Upcoming
Events
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2009
1/31/09
UFC 93
(PPV, Las Vegas, NV)
1/30/09
MMA Event
(MMA)
(Schofield Barracks)
1/10/09
Jiu-Jitsu
Tournament
(Gi & No Gi)
(Binhi At Ani Maui Filipino Community Center)
1/3/08
Uprising - Maui
(MMA)
(Binhi
At Ani Maui Filipino Community Center)
2008
12/27/08
UFC 92
(PPV, Las Vegas, NV)
12/20/08
4th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
12/13/08
The Ultimate Fighter 8 Final
(PPV, Las Vegas, NV)
11/22/08
Longman Jiu-Jitsu Open
(BJJ)
(Kauai Veterans Center,
Lihue, Kauai)
SKRAP Events-
Hawaiian Classic Kickboxing
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo H.S. Gym)
11/21/08
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
11/15/08
Detiny
(MMA)
(Aloha Tower Pier)
Aloha State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
UFC 91
(PPV, Portland, OR)
11/7/08
HFC Stand Your Ground IX
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
10/25/08
X-1
(MMA & Boxing)
(Palolo Hongwangji Hall)
UFC 90
(PPV, Chicago, IL)
10/19/08
Clay Guida Seminar
(Icon Fitness & MMA Gym)
10/18/08
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
UFC 89
(PPV, Birmingham, England)
10/17/08
Hawaiian Amateur Pankration Association
Presents
Friday Night Fights At Pipeline Café
(MMA)
(Pipeline Cafe, Honolulu)
10/12/08
HFL Championships
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
10/11/08
NAGA
(BJJ & Sub Wrestling)
(Blaisdell)
10/10/08
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
10/4/08
The Quest
for Champions Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous Sparring)
(Kalani High School Gym)
EliteXC on CBS
(TV)
808MMA
(TV)
9/27/08
X-1 Presents Temple of Boom
(Palolo Hongwanji, Honolulu)
(MMA & Boxing)
9/20/08
Boxing
(Palolo District Park)
(Boxing)
9/17/08
UFC Fight Night 15
(PPV, Omaha, NE)
9/7/08
2008 Samahan Filipino
Martial Arts Tournament
(Forms, Fighting, Masters Demonstrations)
(Pearl City High School Gym)
9/6/08
UFC 88:
Break Through
(MMA)
(PPV)
9/5/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
8/23/08 & 8/24/08
Hawaii Training Ctr Boxing
(Boxing)
(Waipio
Industrial Court)
8/15/08
MMA At The O
(MMA)
(O Lounge Night Club)
8/14/08
Paragon Fighter
(Kickboxing)
(O Lounge)
8/9/08
K-1 Hawaii Grand Prix
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Stan Sheriff Center, UH at Manoa)
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Kalaheo High School)
UFC 87
(MMA)
(PPV)
7/26/08
Maui Jiu-Jitsu BJJ Tournament
(BJJ)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
7/19/08
Kawano B.C., Palolo B.C., & USA-Boxing Hawai Amateur Boxing
Show
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)
Affliction - Fedor vs. Sylvia
(PPV)
7/12/08
Aloha State
Mixed Martial Arts Competition
10AM - 7PM
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
7/11/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 10
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
7/5/08
UFC 86 - Jackson vs. Griffin
(PPV)
6/27-29/08
OTM Pacific Submission
Grappling Tournament
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
MMA Expo
(Blaisdell Convention Center)
6/21/08
Hawaii
Xtreme Combat
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)
Ultimate Fighter 7 Finale
6/20/08
Paragon
(MMA Hybred)
(O Lounge)
6/15/08
Grapplefest
(Submission Grappling)
Anderson Silva Seminar
Studio 4, UH at Manoa
1-4PM
$100
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua Seminar
Tropic Lightning TKD
Waipahu
5-7PM
$60
6/14/08
EliteXC
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
6/7/08
UFC 85 - Bedlam
(PPV)
6/6/08
Punishment in Paradise
Pound 4 Pound
(Kickboxing)
(Ahuna Ranch, Maili)
6/5-8/08
World Jiu-Jitsu Championsihps
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, California)
6/1/08
Hawaiian
Open of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
WEC 33
(Faber vs. Pulver)
(PPV)
5/31/08
CBS EliteXC
Saturday Night Fights
(9-11 p.m. ET/PT)
(CBS)
5/25/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
5/24/08
UFC 84 - Ill Will
BJ Penn vs. Sean Sherk
(PPV)
5/16/08
X-1: Legends
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, HI)
5/9/08
Man Up Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 9
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballrooms)
5/3/08
Hawaii
Fight League
Season 1, Event 3
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
Full Force 4
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
Heart-of-a-Cage-Fighter
(Kauai
Veterans Center, Lihue, Kauai)
4/25/08
Punishment
in Paradise
(Kickboxing)
(Farrington High School)
4/18/08
Local Pride
Friday, April 18, 2008
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/12/08
Man Up &Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
4/6/08
GrappleFest: Submission
Sundays
(Submission Grappling)
(Hawaii Room, Neal Blaisdell Center)
3/29/08
Garden Island Cage Match 7
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
Hawaii Fighting Championships 8
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial)
3/28-30/08
Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(Californina State University, Dominguez Hills, CA)
Registration ends 3/22/08
3/16/08
Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous
Sparring, MMA, Submission Grappling)
(Maui High School Gym, Kahului, Maui)
Icon Fitness Gym Tournament
(Submission Wrestling)
(Icon Fitness Gym)
3/15/08
Icon Sport
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
3/9/08
2008 Pacific Invitational BJJ Tournament
(BJJ )
(Hibiscus Room, Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu)
3/7/08
Got Skillz Fighter
(Kickboxing/MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
3/1/08
USA-Boxing
Hawaii, Palolo B.C. & Kawano B.C. Presents Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park)
2/29/08
X-1 at the O-Lounge
Fight Club Meets Nightclub 4
(MMA)
(O-Lounge, Honolulu)
2/24/08
Icon Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Icon Gym)
2/17/08
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ/Sub Grapping)
(Gym #1, UH Manoa)
2/15/07
Midwest Invasion: Team Indiana vs. Team Hawaii
(MMA)
(Coyotes Night Club, 935 Dillingham Blvd, Kalihi)
2/8/08
Hawaii Fighting Championships 7
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
2/2/08
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery
Ballroom)
1/26/08
X1 World
Events: Champions
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/20/08
Big
Island Open Jiu-Jitsu Tournament
(Konawaena High School)
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(POSTPONED)
1/19/08
UFC 80: Rapid Fire
(BJ Penn vs. Joe Stevenson)
Newcastle, England
1/12/08
Hawaii Fight League
Season 1, Event 2
(MMA)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
|
|
November 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! |
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Tuesdays at 8:00PM
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The Toughest Show On
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Mondays at 9:00-10:00AM
AM1500 The Team
(808) 296-1500
- Call
in with questions and comments
with hosts Mark Kurano
& 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
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O2 Martial Arts
Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here
for pricing and more information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught
by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!
We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday
afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught
by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive,
fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick
workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before
the long work week starts.
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Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
“Read,
every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day,
something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no
one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind
to be always part of unanimity.”
Christopher Morley
|
Fighters'
Club Radio Today!
well guys,
it's that time of the week again. don't miss this show as teh
freitas's departure date nears, you might not get to hear me
hate on him much longer...
We're
going to be talking:
-
DESTINIY @ ALOHA TOWER event update
-
what are your FAVORITE UFC VIEW GRINDZ?
-
MMA WILL NEVER BE AS BIG AS PRO FOOTBALL. Discuss.
-
UFC 91 Full card preview
-
HFC review
-
WEC review
-
TUF review
contact
the show:
296-1500
FightersClubRadio@gmail.com
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TO OUR SPONSORS
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(OTM now carries TITLE BOXING equipment and just received the
latest DA HUI apparel. Also this Tuesday as an honor to those
who continue to fight for our country's freedom, all military
will receive 30% off ALL OTM and Built to FIght equipment. All
you have to do is show your valid military ID on TUESDAY. OTM
is open 10am-8pm across Cadillac on South Beretania!!!)
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|
DENIS KANG SAYS "TIMING WAS RIGHT" FOR UFC DEAL
Considered one of the top free agents in mixed martial arts just
a week ago, Denis Kang signed on with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
on Monday to become the latest top fighter to land with the biggest
promotion in the sport today.
When
the doors of Pride Fighting Championships closed, Kang was on
the roster, but after the final contracts were moved and reassigned
to the UFC, the American Top Team stand-out didn’t end up
fighting in the Octagon, instead opting to stay and compete overseas.
Just
over a year later, Kang is now finally a part of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship and ready to stack up in the 185-pound
division.
“It’s
a combination of different things. The negotiation went well
and for me being a free agent and all, I mean I just think the
timing was right,” Kang told MMAWeekly.com about his new
contract. “UFC is at its peak, there’s no other organizations
that are close in my opinion, so I think it was only fitting
that I make my move.”
With
EliteXC going out of business, the Dream promotion in Japan sitting
on wobbly legs, and of course the buyout of Pride by Zuffa, Kang
admits that job security also played into his decision to sign
with the UFC.
“There’s
a lot of pretenders to the throne, but none of them can really
secure a strong foothold and get that position that the UFC’s
in right now,” stated Kang. “They’ve got the whole
sport branded.”
One
big difference between now and his last contract negotiation
was Kang’s desire to fight in his home country of Korea
for the Spirit MC promotion. The UFC has never been one to have
non-exclusive athletes, and the 31-year-old fighter has now said
that his move is something that both he and Spirit MC wanted,
which will mean the end of his time with that organization.
Beyond
that move, Kang also commented that he’s happy to avoid
the 15-plus hour flights to fight in Japan and staying close
to home for a change.
“I’m
finally going to be able to have all my friends and family watch
me fight live, that’s a huge thing right there,” he
said.
Now
that the contracts have been signed, Kang’s new focus is
getting ready to make a place for himself in a loaded 185-pound
weight class that continues to build, seemingly with each UFC
event.
“Of
course I’m confident, and I feel I’ve got what it takes
to be the best, but I think that I also have to prove it in the
Octagon,” Kang commented about with his place in the middleweight
division. “I’m seriously taking one fight at a time
right now.”
His
first fight hasn’t been decided upon, but for now Kang will
stay in Canada to help friend and training partner Georges St.
Pierre prepare for his January showdown with B.J. Penn, before
heading back to Florida and his home camp at American Top Team.
As
far as timing for his official UFC debut?
“I
can fight as early as January,” Kang said. “Whether
the UFC makes the decision to put me on that card is entirely
up to them, but I can be ready as early as January.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
CSAC
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GARCIA TO RESIGN
Armando Garcia, Executive Director of the California State Athletic
Commission, will resign from his post on Nov. 18 at a public
commission meeting. An agenda for the meeting posted on the CSAC’s
website confirms the change.
An
interim Executive Officer will be appointed at the meeting, and
an executive search committee will be formed to find a permanent
replacement for Garcia.
Garcia
was at the helm when the CSAC began regulating mixed martial
arts in March of 2006, and anchored many important regulatory
decisions in his three-plus years at the post. Most recently,
Garcia suspended the promoter's license of ProElite, Inc., parent
company of EliteXC, due to gathering evidence they were no longer
in a position to hold events. Garcia confirmed his decision to
MMAWeekly.com on Thursday, but gave no indication he was leaving
his position as Executive Director.
A
commission representative MMAWeekly.com spoke to on the condition
of anonymity said he recently noticed changes to Garcia’s
position.
“There
were certain changes,” the source said. “Certain responsibilities
given to other people that I know were Armando’s.”
Garcia
declined comment on his departure, but said he would share his
side of the story soon.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
89 MINUTE-BY-MINUTE RATINGS
- UFC 89 MINUTE-BY-MINUTE RATINGS
Using
minute-by-minute Neilsen ratings data, MMAWeekly.com has calculated
the average viewership for each individual fight that aired on
Spike TV's tape-delayed premiere broadcast of UFC 89 on Oct.
18.
Viewership
levels are based on live viewership, plus same-day DVR, rounded
to the nearest 1,000 viewers, and the times listed are ET/PT.
The indicated times begin at the opening bell of a fight and
end at the minute in which the winner of the fight is known.
In the case of a fight that ends in submission or KO/TKO, the
ending time is obviously when the fight ends. In the case of
a judges' decision, the ending time is the minute in which the
judges' decision is announced. In the case of a doctors' stoppage,
the ending time is the minute in which the fight is officially
stopped by the doctor. The ending time is always the minute in
which the winner if the fighter is known.
The
reason that the match lengths are longer for UFC 89 and for some
of the previous U.K. shows that the UFC has aired on Spike TV
is because on most of those shows, the 60-second rest periods
in between the rounds of a fight were stretched into commercial
breaks lasting between two and three minutes.
Most-Watched
Individual Fights on UFC 89 Premiere Broadcast
(Based on Average Number of Viewers using Minute-by-Minute Ratings)
1.
Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben--- 3.278 million viewers (Aired
from 11:31 PM to 11:57 PM)
2.
Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera--- 3.041 million viewers (Aired
from 10:50 PM to 11:14 PM)
3.
Luiz Cane vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou--- 2.738 million viewers
(Aired from 10:14 PM to 10:26 PM)
4.
Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor--- 2.475 million viewers (Aired from
9:39 PM to 10:04 PM)
5.
Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly--- 2.123 million viewers (Aired from
9:14 PM to 9:24 PM)
Viewership
Gains
In
terms of the increase or decrease in average viewership compared
to the previous fight on the broadcast, the Lytle-Taylor fight
gained 352,000 viewers, which was the largest gain of the broadcast;
the Cane-Sokoudjou fight gained 263,000 viewers; the Jardine-Vera
fight gained 303,000 viewers; and the Bisping-Leben fight gained
237,000 viewers, so the main event actually gained the smallest
amount of viewers on the broadcast. This statistic does not apply
to the Davis-Kelly fight because it was the first fight on the
broadcast.
Comparisons
to Fighters' Previous Matches
Compared
to some of these fighters' previous matches (the ones for which
minute-by-minute ratings are available), the Bisping-Leben viewership
of 3.278 million viewers was down from the 5.475 million viewers
who watched Bisping fight Matt Hamill on September 8, 2007; and
it was down from the 3.487 million viewers who watched Bisping
fight Josh Haynes on June 24, 2006; but it was up from the 3.080
million viewers who watched Bisping fight Elvis Sinosic on April
21, 2007.
The
Jardine-Vera viewership of 3.041 million viewers was down from
the 3.847 million viewers who watched Vera fight Reese Andy on
July 19, 2008; but it was up from the 2.665 million viewers who
watched Jardine fight Wilson Gouveia on June 24, 2006.
The
Lytle-Taylor viewership of 2.475 million viewers was down from
the 5.023 million viewers who watched Taylor fight Marcus Davis
on September 8, 2007.
The
Davis-Kelly viewership of 2.123 million viewers was down from
the 5.023 million viewers who watched Davis fight Paul Taylor
on September 8, 2007.
Top
20 List
For
perspective on the broader picture, below is the list of the
top 20 most-watched fights in U.S. MMA history.
After
the original publication of this list, many readers wrote to
ask whether the absence of Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar
from the TUF 1 finale was an oversight. It was not, as the fight
did not come close to making the top 20 list. Contrary to statements
that 10 million people were watching that fight at one point,
the actual peak audience for the fight in any single minute was
3.662 million at 10:38 PM.
This
list excludes pay-per-view events because accurate data on viewers
per household is not made readily available for PPV events. However,
in terms of the number of households, it is known that the biggest
PPV buyrate in U.S. MMA history was 1,050,000 households for
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz on December 30, 2006; and that the
second biggest PPV buyrate in U.S. MMA history was 775,000 households
for Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock on July 8, 2006. Without knowing
how many viewers were in each household for these PPV events
(which you do know with Neilsen TV ratings), it's impossible
to say how many total viewers watched those fights.
CBS
is in approximately 112.8 million U.S. households, while Spike
TV is in approximately 97.3 million U.S. households.
These
are just the most-watched fights in U.S. MMA history, not the
most-watched fights in worldwide MMA history. In Japan, a fight
would need to draw over 30 million viewers to crack the top five.
Most-Watched
Individual Fights in U.S. MMA History
(Based on Average Number of Viewers using Minute-by-Minute Ratings)
1.
EliteXC on CBS (5/31/2008): Kimbo Slice vs. James Thompson---
7.281 million viewers (Aired from 11:27 PM to 11:40 PM)
2.
UFC on Spike TV (10/10/2006): Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock---
6.524 million viewers (Aired from 9:42 PM to 9:45 PM)
3.
EliteXC on CBS (10/4/08): Seth Petruzelli vs. Kimbo Slice---
6.451 million viewers (Aired from 11:08 PM to 11:08 PM)
4.
EliteXC on CBS (5/31/2008): Robbie Lawler vs. Scott Smith---
5.867 million viewers (Aired from 10.39 PM to 10:57 PM)
5.
UFC on Spike TV (9/8/2007): Quinton Jackson vs. Dan Henderson---
5.811 million viewers (Aired from 11:29 PM to 12:03 AM)
6.
EliteXC on CBS (5/31/2008): Gina Carano vs. Kaitlin Young---
5.508 million viewers (Aired from 10:09 PM to 10:17 PM)
7.
UFC on Spike TV (9/8/2007): Michael Bisping vs. Matt Hamill---
5.475 million viewers (Aired from 10:41 PM to 11:06 PM)
8.
EliteXC on CBS (10/4/08): Jake Shields vs. Paul Daley--- 5.338
million viewers (Aired from 10:34 PM to 10:44 PM)
9.
EliteXC on CBS (10/4/08): Gina Carano vs. Kelly Kobold--- 5.171
million viewers (Aired from 9:45 PM to 9:59 PM)
10.
EliteXC on CBS (10/4/08): Andrei Arlovski vs. Roy Nelson--- 5.154
million viewers (Aired from 10:12 PM to 10:20 PM)
11.
UFC on Spike TV (10/10/2006): Kendall Grove vs. Chris Price---
5.100 million viewers (Aired from 9:13 PM to 9:17 PM)
12.
UFC on Spike TV (9/8/2007): Cheick Kongo vs. Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic---
5.098 million viewers (Aired from 9:58 PM to 10:24 PM)
13.
UFC on Spike TV (9/8/2007): Marcus Davis vs. Paul Taylor--- 5.023
million viewers (Aired from 9:35 PM to 9:39 PM)
14.
UFC on Spike TV (7/19/2008): Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin---
4.795 million viewers (Aired from 11:38 PM to 11:38 PM)
15.
EliteXC on CBS (5/31/2008): Joey Villasenor vs. Phil Baroni---
4.348 million viewers (Aired from 9:47 PM to 9:48 PM)
16.
UFC on Spike TV (10/10/2006): Jason MacDonald vs. Ed Herman---
4.297 millon viewers (Aired from 8:44 PM to 8:47 PM)
17.
UFC on Spike TV (9/8/2007): Houston Alexander vs. Alessio Sakara---
4.204 million viewers (Aired from 9:13 PM to 9:14 PM)
18.
UFC on Spike TV (10/10/2006): Matt Hamill vs. Seth Petruzelli---
4.007 million viewers (Aired from 8:09 PM to 8:28 PM)
19.
UFC on Spike TV (7/19/2008): Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy--- 3.847
million viewers (Aired from 10:58 PM to 11:19 PM)
20.
EliteXC on CBS (5/31/2008): Brett Rogers vs. Jon Murphy--- 3.824
million viewers (Aired from 9:26 PM to 9:27 PM)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Faber’s
WEC title loss caps unusual night
Urijah
Faber and the World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight title
were so synonymous that it was hard to imagine one without the
other.
But
imagination time ended Wednesday with the reality of a Mike Brown
right hand that caught Faber wide open as he tried to throw an
elbow.
This
led to the end of Faber’s 2½-year title reign and
13-fight win streak as Brown won the title via first round TKO
at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Fla.
Faber
was already champion when WEC was purchased by Zuffa and got
its national television deal on Versus. He was the star on the
company’s first television special, and before his last
fight, a five-round decision win over Jens Pulver in the biggest
featherweight MMA match in North American history, had reeled
off 12 straight first or second-round stoppages.
Brown,
20-4, who trains with the American Top Team camp in nearby Coconut
Creek, was known for power and was considered a threat simply
because he may have been strong enough to take Faber down and
shut down his submission game.
But
the fight went entirely different. Faber, who went in considered
the No. 1 featherweight in the world and ranked No. 5 in the
Yahoo! Sports pound-for-pound rankings, seemed quicker standing.
But he lost his balance once and went down, and was also rocked
once early in the fight with a hard punch.
As
Faber tried to respond with an elbow, Brown caught him leaning
in with a perfectly timed right, putting Faber down hard. Smelling
blood, Brown connected with 28 straight punches on the ground
and ref Troy Waugh waved it off at 2:23 of the first round, stunning
the crowd of about 5,000 fans.
“I
made a small mistake and he capitalized on it,” said Faber,
now 21-2. “I have no excuses. Congratulations to Mike Brown.
I love life. I’m a happy person and I’ll be back to
get the belt.”
“I
train with the best team in the world, American Top Team,”
said Brown. “We have so many great fighters. I knew if I
fought the way I train, that I can beat anybody.”
Brown
may have broken a rib, courtesy of a Faber knee that caused him
to wince, and he was taken to a local hospital after the fight.
The
stoppage was another example of the reality of a sport where,
because there are so many different ways to lose, it’s almost
impossible when fighting top competition to win them all. The
match in many ways was reminiscent of Matt Serra’s Ultimate
Fighting Championship welterweight title win over a heavily-favored
Georges St. Pierre in 2007.
This
puts Faber in a similar situation as St. Pierre faced this year,
of looking to prove the punch that put him down was a one-time
fluke.
“Hopefully
I’ll get a shot,” he said.
Faber
won the championship on March 17, 2006, when he stopped Cole
Escovedo at a time when almost nobody had heard of him, the WEC,
or for that matter, the featherweight dicison.
He
also held the bantamweight championships of both Gladiator Challenge
and King of the Cage, two other smaller companies that ran regularly
in California on Native American reservations during a time the
sport wasn’t even legal within the state itself. He vacated
both when WEC parent company Zuffa signed him to an exclusive
deal to be the star of the promotion in early 2007.
Faber’s
title was the only one that changed hands, but he was not the
only star, or even champion, who lost on a night of upsets.
A
listless Paulo Filho followed not making weight Tuesday for his
WEC middleweight title defense against Chael Sonnen, with fighting
in slow motion in losing a three-round decision in a grudge match.
Due
to his failure to make the 185-pound limit, he saved his championship,
although the title wasn’t going to have long-term value
since WEC is dropping the middleweight and light heavyweight
division at the end of the year, to become an exclusively lighter-weight
promotion.
Both
fighters wound up furious by fight time, but it hardly resulted
in an exciting fight.
Filho
seemed content to do little, recognizing he was too slow to get
anywhere with Sonnen, couldn’t stand with him, and couldn’t
take him down. Filho largely stayed on his back in the first
round. By the second round, the crowd, which hated Filho for
not making weight, was booing both fighters as Sonnen was content
with throw weak jabs and try simply to win a point game. The
booing got heavier in the third round when the pattern continued.
Sonnen,
23-9-1, was mad, feeling he was no longer fighting for the championship
because Filho didn’t have the discipline to make weight.
Filho
originally weighed in at a whopping 192.5 pounds in a 185-pound
weight class, and after being given two more hours, he had only
cut to 189.5.
Filho
was mad, because in order to get Sonnen to agree to fight him,
he had to forfeit 25 percent of his purse to Sonnen. He had vowed
to take that 25 percent out on Sonnen, but seemed to fight most
of the fight almost in a stupor. By the third round, he was involved
in a conversation in Portuguese while fighting, but it didn’t
appear that he was actually talking with anyone.
Filho,
16-1, has morphed into almost the opposite of the fighter who
many thought was No. 1 in the world in his weight after he dominated
competition in Japan until the folding of the PRIDE organization.
But
since his transition to the WEC, Filho morphed from powerhouse
with great submission ability to a sluggish fighter constantly
battling problems with conditioning. Filho armbarred Sonnen late
in the second round of his title defense in his previous fight
on December 12, 2007, in Las Vegas, after Sonnen had dominated
the fight.
The
rematch months ago was postponed because Filho checked himself
into a drug rehabilitation clinic in Brazil, and the postponed
a second time when Hurricane Ike canceled the original Sept.
10 date for the show. It became emotional as Sonnen had promised
his father, on his deathbed, that he was going to win the championship,
and suddenly, through no fault of his own, the title was no longer
at stake.
The
performance by Filho was so bad, that even though he came into
the fight ranked near the top in most middleweight rankings,
one has to question whether UFC would even sign him for the division
as WEC shuts it down.
Pulver,
coming off the loss to Faber, was also the victim of a quick
knockdown at the hands of Leonard Garcia, who connected with
a flurry against the cage that crumpled the first UFC lightweight
champion, with the fight stopped at 1:12 of round one. Garcia,
16-3, looks to be next in line for a featherweight title shot.
Jake
Rosholt, the three-time national champion wrestler from Oklahoma
State, showed both his major strengths and weaknesses in stopping
previously unbeaten Nissen Osterneck at 3:48 of the second round.
Rosholt’s
weaknesses in standing defense were apparent, as Osterneck connected
with solid punches and a hard kick to the face in round two,
that nearly put Rosholt away.
However,
Rosholt’s ability to take an opponent down, and his great
top game, even against someone with strong submission ability,
led him to duck an attempted spinning backfist, tackle Osterneck
to the ground, and pound him out at 3:48 of the second round.
It
was clear Rosholt is a threat to anyone with his wrestling, but
that his stand-up, after just 18 months of training, is not UFC
caliber.
Still,
with the win, he’s headed into the deeper UFC waters.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Faber
is MMA’s fine-tuned machine
There
isn’t much more that Urijah Faber can accomplish in mixed
martial arts. He’s already one of the top pound-for-pound
fighters in the world and one of the longest-reigning champions
in the sport.
He’s
ranked No. 5 in the Yahoo! Sports poll of the world’s finest
fighters. The World Extreme Cagefighting’s superb featherweight
champion, who has only gone past the second round in one of six
WEC title fights, defends his belt Wednesday night at the Seminole
Hard Rock Hotel in Seminole, Fla., against tough Mike Brown in
a bout televised nationally by Versus.
Faber
has blown through a deep and talented weight class since winning
the title by stopping Cole Escovedo in the second round on March
17, 2006. Since then, Faber has submitted Joe Pearson, Dominic
Cruz and Chance Farrar, submitted Jeff Curran in the second and
won every round in a five-round standup war in one of 2008’s
best fights with veteran Jens Pulver.
Faber,
known as the “California Kid,” has become the face
of the WEC, as much for his easy-going personality and good looks
as for his energetic and acrobatic fighting style.
But
he isn’t the type to let the attention and hype have an
impact him. He shrugs off suggestions he’s arrived on the
sport’s biggest stage and said his status is something he’ll
let others judge.
“There
are always a lot of naysayers and critics out there, just like
there are people who are going to boost you and jump onto the
bandwagon,” said Faber, who is 21-1, with only a loss to
Tyson Griffin at 155 lbs. marring his record. “You can’t
worry about that kind of stuff, to be honest, and I really don’t.
When it’s all said and done and I’m through fighting,
I want people to say, ‘Urijah was consistent, he was always
in great shape, he always came to fight and he always got everything
out of what he had on a given night.’ You can’t force
anything, though.
“You
have to be patient and take care of your business. A lot of times
in MMA, a guy has a couple of impressive wins, and everyone is
ready to anoint him the next big superstar. But boxing is a good
example here. Look at the guys in boxing who have become great,
and they’re the ones who have had long runs, where they’ve
won fight after fight, year after year. Consistency to me is
really a trait that all great fighters share.”
One
of the other things they share is a dedication to their craft
that other, lesser athletes lack. There are few fighters who
are as well-conditioned and finely tuned as Faber, who, it seems,
has been in shape from the day he could walk.
He’s
lived a healthy lifestyle and never puts things like soft drinks
or chocolate bars into his body.
His
body has repaid him by giving him extraordinary speed, power
and explosiveness for a man his size, as well as the ability
to train virtually year round. And so when the defense against
Brown, first slated for September, was postponed because of the
threat posed by Hurricane Ike, Faber had no problem.
He
said the delay may have helped him because of injuries lingering
from his win over Pulver.
“In
the first camp, I hadn’t been able to prepare for Mike the
way I wanted to because of some things that had happened to me
in the fight with Jens,” Faber said. “My hand was bothering
me, I had a problem with my groin and some other little things.
Mentally, I had to be prepared to deal with the fact that I had
to go up against a guy the caliber of Mike Brown that day knowing
I wasn’t physically going to be anywhere near what I should
be.
“But
with the postponement, it kind of allowed me to get fixed up
and train the way I needed to and I’m right where I wanted
to be, so things couldn’t have gone better for me.”
Though
Brown hardly has Faber’s flash, Faber is the first to concede
the former Norwich University wrestler is no pushover and may
represent his most serious threat since he faced Griffin on Sept.
10, 2005.
A
win over the American Top Team’s Brown would be just another
notch on Faber’s belt but it would be the most significant
triumph of Brown’s career. Faber understands that he’s
going to see the best that Brown has on Wednesday.
“He’s
been around a long time and he’s been exposed to quite a
bit, so he knows what he has to do,” Faber said. “But
you know, he’s going out there with a lot of talent and
a lot of knowledge and a lot of skill and not a lot to lose.
That makes a guy very dangerous. This isn’t a fight I can
just show up and expect to win.
“This
is one of those fights where, yeah, maybe to a lot of people
in the general public, Mike doesn’t have the same kind of
a high profile like Jens and so to them, beating Mike isn’t
as big a deal as beating Jens, but this is a tough, tough guy
I’m fighting, believe me.
“I’ll
tell you what,” Faber continued. “A win over Mike Brown
is an accomplishment to be proud of and I’m going to be
proud of it. I’m really ready to fight now.”
And
it probably won’t be just a fight.
With
Faber, it’s going to be a show.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
91: MATT BROWN HAS STATEMENT TO MAKE
With a record of 1-1 in the Ultimate Fighting Championships and
a .500 record overall, it’s apparent that now is the time
if Matt Brown hopes to remain a part of the promotion.
A
former cast member of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality
series, Matt’s willingness to take a fight any place, any
time both in and out of the cage has been a source of strength
and weakness for him in his career.
With
Matt Riddle going down to injury, Brown was once again willing
to step in at a moment’s notice, this time against Ryan
Thomas on the undercard of this coming weekend’s UFC 91
event in Las Vegas.
“It
feels great,” he exclaimed of his late addition to the card.
“This is being billed as one of the biggest cards in history
– it makes for a lot of fans watching and people paying
attention – it’s a huge opportunity in my opinion.”
Even
though he is carrying a record into the fight that is not one
normally would associate with a UFC level fighter, Matt is not
concerned and views this coming Saturday as business as usual.
“It’s
just as important as any time,” he stated. “I’m
always looking to make a statement, finish fights, come in and
fight the best I can.
“This
is just another fight. I’m not looking at it as if I have
to do anything special in this fight.”
Like
Brown, Ryan Thomas is coming off a loss in his last UFC fight
and looking to keep himself in the promotion with a win.
According
to Matt, even though Thomas is a fellow veteran of the promotion,
being a late addition to the card hasn’t allowed him to
formulate a detailed game plan for the match-up.
“On
two weeks notice, even if you know them, there’s not a whole
lot you can do to really prepare for a specific guy,” he
admitted. “So, I’m pretty much just going to go in
there and fight – whatever happens, happens.
“I’m
just going to have to believe in the skills I have right now
and go after it.”
Short
prep time aside, Brown says that his style hasn’t changed
much since his last fight, and fans can come to expect the same
from him as they have before.
“With
me you can always look forward to an exciting fight,” he
said. “I’m going to try to bang it out, fight hard
and use my good cardio (to my advantage).
“They
can expect for the fight to constantly be moving. There’s
not going to be a lot of stops or breaks in action, because I’m
going to try to keep it going, stay in this guy’s face and
break him mentally.”
Having
had the opportunity to step on the sport’s biggest stage
this year allows Matt to build upon his experiences and hopefully
put together the kind of run that will see him having consistent
success in the coming year.
“This
has been a big year for me,” commented Brown. “I got
on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ and I have two UFC fights
under my belt no, so this is pretty much the biggest year of
my life.
“All
I want to do next year is take what I did this year and build
upon it next year. I’m going to keep working, busting my
ass and get better and better.”
To
keep that dream alive, Matt has to win and prove to everyone
he belongs where he has worked so hard to get to at this point
in his career.
“I
want to thank Tapout and Reid Fight Wear,” he concluded.
“I want everyone to checkout my website, TheImmortal.tv
and check out my MySpace.
“When
you get in that cage, a fight’s a fight, and no matter if
you’re fighting in front of 10 people or 10,000 people,
it’s all the same.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Wise
men speak because they have something to say;
Fools because they have to say something."
Plato
|
Barack
Obama responds to Matt Hughes' criticism
Barack Obama addressed on Monday former UFC welterweight champion
Matt Hughes’ concerns about Obama’s tax plan as well
as a perceived lack of respect for John McCain.
Obama, appearing on the Cofield & Cokin show on ESPNRadio
1100 in Las Vegas, was ask to comment on a blog entry Hughes
wrote Friday on his official website.
Below
are the excerpts from Hughes’ blog entry, followed by Obama’s
responses.
Hughes
wrote on his blog, “I want the President to be a good role
model,” Hughes wrote. “Senator McCain always addresses
Barack Obama as Mr. or Senator Obama. Barack always addresses
Mr. McCain as John McCain. I like the respect value that Mr.
McCain always shows. I dislike that Barack seems to show no respect
for Mr. McCain. Barack not putting his hand over his heart during
the Pledge also falls under the respect factor.
Obama’s
response, “Well I’ll say two things. Number one, I
called Senator McCain, ‘Senator McCain’ all the time.
There may be times where I slipped into something else, but generally
speaking, if you look at the tone of his campaign… I would
argue that no one else has been more respectful of Senator McCain
[than me] – in terms of his heroism during World War 2,
talking positively about some of the work that he’s done.
And in terms of that whole issue of putting hand over heart,
that just wasn’t the case. There was one occasion where
I was singing the [star spangled banner], and I didn’t put
my hand over my heart, but nobody’s more patriotic than
I am. My grandfather fought World War 2, and was in Patton’s
army. He taught me early on: love of country and willingness
to serve and sacrifice for this country.”
Hughes
wrote on his blog, “If Obama’s tax plan is what I’ve
heard it is, then if you make over $250,000 a year, he is going
to take 65 cents for every dollar you make and redistribute that.
I’m all for helping people who need help, what I dislike
is the government giving money to people who just want to sit
around and be lazy and would rather soak up taxpayers’ money
instead of going out and getting a job. I think we have enough
of that already and those people don’t need any more help.
I would rather choose for myself who my money goes to.”
Obama
answered, “Well [Hughes] doesn’t know my tax plan.
Here’s the fact: If you make less than $250,000 a year,
you won’t see your taxes go up one single dime. If you make
more than a quarter-million dollars a year, then we’re going
back to the tax plan under Bill Clinton. And that means you’re
going back from 36% to 39%. So it’s true that people making
more than a quarter-million dollars a year will see slight increases
in their taxes, and the reason is that we’re going to use
that money to give a tax cut to 95% of working Americans. They’re
not going to be for folks that aren’t working. They’re
going to be for people working every single day: nurses, teachers,
firefighters, cops, people who are getting a paycheck and are
paying taxes every single day, we’re going to cut their
taxes. And that is basically just reversing some these Bush tax
cuts that are heavily skewed towards the top income bracket.
And by the way, that includes 98% of all small businesses make
less than a quarter-million dollars a year, and I guarantee your
99.9% of all plumbers make less than a quarter-million dollars
a year.”
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Palhares
wants go be back to the octagon
By Guilherme Cruz
After
a great debut in UFC, the Brazilian Top Team fighter Rousimar
“Toquinho” Palhares faced the toughest challenge in
his career, against the former Pride champion Dan Henderson,
and the loss came by unanimous decision. Besides the loss, Palhares
only sees good experiences from the bout. “I think it was
great, because I wasn’t 100% in my physical strength and
even tough I could take the fight till the end. It was a good
fight for me and I think they (UFC) liked the fight and my style”,
commented.
After
showing an impressive ground game on the first match, the Brazilian
couldn’t take Henderson to the ground like he was planning,
but when he did that he went looking for a key-lock, and almost
did it twice. “It wasn’t that lock… If I could
lock him there, he wouldn’t get out for sure. On the first
one the bell saved him, because when I locked the time ran out,
and the second I was on the grate so I couldn’t flip, he’d
get out anyway”, analyzes Palhares, who credits the lack
of ground game to Henderson’s strategy.
“I
think he could have fight more, come fight me… It was like
that all the time”, remembers Toquinho, who commented Anderson
Silva’s last fight in UFC, against Patrick Cote. “I’ll
tell you the truth: people keep saying that he did this or that,
saying bad things about him, but I think he did the right thing.
He won, it doesn’t matter what he did, he won and that’s
the most important”, said the BTT athlete, predicting Paulo
Filho’s WEC fight tonight at Florida. “He’ll win
for sure. I’m sure he’ll win, and if he stays on top
he’ll submit, if God wants”, bets.
Source: Tatame
|
Editorial
: How To Survive In A UFC Dominated World!
By Carl Shimkin
So, how does an MMA promotion not named UFC survive? Well, the
WCF has a pretty good idea!
The Northeast of the U.S. has produced a pretty solid group of
MMA fighters in recent years- Tim Sylvia & Marcus Davis (Maine),
Kenny Florian, Dan & Joe Lauzon (Massachusetts), Matt Serra
and Jon Jones (New York), Josh Koscheck (Pennsylvania) etc…
and with the rise in popularity of MMA, you will be sure to see
more rising talent oozing out of this area in the near future.
Make
no mistake; while MMA is popping up all across the Northeast,
the heart of the scene is squarely in Massachusetts. This is
where some of the most exciting talent in the Northeast is mixing
it up on a regular basis. The top promotions in the region have
all set up shop here, playing the part of the Pilgrims in a new
MMA land. In fact, two of the top promotions, Full Force and
Reality Fighting, have both staked their claims in Plymouth,
which I’m sure would have made John Smith very proud.
If
you go a little bit more North, you’ll hit Wilmington, which
used to be best known for being the home of the Baldwin apple.
But, since being trumped by the McIntosh as the most popular
apple in New England, Wilmington may now be best known for playing
host to the exciting and rising MMA promotion known as World
Championship Fighting (WCF).
Joe
Cavallaro has been well connected to the MMA world for quite
awhile. He’s been a friend of Dana White for almost 20 years.
And he’s been a top manager for some of the more successful
MMA fighters in recent years like Marcus Davis, Kenny Florian
and Sam Hoger. But two years ago he decided to throw his hat
in to the ring as a promoter when he began World Championship
Fighting (WCF).
By
all definitions WCF is a small promotion--- It caters to a specific
region, the New England area (Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine,
Connecticut...); it operates on a very modest budget; puts all
their shows on at one arena (Shriner’s Auditorium); and
relies heavily on regional fighters. The entire promotional team
is actually a three man gang putting in 16 hour days: Joe Cavallaro,
his right hand man Sal Carrillo and matchmaker Rick Caldwell.
While
WCF isn’t yet a household name- in a day and age where MMA
Promotions fold seemingly every other month (Bodog, IFL, Elite
XC…) WCF is slowly but surely succeeding. Following the
old adage, “Never bite off more than you can chew”
WCF is about to put on their 5th show on November 14th. They
have done deals with HDNet, ESPN, and NBC, and have been the
topic of one of TapouT’s reality shows. They also reap the
benefits of strong Media Relations, which has led to an unusually
high amount of exposure for a regional promotion that has only
been around for a couple of years.
There are plans to expand further into the Northeast, eventually
doing venues in Philadelphia and New York (once they license
MMA). Cavallaro has stated the importance of continuing exposure,
but has made it clear that he sees his promotions success not
in replacing or going head to head with the UFC, but rather in
finding a regional niche that can catapult the next great MMA
fighters.
“Eventually
we hope to get enough shows to do a TV deal. We’re not trying
to position WCF as number one, or as a competitor with UFC, we
want to work with them.”
To
that end Cavallaro and the WCF are already starting to succeed.
Light Heavyweight Jon Jones fought in WCF 3 last June, and was
fighting for the UFC three months later where he defeated Andre
Gusmao. Now he’s scheduled to fight Stephan Bonnar at UFC
94 on their Super Bowl card. Talk about launching a fighter!
Featherweight
John Franchi and Lightweight Nate LaMotte were so impressive
fighting in WCF 2 last February that they were both brought in
to fight for the IFL before it folded. Franchi submitted another
WCF fighter Frank Latina in the IFL’s swan song, while LaMotte
lost a Decision to the IFL’s top Lightweight Chris Horodecki
on their April card.
Franchi
has now signed with the WEC, while LaMotte is scheduled to fight
in WCF 5 on November 14th.
WCF’s
biggest draw though is probably Dan “The Upgrade” Lauzon.
Lauzon is still the youngest fighter ever to fight in the UFC,
where he lost to Spencer Fisher at the tender age of 18 during
UFC 64. Since then Lauzon has gone 6-1, while gaining much needed
experience. WCF has provided him with a venue where he has been
able to stay sharp on a regular basis. WCF 5 will be the third
time he’s fought for them, and hopefully not his last. But
if it is, WCF has met one of its prime directives, by helping
another young fighter launch his career. Lauzon is signed to
fight Chris Horodecki at Affliction 2 on January 24th.
For
WCF, the fun is only beginning. WCF 5 on November 14th at Shriner’s
Auditorium in Wilmington, Massachusetts looks to be their best
card yet. The Main Event is what many in the region are deeming
a contest between the two best Middleweights in the Northeast:
Nate
Kittredge, 6-1 (Green Mountain Boys) with his ultra intense ground
and pound game faces off against US Marine and Iraq War vet Justin
Torrey, 4-0, who returns from helping Patrick Cote train for
his fight with Anderson Silva.
Other
fights that should set off fire works include Dan Lauzon vs Justin
“The Sledge” Hammerstrom, and a battle of unbeaten
lightweights, John Benoit (5-0) vs Jon Bermudez (3-0). But, then
again who knows what other diamonds will be found in the rough.
That’s the beauty of promotions like the WCF--- there’s
always another hungry, up and comer chomping at the bit ready
to make his mark!
WCF
5 is November 14th (7:30 PM) at the Shriner’s Auditorium
in Wilmington, Mass.
Source: Fight Line
|
PHILLIPE
NOVER
Local Hero Hits the Big Time
By Jim Genia
(November
5th, Brooklyn, New York) They came to watch Phillipe Nover kick
some butt on the eighth episode of “The Ultimate Fighter:
Season Eight” – some of them friends, some of them
family, all of them fans. They came with the knowledge that Nover,
a jiu-jitsu brown belt under Alexandre “Soca” Freitas
and a disciple of striking guru Ralph Mitchell, is on the cusp
of stardom. They came because, before Dana White ever compared
Nover to Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre, they knew the
Filipino warrior was the real deal. And as the episode unfolded
on the multitude of TV screens in the sports bar on the second
floor of the Aviator Recreation Center, friends and family alike
were treated to an hour of laughing, cringing, and a fight that
ended with Nover crushing his opponent – just as they thought
he would.
“I’ve
definitely come a long way,” says Nover, a lightweight who
made a name for himself as a top competitor in the New Jersey
circuit, and whose undefeated record stretches back to his Reality
Fighting debut in 2003. “I knew back when I was training
I had a small fire in me, from the time that I started in the
smaller shows, and it’s just been an explosion,” he
says. “I knew once that I got on the show I would do some
damage and make my team proud and everyone proud. I’m happy
where I am and this is my dream come true.”
Nover
has long juggled being a fighter with being a nurse in the emergency
room at Coney Island Hospital. But thanks to his stint on TUF,
the balance of his time has shifted from inserting catheters
and dressing wounds to flipping giant tires and pulling sleds
packed with weights.
“I
do nursing as a part-time thing now,” he says. “I am
training and doing at least ten sessions a week, and really turning
it up. I think Dana White has a lot of faith in me, and I really
want to turn this into a career. It’s a dream come true.
I can wake up in the morning and just study the art – all
aspects of fighting – and work on keeping my body healthy
and eat all the right foods. Imaging getting paid to do something
you love and being famous for it. It’s a really big high.”
Often,
when a fighter makes it to the international stage, he’ll
pull up his roots and go to places like Iowa or Las Vegas to
broaden his training. Does Nover plan on staying in New York
now that he’s hit the big time?
“I
am absolutely going to stay in New York,” he says. “I’m
going to be training in New York with the people I’ve been
training with all along. My team is Insight and I’m sticking
with Insight. That’s my family and I’m going to stay
with them.”
Whenever
Nover gets screen time the crowd in the sports bar cheers, and
when he unwittingly eats urine-soaked fruit or forces his opponent
to tap out, they go wild. Behind a table full of “Team Insight”
and “Phillipe Nover” T-shirts, his mother beams. Nover
is all smiles as well.
“Keep
an eye out for me,” he says. “Have some faith in me.
I’m going to make an impact on MMA.” But the TUF 8
star already has.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
PUTTING
PAULO FILHO'S PIECES BACK TOGETHER
by Tom Hamlin
World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight champion Paulo Filho
is back in Brazil and resting, according to manager Ed Soares.
The
Brazilian was admitted to a Florida hospital shortly after his
bout with Chael Sonnen at WEC 36 on Wednesday. Doctors noticed
the pupils of Filho's eyes were uneven and not focusing correctly,
but a subsequent check-up revealed no permanent damage.
"He's
fine," Soares said, although he added that Filho is not
conducting any media interviews while recovering.
Filho’s
bizarre performance raised serious questions about the toll his
battles with depression and substance abuse had taken on him.
Filho was visibly distracted during the fight, looking at an
unknown object outside the cage in the later rounds of the fifteen-minute
affair. Various reports have confirmed he was also talking to
himself, mid-fight, in his native Portuguese tongue.
Soares
says when he met Filho in Florida early this week, he wasn’t
aware anything was wrong.
“Not
at all,” he said. “I thought he was in the best spirits
in the past two fights. I’m not a mind reader.”
Filho’s
camp is currently putting together a game plan to get him focused.
“He’s
had a rough year,” Soares said. “He felt he wasn’t
prepared. Actually, he wasn’t prepared at all. We have to
take baby steps to get him focused, to get him back on track.”
The
damage Filho may have done to his career is unknown at this point.
His bout with Sonnen came at a period of limbo for WEC middleweights,
with the division set to be disbanded at the end of this year.
It was widely expected that a win over Sonnen would have provided
an open door to the UFC. Filho’s weight struggles, as well
as his performance, have clearly placed that opportunity in doubt.
Soares
says Filho’s team may move him to the U.S. as a first step
to recovery, though nothing is concrete.
“Anyone
who knows him knows that’s not Paulo Filho,” Soares
said. “He didn’t show up.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Luis
Cane
By Guilherme Cruz
At the biggest challenge of his career, Luis "Banha"
Cane did a great job. Facing the tough Thierry Sokoudjou, the
Brazilian fighter used the perfect strategy and surprised the
Cameroon athlete with a knockout at UFC 89. In an exclusive interview
with TATAME.com, Cane commented the excellent win, his expectations
for the future in UFC and promised a Christmas gift to Sokoudjou.
Check below the complete interview with Luis Arthur Cane.
What
do you think about your victory against Sokoudjou?
It’s
was tough. It was a very important fight for my career, beat
a Top 10 is a great experience, and for the first time I fought
more than one round, saw how I did and it was very important.
Which
tactic did you prepared for him?
I
knew he was dangerous, I couldn’t go striking like a crazy
against him, because he knocked some good guys out lately and
has a heavy hand. I was ready to do a three round fight, but
on the second one I got a good distance and knocked him out.
Do
you know your next step in UFC?
I
don’t have anything set yet, I’m just waiting, no rush.
I fought with a injured elbow, so I couldn’t train well
for this fights, so now I’ll do a surgery, a simple one,
and stop training for three weeks to recover it, and then I’ll
be back and check what else UFC has to offer me. I trust on their
work and I’m sure they give me a good fight.
Who
do you think can be your next opponent?
Maybe
they put me against (Keith) Jardine, a tough fighter, another
Top 10, but I won’t choose opponents. I’ll wait for
Joe Silva decide who I’ll fight and I’m sure it won’t
be easy, they’ll put me another great fighter and that’s
what I want. I’m ready for that and I want to be between
the best.
And
you also won the knockout of the night bonus…
Shit,
that was great. He said (before the fight) that Christmas was
coming and he needed to win some money… I’ll send him
a “turkey dinner”. I’ll finish paying my car and
invest this money, I won’t spend it all. In fighter career
you never know what’s gonna happen.
Source: Tatame
|
Would
Dana White Deliver
Chuck Liddell vs. Anderson Silva?
By Tim Ngo
There has been a lot of talk about a superfight between UFC Middleweight
champion Anderson Silva and former UFC Light Heavyweight champion
Chuck Liddell. Unfortunately none of the talk has come from the
most important person in that equation, Dana White. It’s
no secret that White and Liddell are friends and that Liddell
may be past his prime at this point of his career.
With that said though, White has always promoted the fact that
he puts on fights that fans would want to see. One fight that
this fan would want to see is Anderson Silva vs. Chuck Liddell,
that is if both fighters are willing to do it though.
From
the sounds of things, it doesn’t look like that fight is
going to happen anytime soon if at all.
Take
a look at Silva’s response when asked about the rumored
fight, “Thanks for the information, but I didn’t know
about that. Everything is possible, but [there’s] nothing
set yet. Let’s wait and see what’ll happen.”
Yahoo!
Sports has been in touch with Dana White on many occasions and
had this to say about White’s feelings regarding the possible
fight:
UFC president Dana White has been lukewarm on it so far.
The
current rumor pits Silva against Liddell in the main event at
UFC 95, it’s only a rumor though because Dana White has
yet to have his say about it.
Source: Fight Line
|
UFC
93 'Dublin' sells out O2 arena
In less than two weeks the UFC has sold out the O2 arena in Dublin,
Ireland.
Tickets for UFC 93 "Dublin" went on sale on October
20, and the UFC boasted today that all 10,000 tickets have now
been snatched up.
"This
is our seventh successive sell-out in the British Isles since
April of 2007, and we now hold records in six of the biggest
arenas in all of Europe," said Marshall Zelaznik, the UFC
president in the UK. "We have the most dedicated and passionate
fans in sport and we are thrilled to be bringing some of the
biggest names in the sport to the Emerald Isle early in the New
Year."
UFC
93 takes place Saturday, January 17 and is highlighted by light
heavyweight bouts between Rich Franklin-Dan Henderson and Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua-Mark Coleman.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Anything
worth doing is worth doing slowly."
Mae West
|
Local
Boy Eric
Moon's
Ironheart Crown Event In Chicago, IL Is Back!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
IRONHEART CROWN XII: RESURRECTION
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2008
525 S. RACINE: UIC PAVILION – CHICAGO, IL
DOORS OPEN AT 6PM; FIGHTS START AT 7PM
WORLD-RANKED MIXED MARTIAL ARTISTS TO COMPETE ON CHICAGO CARD
On
Saturday, November 8, the Ironheart Crown will return to the
UIC Pavilion in Chicago. The show is the oldest mixed martial
arts event in the city and it has long been known for featuring
world-class talent. As an affiliate promotion for the American
Fight League, the upcoming show will be featuring some of the
parent organization’s top contracted fighters.
Widely
regarded as the number one female MMA fighter in the world, Tara
LaRosa (15-1), will face Roxanne Modafferi (12-4), also ranked
in the world top ten. In 2007, Modafferi was victorious in Japan’s
K-GRACE women’s openweight tournament. Both women carry
deeper resumes than the more popular Gina Carano who has recently
garnered attention as a female fighter through her network television
exposure.
In
the men’s division, MMA Weekly’s number 8 ranked featherweight
in the world, Raphael Assuncao (11-1) will face Joe Pearson (30-11-1)
who has won all of his victories by either knockout or submission.
Pearson also carries the record for having more documented wins
by triangle choke than any other fighter in the world.
And
heading up the local talent, Chicago’s own Gideon Ray (15-10-1)
will face Juan Magana (6-0) of Hammond, Indiana. Ray gained fame
as a participant in the “Ultimate Fighter” reality
TV show, earning him several subsequent bouts in the Ultimate
Fighting Championship and the International Fight League. Despite
several recent losses, he retains his reputation as one of Chicago’s
most dynamic fighters.
Though
much less experienced, his opponent Juan Magana remains undefeated
with all but one of his victories by knockout or submission.
Magana is young and seems to be following in the footsteps of
his coach, WEC World Bantamweight Champion, Miguel Torres.
The
full Nov. 8 Ironheart Crown fight card includes:
Juan Magana vs. Gideon Ray
Raphael Assuncao vs. Joe Pearson
Tara LaRosa vs. Roxanne Modafferi
Tommy Lee vs. Charles Wilson
Matt Fiordirosa vs. Rob Menigoz
Achour Esho vs. Josh Lee
Brad Fonck vs. Nick Janowitz
Louis Taylor vs. Adriel Villa
Antonio Canas vs. Mustafa Hussaini
Chris Albandia vs. Jeff Serafin
Ricardo Lamas vs. Christopher Martins
Derek Langone vs. Tony Marti
Joey Benoit vs. Keith Smetana
Tickets for the event are now on sale at www.ironheart.com.
Ironheart
Crown was established in 1999 by Dr. Eric Moon, a former competitor
himself. The show moved out of the city in 2000 but now returns
following new legislation passed to legalize and sanction mixed
martial arts in the State of Illinois. The upcoming show will
be held on Saturday, November 8 at the UIC Pavilion. Detailed
information is available on the event’s website at www.ironheart.com and tickets are on
sale now at ticketmaster.
|
Dana
White calls 'TUF 9: US vs. UK' a dumb idea
UFC president Dana White is not a fan of the decision for an
international competition for next season’s “The Ultimate
Fighter” on Spike TV.
The twist for the ninth season will be that the opposing teams
will be comprised of American and British fighters. Michael Bisping,
the UFC’s posterboy in the UK, will coach the UK team, while
a battle at UFC 93 between Dan Henderson and Rich Franklin is
expected to determine the coach for Team USA.
"I
said from day one I hate the UK v USA idea,” White told
SunSports. “It’s dumb, I don’t like it –
it’s not USA vs. the UK. We’re looking for the best
fighter in the world.”
White
argues that fans like fighters. He cited Tim Sylvia vs. Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 81 “Breaking Point” as an example.
In the championship fight, fans in attendance at the Mandalay
Bay in Las Vegas boo’d the American Sylvia while cheering
for the Brazilian Nogueira.
“The
reason is because in this sport it’s not country versus
country,” White said. “You either like the guy’s
fighting style or personality – Nationality has nothing
to do with it.”
The
ninth season, which will feature lightweights and welterweights,
will begin taping in January for a premiere in April.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
NCAA
Star Ben Askren Joins ATT
Sam Caplan
Ben
Askren, considered by many pundits to be one of the greatest
amateur wrestlers of all-time, has signaled his intent to pursue
a career in professional mixed martial arts and has joined Florida’s
American Top Team.
“We
are very excited that Ben has joined our team and we look forward
to working with this outstanding athlete,” an ATT official
stated in a message on the Underground forum. “Ben already
has a great (wrestling) base from which to work from and has
taken to BJJ very quickly. He will head down to the main academy
in Coconut Creek, Florida (in) mid-December to train with us,
and also be training out of ATT Missouri with Wade Rome…
He has a very bright MMA career ahead of him.”
Askren,
who is 5'10”, competed at 174 pounds in college and is expected
to compete as a welterweight in MMA. Several major agencies have
already begun to recruit him as a client with hopes of landing
him a lucrative contract with a major national promotion.
The
Iowa native is believed to have already been working out of the
ATT franchise in Missouri and is reportedly already a purple
belt in jiu-jitsu.
The
24-year old Askren was a two-time NCAA champion while competing
for the University of Missouri, where he posted an amazing record
of 153-8 during his four-year amateur career. He is also fourth
on the all-time NCAA list for pins with 91, trailing only Gene
Mills (107), Wade Schalles (106), and Larry Bielenberg (94).
He
most recently represented the United States during the 2008 Beijing
Olympics this past August but failed to medal in the 74 kilogram
(163 pounds) freestyle division.
Askren
joins Johny Hendricks, Jake Rosholt, Muhammad Lawal, and Cain
Velasquez as recent NCAA wrestling standouts to cross over into
MMA.
Source: The Fight Network
|
McCarthy
Returns as Referee
“Let’s get it on,” will emanate from the cage
again.
The
California State Athletic Commission has assigned “Big”
John McCarthy a referee’s position at Strikeforce “Destruction”
on Nov. 21 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, Calif.
The
assignment will mark the 15-year veteran’s return to officiating
after McCarthy announced his retirement in December 2007 to join
The Fight Network, a Canadian-based cable channel, as an on-air
analyst and strategic advisor.
McCarthy
oversaw his 535th bout between dynamic lightweights Clay Guida
and Roger Huerta at “The Ultimate Fighter 6” Finale
last December in Las Vegas. He officiated his first bout at UFC
2 “No Way Out” in March 1994 in Denver, Colo., and
was among the original authors of the MMA’s first set of
guidelines in 1998.
In
his analyst’s role, the 45-year-old McCarthy provided color
commentary for Canada’s TKO and Hardcore Championship Fighting
promotions, and most recently called the action alongside FOX
Sports Network regulars Frank Trigg and Jay Glazer at Affliction
Entertainment’s “Banned” last July in Anaheim,
Calif.
McCarthy
resigned from The Fight Network on Oct. 7, amidst rumors the
channel was awash with financial difficulties.
“I
had a good time doing [commentary] and it was fun,” said
McCarthy. “The Fight Network overextended itself and wasn’t
ready to do certain things that they said that they were going
to be able to do. It just didn’t work out there.”
Rather
than take another offer that would keep him outside the cage,
McCarthy said he chose to return to the role he originated inside
it.
“I
missed doing it,” said McCarthy. “Sometimes when you
walk away from something and you think it’s time, once you’re
away you realize what you’re missing –- it’s kind
of like why guys come back to fighting. It’s what I like
doing. It’s what I was meant to do.”
Retired
from the Los Angeles Police Department where he served for 22
years, McCarthy instructed over 10,000 recruits in arrest and
control procedures and survival tactics.
McCarthy
has not veered far from his teaching roots. He conducted his
second Certified Officials for MMA National Development (COMMAND)
referee and judges’ instructional course in October and
has a third seminar planned for late November at his mixed martial
arts academy in Valencia, Calif. The program is recognized by
the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC).
Though
most recognizable from his tenure with the UFC, McCarthy said
he has no expectations of where or when he will be placed for
assignment.
“I
have no control over that,” he said. “That’s up
to athletic commissions and what you get assigned to. I may do
one show a year. I may do 50. I don’t know, but if I get
assigned to something, then I’ll be going if I can.”
McCarthy
was recently re-licensed as a referee with the athletic commissions
in California, Ohio, and the River Cree in Alberta, Canada. He
said he plans apply for licensure in additional states as well.
Source: Sherdog
|
Alves
wants his chance against St. Pierre
By Guilherme Cruz
After
seven victories in a row at UFC, Thiago “Pitbull” Alves
appears to finally get his chance for the welterweight belt.
With the unanimous decision victory against Josh Koscheck at
UFC 90, the Brazilian fighter had the confirmation he’ll
get his title shot at 2009, great news after the tough fight
at Chicago. “It was a tough fight, but thanks God I did
the strategy we were planning and I went home with the victory”,
celebrates Alves, in exclusive interview to TATAME.com, and praising
his opponent.
“I
knew I’d have a hard fight, but I always go for a knockout.
I knew he was tough, but I didn’t knew he’d resist
that much, it surprised me. He’s a great competitor and
made the fight even better, bore beautiful”, commented Pitbull,
who liked the opponent change. “I think it was better, because
he defeated (Diego) Sanchez and he’s tougher than him, a
better athlete. He’s a great fighter, better ranked, and
I think it was perfect”.
For
Alves, the seventh victory is the last step before a title shot.
“I wanna get this belt and bring it to Brazil. The said
that the winner of this fight would get a title shot, and now
I have the option to wait (after Georges St. Pierre’s fight
with BJ Penn) or do another fight, it’s my choice, but I
think I’ll wait”, said Alves, who commented the fight.
”It’s gonna be a tough fight, and I’ll be there
watching it. I don’t know who’s gonna win it, but I
fight both. I’ll get this belt and the next onw who comes,
with all respect, will fall”, guarantees the Brazilian fighter.
Fighting
at the welterweight division, Alves commented the special work
he does with André Benkei at the preparation for the fight.
“I go with 171 pounds at the weight-ins, and then I go to
the fight with 198, 199 pounds”, revealed the fighter, who
doesn’t wanna think about going up to middleweight division:
“I don’t think about it, no way”.
Source: Tatame
|
Overeem
Hopes Cro Cop Doesn't "Chicken Out."
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic recently stated that he and
Alistar Overeem would rematch in Japan on NYE. Coming on the
heals of that admission, Overeem had some comments for Filipovic
in describing the fight.
"Total
domination and everybody could see it," Overeem told ResuMMA
"Mirko was cut up, tired and about to be finished without
landing one single strike."
Overeem
also stated that he'd like to settle his unfinished buisness
with Filipovic, but isn't entirely convinced that the fight will
materialize.
"He
is very concerned with his win-loss record," said Overeem.
"I sure hope we can make that fight. I have a couple more
surprises for Mirko, but we will have to wait and see if he doesn't
chicken out like our last fight."
Source: Fight Line
|
MMA
Sounds Off on Presidential Election
by Jason Probst
The longest presidential campaign in history culminates Tuesday.
With the public set to choose Barack Obama or John McCain as
the next president, Sherdog.com checked in with athletes and
MMA insiders to see whom they’re voting for and what issues
they want the next administration to tackle.
Hold
on to your electoral hat and read on. The Sherdog presidential
poll is highly unscientific, and twice the fun.
Note:
Matt Lindland is currently running as the Republican nominee
for the Oregon Legislature. Voters in the state’s 52nd House
District will choose between Lindland and opponent, Democrat
Suzanne Van Orman.
Matt
Lindland: My campaign’s going all right. I expect it to
be super close. As for the presidential election, I’m voting
for McCain because he’s closer to me on lot of the issues,
and he’s the best we’ve got right now. I think the
number one thing has gotta be this economy, creating jobs and
keeping jobs in the U.S. Obviously, they’re focusing on
taxes and jobs, and we haven’t even heard a lot of foreign
policy. You can’t just sit back and talk about it. You gotta
step up.
Chael
Sonnen: I’m voting for McCain. He’s conservative, and
I’m a conservative, too. I think the war is important, and
the economy … that’s a fight in and of itself.
Frank
Trigg: Obama, because from a mindset of having to deal with Bush
for the last eight years, why would I want to do that again for
four years? The reason the economy is in the pot -- it’s
not because of [George W.] Bush or [Bill] Clinton or [George]
Bush I; it’s because of [Ronald] Reagan. It’s the same
theory McCain’s gonna use, the trickle-down theory. It didn’t
work then, and it won’t work now. I have no idea of when
he’s gonna pull the troops out. We’re nowhere near
winning that war in Afghanistan. We’re stupidly over there
fighting. It’s not gonna make any sense. It’s gonna
take a long time. It’s not a casual withdrawal. McCain doesn’t
have a smart enough plan, even with his war expertise.
John
Hackleman: Taxes and Iraq. I’m undecided, because I think
there are humongous pros and cons for both guys. Definitely no
on [Proposition] 8 [the California initiative banning gay marriage].
I can’t believe a guy wore a “Yes on Prop 8” vest
into the cage [Saturday] at Rumble in the Park in Fresno. …
I’ve got two half-gay fighters. Who is he to say no? It
angered me, and he ended up losing. I’m sorry he lost. [He’s]
a really nice guy. It just seems it’s kind of racist …
gay-cist.
Karo
Parisyan: The deal is I always said I’m an entertainer.
I don’t really get into politics. If I gotta go with somebody,
it’s Obama. First of all, McCain was against MMA, which
is my field, and second of all, the overall outlook for Obama,
how composed he is, what kind of proposals he puts on every single
thing we think about and we do. Everything he does, bro, it fits
me and suits me. I like his tax issues, and I like him recognizing
the genocide of Armenians, and I think it’s time for an
African-American president. If McCain wins, he’s old, and
if he dies, who’s gonna be the president? A woman? The world
is already mad at us. They’ll lash out at us even more.
Chuck
Liddell: McCain. I don’t think he’s got a shot to win,
but I’m voting for McCain. I don’t want to raise my
taxes. I’m in that bracket. Obviously, the economy, you
know … the basics right now are our economy [and] the war;
those are the main things -- the economy and people losing their
houses. I’m not real happy with how they’re handling
it, obviously.
Joe
Stevenson: McCain.
Heath
Herring: McCain. The two most important issues to me are foreign
policy and taxes.
Juanito
Ibarra: Obama. You know, to me I’ve always been a middle-class,
union guy, an average type of guy. I know Mr. McCain. He helped
with the Muhammad Ali Act. I was the West Coast chairman of the
boxing organizing committee to develop that. He’s a good
guy. He spoke against MMA in the beginning, but he was very uneducated
about it. I think people still hold a grudge against him for
that, but he’s said, “Hey, I was unaware there were
rules, and I support anything people do in an organized manner.”
But I think Obama’s for the middle class. He helps the unions,
the middle class. He’s gonna help evaluate where our dollars
go and how this war has been dictating our lives. They’ve
been out there a little too long. It’s another Vietnam.
It’s crazy.
Mike
Roberts: McCain, because I don’t like Obama. He’s gonna
try and take all my money and give it to somebody else. I ain’t
having that.
Travis
Lutter: I currently do not vote because of the Electoral College
system. I have considered starting to vote but don’t feel
that the current system works when my vote isn’t going to
the candidate but to a representative to vote for me.
Eddie
Bravo: I am not voting. Voting is an illusion. Both “candidates”
are working for the same team -- the Illuminati. The election
is just a fake reality show. You can’t get as far as Obama
and McCain and not be bought and sold long ago. The machine is
too strong. Just buckle up and hold on for the scary ride that’s
coming and try to get as much as possible before the derailing
of our empire.
Monte
Cox: I’m an Obama guy. I just can’t go for another
old guy again. I just don’t want a 72-year-old. I just like
the stuff Obama says and how he handles himself, and I’m
ready to try to do something different. I think everything is
about the economy and [getting] the dollar back up there. I’m
a guy just getting back from Japan now. I travel all over, and
the dollar is for s--t. It’s not like it used to be. The
dollar used to be so strong, and the economy used to be so strong.
That stuff has to change.
Mike
Swick: I definitely have thought about it. I have done a lot
of research and take this very seriously. I am voting for the
candidate that I feel, through overwhelming research, is the
best option. Important issues are the economy, the war, health
care, oil, clean energy and the reputation of our country as
a whole worldwide.
Seth
Petruzelli: That’s all we are hearing about is the presidential
race. I guess it’s for a good reason. Well, some issues
are important to me and, no, gay marriage isn’t one of them,
a--holes. It’s stem cell research and obviously the economy.
I am all for the betterment of the human race and living longer
with the science of stem cell, so on that note, it’s Obama.
I also own my own business, so the economy and taxes are important,
as well, and I’m afraid that Obama’s going to tax the
hell out of my business. On the other hand, just him being elected
could stimulate the economy enough because people want a change,
and I could see bigger sales out of it. I’m still up in
the air.
Luigi
Fioravanti: I am not voting at all. I think the government is
corrupt, and so are the politicians. I used to care about all
this political crap, but now I don’t care for politics.
It makes people crazy. [Of] all the places I have seen, I still
think we live in the best country.
Source: Sherdog
|
Kim
Couture To Make Strikeforce Debut Nov. 21
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Kim Couture, wife of mixed martial arts
(MMA) legend Randy “The Natural” Couture, will make
her Strikeforce MMA cage fighting debut against Lina Kvokov in
a 130 lb. limit contest at San Jose’s HP Pavilion on Friday,
November 21st.
The
32-year-old Couture recently reaffirmed her commitment to becoming
a pioneer of women’s MMA competition by adding none other
than K-1 superstar and three-time world kickboxing champion,
Ray “Sugarfoot” Sefo, to her stable of elite trainers.
According
to Couture, the experience with Sefo, a veteran of 74 professional
fights and a winner over several other all-time K-1 greats during
his stellar 13-year professional fighting career, has, thus far,
opened her eyes to a new world that embodies technical excellence
while fighting aggressively on foot.
“I
like his style,” said Couture, a martial artist of five
years. “He’s very explosive and aggressive. He doesn’t
wait around and look for openings. He creates them.”
Her
upcoming appearance, the second MMA start of her career, will
provide Couture with an opportunity to change the opinions of
critics who watched her endure a beating at the hands of Kim
Rose at Las Vegas, Nevada’s Thomas and Mack Center on June
20, 2008.
“Losing
that fight was the best thing that ever happened to me,”
said Couture who, despite sustaining considerable punishment,
went the three round distance with Rose before losing a unanimous
judges’ decision. “It’s completely changed me
as a fighter. I’ve started doing things a lot different.
It made me realize that I have to be the aggressor or I’m
going to get hurt.”
As
Vice President of Xtreme Couture, her husband’s Las Vegas-based
fight facility, Couture maintains a hectic work schedule that
includes managing several of the camp’s fight team members.
However, she is also religious about training twice daily. Randy
serves as her wrestling coach while Gil Martinez provides her
with boxing instruction and Robert Drysdale oversees her Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu training.
“I
plan to show how well-rounded I am in this fight,” said
Couture. “I’m going to be more aggressive and more
explosive. There’s not anywhere the fight can go that I
won’t be prepared because I feel like I’ve got the
toughest camp and the best coaches.”
While
she may make an effort to be the aggressor in the fight, fans
can expect Couture’s opponent to utilize a similar strategy.
“I’m
an A-type personality so of course I’m aggressive,”
said Kvokov, a 33-year-old native of Portland, Oregon, whose
meeting with Couture will also be her second professional start
and an opportunity to even her record to 1-1 after being submitted
with an arm bar by Tamara Parks in the opening round of their
matchup on April 3, 2008.
“I
don’t know Kim Couture, but I’ve heard a lot of great
things and have a lot of respect for her so I’m really looking
forward to going in there and banging it out with her.”
Kvokov’s
history confirms that she has a strong competitive nature as
well as a high tolerance for risk. After all, it was only 10
months ago that she initially engaged in formal martial arts
training, something that she was introduced to by Strikeforce
veteran, Matt Horwich.
Shortly
after becoming a student, prize fighting seemed like a natural
fit, according to Kvokov, a mother of four children. To accommodate
the deep commitment that MMA fight training requires of its competitors,
she proceeded to make drastic sacrifices, which included dropping
out of law school in her second year of studies.
“I
just think that it’s such a great thing, being able to beat
someone up and get paid for it,” chuckled Kvokov. “I
can’t think of a better way to earn a living.”
Tickets
for Strikeforce “Destruction,” priced from $30, are
on sale at the HP Pavilion box office (408-287-7070) as well
as at all Ticketmaster locations (408-998-TIXS), Ticketmaster
online (www.ticketmaster.com), and on Strikeforce’s official
website (www.strikeforce.com).
In
the main event, Strikeforce World Lightweight (155 lb. limit)
Champion and San Jose resident, Josh “The Punk” Thomson
(16-2), will put his title on the line for the first time and,
at the same time, look to even an old score against the only
man on the planet who has stopped him in the heat of battle -
Yves Edwards (34-14-1). The 32-year-old Edwards, who scored an
unforgettable, first round knockout on Thomson with a head kick
at UFC 49 on August 21, 2004, remains one of only two competitors
who have defeated Thomson.
Strikeforce
World Light Heavyweight (205 lb. limit) Champion, Bobby Southworth
(9-5), will make a highly anticipated title defense against top-ranked
superstar, Renato “Babalu” Sobral (30-7).
Joe
“Diesel” Riggs (28-11) will make his return to the
welterweight (170 lb. limit) division in a featured contest with
Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, Luke Stewart (6-1).
HP
Pavilion doors will open at 5:30 p.m. for Strikeforce “Destruction”
and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m. The main
card will commence at 7:30 p.m.
The
live HDNet telecast of Strikeforce “Destruction” will
begin at 10 p.m. EST (7 p.m. PST).
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Matt
Lindland loses Oregon state house political race
By Zach Arnold
Matt Lindland ran as a Republican in the 52nd District of Oregon
in a State Representative race against Democrat Suzanne VanOrman,
who went after Lindland aggressively in TV ads. In deep blue
Oregon, Lindland thought he had a shot in his district…
VanOrman
won by a 58-41% margin over Lindland.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
"Little
by little one walks far."
Peruvian Proverb
|
HFC
Stand Your Ground IX Tonight!
Friday,
November 7, 2008
Dole Cannery Ballroom
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Show starts @ 7:00 p.m.
*145 lb Pro Championship
Ricky Hoku Wallace (Icon) vs. Lorenzo Moreno (Bulls Penn)
*185 lb Pro MMA Pro Championship
John Joao (Uprising Fight Team) vs. Brennan Kamaka (Free Lance)
*170 lb Pro MMA
Zane Kamaka (Guts and Glory) vs. Kyle Miyahana (Team MMAD)
*155 lb Amateur MMA Championship Bout
Nate Quinola (Free Lance) vs. Justin Dano (Hui Loa)
*230 lb Amateur MMA
Koloa Kahalewai (Ani Land) vs. Matt Eatan (Bulls Penn)
*170 lb Amateur MMA
Kevin “Kala” Kuni (Uprising) vs. Tyler Pavao (Free
Lance)
*170 lb Amateur MMA
Ryan Desoto (God’s Army) vs. Keoni Joao (Uprising Fight
Team)
*145 lb Amateur MMA
Waylen Mata (Bulls Penn) vs. Tommy Talilone (Free Lance)
*185 lb Amateur MMA
Tilis Sionesini (Up and Up) vs. Shawn Shinjo (Nemesis)
*Super Heavy Weight MMA
Joey Palemia (Up and Up) vs. Otto Hoop’s (Stand Alone)
*205 lb Amateur Kick Boxing Championship Bout
Charles Kipilii Jr. (808 Fight Factory) vs. Austin Figueroa (Corrupt
Ambitions)
*185 Amateur Kick Boxing Bout
Caleb Price (HMC Wahiawa) vs. Corbert Hun (Nemesis)
*110 Amateur Kick Boxing Championship Bout
Garren Rabelizsa (WSC) vs. Alika Kamakoa (Up and Up)
*205 Amateur Kick Boxing Bout
Maki Maleka (Hamma House) vs. Jonathan Babino (House of Thunder)
*125 Amateur Kick Boxing
Sheldon Crawford (Hamma House) vs. Nainoa Messiona (808 fight
Factory)
*165 Kick Boxing
Ikaika Salcedo (SYD) vs. Alfonso Bictola (Hamma House)
*60 lb Stand and Ground
Lokahi Morante (Central Oahu/HMC) Kaui Tomas (Waianae Boxing)
*155 lb Stand And Ground
Baba Naki (Free Lance) vs. Steven Mandeville (Corrupt Ambitions)
*50 lb Stand and Ground Exhibition
Triston Baron (Central Oahu Jiu-Jitsu) Taz Kahelewai (Ani Land)
*
|
Report:
Chris Leben tests positive for Stanozolol
By Zach Arnold
There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that UFC
actually did drug testing for their latest UK event. The bad
news? Chris Leben, who main-evented against Michael Bisping,
tested positive for steroids.
Dave
Meltzer: ESPN planning on an MMA reality show
Say
it isn’t so.
The
interesting angle to this story, if it’s true, is that ESPN
would be paying the fighters directly. So, in essence, they would
be paying for talent without having an official ‘promotion.’
The question is if ESPN would retain the rights over those fighters
or if the fighters would become free agents after the show is
over. If it’s the latter, then UFC obviously would have
a tough decision to make. Would UFC support ESPN’s efforts
at this show, in hopes that ESPN would create yet another talent
factory for UFC to take advantage of, or would UFC look at ESPN’s
attempt at a reality show as an assault on The Ultimate Fighter
show on Spike TV?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
WVR
to go ahead with Gomi vs. Kitaoka
World Victory Road will proceed with its plan to crown a lightweight
champion between the winner of the lightweight tournament and
Takanori Gomi.
The
title bout, which will take place on January 4 in Saitama, Japan,
took a hit on Saturday when Gomi surprisingly lost a split decision
to Sergey Golyaev in what was supposed to be a showcase for Gomi
to enter the January 4 fight on a strong note.
Gomi
wrote on his blog Sunday that he lost due to being caught off
guard against a better-than-expected opponent, but suffered no
injuries and he’ll be ready for January 4.
Gomi
will be taking on Satoru Kitaoka, who won twice on Saturday to
become the “Sengoku” Lightweight Grand Prix champion.
Gomi
was a fight Kitaoka wanted all along. After his title win, Kitaoka
called out Gomi to the ring.
Kitaoka:
"You lost today. Are you still going to fight me on Jan
4?"
Gomi:
"I lost today. However, why not? You can fight me."
Kitaoka:
"I accept your challenge."
Source: MMA Fighting
|
How
the Mighty Have Fallen
by Tim Leidecker
When former Pride lightweight champion Takanori Gomi succumbed
to Marcus Aurelio’s arm-triangle choke in April 2006, it
sent a shockwave of surprise through the MMA community.
When
Gomi was submitted by Nick Diaz 10 months later, the general
reaction was overwhelming.
But
after unrenowned Russian kickboxer Sergey Golyaev outpointed
him last Saturday, the majority of fans and experts just shrugged
their shoulders as if to say, “Yeah, whatever.”
Even
though the 30-year-old knockout artist had lost his aura of invincibility
before Japanese promotion Dream Stage Entertainment made him
one of the “aces” of its Bushido series, which was
designed to showcase the lighter weight classes, Gomi thrilled
the crowds from Tokyo to Yokohama, from Nagoya to Osaka with
his strong wrestling, explosive punching and aggressive fighting
style.
Little
of that is left in the 2008 version of Gomi, who is supposed
to be one of the cornerstones for fledging promotion World Victory
Road. His first two outings in Sengoku -- wins over American
Duane Ludwig in March and Korean Seung Hwan Bang in August --
were solid but unspectacular. In the end, the successful outcomes
may have diverted from the fact that the spark of former days
is gone.
Gomi
had appeared to be en route to his second straight unanimous
decision against the unheralded Russian. Late in the first round,
he had threatened with an armbar attempt, though Golyaev was
saved by the bell. For seven minutes and 42 seconds, it was another
day at the office for Gomi, until a left hook caught him right
on the button and sent him into survival mode. The punch and
a brief portion of ground-and-pound had the former champion backpedaling
for the rest of the round.
While
the third round was all Gomi, who scored with stomp kicks and
rained down punches from the mount, it was not until the final
minute of the stanza that he really came to life and punched
with the intention of knocking the Russian out. In the end, however,
he had to swallow a split decision loss that would not have materialized
under the Unified Rules. According to Sengoku’s judging
criteria, though, the decision was perfectly reasonable because
Golyaev, while doing not much else, came closest to finishing
the bout at one point.
What’s
harder to explain is Gomi’s sudden drop in form.
Sure,
he had to take a full year off from fighting after the sale of
Pride to Zuffa, when he was locked out on a contract dispute.
But following the three hard rounds against Seung Hwan Bang in
August, the ring rust should have come off. The possibility that
Gomi is already beyond his best sporting days can also be ruled
out simply because he is still in his prime physically.
The
most reasonable explanation might be that the burden of being
the main draw for the upstart promotion -- in addition to Kazuo
Misaki and the occasional Hidehiko Yoshida appearance -- is simply
putting too much pressure on the 155-pounder’s small shoulders.
In Pride Bushido he had a core support group of strong second
stringers like Gono, Minowa, Sakurai and Chonan to entertain
the crowd. Now Gomi needs to put on a show for the fans who expect
him to shine and win as he did in his Pride heyday, which can
lead to him forgetting fundamentals and losing fights he was
supposed to win.
Kitaoka
poses an interesting matchup for Gomi.Kitaoka poses litmus test
for Gomi
Gomi’s
Jan. 4 bout against rising star Satoru Kitaoka will be crucial
to see where his career is headed. Last time Gomi was threatened
by a Japanese challenger, he emphatically finished off Mitsuhiro
Ishida -- a fighter similar to Kitaoka in build and style --
with a soccer kick and punches in 1:14.
Can
Kitaoka, whose brash statements before and after Sengoku 6 have
certainly angered the longtime king of the lightweight division,
light a competitive fire under Gomi again?
From
a sporting perspective, the 5-foot-6 grappling wizard has done
his homework. Kitaoka coasted through the Sengoku lightweight
tournament, finishing all of his opponents inside the first round
except for fellow finalist Kazunori Yokota. His strongest asset
is his wrestling, as evidenced by his explosive double-leg takedown
that’s arguably the best of any Japanese fighter today.
The seven-year Pancrase veteran also attacks the limbs of his
opponents in the fashion of a 2004 Ryo Chonan.
The
tournament victory brings some late recognition for the 28-year-old,
who holds wins over a trio of titleholders -- Deep champion Hidehiko
Hasegawa, WEC champion Carlos Condit and Cage Rage champion Paul
Daley -- but never managed to put the gold around his own waist.
What’s
particularly remarkable about Kitaoka is the fact that he has
competed as high as the old Pancrase middleweight (181-pound)
division when he could effectively fight as a featherweight given
his size. Despite cutting in excess of 30 pounds for the tournament
finals, the Nara native still sported arms that were a match
for those of Sean Sherk and thighs that even eclipse those of
Tyson Griffin.
Misaki
a tough matchup for Santiago
In
the end Kitaoka pocketed a cool 5,000,000 yen (around $50,000)
for his efforts, as did the middleweight grand prix champion
Jorge Santiago. The Brazilian, whose mixed martial arts career
was born and bred at talent hotbed American Top Team in southern
Florida, had an arguably even tougher route to the title. He
had to go through durable American Logan Clark, Shooto light
heavyweight champion Siyar Bahadurzada and former Pride gatekeeper
Kazuhiro Nakamura.
The
well-rounded Rio de Janeiro native, who seems to have a knack
for fighting more than once in a night after already winning
the Strikeforce middleweight tournament last year, achieved two
novelties besides taking the tourney: He became the first man
to submit Clark as well as the first middleweight to knock out
the experienced judo player Nakamura.
Looming
on the horizon for Santiago is a Jan. 4 clash with Bushido grand
prix champion Kazuo Misaki for the vacant middleweight strap.
Not only is the “Grabaka Hitman” the most high-profile
opponent Sengoku can offer Santiago at this time, he is also
the type of fighter that has given him the most difficulty in
his career. Looking at his track record, Santiago has lost to
Alan Belcher, Chris Leben and Joey Villasenor -- all fighters
who are blessed with above-average kickboxing skills, as is Misaki.
Regardless
of how this bout will play out or whether the promotion’s
first middleweight champion will hail from Japan or Brazil, Sengoku
has to continue trying to build both native and foreign stars.
Because the history of Japanese MMA has shown that for every
Takada, there has to be a Rickson. For every Sakuraba, there
has to be a Wanderlei Silva. And for every Yoshida, there has
to be a Cro Cop.
Source: Sherdog
|
WEC
36 AWARDS NET FIGHTERS $7,500 BONUSES
by Damon Martin
After World Extreme Cagefighting invaded Florida for the first
time, the promotion handed down fight bonuses that have become
common place for the best performances of the night.
Each
fighter receiving a bonus award was given $7,500 on top of their
regular fight purse. MMAWeekly.com confirmed the bonuses with
a WEC official late Wednesday night in Hollywood, Fla.
The
WEC 36 Knockout of the Night seemed like a no brainer as Mike
Brown was able to unseat Urijah Faber as the top featherweight
in the world with a devastating punch in the first round of their
championship matchup.
The
WEC 36 Submission of the Night went to bantamweight fighter Rani
Yahya, who got out of a tough spot of his own early in the fight
to eventually finish Yoshiro Maeda with a guillotine choke at
3:30 in the first round of their bout.
The
WEC 36 Fight of the Night on Wednesday night could end up as
a fight of the year candidate after Donald Cerrone and Rob McCullough
went to war in a pivotal lightweight showdown. In the end, Cerrone
got the nod with a unanimous decision, but both fighters were
able to benefit from the bonus after a phenomenal showing for
the fans.
Although
not one of the "of the Night" award bonuses, featherweight
Leonard Garcia was handed a separate $7,500 bonus for his performance
against former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver. He TKO'd
Pulver slightly more than a minute into their televised bout.
WEC
36 Fight of the Night
Donald Cerrone and Rob McCullough
WEC
36 Knockout of the Night
Mike Brown
WEC
36 Submission of the Night
Rani Yahya
Source: MMA Weekly
|
EliteXC
Vows to Continue, Holds Fighters
EliteXC representatives have vowed that they will continue operations
and will be planning a show in early 2009. Most of the major
EliteXC fighters under contract have been notified.
Lead
counsel for the organization has informed us that contrary to
popular beleif, EliteXC has not filed for bankruptcy and has
merely scaled down their staff.
This
will be a setback for all EliteXC fighters currently under contract
as they will be unable to fight in other organizations without
the express written permission of EliteXC. Barring a judicial
ruling, EliteXC fighters could be hampered from signing with
another organization.
However,
Nick Diaz will be able to fight in Japan if terms are agreed
upon with a Japanese organization due to a previous agreement
with EliteXC. It is assumed that Eddie Alvarez will also be able
to fight in the Far East without any EliteXC restrictions due
to his previous contract with Dream.
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
Comprido
brushes up Lesnar's ground game
Black belt comments on training for UFC 91
Two-time absolute Jiu-Jitsu world champion (99/00) Rodrigo Comprido
has worked on polishing up Brock Lesnar’s ground game before,
in preparing the giant for his bout with Heath Herring at UFC
87, as reported by GRACIEMAG.com in June of this year.
Now
that the juggernaut will have a true test ahead of him at UFC
91, this coming Saturday November 8th, against veteran Randy
Couture, the Brazilian was brought back into action.
In
the following interview, Comprido commented on the fact Couture
has Robert Drysdale working with him on his grappling and how
he is drumming up a strategy to surprise the MMA icon.
GRACIEMAG.com:
How is Brock Lesnar’s training for the Couture fight?
COMPRIDO: Brock has a new training center. He still has the same
training partners he had in Minneapolis: Greg Nelson and Marty
Morgan, but now he lives in Alexandria. He invited me for the
second time to help him with his ground game. The fact that my
academy is located in Chicago helps a lot because its pretty
close to him
GRACIEMAG.com:
Isn’t that change bad for him?
COMPRIDO: I believe it's the other way around. He is even more
focused now and training is very tough, Chris Toucherer ,Kirk
Klosowsky , Neil Cooke, Cole Konrad ...just to name a few of
the guys that are working with us.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Isn’t Cole Konard a 2-time National champion and 3-time
All-American?
COMPRIDO: That is what I’m saying, the training is great,
Marty Morgan is one of the best wrestling coaches in the country.
I have also been learning a lot with those guys.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Robert Drysdale is training Couture ,does that make your job
harder?
COMPRIDO: Drysdale is a great teacher and I know him well because
we are both from Brasa. The fact that a guy like him is helping
Couture makes him more dangerous, for sure, but on the other
hand, I know Robert very well and can imagine what he is correcting
in his game and can prepare a counter attack. I know Couture
is a very strategic fighter, but I believe Brock will take this
fight in the first round.
GRACIEMAG.com:
Is it true that Brock injured his leg and even thought about
canceling the fight?
COMPRIDO: Brock’s leg is great, there is no reason to worry.
GRACIEMAG.com: If Brock wins this fight, he will be up for a
title challenge against Minotauro or Frank Mir, right?
COMPRIDO: Yes, he fights Couture for the original title while
Minotauro and Mir fight for the current one, then the two winners
fight to unify the title.
GRACIEMAG.com: What inspired a famous guy like him to pursue
a career in MMA?
COMPRIDO: Brock doesn’t fight for fame or money, He does
it because he likes to compete and challenge himself. He wants
to face the best in the world. I believe that is the reason he
dedicates himself so much to it. That also makes him more dangerous
GRACIEMAG.com:
What is it like to train with someone so heavy and strong?
COMPRIDO:
If he were only strong and heavy it would not be a problem, but
he has technique too. Now I know how Felipe Costa must feel when
he trains with me, LOL
GRACIEMAG.com:
What are your plans for the future?
COMPRIDO:
I’m still training and teaching BJJ, but now here in Chicago.
At FLO MMA we have a beginners group but all are very dedicate
and we plan to prepare them for competition. We have a group
of amateur MMA fighters that are already doing good and some
others are more experienced, such as Mike Russow, Terry Martim,
Shoni Carter, Achour Echour…We also still have the BrazilianBlackBelt
camp in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Besides this we want to make BRASA grow with seminars all over
the country. Traven, , Esfiha, Botti, Lapela, Jonatas, Robert,
Michele , Felipe Costa, Jonatas, Ratinho, Vitor Viana, Demian
Maia are some of the guys who always help to make this Sport
grow.
The easiest way to contact me is rodrigocomprido@hotmail.com
or www.compridobjj.com (personal site) or www.flomma.com (academy’s
site)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Martin
Kampmann Extends Contract with UFC
Sam Caplan
FiveOuncesOfPain.com
has learned that the UFC has signed Martin Kampmann to a new
four-fight contract.
The
news was confirmed with Kampmann’s agent, Ken Pavia.
Kampmann
is 13-2 in his professional mixed martial arts career and is
4-1 lifetime inside of the Octagon. His most recent fight was
a first round TKO loss to Nathan Marquardt at UFC 88 in September
but prior to that he was 4-0 with victories over Crafton Wallace,
Thales Leites, Drew McFedries, and Jorge Rivera.
A
standout kickboxer prior to crossing over into MMA, Kampmann
has become a respected grappler and had won nine consecutive
fights prior to the loss to Marquardt.
According
to Pavia, Kampmann is planning to drop to welterweight for his
next bout and has also signed a sponsorship agreement with Hitman
Fight Gear.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Pat
Miletich to return to action on Dec. 11
Pat Miletich, the first-ever UFC 170-pound champion, will return
to competition at Adrenaline MMA 2 on December 11 against Thomas
“The Wildman” Denny, Ron Kruck reported Friday on “Inside
MMA” on HDNet.
Miletich
last competed in a coach vs. coach fight at an IFL event on September
23, 2006 in Moline. Miletich, who suffered a serious neck injury
three years prior, succumbed to a guillotine choke in the first
round. The 40-year-old’s last victory was a knockout against
Shonie Carter at UFC 32 “Showdown in the Meadowlands”
on June 29, 2001.
Denny,
a former King of the Cage champion, fought on July 26 at EliteXC
“Unfinished Business” on CBS in a loss to Nick Diaz
by second-round TKO.
Adrenaline
MMA 2 will happen from the I wireless Center in Moline, Illinois.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Tough
questions asked about WEC’s future after Urijah Faber loses
By Zach Arnold
MSNBC:
How UFC crushed the competition
”They
offer the highest level of product in the marketplace,”
said Shawn McBride, vice president of Ketchum Sports Network.
“UFC is laser-focused on mixed martial arts. It’s a
great case study.”
South
Florida Sun-Sentinel: WEC draws 5,600 paid for Mike Brown’s
big upset of Urijah Faber
In
another stunning turn of events, middleweight defending champion
Paulo Filho, scheduled to defend his title against Chael Sonnen,
failed to make weight. The Brazilian came in a shocking 7 pounds
overweight, forcing WEC officials to make it a non-title bout.
Filho had to forfeit 25 percent of his prize purse to Sonnen.
“It’s
not acceptable not to make weight because of a lack of discipline,”
Sonnen said. “My heart is broken. I came here to win the
world championship.
“I
promised my father on his death bed I would win the world title,
and it’s not going to happen.”
Luke
Thomas: Is the WEC ready for PPV?
The
problems that were true yesterday are eve more so true today:
Miguel Torres, Jamie Varner and Carlos Condit are worthy champions,
but not the sort of talent or name to corral PPV buys. In short,
the organization - in a down economy and with far too few stars
- is not ready to convince MMA fans to pay for PPV. While the
diehards would likely plop down whatever money was being asked,
it is hard to conceive of a scenario where they’d meet or
exceed 100,000 buys.
Total
MMA: WEC 36 - not exactly as planned
For
Faber, its a monsterous step back in his career. The veil of
invincibility and the dream matchups with names like Kid Yamamoto
seem a million years ago already. He must now deal with Mike
Brown if he ever wants to return to the mountain top. For Brown,
the narrative is very different. Brown’s current win streak
began before his single fight with Bodog, but it was his surprising
lightweight division win over the once top contender Yves Edwards
in that show’s second series that began his resurgence from
fringe contender to potentially being the #1 featherweight MMA
fighter on the planet. One has to wonder if the WEC might be
interested in contracting the top Japanese featherweights; Imanari
and Mishma clearly leading that class, both having fought outside
Japan on several occasions. However, the risk of losing the belt
to a non-english speaker instead of an immediate rematch will
probably not be considered acceptable for Zuffa’s secondary
promotion.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Bigfoot
sad about the doping case
By Guilherme Cruz
A
bad week for the Brazilian fighter Antônio “Bigfoot”.
The EliteXC heavyweight champion, the giant of American Top Team
was surprised with the news that the event had closed the doors
after the last event, and that it’s out of MMA’s market.
Trying to prove his innocence at the drug test allegation, the
Brazilian had an audience with the Athletic Commission, with
his manager, Alex Davis, and a lawyer – but the news were
not good.
After
leave the audience, Bigfoot got in touch with TATAME to annunciate
the result. “There was no appellation. The suspension stays.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work. The Commission showed that
doesn’t like MMA fighter, mainly Brazilian. Shean Sherk
took nandrolone, it was proved, but they reduced his punishment,
but with me they didn’t leave”, lamented the fighter.
Revolted with the result, his manager insists on the innocence
of the fighter.
“The
commission didn’t prove Bigfoot`s fault, there are doubts,
but anything proved, and then the facts pass to be unimportant,
and the opinion of six or seven commissionaires, who doesn’t
understand anything about chemistry, predominate. The Commission,
although have not proved the facts, continue to keep the suspension”,
protest Alex, who will study other solution to the athlete: ”we’ll
sit down and see what we can do”. In the final decision
of the Commission, Bigfoot keep impeded of fight in United States
until July 26th of 2009. Stay tuned on TATAME for more news about
the case.
Source: Tatame
|
Quote
of the Day
“I
have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there
can be no more hurt, only more love.”
Mother Teresa |
FABER
LOSES THE CROWN TO BROWN
In
his long reign as WEC featherweight champion, Uriah Faber has
always walked a dangerous line between brazen confidence and
foolhardiness. Against Mike Brown at WEC 36, it finally came
back to bite him.
Without
a doubt, Faber was on track for another impressive win. His hands
were faster than Brown’s. He wasn’t out-muscled in
the clinch. But one mistake—a move he might have pulled
off in the gym, but never in a title fight—cost him his
belt.
It
wasn’t the usual sequence of events for MMA. Brown drove
in for a takedown but could not get in close enough to cinch
Faber’s legs. A subsequent punch flurry drove Faber backwards,
and in a move reminiscent of a pro wrestler, he bounced off the
cage and offered his right elbow, spinning towards Brown.
Not
suckered by the flashy move, Brown made a counter-offer, plastering
Faber with a right hand that took the champ off his feet.
Faber
rolled to his stomach, where several unanswered punches gave
ref Troy Waugh no choice but to stop the fight.
As
gracious in defeat as in victory, Faber mouthed apologies to
the camera.
“I
made a mistake, he capitalized on it,” Faber explained afterwards.
“Congratulations to Mike Brown, he deserves it.”
Brown,
near tears as the belt was strapped to his waist, thanked his
trainers and teammates at American Top Team.
“I
don’t have a lot of knockouts on my record, but I hit (expletive)
hard, dude,” he said.
With
the win, Brown could move on to face Leonard Garcia, who also
had an impressive TKO victory on the card.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SONNEN
DOMINATES FILHO IN REMATCH
Chael Sonnen has been waiting for a rematch with World Extreme
Cagefighting middleweight titleholder Paulo Filho every since
he was defeated by the Brazilian at WEC 31 on Dec. 12, 2007.
The
two were supposed to square off again at WEC 33 but Filho was
forced out of the bout due to personal issues just eleven days
before the March 26 scheduled event. Wed. night, Sonnen got his
second chance.
The
Team Quest trained fighter exacted his revenge with a one-sided
decision win, handing Filho his first mixed martial arts loss.
Sonnen won the fight, but Filho's belt was not on the line because
Filho failed to make weight, officially tipping the scales at
189, four pounds over the 185-pound limit.
While
the fight was anything but a crowd-pleaser, Sonnen fought a smart
game plan and cruised to victory. The opening round Sonnen landed
jabs and leg kicks before going into Filho's guard. After Filho
worked for an arm bar, they way he previously defeated Sonnen,
Chael stood up and peppered the downed Filho with kicks to the
lower body.
The
second stanza was much like the first with Sonnen landing jabs
at will. Filho pulled guard twice, but Sonnen had none of it
forcing the Rio de Janeiro resident to stand where Filho was
unable get anything going. The final round was all Sonnen with
the crowd voicing their displeasure with the pace of the fight.
All
three judges scored it 30-27 for Sonnen. The rematch was a big
win for Sonnen's career and left questions about where Paulo
Filho fits into the middleweight division. Ranked No. 2 in the
world heading into WEC 36, Filho's status will definitely drop.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GARCIA
DEMOLISHES PULVER; ROSHOLT WINS WEC DEBUT
After an almost 9 month layoff, Leonard Garcia made a fantastic
case to be the #1 contender in the WEC featherweight division
as he dispatched of Jens Pulver in the first round of their matchup
in Florida on Wednesday night.
Both
fighters seemed comfortable trading on the feet and for the first
few exchanges it looked like Pulver was going to be the aggressor
in the fight as he pursued Garcia with combinations.
As
the two 145lbers threw strikes near the cage, Garcia connected
with a right hook, followed by a left that stunned Pulver, sending
him backwards.
Garcia
was quick to follow up with punches that sat Pulver down on the
mat and soon after the Greg Jackson trained fighter unloaded
heavy shot after heavy shot until the referee stepped in to stop
the fight. After it was over, Garcia paid respect to his opponent
in the cage.
“My
hat goes off to Jens, he’s one of my heroes,” Garcia
commented.
With
2 very impressive wins since moving down to 145lbs, Garcia believes
he is next in line for the WEC featherweight championship.
“I
want a title shot,” Garcia said emphatically. “I knocked
out the legend. I knocked out the guy that said they were going
to knock me out, (Hiroyuki) Takaya. Whoever has the title after
tonight, I want some.”
Jake
Rosholt made his official WEC debut pulling off a second round
TKO over Nissen Osterneck, but the 3 time NCAA wrestling champion
made numerous rookie mistakes that almost cost him the fight.
With
an early slam on his opponent, Rosholt displayed some of his
world class wrestling, but it was on the feet where the young
fighter showed his relative inexperience, as Osterneck connected
almost at will in the first and second rounds.
On
the ground, Rosholt stayed out of any real trouble, showing his
strength and pounding away at Osterneck, making him roll and
giving up his back two different times in the fight.
In
the 2nd round after Osterneck landed a number of big strikes
looking to end the fight, but the former Oklahoma State wrestler
got the fight to the ground and once he took his opponent’s
back he was able to land heavy punches forcing a stop to the
fight.
“Nissen
came out, got after me, he was kind of kicking my ass there for
a while,” Rosholt stated following the fight. “Luckily,
I was tough enough to stay in there and ended up finishing the
fight, but hats off to him. He came out, imposed his will on
me, but I won.”
With
the WEC’s middleweight division going away after Wednesday’s
event, Rosholt will have to hope that the UFC picks him up, but
his performance was somewhat lackluster so the final verdict
may not be in yet.
“I’ve
got to keep getting better, everybody saw that tonight,”
Rosholt said about his future. “I’ve got a long way
to go, a lot of things to work on, but I’ll get in here,
work hard every time and try to win. Trust me, I’ll get
better.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
36 RESULTS, LIVE PLAY-BY-PLAY, & PHOTOS
MMAWeekly.com is live at WEC 36 in Hollywood, Fla., for Wednesday
night's event featuring current featherweight champion Urijah
Faber defending his belt against Mike Brown. Middleweight champ
Paulo Filho rematches Chael Sonnen, although it is now a non-title
bout because Filho came in seven pounds overweight. Former UFC
champ Jens Pulver faces Leonard Garcia in another featherweight
showdown.
MMAWeekly.com
will be bringing you results and live play-by-play as the action
unfolds, so be sure to refresh your browser frequently for the
latest from WEC 36.
The
fights are now underway...
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
-Urijah
Faber vs. Mike Brown
R1 – Faber attempts a couple of kicks and lands a few punches
before they clinch and then reset. Brown lands a right hand to
the temple of Faber before they clinch, where Brown starts landing
with some good dirty boxing and knees. They clinch and separate
and Brown lands a hard left to Faber, drops him with a right
to the chin, follows him to the mat and continues to hammer down
punches until the referee halts the bout. Mike Brown shocks the
world, upsetting Urijah Faber.
Mike
Brown def. Urijah Faber by TKO (Strikes) at 2:23, R1
-Paulo
Filho vs. Chael Sonnen
Filho,
who weighed in seven pounds over the 185-pound limit, receives
a steady stream of boos from the crowd upon his introduction.
R1
– Filho goes for the takedown right away, but Sonnen's sprawls
out. Back standing, Sonnen drops Filho with a short left hook,
but stands up in his guard instead of dropping down in his guard.
Sonnen drops a few punches from standing and then drops down
in half-guard, putting a couple of shots down on Filho before
standing back up, Filho still on his back. Sonnen grabs Filho's
left leg and stomps on his right ankle, but doesn't go down into
guard, Filho making no attempt to stand.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Sonnen.
R2
– They dance around the center of the cage, Filho looking
to kick, Sonnen to strike. Filho goes for the takedown, but lands
on his back with Sonnen in guard. Sonnen stands up, forcing Filho
to stand. He lands a strong leg kick on Filho, who falls to the
ground, but Sonnen makes him stand again. Filho misses with the
head kick, Sonnen lands the leg kick, and Filho jumps guard.
They hit the mat, but Sonnen immediately stands it back up. Sonnen
dances around the outskirts of Filho's reach, pot-shotting him,
refusing to go to the ground. Filho shoot, Sonnen sprawls out,
and Filho falls to his back, wanting to stay on the ground. Sonnen
again makes him stand.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Sonnen.
R3
– They dance around the center of the ring and Filho again
falls to his back, trying to bait Sonnen into his guard. Sonnen
again makes Filho return to standing. They again dance around
the center with Sonnen pawing out shots at Filho, while Filho
can't seem to think of anything to do but stand and take the
shots. The crowd is getting pretty restless at this point, chanting
expletives. Filho is doing nothing to engage, while Sonnen keeps
moving in throwing punches, nothing that is doing a lot of damage,
but probably winning him the fight.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Sonnen and the fight 30-27 for Sonnen.
Chael
Sonnen def. Paulo Filho by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27,
30-27), R3
-Jens
Pulver vs. Leonard Garcia
R1 – Garcia seems to be trying to stay away from the hands
of Pulver, circling away and trying to sneak in for quick shots
and then get back out. It works as he gets in, backs out, and
then back in, and lands a boxing combination hurting Pulver.
He follows with several more hard shots, crumpling Pulver to
the canvas.
Leonard
Garcia def. Jens Pulver by TKO (Strikes) at 1:12, R1
-Jake
Rosholt vs. Nissen Osterneck
R1 – Osterneck charges in and starts landing right hands,
but Rosholt immediately scoops him up and takes him down and
starts working from side control. He lands a couple of before
taking the back, but Osterneck gets out. Standing again, Osterneck
starts unloading with punch combinations. Rosholt has no answer
except to clinch. They start trading again and Rosholt gets Osterneck
down in a scramble and start landing punches from side control,
before then dropping some heavy knees. Rosholt stands up and
starts dropping shots from standing in the guard, again drops
to side control and re-ups his ground and pound attack. Osterneck
gives up his back, Rosholt mounts and does some serious damage
with his ground and pound just before the round closes.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Rosholt.
R2
– Rosholt goes for the takedown right away but nearly gets
caught in an armlock before getting out and back to his feet.
Rosholt again drops down and gets to side control, but is having
difficulty mounting much offense this time as Osterneck is defending
well. They work out and up to their feet and Osterneck starts
firing away landing knees, punches, and kicks, rocking Rosholt
before again getting taken down. Rosholt immediately moves to
mount and starts punching away. Osterneck gives up his back and
Rosholt keeps the blows raining down to get the referee stoppage.
Jake
Rosholt def. Nissen Osterneck by TKO (Strikes) at 3:48, R2
-Rob
McCullough vs. Donald Cerrone
R1 – They start off with some one-for-one exchanges before
McCullough drops Cerrone to a knee with a straight right. Cerrone
pops right back up and clinches before they separate and start
trading blow for blow again. Another right hand sends Cowboy
to the mat, but he pops right back up again, but McCullough is
starting to land with more frequency both with his punches and
leg kicks. Just as McCullough gains momentum Cowboy stops it
with a straight right that sends McCullough to the canvas. Cowboy
immediately mounts and unleashes a ground and pound assault,
brutalizing McCullough's face with punches and forearms. McCullough
turns, nearly giving up his back, but works into Cowboy's guard.
They get up and the referee has McCullough's cut checked, they
are allowed to continue but McCullough's face is a crimson mask.
Cowboy drops McCullough again, he gets up and eats a knee and
gets dropped with another right hand. Cowboy follows him down,
but McCullough rides out the round.... WOW!!!!
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Cerrone.
R2
– They pick up right where they left off, exchanging kicks
and punches. Cowboy drops McCullough again with a right-left
combo, then takes his back on the mat, but McCullough again turns
into Cowboy's guard, nearly caught in a triangle choke. Cowboy
catches an arm, has the armbar secured, but McCullough finds
a way out. Amazing fight! Back up on the feet, they start trading
blows again. The rest of the round plays out with them exchanging,
nearly blow-for-blow, but Cerrone slightly edging ahead as the
round wears on.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Cerrone.
R3
– Again McCullough and Cerrone start trying to knock each
other's head off, but then Cowboy shoots in and gets the double-leg
takedown, but they quickly get back up to the feet and start
the striking routine. Midway through the round, Cowboy scores
with a jumping knee to the chin and starts to land with more
frequency though he can't seem to find McCullough's button. McCullough
finds a fire inside and starts firing back hard again, but Cowboy
seems to have a little more gas in the tank. Cowboy scores again
with the jumping knee with 30 seconds left and then follows with
another takedown. They stand and finish the fight in a flurry,
with McCullough rocked, back to the cage.
MAMWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Cerrone and the fight 30-27 for Cerrone.
Donald
Cerrone def. Rob McCullough by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28,
30-27), R3
-David
Avellan vs. Aaron Simpson
R1 – Simpson comes out firing, dropping Avellan with a big
overhand right, follows with a couple more shots for good measure
before the referee steps in and waves it off.
Aaron
Simpson def. David Avellan by KO (Punch) at 0:18, R1
-Jose
Aldo vs. Jonathan Brookins
R1 – Brookins easily has the size and reach advantage, but
Aldo starts off doing a good job with crisp boxing technique
and some brutal leg kicks. He appears to be much faster than
Brookins. Aldo is being very effective with several kicks to
the inside of Brookins' right thigh, and then starts lighting
him up with boxing combinations.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Aldo.
R2
– Aldo finally comes from the outside with a kick to Brookins'
right leg and sends him to one knee, but he bounces right back
up. Aldo continues to stalk the taller fighter and keeps rocking
him with his boxing. Brookins tries for the takedown, but Aldo
fends him off and starts attacking the leg again. Brookins is
now noticeably feeling the effects of the leg attack.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Aldo.
R3
– Aldo continued his leg assault before landing a straight
right that dropped Brookins and his mop of hair to the mat. Aldo
was relentless then, following up with several more strikes before
the referee stopped the fight, handing the Tito Ortiz protégé
a loss.
Jose
Aldo def. Jonathan Brookins by TKO (Strikes) at 0:45, R3
-Carmelo
Marrero vs. Steve Steinbeiss
R1 – Steinbeiss lands an early head kick and seems intent
on keeping the fight standing, but Marrero seems just as intent
to take it down and does so little more than a minute into the
round. Steinbeiss works the fight up, gets taken down again and
Marrero starts his ground and pound attack. Steinbeiss tries
to get up, but Marrero uses his wrestling to keep him down. Steinbeiss
is doing a good job of stymieing Marrero's ground and pound and
searching for submissions and throwing elbows from the bottom.
Marrero scores with the takedowns, but does little with them.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Steinbeiss
R2
– Steinbeiss starts off strong again with another head kick,
Marrero immediately starts working for the takedown, and gets
it. He does a little ground and pound, but being ineffective,
Marrero switches to a Kimura attempt, but Steinbeiss defends
and works his way to the feet. Steinbeiss lands a body kick then
just misses with a hard kick to the head. Marrero appears tired
in going for the takedown repeatedly, but getting shucked off
by Steinbeiss, who pushes Marrero over and starts his own ground
and pound attack, landing numerous elbows to the side of the
head.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Steinbeiss.
R3
– Marrero looks exhausted starting off round three. Steinbeiss
starts to pick him apart with a combination of boxing punches
and leg kicks, before going high and landing a strong head kick.
Marrero shoots again, but not with the same fire as early in
the fight, he seems more just to be holding on, trying to survive.
Steinbeiss is having a relatively easy time defending the takedowns
and turning Marrero to his back. Steinbeiss brings it back to
the feet where Marrero lands a solid overhand right and a roundhouse
kick to the ribs, Steinbeiss clinches, but gets taken down for
his efforts. Marrero starts dropping short elbows and punches
on Steinbeiss before finding a guillotine choke. Steinbeiss escapes
and they lock up until rounds end.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Marrero and the fight 29-28 for Steinbeiss.
Carmelo
Marrero def. Steve Steinbeiss by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28,
28-29), R3
-Danny
Castillo vs. Rafael Dias
R1 – The fighters start off throwing heavy leather early
with Dias quickly gaining the edge with nice boxing combinations
and a knee to the chin. Following a judo throw from Dias, Castillo
gets up and starts landing some of his effective combinations.
Castillo shucks off another takedown attempt, but gets caught
again with Dias' boxing. Castillo backs Dias to the cage and
lands some knees to the thigh before they move out to the center
of the cage and start trading boxing combos again.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Dias.
R2
– Dias moves in right away with a left hook to the jaw,
but gets caught in a guillotine as they go down to the mat. He
quickly escapes and starts a ground and pound attack. Castillo
tries to wrestle out, nearly gets caught in a rear naked choke,
but does manage to move out to half guard on top then quickly
stands the fight back up. Castillo starts landing more effectively
and drops Dias will a left uppercut, starts a ground and pound
assault, and the referee wastes little time stepping in to stop
the bout.
Danny
Castillo def. Rafael Dias by TKO (Strikes) at 2:54, R
-Yoshiro
Maeda vs. Rani Yahya
R1 – Both fighters look willing to keep it standing early
before Yahya starts working for the takedown and gets caught
in a guillotine choke as he puts Maeda on his back. Yahya has
an arm in and patiently works his head out after more than a
minute in the choke. He immediately starts to ground and pound,
but Maeda gets the fight back to the feet and they clinch. Yahya
secures a guillotine while standing and drops down to his back,
the choke still on. Maeda tries to defend, but can't hold on
and taps out.
Rani
Yahya def. Yoshiro Maeda by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at
3:30, R1
QUICK
RESULTS:
-Mike Brown def. Urijah Faber by TKO (Strikes) at 2:23, R1
-Chael Sonnen def. Paulo Filho by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
30-27, 30-27), R3
-Leonard Garcia def. Jens Pulver by TKO (Strikes) at 1:12, R1
-Jake Rosholt def. Nissen Osterneck by TKO (Strikes) at 3:48,
R2
-Donald Cerrone def. Rob McCullough by Unanimous Decision (30-27,
29-28, 29-27), R3
-Aaron Simpson def. David Avellan by KO (Punch) at 0:18, R1
-Jose Aldo def. Jonathan Brookins by TKO (Strikes) at 0:45, R3
-Carmelo Marrero def. Steve Steinbeiss by Split Decision (29-28,
29-28, 28-29), R3
-Danny Castillo def. Rafael Dias by TKO (Strikes) at 2:54, R2
-Rani Yahya def. Yoshiro Maeda by Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 3:30, R1
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
93 A QUICK SELLOUT IN IRELAND
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday announced that
it has sold out its Jan. 17 event at the O2 Arena in Dublin,
Ireland. The UFC released a statement saying it had sold more
than 6,000 tickets in the opening week of ticket sales for UFC
93, with the full inventory of more than 10,000 tickets sold
out less than two weeks later.
“This
is our seventh successive sell-out in the British Isles since
April of 2007," said UFC UK Division President Marshall
Zelaznik. "We now hold records in six of the biggest arenas
in all of Europe. We have the most dedicated and passionate fans
in sport and we are thrilled to be bringing some of the biggest
names in the sport to the Emerald Isle early in the New Year.”
UFC
93 is slated to feature a light heavyweight main event between
Rich Franklin and Dan Henderson, as well as another 205-pound
feature bout pitting Mark Coleman vs. Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LIDDELL
ADDRESSES CRITICS, VOWS TO MOVE ON
Former
UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell is fighting a battle
of meaning in the public eye: can one punch change everything?
Liddell,
38, built his reputation giving and taking punches. From 2004
to 2006, he cleaned out the sport’s marquee division, collecting
wins against stars like Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz, who, like
him, built the foundation for the UFC’s explosion in popularity.
But
a new guard has encroached upon Liddell’s legacy, and chinks
have begun to appear in his armor. Spearheaded by the minds at
Jackson’s Submission Academy in Albuquerque, N.M., Liddell
has lost to three out of his last four opponents, and his light
heavyweight title to Quinton Jackson at UFC 71.
A
spectacular knockout loss to Rashad Evans at UFC 88 brought the
subject of retirement into sharp focus. After the fight, Liddell
said he’d decide in the gym, not in the pressroom, whether
to hang up his four-ounce gloves.
Nearly
two months later, Liddell is sitting on the mats at training
home The Pit, texting away on his beloved Sidekick. He has just
celebrated his son Cade’s birthday, and is beat from a month
and a half of travel.
Not
a whole lot’s changed in his lifestyle. He’s still
crisscrossing the country doing publicity junkets for the UFC,
as popular as ever. A recent itinerary took him from the Philippines
to Hawaii to Nebraska, in no particular order.
Trainer
John Hackelman stands by the heavy bags in the brightly lit room,
about to take a staff member to lunch. He says the conversation
following Liddell’s loss to Evans was pretty short.
“Chuck,
how you feeling?” he recounts. “Do you want to go on?
‘Yes.’ Alright, let’s go. I don’t think one
punch – I’ll never say lucky punch because Rashad trained
for that punch too long – is going to separate Chuck from
his career. It landed just like Chuck knocked out many, many,
many opponents and they didn’t all quit right away. It was
the first time Chuck was KO’d, and I don’t think that
would warrant talks of retirement.
Liddell
bristles at the idea of one fight changing everything.
“You
don’t ever want to get caught like that in a fight, but
it happens,” he says. “I don’t think that says
I can’t perform anymore. Up to that point in the fight I
was winning the fight. If he hadn’t caught me, most likely
we would have gone another round and a half, or maybe I would
have caught him.”
Of
particular irritation are critics who say Liddell’s striking
style sets him up for defeat. Outsiders have often characterized
it as a “looping” punching style, focused exclusively
on the knockout punch. Obviously, it’s worked for Liddell
more than it hasn't. But against Evans, who used a more compact
striking style, many questioned whether it was outdated.
“I
think it’s unfair,” Liddell told MMAWeekly.com. “I
do have some great looping punches but most of those are started
off by some good straight punches, good solid punches. But I
do like to throw with power, and it shows. I’ve done well
with it.
It’s
a situation he has been largely immune to until now. Once unquestioned,
he finds himself defending his legacy. All he wants to do is
fight.
“I
have one fight I get caught, and all of a sudden my striking
is no good?” Liddell poses. “That’s kind of how
you guys feel in the sport. You media guys, (if) you lose a fight
– nobody was saying that when I beat Wanderlei (Silva).
Nobody was talking about how my striking was overrated. Now eight
months later, I lose a fight, and my striking is no good.”
Liddell
does acknowledge his mistakes in the Evans fight, and says he’s
still working on “bad habits.” In the gym, he could
get away with dropping his hands, leading with body shots. As
he knows now, those days are over. The key is a stricter gameplan
– everything measured to maximize offense and defense.
“It’d
be me changing my game plan, not my style,” Liddell says.
“I mean, you’re not going to change how I punch, how
I strike. (I can) change what I decide to do just like I did
for Wanderlei, I planned on taking a couple of shots. That’s
not changing my actual style. My style includes everything, it’s
just what I decide to use in the fights.”
Hackelman
says he wouldn’t want his prized student to change. At this
point in Liddell’s career, there’s not much he can.
“Keeping
the hands up is great to say, everybody knows they should do
it, but it’s a big problem for fighters of all levels,”
he says. “You could get the best fighters on the planet
in boxing, kickboxing, MMA, everyone drops their hands, because
of simple physics of gravity. Everyone’s going to drop their
hands occasionally, and when you do, you expose certain things,
so yeah, we’ll work on that. You just work on some of the
things that need to be tweaked, that’s all.”
Then
Hackleman goes stiff, keeling over on the mats. He gets up with
a big smile. This MMA business can’t be too serious.
Liddell
says he anticipates another fight in early 2009, but thinks the
UFC is waiting to see how the light heavyweight picture looks
at the end of December before giving him an opponent. One idea,
Anderson Silva, was floated at the post-fight press conference
for UFC 90. Though he doesn’t call fighters out, Liddell
welcomes the idea, and says a fight with Silva would be a perfect
place to showcase different skills.
“I
think it would be a great fight,” he said. “I think
I match up well. I hit very hard, and I’m a big 205-pounder.
And he’s going to have to worry about me taking him down.
I have a good shot mixed in the middle of that. So he’s
definitely a guy that I would take some shots on.”
That
said, Liddell only has so many opportunities to get his title
back. He still burns for it, and another setback could be devastating.
But another one of his patented knockouts could silence fickle
MMA fans... and that's the way he'd like to go out.
“My
timetable is still the same,” he said. “I want to make
another run at it. I think another loss could put an end to making
a run for it, cause I think that would put me way too far out
of title contention. Now, I still feel like I get a few wins,
get a title, get a few defenses, maybe. So we’ll see.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"The
best way to keep your friends is not to give them away."
Wilson Mizner, 1876-1933, American Playwright and Entrepreneur
|
ELITEXC
RESPONDS TO NOTICE OF BREACH
MMAWeekly.com on Sunday learned that ProElite, Inc., parent company
of Elite XC, has notified several fighter managers the company
still intends to promote mixed martial arts events.
“Elite
XC and ProElite are currently downsizing its staff in an effort
to improve its business moving forward,” the notice states.
“As this process is implemented, Elite XC cancelled the
event previously scheduled for Nov. 8 in attempt to re-schedule
another event in early 2009.”
The
notice also disputes reports the embattled company is declaring
bankruptcy.
On
Oct. 20, ProElite sent a notice to managers declaring the company
was ceasing fight operations, and had begun the process of letting
its employees go.
In
response, many of the managers sent a “notice of breach”
letter to the company, citing a clause in the contract that permits
fighters to terminate the contract and seek monies owed to them
if Pro Elite isn’t able to fulfill their “promotional
and payment obligations” within thirty days.
Cesar
Gracie, manager and trainer of Elite fighters Nick Diaz and Jake
Shields, said he received the new notice on Friday.
“They’re
trying to buy time, to see if they can get more money from whomever,”
Gracie said.
Gracie
also said the notice granted Diaz permission to fight in other
North American promotions with the company’s written permission.
Previously, Diaz’s contract had only allowed him to fight
in Japanese promotions, also under ProElite’s consent.
Manager
Monte Cox said he was still evaluating options for his fighters
under Elite contract, including middleweight champion Robbie
Lawler. The notice changed little about his perception of the
company’s position.
“I’m
just guessing, but I think they’re trying to keep people
to the contracts and sell them,” he said. “Or maybe
they’re going to try and stay active. It’s hard to
say.”
Repeated
calls to Pro Elite’s CEO, Chuck Champion, have gone unreturned
in the weeks since the company’s Oct. 20 notice.
Like
most managers with clients stranded under the crumbling company,
Cox said his first priority was to keep his clients working.
“It
appeared to be obvious that they were going to cease operations,
and if that’s the case, my guys have got to make a living,”
he said. “If they’re going to continue to fight and
they are going to honor the contract, that’s fine, we’ll
honor the contract. But (Elite) has to prove to me that they’re
really going to do this. Sending me a letter saying we plan to
have a fight in 2009, that doesn’t prove to me that you’re
going to be in business. So we’re going to need a little
more than that.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DENIS
KANG SIGNS WITH THE UFC FOR 4 FIGHTS
Veteran middleweight and long time top ten fighter, Denis Kang,
has signed a new 4 fight deal with the Ultimate Fighting Championship,
as announced by American Top Team officials on Monday.
Kang
has been a highly sought after free agent twice in the last 2
years. Once after Pride was bought out by Zuffa and the Canadian
fighter opted to land with new Japanese promotion, Dream, while
still fighting in his native land of Korea for the Spirit MC
organization.
Just
2 weeks ago, Kang announced via MMAWeekly Radio that his contract
with Dream was up and he was hoping to sign with a new promotion
fairly quickly.
"If
it's going to be an exclusive contract then pay me something
that's going to make it worth my while to be exclusive and not
fight anywhere else and not work anywhere else,” Kang said
about whatever new promotion he signed with.
Unless
something drastic changed, Kang will be with the UFC exclusively
as the promotion is not usually in the business of signing open
ended contracts.
In
his last fight out, Kang knocked out former UFC middleweight,
Marvin Eastman, while fighting under the flag of the RAW Combat
promotion in Canada.
No
word on when Kang may debut with the UFC, but stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com
for more information on this story when it becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FABER
IS HUNGRIER THAN EVER TO GET IN A FIGHT
For
World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight champion, Urijah Faber,
the cancellation of the September event due to a pending hurricane
in Florida didn’t throw him off his game, or make the strategy
for fighting Mike Brown any different. It just made him hungrier.
The
top 145lb fighter in the world has long been known for his intensive
training regimen and desire to fight, but to say that he’s
more prepared for the fight would be wrong, he’s just better
all around now.
“In
between fights I have more and more time to pack in some information,
so I think I’m probably a better fighter, but not necessarily
more prepared to fight,” Faber told MMAWeekly Radio recently.
“I’m always prepared to fight.”
That
preparation has become world famous as he trains as hard as anybody
in the business, but the cancellation of the September show he
was originally supposed to fight on didn’t cause him physical
anguish as much as financial strain.
"For
me, it wasn't too much of a big deal. I don't cut a lot of weight
to make 145. I have a little bit of a peaking process, but most
of the time I'm training anyway. So, the hardest part was on
my bank account because I was expecting a big payday,” said
Faber. “Other than that I love fighting and having to wait
a little longer wasn't too bad for me. I just re-setup my training
to draw it out a little bit longer. I wanted to fight, but it
was okay to wait for me."
very
adept to breaking down his opponent’s skills and weaknesses
and looks forward to a big fight this Wednesday night.
“He’s
just as dangerous as anybody I’ve fought,” Faber stated
about Mike Brown. “He’s very, very well rounded. He
doesn’t mind striking, I watched the fight with Yves Edwards
and he did some stand up with Yves, who’s a real stand-up
guy. He’s submitted a lot of good guys, he wrestled in college,
so the guy is all around a tough guy and I think it’s going
to be a good fight, but I just plan on coming out on top.”
With
the WEC adding more and more top featherweights on seemingly
a daily basis, Faber could easily look past this fight and towards
the future, but while he respects all the competition out there,
he’s focused on this fight and then he’ll worry about
the beyond.
“I
think, for me, it's an opportunity of a lifetime also. My career
is still young. Although I've had a lot of exposure thus far,
I plan on doing bigger things in the sport. So, every time I
go out there and fight it's a big opportunity for myself as well,”
commented Faber. “I know all these guys are tough. It's
basically the combination of loving what I'm doing and understanding
that it's always something that can be taken away from me as
far as being a champion if I let myself slip. That's something
I don't like to really focus on.”
“I
just try to focus on the fact that I love this sport and I want
to go out there and fight. It's not in my nature to let myself
get beat up. And I feel like I've done my part to prepare. It's
a win-win for me as well."
Faber
finished up his camp last week before traveling to New York City
for a brief media tour before heading to Florida before the weekend
to finalize his preparation for Mike Brown.
The
two featherweights will finally clash on Nov 5 as the WEC invades
Florida for the first time ever.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Rosholt
ready for next big step
The
first thing you learn when talking to three-time NCAA wrestling
champion Jake Rosholt is that he hates losing.
In
a sport filled with All-American wrestlers, Rosholt has the best
collegiate credentials in the Zuffa organization, which includes
the WEC and the industry-leading Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Rosholt,
who makes his WEC debut Wednesday, when he faces unbeaten submission
specialist Nissen Osterneck, was the NCAA champion at powerhouse
Oklahoma State in 2003, 2005 and 2006, and is considered one
of the best clutch college wrestlers of the past decade.
Yet,
when he looks back at his career, instead of talking up his accomplishments,
the first thing he brings up is his loss to Ben Heizer of Northern
Illinois in the 2004 semifinals that cost him the chance to be
a rare four-time champion.
“Maybe
some day in a few years I’ll look back on it and feel good
about my career, but I still think about losing in the semifinals
in my sophomore year,” he said. “It cost me being a
four-time champion.”
As
a junior, Rosholt tore his MCL and his meniscus with a month
left in the season, was very limited in what he could do in training,
but still won nationals at 197 pounds.
As
a senior, midway through the season he hit a mental wall.
“I
always thought I would end up going to the Olympics, but during
my senior year, I burned out and decided I was done. I made the
decision it would be my last year and I’d never wrestle
again,” he said.
He
was coaching a kids wrestling club in Dallas early last year
when Ted Ehrhardt, who brought him to Dallas, brought up the
idea of him moving to MMA. He dismissed without a thought.
“I
had never even hit a heavy bag,” said Rosholt about his
start training for the sport in April, 2007. “I wish I’d
done some boxing and taken some jiu-jitsu classes. This was never
something I considered doing. I’d never even seen a UFC
except one of the Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell fights.”
Ehrhardt
had a plan, called Team Takedown, where the group would sponsor
several top college wrestlers to go into MMA, putting them on
salary, moving them to Las Vegas and getting them the best training.
Rosholt and his college teammate, two-time NCAA champion Johny
Hendricks, who debuts with WEC on the Dec. 3 show in Las Vegas,
were to be the two big stars.
Ehrhardt
did a great sell job, but Rosholt still said he had little interest.
They reached a compromise. He’d send Rosholt to Las Vegas
for a few days of training under Randy Couture, and then accept
whatever decision Rosholt would make.
“I
got beat up for two straight days, and I loved it,” he said,
and he hasn’t looked back since. “It just felt natural.”
He’s
4-0 in fights on smaller shows in Oklahoma where because of his
college background, he’s been a headliner and a big favorite.
But
Osterneck and the WEC are a huge step up for someone with very
little experience in most disciplines that make up the sport.
At
this stage in his career, Rosholt is similar to where UFC standout
Josh Koscheck was in his early days as a fighter: a great wrestler
learning while in competition in the other disciplines.
In
his most recent win over Chad Jay on March 15, he showed, as
expected, excellent wrestling, with quick takedowns, reminiscent
of Georges St. Pierre. He has natural punching power and strong
ground-and-pound, which has led to three of his four stoppage
wins, with the fourth coming with a guillotine submission.
His
stand-up game clearly has holes, particularly when it comes to
defense.
But
whenever Jay connected, he couldn’t follow up because Rosholt
could take him down at will. In his four matches, he said that
any time he’s wanted to take a fight to the ground, he’s
been able to.
There
is potential in his stand-up because of his power, but he needs
to work on footwork and combinations, and at the same time, not
on being too reliant on his boxing when he doesn’t need
to be, a mistake a lot of wrestlers who learn boxing make.
But
the Thiago Alves vs. Koscheck match on Oct. 25 in Chicago was
a wake-up call to national champion wrestlers: At some point
during their career, someone will come along that they can’t
take down, so wrestling alone will not get you MMA championships.
Osterneck
is far from simply an opponent to showcase Rosholt as a future
star. He’s considered one of the best middleweight prospects
in the country, sporting a 5-0 record, with all five victories
finishes within two rounds, four by submission. Rosholt has been
training with Marc Laimon on his jiu-jitsu, because he’s
facing someone who has no problem when it comes to being taken
down.
And
it’s a lot more than just a debut match on national television
for both. WEC is dropping its middleweight division at the end
of this year.
The
winner of the match is a lock to be signed by UFC next year.
The loser needs to make a strong showing or they could be on
the outside looking in.
“There
can’t be any fear of losing,” he said. “If you
fear losing, you’ll lose. Every time I wrestled I started
thinking about how not to lose, I lost.
“I
think it’s the right time (to debut with a major promotion).
I don’t think I’m in over my head. Mostly I’m
looking at being confident in the ring and doing what I know
how to do. I want to put it on the ground and end the fight.”
Still,
questions abound as to whether someone who never took a jiu-jitsu
class nor ever put on boxing gloves less than two years earlier,
for all his athletic ability, is ready to be thrown to the wolves
in UFC.
If
he keeps winning, he’s probably only a few fights away from
top 10 competition. While a comparison can be made with Brock
Lesnar, the difference is Lesnar also has size going for him,
as he’s got 30 to 50 pounds on most opponents, an edge wrestlers
don’t have in the lower weight classes. Unlike most college
wrestling stars in UFC, Rosholt is the rare college wrestling
star who is fighting at a lower weight than he did in his last
two college seasons.
But
in a clutch situation, Rosholt has excelled. He was 105-20 in
college, and came back from losing in the Big 12 championships
all three years prior to winning his NCAA titles.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
UFC
needs to challenge Silva
ROSEMONT,
Ill. – Anderson Silva’s corner kept screaming at him
to start acting like, well, Anderson Silva. UFC president Dana
White said he thought he was in an “alternate universe”
and wanted someone to slap him out of this bad dream.
At
the end of the first round of their UFC 90 main event, Patrick
Cote, after watching Silva bizarrely bow to him, shrugged in
bafflement. That wasn’t even as unusual as the moment in
the second round when Silva offered a hand to help Cote up off
his back, rather than stomp him as you’d expect.
The
Silva-Cote middleweight title fight ended in the third round
when Cote blew out his knee without any contact. That was as
strange, although not as much as the fight lasting to the third
round in the first place.
“I
was sitting there saying, ‘What the [expletive] is going
on?’ ” White said.
Everyone
showed up in suburban Chicago looking for Silva to deliver one
of his Mike Tyson-esque destructions of Cote, the heavy underdog.
This is what Silva fights are about, some violent combination
of punches, knees and kicks that render opponents senseless.
“He’s
a killer,” White said.
Not
on Saturday. While Cote deserves credit for fearlessly standing
in front of him, this was about Silva, arguably the best fighter
in the world, deciding not to do much fighting.
He
didn’t throw a purposeful punch for most of the first round.
Rather than attack with his patented combinations, he danced,
he pranced, he swayed and he even prayed. He did little hand
tricks, Muhammad Ali feet shuffles and ran around in circles.
“If
you don’t know him and you showed up for the first time,
you’d [think] that guy was goofing around, he was acting
arrogant and cocky and trying to play with [Cote] like he was
a little kid,” White said. “That is not this guy’s
style, that’s not his personality, that’s not who he
is.”
No
it isn’t. Silva, afterward, apologized for his performance
yet also defended it, claiming he wasn’t out there playing
and he was just throwing Cote off his game. He sounded as confused
as everyone else.
The
theories of what happened are endless. Perhaps he didn’t
respect Cote and was unprepared. Perhaps he felt the need to
deliver an entertaining show to the fans. Perhaps he was bored.
Perhaps all the talk about switching to boxing or retiring outright,
got to him. Perhaps he felt pressure to finish with a spectacular
knockout.
Whatever
it was, the solution is simple.
White
needs to feed Silva opponents that’ll either motivate him
to bring his “A” game or make him pay for any mental
lapses.
Give
him Chuck Liddell on Super Bowl weekend at UFC 94. If he survives
that, give him Georges St. Pierre back at middleweight to headline
the historic UFC 100 early next summer. Then have him go back
to light heavyweight for a shot at whoever has the title after
that.
Give
him anything but what he’s gotten his last two fights, opponents
that weren’t capable of hurting him and thus incapable of
bringing out his best.
“I
don’t know, I’ve got to think about it,” White
said of Silva’s next opponent.
He
would only smile at the suggestion of Liddell, the former light
heavyweight champion, which means he’s certainly considering
what would be a major pay-per-view draw. He did say he thought
Silva wanted to return to 205 pounds for his next fight (Saturday’s
was at 185).
Mostly
White was searching for answers just like everyone else. Over
the past two years Silva (23-4) has been his most reliable meal
ticket. You put the Brazilian in the octagon and someone gets
finished; often quickly and in spectacular fashion.
Until
Saturday, no one in the UFC had lasted past the second round
with the guy. He wasn’t just considered by many the best
pound-for-pound fighter in the world, but the most exciting.
He
was the perfect headliner for the UFC’s first card in the
Second City. Cote is a tough guy who wasn’t backing down,
but few outside his diehard fans thought Silva would need more
than a few minutes to send everyone home buzzing about the UFC.
Instead
fans were booing at the end, as much at Silva as the disappointment
of Cote’s knee giving out.
“I
was sitting there going, ‘No, this isn’t happening,’
” White said.
In
the end, if this is what constitutes an off night and an emotional
letdown for Silva, then it isn’t too bad. Cote got a couple
shots in, but not nearly enough for the fight to be in doubt.
It’s why White didn’t look too interested in an immediate
rematch even if Cote was healthy.
So
give Silva a challenge he can’t afford to sleepwalk through.
End the Knockouts Across America parade, give up on the middleweight
division he has annihilated and find him some mega-fights that
will bring out his best.
Chuck
Liddell is waiting at 205. GSP (no matter what happens against
B.J. Penn) can move up and challenge at 185. Acquiring a second
title has always been Silva’s dream and should motivate
if he’s still rolling after that.
“I’ll
tell you this,” White said. “I wouldn’t want to
be the next dude that has to fight him because he’s not
happy.”
Then
raise the bar and bring it on.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
MARCUS
DAVIS VS CHRIS LYTLE A REALITY FOR UFC 93
The fight both Marcus Davis and Chris Lytle called for even before
each of their respective matches last month at UFC 89 in England
will become a reality. The two welterweights will square off
in Dublin, Ireland at UFC 93, as confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on
Monday by sources close to the fighters’ camps.
Davis
mentioned the possibility of fighting Lytle during an appearance
on MMAWeekly Radio prior to heading to England for his fight
against Paul Kelly.
"We've
both been like, 'I respect you, respect what you do, but a fight
between each other is money in the bank,'" said Davis about
a fight with Lytle. "I basically said, 'Yeah, let's do it
and the first guy to take the other guy down is a p****y.”
Following
his “Fight of the Night” performance against Paul Taylor
at UFC 89, Lytle also mentioned that he would like to fight Davis
in his next fight.
"Marcus,
if you're into it, I respect the hell out of you, I'd love to
fight you," he said following his win.
It
seems the mutual respect and admiration will pay off, as the
two 170-pounders will go to battle in Dublin, as the UFC makes
its debut in Ireland. UFC 72, held in June 2007, was held at
The Odyssey Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
NEVADA
DRUG TESTS MORE UFC 91 FIGHTERS
Following a three month dry spell in which no mixed martial artists
were tested under the Nevada State Athletic Commission's new
out-of-competition drug testing process, there have been a number
of athletes from the upcoming UFC 91 fight card tested recently.
NSAC
executive director Keith Kizer on Monday notified MMAWeekly.com
that Mark Bocek and Alvin Robinson are the latest fighters to
be scrutinized under the state's out-of-competition testing process.
Both fighters returned negative test results.
Bocek
and Robinson – who face each other on Nov. 15 – bring
to eight the number of fighters tested from the UFC 91 fight
card. Never before has the commission tested that number of athletes
from one fight card, whether it be for mixed martial arts or
boxing.
The
other six UFC 91 fighters that have already been tested include
main eventers Randy Couture and Brock Lesnar, as well as Nick
Catone, Amir Sadollah, Aaron Riley, and Jorge Gurgel. All of
them also tested negative.
In
reference to the varying number of athletes tested at various
points throughout the year, Kizer recently told MMAWeekly.com,
"We will not set any pattern... kind of defeats the purpose."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
36: COWBOY HAS THE RAZOR IN HIS SIGHTS
Now more than ever, the lightweight division is critical to the
success of the WEC.
With
the recent decision to eliminate the light-heavyweight and middleweight
divisions, more emphasis falls on the 155-pound fighters to deliver
the kind of entertainment that will bring in the crowds and ratings.
One
of the fighters looked upon to help usher in this new era for
the promotion is Team Jackson fighter Donald “Cowboy”
Cerrone.
Having
looked impressive in his two previous bouts for the company,
Cerrone gets a big opportunity to step towards title contention
as he takes on former champion “Razor” Rob McCullough
in one of the most anticipated fights at this coming Wednesday’s
WEC 36 event in Hollywood, Fla.
“Leonard
(Garcia) and I are both pumped,” said Cerrone of finally
getting a chance to fight after the event was delayed for a month
due to the threat of Hurricane Ike.
“You’re
expecting to fight, getting all ready, then they can reschedule
it and you’ve got to get ready all over again – so
we’re ready to go.”
As
for how the delay may have helped or hindered Cerrone, he stated,
“I wouldn’t say we got extra work in. Our game plan
is the same, and I’m as ready to go now as I was then. So
it didn’t do anything but just have me sharpen up.”
Ever
since winning his last fight in June, Donald has been firmly
affixed on facing “Razor” Rob, in efforts to work his
way toward current WEC titleholder Jamie Varner.
“I
think it’s a good match-up,” stated Cowboy. “We’re
both good strikers and are willing to stand – so I’d
like it there – but if it goes to the ground, I’m comfortable
there too.”
Cerrone
hopes this fight will help put him on the map as a legitimate
contender, and intends to do everything to make that happen.
“Absolutely,
yes, definitely 100 percent I feel I’d like to make a statement,”
he exclaimed. “Let all the people out there know that I
belong.”
Having
spent the first part of the year on suspension, and the delay
of WEC 36, Cerrone is eager to return to fighting as soon as
possible, title shot or not.
“If
I get the title shot after this – great – if I don’t,
and I have to fight more people – cool – it doesn’t
matter,” he stated. “I would like to fight one more
time this year, but I’ll take this and be all right.
“I
hope they bring in the toughest of the tough; otherwise there’s
no reason to be here. I’m looking forward to it, bring me
anyone.”
Eyeing
a possible match up with Rich Crunkilton in the future, as well
as more opportunities to showcase his skills due to the WEC’s
realignment, things are looking bright for Cerrone, should he
get past Rob McCullough on Nov. 5.
“I’d
like to thank Tapout and Nutritox for all their support,”
he closed out. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone
at the show on Nov. 5.
“I’m
going to tell him at the weigh-ins that this is going to be fight
of the night, so no holding back and let’s get some –
I’m excited for that.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Unless
you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered,
you will never grow."
Ralph
Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882, American Poet and Essayist
|
Make
Sure to Vote
Since,
I know a lot of you do not pay too much attention to the details
and issues or just do not have the time to do the research, we
will make this very simple...
Vote
for
John
McCain
for President (See above for Reasons)
Mufi Hannaman for Mayor (Pro-Rail
and is doing a good job)
Vote FOR
Rail.
We need the rail system now. Here are some points to support
proceeding with the rail system:
- The opponents are saying that the rail will cost too much and
it will not help traffic. We were supposed to start the rail
project about 10 years ago and look how bad traffic is now. Now
it costs way more to build rail. If we wait longer, we will lose
federal funding which will help pay for the rail system. If the
opponents had answers to ease up traffic, they had 10 years already
to implement it. They have not done anything and it's getting
worse and worse.
- Proceeding with the rail will spark many construction projects
throughout Oahu. They have to build the rail and support structure.
They have to build the rail stop structures. They will build
malls and stores around these rail stops. This is work for our
construction workers and engineers and will provide business
opportunities to business owners and potential business owners.
This project will keep our construction people working for a
long time which means more money in their pocket in earnings
which they will spend in the communities which will help the
communities. Money in the consumers hands will find itself spent
in the community where everyone benefits.
-
The rail will reduce drunk driving. How many times did you have
a few too much and if you had the opportunity, you could have
taken a cab or walk to a rail stop, catch the rail home instead
of taking a chance and driving home drunk? This option could
potentially save many lives and also be a good addition to the
"designated driver."
-
This will aid the students of private schools and UH (both Manoa
and West Oahu). How many parents are on the road in the morning
to drop their kids off at school in town and then have to back
track to go to their own jobs. The rail would allow the parents
to put their kids on the rail and the schools could re-design
their bus routes to pick up the kids from a rail stop and take
a short drive to the school. Now the parents and school buses
are off the road during rush hours. Also, if you went to UH,
you know what the parking situation is like. It's tough to get
a parking pass and normally, the students go early in the morning
to get a parking space or take up street parking in the communities
near UH in order to find free parking. The rail would allow student
to stagger their commute and catch the rail that fits their school
schedule instead of leaving for school at the same time that
everyone has to go to work, making the traffic terrible in the
morning and afternoons.
-
The rail will help the elderly and handicapped. You may have
heard the handicap and elderly complain about the delay with
the handivan picking them up. They are at the mercy of scheduled
times and have to wait until the van is full. This will allow
these two demographic of people to maintain their freedom and
allow them to get out get exercise, go to the store, go shopping,
visit relatives, hang out at the beach, etc. I am sure that part
of the plan would be to revise the bus schedules and routes to
feed the rail stops which will allow The Bus to service more
remote areas which will assist more people and also help feed
the ridership of the rail which will in turn help pay for the
costs of it.
-
Gas prices are insane. With gas prices going through the roof,
it may come to a point where people will have to limit their
use of cars because they pay so much for gas and then to have
to wait in traffic, you end up having to fill up your tank more.
With just the increased gas prices alone, this will push people
to use the rail.
-
Parking prices are going up and there are limited parking areas.
In larger cities like Chicago and New York, it is not uncommon
to pay $20 for parking. Have you tried to park in Waikiki or
downtown lately? Parking prices are getting insane. Now add that
to the gas prices and the time stuck in traffic and then the
rail system will start looking a lot more attractive.
-
Success in other cities. If you visited New York City or Washington
DC or the many other cities that have a rail system and had a
chance to ride it, you will agree that it is the only way to
go in a congested city with limited parking and with the parking
rates going up, it will be economical to sue the rail. The opponents
are thinking that a rail system must pay for itself. Look at
The Bus. Do you think that it is making a profit? This is part
of a city service that we all pay for through our taxes. If it
gets close to breaking even, eventually more riders will use
the rail and then it will start paying for itself.
|
McCain
vs Obama Political Views
Since
the election is right around the corner, here is Onzuka.com's
comparision of McCain and Obama to decide which candidate you
agree with most to make an educated decision. I researched this
from various websites that claim to be neutral and site specific
examples of actions to determine a candidate's stand if the candidate
did not specifically address these issues. I have elaborated
a bit to make it easier to understand. I also left out topics
that both candidates agree on so that this is not longer than
it already is. Please vote on the candidates views and not on
his speech making ability. Other than the immigration issue which
I really like Obama's idea of paying back fines and taxes, learning
English, and not commiting any crimes, I feel that I am way more
in line with McCain's views. I agree with McCain's views on immigration,
but I think we should definitely implement Obama's suggestion.
Abortion
McCain - Pro-Life: McCain is anti-abortion, but he believes that
abortions should be kept legal only when the pregnancy resulted
from incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered.
Obama - Pro-Choice = For abortion
Budget
McCain - McCain says that he will balance the federal budget
by the end of his first term by curbing wasteful spending and
overhauling entitlement programs, including Social Security and
Medicare.
Obama - Obama would require disclosure on all congressional pet
projects and force lawmakers to pay for any new spending or tax
breaks through new revenue (e.g. raise taxes) and cuts in other
programs.
Capitol Punishment (Death Penalty)
Both candidates support capitol punishment.
Energy:
McCain - Supports alternate energies and wants to look more at
nuclear power plant possibilities. He is for off-shore drilling
to reduce the cost of oil and gas.
Obama - Supports the use of renewable engeries, phasing out incandescent
light bulbs by 2014 and requiring new vehicles to be able to
run on biofuel. He wants to look at using clean coal as a way
of freeing up the US from oil dependency. He is proposing trading
increased health coverage in exchange for more hybrid vehicle
production.
Gun Control:
McCain - Opposes gun bans and is for the right to bear arms.
Obama - Supports gun control and the banning of concealed weapons
and assult weapons. He also voted for the ability to sue gun
manufacturers for crimes commited with guns.
Health Care:
McCain - Opposes universal health care. Supports importing prescription
drugs to lower costs. Wants to offer a refundable tax credit
for familes. He would open health care markets to allow the purchase
of health insurance across state lines to lower over all costs
to get health insurance.
Obama - Wants to mandate that all children have health care.
Would create a national public insurance program so that all
individual could buy affordable health insurance (does not say
where the money will come from or how this would be done).
Immigration:
McCain - Supports amnesty/permanent legalization for illegal
aliens and temporary legalization for illegal aliens as guest
workers. Advocates tighter borders by increasing patrols. Would
increase the number of agricultural visas to keep food grown
in America reasonably priced.
Obama - Supports amnesty/permanent legalization for illegal aliens
and temporary legalization for illegal aliens as guest workers.
Supports granting citizenship to illegal aliens already in the
US as long as they pay the fines and back taxes, learn English,
do not violate any laws, and go to the back of the line to become
citizens (behind legitimate applicants). Advocates tighter borders
by increasing patrols. Advocates tougher laws to prevent illegals
from getting jobs by creating a program for employers to easily
verify immigration status.
Iran:
McCain - Opposes unconditional diplomatic talks directly with
Iran and feels that the US should concentrate on getting our
allies on board with our view that Iran should have have any
nuclear weapons. He is willing to take military action if the
US is threatened.
Obama - Supports direct talks with Iran and believes in offering
Iran economic incentives if they stopped operations in Iraq and
cooperated on nuclear issues. He has refused to say if he could
consider military action if Iran would not abandon their nuclear
weapons program.
National Security:
McCain - Voted FOR the Patriot Act and all its revisions. He
wants the intelligence officials to have all the tools they need
to fight terrorism.
Obama - Voted AGAINST the Patriot Act and all its revisions.
Wants to use Homeland Security money for high risk areas such
as nuclear facilities, chemical plants, and ports.
Same Sex Issues:
McCain - Supports same sex civil unions, but NOT same sex marriage.
He believes that same sex issues should be decided by the state.
Obama - Believes in gay equality. Supports same sex civil unions,
but NOT same sex marriage. He believes that same sex issues should
be decided by the state.
Social Security:
McCain - Believes that social security is failing because it
is being raided to fund other government programs. Supports workers
to be able to invest a portion of their payroll tax (social security)
in private accounts which they would manage themselves.
Obama - Opposes the privatization of the social security system.
He feels that the system is faulted, but can be fixed with relatively
minor changes (no details on these minor changes).
Taxes:
McCain - Wants to make the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 permanent
and has proposed a few more of his own.Advocates phasing out
the alternative minimum tax which threatens to group millions
of middle class taxpayers together with the wealthy tax payers.
He would forbid internet and cell phone taxes.
Obama - Wants to make the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 to expire
as scheduled for Americans earning $250k a year or more. He would
raise capitol gains (e.g. tax on profit from selling stocks)
and dividends (e.g. money saving in banks and money markets)
and give tax breaks for lwo and middle-income Americans.
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
NEW TIME of 8:00 PM!
A new episode
that features the Pac Sub tournament at the MMA Expo.
We
talk to the pound for pound best fighter in the world, BJ Penn.
East
coast to Guam transplant and technical wizard, Mike Fowler shows
off his leopard print hair and explains how he got his BJJ black
belt in only 4 years!
K-
Team and Relson Gracie competitor supreme, Brad Scott talks shop.
Last,
but certainly not the least, the lovely, but fierce Mrs. Bjjtek
expounds her roll as the enforcer of the Hawaii Ground better
known as the HG.
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
UPRISING
- Maui MMA Cage Event
January 3, 2008
Binhi At Ani Maui Filipino Community Center
Jiu-Jitsu
Tournament
(Gi & No Gi)
January 10, 2008
Binhi At Ani Maui Filipino Community Center
Poster
and more info to follow.
Thanks again!
Source: MMA Weekly |
CHRIS
LEBEN TESTS POSITIVE FOR STEROIDS
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has suspended fighter Chris
Leben for nine months and fined him one-third of his fight purse
following a positive drug test for the steroid Stanazolol after
his loss to Michael Bisping at UFC 89 in England in October.
The news was reported by Dave Meltzer of Yahoo! Sports.
The
UFC has long stood by drug testing of the athletes competing
for the promotion, even overseas in England where they have no
formal athletic commission to handle the process.
At
these events, the UFC leans on former head of the Nevada State
Athletic Commission and now UFC vice president, Marc Ratner,
to handle the duties normally handled by an overseeing committee
like the athletic commissions in the United States.
Leben
has never tested positive before, but this is still a major setback
in his career.
“I
am obviously disappointed with Chris, who has made great strides
getting his life back on track,” UFC president Dana White
told Meltzer. “To his credit, he has taken responsibility
for his actions and is accepting the punishment that has been
handed down. But as always, the UFC puts the safety of its athletes
first and foremost, and we won’t tolerate anyone using performance
enhancing drugs in our organization.”
According
to the report, the UFC tested all 22 athletes on the card before
and after the fights, and Leben to date is the only fighter who
has tested positive for illegal substances.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FILHO
TRIES TO STAY PERFECT WITH WEC 36 REMATCH
To say that World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) middleweight champion
Paulo Filho is an intimidating man is a decisive understatement.
His physique alone portrays strength and a robust toughness,
but it may be what one can’t see from the Brazilian’s
outward appearance that is ultimately most impressive.
Paulo
Filho is a Rio de Janeiro native who grew up – literally
– participating in combat sports. On WEC.tv recently, Filho
stated, "I started fighting judo at the age of five as recommended
by my pediatrician. I was a very hyperactive kid, so he thought
it would be a good way to use up my energy and learn some discipline.”
He
continued, “At age nine, I moved to Copacabana and started
training jiu-jitsu with Carlson Gracie.”
In
essence, Filho was groomed to be a fighter before he had even
reached the first grade… and with a 16-0 record, it shows.
In
his 16 professional bouts, Filho has yet to come up on the wrong
side of a contest and has finished more than half of his opponents
before the final bell. In addition to a WEC middleweight championship
belt and successful title defenses, Filho has also laid claim
to three Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships and five Jiu-Jitsu
Championships.
Not
bad for a man who just recently graduated from his twenties.
Filho
has no intention of resting on his past laurels and coasting
through life aimlessly, though. He's a fighter who wants to continually
prove why he is the man who deserves the chance swagger around
with the middleweight championship belt.
Keeping
in his tradition of fighting top competitors, Filho is stepping
up again to give Team Quest standout Chael Sonnen the rematch
that he desires. There has been much discussion since the first
battle between these two men on whether or not Sonnen tapped
from Filho’s well-executed armbar… Filho has little
doubt, though Sonnen seems to have other thoughts on the matter.
Filho’s
victory that night helped him preserve his unblemished record,
and though it might not have been an easy night for the jiu-jitsu
ace, as former UFC champion Matt Hughes once quipped, “A
true champion will always find a way to win.”
Regardless
of any happenings during their last fight, though, both men know
that a new fight provides a clean slate. Nothing from the last
fight matters.
When
these two men meet again on Nov. 5 at WEC 36 for the rematch
that they both have been anticipating, there will likely be very
little love lost between these two proven champs. Of all the
fights on the WEC’s nicely stacked card, this fight has
all the makings of a fan favorite. And after watching these two
men compete before, this fight will likely live up to those high
expectations.
Source: MMA Weekly |
WEC
REALITY SHOW IN THE WORKS FOR 2009
The Ultimate Fighter reality series premiered on Spike TV on
Jan. 18, 2005, featuring 16 aspiring fighters competing for two
Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts. Largely responsible
for mixed martial arts' meteoric rise from grassroots beginnings
to a mainstream audience, the popular reality show has featured
and made some of the sports' biggest stars.
The
show's success has other promotions thinking of their own version
of reality television, including the UFC's sister promotion World
Extreme Cagefighting.
"From
the beginning it (a reality show) was something always in our
plans," said WEC vice president Peter Dropick. "Versus,
we're in discussions with Versus. We're looking right now at
trying to figure out what we're going to do exactly.
"We've
got a lot of ideas," he added. "We want to find ways
similar to the UFC to showcase our fighters on a more consistent
basis."
While
still in the planning stages, expect to see a WEC reality show
on Versus in 2009. "I don't know if we'll do exactly what
the UFC did with The Ultimate Fighter, but we do have plans for
a reality show of some nature," said Dropick. "Possibly
soon and launching in 2009."
Scott
Adams and Reed Harris founded the WEC in 2001. Zuffa, UFC's parent
company, purchased the California-based promotion in December
2006 and relocated it to Las Vegas. Live WEC events began airing
on Versus in June 2007.
Source: MMA Weekly |
RAZOR
ROB LOOKING TO CUT IN LINE FOR TITLE SHOT
Rob McCullough is trying to get himself back in the lightweight
title mix in World Extreme Cagefighting. The WEC had one of its
strangest moments when they had to postpone the show scheduled
for Sept. 10 when Hurricane Ike threatened the South Florida
area. The show wasn't actually just pushed for a week or two,
but for two months.
Now
the time has come for the fight to finally begin when McCullough
will take on Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. The postponement
had a serious effect on McCullough's training camp, being it
was so close to the fight when it was canceled... just five days
prior.
“It
was real close to the fight,” McCullough said recently in
an interview with MMAWeekly Radio. “If they were going to
call it, I'd rather they did it at the end so I can start my
cycle all over again and not in the middle.”
When
a fight gets postponed, it can cause a major inconvenience to
the participating fighters because they depend on their purse
to compensate their training camps.
“Yeah,
because we didn't get reimbursed,” McCullough explained.
“Basically, my partners and my training camp said, 'we're
going to do this all over again?' I said, 'Yeah,' and we didn't
get paid for it so... But I said, 'Don't worry. It'll all work
out in the end.'”
This
will be McCullough's tenth fight for the organization. He has
enjoyed great success fighting for the WEC, going 7-2. He feels
very lucky to be part of their promotion. “I'm really excited.
The WEC has always taken care of me. It's like a second home.
I've had quite a few fights in the WEC. I know everybody in the
backdrop of it all. It's a great organization. It's comparable
to the UFC. I'm glad I'm in the WEC and not in EliteXC.”
McCullough
is the former WEC lightweight champion, but was stopped by current
titleholder Jamie Varner. He returned to the cage in June against
Kenneth Alexander. The Californian was noticeably hesitant to
pull the trigger against his tough opponent, but was able to
earn the split decision.
“I
think I was a little gun shy at the beginning in the first two
rounds,” commented McCullough about his most recent fight.
“Towards the end, I started opening back up. Then it was
just a matter of making sure I got the W and not doing anything
dumb. Just getting back in there and getting the cage rust off.”
Cerrone
has been on an impressive streak of his own, going 8-0 to start
his career with one no contest. Not only is Cerrone undefeated,
but he has also submitted all of his opponents in under two full
rounds. McCullough knows the test he's about to face and doesn't
take it lightly. “I think it's going to be a hell of a fight.
I think I've been training my butt off. I'm sure he has too.
I've got some tricks up my sleeve. I'm sure he's got some stuff,
but all in all, I plan on being the victor that night and getting
ready for another title shot.”
With
a former titleholder taking on an undefeated fighter, the winner
of this fight only further solidifies his case for being the
number one contender for Varner.
“This
is definitely a well-deserved title match-up fight,” said
the 31-year-old fighter. “We've both worked hard to get
here and we'll do our thing.”
“Razor”
Rob McCullough has been through some tough times with the loss
to Varner and the postponement of this last fight. He's trying
to take everything in stride and just work to get back to where
he once was: the WEC lightweight championship. “I've just
got to take it one fight at a time. I've been doing this a long
time.”
He
may be taking it one fight at a time, but that doesn't mean he's
lost sight on a rematch with Jamie Varner. If he is successful
in his fight with Cerrone, McCullough really wants to get another
crack at Varner. “Oh man, do I? I can't wait.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
MATT
BROWN STEPS IN VS RYAN THOMAS AT UFC 91
Just days after MMAWeekly.com first reported that Matt Riddle
would be forced out of his upcoming bout against Ryan Thomas
at UFC 91, a replacement has been found as Matt Brown has been
confirmed to step in on short notice.
Brown
confirmed the fight to MMAWeekly.com on Saturday.
The
last time Brown competed was at UFC 88 in Atlanta dropping a
somewhat controversial decision to Korean fighter, Dong Hyun
Kim.
The
Cincinnati based fighter has recently been working with stablemates
like Jorge Gurgel and Rich Franklin while taking time to work
with MMA guru, Matt Hume, and his team of fighters in Washington.
Hume’s
camp has become a hot spot over the past few months with fighters
like Brown, Franklin, Gurgel, Jens Pulver, Spencer Fisher and
Hayato Sakurai seeking out the longtime MMA trainer for his expertise.
Brown
will now move onto the UFC 91 undercard to face newcomer Ryan
Thomas with just about 2 weeks to go until fight time.
Source: MMA Weekly |
9MM
SHOT DOWN, DIAS STEPS IN TO WEC 36 BOUT
World Extreme Cagefighting lightweight Ed "9MM" Ratcliff
has been forced to withdraw from this coming Wednesday's WEC
36 in Hollywood, Fla., due to undisclosed reasons. American Top
Team officials confirmed to MMAWeekly.com on Saturday that ATT
fighter Rafael Dias will step in to take his place.
Dias
steps into Ratcliff's position to face Urijah Faber teammate
Danny Castillo.
Suffering
the first defeat in his professional career – to Donald
Cerrone at WEC 34 – in his WEC debut, Castillo eyes this
fight with Dias looking to get back on the winning track. It's
been a long road back into the cage for Castillo. He was initially
scheduled to face Ratcliff when WEC 36 was scheduled for Sept.
10, but it was delayed due to the threat of Hurricane Ike.
A
veteran of the IFL and Bodog Fight, Dias has a strong submission
game that he will try to employ, countering Castillo's strong
wrestling attack with a steady stream of submission attempts.
This fight marks a golden opportunity for Dias to finally audition
his skills for the UFC's sister promotion.
Source: MMA Weekly |
KIM
COUTURE TO FIGHT FOR STRIKEFORCE IN NOV.
Strikeforce announced on Sunday that they have added Kim Couture
to the line-up of fights taking place on Nov 21 in San Jose,
CA against fellow newcomer, Lina Kvokov in a bout that will be
fought at 130lbs.
Couture
was last seen in her professional MMA debut in June dropping
a unanimous decision to Kim Rose while also suffering a broken
jaw in the process.
“Losing
that fight was the best thing that ever happened to me,”
said Couture. “It’s completely changed me as a fighter.
I’ve started doing things a lot different. It made me realize
that I have to be the aggressor or I’m going to get hurt.”
The
wife of UFC heavyweight champion, Randy Couture, Kim adds MMA
fighter to an impressive list of other jobs as she also currently
maintains the Xtreme Couture gym, has run promotions of her own
under her brand “KC Concepts” and also managing several
fighters under the Xtreme Couture banner.
Training
alongside some of the best athletes in the world, including top
women’s fighter Gina Carano, Couture hopes to make a defining
effort in her upcoming fight against Kvokov.
“I
plan to show how well-rounded I am in this fight,” Couture
stated. “I’m going to be more aggressive and more explosive.
There’s not anywhere the fight can go that I won’t
be prepared because I feel like I’ve got the toughest camp
and the best coaches.”
Among
the coaches that work with Couture are husband Randy, wrestling
coach Gil Martinez, jiu-jitsu coach Robert Drysdale and new kickboxing
mentor, Ray Sefo, to go along with the other top trainers at
Xtreme Couture.
The
fight between Couture and Kvokov will be featured as an undercard
bout to the main event pitting Strikeforce lightweight champ,
Josh Thomson, in his first title defense against old foe, Yves
Edwards, in a rematch from a bout the two had some years ago.
Strikeforce:
Destruction takes place on Nov 21 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose
and will also be seen live on HDNet.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“It
is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle
of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming
not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond
it.”
Arnold J. Toynbee, 1889-1975, British Historian
|
Fighters'
Club Radio Today!
FIGHTERS CLUB RADIO
With Patrick Freitas & Mark Kurano
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|
Destiny
- Pier Fighter 1
Nov 15, 2008 - Aloha Tower
WHAT: Destiny - Pier Fighter 1
WHEN: Saturday, November 15, 2008 - 5pm
WHERE: Aloha Tower - Pier 11
Tickets available at the following locations or by calling (808)
277-2335.:
Leeward - Westside Fight Gear (waipahu)
TCA Wireless Waipahu (inside don quijote)
O2 Martial Arts Academy (aiea)
Adrenaline Konceptz (pearl ridge)
Windward - TCA Wireless Kailua (inside don quijote)
Town - Star Apparel (Aloha Tower)
TCA Wireless Ala Moana (inside Shirokiya)
TCA Wireless Kaheka (inside don quijote)
CONTACT:
Japheth Bolos - CEO
Destiny Entertainment, LLC
japheth@tcawireless.com
TICKET
INFO: (808) 381-2790
More
info at www.mmahawaii.com and www.westsidefightgear.com
PRESS
RELEASE
Honolulu,
Hawaii, 10/07/2008 - A true first for the state of Hawaii, on
November 15th Destiny Entertainment LLC
with Star Apparel will present the first in a series of MMA and
entertainment events at the Aloha Tower.
Featuring
Hawaii's Hottest and most popular fighter, Kala Kolohe Hose (fight
ofthe year, against Phil Baraoni Hawaii 2008) in the headlining
boutagainst UFC alum, and Ultimate fighter star Kaleb Starnes.
Other
featured fighters include: BJ Penn prodigy Po'ai Suganuma, Kaleo
Kwan, Kolo Koka and Maui's Eddie Rincon.
This
event will be a "Low Dough Show" with general admission
tickets priced at $35.00 and VIP tickets priced at $100 (Special
VIP seating area available.)
We
will also feature a Ford Expedition Giveaway that night, courtesy
of TCA Auto.
"We
are really excited to put on such a quality event at such a great
price."
-Jay
Bolos owner of Destiny Entertainment and West Side Fight gear.
For
additional information or a sample copy, Contact:
CONTACT:
Japheth Bolos
CEO
Destiny Entertainment, LLC
japheth@tcawireless.com
FIGHT
CARD
Main
Event:
-185lbs
Kala "Kalohe" Hose vs Kalib Starnes
Semi-Main:
-160lbs
Kolo Koka vs Eddie Rincon
-205lbs
Po'ai Suganuma vs Yancy Medeiros
-135lbs
Mark Oshiro vs TBA
-160lbs
Kaleo Kwan vs Zack Rapal
-140lbs
Keola Silva vs TBA
-145lbs
Colin Makenzie vs Tim Moon
-145lbs
Devin Chong vs Aldrin Fernandez
-145lbs
Justin Wong vs Lewis Pauole
Amateur:
-170lbs
Ben Santiago vs Kumukoa Kupuni
-135lbs
Jon Barnard vs Sean Leong
-185lbs
Dwayne Uyeda vs Richard Catalano
-185lbs
Paul Gemmati vs Brandon Naleieha
*
Fight card subject to change without prior notice.
More
info at www.mmahawaii.com and www.westsidefightgear.com
|
LOST
IN TRANSLATION: MAGALHAES EXPLAINS MESS
“The Ultimate Fighter” season eight cast member Vinny
Magalhaes finally got his face time, but it wasn’t under
the best circumstances.
The
jiu-jitsu ace’s verbal sparring session with coach Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira was front and center on the show’s seventh
episode. During the spat, Nogueira accused Magalhaes of disrespecting
his reputation.
The
24-year-old prospect on Thursday explained his side of the story
to MMAWeekly.com.
“The
only time I remembered I mentioned my credentials and his credentials,
was just like once. And even though I wasn’t lying, I didn’t
say that I was a better grappler than him, I just said I had
better credentials. They’re like, in a grappling match,
how would you do against Nogueira? I was like, well, I have better
credentials, so I’ve got to trust that (with) my credentials
I could beat him. But that’s just a grappling match.”
Magalhaes
says it was a simple misunderstanding amplified by gossip from
members of Nogueira’s red team, as well as the people behind
the scenes.
“The
producers wanted to show drama,” he said. “As you saw,
they didn’t show me saying that he was good.”
Magalhaes
told the coach to watch the tapes for evidence that he had said
he was the better fighter. As the two separated, Nogueira said
he would do so and apologize if he had been wrong.
Magalhaes
is still waiting for that call.
“That’s
the thing,” Magalhaes said. “He even said, ‘if
you didn’t say anything, I’m gonna to watch the show
and I’m going to call and apologize,' but he hasn’t
called me. I don’t expect him to.”
At
one point in the show, he joked that it wasn’t anything
new that a fellow Brazilian hated him.
“When
I was working at Team Quest, I was in Dan Henderson’s corner
against Wanderlei,” Magalhaes explains. “People in
Brazil called me a traitor. Then I worked in Sokoudjou’s
corner against Arona and against (Antonio Rogerio) Nogueira,
so things just got worse for me, because I was training the Americans.
But it’s just 16-year-olds on forums. It wasn’t like
I had adults or fighters talking crap about me. It's just kids
on the internet.”
Now,
Magalhaes is training mostly alongside Americans. He’s currently
at Xtreme Couture alongside season eight cast member (and ratings
gold) Junie Browning. He hasn’t been back to his native
city of Rio de Janeiro since 2005.
Does
he regret making the comments about his grappling prowess?
“I
should have never of answered those,” he said. “Yeah,
I didn’t know I was going to be starting (expletive)."
Not
two seconds later, he changes his mind.
“I
don’t regret it at all,” he said. “I wasn’t
lying, I couldn’t say Nogueira had better credentials that
he didn’t have. His credentials as a fighter, it’s
not even close. You can’t compare. I am like 2-2 and he’s
the UFC champion.”
Magalhaes
takes the whole experience in stride. Arguing goes with his territory.
“I’m
Brazilian and I know how it is,” he said. “You get
mad for no reason.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
36: LEONARD GARCIA READY TO MOVE FORWARD
Wrong
place, wrong time – it’s a thought Leonard Garcia knows
well. Misfortune seems to follow him wherever he goes. Fighting
in the cage is one of the only times he feels right.
“When
it comes time to fight, no matter what happens, for 15 minutes,
you’re going to see red, so the doubts to me aren’t
in the cage at all,” Garcia said in a recent teleconference
for his upcoming fight against Jens Pulver at WEC 36.
Garcia
traces his bad luck to an incident when he was 18. He was at
a late night diner when an apparently intoxicated man entered
the restaurant and tried to shove the food his girlfriend was
eating down her throat. At the time, Garcia was a football player
at Plainview High in Lubbock, Texas, and wanted to play for Texas
Tech University. Garcia confronted the man, who shoved him back.
Never
one to back down from confrontation, Garcia knocked the man out
in front of stunned diners. No one called the police. The man
eventually woke up and left the diner, but continued to make
a scene outside. As Garcia and his girlfriend left, the man challenged
him again. When Garcia accepted, the man pulled a knife. Garcia
was stabbed nine times; both of his lungs were punctured.
“I
don’t know if I would have been good enough to play college
ball, but he took that chance away from me,” he said.
Not
long after that, Garcia’s sister died in a car accident.
Garcia
credits his family for saving him in those troubled times, but
he takes the memories of those days with him into competition.
He
took up mixed martial arts in his twenties and eventually made
it to the UFC. His fight with Roger Huerta at UFC 69 almost stole
the show. He won his next UFC fight against Alan Berube, but
lost to Cole Miller at Ultimate Fight Night 11. By then, the
Zuffa-owned WEC was going full steam, and Garcia decided he could
shine in its featherweight division.
The
Texas native turned in an impressive performance at WEC 32, knocking
out K-1 and Shooto veteran Hiroyuki Takaya in the first round.
Then, misfortune caught up to him again.
On
March 27, Garcia was arrested along with 12 others in connection
with a drug investigation led by the DEA. Garcia vehemently denied
any role in drug trafficking, and said he was guilty of hanging
around with the wrong people. He was eventually cleared of the
charges, but says he still faces a year of probation for refusing
to testify against the main conspirator in the case.
“The
guy is already going to go to jail,” Garcia explained to
MMAWeekly.com. “He’s gonna get three to five years.
I guess they really want everybody to get something. They said
if you don’t say he was doing this or he was doing that,
you’re probably going to get a year of probation. I can
deal with a year of probation. I can’t deal with somebody
chasing after my family because they think I said something.
My lawyer said to think of it as a punishment for hanging out
with this guy.”
Garcia
said the WEC has supported him through the whole ordeal, and
sees a bright future for him in the organization. On Nov. 5,
Garcia faces perhaps his toughest challenge yet – in the
cage – against Pulver.
In
fighting styles, and maybe even in life, the two share many similar
traits. They fight to knock out or get knocked out.
“A
lot of the things that I do are similar to what he does,”
he said. “Of course, I run on emotion a lot, and I’m
a highly agitated person by nature, so when they offered this
fight, I gladly accepted. I think Jens is one of those fighters
that brings the best out of everybody.”
In
a media teleconference call for WEC 36, Pulver said his move
to AMC Pankration in Seattle has broken him through a long plateau
in his fighting career. But Garcia doesn’t buy that.
“He
says he doesn’t want to be the guy just coming forward,”
he said. “I don’t think you can change that after 15
years of fighting.”
Like
his toe-to-toe slugfest with Huerta, Garcia says he’s best
when his opponent pressures him.
“It’s
the people that are slow and methodical that give me problems,”
he said. “I like fast paced, hard fighting, back and forth
action. Jens possesses all the problems that I like to deal with.”
Besides,
Garcia would much rather dealing with problems inside the cage,
than out.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
91 COUTURE VS. LESNAR LINE-UP
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Friday confirmed the televised
line-up for its UFC 91 event scheduled for Nov. 15 in Las Vegas.
Already announced in the main event is a bout between returning
UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture defending his belt against
rising heavyweight talent Brock Lesnar.
The
pay-per-view portion of the fight card at the MGM Grand Garden
Arena also features a lightweight contenders bout between top
155ers Kenny Florian and Joe Stevenson.
“Joe
always comes to fight,” Florian said. “He’s very
well rounded. I expect the fight to be a war. I think a win over
Joe Stevenson will make me the No. 1 contender for the lightweight
belt.”
“Fighting
a person like Kenny can get you back in the title picture,”
Stevenson added. “I consider very few people in the lightweight
division a threat on the ground. Standing, I don’t see him
with knockout power. People are putting him as the favorite and
I don’t know why.”
Last
season’s winner of The Ultimate Fighter, Amir Sadollah,
will have his first true UFC test when he faces undefeated New
Jersey native and former NCAA Division I wrestler Nick Catone
in another of the televised fights.
Brazil’s
Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt, gets back in the Octagon in a heavyweight bout with former
two-time All-American wrestler Josh Hendricks, who is undefeated
in his last 10 fights.
Finishing
off the pay-per-view announcements is Nate Quarry's first bout
since chasing Kalib Starnes out of the UFC in April. He faces
his most difficult test yet since returning from back surgery
in submission specialist Demian Maia, who will be attempting
to keep his undefeated professional record intact.
Main
Card Bouts:
-Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar
-Gabriel Gonzaga (#7 Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Josh Hendricks
-Joe Stevenson (#10 Lightweight in the World)* vs. Kenny Florian
-Demian Maia vs. Nathan Quarry
-Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone
Preliminary
Bouts:
-Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory
-Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael dos Anjos
-Alvin Robinson vs. Mark Bocek
-Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
-Ryan Thomas vs. TBA
Source: MMA Weekly
|
THALES
LEITES MOVING CLOSER TO UFC TITLE SHOT
Picking up his fifth win in the UFC last weekend by submitting
Drew McFedries, Thales Leites also took one step closer towards
realizing his dream of becoming middleweight champion.
When
original opponent Goran Reljic was forced out of the bout with
Leites due to an injury, McFedries stepped in on short notice
to take the fight, but the bout was moved to the preliminary
card as opposed to the main card as first slotted.
Was
the change a disappointment to Leites who has been battling his
way towards a title shot for some time now?
“Yes
a little bit,” he admitted to MMAWeekly.com following the
fight. “But they showed my fight anyways, that's okay.”
As
the fight began, most critics had predicted a fast finish by
either Leites using his considerable advantage on the ground,
or McFedries with his heavy hands. The Miletich based fighter
almost capitalized on an early punch that seemed to catch Leites
off guard, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.
“It
hurt me a little bit, but nothing to stop me,” Leites said
about the punch.
From
there on out it was obvious that Leites knew he had a much more
accomplished grappling background than his opponent, and shortly
thereafter he applied a rear naked choke and McFedries tapped
out.
So
what’s next for Leites? Well, many fans have asked for a
rematch between he and Nate Marquardt because of a fair amount
of controversy that surrounded the last contest between the two
fighters, but Leites feels no need to go back.
“No.
I already passed by him,” Leites commented about a possible
rematch with Marquardt. “I'm looking forward now.”
The
185-pound gold is ultimately the test that Leites wants to pass,
but he stays patient in waiting for the opportunity to come along
in the future.
“I
think I'm almost there,” he stated. “And I will keep
doing my homework every time and going step by step until the
title shot.”
The
jiu-jitsu phenom is also more than willing to face fighters such
as Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson or Michael Bisping on the way
to the top, and with a quick finish in his last fight he wouldn’t
mind that being sooner rather than later.
“I
would like to fight with every one of them, they are top fighters
and I want to fight with the tops, if it happens it will be a
great pleasure and honor to me,” Leites commented about
the trio of top middleweights.
“I
really want to fight again as soon as possible. I don't know
when they will call me again, but I'm already ready.”
Leites
also mentioned the support of great sponsors like MTX Audio and
Sprawl for helping him to get to and through the fight with McFedries.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEC
36: THE REBUILDING OF JENS PULVER
Former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver was in a heap at
the mat’s edge. AMC Pankration head Matt Hume has just given
him one of the worst beatings he could remember in his ten-year
career. And Pulver was no stranger to brutal workouts –
as a Miletich Fighting Systems mainstay, he had taken as many
beatings as he had given. But this one was different. He actually
thought about quitting, going back home.
“I
was so broken, I didn’t know whether to cry,” he told
MMAWeekly Radio on Thursday. “On the inside, I had this
one little growing ember left, this one little piece of hope
left going you know what? If I stay at this, if I work at this,
I can be like that? Damn.”
Pulver
said he was ashamed of his performance against Urijah Faber at
WEC 34. In every exchange, he felt a step behind. Faber was too
fast for him. Hume had an opinion about that, too.
“Matt
Hume said you’re forty percent of where you could be,”
Pulver said. “I’m like, huh? I was fighting Urijah
(Faber) at forty percent?”
Pulver
admits that the creature comforts of his Iowa lifestyle had dulled
his skills over the years. Being close to the office took away
the urgency of upcoming fights. It wasn’t like he was oblivious
to the idea of going to a training camp – he had one in
his neighborhood. But getting away never crossed his mind.
“Especially
when you’ve been doing it for so long, you’ve got to
break that comfort,” he said. “I was growing stagnant.
Eight or nine years in one place, it was just simply for me to
get a new look, a new change.
“I’m
man enough to admit, I watched the sport evolve right by me.”
Now,
he has little to concern him outside the AMC gym. He’s got
a place to sleep, eat, and train. That’s it. The former
champ says it’s going to stay that way in the future.
“I
love it,” he said. “I’m as happy as can be. I’m
still going to go home, but I just need that training atmosphere.”
Pulver’s
conditioned fear of Washington, borne of a traumatic childhood
growing up just outside of Seattle, no longer holds power over
him. In the past, he had avoided every opportunity to return.
“All
these people kept trying to get me to go back,” he said.
“They even tried to induct me into the high school hall
of fame,” Pulver said. “That didn’t work, I made
my brother go get the award.”
Pulver’s
goal is to get where Hume says he can be, using eighty percent
of his skills in the cage. His challenge on Nov. 5, Leonard Garcia,
promises to be an intense fight for both. Neither man likes to
back down, and will happily stand in the pocket and trade until
someone falls down.
“Everything
I’m doing is built on building my explosion, keeping the
endurance I already had so I don’t go out there and look
so dang slow,” Pulver said.
Being
broken down for the first time since his early days at Miletich
has given him a new sense of confidence.
“I
was confident before just to get out there and fight, I didn’t
really care about a gameplan, I was just going to let the fight
happen,” he said. “Now, the biggest thing is for me
not to get overwhelmed.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GOMI
UPSET; SANTIAGO WINS ANOTHER TOURNEY
World Victory Road's Sengoku 6 took place on Saturday in Saitama,
Japan. What was supposed to feature the finals of the promotion's
lightweight and middleweight tournaments was overshadowed by
the defeat of Takanori Gomi, whom the lightweight tournament
was supposed to produce an opponent for.
Once
having dominated the top spot in the lightweight rankings, Gomi
on Saturday was dropped by a punch from Sergey Golyaev in the
second round before dropping a split decision to him as well.
The
Sengoku Lightweight Grand Prix was supposed to produce a challenger
to Gomi and crown a lightweight champion sometime early next
year.
A
tournament champion did emerge as Satoru Kitaoka easily submitted
Eiji Mitsuoka with a heel hook in the semi-final round before
working his way to a unanimous decision victory over Kazunori
Yokota in the final bout. The question now is how World Victory
Road will proceed with the Gomi upset.
American
Top Team fighter Jorge Santiago continued his conquest of the
middleweight division winning two fights in one night –
for the second time in the past 12 months – to claim top
honors in the Sengoku Middleweight Grand Prix. Like Kitaoka,
he easily submitted his semi-final opponent, Siyar Bahadurzada,
with a heel hook little more than a minute into their bout.
It
was a little rougher going in the final round. Kazuhiro Nakamura
seemed to be edging ahead with his controlling style over the
first two rounds before Santiago found his mark in the final
round, finishing Nakamura off with strikes in the round's opening
moments.
Also
of note, Top 10 light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, brother
of UFC interim heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, won
a unanimous decision over Moise Rimbon, to give Rogerio three
victories in 2008.
Team
Quest fighter Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal continued his
emergence on the fight scene with a ground and pound victory
over Chute Boxe fighter Fabio Silva in the opening moments of
round three.
Non-Tournament
Bouts:
-Sergey Golyaev def. Takanori Gomi by Split Decision, R3
-Muhammed Lawal def. Fabio Silva by TKO (Strikes) at 0:41, R3
-Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Moise Rimbon by Unanimous Decision,
R3
Lightweight
Grand Prix Final:
-Satoru Kitaoka def. Kazunori Yokota by Unanimous Decision, R3
Lightweight
Grand Prix Semi-Finals:
-Satoru Kitaoka def. Eiji Mitsuoka by Submission (Heel Hook)
at 1:16, R1
-Kazunori Yokota def. Mizuto Hirota by Unanimous Decision, R3
Lightweight
Grand Prix Reserve Bout:
-Jorge Masvidal def. Seung Hwan Bang by Unanimous Decision, R3
Middleweight
Grand Prix Final:
-Jorge Santiago def. Kazuhiro Nakamura by TKO (Strikes) at 0:49,
R3
Middleweight
Grand Prix Semi-Finals:
-Kazuhiro Nakamura def. Yuki Sasaki by Unanimous Decision, R3
-Jorge Santiago def. Siyar Bahadurzada by Submission (Heel Hook)
at 1:10, R1
Middleweight
Grand Prix Reserve Bout:
-Joe Doerksen def. Izuru Takeuchi by TKO (Strikes) at 4:13, R3
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Better
keep yourself clean and bright. You are the window through which
you must see the world."
George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950, Irish Playwright
|
SKRAP
Events - Hawaiian Classic Kickboxing
SKRAP Events with the help of Waianae Boxing Club is promoting
an alcohol-free family friendly event to showcase young and up
& coming talent in the sport of amateur kickboxing. The event
will also help to build up some of the youth programs by assisting
with the fund raising efforts of all the participating clubs
to help them subsidize program costs and support some of their
young talent (ages 6 and up) in their endeavors to achieve success.
We are planning an amateur kickboxing event Saturday November
22, 2008 at Kalaheo High School Gymnasium called, “SKRAP
Events- Hawaiian Classic Kickboxing”. We are asking for
your assistance/ sponsorship to help make this a successful event.
SPONSORSHIP PACKAGE
$300.00- You will be the official sponsor of one of the 12-16
bouts. Sponsors will be announced prior to each bout and reflected
on the event programs as well as engraved on the trophy awarded
to the winner of the bout. As a sponsor your organizations logo
will be on all the promotional ads and posters. In addition,
you will be able to hang your organization’s banner at the
event AND you will receive 4 tickets to “SKRAP Events- Hawaiian
Classic Kickboxing”. Most importantly, your logo will be
featured along-side the fighters of your sponsored bout in the
following issue of Skrap Mag’s event coverage. That’s
10,000 magazines all across Hawai’I and the West Coast!!
That alone is worth $300!
For $25 more you will receive everything in the sponsorship package
AND also have your organizations name engraved on one of the
nights performance award trophies, which will be given to the
“outstanding fighter of the night”, competitors in
the “fight of the night”, and the winner of the “sportsmanship
award”. You will also receive 4 more tickets to “SKRAP
Events- Hawaiian Classic Kickboxing”. (for a total of 8
tickets).
Questions and inquiries can be directed to Rich Tomas @ 294-1234.
Checks can be made payable to SKRAP Enterprises LLC and mailed
to 1941 Kahakai Dr. Hon./HI 96814.
Rich
Tomas
SKRAP Magazine
(808)294-1234
skrapmag.com
|
Five
Ounces of Pain: Former EliteXC consultant speaks out on company's
problems
By Sam Caplan
Special to CBSSports.com
In
spite of ProElite and EliteXC's collapse earlier this week, no
top-level executives from the company have spoken out publicly
thus far to discuss exactly what went wrong. However, one man
with close ties to the fight promotion has gone on the record
several times to give his side of the story.
T.
Jay Thompson is the former promoter of the SuperBrawl and ICON
Sport promotions, which were staples of the Hawaiian MMA scene.
After 15 years of promoting fight cards on the island, Thompson
accepted an offer in September of 2007 to sell his promotion
to ProElite. As a part of the deal, Thompson received a contract
to consult for the company.
In
spite of Thompson's vast knowledge when it came to promoting
MMA events, he felt his knowledge went largely unused during
the company's existence. The past 13 months have been some of
the most challenging during Thompson's career, as he was forced
to sit back and watch a company with a great deal of potential
self-destruct and abuse the many resources it had obtained.
Now
Thompson is venting those frustrations and took time out this
week to speak with CBSSports.com exclusively in what has been
his most in-depth interview to date.
CBSSports.com:
I read an article in which you were quoted as saying there were
problems from the start between you and ProElite. Can you talk
about some of the things you experienced as you negotiated the
acquisition of ICON with them?
T.
Jay Thompson: It starts during the first EliteXC event in Hawaii
in '07 on Sept. 15. My deal was supposed to close a month before,
and even more before that. It was just an ugly process in closing
the deal. And a week before the event, they hadn't come through
with stuff they were supposed to come through with. I still had
control of the event and (then-EliteXC live events president)
Gary (Shaw) called up the Sunday before the event -- like six
days out -- and Gary and I [had it out] at midnight Hawaii time
and 3 in the morning wherever he was. And he threatened to walk
away and I had threatened to shut the event down. Finally, the
Thursday of the press conference, our deal got done. Otherwise
that EliteXC event wouldn't have happened.
It
started early on that I just didn't like Gary and that I didn't
like him morally or ethically. That's just the reality. I was
hoping I was going to come in and learn from him. I really was.
I was excited to come and work with another promoter that had
more big show experience than me. I didn't find him smart, I
didn't find him engaging, (and) I didn't find him to be compelling.
I am amazed that he's gotten where he's gotten.
As
we get a little further, we've got our first big group meeting
and I've got at the table, Gary, Jared (Shaw), J.D. Penn and
Rich Chou, myself, and Patrick Freitas, Turi Altavilla, Terry
Trebilcock is on conference call, and Jeremy Lappen, and we were
all dividing responsibilities when it came to matchmaking. And
with that group of people there, the matchmaking team ended up
being Jared Shaw, J.T. Steele, who was just an intern at the
time, and Rich Chou. It was at that point that I realized that
things weren't going spectacular. Literally, of the ten people
there, the three with the least experience were picked as the
matchmaking team.
Q:
It seemed like when it came to organizing and finalizing cards;
EliteXC was usually behind the ball in that regard. Do you feel
that's a fair assessment?
TT:
Absolutely. I think a lot of it had to do with the indecision
caused by that committee kind of thing. It just seemed like there
was no one to actually make a decision and it was always thrown
back and forth eight million times. Matchmaking isn't rocket
science.
Q:
Earlier in this interview you said you didn’t like Gary
Shaw morally or ethically. Are you able to elaborate?
TT:
I don't have specific instances. It was just a sense of what
was said publicly and what was said behind closed doors as far
as "fighters first" and "I'm in it only for the
fighters." I didn't get a sense of that when we were behind
closed doors with him. I think he saw them as a product; strictly
as an asset. And again, being in the MMA business for 15 years
I didn't see it that way.
Q:
How did you feel about Shaw's people skills?
TT:
Horrible! I didn't see his people skills anywhere! I didn't see
his people skills with the press, with the ProElite employees,
with the staff of EliteXC, with the fighters, with the fans;
I didn't see it good anywhere. So that sort of amazes me how
he's done what he's done. And now, I may be missing something
because he's been successful and he continues to be successful
in boxing. I don't get it. I'm not sure how that's possible.
But as far as I'm concerned, his people skills are horrible.
Q:
You've outlined several times in this interview how you and Shaw
butted heads. A source informed me that the two of you really
clashed following the signing of Eddie Alvarez last January.
Is there any truth to that?
TT:
What did you hear?
Q:
I was never able to get a second source, but I had heard that
last December EliteXC had made an offer to Alvarez that his manager,
Monte Cox, felt was on the low side. He wasn't happy with the
offer so he contacted you and that the two of you worked out
a deal without Gary Shaw involved.
TT:
It wasn't Gary Shaw. Gary Shaw was already out at that point,
I believe.
Q:
This past January?
TT:
The original Eddie Alvarez deal? The thing that happened is that
we had re-signed Eddie Alvarez recently.
Q:
Right. I had heard that after he originally signed this past
January that he would go on to re-negotiate his contract two
more times.
TT:
Yes, we had just re-negotiated a couple of months ago and that
one had gotten really ugly too. I think Jeremy Lappen was more
in charge as far as making the final decision on that one and
I was in strong belief that we needed to re-sign (Alvarez) and
pay him what he was worth and get him onboard as a team player.
He was a guy that wanted to be a part of the team and wanted
to feel like he was being paid the right amount. And I was of
the opinion that in the next 18 months he could be a giant star
in MMA and I still believe that, wherever he ends up.
In
the end we were able to make a deal but it was originally (a
situation) of talks going into litigation because of the existing
contract. They always seemed to get into litigation. There was
always talk of attorneys with ProElite. They turned everything
into a legal situation. It really was frustrating. Recently,
legal letters went out for no good reason. There was a horrible
relationship that happened with TapouT in the last month of ProElite
where there are legal matters pending, that obviously aren't
going to go through now, with images of Kimbo Slice.
As
far as I'm concerned, TapouT should be considered a partner as
they are spending millions of dollars promoting Kimbo Slice.
And we treated them like we were doing them a favor by allowing
them to promote Kimbo Slice. There was always sort of that attitude
amongst ProElite that we were doing other people favors. At the
top level, I didn't see anyone in the company that was doing
any positive as far as relationship building. And that includes
Gary Shaw, Jared Shaw, and Jeremy Lappen. With that said, I am
a fan of Jeremy Lappen. I think he's a really hard worker and
an honorable guy. But I don't think he was in the right position
as the person taking control of head of fight operations towards
the end and being the face.
Q:
I wanted to follow-up about Jeremy Lappen because my understanding
was that he and Gary Shaw didn't get along as well. I never found
a verifying source, but I had been told major rift developed
between the two after Kimbo Slice signed a new contract following
the "Street Certified" event last February. Is that
something you can comment on?
TT:
Yeah. At that point, Jeremy had pretty much everything to do
with signing Kimbo in the first place and developing that relationship.
And then once we got him onboard, Gary immediately took a hold
of Kimbo and I think had decided that as his power in ProElite
was waning that he would really try and quarantine Kimbo from
anyone else. Including Jeremy Lappen, which was really frustrating
to Jeremy. And when he went to sign a new contract, Gary Shaw
actually put some provisions in the contract that may have been
illegal - and they were certainly ill moral and unethical - that
if Gary Shaw left the company that Kimbo's contract could be
re-negotiated and that Kimbo would be allowed to box outside
of the company. And he put that in without Jeremy Lappen's knowledge
and Jeremy happened to catch it on the way through and it didn't
stay in the new contract.
Q:
Thus far, you've been very outspoken about the company's upper
management. Was there anyone in a decision-making position that
you felt was competent and that you respected?
TT:
Jeremy Lappen's name comes up. And again, I don't necessarily
feel he was the right person for the job he was in. But Jeremy
Lappen is a hard worker and an honorable person. (ProElite CEO)
Chuck Champion, I think, came in too late. Chuck Champion had
some potential. He and I didn't get along on a business level.
I had a number of times where I wanted to take more control and
help out more and he didn't agree with my decisions and didn't
necessarily go the direction I had hoped he would go. But we
got along on a personal level and he's another guy that I think
is an honorable guy -- I don't know him well enough. But even
with them included, I still think they are responsible for the
direction that the company went. Chuck Champion is last because
he took over later and where there was already so much trouble.
There were people that worked hard inside the company but I didn't
see anyone that should be running a major MMA organization.
Q:
When the CBS deal was first announced, how did you feel at that
point about the company's future?
TT:
I felt that it had a lot of potential. That's the big thing;
but what I saw immediately was the entire company acting like
we were the 400 pound gorilla in the room and treating fighters
and relationships not with the degree of respect they needed.
There was a lot of talk of "You want to fight on CBS? You
fight for cheap (and) you better behave, or you're not going
to fight on CBS." I didn't feel that was the right way to
go. We were still a company that was bleeding money (and) that
was in trouble financially, yet we were treating sponsors and
everyone without the respect they deserved.
Q:
I wanted to talk a little bit about Oct. 4 and EliteXC's "Heat"
event. You've previously said you had no proof but that you'd
be amazed if Seth Petruzelli wasn't paid to stand up with Kimbo
Slice. I wanted to see if I could get you to go into more detail
about why you feel that way.
TT:
I'll start by saying talk to ten people that you respect that
are as close to the company without being a part of the company
and ask them what they think. And they aren't going to say they
think it happened they are going to say they know it happened.
The MMA industry is small and word gets around.
I
was told by two executives at cageside when I showed up -- and
I don't have exact quotes and this definitely isn't a smoking
gun -- but I was told, "We don't have to worry about that.
The fight is going to stay standing." And it was said in
a way so that I understood what it meant. And I didn't have ask
any other questions.
Q:
To your knowledge, had ProElite and EliteXC ever exhibited any
of the alleged business practices before Oct. 4?
TT:
I actually don't think so. The Bo Cantrell fight, there was a
problem in that Bo didn't want to fight at the last minute and
I believe he had to be paid a bonus just to go out and fight.
But at that point his performance looked as if he didn't want
to fight.
Q:
Is it true that he was just very sick and he didn't want to fight
and ProElite officials just said "You know what? You have
to get out there."
TT:
I don't believe he was sick. I believe he didn't want to fight.
I wasn't involved. I know that Gary Shaw was closely involved
with that. None of it smells good to me but I don't have any
information on what really happened or didn't happen in the back
room.
Q:
Speaking of things smelling funny, did you feel like Ken Shamrock
was completely truthful in his explanation regarding how he suffered
his cut?
TT:
Uh, the stitches were beautiful! The big stitches? They were
like bows on a wrapped Christmas present. Know what I mean? Those
were impressive stitches, man!
It's
interesting because in my experience I know that fighters in
general as it gets closer to the fight are dying to fight. And
a lot of times they need to fight for financial reasons. I never
have heard of a fighter getting cut the morning of a fight but
I know on a number of different occasions, one happened to Robbie
Lawler for a fight here in Hawaii, where he got cut badly the
week of the fight. A cut bad enough that a doctor wouldn't have
allowed a fight to go on. What he did and what's been done, you
super glue the cut really well and you put makeup on it if you
need to and you keep that injury as far away from the doctor
as you can. I am surprised that wasn't done. You go on to fight
and fight the best you can and hope it doesn't open up but if
it does, you lose by cut and you collect your paycheck.
Q:
ProElite was not without its critics in the media. Do you feel
the coverage it received was fair?
TT:
We did such a rotten job. We made ourselves susceptible to that.
$55 million in two years. I have trouble adding it all up! I
don't know where it went!?
Q:
How do you respond to those that are rejoicing over ProElite
and EliteXC's demise?
TT:
It's frustrating since I've been with the company. And as happy
as I am to sort of be free and pursue other things, it's never
good to have a company that is putting on quality MMA shows --
and we did put on quality MMA shows -- disappear. There were
a lot of mistakes made by the people doing their jobs but there
were still some really good fights put on and there were good
fighters that are now maybe tied up in court. If you're an MMA
fan, you shouldn't be rejoicing.
In
addition to being a contributing writer for CBSSports.com, Sam
Caplan is also the publisher of his own MMA website, FiveOuncesOfPain.com.
You can contact him via e-mail at: SCaplan8@comcast.net.
Source: CBS Sports
|
WEC
11/5 Florida card line-up:
145
pounds: Urijah Faber vs. Mike Brown
185 pounds: Paulo Filho vs. Chael Sonnen
145 pounds: Jens Pulver vs. Leonard Garcia
185 pounds: Danillo Villefort vs. Jake Rosholt
155 pounds: “Razor” Rob McCullough vs. Donald Cerrone
145 pounds: Jose Aldo vs. Jonathan Brookins
170 pounds: Johny Hendricks vs. Alex Serdyukov
135 pounds: Rani Yahya vs. Yoshiro Maeda
155 pounds: Danny Castillo vs. TBD
205 pounds: Steve Steinbeiss vs. TBD
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Giant
steps
The life of Masahiko Kimura, before, during and after the classic
battle with Master Helio Gracie
The different reports don’t fit together entirely. The differences
are in the details. Be that as it may, Helio Gracie’s version
comes 50 years after the fight, in 2001. As for the other, the
Japanese Masahiko Kimura wrote his book My Judo in which he tells
of the events from that night of October 23rd, 1951, in 1984,
33 years after the encounter. It was the first and only fight
between the two, who are considered, by many scholars, to be
the greatest of all times in their respective arts – Jiu-Jitsu
and judo.
In
an interview published in issue 50 of GRACIE Magazine, the Brazilian
grandmaster tells of how, shortly after putting the Japanese
Kato to sleep in the Maracanã stadium, Kimura invaded
the ring to challenge him. As recalled by the Japanese, the challenge
would be made by the Brazilian, days later, and was first made
to Yamaguchi, the third member of the delegation of judokas that
traveled the country. As Yamaguchi refused to fight under Jiu-Jitsu
rules, Kimura accepted the challenge.
“The
stadium was silent when the sound of the bone breaking echoed.
Even so, Helio Gracie did not give up”
Kimura
Thus,
before over 20 thousand people, the two stepped in the ring assembled
in the Maracanã stadium for the great fight. Kimura never
forgot the site of the coffin he says he saw in the fighting
area, even 30 years later. A coffin meant for him, according
to Helio’s fans, after the Brazilian black belt would put
him to sleep. Helio never mentioned a coffin. About the fight,
however, Master Helio and Kimura agreed on almost everything.
They remembered the fight lasted a little over ten minutes and
it ended with a now famous submission hold, the kimura –
or udegarami, to judokas. The version of the Japanese, who was
25 kilos heavier, is dramatic: “I applied the udegarami
and thought he would give up immediately, but he didn’t
tap. I had no choice but to twist the arm further.
The
stadium was silent when the sound of breaking bone echoed. Even
still, Helio did not give up and his corner was forced to throw
in the towel. I won by technical knockout,” recounts Kimura,
making a point of extolling the Jiu-Jitsu master’s bravery.
Besides being valiant, Helio went into the fight prepared for
the Japanese’s weapons, which surprised his adversary. “Kimura,
as the great sportsman he was, showed surprise at my having the
wherewithal to escape from the holds he set up. I fought to see
with what hold he would beat me, but I must admit I didn’t
expect him to persist so much in applying the same hold,”
says Helio about the repeated attempts at applying the armbar.
About his broken bone, Helio confirms that he did not tap: “Carlos
[Helio’s older brother] threw in the towel and the Japanese
let go of the hold. The referee wanted us to continue but I told
him the victory was Kimura’s. I was very tired,” confesses
the grandmaster, living today, at 94 years of age, in his ranch
in Itaipava.
Battle
of the brave: in 1951, Kimura dared to attack Helio Gracie in
the Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro.
The
fight with Helio Gracie was the high point in a story that began
almost 30 years earlier, while performing cleaning duties at
young Masahiko’s primary school, in the city of Kumamoto.
The students participated in the cleaning, and on one of these
occasions the sport entered Kimura’s life. The reason for
this was not the most noble: “I was in the fourth grade
and during cleaning time the teacher left. When I realized this
I jumped onto a table my colleagues were carrying and started
yelling ‘Banzai!’ That was when the teacher reappeared
and grabbed me by the hair. I took a beating,” he tells
in his book. The humiliation was too much for the naughty kid,
who swore he would have his revenge: “I discovered he was
a first dan black belt in judo and figured that if I were a second
dan I could beat him up. So I went to the Shodokan Dojo, which
was right next to my school,” he tells.
His
less-than-noble reason for going to the dojo for the first time
he quickly left behind him. The sport soon came to the forefront
of the apprentice’s life. And he evolved quickly. Three
years later, after coming second place in a sumo tournament,
he was invited to join the Chinsei Junior High School and participate
in the judo club at his new school. But the new training environment
was not enough for the anxious youngster: “Besides at school,
I also trained at the Kawakita dojo, Butokuden, and the Imperial
5th High (now the University of Kumomoto).” The training
load was heavy. “At that time I trained up to five hours
a day and still ended each session with 300 sit-ups.”
“If
my adversaries are training 6 hours a day to beat me, I will
have to train 9 hours every day”
Kimura
To
achieve 3rd dan status, Kimura admits to committing an adolescent-type
sin. “I had to go to Butokukai, in Kyoto, to take a practical
test and a written one. I had no problem passing the practical
test, but I had no idea of the answers to the written one. As
time was running out, I grabbed the test sheet from the guy behind
me, put my name on it and turned it in. I was always ashamed
of what I did.” By 17 years of age, Masahiko was already
a fourth dan, which was rare for a judoka of that age. But at
18 years of age, already a student at Takushoku University, he
made history by beating eight opponents at his same level and
became the first man to ever receive the fifth dan at the age
of 18. Exhausted, he was defeated by Miyajima, his ninth opponent
of the day.
Beyond
this loss, Kimura suffered defeat only three more times throughout
his career. Curiously, all occurred in the year 1935. Kenichiro
Osawa, Keshiro Abe and Hideo Yamamoto, besides Miyajima, are
the men that hold the honor of having defeated Kimura. But the
tide did not turn too late. As he felt humiliated and was even
considering quitting judo, Masahiko relied on the help of his
friends to train even harder. The osotogari, for example, he
practiced with a tree, to strengthen his legs. After six months
of training, his technique became so refined that, often, his
training partners only agreed to train with him if he agreed
not to use the osotogari. His three nemeses were defeated before
the end of that very year of 1935.
From
1937 to 1939, Kimura dominated the Japanese scene, lining up
three national championship titles. On the first title conquered
over Masayuki Nakajima with a kuzure-kami-shiho-gatame after
40 minutes of fighting, Kimura states that the secret was observation
and youth: “After 35 minutes, I looked at his legs and saw
that they held the key to my victory. When the arbiter restarted
the fight, I grabbed his legs, threw him to the ground and controlled
him. After winning, I saw that I won only because I was stronger,
for being younger than him.”
After
tasting victory, Misahiko became preoccupied with how to keep
his title in the years to come. Upon looking in the mirror at
his 1.69 meter and 86 kg body that was nothing out of the ordinary,
Kimura decided: “My adversaries are still training six hours
a day to beat me, I will have to train nine hours every day.”
Thus was created the “San-bai no Do-ryoku” (triple
effort), which to many is what set Kimura apart and the reason
why he became one of the greatest legends of all times in the
world of fighting. In practice, the impressive training load
guaranteed him more national titles, in 1938 and 1939.
“The
promoter gave me a form saying that even if I died, he would
not be held responsible. I signed”
Kimura, before the vale-tudo against Valdemar Santana
Kimura’s
judo career ended in 1950. Before that, another important title
in his career path was the Ten-Ran Shiai, won in 1940, before
the eyes of the Japanese emperor. Retired, Kimura taught judo
classes to American soldiers that occupied Japan after the war
and went around the world demonstrating the sport’s techniques.
That was how, ultimately, the judo legend came to Brazil, at
the invitation of the newspaper “São Paulo Shimbum,”
run by the Japanese colony. The fame thus acquired from the fight
in the gi against Helio guaranteed he would make further excursions
in Brazilian territory, and the Japanese took up another sport:
vale-tudo.
Without
a doubt, one of the most notable fights of Kimura’s career
was against Valdemar Santana, in 1959, in Salvador, Bahia. It
was 40 minutes of bloody combat that ended in a draw. Something
Kimura revealed in his book about the fight was that “The
promoter gave me a form saying that, even if I died, he would
not be held responsible. I nodded and signed.” Kimura returned
to Japan in 1960 and started teaching judo classes at Tokushoku
University. Masahiko Kimura passed away on April 18, 1993, from
lung cancer. Even debilitated from the final surgery performed
to battle the disease, Kimura was seen doing sit-ups on the floor
of his room in hospital. At 75 years of age.
The
US army against Kimura
In the hard years following the Second World War, defeated Japan
was governed by the Allies, under the command of general Douglas
MacArthur. Among other restrictions, the teaching and practice
of judo and kendo were prohibited. But this restriction would
not be the only interference from the American military in Masahiko’s
life. In November of 1945, shortly after surrender, Kimura was
awaiting a train at Kumamoto station, when four military police
started to offend and aggress upon the people in line. “They
yelled ‘Jap!’ ‘Jap!’ So a soldier took the
first in line and grabbed him by the nose with his fingers.
The
man fell to the ground with his nose bleeding and moaning with
pain,” tells Kimura in his book, My Judo. The four military
men did this repeatedly to the others in line, until it came
to his turn. “When one of them tried to grab me by the collar,
I slapped his hand off. The four then pulled me over to Nagaroku
Bridge, near the station, and got ready to give me a beating.
Luckily, they came one at a time, like in a kung fu movie. The
first one tried to hit me with a right and I defended, and then
I kicked him in the nuts. The second one grabbed me from behind
and I threw him in the river with a seio-nage. The two remaining
ones that were watching finally attacked me, also one at a time.
The first one I knocked down with a head butt and the second
I defeated by squeezing his balls. Since primary school, I have
been a wicked ball smasher,” remembers Kimura.
One
week later, the Americans came back, to deliver the punishment,
by jeep, with the soldiers stopping in front of Kimura’s
house. “I knew I would be arrested, but I found the cordial
faces that got out of the vehicle to be odd,” he wrote.
The master entered the jeep and was taken to the Allied base.
Upon arrival, a great surprise. A gracious commander thanked
him for punishing the bad soldiers. “Captain Shephard shook
my hand and told me those were the worst four soldiers in the
battalion, And that they had already sexually assaulted a woman
and were being tried.” Beyond the thanks, Kimura was given
a job. He became the judo instructor on the base, thanks to Captain
Shephard, who one year later would become a black belt.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Rudimar
Fedrigo and the EliteXC’s end
By Eduardo Ferreira
EliteXC’s
end left many athletes unemployed. In Chute Boxe, Cris Cyborg,
Marlon Mathias and Fernando Bettega are looking for a new event
to fight. Leader of the team in Curitiba, Rudimar Fedrigo spoke
with exclusiveness with TATAME about the failure of EliteXC.
“It’s a very sad notice, the failure of EliteXC, because
it’s important have others events to make counterpoint and
not the domination of only one event, that’s the reason
why we’re sad. I’m surprised with this news, although
the event hadn’t gone well… We’re going now try
to put the athletes who were fighting there in others organizations.
We already have others organizations interested in the athletes
and, mainly, in this fight that everybody wants to watch, between
Cris “Cyborg” Santos and Gina Carano. Certainly some
organization will want this fight. But we’ll have to wait
more to see how it’ll stay”, finished.
Source: Tatame
|
Liddell:
‘I Just Want to Fight’
It was a stunning sight to see Chuck Liddell lying unconscious
in the Octagon.
The
former UFC light heavyweight champion had made a career of knocking
out opponents, but he was the one beaten in September after Rashad
Evans had connected with an overhand right in the second round
of their bout at UFC 88.
The
loss marked the third defeat in the last four fights for the
future Hall-of-Famer. Much of the criticism following the Evans
bout, however, was aimed at Liddell’s longtime trainer,
John Hackleman.
In
a recent video interview with Sherdog.com, Liddell defended Hackleman
and took the blame for the loss.
“We
had a good game plan,” Liddell said, “and I got overzealous.
… [Hackleman] told me before we went out for the second
[round]: ‘Don’t chase him. Just take your time. Make
him come to you.’ I didn’t listen. How are you going
to blame him when I’m not listening?”
Liddell,
who will turn 39 in December, acknowledged that he has some bad
habits that must be worked on. He also discussed with Sherdog.com
whether there is a blueprint for beating him that his opponents
are following as well as whether another title shot is still
realistic.
Source: Sherdog
|
Camões
and the training at Minotauro Team
By Guilherme Cruz
Coach
of some of the best MMA fighters in the world, Rogério
Camões is working hard to put his athletes in their best
to fight. Training fighters like Anderson Silva, the Nogueira
brothers and Rafael “Feijão”, the coach still
has the help of another expert coach, Josuel Distak, who trains
Paulo Filho and André Galvão. “We have a great
method developed by Distak and me, the importance of working
the distance, so we try to work on short distance and for that
we use a small octagon, so later they can work better on the
normal octagon”, said Camões.
On
the method developed with Distak, they alternate the regular
octagon with the small one, and also likes to work at different
places. “The big octagon will ask for more explosion, needs
to be faster, and we also do this sparring training here at Minotauro
Team. We do the physical part at X-Gym, and all the technical
part too, because when you stay a long time in only one place
you get stressed, and when you have two different places to work
helps you to relax too”, explained.
Source: Tatame
|
UFC,
Verizon Announce VOD Service
Sam Caplan
While
upstart mixed martial arts promotions crash and burn due to an
inability to generate income, the Ultimate Fighting Championship
announced plans for a new revenue stream on Thursday in conjunction
with communications giant Verizon. The two companies have signaled
their intent to launch a new video-on-demand service that will
be distributed via Verizon’s FiOS TV.
“As
UFC continues to thrive in sports, we constantly look for new
ways to deliver the UFC experience to our loyal fans around the
world,” UFC President Dana White is quoted as saying in
a press release. “The VOD program will provide more information
on the UFC, training techniques, and some of the greatest fights
in history available 24/7 through UFC On Demand.”
“Verizon’s
FiOS TV customers are getting the ultimate entertainment experience
with our industry-leading video-on-demand library,” added
Terry Denson, Vice President of FiOS TV Content and Programming.
“And now our FiOS TV customers have access to all of the
best ultimate fighting action from UFC, available at any time.”
FiOS
is a competitor to both cable and satellite with premium television
content delivered to the home via Verizon’s high-speed phone
lines. The service is currently available to 8.2 million subscribers
in 14 states such as California, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas,
and Massachusetts.
As
a part of the the announced deal, the UFC will make content available
to Verizon customers on an in-demand basis through a triple-tiered
offering of three distinct services: UFC Free Zone, UFC Fight
Zone and UFC Event Zone.
UFC
Free Zone will feature free content that will consist of UFC
Countdown shows, event previews, as well as short features that
will educate newer fans about MMA rules and different fighting
techniques.
The
Fight Zone tier will make the UFC’s vast library of fights
available to viewers on an in-demand basis at a cost of $2.99
per fight.
The
package’s other premium tier, the Event Zone, will allow
viewers at a cost of $4.99 per title to order replays of past
events, DVD releases, as well as “UFC Classics” from
1993-1998.
If
this the new VOD service is a success, it could allow the UFC
to bring the concept to other major premium television providers.
If the service became available on a widespread basis, it would
mean that the UFC will have opened up yet another lucrative revenue
stream outside of pay-per-view buys, ticket sales, and merchandise
orders.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Patry:
“Patrick’s Game Plan Was Perfect”
By Kelsey Mowatt
Since
the unfortunate knee injury to Patrick Cote, which brought about
an abrupt and disappointing end to his title fight Saturday with
UFC World Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, many fans, pundits
and even the promotion’s President Dana White, have voiced
their opinion as to why the renowned champion was unable to blast
through Cote as expected. For the better part of the first two
rounds of the bout, Silva was unable to land many telling blows
to his French Canadian opponent, and Cote’s long time manager
Stephane Patry, believes it was his fighter’s game-plan
that stymied Silva’s typical onslaught.
“Of
course they are,” said Patry, when asked if he felt people
were overlooking Cote’s performance as a reason why Silva
appeared to be off track. “Patrick had the perfect game
plan for me; that’s what Anderson said. That’s what
he told us in the dressing room. That’s what he was telling
everybody. For some reason, people are saying that Anderson was
off, well he wasn’t. Patrick’s game plan was perfect.
We’re very proud of him. That’s one of those things.
You can’t win all of your fights and unfortunately he didn’t
win that one. In my opinion he did very well.”
Regardless
of whether or not people believe Silva was at his best, one cannot
take away from Cote the fact that the fighter lasted longer than
any other, who have met the Brazilian champion in the UFC Octagon
before. Of course we’ll never know just how long the fight,
which came to an end early into round three, would have continued.
“We’ve
known for a year that we needed surgery on that knee,” Patry
told FCF. “It’s just that he was in the middle of a
title race, and the kind of surgery that he needs will take him
out for at least six months. We didn’t want to do that right
now because everything was going so well for him. We took a risk.
Like I say to everybody, training is way harder than fighting
in MMA, and he’s been training like a mad man for the McFedries
fight, the Almeida fight, the Silva fight, and the knee never
gave out. Unfortunately he had some bad luck during the fight.
It sucks, but we’re going to go do the surgery next week
and we’ll go from there.”
Speculation
has already begun as to whether or not the Cote will face Silva
again. Of course the bout ended in an extremely anti-climatic
fashion, so in that respect, a rematch would seem prudent. On
the other hand, a lot can change in 6 months, and in light of
Silva’s recent comments regarding his coming retirement,
it remains to be seen whether or not the UFC will put together
Cote vs. Silva 2. Of course talk continues as to just how the
promotion will chose to use their best fighter if indeed Silva’s
career is winding down, and as a result, Cote might get lost
in the mix.
“I
haven’t talked to the UFC about that yet,” said Patry
when asked whether or not they will be pushing hard for a rematch.
“I don’t think the timing is right. We’ll wait
until after his surgery so we can see what kind of rest period
he is going to need. Obviously our plan, we want to fight Silva
again, we gave him the toughest fight he’s ever had in the
UFC. We think we can beat him; that’s for sure. With the
fight the way it ended, I mean, we want to see it again, and
I’m sure the fans want to see it again. We’ll see.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
MMA
Fastball: Thiago Alves a true contender
by Robert Rousseau
Here’s the next installment of MMA Fastball.
Thiago
Alves proves to be a true contender: Have to admit that I wasn’t
sold. Before his fight against Matt Hughes, I was sure that Alves
would get taken down and pounded on. Didn’t happen. Then
when I heard he was going to take on Josh Koscheck, well, the
same thing came to mind.
Again,
didn’t happen.
Rather,
Alves made both Hughes and Koscheck look small as he sprawled
out of takedowns and tore through them on his feet. Sure, the
Koscheck fight was more competitive than his match against Hughes,
but the bottom line is clear now.
Alves
has some of the best kicks in the business and new and improved
takedown defense to go along with it. That plus his size and
athleticism makes him a tough out for anyone, Georges St. Pierre
included. Who, by the way, recently wrote the following regarding
him:
“I
was very impressed by the performance of Thiago Alves. He showed
everybody why he belongs in the top fighters in the welterweight
division. Of course, it’s up to the UFC, but I think he
will be one of my next opponents pretty soon.”
So
after the UFC Welterweight Champion throws down with B.J. Penn,
it appears that someone will be waiting in the wings for his
title shot. And this guy has even more size than the current
champion.
Goodbye
to EliteXC: Well, it was fun while it lasted. The bottom line
is that they spent too much money too fast and put way too much
stock into an unproven MMA fighter in Kimbo Slice. When he lost,
that was likely the last straw.
Still,
you have to wonder why so many hardcore MMA fans seemed to want
EliteXC to fail. You can understand the frustration with Slice
getting main events without proving his worth—even trainer
Bas Rutten acknowledged that he hoped Slice would stay out of
main events in the immediate future following his loss to Seth
Petruzelli—but wanting MMA’s first foray into network
television to fail seems strange.
What
happens to female MMA?: Now that the number one U.S. proponent
of female MMA is gone, you’ve got to wonder where and when
we’ll the next see Gina Carano fight. Will the UFC finally
get involved? It’s doubtful until the female talent pool
gets bigger. Which leaves us with Strikeforce. Speaking of Strikeforce.
. .
Strikeforce
continues to make money: We’ve said this before on MMA Fastball.
Still, it seems worth noting once more. As all of the competing
organizations fail from overspending, Strikeforce continues to
make money. That’s an outfit with people that simply know
what they’re doing.
Start
small, people!
Speaking
of not starting small: MMA fans are almost all rooting for Affliction
to make it. After all, they were the ones that finally put together
a great Fedor fight when he took on Tim Sylvia at Affliction:
Banned. Up next is a showdown between Andrei Arlovski and the
current WAMMA Champion.
But
you have to wonder if Affliction is starting off too large as
well. After all, putting Josh Barnett, Matt Lindland, Andrei
Arlovski, Ben Rothwell, Tim Sylvia, and Fedor Emelianenko on
your initial card sure is a lot.
Is
Anderson Silva mortal after all?: Make no mistake, there was
no question who was winning their UFC 90 showdown before Cote
succumbed to a knee injury. But Cote was hardly being dominated.
Could Anderson Silva be mortal just like the rest of us?
Nah,
Cote just has a great chin. Besides, Silva recently said that
he wanted this fight to go into the later rounds.
UFC
91 is just around the corner: Some fights simply get your juices
flowing. Georges St. Pierre vs. B.J. Penn is one of them. All
of those old Randy Couture vs. Chuck Liddell fights were of the
same ilk. But this Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture fight may have
me psyched like no other before.
Lesnar
is the bigger and stronger wrestler, which likely means that
Couture is going to have to find a different way to win this
one than he’s used to. This fight will test his well-roundedness
like never before, and it’s only a few weeks away.
Mo
Lawal is a name to remember: Former Division II National Champion
Wrestler Mo Lawal just defeated a guy by the name of Travis Wiuff
in his MMA debut. Wiuff is a fighter that’s defeated Ricco
Rodriguez and Jason Guida in the past with over 65 MMA fights
to his credit. What’s even more impressive is the fact that
Lawal won the contest by knockout.
In
other words, he didn’t even really use his wrestling. Mo
Lawal is a fighter to watch.
Chuck
Liddell is a stand up guy: After his loss to Rashad Evans, Chuck
Liddell found himself fielding questions regarding longtime trainer
John Hackleman instead of himself. Still, he stood up for his
friend and trainer as most would’ve expected him to.
“We
had a good game plan,” Liddell said in an interview with
Sherdog.com, “and I got overzealous. … [Hackleman]
told me before we went out for the second [round]: ‘Don’t
chase him. Just take your time. Make him come to you.’ I
didn’t listen. How are you going to blame him when I’m
not listening?”
These
days, it’s more likely to see people throw those close to
them under a bus when things don’t go well. Not Liddell.
He never blames anybody but himself, which is the true mark of
any adult, let alone fighter.
Mirko
Cro Cop vs. Alistair Overeem rematch is set for December 31:
Cro Cop will get the chance to show the world that his last performance
against Overeem was just a bad day. That said, if he doesn’t
show this than the legend that is Mirko Cro Cop will take a huge
hit.
By
the way, he has a knee injury that will require surgery after
the event.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Sengoku
11/1 Saitama Super Arena card
By Zach Arnold
As
it stands today:
Light
Heavyweights: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Moise Rimbon (just
added to the fight card)
Lightweight GP Series (Reserve Match): Jorge Masvidal vs. Bang
Seung Hwan
Lightweight GP Series semi-final #1: Satoru Kitaoka vs. Eiji
Mitsuoka
Lightweight GP Series semi-final #2: Kazunori Yokota vs. Mizuto
Hirota
Lightweight GP Series finals
Middleweight GP Series semi-final #1: Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Yuki
Sasaki
Middleweight GP Series semi-final #2: Jorge Santiago vs. Siyar
Bahadurzada
Middleweight GP Series finals
Takanori Gomi vs. Sergei Golyaev
Izuru Takeuchi vs. Joe Doerksen
King Mo vs. Fabio Silva
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Marlon
Sandro on Pancrase title
Black belt remains undefeated in 12-fight career
Marlon
Sandro carries on blazing a trail of successes in his MMA career.
The 31-year-old Brazilian’s accomplishment this last October
26th meant more than just another “W” on his record,
though, as he captured the traditional Pancrase organization’s
featherweight title, having his hand raised for the 12th time
in his 12-fight career, after a hard-fought unanimous-decision
win over Japan’s Masaya “J-Taro” Takita (Wajyutsu
Keisyukai).
“I
knew there’d be a little of everything in the fight. I took
my chances striking with him to get the knockout, but didn’t
manage to. I caused a lot more damage standing and managed to
take him down a few times, but he tied up my arms on the ground,
holding onto me, gave up his back to get away, escaped an arm
lock, so he made things hard for me there. I managed to get some
strikes in, hurting him and causing him to drop his head in the
first round. When I saw that I fired off a flying knee that landed.
In the second, we started standing kicking and I managed to take
him down and take his back. I kept on his back till the second
round ended. In the third I dominated standing and hit him a
lot. After that I took him down again, took his back and ended
up sinking a triangle and hitting him from there. He tied up
my arm, didn’t let me go for the arm and neck choke and
I didn’t want to go for the armbar to not lose the position.
But everything worked out, thank God,” said Marlon in breaking
down how the fight played out.
On
having his Nova Uniao teammate Ronys Torres in his corner, he
had this to say: “Ronys and I have trained together a long
time, so we already know each other well. Although things were
harder because I was fighting a south paw, Ronys did everything
right in orienting me in the fight. This was the first time he
has been my cornerman and I think it turned out really well.”
The
fighter went further by speaking of what he hopes to accomplish
in his so-far unbeaten MMA career: “I feel great. Everyone
wants to be great, top of the category. I for sure want to be
among the best, competing against them, becoming number one in
the 66-kg category. I know I’m only just starting off abroad,
that’s why I’m going one step at a time,” said
the black belt with restrained enthusiasm.
Born,
raised and living in Rio de Janeiro’s low-income neighborhood,
Marlon has been using his knowledge of Jiu-Jitsu to benefit the
needy children in the community ever since he was a blue belt
teaching on the roof of his home. The project, which has already
bore noteworthy fruit in producing such successful and promising
professional fighters as undefeated Hacran Dias and the 18-year-old
Eduardo Dantas, is still going strong with around 50 youths practicing
in his class regularly.
“My
aim is to keep these kids from the world of drugs and give them
the chance to be upstanding citizens, by giving them sport with
which to win back their lives. This project gives me such great
pleasure I can’t even explain it,” stated Marlon, who
counts on the help of his brother in carrying out his Jesus Lives
Sports project.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Quality
means doing it right when no one is looking."
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American Industrialist and Founder of
Ford Motor Company
|
UPROAR
Magazine's second issue is now available
UPROAR Magazine's second issue featuring a cover story on Kendall
Grove is now available. Please help spread the word. Don't forget,
for breaking MMA news in Hawaii visit www.uproarhawaii.com.
Thanks
for reading,
Britt and Hanalei
DISTRIBUTION
LOCATIONS:
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OTM
Barnes & Noble (Kahala, Ala Moana)
Westside Fightgear (Waipahu, next to Don Quixote)
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Butigroove
WatchChaBack Gear (Windward Mall)
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No Fear (Kapolei)
Jelly's (Aiea)
Surf-N-Sea (Haleiwa)
Bloodline (Pearl City)
Fight Stop (Schofield Barracks)
Adrenaline Konceptz (Pearlridge Uptown)
Kings Fort Magazine (Fort Street Mall)
The Studio by Egan Inoue (Manoa)
O2 Martial Arts Academy (Aiea)
Hart & Huntington Tattoo Company (Waikiki)
Maui
Barnes & Noble (Lahaina)
Uncle Jesse's MMA Place (Wailuku Millyard)
Takamiya Market (Happy Valley)
Valley Hardware (Happy Valley)
Kuau Mini-Mart
Waikapu On 30
Afterlife Tattoo (next to 24 Hour Fitness in Kahului)
Pukalani Superette
Nagasako's mini-mart (Lahaina)
Paradise Supermarket (Kahului)
Hi Tech Surf Sports (Kahului)
Paradise Video (Kahului and Pukalani)
967KO (Kahului Industrial)
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Uptown
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2085 Main Street
Wailuku, Maui
SuperStop
I
270 Waiehu Beach Road, Unit 101
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SuperStop
II
370 Dairy Road
Kahului, HI 96732
Blackie's
Pit Stop
70 Kapunakea Street
Lahaina, HI 96761
Blackie's
Pit Stop IV
30 Mana'o Kala Street
Kihei, HI 96753
Kauai
Tamba Surf Shop (Kapa'a)
Work It Out (Kapa'a)
Scrapa Lifestylez (Hanamalu)
Strictly Roots (Lihu'e)
Big
Island
Hilo Fight Company (located in the Hilo Surfboard Company) Kim's
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Outside
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New Orleans, Louisiana
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Canada
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Uproar magazine
Co-publishers
(808) 385-9276 Britt
(808) 391-2468 Hana
P.O. Box 11356
Honolulu, HI 96828
|
Palolo
Gym Boxing Postponed to Dec 20th!
Our boxing show on Nov. 1st will be postponed probably to Dec.
20th. We'll inform everyone when the new date is confirmed.
It will be the 4th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial.
Clint Shelton was a amateur boxer with 5 bouts from the Palolo
Gym.
He passed away on his 21st birthday.
Thanks, Bruce Kawano
|
Aloha
State Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Date Set For
November 15th!
The third crown of the triple crown, the Aloha State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has pushed back its event one week and
now will be held on Nov. 15th at Gym #1 at the University of
Hawaii at Manoa.
Check out the website for more details.
|
Mark
Davies: If Elite XC was paying for stand-up fights, what is the
UFC paying for?
By Zach Arnold
By Mark Davies
Dana
White exceeded his 2008 hypocrisy quotient when bashing Pro Elite
over the pay-to-stand scandal. This is Zuffa calling the kettle
black. The UFC has been using a bonus structure to reward fighters
for ‘good’ stand-up fighters for years. The only difference
is that they do it, in part, by cutting good but boring fighters.
Matt Lindland, Ivan Salaverry, and the whole lightweight division
after Penn/Uno are all good examples.
To
the UFC, and most fans, exciting equals lousy kickboxing and
that’s what Zuffa pays for. Assuming we take the UFC’s
business practices at face value, it’s fair to say the UFC
financially rewards fighters who are willing to stand and trade
even if it impedes their chances of winning. Even when they possess
only marginal skills in any or all areas. Chris Leben just main-evented
for goodness sake. The market leader also financially punishes
fighters who insist on grinding out dull decisions by making
them scrape out a living in the minor promotions and Japan. That’s
why Jorge Rivera has a place in the UFC and Matt Lindland does
not.
There
is a minor technical difference in this method of paying fighters
to stand but there is no real difference between what Pro Elite
was accused of doing and what the UFC has been doing for years.
Why do so many fighters insist on standing when it’s clear
that it doesn’t give them the best chance to win? Because
they know it gives them the best chance to keep their job.
Chris
Lytle choosing to take his chances by standing with Paul Taylor
for almost the entire fight despite a massive advantage in ground
skills, and the demonstrated ability to take Taylor down, is
Exhibit A. Lytle squeaked out a deserved decision but he had
a much easier, much more reliable, albeit extra boring, way to
win. Given that he was taking heavy damage at the end of the
fight and hard punches throughout, why not take Taylor down and
hump his leg for a while?
As
for Taylor, Joe Rogan told him “I don’t think this
loss hurts your career in any way.” Can there be a clearer
indication that a promotion values “excitement” over
honest competition? How can a loss to a gatekeeper not hurt your
UFC career? Because Rogan recognizes the UFC’s priorities.
These priorities are fine for an entertainment company, and we
are entertained, but Dana White shouldn’t be knocking Elite
for going slightly farther in tipping the scales away from honest
competition when he, and his employers, started that shift a
long time ago.
What
Constitutes “Doing Well?”
Job
security may not be the only way that Zuffa maintains a steady
supply of shoddy kickboxing. The idea that the UFC promotes “excitement”
by even more underhanded means, has recently been broached by
Dave Meltzer in his Wrestling Observer newsletter. Meltzer states
that providing unreported bonuses is a common practice in the
UFC and vaguely alluded to the idea that these bonuses were akin
to what Pro Elite did. He declined to give further details.
Randy
Couture has previously complained about insufficient “shower
room” non-contractual bonuses, so the existence of unreported
bonuses would hardly be breaking news even if Dana White hadn’t
confirmed it last year. Underreported news yes, but not breaking
news.
At
a press conference last year Dana made the following statement,
as reported by Sherdog.com:
“I
don’t know if there’s ever been a promoter that gives
out more money than what’s on the contract, that’s
what we do. A fighter does well, we walk back into the locker
room and cut guys checks for more money.”
Whatever
the motive, we can treat it as an established fact that the UFC
is passing out money over and above what their contracts call
for. Zuffa also went to great lengths to declare that this was
not done as a way to cheat the IRS.
If
we accept Zuffa’s word as it pertains to not cheating the
IRS, then how are these bonuses different than a win bonus? The
easy answer would be that they are a way to reward a fighter
who loses valiantly. That’s the easy answer but the available
evidence suggests it’s not the correct one. First of all,
Randy’s initial complaint was that he didn’t receive
a bonus after beating Gonzaga. If these bonuses were only for
losing fighters, why would Couture expect one after a win?
Couture
also stated that he received an unreported bonus after the third
Liddell fight. Lasting 90 seconds with Chuck Liddell into the
second round would be “doing well” for a Cage Rage
middleweight, but to reward Couture for that performance is to
make a mockery of the above-proposed rationale for these bonuses.
“Doing
well” is clearly a euphemism for “if we want to give
you the money.” Couture referred to a $500,000 bonus for
the Sylvia fight. That means the shower-room bonus was a quarter
of Randy’s income from that fight. That kind of percentage
means that fighters will be working very hard to please Zuffa,
excuse me, that should read “to do well.”
Not
counting tax reasons, there are four possible explanations for
why the UFC pays these shower-room bonuses.
The
first is altruism. That is what Zuffa would have you believe
but it doesn’t pass the laugh test. The second is to build
goodwill with their fighters that will pay off later in contract
negotiations. This is a slight possibility but the UFC’s
reputation for playing contractual hardball doesn’t bear
it out. That and the fact that the UFC has enjoyed a near monopoly
for almost a decade, makes explanation number two less than credible.
The
third and fourth possible reasons are much more likely. The only
reason to pay anyone money is to get them to do what you want.
The UFC already has win, knockout, submission, and PPV buyrate
bonuses. What else do they need to incentivize? What other behavior
are they trying to promote? A propensity to spend more time than
strategically necessary standing up and engaging? A willingness
to go down in flames rather than win in a snoozer? Fighters know
what kind of fights the UFC wants. It’s no mystery when
Chris Leben main-events multiple shows and Lyoto Machida couldn’t
even sniff a main event when he was fighting the third-most-popular
fighter in UFC history.
The
fourth possible reason to pay these bonuses is to manipulate
the pay scale. It is a fundamental tenet of economics that if
employees know what each other are making, then an employer almost
always ends up paying more. It’s no coincidence that transparency
in pay packets is necessary for collective bargaining. This seems
the most likely explanation since Couture referred to bonuses
that had been promised him pre-fight but the pay to stand explanation
is also fairly convincing. Whatever their reasoning is, Zuffa
is hardly in a position to get on their high horse with regards
to what other promoters are paying their fighters to do.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Cro
Cop vs Overeem on New Year’s
First bout between the two ended in no contest
The
one who broke the news was Mirko Cro Cop himself on the website
denevnik.hr: he will be facing Alistair Overeem at the K-1 end-of-the-year
event, K-1 Dynamite!. Should it take place, the bout will be
seen as closure for the fight that took place September 26th,
at Dream 6. On the occasion, both participated in one of the
most important matches of the evening, and an unfortunately placed
knee from the Dutchman struck the Croatian fighter in the groin.
As Cro Cop was in no condition to return to battle, the judges’
were left no choice but to declare a no-contest.
Feeling
he was doing better at the time the fight was stopped, Overeem
accused Cro Cop of running from the fight, which set off a bitter
exchange between the two in the press. “I'm sorry this great
fight had to end this way (no-contest). I wanted to finish the
fight with Cro Cop with a KO or submission in a fair way,"
said Overeem shortly after the fight.
The
K-1 organization has not yet made an official announcement as
the the Dynamite! card, however, aside from the said bout between
Cro Cop and Overeem, a bout between Gesias Cavalcante and lightweight
GP champion Joachim Hansen is in the works.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Faber
Talks Mike and Ike
By Steven Marrocco
WEC
featherweight champion Urijah Faber was ready to face Mike Brown
at the Hard Rock Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Sept. 10.
As ready as he could be—there were minor injuries gnawing
at him, but he would sweep those aside when he got into the cage.
Since
winning the title, Faber had turned heads for his relentless
attack on opponents and win-at-all-costs attitude. He likened
his state of mind during a fight to being in a backdoor brawl.
“I
look at it as how nature is,” he said. “When it comes
down to a fight situation, I put myself in a position of being
on the street, and I don’t care how I feel. If someone’s
going to try to beat me up, I’m going to react and whatever’s
in my head is going to go out the door and I’m going to
defend myself and come out the victor. I always go back to that
when things get rough.”
On
Sep. 5, five days before the WEC lights were turned on, Hurricane
Ike swept through, or rather by, the Sunshine State, forcing
the cancellation of the show. Most fighters and their camps were
about to get on the plane when they got the call.
Faber
says the postponement was a blessing—a chance he needed
to let his body heal and work on his skills. A self-described
gym rat, Faber lives life as training, and training as life.
“I
live on a clock with sixteen guys and we all train,” he
said. “For me seeing guys like Jens [Pulver], and Couture,
and a lot of these guys that have the right mentality that are
getting older in the sport, they get better as time goes on.
So I’m aware of that and I’m going to be one of the
guys that keeps on learning. There’s not really a time for
a break for me.”
The
hardest pill to swallow was the missed payday. For the WEC, Faber
is at the top of the food chain for purses. Faber made $44,000
for his last effort against Jens Pulver at WEC 34. He’s
motivated to by the idea he could lose it all.
“It’s
basically a combination of loving what I’m doing and understanding
that it’s something that could be taken away from me if
I let myself slip,” he said. “That’s something
I don’t really like to focus on. I just try to focus on
the fact that I love this sport.”
And
by now, Faber he gotten used to having a target on his back.
His opponent on Nov. 10, Mike Brown, is the fifth suitor for
his belt. Brown is a UFC veteran with a record of 19-4 and trains
out of the highly respected American Top Team academy in Coconut
Creek, Florida. Brown’s only losses come to top tier names,
like Joe Lauzon, Genki Sudo, and Hermes Franca. He’s no
pushover.
There’s
been a lot of talk about Faber moving up to the lightweight division,
perhaps competing in the WEC’s big brother, the UFC. Faber
hasn’t spoken much about the idea, and if he were to move
up, he’d be at a significant weight disadvantage. So far,
his desire to face Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto has been
a bust, although more Japanese fighters have made their way to
the WEC in the past year. Should he get past Brown, a logical
challenger doesn’t really jump out of the division. But
as one of the faces of the organization, Faber will eventually
need a bigger platform.
“Although
I’ve had a lot of exposure thus far, I plan on doing bigger
things in this sport,” he said. “Every time I go out
there and fight is a big opportunity for myself as well. I know
that although I’m the face, these guys are all tough.”
So
when it comes to a little distraction like a hurricane, Faber
is not too flustered by a change of plans.
“During
life tribulations, my most comfortable time is during training,”
he said. “Other than that, I love fighting and had to wait
a little longer. I had to re-setup my training to drag it out
a little longer, but it’s okay to wait for me.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
WEC
36: LEONARD GARCIA READY TO MOVE FORWARD
by Tom Hamlin
Wrong place, wrong time – it’s a thought Leonard Garcia
knows well. Misfortune seems to follow him wherever he goes.
Fighting in the cage is one of the only times he feels right.
“When
it comes time to fight, no matter what happens, for 15 minutes,
you’re going to see red, so the doubts to me aren’t
in the cage at all,” Garcia said in a recent teleconference
for his upcoming fight against Jens Pulver at WEC 36.
Garcia
traces his bad luck to an incident when he was 18. He was at
a late night diner when an apparently intoxicated man entered
the restaurant and tried to shove the food his girlfriend was
eating down her throat. At the time, Garcia was a football player
at Plainview High in Lubbock, Texas, and wanted to play for Texas
Tech University. Garcia confronted the man, who shoved him back.
Never
one to back down from confrontation, Garcia knocked the man out
in front of stunned diners. No one called the police. The man
eventually woke up and left the diner, but continued to make
a scene outside. As Garcia and his girlfriend left, the man challenged
him again. When Garcia accepted, the man pulled a knife. Garcia
was stabbed nine times; both of his lungs were punctured.
“I
don’t know if I would have been good enough to play college
ball, but he took that chance away from me,” he said.
Not
long after that, Garcia’s sister died in a car accident.
Garcia
credits his family for saving him in those troubled times, but
he takes the memories of those days with him into competition.
He
took up mixed martial arts in his twenties and eventually made
it to the UFC. His fight with Roger Huerta at UFC 69 almost stole
the show. He won his next UFC fight against Alan Berube, but
lost to Cole Miller at Ultimate Fight Night 11. By then, the
Zuffa-owned WEC was going full steam, and Garcia decided he could
shine in its featherweight division.
The
Texas native turned in an impressive performance at WEC 32, knocking
out K-1 and Shooto veteran Hiroyuki Takaya in the first round.
Then, misfortune caught up to him again.
On
March 27, Garcia was arrested along with 12 others in connection
with a drug investigation led by the DEA. Garcia vehemently denied
any role in drug trafficking, and said he was guilty of hanging
around with the wrong people. He was eventually cleared of the
charges, but says he still faces a year of probation for refusing
to testify against the main conspirator in the case.
“The
guy is already going to go to jail,” Garcia explained to
MMAWeekly.com. “He’s gonna get three to five years.
I guess they really want everybody to get something. They said
if you don’t say he was doing this or he was doing that,
you’re probably going to get a year of probation. I can
deal with a year of probation. I can’t deal with somebody
chasing after my family because they think I said something.
My lawyer said to think of it as a punishment for hanging out
with this guy.”
Garcia
said the WEC has supported him through the whole ordeal, and
sees a bright future for him in the organization. On Nov. 5,
Garcia faces perhaps his toughest challenge yet – in the
cage – against Pulver.
In
fighting styles, and maybe even in life, the two share many similar
traits. They fight to knock out or get knocked out.
“A
lot of the things that I do are similar to what he does,”
he said. “Of course, I run on emotion a lot, and I’m
a highly agitated person by nature, so when they offered this
fight, I gladly accepted. I think Jens is one of those fighters
that brings the best out of everybody.”
In
a media teleconference call for WEC 36, Pulver said his move
to AMC Pankration in Seattle has broken him through a long plateau
in his fighting career. But Garcia doesn’t buy that.
“He
says he doesn’t want to be the guy just coming forward,”
he said. “I don’t think you can change that after 15
years of fighting.”
Like
his toe-to-toe slugfest with Huerta, Garcia says he’s best
when his opponent pressures him.
“It’s
the people that are slow and methodical that give me problems,”
he said. “I like fast paced, hard fighting, back and forth
action. Jens possesses all the problems that I like to deal with.”
Besides,
Garcia would much rather dealing with problems inside the cage,
than out.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Bustamante:
“I bet Anderson won’t stop”
By Eduardo Ferreira
Anderson
Silva’s retirement in 2009 shocked the world in the last
few weeks. With 6 years old in his best time in career, a lot
of people think it’s early. With 40, the former UFC champion
and one of the most expert fighters in MMA, Murilo Bustamante
don’t think in retirement, and best Anderson won’t
do it next year. “I bet with anyone the Anderson won’t
retire. He likes what he does and is on his best phase in career.
When the contract finishes they’ll call him to fight again,
he just won’t say no”, bets the BJJ black belt.
Source: Tatame
|
HDNet
Acquires IFL Assets
by Loretta Hunt
Mark Cuban’s HDNet channel has gotten the go-ahead to purchase
the remaining assets of the International Fight League, which
filed for bankruptcy on Sept. 15., for $650,000.
The
U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of New York on
Tuesday passed a motion allowing the now-defunct organization
to complete the sale, according to forms filed Thursday with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
For
the $650,000 price tag, HDNet will be entitled to all intellectual
property, including the IFL’s film, video, and image library;
its five-roped competition ring and team trademarks; and proprietary
rights, including its Web site. The transaction also includes
any remaining broadcast contracts the IFL acquired during its
two-year tenure, which includes a deal with FOX Sports Network.
The
IFL promoted 23 events in 24 months, and featured notable fighters
like Ben Rothwell, Chris Horodecki, Jay Hieron, and Rory Markham.
Many of the IFL’s brightest stars have recently signed deals
with the UFC, WEC, and Affliction Entertainment.
Fast
becoming a destination for MMA programming, HDNet boasts broadcast
deals with Strikeforce, Affliction, M-1 Challenge, and Japan’s
Dream promotion, among others.
Andrew
Simon, CEO of HDNet Fights, said he expected the deal to close,
but would not divulge any further details in a text sent to Sherdog.com.
Source: Sherdog
|
Strikeforce
'Destruction' Finalized
From: Cory Brady, FiveOuncesOfPain.com
Strikeforce
has released a completed line-up of their “Destruction”
event. Strikeforce Destruction will take place at the HP Pavilion
in San Jose on November 21st. The card will see a total of eleven
fights including lightweight and light heavyweight title matches.
In
the nights main event Josh “the Punk” Thompson will
defend his lightweight championship against the always dangerous
Yves Edwards.Thompson has been on an absolute tear through the
lightweight division since his last loss at the hands of Clay
Guida way back in March of 2006, going undefeated in his last
eight bouts with notable wins over Nam Phan and Duane Ludwig
before wininghis belt from the waist of Gilbert Melendez. Edwards
is as experienced as they come having fought in close to fifty
professional mixed martial arts bouts in the course of his career.
Edwards will be looking to rebound from a disappointing knockout
loss at the hands of K.J. Noons.
This
fight will mark the second time these two have met during their
careers. The pair first fought in 2004 at UFC 49 and the bout
ended in spectacular fashion. Near the end of the first round
Thompson broke free from an Edwards clinch and threw a blind
spinning backfist. At the exact same time Edwards threw a right
head kick with such force that both of his feet left the canvas.
The kick connected flush and Edward rained down punches on a
defenseless Thompson until the referee called a halt to the contest
at 4:32 of the first round. Edwards having a win over Thompson
will make the fight all the more entertaining when Thompson seems
to be the best he’s ever been and Edwards will be trying
to avoid a consecutive loss.
Renato
“Babalu” Sobral will be facing off with Bobby Southworth
for the Strikeforce light heavyweight championship. The Ultimate
Fighter alumni Bobby Southworth won the title with a five round
decision victory over Anthony Ruiz back in June. He will be looking
to make his first title defense against Renato “Babalu”
Sobral who has won his last three fights with his most recent
win coming over Mike Whitehead at July’s Affliction Banned
card.
Also
on the card will be UFC veteran Joe Riggs looking to bounce back
from his controversial stoppage loss to Kazuo Misaki in September’s
Strikeforce- Playboy Mansion II event when he faces off with
tatted up submission specialist, Luke Stewart, who holds an impressive
record of 6-1.
Here
is a full list of the fights scheduled for Strikeforce Destruction
*Josh
Thompson vs. Yves Edwards (lightweight title)
*Bobby Southworth vs. Renato “Babalu” Sobral (light
heavyweight title)
*Joe “Diesel” Riggs vs. Luke Stewart
*Lemont Davis vs. Brian Schwartz
*Brad Royster vs. Darren Uyenoyama
*Tony Johnson vs. Eric Lawson
*Alvin Cacdac vs. Jose Palacios
*Bobby Stack vs. Cyrillo Padilha
*Zakary Bucia vs. Jaime Rodriguez
*Kurt Osiander vs. Raul Castillo
*Nik Theotikos vs. Luke Rockhold
Source: The Fight Network
|
Dana
White comments on Cage Fighter ban
UFC president Dana White wouldn't divulge exactly why the Cage
Fighter clothing line has been banned from UFC events but claims
it's not related to shelf space.
"It has nothing to do with the Wal-Mart deal," White
recently said on TapouT Radio. "These guys made some moves
I didn't like, and we're going to figure it out... or not."
In
a story first reported by MMAPayout.com, sources told the website
focusing on the business of MMA that the UFC instituted the ban
after losing shelf space to MMA Authentics at Wal-Mart stores.
UFC
fighters are no longer allowed to wear MMA Authentics/Cage Fighter
clothing at UFC events.
Cage
Fighter is the most popular of several brands under MMA Authentics,
an Ohio-based apparel company launched in March 2007 when the
UFC came to the state for the first time.
The
other clothing company banned by the UFC is Affliction, which
the UFC began classifying as a competitor when Affliction entered
fight promoting.
MMA
Authentics/Cage Fighter has sponsored many of the UFC's top stars
such as Roger Huerta, BJ Penn, Chuck Liddell, Joe Stevenson and
Diego Sanchez.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Hermes
and his comeback
‘Anyone who fights knows what its like to come back after
two losses’
Gabriel Menezes
Hermes
Franca’s recent victory means a much better lot in his fighting
career than if he were to have lost his third fight in a row
in the UFC. When he stepped into the octagon Saturday night,
he was coming off back-to-back losses against Sean Sherk, at
UFC 73, and Frankie Edgar, at UFC Fight Night 14, both by unanimous
decision.
Hermes
commented to GRACIEMAG.com about how the win has rekindled his
career. “I’m happy with my determination and strength
of will. Anyone who fights or has fought knows what it’s
like to come back after losing two fights in a row and risk losing
a third. It’s tough because it’s a great weight on
my shoulders. But it all worked out.”
On
the inevitable “teacher vs student” subject, Franca
gave his opinion. “A lot of people commented on this fight
as being between teacher and student. Marcus was my BJJ teacher
in the gi from blue to brown belt. He didn’t teach me MMA.
I learned to fight MMA here in the States. When I left the American
Top Team I was already in the UFC. He came in I believe last
year, but we knew this could happen [the bout]. Now there’s
Thiago Tavares, also a great friend of mine, Kurt Pellegrino,
who was my student, and other people I know. So it was all very
professional.”
The
black belt, who is already a well-known figure with the American
public, also spoke about how he trained for his fight with Marcus
Aurelio: “I went to train in San Diego, where I was well
received. I trained with several athletes and from different
academies, like Saulo Ribeiro, Morango, Dean Lister, War Machine,
Brandon Vera. I went to Sacramento to train with Urijah Faber,
it was all worthwhile,” said the Brazilian, who is in Iraq
with the American army teaching a week’s worth of seminars.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
K-1
interested in Kimbo/Petruzelli re-match on NYE
By Zach Arnold
Sharon
Robb in The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has a report featuring
comments from Richie Guerriero of the American Top Team in regards
to Elite XC closing up shop. However, the biggest note from Robb’s
article is this:
Slice,
who spent Thursday at one of his children’s school career
day, is weighing his options with his agent Mike Imber. He may
fight on the DREAM K-1 New Year’s Eve show in Japan, possibly
a rematch with Petruzelli.
If
you recall, Petruzelli was telling Orlando media after his fight
with Kimbo Slice that he had received an offer to fight in Japan.
As
far as Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli having any drawing power
in Japan… you could dip Seth Petruzelli in glue, drag him
through Fort Knox, and he wouldn’t draw a single dollar.
Kimbo, on the other hand, could draw very well in Japan. However,
putting him in a re-match against Petruzelli is a stupid idea…
unless, of course, K-1 paid off Petruzelli to take a dive in
the fight. Why not.
Source: Fight Opinion
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