymaker on the feet. “The
right hand for me has always been my power shot. It used to be
my lunging overhand right when I first started fighting. I've
put some technique behind it. I was really happy to get to showcase
some of this stuff.”
This
fight was also the first time that Faber had been taken five
rounds. For some fighters, going five rounds would make them
gas out, but not Faber. His conditioning is always off the charts.
“My cardio was great. I'm a lifetime fighter. If I can't
do 25 minutes, then I wouldn't even be in the mix. My cardio
felt great. The second round when I was a little fatigued, it
was something you don't get to practice trying to actually finish
a guy because in practice, you shake a guy. You don't go in for
the kill.”
WEC
had to share the weekend with CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night Fights’
debut show. While the EliteXC show was marred with controversy,
the WEC put on another solid event. In fact, ESPN’s Jim
Rome commented that the Urijah Faber-Jens Pulver match should
have been the fight that was put on network television instead
of Kimbo Slice and James Thompson.
Faber
shared his opinion on those remarks. “I agree with him.
You could see the talent and the skill level of the fighters
in the WEC versus the guys in EliteXC. I'm really happy they
have that EliteXC show on CBS. I think that's huge for the sport.
It's drawing so much attention.”
The
WEC, since being televised on Versus, has produced quality shows
with great fights that even rival its parent organization, the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. “I think what you have is
a huge pool of talent in the lighter weights. People are just
getting to see why they are the most exciting fights in the world.
They are really making a showcase for the some of the most talented
MMA fighters in the world.”
When
Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber squared off last Sunday night, it
was a testament to the lighter weight classes in how exciting
their fights usually are. The fight was so compelling, some fans
were wondering if a rematch may happen at some point.
Faber
has no qualms about giving Jens a rematch. “I'd fight anyone.
Jens is a tough guy. I think that I did a good job of proving
why I am No. 1 right now, but if he is the one that is in contention,
I'd definitely give him the opportunity.”
The
big question surrounding Faber right now is who will he fight
next. Mike Brown had an impressive performance over Jeff Curran
and may be the front-runner to a title shot against Faber. “There
are some rumors about a fight in September. That would be great
for me. It depends who they think. I think Mike Brown is well-deserving.
He's beaten Yves Edwards. He's a worthy opponent. At this point,
it's a waiting game for me.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
85 Notebook - Bonuses Awarded
Brian Knapp
The
American Top Team's Thiago Alves notched a signature victory
against former welterweight champion Matt Hughes in the main
event at UFC 85: Bedlam on Saturday at the O2 Arena in London.
With it, came a $50,000 bonus check.
Alves
(15-3, 8-2 UFC) was awarded "Knockout of the Night"
honors after he flattened Hughes with a flying knee in the second
round. The 24-year-old Brazilian, who failed to make weight for
the bout, has won six straight fights - none bigger than his
latest. Alves dominated Hughes (42-7, 15-5 UFC) in a match that
was never competitive and became an instant contender for the
UFC welterweight throne, currently held by Georges St. Pierre.
A
late injury replacement for Ryo Chonan, newcomer Kevin Burns
capitalized on his opportunity, as he coaxed a tapout from Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt Roan Carneiro (12-7, 2-2 UFC) with a second-round
triangle choke in his UFC debut. Burns (6-1, 1-0 UFC), the one-time
Victory Fighting Championships titleholder, was awarded a $50,000
bonus for "Submission of the Night." He will enter
his next bout on a four-fight winning streak.
"Coming
into the fight, I thought Roan had everything to lose, I had
everything to gain," Burns said. "I had been training
very hard for a shot in the UFC, to fight against the best in
the world. I had every intention of coming over here to win.
I did see on tape a few things that I could exploit. We put together
a game plan as fast as possible."
Finally,
lightweights Matt Wiman and Thiago Tavares (13-2, 3-2 UFC) received
matching $50,000 bonus checks for "Fight of the Night"
in wake of their barn burner on the undercard. Wiman (10-3, 4-1
UFC) scored the most significant win of his career, as he knocked
out the highly regarded Brazilian with a vicious right hand 1:57
into round two.
--------------------
MARQUARDT,
VERA WANT REMATCHES
Former
UFC middleweight title contender Nate Marquardt wants a rematch
with Thales Leites following his split decision loss to the Brazilian
at UFC 85. Marquardt was deducted two points by referee Herb
Dean, the first for an illegal knee strike, the second for an
illegal elbow.
"At
this point, I'd really like a rematch," Marquardt said.
"I think we need to settle it that way."
Marquardt
(26-8-2, 5-2 UFC) admitted fault for the second-round knee but
believes Dean was mistaken on the third-round elbow. The point
deductions cost him the victory, as he appeared to win the second
and third rounds against Leites (13-1, 4-1 UFC).
"On
the first knee, I really thought he was getting up, but it was
definitely my mistake," Marquardt said. "On the second
point deduction, the elbow, I'm pretty sure it hit the side of
his head, kind of towards his temple area. It was a horizontal
elbow. It should have been completely legal. I'm disappointed.
I went out and fought my best."
Heavyweight
Brandon Vera (8-2, 4-2 UFC) was more vehement in his call for
a rematch after he was stopped on strikes from the mount by Pride
Fighting Championships veteran Fabricio Werdum. He criticized
referee Dan Miragliotta for his decision to intervene with only
20 seconds to go in the first round.
"That
ref sucks," Vera said. "I'm pissed. The referee was
talking to me. He was saying something like, ‘Are you OK?'
I was saying, ‘I'm OK.' I said it three times. [Werdum]
hit me maybe three or four times. The rest was on my arms. Fabricio
had an awesome ass mount. I wasn't getting out of the mount.
I figured I was just going to ride the ass whoopin' for the next
20 seconds, get up to our feet [in the] second round, and I was
going to give it to him."
Werdum
(11-3-1, 2-1 UFC), who has emerged as a top contender for Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira's heavyweight championship, would not commit
to a rematch afterward.
"I'm
kind of disappointed in Fabricio," Vera said. "He said,
‘Yes' earlier in the cage. At least that's what I thought.
Now he's telling me to get back in queue. I understand why he
doesn't want to fight me again."
--------------------
KAMPMANN
BACK IN THE SADDLE
Four
hundred sixty two days and 21 events passed between Martin Kampmann's
bout with Drew McFedries at UFC 68 in March 2007 and his return
at UFC 85 on Saturday in London.
Having
undergone two reconstructive knee surgeries, the talented Dane
was back in action on the undercard, as he submitted Jorge Rivera
with a guillotine choke in the first round. Kampmann (16-2, 4-0
UFC), who was believed to be on a short list of title contenders
before his injury, has won nine straight fights.
"Sucks
being out. Sucks not being able to train," Kampmann said.
"It's great to be back."
Based
out of Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, Kampmann
was masterful against Rivera, as he locked in the fight-ending
choke 2:44 into the bout. A kickboxer by trade, nearly half (seven)
of his 16 career victories have come by submission, including
two straight. Kampmann has not lost in four trips inside the
Octagon, and only Thales Leites was able to take him the distance.
Source: The Fight Network
|
'Cro
Cop' Cancels Grappling Match
by Tim Leidecker
Pride
2006 Grand Prix champion Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
has canceled his June 15 grappling exhibition against Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt Ralek Gracie after aggravating an elbow
injury in training. Dnevnik, one of the biggest online news portals
in Croatia, reported the cancellation of the bout on Saturday.
The
match, which was scheduled to be held under modified rules with
a no-points system, began as a stopgap solution after promoter
Fighting & Entertainment Group was unable to find a suitable
mixed martial arts opponent for the Croatian kickboxer.
Excluding
a 56-second cameo appearance against overmatched Japanese grappler
Tatsuya Mizuno last March at Dream 1, the Zagreb native has not
fought in a Japanese ring for over 17 months.
Filipovic
suffered the elbow injury in the Mizuno fight, but opted for
conservative treatment in order to avoid surgery. However, after
more than 15 years in the fight game, "Cro Cop" is
finally showing the wear and tear of over 60 professional bouts.
The
kickboxer, 33, is now tentatively scheduled for a clash with
fellow former K-1 star Jerome LeBanner on July 21 at Dream 5.
Source: Sherdog
|
St.
Pierre analyze Pitbull vs. Hughes
By Guilherme Cruz
Directly
connected to the main event of the UFC 85, between Thiago "Pitbull"
Alves and Matt Hughes, the champion of the weight category, Georges
St. Pierre, analyzed the fight that can credit the Brazilian
to dispute the belt, if Thiago Pitbull beat the former champion
Hughes. "It's a difficult fight to bet in somebody. I think
Matt Hughes is very good, and if he take the fight seriously
he can win, but depends on how the fight is going to follow.
Keeping on top, Thiago Alves is going to win, but if it goes
to the ground Matt Hughes will win", said GSP, which prefers
not to bet on anyone for the fight.
“I
don’t know. Depends on how the athletes are going to prepare
themselves. Matt Hughes hás the reputation of sometimes
don’t train hard and don’t be in a good shape, but
when he made it he is very tough. For one side, Thiago Alves
is a tough guy too and improve a lot, so I would not bet on this
fight”, said the champion, which analyzed a fight between
him and the Braziliam. “I don’t know, it could be one
day, if he defeats Matt Hughes. I respect him a lot, he is a
great fighter, a good person too, a good model to the sport,
just like Anderson Silva is. I respect him a lot”, said
the champion.
Source: Tatame
|
BENJI
RADACH: READY TO RETURN ... AGAIN
by Mick Hammond
If
you were to pick a Comeback Fighter of the Year for 2007, it
wouldn’t be surprising to find International Fight League
middleweight Benji “Razor” Radach at or near the top
of the list of candidates for the honor.
After
a seemingly endless list of injuries sidelined him, Radach returned
to competition after a three-year layoff to become one of the
IFL’s premier fighters, winning his first five fights with
the promotion.
Only
falling short in his attempt to become the organization’s
first 185-pound champion to Matt Horwich last December during
his IFL campaign, Radach looked to be one of the IFL’s stars
as they headed into this year’s new format, but the injury
bug once again struck, sidelining him for the last five months.
After
taking time to properly heal, Radach is once again looking to
return to action and prove he belongs among the top fighters
in the middleweight division.
“It
seems like I’m prone to injuries the last few years, but
I think pretty much it was mainly because I was training so hard
last year through the whole season,” commented Radach on
his latest injury stint. “I had six fights, and was only
getting a week off between each training session, so my body
never really got any time to recover.
“I
was always just killing it, and I think my body just kind of
gave up. I was out at Team Quest training rear naked chokes and
fractured my neck. I put a neck brace on, healed up and everything
feels great now. I’m ready to get back in there.”
With
the more open format the promotion has adopted with this year’s
schedule, Radach looks to capitalize on the downtime he’ll
be afforded this year.
“I
like fighting not so often, so that way I’m much more hungry
and less likely to lose,” he explained. “When I’m
really hungry I want to win.
“I
feel good, strong and there’s not much holding me back.
Unless I get caught, there’s not going to be much chance
of me losing. That’s how I want to feel going into every
fight.”
Radach
is looking to use the next scheduled IFL show as a timetable
for his possible return to action.
“I’m
thinking about August 15 and fighting on that show,” he
said. “I’m not sure who yet, but I’m ready to
fight anyone basically.
“I
just want to get out there, start swinging and get into the mix,
because all this time off has sucked.”
When
the question was posed whether he would rather take a tune up
fight or go straight after current IFL 185-pound champ Dan Miller,
Radach made it clear he’s gunning for a title and nothing
less.
“I
wouldn’t mind fighting him right away,” he commented.
“The reason being is, you can always try to take a tune-up
fight, but you’re not always going to train the same way
as you would for a title fight.
“You
might as well going into a fight training your hardest and fight
the best guys instead of going in there training lackadaisical
like you would not fighting for a championship.”
Since
Radach last fought, the IFL entered the most turbulent era of
its short history. Many changes in the hierarchy of the promotion
and admission of the possible selling of the company have become
almost as newsworthy as the fights themselves, but he isn’t
worrying.
“I’ve
always hoped the best for the IFL,” stated Radach. “I’m
just going to be doing my thing, and if or when they need me,
I’m down.
“They’ve
treated me pretty well and I’m going to stick to helping
them out as best I can. I’m going to go with the flow and
hopefully they can work something out.”
Back
healthy and ready to return to action, Benji Radach looks to
rebuild the momentum he had going last year and parlay it into
a 2008 he hopes will end with gold around his waist.
“To
all my fans, definitely keep an eye out for me,” he concluded.
“I’ll be back knocking people out shortly. I want to
thank L.A. Boxing for all their help, American Top Team, Team
Quest and Xtreme Couture.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"A
mind always employed is always happy. This is the true secret,
the grand recipe, for felicity."
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, 3rd President of the United States
|
UFC
85: Bedlam Results!
UFC 85:
Bedlam from the O2 Arena in London, England.
1. Antoni Hardonk def. Eddie Sanchez via KO (punch) - R1 (4:15)
2. Paul Taylor def. Jess Liaudin via split decision
3. Luiz Cane def. Jason Lambert via TKO (strikes) - R1 (2:07)
4. Kevin Burns def. Roan Carneiro via submission (triangle choke)
- R2 (2:53)
5. Matt Wiman def. Thiago Tavares via KO (punches) - R2 (1:57)
6. Martin Kampmann def. Jorge Rivera via submission (choke) -
R1 (2:44)
7. Fabricio Werdum def. Brandon Vera via TKO (strikes) - R1 (4:40)
8. Thales Leites def. Nate Marquardt via split decision
9. Mike Swick def. Marcus Davis via unanimous decision
10. Michael Bisping def.Jason Day via TKO (strikes) - R1 (3:42)
11. Thiago Alves def. Matt Hughes via TKO (strikes) - R2 (1:02)
ROUND-BY-ROUND
RESULTS:
Welterweights:
Thiago Alves (174) vs. Matt Hughes (170)
R1: Hughes shoots and Alves avoids the takedown. Hughes shoots
again and Alves stops it. Hughes doesn't want to give up the
takedown but ends up pulling guard. Alves lands punches and stands
up. Hughes scores a takedown into Alves' halfguard. Alves brings
the fight to his butterfly guard. Hughes reverts to halfguard.
Alves stands up with Hughes hanging onto one leg. Alves escapes.
Hughes immediately shoots. Hughes ends up falling into guard.
Aves connects on ground and pound punches.
R2:
Hughes shoots and eats a knee. Hughes pulls guard. They are back
up. Hughes shoots right away. Alves throws a knee. Hughes is
down. Alves pounces and referee Herb Dean stops the fight.
Alves
apologizes to UFC management for not making weight and said he
sprained his ankle days away from the weigh-ins. He asks Dana
White for a title shot.
Hughes
says he has at least one more fight left in him (against Matt
Serra).
Alves
wins via TKO - R2 (1:02)
Middleweights:
Jason Day (184) vs. Michael Bisping (184)
R1:
Day tags Bisping with several light leg kicks. Bisping scores
the takedown with 3:24 left. Bisping effectively ground and pounds
Day. Bisping passes to side control. Day rolls out. Bisping hits
Day with knees as soon as he gets up. Bisping immediately takes
Day down. Bisping advances to full mount. Bisping controls Day's
back while landing left punches. Day has no answer but to cover
up. The fight is stopped.
Bisping
wins via TKO - R1 (3:42)
Middleweights:
Thales Leites (185) vs. Nate Marquardt (185)
R1:
They circle. Leites glances Marquardt with a superman punch.
Marquardt chases Leites with a punch combo. They exchange punches.
Leites drops Marquardt with a right. Leites has full mount. Marquardt
gets halfguard. Leites advances to side control with a little
over two minutes left in the round. Marquadt escapes back to
his feet. Marquardt scores with a punch to the body. Marquardt
presses Leites against the cage. They separate. Marquardt hits
a leg kick. Leites touches Marquardt with a spinning back kick.
Marquadt stuns Leites with an uppercut. Marquardt lands a leg
kick before the end of round one.
R2:
Leites presses forward with punches. They clinch. They separate.
Marquardt takes Leites down. Marquardt hits Leites with a left
knee, but it's illegal since Leites still had one leg grounded.
They fight is paused. The doctor checks on Leites and says Leites
is fine. Marquardt gets a point taken away. They resume with
3:50 left in the round. Marquard scores immediately with a takedown.
Marquardt works ground and pound strikes. Leites is bleeding
from his nose. Marquardt connects with elbows. Leites tries upkicks,
but it's not effective. Marquardt drops down into Leites' guard
with a punch. Mardquardt attacks with hammerfists and punches.
The referee stands up the fight and there is just under 30 seconds
left. Marquardt goes for the takedown but its Leites who lands
in full mount.
R3:
Marquardt punches Leites in the body and then an uppecut. Leites
throws a flying knee but is taken down. Leites attempts a triangle
choke but Marquardt escapes. According to referee Herb Dean,
Marquardt hits Leites with a punch to the back of the head. Since
Marquardt received a warning in the first round, Dean deducted
Marquardt another point. Marquardt needs to finish in order to
win. Marquardt scores an easy takedown. Leites looks for a kimura.
Marquardt lands punches. Leites throws elbows at Marquardt's
head. Leites moves for the kimura, but doesn't get it. Leites
holds one leg and gets back to his feet. Marquardt with a piledriver!
Luckily, Leites is fine and the fight is over.
Marquardt
won the last two rounds, but let's see how the judges score it
considering the two point deductions.
28-27
for Leites, 28-27 for Marquardt, and 28-27 for Leites. Leites
is overjoyed.
Marquardt
disagrees with the second point deduction. The video replay shows
that the punch was to the side of the head, not the back.
Leites
wins via split decision
Welterweights:
Mike Swick (170) vs. Marcus Davis (170)
R1:
Swick swings high kicks that are missed or blocked. Davis presses
Swick against the cage. Davis momentarily gets the takedown.
Swick brings the fight to the ground with Davis holding on to
a guillotine. Swick almost passes to side mount. Swick passes
to halfguard. Swick throws punches but Davis defends well. Davis
closes his guard. Swick continues with punches until the end
of the round.
R2:
Davis lands a left. Swick attacks with repeated leg kicks. Swick
moves into Davis's guard. Swick advances to Davis' halfguard.
Davis works punches to Swick's body. Swick passes to side control.
Swick tries for the full mount but falls back into halfguard.
Davis wants the kimura. Davis finally lets go and they are back
up. They clinch and Davis punches Swick in the body. Davis throws
uppercuts in the clinch. Swick answers with knees to the body.
Davis is back with the uppercuts and trips Swick down. Swick
almost locks in a triangle choke. They stand up, but Swick takes
Davis right back down.
R3:
Swick connects with a knee. They clinch and separate. Davis throws
overhands. Swick hits Davis with a knee. Davis moves Swick against
the cage. They separate. Davis tries uppercuts. They separate
and clinch. Swick tries the Muay Thai knees. Davis attempts a
takedown but can't finish it. The referee deducts Swick a point
for holding the fence. Swick scores the takedown. There is 1:25
left in the fight. Davis is bloodied up. Swick works ground and
pound strikes. Swick swings wildly on the top of Davis in the
closing seconds.
Even
with the one point deducted, Swick takes 29-27 on all the cards.
Swick
wins via unanimous decision.
Heavyweights:
Fabricio Werdum (247) vs. Brandon Vera (228)
1:
Vera lands a leg kick. They clinch. Vera hits Werdum with knees
to the thigh. They separate and then resume the clinch. Werdum
throws punches and they separate. They are back in the clinch
and they hit each other with knees to the thigh. Werdum drops
for the takedown and gets it. Vera closes his guard. Vera kicks
Werdum off and they are on their feet. Werdum grabs a leg to
attempt a takedown but Vera defends it. Vera hurts Werdum with
a left punch. Vera presses Werdum against the cage. The referee
separates them. They clinch. Werdum takes Vera down. Werdum passes
to halfguard, and then to full mount, where unleashes strikes
with 30 seconds left. Vera blocks most of the punches but referee
Dan Miragliotta stops the fight.
Vera
argues it, saying he could have lasted the rest of the round.
Werdum
wins via TKO - R1 (4:40)
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Shaw:
Slice-Rogers Likely for October
by Loretta Hunt
It looks like Brett Rogers will get his wish.
EliteXC
Live Events President Gary Shaw told Sherdog.com on Friday that
a heavyweight tilt between Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson
and burgeoning nemesis Rogers is a likelihood for October.
"Kimbo
says he wants Rogers. Rogers says he wants Kimbo. If that's what
they want, we'll make it happen," said Shaw.
Rogers,
also victorious during EliteXC's "Primetime" live CBS
telecast on May 31, confronted "Slice" during a post-fight
press conference, describing the headliner's third-round TKO
of James Thompson (Pictures) as "garbage."
Rogers,
27, dispatched local draw Jon Murphy (Pictures) in a minute and
one second at the Prudential Center event in Newark, New Jersey.
A tire repairman from Minneapolis, Minn., Rogers recently left
his day job to train full time.
Shaw
was uncertain if October's proposed event would be telecast on
CBS. A venue has not been selected yet.
"Slice"
first announced the potential bout on Thursday during a radio
interview with The Dan Le Batard Show on Sports Talk 790 AM "The
Ticket."
"His
corner needs to tell him there's ways to do things, and this
just isn't the way to do it. Now it's personal," Ferguson
told Le Batard. "But I guess they did their part. They called
me out and got the fight."
Ferguson,
34, said his bout with Thompson will force him to focus on his
ground game more, as future opponents will try and expose him
on the mats.
"I'm
going to change up my training from this fight on. It's going
to be ground, ground, ground," said the feared brawler famous
for his legendary Internet backyard battles.
Ferguson
noted that the sabbatical till October will allow him time to
heal both his thumbs, which were injured in the bout.
An
additional EliteXC event is being considered for the summer,
said Shaw.
Source: Sherdog
|
Rodriguez
to replace Randleman against Monson
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez will fill in
for the injured Kevin Randleman against Jeff Monson at the inaugural
"Godz of War"event on June 21 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Randleman had to bow out due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder.
He had suffered the injury prior to his return to Japan at "Sengoku
2" on May 18, but the shoulder worsened when he threw his
first punch in the fight. Randleman would grind out the unanimous
decision against Pancrase 2006 Neo-Blood tournament champion
Ryo Kawamura.
Rodriguez
(28-9), who defeated Randy Couture at UFC 39, last fought on
April 11 in the single-night heavyweight tournament promoted
by YAMMA Pit Fighting, the new organization from UFC co-founder
Bob Meyrowitz. Rodriguez lost a one-round decision to eventual
winner Travis Wiuff.
Monson
(24-8) competed in the main event on the same "Sengoku"
card with Randleman, losing to Josh Barnett by unanimous decision.
Monson is taking a risk by taking a fight against Mike Russow
for Adrenaline MMA a week before this fight against Rodriguez.
Both debuting promotions are counting on the grappling champion
as the headliner.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Some
MMA coverage deserving of beatdown
While sport grows, some misperceptions and unfair stigmas remain
OPINION
By Mike Chiappetta
There are times you can’t help but be embarrassed for being
part of the media.
The
public trusts us less than ever, the people we cover don’t
always want to deal with us, and the pay isn’t always great.
And
then sometimes, it’s because of your own colleagues passing
off personal opinions they should just keep to themselves.
I’m
tired of people attacking MMA and its fighters. I love the sport.
I see it as a human chess match, sometimes with blood but always
with guts. Those of us who sit at a keyboard or behind a monitor
will never have any clue how much courage it takes to step into
a cage or ring and depend on no one but yourself.
Just
like any other sport, it has its good days and bad days.
Last
weekend, we saw the emphatic victory of Urijah Faber in Sacramento,
almost three rounds of a wonderful fight between Robbie Lawler
and Scott Smith, and the continued dominance of Miguel Torres.
On the other hand, we saw an uneven first outing for the sport
on primetime network TV, a few questionable stoppages in EliteXC
and the return of the national debate about MMA’s place
in society.
Follow
along here: boxing is an Olympic sport. So is judo and wrestling.
Karate, jiu-jitsu and other martial arts forms are studied and
respected by millions around the nation, and countless more around
the world.
Put
them all together, though, and critics say it’s part of
the decline of civilization.
Read
that again: separately, they are all honorable disciplines, but
as one, it’s suddenly “street-brawling” or “barbarism,”
and too violent to be seen.
Keep
in mind, this argument often comes from mainstream sports writers
who cover sports like pro football and boxing, writers like Brian
Burwell of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, who writes that MMA is
“where the absolute worst elements of human nature are sanctioned
and celebrated.”
Talk
about needing perspective. I guess he missed seeing Scott Smith
and Robbie Lawler hug after their fight, Jens Pulver hold up
Urijah Faber’s arm immediately after the final bell and
say he lost to a better man, and the fearsome Kimbo walk over
and kiss Thompson on the head at the end of their fight. He didn't
see athleticism and sportsmanship on display?
All
those critics see is violence. Worse yet, they say that the violence
between MMA and other sports like football is different. They
say in football, it is not the “object” of the game
to hurt a man. In essence, they are saying, manufactured, man-made
goals of scoring a touchdown and defending the end zone make
the violence acceptable.
In
football, it is legal:
for
a blitzing 280-pound defensive end to have a running start and
blindside the quarterback at full speed
for a 250-pound linebacker to get a head of steam and T-bone
a receiver coming across the middle trying to make a catch
to dive at a player’s thighs, regardless of how many catastrophic
knee and leg injuries we’ve seen
It is perfectly legal to hit unsuspecting, even defenseless players,
as we often see in the kick return game when a would-be tackler
is focused on the ballcarrier and gets hammered by a blocker.
This is all OK, critics say, because violence isn’t the
“object,” so apparently their injuries mean less.
And
boxing is the “sweet science,” so giving a fighter
a standing eight-count after a knockdown so he can get up and
take more punishment is apparently humane.
If
you are going to lambaste MMA for its violence — and that
is essentially what Burwell is doing — you don’t get
to give football and boxing a free pass.
Burwell
goes on to call MMA “street brawling.” Really? You’ve
seen someone use a gogoplata in a street fight? A kimura? You’ve
seen someone use a sweep into a guillotine?
There
is a visceral reaction to the violence in MMA, and sometimes
that is enough to turn someone off. It’s certainly not for
everyone.
There
is the visceral reaction, and then there is the truth of what
is actually occurring. There is just as much technique that goes
into B.J. Penn’s ground game as there is in the Denver Broncos’
blocking schemes. It’s easy to discount the technique on
display when you don’t know what you’re watching.
We
fear what we do not understand.
Burwell
calls MMA part of the "American Apocalypse," failing
to understand that the same young demographic that is tuning
into MMA is also the group that is largely responsible for making
Barack Obama the first African-American presidential nominee,
for countless innovations on the internet, for trying to save
the planet. They are young, they are educated, and they are forward-thinking.
Then,
there is the disrespect that goes the fighters’ way.
This
weekend, both Kevin Iole and Dan Wetzel of Yahoo.com described
Kimbo Slice’s opponent, James Thompson, as a “tomato
can” in published columns.
Iole
wrote, “Had Slice faced ex-WWE champion Brock Lesnar, the
current UFC rookie hopeful, he’d have been beaten in less
than two minutes. As it was, Slice struggled his way to a sloppy
third-round knockout of a complete tomato can.”
And
Wetzel wrote, “Any promotion that was going to use Kimbo
Slice as its main event clearly cared nothing about the quality
or growth of the sport. It was just grabbing cheap viewers. If
that meant sending a mostly unskilled street fighting sensation
against a guy who was such a tomato can he should have dressed
in red, then so be it.”
Both
men had a larger and more valid point to make, but what was the
point of essentially demeaning Thompson?
While
it’s true that Thompson has struggled lately and had lost
six of his last eight fights prior to Saturday, he still had
a winning 14-8 mark in his career. In addition, the six losses
were to fighters with a combined record of 50-17-1. He wasn’t
losing to low-level fighters; he was losing to guys like Kazuyuki
Fujita, who has been in the ring with Mirko Cro Cop and Fedor
Emelianenko; to Brett Rogers, who is unbeaten; and to Jon Olav
Einemo, whose only loss is a decision to Fabricio Werdum, one
of UFC’s top heavyweight contenders.
Mainstream
media members often rail at blogs not having to be accountable
for what they write, but the characterization of Thompson as
a “tomato can” sounds like a shot they knew they’d
never have to answer for. Why was there a need to resort to insulting
a guy who has always tried hard but struggled at times? I don’t
see baseball beat writers describing backups as “scrubs.”
Athletes
with the courage it takes to perform should not be subjected
to this kind of treatment. Whether they are knocking a sport
or an individual, writers should think about what they are telling
the world.
Like
the fighters and the sport you have no problem bashing, you owe
the public an honest effort.
Source: NBC Sports
|
Lyoto
and Anderson Silva at the TUF
By Guilherme Cruz
Rodrigo
Minotauro team at the reality show The Ultimate Fighter won two
gorgeous backings to face Frank Mir team. Big Nog will have the
help of the UFC champion and best world fighter pound for pound
Anderson Silva and from Lyoto Machida that had a great performance
against Tito Ortiz at the UFC 84. Anderson and Lyoto are already
at the TUF house to help the Rodrigo Minotauro team training.
Source: Tatame
|
The
demand for MMA doesn't justify airing it
By Doug Harris, Staff Writer
Mixed
martial arts finally reached mainstream television Saturday night,
May 31, when street-fighting legend Kimbo Slice met British brawler
James Thompson on CBS-TV, and the Elite Xtreme Combat match supplied
the blood-thirsty fans of that so-called sport exactly what they
wanted.
Thompson
was dealt a savage beat-down and yet he couldn't understand the
referee's rationale for stopping the fight — but perhaps
that was because he was having a hearing problem at the time.
His mangled left ear was nearly torn off. And as that bloody
mess bobbed up and down, it looked like someone had ripped his
beating heart from his chest and plastered it to the side of
his head, which, as near as I can tell, is perfectly within the
rules.
The
soaring popularity of Ultimate Fighting Championship and other
brands of mixed martial arts, like EliteXC, merely shows how
desensitized we've become to violence and gore, and the fact
that the sport has gone from niche cable channels and pay-per-view
venues to network TV — beamed into the nation's living rooms
for every tot to see — makes it all the more disturbing.
MMA
aficionados will say part of the allure is the blend of fighting
styles, and that Slice and Thompson shouldn't have been featured
because they're just boxers. But in every snippet I've seen on
cable, someone ended up in a helpless position while getting
his face pulverized.
CBS
will broadcast two more nights of bouts, and I suppose the network
sees it as a ratings winner. But just because there's an audience
for it, that doesn't mean we have to cater to it.
Contact
this reporter at (937) 225-2125 or dharris@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Source: Dayton Daily News
|
Marco
Alvan
"We have some athletes that earn more with sponsorship than
with the fight salaries"
Team Link has been doing a good job at MMA. Chaired by Marco
Alvan, the team got great fighters, such as Gabriel Napão
Gonzaga who is considered among the bests UFC fighters at his
weight category. At a TATAME Interview, the Team Link leader
and also manager, Marco Alvan talked about the team performance
on the Ultimate last edition, the news of the team and revealed
that Gonzaga already has a bout scheduled for UFC 86, at Las
Vegas. Check out below the complete interview with Marco.
How
was Team Link performance at UFC 84?
This last UFC was fantastic. Our company had four athletes at
the event and we maximized what athletes got from sponsorship.
We have some athletes that earn more with sponsorship than with
the fight salaries.
Which
athletes did you work with?
Our company worked with Wanderlei Silva, Rousimar (Toquinho)
Palhares, Rich Clementi and Sean Sherk. To Sean Sherk we were
responsable only for the after party at LAX. I, personally worked
for Wand and Toquinho and the sponsorships were very happy with
the result we got.
Who
is Team Link?
It couldn’t be better. We were last NAGA New England general
champion and we have athletes fighting MMA almost every weekend.
Gabriel Gladiador made the main event at Full Force at Plymouth.
After that, next June 7th the brothers John and Chris Manley
will fight at Glory Fighter with John at the main event. After
that our ‘golden boy’ Ricardo Funch is going to fight
for the belt at Texas, on June 14th. On June 28th, our team are
going to try to maintain our tittle at Jiu-Jitsu and no gi at
the NAGA.
Napão
have a fight scheduled?
Napão signed a new contract for a long period and he is
very happy. UFC treats him very well and he has many fans wanting
to see him fighting again. For his hapness he is confirmed at
UFC 86 at Las Vegas on July 5th.
How
are his trains?
Napão is very good, intensifying the physical part with
Phill Dixon. He is also making a Wrestling job with Marcão
(Marcos Oliveira) and the ground game with our black belts Gabriel
Gladiador, Alexandre Vaca and our students.
It
was announced that Napão could do his physical training
with Alejarra...
Yeah, I had a meeting with him at Wanderlei’s house at Las
Vegas a month ago and we settled that he would come to Massachussetts
to prepare Napão until the fight, but, at the eleventh
our, a feel details made him not to come. Alejarra, with no doubt
is the biggest at the physical training, and we are going to
make everything to bring him at Napão next bout.
Do
you have another freshness to the next semester?
For sure. We are waiting for the arrival of a Word Champion that
must arrive after the Mundial. If that happens for sure the team
will improve a lot at the ground game. We are waiting and as
soon as he arrive here I will announce to you. We received some
e mails from fighters that wanted to come to train here, but
we have to be careful to take care of them the way they deserve
to. We are investing in the structure to have the best athletes
and so then receive more athletes.
Source: Tatame
|
You're
Fired! Trump becomes a partner with Affliction, signs Arlovski
to fight Rothwell
by Leland Roling
MMARated.com gets the tip of the hat in confirming that Andrei
Arlovski has, in fact, been signed to the newest MMA promotion
throwing money around, Affliction. Arlovski adds to the list
of UFC heavyweights making the move to make more money and fight
the better competition outside the UFC.
Also
announced, Donald Trump has reportedly become an equity partner
with Affliction. It was quoted as being a significant share of
the company.
Will
this be a significant partnership that will help Affliction become
a mainstream MMA promotion? It's definitely possible, but we've
also seen Mark Cuban enter the marketplace as well without really
spending a lot of money. Business is, after all, about spending
the least to get the most. Of course, that isn't always the case.
What
can we expect? For one, we can expect one of the better heavyweight
fights to take place. Andrei Arlovski vs. Ben Rothwell should
prove to be a battle between two top 10 fighters alongside Sylvia
vs. Emelianenko. The card is definitely looking to be stacked
right now barring any injuries. With the right marketing and
the success of EliteXC fresh in fans' minds, will we see some
good numbers?
That
question is up in the air at this point. Marketing will be the
biggest test, and Donald Trump should have the connections and
business sense to help Affliction make some big moves in that
department. Prepare for Affliction to saturate our minds, and
if they don't, they didn't do a good job in promoting such an
epic card.
Source: MMA Analyst
|
Quote
of the Day
"Of
all of our inventions for mass communication,
pictures still speak the most universally understood language."
Walt Disney, 1901-1966, American Film Producer/Director/Animator
|
Boxing
at Palolo Gym Today!
Boxing
Show will be on Sat. June 7th at Palolo Gym starting at 6 p.m.
Admission will be $10. It's a fundraiser to help the Hawaii Junior
Olympic Boxing Team. If you need more info. email me back.
Thanks
for the Support!!
Bruce Kawano
Hawaii Junior Olympic Regional Coordinator/Team Manager.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
NMU Boxing Program Task Force Member.
USA-Boxing Hawaii, Five-0 B.C., Kawano B.C., and Palolo B.C.
Presents a fundraiser Match Event for the
Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team to Marquette, Michigan.
Saturday, June 7, 2008 at Palolo District Park, 6 p.m.
Red
Corner Weights Blue Corner
Lbs/Birthdate 3 Rounds Lbs/Birthdate
1). Nathan Rodrigues (73) 70 Wilson Savedra Jr. (68)
Palolo B.C. 07/27/98 1 min. Villaver B.C. 08/10/99
2). Gavin Marques (89) 90 Eric'e Tuale Auelua (86)
Waipahu B. 1 02/05/98 1 min. Villaver B.C. 02/19/98
3). Keoni Adric (74) 75 Dustin Somera (79)
Waipahu B.1 09/01/97 1 min. PearlSide B.C. 08/13/97
4). Kekoa Balasi (83) 80 James Hashimoto (78)
Waipahu B.1 07/16/97 1 min. Palolo B.C. 08/23/95
10
MIN.----- INTERMISSION -----10 MIN.
5). Austin Dumlao (93) 95 Justly Laquihon (94)
Waipahu B.1 08/29/95 1 min. Kawano B.C. 11/10/94
6). Arnold Dinong (145) 145 Tyler Agbayani (148)
Waipahu B. 1 06/24/94 1 ½ min. Kalakaua B.C. 07/20/94
7). Ryan Arasato (174) 180 Steven Cabilis (185)
Palolo B.C. 08/15/77 2 min. Kalakaua B.C. 06/27/90
MAIN EVENT
8). Dustin Awaya (153) 152 Jesse Alonzo (153)
Palolo B.C. 12/08/87 2 min. Kawano B.C. 06/02/86
Hawaii
Junior Olympic Boxing Team to Marquette, Michigan June 14-22nd,
2008. 106- Kalai McShane (Five-O), 110- Kurtis Hagi (Honolulu
B.C.), 114- Emmit Bolibol (Hawaii Youth), 119- Lopaka Armitage
(Five-O), 132- Ezra Cabang (A.P. Big Island), 145- Keanu Sabado
(Honolulu B.C.), 154- Josh Nakagawa (Southside B.C.), 176- Faleauto
Manutulila (Hawaii Youth), Females 119- Chazzette Sau (Southside
B.C.), 125- Helena Dela Cruz- Lopes (Five-O). Regional Coordinator/Team
Manager- Bruce Kawano, Coach- Nante Manangan, Coach- Danny Kaheaku,
and Official- Don Tsarks. Supporting staff- Don Casil, Shane
McShane, Anthony Pagan.
Medals
sponsored by Hawaiian Fight Gear and Automatik.
On
behalf of the Hawaii Junior Olympic Boxing Team, we would like
to Thank the Volunteers who donate their team- Boxers, Coaches,
Officials, Announcer, Dr. Suehiro, Door Workers, Medal Sponsors,
Concession, and "YOU" our Boxing Fans.
Thank You for Your Support!!
|
Undisputed
UFC Middleweight Champion
Anderson "The Spider" Silva Seminar
|
ACROSS
THE POND: BRITISH MMA NEWS
Pitbull Comes in Heavy for UFC 85
By David
West
Thiago
“Pitbull” Alves was the only fighter not to make weight
ahead of UFC 85, which won’t look good for the American
Top Team member as he’s been talking about getting a title
shot if he beats Matt Hughes tomorrow night. Whatever the outcome
of the fight, after the debacle of Travis Lutter coming in over
the limit and thus forfeiting his shot at the Middleweight Championship
when he fought Anderson Silva, the UFC is unlikely to look kindly
on Alves’ title aspirations after not making 170 lbs in
his first headline fight. He came in four pounds over but Hughes
has agreed to meet Alves in the cage anyway, although the match
will now be a catchweight contest. There was no word at the press
conference about whether Alves will have to forfeit part of his
purse. Hughes looked calm and composed, every inch the seasoned
competitor, while Alves was pumped and obviously excited about
tomorrow night.
“Tomorrow
night is going to be a war”, Alves told Joe Rogan, “You’re
going to see the best Pitbull ever and I’m going to knock
him out.”
Unruffled,
Hughes responded, “This is a comeback fight. I’m coming
off a loss. I’m very happy to fight someone like Thiago
that’s an up and comer that’s won five fights in a
row for the UFC so far, so it’s a great fight for me.”
Several
fighters needed the benefit of the one pound leeway permitted
by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, with Martin Kampmann
tipping the scales at 186 lbs and Road Carneiro at 171 lbs. Most
of the athletes looked relaxed, although Mike Bisping got right
in Jason Days’ face as they posed for photographers. Similarly,
Jason Lambert looked eager to dish out some punishment, getting
up close and personal with Luiz Cane when they posed for the
press. The height difference between the two light-heavyweights
was apparent, but Lambert’s massive torso suggests the strength
he showed knocking out Babalu. It was no surprise that Bisping
got the biggest cheer from the crowd in attendance, while Hughes
got a slightly mixed reception, though whether that indicates
he’s not popular with the London fans or simply the presence
of a large Brazilian contingent wasn’t clear.
It’s
interesting to see Mark Ratner supervising the weigh in as technically
speaking the Nevada State Athletic Commission has no authority
in the UK, where the sport is still both unlicensed and unregulated.
In that regard, the UFC is to be commended for setting an example
to the domestic British promotions with a rigorous approach to
medical exams and fighter safety.
Full
Weigh In Results
Matt
Hughes (170 lbs) vs. Thiago Alves (174 lbs)
Michael Bisping (184 lbs) vs. Jason Day (184 lbs)
Mike Swick (170 lbs) vs. Marcus Davis (170 lbs)
Thales Leites (185 lbs) vs. Nate Marquadt (185 lbs)
Fabricio Werdum (247 lbs) vs. Brandon Vera (228 lbs)
Martin Kampmann (186 lbs) vs. Jorge Rivera (185 lbs)
Thiago Tavares (154.5 lbs) vs. Matt Wiman (155 lbs)
Kevin Burns (170 lbs) vs. Roan Carneiro (171 lbs)
Luiz Cane (204 lbs) vs. Jason Lambert (205 lbs)
Jess Liaudin (169 lbs) vs. Paul Taylor (169 lbs)
Eddie Sanchez (244 lbs) vs. Antoni Hardonk (247 lbs)
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
A
chat with Rickson Gracie
Master speaks of Worlds and what he hopes for black belt son
Friday
morning, Kayron Gracie has just submitted his second opponent
in a row before the final of the absolute brown belt (a trajectory
interrupted two fights later by a ankle lock Carlos Gracie Jr’s
son fell victim to). Two paces outside the fight area Rickson
Gracie pulls his nephew aside to whisper instructions to him.
Later, when asked about what he said to the young man, the master
kept his secrecy: “We always have to polish up the treasure.
I always talk to Kron when he leaves a fight. You're happy because
he won and left the fight with a lot of mistakes to fix."
The
subject now is his son and his recent promotion to black belt:
"He is really excited about fighting." But why the
early promotion? "He had a really good fight against a really
tough opponent in Japan, a staller."
And
what will his son’s debut at black belt be like? “He
will be taking on guys with five, six and even eight years at
black belt. It will be real different from brown.” And why
won’t we see Kron in the absolute this year? “That
would be to burn too much rubber.”
To
finish, was there any studying done of the adversaries at middleweight?
"I don't think of Jiu-Jitsu in that light, with a specific
game plan for each adversary. If you put together a strategy
and it fails, you’ll be dead. The thing is to go into the
fight comfortable and make your adversary have the problem.”
This
is Rickson Gracie, direct from Long Beach
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
'This
is just the beginning'
Carlos Gracie Jr receives red and black belt and promises new
endeavors
Before
the eyes of 50 black belts, cousin Rickson and a large number
of other people who packed the new Gracie Barra America branch
in Irvine, CA, Renzo Gracie holds the red-and-black belt of his
master, Carlos Gracie Junior.
Everyone
waited for the final joke in the speech, and, surprisingly, the
good humored fight icon lets out a torrent of tears. "Don't
laugh," he says, before drying his tears and hugging Carlinhos,
tying the new belt around his teacher's waist.
Renzo
ties the belt on Carlinhos. "The best thing I found here
was love", said Renzo crying.
The
graduation cerimony, held on the evening of June 3rd, was started
off by loyal pupil Marcio Feitosa who, moved, handed over command
to black belt and economist Flavio Cachorrinho, who introduced
the guest speakers, starting with Rickson Gracie.
Flávio
Cachorrinho presents the event, and summons the first speaker...
We,
Gracies, have a much bigger mission than MMA. MMA was used to
show the efficiency of Jiu-Jitsu, but our true role is to strengthen
the good qualities of the human being, through Jiu-Jitsu. And,
for everything he has built, I am proud to be his relative,"
said Rickson.
...
Rickson Gracie.
Others
to speak were Carlinhos's contemporary and Jiu-Jitsu pioneer
in the United Kingdom, Mauricio Gomes, his son and current holder
of Jiu-Jitsu's most important belt, absolute world champion Roger
Gracie.
Maurição
Gomes...
...
And his son Roger.
The
man responsible for introducing Jiu-Jitsu to Sheikh Tahnoon (and
thus for creation of the ADCC), Nelson Monteiro; the Carlinhos
product to have given the most black belts, Vinicius Draculino;
Northeastern Brazilian Braulio Estima; and another of Carlinhos's
black belts and GRACIEMAG vice-president, Luca Atalla. And, the
representative of the new generation of students, blue belt Kenny
Epstein.
Sheikh
Tahnoon's first instructor, Nelson Monteiro...
Student
with over 60 black belt students, Vinicius Draculino...
And,
listened to attentively by Rickson, Carlinhos, Sergio Ignácio,
Renzo, Draculino and Marcinho...
...
Bráulio Estima.
Introduced
simply as Carlinhos's best student, and author of the final speech
before the promotion, Renzo highlighted the importance of the
environment Carlinhos created for the art's development.
"Being
a tough guy, being a champion, that all ends. I think the most
important thing I found in his academy was love," he said,
crying, before hugging his master.
Renzo
also told of how his uncle uses reverse psychology to stimulate:
"He
looked at me [when Renzo was a young lesser belt, and was training
among family members], and said in front of everyone: 'Renzo,
what am I going to do with you? You are horrible!' All he needed
to do was say that for me to prove to him I could be good."
Renzo
alternated between jokes and causes with a serious and emotional
message.
Carlinhos
donned the new belt fastened by Renzo uncerimoniously:
"Belts
hold no importance to me. We are the ones who give personality
to the belt, and not it that give personality to us. But I'm
proud to have all you here together. That is what I love and
I'll never change. In the future, I may have a better house,
a better car, but I'll continue coming to the academy every day,
training with my family.
"I'm
52 years old, and I model myself on the example of my father,
who, when I was born, was 56, and still went on to have five
more kids. However, when someone shows up to train at 40 or 50
years of age and thinks they are too old for it, I explain that
it's never too late to do what we dream of doing.
"My
father stimulated us to dream. The other day, I read that if
you wish to reach the moon, you'll at least get to the stars.
That is why I have a healthy life, and I hope to have all you,
many white and blue belts, together with me with black belts,
18 years from now, when I receive my red belt. And all this will
be ten times bigger."
Carlinhos,
whose achievements are of the caliber of Gracie Barra, the International
Jiu-Jitsu Federation and GRACIEMAG, promises:
"This
is just the beginning."
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
DANA
WHITE SAYS UFC HEADED TO ATLANTA
by Ken Pishna
As the Ultimate Fighting Championship lands for another go around
in the U.K., UFC 85 takes place on Saturday at the O2 Arena in
London, the company’s president, Dana White, announced another
expansion of the company’s reach in the U.S. market.
In
a recent interview with ESPN The Magazine, he stated that the
UFC will hold an event in September in Atlanta, Ga. White also
indicated the event in Atlanta would mark Chuck Liddell’s
return to the Octagon.
Though
no venue was announced, sources indicate that the UFC will operate
the September event, expected to be dubbed UFC 88, at the Philips
Arena. The venue is a 21,000-seat arena that recently hosted
its first mixed martial arts event, which was run by the American
Fight League.
Liddell
was supposed to have headlined Saturday’s UFC 85 event,
against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua initially. Following
a Rua knee injury, however, Rashad Evans stepped in to face the
former UFC light heavyweight champion. Then, for the first time
in his career, Liddell had to withdraw from the card due to a
severe hamstring injury.
UFC
85 is now headlined by a bout pitting two-time former UFC welterweight
champion Matt Hughes against American Top Team fighter Thiago
Alves.
White
also indicated in the interview that he would be making a significant
announcement next week that, he expects, will shake up the mixed
martial arts world.
There
has been no reliable information on what the announcement is,
but most speculation centers on a possible television deal that
White has been working towards for the past couple of years
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Changes
Come to Shooto, Fighters React
by Jordan Breen
Although
Shooto's premier event series of 2008 is called "Tradition,"
the world of Shooto is set to change.
In
a move that will assuredly garner praise from the MMA world,
the International Shooto Commission has announced that in the
coming months all Shooto events worldwide will abandon two of
its most contentious rules: strikes to the back of the head and
the much-maligned knockdown count.
Because
of Shooto's ongoing rookie tournament series already having its
rules defined at the year's onset, the knockdown rule will be
abolished officially on Jan. 1, 2009. However, strikes to the
back of the head will be outlawed as of Sept. 1, due to a more
pressing medical necessity.
According
to ISC secretary general Toshiharu Suzuki, the European Shooto
Commission asked the ISC in March to consider revising the two
provisions, which have long been critiqued.
Initially
the ISC was skeptical of the proposal, especially in relation
to the knockdown rule. Shooto's authorities have long held the
idea that the potential for unconscious fighters to be pounded
after they were knocked down was enough of a risk to oppose changing
the rule. However, Suzuki explained that the vision of pro-wrestling
legend and Shooto founder Satoru "Tiger Mask" Sayama
in Shooto's conception was the synthesis of striking, throwing
and submitting. In accordance with that vision, the ISC considered
the rule alteration suitable.
Also
playing a prominent role in the ISC's decision to revamp its
knockdown rule and strikes to the back of the head were the obvious
medical issues. The prevailing wisdom surrounding mixed martial
arts is the idea that unlike other prizefighting venues such
as boxing and muay Thai, MMA fighters who are knocked down and
in jeopardy are typically finished. In regards to other combat
sports, the dominant belief is that fighters are given a count
to recover that results in prolonged fights, more strikes and
more damage -- and thus a greater risk of injury.
"With
an eight count in Shooto, we thought it favored the ground fighter,
as it gave them a second chance," explains Martijn de Jong,
former Shooto competitor, Shooto Holland promoter and current
European Shooto president. "[But] the most important reason
to abolish was that Shooto's main concern has always been safety
for the fighters."
While
the abolition of Shooto's knockdown rule may seem long overdue,
even more curious is the fact that until now professional Shooto
has allowed strikes to the back of the head. Given the sensitivity
to strikes to the back of the head exhibited in North America
under the unified rules of MMA, it seems almost astonishing that
the technique has been permissible.
The
rules were largely held in place by Shooto's strong sense of
tradition and strange brand of solipsism.
Conceived
in 1985, the first amateur Shooto event was held in 1986 and
the first professional Shooto event in 1989. With the longest
clear lineage in the entire sport, Shooto authorities view Shooto
not as an organization but as an international sport unto itself,
with its own unique class system, weight divisions and in-ring
rules. As a result of this self-contained and self-sustained
ideology, the world of Shooto has been slow to embrace change,
even as MMA has globalized, forcing many large Japanese promotions
such as Pancrase, GCM and Deep to adopt certain provisions of
the unified rules.
Despite
the fact that many fighters have spent the vast majority of their
pro MMA careers under these rules, the changes have already been
met with universal support.
"Currently,
MMA has been spreading throughout the world, but rules are not
completely well-established," says Rumina Sato (Pictures),
the iconic Shooto legend who has fought his entire 12-year career
under Shooto rules. "I would hope that at the end, MMA will
be held under one rule throughout the world. I think that it
is Shooto's destiny as a long-established competitive sport to
continue to make a safe and highly competitive rule by continuing
the process of trial and error."
Shooto
world title challenger and current WEC signee Kenji Osawa (Pictures)
notes that no other organization besides Shooto has a knockdown
rule.
"Plus
it's difficult to judge if someone is 'down,' so I think it's
good they got rid of the rule," Osawa says. "Making
punches to the back of the head illegal is a very good thing.
There have been cases where certain fighters would get hit to
the back of the head a lot and feel nauseous afterwards, so he'd
have to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. It's better to
be safe."
Premier
flyweight Yasuhiro Urushitani (Pictures) is quick to add his
support: "Fights get dragged out when a [knocked down] fighter
recovers. … The audience might lose interest."
"Personally,
I agree with [banning strikes to the back of the head],"
says former Shooto 143-pound world champ Akitoshi Tamura (Pictures).
"Even if it is a light punch, it gets to me in a weird way.
Even if the fighter can take a back mount, there is a technique
to punch the side of the head or to the face. Allowing striking
to the back of the head of a downed opponent is not an approved
rule worldwide."
Even
those with some measure of advantage under the old rules acknowledge
the necessity for change.
"The
head strike rule is bad for me because I like taking the back,"
explains Tetsu Suzuki (Pictures). "[But] maybe it's best
if all rules are unified."
One
of the other major difficulties with such an awkward rule set
is that many international competitors have struggled to adapt
to the often-aggravating rules that differ so radically from
other international promotions. None too surprisingly, many international
regulars of the Shooto ring are thankful for the changes.
"The
rule change eliminating the eight count brings us closer to a
real fight, which is what I have always looked for in MMA,"
offers Shooto Europe's 168-pound champion David Baron (Pictures),
who upset Hayato "Mach" Sakurai in Japan last month.
"This
is one rule that I never liked," says featherweight standout
Antonio Carvalho (Pictures) on the eight count. "It broke
the natural flow of the fight, in my opinion. Also the referees
were inconsistent with what was considered a knockdown. I'm happy
they will get rid of it."
In
fact, the rules were awkward and unthinkable to a point where
some of Shooto's most notable competitors didn't even know they
existed.
"Really?
All this time, I didn't know that it was allowable," says
former Shooto world champion Joachim Hansen (Pictures) with a
laugh upon learning that pro Shooto rules allowed striking to
the back of the head.
However,
the rule alterations have repercussions outside of Japan. Although
Shooto has internationalized with events under the Shooto banner
all over the globe, the ability for Shooto events to be held
in North America has been limited by the existing restrictions
of the unified rules, which make no concessions for knockdowns
and explicitly prohibit strikes to the back of the head. With
these reformed rules, Shooto will now have a chance to grow in
North America.
"The
new Shooto ruling will impact the growth of Shooto in the U.S.
tremendously, particularly in California, where progress had
been stalled due to the inability to promote events under the
Shooto rules," explains Jason Manly, who, with the help
of leading Shooto promoter Sustain, staged a slightly modified
Shooto event in Irvine last August.
"Now
we have the ability to promote events in the state I believe
is most critical to Shooto's growth and long-term success. Previously
I was stuck between what the Shooto Commission wanted and what
the California State Athletic Commission would allow, and unfortunately
that wasn't allowing me to organize events. But now, given the
pliable approach of the ISC in dealing with this obstacle, I
am very excited about the immediate possibilities for Shooto
in California."
Shooto's
tradition has long been one of sporting sophistication, and these
long overdue amendments should serve to strengthen Shooto's ideology
internationally.
Source: Sherdog
|
FIGHT-BY-FIGHT:
UFC 85 HUGHES VS. ALVES
by Ricardo Mendoza
Welterweight Bout:
Matt
Hughes vs. Thiago Alves
Former
UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes takes on American Top Team
fighter Thiago Alves. Hughes has a 42-6 record and trains out
of the H.I.T. Squad with Robbie Lawler. Alves has a 14-3 record
and trains out of the American Top Team with Gesias “JZ”
Calvancante.
Hughes
comes off a submission loss to Georges St. Pierre at UFC 79,
while Alves scored a TKO stoppage victory over Karo Parysian
at UFC Fight Night 13.
This
fight was put together after Chuck Liddell was forced off the
card due to a hamstring injury, which left the event without
a headline bout. It’s an interesting fight with the rugged
veteran Hughes and the up and comer Alves.
Hughes’s
strategy in the fight will be to get the fight to the ground
and to keep there, not letting Alves use his striking to get
control of the fight. If Alves keeps the fight on the feet, expect
him to use his deadly low kicks to eat away Hughes’ legs,
making it harder for him to take Alves down.
Plain
and simple, Hughes is on the decline as a fighter because he
hasn’t been able to keep up with the new generation of fighters
that are complete in every area and not just great in one aspect
of MMA. Expect Alves to stay on the outside, using low kicks
to nullify Hughes’ attempts at getting the fight to the
ground and punish him with punching combinations en route to
a decision.
Prediction:
Thiago Alves by decision.
(UFC
85 weigh-in results: Alves fails to make weight)
Heavyweight
Bout:
Brandon
Vera vs. Fabricio Werdum
Californian
fighter Brandon Vera faces off with former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
world champion Fabricio Werdum. Vera has an 8-1 record and trains
out of the Alliance Training Center in California. Werdum has
a 10-3 record and trains out of the Chute Boxe Academy with Evangelista
“Cyborg” Santos.
Vera
comes off a disappointing decision loss to Tim Sylvia at UFC
77, while Werdum stopped former heavyweight title challenger
Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 80.
A
lot is riding on this fight for both men. The winner will more
than likely become the next challenger for the UFC heavyweight
title after Frank Mir challenges interim champion Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira. Both fighters are well versed on the feet and on the
ground, so expect both men to be comfortable in either area of
the fight.
Although
Vera is a good ground fighter, it would be in his best interest
to keep the fight on the feet because Werdum isn’t a joke
on the ground being a former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion.
The same goes for Werdum, although his striking is getting better
since joining Chute Boxe it still isn’t as good as Vera’s.
This
should be an entertaining fight, but Vera should be able to come
out on top over a game Werdum. Vera will out-strike Werdum with
crisp combinations, landing the cleaner and harder shots of the
two fighters. Werdum will be unable to get the fight to the ground,
as Vera will use the same strategy that other fighters have used
to defeat Werdum, winning a decision.
Prediction:
Brandon Vera by decision.
Middleweight
Bout:
Michael
Bisping vs. Jason Day
Ultimate
Fighter 3 winner Michael Bisping takes on Canadian striker Jason
Day. Bisping has a 15-1 record and trains out of the Wolfslair
Gym with Paul Kelly. Day has a 17-5 record and trains out of
the Canadian Martial Arts Centre in Canada.
Bisping
comes off a stoppage victory over Charles McCarthy at UFC 83,
while earlier in the night Day made his successful UFC debut,
stopping Alan Belcher with strikes.
Bisping
was originally scheduled to fight Chris Leben, but he pulled
out because of legal problems and Day stepped in at short notice.
Both fighters will be fighting on a short one and a half month
turn around instead of the ample time given as usual in the UFC.
This
should be an exciting stand-up war. Both fighters love to throw
down and this fight won’t last too long. Bisping will be
the bigger and stronger fighter of the two and that will be a
factor in the fight because he will be able to muscle Day in
the clinch. Day needs to work angles and not be caught in an
exchange because Bisping will have the punching power on his
side.
It
should be an even fight in the early stages, but as it wears
on Bisping will close the distance and clinch up, punish Day
with dirty boxing, finishing the fight towards the end of the
opening round.
Prediction:
Michael Bisping by TKO in the first round.
Middleweight
Bout:
Nate
Marquardt vs. Thales Leites
Former
middleweight King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt takes on Brazilian
fighter Thales Leites. Marquardt has a 26-7-2 record and trains
out of Jackson’s Submission Fighting with Rashad Evans.
Leites has a 12-1 record and trains out of Nova Uniao with Jose
Aldo.
Marquardt
comes off a solid submission victory over Jeremy Horn at UFC
81, while Leites submitted Midwest wrestler Ryan Jensen at UFC
74.
The
winner of this fight may very well put himself in contention
for a title shot against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.
This fight should be evenly matched between two excellent ground
fighters.
Leites’
strategy in the fight will be to end up on top and work submissions,
while Marquardt will look to ground and pound or keep the fight
on the feet. The one determining factor in the fight will be
which fighter is the better wrestler and that would be Marquardt,
training with top-notch wrestlers at Jackson’s Submission
Fighting.
These
two will be fairly even on the feet, so look for Marquardt to
get the fight on the ground, maintaining top position and pounding
Leites en route to a decision.
Prediction:
Nate Marquardt by decision.
Welterweight
Bout:
Mike
Swick vs. Marcus Davis
Ultimate
Fighter alumnus Mike Swick faces off with fellow alumnus Marcus
Davis. Swick has an 11-2 record and trains out of the American
Kickboxing Academy with Jon Fitch. Davis has a 14-3 record and
trains out of Team Gurgel with Jorge Gurgel and Sityodtong with
Mark DellaGrotte.
Swick
comes off a lackluster decision victory over Josh Burkman at
UFC Fight Night 12, while Davis knocked out Frenchman Jess Liaudin
at UFC 80.
Swick
didn’t look good in his welterweight debut, but this time
around he has promised to give a better performance. Both Swick
and Davis have been two of the better fighters to come from The
Ultimate Fighter and a win for either puts them in title contention.
This
fight will prove to be exciting on the feet, being that both
fighters are well versed in boxing. The deciding factor on the
feet will be either Davis’s technique or Swick’s hand
speed. If neither fighter is able to get an advantage on the
feet, look for these two to take the fight to the ground.
Swick’s
speed and strength will be too much for Davis expect Swick to
stay on the outside, charging in on occasion with a quick combination
and when in trouble taking the fight to the ground, outworking
a smaller Davis en route to a decision.
Prediction:
Mike Swick by decision.
Middleweight
Bout:
Martin
Kampmann vs. Jorge Rivera
Danish
kickboxer Martin Kampmann faces off with Team Elite fighter Jorge
Rivera. Kampmann has a 15-2 record and trains out of Xrteme Couture
with Mike Pyle. Rivera has a 15-6 record and trains out of Team
Elite in Massachusetts.
Kampmann
comes off a submission victory over Drew McFedries at UFC 68,
while Rivera surprisingly knocked out Kendall Grove at UFC 80.
Kampmann
is coming off a torn ACL in his knee that kept him out of action
for over the past year and this will be his first fight since
that injury. Rivera looked to be done in the UFC, but resurrected
his career by knocking Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Kendall Grove
out.
Kampmann
is the better technical striker, but Rivera has more punching
power in his shots, which could pose a problem for Kampmann if
he chooses to keep the fight on the feet. If he gets hurt on
the feet, Kampmann will take the fight to the ground and work
submissions on Rivera.
This
fight will look very similar to Kampmann’s last fight with
McFedries, they’ll trade on the feet and Kampmann will get
tagged, take the fight to the ground and lock on a submission
to put himself back in the middleweight title picture.
Prediction:
Martin Kampmann by submission in the first round.
Lightweight
Bout:
Thiago
Tavares vs. Matt Wiman
Exciting
Brazilian lightweight Thiago Tavares takes on Midwest lightweight
Matt Wiman. Tavares has a 13-1 record and trains out of Brazil.
Wiman has a 9-3 record and trains out of Tulsa Top Team in Oklahoma.
Tavares
comes off a dominating decision victory over Michihiro Omigawa
at UFC Fight Night 12, while Wiman submitted UFC newcomer Justin
Buchholz earlier in the night.
Whoever
wins this fight will start climbing the ladder towards a title
shot in the crowded lightweight division.
Tavares
has shown his dominating ground game over the past year, muscling
his opponents to the ground, pounding on them and looking for
submissions. If Wiman has a shot at winning the fight he’ll
need to catch Tavares off guard on the feet, but that’s
unlikely.
Although
he will be outclassed, expect Wiman to stay tough in the fight,
surviving Tavares’ onslaught in the early going, but eventually
succumbing to a submission midway through the fight.
Prediction:
Thiago Tavares by submission in the second round.
Light
Heavyweight Bout:
Jason
Lambert vs. Luis Cane
Californian
fighter Jason Lambert faces off with Brazilian Muay Thai fighter
Luis Cane. Lambert has a 23-7 record and trains out of the North
County Fight Club with Eddie Sanchez. Cane has a 7-1 record and
trains out of Gibi Thai in Brazil.
Lambert
comes off a disappointing knockout loss to Wilson Gouveia at
UFC 80, while Cane was disqualified at UFC 79 for landing an
illegal knee against James Irvin.
These
two fighters will no doubt slug it out until someone is flat
on their back. Neither fighter can afford a loss because that
could mean that they will have to fight elsewhere as the competition
in the UFC gets tougher and the talent pool smaller.
Lambert
has shown to be a powerful striker, but was caught his last time
out after dominating the majority of the fight. This time around
Lambert might not want to keep the fight on the feet because
Cane is the better striker of the two. Lambert will want to wrestle
Cane down to the ground and pound him out.
Expect
Lambert to take the fight to the ground, but Cane will be hard
to keep down, getting back on his feet and punishing Lambert
with strikes until he is finally on his back and out of the fight.
Prediction:
Luis Cane by TKO in the first round.
Welterweight
Bout:
Roan
Carneiro vs. Kevin Burns
Brazilian
fighter Roan Carneiro faces off with UFC newcomer Kevin Burns.
Carneiro has a 12-6 record and trains out of the American Top
Team with Jorge Santiago. Burns has a 5-1 record and trains out
of Iowa.
Carneiro
comes off an impressive stoppage victory over Tony DeSouza at
UFC 79, while Burns knocked out Bobby Voelker at Victory Fighting
Championships 23.
Carneiro
was initially scheduled to face Ryo Chonan, but an injury forced
the Japanese fighter off the card and Burns stepped in at the
last minute to make his UFC debut. With nothing to lose, Burns
will come out aggressive and looking to impress.
If
the fight goes on the ground, Carneiro will have the advantage
both in positioning and submissions. Burns’s best shot at
winning the fight will be to catch Carneiro on the feet because
he is severely outclassed in every aspect of the fight.
Fighting
on late notice, his inexperience will catch up to Burns as Carneiro
will quickly get the fight to the ground and work over Burns
a bit before locking on a submission.
Prediction:
Roan Carneiro by submission in the first round.
Welterweight
Bout:
Paul
Taylor vs. Jess Liaudin
British
striker Paul Taylor faces off with French submission fighter
Jess Liaudin. Taylor has an 8-3-1 record and trains out of England.
Liaudin has a 12-9 record and trains out of Team Quest with Dan
Henderson.
Taylor
comes off an exciting decision loss to Paul Kelly at UFC 80,
while later in the night Liaudin was knocked out by Marcus Davis.
These
two have shown to be some of the better European fighters in
the UFC, putting on impressive displays on every European UFC
show. Both fighters need a win to stay alive in the crowded welterweight
division, as whoever loses will more than likely be shown the
door.
Taylor
has the big advantage on the feet, but his weakness is the ground
game as seen in his last two fights in the UFC. Liaudin was impressive
in his first two fights, but once he faced a tougher fighter,
he was quickly beaten. If the fight stays on the feet, Taylor
will knock Liaudin silly, but on the ground, Liaudin will tap
Taylor.
Liaudin
is a submission fighter, but he isn’t well versed in takedowns
and that will play into Taylor’s favor as he will light
up Liaudin on the feet, knocking him out in the opening stanza.
Prediction:
Paul Taylor by TKO in the first round.
Heavyweight
Bout:
Antoni
Hardonk vs. Eddie Sanchez
Dutch
striker Antoni Hardonk takes on late replacement Eddie Sanchez.
Hardonk has a 6-4 record and trains out of the Vos Gym with Ernesto
Hoost. Sanchez has an 8-1 record and trains out of the North
County Fight Club with Jason Lambert.
Hardonk
comes off a quick stoppage victory over Colin Robinson at UFC
80, while Sanchez stopped the much bigger Soa Palelei at UFC
79.
Hardonk
was originally scheduled to face off with UFC newcomer Neil Wain,
but an injury forced him off the card and Sanchez stepped in
on late notice. These two should slug it out on the feet, but
the outcome could be very different.
Hardonk
has the obvious advantage on the feet, being the technical kickboxer,
while Sanchez is a wild slugger with power. If Sanchez is smart,
he will take the fight to the ground and exploit Hardonk’s
biggest weakness instead of risking getting knocked out.
These
two will trade shots on the feet to start off, but Sanchez will
soon realize that he will be better suited on the ground, taking
the fight there and pounding on the inexperienced Hardonk for
a stoppage midway through the fight.
Prediction:
Eddie Sanchez by TKO in the second round.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Yoshida
Aims for KO Against Smith at
‘Sengoku Battle III’
by Stephen Martinez
World
Victory Road headliners met the press on Friday in anticipation
of its "Sengoku Battle III" event this Sunday at Saitama
Super Arena in Tokyo.
The
promotion's third effort is what many local and foreign fans
alike are describing as the true definition of "flying under
the radar," as the event has not attracted great interest.
In
the main event, 1992 Olympic judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida
(Pictures) will take on former UFC heavyweight champion and world
champion kickboxer Maurice Smith (Pictures).
Yoshida,
38, will attempt to bounce back from a submission loss to another
former UFC heavyweight champion in Josh Barnett (Pictures) at
the first Sengoku event last March, while the 46-year-old Smith
has fought twice in the last seven years, scoring victories over
fellow Octagon legend Marco Ruas (Pictures) and Rick Roufus (Pictures),
who he tapped out at a Strikeforce event last February.
At
the press conference, Smith spoke of "secret training"
that he completed in Russia in the last two weeks, and addressed
Yoshida's statement that he'd trained heavily in boxing in order
to trade and win by knockout.
Also
on the card, a very humble Travis Wiuff (Pictures) discussed
his match with "Iron Head" Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures).
The
recent Yamma Pitfighting heavyweight tournament champion spoke
of the inspiration he found in Fujita's style after watching
the Japanese wrestler compete in the Pride 2000 Grand Prix finals,
dating before the two-time All-American wrestler's own MMA debut.
The
rest of the card is composed of an interesting mix between old
and new.
Former
Pride veterans Kazuo Misaki (Pictures), Yoshiki Takahashi (Pictures),
Choi Mu Bae and Sanae Kikuta (Pictures) will be no strangers
to the circuit.
Relative
newcomers to the scene include former UFC heavyweight Marcio
"Pe de Pano" Cruz, former Bodog Fight welterweight
champion Nick Thompson (Pictures), Chute Boxe's new product Fabio
Silva (Pictures), Alliance Jiu-Jitsu's Rodrigo Damm and American
Top Team standout Jorge Masdival. American kickboxer Duane "Bang"
Ludwig still awaits an opponent as well.
World
Victory Road will hold a second press conference on Saturday
with all fighters present.
World
Victory Road "Sengoku Battle III"
June 8
Saitama Super Arena
Tokyo
Hidehiko
Yoshida (Pictures) vs. Maurice Smith (Pictures)
Kazuo Misaki (Pictures) vs. Logan Clark (Pictures)
Kazuyuki Fujita (Pictures) vs. Travis Wiuff (Pictures)
Fabio Silva (Pictures) vs. Yoshiki Takahashi (Pictures)
Mu Bae Choi (Pictures) vs. Marcio Cruz (Pictures)
Nick Thompson (Pictures) vs. Michael Costa
Chris Rice (Pictures) vs. Sanae Kikuta (Pictures)
Rodrigo Damm vs. Jorge Masvidal (Pictures)
Duane Ludwig (Pictures) vs. TBA
Source: Sherdog
|
Paulo
Filho vs. Sonnen at September at WEC
The WEC middleweight champion will be back on the octagon at
September. After beating Chael Sonnen at WEC 31, Paulo Filho
had to listen his opponent say that he hadn’t tapped and
that Paulo ran out of a rematch, settled down to WEC 34, when
the Brazilian fighter had problems with depression. “Paulão
has 98kg now, and he’s already losing weight. The contract
arrives here tomorrow and he’ll sign for the fight at September
10th. We’ll give Sonnen a rematch, because he keeps saying
that he didn’t tapped and all those things, and now Paulo
well keep hurting him until the judge tells him to stop”,
guarantees Josuel Distak, Paulo Filho’s coach.
Source: Tatame
|
Kimbo
Slice Trainer Bas Rutten:
Fight Should Have Been Stopped in Second Round
by Michael David Smith
Bas
Rutten is a legendary figure in mixed martial arts, a former
UFC champion, and currently the trainer for Kimbo Slice.
Because
of his affiliation with Kimbo, everyone wants to know what Rutten
thinks about Kimbo's victory over James Thompson on Saturday
night. Rutten answers with a post on his official web site, and
although he mostly defends Kimbo, he says something shocking
at the end: He actually thinks referee Dan Miragliotta should
have stopped the fight and awarded it to Thompson late in the
second round. Rutten writes:
People
ask me if the fight should have been stopped at the end in the
second round, I say YES because those are the rules, it should
have been stopped because Kimbo didn't do anything to improve
his situation. But I think what made the ref NOT do it was the
fact that Kimbo was giving his thumbs up the whole time to let
the referee know that he was OK.
This was the refs decission, not Kimbo's.
So
Rutten believes Thompson should have been awarded the victory
late in the second round. I disagree.
The rule in question states:
Referee
Stoppage: the referee may stop a match in progress if: a fighter
becomes dominant to the point where the opponent is unable to
intelligently defend himself from attacks, which may occur as
quickly as a few seconds
There's
some room for interpretation in that rule. It doesn't say the
referee "must" stop, it says the referee "may"
stop. In general, the rules give the referee fairly wide latitude,
and Dan Miragliotta, the referee in this particular match, felt
that he could let it go. I respect Rutten for giving his true
opinion even when it reflects badly on his own fighter, but I
don't agree with that opinion.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"Winning
is only half of it. Having fun is the other half."
Bum Phillips, American Football Coach
|
Punishment
in Paradise Today!
Pound 4
Pound
June 6, 2008
Ahuna Ranch, Maili
Source: Brennan Kamaka
|
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ
Tournament Date Announced!
On July 26th, Maui Jiu-Jitsu will host another one of their great
tournaments on the Valley isle. Stay tuned for more details as
they become available.
Start planning your travel arrangements now to avoid last minute
troubles. Check out the Hawaii Super Ferry and Hawaiian Airlines
recently has shown lower prices than Go Airlines.
|
Wish
our boys Good Luck at the World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships
in Long Beach, CA!
Kyle
Snyder-Olivares, Pono Pananganan, Lindsey Arcangel are laying
it on the line at the world JJ champions
|
Smooth
Sailing at UFC 85 Press Conference
By David
West
The
press conference ahead of this Saturday’s UFC 85 at the
O2 Arena in London was a civilized affair, with no trash talking
and no scuffles when the fighters came face to face. Headliner
Matt Hughes seemed in a sombre and reflective mood ahead of his
clash with Thiago Alves, as he hopes to get back on track.
“It
will be an interesting match-up between Thiago and I, a very
traditional striker versus grappler,” said Hughes. “I’ve
tried to cut my ties with what I’ve been doing lately and
get back to the old Matt Hughes. Its funny when you get older
in this sport and you start learning things, you start seeing
how many ways you can actually lose and it slows you down a little
bit. I’m going to try and get back to the old way and just
go out there where the only way to lose is to not try hard enough.
That’ll be my style, that’ll be my game plan for this
fight. I’m going to go out there and put 120% percent effort
out there for three rounds.”
Asked
what he has left to prove in MMA, Hughes responded, “I’m
here to show everybody that I’ve not left and I’m still
one of the top fighters in the UFC. Thiago is definitely good
enough where he’s a notch, he’s not somebody that I
won’t put on my resume so to speak. It’s definitely
a match I was able to get up for and train hard for. The training
centre has been great. It’s allowed me to stay home more.
I used to have to drive up to Iowa on Monday and come back on
Friday and I don’t have to do that now so it’s been
much more pleasurable training for me to get ready for this fight.
I’ve gone from training twice a day to training three times
a day now.”
The
mood remained subdued, a contrast to the last UFC press conference
in London, where Quinton Jackson waxed lyrical about his love
of Asian girls and the size of his new truck. The only moment
of levity came when Matt Hughes was asked for his thoughts on
women in MMA and what motivates him to keep competing.
“I’m
not a big fan of women fighting to be honest,” replied Hughes.
“It’s nothing against them and it’s not that I
don’t think they have the right to be in there, personally
I just don’t like to see a woman get hit, whether it’s
by another woman or not it doesn’t matter. What inspires
me to fight – I still love to get in there and mix it up.
That’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m still
in this sport it’s because I just like it. I’ve got
a great training crew back there, we have a great time and if
I sill love to do it and I’m having a good time doing it,
I’m going to keep after it.“
At
this point Mike Bisping jumped in, unable to resist the urge
to crack wise, “Surely women don’t have time either,
with all the cooking and cleaning. I’m just kidding! I couldn’t
resist!”
Alongside
Bisping and Hughes on the podium was Marcus Davis, making his
fourth appearance on this side of the Atlantic. Davis explained
the appeal of fighting in the UK in practical terms, saying,
“I’ll never fight in my hometown, or it doesn’t
look like that would ever happen, I mean I live in Maine. I’m
not going to be a hometown fighter so every time I’m on
the road I’m the bad guy. Travelling from Maine to Vegas,
there’s no such thing as a direct flight so the flights
for me are about nine to twelve hours, it’s crazy. Coming
over here, it’s a five hour flight. This is the closest
thing I’ve got to home!”
Facing
Mike Bisping on four weeks notice, Canada’s Jason Day wasn’t
worried about his short prep time. “Coming off the fight
with Belcher I was healthy, I was still in shape so I took one
week off basically, just decompressed that week then I got a
call two weeks later. I was already back in the gym, I just had
to turn it up and get back into fight mode. I don’t think
cardio will be an issue for either one of us. If it goes three
rounds I’ve got more than enough gas.”
FCF
caught a moment with Thiago Alves to get his thoughts on his
match with Matt Hughes on Saturday night.
FCF:
Matt Hughes is a big star in MMA – does his reputation intimidate
you?
Alves:
“It makes me even more hungry to fight him. The guy is a
legend. I want to be the best in the sport and I know I’m
going to be so I’m on my way now. It’s my time.”
FCF:
What are you expecting from Hughes?
Alves:
“I think he’s going to look for the takedown early.
He’ll probably fake a couple of shots and try and take me
down, hold me on the mat. I’m going to make him pay all
the time he tries to do something.”
FCF:
If he takes you down, are you comfortable on your back?
Alves:
“I’m comfortable everywhere.”
FCF:
Your last match saw you stop Karo Parisian for the first time
in his career. Were you surprised you were able to finish him?
Alves:
“No, not at all, it was just hard work paying off. I trained
really hard and it was just a matter of time. “
FCF:
This will be your first time at the top of the bill, is there
any added pressure?
Alves:
“It’s an opportunity, there’s no pressure at all.
Actually I like the crowd, the fans, the whole thing. I want
to get to the top and this is part of the game.”
Robbie
Lawler was on hand to corner his training partner Hughes, so
we picked his brain about the Scott Smith fight.
FCF:
Were you left unsatisfied by the premature end of your fight
with Scott Smith?
Lawler:
“I just feel like we didn’t get to finish the fight.
I felt like I was doing well and I was on my way to victory.
I hurt him pretty bad in the first round, had him wobbled a few
times. I was picking him apart and being a little quicker than
him. In the second round he threw a lot of punches, cut me with
an elbow on the top of the head and maybe a head kick but I was
slipping a lot of shots and I started to figure him out. I started
picking him apart at the end of the second and then in the third
the same thing, staying outside with my jab, being a little longer
than him, a little quicker than him before the accidental poke
in the eye.”
FCF:
Have you got your next fight lined up yet?
RL:
“No, I want to fight in July though. I’m taking all
of June off as far as no grappling, just working on my cardio
and letting my cut heal up. Then I want to fight at the end of
July, early August and just get right back in there and get to
work. It’s an every day fight with myself, trying to get
myself better and work on my skills.”
FCF:
What have you been doing with Matt to get him ready for Alves?
RL:
“Just the same old stuff, getting him into shape, wrestling,
grappling, sparring, just the usual fight stuff.”
On
Saturday Paul Taylor will face Jess Liaudin in a rematch some
five years in the making. The pair fought at Cage Rage 2, held
at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, in February 2003. Taylor won
by decision but Liaudin has disputed the result ever since and
has long been looking for a rematch.
FCF:
What are you expecting from Jess on Saturday night?
Taylor:
“I think he’s going to try to take me down from the
off. He’s going to try to put me flat on my back. That’s
what I’ve been training for. I know where the holes in my
game are, but I also know where I excel and that’s where
I want to keep it.”
FCF:
Was this rematch high on your to-do list?
PT:
“Not at all. I already beat Jess, but it’s a bigger
organisation, we’re completely different fighters so I can
see the crowd might want to see that. Obviously Jess feels the
need to big it up and slag me off in some of his interviews.
He’s got to make his hands and his feet do the talking on
Saturday night. That’s what I’m going to do.”
FCF:
It’s a long road from fighting at the York Hall to the UFC
at the O2 Arena.
PT:
“It was in the early days of British MMA as well. It was
probably one of the best fights of the year in terms of British
fights. We’ve both come on but we both took our games in
different directions. If you look at a lot of Jess’s fights,
he’s gone more along the wrestling and submission route,
whereas I’ve stuck to what I like to do best which is stand
up and bang. I think that did detract a little bit from my ground
work which I’ve paid for on a couple of occasions but I
feel I’ve fixed those points and if he thinks he’s
going to keep my flat on my back on Saturday night, he’s
got another think coming.”
FCF:
What have you done to prepare for the fight?
PT:
“I’ve been training at The Martial Arts Centre in Cannock,
in Staffordshire. It’s where I’ve always trained. I’ve
got some new sparring partners, I’ve got Marc Goddard working
on my jiu-jitsu with me. It’s been more on the mental side.
I am prone to get pulled into a row with somebody, like in the
Paul Kelly fight for instance. I’m more of a technical fighter
than that, believe it or not, but I caught in a row. You hit
me, I’ll hit you back. It was great for the crowd but not
good for my fight record. I appreciate Jess has been trying to
wind me up in all his interviews trying to get me to bite, but
I ain’t biting this time. He’s going to get the cool,
calm, collected Paul Taylor of old who goes out to win.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Jacare's
2 cents
Champion gives his predictions for the 2008 Worlds
Jiu-Jitsu
ace Ronaldo Jacare put his nextel to work and calls up GRACIEMAG.com
"I was cleaning my radio on my shirt, I ended up beeping
you by accident," explains the Brazilian aspiring to win
the Dream 83kg GP, the next stage of which is on the 15th of
June in Japan.
To
prove Jacare is not just thinking about his next opponent, Jason
Miller, and taking advantage of the accidental beep, we asked
for him to give his predictions on the Worlds, the event he'll
be watching from the front row.
"Sure
I have predictions. I know the middleweight category is a tough
one full of tough guys, but I'm betting on the guy who got 50
submissions in 50 fights at brown belt: I bet on Kron Gracie,"
says Ronaldo, between training sessions in Los Angeles, where
he's also battling to get his visa. "At medium heavyweight,
things will be even tougher. It'll be between Andre Galvao and
Braulio, since Barral's not fighting."
And
the absolute? "It'll go to Xande. I believe in Roger a lot
and he has everything he needs to be champion, of course. But
there will be a guy from the Amazon in his way. Xande will be
there," he says in provocation, remembering the lightweights.
"I heard a load of tough Japanese fighters in the lower
weight groups will be coming. These Japanese guys are wily. But
in truth I think Cobrinha will take the featherweight again.
And I'll be there to see it up close.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Lucas
Leite chasing second
2007 champion may get Kron in semifinal
Lucas
Leite was one of the big revelations of last year's Worlds. After
a great campaign, he met friend Andre Galvao in the final and
they shut out the category, taking the gold. This year, however,
there will be no slack. To win his second, the Brasa black belt
will have to get past such monsters as Victor Estime (GB), Mike
Fowler (Lloyd Irvin) and, in the semifinal, Kron Gracie (Rickson).
"I can't be thinking only about Kron, if just because there
are a lot of tough fighters in the bracket."
The
champion is ready, but some good news came along to get in his
way during the final stretch: "Leozinho's son was born and
he couldn't make it to this Worlds, but we managed to get together
here to train some. I trained had even in Sao Paulo," revealed
Lucas. Stay glued to GRACIEMAG.com to find out what goes down
in Long Beach.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
NO
BROKEN FOOT, SCOTT SMITH LOOKS TO REMATCH
by Damon Martin
Despite previous reports that EliteXC middleweight fighter Scott
Smith broke his foot during his bout with Robbie Lawler last
Saturday night, MMAWeekly.com has confirmed that he suffered
no break and will not miss any time with an injury.
Smith
confirmed the news himself when he appeared on MMAWeekly Radio
Wednesday night.
“I
got x-rays yesterday, no breaks, no cracks, nothing. My foot’s
good to go,” he stated.
After
the fight ended, Smith limped to the post fight press conference
and, at the time, he thought he was dealing with a broken foot,
but upon further examination the injury will heal up fairly quickly.
“The
night of the fight, I could barely walk on it. By the next day
I was walking pretty good, and I’m completely walking normal
now,” said Smith. “It’s black and blue all the
way above my ankle and pretty swollen, but the doctor said no
breaks, so he just said, ‘quit kicking people in the elbow.’”
Following
an epic fight with Lawler at the first ever CBS-EliteXC Saturday
Night Fights card, Smith says he will take a week off to spend
some time with his children and then he will head back into the
gym to prepare for his rematch with the champion.
While
no official announcement has been made, EliteXC Live Events President
Gary Shaw mentioned that the next CBS show would likely take
place in late summer or early fall, and Smith believes he and
Lawler will be the headline fight.
“They
said for sure we’re rematching, we’ll be a main event
at a CBS card type thing. It will be good,” he commented.
“September, October is what I’m told.”
After
a brief break from action, Smith also said he would be traveling
to Thailand to train and get ready for his rematch with Lawler
where he hopes this time to go home as the new EliteXC middleweight
champion.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Alejarra
denies Wand vs. Rashad
By Guilherme Cruz
Although
the news at the site Subfighter.tv, saying that Wanderlei Silva
could already have his next bout scheduled to face Rashad Evans
at the UFC, his physical coach, Rafael Alejarra, denied any contact
from the event to the fighter about his next fight. “If
they have mouth, they can talk. Nobody from UFC call us to talk
about the next fight. Wanderlei is on vacations at Hawaii , I
talked with him on the fone and there is nothing right for the
next bout”, guaranteed Alejarra, denying the information.
Source: Tatame
|
Trump
Talks Affliction Partnership
by Joe Hall
NEW
YORK -- Donald Trump plans to bring money and attention to Affliction's
MMA events, the real estate mogul said Thursday at a news conference
held to announce his partnership with the clothing company turned
promoter.
"I've
got a lot of money," Trump told a room filled with journalists
on the 25th floor of Trump Tower. "That helps, right? But
also and perhaps more importantly, I seem to get a lot of attention.
For instance, if I wasn't here today, you might have maybe one
writer. And now the place is packed."
Trump
said he had been discussing a partnership with Affliction for
six months.
"It's
really something that I'm doing because I enjoy doing it,"
he said. "If we make money, that's great. I think we will.
I think it will be successful. What I do is usually successful."
As
evidence Trump cited his experience hosting some of Mike Tyson's
biggest fights as well as his success with the WWE's Vince McMahon.
He also put his partnership with Affliction in perspective.
"It's
financial, but it's not a very big deal for me," he said.
"When you build a billion-dollar building like I'm doing
in Dubai and lots of other places, that's a much bigger financial
commitment."
Twice
Trump said Affliction has the best fighters in MMA. It was no
accident that a phone call interrupted the conference to back
up that claim.
Former
UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (Pictures) was on the
line via speakerphone.
"Hello,
Andrei," Trump said. "You think this was a setup? This
has got to be the worst setup I've ever seen."
The
room broke into laughter.
"We're
having a very successful press conference," Trump told Arlovski.
"A lot of people showed up. Who knows what they're going
to write? Who the hell cares? It ultimately doesn't matter as
long as they write."
Arlovski
thanked Trump and confirmed his fight with Ben Rothwell (Pictures)
for Affliction's July 19 debut event in Anaheim, Calif.
Trump
also threw Tito Ortiz (Pictures)'s name into the mix after referencing
the ratings success of "The Apprentice" on NBC, a show
on which Ortiz appeared.
"We'll
probably be asking Tito to come along also," Trump said.
"We have many, many great fighters, but we'll be asking
Tito to come along."
Ortiz,
a former UFC light heavyweight champion, lost a decision to Lyoto
Machida (Pictures) on May 24 in what is believed to be his last
fight in the UFC. His ongoing feud with UFC President Dana White
has received constant attention.
Trump
would not criticize White when given the opportunity Thursday.
"I
have great respect for Dana White," he said. "Some
of the people in the room may not like him. I like him and I
think he's done a very good job."
At
the same time, Trump said the addition of another powerful promoter
is a positive move for the sport.
"If
there's only one organization," he said, "you can pay
the fighters five dollars and they'll be happy to fight."
Affliction
Vice President Tom Atencio (Pictures) stood beside Trump while
he spoke. The juxtaposition made for a stark contrast: Trump
in a suit and Atencio in designer jeans with a chain hanging
down his leg.
An
odd partnership perhaps but one that has plans for MMA nonetheless.
"I
think there are things we can do to make this very, very exciting,"
Trump said. "And my fights have always been very exciting,
even when I'm fighting with businesspeople."
Source: Sherdog
|
MMA
SUBMISSION: AN INTERVIEW WITH DANA WHITE
by Ryan Hockensmith
Never
shy with opinions, Dana White is quite an interesting interview.
Get
a load of Dana White's schedule this week. The UFC president
spent two days in New York on business, then flew right to London
for this weekend's pay per view. Then he's flying back to New
York for more meetings. "It's a little crazy right now,"
he says with a laugh. "But in a good way. This sport is
blowing up."
The
Mag caught up with him for a wide-ranging question and answer
session about everything from this weekend's pay-per-view to
Kimbo Slice. He couldn't answer some questions about pending
deals (including an announcement he's planning for next week,
an announcement he says will rock the MMA world). Other questions,
such as his thoughts on Slice, he had plenty to say.
The
Mag: Let's start with the main event this weekend, Matt Hughes
vs. Thiago Alves.
DW:
Interesting fight. Hughes is the most dominant welterweight champion
ever. After the two losses to Georges St.-Pierre, people are
wondering where he's at. He's been so dominant with his wrestling,
but Thiago has looked good lately with his takedown defense and
his standup is brutal. Hughes is either going to take a step
forward and say, 'I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere.'
Or Alves will say, 'No, I'm the guy now.' It's going to be a
fun fight.
The
Mag: I heard Hughes say the other day that, win or lose, he's
definitely going to fight Matt Serra next. True?
DW:
Those two want to fight. Serra told me before the GSP fight that
he wants Hughes next. There's nothing like two fighters at their
levels when they want to fight just because they don't like each
other. That's never not fun. I think we'll make that fight for
the fall.
The
Mag: And break down this weekend's Marcus Davis vs. Mike Swick
fight.
DW:
A lot of people are pumped up about this one. Davis is on a tear
and Swick is coming off one of the only boring fights he's ever
had. Swick is not happy about that, and I've been busting his
chops ever since then. I think he's going to come out like a
mad man.
The
Mag: If Davis beats Swick, that has to put him at the top of
the list to fight GSP.
DW:
If he wins, that's huge. He's in the food chain for a title shot,
no doubt about it.
The
Mag: What will BJ Penn do: stay at 155 or move up to 170 for
a rematch with St.-Pierre?
DW:
BJ has become one of the most well-rounded, most amazing fighters
I've ever met. He used to be just a jiu-jitsu guy. Now his wrestling
is second-to-none. His standup is (freaking) amazing. Even boxing
guys say they like his hands. The kid is unbelievable. The only
thing he lacked was so he was so (freaking) good, so talented,
that he always came up with these crazy schemes to move up to
heavyweight and do all this crazy stuff. It took years to reel
him in and convince him to focus on being a 155-pounder. This
kid is so focused and fired up right now. It's going to be fun
to see what he does.
The
Mag: So what do you think he will do?
DW:
Penn against GSP is a huge fight. I think that fight needs to
happen.
The
Mag: How do you feel about those kind of superfights between
different weight classes?
DW:
I don't like it. I like guys to stay at their weight classes
and dominate. I don't want guys moving up and down.
The
Mag: So the dream matchup of Anderson Silva against GSP, maybe
at a catch weight…
DW:
Don't hold your breath on that one.
Getty
Images
Dana
White thinks Kimbo Slice sucks. How does he feel about Kaley
Cuoco? Time will tell.
The
Mag: Who will Chuck fight in September?
DW:
The fight is going to be in Atlanta, Georgia—that's something
we haven't said publicly yet. There's something no one else has
heard. You have no idea some of the stuff that we have planned.
I'm going to make an announcement next week that is going to
blow people's minds. That deal is done, but my employees don't
even know yet. I'm renting out a place next Thursday and I'm
going to tell them. Then we'll make the announcement later that
day. It's an indicator of where this business is going over the
next five years. I gotta tell you, I was very, very disappointed
in ESPN this past weekend. A 15-minute feature on SportsCenter
about Kimbo Slice? That is embarrassing. It's so bad I can't
even tell you. Then that show goes off. That guy he fought is
a joke, and he went three rounds with Kimbo in a fight that shouldn't
have been stopped. When the major media outlets would rather
follow freak shows instead of real athletes, it's embarrassing.
It just makes my life and job a whole lot harder. It's already
been exposed. But getting that kind of coverage on ESPN, and
BJ Penn doesn't? Everybody is so obsessed over who's going to
take a chunk out of the UFC that those guys will get this kind
of press coverage for no reason whatsoever. I think the show
that happened on CBS the other day was a complete embarrassment
for CBS and for the sport of mixed-martial arts. Urijah Faber
is 145 pounds. He'll beat Kimbo Slice. Kimbo Slice sucks. He's
terrible. If I had a heavyweight The Ultimate Fighter show, I
don't think he'd win the show. And he's headlining a show on
CBS?
The
Mag: But if the Elite XC card is an embarrassment, aren't you
and the UFC winners?
DW:
We put on fights between the best fighters; we don't put on freak
shows. Even in the dark days, when we were bleeding money, we
could have gone out and found a freak show. I could be on CBS
right now, but I'm not going to make a crappy deal. We're in
this thing for all the right reasons. Now people are out there
trying to cash in. The reality is, everything about that show
sucked, but they created some brand confusion. A lot of people
thought they were tuning in to the UFC that night. What does
that do to me? For you to say that I walked away as a winner,
I completely disagree. I lost that night.
The
Mag: Don't you feel like in the long run, this is a step forward
for MMA?
DW:
It doesn't feel like it right now. Everybody thought Kimbo could
fight—until Saturday night. He knocked out 50-year-old Tank
Abbott and all of a sudden everybody thought he could fight?
Most of the people who follow him are 16-year-olds on the Internet
that don't know a thing about fighting. Listen, I don't want
Kimbo showing up in my back yard wanting to fight. If he's in
a backyard streetfight, he's a tough guy. I'll give him that.
But this is a real sport with real athletes. He wouldn't last
13 seconds on our reality show.
The
Mag: How did the WEC show from the following day compare?
DW:
That's what the sport is all about—two guys at their weight
class, Jens Pulver and Urijah Faber, who are the best in the
world. Not just one guy in a backyard with a crazy beard. Everything
we do is the best against the best.
The
Mag: I spoke with Urijah Faber last week, and he said he'd be
willing to go up to 155 and move to the UFC. How would you feel
about that?
DW:
I don't know if I want to see that. He's so small. I don't know
how he'd do at 155. He's so talented at that weight, and he doesn't
even have to cut to make it. That fight lived up to the hype.
The place was legitimately sold out, with the best fighters in
the world. He should stay at 145 and become a superstar.
The
Mag: There's been a lot written and discussed lately about the
UFC trimming its roster. Where was the roster at, where is it
now, and where is it heading?
DW:
Right now, we're at about 180 fighters. Before, we had 250. I
like that number, 180. As long as we have enough fighters and
fight cards to keep everybody fighting three times a year, that's
where I want our roster to be.
The
Mag: Much has also been made about fighters' pay, especially
after Tito Ortiz's comments trashing you and the UFC for not
paying guys enough. What are your feelings about salaries for
your guys?
DW:
Everybody thinks these guys don't make good money. But they make
a lot of money—a lot. I don't like talking about pay. But
the stars make millions of dollars, and the lesser-known guys
do fine, too. Why are we the only organization that gets asked
about that? Our guys do better than fighters anywhere else. People
are popping up left and right and throwing money around, but
that's proven to be a terrible business model. What good does
it do for a guy to make $100,000 for one fight, and then the
promotion goes under? Guys do all right with their basic salaries,
and then we do a lot of bonuses that other promoters don't do.
At our last pay-per-view, we gave out three $75,000 bonuses for
great fights. Who else does that?
The
Mag: Of the 180 fighters on the roster, what percentage of them
make more than $50,000 a year?
DW:
Tons make that, and most make a lot more. I'd say a huge percentage.
The
Mag: Would you say 75 percent of your guys—of the 180 on
the roster—make that or better?
DW:
Easily 75 percent. Probably more than 75 percent.
The
Mag: In the recent Rolling Stone story, and in other interviews,
you've said you don't want to stick around once this business
isn't fun any more. With the Tito ordeal, and the lawsuits and
trouble with Randy Couture, and other promotions popping up,
are you still having fun?
DW:
It still is a lot of fun for me. There's so much left to do.
People talk about how big this sport is right now. But we still
have so much room to grow. I have a road map for where this is
going, and we're not even close to that place yet. In the next
10 years, MMA will be the biggest sport on the planet.
The
Mag: Where is the sport going? Are you talking about it going
international?
DW:
Yes, this sport is going international. I think it's going to
be the first world-wide pay-per-view company. Right now, we're
in 170 countries either on PPV or free TV. In the next five years,
we're going to take live events all over the world.
Getty
Images
Tito
+ Dana = Not Friends.
The
Mag: When was the last time you spoke with Randy Couture?
DW:
I talked to him at the last PPV, when he cornered Wanderlei Silva.
I said, 'Hey, what's up?' And he was very cool. I like Randy.
He had the problem with me. I hate Tito Ortiz, but I don't hate
Randy.
The
Mag: What are the chances that Randy fights again in the UFC?
DW:
Better than zero. There's still a chance. We're still in litigation
with him. But I could see us putting everything behind us some
day. I don't know what will happen. But if we could patch things
up, I'd put him in The Octagon in a heart beat. All I care about
in this business is putting great fights on. If I can get Randy
back, I would.
Source: ESPN
|
Quote
of the Day
“Confidence
is the result of hours and days and weeks and years of constant
work and dedication.”
Roger Staubach, American Football Player
|
Shogun
strikes back
Says will fight Sokoudjou any time
After
defeating Kazuhiro Nakamura at UFC 84, Cameroon’s Thierry
Sokoudjou chose Brazil’s Mauricio Shogun as his next target
in his quest for the light heavyweight belt. What started as
just a healthy challenge at the press conference has become a
more serious accusation by the Team Quest athlete in a recent
interview with website FightHype.
In
the interview, Sokoudjou said that Shogun has been running away
from him since they were both fighting in Pride. He also said
that he expects the Brazilian to finally accept his request to
fight now that they are both working with the Ultimate Fighting
Championship.
Faced with the “African Assassin’s” declarations,
even the always calm and respectful Shogun had to say something,
and that’s why GRACIEMAG.com gave him a call:
“They
can match me up against anyone and I’ll be happy. It is
Dana White and the guys at the UFC who decide who I fight with.
I’m not going to give this guy any attention, even because
I have fought better fighters than him. He wanted to fight me
and I never said yes or no – they just didn’t make
it happen and he ended up fighting Ricardo Arona at Pride’s
last event. I never heard anything about Chute Boxe telling him
he’d have to fight Evangelista Cyborg before me, like he
said. I’ll fight him like I have always fought all top competitors,”
said Shogun, who is currently recovering from a knee injury at
his new academy, called Universidade da Luta (‘Fight University’).
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Darrel
Gholar back to BTT
One
of the greatest Wrestlers of all time is back to Brazilian Top
Team (BTT). The North-American Darrel Gholar arrived in this
week to help Murilo Bustamante and Milton Vieira training to
the debut at Godz of War on June 21st at the Time Warner Cable
Arena in Charlotte, United States. "Darrel is going to add
a lot to the whole team training. He is a great wrestling coach
and everyone here in BTT already knows him very well. We have
a new structure and it will bring benefits to everyone",
said Sergio Cunha, Muay Thai coach of the team, which along with
Sergio Babú and Eraldo Paes, has been leading the team's
training sessions and helping the leader Murilo Bustamante in
this final training phase.
Source: Tatame |
Murilo
trains to the “war” at U.S.
The
day that he will return to the American MMA is coming and Murilo
Bustamante is training hard to restart, on June 21st, his way
with the right foot in the United States. Away from the U.S.
events since 2002, when he fought for the last time at the UFC
octagon, the leader of BTT will face Josh Haynes at Godz Wars,
new event that will have also at the card Milton Vieira, another
athlete of his team. "I was training at BTT Las Vegas and
now I have two weeks and a half to devote myself exclusively
to training. Traveling is always difficult, but managed to train
and now I'm going to dedicate myself to my fight here. Miltinho
and I are going strong", said Murilo, who is confident in
the success of the event. "The expectation is that everything
goes right, that the event is all that they are promising and
that we have a performance at the same level of the show. I arrived
yesterday and I have already trained at night and we are working,
we will make everything possible to give a good show to the North-American
public", said the leader of the Brazilian Top Team.
Source: Tatame
|
Antonio
Pezão Silva
By Marcelo Alonso
“I'm in the queue and I want to be among the Top 10 and
maybe one day, be at the first or second place. I want to make
history at the category”
The
Brazilian giant Antonio "Pezão" Silva, with
127kg and excessive strength, is the big bet of the American
Top Team for the heavyweight category. Preparing himself to the
debut on open TV at EliteXC on July, Pezão said in exclusive
interview to TATAME, from ATT training center on his way to the
North-America, his fight against the growth hormones and his
family at ATT. "I'm in the queue and I want to be among
the Top 10 and maybe one day, be at the first or second place",
said the Brazilian, who dreams in conquer the belt, but he just
doesn’t wants to learn to face the current champion in this
category at the UFC, his friend Rodrigo Minotauro. Check out
the complete interview below.
How
did you come to American Top Team?
I have been here already for a year and three months at and with
a contract with American Top Team. I came through my manager
Alex Davis and I am very happy here because we are a complete
academy, we have everything here, all kinds of training. A good
training of Wrestling, Boxing, a good striking training, good
ground training with Libório, which is a Jiu-Jitsu legend,
finally, here is the right place for the athlete who wants to
grow at the sport.
You
had a problem when you came ... How was that?
I have a accelerated production of Growth Hormone and I had to
make a mini-surgery to remove a benign tumor that was producing
a lot of GH. Thanks to God I am well after been stopped three
months after surgery...
There
are people who spend money to buy the hormone and you had to
spend some to stop producing it?
It was more expensive to take off that if I had to take it, it
was better if I had just took it. But God knows what does and
gave me such good genetics and I am very happy after surgery,
I made two fights and had two wins.
How
is your card record now?
I have 13 fights, 12 wins and just one lost on a fight.
What
is the difference between ATT and other academies?
Ahead everything is the companionship and the organization. Here
the everybody help each other a lot, people has no jealous from
other are winning. The organization of training, schedule, finally,
ATT is different because of that.
With
127kg you have to lower the weight to enter the category?
The fact is that it is not a sacrifice because seven kilos for
a heavyweight is very easy to loose. For my last fight I did
not have to do any sacrifice, I put my normal clothes and I made
sauna to sweat more and I losse the weight smoothly. I am also
thinking in one day, maybe, go to 205 pounds (93kg) category
(laughs).
But
you can loose that much? You have already weighed close to it?
I came here with that in my mind and the people is almost dying,
saying it is impossible. But this is more a joke, but Benkei
(Andrew) said it is possible. Benkei make everything, but this
is only a joke and even my focus is the heavyweight and I want
to make history at the category.
What
is your plan now?
It is almost right that I will fight on July 26, at CBS by EliteXC
and and it is going to be for the belt, I don’t have an
opponent yet, but still has a long time ahead.
If
you could choose your opponent, who would you choose?
Without any doubt anyone between Top 10 I would be pleased. Because
I'm in the queue and I want to be among the Top 10 and maybe
one day, be among the first and second places. I'm in the queue
and I want to be among the Top 10 and maybe one day, be at the
first or second place.
If
in case you faced Rodrigo Minotauro, How it would be?
This is something I do not think about, because beyond Minotauro
is a friend of training, is my personal friend, I was in a very
bad situation in England with my wife and my daughter and who
welcomed me and brought me from England was him. I think I would
prefer to stop fighting, because I could not close my hand to
hit Minotauro.
How
was that situation in ?
I was called to five fights in England invited by Mario Sucata,
who gave me the first opportunity to fight abroad, but unfortunately
I had two managers that cheat me, did not pay my last fight,
did not pay my tickets back to Brazil, because I knew Aras and
signed with him to fight in Japan, at Hero's and they were upset,
and so that they did everything wrong with me. Then at the time
that I needed most, Aras and Minotauro helped me. So It is impossible
to close my hand to hit Minotauro, there is no way to it happen.
Do
you want to face Fedor?
I was very anxious when he left M-1 and there was some speculation
that he could fight at Pro-Elite, but he signed with other events,
but my contract is open and I think that while the opportunity
does not appear, I'm training to acquire more experience, because
everyone knows that he is a complete fighter, so the more experience
I have to face him is better.
How
is their adaptation in ? You living with your wife who is pregnant.
The beginning is difficult, the language, but now I'm more accustomed,
more adapted to the city, my daughter is already speaking English.
My wife is pregnant, one more happiness for us. And here in Florida
where we are, is like a piece of , the academy, many Brazilians,
friends, restaurants and I'm happy here.
Are
you already speaking English?
That is complicated, you see my daughter with seven months already
speaking English and I, who is more than a year here, I only
speak feel words yet. But anyway, I have to try harder, because
my time to learn is low, because when I'm not training at ATT
I am resting at home, then I have to learn here at the academy
in the course of days.
And
at Paraíba state, your homeland, with who you worked before
fighting?
I started working helping selling auto parts and then I went
to be a seller, then I did a vigilant course, and the last job
I did was that I was safe car bodyguard.
Source: Tatame |
Nashville
viewers show support for MMA
The
first mixed martial arts broadcast on network TV certainly caught
the attention of viewers in Middle Tennessee.
USA
Today reported that the event Saturday night received a 10.3
overnight rating in the Nashville market, the second-highest
rating in the country. That rating means the broadcast was seen
in approximately 98,880 households here.
Oklahoma
City had the highest national rating, at 11.1. New Orleans (9.7)
followed Nashville, and Memphis was fourth (8.4), the newspaper
reported.
That
national rating doesn’t include the main event, which didn’t
appear until 10:30 p.m., which is past the primetime ratings
period.
Advertisement
CBS
plans at least three more MMA shows — the next, still unscheduled,
likely will come this fall — and probably will add more
if they continue to draw young viewers on Saturday, TV’s
least-watched night.
In
the main event at Newark, N.J., Kimbo Slice had his hands full
with James (The Colossus) Thompson, eventually winning by TKO.
The
fight was stopped 38 seconds into the third round with a dazed
Thompson bleeding from the ear from some big punches to the head.
Slice, a former street brawler from Miami whose real name is
Kevin Ferguson, improved to 3-0 after the main event at the Prudential
Center.
Source: Tennessean |
Kimbo
Slices the Colossus
It'll be some time before I get the image of James "The
Colossus" Thompson's cauliflower ear exploding on impact
after a right cross from Kimbo Slice in Saturday night's MMA
action on CBS. Only a horror-film director could've thought that
one up.
Then
again, in retrospect, that ear was destined to pop. So swollen
was the Briton brawler's ear that the thing seemed to enter the
cage a full minute before Thompson himself did.
All
in all, CBS' first shot at ultimate fighting was promising. Mind
you, I watched most of it the way one watches Halloween III--squinting
through one's fingers while anxiously awaiting the bloody killshot.
The time between fights was often interminable and the fighters'
nicknames seemed forced, but the bouts themselves were quite
good. I found the sight of Gina Carano and Kaitlin Young pummeling
each other a bit disturbing--just my two cents--but there was
plenty of action, skills were very good and Carano seemed to
have a bit of the It factor in her post-bout interview.
The
middleweight contest between Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith was
an absolute cracker--both guys were wobbling at different points
and seemed a punch away from collapsing, but hung on long enough
to get their legs under them again. Too bad an errant finger
in Smith's eye ended the fight early.
Then
it was on to the big boys. Fittingly, the clip of Slice busting
open Thompson's grotesque ear is destined to be a YouTube phenom;
as you heard 42 times this past weekend, Slice made his name
in backyard brawls shared on YouTube--some of which have been
seen 2.5 million times apiece.
Speaking
of cauliflower ears, I was pleased to see the U.S. Super League
rugby championship on ESPN Classic Saturday night as well--live,
no less. The production was first-rate, the match could not have
been closer, and it was a pleasure to not have to schlep to some
Manhattan pub at an off hour to catch live rugby on TV.
My
only quibble was with my DVR. The match went into double overtime
and then sudden death before New York Athletic Club sealed it--lasting
well past when my DVR stopped recording.
Source: Broadcasting Cable
|
Kimbo
obviously still needs some work
James
Thompson gave the notorious YouTube brawler a run for his money,
only to succumb to Ferguson's heavy hands early in round three
of the featured bout at EliteXC "Primetime" at the
Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Carried by CBS, the historic
event served as MMA's debut on live network television.
Ferguson
was the centerpiece, and while he remained unbeaten, his latest
effort exposed some glaring holes in his game.
With
fatigue setting in, Ferguson ripped his British adversary with
a right hook that ruptured his right ear and sent blood spilling
down Thompson's torso. He followed it with a vicious combination
that wobbled Thompson and sent him back pedaling into the cage,
where referee Dan Miragliotta brought the bout to an end.
The
glassy-eyed Thompson protested and pawed at Miragliotta in disgust
at one point. Ferguson (3-0, 3-0 EXC) collapsed to the canvas
in relief.
"I've
got a lot to learn and a long way to go," Ferguson said.
"James was a very tough opponent. I didn't underestimate
him, but I didn't know he was going to be that strong on the
ground."
After
an even first round, Thompson (14-9, 0-2 EXC) appeared to gain
control in the second, as he grounded Ferguson against the cage
and dropped a series of short unanswered elbows until time expired.
His inability to finish the street-fighter proved costly. Moments
later, his night's work was over, as Ferguson delivered a right
uppercut-left hook combination that finished the Pride Fighting
Championships veteran.
Another
high-profile match ended even less conclusively.
EliteXC
middleweight champion Robbie Lawler retained his title following
an accidental eye poke that left challenger Scott Smith unable
to continue. Because the bout did not go the requisite three
rounds for a decision, it was ruled a no contest. Fans showered
the cage with chants of "Bulls**t."
"I'm
sorry we couldn't finish this," Lawler said. "We'll
just have to run it back and do it again."
Smith
(13-4, 1-0 EXC) informed the cageside doctor that he could not
see out of his right eye, according to New Jersey State Athletic
Control Board representative Nick Lembo. The fight had proven
competitive up until the stoppage, though Lawler (15-4, 1-0 EXC)
had landed the more punishing blows, including a series of first-round
liver kicks that nearly had Smith doubled over in pain.
EliteXC
Live Events president Gary Shaw indicated a rematch would be
made immediately and that Smith and Lawler would both be awarded
their win bonuses. His words, however, did little to ease the
disappointment that resulted from an anti-climactic conclusion.
"I
don't like for a fight to end like this," Smith said. "I
probably would have gotten knocked out, but I'd rather get knocked
out than for it to end like this. I would have kept fighting
until he killed me."
Meanwhile,
Gina Carano lived up to pre-fight billing a day after she failed
to make weight for her bout with Kaitlin Young.
Carano
(6-0, 3-0 EXC) minimized a first-round takedown and seized control
in the second, as she punished Young (4-2, 0-1 EXC) standing.
The 26-year-old, who moonlights as "Crush" on the NBC
series "American Gladiators," let her hands fly despite
signs she was tiring. By the end of round two, Young's left eye
had swollen to such an extent that the fight was stopped.
"She's
one of my toughest opponents," said Carano, who reportedly
only trained for the match for three weeks. "I didn't get
to put my heart into training. I was really unsure going into
this fight. I've got to get back in the gym and get my butt in
gear."
In
middleweight action, Joey Villasenor dominated fading veteran
Phil Baroni, as he stopped the brash brawler on strikes in just
71 seconds.
Baroni
(10-10, 0-1 EXC) scored with an early takedown, as he caught
a high kick from Villasenor and sent him to the canvas. From
there, the bout grew more and more one-sided. Villasenor (26-6,
4-1 EXC) moved back to a standing position, stunned his foe with
a short left hook and then caught Baroni in a standing guillotine
choke. Though he escaped, Baroni was clearly winded, and when
Villasenor approached again, he could not defend himself. The
referee stepped in after Villasenor found the mark with a series
of unanswered blows.
"It
was all about finding my range," Villasenor said. "That
left hook was just there. I knew he was going to get out [of
the choke], but I knew he was definitely going to be wheezing
for air after that."
Once
a bright young star in the 185-pound division, Baroni has dropped
three consecutive fights — all by TKO. Where the 32-year-old
goes from here remains to be seen.
Elsewhere,
the mohawked Brett Rogers (7-0, 3-0 EXC) continued his climb
up the heavyweight ladder, as he dispatched Jon Murphy (4-3,
0-1 EXC) in 1:01. The unbeaten Rogers, after some nice clinch
work, clipped his opponent with a short right hook that dropped
him where he stood.
"I
knew I was going to catch him," Rogers said. "It feels
good to get in and out. I'm moving up, up and up the ladder."
Former
Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro Carlton Haselrig (2-0, 1-0 EXC),
UFC veteran Chris Liguori (8-7, 1-0 EXC), Matt Makowski (3-0,
1-0 EXC) and Joe Sampieri (1-2, 1-0 EXC) all were victorious
by TKO in preliminary action. Meanwhile, Wilson Reis (4-0, 1-0
EXC) and James "Binky" Jones (7-6, 1-0 EXC) each won
by submission. Zach Makovsky (4-1, 1-0 EXC) rounded out the show
by earning a unanimous decision against the American Top Team's
Andres Soares (5-2, 0-1 EXC).
Source: Fox Sports
|
CBS
and the Elite XC experiment
Well,
did you watch it? Last night CBS boldly went where no network
has gone before... and it kind of sucked. That's too bad. As
someone who counts himself as a fan of MMA, I had high hopes
for the big debut. But then, I knew going in that it was an iffy
proposition. They try hard, but the Elite XC is still far from
the cream of the MMA crop. For the prime time debut, it really
would have been nice if this could have been a big UFC event.
Heck, even the WEC with that Uriah Faber vs Jens Pulver (VS tonight
at 6PM PST) match would have been preferable.
Despite
the lack of big name talent, the show still had a shot. Great
fights can make up for a lot of shortcomings, and this one had
a lot of them to be made up for. To start, the production left
a lot to be desired. For example, if you are promising the fans
big time fighting, get to it already. It took a full 25 minutes
before the first match started. Worse than that, given the way
the first two matches played out, fans were left with just over
two minutes of actual fighting in the first hour of the show.
I was left thinking that the most exciting thing about the first
hour was the commercial for Street Fighter IV. Not a good sign.
The
team doing the coverage wasn't the greatest either. Mauro Ronallo,
Gus Johnson, and Frank Shamrock all did an ok job, but you have
to compare them to their peers. They come off as lacking when
you hold them up to the dynamic that you get from Mike Goldberg,
Joe Rogan, and Randy Couture.
As
I said before though, good fights trump everything. If the fights
were really good, you could listen to an announce team speaking
in a foreign language and it would still be a great show. And
that is ultimately what killed the Elite XC here. Let's take
a look at the matches.
The
first two were both instantly forgettable. Yeah, the occasional
quick knockout is exciting, but it was exactly the opposite of
what the show needed. Joe Murphy was never even in his fight
with Brett Rogers. Much like Phil Baroni putting up no real challenge
for Joe Villasenor. Baroni's tired entrance shtick, which looked
like Val Venis, without the humor, took longer than his fight.
And
then we had one of the few bright spots of the night. Surprisingly,
it came from the women. Gina Carano vs Kaitlin Young was the
fight I was most interested in coming into the show. For one,
the women's division is the one thing that really set it apart.
You just don't see a lot of girls doing MMA on the TV. Also,
of course, Gina Carano is just ridiculously hot, and the fact
that she's dedicated herself to being a fighter is fascinating.
The
fight was better than I had anticipated. Both of them are much
more powerful than I had expected, landing, and taking, some
really big kicks and punches. The best part though, was that
this fight finally had some shifts in momentum. Kaitlin Young
wasn't just another step on Gina Carano's tour. She had her moments
where she was up in the fight. And damn, the girl is tough. If
you watched, you had to see that quickly expanding mouse under
her left eye at the end of round two.
And
then things really started to go off the rails. I didn't think
much of the stopping of that fight when it happened. I've certainly
seen fighters go back out with injuries worse than Young's, but
I was willing to accept the doctor's decision to stop the fight
there. In light of how the rest of the night played out though,
it was a harbinger of things to come.
The
next fight really had the makings of a signature for the Elite
XC. Scott Smith and Robbie Lawler were well matched and put on
a great show. Like Young, Smith can take a punch. And his ability
to absorb damage and recover served him well as he and Lawler
went back and forth. The first round got off to a slow start,
with boos raining down from impatient crowd. After that though,
it was a good match. Right up until that unfortunate finger to
the eye. The stories vary, and I'm sure there is plenty of blame
to be passed around, but right or not, the doctor stopping the
fight right there was the worst thing that could have happened
to the show. It was the big title fight, tied one round apiece
and still anybody's to win, and we are left with a no contest.
Ridiculous.
But
wait, there was more ridiculous to come. I thought the addition
of the Kimbo Slice fight was a smart decision. His internet stardom
means that he is more familiar to the non-MMA fan, and could
draw a crowd. With that in mind though, it probably wasn't the
best idea to put his match at the end of the show. If you are
asking someone new to join you in this endeavor, probably not
the best idea to ask them so sit through two hours of two bad
fights, and two fights with questionable endings, to get to it.
I'd guess that a lot of the audience had given up by the time
the 11:00 hour approached and they finally got to the main event.
The
fight itself surprised me. I thought they would bring in some
tomato can so as not to endanger all the promotion they have
put into Kimbo. James Thompson proved himself very dangerous.
He also exposed Kimbo Slice. There is much more hype than actual
skill to Kimbo when it comes to MMA. At this point, he's still
a one trick pony. If somebody stands in front of him and lets
him swing away, yes, he's going to eventually knock them out.
But on the ground, he's more than vulnerable. He needs a lot
more training before he is ready to take on any of the more accomplished
fighters in the sport.
While
it did take a little of the shine off of Kimbo, it did make for
an interesting fight. Thompson had him on the ropes and looked
to actually have a shot at winning the fight at one point. But
again, like the two fights before it, it all ended up going to
hell. That was one of the worst stoppages I have ever seen in
MMA. Sure Thompson looked like he was about to be knocked out,
but he had looked like that in the round before as well. If he
could have wrapped Kimbo up and gotten him to the ground again,
he could have come back. I highly doubt that Big John McCarthy
or Herb Dean would have stopped the fight while Thompson was
still on his feet and swinging.
Even
if it was a good stop, which is debatable, it was again a horrible
result for the debut of Elite XC. Your two biggest matches ending
with the crowd booing and chanting bullshit is not a good sign.
At the end of the day, the start of this experiment was about
as bad as it could get. I would probably tune in to watch it
again, but it's gone from wanting to see a great show to being
more like how I watched Heatstroke on SciFi last night. How bad
can it get?
Source: TV Squad
|
Timing
of TKO has some crying fix of show
However,
one baffling byproduct of the show has been a flood of conspiracy
theories. Some are the result of misunderstanding. Others can
only be attributed to lunacy.
Take
for instance the night's main event between former bare-knuckle
brawler Kevin "Kimbo Slice" Ferguson and veteran fighter
James Thompson. Ferguson (arguably EliteXC's biggest star) barely
survived the second round, but after he staggered and bloodied
Thompson with a vicious punch early in the third, he was awarded
the technical-knockout victory.
Some
called it a premature stoppage, which is a reasonable gripe.
Others called it proof of a fix, which is simply absurd.
In
what was a typically chaotic post-event press conference, EliteXC
promoter Gary Shaw told the media Thompson was on his way to
the hospital and was unavailable for interviews. However, the
fighter appeared in the press area moments later.
The
kooks point to it as proof EliteXC officials were in cahoots
with the athletic commission and/or referee Dan Miragliotta,
and were concocting stories to silence Thompson. That begs the
question: Why would they?
Many
in attendance, including undercard fighter Bret Rogers, said
they saw Ferguson "tap out" in the second round from
Thompson's repeated strikes. However, not only did Thompson say
Ferguson never tapped out, he also said he "understood"
the stoppage.
So
much for the conspiracy and the need to hush Thompson.
And
yes, he went to the hospital immediately after the conference.
Source: Day to Daily News
|
You
can rest now, Kimbo
Those
who tuned in last night to watch CBS' Elite XC Saturday Night
Fights witnessed one of the greatest sporting spectacles in the
history of organized competition.
Not.
Ok,
there were brief moments of compelling action. But overall, it's
hard to say that mixed martial arts' first entry into the world
of prime time television was anything more than average.
It's
not CBS' fault, but two of the four fights were relative disappointments,
another was one-sided and essentially meaningless, and the fourth
merely exposed Kimbo Slice, MMA's biggest star, as a work in
progress.
We'll
find out in the next couple of days what CBS grabbed in terms
of ratings, but one can imagine that there weren't too many people
who sat through the entire two-hour broadcast from start to finish.
Slice against James Thompson was the main event, and they didn't
square off until 10:30 p.m. In between there were too many lulls
in action, and the mini-profiles of the fighters were not exactly
in-depth or illuminating.
The
first televised bout of the night featured Joey Villasenor winning
by TKO over Phil Baroni with about one minute left in the first
round. Hard to draw in viewers with a fight that's over that
quick. Later, in an all-female bout, Gina Carano dominated Kaitlin
Young in two rounds, but the big story there was how Carano would
be forced to share 12 percent of her winnings because she came
in four pounds overweight.
The
middleweight title bout between Robbie Lawlor and Scott Smith
had promise, but was stopped and ruled a no-contest in the second
round after Lawlor inadvertently poked Smith in the eye. Fans
in Newark had some colorful things to say about that decision.
(How ironic would it be if CBS got fined by the FCC not for the
violence of this event, but the profanity coming from the crowd?)
As
for Kimbo Slice, well, he won using his fists, as many predicted.
But he spent a lot of time lying on his back in the cage, which
is not a familiar place for him. It was plainly obvious that
Slice has not yet acquired the necessary skills to win a fight
on the ground, and he looked like he had the stamina of Nel Carter
running a marathon. The final minute of the second round basically
consisted of Thompson pinning Slice against the mat the cage
wall, elbowing him in the head over and over.
But
Slice was saved by the bell and nailed Thompson with a couple
of huge right hooks, including one that caused his ear to explode
with blood.The fight was called a few seconds later.
CBS'
Gus Johnson was his usual wound-up self, and kept calling the
decision to stop the fight "controversial" but there
was really no controversy. One could argue that Thompson could
have fought on, but one more punch to the head by Slice would
have ended it. (And I've never liked the idea of announcers referring
to something as "controversial." Very rarely is anything
truly controversial.)
It
will be very interesting to see how CBS does with these MMA events
moving forward, particularly if they lack a high-profile fighter
like Slice. Will people tune in to see guys they never heard
of?
Source: Washington Times
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882, American Poet
|
2008
HAWAIIAN CHAMPIONSHIP OF BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU -
PART 2 OF TRIPLE CROWN SERIES
RESULTS
WOMEN'S GI WHITE BELT
FEATHER
1ST - Theresa Motobu Relson Gracie Main Academy
2ND - Liliana Rangel Relson Gracie Main Academy
LIGHT
1ST - Corrie Leandro Grappling Unlimited
2ND - Alyssa Corcoran Gracie Kailua
MEN'S GI WHITE BELT
SUPER FEATHER
1ST - Joshua Martinez Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
2ND - Matt McMullin Relson Gracie - Derizans JJ
3RD - Shuichi Yamamoto Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
FEATHER
1ST - Dustin Kimura ICON
2ND - Chad Raymond BJ Penn Academy
3RD - Eric Cannon Ka-Mole JJ
LIGHT
1ST - Nicholas Lee Relson Gracie - Team HK
2ND - John
Felix Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
3RD - Aaron Terry Central Oahu JJ
MIDDLE
1ST - Jason Onishi Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
2ND - Kamuela
Ha'anio Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
3RD - Preston Miller Team Hi5 (Home Gym)
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - Sy Kageyama Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
2ND - Jence
Kona Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
3RD - Patrick Candelaria Gracie Kailua
HEAVY
1ST - Tyson Yoshizuma BJ Penn Academy
2ND - Raymond Keahi Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
3RD - Ryan Kauanui Central Oahu JJ
SUPER SUPER HEAVY
1ST - Roger
Skeens Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
2ND - Jake Santa Monica Central Oahu JJ
3RD - Jesse Perrin Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
MEN'S GI BLUE BELT
SUPER FEATHER
1ST - Sean Matsuo Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
2ND - Daniel Igawa Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
FEATHER
1ST - Ricky Alvarez BJ Penn Academy
2ND - Jun Hyodo Relson Gracie Main Academy
3RD - Noa Mau-Espirito Kendall Goo JJ
LIGHT
1ST - Douglas Nakata Maui JJ
2ND - Darin Ho Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
3RD - Sebastian Mariconda Relson Gracie - Papakolea JJ
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - Chris Templo Relson Gracie - Team HK
2ND - Elia Mundon BJ Penn Academy
3RD - Randall Silva Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
HEAVY
1ST - Guillermo Villa Relson Gracie Main Academy
2ND - Jacob Reis Central Oahu JJ
3RD- James Kupahu BJ Penn Academy
MEN'S GI PURPLE BELT
LIGHT
1ST - Erik Alves Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
2ND - Erik Beach BJ Penn Academy
MIDDLE
1ST - Pono Pananganan Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
2ND - Ahmed Diallo Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
MEN'S NO-GI NOVICE
FEATHER
1ST - Chad Raymond BJ Penn Academy
2ND - Eric Cannon Ka-Mole JJ
LIGHT
1ST - Nicholas Lee Relson Gracie - Team HK
2ND - John
Felix Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
3RD - Miguel Canals Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
MIDDLE
1ST - Nicholas Pait Hawaiian Competitive Arts
2ND - Jason Onishi Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
3RD - Preston miller Team Hi5 (Home Gym)
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - Jence
Kona Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
HEAVY
1ST - Ryan Kauanui Central Oahu JJ
2ND - Todd
Sales Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
3RD - Chris Santa Monica Central Oahu JJ
MEN'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE
ROOSTER
1ST - Sean Matsuo Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
2ND - Joshua Martinez Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
FEATHER
1ST - Noa Mau-Espirito Kendall Goo JJ
2ND - Daniel Igawa Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
3RD - Noel Castle HMC
LIGHT
1ST - Anthony Leone BJ Penn Academy
2ND - DeJuan Hathaway Grappling Unlimited
3RD - Sebastian Mariconda Relson Gracie - Papakolea JJ
MIDDLE HEAVY
1ST - Kazrae Herring BJ Penn Academy
2ND - Randall Silva Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
3RD - Sy Kageyama Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
SUPER SUPER HEAVY NOVICE / INTERMEDIATE
1ST - Jake Santa Monica Central Oahu JJ
2ND - Jesse Perrin Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
MEN'S NO-GI ADVANCED
FEATHER
1ST - Erik Beach BJ Penn Academy
2ND - Eric Alves Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
3RD - Ricky Alvarez BJ Penn Academy
MIDDLE
1ST - Gunnar Nelson BJ Penn Academy
2ND - Pono Pananganan Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
3RD - Ahmed Diallo Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
HEAVY
1ST - JR Kawamoto BJ Penn Academy
2ND - Guillermo Villa Relson Gracie Main Academy
3RD - Thane Fowler Hoa'ahi Grappling
KIDS GI WHITE
6 YRS & UNDER
1ST - Anjelynn Baron Central Oahu JJ
2ND - Triston Baron Central Oahu JJ
3RD - Peter Victoria Central Oahu JJ
7 YRS
1ST - Tao
Tuulima Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
2ND - Zayden Hamboro Central Oahu JJ
8-9 HEAVY
1ST - Draden Morisato Grappling Unlimited
2ND - Makalanani Bushe Central Oahu JJ
9-10 LIGHT
1ST - Lokahi Morante Central Oahu JJ
2ND - Caelin Lathrop Gracie Kailua
3RD - Christian Dumaoal Central Oahu JJ
9-10 MIDDLE
1ST - Kiana Lau Grappling Unlimited
2ND - Chaden Morisato Grappling Unlimited
3RD - Eugene
Auguay, Jr. Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
11-12 LIGHT
1ST - Ikela Nixon Central Oahu JJ
2ND - Brendon Hironaka BJ Penn Academy
3RD - Dustin Ibara Central Oahu JJ
11-12 HEAVY
1ST - Brandon Lau Grappling Unlimited
2ND - Mano Kailikea Central Oahu JJ
12-14 YRS
1ST - Jacob Kealoha Clam Gracie Barra
2ND - Shannon Paaaina Central Oahu JJ
3RD - Taaga
Tuulima Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
15-16 YRS
1ST - Austin Strong Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
2ND - Logan Wernet Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
3RD - Justin Lee Relson Gracie - Papakolea JJ
KIDS GI COLOR BELT
7-9 LIGHT
1ST - Dayson Maeda Central Oahu JJ
2ND - Issac Stalcup Central Oahu JJ
9-11 LIGHT
1ST - Teshya Alo Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team
2ND - Derek "DJ" Chinen, Jr. Relson Gracie - Kaneohe
Team
3RD - Mykah
Kuratani Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
10 HEAVY
1ST - Kaohi Kapiko Relson Gracie - Papakolea JJ
2ND - Masina Kaohelaulii Gracie Kailua
14-15 YRS
1ST - Bryan Peralta Junior Grappling
2ND - John Hommel Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team
3RD - Cody Willenborg Relson Gracie Hawaii Kai
KIDS NO-GI NOVICE
6 YRS & UNDER
1ST - Anjelynn Baron Central Oahu JJ
2ND - Jay Swift Central Oahu JJ
3RD- Triston Baron Central Oahu JJ
7 YRS
1ST - Issac Stalcup Central Oahu JJ
2ND - Tao
Tuulima Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
3RD- Dayson Maeda Central Oahu JJ
9 YRS
1ST - Lokahi Morante Central Oahu JJ
2ND - Christian Dumaoal Central Oahu JJ
10-11 LIGHT
1ST - Kiana Lau Grappling Unlimited
2ND - Ikela Nixon Central Oahu JJ
11-12 HEAVY
1ST - Brandon Lau Grappling Unlimited
2ND - Brendon Hironaka BJ Penn Academy
14 YRS & UP
1ST - Logan Wernet Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
2ND - Justin Lee Relson Gracie - Papakolea JJ
3RD- Austin Strong Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
KIDS NO-GI INTERMEDIATE
9-11 LIGHT
1ST - Teshya Alo Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team
2ND - Derek "DJ" Chinen, Jr. Relson Gracie - Kaneohe
Team
3RD- Mykah
Kuratani Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
10 HEAVY
1ST - Kaohi Kapiko Relson Gracie - Papakolea JJ
2ND - Masina Kaohelaulii Gracie Kailua
15 YRS & UP
1ST - John Hommel Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team
2ND - Calford Pader Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
SCHOOLS
Hoa'ahi Grappling
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
BJ Penn Academy
HMC
Hawaiian Competitive Arts
Clam Gracie Barra
Grappling Unlimited
Junior Grappling
Ka-Mole JJ
Central Oahu JJ
Gracie Kailua
Team Hi5 (Home Gym)
Maui JJ
Relson Gracie - O2 Martial Arts Academy
Relson Gracie - Papakolea JJ
Relson Gracie - Team HK
Relson Gracie Main Academy
Relson Gracie Hawaii Kai
Relson Gracie - Derizans JJ
Relson Gracie - Kaneohe Team
Relson Gracie - Kauai Technical Institute
ICON
Kendall Goo JJ
TEAM POINTS SCHOOLS
1ST - Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu, BJ Penn Academy, & HMC
89 Pts
2ND - Relson Gracie Affiliates 83 Pts
3RD - Central Oahu & Gracie Kailua 66 Pts
Source: The Man Known as David |
Hawaii's
Newest PARAGON of Fight Events...
This
is the latest progression in Hawaii's fighting evolution, for
fighters with stand-up/kickboxing, triple threat/got skills,
as well as MMA backgrounds in both amateur and pro-bouts.
This
event will feature an extensive fight-card, with fighters from
Oahu AND outer islands to showcase their talent as well as gain
valuable experience and exposure.
WHAT:PARAGON
WHEN: FRIDAY, JUNE 20
TIME: 7:3O PM
Where; Olounge Nightclub
tickets:
$25 pre-sale/ $30 door
ticket info: 741-0322 / 781-2064
|
AFL:
Saraiva retains title
Lightweight back on track
Held
on Friday night, the American Fight League event in Atlanta had
in Brazilian fighter Diego Saraiva one of its standouts. Having
had a dissatisfying performance at the UFC (three losses out
of three), Saraiva has been recovering and now got his second
win at AFL. With the technical knockout over Josh Cate via punches
in round one, Saraiva retained his lightweight belt.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Wand:
"I had will to cry"
The
image of Wanderlei Silva staring at Keith Jardine before their
fight at UFC 84 reminded the old Wand from Pride, and the few
36 seconds of the fight showed that the old way of the Brazilian
comeback. At his personal website on the Internet, the excited
Wanderlei thanked the fans support who sent messages to support
the Brazilian, who was passing by complicated moments, especially
after the defeat to Chuck Liddell at UFC 79. "My greatest
joy was certainly to could give such joy to you that never stopped
believing in me. My true friends, today we are with the ‘soul
washed’. I spent the day seeing and reviewing your messages
on the Internet. You can realize how happy I am. I'm sure that
any fighter would like to have fans like you are to me",
wrote Wand, which also revealed a crying repressed at the end
of the fight against Jardine.
"I
was very excited and I had will to cry after the victory, thanks
to God that it was a crying from joy. At that moment I thought
in all of you vibrating with this moment so expected", revealed
the Brazilian that opened a new communication way with his fans
on the Internet. Apart from his official blog, Wand has created
a page on MySpace. "Let's hit in the chest and celebrate
with joy because this is our victory", finalized.
Source: Tatame
|
Slice
won, but was it a win for MMA on CBS?
It's
hard to determine which was nastier -- Kimbo Slice's beard, which
probably houses a woodchuck or some other breed of forest creature,
or that revolting case of cauliflower ear on James Thompson's
cranium.
Either
way, Slice scored a technical knockout against Thompson on Saturday
in the first primetime Mixed Martial Arts event in broadcast
television history.
CBS
was the first network to jump into the rising popularity of MMA
and received everything that makes the fight game compelling
including of course, controversy.
The
fight wasn't supposed to go three rounds, as Thompson's job was
serve as the biggest tomato can since Peter McNeely stepped into
the ring with Mike Tyson.
CBS
and EliteXC both wanted Slice to come out and destroy Thompson.
Unfortunately,
Thompson didn't get the memo and actually showed up to fight.
And
so we are left today with two follow up storylines involving
the outcome of the fight.
The
commentators fueled the first theory that the fight was stopped
too soon.
Well,
that's just flat out silly. Anyone who thinks Thompson wasn't
doomed to kiss the canvas simply doesn't have enough experience
watching either old-school boxing or the new world of MMA.
The
referee could have allowed Kimbo to continue pummeling away on
Thompson, whose guard had clearly dropped.
All
that would have accomplished is a further disfiguring of Thompson's
facial features, including that bloodied and mutant-like left
ear that was flapping off his head like wet laundry on a clothesline.
There's
absolutely no question that the stoppage in the third round was
the proper decision, unless of course the fight should have been
stopped in the second round.
Thompson
fought his best round in the second, and if he possessed any
sort of punching or elbow-striking power he would have finished
off Slice.
Thompson
spent the final minute atop Slice, but the instead of engaging
in some good old ground-and-pound. he rattled off 60 seconds
worth of slaps and daps.
Observers
today are claiming that Slice tapped out somewhere while grappling
in the second round.
It's
hard to say without a second-by-second analysis of the tape,
but it never appeared in watching it live that Thompson sunk
in any sort of submission and those punches were little more
than fly swats.
The
biggest problem of the fight would have been had the result been
left up to the judges, which throughout history have invariably
blown many a fighters career.
So
where does this leave things?
First,
come Tuesday the ratings will come in and it's a sure bet that
the Slice fight will have outdrawn the Stanley Cup finals and
CBS will be back for more.
Second,
MMA fans have seen the last of Thompson in any sort of televised
fight.
Third,
Slice will get another headlining fight down the road because
of the phenomenon he has become.
He's
actually picked up a bit of technique since his days of backyard
brawling that made him an Internet superstar in the first place.
However,
he's still a novelty act.
He's
still lacking in cardio-fitness and the ability to submit an
opponent when the opportunity presents itself as it did a couple
times on Saturday.
Randy
Couture, Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia and Adrei Arlovski would
have little trouble crushing Slice like an empty soda can.
Unfortunately,
at least half the 5 million people watching last nights fight
probably dont know who those four world class fighters are.
So
that's the real lesson that may have come from last night.
Fighting
sells. Controversy sells. But most of all, human characters like
Slice or Tyson definitely sell.
Any
astute fight observer knows that Slice deserved the victory but
the real question is does Slice deserve the hype?
The
answer of course is: No.
Source: Star Telegram
|
CBS's
Slice night lives up to the hopes and fears
Over
the course of a lifetime, the list of things you thought you'd
never see, but inevitably do, grows ever longer.
And
now, one more entry: watching a guy's ear explode, for real,
live, in prime time, in bloody high definition, on a normally
staid, steadfastly middle-of-the-road American television network.
So
yes, Kimbo Slice night on CBS lived up to most of the hopes and
fears.
The
hope that bringing mixed martial arts to the network of Andy
Rooney would generate enormous amounts of hype?
Check.
Slice, aka Kevin Ferguson, graced magazine covers, was a subject
of great interest to the conventional sports press, and surely
drew a large number of the curious to a place where they'd never
been before.
The
fear from mixed martial arts purists that a sport still battling
to establish its legitimacy might be drawn back towards its grotty,
"human cockfighting" origins?
Check.
The dancing girls, the fireworks, the ridiculous pro-wrestling
style stage entrances, Slice's obvious lack of skills and a couple
of extremely dubious stoppages (including that of the main event)
certainly did nothing to advance the cause.
The
hope that, as the very excitable announcer Gus Johnson promised
early in the proceedings, "There will be blood!"?
Check.
Buckets of it, climaxing when the grotesque cauliflower ear sported
by Slice's opponent, James (The Colossus) Thompson, popped like
a party balloon.
The
fear that we're all going to hell in a handbasket?
Well,
it might be a little late for that, given that anything shocking
about Saturday's proceedings had far more to do with the context
than the actual content. Look around. It's everywhere.
(And
for the sake of perspective, remember that they used to show
boxing on the networks three nights a week. Benny (Kid) Paret
died in front of a live television audience. So did Davey Moore.
So did Duk Koo Kim.)
What
was fascinating about Saturday's show (which otherwise was pretty
much what anyone who has watched MMA would expect — a moderately
interesting card featuring a cast of second-raters) was listening
to Johnson and company try to construct a conventional sports
hero narrative around someone who would terrify most Americans
were he to show up at their front door unannounced.
For
those who don't know by now, Slice is a legitimate tough guy,
a bouncer and bodyguard who was homeless for a spell, and who
is employed most notably by purveyors of internet pornography
(a fact they somehow failed to mention during the broadcast).
He made his fighting reputation not in a ring or an octagon or
a cage, but in Miami backyards and parking lots, those savage
bare knuckle street fights preserved for posterity and distributed
via YouTube.
The
trip from there to mainstream benediction by CBS happened remarkably
quickly (Slice had been involved in only three "legitimate"
bouts), and required the construction of a contemporary Horatio
Alger myth.
"Not
that long ago, this man was homeless," Johnson told the
audience. "Bathing in the ocean…using the bathroom
wherever he was." (A bit too much information there)…
"They
asked him, "Why do you fight?'
"'I
fight for the money,'" he said.
(In
an interview earlier in the week, Johnson went farther, making
reference to the shaky U.S. economy, to the foreclosures and
job losses, and painted Slice as a representative of the beleaguered
American working class.)
Once
upon a time, they tried to soften and racially neutralize Mike
Tyson's image by telling the story of his kindly aged white mentor/trainer,
about how he raised pigeons, about how outside the ring he was
smarter and gentler than anyone would have imagined.
With
Slice, they're not bothering with anything like that. He's not
nicer and gentler than anyone would imagine. But there's a good
reason for it.
The
problem was that on Saturday, he didn't really deliver the goods.
Matched against an opponent chosen specifically because he had
a history of being knocked out in spectacular fashion, Slice
struggled mightily. He was hopeless when taken to the ground.
He was completely out of gas by the third round, when Thompson's
glass ear let him down. Temporarily stunned, Thompson absorbed
some hard shots from Slice, and then the referee leaped in just
as fast as he could to preserve the desired ending.
But
how do you re-invent the character called Kimbo Slice when in
the end he looked more relieved and shaken than triumphant, more
intimidated than intimidating, out of place under the big spotlight,
miscast, almost a sympathetic figure? Better get to work on that
script.
Source: The Globe & Mail
|
Quote
of the Day
“The
man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful
is the man who will win.”
Roger Bannister, English Neurologist and Runner
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel 52, Tuesdays
at 7:00 PM
FCTV episode
58 will run in our normal timeslot of 7pm on Oceanic Channel
52 Olelo Oahu Tuesday nights.
Episode
59 features:
Highlights
from the Grapple Fest
Comments,
Questions, and Suggestions to: fctv@onzuka.com
|
Boxing
at Palolo Gym!
Boxing
Show will be on Sat. June 7th at Palolo Gym starting at 6 p.m.
Admission will be $10. It's a fundraiser to help the Hawaii Junior
Olympic Boxing Team. If you need more info. email me back.
Thanks
for the Support!!
Bruce Kawano
Hawaii Junior Olympic Regional Coordinator/Team Manager.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Junior Olympic Chairman.
USA-Boxing Hawaii Board of Dir./Gov.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
NMU Boxing Program Task Force Member.
|
Punishment
in Paradise
Pound 4
Pound
June 6, 2008
Ahuna Ranch, Maili
Source: Brennan Kamaka
|
UFC
85: MARCUS DAVIS EXPECTS A KNOCKOUT
Marcus Davis is perhaps the most underrated fighter in the welterweight
division right now. A contestant on season two of “The Ultimate
Fighter,” he has become one of the most improved fighters
in the sport today. When Davis first started in the Ultimate
Fighting Championship, he was known mostly as a boxer, but has
improved his jiu-jitsu game substantially since.
He
will look to continue his ride at UFC 85 against another Ultimate
Fighter alumna, Mike “Quick” Swick. Knowing he was
going to fight Swick pretty early on, Davis has been preparing
for a while.
“I
had a feeling the fight was going to happen way back at the UFC
that happened at Ohio,” Davis commented. “I had already
been offered the contract to fight Mike Swick, and I signed it.
Since then, I've been focusing on this fight. I'm ready to get
in and get it over with.”
Since
The Ultimate Fighter, Davis has increased his strength and stamina
tremendously and it has shown in his last few fights. The “Irish
Hand Grenade” is looking to beef up even more for this fight.
“This
is the longest training camp I had ever. I wanted to gain muscle
mass. The heaviest I got was 193 pounds, but it was 193 pounds
with eight percent body fat.”
This
fight will be Swick’s second at welterweight. He earned
his first victory in the weight class against Josh Burkman in
a lackluster bout. Davis isn’t taking that fight for granted
though. He truly believes he will be fighting the toughest Mike
Swick ever.
“I
haven't watched that fight since that fight happened. All I'm
doing is focusing on what Mark DellaGrotte has told me to do
and focusing that I'm fighting the best Mike Swick there's ever
been. I picture that and me winning the fight,” he explained.
“This is the most intense training camp I've ever had. I
keep getting better. I want to keep getting better. If I stop
getting better then it's time to hang it up.”
If
both of these fighters’ previous bouts have told us anything,
this has all the makings of being a stand-up slugfest. However,
Davis is prepared to go to the ground if necessary.
“I
think he's going to initially stand with me, try to use his reach
and keep me on the outside. He'll use the cage to try to stay
away from me and as soon as I commit, he'll try to take me down.
I think a lot of people are still wondering if I have a ground
game even though my 11 wins, seven of them are by submission.
I'm prepared for that. If he doesn't do that and he wants to
bang it out, that's perfect. I want to go in there and I want
to place a bet that my chin will withstand what he has to dish
out and his chin will not stand what I have to dish out.”
A
quality win over Swick will most certainly propel Davis into
the title picture. Even though he isn’t looking past Swick,
Davis does have a theory of how this could all play out if he
pulls out the victory.
“If
I beat Mike Swick, then I'm definitely going to fight one of
those guys. If I sit there and I think about it, this is what
I think is going to happen. I would end up fighting the winner
of the Thiago Alves-Matt Hughes fight and then the winner of
that fight would fight the winner of GSP and Jon Fitch. I would
like to see Thiago win that fight and then me and Thiago fight.
A lot of people said that Thiago is the best stand-up guy. That
fight would be one of those fights that people want to see.”
Even
though Davis has fought and defeated some very tough competitors
in the UFC, a victory over Swick will be his highest profile
win and continue to push him one step closer to a title shot.
However, Davis isn’t worried about obtaining one.
“I
never said I would be UFC champion. The way I'm looking at it
now is let me fight the best guys I can, make as much money as
I can. If I keep winning, I'm going to get a title shot. Right
now, I'm taking one fight at a time and I have a tough obstacle
ahead of me.”
As
solid of a card as UFC 85 is, this is by far the one with the
most “Fight of the Night” potential. Davis and Swick
are each known for their fast and relentless pace, as well as
their extensive stand-up skills. Due to both of those factors,
most fans don’t expect this fight to go the distance –
and neither does Marcus Davis.
“I
think it's going to be over in the first round. I'm going to
go after him. He's either going to catch me or I'm going to catch
him. I think it'll end by KO. I don't think I'll submit him and
I don't see him submitting me. I don't shoot on people so he's
going to have to do a jumping Swick-o-tine to get my neck. I'm
sticking to my philosophy that I'll go out there and knock him
out in the first. That's what I'm keeping my fingers crossed
for.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Former
WWE star Bobby Lashley signs with AFL
Former WWE pro wrestler Bobby Lashley will follow in the footsteps
of current UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar.
Lashley,
31, will make his jump to mixed martial arts competition as a
heavyweight with the American Fight League, the promotion announced
Friday during its "Bulletproof" (Results) event in
Atlanta, Georgia.
"I've
been looking to switch to MMA for quite some time but wanted
to make sure the move was with the right organization,"
Lashley stated. "I love the AFL's vision. They aren't interested
in running a circus but rather want to produce quality MMA events
with legitimate athletes."
Lashley
will carry with him a strong base in amateur wrestling. The Kansas-born
big man won three national amateur wrestling championships while
attending Missouri Valley College from 1995-1998. He is also
a former National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)
wrestling champion.
Another
major signee announced Friday was Tara LaRosa, the first and
last Bodog Fight 135-pound women's champion.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Carano
fails to make weight, fined 12.5% of purse
Gina
Carano's struggles with the scale continued Friday during the
CBS-EliteXC "Saturday Night Fights" weigh-ins at the
Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Carano
weighed in at 144.5 pounds for her 140-pound bout against Kaitlin
Young. There is a one pound allowance, but Carano and her camp
accepted that she would not be able to cut 3.5 pounds in one
hour.
In
her previous fight, against Tonya Evinger, Carano weighed in
at 141.1, but she was given the extra .1 allowance because she
had shorts on. For her bout against Julie Kedzie at the first-ever
EliteXC event, Carano weighed in at 141.25.
Young,
who stepped off the scales safely at 140.5, allowed the fight
to continue and will receive 12.5% of Carano's purse.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Gurgel:
‘Alliance is here to win’
After conquering the Pan-Ams, team wants to defeat Gracie Barra
in Long Beach
On
his way to the airport in Brazil, Fabio Gurgel is nothing but
confidence. After the 1st place at the 2008 Pan-Ams, Alliance
has gathered all its power to dethrone Gracie Barra (2007 champion)
also at the 2008 Worlds. “It has been a long time since
we were able to enter a championship with the team complete.
I estimate we are going to have almost 90 athletes,” says
the General, with pride. Gurgel took the opportunity to list
the team’s favorites for gold medals: “In the black
belt, we will have Tarsis Humphreys, Rubens Charles, Lucas Lepri
and Michael Langhi, American Bill Cooper and Gabriel Vella.”
Part
of Alliance black belts
The
Worlds preparation, as well as it was for the Pan-Ams, is going
to be done in Atlanta, Georgia, the Team’s headquarters
run by GMA member Romero ‘Jacare’ Cavalcanti. Says
Gurgel: “I am traveling with 20 athletes and the rest is
going directly to Los Angeles. We have no last minute trouble
this time. No injury, money or visa problem. We even have a new
sponsor. So we are going to Long Beach to win the championship.”
The presence of so many Brazilian athletes at the Worlds is a
clear sign of success of the event’s new location: “There
was a doubt regarding the difficult for non-Americans traveling
to the USA. That is past now. The Pan-Ams had over 2000 athletes.
The Jiu-Jitsu boom among Americans is a reality now,” analyzes
Gurgel.
Alliance
wants to repeat this scene at the Worlds
Well
prepared, Alliance knows who are going to be its biggest adversaries
at the Worlds: “There are a lot of teams with good athletes,
but I think the team's dispute will be restricted to Alliance,
Gracie Barra and Brasa.” Gurgel also spoke about the individual
disputes: “I think all categories will be tough. Only at
Roger Gracie’s category I think he has an edge over the
others.” He also commented the absolute category: “Here
it is difficult. Roger is the favorite, but we have seen him
losing a couple of times.”
As
a closure to his analysis, the four-time world champion talked
about Jiu-Jitsu biggest news recently. The son of Rickson Gracie
getting the black belt: “Kron arrives at the black belt
in an excellent moment. He had an amazing end of brown belt,
as we all saw at the Pan-Ams. He has a style very similar to
Rickson’s – very aggressive and defined. Nevertheless,
he will have trouble at the middleweight at the Worlds.”
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Drysdale
focused on MMA
Black belt negotiates debut
The
2008 Jiu-Jitsu World Championship will suffer a great blow. Absolute
champion of the last ADCC Robert Drysdale opted not to participate
in the famous competition, as he has not been training much in
the gi and is focused on his MMA debut.
“I
don’t think anyone can be good at both things. Even though
Jiu-Jitsu is my passion, I want to debut in a big event, so I
know I have to be prepared. At the moment I'm very focused on
my boxing training. Who knows, maybe one day I'll be able to
compete for fun," said the black belt.
The
Brasa athlete will go to the California State University Long
Beach gymnasium next weekend only to accompany his girlfriend,
Michelle Nicoline, who will dispute her weight division and the
absolute in the women’s black belt category.
Responsible
for groundfighting instruction at one of the most famous teams
in the world, Extreme Couture, Drysdale wants to dive in head
first into MMA, debuting in a big event right off the bat. And
even though he has never fought in the style, the fighter has
already been targeted with offers, as he himself confirms exclusively
to GRACIEMAG.com.
“The
other day they offered me Matt Lindland (at Affliction). The
money was good, but I took too long to respond and Fabio Negao
got it. To get Matt in my debut is rough (laughs). Couture offered
me another fight in October, maybe I’ll take it, we’ll
see,” said the champion.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
EliteXC's
Saturday Night Fights: Pros and cons
So,
what did you think of Saturday Night Fights on CBS? While it’s
much more fun to deal with the ramifications from the event,
a quick pros/cons list is in order. If you were a mixed martial
arts first-timer, what did you think about the sport? Would you
watch it again? What did you like/dislike?
To
catch you up, Kimbo Slice won in a lame technical knockout in
a fight that shouldn’t have been stopped. CBS announcer
Gus Johnson used the word “horrible” about 36 times
when talking about the decision to stop the fight afterward and
he was right on. The curmudgeonly Kevin Iole from Yahoo Sports
thinks the event made a mockery of MMA – and here are the
post-fight notes from CBSSports.com.
PRO-
Gus Johnson was awesome. I would love to see a real MMA organization
on CBS with Johnson calling the action. A definite step up from
other outlets. He was probably the highlight of the night for
me.
CON-
The length of the show. It ran 45 minutes late and that was with
half of their fights being stopped before both fighters even
entered the cage. Awful. That’s why the sports division
of CBS should’ve put on the event and not the entertainment
division. Sloppy.
CON-
Kimbo/Thompson. I was at a wedding and caught the fights later
but had about a dozen people call/text me after the Kimbo fight
to fill me in on Slice’s big “TKO.” After talking
with Gus Johnson last week and hearing him say he thought some
viewers might think the fights were fake like wrestling, I groaned
when I heard how Slice won. It might’ve been better for
the sport overall just to have someone from Slice’s posse
distract the ref while Kimbo hit Thompson over the head with
a freaking folding chair. At least he would’ve earned a
true knockout.
PRO-
The Gina Carano-Kaitlin Young fight. What did you think? I’ve
never been a big proponent of women’s MMA but if they can
produce fights like that, maybe it could be moderately successful.
Carano was impressive and it was definitely the fight of the
night, given how Robbie Lawler-Scott Smith finished.
CON-
The Ringmaster, Gary Shaw. The guy is a clown. Terrible for the
sport. Coming up Wednesday I will devise the perfect exit strategy
for Shaw, however, and how he can get out of all this mess without
EliteXC going bankrupt and with everyone involved walking away
a winner.
CON-
Post-fight news conference. The near fight between the posses
of Kimbo Slice and Brett Rogers was a joke (check out the CBS
notes column above for more detail). This isn’t boxing,
we don’t need fights and “staredowns” in the post-fight
news conference. Simply awful. I thought the Tito Ortiz presser
was over-the-top but this is about 100x worse than that.
PRO-
Lawler and Smith put on a good show before the eye incident.
What an unlucky way for that to end.
OVERALL-
The hardcore MMA fans see it as a disastrous night but I don’t
get the same feeling. A lot of things they had problems with
the casual fan probably missed. It ran long and the last fight
had a lame ending, but it could’ve been far, far worse if
Thompson (who was clearly winning at the time) ended up with
a win over Slice. I don’t think it helped nearly as much
as it could’ve with decisive finishes in the last two bouts
but it wasn’t a total loss.
The
biggest thing I came away from this whole thing with was a greater
appreciation for Gus Johnson and contempt for Gary Shaw. With
a few more events, he could really do some damage to the sport
(should he ignore the plan I map out for him Wednesday). Makes
me appreciate the UFC’s Dana White much more.
What
did you think?
Source: Baltimore Sun
|
No
beatings here
The pro fighting game today is ignorant and vile, unlike the
past
Why
are columns about what you don't like in sports easier to write
than the alternative?
Perhaps
because imbecility reigns in so many areas of our lives, and
because sports are no exception.
On
Saturday night, as I was looking for some weather information
on a station out of Greenville, I stumbled across CBS's unfortunate,
prime-time presentation of Mixed Martial Arts.
I'd
earlier told someone I wouldn't watch this abomination, but I
did.
And
I feel dirty. Really dirty. I know it's being embraced by the
younger demographics, but they're also the ones who celebrate
the antics of Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller as if
they're gifted. It's simply bad taste. I know, I don't understand
the nuances of fighting or fine comedy. Right.
Comparisons
with dog fighting and MMA or Ultimate Fighting are rife, and
when I see two goons in the ring, I can't help but feel we've
regressed deplorably to a time when people fought for survival
in the Roman Colosseum.
In
this day and age of political correctness, I don't know how boxing,
tame by MMA standards, has survived.
There's
a lot about political correctness that annoys me, but I'm outraged
by two goons (there's no other word to describe the combatants
in MMA or Ultimate Fighting) who are locked in a cage, with the
intent of mauling each other in the most feral manner. MMA and
its ilk give sports a bad name. It should be referred to as legalized
carnage.
I
feel I'm qualified to discuss this topic more so than most media
types. (Well, maybe not Mike Lupica and John Clayton.) I boxed
in my youth under the auspices of the Police Athletic League
(PAL). And I was good enough (I'd mastered the left hook off
the jab) and confident enough to try my hand at boxing in the
military.
My
greatest attribute was a fear of being hit, if that can be described
as an attribute. Whatever. It sure made me alert.
One
day at a tryout at Fort Knox, I knocked someone who could have
been Kimbo Slice's father (Slice won the main event Saturday
night) through a barracks wall, and a Natural was born. However
briefly.
Some
Einstein believed I was ready for top-notch competition and they
put me in the ring in a tournament with a guy who had at least
five inches on me, experience in Europe and 40 fights under his
belt.
He
beat me to a fair-thee-well. I always thought about a rematch.
Hey,
Joe Louis came back against Schmeling, didn't he?
After
that fiasco I put all my energy into playing football.
It's
inevitable that someone's going to die in this sport, and perhaps
then someone else in a position to do something about it will
move to have it banned.
The
hardcore fans will cite deaths in boxing, but if we make the
first move to eliminate unbridled mayhem, then perhaps the short
move to ban boxing will follow.
Source: Rocky Moutain Telegram
|
Kimbo's
fame takes a hit
Despite
keeping his perfect record intact, mixed martial arts heavyweight
Kimbo Slice (Kevin Ferguson) lost some of his luster Saturday
night at the Prudential Center. Slice registered a third-round
TKO of James Thompson, but his struggles didn't go unnoticed.
After
two rounds of action, Slice was behind on two of the three cards
-- Romulo Bittencourt of Newark had Thompson leading 20-18, while
New York's Douglas Crosby gave Thompson a 20-17 advantage. The
fight was even at 19 on Eric Colon's card.
Slice
also trailed on The Star-Ledger card, 20-18. Going into the final
round Slice needed a knockout to win. At the very least, he needed
a 10-8 round in the third to earn a majority draw.
He
would get the stoppage after opening a cut on Thompson's left
ear that bled profusely. Referee Dan Miragliotta called the fight
off 38 seconds into the third.
Most
of the 8,033 fans in attendance expressed disappointment with
the stoppage. Even members of the CBS broadcast crew questioned
the decision.
But
it was Slice's performance that received the most criticism,
especially from fellow EliteXC heavyweight Brett Rogers, who
opened the telecast with a first-round TKO of Jon Murphy. During
the postfight press conference, Rogers was asked his opinion
of Slice's showing.
"I've
seen some (stuff) tonight," said Rogers, a St. Paul, Minn.,
resident who is 7-0. "I'm saying it like this: Kimbo Slice,
that was just garbage, man."
At
the heart of Rogers' criticism was his belief that Slice tapped
out in the second round while Thompson had him on the ground.
Rogers wasn't alone. Several ringside observers near the action
claimed Slice submitted and that Miragliotta didn't see it.
"I'm
going to speak it real," Rogers said while looking directly
at Slice. "You did tap. You did tap out. I saw it. I was
right there. That was garbage, man."
For
all the anger he exhibits in the cage, Slice is a very polite
person when not fighting. He greeted all the fighters on the
card kindly, even Rogers, who opted not to accept, before taking
a seat on the podium.
But his kindness quickly evaporated after hearing Rogers' comments.
Tension filled the press room as Slice stood up and faced his
tormentor.
"That
sounds like a challenge, man," Slice said. "We can
do this right now."
As
the fighters began moving toward one another, along with their
respective bodyguards, promoter Gary Shaw stepped between them.
Shaw warned each man they'd better reserve their fighting for
the cage.
Order
was soon restored. But the tension remained until all parties
had left the room.
The
confrontation raised expectation of a Slice-Rogers showdown in
the fall, but that's not likely.
Excluding
the exhibition in June 2007 against former heavyweight boxing
champ Ray Mercer, Slice has only three MMA bouts. And he enters
the sport with little or no wrestling, jujitsu, Muay Thai or
professional boxing skills.
Slice
remains a work in progress and will need more tuneup bouts before
being allowed to fight Rogers. This fight is at least a year
away.
Slice-Thompson
wasn't the only fight on the card that resulted in a disputed
stoppage. EliteXC middleweight champion Robbie Lawler kept his
title due to a no-contest.
In
the third round, Lawler accidentally stuck challenger Scott Smith
in the right eye. When asked by Miragliotta about his condition,
Smith said he could not see.
Miragliotta
told Smith he had five minutes to recover. When Smith repeated
that he could not see, Miragliotta informed him that saying so
could lead to the fight being called off.
At
that point the referee called time and summoned ringside physician
Sherry Wulcan into the cage. According to Nick Lembo, a New Jersey
State Athletic Control Board official, Wulcan also questioned
Smith about his physical condition. He reiterated his inability
to see.
Unknown
at the time, Smith had suffered a broken right foot during the
fight. After Wulcan examined Smith, another ringside physician,
Angela Gagliardi, took a look at the top-ranked middleweight.
When
Smith told Gagliardi his vision was blurry, the fight was called
off. MMA rules state that three full rounds of a five-round bout
must be completed before the cards are read. Because three full
rounds had not been completed, the fight was ruled a no-contest.
Source: Newark Star Leger
|
Foray
into Mixed Martial Arts gives CBS optimism
Whether "rear naked chokes" ever becomes a sports cliche
depends on mixed martial arts competing in the TV mainstream.
And given ratings for the sport's broadcast network debut on
CBS Saturday night, here's the first verdict: It probably can.
Normally
during the September-May TV season, CBS draws 4.1% of U.S. households
in that 9-11 p.m. ET time slot. CBS' EliteXC MMA show drew only
2.7%.
But,
also consider this:
•All
viewers aren't equal. Marketers covet younger viewers because
— compared to their elders — they're seen as less likely
to have formed product brand loyalties and thus will be more
susceptible to advertising. Normally in that time slot, CBS draws
only 0.7% of males viewers aged 18-34 — but CBS' MMA drew
a 271% hike in that demographic.
•That
national rating doesn't include the grand finale. The main event
and highest-rated part of the show — Kimbo Slice's ear-splitting
win over James Thompson — didn't appear until 11:30. Because
that was past primetime, national ratings for the 11:30-11:45
portion of the show weren't available Sunday. But that portion
drew a 4.7 overnight — translating to a solid 4.7% of the
54 urban TV markets measured for overnights.
(Another
ratings trend, whether or not it's promising for MMA, is CBS'
show being strongest in the Sun Belt — which produced each
of the show's top 10 local ratings. The leader was Oklahoma City,
where the show drew 11.1% of households, followed by Nashville
(10.3%), New Orleans (9.7%) and Memphis (8.4%).)
CBS
plans at least three more MMA shows — the next, still unscheduled,
likely will come this fall — and probably will add more
if they continue to draw young viewers on Saturday, TV's least-watched
night.
Meaning,
aesthetic considerations are sort of irrelevant. Some things
shouldn't be aired on TV — like, say, live coverage of prison
executions — just because they'd probably draw good TV ratings.
MMA falls within the bounds — ever-widening, thanks to reality
TV shows — of what is OK for TV.
And
MMA offers some arresting images, like seeing one guy pinned
against the floor under another guy who's pummeling him in the
back of the head. And CBS announcer Gus Johnson Saturday suggested
the slam bams were only a subplot: "It's not about beating
each other silly, it's about proving who's the better man."
Although
Slice has been heavily-hyped, Johnson didn't whitewash his less-than-inspiring
win over James Thompson. When the ref stopped the fight after
Slice punched Thompson's already grotesquely-swollen ear —
causing it to seemingly explode — Johnson disagreed with
the call, saying it was a "terrible stoppage, horrendous!"
But
with blood spurting out of Thompson's head like a turned-on faucet,
cage footing could have gotten tricky and sponsor logos on the
mat might have been obscured.
Source: USA Today
|
Quote
of the Day
“Character
is the basis of happiness and happiness the sanction of character.”
George Santayana, 1863-1952, Spanish-born American Philosopher
|
Fighters'
Club Radio Today!
FIGHTERS
CLUB RADIO
MONDAY MAY 19
9AM-10AM
RIGHT AFTER LEAHEY & LEAHEY
AM
1500 RADIO
"THE TEAM, HAWAII'S SPORTING NEWS"
FAN
LINE: 296-1500
THANKS
TO OUR SPONSORS:
- OTM "ON THE MAT" ON BERETANIA
- GLACEAU VITAMIN ENERGY
- EN FUEGO GRILL AND POKE
- MUSCLE MILK
- BRIT'S AUTO BODY
|
WEC
34 RESULTS AND LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY
MMAWeekly.com will be bringing you full results and play-by-play
from WEC 34 on Sunday night from the Arco Arena in Sacramento,
Calif.
World
Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion and the world’s
No. 1 ranked 145-pound fighter, Urijah Faber, defends his belt
in the main event against former Ultimate Fighting Championship
lightweight titleholder Jens Pulver.
The
first preliminary bout is expected to begin at about 3:00 p.m.
PT / 6:00 p.m. ET. The main card will be telecast live on the
Versus network beginning at 6:00 p.m. PT / 9:00 p.m. ET.
Be
sure to refresh your browser frequently for the latest results
and play-by-play...
MAIN
BOUTS:
-Urijah
Faber vs. Jens Pulver
R1
– Faber scores early with an overhand right and forearm
to the face. They lock up and Faber gets off a couple good knees,
following with good punches from the inside. They separate and
Faber’s timing is impeccable, landing brutal right hands.
Pulver is firing back, but doesn’t have his range yet. Faber
goes for a head kick and slips, Pulver following him down, but
Faber works his way back up to standing. During an exchange,
Faber inadvertently pokes Pulver in the eye, but they continue
on. Faber lands a solid body shot, but Pulver fires back with
a solid combination. But Faber continues to land some powerful
punches, almost at will.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Faber.
R2
– Round two opens with an inadvertent kick by Faber to Pulver’s
groin. They pick it back up, looking to continue with his striking
attack, but shifts gears and lands a double-leg takedown, but
Pulver fights his way back up to standing without suffering any
damage. They start right back into the striking game, with Faber
outpacing Pulver, then landing a hard shot dropping Pulver, but
Pulver gets back up. And again Faber unloads on Pulver, who somehow
withstands the assault and starts firing back, although looking
slower. Pulver lands an uppercut and follows with a straight
left. Faber takes the fight to the mat, but Pulver starts to
outwork him from north-south position. They scramble out and
back to their feet, and Faber starts unloading again on Pulver.
With 20 seconds left Faber unloads some hard elbows, but they
finish out the round.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Faber.
R3
– Faber goes for the takedown early, and lands the suplex,
but Pulver gets immediately back to his feet. Faber lands straight
right, but Pulver answers with a left uppercut. They continue
on trading blows, and Pulver lands a body kick that looks to
hurt Faber, but then Faber starts firing back with his own body
kicks. He shoots to take Pulver down, but Pulver lands in top
position in half-mount/guard and starts to ground and pound.
They wrestle it out and Faber starts dropping big forearms from
Pulver’s guard. Pulver manages to tie up Faber and get a
return to standing with 45 seconds left. They finish the round
on their feet without much more fireworks.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Faber.
R4
– Faber rushes Pulver but eats a hard left to the head,
separates, and then starts to fire back. Faber is really starting
to mix up his strikes, going to the body, then the legs, then
the head. Faber lands numerous left hooks that seem to be bothering
Pulver’s right eye. Faber has just been continuously busier
the entire fight. Halfway through the round and Faber shoots
and drags Pulver down and lands in his guard and starts landing
forearms to the face and head. The round finishes with Faber
firing off a couple hard forearms.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Faber.
R5
– Faber and Pulver come together and hug to start the round
showing respect for each other. Then they start right back into
bashing each other in the face. Faber throws a punch combination
to the head, then kicks to the body and leg before Pulver lands
another shot. Pulver still firing back, managing to land some
hard power shots, but can’t seem to keep pace with the quickness
and timing of Faber. With 1:30 left, Faber lands a hard knee
to the face of Pulver, but they continue to battle on, exchanging
various strikes. Faber wrestles Pulver to the ground and they
finish out the fight with Faber ground and pounding. After the
bell, Pulver raises Faber’s hand into the air, signaling
that he felt Faber won the bout.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Faber and the fight 50-45 for Faber.
Urijah
Faber def. Jens Pulver by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-44),
R5
-Miguel
Torres vs. Yoshiro Maeda
R1
– Torres comes out striking, slipping early, but back up
and throwing lots of kicks and knees in the opening minute. Torres
continues with his kicks, but gets taken down. He quickly attempts
an arm lock from the bottom, but Maeda gets out and back up.
Maeda continually drops his hands trying to draw Torres in, but
Torres answers with kicks to the head and legs, and knees into
the body. Maeda lands a couple of good shots about three minutes
in, but Torres keeps firing back. They clinch and Torres lands
on his back, aggressively looking for submissions, but Maeda
gets up and out. Torres is bleeding, his face becoming more crimson.
But Torres is still leading the action with his combinations.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Torres.
R2
– Torres starts off going right back to kicking. Maeda connects
with a good punch and Torres half-slips, but gets right back
up. Maeda then catches a leg and drops Torres and aggressively
kicks to his legs, but Torres double-kicks Maeda off of him and
stands up. Maeda calling Torres in, and Torres answers with a
multiple-punch combination and follows with knees. Maeda backed
to the cage, Torres works over his body with knees and starts
landing uppercuts, Maeda fires back strong with punches. They
fall to the ground and Maeda starts searching for leg submissions.
Maeda and Torres each have toe holds locked on each other with
a minute-and-a-half left. Torres gives up his hold and sits up,
but Maeda elbows Torres to the face. Torres transitions and nearly
lands a triangle. Back to standing they clinch on the fence and
Torres locks on a guillotine, but can’t secure it as though
go to the ground, Torres in mount, then transitioning to back
mount with a body triangle.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Torres.
R3
– The round starts again with Torres striking, but now utilizing
his reach and jab in combination with the knees. Maeda lands
a good stiff jab, but doesn’t follow it and Torres unloads
with a damaging three-punch combination. Maeda is firing back,
but not keeping up with the pace of Torres. Maeda’s right
eye is ballooning and closing. Torres is looking much fresher
at this point, mixing up his striking to great effect. Maeda
wrestles Torres to his back, but Torres continues to strike effectively
off of his back, mixing punches and elbows, as well as heel strikes.
Maeda gets back up, appearing to get frustrated. Torres continues
to pick Maeda apart as the round ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10- 9 for Torres.
Miguel
Torres def. Yoshiro Maeda by TKO (Injury Stoppage) at 5:00, R3
*Torres
successfully defends his WEC Bantamweight Championship
-Mark
Munoz vs. Chuck Grigsby
R1
– An All American wrestler in college, Munoz goes for takedowns
early, but is defended by Grigsby, who uses his reach advantage
and lands some hard strikes in the opening minute and a half.
Munoz finally scores the takedown, landing in Grigsby’s
guard. Munoz stands in the guard and starts to drop some heavy
strikes down and dives into half guard, drops a few more shots,
then passes to side control dropping down more hard shots. Continually
diving past Grigsby’s guard from standing, Munoz repeats
the process for a final time, landing some brutal right hands
to the face that put Grigsby out of the fight.
Mark
Munoz def. Chuck Grigsby by TKO (Strikes) at 4:15, R1
-Rob
McCullough vs. Kenneth Alexander
R1
– After a minute of feeling out, Alexander shoots, but winds
up on his back with McCullough in his guard. Back up on the feet,
Alexander edges ahead by landing the occasional jab, utilizing
his reach. With a minute left, they clinch briefly, then separate.
McCullough lands a grazing jumping knee just before the close
of the round.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Alexander.
R2
– Alexander gets a body lock and drags McCullough down,
but he gets out and they start trading occasional strikes, but
neither fighter seems willing to over-commit. Alexander lands
a head kick midway through the round, but no follow up. Alexander
lands an uppercut, but McCullough starts landing some good leg
kicks. Alexander scores the takedown from the body lock and starts
to ground and pound, but the round ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Alexander.
R3
– Much of the same in round three as each fighter lands
occasionally, but neither working solid combinations. McCullough
lands a superman punch and follows with a knee to the body then
they clinch on the fence. About three minutes into the round,
McCullough lands a knee to Alexander’s groin while they
are in the clinch and action is halted. Following the break in
action, Alexander lands a head kick and looping overhand right
then clinch and exchange knees. McCullough lands another jumping
knee. Alexander catches a kick and leg trips McCullough down,
but they quickly return to their feet.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for McCullough and the fight 29-28 for
Alexander.
Rob
McCullough def. Kenneth Alexander by Split Decision (30-27 McCullough;
29-28 Alexander; 30-27 McCullough), R3
PRELIMINARY
BOUTS:
-Danny
Castillo vs. Donald Cerrone
R1-
Both fighters feel each other out and Castillo gets a takedown.
He drops some punches as Cerrone settles into his guard. Cerrone
goes for a armbar but Castillo pulls out of danger. Cerrone again
goes for an armbar and has it locked in as Castillo taps out.
Donald
Cerrone def. Danny Castillo by Submission (Armbar) at 0:30, R1
-Alex
Serdyukov vs. Luis Sapo
R1-
Both fighters trade kicks to start the fight. Serdyukov stalks
Sapo as Sapo lands a combination. They trade shots and Sapo goes
for a takedown but Serdyukov defends well. They trade some shots
as Serdyukov continues to press forward with Sapo picking his
shots. Sapo lands a nice combination as Serdyukov continues to
press forward. Sapo slips and Serdyukov jumps on top of him and
moves into side mount then mount. Serdyukov starts unloading
on Sapo and the round comes to an end. They stop the fight in
between rounds as Sapo is unable to continue.
Alex
Serdyukov def. Luis Sapo by TKO at 5:00, R1.
-Jeff
Curran vs. Mike Brown
R1-
They start the fight trading shots and they clinch along the
fence. They seperate and Curran lands a body kick and they clinch
up again. Brown landing some knees to the body and lands a hook
as they seperate. Curran lands a good flurry and they clinch
against the fence again as Curran pulls guard. Brown lands a
couple of elbows and Curran returns fire from his back. Brown
staying busy within Curran's guard with punches and elbows. Brown
lands a nice barrage of punches as he moves into side mount.
They get back to their feet and end the round clinched along
the fence.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Brown.
R2-
Curran comes out aggressive to start the second with punches
as Brown gets a takedown. Curran holding Brown and they are restarted
on the feet. Curran lands a nice combination and Brown gets a
takedown. Curran keeping Brown close to him, not letting him
land any shots from the top. Brown is able to get loose and land
a small flurry as Curran continues to be defensive. Brown moves
into side mount and is dropping shots as Curran struggles to
defend the shots. Curran is able to reverse out and is on top
with Brown on his knees as the round ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Brown.
R3-
Both fighters trading shots on the feet with neither landing
anything of note. Brown being the aggressor on the feet as Curran
lands a small flurry. Curran goes for a takedown but Brown defends
and they clinch along the fence. Brown is able to trip Curran
to the ground and lands a barrage of strikes. Brown moves into
half guard then into side mount. He lands elbows as Curran tries
to use the cage to reverse him but is unsuccessful. Brown almost
moves into mount but Curran is able to get him into half guard
and sweep him. Brown gets to his knees and Curran is holding
him in position but Brown reverses as the fight ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Brown and the fight 30-27 for Mike
Brown.
Mike
Brown def. Jeff Curran by Unanimous Decision (All three 30-27),
R3.
-Chase
Beebe vs. Will Ribeiro
R1-
They start to trade and they clinch, as they seperate Beebe lands
a nice uppercut. They stalk each other and Ribeiro lands a nice
body shot that hurts Beebe. Ribeiro lands a flying kick then
catches Beebe in a guillotine choke that he escapes. Back on
the feet, Ribeiro landing the cleaner shots as they exchange
spinning back kicks. Beebe picks Ribeiro up and slams him down
but gets his head caught in a choke. Beebe escapes and begins
to drop elbows on Ribeiro. Beebe trying to move into side mount
but Ribiero gets back to his feet and Ribeiro lands a nice combination.
Beebe goes for a takedown and is caught in a guillotine choke
but the round ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Ribeiro.
R2-
Beebe goes for a takedown but gets his head caught again but
is able to pull out. Beebe drops some punches and elbows. Beebe
is able to get his back then transitions into a crucfix. Ribeiro
is able to reverse positions and drops some shots from the top
before standing up. Ribeiro goes for a takedown but Beebe reverses
and gets his own takedown. The round ends with Beebe working
some elbows.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Beebe.
R3-
Ribeiro presses forward and Beebe lands some low kicks. Beebe
goes for a takedown but Ribeiro defends it. Ribeiro being the
aggressor on the feet. Beebe continues to land low kicks as Ribeiro
charges in with a flurry. They trade and Beebe lands a nice hook
but Ribeiro continues to press forward. Both fighters trading
shots but not landing much as Ribeiro clinches and lands a couple
of knees. Beebe goes for a takedown and is caught in a guillotine
choke that he escapes. Beebe starting to get active from the
top with punches and elbows as the fight ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Beebe and the fight 29-28 for Chase
Beebe.
Will
Ribeiro def. Chase Beebe by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28),
R3.
-Tim
McKenzie vs. Jeremy Lang
R1-
They start to trade as Lang picks McKenzie up and slams him down.
Lang works from half guard as McKenzie tries to improve his position.
Not much action as Lang is holding McKenzie down and not going
for any kind of offense. McKenzie tries to get back up but is
caught in a guillotine choke but he escapes and is back on his
back. McKenize is able to get guard and Lang moves into half
guard. Lang is holding McKenzie down as McKenzie retains guard
and lands some elbows from the bottom that cut Lang. Lang lands
a small flurry as the round ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Lang.
R2-
Lang picks McKenzie up and slams him down to start the round.
McKenzie gets to his knees as Lang tries to hold him down but
McKenzie is finally put on his back. After a scramble on the
ground, Lang goes for a rear naked choke but McKenzie escapes
and once again gives up his back. McKenzie escapes and starts
to unload from the top as Lang gets back up to his feet. Lang
once again takes McKenzie down and holds him down. Not much action
going on as Lang continues to hold McKenzie down without doing
much damage. Lang stands up and drops some punches and McKenzie
lands an up kick as the round ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Lang.
R3-
McKenzie goes for a takedown but Lang defends and lands an knee
to the groin as the action is halted. Action resumes and McKenzie
lands a big shot that hurts Lang, who goes for a takedown but
is caught in a guillotine choke. The fight is stopped as Lang
passes out from the choke.
Tim
McKenzie def. Jeremy Lang by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at
0:40, R3.
-Jose
Aldo vs. Alexandre Franca Nogueira
R1-
They stalk each other and Nogueira goes for a takedown but Aldo
defends and lands a knee. Both fighters continue to feel each
other out as Aldo comes in with a flurry and Nogueira goes for
a takedown but Aldo defends. Both fighters trade shots but neither
is landing anything significant. Aldo continues to press forward
and is being the aggressor on the fee, landing shots but nothing
too powerful. Nogueira goes for a takedown but Aldo defends well
and escapes. Aldo lands some kicks as the round ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Aldo.
R2-
Nogueira goes for the takedown but Aldo is defending well and
landing shots on the feet. The crowd is starting to get restless
as Aldo continues to stalk Nogueira. Nogueira goes for a takedown
but ends up on his back and Aldo starts to land brutal shots
as Nogueira tries to pull guard. Aldo lands elbows that cut Nogueira
and moves into mount as he continues to punish Nogueira as the
referee steps to stop the fight.
Jose
Aldo def. Alexandre Franca Nogueira by TKO at 3:22, R2.
-Charlie
Valencia vs. Dominick Cruz
R1-
Both fighters trade, neither landing much. Cruz lands some low
kicks as Valencia goes for a combination. Valencia lands a punch
then a knee but Cruz responds with a combination. Cruz lands
a stinging combination but Valencia responds with a high kick.
They trade and Valencia lands a nice hook and Cruz responds with
a combination that hurts Valencia. Valencia goes for a takedown
but Cruz defends and lands a knee that stuns Valencia and he
comes in with flurry but Valencia survives. They continue to
trade and Cruz finishes the round with a combination.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Cruz.
R2-
Valencia lands a combination that hurts Cruz, he goes for a takedown
but its defended well and they get back on their feet. They continue
to trade shots but neither landing anything significant as they
continue to stalk each other. They continue to trade shots but
none connecting with power. Cruz goes for a takedown but Valencia
defends as the round ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Valencia.
R3-
Both fighters come out trading as they both land their shots.
Cruz lands a nice combination of punches but Valencia continues
coming forward. They both go for hooks but Cruz lands his with
authority. They continue to trade and Valencia lands a nice hook.
They stalk each other but neither fighter is landing anything
of note. They clinch against the fence but seperate and Cruz
lands a good combination. They continue to trade shots as the
fight ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Cruz and the fight 29-28 for Cruz.
Dominick
Cruz def. Charlie Valencia by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28,
29-28).
QUICK
RESULTS
-Urijah
Faber def. Jens Pulver by Unanimous Decision, R5
-Miguel Torres def. Yoshiro Maeda by TKO (Injury Stoppage) at
5:00, R3
-Mark Munoz def. Chuck Grigsby by TKO (Strikes) at 4:15, R1
-Rob McCullough def. Kenneth Alexander by Split Decision, R3
-Donald Cerrone def. Danny Castillo by Submission (Armbar) at
0:30, R1
-Mike Brown def. Jeff Curran by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Will Ribeiro def. Chase Beebe by Split Decision, R3
-Tim McKenzie def. Jeremy Lang by Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 0:40, R3
-Alex Serdyukov def. Luis Sapo by TKO at 5:00, R1
-Jose Aldo def. Alexandre Franca Nogueira by TKO at 3:22, R2
-Dominick Cruz def. Charlie Valencia by Unanimous Decision, R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
A
WORD FROM THE ASIAN SENSATION...
…hype
hype
-verb
1.
to stimulate, excite, or agitate
2.
to create interest in by flamboyant or dramatic methods
3.
to intensify
4.
exaggerated publicity; hoopla.
James
Thompson played the unforeseen part of the spoiler. Well, almost.
Riding
the hype train at breakneck speed, the man known as “Kimbo
Slice” won his third pro fight last Saturday evening and
prevented a near disaster for EliteXC. Kevin Ferguson defeated
James Thompson via TKO in the third round of a much discussed
and touted fight.
For
a man who was sold to the public as an ‘MMA Sensation,’
Ferguson displayed the skills of a neophyte in his new craft.
He is a work in progress. He is not ready to headline events
nor should he be put in a position to do so.
A
fatigued Ferguson endured his most difficult test to date as
a professional. After the fight, a dejected tone could be heard
in his voice as he revealed that his opponent was stronger than
he expected to be. James Thompson was brought in as cannon fodder
and he nearly put Ferguson’s promoters and supporters into
a state of panic. Thompson came in with a game plan and put Kimbo
on his back numerous times; an intelligent albeit obvious plan
on the English fighter’s part.
The
strategy proved useful as Thompson held a seemingly helpless
Kimbo down for the remaining two minutes of the second round
while peppering him with more than fifty unanswered elbows and
punches. Kimbo looked like a fish out of water and was ultimately
saved by the bell. By the same token, many viewers, including
myself, wondered why the fight wasn’t stopped.
The
announcer exclaimed “terrible stoppage!” after referee
Dan Miragliotta halted the fight during the final round in Ferguson’s
favor. A dazed James Thompson suffered a ruptured cauliflower
ear and received four unanswered strikes which led to the stoppage.
It could be argued if the stoppage was questionably early; I
personally felt the decision by the referee was adequate.
After
his high profile fight came to a conclusion, a tired Kimbo could
be seen lying on the mat. He seemed relieved. ProElite, the parent
company of EliteXC, must have been relieved as well. A defeat
for their chosen star would have been disastrous. However, the
damage was done.
Pushing
Kevin Ferguson into the forefront was a strategic marketing move
for EliteXC. Kimbo received an extensive amount of publicity
and exposure prior to the promotion’s CBS debut. Unfortunately,
the hype train got derailed by Ferguson’s average performance
against an opponent he should have demolished on paper.
The
purpose of the invented wonder that is “Kimbo Slice”
was to draw in the casual fans with hopes of good ratings. EliteXC
may need to find a new angle in promoting their next CBS broadcast,
assuming there will be another one.
In
the end, EliteXC has no one else to blame but themselves. They
placed their eggs in one basket and set the expectations too
high. A fuse was lit and Ferguson was shot out of the cannon
too soon. The thick bearded fighter didn’t get exposed and
he is not to blame. He is exactly what he is; an inexperienced
MMA fighter.
Kevin
Ferguson rebounded to win his fight at CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night
Fights. “Kimbo Slice” was defeated by the hype.
(Editor’s
note: CBS released incomplete early ratings on Sunday and indicated
that ratings were up for the network across the board for that
specific time slot. So there is likely to be another CBS-EliteXC
Saturday Night Fights, although no announcement of such has been
forthcoming. Full ratings, however, will not be available until
Tuesday.)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
34: HOMETOWN HERO FABER EDGES OUT PULVER
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber
defended his title in his hometown against Jens Pulver in a five
round war on Sunday night. According to World Extreme Cagefighting
officials, there we 12,682 fans in attendance with a live gate
of $738,855.
Faber
was able to display his stand-up in this fight, tagging Pulver
with crisp combinations, but the former UFC lightweight champion
got in some shots of his own throughout the fight, testing the
champion like never before.
The
fight played out with the two warriors trading shots back and
forth, tagging each other with crisp punches. Faber finally was
able to get the fight on the ground on several occasions in the
later rounds, punishing Pulver with his trademark elbows, leaving
his face swollen and discolored.
One
thing that was never in doubt was the hometown crowd’s enthusiasm
throughout the fight as they encouraged their champion on and
cheered the rival Pulver by the end of the five-round war. As
the fight wound down, Faber was able to get a takedown and land
a couple of punishing elbows for good measure as both fighters
were given a standing ovation once the fight ended.
Hometown
hero Urijah Faber earned a unanimous decision with scores of
50-45, 50-44 and 50-44, winning every round on the judges’
scorecards.
“Sacramento
has a great 145-pound champion” said Pulver after the fight.
“This
was just a fun experience overall. I feel honored to be here
in my hometown to put on a show,” said Faber.
WEC
bantamweight champion Miguel Torres made his first title defense
against former featherweight King of Pancrase Yoshiro Maeda in
what is easily a fight of the year candidate. These two went
to war with Torres using his reach, tagging Maeda with jabs and
kicks. Maeda found his way inside and returned fire with crisp
combinations and kicks of his own. On the occasion the fight
went on the ground, Maeda would drop punches and quickly get
back on his feet wanting no part of the champion’s submissions.
In
the second round, the war continued on with Torres finding his
range with punches and landing the occasional flurry of knees.
By now both Torres and Maeda showed signs of war, with Torres
bleeding profusely from a cut and Maeda’s right eye swelling
quickly. Maeda switched strategies, taking the fight to the ground
and going for a heel hook, Torres obliging by going for his own.
After a scramble the champion ended the round in mount, dropping
blows on Maeda.
It
was more of the same in the third with Torres starting to take
over with his jab and Maeda becoming frustrated on occasion.
By round’s end, Maeda’s eye was swollen shut, forcing
the doctor to stop the fight in between the third and fourth
round, giving Torres the victory.
Former
NCAA wrestling champion Mark Munoz made a successful WEC debut,
stopping Midwest striker Chuck Grigsby in the opening round.
Grigsby looked good early, using his reach to tag Munoz on the
feet, even stopping one of his takedowns, but the wrestler was
finally able to get the fight to the ground. From then on, Munoz
punished Grigsby with strikes, diving in and out of his guard
with hard punches. Munoz continued this onslaught until finally
catching Grigsby with a shot, following it up with more punches
and putting a halt to the fight at 4:15 of the first stanza.
“Razor”
Rob McCullough won a controversial decision over Kenneth Alexander,
in what turned out to be a lackluster fight. Neither fighter
seemed willing to engage, instead playing it safe and keeping
their distance and picking their shots. Through the fight, it
was Alexander who pressed forward and on several occasions went
for takedowns, but McCullough stuffed most of them. In the final
round, both fighters started to get more active, but not as much
as the crowd would have liked. The judges gave their verdict
with McCullough winning on two judges’ cards with the score
of 30-27 and Alexander taking the other with a score of 29-28.
Donald
“Cowboy” Cerrone continued his submission streak, finishing
WEC newcomer Danny Castillo early on in the first round. After
a takedown by Castillo, Cerrone went for an armbar right off
the bat, but Castillo pulled out and Cerrone once again went
for it, locking in the technique for good this time.
(The
Cerrone victory was officially announced as being at 0:30 of
round one, but the fight clock appeared to be closer to 1:30.)
Mike
Brown made an impressive WEC debut, winning a well-earned decision
over former title challenger Jeff Curran. Brown stayed composed
through the fight, trading with Curran on the feet before getting
the takedown and controlling him with punches and elbows. For
all three rounds, Brown would punish Curran with the same offense.
Curran had no answer for the attack. In the end, Brown walked
way with a unanimous decision, gaining scores of 30-27 on all
three judges cards.
Returning
to action for the first time since losing his title, former WEC
bantamweight champion Chase Beebe faced Brazilian striker Will
Ribeiro. The Brazilian scored on the feet with kicks and crisp
combinations as Beebe looked to take the fight to the ground.
Each time Beebe got a takedown, Ribeiro would catch him in a
guillotine, but was never able to finish the hold. From there
Beebe would land elbows and punches, but Ribeiro would always
get back to his feet. The same scenario played out for all three
rounds with the judges being more impressed with Ribeiro’s
striking, earning him a split decision with scores of 29-28,
28-29 and 29-28.
In
a come from behind victory, Tim McKenzie choked out a very game
Jeremy Lang in the final round of their middleweight fight. Lang
used his powerful wrestling to control McKenzie on the ground,
but was infective, to say the least, when it came to doing damage.
McKenzie fought back, landing elbows and opening a cut on Lang’s
forehead. Lang controlled the action in the second once again,
keeping McKenzie grounded and even going for a pair of rear naked
chokes, but McKenzie defended well and made it out of the round.
After
a failed takedown by McKenzie to start the third round, Lang
landed a knee to the groin putting a stop to the action. Once
the action resumed again. McKenzie landed a big shot that forced
Lang to go for a takedown, getting caught in a guillotine choke
that put him to sleep, forty seconds into the last round.
Russian
welterweight Alex Serdyukov might have put himself into title
contention, stopping the debuting Luis Sapo after one round of
action. Both fighters engaged on the feet with neither landing
anything of note, but staying busy. As the round was coming to
an end, Sapo slipped and Serdyukov pounced on top, dropping elbows
and punches that had the Brazilian stunned with his saving grace
being the end of the round. Sapo looked sluggish getting back
to his corner and it was determined between rounds that he was
unable to continue.
In
an all-Brazilian battle, Nova Uniao’s Jose Aldo made a successful
American debut, stopping former Shooto lightweight champion Alexandre
Franca Nogueira. The first round was uneventful as neither fighter
engaged much with Aldo being the aggressor on the feet and defending
Nogueira’s attempts to take the fight to the ground.
The
second round began with much of the same, but midway through
the round, Nogueira dropped to his back after a failed takedown.
Aldo jumped and unleashed a furious onslaught of punches and
elbows that cut Nogueira and had him out of the fight at 3:22
of the second round.
The
night was opened with bantamweight action as Dominick Cruz edged
out a game Charlie Valencia. Both fighters kept the fight on
the feet and each landed their shots throughout the fight. Cruz
stunned Valencia in the first with a fluid combination and Valencia
did the same in the second stanza. It all came down to the final
round with Cruz landing the more effective shots on the feet
and winning a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28
and 29-28.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mixed
martial arts show with Kimbo Slice scores big in Los Angeles
The
Saturday night tape-delayed Elite Extreme Combat event from Newark,
N.J., came in with a local overnight rating of 4.7 and a 9 share.
The rating peaked at 7.2 the final 15 minutes.
By
comparison, a Stanley Cup final hockey game shown earlier in
the evening on KNBC-TV Channel 4 averaged just a 1.3 local rating
and a 3 share.
The
MMA national overnight rating, which is an average for the nation's
54 largest markets, was a 2.7 with a 5 share.
The
main event for the five-card night featured Kimbo Slice, a former
street brawler from Miami whose real name is Kevin Ferguson,
against James "The Colossus" Thompson of England. Slice
won by technical knockout. The fight was stopped 38 seconds into
the third round with a dazed Thompson bleeding from the ear after
taking a few explosive punches to the head.
Jared
Shaw, vice president of fighter relations for EliteXC, said he
was extremely pleased with the overnight viewership numbers in
L.A. Three other fights are scheduled to be shown on CBS later
this year.
"The
rating is phenomenal," he said. "With each big city,
the numbers should be very similar."
The
event was scheduled to run from 9 to 11 p.m., but ran about 45
minutes longer, causing the KCBS local news to be delayed and
shortened in length by about 20 minutes.
In
some parts of the country, "CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights"
was delayed and, in one case, not shown at all.
In
the Billings, Mont., area and parts of central Ohio, some viewers
tuned in but found a prescheduled Children's Miracle Network
telethon instead. Most of those CBS affiliates chose to show
the MMA event at a later hour.
That
wasn't the case in Greensboro, N.C., where WFMY gave rights to
the event to a low-wattage network 25 miles away in Reidsville,
according to program director David Briscoe. Instead, the CBS
affiliate televised a 1992 made-for-TV movie called "Getting
Up and Going Home," which stars Tom Skerritt as a divorced
attorney who copes with his mid-life crisis by having multiple
affairs.
In
an earlier statement sent to greensborosports.com, Briscoe wrote:
"We have concern for the content in CBS' EliteXC."
Source: LA Times
|
UFC
VET SHONIE CARTER WINS AT INCEPTION
Ultimate
Fighting Championship veteran Shonie Carter returned to the winner’s
circle on Friday night in Merrillville, Ind. He defeated Deni
Deedsby by TKO near the end of the first round. The fight was
the main event of Prime Time Fighting Championship “Inception.”
-Shonie
Carter def. Deni Deedsby TKO at 4:21, R1
-Jay
Estrada def. David Lowe by KO at 1:53, R1
-Steve
Kinnison def. Will Sholt by Submission (Rear Naked Chock) at
4:52, R1
-Ron
Fields def. Bobby Martinez by Submission (Arm Bar) at 2:42, R1
-Kevin
Knabjian def. Mario Staple by TKO at 2:02, R1
-Demain
Decorah def. Sean "Omega" Sallee by TKO at 4:07, R1
-John
Murphy def. Jeremy Ashley by Unanimous Decision, R3
-James
Warfiled def. John Fields by TKO at 2:40, R1
-Tony
Martin vs. Kris Boydon - no contest due to injury
-Antonio
Cansa def. Paul "Small" Martin by TKO at 4:42, R2
-Romy
Daovd def Christian Nelson by Submission (Heel Hook) at 0:36,
R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Pacific
Submission Grappling Championships
June 27-30, 2008
Blaisdell Exhibition Hall
Open to all Men, Women and Kids 5-14 & Juniors 15-17 years
old.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday June 27-29, 2008
Location:
Neil Blaisdell Exhibition Center
Honolulu, HI
Fees:
*(Must Pre-Register on or before June 25th at www.grapplingtournaments.com or by mail for these
prices)
*Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships – Saturday June 28th
- Men, Women & Juniors - $50
*No Gi Submission Grappling – Sunday June 29th - Men, Women
& Juniors - $50
**BOTH events for ONLY $75**
*1 day Spectator ticket: $10 (must purchase online or $20 a day)
2 day spectator ticket: $15 (must purchase online or $20 a day)
Pre-Registration
Enrollment (3 options):
1) Mail a signed Registration Form along with a money order or
check made payable to:
GTA Tournaments - Mail to: 17424 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach,
CA 92647 Note: postmarked no later than Monday June 23rd)
2)
Register online: grapplingtournaments.com (Note: Online registration
must be completed by Wednesday June 25th) or at OTM Fight Shop
(Pre-Registration must be completed by Wednesday June 25th)
3)
Night before or day of Registration: $20 late fee will apply
Show up to either weigh-in time to register.
Weigh-Ins
(2 options):
Either OTM Fight Shop or Tournament Location. Note: There will
be no weight allowance. If an athlete is within 3 pounds of their
weigh class they will have until an hour and a half before their
scheduled division to make weight.
Option
1: Day before Weigh-ins will beFriday, June 27th, 2008 between
12pm - 6pmat OTM Fight Shop:
1255 S. Beretania St. Honolulu, HI 92647 (808) 591-6620
Option
2: Day of Weigh-ins you can also weigh-in the day you compete
1 hour 30 minutes before your scheduled cut off time at the tournament
location. Complete information is available at grapplingtournaments.com
For
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and/or No-Gi Submission Grappling Divisions
Morning of the event before your divisions scheduled deadline
time at the tournament location. See schedule below for deadline
times. (Anyone arriving after deadline will be penalized an additional
$20 if the division has not started yet.)
Note: This is the earliest a division will be called. It does
not necessarily reflect the actual fight time.
Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Divisions run on Saturday
*(Must be weighed in and ready to compete by listed weigh-in
times)*
Kids all divisions (5-10 & 11-14): Weigh in before 9am -
Compete at 10am
Juniors all divisions (15-17): Weigh in before 10:00am - Compete
at 11:30am
White Belt Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 9am - Compete
at 10am
White Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 9am. Compete at 11am
Blue Belt Executives & Masters: Weigh-in before 11am. Compete
at 1pm
Blue Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 11am. Compete at 2 pm
Women all divisions: Weigh-in before 1 pm. Compete at 3 pm
Purple Belt Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete
at 4 pm
Purple Belt Adult: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete at 4 pm
Brown & Black Belt: Weigh-in before 2 pm. Compete at 4:30
pm
Schedule
For No-Gi Submission Grappling Divisions on Sunday:
Kids all divisions (5-10 & 11-14): Weigh in before 9am -
Compete at 10am
Juniors all divisions (15-17): Weigh in before 9:30am - Compete
at 11:30am
Beginner Executive & Masters: Weigh-in before 9am - Compete
at 10am
Beginner Adult: Weigh-in before 9:30 am - Compete at 11:30am
Advanced Executives & Masters: Weigh-in before 11:00am -
Compete at 1:30pm
Advanced Adult: Weigh-in before 11:30am - Compete at 2pm
Women all divisions: Weigh-in before 1pm - Compete at 2:30pm
Intermediate Executives and Masters: Weigh-in before 1pm - Compete
at 3pm
Intermediate Adult: Weigh-in before 1:30pm - Compete at 3:30pm
Coaches:
Coaches will be required to check-in online or by phone and provide
a list of registered students to receive credentials. STRICTLY
ENFORCED! Email director@grapplingtournaments.com or call (714) 847-6787
for credentials.
Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu Championship Division & Rules • Saturday June
28th
BJJ
Skill Levels:
Men
& Women: White Belt, Blue Belt, Purple Belt, Brown Belt &
Black Belt
Kids
(8-14) & Juniors (15-17 years): White, Yellow, Orange &
Green Belt
Length
of BJJ Matches:
White:
5 minutes
Blue:
6 minutes
Purple:
7 minutes
Brown:
8 minutes
Black:
10 Minutes
Juniors:
4 minutes
Executive
(30-39) / Masters (40+): White/Blue belts 4 minutes • Purple/Brown
belts 6min • Black belts 7 minutes
Male
Adult BJJ Weight Classes: (Note: Weigh-in WITHOUT uniform)
Rooster:
121lbs. and below
Super
Feather: 122-134 lbs.
Feather:
135-147 lbs.
Light:
148-160 lbs.
Middle:
161-174 lbs.
Light-Heavy:
174-187 lbs.
Heavy:
188-202 lbs.
Super-Heavy:
203-221 lbs.
Unlimited:
221 lbs. and over
Juniors
(13-17) BJJ Weight Classes:
Lightweight:
114.9 lbs. and below
Welterweight:
115-129.9 lbs.
Middleweight:
130-149.9 lbs.
Cruiserweight:
150-169.9 lbs.
Heavyweight:
170 lbs. and over
Women's
BJJ Weight Classes:
Class
A: 119.9 lbs and below
Class
B: 120-134.9 lbs.
Class
C: 135-149.9 lbs.
Class
D: 150 lbs. and over
Women's
Absolute: Open Weight, Open Skill
Executive
& Masters BJJ Weight Classes:
Lightweight:
159.9 lbs and below
Middleweight:
160-179.9 lbs.
Cruiserweight:
180-199.9 lbs.
Heavyweight:
200 lbs. and over
BJJ
Point System:
Takedown:
2 points
Knee
on Belly: 2 points
Sweep
or Reversal w/ legs: 2 points
Passing
Opponent's Guard: 3 points
Mounted
Position: 4 points
Back
Control w/ Hooks: 4 points
(All
positions must be held for 3 full seconds)
BJJ
Illegal Techniques:
White
Belt, Blue belt, Executives and Masters: No Leg Locks EXCEPT
Straight Ankle Lock. No Neck or Cervical Cranks, Wrist Locks,
Slamming or Slicers.
Purple
- Black: No Twisting Leg locks EXCEPT Inside Toe Hold, No Neck
or Cervical Cranks or Slamming.
Submission
Grappling Divisions & Rules • Sunday June 29th
Skill
Levels:
Beginner:
Under 2 years
Intermediate:
2 years to 4 years
Advanced:
More than 4 years
Kids
& Juniors: Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater
Women:
Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced = 18 months or
greater
Executive:
30-39 years – Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater
Masters:
Over 40 years - Beginner = Less than 18 months • Advanced
= 18 months or greater
Length
of No-Gi Matches:
Beginner:
4 minutes
Intermediate:
5 minutes
Advanced:
6 minutes
Kids
& Juniors: 4 minutes
Women:
Beginner = 4 minutes • Advanced = 6 minutes
Executive/Masters:
Beginner = 4 minutes • Advanced = 5 minutes
Men's
No-Gi Weight Classes:
Flyweight:
139.9 lbs. and below
Featherweight:
140-149.9 lbs.
Lightweight:
150-159.9 lbs.
Welterweight:
160-169.9 lbs.
Middleweight:
170-179.9 lbs.
Cruiserweight:
180-189.9 lbs.
Light-Heavyweight:
190-199.9 lbs.
Heavyweight:
200-209.9 lbs.
Superweight:
210 lbs. and over
Children’s
No-Gi Weight Classes:
*Rough
guideline. Youth will be matched as closely as possible.*
Bantamweight:
50 lbs. and below
Flyweight:
50-59.9 lbs.
Featherweight:
60-69.9 lbs.
Lightweight:
70-79.9 lbs.
Welterweight:
80-94.9 lbs.
Middleweight:
94-109.9 lbs.
Cruiserweight:
110-124.9 lbs.
Heavyweight:
124 lbs. and over
Kids
& Juniors No-Gi Weight Classes:
Lightweight:
114.9 lbs. and below
Welterweight:
115-129.9 lbs.
Middleweight:
130-149.9 lbs.
Cruiserweight:
150-169.9 lbs.
Heavyweight:
170 lbs. and over
Women's
No-Gi Weight Classes:
Class
A: 119.9 lbs and below
Class
B: 120-134.9 lbs.
Class
C: 135-149.9 lbs.
Class
D: 150 lbs. and over
Women's
Absolute: Open Weight, Open Skill
Executive
& Masters No-Gi Weight Classes:
Lightweight:
159.9 lbs and below
Middleweight:
160-179.9 lbs.
Cruiserweight:
180-199.9 lbs.
Heavyweight:
200 lbs. and over
No-Gi
Point System:
Takedown
landing in Half or Full Guard: 2 points
Takedown
to Side Control or Mount: 3 points
Sweep
or Reversal w/ legs: 2 points
Passing
Opponent's Guard: 3 points
Mounted
Position: 4 points
Back
Control w/ Hooks: 4 points
(All
positions must be held for minimum 3 seconds)
No-Gi
Illegal Techniques:
Beginner,
Novice, Executive & Masters Divisions: No Leg Locks EXCEPT
Straight Ankle Lock. No Neck or Cervical Cranks, Wrist Locks,
Slamming or Slicers.
Intermediate:
No Twisting Leg locks EXCEPT Inside Toe Hold, No Neck or Cervical
Cranks, Wrist Locks, Slamming or Slicers.
Advanced:
No Slamming
Detailed
Rules:
The
object of the competition is to control and submit your opponent.
Ways
to win:
1)
Causing your opponent to physically or verbally tapout or quit
by using a technique within the guidelines of the rules in each
set division. (All competitors must be aware of dangerous techniques
and know how to tapout.)
2)
Highest score at end of regulation time period or overtime.
3)
Referee Stoppage
1.
Hygiene: At weigh-ins all competitors will be checked for communicable
diseases, not limited to but including ring-worm, staph, herpes
and impetigo.
2.
Tie Breakers: There will be a one minute overtime in the event
of a draw. At the end of the 1 minute overtime if the were no
points scored it will immediately turn to sudden death in which
the first point scored gets the victory. The stalling rule will
be enforced with ZERO tolerance in overtime. The referee will
give 2 warnings and you will be deducted -1 point and given the
loss if you do not go after the victory.
3.
No Stalling: The referee will issue warning for the 1st offense
of stalling (i.e. backing out of the guard without engaging,
butt scooting, fleeing the ring to avoid takedown/submission
attempts). The 2nd offense will result in a 2 point deduction.
A 3rd offense will result in a 3 point deduction. A 4th offense
will result in a DQ.
4.
Leg Locks: Leg Locks are ILLEGAL in all kids, masters, executive,
and novice divisions. Straight ankle locks are legal for Beginner.
Straight ankle, inside figure four toe holds, straight knee bars
and calf slicers are legal for Intermediate. , All leg locks
are legal in the Advanced Men’s division. Note: Reaping
(crossing you leg across your opponents body while attacking
a foot) is illegal in all divisions except Intermediate and advanced
adult.
5.
Illegal Techniques in all divisions: No strikes, biting, eye
gouging (includes chin to eye), head butting, small join manipulation
(finger and toe locks), hair pulling, or ear pulling, neck cranks.
6.
Slamming: ZERO tolerance on slamming. This is to avoid slamming
to escape the guard and various submissions from the guard. A
competitor will be immediately disqualified NOTE - Takedowns
are not considered slamming, unless intent to injure is determined
by the referee.
7.
Neck Cranks and Twister: Neck cranks and Twister (wrestling guillotine)
are only legal in the advanced division. Intermediate division
may use the Twister setup to execute the banana split or calf
slicer.
8.
Takedowns and control: Any position must be held for a MINUMUM
of 3 full seconds before points will be awarded. If you take
your opponent down and Mount him you would receive 3 points for
the take down AFTER 3 seconds AND then 3 more seconds for the
4 point mount. Therefore you must maintain the position for 3
seconds per set of points. Guard pass points are established
when the opponent’s shoulders are flat on the ground and
your legs are completely clear of their legs. If you go from
standing to a guys back with BOTH his knees on the ground for
3 full seconds you receive 2 points for reversal.
9.
Sweeps/Reversals: Reversal of position points are given when
one opponent reverses from the bottom to the top position and
maintained for a full three seconds. The reversal has to be used
from your guard or in the immediate transition of someone passing
your guard. For example if you’re passing my guard and I
IMMEDIATELY put you on your back I receive reversal points. Note:
Rolling someone over when you are mounted or in side control
is an escape not a reversal.
10.
No-Gi Attire: board shorts, fight shorts, singlets, or Gi pants
are required. Rash guards, t-shirts, tank tops, Wrestling shoes,
knee pads (non-medal braces), headgear, cups and mouth pieces
are optional.
11.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Attire: A clean solid colored uniform is
required to compete in the BJJ Division. Uniform Jacket must
have a four finger space at cuff and sleeves within 3” of
wrist. Pants must be within 3” of ankles.
12.
Code of Conduct: We will be enforcing a zero tolerance rule on
disrespecting, threatening with physical violence, or verbally
abusing referees or staff at any time before, during or after
the event. If any spectator, coach or competitor threatens or
abuses the referee in any shape or form, they will be escorted
out of the building.
For
Rules Packet and Regeistration form please email us at:
hawaii@otmfightshop.com
Online
regestration will be avaliable after May 18th at
www.grapplingtournaments.com
Online
Regestration now open at:
http://www.grapplingtournaments.com/platnew/index.php
Pre-Regestratoin
ends Wednesday June 25th.
|
Quote
of the Day
"Thought
is action in rehearsal."
Sigmund Freud, 1856-1939, Austrian Neurologist and Psychiatrist
|
Hawaiian
Open Championship BJJ Tourney
Today!
Competitor
Fees:
Adults: $65
Kids: $35
When:
Sunday June 1, 2008
11am Kids Rules Clinic & Kids Matches
PM Adult Matches
Location:
Klum Gym
University of Hawaii
TIMELINE:
http://www.hawaiitriplecrown.com/
EARLY ONLINE
REGISTRATION DEADLINE
(1 WEEK PRIOR TO EVENT DAY)
LATE ONLINE
REGISTRATION DEADLINE
(5 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT DAY)
"PRE-REGISTERED"
CHECK BY APPLICANTS
(4 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT DAY).
ALL ERRORS
MUST BE ADDRESSED BY THIS DATE OR NO.BRACKETS POSTED ON WEBSITE
(2-3 DAYS PRIOR TO EVENT DAY)
Divisions:
Adult, Kids, Women, All Weight Divisions, All Levels.
The Adult division is open for everyone, but athletes of other
age divisions willing to compete here will not be allowed to
fight in their own division (athletes can only enroll in one
age division)
Medals –
Medals will be given out promptly after each division has completed
the finals match.
1st, 2nd, and 3rd place competitors: please standby your mat
table and wait for the sheet.
Once the sheet has been verified for accuracy, please bring to
the award table to receive your respective medal.
STAFF
Time/Score keepers and Referees are needed for the Hawaiian Open
2008
Would you
like a front row seat to see the Hawaiian Open Championship?
Help our sport grow and be an active part of the development
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu?
We are currently
filling staff positions for the Hawaiian Open 2008. We are in
need of Time/Score keepers and referees. You do not have to have
any experience to be a time keeper, just the willingness to hang
in there for a long fun filled day. We will offer a staff meeting
at the start of the day to answer any questions that you might
have.
We intend
to run 6 mats simultaneously, but this will be dependant on staff
manning.
Would you like to receive email updates on upcoming tournaments?
Go to our "News" page and sign up for the newsletter
at www.hawaiitriplecrown.com/news.html
Homepage: www.hawaiitriplecrown.com
Information:
Hawaii Triple Crown Staff |
Pride
Grand Prix Champion
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Seminar
Ninja
& Shogun Rua
Tropic
Lightnining Tae Kwon Do
2nd Floor, Waipahu
Sunday, June 15, 2008
5-7PM
Cost: $60
To
reserve your spot, please call:
Alden (Submit One) 371-1589
Wyman 216-4852
|
Strictly
Bangers 2 Results
O Lounge Night Club, Honolulu, Hawaii
May 30, 2008
170
Brandon Mendoza (Team Ruthless) def Mike Guillermo (Freelance)
by Unanimous Decision
HW Ata Tivao (94 Block) def Justin Padasdao (Team Submit) by
KO rd 1
155 Chris Ho (Island Thunder) and Neil Dacanay (Freelance) was
a draw
160 Alex Mendoza (Bullspen) def Tyson Decosta (Freelance) by
KO rd 1
205 Junior Sua (Freelance) def Brandon Naleieha (Tiger Muay Thai)
by KO rd 1
185 Josh Ferreira (Team Ruthless) def Nolan Vierra (Freelance)
by KO rd 1
185 Smokey Brown (Knockout Factory) def Nelson Owens (Freelance)
by KO rd 1
160 Darren Ioane (94 Block) def Thomas Yandall (Konnah Blokk)
by Unanimous Decision
HW Joaquin Dabbs (Eastsidaz) def Mark Taoa (94 Block) by Unanimous
Decision
145 Alan Hashimoto (Freelance) def Joseph Enaena (Freelance)
by Unanimous Decision
195 Justin Lawelawe (No H8ters Inc) def Jake Palelei (Konnah
Blokk) by TKO rd 1
HW Vilitonu Fonokalafi (No Remorse) def Otto Hoopii (Stand Alone)
by Unanimous Decision
Source: Event Promoter
|
CBS-ELITE
XC REVIEW: KIMBO BY CONTROVERSY
by Damon Martin
NEWARK, N.J. – With 8,033 in attendance at the Prudential
Center in New Jersey, CBS and EliteXC debuted the first-ever
mixed martial arts event to be telecast live in prime time on
broadcast television. Much to the surprise of the fans, the main
event didn’t end in the first minute… as a matter of
fact it went into the third round.
A
controversial stoppage in the final round of the fight saw Kimbo
Slice declared the victor despite an opponent in James Thompson
who, while definitely hurt, did not seem out of the fight yet.
Thompson
looked solid for the better part of the fight, playing a smart
game plan, taking Kimbo down numerous times throughout the fight.
While Kimbo was able to reverse position a couple of times during
the bout, Thompson’s takedowns almost made the difference.
The
second round saw Thompson trap Kimbo against the cage and start
to reign down punches and elbows. Kimbo was doing very little
to defend himself, and while Thompson’s strikes weren’t
overly devastating, it seemed the fight could have been stopped
at that point. Kimbo did survive, however, and the fighters went
to another round.
Kimbo
woke up in the third landing a big hook that burst and bloodied
Thompson’s cauliflower ear. He followed up with a few more
strikes, rocking his British opponent. Thompson took the shots,
but stayed standing and just as he seemed to be coming forward
at Kimbo, the referee stepped in and stopped the bout.
After
the fight, Thompson put his hands up in protest, going as far
as pushing the referee away; visibly upset by the stoppage.
While
the hype machine around Kimbo Slice cannot be denied, after his
performance on Saturday night, the fighter still has a lot to
live up to as far as his stature in the world of MMA.
In
what had to be the most exciting fight of the night with the
most anti-climactic ending, Robbie Lawler and Scott Smith did
not get to finish what they started after an accidental eye poke
in the third round caused doctors to stop the bout.
In
the opening round, Smith came out firing at Lawler trying to
take advantage of the champion early in the fight. Lawler persevered
and came back at Smith with a barrage of jabs and a couple of
body kicks that seemed to buckle the California fighter. As the
round closed, it was Lawler who landed a number of shots and
at the time, it appeared Smith was saved by the bell.
The
second round told a much different story as Smith, looking completely
refreshed, brought the fight to Lawler hitting him with punches,
knees and inside the clinch with elbows. Smith controlled the
biggest part of the round, keeping Lawler on the defensive with
his striking game.
With
each fighter winning a round according to the official scorecards
of the cage side judges, Lawler opened round three pursuing Smith
with an aggressive attack of punches. It was during an exchange
while the two fighters battled it out that Lawler put out his
hand to try and find the distance for a punch on his opponent
when his fingers found their way into Smith’s eye.
The
action stopped as the doctors stepped in to check Smith’s
condition. Despite repeated pleas from Smith to allow the fight
to continue, the doctors decided the damage was done and the
fight was stopped and ruled a no contest due to an accidental
eye poke.
EliteXC
Live Events President Gary Shaw announced during the post-fight
interviews that he would pay both fighters their normal purse
plus their contractual win bonuses for their respective performances
on Saturday night.
Despite
not making weight and after admitting that she didn’t have
the right time to train for the fight, Gina Carano pulled out
an impressive performance in her fight against Kaitlin Young,
winning by doctor’s stoppage after the second round.
Many
questioned if Carano was really focused on this fight, but once
the bell rang she was business as usual feeding Young a steady
diet of front kicks and using her jab effectively.
In
the second round, Carano took over, hitting Young with multiple
punches and it seemed that she could soon finish the Minnesota
native. Another front kick put Young on the mat and Carano followed
up trying to sink in a rear naked choke, but the round ended
before the submission could fully be applied.
Between
rounds, the doctors examined Kaitlin Young’s eye, which
had taken damage in the second round, and determined the fight
could not continue, giving Carano a TKO win. The New Jersey crowd
gave Carano one of the loudest ovations of the night, cheering
her name on different occasions and exploding when she was victorious.
Team
Jackson fighter Joey Villasenor overcame the adversity of a tough
crowd cheering for their almost hometown fighter, Phil Baroni,
as the former King of the Cage champion finished “The New
York Badass” in the first round of their bout in New Jersey.
Baroni
took Villasenor down early, but quickly the two fighters were
back exchanging on the feet. Villasenor moved Baroni against
the cage and almost ended the fight with a guillotine choke.
Baroni survived the submission attempt, but he didn’t survive
much longer as Villasenor seemed to smell blood in the water
and moved in for the kill.
Tracking
Baroni down, Villasenor landed a good combination that put Baroni
on his heels, reeling against the cage. Knowing his opponent
was hurt, Villasenor followed up with a few more punches that
put Baroni down and out for good.
With
his third win in a row, Joey Villasenor has to be a leading candidate
to challenge for the EliteXC middleweight title in the near future.
Brett
“The Grim” Rogers started CBS-EliteXC Saturday Night
Fights off with a bang, knocking out Jon Murphy early in the
first round of their match-up. Rogers made his way to the cage
introduced by rapper Busta Rhymes and was followed up by an entourage
including MTV star Christopher “Big Black” Boykin.
Murphy
looked solid early on, landing some big punches on his opponent,
but in the end Rogers’ power was too much.
After
a brief clinch against the cage, the fighters separated and as
they both swung at each other, Rogers connected with a thunderous
right hook that landed Murphy face down on the canvas. Rogers
will now look for another big fight in the growing EliteXC heavyweight
division.
-Kevin
"Kimbo Slice" Ferguson def. James Thompson by TKO at
0:38, R3
-Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith ruled a No Contest (Doctor Stoppage)
at 3:26, R3
-Gina Carano def. Kaitlin Young by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 3:00,
R2
-Joey Villasenor def. Phil Baroni by TKO at 1:11, R1
-Brett Rogers def. Jon Murphy by KO at 1:01, R1
-Chris Liguori def. Jim Bova by TKO (Doctor's Stoppage) at 4:31,
R2
-Carlton Haselrig def. Carlos Moreno by TKO (Unable to Continue)
at 5:00, R1
-Matt Makowski def. Nick Serra by TKO (Unable to Continue) at
3:57, R2
-Wilson Reis def. Justin Robbins by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 4:06, R1
-James Jones def. Calvin Kattar by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 4:49, R1
-Zach Makovsky def. Andre Soares by Unanimous Decision at 5:00,
R3
-Joe Sampieri def. Mike Groves by TKO (Strikes) at 4:58, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
|
SMITH-YOSHIDA
SIGNED FOR SENGOKU III
Former UFC
heavyweight champion Maurice Smith will lock horns with 1992
Olympic gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida at World Victory Road:
Sengoku III on Sunday, June 8 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama,
Japan. Representatives from WVR announced the heavyweight tilt
on Tuesday.
Smith (12-12),
who turns 47 in December, last appeared in February, when he
submitted fellow kickboxing aficionado Ric Roufus in less than
two minutes at a Strikeforce event in Tacoma, Wash. He has rattled
off two consecutive victories since he returned from what was
nearly a seven-year-long hiatus in 2007. Smith owns notable wins
against Marco Ruas (twice), David “Tank” Abbott and
UFC Hall-of-Famer Mark Coleman.
The 37-year-old
Yoshida (7-6-1), meanwhile, will enter the match on a three-fight
losing streak. He submitted to a Josh Barnett heel hook at World
Victory Road’s inaugural event in March. Wins against Don
Frye and Mark Hunt highlight his resume; he twice fought Wanderlei
Silva to a decision, losing both.
World
Victory Road: Sengoku III
Sunday, June 8
Saitama Super Arena, Saitama, Japan
Maurice
Smith vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Nick Thompson vs. Michael Costa
Kazuo Misaki vs. Logan Clark
Marcio Cruz vs. Mu Bae Choi
Travis Wiuff vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
Source:
The Fight Network
|
HUGHES
BROTHERS SET FOR UFC REUNION
by Ken Pishna
It has been
more than eight years since former UFC welterweight champion
Matt Hughes and twin brother Mark have competed in mixed martial
arts at the same event. That era, however, may soon come to an
end.
Matt, in
a pre-fight media conference call for UFC 85 on Thursday, was
posed a question he didn’t expect, that being about the
possibility of his brother returning to the Octagon.
“This
is an unexpected question,” said Matt, the elder brother
– by five minutes – of the Hughes twins. “I do
know that Mark is going to sign a contract with the UFC where
he won't compete for anybody else. And that'd be right here coming
up. That's all I can really tell you. That's all I can really
comment on,”
Mark sports
a 6-2 professional record in MMA, including a win at UFC 28,
but hasn’t competed in nearly five years. Apparently poised
for a return, Matt says that Mark doesn’t have a fight lined
up yet, but is adamant about his return to the Ultimate Fighting
Championship, a place Matt has called home for several years.
“There's
no fight scheduled (for Mark), but he is going to sign a contract
with the UFC to fight for them and nobody else."
Of course,
with the twin brothers under contract, the obvious question is
if they will compete on an upcoming fight card together. On that
issue, Matt was less certain.
While he
indicated that he would like to fight on the same event as his
brother, Matt said, “To be honest, we tried that in the
past with the old owners and they just never went for it. But
that's been six, seven years ago probably. So, we'll just see
what comes out of it. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't,
it doesn't. Hopefully if it does, it'll be in the Midwest there
somewhere.”
With the
sport now under sanctioning across most of the United States,
including Illinois and Missouri, there has been speculation that
the UFC will soon operate an event in either Chicago or St. Louis.
So it appears that Matt’s hopes of fighting in the Midwest,
with his brother, has now become a distinct possibility.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Herring
steps in to face Lesnar at UFC 87
Heath
Herring, a former PRIDE title contender, will take on 2000 NCAA
wrestling champion Brock Lesnar on August 9 at UFC 87: Seek and
Destroy at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The UFC confirmed Thursday that Herring has signed on to replace
UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman, who is out with a torn MCL suffered
during training. The knee injury won't require him to undergo
surgery, but it'll likely sideline him for the next 6-8 weeks.
Coleman was preparing for his return to the UFC after a nine-and-a-half
year absence from the Octagon.
Lesnar
(1-1) lost his UFC debut in February against former UFC champion
Frank Mir. The former WWE superstar fared well in the bout left
himself open for a knee bar that forced him to tap out.
Herring
(29-13-1), who reclaimed a spot on MMAFighting.com's top ten
heavyweights with a win over Cheick Kongo in March, could position
himself for a title shot with a win here at the UFC's first event
in Minnesota. Mir's win over Lesnar earned him a spot as a coach
on the next season's "The Ultimate Fighter" as well
as a shot at the interim UFC heavyweight title against Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira.
UFC
87: Seek and Destroy
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Target Center in Minneapolis, MN
170
lbs. | Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch (Title Bout)
155 lbs. | Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta
265 lbs. | Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring
265 lbs. | Cheick Kongo vs. Dan Evensen*
155 lbs. | Mac Danzig vs. Clay Guida*
*not
officially announced
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Fedor's
Greatest Challenge
by Joe Hall
It's
another Friday morning in Midtown Manhattan, and the Avenue Restaurant
at the Sheraton New York is full of tourists.
Over
eggs and coffee and the clinking of forks against plates, these
visitors chat about the day ahead. They are anxious to get started.
Times Square is just a few blocks south, Rockefeller Center a
few east, Central Park to the north and within sight.
They
might view Manhattan from the observation deck on the 86th floor
of the Empire State Building. Might visit where Lennon was shot
at the Dakota or catch a celebrity strolling down Central Park
East in a ball cap and glasses.
And
as they finish off their toast, their orange juice and prepare
to hit the sidewalks, among them, unnoticed, sits a man considered
the best heavyweight fighter on the planet.
Fedor
Emelianenko wears blue jeans, a denim jacket and black tennis
shoes. The people who consider him the best in the world are
the ones who have seen him fight.
These
tourists have not. To them, he must seem no one special. Some
stout stranger, 6-foot tall and 230 pounds, who speaks in a foreign
tongue when he speaks at all.
Now
he's pacing the hotel lobby. His gait is casual, confident. A
Russian radio station has scheduled an interview, but they're
not ready, they're ready, they're not ready. No frustration from
Fedor. His stoicism is legendary.
Just
watch his many entrances in Pride, thousands of Japanese fans
in attendance, lights out in the arena except for where he moves.
Croatian kickboxer Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic waiting
for him in the ring, UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira waiting for him, Mark Hunt waiting for him.
And Fedor's expression on his way into battle? Eerie impassivity.
Now
is an understandable time to be frustrated, though. He's been
doing interviews for days. A news conference in Los Angeles on
Tuesday, one in New York on Thursday. Appearances and pictures
and autographs -- all in the name of Affliction, the clothing
company turned MMA promoter that has signed Fedor to headline
its July 19 debut at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif.
His
interpreter, Antonina Dzhomardova, tells of an exhausting day
dedicated entirely to interviews. It reached a point where she
was struggling to keep a straight face while translating questions
that had already been asked a half-dozen times. Yet Fedor gave
no hint of irritation. She says he answered each inquiry as if
it were new, stood and thanked his interviewer when finished,
then sat down with the next one and smiled.
Fedor
gets it. Whether America will get him, however, is uncertain.
In
April 2007 he headlined a Bodog Fight event that sold an abysmal
12,000 pay-per-views, Bodog Fight Commissioner Jeff Osborne recently
told The Fight Network. A big UFC event can sell 500,000 or far
more.
Bodog
Fight is essentially dead now, and Osborne predicts a similar
fate for Affliction. Other insiders join him in pointing to Fedor's
compensation, which has been rumored to fall in the neighborhood
of $1.5 million to $2 million, as well as the overall fight purse
for the event as a major burden to turning a profit. The experts
argue that Fedor is a great fighter but not a popular one --
not in the United States anyway.
Affliction
Vice President Tom Atencio disagrees.
"Do
we think we're going to take a loss? No," he says of Affliction's
first MMA event. "Are we prepared for it? Yes."
Atencio
blames Bodog's failures with Fedor on marketing. Bodog had a
"monstrous" advertising budget, according to Osborne,
which included plastering Fedor's image in the New York City
subways. Pride's U.S. venture with Fedor at the top of the card
didn't sell many pay-per-views either. Yet Atencio still contends
that "The Last Emperor" hasn't been marketed properly
in the United States.
"I
know for a fact that not very many people knew about [Fedor's
fights in the United States]," Atencio says. "I've
been in this industry for a long time and I didn't really hear
anything about it, especially with Bodog."
Bodog
matched Fedor against Matt Lindland (Pictures), who, although
a quality fighter, is not a heavyweight in stature or drawing
power. Affliction will pair the Russian against former UFC heavyweight
champion Tim Sylvia (Pictures), who has headlined multiple UFC
events. Whether Sylvia can capture similar interest outside of
the UFC, though, or send attention Fedor's way, remains to be
seen.
Accordingly,
Atencio refrains from saying how many pay-per-views Affliction
hopes to sell. He knows that naming a number would be like loading
a gun that's sure to go off in the promotion's face if expectations
aren't met. That's because the MMA industry has come to expect
pay-per-view disasters from shows not named UFC.
Affliction's
strategy includes marketing Fedor to the Russian community. The
clothing company also plans on using its relationships with department
stores such as Bloomingdales and Nordstrom's to make sure that
fans -- whether new, casual or hardcore -- know that the top
heavyweight in the world will be fighting a former UFC titleholder.
In
certain circles, of course, Fedor is already known. Tourists
here in Manhattan may overlook him, but fans at Affliction's
news conferences lined up to meet the 31-year-old. Donald Trump
sat in the front row at the New York presser, shook Fedor's hand
and offered his support for Affliction. Russian Prime Minister
Vladimir Putin has also watched Fedor fight in person, which
testifies to the fighter's reputation in Russia, especially when
one considers whether George Bush might ever sit Octagon-side
in support of the best U.S. heavyweight.
As
for what happened with the Pride and Bodog pay-per-views, Fedor
echoes Atencio's views by saying they were poorly marketed.
"I
think the [Affliction] pay-per-view will be higher of course
because this is the most important event of this year,"
Fedor says. "And it is marketed very wisely. Affliction
pulling together with M-1, they are making a good team. They
have completed a lot and they have a good future."
Fedor pins Affliction's success, at least in part, on himself.
"I
think that every fighter will try to draw as many fans as he
can," he says. "So this is also a responsibility of
every fighter to do that, to be a part of that."
Which
is what brings him to America. He's not so stoic outside of the
ring. Sitting here now, he is laughing, grinning and telling
in Russian what is probably a joke.
"Sorry,"
he says in English before turning back to the interview with
a grin and … was that a wink? Did Fedor just wink?
Later
he laughs when asked of his favorite Russian writer.
"Leo
Tolstoy."
"But
what about Dostoevsky? I thought you liked Dostoevsky?"
"Well
of course I like Dostoevsky as well," he answers, "but
most likely he will take second place after Tolstoy. I have read
everything from Tolstoy, everything."
What
does this have to do with fighting? Next to nothing.
"I
think I've proved everything for myself already," Fedor
says of his battles in the ring. "But as far as American
fans, I'd like them to get to know me personally, as my Japanese
audience knows me personally. Not just as a fighter -- as a human
being as well."
Well,
he's certainly likeable. No sense in Affliction playing the scary-Russian-fighter
angle with a man who doesn't seem interested in the stereotype.
Not that the promotion is going down that well-traveled road
just yet; at this point, Affliction is simply introducing him
and reintroducing him, letting him shake hands and be human.
He
breaks for his radio interview, then returns apologetically 20
minutes later to sit right down on the criticism many MMA fans
have had of him: Fedor has not been fighting top competition
lately.
He
could blame that fact on promoters trying to maximize their profits
with bouts that appeal to broad audiences, but he doesn't. Top
fighters, Fedor says, should not always fight top competition.
"I
think it should be a mixture," he explains. "Everyone
should be given a chance. Even if a fighter is not very strong
or very famous and not everyone knows him, he should still be
given a chance to try. In every fighter's career, you should
fight both of them: fighters who are not as good as you are and
fighters who are much better."
Of
course Fedor could have added that he has beaten the UFC's best
heavyweight twice. He considers his encounters with Antonio Rodrigo
Nogueira the most difficult fights of his career, along with
his August 2005 showdown against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic,
when the Croatian was perhaps at his best.
For
20 grueling minutes Fedor stood and out-struck Filipovic. The
strategy was as stunning as it was effective, yet what truly
won him the fight was mental fortitude. He pinpoints an exchange
in that bout as the most memorable moment in his career.
"He
was trying to kick me in the liver, hard," Fedor says. "I
put up a very hard defense with my leg. It was painful for myself
and for him, and I could see that. It was a strike, leg against
leg. It was very painful for both of us. I didn't show that it
was painful for me, but I could see in his eyes that it was very
painful. I could feel he broke a little bit inside. I could feel
his weakness at that very moment, and I used it."
Tim
Sylvia would prefer that Fedor also engage him on the feet in
their July 19 contest. The Pat Miletich-trained fighter stands
6-foot-8 and weighs 265 pounds, giving him significant height,
weight and reach advantages.
"He's
tall and has reach of course," Fedor says after complimenting
Sylvia's punching power. "But I have had tall opponents
before, so I know how to deal with them."
Fedor
is the favorite, but Sylvia is good and this is MMA -- the sport
of endless variables, a game at which everyone loses at some
point. Even Fedor has a notch on the right side of his impressive
win-loss ledger, and another defeat, taken at the wrong time,
could ruin his mystique in the United States.
"I'm
just doing everything I can," he says. "I just train
and do everything the best way. I'm not thinking about if I'm
going to win or lose."
A
loss, though, could also spoil a potential dream matchup with
Randy Couture. So could the prolonged legal proceedings between
Couture and the UFC. Fedor has been following the saga.
"I
don't have the opportunity to follow it all the way through,
but I read online," he says. "And I get information
from my friends and people, so I can say that I follow it. I
know the important things."
Rooting
for Randy?
"Yes,"
he says. "Of course."
Affliction
began teasing the fight with a January photo shoot that brought
Fedor and Couture together. Fedor's interpreter, Antonina, relays
that they discussed families and interests, friends and fighters
they both know.
"That's
one of the questions the journalists kept asking in Los Angeles,"
Antonina confides with a giggle. "What Randy Couture and
Fedor talked about at the photo shoot. Everyone asked."
Whoops.
It's
70 degrees and sunny this morning, the final few hours of another
trip to New York in which Fedor won't have time to see Central
Park or much else. His friends have told him to make time on
these trips to see America.
"Maybe
one day," he says, "I will come and do that."
But
today he's answering the Affliction photo shoot question again.
The next interviewer will probably ask it, too, and Fedor will
likely answer as he just did -- patiently and kindly, the response
of a man who is hoping to be heard despite a great barrier.
Source: Sherdog
|
|
UFC
84 MEDICAL SUSPENSIONS HANDED DOWN
The Nevada
State Athletic Commission on Thursday released the medical suspensions
stemming from the UFC 84: Ill Will event that took place on Saturday,
May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
B.J. Penn
retained his UFC lightweight title, defeating Sean Sherk in the
main event by TKO at the end of round three. Sherk has been suspended
until July 7 with no contact until June 24 due to a laceration
to his right cheek.
Wanderlei
Silva defeated Keith Jardine by TKO in the first round and Jardine
has subsequently been suspended until Nov. 21 for a nasal fracture.
The Greg Jackson trained fighter can be cleared by a doctor before
the November date, but cannot compete earlier than July 24, with
no contact until July 9.
Tito Ortiz
was suspended for six months or until he gets his left hand and
wrist x-rayed and cleared by an orthopedic doctor after his unanimous
decision loss to Lyoto Machida.
Wilson Gouveia
was suspended for six months or until he gets clearance from
a doctor for a broken nose and possible cheek. The American Top
Team fighter also suffered broken ribs in his TKO loss to UFC
newcomer Goran Reljic.
Kazuhiro
Nakamura was medically suspended for six months or until he gets
clearance from a doctor due to a broken nose suffered in his
TKO loss to Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou.
Jason Tan
was suspended for six months or until he gets his broken nose
cleared by a doctor. Tan lost to Dong Hyun Kim by TKO in the
opening moments of the third round.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Leo
Leite back at JJ Worlds
Brazilian Olympic judo athlete to fight in California
Bronze
medalist at the last judo Pan-American, which took place at the
beginning of the month, and backup medium heayweight fighter
for Brazilian Olympic judo, black belt Leo Leite is getting ready
to put his ippons aside. The Carioca intends to get back to his
roots in the Jiu-Jitsu worlds, and event he knows well.
Leo
was world champion in 1999, in the super heavyweight category,
beating Ze Mario Sperry in a memorable final. Even though he’s
returning to the Worlds as a favorite to win among the ultra
heavyweights, he has not fought in the gentle art since the Luta
Casada event, which took place at the beginning of 2007. “I
know I’m a little behind the guys who train just Jiu-Jitsu,
but I’m making up for it by training double, twice or three
times a day. I have to adjust some fight reflexes, timing of
positions and some habits that are different between judo and
Jiu-Jitsu,” he admitted.
The
athlete has been dedicating himself these last two months to
ground-specific training, since he considers his chances of going
to the Olympics to be slim. “I’m a reserve in my weight
group in the Olympic team, and as they will take the junior team
instead of the B team, I’ll only go to Peking if the starter
gets injured,” said the judoka.
At
30, the Alliance representative doesn’t want to hear about
a master category, and believes he’s still a boy with a
lot of fire left. “I just turned 30 and think I’m at
my best. At the last judo world cup, a guy in the stands turned
to my brother and asked: “That guy’s still fighting??”
I couldn’t believe it, I was only 28! (laughs). As a master
I won’t go. No way. I have lots of plans still, including
fighting MMA. But not now,” Leo revealed.
As
for all the tough guys he may encounter at the Worlds, from the
5th to 8th of June in California, the black belt had an answer
on the tip of his tongue: “There’s Bruno Paulista,
Luiz Big Mac, who I’ve already fought, Cavaca, who trains
with me, and Braga Neto and Rafael Lovato, if they go in as ultra
heavyweights. It’ll be cool. Aah, and after the Worlds I’ll
continue training ground, since it’s good for judo.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Undisputed
UFC Middleweight Champion
Anderson "The Spider" Silva Seminar
Sunday,
June 15, 2008
Studio 4 in the Athletic Complex, University of Hawaii at Manoa
1PM - 4PM
$100
|
|