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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2010
February
BJJ Tournament
(tba)
2009
11/21/09
UFC
106
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas)
11/14/09
UFC
105
(United Kingdom)
November
Aloha
State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
10/24/09
UFC
104
(Staples Center, Los Angeles)
10/18/09
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Pearl City H.S. Gym)
10/17/09
H.A.P.A.
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association
Hit-And-Submit
#4
(Pankration)
9/19/09
UFC
103
(American Airlines Center, Dallas)
9/16/09
UFC
Fight Night 19
(Cox Convention Center, Oklahoma City)
9/12/09
Hawaiian
Open Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
8/29/09
MAUI OPEN 2009
Submission Grappling Challenge
(Sub Grappling)
(Maui War Memorial Gym)
UFC
102
(Rose Garden, Portland)
8/22/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Maui)
8/9/09
WEC
(Las Vegas, NV)
8/8/09
UFC
101: Declaration
(BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian)
(Wachovia Center, Philadelphia)
8/1/09
Affliction: Trilogy
Fedor vs. Barnett
(Honda Cetner, Anaheim, CA)
7/25/09
X-1
Scuffle On Schofield
(MMA)
(Tropics Recreation Center, Schofield Barracks)
Amateur Boxing at Palolo
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
Gracie Tournament
(Kalaheo H.S. Gym)
**Cancelled**
7/23/09
JUST SCRAP
(MMA)
(Pipeline Cafe)
7/20/09
Dream 10: Welterweight GP Final
(Japan)
7/11/09
UFC
100: Lesnar vs. Mir
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV)
7/10/09
Man up and Stand up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)
6/27-28/09
OTM's 2009
Pac Sub
(Gi & No-Gi competition)
(Blaisdell Exhibition Hall)
6/20/09
The
Ultimate Fighter 9:
Team US vs Team UK Finale
6/13/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
UFC
99: Comeback
Silva vs. Franklin
(Cologne, Germany)
6/7/09
WEC: Brown vs. Faber 2
(Versus)
6/6/09
Quest for Champions 2009 Tournament
(Sport Pankration, Sub Grappling)
(Kalani HS Gym)
Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields
(St. Louis, MO)
6/4/09 - 6/7/09
World
JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University Long Beach, Long Beach, CA)
5/30/09
Event of the Champions
(Triple Threat, Kickboxing, Grappling)
(Elite Auto Group Center)
5/26/09
Dream 9
5/23/09
UFC
98: Evans vs. Machida
(PPV)
5/16/09
KTI's Scrappa Lifestylez
Scrapplers Fest
(BJJ/Submission Grappling)
(Kauai)
5/9/09 - 5/10/09 &
5/16/09 - 5/17/09
Brazilian Nationals JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
5/9/09
X-1 Kona
(MMA)
(Kekuaokalani Gym, Kona)
15th Grapplers Quest Las Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Las Vegas, NV)
5/2/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)
Uprising MMA
(MMA)
(Maui)
May 2009
Abu Dhabi World Submission Wrestling Championships
(Sub Grappling)
(Tentative)
4/25/09
MMA Madness Water Park Extravaganza
(MMA)
(Hawaiian Waters Adventure Park, Kapolei)
4/18/08
Kingdom
MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
NY
International JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
4/11/09
Hawaiian
Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser High)
X-1: Temple of Boom
(Boxing & MMA)
(Palolo Hongwangi)
4/10/09
HFC: Stand Your Ground XII
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Dole Cannery Ballroom)
4/4/09 - 4/5/09
NAGA
World Championship
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(NJ, Tentative)
3/28/09
Garden Island Cage Match
(MMA)
(Hanapepe Stadium, Hanapepe, Kauai)
3/27/09
- 3/29/09
Pan
Am JJ Championships
(BJJ)
(Carson, CA)
3/27/09
Tiger Muay Thai Competition
(Muay Thai)
(Tiger Muay Thai Gym, Sand Island Road)
3/21/09 - 3/22/09
$30k Grapplers Quest/Fight Expo/Make a Wish Weekend
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Del Mar, CA)
NAGA US Nationals
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Georgia)
3/14/09
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association: "Hit and Submit"
(Pankration & Muay Thai)
(O-Lounge Night Club, Honolulu)
NAGA Vegas
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
3/7/09
UFC 96
(PPV)
(Columbus, OH)
Grapplers Quest Beast of the East
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Wildwood, New Jersey)
2/27/09
X-1 World Events
NEW BEGINNING"
(MMA)
(Maui War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)
2/21/09
Destiny
(MMA)
(Filcom Center, Waipahu)
UFC
95
(PPV)
(London, England)
2/15/09
X1 World Events
Temple of Boom: Fight Night III
(MMA)
(Palolo Hongwanji)
2/8/09
IWFF
Submission Wrestling Tournament
(No-Gi)
(IWFF Academy, Wailuku, Maui)
2/7/09
4th Annual Clint Shelton Memorial
(Boxing)
(Palolo Gym)
Manup and Standup
(Kickboxing)
(Kapolei Rec Center, Kapolei)
UFC Fight Night
(PPV)
(Tampa, FL)
1/31/09
UFC 93 BJ vs GSP
(PPV)
(MGM Grand, Las Vegas, NV)
1/30/09
MMA Event
(MMA)
(Schofield Barracks)
1/24/09
Eddie Bravo Seminar
(BJJ)
1/17/09
UFC
93
(PPV)
(Dublin, Ireland)
1/10/09
MAT ATTACK Jiu-Jitsu & Submission Grappling Tournament
(Sub Wrestling)
(Lihikai School, Kahului, Maui)
1/3/08
Uprising - Maui
(MMA)
(Paukukalo Hawaiian Homes Gym)
Hazardous Warfare - Maui
(MMA)
(Lahaina Civic Center)
|
|
July
2009 News Part 3
|
Casca Grossa Jiu-Jitsu
is now the O2 Martial Arts Academy with 7 days a week training!
We are also offering Kali-Escrima (stick fighting) on Monday
nights with Ian Beltran and Kickboxing Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday with Kaleo Kwan, PJ Dean, & Chris Slavens!
Kids Classes are also
available!
Click
here for info!
Take classes from the Onzuka brothers in a family-like environment! |
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for a hotel room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
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the special Onzuka.com price, click banner above! |
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Fighters'
Club TV
The Toughest Show
On Teleivision
Tuesdays
at 8:00PM
***NEW TIME***
Olelo Channel 52 on Oahu
Also on Akaku on Maui
Check
out the FCTV website! |
Onzuka.com
Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!
Chris, Mark,
and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while
now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit
a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most
popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.
He
offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The
three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being
the lead since he is on there all day anyway!
We
encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world
to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.
If you
do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click here to set up an account.
Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After
all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground
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To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
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O2
Martial Arts Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.
We have 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.
New
O2MAA Kid's Jiu-Jitsu Class On Fridays from 5:30 to 6:30 PM!
Wrestling Class Starts On Fridays from 8:30 to 9:30 PM!
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Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
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Quote
of the Day
"Be
kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
Plato
|
M-1
Global: Fedor Emelianenko Not Offered $30 Million
Ariel Shnerer
Fedor
Emelianenko never turned down a six-fight $30 million deal to
join the Ultimate Fighting Championship, according to a report
by Loretta Hunt of Sherdog.com.
CBS
Radio host Carmichael Dave claimed on Wednesday that Emelianenko
turned down the aforementioned deal, but M-1 Global CEO Joost
Raimond called the report "completely ludicrous."
“I
can say that the guaranteed -- and the word ‘guaranteed’
is of great importance here -- the guaranteed offer made by the
UFC is less than what Fedor made before,” Raimond told Sherdog.com.
“The five-million (per fight) is way, way, way out of range.
Half of that is even way out of range of what they offered.”
According
to Raimond, contract negotiations never reached a point where
the number of fights was even discussed. Moreover, a written
contract was never presented to Emelianenko's management team.
“And
there were a number of provisions attached to that offer that
made it very much less interesting,” Raimond told Sherdog.com.
“We made it clear that Fedor, now and forever is part, even
part owner, of M-1 and those two cannot be separated. If the
rest of M-1 is excluded from any kind of deal, it makes the deal
difficult.”
Additionally,
Raimond confirmed that M-1 Global was presented with a deal to
receive a cut of pay-per-view profits on top of Emelianenko's
guaranteed salary, but no other profit-sharing incentives were
offered.
However,
the UFC did agree to allow Emelianenko to continue competing
in sambo matches and to wear M-1 clothing.
A
fight against UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was not discussed,
according to Raimond.
UFC
officials told Sherdog.com that UFC President Dana White was
travelling and the earliest comment would come Friday during
a media conference call.
While
nothing is finalized, it does appear that negotiations, which
are clearly in full swing, are promising to finally bring "The
Last Emperor" to the UFC.
“We
had a very professional, productive and respectful meeting with
the UFC,” Raimond told Sherdog.com. “I think both parties
walked away (knowing) even though a deal wasn’t made, that
a very decent meeting was had.”
Source:
Fight Network
|
STRIKEFORCE
CEO: AFFLICTION'S FALL NOT SO SUDDEN
by Steven Marrocco
Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker had swept through Florence and Venice
and was in Rome when his girlfriend’s cell phone started
to blow up. It was his office with bad news: Josh Barnett had
allegedly tested positive for steroids.
“My
first thought was, who did the test?” Coker told MMAWeekly.com.
“Because it’s usually after the fact. That was at midnight
or one (on Tuesday morning).”
Coker
was informed early Friday morning that Affliction had formally
folded.
“I’m
like, Jesus, man,” he continued. “I’d hate to
be the guy to tell Fedor that it’s not happening.”
It
did not take him by surprise that the new promoter had closed
up shop – though he expected it to happen after “Trilogy.”
He
disputes a well-read report that said Strikeforce was in the
final stages of a merger with the clothing company.
“I
just want to make the facts straight: there were never merger
talks,” he said. “It makes me look stupid. I was very
much in touch.”
Coker
would confirm, however, that Strikeforce had been in talks with
Affliction for several months regarding a sponsorship deal, which
never came to fruition. Shortly after Barnett was removed from
the card, communications broke down between the companies over
a possible replacement. That replacement was Strikeforce heavyweight
Brett Rogers.
“The
reality, honestly, is that I couldn’t react fast enough
for Todd (Beard) to feel good about,” said Coker.
Beard,
who Affliction said resigned in November to seek counseling for
alcohol abuse and anger management problems, was apparently still
at the helm, and upset with Coker’s unwillingness to allow
Rogers to step in.
“I’m
like, look, it’s not just me, I have to talk to Showtime,
and usually we don’t put fighters in fights that we can’t
have a rematch with,” Coker continued. “It’s like,
you want us to take one of our top heavyweights and give him
to you when he’s only trained for five days? He’s just
going to be taking the fight for the money. Even if you wanted
to pay me money, it’s not worth it to me. And Showtime’s
like no. So I told Todd, get a rematch clause for Fedor. But
on another show, in the future, we can do it. Which I think is
reasonable.”
In
the end, though, Coker understood that any future talent exchanges
wouldn’t be necessary, because the clothing company was
getting out of the fight business.
“That
was already in the works,” he said. “How they got out…(if)
they became a sponsor for Strikeforce, (were) the conversations
we were having. This was their last fight, so there would be
no more fighters. The dialogue was that they were getting out
of the business a month ago.”
A
few high-profile fighters that appeared homeless after the cancellation
were, in fact, already with Strikeforce.
“I
can only speak for the fighters we have under contract that we
allowed them to use,” he said. “One is Babalu, and
one is Gegard Mousasi. Those are our fighters. The deal (with
Gegard) was made months ago.”
Strikeforce
recently signed Jay Hieron, who was previously under a non-exclusive
deal with Affliction, to face Nick Diaz on Aug. 15.
Others,
like Vitor Belfort, do not have a clear path.
“I’ve
got enough 185-pound fighters I’ve got to keep busy,”
he said. “Vitor’s been around a long time. He’s
a great fighter, and that’s a conversation maybe we could
have, but we just haven’t had it.”
The
most coveted fighter of them all, Fedor Emelianenko, is currently
entertaining Coker’s offer along with “4 or 5”
others from MMA and boxing promoters.
The
San Jose, Calif., based promoter will now shift his focus to
Aug. 15, when two top female fighters, Gina Carano and Cristiane
“Cyborg” Santos, headline a major event for the first
time ever.
Coker’s
time with Affliction is done, but the lesson of its demise is
one he’s become accustomed to.
“The
natural laws of economics apply to all businesses, and they applied
to Affliction,” he said.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Fedor
Emelianenko turns down three-fight UFC contract
by Ariel Helwani
Fedor
Emelianenko said on Wednesday that he does not intend to sign
a contract with the UFC unless it agrees to promote fights jointly
with Emelianenko's promoter, M-1 Global. Since then, several
Web sites have reported that Emelianenko had turned down a six-fight
contract with the UFC worth $30 million.
FanHouse
has learned from a source close to the negotiations, who wished
to remain anonymous, that the UFC offered Emelianenko a three-fight
contract with a guarantee of less than $2 million per fight.
The
source did confirm that Emelianenko was offered an immediate
title shot against current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar.
As
Jonathan Snowden, the author of 'Total MMA: Inside Ultimate Fighting,'
who also spoke to someone with knowledge of the negotiations,
pointed out, it is possible that Emelianenko could make up to
or even more than $30 million during his UFC run, but that amount
wasn't guaranteed up front.
"The
number is based on Zuffa's projections of what Fedor's take of
the PPV money would be, and the numbers they are projecting are
based on selling a ton of PPV's. The actual guarantee for Fedor
is much more modest. It's true that if business stays at record
levels Fedor could walk away with $30 million. But that is no
guarantee."
If
the pay-per-views in which Emelianenko main events do as well
as, say, UFC 100, which reportedly generated approximately 1.5
million PPV buys, he could conceivably make that much, if not
more once the PPV escalators kick in.
Vadim
Finkelstein, Emelianenko's manager and M-1 Global's CEO, replied
"no" when Sherdog asked if a deal could be struck with
the UFC without M-1 co-promoting the event.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Here's
what's in the current issue of FCF...
UFC
100: Lesnar is undisputed, GSP reigns supreme
Sly
and Minotauro: Stallone meets the Brazilian Rocky Balboa
Kimbo
Slice: Could he be the next Ultimate Fighter
Couture
gets ready for Big Nog
Brazilian
Takeover: Fast-rising fighters from Brazil
10th
Planet Jiu-Jitsu: The grappling system continues to work its
way into MMA
Bellator
Fighting Championships: Unbeaten Tiger Schulmann Welterweight
Lyman Good earns BFC title
A
Wombat in Brazil Part 2: Training and getting robbed
Hector
Lombard: New home, new opportunity
Royce
Gracie: The precursor to a revolution
WCF
7: "Kattarmania" comes to Wilmington, Bartlett wins
another by TKO
Garden
State Conundrum: What does it take for an MMA promotion to make
it in New Jersey?
Bibiano
Fernandes: BJJ world champ eyeing Dream belt
Chris
Weidman: All-American prepares to take on the world
A
decade of Minotauro Nogueira
Ultimate
Challenge UK: Heat
Ring
of Combat 25: Lightweight collision course
Untamed
28: Substitute main event results in amazing finish
Anthony
Pettis: From hard times to "Showtime"
Certified
Strength and Conditioning Specialist Joel Jamieson discusses
"Getting Ready to Fight: Four Keys to Conditioning Success"
Every
issue of Full Contact Fighter is jam-packed with fight news from
the U.S. to Brazil to Japan. FCF travels the globe to bring the
fights to you. Get
yours today!
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
Denis
Kang in Rio
UFC star holidays with gi
With no set date or opponent for his next outing in the octagon,
UFC middleweight fighter Denis Kang took advantage of the lull
in his usually busy agenda to get back to his martial arts roots
and get some much-deserved rest in Rio de Janeiro, as he awaits
word on the third of his four-fight UFC contract. With fluent
Portuguese, a host of old friends and training partners, and
the liberating feeling of being free of any impending obligations,
the globe-trotting polyglot is more than at home in the city
he thrice returned to since competing as a purple belt at the
2002 World Championship.
Although
he says he’s officially taking a month of vacation, the
fighter with wins in MMA over the likes of Murilo Ninja, Akhira
Gono and Marvin Eastman is treating his sabbatical more like
a change of pace than a hiatus in training, since, between bouts
of rest and relaxation, the Marcus Soares black belt religiously
practices Jiu-Jitsu at the legendary Carlson Gracie Academy in
Copacabana, rediscovering the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle he first embraced
on June 1st of 1997, a date he isn’t quite sure why he remembers.
“It’s
been so long since I trained in the gi. I can’t even remember
the last time I haven’t had to train for a fight and could
train wearing a gi,” Kang told GRACIEMAG.com, when a break
in bad weather afforded the French-born Canadian a break from
Jiu-Jitsu, weight-lifting and boxing sessions at Nobre Arte gym,
in the Cantagalo favela, to soak up rays on the beach.
The
gentle art, though, occupies a special place in the life of the
fighter whose first steps in the combat arts came as a child
in judo and tae-kwon-do, later competing in wrestling throughout
high school, as his return to the Jiu-Jitsu way of life now serves
not just to keep him in physical shape, but as a sort of purge
from the pressures of the MMA grind. “Jiu-Jitsu is the first
martial art I took really seriously and getting back in the gi
I feel is a good way to keep from burning out in my MMA routine,”
he said, shortly after receiving the first stripe on the black
belt he received from Master Marcus Soares back in 2004, elaborating
how training differs in Rio from what he has undergone in Montreal,
where he lives of late, and at the ATT in Florida: “I wanted
to take up training in the gi again. At the ATT there are lots
of black belts but the training is geared towards MMA, as it
is in Montreal. Here the guys have a very high level of gi Jiu-Jitsu
technique, lots of grappling going on here.”
And
the Jiu-Jitsu lifestyle the good-natured warrior picked up again
isn’t summed up in training, as his third trip to the South
American nation coincided with last weekend’s Rio Open tournament
at the Tijuca Tennis Club, where he stopped in to root for friends
and enjoy the matches “The best match was AJ’s; it
was an all out war,” he said referring to the semifinal
his friend and compatriot Anthony Scales was in against Masters
and Seniors heavyweight runner-up Paulo Roberto Streckert, adding
his assessment of the event as a whole: “Overall it was
a great event, I was glad to be back and to watch so much first-rate
Jiu-Jitsu; it was a trip down memory lane.”
And
when queried as to what he plans to do between now and his departure
date of August 12, there were no surprises. “I’m just
going to keep on training Jiu-Jitsu and whatever else comes up,
hang out with friends and, when the weather permits, get some
beach time in.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Chasing
Fedor
by Jason Probst
If you’re a hardened watcher of the MMA scene, it should
be no surprise that the UFC and Fedor Emelianenko have not reached
an agreement. Vadim Finkelstein, manager of mixed martial arts’
best heavyweight, reiterated Wednesday that the Russian will
not fight for the UFC unless M-1 Global is allowed to co-promote.
Somebody
ought to update the Wikipedia entry on “chutzpah” with
Finkelstein’s picture, because it’s a perfect fit for
such a demand.
If
the annual battle for the mixed martial arts fan base were a
presidential election, the UFC would be Ronald Reagan in 1984
-- with M-1 running somewhere between Walter Mondale and Lyndon
LaRouche. If Finkelstein’s gonna go all-in on unlikely-to-be-met
requests, he might as well insist Uganda host the Winter Olympics.
Or, maybe the Jonas Brothers headline the next Slayer tour. Because
those two miracles are as likely to happen as the UFC letting
M-1 hijack their brand and horn in on their success.
Such
statements are often posturing and merely part of the mad dance
of negotiation. The worst thing would be if Finkelstein were
actually serious when he said it.
Because
if that’s the case, UFC President Dana White’s oft-used
“crazy Russians” phrase to describe negotiating with
Fedor’s management would be regrettably correct.
Just
because White is prone to expletive-laden tirades and colorful
hyperbole doesn’t mean he isn’t (sometimes) very correct.
UFC
is a high-maintenance negotiator, one that didn’t come to
terms with HBO in 2007, despite the obvious advantages of doing
so at the time.
There’s
a thin line between good business practices and outright zealotry.
But regardless of where you classify the UFC in that analogy,
that single-mindedness is a big part of why UFC is largely identified
as MMA (a la Xerox-as-photocopy), and also why the company engenders
so much resistance (largely short-lived) from competitors. As
Wilt Chamberlain aptly put it, “Nobody roots for Goliath,”
but we’d sure miss him if he went away.
In
the world of corporate deal-making, it was a ballsy move at the
time not to budge when negotiating with HBO, which occupies a
similar position in their industry as the UFC does now.
You
don’t place demands on the prom queen unless you know you’ve
got supreme confidence that something better will come along.
But the UFC and White did by refusing to cede production control
to the cable giant, and now they’re prospering in a dizzying
version of double-digit growth, in a bad economy no less. Ask
yourself why they should let M-1 cut in line merely to get Fedor?
So they can go through another Affliction-like debacle, and build
up a future rival?
And
thus MMA’s Cold War continues. And in this one, like the
real CW, the winner will probably be the side that has more assets
than the other guy.
If
a deal happens with an M-1 partnership as part of landing Fedor’s
services, that might be the most shocking announcement in the
history of the sport. The fine details would demand an exacting
review, and given M-1’s pithy cash position, it’s hard
to glean how they could finesse their way into a Fedor signing.
History suggests the UFC will not be intimidated or strong-armed,
especially when they’re the ones used to doing it.
Finkelstein,
in his news conference Wednesday, also alluded to ongoing negotiations
with Strikeforce, which is another entirely weird possibility,
however remote. The Bay Area-based promotion has been on good
terms with the UFC, and prospered nicely -- the little engine
that could.
Today,
Strikeforce promoter Scott Coker confirmed the organization is
indeed trying to sign Fedor.
Landing
Fedor would place them squarely in the promotional crosshairs
of the UFC, which is great for journalists, if not for fans who
want to see the Russian take on Lesnar. It’s another plot
twist entirely which will be tackled, if appropriate.
With
brand-building the key to the UFC’s success -- and lack
thereof key to everyone else’s failure -- letting M-1 get
anywhere near the marquee in exchange for promotional mojo would
be ill-advised, at best. Despite his breathtaking skills and
a 30-1 record, Fedor is not forever.
Brand
awareness, fan identification and dollars most certainly are.
It’s
that kind of thinking, parlayed into difficult decisions which
affect public opinion in the short term, that make the difference
between promotional champs and chumps. A half dozen promotions
have been cast to the wasteland in the past three years, footnotes
to the sport’s history.
Personally,
a potential signing of Fedor -- or failure to do so -- elicits
ambiguous feelings. Here’s the good, the bad and the ugly:
Failure
to sign Fedor will be a letdown for fans, particularly in the
wake of the Russian heavyweight getting more coverage in the
MMA and mainstream media in the light of a potential acquisition.
But
with Brock Lesnar’s ascension, no Fedor means the UFC has
more time to build Lesnar, further solidifying their negotiating
position. If you think the UFC has too much leverage now and
is wanting too much, ask yourself how negotiations will go should
Lesnar put together a couple more destructive performances. The
time for Fedor’s signing is now, while the iron is hottest,
and the two commodities at hand are perfect as a superfight.
Both of them will lose eventually, but the UFC can always fall
back on a deep roster of stars, and build Lesnar back up from
whatever heights he ascends to.
If
Fedor is upset, and/or bounces from one promotion to another,
what will his people have to show at the negotiating table? Certainly
not ratings, nor more leverage than they currently have.
Throw
in the dizzyingly savage move of “The Ultimate Fighter”
reality show featuring Kimbo Slice in September, and the organization
will further solidify its promotable heavyweights.
The
Kimbo Slice acquisition is as clever a hand as the UFC has ever
played, and the boost to the flagship division couldn’t
come at a better time. Letting EliteXC and CBS burn millions
to the tune of a Seth Petruzelli-supplied flameout of both, and
then picking up Slice to boost your own company’s reality
show and identity is a savage double-dip in the world of corporate
warfare. Like letting an aggressive sucker (Gary Shaw, thank
you) keep betting in a poker hand, only to finally spring the
trap shut when the final card is turned.
With
the UFC’s recent drive to squeeze sponsorship dollars from
fighters, and self-protecting contractual status with its in-house
talent, it could very well be that Fedor’s team doesn’t
want to give up too much control over their gem. That’s
entirely understandable. Emelianenko can live a long, fruitful
life with hardcore fans remembering him, his phenomenal gifts,
and the roads not taken for whatever reasons. Lesnar is still
a long way from going down as the Sugar Ray Robinson of MMA,
but Fedor could easily be the sport’s Charley Burley. And
that’s no good for anybody.
Fedor
will be Fedor, and all the things that endear him to the hardcore
fans that know him. The UFC can bide its time, and rightfully
refuse being forced to cede too much to acquire the world’s
best heavyweight.
The
world is an unfair place, but sometimes, the best deal is the
one that is no longer on the table.
Does
Fedor know it? Will he?
Stay
tuned.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Ben
Rothwell vs. Chase Gormley sent to UFC 104
Ben Rothwell and Chase Gormley are two of the newest additions
to the UFC’s busy heavyweight division.
The
two, originally scheduled to face each other at the now-cancelled
Aug. 1 Affliction “Trilogy” card, have agreed to meet
at UFC 104 on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles. Sherdog.com first reported
the news and MMAFighting.com has since confirmed the transfer.
A
former star of the IFL, Rothwell (30-6) is an excellent pick
up by the UFC. He'll come into the promotion already with wins
over past and present UFC fighters Ricco Rodriguez, Krzystof
Soszynski and Roy Nelson (TUF 10).
Gormley
(6-0) out of Antonio McKee's Bodyshop team in California won
all five of his fights locally in 2007 and last year won a unanimous
decision over Eric Pele at MFC 16.
A
light-heavyweight title defense by Lyoto Machida against Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua will headline UFC 104.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Bigfoot
back at Sengoku 10; eyes the title
By Guilherme Cruz
Owner of three heavyweight belts (EliteXC, Cage Rage and Cage
Warriors), Antônio "Bigfoot" Silva is training
to return to the Sengoku on September 23, and will have another
motivation for the victory. "I have two more fights in Sengoku
and, winning this one, that still have no opponent, I should
fight for the belt in December. They will create the belt and
I will fight for the title", says the American Top Team
heavyweight.
"I
don’t even imagine who can be (my opponent), I have no idea",
he said. But, if he could choose, Silva already had a favorite
one. "I wish it were Josh Barnett, once he won’t in
the United States anymore. He has a contract with Sengoku and
is trained, so who knows this fight can happen", says the
fighter, who can return to fight in the U.S. "The Athletic
Commission hasn’t contacted me and the suspension expired.
Now I’m released, because they had to have made a meeting
to revoke my license, and it didn’t happen. Once the penalty
expires, they can’t do it", celebrates the Brazilian.
Source:
Tatame
|
Five
questions for Feitosa
Marcio speaks of Roger, Barral and GB’s performance at the
JJ Worlds
What
makes Roger the best Jiu-Jitsu player in activity?
One
of Roger’s greatest strengths is the mental side. He has
always been a very self-assured, determined and calm athlete.
He’s not content with being average, and that’s why
you see him going all out to make it to the next step. For example:
at the Worlds he wanted to finish nine people with the same hold,
he always wants to stand with takedown specialists, he puts himself
in really tough positions to try risky maneuvers or submissions.
Did
you already know Roger would attack everyone with the choke form
the mount?
He
didn’t mention anything to me. Whenever I see Roger preparing
for his fight he keeps quiet, and he listens more than he speaks.
It was a great surprise to me, but after I watched him submit
about four with the same hold I thought to myself: ‘Ok,
that’s the challenge he made for himself this time.’
You
had a lot of expectations for Romulo Barral. And he met them.
What was his recovery process like and how was he feeling while
competing?
Barral
was from Belo Horizonte under Draculino. And I was from Rio,
so I didn’t keep up with his career since the beginning.
But the both of us live here in California and I had the opportunity
to be around and train with him more. He’s hooked on competition
and wants to be number 1. To see Barral focused on training inspires
everyone here. He had a rough time with his knee, the injury
was serious, at the Pan, for example, he decided to fight with
a lot of water in his knee; it was really swollen. It’s
really great seeing him back on top, the guy really deserves
it. Besides having sick Jiu-Jitsu, he’s a model of dedication
to training.
What
was missing in taking the team title?
We
lacked a better structure to be able to bring more athletes over.
These days in Gracie Barra nothing is being done to find out
in advance who will come, who is injured or who will go in at
what weight. We simply schedule the competition training and
folks just show up. For us to be number 1 on the podium again
we have to do our homework with greater dedication.
What
are the next steps for the team?
We
have a strong presence in championships the world over, from
Japan to Brazil. I can’t even name all the competitions
the team will be in in the coming months off the top of my head.
What I do know is this: Our goal is to be present anywhere Jiu-Jitsu
is taking off. We want to always contribute to the art’s
growth.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Dave
Tirelli: Team Tiger Schulmann’s MMA Pioneer
By Jim Genia
Back
when MMA was new, and the UFC was owned by Bob Meyrowitz and
struggling to survive, the system was a called Tiger Schulmann’s
Karate -- an offshoot of Kyokushin Karate meant for the realities
of boxing and kickboxing matches. But TSK grappled, too, evolving
as combat sports evolved, and while many bemoaned the organization’s
commercialized nature and labeled their expanding legion of academies
as "McDojos", TSK’s students were preparing. It’s
called Tiger Schulmann’s MMA now, the result of years of
hard training and even harder competition, and in promotions
such as Asylum Fight League, Ring of Combat and Bellator Fighting
Championships, their fighters are putting their stamp on opponents
left and right.
Blame
Dave Tirelli for that.
A
scrappy hard-charger who favored going toe-to-toe over anything
else, Tirelli was the first Team Tiger Schulmann representative
to test the waters of mixed martial arts competition. The year
was 1999 and the event was Xtreme Combat Championships in Clearwater,
Florida; the 35-year-old 175-pounder won via armbar. "I’ve
always loved fighting," says Tirelli, who’s almost
46 years old now and a fifth-degree black belt in the TSMMA system.
"It’s just my thing." Since that bout Tirelli
fought once in West Virginia, and then stayed local for the duration
of his career, capping his fight record off with a unanimous
decision victory over Luke Cummo at a 2003 Ring of Combat. What
prompted him to step into the ring?
"Way
back then, people used to say things about Tiger Schulmann’s,"
says Tirelli. "So I said, ‘Shihan, I’m just not
too crazy about what people are saying about this style. I think
this is the greatest style. I love it, and I think I want to
go out there and compete. I want to prove them wrong. I want
to start something here. I think we have something unique. I
think we can compete with anyone.’ It kind of pissed me
off that people would say things about us. People would make
fun of us, and I think because of that, and what we did and what
I did, we’ve moved to an unbelievable level. It’s one
thing that I’m really proud of myself for. I knew what we
had was really special and I wanted to step up to the plate.
And I really enjoyed it anyway. I was just dying to fight. I
started a little too late -- I wish [MMA] had been around when
I was younger, because it would’ve been fantastic doing
it now."
The
Cummo fight marked the end of Tirelli’s days of standing
and trading strikes in front of a large audience, and after the
judges’ scorecards were read and his arm was raised, the
ring announcer declared that the bout that had just transpired
was the Tiger Schulmann fighter’s last. No one looked more
surprised than Tirelli himself.
"They
pulled a fast one on me and said I wanted to retire, which was
the last thing on my mind," he says. "I wanted to continue
fighting. But everyone kept on saying I should do it, and I guess
sometimes you have to listen to people. When I fight I like to
really fight and bang, and I guess at my age fighting like that
wasn’t going to be too good on my brain. And I think I’m
a much better fighter than I ever was now. I really wish I could
go back into the cage. But I guess there’s a time when you
have to move on to the next thing in life -- and that’s
coaching. That’s basically what I do. I work out at our
headquarters."
The
TSMMA headquarters in New Jersey is where the organization’s
48 schools funnel their best. It’s where the vast majority
of the fight team’s blood is spilled, and it’s produced
the likes of Bellator champ Lyman Good and rising stars Nick
Pace, Jimmie Rivera, Uriah Hall, Nissim Levy, Shennen Maceo --
the list goes on. "People from all our facilities come train
with us [at the headquarters] and I oversee that," says
Tirelli. "We have classes every single day, in the morning
and in the evening. We have adults as well as kids. It’s
a lot of fun, and I also do private classes. It’s a lot
of work, but I have a lot of guys my age or younger who come
to learn with me, and they end up rolling with me or I end up
sparring with them, work on their kickboxing -- whatever it is."
How
does Tirelli view TSMMA’s evolution? "Back then we
were learning things, we were learning how to train people at
the moment. We didn’t have years of experience. I mean,
we knew, from Tiger being a world champion in Kyokushinkai, how
to get ready for a fight and how to prepare them. But the moves...
there were so many new moves and counters to moves... When we
prepare our guys now, I feel we’re much more well-rounded.
We don’t just focus on the strikes and the kicks, we focus
on everything. Back then, everything was new. Some of these guys
fighting have watched their students or friends fighting in the
cage, and it’s something exciting. When I did it...,"
and Tirelli harkens back to his days blazing the MMA trail.
"For
me to find a fight, I had to go on the computer, I had to call
all these people, and we used to call all around the country
to find someone who would give me a fight. And when you get a
fight, then it would be cancelled. It was really difficult to
get a fight. These guys can get a fight every couple of months,
which is unbelievable, and they’re so much more well-prepared.
They’re training with other people who are fighting professional
and amateur. I didn’t have so many great people to train
with."
He
adds: "Our fighters are well-rounded and educated. They
sitting there talking about all the books about MMA. ‘Have
you watched this fight?’ That’s all they discuss. It’s
their major passion. Meanwhile, back then I was the one who wanted
to do this, I was basically by myself for a while. Now you’ve
got a room packed with amazing fighters."
How
does a Tiger Schulmann student end up in the cage? "First
of all, everyone wants to fight. Especially when you go to the
fights, everyone comes up to you and they say they want to fight
right away. So first we have them come down and we have them
try out for a class. If they’re good, then we put them in
a class and see how they hold out. I mean, everyone can talk,
but you get hit by a Uriah Hall or by a Lyman Good... Nick Pace,
Jimmie Rivera... if they can hold up, if they can hang in there,
then we start to get them into grappling tournaments, boxing
tournaments, smokers, kickboxing, Muay Thai kickboxing. And if
they do well there, amateur MMA. And when they do well there
and we think they’re ready to go, we put them into pro."
Tirelli
isn’t shy about extolling the virtues of his team. ("Lyman
Good is the complete package." "Uriah Hall is one of
the fastest human beings I’ve seen in my entire life."
"Nick Pace, I think, pound-for-pound, is our best fighter."
"Jimmie Rivera, that kid has unbelievable dedication.")
He even lists up-and-comers to watch out for, like Adam Rosello
and Craig Alexander, and tells a story of a teenage Louis Gaudinot
displaying a willingness to do an eleventh-hour kickboxing match,
a match which required Gaudinot to borrow someone’s used
groin cup and sweaty gear. When it comes to his teenage son DJ,
an MMA fighter in the making, Tirelli’s pride is evident
-- "I sparred with him the other day and he almost broke
my nose!" But to hear him tell it, it’s clear Tirelli
feels his work is far from done.
"I
want to be so needed at Tiger Schulmann’s," he says.
"That’s really my goal -- being someone who gets our
fighters to another level. I really want to be so involved with
our fighters and teach them things, and see them win with something
I taught them. That’s really something, because I can’t
be in that cage anymore." He adds: "I want to build
up the headquarters teaching there, and I want to bring a lot
more fighters in there. I want to really get a ton more fighters
out there."
The
MMA veteran, whose 1999 debut forever entrenches his status as
an "old schooler", goes on to sum up his goals in one
sentence. "I want to be an essential and important part
of Tiger Schulmann’s fight team," he says.
But
as the fighter who started them on their journey down the MMA
path, Tirelli already is.
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
Marcus
Aurelio Added to Shine Fights 2 'ATT vs. The World'
UFC
& PRIDE veteran, Marcus Aurelio has been added to what is
now the most phenomenal card to ever hit Miami, Shine 2. As a
member of the American Top Team, Aurelio joins his fighting family
on the card, which is appropriately sub-titled, ‘American
Top Team vs. The World.'
Beginning
his career in 2002 where he started off on a 5-fight win streak.
After compiling an impressive reputation for exciting wins on
the smaller show circuit, Aurelio made his debut in the former
Japanese juggernaut organization, PRIDE. Facing world greats
like: Takanori Gomi and Dokojonosuke Mishima, Aurelio compiled
a respectable 3-3 record in the organization. Immediately after
Pride, Aurelio entered the UFC taking his career into newer heights
in America. After many harrowing battles, Aurelio left the organization
after a battle with former teacher, Hermes Franca.
Now
on a two fight win streak, Aurelio is ready to get back into
the bigger spotlight and has entered South Florida's premiere
MMA show, Shine.
His
opponent is none other than World Extreme Cage Fighting veteran,
Carlo Prater. Fresh off of a unanimous decision win, Prater is
24-6 with most of his wins coming by submission. With Aurelio
at 18-7 with 11 submission victories this will be a lightweight
battle not to be missed.
About
Shine Fight Promotions, LLC
Shine Fight Promotions, LLC is a U.S. based enterprise that seeks
to raise the awareness of the art, discipline, respect, passion,
and talent that is mixed martial arts (MMA) to the global marketplace.
Founded by MMA Fighter/Thai Boxer, Dorian Price along with his
brother, Devin Price, Shine is committed to the growth and development
of MMA creating a positive experience for both fighters and fans.
Shine works diligently to put on fights that fighter's want and
that fans want to watch by arranging the most competitive and
interesting matches. Shine Fight Promotions seeks to grow through
innovation, high production values, dramatic and engaging fights,
and the promotion of authentic MMA.
About
Shine 2: American Top Team vs. The World
As the second event of Shine Fight Promotions, American Top Team
vs. The World is appropriately named for the multitude of talent
from Florida's largest mixed martial arts gym. Shine Fight Promotions
matchmakers, Ron Foster and Dorian Price, both fighters themselves,
are committed to scouring the globe to pit only the best fighters
against one another. The Shine 2 card has been filled with fighters
from the best training camps and MMA gyms from across the world
including: Randy Couture's Xtreme Couture MMA (Las Vegas), Matt
Hughes' H.I.T. Squad (Granite City IL), American Top Team (Coconut
Creek FL), Brazilian Top Team (Rio De Janeiro, BR), Chute Boxe
(Curitiba, BR), Team Quest (Portland, OR), Thugjitsu (Houston,
TX), Ascension MMA (Atlanta, GA) and Gold Team Fighters (Newark,
NJ).
Source:
Fight Network
|
Jeff
Monson pleads guilty to vandalism
Former
UFC title challenger Jeff Monson pleaded guilty Tuesday to malicious
mischief stemming from his charge for vandalizing the Washington
State Capital, the AP reports.
Monson
entered an Alford plea, which means the defendant does not admit
guilt, but will accept a sentence as if he had been convicted
due to the amount of evidence likely to convict him in court.
In
this case, the evidence was an exact photo of Monson committing
the act -- published in an issue of ESPN The Magazine last December.
According
to the AP report, prosecutors will recommend that Monson serve
a 90-day jail sentence and pay $21,894 in restitution. Monson's
sentencing date has been scheduled for Oct. 1.
Monson
told The Olympian shortly after the arrest that he spray-painted
the anarchist symbol on the government building to protest the
war in Iraq and the economic inequality at home and abroad.
The
vandalism charge was one of two arrests in 2009. In May, Monson
escaped charges of domestic violence and damage of property for
a January arrest.
The
distractions have not interfered with Monson's fighting career
(30-8 overall). He's on a seven-fight win streak with recent
wins over Ricco Rodriguez, Sergei Kharitonov and Roy Nelson.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
“I'm
the type that thinks if you don't learn from history, you're
doomed to repeat it.”
Mark Cuban |
Affliction:
Fedor last to know
Russian was on his way to Anaheim for the fight
The
principal attraction of the event scheduled for next Saturday
and subsequently canceled, Fedor Emelianenko, was one of the
last to find out the show would not take place at all. When news
of the cancellation was released, due to the impossibility of
finding him a worthy opponent, for Josh Barnett having failed
his drug test thus bringing the California State Athletic Commission
to ban him from participating, Fedor was flying towards Anaheim
accompanied by a committee of 35 people.
“Fedor
only became aware of the fact upon disembarking in the airport,
when he was informed directly by representatives of M-1’s
legal team,” M-1 announced in a statement.
Traveling
with the Russian were trainers, friends, relatives and M-1 employees.
While
Fedor found out he would no longer see action on August 1, UFC
president Dana White put together a deal with Affliction so that
the clothing brand might again be one of the sponsors exhibited
in the octagon.
Despite
the partnership, the viability of having Fedor finally appear
in the biggest MMA organization around is not yet certain. While
he tries yet again to seduce the Russian’s agents, White
suggests tempting offers are brewing. “My job is to come
up with the best fights to offer the fans. I’ve been trying
to bring Fedor to the UFC. He’d challenge for the title
in his first fight,” stated the UFC top brass, suggesting
a bout with Brock Lesnar.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Braga
Neto Rio Open standout
Gordo-Evolve representative takes weight and absolute
Antonio
Braga Neto was the big name of the Rio Open, which ended this
Sunday, in Rio de Janeiro. After beating Rodrigo Cavaca (Check
Mat) in the super heavyweight final, the Gordo Jiu-Jitsu athlete
went on to the most anticipated bout of the evening: the absolute
black belt final against GF Team’s Rodolfo Vieira. The apex
of the four-day championship in the Tijuca Tennis Club had come.
With the stands packed, everyone anxiously watched on to see
how the main event would play out.
At
7:55 pm the organizers summoned Braga Neto and Rodolfo Vieira
to the dispute area. It was the moment of truth. A few seconds
into the match, Braga Neto took the initiative and pulled Vieira
into his guard. Soon thereafter, Neto scored two on the cards
with a sweep. Stabilized on top, Neto managed an advantage point
for making it to half-guard, to the crowd’s delight.
The
GF Team cheering section, stretching out a giant banner, was
vocal in support of Vieira, who was stuck on bottom trying to
sweep to rally back. The Julio Cesar student, though, hit a dead
end in Neto, who would not make it easy. Both competitors with
firm grips on each other, Neto looked to staple his opponent
to the mat, while Vieira looked to get out from under the super
heavyweight. The GF Team fans raucously urged Vieira to make
a final effort and warned he was behind on the scorecards.
Dramatically,
the player tried fruitlessly with his right arm on Neto’s
left leg. He just lacked a bit of strength. With frantic hip
movement, Vieria began to successfully move Neto up over him
and was egged on in the final moments: “Go, kid, just a
bit more” shouted a friend. But even after managing the
sweep it was too little to late, as the final whistle blew before
he could achieve the equalizing advantage point. Braga Neto raised
his hands victorious.
“The
Worlds was frustrating for me. I won in 2008 and wanted my second
this year, winning weight and absolute. I was well trained to
do so, but unfortunately there were some bumps in the road. I
lost to Barral and Demente, they’re both great fighters.
It was their day and unfortunately it was the Worlds, the most
important championship of the year. But today things were marvelous.
To compete in Tijuca, with my cheering section. I had my friends
from Porto Velho, from the academy where I trained, here. Everyone
was rooting for me, my teacher from Porto Velho, Marcio Frank…
these things make it all greater. To know the people I grew up
with were here to watch me was great. It’s great to compete
here in Rio with the all the noise of the fans, the team rivalries,”
said Braga Neto.
In
the super heavyweight dispute, Neto highlighted his opponent’s
extraordinary strength. “Cavaca’s real strong, he’s
a monster. This was the second time we faced each other and I
managed to submit him with a forearm choke from the mount at
9:12 at a good time in the match. He attacked the whole time.
I don’t have a strategy, I think his objective was the same
as mine, to go on the attack, make things happen. Congratulations
to him, he had an excellent championship. This Rio Open was full
of great competitors,” Braga finished.
Roosterweight
Champion
Bruno
Malfacine (Alliance) submitted Igor Rodrigues (Check Mat) with
a kneebar at 8:50min
Light
Featherweight Champion
Carlos
Vieira “Esquisito” (Chekmat) beat Leandro Martins (Checkmat)
by 9 to 0.
Featherweight
Champion
Denílson
Pimenta (GFTeam) beat Theodoro Canal (GFteam) by 2 to 0.
Lightweight
Champion
Augusto
Mendes “Tanquinho” (Soul Fighters) beat Bruno Frazatto
(Atos JJ) by referee decision.
Middleweight
Champion
There
was no final. Luis Gustavo Campos “Guga” (Checkmat)
closed out with friend Thiago Ferreira “Barata” (Carlson
Gracie Team). Guga, though, took the medal.
Medium
Heavyweight Champion
Raphael
Abi-Rihan (Carlson Gracie Team) submitted Victor Estima (Gracie
Barra) with a footlock at 2:17 min.
Heavyweight
Champion
Rodolfo
Vieira (GF Team) beat Bernardo Augusto (Alliance) on points
*
At the end of the match the scorecards showed one advantage and
one sweep each, but Augusto had a penalty scored against him.
Super
Heavyweight Champion
Braga
Neto (Gordo JJ) finalizou Rodrigo Cavaca (Checkmat) with a forearm
choke at 9:12 min.
Ultra
Heavyweight Champion
Léo
Leite (Alliance) beat Luiz Felipe Theodoro “Big Mac”
(Godoi JJ Club) by 4 to 2.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Telles
takes weight and absolute at Master
Check out the absolute standouts
A
savvy guard player and considered adept at “weird-jitsu”,
Eduardo Telles (Nine Nine) was the big standout of the Masters
and Seniors International, which ended this Sunday, July 26,
at the Tijuca Tennis Club in Rio de Janeiro.
After
taking the heavyweight weight group on Saturday, beating three
opponents, the Brazilian went after a second gold at full steam,
in the absolute. Telles kicked off the endeavor with an armbar
and, in his second match, a choke for the finish. In the semifinal,
against Australia’s Michael Wilson, he passed guard to score
three points. In the gold-medal match he came up against Helton
Nogueira. After a sweep and mount (6 to 0), he finished with
a foot lock. Telles showed how he’s ready for everything
by going on to dispute in the adult division, in the Rio Open,
bringing his total participation to four categories and winning
two gold medals.
There
were others who shined on Saturday too. Wellington “Megaton”
Dias and Amilson “Juquinha” Brites went past tough
opponents to close out the senior 2 category for Gracie Humaita.
In the senior 1, after taking silver on Saturday, Paulo Rodrigues
(Peposo Team) became champion.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
Tanquinho
celebrates: “Don’t make life hard on the lightweights”
Augusto Mendes comments on win over Frazatto at Rio Open
The
lightweight Augusto Mendes (Soul Fighters), 26, returned to the
Tijuca Tennis Club yesterday with the sweetest feeling a fighter
can feel: “To win a tough championship is a greater pleasure
than to win something easily. And look, gold at the Rio Open
was way hard,” said the popular Tanquinho this afternoon
to GRACIEMAG.com.
The
Francisco Mansur black belt started off his campaign on the way
to lightweight gold against one of the biggest revelations of
world Jiu-Jitsu in recent times, the Porto Rican Jonathan Torres
(Lloyd Irvin). “The kid’s tough, really good, he just
came up from brown belt with a ton of medals and made things
hard on me. It was my toughest match yesterday, and I won by
referee decsision.”
Tanquinho
kept up his march through hostile territory, and two matches
later was in the final, where he came up against his old acquaintance
Bruno Frazatto, runner up at featherweight in the Worlds in June.
“We’d come up against each other three times and were
2 to 1 for him, I needed to settle the score,” recalled
the player, who swept, was swept and took the judges’ decision,
after battling against the 50/50 guard used by Frazatto.
“In
the end I went after him, I attacked more and convinced the judges.
He’s really tough, he needs to stay in his featherweight
group. Don’t come make life hard on us lightweight, leave
it to us because things aren’t easy as they are,” he
joked. “Now I’m going to rest and get back to training
tomorrow. I only didn’t train today because I took a kneebar
from Claudio Mattos in the semifinal and it’s still hurting
some. Now I’m getting back to training with my eyes on the
Brazilian Team Nationals, US Open and No-Gi Worlds, in California.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Sifting
through Affliction’s rubble
Affliction
became the newest member on Friday of a group of which it wanted
no part.
It
joined Bodog Fight, the World Fighting Alliance, the International
Fight League, Elite XC and others on the list of mixed martial
arts promotions that were backed by big money, big hype and big
dreams before ending up as financial nightmares and failing.
From
Affliction’s start, the odds were greatly against success
because of several major flaws in its business model.
The
first was the outdated belief that heavyweight is fighting’s
marquee division. This notion led Affliction to overspend in
an effort to corner the market on those it judged to be the top
heavyweights, all in the name of making the promotion a major
player.
To
the small percentage of hardcore MMA fans, the Affliction heavyweight
roster of Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Josh Barnett, Andrei
Arlovski, Paul Buentello, Ben Rothwell and others was stronger
than the UFC.
But,
as an example, they offered Sylvia $800,000 per fight with a
$200,000 win bonus, and he was making $100,000/$100,000 in UFC,
and UFC had already decided not to renew his contract. The UFC
absolutely wanted Arlovski, and Affliction offered him a guaranteed
contract that started at $500,000 for his first, and increased
to $1.5 million for his third fight, plus a $250,000 win bonus.
Even Rothwell, a solid fighter with no significant mainstream
name value, had a $250,000 per fight guarantee.
The
second flaw was the idea of promoting pay-per-view events without
a strong television show to build up the events. Between buying
the company in 2001, and the debut of The Ultimate Fighter television
show in 2005, UFC only had one truly financially successful pay-per-view
event, and that was based on getting the pro wrestling audience
to purchase the first Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz fight in 2002.
While
having television in no way guarantees success, the IFL, Bodog
and Elite XC all had television deals and failed to make it in
the U.S. market, not having television and trying to promote
pay-per-view events is almost certain failure.
There
was also the mistake of equating Fedor Emelianenko’s status
as the top heavyweight fighter in the world (and many consider
him the best overall fighter) with his marquee value. Bodog and
Japan’s PRIDE had Emelianenko and had bombed on pay per
view. Affliction did a better job than its predecessors at marketing
Emelianenko, and MMA in general has gained popularity in recent
years, but Emelianenko vs. Barnett, which some saw as No. 1 and
No. 2 in the world, was going to be lucky to do six percent of
the business that Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir did at UFC 100.
Affliction
also made the classic mistake that almost everyone on the inside
of the industry falls for: thinking Internet message boards and
blogs reflect the opinions of the overall MMA fan base. Such
sites actually reflect a tiny percentage of ticket and pay-per-view
buying public, whose tastes are markedly different than the hardcore
base. Promotion on television and the ability to garner a mainstream
buzz are the key to financial success, not getting message board
posters excited.
The
death of the promotion was almost inevitable before the company
ran its first show. The planned final show, and the promotion
itself, unraveled after it was announced on July 21 that the
California State Athletic Commission was not going to license
Barnett for his match with Barnett due to a positive steroid
test.
While
dozens of name fighters were willing to step up on short notice
to take the fight, largely because of the $500,000 purse, there
was pressure from Showtime, which was marketing the pay-per-view,
regarding not providing the advertised main event.
But
if the promotion was healthy, the show would have gone on. It
was only a few months back when Ken Shamrock failed a steroid
test in California before a scheduled pay-per-view match with
Bobby Lashley on a show promoted by Roy Jones Jr. They got a
replacement fighter, Jason Guida, and the show went on.
Affliction’s
troubles were far deeper than Barnett’s test failure, a
fact confirmed hours later when Affliction announced a “collaboration”
with UFC. Essentially, the Affliction promotion is done, and
UFC will allow Affliction to sponsor fighters and be a sponsor
for the promotion, as they were for years before getting into
the promoting game themselves.
So
what does all that mean going forward to the various major players?
A look at how things are shaking out:
UFC:
One would suspect the deal struck would give UFC first dibs on
the Affliction contracts. But there are all kinds of problems,
as Affliction’s contracts were not exclusive deals, and
UFC isn’t going to use anyone who they don’t have on
an exclusive deal. It’s questionable whether UFC would even
want former champions Sylvia or Arlovski, between their huge
contracts and coming off embarrassing one punch losses, Sylvia
to Ray Mercer and Arlovski to Brett Rogers.
Dana
White has publicly expressed interest in Vitor Belfort, a former
UFC light heavyweight champion who has revived his career at
middlweight. DREAM middleweight Grand Prix champion Gegard Mousasi
is an interesting light heavyweight. Renato Sobral was fired
by White two years ago for holding a choke after the match had
ended against David Heath. Matt Lindland is also coming off a
quick knockout loss, has a huge contract, plus has not been on
good terms with UFC for years. There are quality fighters like
Javier Vazquez and Chris Horodecki in the lighter weights whose
deals are probably quite reasonable by UFC standards.
Belfort
and Mousasi look to be the only potential acquisitions who look
to make immediate noise in the upper ranks, and they would still
have to negotiate new deals. UFC also has more fighters under
contract even without signing anyone new than it has spots on
shows to keep them all fighting the preferred three times per
year. Unless they decide to add more events next year, there
really is a finite number of people they can add to their ranks.
Affliction:
This is a positive for the company’s core apparel business.
It got rid of the huge contracts and the money-losing promotion.
The Affliction T-shirt brand gets wider exposure.
But
it is also in a business relationship largely controlled by a
company they’ve had major blowups with in the past. They
do lose face with a slew of fighters to whom they made promises,
and who were in hard training when the plug got pulled and lost
big-money paydays in the process.
Strikeforce:
It’s hard to say. North America’s No. 2 promotion suffers
from roster depth issues.
Strikeforce
was in negotiations for an Affliction deal, believed to be similar
to the deal UFC, until the 11th hour. Such a deal would have
helped the company’s roster depth, but it may not have been
cost effective for a smaller company being run on a budget.
There
are a lot of Affliction fighters they could be interested in,
but Strikeforce is running a successful business today where
others have failed because they haven’t overpaid fighters.
They may pick up some fighters that will help the depth on their
shows. They already have a contract with Sobral, the company’s
light heavyweight champion, and on Monday, they announced the
addition of Sobral vs. Mousasi as a title fight on Aug, 15. Belfort
would be the most interesting acquisition, but he’s also
the one UFC is most likely to go aggressively pursue.
Fedor
Emelianenko: Emelianenko remains the grand prize in the Affliction’s
going out of business sweepstakes. From the UFC’s standpoint,
money is not going to be an issue. With the UFC’s promotional
muscle behind it, Emelianenko vs. Brock Lesnar would likely be
the biggest money fight in the history of the sport.
The
issue is going to be control. UFC and Emelianenko in previous
negotiations have hit two major impasses: Emelianenko’s
people don’t want him signing an exclusive deal, and UFC
is not going to put itself in a position where someone has the
potential of winning their championship and then leave with the
mainstream credibility of being accepted as the real champion.
“This
is the moment of truth that the UFC has talked about,” M-1
Global President Vadim Finkelchtein, who handles Emelianenko’s
business, said on the company’s website. “Fedor and
I are here in the States. If they want to come out and fly here,
we are ready to conduct negotiations. Of course it still doesn’t
imply we are ready to accept any conditions they’ll throw
at us. We want to talk to the UFC about having Fedor compete
against some of their fighters, but only within the framework
of co-promotional efforts with M-1 Global.”
Josh
Barnett: This was Barnett’s third steroid test failure.
The first was in Nov. 2001, when testing was done by the Nevada
State Athletic Commission strictly to determine whether there
was an issue with steroids in the sport. Barnett was one of a
few who failed. No suspensions were issued at the time. His second
positive, also in Nevada, took place in 2002 after a match where
he defeated Randy Couture to win the heavyweight title. He was
suspended, stripped of the title, and continued his MMA career
for the next several years in Japan, which has no testing. This
third failure is unique, because there is a loophole involved.
Barnett was not licensed in California, and thus, his license
was denied, and he will not be allowed to re-apply for a year.
However, without a license, California does not have the right
to explicitly suspend him from competition. Without the suspension,
other states are not obliged to follow suit.
Nevada
State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer said,
“Anyone can apply, but I do know how the Commissioners would
vote on any specific application.”
Barnett
is scheduled for a pro wrestling match on Aug. 8 in Japan, and
he’s been a regular for the Sengoku MMA promotion. Japanese
MMA is in many ways a completely different sport, with no governmental
regulation. Sengoku recently used former Elite XC heavyweight
champion Antonio Silva during the period he was suspended after
failing a steroid test in California.
Even
if Barnett was successfully licensed in the states, his future
remains murky. UFC would be a difficult fit given their past
issues, but nothing is impossible. His price tag is high for
Strikeforce, but the steroid stigma and licensing may be even
greater barriers.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Affliction
folds promotion, will sponsor UFC
After
promoting two critically acclaimed but financially disastrous
mixed martial arts cards, Affliction on Friday first canceled
its pay-per-view card scheduled for Aug. 1 and then opted to
get out of the promotional business.
Affliction
released a statement Friday evening in which it announced “a
collaboration with the UFC.” It confirmed that it will cease
operations as a fight promoter and that its clothing division
will become a UFC sponsor.
“Our
brand is synonymous with the ‘Live Fast’ approach to
life and UFC is the perfect venue for us to market our brand.
We have come to an agreement with the UFC which we feel will
be the best for the sport and will help the UFC continue delivering
the highest caliber of fights.” said Eric Foss, co-founder
of Affliction.
Affliction
had a card slated for Aug. 1 with a main event of Fedor Emelianenko,
the No. 2 fighter in the Yahoo! Sports mixed martial arts rankings,
against former UFC champion Josh Barnett at the Honda Center
in Anaheim, Calif.
But
Barnett tested positive for an anabolic steroid and on Tuesday
was denied a license to fight by the California State Athletic
Commission.
That
left Affliction scrambling to find a replacement for Emelianenko.
With no viable alternatives – the best was former UFC light
heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, who was already down to 195
pounds for a scheduled middleweight fight – Affliction early
Friday opted to scrap the show.
Later
in the day, Affliction came to terms on a deal with the UFC in
which it would quit promoting fight cards. The UFC is likely
to absorb the contracts of all Affliction fighters except Emelianenko.
Emelianenko’s
contractual status is not known, though UFC president Dana White
said Friday he is trying to negotiate a deal with the Russian.
Multiple
sources had indicated to Yahoo! Sports that Affliction was on
the verge of a deal with Strikeforce for some sort of merger,
but that fell apart in the last 24-48 hours. That’s when
talks began anew between White and Affliction. They had spoken
earlier in July about such a scenario, but were unable to come
to a deal.
Source: Yahoo Sports |
Who’s
afraid of big, bad Brock? Not Carwin
Maybe
it was because, at 6-foot-3, 263 pounds, Shane Carwin is nearly
the same size as, and actually has bigger meat hooks than, Brock
Lesnar.
Maybe
it was just a savvy promotional move for Carwin, an unbeaten,
top contender for Lesnar’s Ultimate Fighting Championship
heavyweight belt.
Or
maybe the “Colossus from Colorado” really was so outraged
at Lesnar’s antics at UFC 100 he couldn’t contain himself.
Whatever
it was, Carwin pulled no punches on his personal blog, hammering
Lesnar for taunting a fallen opponent, tossing middle fingers
at the Mandalay Bay Events Center crowd in Las Vegas and acting
like anything but a respectful champion Saturday. After a stern
talking to by UFC president Dana White, Lesnar apologized for
his actions. Carwin was apparently unmoved (he didn’t return
a message seeking comment).
“The
flipping off of the fans that just lined your pocket with millions
of dollars is just LAME,” Carwin wrote. “He may be
a champion but he has a long ways to go before he earns the respect
of a champion.”
It
got better, with the old school Carwin, who sports an 11-0 record,
lecturing Lesnar like he was a little boy.
“The
fans are why we do this Brock, this sport is not about fat paychecks
and drama. It is about hard work and sacrifice for a shot to
do what you did [Saturday] night. It doesn’t matter how
much money you make if you can’t earn your peers respect
and the respect and love of the greatest sporting fans in the
world.
“Every
autograph I give, every hand I shake I am thankful that you give
me the opportunity to be a part of your world. This is the greatest
sport in the world and most of the athletes in it deserve the
love and respect they get and some just don’t get it.”
The
mechanical engineer wasn’t done yet. Next up, a shot at
Lesnar’s pro wrestling background.
“We
have no scripts in this sport, no pre-determined earning amount
and no pre-determined outcomes. It doesn’t matter if you
win or lose; it matters how you win or lose.”
And
to think Lesnar couldn’t deal with Frank Mir making fun
of his jiu-jitsu defense (which was once, admittedly, weak).
This alone will fuel him through a long Minnesota winter of training.
And who knows what else Carwin has in him?
Carwin
takes on Cain Velasquez (6-0) in October at UFC 104 in Los Angeles.
The winner gets a shot at Lesnar for the title, White has announced.
If
it’s Carwin (no small feat against the excellent Velasquez)
then this wouldn’t just be an intriguing fight, but suddenly
a personal one. Carwin, like Lesnar, is a former collegiate wrestling
champion. They’re about the same size; although Carwin’s
massive 5-XL gloves are actually two sizes larger than Lesnar’s.
It’s one reason none of Carwin’s opponents have lasted
past the middle of the first round.
Which
is good because the indomitable way Lesnar has looked of late,
it’s going to take a special mix of size, speed and skill
to challenge him. And he’s only getting better.
Carwin
doesn’t sound concerned. Not about Lesnar and not about
rattling his cage. His rip job will be appreciated in traditional
mixed martial arts, where discipline and respect for an opponent
is still paramount.
Since
arriving from pro wrestling, Lesnar has expressed little concern
for such things. That’s his right and it’ll earn him
plenty of supporters who love every second of it. If he wants
to sneer and snarl, if he wants postfight interviews complete
with sponsor bashing, cheesy histrionics and juvenile statements,
there’s only one way to stop him.
“From
leaving the venue all the way to the airport I have had fans
of the sport ask me to take out Brock Lesnar for them,”
Carwin wrote.
The
UFC will focus on pursuing the world’s No. 1 heavyweight,
Fedor Emelianenko (30-1), who is approaching his final contracted
fight with the UFC’s rival promotion, Affliction. That takes
place Aug. 1 in Anaheim, Calif.
“We’ll
end up getting that deal done and then we’ll do Brock vs.
Fedor and we’ll do a huge fight,” White said.
Time
will tell on that. In the interim, a contender is waiting to
earn his shot and then possibly take the trash talk to a whole
new level. That’s what Brock Lesnar has brought to the UFC,
visceral reactions all around.
Some
loathe him. Some love him. Everyone wants to see what happens
next, a string of big pay-per-view cards almost all but assured.
Now
here comes a sizeable challenger, issuing preemptive blog posts
and lectures to the champion on sportsmanship, humility and class.
Shane
Carwin is itching for a fight. You can rest assured, after this,
Big Brock will be too.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Rankings:
UFC 100 aftermath
A
baseball player goes spikes-first into second base to break up
a double play. A pitcher keeps a batter honest with a high heater
inside. A hockey power forward follows through on a bone-crunching
hit and scoops up the loose puck. A safety breaks up a pass attempt
with a hit that knocks a wide receiver out of his shoes.
All
of the above are brutal examples of things that can go down within
the confines of a sport’s rulebook. And we can add another
to the list: Dan Henderson’s “late hit” on Michael
Bisping on Saturday at UFC 100.
The
means of finishing a mixed martial arts fight under unified rules
are simple: You go until the referee ends the match or your opponent
submits. Henderson delivered his second-round knockout punch
and geared up for his follow-up before Bisping hit the ground.
He followed with a straight forearm shiver (it has been called
everything from a punch to an elbow, but the replay clearly shows
Henderson’s forearm landing flush on Bisping’s face),
then stopped immediately as referee Mario Yamasaki called off
the fight.
Did
the extra shot reach the boundaries of acceptability? Sure. But
Henderson is a cagey veteran who knows exactly where the line
is, and he pushed right up to it without crossing.
Bottom
line: Those who understand MMA know that Henderson’s shot
was acceptable; those who don’t likely never will follow
the sport anyway.
Henderson’s
performance, his third straight victory, put the Team Quest fighter
back into the top 10, as he tied with Rashad Evans for the No.
10 spot. That’s not the only repercussion of the July 11
festivities. Georges St. Pierre broke his three-month tie atop
the poll with Fedor Emelianenko after his dominant performance
over Thiago Alves by claiming the top spot for himself. Emelianenko
did not lose any support, but St. Pierre picked up all of Anderson
Silva’s June first-place votes, and several voters who previously
had ranked St. Pierre third bumped him up to second behind the
Russian monster.
And
UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar cracked the top 10 with
his dominant performance over Frank Mir. Lesnar debuts at No.
9.
Lesnar’s
postfight antics were the talk of the sports world earlier this
week, as the national punditry belatedly tore into Lesnar after
realizing they were caught asleep at the wheel on a major event.
A
few actually showed up at UFC 100, some of whom apparently spent
as much time complaining about their cageside seats as actually
watching the fights. Most of the rest have never watched an MMA
event in their careers and didn’t see anything except select
Lesnar clips before rehashing their clichéd slams.
But
here’s a thought: Does their opinion even matter anymore?
This month marks the second anniversary of the Y! Sports Top
10 poll. As you can see from our list of this month’s pollsters,
nearly every major sports website of note, as well as several
newspapers and wire services, has at least one competent, knowledgeable
professional journalist assigned to MMA. While the dinosaurs
of the sports journalism world wheeze their “you kids with
your long hair and your rock ‘n’ roll music” act,
most MMA fans simply tune them out and find the information they
seek, whether it is on Yahoo! Sports, SI.com, AOL Fanhouse, MMA-specific
sites like MMAWeekly and MMAjunkie, or a ton of other sources.
The sport has gotten this far without the approval of the talking
heads, does it really need them now?
10
(tie). Dan Henderson
Points: 16
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Middleweight
Hometown: Temecula, Calif.
Record: 25-7 (won last three)
Last month’s ranking: unranked
Most recent result: def. Michael Bisping, KO R2, July 11
Analysis: It might not have been fair that Henderson dropped
out of the Top 10 to begin with: He took two rounds out of five
from Quinton Jackson and scored a rare round victory over Anderson
Silva during his consecutive losses before his current win streak.
But there’s no question he has rebounded.
10
(tie). Rashad Evans
Points: 16
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Lansing, Mich.
Record: 13-1-1 (lost past one)
Last month’s ranking: 9
Most recent result: lost to Lyoto Machida, R2 TKO, May 23
Analysis: Recently finished filming “The Ultimate Fighter
10” and will remain on the sidelines until meeting Jackson
in December.
9.
Brock Lesnar
Points: 24
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Webster, S.D.
Record: 4-1 (won last three)
Last month’s ranking: unranked
Most recent result: def. Frank Mir, R2 TKO, July 11
Analysis: Spare us the indignant emails: Lesnar belongs. He has
steamrolled three top-10 heavyweights in a row, two of them UFC
title claimants, and rarely been challenged in the process.
8.
Quinton Jackson
Points: 49
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Memphis, Tenn.
Record: 30-7 (won last two)
Last month’s ranking: 8
Most recent result: def. Keith Jardine, unanimous decision, March
7
Analysis: See Rashad Evans’ analysis.
7.
Mike Brown
Points: 65
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Featherweight (WEC featherweight champion)
Hometown: Portland, Maine
Record: 22-4 (won last 10)
Last month’s ranking: 9
Most recent result: def. Urijah Faber, unanimous decision, June
7
Analysis: Won’t be getting any layup title defenses anytime
soon, as Jose Aldo, perhaps the most well-rounded lighter-weight
striker in the game, is up next.
6.
B.J. Penn
Points: 85
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Lightweight (UFC lightweight champion)
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Record: 13-5-1 (lost past one)
Last month’s ranking: 6
Most recent result: lost to Georges St. Pierre, doctor stoppage
after R4, Jan. 31
Analysis: Penn has yet to close the book on whether he will be
best remembered for his motivated best or his unmotivated worst,
and thus he has a ton to prove in his Aug. 8 title defense against
Kenny Florian.
5.
Lyoto Machida
Points: 105
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Light heavyweight
Hometown: Belem, Brazil
Record: 15-0
Last month’s ranking: 4
Most recent result: def. Rashad Evans, R2 TKO, May 23
Analysis: Will begin training in earnest soon for his October
title defense against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
4.
Miguel Angel Torres
Points:122 (1 first-place vote)
Affiliation: WEC
Weight class: Bantamweight (WEC bantamweight champion)
Hometown: East Chicago, Ind.
Record: 36-1 (won past 17)
Last month’s ranking: 5
Most recent result: def. Takeya Mizugaki, unanimous decision,
April 5
Analysis: Has a pattern of running over American opponents, followed
by barnburners against Japanese foes. Will this repeat when he
meets the unbeaten Brian Bowles?
3.
Anderson Silva
Points: 144
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Middleweight (UFC middleweight champion)
Hometown: Curitiba, Brazil
Record: 23-4 (won past nine)
Last month’s ranking: 3 (tie)
Most recent result: def. Thales Leites, unanimous decision, April
18
Analysis: No matter how much Dana White pushes Silva as the world’s
best, Silva will need to come through against Forrest Griffin
in order to remain in the conversation.
2.
Fedor Emelianenko
Points: 163 (eight first-place votes)
Affiliation: Affliction/M-1 (WAMMA champion; never lost PRIDE
title)
Weight class: Heavyweight
Hometown: Stary Oskol, Russia
Record: 30-1, one no-contest (won past 10)
Last month’s ranking: 1 (tie)
Most recent result: def. Andrei Arlovski, R1 KO, Jan. 24
Analysis: The Zuffa organization, which owns the UFC and the
WEC, clearly has the best in the world at six of the seven major
weight classes. The one exception is heavyweight. Lesnar has
the UFC crown, but the real world champion, Fedor, will face
Josh Barnett in Anaheim, Calif. on Aug. 1.
1.
Georges St. Pierre
Points: 170 (nine first-place votes)
Affiliation: UFC
Weight class: Welterweight (UFC welterweight champion)
Hometown: Saint-Isidore, Quebec
Record: 19-2 (won past six)
Last month’s ranking: 1 (tie)
Most recent result: def. Thiago Alves, unanimous decision, July
11
Analysis: Jon Fitch and Alves are both so good that if GSP didn’t
exist, it would be easy to envision either as a legit welterweight
champion. And yet St. Pierre pitched a 10-round shutout against
the duo. Who is going to provide him a challenge at 170 pounds?
More
•
Votes for others: Urijah Faber 14; Shinya Aoki, Kenny Florian
5; Jake Shields 2; Thiago Alves, Jon Fitch 1.
•
Upcoming matches for ranked fighters: No. 2 Fedor Emelianenko
vs. Josh Barnett, Aug. 1, Anaheim, Calif.; No. 3 Anderson Silva
vs. Forrest Griffin, Aug. 8, Philadelphia; No. 4 Miguel Torres
vs. Brian Bowles, Aug. 9, Las Vegas; No. 6 B.J. Penn vs. Kenny
Florian, Aug. 9, Philadelphia.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“Those
to whom no distant horizons beckon, for whom no challenges remain,
though they have inherited a Universe, they possess only empty
sand!”
Norrin Radd
|
Masters
and Seniors: a show of its own
Megaton wins senior 2; Limao first match as black belt in Brazil
Megaton
celebrates his victory in a hotly-disputed senior 2 semifinal
match over Ricardo Gomes.
Held
alongside the Rio Open, the International Masters and Seniors
seems to have an atmosphere all its own. In the end, it’s
not every day one gets to witness the years of experience on
display.
This
Saturday such names as Luis Limao Heredia (Maui Jiu-Jitsu Hawaii), Regis Lebre (Pennsylvania),
Wellington Dias (Megaton Arizona), Leo Dalla (Virginia), Renato
Tavares (ATT Vero Beach Florida) and Alexandre Freitas (Soca
New York) took to the mats. All of them flew in from far away
for something beyond medals, as they have always been champions.
Alexandre
Soca applies pressure from the top, in the senior 1 featherweight
division.
“I’ve
been living in Phoenix, Arizona for 20 years; I’m one of
the pioneers of Jiu-Jitsu there along with the Gracies and a
strong group that has always helped develop Jiu-Jitsu abroad.
I have many intentions here today. I’ve always liked competing
here in Brazil, seeing my family, my mother, uncles, sisters
and nephews as well as to be able to support an event of this
caliber that becomes more and more organized with every year,
and with so many foreigners it’s marvelous,” said Megaton.
Megaton
went past Welton Ribeiro in the final to take gold.
And while they compete is when the charisma of these veterans
becomes apparent. Megaton had a gang of Brazilians and foreigners
supporting him throughout. Against Welton Ribeiro, Megaton took
the lead with a sweep, but was soon swept back. Rushing to score,
the Royler Gracie black belt managed to sweep again for the win.
In the final, against Renato Gomes, he had his best performance.
Gomes started off pulling guard, which Megaton responded to by
passing and submitting him with an armbar, thus taking the featherweight
senior 2 category. Brazen as always, the athlete will test his
mettle in the adult category.
Another
worth mentioning was Luis
“Limao” Heredia, friend and right hand man to Rickson Gracie
in the mission of spreading the gentle art in the USA. Emotional
over his return home, the black belt spoke of what participating
in the International Masters and Seniors means to him. “The
championship was marvelous. It’s the first time I compete
in Brazil as a black belt. I left here 22 years ago as a purple
belt to teach Jiu-Jitsu in the United States,” said a teary-eyed
Limao.
“So,
I came here with the purpose of making it to where I did, the
final. Thank God I’m taking a medal home. I’d like
to thank GRACIEMAG.com, my sponsors and the Pedro Sauer Jiu-Jitsu
association for their backing,” concluded Limao, who finished
his first match with a choke from the half guard and took second
in the Senior 3 featherweight division.
Source: Gracie Magazine |
LOST
IN THE DETAILS, FORREST READY FOR ANDERSON
The principle running through Forrest Griffin’s new-ish
book “Got Fight? 50 Zen principles of Hand-to-Face Combat”
is one he'll use to defeat Anderson Silva at UFC 101.
Lose
yourself in the details.
"If
you think about what a bad dude Anderson Silva is, you can (expletive)
yourself silly," Griffin explained to MMAWeekly.
Middleweight
terror Silva is back at 205, called by Dana White to move up
after two snoozer performances in defense of the 185lb. belt.
The antidote to another boring fight: Griffin, who through reckless
abandon made himself one of the sport’s most popular figures.
Never
mind the fact the Griffin, who once held the light heavyweight
title by outpointing Quinton Jackson at UFC 86, has grown into
a tactician inside the cage, a trait he attributes to time, money,
and marriage. While the plans don’t always work--he lost
the strap one fight later to Rashad Evans--he’s not winging
punches without regard.
And
there’s no way he’s going to do that for Silva, even
if many have surmised that the champ’s Achilles heel is
a “dirty fight,” or one where he’s not in control
of distance and timing.
“Dan
Henderson started to do that, and did you see how relaxed Anderson
was?” asked Griffin.
So,
as he does to order his life, Griffin lists things he’s
trying to lose himself in, details he drills to keep manageable
the idea of fighting a great. In the gym, they keep him from
getting caught up in Silva’s aura. That, and the difficulty
of finding someone to duplicate his attack.
“I
want my foot outside of his foot,” said Griffin. “There’s
a straight left coming. There’s a kick coming. Where’s
the fence? Is he high, is he open for a takedown? Find your distance.
“There’s
nobody you’re gonna spar with (that’s going to duplicate
him) unless Machida wanted to come help me out, which I don’t
think he would.”
Even
without abandon, Griffin is confident he’ll take punches
he used to welcome to get into a fight.
“He’s
gonna hit you,” he continued. “You’re gonna miss
him, and he’s going to hit you again. But you’ve got
to keep pressure, keep moving. Once you close the distance, make
it count for something. Go in, get hit, and then change your
angle and go again. Look for the takedown, look to drive up against
the fence.”
If
there was one item he took from Henderson (not to mention Travis
Lutter, Nate Marquardt, and Thales Leites), it’s that he
needs wrestling to get the job done.
“Yeah,
I’ve got to get on top of him, no doubt,” said Griffin.
“I’ve gotta find a way to get him on the ground, make
him carry my weight on the fence, on the ground, be heavy on
him, hang on him. Otherwise, I’m just a big slow guy. I’ve
gotta use the weight.”
And
if all that fails?
“I
don’t think they’re actually going to let him kill
me,” he quips. “And if he does kills me, book sales
will really go up. Boom…win-win, bitch.”
A
little more Hollywood than Zen, but true nonetheless.
“When
you’re climbing the mountain of life, you never look up
to see how high the mountain is, because it’s scary,”
said Griffin. “You look up and say ‘I’m never
going to make it up that high.’ And if you look down, you
say ‘what a fall.’ You keep your eyes straight ahead
and on your next step, and your next footing in front of you.
Worry is wasted energy.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
RICARDO
ALMEIDA TO USE UFC 101 AS A STEP TO 170
Ricardo Almeida has had a successful career competing as a middleweight,
amassing a 10-3 professional record, but his UFC 101 bout against
Kendall Grove will be the Renzo Gracie black belt's last in the
185-pound division. Following the Aug. 8 event at the Wachovia
Center in Philadelphia, Almeida will make the drop down to the
welterweight class.
"Most
days I could make 185 by just going and training," Almeida
told MMAWeekly.com. "I definitely feel 170 is the better
weight class for my body right now. The plan is after this fight
to definitely go to 170."
Following
an injury last year that forced a change in Almeida's training
regiment to a more technique and cardiovascular conditioning
focused program, the New Jersey resident became leaner.
"When
I was getting ready to fight Matt Horwich (at UFC Fight Night
18 on April 1), there were days when I finished training where
I'd be 186-187," said Almeida. "Renzo was the first
one to notice. Renzo was like, 'Ricardo, you look real light.
You should definitely think about dropping to 170.'
“All
my training partners, they would see me and say, 'you look light.
Ricardo, you look lean. You look light.' Eventually when enough
people that care about you are telling you something, it must
be true."
Almeida
planned to make the weight class change following his last fight,
but circumstance and opportunity made him postpone the move.
Residing in Bordentown in south New Jersey, about a 45-minute
drive from Philadelphia, the 32-year-old fighter requested to
be on the UFC 101 card.
"When
I asked to be on the Philadelphia card, they offered me a fight
at 185, or wait until a little bit later maybe in October and
fight at 170. I really wanted fight right here, close to home
and have that opportunity," explained Almeida. "I've
been fighting at 185 my whole life. What's another fight at 85
going to do? But definitely, after this fight, my plans are to
go down to 170."
Weighing
the pros and cons of dropping to the welterweight division, Almeida
commented, "The guys down at 170 are a lot quicker, a lot
more movement than the guys at 185. At the same time, they'll
be a little bit smaller. I won't be having to deal with guys
that have like a six-inch reach advantage on me. I definitely
want to give a strong performance and sort of set the tone for
me going down to 170, which is probably the premier weight classes
in the UFC.
"I
think this has been one of those things that has been evolving.
Everyone was learning how to cut weight. No doubt about it, in
the UFC, if you don't know how to cut weight, you're going to
get beat by somebody that does," added Almeida.
The
"Big Dog" still has one last bout as a middleweight
pitted against "The Ultimate Fighter 3" winner Kendall
Grove, and he's not looking past the tall Hawaiian, but hopes
his UFC 101 match-up will be a catalyst for his welterweight
career.
"I
still have this last fight at 185, and Kendall's certainly not
an opponent to be overlooked" said Almeida. "I feel
it's important for me to put on a good performance, an impressive
performance to set the tone for when I go down to 170."
Source: MMA Weekly |
GRAY
MAYNARD: "I DON'T WANT IT TO BE EVEN CLOSE"
As was custom, Gray Maynard got a text from Joe Silva sometime
in late May. It said, simply, “Huerta. Sept. 16.”
Huerta,
of course, was Roger Huerta, the embattled lightweight who’s
on the last bout of his UFC contract and fighting for his future
when the two meet in Oklahoma for UFC Fight Night 19.
Maynard
had been lobbying Silva to face Sean Sherk for the last year,
to no avail. But Huerta was popular, and that presented an opportunity
itself.
“His
name was big,” Maynard told MMAWeekly.com as he sat inside
the cage at Xtreme Couture’s gym. “It still is. Kind
of chose to go a different path in the last year. He’s got
heart. He keeps coming at you, and that’s a great fight.”
“Yes”
was the immediate reply.
He
began training for the fight this week, and recently broke down
Huerta footage with boxing coach Gil Martinez to get a better
idea of what to focus on.
Their
consensus was similar to how most view Huerta: what he lacks
in technique, he makes up for in heart.
And
technique happens to be Maynard’s biggest concern. He’s
heard critics who say he’s a one-trick pony, a wrestler
who’s playing at fighting. Hence the work with Martinez
on and off-season, where he drills technique for hours upon end.
He
certainly didn’t look like a one-trick pony against Jim
Miller at UFC 96. Over three rounds, his strikes were more accurate
and better timed. It was Miller who wanted the fight down.
“I’m
trying to learn,” he said. “I’m trying to get
good-good, like where I can pick people apart, where I can land
good shots and not swing wildly, and I can move. That’s
how I want to be. There’s just a lot to learn. And people
say, ‘well, Gray can’t strike.’ But I’m learning.
‘His jiu-jitsu is crap.’ But I’m learning. That’s
all I gotta do.”
The
fight led to talk of Maynard being the next lightweight contender,
which made news of a fight with Huerta a bit of a left turn.
If Huerta was victorious, it could be a big setback for the Las
Vegas native’s title chances.
Maynard
doesn’t like to think that way.
“It’s
all talk,” he said. “I try to keep what’s reality.
Reality is I’ve got Sept. 16. If you keep going and you
win, it’ll come. Might not come next, might not come in
two, might not come in three, but it’s going to come.”
He
just wants to make sure he doesn't go the route of Huerta’s
last victim, Clay Guida. Guida got caught with a flying knee
after two rounds of putting it on the Sports Illustrated cover
subject. Maynard isn't okay with standing in the pocket and brawling.
“I’m
trying to learn how I can avoid that stuff,” said Maynard.
“If I get caught, then I’m an idiot. Because that’s
part of the sport: defense. Blocking stuff, movement, which I
think a lot of guys don’t do. You see offense everywhere,
but if you can just move a little bit, it’s a lot easier.”
He
says it would be dishonest if he promised an all-out war with
the 26-year-old Los Angeles native.
“I’m
here to win,” said Maynard. “(I’m not going to
say), ‘I think it’s going to be a bloody, an unbelievable
throwdown. We’re going to get the fight of the night check.’
To be honest, I don’t even want it to be close. I want to
kick this dude’s ass. That’s the plan.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
DREAM
12 HEADED FOR OSAKA
Japanese MMA promotion DREAM is headed to Osaka for DREAM 12.
The
16,000-seat Osaka-Jo Hall will host the event on Oct. 25, over
three weeks away from the conclusion of the promotion’s
Featherweight and Super Hulk tournaments at DREAM 11 on Oct.
6.
The
promotion announced the news Saturday on their official website.
According
to Japanese MMA website Nightmare of Battle, DREAM 11 could be
the final 2009 broadcast for the promotion’s television
partner Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS).
No
match-ups for the event have been revealed. HDNet will broadcast
the event live in the US.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Moraes:
Nogueira’s “most dedicated student”
Confirmed
in Bellator’s tournament, the Jiu-Jitsu ace Sérgio
Moraes embarked yesterday to the United States in looking after
better trainings. BJJ world champion, the black belt is already
training with Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira in Black
House training center. "Minotauro is great, who knows the
guy knows how he is", thrills the fighter, excited for the
"lessons" with the former UFC and Pride champion. "This
is a dream, I’ll try to be the most dedicated student, learn
as much as I can, to fix me up the much that I can. He’s
a legend of the MMA, he has nothing to prove... I'm very excited",
finished Moraes.
Source: Tatame |
UFC'S
BRAD BLACKBURN OUT UNTIL 2010
One fighter who has made the most of his UFC opportunity over
the last year is former IFL welterweight “Bad” Brad
Blackburn.
Since
making his debut for the UFC this past December, he has won all
three of his fights for the promotion, turning in gritty, solid
performances against James Giboo, Ryo Chonan, and Edgar Garcia.
It
is his success that makes the recent news that he will be out
for the remainder of the year that much more disappointing.
As
Blackburn confirmed to MMAWeekly.com, “The doctors said
when they went in to fix my AC (acromioclavicular) joint that
I had a nice long tear in my labrum (shoulder).
“They
had to fix both of those and my estimated time for recovery is
nine months.”
Early
in Blackburn’s fight with Edgar Garcia at the Ultimate Fighter
9 Finale in June, Garcia slammed him, causing the injury, and
turning Blackburn into a one-armed fighter the remainder of the
bout.
Since
the fight, concern had risen in regards to the extent of the
injury when it became apparent that Blackburn could not reach
across his body with his injured shoulder, prompting doctors
to want to check his labrum in addition to his AC joint.
While
the news is upsetting, Blackburn remains in good spirits and
plans to use his positive state of mind to motivate him towards
a faster recovery.
“My
personal goal is (to be fully recovered in) six months,”
stated Blackburn. “If I go by what the doctors say then
I wouldn’t be able to fight for a year, and there’s
no way that’s happening.
“I’m
going to do everything I can do to get better. If all I can do
is kick, then I’ll kick a bag every day. If I can ride a
bike or jog, I’ll do that. When I can drill submissions,
I’ll be drilling submissions. I’m going to do as much
as I can with the situation I’m in.”
Further
motivating Blackburn towards a sooner than anticipated return
is his desire to keep up with the constantly evolving fight scene.
“Everybody’s
getting better all the time, so if I’m not improving, I’m
falling behind,” he commented. “If I’m not doing
something, it will mess with my head, making me think everyone’s
getting better and I’m not.”
His
agent, Ken Pavia, has spoken to the UFC about the extent of Blackburn’s
injury, and all signs point to the promotion wanting him to return
to the company as soon as he is healthy.
With
that said, Blackburn is focused on proving the doctors wrong
by getting back into the Octagon sooner than anticipated.
“I
want to thank all the fans for their support and giving me positive
feedback on my MySpace and Facebook,” he said. “I’ll
definitely be back, and there’s no way it’s going to
take me nine months.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
“The
desire of appearing clever often prevents our becoming so.”
La Rochefoucauld
|
New
Fighters' Club TV Episode Tonight!
Channel 52
Tuesday, 8:00 PM
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 63 is finally cut and submitted to Olelo Programming.
I
will air in our normal time slot; Tuesday night, 8pm on Olelo
Oahu Channel 52--or can be viewed via stream at Olelo.org at
the same time of it's scheduled airing.
Episode
63 features:
Mike
and Mark back in action from the 1st Jewel of Romolo's Triple
Crown of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
-interviews and footage of Rylan Lizares vs Jair Muniz
KINGDOM
MMA
-Andy "Danger" Cohea vs LJ Borges
-Dejuan Hathaway vs Tommy Tuiloma +intvw w/ Dejuan (featuring
our special guest interviewer!)
|
TITO
ORTIZ ON VERGE OF RETURNING TO UFC FOLD
Hell fell just short of officially frozen over on Friday.
“The
t-shirt guys,” Affliction, shuttered their promotional doors
on Friday, cutting a deal to once again become an official sponsor
of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and UFC president Dana
White all but said that Tito Ortiz has rejoined the ranks of
the UFC fighter roster.
White
first teased of Ortiz’s return in a post on his official
Twitter account on Friday afternoon, promoting his spot on ESPN
1100 radio as part of a charity radio-thon, and adding as an
afterthought, “Oh yea and welcome back Tito (followed by
a smiley face).”
He
then took to the ESPN 1100 airwaves, falling short of confirming
that Tito Ortiz is officially back in the UFC fold.
“Tito
and I have been talking and we have been trying to see if we
could figure things out,” said White. “I’ve said
many times that Tito and I have some issues and we both need
to grow up.”
But
asked by fellow radio guest Yahoo! Sports writer Kevin Iole if
that meant that Ortiz was already back in the fold and would
be on one of the upcoming Fall fight cards, the UFC president
answered, “It’s a possibility,” with a sly tone
to his voice.
He
then mentioned Ortiz’s back surgery and said it would be
good to see if Ortiz could return to form with his recent claims
of good health.
The
fence mending between White and Ortiz started about a week ago.
"I wanted to be a man and squash things between me and him...
he did the same to me. Dana showed the type of person he is by
apologizing to me and vice versa," Ortiz relayed on a recent
edition of Tapout Radio.
He
then said he was still in negotiations with Strikeforce, but
also noted that Affliction or even a return to the UFC were not
"out of the picture."
White
confirmed Ortiz' comments the next day, posting on his official
Twitter account, "Yes, Tito and I made up." Although,
at that time, he fell short of saying that his arms were open
to an Ortiz return to the Octagon. "Doesn't mean he's back.
It means we aren't smashing each other anymore and we don't hate
each other."
Well...
now, not only are they not smashing each other, it sounds as
if they are about to begin working together again.
It
has been 14 months to the day that Ortiz last stepped foot in
the Octagon – or any other promotion – losing a unanimous
decision to now UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida
at UFC 84.
Since
that time, he has undergone a successful back surgery that he
says has put him back at 100-percent percent healthy.
"It's
gonna be great to compete again and be 100-percent,” he
said following a Strikeforce event in April.
White’s
presence on ESPN 1100 was part of a fundraiser for The Caring
Place, an organization that provides programs and support services
for people touched by cancer.
Source: MMA Weekly |
XTREME
COUTURE 'LIKE A FUNERAL' AFTER UPHEAVAL
“It’s like a funeral.”
That’s
how Xtreme Couture head jiu-jitsu coach Neil Melanson summarized
the gym’s feeling after Friday morning’s announcement
of the cancellation of the Aug. 1 Affliction “Trilogy”
show, and later, the shuttering of the promotional arm of the
company.
“Everybody’s
shown up to the gym, not all of them are training, but they’re
there and they’re just… they’re all speechless.”
News
of the cancellation traveled quickly Friday morning that the
promotion was closing down the event due to its inability to
find a suitable replacement for main event fighter Josh Barnett,
who allegedly tested positive for an anabolic steroid earlier
in the week.
Without
Barnett, Showtime, who was carrying the pay-per-view, put pressure
on to pull the plug, citing an inability to inform viewers of
the change and market a new opponent for Fedor Emelianenko.
Melanson
felt especially bad for the Canadian contingent of Chris Horodecki
and Mark Hominick, both missed the last Affliction event due
to injury and illness.
“You
know, (Shawn) Tompkins’ guys, they’re all really nice
guys and they worked really hard and were in the gym all the
time (and) they were ready to win,” he said. “They
wanted these fights to help them get to the next level.
“To
have the card pulled from them like this, on this short notice…
it’s tough.”
For
Vitor Belfort, the eventual cancellation of the event capped
off a rollercoaster ride of a week that saw him go from the undercard
to a possible replacement for Barnett in the evening’s main
event.
“I
trained him closely, had lunch with him and would be with him
every day; he would look at pictures of his kids at lunch and
would say, ‘It’s so hard to be away from my kids and
my wife right now,’ and was just really upset,” related
Melanson.
Joining
Horodecki, Hominick and Belfort is longtime Xtreme Couture welterweight
Jay Hieron, who also now sits on the outside looking in.
“I
don’t want to judge (Affliction), because I’m not them,
they might have a damn good reason (for cancelling the show),
but they definitely hurt and affected a lot of people,”
stated Melanson.
“I
feel bad for all these (fighters). They did nothing wrong –
they trained their asses off and trusted their company, and their
company took a dump on them.”
While
the sting of losing money is one that is surely being felt by
the fighters left without a match, the general consensus is that
what is truly frustrating is simply not being able to do what
they’ve worked so hard to do, fight.
“I
sure hope they pay these guys,” said Melanson. “They’ve
got to have some kind of contract agreement to pay these guys,
but it’s still not the same.”
Source: MMA Weekly |
FEDOR
WAS READY; M-1 PLANS TO FILL VOID
News of the cancellation of Affliction "Trilogy" scheduled
for Aug. 1 began the craziest day of news in mixed martial arts
history on Friday. As many MMA fans were stunned by the news,
so was Affliction partner M-1 Global.
Since
the story broke, we've learned the Affliction MMA promotion has
closed its doors. The Affliction Clothing brand has been cleared
to be a sponsor of fighters competing under the Zuffa umbrella,
and all it's contracted athletes will soon become employees of
the Ultimate Fighting Championship or some other organization,
depending upon how negotiations play out.
M-1
Global released an official statement addressing the cancellation
of the event to the media expressing their shock, disappointment
and planned course of action upon receiving the information that
the plug had been pulled on the pay-per-view fight card.
"M-1
Global would like to sincerely apologize to fight fans who had
made plans to either attend next Saturday’s Affliction and
M-1 ‘Trilogy’ event at the Honda Center in Anaheim,
Calif., or watch the event at home on pay-per-view," read
the statement released to the media. "Early Friday afternoon,
M-1 Global learned without warning or prior notice that Affliction
had decided to cancel ‘Trilogy.’ As a partner of Affliction,
M-1 Global was saddened to learn of these developments."
"The
cancellation took our company completely by surprise, as Fedor
Emelianenko, M-1 Challenge fighter Mikahil Zayats, and a traveling
party of 35 people from Russia consisting of Fedor’s trainers,
friends, family, as well as M-1 support personnel were all on
a plane en route to Anaheim.
“Additionally,
Fedor did not learn of the cancellation until arriving at the
airport and informed directly by M-1 legal counsel," further
stated the press release.
Top
ranked heavyweight Emelianenko was scheduled to face second ranked
Josh Barnett in the main event, but Barnett was denied a California
State Athletic Commission license after failing a pre-fight drug
test for a performance enhancing, banned substance. The effort
to find a replacement for Barnett did not yield a viable opponent
and the entire event was subsequently canceled. M-1 maintains
it was not due to Emelianenko's willingness to take on any challenger.
"Following
the California State Athletic Commission’s decision not
to license Josh Barnett earlier in the week, M-1 Global was confident
that a suitable replacement would be found. Fedor was ready,
willing, and able to compete against whomever Affliction determined
was the most qualified candidate amongst an extensive list of
potential replacements," they commented. "M-1 Global
understands and shares the disappointment being expressed by
many fans that Fedor will not be able to compete on Aug. 1 as
scheduled. However, we will work to ensure that Fedor returns
to active competition as soon as possible."
While
taken by surprise that "Trilogy" was axed, M-1 Global's
reaction to the disappearance of Affliction is to step in and
raise it's stock in the mixed martial arts market place.
"With
Affliction’s announcement that it will cease to promote
MMA events, M-1 Global will look to help fill the void created
by its departure with the launch of its new ‘Breakthrough’
fight series," announced M-1 Global.
The
first event is scheduled for Aug. 28 in Los Angeles and will
feature "King" Mo Lawal and Don "The Predator"
Fyre in the main event and Karl Amoussou taking on Nick Thompson
in the co-main event.
Source: MMA Weekly |
WILL
FEDOR FINALLY LAND IN THE UFC?
Friday was a day that drastically changed the landscape of the
mixed martial arts world, but it likely was just the beginning
of an even more drastic reshuffling of fighters.
With
Affliction Entertainment shuttering its MMA promotional business,
all of the fighters it had under its wings are left to find new
homes. Some will end up fighting for Strikeforce, some for M-1
Global, some for the UFC, and elsewhere.
But
there is of course, one fighter in particular that draws the
MMA community’s attention like a laser... Fedor Emelianenko.
Ultimate
Fighting Championship president Dana White has long made it no
secret that he wants the consensus No. 1 heavyweight fighter
in the world under his roof.
"I
want Fedor too, contrary to popular belief," he has stated
on several occasions. The only thing he’s ever really argued
is Fedor’s position among the ranks of heavyweight fighters,
and, more recently, amongst the mythical pound-for-pound best.
“It
drives me crazy that people put him in the pound-for-pound (rankings),”
said White while a guest on ESPN 1100’s radio-thon fundraiser
for The Caring Place cancer support center. “We can argue
(his position amongst heavyweights) all day. There’s only
one way to find out; let’s get him in there.”
And
that’s exactly what White has been trying to do: put Fedor
in the Octagon.
“Regardless
of what I think of Fedor or where I think he sits in the heavyweight
division, it doesn’t mean anything. What matters is that
the fans want to see it. I’ve been trying to get this guy
in the UFC. We’re still trying now.”
It
has been a tough go however. There are sticking points between
Fedor’s management and the UFC that neither party has been
able to set aside. One of the key issues appears to be the UFC
not wanting to co-brand its events, and M-1 Global, Fedor’s
management company, refusing to do a fight without its brand
attached. But even that isn’t abundantly clear.
"I
have no idea what they want. Everything makes no sense to me,”
said a frustrated White earlier this year. “I think they
thought, 'You know, we'll partner up with these guys and we'll
own a piece of this thing.' It's all mixed signals.
"When
I first met with these guys, (Fedor's) manager is like, 'Here's
what we want to do. My brother is the biggest rock concert promoter
(in Russia). So here's what we want. We want you to build an
arena in Russia.'"
That
was obviously not high on the UFC’s list of acceptable concessions.
However,
if the two sides are eventually able to come to an agreement,
Fedor’s first challenge in the Octagon will be to vie for
the UFC heavyweight championship currently held by Brock Lesnar.
“He’ll
fight for the title (in his first UFC fight),” said White
on Friday.
But
if it actually does come to fruition, the brash UFC leader wavered
on the outcome of that fight. “Here’s the thing, Fedor
has a ton of experience. The guy’s been around forever,
but you can’t take anything away from Brock Lesnar. What
this guy has accomplished in a short amount of time is phenomenal.
“It’s
a very interesting fight.”
Indeed.
It would also be the coup that solidifies the UFC’s heavyweight
champion as the No. 1 heavyweight fighter in the world, but only
time will tell if it will ever happen.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Cigano
wants another KO against Cro Cop
With
two quick knockout victories in the UFC, Junior "Cigano"
dos Santos wants to do it again in the UFC 103, but will have
another tough challenge ahead. After debuting in the octagon
against the Fabrício Werdum, the Brazilian will face now
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, but guarantees the same
strategy in the bout, going for a stand up war.
"I
train a lot of Boxing, I like the striking a lot and I’ll
go after another knockout. What I want is the knockout",
says Cigano, who can show his Jiu-Jitsu for the first time in
the Ultimate, but will prefer to fight standing. "I’m
training a lot of ground, a lot of Wrestling. This guy is dangerous
standing, but I’m going after the knockout, as always. With
the opportunity, I’ll show my ground too", revealed
the fighter, excited for the fight against another former Pride
star.
"I'm
facing it as a very good opportunity in my life. Cro Cop is a
guy that, if you talk about MMA, you know who he is. He’s
very dangerous and famous, if not the most dangerous man in the
MMA. I’m very happy with the change of opponent, this is
an incredible opportunity, as when happened the fight with Werdum”,
celebrates the fighter.
Source: Tatame |
Rodrigo
Comprido
Two
times BJJ world champion, Rodrigo Comprido is training the UFC
heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, and spoke with TATAME.com
about the star, who demolished Frank Mir and now waits for the
next challenger for his belt. In the exclusive interview, that
you check below, Comprido talked about the work in the US, the
fight between Lesnar and Mir, a possible fight between Minotauro
and Lesnar, and more.
How
is the work at the United States?
I’m
in Chicago for two years, at Brasa Chicago, and I’m already
with some students with schools nearby, in Ohio. I'm trying to
strengthen the work to keep the team always together. I try to
coach with Traven, with Esfiha, Robert Drysdale... I always try
to be in contact with my friends.
Who
is the great Jiu-Jitsu representative in the MMA nowadays?
Demian
is the guy of Jiu-Jitsu. I have a huge admiration for Minotauro,
what he lived inside the tatami, the name he has as a fighter
and as a person, he’s an inspiration, but, nowadays, Demian,
by his style of fight, is the guy who is holding the Jiu-Jitsu
in all ways... Five fights, five victories and all by submission
in the UFC, I can’t complain, right?
You’ve
already fought with Nate Marquardt at ADCC. How do you think
will be his fight with Demian in the UFC?
I
had the opportunity to beat him in Abu Dhabi, but it’s a
very tough fight, perhaps Demian’s toughest until today.
Nate beats in line and walking backwards, keeps beating, and
this can be a problem, but Demian is prepared for what comes
and I have no doubt that he will be able to impose his game.
How
do you think will be Minotauro’s fight against Randy?
Randy
is a legend as big as Minotauro, they’re two excellent athletes.
He’s very strong in that dirty boxing, to let the guy in
the grid and be giving punches and begin to cut the man and hurt
him, he’s also very strong in the ground and pound, but
I'm sure that, if Minotauro goes to the ground, he’ll get
the guy. Rodrigo has to do the ground fight, in the middle of
the octagon, to avoid the risk getting closer to the fence. Minotauro
has a lot of heart, much desire to win, he recovers from bad
situations and goes submitting... I put faith that he’ll
win.
How
do you evaluate Brock Lesnar as an athlete, especially the ground
part, that you’ve tough him?
I
started to work with Brock after his first fight against Frank
Mir. I personally follow the trainings and the guy learns very
easily, when you see him fighting you can notice that he’s
evolving a lot. I think his ground is strong, solid. We’re
managing to make him confident in all areas.
Who
is the guy who can take Brock Lesnar’s belt?
The
fight that I don’t want is against Minotauro, because he’s
a man very good in Jiu-Jitsu and he’ll difficultly be knocked
out in the ground and pound, but, if he comes, I'll set a trap
for him. I’ll have to help Brock to go over him, and I don’t
like that option. It would be a very tough fight, I like Minotauro
a lot, who brought the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to the top, but in
a sport of that level you can’t choose the athletes. If
he comes, Lesnar will be trained.
Source: Tatame |
Shogun
comments title fight against Lyoto
Pride
GP champion, Maurício "Shogun" Rua needed two
victories in the UFC to get the chance for the belt, now with
Lyoto Machida. With new apartment in Curitiba, Shogun opened
the doors of his house to TATAME and talked about the duel, which
is scheduled for October 24th (UFC 104) in Los Angeles, California.
"He
comes from the Karate school and I come from the Muay Thai school,
but he’s an athlete who gives a lot of knee blows, plenty
Muay Thai blows also, which he improved well. I think the big
difference is that he likes to fight in counter punching, and
I’m the opposite, I like to go inside", analyzed Shogun,
who also commented Lyoto’s game and the possibility of finishing
the fight with the Jiu-Jitsu.
"He’s
a very complete man, good standing, good on the ground, good
in Wrestilng... Actually, people say that if I take the fight
to the ground I’ll win, but it isn’t like that. He’s
a very good on the ground, I’ve trained with him, and sometimes
that isn’t the solution. Staying on top in the fight may
be an advantage, but I have to see it right so that I don’t
make the wrong strategy", said Maurício, revealing
his new addiction: play UFC Undisputed 2009. "I’ve
already knocked out some guys, I think almost all... I only play
with me, right? (laughs)”.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
“As
I've gone through life, I've found that your chances for happiness
are increased if you wind up doing something that is a reflection
of what you loved most when you were somewhere between nine and
eleven years old.”
Walter Murch
|
H.A.P.A.
Hawaii Amateur Pankration Association
Hit-And-Submit #4
October 17th, 2009
www.hapafights.com
|
X-1
Scuffle On Schofield Results
TROPIC'S
7/25/2009
BLUE CORNER RED CORNER
Main Event
TILIS SIONEINI 185lbs Pro MMA Match MICHAEL WINKELSPECHT
3/5 Min Rounds
Winkelspecht by TKO (corner threw in towel) in Round 3
Co Main Event
MILLER UALESI 185lbs MMA Match AUTHONY CHENAULT
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Ualesi by rear naked choke in round 2.
SHAUN BROOKS 135lbs MMA Match STEVEN ALBANESE
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Albanese by unanimous decision
JOEY PALAMIA HW MMA Match DAVID UNTALAN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Palamia by TKO, ref stop at the start of round 2
FATU TUITASI 155lbs MMA Match DANIEL MARNOLEJO
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Marnolejo by unanimous decision
MAKI PITOLO 195lbs MMA Match STEVE ROVELSTAD
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Pitolo by TKO, ref stop due to punches from the mount in round
2
DALE SOPI HW MMA Match STEVEN BEAL
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Sopi by TKO in round 1 (Beal could not see well after kick to
head)
TRAVIS BYERS 145lbs MMA Match MILES HAYES
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Byers by tapout due to rear naked choke in round 1.
SASAE PAOGOFIE 205lbs MMA Match JOSEPH COUNTERMAN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Counterman by unanimous decision
MITCHELL GARCIA 145lbs MMA Match SHANE OSHIRO
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Oshiro by TKO, ref stoppage, due to punches from the back mount
in round 1.
ENDREW SETEFANO 205lbs MMA Match YANCY YAGER
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Setefano by TKO, ref stoppage due to punches in round 1
ROBIN CLARK 170lbs MMA Match DANNY MABALOT
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Mabalot by TKO, tapout due to punhces from back mount in round
1
FRED CABATING 170lbs MMA Match KELLY KEMP
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Kemp by unanimous decision
AARON GARDNER 170lbs MMA Match JOSE VELEZ
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Velez by guillotine on the knees in round 1
LUCKY ROSARIO 155lbs MMA Match DUSTIN SMITH
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
KO in round 1
JASON MORINAGA 185lbs MMA Match BILL OAKLEY
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
Morinaga by TKO, ref stop due to punches from mount in round
1.
|
USA-Boxing
Hawaii, Kawano B.C. , and Palolo B.C.
Presents
a Match Event at Palolo District Park Gym
July 25, 2009 at 6 p.m.
Results- winners in bold
Red Corner Weights Blue Corner
Boxing Club 3 Rounds Boxing Club
1).
Makana Bell 68/11 (0) 70 Won/dec. Brenson Fernandez**70/12
(1)
Evolution B .C. 03/10/98 1 min. 08/08/97 Shalom B.C.
2). Jason Lewis 230/15 (0) 220 Won/Ret. Mark Antalan**
214/16
636 B.C. 08/10/93 2 min. 01/31/93 Pearlside B.C.
3). Michael Brown 69/9 (0) 70 Won/dec. Kainalu Wong**64/9
(0)
Evolution B.C. 08/11/99 1 min. 10/08/99 Evolution B.C.
4). **Chavez Justyce Galdones Won/dec.68/8(4)70 Sai Crawford
69/8 (6 kb)
FlipSide B.C. 07/29/00 1 min. 03/31/01 Five-0 B.C.
5). Ronson Yadao Farin 58/10 (4) 60 Won/dec. Ronske Ineri**
63/10 (2)
Evolution B.C. 10/19/98 1 min. 04/10/99 Windward B.C.
6). **John Jeric Galdones Won/dec 85/12 (3) 85 Kainoa
Simao 85/12 (2)
Flipside B.C. 03/31/97 1 min. Kauai P.A.L.
7). **Jazelle Bobadilla Won/walkover 82/11(1) 80 Kimberly
Choe 77/11 (1)
Kalakaua B.C. 05/20/98 1 min. 11/29/97 636 B.C.
8). Isaiah Lawelawe 182/20 (0) 190 Won/dec. Ponesawan Wheeler**199/27(1)
Unattached 03/13/89 2 min. 06/22/82 Kawano B.C.
9). Kieran Rosas 119/15 (2) 119 Won/dec. Preston Saragosa**117/14(0)
Shalom B.C. 09/24/94 2 min. 10/23/94 Five-0 B.C.
10). Marco Pagaduan 163/18 165 Won/dec. Phil Perez** 165/23
Kakaako B.C. 10/25/90 2 min. 01/08/86 Unattached
11). **Phil Ramirez Won/dec. 146 145 Joel Kim
Kalakaua B.C. 06/04/70 1 min. 09/23/62 Palolo B.C.
12). Carlos Garrido 140/15 (0) 140 Won/dec. Sheldon Crawford**
165/15(0)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 09/08/93 2 min. 11/08/93 Five-0 B.C.
13). **Thomas Martinez Won/dec 149/42 (0) 145 Joe Solima
144/42 (1)
Unattached 05/31/67 1 min. 04/09/67 Kalakaua B.C.
14). Mana Myers 170/19 (0) 170 Won/dec. Tyler Mayekawa**
170/24 (0)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 10/10/89 2 min. 10/16/84 Unattached
15). **Soloman Amadeo Won/dec. 21/160 (0)160 Gregg Ishikawa
30/156 (2)
Unattached 04/20/88 2 min. 10/07/78 Kawano B.C.
16). Kaeo Myers 168 (2) 170 Won/dec. Sergey Russu** 165/22
(9)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 2 min. 08/15/86 Kakaako B.C.
Medal Sponsors- Quick Jab Athletics, Palolo B.C., Kawano B.C.
We would like to Thank all the Volunteers who make Amateur Boxing
in Hawaii possible.
The Boxers, Officials, Coaches, HPD Volunteer Officers Daryl
Takata, and Ron Richardson, Dr. Myles Suehiro,and Dr. Carrie
Marshall, HFD, Med. Students, Door Volunteers, Concession Workers,
Hawaii State Boxing Commission, Palolo District Park Gym, Interm
chairman Blane Yoshida, anyone else who I missed and "YOU"
our Boxing +Fans and Supporters. Thank You Again!!!
Source: Bruce Kawano |
DONE
FIGHTING, AFFLICTION NOW A UFC SPONSOR
In a sea change for the promotional landscape of mixed martial
arts, Affliction has agreed to cease promoting fights and become
an official sponsor of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Kevin
Iole of Yahoo! Sports first reported the news on Friday afternoon,
and a UFC official confirmed the report to MMAWeekly.com.
A
joint announcement between the Las Vegas-based promotion and
California-based clothing maker is expected soon.
Few
details about the deal are known, but the popular clothing brand
could be seen on Zuffa fighters as soon as Aug. 8, when UFC 101
lands in Philadelphia.
A
similar deal was first proposed last October after the postponement
of Affliction’s second event, “Day of Reckoning.”
Executives from the UFC and Affliction met in secret in Las Vegas
and offered to take Affliction on as a sponsor and co-branded
apparel maker in exchange for ceasing to promote fights. Affliction
executives rejected the offer after a fiery confrontation between
co-founder Todd Beard and UFC co-owner Lorenzo Ferttita.
The
fate of fighters marooned by Affliction’s cancellation of
its third show, “Trilogy,” is unknown at this time.
Check
back with MMAWeekly.com for more updates on this story as it
develops.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
BREAKING
NEWS: AFFLICTION "TRILOGY" CANCELLED
Multiple sources have informed MMAWeekly.com that Affliction’s
third show, “Triology,” has been cancelled. Fighters
and managers were being notified of the situation early Friday
morning.
The
event was scheduled for Aug. 1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim,
Calif.
Details
on the cancellation are few, but the loss of Josh Barnett, one
half of the evening’s main event, undoubtedly contributed
to the decision.
A
source close to the situation also informed MMAWeekly.com that
Affliction’s pay-per-view provider, Showtime, played a major
factor in the cancellation.
Check
back with MMAWeekly.com for more details as they arise.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
RIGGS
VS. DIAZ 2 OFF; REPLACEMENT UNKNOWN
Joe "Diesel" Riggs will not fight Nick Diaz for the
first-ever Strikeforce welterweight title at "Carano vs.
Cyborg" on Aug. 15 in San Jose, Calif.
Strikeforce
Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz confirmed the news
to MMAWeekly.com Friday morning.
Word
of the change first appeared Thursday night on graciefighter.com,
a website owned and operated by Diaz's manager Cesar Gracie.
The
report indicated that Riggs had withdrawn from the fight when
he had an adverse reaction to a prescription medication, prompting
a hospital stay that could be weeks long.
Afromowitz
was unaware of Rigg's condition and was still trying to contact
the fighter.
The
fight was the second title match on the Aug. 15 event to encounter
problems. Alistair Overeem, who in June canceled a scheduled
title defense when he injured his hand in a nightclub brawl,
bowed out of a second title booking against Fabricio Werdum when
he was unable to recover from the injury. Strikeforce officials
are currently looking for a replacement.
Riggs
defeated Diaz at UFC 57 in February 2006, and later brawled with
the Stockton native at a Las Vegas area hospital. Bad blood has
remained since.
Afromowitz
said the search was on to replace Riggs, but gave no names of
fighters under consideration.
There
are now two title fights remaining on the card. In the evening's
headliner, Gina Carano will take on Cristiane "Cyborg"
Santos for the first ever Strikeforce women's 145-pound title,
and Gilbert Melendez will rematch lightweight champion Josh Thomson.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
AFFLICTION
CANCELLED; WHAT ABOUT THE FIGHTERS?
Early information was scattered Friday morning, but all of MMAWeekly.com’s
sources pointed to one fact: Affliction “Trilogy” had
been cancelled.
The
headline bout, and main selling point of the event, was a showdown
between the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked heavyweights in the world.
WAMMA champion Fedor Emelianenko, unanimously regarded as tops
in the heavyweight class, would defend against UFC and Pride
veteran Josh Barnett.
That
was until it was revealed earlier this week that Barnett had
allegedly tested positive for steroids in a pre-fight drug test
that caused the California State Athletic Commission to deny
him a license to fight.
“The
license of Josh Barnett was denied pursuant to rule 303 of Title
IV of the California Code of Regulations,” said CSAC Interim
Executive Officer Dave Thornton on Wednesday. “That rule
prohibits the use of certain substances, including anabolic agents,
by any boxer or MMA fighter.”
Hours
after MMAWeekly.com reported news of the cancellation, Affliction
vice president Tom Atencio issued a statement citing time as
the decisive factor.
“Finding
an opponent for the No. 1 ranked MMA heavyweight champion in
such a short period of time was a huge endeavor and I’m
thrilled at the amount of fighters willing to take on this challenge,”
stated Atencio. “But in the end, we just didn’t have
enough time to promote a new fight to our standards.”
The
statement went on to express disappointment that the undercard
would be a casualty of the cancellation, but sources close to
several fighters indicated that preliminary talks have already
begun to try and place some of the undercard bouts and/or fighters
on other fight cards that are coming up.
One
event that is perhaps more likely than others to gain from the
cancellation is M-1 Global’s Aug. 28 event in Los Angeles.
Several sources indicated that event is a primary focus for placing
undercard bouts. Although the talks are still preliminary, M-1
Global’s event would make sense given that the company is
a main partner of Affliction and was co-promoting the Aug. 1
“Trilogy” event.
Affliction
has also worked closely with Strikeforce, sharing fighters with
the California-based promotion in the past. Strikeforce has an
Aug. 15 event on Showtime featuring a women’s title bout
between Gina Carano and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.
That event has also suffered recent setbacks with the withdrawal
of heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem in a title bout against
Fabricio Werdum and, Friday morning, Joe Riggs dropped out of
a scheduled welterweight championship fight against Nick Diaz.
Given
the strong relationship between the two promotions, it wouldn’t
be out of the question for Affliction to try and place some of
its fighters on the Strikeforce card to try and fill in some
of the gaps.
Affliction
noted that ticketholders for the canceled “Trilogy”
event should contact Ticketmaster or ticketmaster.com for a refund.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FIGHTERS
REELING AS AFFLICTION CLOSES MMA SHOP
Word from Affliction’s rank-and-file fighters this morning
was that no one was getting paid.
A
little over a week out from an expected payday at Affliction
“Trilogy,” most are still floored over the event’s
sudden cancellation early Friday.
“There’s
no words that can even describe it,” said Jay Hieron, who
was scheduled to face Paul Daley on the event’s undercard.
“It’s still fresh for me. I’ve already paid all
my trainers. I trained my ass off for this fight.”
Affliction
vice president Tom Atencio on Friday said the loss of co-main
event fighter Josh Barnett proved an insurmountable hurdle for
the young promotion to overcome, and that pulling the plug was
the only option.
Until
Thursday night, the MMA world was holding its breath over who
would replace Barnett to face Fedor Emelianenko. The front runner,
middleweight Vitor Belfort, had drawn mixed reviews from both
fans and media, mainly because the match-up would deprive them
of a main card showdown with Sengoku champ Jorge Santiago.
Now,
there will be no match-ups to look forward to. According to a
UFC official, Affliction is ceasing its fight operations to become
an official UFC sponsor.
For
Hieron, it’s the second time he’s had a major promotion
roll up its tent and leave him in the lurch.
“I
think I’ve been through everything that’s bad in this
sport,” he said. “I don’t know what I haven’t
been through yet. I know everything happens for a reason…
I hope it’s a good reason.”
Standard
fight contracts rarely allow for compensation in light of a cancelled
event. For all but the top-drawing fighters, a cancelled show
means months of hard work out the door.
The
only recourse, it seems, is to look for another fight.
“To
tell you the truth, I don’t know what’s going to happen,”
said Paul Buentello, who was due to fight Gilbert Yvel on the
main card. “It took a lot of wind out of my sails.”
Multiple
sources have indicated to MMAWeekly.com that several managers
are attempting to place their fighters on two upcoming cards:
Carano vs. Cyborg, due for Aug. 15 at the HP Pavilion in San
Jose, Calif., and M-1 Global’s “Breakthrough,”
due for Aug. 28 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Affliction’s
deal with the UFC could mean work for some, but it’s unknown
who will fold into the industry leading promotion and who will
be a free agent. Most Affliction fighters were tied to non-exclusive
three-fight deals, although many chose not to take fights in
other promotions.
Strikeforce
is entertaining either Jay Hieron or his originally scheduled
opponent, Paul Daley, as a new opponent for Nick Diaz on Aug.
15. Diaz’s original opponent, Joe Riggs, withdrew from the
fight on Friday morning.
Daley
is game. “I have trained so damned hard for this fight,
probably the hardest ever and I am in great shape and now this
happens. I still want a fight – if they need someone to
replace Riggs against Nick Diaz give me a call.”
It
has also been tossed around that Affliction fighters Ben Rothwell
or Gilbert Yvel are being considered to replace Strikeforce heavyweight
champion Alistair Overeem, who had to withdraw from his title
defense against Fabricio Werdum.
A
lot of fighters could still be out of work. One fighter places
the blame squarely on Barnett.
“Bottom
line is, Josh Barnett should pay everybody,” said Rothwell,
who had drawn Chase Gormley for his undercard fight. “He
(expletive) up, bad.”
But
Rothwell and Buentello, both longtime veterans of the sport,
agree that Affliction was not to blame for the cancellation.
“They
didn’t do it,” said Rothwell. “They didn’t
make (Barnett) do the drug test.”
Buentello
said he would continue training until next week and decide what
to do from there.
“Right
now, I’m eating a big old helping of biscuits and gravy,”
he said. “I’m gonna be myself today and just relax.
Take the day off.”
Others
weren’t so sure of their next step.
“I
don’t just feel bad for myself, I feel bad for all the other
fighters who aren’t going to make money,” said Rothwell.
“I feel bad for Affliction. I feel for the fans. Everybody
suffers.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
AND AFFLICTION ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT
The talk of the day on Friday centered on Affliction. Friday
morning, MMAWeekly.com reported that the promotion was calling
managers and fighters to notify them that its Aug. 1 “Trilogy”
event had been cancelled.
Shortly
thereafter, Yahoo! Sports writer Kevin Iole reported, and MMAWeekly.com
subsequently confirmed with the UFC, that not only was Affliction
cancelling “Trilogy,” it also was shuttering its mixed
martial arts promotion business and returning as an official
sponsor of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Below
is the full press statement released late Friday by Affliction
and the UFC:
Zuffa,
LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship “UFC”
organization and Affliction Holdings, LLC announced today they
have agreed to a collaboration that will benefit the sport of
Mixed Martial Arts and ultimately the sport’s growing fan
base.
The
collaboration ensures commitments by UFC and Affliction for Mixed
Martial Arts to continue to be recognized as a mainstream sport.
“We
are excited about the return of Affliction to the UFC and look
forward to seeing our fighters once again walk into the Octagon
wearing the Affliction brands. Affliction is an innovator of
mixing fashion with this sport and we are looking forward to
working together to promote the sport.” Dana White, President
of UFC.
“Our
brand is synonymous with the ‘Live Fast’ approach to
life and UFC is the perfect venue for us to market our brand.
We have come to an agreement with the UFC which we feel will
be the best for the sport and will help the UFC continue delivering
the highest caliber of fights,” Eric Foss, Co-Founder of
Affliction.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LITTLE
KNOWN KING MO SAYS HE CAN BEAT FEDOR
Vitor Belfort, Bobby Lashley, Brett Rogers, Tom Erickson, Jeff
Monson, Don Frye, and even... Tank Abbott?!
Well,
now you can add Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal to the list
of fighters that want to step in for Josh Barnett to fight Fedor
Emelianenko at Affliction “Trilogy” on Aug. 1.
And
who can blame him? According to a report from Dave Meltzer of
Yahoo! Sports, multiple sources say that Affliction is dangling
a $500,000 carrot in front of potential opponents.
“Man,
I want that fight,” Mo said Thursday night on MMAWeekly
Radio. “History has shown Fedor’s had problems with
smaller athletic guys that he fights. Bigger guys, he just rolls
right through ’em. The smaller guys, or the guys that can
move real well, give him problems.”
King
Mo would definitely fit into the category of smaller, athletic
fighters. He has floated around between 185 and 205 pounds in
his professional career, which is marked by four wins and no
defeats. But it is his fighting style and attitude that Mo believes
makes him a good opponent for Fedor.
“I
want that fight because I think I can win. I can beat this dude.
Granted, he’s got heavy hands. Everybody has flaws. Styles
make fights,” he stated repeatedly. “I can see my style
causing him a lot of problems.
“I’m
not a guy in survivor mode ever. I saw Cro Cop respect (Fedor)
a little too much and fought to survive. If I go out there, I’m
gonna try and take him out. Whatever it takes; slams, elbows,
knees, whatever it takes I’m gonna try and win.”
Realistically,
Mo realizes that his being called in to face Fedor is a long
shot. He’s hopeful, but having fought his entire career
thus far in Japan, skills or not, he leaves a lot of people in
America asking, “King Mo who?”
“To
me, anything is possible,” he said with a hint of resignation.
“Right now, people don’t know who I am. I’m not
a UFC veteran. I fight in Japan. People in America tend to be
more UFC fans. So then people don’t really know me.
“(But)
by the end of the day, the fans love me because I’m gonna
bring it.”
All
fingers are still pointing towards Vitor Belfort as the most
likely replacement for Barnett. Belfort’s camp believes
it is all but a lock, already doing rounds with the media.
But
Affliction vice president Tom Atencio has remained steadfast,
“Until you hear it from me, until I have a contract signed,
they’re all rumors. Until you absolutely hear it from my
voice, from me, it’s not finalized.”
So
far, Belfort’s name as the replacement for Barnett has not
come from Atencio’s mouth. He told MMAWeekly.com on Thursday,
however, that he hopes to project the name of Fedor’s new
opponent at some point on Friday.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free;
if our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed."
Edmund Burke
|
Maui's premiere BJJ and submission grappling tournament has been
scheduled! Normally two large tournaments are planned per year,
one gi and one no-gi, but this time athletes will get the best
bang for their buck by being able to compete in both divisions
gi and no-gi. Start your team's travel planning now!
Currently all airlines are charging $98 for a flight from Oahu
to Maui, so book now before the rates creep up.
For more information, please contact Luis Limao at info@mauijiujitsu.com or Lee Theros at leetheros@aol.com.
Source: Event Promoter
|
Official:
Affliction cancels Aug. 1 'Trilogy' event
Nope, no replacement for Fedor.
Affliction
has opted instead to cancel the entire "Trilogy" card
scheduled for Aug. 1 in Anaheim, Calif., according to a press
release.
"Finding
an opponent for the No. 1 ranked MMA heavy weight champion in
such a short period of time was a huge endeavor and I'm thrilled
at the amount of fighters willing to take on this challenge,"
Tom Atencio, vice president of Affliction Entertainment, said
in a statement. "But in the end, we just didn't have enough
time to promote a new fight to our standards."
As
first reported by SI.com, Atencio began making calls Friday morning
to alert fighters of the cancellation.
The
card took a major hit when main eventer Josh Barnett tested positive
for steroids and was not licensed to fight Fedor Emelianenko.
Affliction had said it would find a replacement and the card
will continue on, but that decision has apparently changed.
It
is unknown as of yet whether "Trilogy" will be rescheduled.
Source: MMA Fighting
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AFTER
ALL-STAR CAMP, FLORIAN "READY FOR HELL"
by Damon Martin
For the biggest fight in his mixed martial arts career, top UFC
lightweight contender Kenny Florian spared no expense in bringing
in some of the top fighters in the world to help him prepare
for his championship bout against B.J. Penn at UFC 101 in Philadelphia.
The Massachusetts native also made a trip north of the border
to work with one of the pound-for-pound best in the world.
Knowing
what a tough challenge Penn will be in the 155-pound title fight,
Florian twice packed his bags, and left home for Canada to work
with the last fighter to face the Hawaiian, UFC welterweight
champion Georges St. Pierre, who is the only fighter to actually
defeat Penn twice in his career.
"They
have a lot of high level guys that I've never worked with before.
I got to go up there twice to Montreal to train and it was phenomenal
training," Florian told MMAWeekly Radio about the experience
with St. Pierre and his team.
Working
with St. Pierre, Florian admits that he learned a lot from the
champion and that sparring will go a long way to help him defeat
Penn on Aug. 8.
"Training
with Georges obviously, it doesn't get much better than that,"
he commented. "When you're training with one of the best
pound-for-pound guys in the world, repeatedly, and learning from
him, and sparring with him, getting used to that intensity and
that high level consistently, is going to take you to higher
levels. Simple as that."
While
not discounting the mental aspect of St. Pierre's tutelage, as
he just defeated Penn earlier this year, Florian insists that
his trips to Montreal were all about the training, not trying
to duplicate what happened in January.
"It
wasn't about going there and saying 'GSP beat B.J. so I'm going
to go there and try to do what GSP does.' That's ridiculous,"
said Florian. "I can't do what Georges does. I don't think
there's anybody else in the world in MMA that can do what Georges
does, but what I can do is learn from him, and get high-level
sparring from a guy who is considered one of the best fighters
in the world."
After
the fight with Penn is done, Florian says he will plan trips
to Montreal for all of his future bouts as well, but his home
base will always be at Team Sityodtong in Boston.
At
his home camp, Florian worked with his regular cast of characters
while also bringing in some very high-level training partners
that included Japanese standout Hatsu Hioki and former opponent
Din Thomas.
"I've
been bringing a lot of guys in to help me that I believe can
push me in the same areas B.J. can. I think it's phenomenal.
The people I've been bringing in have really been helping me
for this fight and I think that's very important. I try to find
guys who can replicate certain things that my opponent can do,"
he stated.
"With
B.J. it's difficult because he can do so many things well, so
you can only draw certain aspects of certain fighters. Not everyone
can do what B.J. can do. The guy is top in the world for a reason
and he can do a lot of things that none of the other people can
do, but you can have certain aspects. I tried to bring guys who
can emulate many of the same things B.J. can do and I found it
just tremendously beneficial."
Working
with an All-Star cast, Florian also admitted other fighters came
into his camp to help out as well, but wished to remain nameless
due to past affiliations and training situations with other camps
that he didn't want to harm. Regardless of the names, he says
that come Aug. 8 all the training will pay off, and he's prepared
for war.
"I'm
ready for hell," Florian said emphatically. "I'm ready
for hell."
Source: MMA Weekly
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Josh
Barnett was unaware of random drug testing
Josh Barnett believed there would be no reason for any issues
when he provided the California athletic commission with a urine
sample on June 25, thinking it was not a random drug test, but
a routine sample in order to receive his license to fight.
"Many
of you are wondering what's happening," Barnett wrote in
the early hours of Thursday morning on his MySpace blog. "What
I can say is that when applying for my license, the CSAC asked
for me to submit a urine sample for testing prior to granting
my license as they do with everyone, I believe. It was not a
random test. I had no reason to believe there would be any issues
and went in to submit my sample at the earliest possible opportunity
on June 25th. I never once thought there would be a problem."
But
unfortunately for Barnett, he was the first-ever fighter selected
for a random drug test by the California commission. Random drug
tests are common through the Nevada state athletic commission,
but never before in California.
The
sample, tested at the World Anti-Doping Agency lab in UCLA, was
announced Wednesday by the California athletic commission to
have traces of 2a-methyl-5a-androstan-3a-ol-17-one, an anabolic
steroid.
While
Barnett did not specifically deny the use of performance-enhancing
drugs in his statement, he said he plans to exercise his right
to appeal the denial of his license.
"My
representatives and I are working to gather as much info as possible
and handle this situation as best as we can," Barnett continued.
"I am embarrassed and want for nothing more than to resolve
this issue and receive a license from the State of California
as I have done many times already and for other states as well."
As
FanHouse reported yesterday, a second sample provided on June
25 is currently being tested to validate the first positive test
sample.
Source: MMA Fighting
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What
to make of the Josh Barnett story regarding a reported failed
CSAC drug test
By Zach Arnold
Sherdog
reports that either Vitor Belfort or Bobby Lashley will get a
chance to face Fedor. If I’m Belfort, I take that fight
immediately no matter what the outcome is. This would be a golden
ticket for him and could you imagine what Dana White would be
willing to pay him if he somehow pulled off the upset? UFC would
mark out like crazy. As for Lashley, avoid this fight at all
costs. No reason to take it. I disagree with Dave Meltzer’s
assertion that Lashley would be in a no-lose situation taking
the fight.
Fightlinker
sums up the Barnett story in a simple manner.
Barnett
was scheduled for day two of a two-day conference call session
that starts on Wednesday to hype up the upcoming Affliction event.
When asked whether or not audio of the conference call would
be available to members of the media, the PR staff said ‘no
audio.’
There
is a bigger lesson to be learned here when thinking about this
story. The lesson to be learned is that out-of-competition drug
testing works and that drug testing right before and right after
a fight is nice and everything, but it doesn’t ultimately
catch a lot of the cheaters. Drug testing at events makes for
nice PR more than it does make for great policy.
Which
is something that Ivan Trembow has long-focused on and deserves
a lot of credit for. Nevada was the first to push for out-of-competition
drug testing, but the commission (lead by Keith Kizer) has been
all over the place in terms of being inconsistent of enforcing
the policy. You don’t know what events or if/when it will
happen with the NSAC, whereas California (a bankrupt state I
know much about) even in a bad fiscal situation managed to do
out-of-competition drug testing.
So
now that out-of-drug competition has allegedly busted a prominent
fighter, let’s see which MMA writers want to step up to
the plate and actually start asking legitimately tough questions
to athletic commissioners about the implementation of out-of-competition
drug testing. If MMA wants to be taken as a serious sport and
athletic commissioners want to be fully trusted by the public
as opposed to being little more than glorified PR spokespeople
for promoters who pay a % of the event gates, then the focus
by hardcore MMA fans and writers should be on enforcing a consistent
out-of-competition drug testing policy. No ifs, ands, or buts
about it.
Source: Fight Opinion
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Cris
Cyborg ready for Carano
“I’m not going to rush to finish the fight . I’m
prepared for five rounds”
Gabriel Menezes
After much speculation and postponement, the bout between Cris
Cyborg and Gina Carano considered the most heavily anticipated
in female MMA of all times, is set to happen. The bout is to
take place August 15 at Strikeforce, in San Jose, California.
At
the end of last week, Cris Cyborg and Carano were at Madison
Square Garden in New York to publicize the event. After the press
conference the fighters stepped into a cage set up in Madison
Square for a demonstration meant for fans, journalists and curious
onlookers, to build public awareness for the sport in a state
where MMA events are prohibited.
“I
think all the media generated by the fight is making folks pay
more attention to women’s MMA. In my opinion, this is the
revolution of female MMA. It was nice promoting the fighter in
New York. The presence there was important,” said Cyborg
to GRACIEMAG.com.
“I
was filmed in some shots to appear on Showtime, and Gina too.
Afterwards we were both filmed together and it was really interesting,
because then, during the stare down, we already got into the
fight mood. But Gina is always laughing. She’s very extroverted,”
said the fighter.
“I’m
training hard for the fight with Gina. She’s good at muay
thai and I have own merits in the style too. I think the one
to make the least mistakes will win the fight. I believe Gina
doesn’t know much Jiu-Jitsu, but if the fight goes to the
ground I’m prepared. If it stays standing too. I’ll
be in no rush to end the fight quickly. I’m prepared to
go five rounds. I’ve been training hard for that. I think
a knockout will just be a consequence,” finished the fighter,
who currently resides in Huntington Beach, California, where
she trains with Rafael Cordeiro.
Source: Gracie Magazine
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Brock
vs. Fedor: Insider Analysis, Picks
by Jason Probst
 
It would be the biggest fight in mixed martial arts history,
if it can be made. Given the considerable stakes involved between
the UFC and Fedor Emelianenko, that’s a big if.
Brock
Lesnar’s decimation of Frank Mir on July 11 demonstrated
that the UFC heavyweight champion’s rising profile -- and
rapidly improving skills -- make him and Emelianenko a dream
match that could catapult the sport to the next level. That’s
if someone blinks and both parties agree to a deal.
As
previously noted, the heavyweight championship of the world had
been the province of boxing for more than a century, until 2003,
when Lennox Lewis retired and an undisputed king failed to materialize.
With the longest gap in title lineage in the history of a championship
that started back with John L. Sullivan (boxing managed to screw
up even this), sports fans might soon answer Brock or Fedor when
asked who is the baddest man on the planet.
That’s
a huge coup, and that -- among millions of other reasons, most
of them green -- is why Lesnar-Emelianenko hits a bullseye on
multiple targets. It would bring in millions of new viewers,
garner insane media attention, introduce Emelianenko to a mainstream
audience and allow Bob Arum to continue to manufacture excuses
as to why boxing has not been surpassed.
Sherdog.com
checked in with preeminent oddsmaker Joey Odessa, fighters and
MMA game insiders for their thoughts on Lesnar vs. Emelianenko,
as well as whether or not they think it will actually happen.
Odessa
recently opened the first wagering line on the bout for Sportsbook.com,
tabbing Emelianenko as a -240 favorite, with Lesnar a +190 underdog.
Those are roughly 2.5-to-1 odds. For players to wager those numbers,
the fight would have to take place by October 2010.
“I
think Fedor wins the fight and is underpriced at -240, but given
Lesnar’s the more recognizable of the two, the bout may
draw more action on Brock closer to fight time. People often
don’t understand that a good wagering line is one that generates
two-way action,” Odessa said. “Everyone loves to see
the underdogs win. What’s crazy about this bout is Lesnar
is going in as the underdog, and I’d say the majority of
the general public thinks he opens his mouth to change feet,
evident by his pre- and post-fight disrespect of Frank Mir and
the UFC sponsors.”
Boxing's
endless slide has opened new doors for MMA to capture the public.Lesnar’s
post-fight interview at UFC 100, during which he disrespected
a UFC beer sponsor and generally played a professional wrestling
heel, elicited strong reactions from fans, writers and UFC President
Dana White; Lesnar was seen conspicuously displaying the UFC
beer sponsor at his post-fight press conference apology. This
still works in his favor, Odessa said. It’s the same dynamic
Cassius Clay grasped going into his shocking 1964 upset of Sonny
Liston; people will pay to see a loudmouth get his comeuppance.
“Like
many athletes, people will pay to see him get beat and bet against
him with their hearts. It created a small dilemma when setting
the opening line. Fedor hasn’t got near the USA exposure
that Brock has gotten with his accomplished NCAA and then professional
wrestling background,” Odessa said. “And Fedor fights
about once a year, with all but his last two fights outside the
United States. You end up with a wagering line that I think is
a little low but accurate. The majority of the casual fans are
likely to wager on Brock Lesnar, but I believe Emelianenko belongs
more around the -400 (4-to-1) favorite range.”
Odessa
agrees boxing’s endless slide downward has created an opportunity
for mixed martial arts to capture public interest, particularly
the common perception of the “heavyweight champ.” Having
long worked as an oddsmaker for boxing, as well, Odessa has been
a close watcher of both sports and has seen firsthand how public
interest has shifted from the sweet science to MMA.
“The
fight fan has always been enamored by the heavyweights, no matter
how shallow the talent pool is,” Odessa said. “If Brock
and Fedor do meet, it would be wise for the promoters, preferably
the UFC, to capitalize on the USA vs. Russia rivalry. The United
States has nothing in the heavyweight boxing division, where
six of the top 10 in the division are boxers of post-Soviet states.
The potential fight between Lesnar and Emelianenko should be
a global extravaganza. There is no questioning the accomplishments
and abilities each fighter, and the pre-fight lead-up to an eventual
battle between the two would capture the interest, worldwide,
of even the most casual fight fan. It’s what MMA may need
to silence its critics and acknowledge that it is the most exciting
and challenging combat sport on the planet.”
Previous
attempts to sign Emelianenko ran into a hornet’s nest of
problems. The Russian’s management claimed the UFC was unreasonable,
wanting him to sign over his likeness and agree to a long-term
contract with a champion’s clause that made it difficult
if not impossible to leave the organization. White blasted Vadim
Finklestein, Emelianenko’s manager, for allegedly demanding
the UFC sign other Red Devil Sport Club fighters, and insisted
Emelianenko not compete in his beloved sambo tournaments.
What
has changed is that the prospect of bout and attendant public
demand has only exploded since Lesnar’s wins over Mir and
Randy Couture. An impressive win by Emelianenko at Affliction
“Trilogy” on Aug. 1 would leave him in a unique position,
with an expired Affliction contract and more in demand than ever.
The
UFC can continue to match Lesnar with other heavyweights, but
this match is MMA’s equivalent to Riddick Bowe-Lennox Lewis
in the early 1990s -- if it does not happen, the sport will have
missed a chance to strike while the iron was white-hot. In 1993,
when Bowe-Lewis was the perfect booster shot boxing needed, Bowe’s
camp ditched the WBC belt. What’s more, Bowe built a kitchen
in his mansion and proceeded to add 50-plus pounds between fights,
prior to two meaningless defenses, and lost the title to Evander
Holyfield. The projected $100 million dollar super fight was
not to be.
Who knows what will transpire as Fedor and Brock take turns building
their case as the world’s best heavyweight. In wake of Lesnar’s
impressive, two-round destruction of Mir, Sherdog weighed in
with some notables to elicit their opinions on MMA’s biggest
bout and whether or not they think it will happen.
Odessa:
I do think the fight will be made, and these two will fight before
October 2010.
Scott
Smith: I think it would be like the Frank Mir fight. Fedor is
the much better fighter, but Brock’s big ass would pound
him out. I think Brock wins four out of five times.
Frank
Shamrock: I like Fedor in this matchup. Brock’s never been
hit. Fedor will hit him hard. I don’t think it will happen
in the UFC. They want too many rights from fighters.
Chris
Lytle: Fedor’s fantastic and all, but I just think he’s
too small to do anything against Brock. I would have picked him
even before the Mir rematch. I figured he’d beat Mir even
quicker than he did. Right now, he’s too big; the only kind
of guy to beat him is another huge, very athletic guy who can
hit hard and catch him. Maybe a super slick guy on the ground.
I don’t know. It’s gonna be hard to beat him. You’re
gonna have to hit him and hurt him and KO him. He’s just
too big and strong.
Mike
Roberts: Fedor, because I think he would overwhelm him standing
up before he could get him down. If Brock got him down, I think
Fedor’d be in a lot of trouble. Fedor’s technique is
superior, but Brock’s size and strength is too much. But
I don’t think it’s ever gonna happen. I don’t
think Fedor will ever fight for the UFC. I don’t think Fedor’s
people are going to get what they want from the UFC. I’ve
been told they want a lot of stuff that’s out of the norm.
Like Dana says, all these other fighters sign the same deal,
and Fedor won’t. I think Fedor wants to fight for whomever
he wants to fight for.
Ken
Pavia: I think Fedor is under contract, and if his contract is
anything like the MMA standard language, there are exclusive
negotiating periods and right to match. As much as I would like
to see Fedor fight Brock, as well as see him fight Cain [Velasquez]
or [Shane] Carwin, I think it is unlikely.
Source: Sherdog
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Surveying
the Middleweight Mountain
Part One
By Michael DiSanto
The
UFC middleweight division is a bit of an enigma.
Its
long-time ruler, Anderson Silva, is the best pound-for-pound
fighter in the world. His record-breaking nine-fight winning
streak to start his career has cemented that claim, and to even
further establish his dominance, Silva will venture 20 lbs to
the north for his second foray into the UFC light heavyweight
division, facing former champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 on
August 8th.
While
the champion distracts himself with what will likely be the toughest
test of his career, his middleweight minions continue jockeying
for position to catch the next 185-lb title shot. The cast of
characters most likely to secure that shot include the division’s
perennial contenders, Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson and Yushin
Okami. Hendo appears to be the most likely future candidate following
his destruction of fellow top contender Michael Bisping at UFC
100. Marquardt, however, will have the opportunity to make his
case when he faces undefeated rising star Demian Maia on August
29.
But
the list of possible title challengers doesn’t end with
those three names. Maia can make as strong a case for being the
No. 1 contender as anyone in the division if he is able to either
submit or thoroughly beat down Marquardt. And don’t forget
about reigning welterweight king and pound-for-pound great Georges
St-Pierre. He has openly mused about a potential fight with Silva
down the road.
Who
is next up for champ? Let’s not put the cart ahead of the
horse. Will the champion ever return to the 185-lb division;
does his bout with Griffin mark the start of a permanent campaign
at 205? What about the division’s longshoremen—the
guys who pack a lunch each time they step into the Octagon? Can
they upset the balance of power in the near term?
Forgetting
the title picture for a moment, what other great middleweight
fights are out there?
Let’s
try to make some sense out of the middleweight mountain.
THE
POUND-FOR-POUND KING
Anderson
Silva: Silva is not only the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion.
He is also a fighter with no peers. A 185-lb dictator with no
identifiable threat to his reign. A pound-for-pound great who
isn’t afraid to challenge himself by moving up 20 lbs to
face former 205-lb champion Forrest Griffin at UFC 101 on August
8. Simply put, he is the best fighter on the planet. That is
all fine and good, but the middleweight division is being held
hostage while its champion faces Griffin in a 205-lb nontitle
fight. Will he eschew the division he has ruled since first battering
Rich Franklin in October 2006 in favor of a 205-lb title run,
assuming he is successful against Griffin, who is the biggest,
strongest opponent he has ever faced? That was a very real possibility
until his good friend Lyoto Machida stopped Rashad Evans last
month. Silva has said on more than one occasion that he will
never fight Machida. Thus, Silva is likely headed back to 185
lbs after his bout with Griffin, win, lose or draw. Then again,
UFC Chairman Lorenzo Fertitta recently stated that he will not
tolerate guys who won’t fight teammates if that means robbing
fans of the best fights. Who knows? Whatever the case, Silva
is as close to an unbeatable fighter as we have seen in the UFC.
With top-of-the-food-chain striking skills (including a deadly
clinch game), a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt from the Nogueira
brothers, and the ability to seamlessly transition between those
two aspects of his game make Silva the perfect (so far, at least)
UFC fighting machine.
USUAL
SUSPECTS
Dan
Henderson: More than a decade after beginning his UFC career,
Hendo is finally getting the domestic shine that he so richly
deserves due to his coaching stint opposite Michael Bisping on
The Ultimate Fighter. And he capitalized on that shine like no
coach before him, savagely stopping Bisping with a single right
hand at the biggest event in the history of the sport. That knockout,
which separated Bisping from consciousness long before he hit
the ground, will forever grace the UFC’s highlight reel.
It was that good. Hendo is that good. There is no disputing that
this guy is one of the best fighters in the history of the sport,
pound for pound. Period. The Team Quest superstar earned a permanent
spot in the record books by becoming the first (and only) man
to simultaneously hold titles in two different weight divisions
of a major MMA promotion, accomplishing that feat in February
2007 when, as the reigning PRIDE 183-lb champion, he knocked
out the Wanderlei Silva to win the PRIDE 205-lb championship.
Despite returning to the UFC last year with back-to-back losses
in Anderson Silva and Quinton Jackson in title unification bouts,
Hendo has placed himself back at the forefront of the contender’s
queue with three straight wins over Rousimar Palhares, former
champion Rich Franklin and Bisping, and after his 205-pound rematch
with Franklin at UFC 103 in September, expect him to return to
185 to once again knock on Silva’s door.
Nate
Marquardt: In nine trips to the Octagon, ‘Nate the Great’
has suffered only two setbacks—a first-round technical knockout
at the hands of Anderson Silva and a questionable split decision
loss to Thales Leites. Back-to-back wins over Martin Kampmann
and Wilson Gouveia have the former title challenger back on track.
And a tough test against undefeated contender Demian Maia at
UFC 102 might be the perfect stage for Marquardt to earn a much
desired return engagement with the champion. Marquardt’s
strength as a fighter is the well-roundedness of his game, though
he has shown an increasing preference for standing and striking
with foes in recent bouts. He will want to do just that against
Maia because going to the ground with a BJJ savant like Maia
is career suicide. By contrast, if he is able to keep the fight
on the feet, he may be able to score his third-consecutive knockout,
raising legitimate questions whether he or Hendo is the true
No. 1 middleweight contender.
Yushin
Okami: Honestly, it must be frustrating to be Yushin Okami. He
is without a doubt one of the best middleweight in the UFC that
isn’t a household name among the fans. The Japanese ground-and-pound
expert has a 7-1 Octagon record, which ranks up there with the
very best in the division. He is also the last person to score
a victory over reigning champion Anderson Silva – albeit,
it was via disqualification after Silva knocked him silly with
an illegal kick in Rumble on the Rock five months before the
champ’s UFC debut. Okami was poised to challenge for Silva’s
title at UFC 90, but a broken hand derailed that fight. He returned
at UFC 92 with a solid win over Dean Lister, though a torn knee
ligament sidelined him for the second time in less than a year,
forcing him off the UFC 98 card. Okami is targeting a September
return. Whether that is a realistic timetable remains to be seen.
Will he ever get his chance at UFC gold? Time will tell.
IN
LIMBO
Michael
Bisping: The big question UFC fans were asking in the aftermath
of Michael Bisping's loss to Dan Henderson was 'why did he continue
to circle to his own left against Hendo, placing himself squarely
in harm’s way?' Not only that, but he circled with his hands
down. As a result, a guy who was a breath of fresh air among
185-lb title contenders has to work his way back to the top,
and Bisping remains the only top middleweight who hasn’t
yet scored a win over a true world-class opponent. Hendo, Marquardt
and Okami all have marquee names on their list of vanquished
foes. The biggest name gracing Bisping’s trophy case is
Chris Leben – no disrespect to Leben, but he isn’t
among the division’s elite, not yet anyway. So getting a
high-profile victim on his record in his comeback fight is the
first order of business for Bisping, and while it’s back
to the drawing board for the British superstar in a lot of ways,
if anyone can learn from such a devastating loss, it’s “The
Count.” A major dose of humble pie might be just what the
doctor ordered for a guy with amazing potential.
POUNDING
ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP DOOR
Demian
Maia: Many professional mixed martial artists like to a talk
about how the quickest way to turn a BJJ black belt into a blue
belt is to punch him in the face. MMA is far, far different from
submission grappling tournaments, and the skills that work in
the latter don’t necessarily translate into success inside
the Octagon. Nothing could be farther from the truth as far as
Demian Maia is concerned. Then again, this guy isn’t just
another black belt. He is a multiple-time BJJ world champion
with a solid set of whiskers and an uncanny ability to take down
opponents, a skill many BJJ experts sorely lack. Not to mention
the fact that Maia has shown that while he still lacks anything
more than nascent striking skills, he is a fighter deep down
in his DNA where the word “quit” just doesn’t
seem to exist. The result is that Maia’s transition from
BJJ tournaments to MMA has been stellar. He is perfect as a professional,
including five wins in the UFC, all by submission. That leaves
Maia as the only UFC middleweight with a spotless record who
has at least 10 professional fights and five bouts inside the
Octagon. The only knock on his claim to the No. 1 contender spot
is that he has yet to face a true A-level opponent. That criticism
will fly out the window after UFC 102. If he is able to defeat
Marquardt, particularly if he scores yet another submission victory,
then it will be difficult to argue that anyone in the division
is more deserving of the next shot at Silva’s crown. If
Maia is smart, he isn’t thinking that far ahead and is focusing
solely on developing a game plan to get “Nate the Great”
on the ground, where he will have a sizeable submission advantage,
just like he does against every middleweight in the UFC, including
Silva.
STAR-STUDDED
NEWCOMERS
Wanderlei
Silva: If MMA’s capo di tutti capi Dana White announced
three years ago that he had just signed Wanderlei Silva to compete
in the UFC middleweight division, it would have sent waves of
shock and fear throughout the division. Today, Silva’s drop
in weight is viewed as a necessary evil after suffering five
losses in his last six fights, including three by knockout. His
lone win during that stretch was a 36-second mauling of Keith
Jardine that resembled an African lion slaying a helpless baby
gnu as much as it did a man conquering an opponent in a sporting
contest. That is the “Axe Murderer,” the guy who ruled
PRIDE’s 205-lb division with
terror never before or since seen in the Land of the Rising Sun.
We saw signs of that guy in his close decision loss to Rich Franklin
at UFC 99. Actually, some fans felt that Silva, who landed the
only true concussive blows in the fight, did enough to win. Win
or lose, the Franklin fight was contested at 195 lbs, not 185
lbs. So major questions still exist whether Silva can actually
make the 185-lb limit and retain all of his trademark power and
aggressiveness. Oh yes, he also needs to bring with him punches
in bunches. Silva is on a terrible trend of throwing fewer and
fewer combinations in his fight, and for a man with a wild, winging
style of throwing punches, shots in bunches are the best way
to score knockout wins. If he shows up at 185 lbs with all his
strength, aggressiveness and combination punching, then things
could get very interesting very quickly for the Axe Murderer.
Yoshihiro
Akiyama: Life is good for UFC newcomer Yoshihiro Akiyama. Forget
the fact that he is married to Japanese fashion model Shiho.
Ignore that the decorated Japanese judoka is already a star in
his native land, starring in a Nike commercial of all things.
Look past the fact that he is a very successful mixed martial
artist so far in his career, racking up a near perfect MMA record,
including a K-1 tournament championship in 2006 where he defeated
deadly striker Melvin Manhoef in the finals. Let’s not mention
that he also holds a decisive first-round knockout win over fellow
UFC middleweight Denis Kang. Definitely gloss over the realities
of his lone career loss—a circus-like matchup in K-1 against
legendary heavyweight kickboxer Jerome Le Banner in Akiyama’s
second career fight. None of that matters anymore because the
star-studded newcomer put on an amazing show in his UFC debut,
scoring a thrilling split decision victory over tough Octagon
veteran Alan Belcher at UFC 100. The best part is that he did
it by trading punches with a bigger, stronger foe in order to
thrill the fans, rather than playing it safe by relying on his
elite judo skills. The win was far more significant than just
scoring a ‘W’ over a rugged UFC veteran. It separated
him from other elite fighters who either earned their bones,
or otherwise spent a long stretch fighting, in Japan’s MMA
organization before plying their trade in the Octagon. Heath
Herring, Dan Henderson, Denis Kang, Kazuhiro Nakamura, Rameau
Sokoudjou, Dokonjonosuke Mishima and countless others in that
category fell short in their debut in or return to the Octagon.
Akiyama did not, and that is noteworthy.
Source: UFC.com
|
Randy
Couture: Vitor Belfort Has a Good Chance Against Fedor Emelianenko
By Michael David Smith
Randy Couture has always desperately wanted to fight Fedor Emelianenko,
once going so far as to leave the UFC in an unsuccessful attempt
to fight Fedor elsewhere. But while Couture's fight with Fedor
is probably never going to happen, Couture does hope that his
friend Vitor Belfort gets that chance.
And
Couture says that Belfort would have as good a chance as Josh
Barnett -- or anyone else -- of beating Fedor, if Belfort is,
as many expect, the man who steps in for Barnett and challenges
Fedor on August 1 at Affliction Trilogy.
Couture
tells Jake Rossen and Sacha Feinman:
"The
fact that he's a southpaw and Fedor hasn't prepared for a southpaw,
the fact that he is very, very agile and explosive and a great
boxer all lend well to him having a great performance,"
Couture said. "It's really a win-win for Vitor to fight
one of the top guys in the sport, being a smaller guy stepping
up on such short notice. ... He's got just as good a chance as
anybody. Certainly he has as good a chance as Barnett had at
fighting Fedor."
Couture,
as always, shows that he has a deep understanding of MMA strategy
and various fighters' skills. But is his assessment realistic?
I
don't think it is. Yes, Belfort has knocked out his last two
opponents and has a puncher's chance, but I think he's going
to have an almost impossible task ahead of him if he steps into
the ring with Fedor in nine days. Belfort was preparing himself
to fight at middleweight on the Affliction card. I don't see
him beating the heavyweight champion of the world. And I certainly
don't think he'd have as good a chance as Barnett.
Source: Fan House
|
Don
Frye: Dean of Badassery at the Clint Eastwood School of Manliness
by Shawn
So
we’ve heard a bunch of names tossed out there as potential
replacements for Josh Barnett. Vitor Belfort, Brett Rogers, Bobby
Lashley, Ricardo Arona, Jeff Monson, and Ben Rothwell are just
a handful of names that have been tossed around. Belfort looks
like he’ll be the one stepping in and that should make for
an interesting fight, considering Belfort’s speed and punching
power. One name that has been left out of the discussion is that
of Don Frye. Here’s what the man who practically invented
the mustache had to say:
If
Tom [Atencio] was smart, he’d have me fighting Fedor instead
of whoever he’s hiring on a one week notice. My phone works
if he wants a real fight with someone who’ll sell a fight
in four days, somebody who will beat that bald-headed commie
too.
[Fedor]
ain’t seen anything I have to offer. He built his whole
reputation as a waffle house chef. They’ve been serving
him up ham and eggs with a side of canned tomatoes. I’ll
bring it. And if he can bring it, you’ll have the best fight
you’ve ever seen on the planet.
Obviously
Don Frye won’t be stepping in to fight Fedor. But regardless
of the age difference, the size difference, the skill difference,
the speed difference, and basically the fact that Fedor would
have an edge in practically every area of mixed martial arts,
a Fedor vs. Frye fight would be interesting nonetheless. Why?
Because Don Frye hates the sound of children laughing and absolutely
loves the smell of burning gooks in the morning. And napalm.
That’s why.
Let
us also not forget about Frye getting as “drunk as anyone
can get in 25 minutes” at an airport bar with Doug Stanhope.
If I one day become half the man that Frye is, I will consider
myself a success. Until then I’m going to continue to TiVo
Dancing With The Stars and eat only organic foods.
Source: Fightlinker
|
Tompkins
interview: Belfort is ready to shock the world
By Steve Cofield
Vitor
Belfort is now in a dangerous holding pattern. He's still officially
scheduled to fight Jorge Santiago even after accepting an offer
to fight in the main event of next week's Affliction: Trilogy
card in Anaheim against Fedor Emelianenko. If the main event
opportunity falls through it'd be interesting mental test for
Belfort to have re-focus on a fight at middleweight. There's
also the issue of weight-cutting. The dieting to get down to
185 was done yesterday. Now Belfort is looking to pack on a few
pounds.
The
Belfort got the offer around 5:30 on Tuesday. Affliction found
out earlier in the day that Fedor's opponent Josh Barnett had
a failed a drug test and could not be licensed for the fight.
Trainer Shawn Tompkins said it took about 30 minutes for Belfort,
who spoke with Tompkins, Randy Couture and Ray Sefo, to give
the go-ahead:
"It's
a no-lose situation [for us]. Fedor has everything to lose,"
said Tompkins. "The only problem we'll have to deal with
is the size difference"
Belfort
was 204 pounds yesterday and the goal is to get back to 210-212
by next Saturday. California is asking that the Brazilian be
a minimum of 206 for the fight. He'll be at a huge size disadvantage
against the 230-pound Fedor but should have a speed edge:
"The
chink that's in Fedor's armor is what Vitor's best at, that's
boxing and speed. It's a game that we'd love to play."
Tompkins
said Belfort's boxing is so good, he thinks he could be a top
10 boxer in his weight class right now.
"Whether
Fedor believes it or not, he doesn't deal well with speed and
he doesn't deal well with getting hit. He has to shuck the punch
off before he comes back with his own. He moves well, he's very
balanced but he doesn't move quick. It's going to be hard for
him to keep up with Vitor's pace."
Tompkins
is excited to get a shot at gameplanning for a battle against
Fedor. He said it's similar to gameplanning against someone like
Anderson Silva:
"It's
the same level in that people look at them as unbeatable fighters.
I think Fedor's a more consistent fighter than Anderson Silva
and it's a bigger win for us if we beat Fedor."
Affliction
is still waiting on a decision from the Fedor camp. Earlier today
in Moscow, they said they'd still like to fight heavyweight Brett
Rogers and that the fans don't want to see a Fedor-Belfort fight.
Strikeforce, the company with Rogers' contract is hesitant to
allow the big guy to fight Fedor. Rogers may be slated to fill-in
for the injured Alistair Overeem against Fabricio Werdum on an
August 15 Strikeforce card.
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Going
Full Circle With Ivan Salaverry, Part One
by Tommy Hackett
The
classy veteran recalls the Pacific Northwest’s MMA glory
days, and what is still to come
Ivan
Salaverry, Seattle’s own classy veteran of UFC, Shooto,
and K-1 competition, is holding court at his South Lake Union
academy.
The
ex US Marine sounds every bit the part as he barks out instruction,
yet he’s still never far from a joke or a smile either.
No surprise there; this is the man whose image is mainly etched
in MMA fans’ minds for his cart wheeling and blowing kisses
to the crowd after recording big wins in UFC, Shooto, and K-1.
These were also familiar scenes from the “glory days”
of Pacific Northwest MMA from the late 90’s to early 2000’s,
when Salaverry and many other fighters based out of the region
were at or near the top of the MMA world.
With
his competition days over, Salaverry is now preparing his own
students for MMA and grappling. His grappling students are in
fact days away from submission wrestling competition at Liberty
Events’ Revolution tournament in Bonney Lake, WA; where
they will compete as a part of a unified team which will include
students of Salavarry’s former instructor Marcelo Alonso.
While better known for his days at AMC Pankration, Salaverry
smiles when he recalls his earlier training:
“I
have always wrestled,” he offers when asked about his earliest
exposure to the martial arts. “High school, the Marine Corps.
I did a bit of judo, but mainly I started training (Brazilian
jiu-jitsu) with Glen Barber back in the day. Brian Johnson started
there too. But I wasn’t really getting the training I wanted.
Marcelo Alonso was the only true legitimate (BJJ) black belt
in the Northwest, so I went to him. It was wonderful. Marcelo
is a great guy and I had a great time there.”
“I
was attracted to the Latin style,” Salaverry smiles, recalling
his own Chilean heritage. “And the history behind him; he
was part of that champion’s factory from Carlson Gracie
(in Brazil): Ricardo Liborio, Murilo Bustamante, Allan Goes,
and on and on. Many champions came from Carlson Gracie and influenced
us, even now in the MMA world; and he taught ‘em! He’s
an encyclopedia, an arsenal of technique."
Eventually
Alonso granted Salaverry permission to leave and train at AMC,
which at the time boasted a “Who’s Who” of Northwest
MMA talent.
“He
allowed me to go to AMC. From there I had a whole new crew that
I worked with, and a much more violent situation! Walking in,
having Josh Barnett, Dennis Hallman, Jeff Monson, Banji Radach,
Aaron Riley… it was an incredible feeling walking into AMC
in those times. You were nervous to walk in. A lot of studs,
man. But it made me who I am. Day in, day out, getting tortured
by Josh and rolling with guys like Monson. It was an amazing
experience and I was lucky to see them days.”
Bouts
in the US and Japan would soon follow, and Salaverry even eventually
found himself on primetime television for the main event of the
UFC’s first Ultimate Fight Night in 2005.
“The
northwest kicked in some serious talent,” Salaverry recalls.
“Randy Couture vs. Maurice Smith. Mo is older than dirt
— been around forever! He had his crew that we cross trained
with also. He had a lot of influence coming in from Japan and
Brazil. He had that Kyokushin guys coming in from Brazil: Francisco
Filho, Glaube Feitosa. Then he would have guys come in from Japan:
that was the first time I met Akira Shoji – I love that
guy; he’s a good friend of mine. The first time I saw Caol
Uno and the Inoue brothers was with them. In the Northwest there
were a lot of fighters, and there was a community of fighters
that would come all over the world to see us. It was really cool.”
Salaverry’s
final bout came last year. By then the Pacific Northwest wasn’t
quite the hotbed it once was, as camps like AMC and Couture’s
Team Quest split up and many of the top talent moved on to other
regions. But he’s hopeful for the future, and describes
the success of both amatuer MMA and events like Revolution as
helping plant the seeds for the region’s future success.
He’s particularly high on Revolution founder Jeff Bourgeois,
whose approach differs greatly from some of the tournaments that
Salaverry remembers competing in. Salaverry feels better organization
will be critical to getting the Pacific Northwest back on the
MMA map.
“Back
in the day, they’d throw a mat on the floor, and a couple
of guys would go at it,” Salaverry recalls. “The ref
would be looking at chicks in the crowd instead of the match,
and no one’s counting points. It was ridiculous.”
“Jeff
came to me, Eric Dahlberg, and James Foster,” he continues.
“He requested from us what would make a better tournament,
and he made it happen. He’s got one of the classiest tournaments
in the Northwest: jiu-jitsu, submission wrestling, kid’s
divisions. Referees and timekeepers trained. People are getting
to have their talent shown! People are watching and seeing, ‘Ah,
this guy could be an elite grappler.’ That’s what you
want to see; the next Josh Barnett, the next Dennis Hallman.
All the talent, that was there in the early 2000’s, to come
through.”
In addition to losing some of the region’s top names, some
believe that the death of the PRIDE organization may have had
a particularly negative effect on the Pacific Northwest. A PRIDE
amatuer circuit was being established in Washington, with the
aid of AMC co-founder Matt Hume, when PRIDE was bought out by
the UFC.
“It’s
very tragic,” Salaverry laments when asked about PRIDE’s
demise. “It has affected the Northwest for sure; there’s
plenty of fighters that would have benefited tremendously from
having PRIDE continue.”
“But
it’s really hurt the whole MMA world,” he continues.
“It is ridiculous we have six billion people on this earth
and so many fighters interested in MMA, and we have one world
class organization? We need four or five UFC’s. We need
three different types of PRIDE, all around the world. It’s
sad. The monopoly is choking MMA. Mind you there’s a lot
of things you have to appreciate about the UFC and what they’ve
done for MMA. But they’re smothering it at the same time.”
To
Salaverry and many other fighters, the loss of PRIDE signalled
the end of a lucrative option for those who may be on the outs
with UFC, but it’s clear that his mixed feelings about the
promotion don’t end there. He is quick to credit the UFC
for his greatest moment in MMA: an ecstatic debut bout against
Andrei Semenov. He is just as quick to criticize them.
“My
most epic moment was the Andrei Semenov fight,” he begins.
“My first fight in the UFC, and he was big: from the Red
Devil team, coming off the knockout of Ricardo Almeida. Really
hard fight because I threw everything at the guy and he would
not give up. I threw like 25 unanswered punches when I had his
back, and he got up and threw me with a fireman’s carry.
I rolled and got him in all kinds of stuff and he got out of
it. I kneed him in the head and he told me to come on! (laughs)
I’m like, oh my God. In my mind, I’m like, I got to
kill him? It was an emotional tug. And when I got up and I got
him in that crucifix and rained down punches, I’m like,
I’m not going to stop until I win. And they pulled me off.
It was a big win for me, spiritually. I went to the locker room
and started bawling uncontrollably. It was a release for me,
like a beginning. I was part of the MMA world. That was my UFC
debut. Ain’t that a mother. Take that, Joe Silva! (laughs)”
And
the criticism? “Eh, I’m not bitter about the UFC. But
it’s an entertainment organization,” Salaverry explains.
“They get the most out of these fighters in every capacity
and they don’t pay the fighters enough for the money they’re
taking in. People don’t understand. They’re overtaking
boxing. While Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya make $30
million, our top fighters are barely cracking a mil. It’s
an accountant and a team of lawyers coming up with ways to make
more money off of fighters. If a fighter gets too popular, they
pull the chains right back; and no problem firing any kind of
champion. What Tito Ortiz brought to them, and how they treated
him afterwards? Dana White, for a boxing aerobic instructor,
has big balls and a big mouth to not see this as a sport, but
as a money making machine.”
Salaverry
is happier describing developments in the sport’s technique.
Eddie Bravo will appear at Salaverry’s academy for a jiu-jitsu
seminar next month. Salaverry describes Bravo’s innovations
as “epic,” and laughs as he thinks of the feud between
Bravo and his old friend Josh Barnett, who flies the flag of
catch-as-catch-can wrestling. Salaverry himself has gone from
wrestling, to Brazilian jiu-jitsu, to his days at AMC, where
he learned a unique mix brought forth from Hume’s days in
Pancrase, which was influenced by catch-as-catch-can wrestling.
“It’s
weird, I have these two friends who are complete opposites of
each other,” he explains. “Josh Barnett, I’ve
known since he was a kid, and Eddie, I honestly think his moves
are epic, just incredible! It’s weird they don’t match,
they don’t meet in the middle.”
“It’s
unique,” Salaverry describes Bravo’s “10th Planet”
jiu-jitsu system. “You need to be flexible. But it goes
well with the more traditional submissions. They make catch out
to be pro wrestling but I tell them, some moves I pick up, like
that bank crank, are pro wrestling. Then I tell Josh, if you
get your big ass leg up there, and you get the rubber guard,
and you squeeze your leg isometrically, your fat leg will probably
submit someone.”
“This
is a full circle,” Salaverry says. “We get moves from
Hume and Pancrase, from catch-as-catch-can wrestling, obviously
the huge influence from the Gracie family and jiu-jitsu. Moves,
techniques, and styles come back and forth in trends. It’s
never a good thing to say, this is the only way I should wrestle,
the only way I should play.”
Salaverry’s
love for the diverse fight game is symbolized by a tattoo on
his rib cage of a fighting rooster. Usually references to cock
fighting are used to disparage MMA, but the ethnic Chilean has
a slightly different perspective, formed by his time spent in
Latin America.
“Over
here, it’s in somebody’s ranch and there’s a bunch
of guys surrounding a cage,” he explains. “There, they
have auditoriums where they have cockfighting. A whole scene
people get into. You have the older gentlemen in the front rows
betting. You have a young crowd. You have music playing. It’s
just a different culture. And if you ever see a fighting cock,
the gymnastic level these little guys have is incredible. I’ve
seen them get cut up and still go.”
“I’m
not even really a proponent of cockfighting,” he continues.
“But what I saw made an impression. I’ll give you an
example. There was this one cockfight. One of the cocks was jabbing
down on the other, and basically was winning. The (injured) cock’s
beak is about to hit the sand, and once the beak hits the sand,
you lose. This cock was pecking, pecking away at him. And then
the other cock jumps up, and WHOOM, cuts his head off. It was
this beautiful jump, and the blade hit just the right place,
and the head comes off. The crowd went wild. Both cocks died,
but the winner, the one who beheaded the other, they lifted him
up and they walked around with him. And the crowd just loved
it, went crazy. Adored that chicken! After that I was like, wow…”
“That’s
the one thing that I can tell you about it… is that I want
people to love me in that capacity. You know what I mean?”
he says with a smile. “When you’re out there in a cage
and you fight hard you want to know the people are loving you
for what you brought to them. It stuck with me. This is the kind
of spirit I would like to have.”
Some
of the “full circles” that Salaverry refers to seem
to be still in progress. But here, the circle would seem complete.
Source: Total-MMA
|
Shaolin
“expected much more” against Aoki
By Eduardo Ferreira
Making the fight that he most expected at the Dream 10, Vitor
“Shaolin” Ribeiro had the chance to face for the first
time one of the lightweight fighters in Japan, Shinya Aoki, but
the result didn’t came out as he expected. Defeated by the
unanimous decision, the black belt returned to New York, where
he lives, and spoke with TATAME.com about the fight, disappointed
about the way the fight went on.
“I
expected much more. Not that I expected a grappling fight, but
I expected at least a fight with someone who kicks, combines
the punch in your face before... I swear I expected a fight a
little more tough", analyzed the fighter, who disagrees
with the result, but doesn’t want any controversy. "Maybe
the guys (judges) couldn’t see my entries or me going inside
Aoki the whole time, or the blows that connected in his face
too, but I have to accept, right?", asks the black belt,
who also commented a possible rematch, Aoki’s next fight
against Joachim Hansen and his return to Dream. Stay tuned and
check, today, the exclusive interview with the black belt.
Source: Tatame
|
Ryo
Chonan to face Jutaro Nakao in Japan return
Ryo Chonan will make his competitive return to Japan after a
24-month absence in a bout against fellow UFC veteran Jutaro
Nakao at DEEP 43rd Impact on August 23 in Tokyo, Japan.
Chonan
(15-10) has competed 12 times for the DEEP promotion and won
two fights at DEEP events in 2007 before embarking on a stint
with the UFC, where he amassed a record of 1-3. Chonan is one
of only four fighters to hold a victory over UFC middleweight
champion Anderson Silva, and Chonan did so with a flying scissor
heel hook submission.
Nakaro
(20-14-4), a true veteran, (he began his career at Shooto events
in 1996), holds a 1-1 record inside the UFC Octagon. He knocked
out Tony DeSouza and lost a unanimous decision to Sean Sherk.
He went undefeated last year in two bouts.
DEEP
43rd Impact feature two DEEP champions in action. Masakazu Imanari
will defend his bantamweight strap against Tomohiko Hori, while
Dokonjonosuke Mishima will put his featherweight belt on the
line against Takafumi Otsuka.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Why
is Affliction drawing more heat than Josh Barnett?
By Zach Arnold
Ivan
Trembow asked this question tonight:
[It
amazes me that Affliction is taking more heat for Josh Barnett’s
positive steroids test than Josh Barnett himself is taking. Barnett
is the one who has placed everyone involved (Fedor, Belfort,
Santiago, Affliction, the fans, etc.) in a bad situation.]
I
think there’s a cumulative effect going on here involving
multiple reasons and/or thoughts:
1.In
much the same fashion that people got sad and angry about PRIDE’s
collapse due to Shukan Gendai’s negative campaign about
the yakuza scandal, the hardcore MMA fans weren’t so upset
at the possibility of the mafia possibly being involved in the
fight business. The hardcores were upset that a media scandal
ended up taking their proverbial crack away from them and that
crack was seeing big-level fights. Again, with hardcore fans
it’s not so much the crime (failing a drug test/PED use
in MMA or being involved with questionable people) as it is ‘getting
caught’ that these fans care more about. Few people online
seemingly get upset about the complete lack of ‘real’
drug testing in Japan, but in the States when someone fails people
care but they are more upset with the fighter getting caught
than the actual use of drugs in MMA. Sports fans at this point
are beyond cynical about all of this, which is sad and unfortunate.
2.Barnett’s never been an Internet darling online. Because
he’s never been embraced that much, I think a lot of hardcores
are angry at Affliction for pushing Josh as a PPV main eventer
in more of the “what do you see in this guy?” kind
of logic as opposed to, “Yeah, he’s the 2nd or 3rd
best heavyweight in the world.”
3.There’s a lot of frustration amongst hardcore fans online
who want to see UFC get a big rival in MMA and they understand
that any such rival has little-to-no margin for error and by
basically building an MMA promotion around one guy (Fedor), suddenly
everything can fall apart like a deck of cards if one bad incident
happens"
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Mike
Fowler at Rio Open
‘A lot of folks doubted my black belt. What can they say
now'
The Rio Open promises great disputes this weekend at the Tijuca
Tennis club, and is already underway with the lower belts, to
end Sunday, with the black belt finals. Beasts like Mario Reis,
Bruno Frazatto, Bruno Bastos, Raphael Abi Rihan, Leo Leite, Big
Mac, Bruno Malfacine among other are confirmed.
And
the sport Jiu-Jitsu party is always a venue for competitors from
around the world to test their mettle. Mike Fowler has been in
Rio de Janeiro for two days and the black belt confirmed to GRACIEMAG.com
he will be competing at the Rio Open.
Now
back in Washington DC after two years in Guam, Fowler was unpleased
by the poor run of weather in Brazil’s former capital but
excited about being in the city and competing once again nevertheless.
Why
did you decide to enter the Rio Open, what are your feelings
about this championships?
I love to compete. I love the competition in Brazil. It's always
top notch. I am super excited to compete in the Rio Open. I want
to see how the things I have been working on are paying off.
What’s
it like to enter a championship in Rio with so many Brazilians
in it? What learning experiences do you derive from it?
Competing in Brazil is always a rush. The best compete here and
there are so many good guys that each match is a great learning
experience. Whether I win or lose, I always walk away with something.
Maybe some technique becomes influenced, or strategies will change,
but always staying positive.
How
many times have you competed here in Rio? Has any particular
championship been an unforgettable experience for you? Whether
for your titles or for some adventures you’ve been through
here?
I've been competing on Rio since 2003. Usually once or twice
a year. I've had great matches here, some more memorable than
others. One in particular was my first black belt Mundials. I
won my first match and then faced Daniel Moraes (previous two-time
world champion) in the 2nd round. I caught him in an armbar before
being illegally slammed, and I remember thinking..." I belonged
or felt reassured that all my hard work was paying off.".
A lot of people doubted my black belt, getting it in 4 years,
but what can be said now?
In
what weight category will you compete? Are you aware of the athletes
you may face?
I am fighting in the Medio weight class. I went and looked through
and saw many good names, but I am taking no match lightly. I
am going to stick to my game plan with everyone. Can't afford
little mistakes when fighting in Brazil!
Tell us a little about how you spend you time in Rio. From which
state in the USA do you come and how have you gone about training
for the Open? Where are you training right now?
Right now I am currently in Washington DC. I came back to DC
after my past two years of living in Guam. I loved it there but
I needed to do a tune-up on myself and get back to a more serious
competition schedule. I'm always in the gym working with Master
Lloyd on aspects of my game. But now that I'm here I usually
spend the day at the beach or at the hotel. Occasionally go to
the mall. Then I do my training sessions at Barra Gym. Training
with my teammate JT Torres, Leo Dalla, along with members of
Tata fight team.
How has training gone? Did you prepare specifically for this
one or are you coming in off a series of championships?
Training has gone very well. I feel better at every tournament.
I did not train for this tournament in particular. All my training
is concentrated on preparing for Worlds. Every other tournament
is meant to prepare me.
Are any of your friends going to compete too? Who are you hanging
out with here in Brazil?
Jonathan Torres is here training with me. Helping each other
prepare for the tournament. His game is amazing and is really
helpful for elevating my Jiu-Jitsu. Also Leo Dalla and Nakapan
Phungephorn are here. Most time is spent with them.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"If
a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts;
but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in
certainties."
Sir Francis Bacon
|
X-1
Scuffle On Schofield Today!
TROPIC'S
7/25/2009
BLUE CORNER RED CORNER
Main Event
TILIS SIONEINI 185lbs Pro MMA Match MICHAEL WINKELSPECHT
3/5 Min Rounds
Co Main Event
MILLER UALESI 185lbs MMA Match AUTHONY CHENAULT
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
PAUL LOPES 145lbs MMA Match MILES HAYES
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
SHAUN BROOKS 135lbs MMA Match STEVEN ALBANESE
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
JOEY PALAMIA HW MMA Match DAVID UNTALAN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
FATU TUITASI 155lbs MMA Match DANIEL MARNOLEJO
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
MAKI PITOLO 195lbs MMA Match STEVE ROVELSTAD
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
DALE SOPI HW MMA Match JAMES TIVAO
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
TRAVIS BYERS 145lbs MMA Match DUSTIN CABE
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
SASAE PAOGOFIE 205lbs MMA Match JOSEPH COUNTERMAN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
OTTO HOOPII HW MMA Match STEVEN BEAL
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
MITCHELL GARCIA 145lbs MMA Match SHANE OSHIRO
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
ENDREW SETEFANO 205lbs MMA Match YANCY YAGER
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
ROBIN CLARK 170lbs MMA Match DANNY MABALOT
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
FRED CABATING 170lbs MMA Match KELLY KEMP
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
MAKANA VERTIDO 205lbs MMA Match MIN AN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
AARON GARDNER 170lbs MMA Match JOSE VELEZ
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
LUCKY 155lbs MMA Match DUSTIN SMITH
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
JASON MORINAGA 185lbs MMA Match BILL OAKLEY
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
|
Amateur
Boxing at Palolo Today!
USA-Boxing Hawaii, Kawano B.C. , and Palolo B.C.
Presents a Match Event at Palolo District Park Gym
July 25, 2009 at 6 p.m.
Bouts and Order Subject to Change
Red Corner Weights & Blue Corner
Boxing Club 3 Rounds Boxing Club
1). Makana Bell 68/11 (0) 70 ; Brenson Fernandez 70/12 (1)
Evolution B .C. 03/10/98 1 min. 08/08/97 Shalom B.C.
2). Jason Lewis 230/15 (0) 220 Mark Antalan 214/16
636 B.C. 08/10/93 2 min. 01/31/93 Pearlside B.C.
3). Michael Brown 69/9 (0) 70 Kainalu Wong 64/9 (0)
Evolution B.C. 08/11/99 1 min. 10/08/99 Evolution B.C.
4). Chavez Justyce Galdones 68/8 (4) 70 Sai Crawford 69/8 (6
kb)
FlipSide B.C. 07/29/00 1 min. 03/31/01 Five-0 B.C.
5). Ronson Yadao Farin 58/10 (4) 60 Ronske Ineri 63/10 (2)
Evolution B.C. 10/19/98 1 min. 04/10/99 Windward B.C.
6). John Jeric Galdones 85/12 (3) 85 Kainoa Simao 85/12 (2)
Flipside B.C. 03/31/97 1 min. Kauai P.A.L.
7). Jazelle Bobadilla 82/11 (1) 80 Kimberly Choe 77/11 (1)
Kalakaua B.C. 05/20/98 1 min. 11/29/97 636 B.C.
8). Isaiah Lawelawe 182/20 (0) 190 Ponesawan Wheeler 199/27 (1)
Unattached 03/13/89 2 min. 06/22/82 Kawano B.C.
9). Kieran Rosas 119/15 (2) 119 Preston Saragosa 117/14 (2kb)
Shalom B.C. 09/24/94 2 min. 10/23/94 Five-0 B.C.
10). Marco Pagaduan 163/18 165 Phil Perez ; 165/23
Kakaako B.C. 10/25/90 2 min. 01/08/86 Unattached
10
MIN. INTERMISSION
11).
Phil Ramirez ; 146 145 Joel Kim
Kalakaua B.C. 06/04/70 2 min. 09/23/62 Palolo B.C.
12). Carlos Garrido 140/15 & 140 Sheldon Crawford 165/15
Kailua-Kona B.C. 09/08/93 2 min. 11/08/93 Five-0 B.C.
13). Thomas Martinez 149/42 (0) 145 Joe Solima 144/42 (1)
Unattached 05/31/67 1 min. 04/09/67 & Kalakaua B.C.
14). Mana Myers 170/19 (0) 170 Tyler Mayekawa 170/24 (0)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 10/10/89 & 2 min. 10/16/84 Unattached
15). Soloman Amadeo 21/160 (0) (2kb) 160 Gregg Ishikawa 30/156
(2)
Unattached 04/20/88 2 min. 10/07/78 Kawano B.C.
The Boxers, Officials, Coaches, HPD Volunteer Officers Daryl
Takata, and Ron Richardson, Dr. Myles Suehiro,and Dr. Carrie
Marshall, HFD, Med. Students, Door Volunteers, Concession Workers,
Hawaii State Boxing Commission, Palolo District Park Gym, Interm
chairman Blane Yoshida, anyone else who I missed and "YOU"
our Boxing +Fans and Supporters. Thank You Again!!!
Main Event
16). Kaeo Myers 168 (1-1) 170 Sergey Russu 165/22 (9)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 2 min. 08/15/86 Kakaako B.C.
Medal Sponsors- Quick Jab Athletics, Palolo B.C., Kawano B.C.
We would like to Thank all the Volunteers who make Amateur Boxing
in Hawaii possible.
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Barnett
Releases Statement
By FCF Staff
Josh
Barnett has released a statement on his official Myspace page
in response to the news that the heavyweight fighter has allegedly
tested positive for an anabolic agent. As a result of the positive
test, the California State Athletic Commission has denied Barnett
a license to fight Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction’s upcoming
August 1st event in Anaheim, California.
The
promotion is reportedly still working on a replacement for Barnett.
Barnett
wrote:
Many
of you are wondering what's happening. What I can say is that
when applying for my license, the CSAC asked for me to submit
a urine sample for testing prior to granting my license as they
do with everyone, I believe. It was not a random test. I had
no reason to believe there would be any issues and went in to
submit my sample at the earliest possible opportunity on June
25th. I never once thought there would be a problem.
My
representatives and I are working to gather as much info as possible
and handle this situation as best as we can. I am embarrassed
and want for nothing more than to resolve this issue and receive
a license from the State of California as I have done many times
already and for other states as well.
I
am very thankful for all the great family, friends and fans that
still support me.
Sincerely,
Josh
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
WEC
8/9 Las Vegas
By Zach Arnold
Hard
Rock Hotel & Casino
Dark
matches
¦Featherweights:
Diego Nunes vs. Rafael Dias
¦Bantamweights: Rani Yahya vs. Kenji Osawa
¦Lightweights: Ed Ratcliff vs. Phil Cardella
¦Lightweights: Marcus Hicks vs. Shane Roller
¦Featherweights: Fredson Paixao vs. Cole Province
¦Featherweights: Leonard Garcia vs. Jameel Massouh
Main card
¦Bantamweights:
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Curran
¦Lightweights: Ricardo Lamas vs. Danny Castillo
¦Bantamweights: Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz
¦WEC Bantamweight Title match: Miguel Torres vs. Brian
Bowles
Source: Fight Opinion
|
SIGHTS
ZERO ON BELFORT;
FEDOR WILL FIGHT ANYONE
by Ken Pishna
With Josh Barnett’s recent license denial in California
due to an alleged positive pre-fight drug test result, which
indicated anabolic steroids in his system, the race has been
on to find a replacement to face the No. 1 heavyweight fighter
in the world, Fedor Emelianenko, at Affliction “Trilogy.”
Fighters
have come out of the woodwork to be considered. Fighters from
Brett Rogers to Jeff Monson to Don Frye to Tom Erickson have
all indicated their desire to face Fedor.
“I
have everyone under the sun saying they have the next person
that can beat (Fedor),” said Affliction vice president Tom
Atencio.
Initial
speculation centered on Vitor Belfort and Bobby Lashley as possibilities,
with Belfort quickly becoming the frontrunner. Numerous sources
indicate that Belfort has agreed to the fight and it is just
coming down to final negotiations.
“By
the end of the evening we expect to officially announce who’ll
be the replacement for Barnett,” state Vadim Finkelchtein,
who owns M-1 Global and manages Fedor. “Vitor Belfort agreed
to come in principle.”
While
Finkelchtein’s comments seem to further solidify that Belfort
is the man to replace Barnett as long as the details can be worked
out, but Atencio has steadfastly maintained, “Negotiations
or negotiations and until I get the contract, nothing is done.
Until you hear it from me, until I have a contract signed, they’re
all rumors.”
Affliction
Vice President Tom Atencio on Thursday told MMAWeekly.com that
Fedor’s new opponent would be announced on Friday.
He
obviously would like to know who he is fighting on Aug. 1 as
soon as possible, but the shake-up in opponents has done little
to deter Fedor.
“I
feel disappointed about this situation,” he said, before
adding, “But I will fight anyone who Affliction puts in
front of me.”
An
interesting side note that surfaced at a Thursday press conference
with Russian media held by Fedor and Finkelchtein is that Fedor’s
U.S. promotional rights no longer belong to Affliction following
his “Trilogy” bout. He, of course, remains under a
management contract with M-1 Global, but would presumably be
free to fight for other U.S. promotions.
Before
the rumor mill hits full tilt, however, Finkelchtein wasn’t
optimistic that Fedor would step into the UFC’s Octagon
any time soon.
“We
are open to any offer. The issue really is with the UFC, not
with us. We are ready to fight the UFC champions,” he said,
but hastened to add, “Randy Couture left the UFC in order
to get the opportunity of fighting Fedor. Then the UFC sidelined
him and litigation ensued. We want to negotiate and cooperate
with the UFC but it seems as though they are not ready.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Shinya
Aoki-Joachim Hansen for title at DREAM.11
Shinya Aoki will face champion Joachim Hansen for the DREAM lightweight
title at DREAM 11 on Oct. 6 in Yokohama, Japan.
The
championship bout will be the decider in what is now a best-of-three
series which began New Year's Eve 2006 at PRIDE Shockwave. Aoki
(21-4) won the encounter with a gogoplata 2:24 into the first
round, and in the process popularized the submission maneuver.
But when the two bumped into each other in the finals of last
year's DREAM lightweight tournament, Hansen (19-7-1) exacted
revenge by ground and pounding Aoki to capture the promotion's
title. To Aoki's credit, though, he had gone through a full 15
minutes with Caol Uno earlier in the evening while Hansen won
his reserve fight in two minutes and 33 seconds.
Since
the two last met, Aoki has gone 4-1, with his one loss in the
welterweight division against Hayato "Mach" Sakurai.
Hansen, on the other hand, has not competed since the July 2008
bout. He was scheduled on New Year's Eve but was forced out with
an injury the day of the event.
Although
Hansen is the one putting a title on the line in the fight, he
has much to gain. Aoki is still ranked higher than Hansen due
to Aoki's submission victory over Eddie Alvarez on New Year's
Eve. By winning the rubber match, Hansen would make a great case
for being the second or third best lightweight in the world depending
on the outcome of the UFC 101 bout between UFC lightweight champion
BJ Penn and Kenny Florian.
DREAM
11, which will be the promotion's last before its New Year's
Eve event, will also feature the semifinals
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Kron
to dispute ADCC 2009
Official ADCC Barcelona site lists Gracie as competitor
With
only two years as a black belt, Kron Gracie will face the greatest
challenge of the grappling game. The son of legendary Jiu-Jitsu
and MMA star Rickson Gracie was announced on the ADCC 2009 site
as one of the competitors in the 77kg category, the title for
which has been owned my Marcelo Garcia for the past three installments
of the biannual event.
To
check out the fighter's profile on the official ADCC Barcelona
website, click here.
Check
out the updated list of competitors in the 77kg category of ADCC
2009 and stay tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for further information
regarding the event.
-
Marcelo Garcia (Brazil)
- K-taro Nakamura (Japan)
- Murilo Santana (Brazil)
- Marcelo Uirapuru Azevedo (Italy)
- Toni Linden (Finland)
- Don Ortega (USA)
- Rodney Ellis (Australia)
- Enrico Cocco (USA)
- Kron Gracie (Brazil)
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Frye
vs. Lawal to Headline First M-1 Breakthrough on Aug. 28
M-1
Global (www.M-1Global.com) officials announced on Thursday the
birth of its new premium fight series, "M-1 Breakthrough."
Officially titled "M-1 Global Presents Breakthrough,"
the first event has been scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28 and will
be held in conjunction with the IMMAE (www.IMMAE.tv) in Los Angeles,
Calif. at the Convention Center. The event will be televised
live on HDNet and headlined by MMA legend and former UFC champion
Don "The Predator" Frye (20-7-1) taking on former NCAA
champion"King" Mo Lawal (4-0) and devastating French
striking phenom Karl "Psycho" Amoussou (10-2-1) going
against former BodogFIGHT welterweight champion Nick "The
Goat" Thompson (38-11-1). M-1, which also produces and promotes
the M-1 Challenge and M-1 Selection fight series, will promote
its first-ever major show televised live in the United States
with "Breakthrough." In addition to the two co-main
events, five other fights showcasing the best and brightest of
the M-1 Challenge will also air on HDNet. "The title 'Breakthrough'
represents M-1 Global's ongoing quest to expose new talent to
different International markets," said Joost Raimond, Chief
Operating Officer of M-1 Global. "With this event, we are
proud that we are able to bring fight fans the U.S. debuts of
both Mo Lawal and Karl Amoussou." In addition to being a
former NCAA Division II amateur wrestling champion, Lawal was
also a Division I All-American at Oklahoma State University,
a powerhouse that has produced the likes of former UFC light
heavyweight and heavyweight champion Randy Couture, current UFC
middleweight Jake Rosholt, former NCAA champion and current UFC
light heavyweight Mark Munoz, and three-time NCAA champion and
current UFC welterweight Johny Hendricks. A 2008 hopeful for
the U.S. Olympic team, Lawal made his professional mixed martial
arts debut in Tokyo, Japan on Sept. 28, 2009 and defeated former
YAMMAheavyweight champion Travis Wiuff via TKO in just 2:11.
He has fought three more times in Japan under the Sengoku banner
and has posted wins over Fabio Silva,Yukiya Naito, and Ryo Kawamura.
On Aug. 28 in LA at "M-1 Global Presents Breakthrough,"
he will be facing his biggest test to date in Frye. Frye, a sure-fire
MMA Hall of Famer who has a role in the summer blockbuster Public
Enemies, is considered one of the most prolific fighters ever
to compete in MMA. He made his pro debut in 1996 at UFC 8, where
he recorded what to this day is still tied for the fastest victory
in UFC history following his eight second knockout of Thomas
Ramirez. A winner of both the UFC 8 and Ultimate Ultimate 96
tournaments, Frye holds notable wins over in his career against
UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock, Gary Goodridge, Gilbert Yvel,
and street fighting pioneer Tank Abbott. His most recent win
took place on May 2 in Lubbock, Texas following his first round
submission ofRitch Moss. The Lawal vs. Frye showdown at "M-1
Breakthrough" will serve also serve battle of Oklahoma State
alumni. Before entering MMA, Frye was a standout wrestler in
college, originally competing at Arizona State and later transferring
to OSU. In addition to his wrestling experience, he also holds
a second degree black belt in Judo and has competed as a professional
boxer. "M-1 Breakthrough" will also mark Amoussou's
first-ever appearance in the U.S. The younger brother of former
PRIDE competitor Bertrand Amoussou, the 23-year has a well-earned
reputation for being one of the middleweight division's most
dangerous fighters. Featured in 2008 as a staple of the M-1 Challenge
on HDNet, Amoussou's charisma and highlight-reel knockouts recently
earned him the honor of being named as Sherdog's number one rated
European MMA prospect. "Aug. 28 at M-1 Breakthrough will
be Amoussou's coming out party," stated M-1 Global V.P.
of Talent Relations Apy Echteld. "He's a well-known commodity
with hardcore fans but has been a well-kept secret from the mainstream
for too long. A lot of well-known middleweights were afraid to
accept this fight but Nick Thompson was confident enough in his
own abilities to step up and move from welterweight." In
addition to being the former BodogFIGHT welterweight champion,
Thompson, a fighter who doubles as a licensed attorney in the
state of Minnesota, has also competed for the UFC and EliteXC.
A standout wrestler that has become a respected boxer while training
out of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, Thompson holds notable
wins in his career over current Bellator lightweight champion
Eddie Alvarez, former EliteXC star Paul Daley, current UFC welterweight
Chris Wilson, and current UFC lightweight Josh Neer. Ticket information
as well as the complete lineup for the event, will be updated
regularly on www.M-1Global.com.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Royce
praises: “Demian Maia is f... good”
By Guilherme Cruz
The biggest star of UFC’s first editions, Royce Gracie was
the most responsible of the Jiu-Jitsu spreading at the United
States, dominating the opponents in the first Ultimate tournaments.
Fifteen years later, the black belt sees the work done by Demian
Maia at the event, putting the gentle art in the first place
and submitting five out of five opponents in the octagon.
"Demian
Maia is f... good. The guy is really good at submissions, knows
how to enter the clinch, knows how to take down, fights from
the guard, it isn’t just staying down and striking, you
have to know how to defend yourself and he’s doing that
very well", praises Royce, watching the Jiu-Jistu in action
also in the other divisions of the event. "I'm a fan of
(Rodrigo) Nogueira too, I like him, I like the guys who are on
top: Lyoto, Anderson, GSP, who fights clean and takes the opponent
completely out of his game", said Royce, in the exclusive
interview to TATAME Magazine’s June edition.
Source: Tatame
|
Nova
Uniao Supplants Brazil's Old Guard
by Gleidson Venga
When Pride Fighting Championships met its end, the value of mixed
martial arts teams seemed to diminish, too, as athletes were
emphasized more for their own value, independent of the team
they represented.
This
trend has increased even more in Brazil, as Brazilian Top Team
and the Chute Boxe Academy suffered several cuts and stars such
as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Paulo
Filho, Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua left
their respective training camps. The only team not to suffer
any major losses during this period was Nova Uniao. Names like
Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro, Thales Leites, Wagnney Fabiano
and Jose Aldo -- born and raised on a team led by Andre Pederneiras
-- continue to shine in international events.
According
to Pederneiras, Nova Uniao has about 50 professional athletes
on its roster, including Ribeiro and the young Eduardo Dantas,
who fought Masakatsu Ueda for the Shooto 132-pound championship
last weekend.
Made
famous in the 1990s by the brilliant showings of its lighter
weight athletes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions, the team
made a seamless transition to MMA, winning titles in major events
like Shooto (Ribeiro), Cage Rage (Ribeiro), the International
Fight League (Fabiano) and Pancrase (Marlon Sandro).
“Our
team went from BJJ to MMA,” Pederneiras said. “As we
already had a very strong team in the lighter weights, basically
my BJJ team migrated with the same success to MMA, so we just
continued the work. But we’ve also proven that we can do
it with heavier guys. Thales Leites is an example. The more that
come here, the more we’ll do it.”
Although
the recognition has come only in recent years, the team began
to take its first steps more than a decade ago, with Pederneiras
himself fighting in international events and Rafael Carino emerging
victorious at UFC 9 in 1996.
“Rafael
Carino was my first athlete who fought in MMA, then Joao Roque
and some others,” Pederneiras said. “Even when I fought,
I did not have an MMA team. I called some people for training,
but most of them had never fought MMA before. Only when Shaolin
began fighting MMA could I bring in more people. Then we really
had a team.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Three
bouts added to UFC Fight Night 19
The UFC has added a Brian Stann-Steve Cantwell rubber match and
two other bouts to the UFC Fight Night 19: Diaz vs Guillard event
on September 16 in Oklahoma City.
Former WEC champions Stann and Cantwell began their rivalry over
two years ago in the WEC. Stann, in only his third career fight,
stopped Cantwell in 41 seconds at WEC 26 in March 2007. After
winning the WEC 205-lb. title in March 2008 Stann lost it five
months later to Cantwell in his first defense. When the division
was phased out, the two were transferred to the UFC. Stann lost
his debut against Krzystof Soszynski and Cantwell has won by
submission and lost by decision in his two UFC bouts.
Also
confirmed for the card are Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur and Chris
Wilson vs. Mike Pyle.
Current
Fight Card:
Nate
Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard
Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta
Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur
Steve Cantwell vs. Brian Stann
Chris Wilson vs. Mike Pyle
Source: MMA Fighting
|
WAND
MANAGER SAYS BISPING BOUT A "NO-GO"
by Steven Marrocco
Despite multiple reports to the contrary, Wanderlei Silva will
not be fighting Michael Bisping at UFC 105 in November, says
Silva’s manager Rob Cardenas.
“A
fight between Wanderlei Silva and Michael Bisping in November
at UFC 105 has not been discussed by and between Wanderlei and
the UFC. Certainly, there have been no formal proposals, or discussions
relative to this match-up,” Cardenas told MMAWeekly.com
Thursday afternoon. “Of course, there is speculation that
such a fight will occur, and certainly there remains a possibility
of such a match-up, however, at this time, rumors of the fight
occurring at UFC 105, are simply that: rumors.”
Reports
of the match-up surfaced Thursday morning, stating that Silva
was soon to complete a deal to take on the winner of “The
Ultimate Fighter” season three.
Cardenas
said the fight’s timing was contrary to Silva’s wishes.
“Wanderlei
and his coach, Raphael Alejarra, have both expressed a preference
that Wanderlei wait until February for his next match. However,
if at some point in time, such a fight is proposed by the UFC,
it will be given the appropriate consideration, as do all proposals,
and a decision will be made at that time,” continued Cardenas.
“In
fact in a recent interview that we just completed, he’d
like to fight Dan Henderson next, which he understands isn’t
going to happen for a while because Dan is fighting Rich Franklin.”
Silva
last appeared at UFC 93, where he lost a unanimous decision to
Franklin. In post-fight interviews, Silva felt he had won the
fight and requested an eventual rematch.
Cardenas
did not pinpoint any names for Silva’s desired return in
February.
(Editor's
Note: This article was updated at 4:30 p.m. ET to reflect additional
information and clarification provided by Silva's manager.)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Fallout
from DREAM 10 event
By Zach Arnold
DREAM
10 (7/20 Saitama Super Arena) drew a poor crowd. Claimed attendance
for the show was 11,970. Still better than anything Sengoku’s
drawn in the same building. DREAM is already pushing Marius Zaromskis
as their Welterweight version of Mirko Cro Cop.
DREAM
11 will take place on 10/6 at Yokohama Arena. Shin’ya Aoki
vs. Joachim Hansen has been booked for the show.
Here
are some post-fight comments from a few of the fighters at DREAM
10 (I’ll add more quotes throughout the day).
JESSE
TAYLOR (after beating Yoon Dong-Sik)
Interpreter:
“So, how did you feel about your match? Could you please
comment on it”
Jesse
Taylor: “I feel great, it’s a win, it’s my first
time here, definitely not my last. I really like being here in
Japan and fighting here, I love the audience. I really loved
it out here but I really wish you know it wasn’t an injury,
I think I would have won any kind of way, I would have won anyways
but I don’t like winning like that.”
Interpreter:
“So if Mr. Yoon Dong-Sik wasn’t injured, what kind
of technique would you try to perform after that?”
Jesse
Taylor: “Well, obviously you guys saw me go for the rear
naked choke, I became I’m pretty fond of that move and I’m
a rear naked choke artist but I could stand and bang too so what
I was going to do is break him down with some grappling and then
I was going to do some punching as well towards the end.”
[This
led to a very awkward moment because the translator had no idea
how to translate 'naked choke' or 'rear naked choke.' If he had
said 'choke sleeper hold' she probably would have figured out
how to translate it accurately. She was trying to figure out
a term like kata-hajime here.]
Interpreter:
“So after you was only one week after your last fight. So
when is your next fight?”
Jesse
Taylor: “Well, I don’t know, I’ve been fighting
quite a bit these days. I just stay busy, obviously I stay more
focused, more grounded when I’m busy and fighting. It’s
hard for me to say no to fights, I love to do it. It keeps me
out of trouble.”
Interpreter:
“So people are talking about how bad boy you are in Japan
and you are getting popular, getting popularity because of that
but actually I think you are a very skilled and capable fighter.
So in the future, what kind of point do you want to show? You
want to show to the fans? As in being a bad boy.”
Jesse
Taylor: “Well, thank you very much. Yeah, the UFC kind of
labeled me with that and I don’t know if I really like that
or not but yeah I just want to show the fans, the people at home
that I’m actually a pretty good guy. Obviously from my past
I have a lot to prove now. I have two boys, two sons and you
know this provides a means to an end and I really like fighting
here, I mean, to tell the truth I like fighting here a lot more
than in the States so hopefully you guys like me and hopefully
I’ll be back and I want the best. I can also go both wegiht
classes, so I can do welterweight or middleweight here, so wherever
the fight you demand from me is where I’ll go.”
“Thank
you. I got to keep beating people up so you guys have more questions
for me. I’m done.”
MELVIN
MANHOEF (who lost to Paulo Filho)
Interpreter:
“Could you please comment on your fight.”
Melvin
Manhoef: “Yeah. The fight went pretty good, you know, as
you know I’m a stand-up fighter and I like to bang and I
was hitting him pretty good and in the one moment I lost my distance
a little bit and I don’t know how I get fall but I have
seen it on the television and then I can see what went wrong,
you know, because my distance was too close and I fell and I
want to turn out of the armbar but it was like stuck, you know,
and yeah. A little bit of shame because you know I really wanted
to win from him because everybody’s yeah talking good about
him because he’s very good and this and that and you know
he’s one of the greatest ground fighters, so I really wanted
to win from him you know and unfortunately it didn’t happen
but yeah.”
Interpreter:
“Will you keep on fighting in MMA going forward?”
Melvin
Manhoef: “Yeah, of course, I’m keep on fighting, you
know I’m a fighter you know and you can say that he win
the fight but you know he didn’t hit me one time you know
and yeah, you know, my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is getting better
but you know the guys are like doing it like 10 years already
and I’m doing stand-up fighting also for technique so you
see stand-up they cannot beat me but on the ground I’m very
vulnerable. But I’m training every day, harder and harder,
but my takedown defense is good because he couldn’t get
me to the ground and you know I do both things, I do K-1 and
I do DREAM you know, MMA, so it’s very difficult for me
to focus me and myself on one thing so maybe if I focus myself
on one thing, it will be much better but you know I like to fight
so I want to fight both and I think you know if we do it again
I think he cannot win you know, but now for this time he win
because he was OK, he was yeah, he was not better but you know
he was better on the ground so. But it’s my own fault, maybe
also you know I was too greedy to finish it up you know you see
every time when I fight I fight with aggression, sometimes I
fight too much with my heart you know and if I fight too much
with my heart I want to enjoy the fans and everybody and I want
to finish everything quick and that is my fault again you know,
I have 15 minutes the time but I want to finish him in two-three
minutes and that’s also something to really [comment?] with
my team you know, I have to be patient.”
TAREC
SAFFIEDINE (who beat Seiichi Ikemoto)
Interpreter:
“Could you tell us about your match? How did you feel? How
did you fight?”
Tarec
Saffiedine: “I fight I think I could do better, you know
next time I bring more on the table I think and my opponent’s
really tough, he’s really I mean it was tough when I kick
him, kick him and he just kept coming at me and you know but
right now I feel good, I feel good.”
Interpreter:
“Was the double punch effective from your opponent?”
Tarec
Saffiedine: “He got me with it one time with his right hand,
it surprised me, he tried I think three times and I avoid them
but just one time I think it was in the first round he got me
one, it surprise me, yeah.”
Interpreter:
“Well you said you wanted to bring more to the table next
time. What would you like to show your audience or your fans
or your opponent next time?”
Tarec
Saffiedine: “I want to bring more aggressiveness because
I knew I can finish the guy today but he was really tough so
for my next fight I will train harder and I will show you more
aggressiveness and more combination on the stand-up.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Cigano
trains for Cro Cop
Carlos Ozorio / Portal das Lutas
The
news was delivered by Portal das Lutas and GRACIEMAG.com first
hand, that Junior “Cigano” dos Santos was officially
confirmed to face Mirko Cro Cop at UFC 103, on September 19th,
in Dallas, Texas. Now the fighter returns to speak with PDL again
about his preparations for the most significant challenge of
his career. Against the feared striker, Cigano is looking for
nothing less than a knockout, which, should it happen, would
be the third of his three fights in the world-famous octagon.
Portal
das Lutas – Now it’s confirmed, what are your thoughts
on this opportunity the UFC has given you?
Junior
Cigano – The UFC put me in a good situation again, to be
able to face an idol of the MMA world. To me it’s a great
opportunity, as was my first fight there, against Werdum.
PDL
– Once again, even after such a short tenure with the organization,
you have another top fighter ahead of you…
JC
– This one will be even more important than against Werdum
and I’m really happy for it. As I said before, I didn’t
want them to change my fight date, but when I found out it would
be against Cro Cop I accepted right away.
PDL
– You have two knockouts for the organization, but now you
will have a top striker ahead of you…
JC
– I’m certain it’s a golden opportunity for my
career and I will, surely, make the most of it. I’m training
really hard, already, and I’ll go in there prepared. I’m
going to surprise everyone again.
PDL
– How are you preparing for the challenge?
JC
– Training has already begun. I’d already been training
for my bout at UFC 102, so I just carried on. I’m here in
Bahia, brushing up on my boxing and doing Jiu-Jitsu. This weekend
I’ll head to Los Angeles to help Rodrigo (Minotauro) for
his fight against Couture and also for him to help me for my
fight, since he has already faced Cro Cop.
PDL
– Speaking of Minotauro, what do you expect of him in his
fight with Couture?
JC
– As I’ve said, he’s our phenomenon, one of Brazil’s
greatest representatives. He’s coming back full steam and
I’m certain he’s going to surprise everyone. It shouldn’t
even be that way (to surprise), because anyone who knows Minotauro
knows what he’s capable of. But he’ll impress everyone
again by beating Randy Couture convincingly.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"You'll never find rainbows if you're looking down."
Charlie Chaplin
|
X-1
Scuffle On Schofield Tomorrow
TROPIC'S
7/25/2009
BLUE CORNER RED CORNER
Main Event
TILIS SIONEINI 185lbs Pro MMA Match MICHAEL WINKELSPECHT
3/5 Min Rounds
Co Main Event
MILLER UALESI 185lbs MMA Match AUTHONY CHENAULT
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
PAUL LOPES 145lbs MMA Match MILES HAYES
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
SHAUN BROOKS 135lbs MMA Match STEVEN ALBANESE
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
JOEY PALAMIA HW MMA Match DAVID UNTALAN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
FATU TUITASI 155lbs MMA Match DANIEL MARNOLEJO
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
MAKI PITOLO 195lbs MMA Match STEVE ROVELSTAD
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
DALE SOPI HW MMA Match JAMES TIVAO
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
TRAVIS BYERS 145lbs MMA Match DUSTIN CABE
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
SASAE PAOGOFIE 205lbs MMA Match JOSEPH COUNTERMAN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
OTTO HOOPII HW MMA Match STEVEN BEAL
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
MITCHELL GARCIA 145lbs MMA Match SHANE OSHIRO
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
ENDREW SETEFANO 205lbs MMA Match YANCY YAGER
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
ROBIN CLARK 170lbs MMA Match DANNY MABALOT
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
FRED CABATING 170lbs MMA Match KELLY KEMP
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
MAKANA VERTIDO 205lbs MMA Match MIN AN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
AARON GARDNER 170lbs MMA Match JOSE VELEZ
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
LUCKY 155lbs MMA Match DUSTIN SMITH
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
JASON MORINAGA 185lbs MMA Match BILL OAKLEY
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
|
Amateur
Boxing at Palolo Tomorrow!
USA-Boxing Hawaii, Kawano B.C. , and Palolo B.C.
Presents a Match Event at Palolo District Park Gym
July 25, 2009 at 6 p.m.
Bouts and Order Subject to Change.
Tentative as of July 23, 2009
Red Corner Weights Blue Corner
Boxing Club 3 Rounds Boxing Club
1). Makana Bell 68/11 (0) 70 Brenson Fernandez 70/12 (1)
Evolution B .C. 03/10/98 1 min. 08/08/97 Shalom B.C.
2). Jason Lewis 230/15 (0) 220 Mark Antalan 214/16
636 B.C. 08/10/93 2 min. 01/31/93 Pearlside B.C.
3). Michael Brown 69/9 (0) 70 Kainalu Wong 64/9 (0)
Evolution B.C. 08/11/99 1 min. 10/08/99 Evolution B.C.
4). Chavez Justyce Galdones 68/8 (4) 70 Sai Crawford 69/8 (6
kb)
FlipSide B.C. 07/29/00 1 min. 03/31/01 Five-0 B.C.
5). Ronson Yadao Farin 58/10 (4) 60 Ronske Ineri 63/10 (2)
Evolution B.C. 10/19/98 1 min. Windward B.C.
6). John Jeric Galdones 85/12 (3) 85 Kainoa Simao 85/12 (2)
Flipside B.C. 03/31/97 1 min. Kauai P.A.L.
7). Jazelle Bobadilla 82/11 (1) 80 Kimberly Choe 77/11 (1)
Kalakaua B.C. 05/20/98 1 min. 11/29/97 636 B.C.
8). Isaiah Lawelawe 182 (0) 190 Ponesawan Wheeler 199/27 (1)
Unattached 03/13/89 2 min. 06/22/82 Kawano B.C.
9). Justin Sanio 110/14 115 Hiapo McCandless 120/13 (1)
Evolution B.C. 09/03/94 1 ½ min. East Oahu Waimanalo B.C.
10). Kieran Rosas 119/15 (2) 119 Preston Saragosa 117/14 (2kb)
Shalom B.C. 09/24/94 2 min. 10/23/94 Five-0 B.C.
11). Carlos Garrido 140/15 (0) 140 Sheldon Crawford 135/15 (0)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 09/08/93 2 min. 11/08/93 Five-0 B.C.
INTERMISSION 10 MIN.
12). Marco Pagaduan 163/18 (0) 165 Phil Perez 165/23 (0)
Kakaako B.C. 10/25/90 2 min. Unattached
13). Mana Myers 165-170/19 (0) 170 Tyler Mayekawa 170/2 (0)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 10/10/89 2 min. 10/16/84 Unattached
14). Thomas Martinez 149/42 (0) 145 Joe Solima 144/42 (1)
Unattached 05/31/67 1 min. Kalakaua B.C.
15). Soloman Amadeo 21/160 (0) (kb) 160 Gregg Ishikawa 30/156
(2)
Unattached 2 min. 10/07/78 Kawano B.C.
16). Kaeo Myers 168 (1-1) 170 Sergey Russu 165/22 (9)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 2 min. Kakaako B.C.
Main Event
17). Phil Ramirez 146 145 Joel Kim 138
Kalakaua B.C. 1 min. Palolo B.C.
Medal Sponsors- Quick Jab Athletics
We
would like to Thank all the Volunteers who make Amateur Boxing
in Hawaii possible.
The Boxers, Officials, Coaches, HPD Volunteer Officers Daryl
Takata, and Ron Richardson, Dr. Myles Suehiro, Med. Students,
Door Volunteers, Concession Workers, Hawaii State Boxing Commission,
Palolo District Park Gym, Interm chairman Blane Yoshida, anyone
else who I missed and "YOU" our Boxing Fans and Supporters.
Thank You Again!!!
Source: Bruce Kawano
|
Exclusive
- Emelianenko Vs Belfort Official
John Pollock
Shawn Tompkins, head trainer at Xtreme Couture, has confirmed
to The Fight Network that Vitor Belfort has signed on to fight
Fedor Emelianenko August 1st at the Affliction 'Trilogy' event
in Anaheim, California.
Belfort
was originally scheduled to fight Jorge Santiago on the same
card in a middleweight bout. The main event was forced to be
changed after Josh Barnett failed a pre fight drug test by the
California State Athletic Commission.
Source: The Fight Network
|
Hawaii
Boys fill UFC 101:
Penn, Groves, Nelson
UFC 101 8/8 Philadelphia
By Zach Arnold
Wachovia
Center, Philadelphia, PA
As
the card currently stands:
Dark
matches
¦Welterweights:
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort
¦Lightweights: George Sotiropoulos vs. Rob Emerson
¦Welterweights: Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
¦Middleweights: Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara
¦Welterweights: Tamdan McCrory vs. John Howard
¦Lightweights: Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
Main card
¦Lightweights:
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino
¦Middleweights: Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
¦Welterweights: Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
¦Light Heavyweights: Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
¦UFC Lightweight Title match: BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Affliction
VP Tom Atencio Addresses Josh Barnett’s Replacement
by Matt Kaplan
Affliction
Entertainment Vice President Tom Atencio held a media conference
call this afternoon, and the hot topic – and only topic
– of discussion during the abbreviated call was Josh Barnett
testing positive for banned substances. Atencio did confirm that
Affliction is moving ahead in finding a replacement to face Fedor
Emelianenko on August 1, but offered few additional details.
A
disappointed Atencio fielded a number of Barnett-centric inquiries,
most of which simply reiterated his opening statement:
“As
you can obviously imagine, this has been a complete surprise
to us. When we spoke to the California Athletic Commission, this
was not something that we were prepared for, but it’s our
understanding that Josh has taken further measures to validate
the results of the test. And if the results stand, then we’re
deeply disappointed.
“We
are in the negotiation period with a few fighters, and I know
from a fan’s perspective, as we always do, we’ll put
on the best fight possible and make sure that the match-up is
one of quality and lives up to the standards of Affliction.
“This
card on itself is one of the biggest cards in MMA history, so
aside from just the main event, thus card is stacked from top
to bottom, as we always do in Affliction fashion – put out
the best cards for the fans and for the public.”
Atencio,
who has spoken to Barnett’s manager but not Barnett himself,
said that the CSAC is in the process of testing a second sample
from Barnett, who is appealing the results.
“If
he’s cleared, then great, obviously, but if not, I’m
once again getting the best opponent, making sure the fans are
happy…The bottom line is, I need to get past this bump in
the road.”
Although
it is Atencio who is scrambling to find a replacement for Barnett
and make it over the “bump in the road,” he says that
this ordeal is ultimately Barnett’s burden to carry.
“I’ve
known Josh for years. He’s a fighter; I’ve fought.
I have a lot of respect for him. If it comes back positive, you
know, then that’s on him. That’s something he has to
continue to move forward with. It doesn’t affect me in any
way, shape, or form.”
Should
Barnett be cleared, Atencio said that it is “absolutely
in the hands of the California State Athletic Commission”
whether Barnett will appear on the “Trilogy” card.
Until that decision is made, Atencio is working on finding the
best opponent he can.”
As
for potential replacement opponents –Vitor Belfort, Bobby
Lashley, Brett Rogers, and Fabricio Werdum were topics of inquiry
during the call - Atencio did say that three fighters are being
considered, but would not offer names.
“Until
I have a contract finalized and it’s done, I’m just
not going to say anything. It doesn’t make sense for me
to get anyone’s hopes up….To be honest, I’m not
even worried about it.”
“Until
you hear it from me, until a contract is signed, it’s all
rumors,” he added.
Check
back in with Full Contact Fighter for more breaking developments
to the August 1 Affliction “Trilogy” event.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
Alive,
Kimo contemplates lawsuit
Fighter wants one to spread rumor punished
Alive and kicking, and hungry for revenge. That’s the state
Kimo Leopoldo is in. One day after having his death announced
across all four corners of the globe, the fighter, considered
one of the icons of the early UFC, is already studying, along
with his lawyers, ways to legally punish those responsible for
spreading the rumor.
“It’s
pure and simple. You can get on mixedmartialarts.com and see
all the posts. You can see all the original posts, including
the guy who started it all. He’s been banned (from the site)
already. We’re trying to find out his name so we can sue
him. We’re not taking this lightly,” guaranteed Brandt
Stebbins, Kimo’s manager.
What
started as banter n an MMA forum took an official tone, as major
American websites like TMZ and New York Daily News, and even
the Britain’s The Sun, posted the story.
According
to Kimo himself speaking at a press conference held in Orange
County, California, he woke at around midday and was surprised
by the news of his dying, victim of cardiac arrest. Shocked by
the hundreds of messages on his cell phone, Kimo even looked
in the mirror to be sure he was truly alive.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Pacquiao
tops Silva, Machida at ESPYs
Mixed martial arts was trumped by boxing for the third straight
year at the 17th annual ESPY awards taped Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Manny Pacquiao beat out UFC champions Anderson Silva and Lyoto
Machida and boxer Shane Mosely in the Best Fighter category,
one of 37 awards decided by fan balloting presented at the event.
Pacquiao,
understandably, won over online and mobile voters with his impressive
performances over Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton.
Only
three other mixed martial artists have been nominated in the
show's history. Georges St-Pierre in 2008 and Randy Couture and
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson in 2007. Floyd Mayweather
Jr. won both years.
The
2009 ESPY awards premieres Sunday, July 19 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The
Future of Fedor
by Jake Rossen
The moment Fedor Emelianenko steps off the mat at the conclusion
of Aug. 1’s Affliction event in Anaheim, Calif., he will
be free to do as he pleases.
It
could be argued that Emelianenko is always free to do as he pleases.
A
professional mixed martial artist since May 2000, Emelianenko
(and his handlers) has never allowed himself to become a commodity
that exists purely in the service of a promotional brand. A nearly
two-year stint in the more physically restrictive Rings organization
-- asking Emelianenko not to punch someone in the face on the
ground is not unlike asking Roger Federer to not hit the ball
-- positioned him for a Pride stint. But not even that notoriously
manipulative organization could bend him too far: He once briefly
bolted for a rival New Year’s Eve fight special in 2003.
(Imagine Chuck Liddell, at the height of his popularity and holding
a UFC title, fighting for Strikeforce. On the same night as a
UFC broadcast.)
In
control of a man thought to be the toughest in the world, Emelianenko’s
managers can demand appreciable sums and awkward contract addendums
that would make any employer’s day difficult. He must fight
in regularly scheduled combat sambo competitions, an only slightly
diluted form of MMA that holds potential for injury. He must
remain in collusion with M-1 Global, an ambiguous promotional
entity that piggybacks on Emelianenko’s contracts and finances.
He must have cold potato soup in his locker room at all times.
And on and on.
As
someone who rarely looks human in the ring, Emelianenko is one
of the few combat athletes worth the trouble. If Affliction’s
alleged pay-per-view buyrates of 100,000 or more per show are
accurate, it would mean that his presence has fueled one of the
genuine MMA event success stories in the states: Virtually all
of the UFC’s competition since 1994 has arrived in very
flammable condition. (Even Brock Lesnar, deprived of the UFC’s
hype engine, drew virtually no attention in his 2007 MMA debut
on pay television.)
The
in-ring future of Affliction hinges on Fedor vs. Barnett.But
modest success is not a proper reward for massive expenditure,
and Affliction will have a hard time justifying their continued
fight presence. “Better than most” isn’t the same
as “good,” and even 300,000 buys wouldn’t warrant
their salary sheet. Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio has
put a marker on Emelianenko’s Aug. 1 bout with Josh Barnett,
saying that the event needs to perform above and beyond in order
to keep his athletes employed.
That
may or may not happen when you consider that Emelianenko’s
previous two Affliction opponents were coming off of protracted
UFC employment and all of the exposure that it creates. Barnett,
in contrast, has spent years competing overseas and looked somewhat
flat against Gilbert Yvel in January. The “hardcore”
fans -- who would buy the event regardless -- are excited, and
should be: It’s a terrific fight. But whether that enthusiasm
will infect the general public is a suspect premise.
If
Affliction folds -- and it’s impossible to believe they’ll
continue spending the money they do -- there are decisions to
be made by Emelianenko’s management. Does he want to settle
into a promotional home, or does he wish to be a mercenary, taking
fights on a one-off basis while cradling a vapid WAMMA heavyweight
title?
There
is more money to be made in the UFC than anywhere, no question.
Their business structure can support paydays for top-level talent
into the millions, and corporate America is at the lip of accepting
the sport as a viable promotional tool. He’d make more money
in endorsements. He’d make money with merchandise, and video
game revenue, and seminars, and personal appearances. He can
do some of these things now, but the UFC is the key to American
profit. He has the rest of the world covered.
My
best, haphazard guess: Affliction makes a discreet exit from
the arena business. Emelianenko returns to Japan for a New Year’s
Eve bout against a medical tragedy. The UFC tries valiantly to
reach a deal with him, but M-1’s forced participation makes
everyone’s life difficult. Emelianenko takes a fight or
two in Japan, makes a mistake, loses and suddenly it’s not
such a story anymore.
In
the end, Emelianenko is just a fighter. And the reason Dana White
and the UFC’s boardroom is so reluctant to handle his baggage
is because they’re very aware of that. He could lose his
first UFC fight or his fourth, but he will eventually lose.
There’s
a limit to the trouble you’ll go through to get a nice car
that’s almost predestined for a wreck.
Source: Sherdog
|
Aaron
Brink on 'Intervention' for meth addiction
Aaron Brink, who has competed against the likes of Andrei Arlovski,
Rich Franklin, Jeremy Horn and Alistair Overeem, will be featured
on next Monday's episode of "Intervention" on A&E.
The television series profiles addicts who are confronted by
family and friends to stop their compulsive behavior. In Brink's
case, his addiction to crystal meth.
"I
would rather do crystal than train for a fight," said Brink,
who is also a former performer in the adult film industry.
Brink
competed for the UFC in 2000, losing to Arlovski via armbar.
The
episode airs Monday, July 20 at 9 p.m. ET. Watch
the preview here.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
JEFF
MONSON THROWS HIS NAME IN TO FIGHT FEDOR
by Damon Martin
The race is still going as to who will fill in for Josh Barnett
on Aug. 1 to face the top heavyweight fighter in the world, Fedor
Emelianenko, and another name has been thrown in the hat as American
Top Team fighter Jeff Monson has once again issued a challenge
to fight the Russian champion.
Monson,
who has vied for a shot at Fedor on several occasions, commented
on the situation to MMAWeekly.com late on Wednesday evening.
"I'm
the guy to beat Fedor. He's a great fighter. I'd definitely love
to see me fight Fedor. It's a perfect match-up. He's the guy
I'm destined to fight," Monson said. "I want to be
the guy to beat him. I'd definitely love to be carried off afterward,
after I submit him. My goal is to be the best in the world, even
if it's for one fight."
There
have been rumors for years that a Monson/Fedor match-up would
be made, but the bout has never come to fruition.
The
leading candidate to take on the fight with Fedor Emelianenko
right now still appears to be former UFC light heavyweight champion
Vitor Belfort, who was scheduled to fight at 185 pounds on the
Affliction card against Jorge Santiago.
Still
Monson and his team have made contact with Affliction to see
about getting their fighter the shot.
Jessy
Evans, Monson's agent, says that it's a fight that her fighter
has been destined to fight for years, and the calls to Tom Atencio
and Affliction have already been made.
No
official announcement about the replacement has been made by
Affliction as of yet. Stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com for more information
on this story as it becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Clay
Guida interview on Versus web site
By Zach Arnold
On the Versus web site in the MMA section, a video interview
was posted featuring Clay Guida at UFC 100. (Direct link here.)
Clay is as charismatic as ever. He talks about his upcoming fight
schedule and thoughts on UFC 100. Check it out.
Interviewer:
“Hanging out with Clay Guida here at UFC 100. Clay, we’re
kind of half way through the card at this point. Anyone impress
you, yet?”
Clay
Guida: “So far, so good, man. Awesome fights. Jon Jones,
he kind of came out a little bit flat and then he got back to
the Jon Jones that we’ve seen just you never know what he’s
going to do next, that spinning back elbow caught O’Brien
on the top of the head and you know cemented him with a standing
guillotine you don’t see that very often in MMA let alone
the UFC, it was awesome.”
Interviewer:
“One of the fighters came out, I can’t remember which
one, I saw you in the front row taking pictures like you were
a fan. What was up with that?”
Clay
Guida: “I tell you what, I’m a bigger fan than I am
probably a competitor man, I was trying to get Mac Danzig and
you know we fought but he’s an awesome guy, I want to get
him back you know help him out and I was just kind of shouting
giving him you know some reassurance and he just had a tough
break man you know.”
Interviewer:
“Yeah, he just lost to Jim Miller via decision. What does
he need to do in his career now to switch it up because when
he came off of The Ultimate Fighter doing so well, so much hype
about him and now he’s sort of hit this rough spot in his
career.”
Clay
Guida: “Yep, you know what, he’s a great striker and
he’s a pretty good wrestler, it just seems like once he
gets into the exchanges he leaves his legs wide open, he has
a hard time defending the takedown, so. And he works out with
great wrestlers every day at Couture’s, you know, it’s
just one of those things, he’s had some tough matches in
his last four fights.”
Interviewer:
“What does UFC 100 mean for you?”
Clay
Guida: “It’s amazing to be here, man, it’s very
special and I’m honored to be part of it and the fans could
not better, I mean there was thousands and thousands of people
at the Fan Expo and to be part of this is I wish I was fighting
tonight.”
Interviewer:
“Yeah, we last saw you in action earlier in June against
Diego Sanchez, a potential fight of the year candidate. I know
you were disappointed that you didn’t win but what are you
looking at now? Who’s on your radar?”
Clay
Guida: “You know what, UFC contacted us, they haven’t
come up with an opponent but they’re talking maybe November,
maybe 106 I think, back in Vegas, that’s where I do my best
work but whoever wants to scrap it up, let’s do it because
I like fighting man, it’s all I want to do.”
Interviewer:
“The one thing I’ll always remember about that fight,
post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, you were jumping up and
down like you’re ready to go another three rounds man, you
have endless energy. It’s a truly pleasure to watch and
we look forward to seeing you back in action sooner rather than
later.”
Clay
Guida: “Excellent, thank you very much and I can’t
wait to get back in there. Look out, coming back.”
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Rio
Open and Master and Senior
Check
out the timetable and brackets
The Rio Open International and International Master and Senior
competitions are set to begin tomorrow, Thursday July 23, and
the official timetable is in place.
The
brackets for each weight category are also available. click here
to check them out.
Furthermore
the CBJJ released the following statement:
Adult
male blue belt absolute and adulte male purple belt absolute.
Only
those to take up to third place in their weight categories will
qualify to dispute the aforementioned absolutes. As soon as the
athlete takes posession of his medal, he should head to the center
table to sign up for the absolute.
*
Brown/black belt dispute athletes will competet at the same time
as the male black belts, in their respective age and weight categories.
Thursday-
23/Jul
09:00
Male white
Female white
09:50 Blue Male Adult - Rooster to lightweight
11:15 Blue Male Adult - Médio a Pesadíssimo
12:45 Blue Female Adult
Purple Female Adult
13:30 Purple Male Adult - Rooster to lightweight
14:50 Purple Male Adult - Middle to Ultra heavyweight
16:30 Brown adult - Rooster to lightweight
Blue Juvenile - Rooster to lightweight
17:50 Brown Adult - Middle to Ultra heavyweight
Blue Juvenile- Middle to Ultra heavyweight
Blue Adult Male Absolute
19:00 Blue Adult Female Absolute
Friday-
24/Jul
09:00
Blue Master Male and Female - Rooster to heavyweight
10:10 Blue Master Male and Female - Super and Ultra heavyweight
Blue Senior 1 - Male and Female
10:50 Blue Senior 2, 3, 4, and 5 - Male and Female
11:30 Purple Adult Absolute - Male and Female
Purple Master - Male and Female - Rooster to Middleweight
13:00 Purple Master - Male and Female - Medium to Ultra heavyweight
Purple Senior 1 - Male and Female
14:00 Purple Senior 2, 3, 4 and 5 - Male and Female
14:30 Brown Master - Rooster to Medium heavyweight
15:30 Brown Master - Heavy to Ultra heavyweight
Brown Senior 1
16:10 Brown Senior 2, 3, 4 and 5
Blue Juvenil - Absolute
17:00 Blue Master Absolute
Blue Senior 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 - Absolute
18:30 Brown Adult Absolute
Saturday
- 25/Jul
09:00
Purple Master Absolute
Black Master - Rooster to Featherweight
10:00 Black Master - Light to Middleweight
11:00 Purple Senior Abs
11:30 Black Master - Medium to Super heavyweight
Sign-ups: Black Adult Absolute- Until 12:00
13:00 Brown Master Absolute
Black Adult Absolute
Black Master Ultra Heavyweight
Black Senior 1 - Rooster to Light
14:30 Black Senior 1 - Middle to Heavyweight
15:30 Brown Senior Absolute
Black Senior 1 - Super Heavy to Ultraheavyweight
Black Senior 2 - Rooster to Lightweight
17:20 Black Senior 2 - Middle to Ultra heavyweight
17:50 Black Senior 3
18:30 Black Senior 4
Black Senior 5
Sunday
- 26/Jul
09:00
Black Master - Absolute
10:30 Black Adulto - Rooster to Featherweight
12:30 Black Adulto - Light to Medium heavyweight
14:30 Black Adulto - Heavy to Ultra heavyweight
Black Senior 4 - Absolute
Black Senior 5 - Absolute
16:10 Black Senior 1 - Absolute
17:00 Black Senior 2 - Absolute
Black Senior 3 - Absolute
18:00 Black Adult - Finals
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Real
courage is knowing what faces you and knowing how to face it.”
Timothy Dalton
|
Congratulations
to Todd, Relson Gracie's Newest Black Belt!
It's been
a long time coming, but Todd Tanaka, the head instructor and
owner of Team HK, received his black belt from Relson tonight
at the Queen St academy.
Congratulations to Todd and the many others that received promotions
tonight!
|
USA-Boxing
Hawaii, Kawano B.C. , and Palolo B.C.
Presents
a Match Event at Palolo District Park Gym
July 25, 2009 at 6 p.m.
Bouts and Order Subject to Change.
Tentative as of July 21, 2009
Red Corner Weights Blue Corner
Boxing Club 3 Rounds Boxing Club
1).
Jason Lewis 220/15 (0) 215 Mark Antalan 210/16
636 B.C. 08/10/93 2 min. Pearlside B.C.
2). Michael Brown 60/9 (0) 65 Kainalu Wong 68/9 (0)
Evolution B.C. 1 min. Evolution B.C.
3). Chaves Justice Galdones 65/8 (4) 70 Sai Crawford 69/8 (6
kb)
FlipSide B.C. 07/29/00 1 min. 03/31/01 Five-0 B.C.
4). Ronske Ineri 65/10 (2) 65 Ronson Yadao Farin 60/10 (4) Windward
B.C. 1 min. Evolution B.C.
5). Kimberly Choe 75/11 (1) 70 Shanice Brown 65/10 (0)
636 B.C. 11/29/97 1 min. 05/26/98 Evolution B.C.
6). Isaiah Lawelawe 185 (0) 195 Ponesawan Wheeler 205/27 (1)
Unattached 2 min. Kawano B.C.
7). Brennen Fernandez 69/12 (1) 70 Makana Bell 70/
Frank Rios 1 min. Evolution B.C
8). John Jeric Galdones 84/12 (3) 85 Kainoa Simao 85/12 (2)
Flipside B.C. 1 min. Kauai P.A.L.
9). Hiapo McCandless 120/13 (1) 115 Justin Sanio 110/14 (0)
East Oahu Waimanalo B.C. 1 ½ min. 09/03/94 Evolution B.C.
10). Kieran Rosas 119/15 (2) 119 Preston Saragosa 122/14 (2kb)
Frank Rios 2 min. 10/23/94 Five-0 B.C.
11). Carlos Garrido 145/15 (0) 145 Sheldon Crawford 140/15 (0)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 09/08/93 2 min. 11/08/93 Five-0 B.C.
10 MIN.-----------------INTERMISSION---------------10 MIN.
12). Edmar Acob 144/17 (0) 145 Erwin Esperon 140 (0)
Kalakaua B.C. 2 min. Windward B.C.
13). Marco Pagaduan 160/18 (0) 165 Phil Perez 165/23 (0)
Kakaako B.C. 10/25/90 2 min. Unattached
14). Mana Myers 165-170 (0) 170 Tyler Mayekawa 170 (0)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 10/10/89 2 min. 10/16/84 Unattached
15). Thomas Martinez 145/42 (0) 145 Joe Solima 140/42 (1)
Unattached 2 min. Kalakaua B.C.
16). Soloman ?? 21/160 (0) 155 Gregg Ishikawa 30/152 (2)
Unattached 2 min. Kawano B.C.
17). Kaeo Myers 168 (1-1) 170 Sergey Russo 160/22 (9)
Kailua-Kona B.C. 2 min. Kakaako B.C.
18). Phil Ramirez 145 145 Joel Kim 138
Kalakaua B.C. 2 min. Palolo B.C.
Medal Sponsors- Quick Jab Athletics
We
would like to Thank all the Volunteers who make Amateur Boxing
in Hawaii possible.
The Boxers, Officials, Coaches, HPD Volunteer Officers Daryl
Takata, and Ron Richardson, Dr. Myles Suehiro, Med. Students,
Door Volunteers, Concession Workers, Hawaii State Boxing Commission,
Palolo District Park Gym, Interm chairman Blane Yoshida, anyone
else who I missed and "YOU" our Boxing Fans and Supporters.
Thank You Again!!!
Source: Bruce Kawano |
AMIR
SADOLLAH'S OCTAGON EDUCATION CONTINUES
Reminiscent of the days that Rashad Evans graced his own season
of The Ultimate Fighter, Amir Sadollah had all the odds stacked
up against him going into TUF.
Season
7, coached by two of the UFC’s most charismatic fighters
in former champions Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Forrest
Griffin, was where the new 32-man tournament blueprint was put
into affect.
Sadollah,
having had no professional fights going into the season as a
middleweight was thought to be the season's underdog, but quickly
gained the respect of his peers with his more than stellar performance
throughout the competition, having earned his way into the house
by submitting UFC veteran Steven Byrnes in what only marked the beginning of something
special.
His
story, a plot stolen out of a Disney-esque, Rudy-like movie,
the underdog eventually prevailed, knocking out and submitting
his way into the finals. There, he would submit C.B Dollaway
(whom he had met with previously on the show's semifinals) once
again via armbar.
Poised
with a sense of humor and charm that holds a striking resemblance
to fellow Xtreme Couture fighter and good friend Forrest Griffin,
there was a lot of great things to look forward to when the Brooklyn,
N.Y., native was set to make his official UFC debut… that
was eight months ago.
Perpetual
injuries left the 28-year-old out of action for just over a year
since his initial inception into the UFC, but now he finally
appears to have found his stride. He will face off against fellow
undefeated fighter Johny Hendricks at UFC 101 this August, a
tough WEC import that will mark Sadollah's first move to the
welterweight division, putting his infamous “Taco Bell and
McDonald's and Burger King” sandwich on the backburner,
for now.
“Not
until you just said that now,” he joked with the MMAWeekly
radio crew, when proposed if he felt “cursed” to have
been injured each time he was alleged to have made his post-TUF
debut.
“I
definitely, after each time, I had to stop and wonder and kind
of analyze what happened and if I’ve done anything differently
and I think I’ve done pretty well with learning the lessons
that are available to be learned and kind of making the best
of the situation”.
A
fellow, yet casual Xtreme Couture affiliate, Hendricks has yet
to brush up against the likes of Sadollah inside the facilities.
However, the now Las Vegas resident will look to try and take
out another strong opponent in Hendricks who will mark his fourth
collegiate wrestler in his past five fights, including those
on The Ultimate Fighter.
“How
many times can this guy possibly push his luck with these wrestlers?"
joked Sadollah.
Though
frustrating, Sadollah chooses to look at this trend as a chance
to work on what he perceives to be the weakness in his game and
only hopes that opponents like a Johny Hendricks can propel him
to that next level, to remain in the UFC for years to come and
hopefully on a consistent basis.
“I
don’t know. That’s just kind of the way that it worked.
In a way, its funny how when I went on the show that was one
of things that me and some of the guys back home were talking
about that, that was probably a bad fight for me (a wrestler)
or my weakest point that I need to have to work on to get better,
to fight a really good wrestler and I’ve had a few of those
so this is like continuing education.”
The
education continues against Johny Hendricks on Aug. 8 at UFC
101 in Philadelphia.
Source: MMA Weekly |
ZAROMSKIS
DREAM CHAMP; AOKI DEFEATS SHAOLIN
In front of an estimated 20,000 fans at the Saitama Super Arena,
Marius Zaromskis became the DREAM welterweight champion by winning
the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix in impressive fashion, knocking
out both of his opponents.
In
the final of the DREAM Welterweight Grand Prix, Zaromskis survived
some early trouble to violently knock out American wrestler Jason
High. He came out flying with a knee to start the fight, but
soon found himself on his back. After some grappling, Zaromskis
reversed out and ended up on top of High. The two made it back
to their feet and Zaromskis pounced, landing a vicious high kick
that dropped High to the canvas. He landed a couple of more punches
for good measure as the referee jumped in to stop the fight.
Japanese
lightweight Shinya Aoki got back in the win column, defeating
former Shooto champion Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro. In
a shocking turn of events, Aoki kept the fight on the feet. He
landed dozens and dozens of kicks to Shaolin’s arms and
body, marking up his forearms. Shaolin landed several stiff jabs,
but was frustrated by Aoki, as he tried on several occasions
to take the fight to the ground without success. It wasn’t
until halfway until the second round that Shaolin got the fight
to the ground; from there, he landed sporadic ground and pound
until the end of the fight. When it was all said and done, Aoki’s
dominance on the feet swayed the judges to give him the unanimous
decision.
Ultimate
Fighter participant Jesse Taylor was victorious in his Japanese
debut against Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon, but the fight ended
on a disappointing note. Taylor immediately took the fight to
the ground, slamming Yoon to the mat. After some grappling, however,
Yoon indicated to both Taylor and the referee that he couldn’t
continue. During the slam, Yoon seemed to have broken his ankle
and was unable to continue after the injury, giving Taylor the
stoppage victory.
After
a shaky start, former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho submitted
a game Melvin Manhoef. Manhoef came out aggressive like always,
tagging Filho with punches, and hurting the Brazilian, who was
unable to get the fight to the ground. He poured on the punches
and dropped Filho, but was unable to finish him off. Filho managed
to get back to his feet. Then, out of nowhere, took the fight
the ground, mounted Manhoef, and locked on an armbar that forced
the tap.
DEEP
lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno dispatched Brazilian wunderkind
Andre “Dida” Amade. The two started slugging it out
and Dida dropped Kikuno with a punch. Kikuno was able to recover
and effectively slow the fight down to his liking. As the fight
slowed, Kikuno landed a vicious body kick that hurt Dida. The
fighters went to ground, Kikuno immediately mounted Dida and
then took his back, where he viciously grounded and pounded him
until the referee saved Dida from any further punishment.
Jason
High won a disputed split decision over decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
fighter Andre Galvao in the second semi-final of the Welterweight
Grand Prix. High started off strong, landing some decent punches
that hurt Galvao. As the round wore on, Galvao was finally able
to get the fight to the ground, where he took over, switching
from position to position, getting High’s back, and going
for the choke several times. To High’s credit, he survived
Galvao’s relentless ground attack and made it out of the
round.
High
again came out strong and dropped Galvao right off the bat in
the second, putting the pressure on. Galvao desperately wanted
the fight on the ground. He recovered, but was still being tagged
on the feet by High, as they finished the fight slugging it out.
At the end of the day, the judges were impressed with High’s
strong second round, awarding him the split decision and a spot
in the final.
In
a back and forth slugfest, Lithuanian Marius Zaromskis upset
tournament favorite Hayato “Mach” Sakurai. These two
wasted no time as Zaromskis came out flying with punches, knees,
and kicks. Sakurai responded with solid low kicks and good one-two
combinations that found their mark. Zaromskis winged wild punches
that also found a home, as he bloodied Sakurai, opening two cuts
around his left eye. He was starting to get the better of Sakurai
when the fight was halted to check Sakurai’s cuts. Once
restarted, Zaromskis continued his onslaught and landed a flush
left high kick that dropped Sakurai, finishing him off with punches
to advance to the final.
In
the opening fight of the night, undefeated Team Quest welterweight
Tarec Saffiedine won a unanimous decision over DEEP welterweight
champion Seichi Ikemoto in the welterweight reserve match. All
throughout the fight, Saffiedine was able to land crisp combinations
on the feet to Ikemoto’s single punches. Towards the end
of the fight, he took it to the ground and mounted Ikemoto, who
reversed out and finished the fight trying to pound on Saffiedine,
but it was to no avail, as he lost the judge’s decision.
Dream
10 Results
-Marius Zaromskis def. Jason High by KO, R1
-Shinya Aoki def. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro by Unanimous
Decision, R2
-Jesse Taylor def. Dong Sik Yoon by TKO (Injury), R1
-Paulo Filho def. Melvin Manhoef by Submission (Armbar), R1
-Katsunori Kikuno def. Andre “Dida" Amade by TKO, R1
-Jason High def. Andre Galvao by Split Decision, R2
-Marius Zaromskis def. Hayato “Mach” Sakurai by TKO,
R1
-Tarec Saffiedine def. Seichi Ikemoto by Unanimous Decision,
R2
Source: MMA Weekly |
SOSZYNSKI
REPLACES HAMILL AT UFC 102
"Ultimate Fighter" season three alum Matt Hamill has
sustained a knee injury in training and will be unable to face
Brandon Vera at UFC 102 on Aug. 29 in Portland, Ore.
Krzysztof
Soszynski (18-8-1) will step in for Hamill in his second stint
as an injury stand-in. The news was reported by Sherdog.com.
Soszynski
gave himself a career boost in May when he replaced Houston Alexander
to knock out Andre Gusmao at UFC 98, bringing his Octagon record
to 2-0. It was the sixth straight win for the season eight Ultimate
Fighter alum.
Vera
(10-3) is on the comeback trail after dispatching Mike Patt in
his last appearance at UFC 96. The San Diego resident is now
2-1 in the Octagon as a light heavyweight.
Source: MMA Weekly |
HENDO
VS. FRANKLIN 2 HEADS UFC 103 IN DALLAS
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Monday named the headline
bout for the promotion's Sept. 19 date at the American Airlines
Center. A rematch between former Pride champion Dan Henderson
and former UFC champion Rich Franklin will take top honors at
UFC 103 in Dallas.
The
two first met at UFC 93 in a light heavyweight headline bout
in Dublin, Ireland. They fought bell-to-bell with Henderson earning
the nod via split decision.
Though
it wasn't in the promotion's announcement, sources close to the
bout confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that the rematch will also be
contested in the light heavyweight (205-pound limit) division.
Each
has fought just once since. Henderson is riding high after a
second round knockout of fellow Ultimate Fighter season 9 coach
Michael Bisping at UFC 100, while Franklin took a unanimous decision
victory over Wanderlei Silva in a 195-pound catchweight bout
at UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany.
This
is a rather interesting match-up. Henderson has been trying to
position himself for a rematch against current UFC middleweight
kingpin Anderson Silva. Meanwhile, Franklin has been gearing
up for a run up the light heavyweight ladder which Silva's teammate,
Lyoto Machida, currently stands atop of.
Also
confirmed for UFC 103 is a heavyweight bout between Mirko "Cro
Cop" Filipovic – who is now a signed, sealed, and delivered
UFC fighter – and rising Brazilian star Junior Dos Santos.
Source: MMA Weekly |
AOKI
VS. HANSEN 3 SET FOR DREAM 11
Joachim Hansen will defend his DREAM lightweight title for the
first time when he faces Shinya Aoki, for a third time, this
fall at Dream 11, according to a report on Sherdog.com.
Hansen
(19-7-1) last July won revenge for a loss to the top-ranked Japanese
fighter in December 2006, but has remained inactive since being
hospitalized for a concussion on the eve of his first title defense
against Gesias "J.Z." Cavalcante last December. Hansen
has since recovered and is currently training in Norway.
Aoki
(21-4) broke the news of the rubber match early Monday morning
as he celebrated a win over Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
at DREAM 10. The submissions specialists surprised, and dismayed,
fans by delivering a mostly stand-up battle during their 15 minutes
together. Aoki, who in April had been knocked out of the promotion's
welterweight Grand Prix by Hayato Sakurai's powerful knees, was
there to make a point.
“Muay
Thai is interesting, right?” said Aoki post-fight. “Yeah,
I expected boos. In October, I’ll have a title fight, and
on New Year’s Eve I will have my revenge.”
The
Oct. 6 fight also hosts the finals of the promotion's featherweight
Grand Prix, featuring Joe Warren vs. Bibiano Fernandes and Hiroyuki
Takaya vs. Hideo Tokoro.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Paulo
Filho comments victory over Manhoef
Eight
months after losing the first fight in the MMA career, Paulo
Filho returned to the Japanese rings at Dream against the tough
Melvin Manhoef. After suffering in the striking, the Brazilan
took the fight to his area and submitted the opponent. Back to
the hotel, Filho spoke with TATAME.com about the victory. Check
below the exclusive interview with the fighter.
How
was the fight against Manhoef?
The
fight was more or less like I predicted, I knew he’d start
with everything standing, but I managed to defend myself and
I knew he’d get tired and I’d put my ground game on
him. Thanks God everything was alright, he didn’t hit any
strong punch that could make me knock me off, so I passed the
guard, mounted and submitted with the arm-lock, my specialty.
You
feared that the referee could end the fight when he was hitting
you?
I
wasn’t worried, because I know that (the referees) in Japan
look a lot, but I was ok, looking to his hands all the time.
There was a way to pull him into my guard to make him get tired,
because he was hitting some shots standing and I felt he could
hit one and make me go down. But everything was under control.
Your
coach told me that you had some weight problems days before the
fight…
I
came here thinking that this fight would be at 205lbs, so I came
with my regular weight, around 204. When got here, three days
before the fight, my manager told me that we’d probably
fight at 185 division. It was very hard, but my head was good
and thanks god I made weight comfortably.
What’s
your objective now?
Like
any athlete, mu objective is to achieve the belt. Let’s
see if they’ll give the opportunity to fight for the belt.
Source: Tatame |
André
Galvão: “I think I won this fight”
With
three submission victories in the MMA rings, André Galvão
went to Dream welterweight GP’s semifinal against Jason
High looking to finish it as soon as possible to pass to the
tournament final but, besides dominating the fight, he was defeated
by the judges’ decision. “I made some mistakes and
lost some positions that I’m don’t lose often, I wanted
to submit, but I couldn’t, but I wasn’t happy with
the result… I think I won this fight, but the result isn’t
that, so I’ll see my mistakes, adjust everything and move
on”, said Galvão, in the exclusive interview that
you check tomorrow at TATAME.com, where he commented Paulo Filho’s
victory over Melvin Manhoef, his possible fight at Strikeforce
and more.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
“You
can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your
heart.”
John Ford
|
DAY
BY DAY, VITOR BELFORT ZEROES IN ON TRILOGY
A month ago, rumors circulated that Dana White was looking to
sign Vitor Belfort as the next challenger to middleweight king
Anderson Silva’s crown, keeping with a credo that friendship
wouldn’t impede compelling match-ups (and breaking one to
stay away from athletes signed to other organizations).
But
when MMAWeekly.com caught up last week with Belfort at Xtreme
Couture as he prepped for his battle with American Top Team standout
Jorge Santiago at Affliction “Trilogy,” the two-time
UFC champion hinted his time with the California-based promotion
was not soon to end.
“I’m
happy with Affliction,” he said. “So far, they’ve
put in a new contract with my manager; that’s what I heard.
I’m a very happy guy with what I have.”
Belfort
shocked fans in his last performance at “Day of Reckoning,”
flattening Matt Lindland with a left hand in 37 seconds. It was
his second straight knockout victory, bolstering claims that
the Brazilian had resolved his crisis of confidence.
He’ll
need to be sharp against Santiago, who’s been on a tear
since exiting the UFC on a blistering knockout loss to Alan Belcher
in December 2006. Since then, Santiago has won nine straight
bouts, most recently in January when he added to a spotless run
in Sengoku by submitting Top 10 middleweight Kazuo Misaki. The
win edged his ranking up to number four on MMAWeekly’s list,
and crowned him Sengoku middleweight champion.
You
won’t hear Belfort taking anything away from his countryman,
even though he’s eaten southpaws for breakfast recently.
“He’s
one of the champions, one of the best,” said Belfort. “I’ve
studied him, and I see very good skills, a very well-rounded
fighter from a good camp.”
Until
his deal with Affliction, Belfort had bounced around with different
groups, including a stint with Anderson Silva, the Nogueira brothers,
and current light heavyweight champ Lyoto Machida at Black House
in Brazil. He’s still friendly with the powerhouse fighters,
but says his work prior to Couture’s was unfocused. The
move to Las Vegas brought him stability.
“It’s
good training and good coaching,” he said. “Everything’s
settled; everybody’s here to work hard. The timing’s
perfect. You come here and training starts at four. Everybody’s
professional.”
It’s
his third camp at the gym, and he looked both fluid and sharp
in a session with Shawn Tompkins and Ray Sefo. He credits the
two with elevating his game to another level.
“(Ray)
can see every opening, so he knows what works and what doesn’t
work,” said Belfort. "He’s like a guru of fighting.
He knows everything as far as hands and legs. He helps me a lot
with Shawn Tompkins.”
Though
Affliction’s middleweight roster appears to hold little
for his future – save for a working relationship with Strikeforce
– Belfort is unconcerned about what comes after Santiago.
“Every
time I fight, I train to face the best, so I’m trying to
add things to my game and work on my weakness, and make my weakness
a strong part of me, so that way, when I go to the fight, my
weakness can be my strength.
“I
have goals, I have things to reach, but we’ll go step by
step. That’s how I see life: day by day.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GEORGES
ST. PIERRE INJURY WON'T REQUIRE SURGERY
A groin injury Georges St. Pierre sustained in his battle with
Thiago Alves will not sideline him for as long as expected, manager
Sherri Spencer announced in a press release Saturday.
The
28-year-old UFC welterweight champion was in the third round
of his third title defense at UFC 100 when the injury occurred.
"I
don't remember exactly, but when I was on the bottom, in my guard,
and Thiago pushed my knee down and I heard my groin, my abductor
snap," said Pierre at the post-fight press conference. "I
heard a noise and it was pretty bad."
St.
Pierre reported the trouble between rounds to trainer Greg Jackson,
who had choice words for the champ in maintaining composure.
"(Jackson)
says to me, 'I don't care! Hit him with it!'" continued
St. Pierre. "So I was like I guess I have to go back there
and finish the fight. That's the gameplan."
St.
Pierre left the press conference shortly afterwards to be examined
by doctors, still in great pain.
A
recent MRI indicated that no surgery would be required to repair
the damaged muscle, said Spencer. After "a brief rehabilitation,"
the MMA star should be back in the gym.
Talk
of a superfight between St. Pierre and middleweight champion
Anderson Silva intensified after last Saturday's fight, but St.
Pierre declined to make any promises on its possibility.
"It’s
a question of timing,” he told Joe Rogan in the Octagon.
“I walk around at 185 pounds. I am not that big for a welterweight
either, so if I move up, like I said, I don’t fight to be
champion anymore because I am a champion. If I do it, it’s
for a challenge, but I am going to have to take the time to gain
weight and really take care of business.”
UFC
president Dana White has also announced that the winner of Martin
Kampmann vs. Mike Swick at UFC 103 will be the next challenger
to St. Pierre's crown.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LIDDELL
REMAINS SILENT; WHITE SAYS HE'S RETIRED
Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White said leading
up to Chuck Liddell's UFC 97 bout with Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua that if the former light heavyweight titleholder didn't look
impressive, he would urge his longtime friend to retire. White's
position hasn't changed.
Rua
defeated Liddell by technical knockout late in the first round.
It was Liddell's forth loss in his last five fights with three
being by way of knockout.
During
UFC 100 event weekend, White maintained, "Chuck Liddell
is retired."
Liddell
has yet to make an official statement addressing whether he plans
to retire or continue fighting.
"Chuck's
in a very weird political situation right now with a lot of different
people. Chuck is such a good guy and such a loyal friend and
an amazing person that he doesn't say no to anybody," White
explained. "I don't know all the ins and outs of it, but
I'm sure enough people around him still need to make some money."
Liddell
was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on July 10, and White
said, looking back on his career, "We were putting together
this montage for his Hall of Fame thing. We were sitting there
watching all these things. And you guys know, how much fun were
the Chuck Liddell fights when he came out?
"It
was almost like the Tyson thing. It's like oh man, this is Mike
Tyson, he's gonna knock somebody out," reminisced the UFC
president. "It was fun. He had his time. I don't want to
see him get hurt."
Liddell's
a fighter's fighter. It's always a game of Russian Roulette when
he enters the Octagon. No matter what, the fight is most likely
going to end in a knockout. He entered the sport when there were
no big paydays, no mainstream sponsorship deals and no reality
shows. Liddell has always been in it for the fight. The "Iceman"
is financially secure. He's reached the pinnacle of the sport.
There's nothing left to prove or accomplish, except maybe to
himself.
"Chuck's
all set. He doesn't need to make any more money. Chuck's made
a lot of money. He's become very famous and he's got lots of
stuff going on. He'll always be, as long as I'm alive, he'll
do just fine," stated White. "He'll always be my guy.
He's helped us build this business. He's been a true friend,
a true partner, and an amazing champion."
White's
opinion is based on friendship and not business, but that's what
makes his opinion on the subject intriguing. The mastermind behind
the UFC stands to lose revenue by having Liddell call it quits,
but his stance is based in concern.
"When
a guy starts getting knocked out four or five times in a row...
for what? He doesn't need the money. He's already been a world
champion. He's already incredibly famous. People love him. What's
there left to fight for?" questioned White. "I just
don't understand it. I don't get it."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
FIGHT-BY-FIGHT:
DREAM 10 PREVIEW
Dream Welterweight GP Bout:
Hayato ‘Mach’ Sakurai vs. Marius Zaromskis
Shooto
legend Hayato ‘Mach’ Sakurai faces off with British
based Lithuanian fighter Marius Zaromskis in the first semi-final
bout of the Dream Welterweight Grand Prix. Sakurai knocked out
Shinya Aoki to advance, while Zaromskis won an exciting decision
over Seichi Ikemoto. Both fighters like to slug it out on the
feet, so don’t be surprised to see these two go toe-to-toe
for the duration of the fight.
Sakurai
has all the advantages in the fight, whether it is on the ground
or on the feet. He also has a distinct advantage in experience
and quality of opponents. The one thing that Zaromskis has working
for him is that he doesn’t have anything to lose in the
fight. He’ll take more risks and that poses a threat for
Sakurai, who has been known to take opponents lightly in the
past.
This
could turn out to be quite an entertaining fight as both fighters
will be willing to slug it out. Sakurai will need to play it
safe and not take too many risks, keep the distance on the feet
or take the fight to the ground where he will have an advantage
over Zaromskis. For Zaromskis, he’ll need to get into Sakurai’s
face and put pressure on him, forcing him to make a mistake that
Zaromskis can capitalize on. Either way, the winner of this fight
will be the more winded of the finalists.
Dream
Welterweight GP Bout:
Andre Galvao vs. Jason High
Highly
decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Andre Galvao faces off
with wrestling standout Jason High in the second semi-final bout.
Galvao submitted John Alessio to advance to the semi-finals,
while High did the same to Yuya Shirai. Both are primarily ground
fighters, so don’t expect the fight too last too long on
feet.
Galvao
is probably one of the more decorated ground fighters in the
world and one of the most touted prospects in all of mixed martial
arts today. High showed that he has some serious power in his
hands in his last fight, but he will be severely overmatched
in skill in this fight. When the fight hits the ground, Galvao
will go straight for the kill and not let up until he gets there.
High
needs to keep the fight on the feet and use his wrestling to
keep it there; by going on the ground with Galvao he will be
giving away the fight. He’ll need to exploit Galvao’s
lack of a striking game to full effect and hope that he can land
one big shot. It’s simple for Galvao, take the fight to
the ground and work for a submission until he can finally lock
one on. Expect the winner of this fight to be the fresher fighter
in the finals of the two finalists.
Dream
Welterweight GP Reserve Bout:
Seichi Ikemoto vs. Tarec Saffiedine
DEEP
welterweight champion Seichi Ikemoto faces off with Team Quest
welterweight Tarec Saffiedine in the reserve bout. Ikemoto lost
an exciting decision to semi-finalist Marius Zaromskis, while
Saffiedine enters the fight with a perfect undefeated record.
Both fighters are exactly opposite of one another, so expect
this to be a one-sided fight for the winner.
Ikemoto
is an exciting striker and that is how he has gotten back to
relevance in the past couple of years after going on a short
losing streak. Saffiedine is an exciting ground fighter and will
look to put that on display to the masses in his first televised
bout. Expect Saffiedine to waste no time and get the fight to
the ground, where he will look to lock on a submission. On the
other hand, Ikemoto will look to control the fight on the feet
and hope to put away Saffiedine.
Lightweight
Bout:
Shinya Aoki vs. Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro
Japanese
submission specialist Shinya Aoki faces off with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
black belt Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro. Both fighters are
considered to be some of the best lightweights in the world.
Being that both are decorated grapplers, expect a highly entertaining
ground battle to ensue.
Aoki
works best from his back and that is what he’ll try to do
with Shaolin, but the only problem with that is Shaolin isn’t
a slouch on the ground like most of Aoki’s opponents. The
Brazilian can effectively nullify much of Aoki’s attacks
from the back because he’ll know how to counter most of
it. Instead, Aoki will need to cling on to Shaolin and hope to
ride out a decision. All Shaolin needs to do is stay on top of
Aoki, work from a good position, and land decent strikes from
the top to a decision.
Middleweight
Bout:
Paulo Filho vs. Melvin Manhoef
Former
WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho faces off with devastating
Dutch striker Melvin Manhoef. Filho didn’t look too good
while fighting in the WEC, but a return to Japan could be just
what the Brazilian needs to return to form. Manhoef has been
on a tear and a win over Filho will solidify him as one of the
better middleweights in the world.
Filho
will want to get the fight to the ground right off the bat and
keep it there until he can lock on a submission on the submission
prone Manhoef. For Manhoef, he’ll need to charge in and
try to take off Filho’s head with his devastating power.
If he lets the fight go to the ground then he will lose. The
fight won’t go past the first round, its either going to
end in a knockout or a submission.
Lightweight
Bout:
Katsunori Kikuno vs. Andre Dida
DEEP
lightweight champion Katsunori Kikuno faces off with Brazilian
lightweight wrecking machine Andre Dida. This should be an entertaining
fight, as both will be looking for the knockout. Both are exciting
prospects, so a win for either will be a huge step in the right
direction.
Kikuno
has been running through the competition in DEEP, while Dida
has been recently concentrating on his K-1 Max career with mixed
results. Neither will be backing down on the feet, which will
make this fight all that more entertaining as they trade blows.
Dida is the more technical striker of the two, but Kikuno has
the most power. If Kikuno were smart, he would take the fight
to the ground and work from there to a decision. Dida on the
other hand will be looking to for the knockout on the feet.
Middleweight
Bout:
Dong Sik Yoon vs. Jesse Taylor
Decorated
Korean judoka Dong Sik Yoon faces off with Ultimate Fighter 7
participant Jesse Taylor. This is an interesting fight, as Yoon
will face off with a young strong wrestler, while Taylor will
face off with a more skilled ground fighter than himself. Both
will be looking to finish the fight on the ground; Yoon with
a submission and Taylor via ground and pound.
The
one thing that both fighters want will be to be on top on the
ground. Neither fighter has a strong grappling game off his back
and each works best when on top. Taylor will be looking to control
the fight with ground and pound from the top, as he won’t
be able to submit the talented Yoon. Yoon will be working for
a submission from the top and won’t stop until he is able
to lock it on. Either way, expect both fighters to go for broke,
as they look to impress the Dream brass.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
UFC
DOMINATION & ZUFFA'S AGE OF IMPERIALISM
UFC president Dana White has never been shy about revealing a
broad overview of his business plans for the Ultimate Fighting
Championship. It can be summed up in two simple words: world
domination.
"We're
going to be everywhere man," White recently said matter-of-factly
to MMAWeekly.com. "We're going to be all over the world.
We're going to be everywhere. The sport isn't going backwards.
We're going forward. We're getting bigger."
Zuffa
also owns World Extreme Cagefighting, an organization that showcases
mixed martial arts' lighter weight classes and airs on the Versus
network.
Any
general knows you cannot embark on an international campaign
without support on the home front. In March of 2006, Marc Ratner
resigned from the Nevada State Athletic Commission where he was
executive director to take a position within Zuffa and has been
instrumental in the Las Vegas-based company's expansion in the
U.S. He spearheads the effort to get mixed martial arts sanctioned
in states where it's not.
In
2008, the UFC took the trademarked Octagon to eight different
U.S. cities: Las Vegas, Columbus, Denver, Minneapolis, Atlanta,
Omaha, Chicago, and Fayetteville. This year, they've put on events
in Las Vegas, Columbus, Nashville, Tampa and have shows scheduled
in Philadelphia, Portland, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Los Angeles.
And
that's not to mention Montreal, Cologne, and Manchester in the
foreign markets.
Zuffa
has pushed hard to bring their product to New York, but thus
far America's largest city has eluded them. Progress is being
made and White is confident that opening New York will come to
fruition.
"We're
going to be in New York. It's going to happen," he stated
prior to UFC 100 in Las Vegas.
On
the international front, Zuffa has signed multiple television
deals in various countries throughout the world over the last
two years including Goboset in Brazil, TELESPORT, one of the
largest sports networks in Romania, and returned to Japanese
television with WOWOW.
Just
prior to UFC 100 that took place on July 11, Zuffa secured a
television deal with the Mexican network Grupo Televisa broadening
their reach to 100 million potential viewers in Mexico and aired
UFC 100 for free.
“I’ve
said for years that we would love to bring the UFC to Mexico.
Some of the greatest fighters in history are from Mexico, and
the fans there are among the most passionate and loyal in all
of sports,” said White when the deal was inked.
"We've
always known it would be a huge market for us," he commented
on July 10. "We'll continue to show UFC programming there
just like we did here in the United States and then we're bringing
the live events down to Mexico. And it's about time. I'm really
excited about it."
With
the European invasion in full swing, Zuffa turns its attention
to Asia.
"There's
over 240 million people in China," pointed out White. "China
is big for us too."
Often
lost in the background, but of no small import to the promotion's
plans to spread its brand of mixed martial arts across the world,
was last year's addition of co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta as Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer. He left his post at his family's
Station Casinos to take up residence full-time at Zuffa.
"I've
been one guy trying to get this thing going for eight years,"
commented White. "Lorenzo came on board a year ago and Lorenzo's
job and his initiative was the global. We're in 75 countries
for UFC 100. That's what he's done.
"People
don't realize what a big deal it is that he left Stations and
came to the UFC."
To
clarify, that is UFC 100 aired LIVE in 75 countries around the
world. Just how big of an increase is that from when Fertitta
climbed on board full time?
"Like
75!" laughs White. "We weren't doing anything live
in these other countries (before Fertitta). We were in 175 different
countries in some form of television, but we weren't beaming
anything live.
"Life
didn't become easier, but what I said was, you don't realize
what's gonna happen when he comes on board because now there's
two of us," explained White.
"This
is just one year. Where are we gonna be in three years? I kept
saying wait till you see what we do in the next 10 years. We'll
be the biggest sport in the world. The reason I said 10 years
is because I know the next 10 years is gonna be a lot easier
than the last 10 years were. It might be three years. It might
be a year and a half. I don't know now. It's going so fast, I
don't know now."
The
age of Zuffa imperialism is upon us, and while determined to
take over Earth, the UFC president has stopped short of proclaiming
they'll land on the moon by the end of the decade.
Today,
UFC programming can be seen in over 100 countries and territories
worldwide in 17 different languages. To White, it's simple. "It's
about reaching as many people as you possibly can with a product
you know they're going to love."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DOBERMAN
COLLARED, WHAT'S NEXT FOR LAWLOR?
Making the move from light heavyweight down to middleweight for
his latest challenge immediately cast Tom Lawlor as the underdog
at UFC 100. Also known as "The Doberman," C.B. Dollaway
was supposed to have been the big dog in the fight.
But
55 seconds into the bout, it was Dollaway that went to sleep
on the mat.
"My
cornerman (before the fight) had said, don't go for the guillotine.
But in the nights leading up to the fight, I pictured myself
guillotining him... (but) I didn't think it was going to happen
that quickly," said Lawlor recently on MMAWeekly Radio.
Believe
it or not, there was time during those 55 seconds for a little
criticism of Lawlor's submission, but he explained the technique,
" I watched the fight afterwards and Joe Rogan saying that
it wasn't in the right position at first, but this choke, it
wasn't a blood choke. It wasn't cutting off the blood to his
brain; it was against his windpipe. When he went to defend, I
was able to go ahead and sit up and get a better angle on it.
I just cranked as hard as I could. I put a dog collar on The
Doberman."
The
win over Dollaway was easily the biggest of his career thus far,
but Lawlor holds no misgivings that one impressive win at middleweight
boosts him up to the status of a contender to the crown in the
185-pound division.
"I'm
not gonna go out there and say I need to be on the main card.
The UFC's got a lot of guys under contract right now and I'm
not one of the top guys at the weight," he said humbly.
"I'm not gonna be battling guys like Nate Marquardt or Damien
Maia or Anderson Silva in my next fight. I'm content with working
my way up the card. I'm just really happy to be in the UFC."
It's
difficult not to be happy with such a successful debut at 185
pounds, and getting handed a bonus check for $100,000 for the
Submission of the Night at the most prestigious event in UFC
history did little to dampen his spirits.
"Honestly,
it was probably the best weekend of my life," said Lawlor.
"Going from making what I was gonna make for... I was guaranteed
$8,000 and then it doubled (for winning) and a little bit of
sponsorship money. And for it to happen at UFC 100, a lot of
people were saying I shouldn't even be on the show, to go out
there and make an impact like I did and be able to give a little
bit of a show to the fans, it was just unbelievable."
He
hasn't even had time yet to contemplate what comes next. But
that $100,000 bonus gives Lawlor something he hasn't had since
he began his fighting career, the luxury of time.
"It's
hard to say (what's next)," he said, humorously adding,
"I've been pretty poor the past few years, so after getting
this bonus, I'll have to fight again in like eight or nine years.
That'll probably be how long it takes me to run out of money
if I keep living at the standard of living I've been at.
"Look
for me in about 2018. UFC 200 I'll be fighting the serpent from
Revelations, as the world is coming to an end in about nine years."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
GOES
WANTS TO FIGHT COLEMAN, HENDO, GRACIES
With his unanimous decision victory over Stephan Bonner at this
past weekend’s UFC 100 event, former UFC and Pride champion
Mark Coleman proved that he is still a viable commodity.
So
it’s no surprise that shortly after his win, fellow UFC
and Pride veteran Allan Goes, a ghost from Coleman’s past,
is seeking to once again step onto the field of battle with him
and settle what Goes calls “unfinished business” between
the two.
“Right
now, that’s the only fight I have in my heart,” stated
Goes. “It’s the only fight that I cannot sleep at night
thinking about.
“I’m
very humble in my heart, but I’m ready and focused to totally
destroy him if I have to.”
Originally
Goes and Coleman met at Pride 13 in 2001 in a fight that Goes
admittedly was not his best in. It’s because of this that
Goes considers the fight one of personal redemption and is willing
to forgo monetary compensation for it if needed.
“Now
it’s all about honor for me, so I’d fight him for free,”
admitted Goes. “I would plead to Dana (White), to Joe Silva
to put together this match, because I’ll put on a fight
they won’t regret.
“I’d
fight all the way to death – it’s live or die for me.”
If
Coleman doesn’t want to face Goes again, there’s another
fighter from UFC 100 that the Brazilian also would like to get
a rematch with.
“I
fought at UFC 18 and it was such a long time ago against Dan
Henderson,” he recalled. “I just saw Dan fight and
watched him kick (Michael Bisping’s) ass. (Bisping) shot
off his mouth, and Dan showed that the old school is still ruling
and is still in control.
“I
know I could make the weight. I know I won that (original) fight,
in my heart, and would love to fight Dan again. I have unfinished
business with two wrestlers in the UFC, and I want to finish
it.”
From
there, Goes would like to continue his ongoing assault against
a famous family, having defeated Daniel Gracie a few short years
ago.
“I
would love to fight Roger Gracie after this,” he said. “I
wanted to fight Roger in the IFL, but they went out of business,
but I was ready to go.
“If
they want to fight in Jungle Fight in Brazil, or the UFC, it
doesn't matter, I’ll fight any of them anywhere.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Fabrício
Werdum
Set
to fight Alistair Overeem for Strikeforce’s heavyweight
title, Fabrício Werdum is already training in the United
States. Returning from a travel to Spain, the Chute Boxe athlete
spoke with TATAME.com about his preparation and the emotion of
disputing his first belt of a big event, the trainings with Wanderlei
Silva, the opportunity to take, along with Cris Cyborg, two belts
to Chute Boxe in the same night, and revealed his new addiction:
play UFC Undisputed 2009.
How
are the things at United States?
I
just came back from Spain, where I was giving a month of classes
there and in Croatia. I’m opening a new gym here at Marina
Del Rey, California. I have this team for a long time. Since
I started to train Jiu-Jitsu I already planted the little seed
in Madrid, and now I have in Croatia, France, Canary Islands,
Zaragoza, and now I did this tour. My academy in Marina Del Rey
will open on July 18th. This new team will be cool, with the
Americans, because Lucas Pires and me already have a good group
here. Since I started, we already know each other and he helps
me. Because of the fact that I can’t spend the whole day
giving lesson we did this company, because I can be more dedicated
to the fight.
How
are you doing to have the time between gym inaugurations and
the trainings for the title fight?
It's
always like this, when I have nothing set I’ll give seminars
in Europe, but the priority is always the fight. Confirmed the
fight against Overeem, I will have to change everything. Of course
I’ll be close, but I’ll always be dedicated to the
fight. Lucas knows the importance of this fight and will be focused
in the gym and I’ll to train the fight.
How
is the expectation for the fight?
I
was very happy! My manager, Richard, called me the other day
and confirmed... Indeed, it will be the first time I dispute
a belt. In 2003 I disputed a belt at Morocco (World Absolute
Fight Federation), but it wasn’t a known event, was a small
event... I was so happy when my manager called about the fight,
and a title fight changes everything, even to get sponsorship
and other things. Everything is good, but it has to train three
times, because it’s five rounds of five. I want to take
that belt to have other proposals for other events. For now,
I'm focused on Strikeforce, but at the same time I’m open
to other proposals, because I have no exclusivity with Strikeforce.
You’ve
already faced Overeem and submitted. Will it be the same strategy?
Sure,
I’ll bring to my area, but is that thing: the fight starts
standing. I’ll train standing as on the ground, but I’ll
give more emphasis to the ground. I like to train and fight standing,
and it hasn’t that thing of taking the fight directly to
the ground. It’s difficult to take Overeem to the ground.
In the other time that we fought, I couldn’t give him any
takedown, and he took me down five times, so I was forced to
fight standing with him. The strategy is this, take to the ground
as soon as possible and submit.
You
are focusing the trainings of Wrestling to help this part too?
Yes...
I'm still training here with Rafael Cordeiro. I start to train
at nine in the morning only Jiu-Jitsu with Cléber, and
later with Rafael. It’s an academy on the side of the other,
door to door. Later I do fitness and return to train more with
Rafa. From Monday to Thursday we train here and, in Thursday,
we train with Wanderlei. The same teacher of Wanderlei is the
teacher of Randy Couture, so I train there Thursday, Friday and
Saturday, and do the physical preparation with Alejarra also...
It’s hard, since I went to Europe I didn’t stop training.
There, I trained at the best team of Boxing and Muay Thai of
Spain, so I'm fine.
Have
you studied Overeem’s last fights?
As
it wasn’t 100% confirmed, I didn’t give a look, because
it had rumors that it would be against Roger (Gracie) or with
Brett Rogers. Now that is confirmed, I’ll begin to analyze,
because three years have passed and much has changed. As I changed,
he changed too. I know he’s heavier and stronger, but there
is one thing: the stronger and heavier, the guy can get tired
fast. In our other fight, he gave me a heat in the first round
and began to get tired in the second. I can use this strategy
too, just wait for him to get tired, but if I have how to finalize
before, I will.
You
and Cris Cyborg can take two belts to the Chute Boxe at the same
night...
It
will be good, because the Chute Boxe went through a phase of
everybody getting out and relieve some of the team, but we’ll
rise again. What I want most is to take this belt, which is the
second most important, after the UFC, next to Affliction. I cheer
a lot for Cris and I'm sure she’ll take this belt. I’m
representing the Chute Boxe, but I’m also representing the
new team of Rafael Cordeiro.
You
have trained a lot with Wanderlei, and helped him in his preparation
to Rich Franklin. What did you think of this fight?
I
tough it was a very good fight. Wanderlei is that thing, this
thing of retire and all, I don’t think it's time, he has
about three or four more years of career. I trained with him
and it has no such thing as difference in weight, he’s very
good, very warrior. Fight is fight, it doesn’t matter. The
same way they gave to Franklin, they could have given to Wanderlei
with a little something extra. The fight was very close, very
good.
Speaking
a little about the heavyweights of the UFC, how do you think
it will be the fight between Minotauro and Randy Couture?
I
think Minotauro will win, even more because of the fact of being
Brazilian, but I have great faith in him. He had this defeat
to Frank Mir, it happens, always has the first time, and it doesn’t
matter, the level is so high that a little detail makes the difference.
I think that Minotauro will get it. Randy Couture is good, but
Minotauro has a very good guard and it may gat him in a triangle.
I’m almost sure that Couture will take him down, but he
has a very good guard and it get him into a triangle or a guillotine.
Have
you already played the UFC Undisputed 2009?
Of
course, I'm addicted to games, always liked to play. It was a
surprise. I saw on the internet that had my name on the list
of players, but didn’t believe that I would go, because
I haven’t done the scanner. At the time I fought in the
UFC, I signed so many papers that I didn’t remember that
I had signed the deal of the game, but I signed. I was surprised
that I was there, because I’m an addicted in games. Rafael
Cordeiro also likes and can’t beat me (laughs)... Here in
the region I’m the king... And I play with my character,
of course, will I play with others? And if I lose in the game,
we have to do in real life too (laughs).
Source: Tatame
|
Pedro
Rizzo vs. Jeff Monson in Brazil
Bitetti
Combat’s promoters made official another bout for the September
12th show, wich takles place at Maracanãzinho, in Rio
de Janeiro, and will air live at Rede TV. One of the biggest
stars in the past of the UFC, Pedro Rizzo will be in action inside
the octagon to face Jeff Monson, former Pride and UFC fighter
who already fought – and loss to – Rizzo at AOW, back
in 2007. “We believe this will be one of the biggest fights
of the event, a great striker against a great grappler”,
said Fernando Miranda, one of the promoters of the event. The
event will also have Ricardo Arona against Arvin Eastman and
Rogério “Minotoro” Nogueira facing Alex Stiebling.
COMPLETE
CARD (subject changing):
Bitetti
Combat 4
Maarcanãzinho,
Rio de Janeiro
Saturday,
September 12th of 2009
-
Ricardo Arona vs. Marvin Eastman;
-
Rogério Minotouro vs. Alex Stiebling;
-
Pedro Rizzo vs. Jeff Monson;
-
Glover Teixeira vs. Leonardo Chocolate;
-
Luciano Azevedo vs. Milton Vieira;
-
Henrique Chocolate vs. Eduardo Pamplona;
-
Alexandre Pulga vs. Luciano Yzzy.
Source: Tatame
|
Dream
11 postponed till October
Bibiano and Jacare should be on card
While
the Japanese organizer of the Dream event are busy with their
10th installment, to take place this Monday, the 20th, they have
restructured their position in regards to the event to follow.
Yesterday it was confirmed that the show initially scheduled
for September will now be postponed till October 6th.
To
feature at Dream 11 is the next stage of the Super Hulk tournament
and the organization’s featherweight GP.
The
event should also mark a rematch between Brazilian Ronaldo Jacare
and American Jason Miller for the vacant middleweight belt, as
the prior dispute was deemed a no-contest due to an illegal blow
to Jacare’s head, opening a cut.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Shooto:
Formiga defeats champion
Dudu Dantas defeated in bantamweight dispute
One
win and one loss. That is how team Nova Uniao came out at the
Shooto Revolutionary Exchanges 1 event this Sunday, July 19,
in Japan. Of the two Brazilian champions of their respective
Shooto Brazil divisions to dispute the titles of their respective
weight groups, Jucie “Formiga” da Silva was the one
to meet with success in winning a unanimous decision over Flyweight
champion Shinichi “BJ” Kojima.
Dudu
Dantas didn’t have the same luck, as he was overcome by
Masakatsu Ueda and missed his chance to conquer the Shooto World
bantamweight title.
Flyweight
non-title bout
Jucier
Formiga defeated Shinichi "BJ" Kojima by unanimous
decision
Bantamweight
title bout
Masakatsu
Ueda defended his title winning a unanimous decision over Eduardo
Dantas
Superfights
Masaaki
Sugawara defeated Yasuhiro Akagi by TKO at 3:50s of R1
Atsushi Takeuchi defeated Takeshi Satao by unanimous decision
Tsuneo Kimura knocked out Yoshitaka Okigi at 1:04 min of R2
Taiki Tsuchiya defeated Kazuhiro Ito by unanimous decision
Yukinari Tamura defeated Shinji Sasaki by unanimous decision
Beginners’
tournament – Second Round
Munehiro
"Mike" Kin defeated Hiroki "KG Shinto" Kuga
by unanimous decision
Kota Onojima defeated Kenijiro Inagaki by unanimous decision
Tadahiro Harada defeated Koji Nishioka by unanimous decision
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
“Always
do right. This will gratify some people, and astonish the rest.”
Mark Twain
|
New
Fighters' Club TV Episode Tonight!
Channel 52
Tuesday, 8:00 PM
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 63 is finally cut and submitted to Olelo Programming.
I
will air in our normal time slot; Tuesday night, 8pm on Olelo
Oahu Channel 52--or can be viewed via stream at Olelo.org at
the same time of it's scheduled airing.
Episode
63 features:
Mike
and Mark back in action from the 1st Jewel of Romolo's Triple
Crown of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
-interviews and footage of Rylan Lizares vs Jair Muniz
KINGDOM
MMA
-Andy "Danger" Cohea vs LJ Borges
-Dejuan Hathaway vs Tommy Tuiloma +intvw w/ Dejuan (featuring
our special guest interviewer!)
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X-1
Scuffle On Schofield
TROPIC'S
7/25/2009
BLUE CORNER RED CORNER
Main Event
TILIS SIONEINI 185lbs Pro MMA Match MICHAEL WINKELSPEHT
3/5 Min Rounds
Co Main Event
MILLER UALESI 185lbs MMA Match BILL OAKLEY
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
PAUL LOPES 145lbs MMA Match MILES HAYES
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
SHAUN BROOKS 135lbs MMA Match STEVEN ALBANESE
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
JOEY PALAMIA HW MMA Match DAVID UNTALAN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
MAKANA VERTIDO 205lbs MMA Match MIN AN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
MAKI PITOLO 195lbs MMA Match STEVE ROVELSTAD
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
DALE SOPI HW MMA Match LINO KAKIVAGA
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
TRAVIS BYERS 145lbs MMA Match DUSTIN CABE
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
AUSTIN FIGUEROA 205lbs MMA Match YANCY YAGER
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
ROBIN CLARK 170lbs MMA Match DANNY MABALOT
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
OTTO HOOPII HW MMA Match STEVEN BEAL
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
SASAE PAGOFEIA 205lbs MMA Match JOSEPH COUNTERMAN
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
LUCKY 155lbs MMA Match DUSTIN SMITH
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
RICKY MARILLO 170lbs MMA Match JOSE VELEZ
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
FRED CABATING 170lbs MMA Match KELLY KEMP
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
MCKENZIE YOUNG 145lbs MMA Match DANIEL MANAREGO
Amateur 3/3 Min Rounds
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CHAEL
SONNEN VS. YUSHIN OKAMI AT UFC 104
Middleweights Chael Sonnen and Yushin Okami will square off at
UFC 104 on Oct. 24 in Los Angeles.
The
announcement was made Friday via UFC Japan, the promotion's Japanese
language website.
Sonnen
(21-10-1) last fought on short notice at UFC 98 against Dan Miller
when Team Quest teammate Ed Herman pulled out of the fight. Sonnen
used his superior wrestling skills to carry a decision, though
he later apologized for the bout's lack of action. The win was
his first since migrating from the WEC's shuttered middleweight
division, where he won the lighter weight promotion’s unofficial
middleweight title by defeating Paulo Filho last November. Sonnen
is 2-3 in UFC competition.
Okami
(23-4) has been inactive since last December, when he battled
ground wiz Dean Lister to a tedious decision victory. Long considered
the unofficial heir to a middleweight title shot – Okami
holds a disqualification victory over Silva in January 2006 –
the Japanese fighter has faced criticism over his ground and
pound style, prompting charges he has been passed over for a
title shot. However, he has been defeated just once in the Octagon,
a decision loss to Rich Franklin in June 2007.
Source: MMA Weekly
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ALL
ATHLETES TEST NEGATIVE AT UFC 100
Keith Kizer, Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic
Commission, on Friday released post-fight drug test results for
UFC 100, which took place on July 11 at the Mandalay Bay Events
Center.
Thirteen
athletes were tested for performance enhancing substances and
drugs of abuse: Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Georges St. Pierre,
Thiago Alves, Dan Henderson, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Jon Fitch, Jon
Jones, Mark Coleman, Jim Miller, Dong Hyun Kim, Tom Lawlor, and
Shannon Gugerty.
All
athletes tested negative.
The
UFC's centennial card drew an unofficial 11,000 fans for $5.1
million in revenue, according to president Dana White. If those
numbers hold, the card would place second in the state's top
live MMA gates.
Source: MMA Weekly
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UFC
A HIT ON MEXICAN TV; LIVE EVENT NEXT?
When
you consider the love affair Mexico has with combat sports, as
well as the storied warriors who have hailed from that nation,
it is no surprise the debut airing of the UFC® in Mexico
last Saturday night was a huge success. And it was a hit, as
UFC 100’s broadcast on Channel 9 garnered a peak IPOBE rating
of 13.30, which surpassed that of a boxing event and soccer match
also airing at the same time.
“We
definitely knew that the Mexican people were hungry for the UFC,”
said Lorenzo Fertitta, Chairman and CEO of UFC. “We paved
the way with the WEC, which was getting a great response in Mexico,
and we knew that once you put this program on free TV, it would
work.”
The
UFC 100 broadcast was the first of the deal between the UFC and
Grupo Televisa, the world’s largest Spanish-speaking media
company. It was a partnership long in the making, and one celebrated
on July 8th in Mexico City with a press conference attended by
two of the UFC’s finest, lightweight prospect Efrain Escudero
and heavyweight contender Cain Velasquez, both of whom proudly
celebrate their Mexican roots.
“That
press conference was awesome,” said Escudero, a native of
San Luis Rio Colorado. “It was something I had never experienced
before, and the Mexican people treated me great. I really enjoyed
it.”
“It
was great,” agreed Velasquez. “Everyone who was there
greeted us with open arms and they all told us that they enjoyed
the UFC and that they were super excited that it’s going
to be shown over there now. And for me, it was an honor being
in Mexico City. I’ve dreamed of going down there since I
was little, and it was an honor to go there and represent my
family and UFC.”
With
all the major media players in the city present, the UFC team
met the press and outlined its hopes for the future of the organization
in Mexico. Escudero and Velasquez were particularly popular with
the media, as both epitomize what fans expect from a Mexican
fighter. Basically, you’re a gentleman outside the ring
and a never say die warrior in it. The two UFC standouts are
fine with that categorization.
“I’m
a very nice person, but I love taking care of business,”
said Escudero, winner of season eight of The Ultimate Fighter®.
“There’s a time for fun and there’s a time where
you say, ‘hey, it’s time to go after somebody.’”
“I
think it’s in our blood,” said Velasquez, who is coming
off a stirring win over Cheick Kongo at UFC 99 in June. “The
things that are popular in Mexico are boxing, wrestling, and
bullfighting. We love a good fight and to see someone leave it
all out there. That’s our style. We go out and fight with
all our hearts. If the fans know you were out there and pretty
much gave it all and didn’t give up, they’re behind
you a hundred percent; if you go out there and you gave up, they’ll
disown you. You cannot do that.”
Velasquez
didn’t give up against Kongo, even after getting rocked
and dropped, and he roared back to take the biggest win of his
career. It’s the type of victory that could inspire a host
of young fans in Mexico, some of whom may even start taking up
mixed martial arts because of it. That’s something Velasquez
didn’t have while growing up in California.
“I
was always a big kid, so growing up there was never anyone big
who was Mexican that I could look up to, and I’d be honored
if I could be that person for someone,” said Velasquez,
who recalls Saturday fight nights being a big event around his
house, especially if a Mexican fighter was involved.
“To
see a Mexican who was on top of his sport was something awesome
to watch,” said the unbeaten heavyweight. “Growing
up, we didn’t really have anyone up in the media. There
was no one in the movies or music, so we watched the guys who
were in sports, and that was pretty much in boxing.”
Escudero,
who came to the States at the age of eight, agrees.
“A
lot of people in my family were boxing fans,” he said. “My
dad was a boxer when he was young, and though most of my brothers
weren’t really into sports, my brother Francisco was into
boxing and wrestling, and he’s the one who got me started.
So usually when there was a fight, no matter who it is representing
Mexico, everybody’s stuck to the TV.”
Now
fans can get stuck to the TV watching mixed martial arts’
best – and on free TV no less. This Saturday night at 11pm
local time, the UFC action continues when Mexico’s flagship
station, Channel 5, airs “Road to UFC 101”, which features
the four headliners of the August 8th UFC event – BJ Penn,
Kenny Florian, Forrest Griffin, and Anderson Silva. It’s
the beginning of what should be a long relationship between one
of fighting’s hallowed nations and the world’s premier
combat sport. Now all that needs to take place is a UFC event
in Mexico.
“That
would be my dream come true,” said Escudero.
Source: MMA Weekly
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IS
"THEE" MMA FEUD OVER BETWEEN DANA & TITO? (UPDATED)
Could it be? On the same day that Tiger Woods missed the cut
for only the second time in his professional golfing career,
it appears that hell may just have frozen over.
Apparently,
the longstanding feud between former UFC light heavyweight champion
Tito Ortiz and UFC president Dana White is over.
Yes,
over.
"I
wanted to be a man and squash things between me and him... he
did the same to me. Dana showed the type of person he is by apologizing
to me and vice versa," said Ortiz on Thursday's edition
of Tapout Radio.
Saying
that he is still in negotiations with Strikeforce, Ortiz also
noted that Affliction or even a return to the UFC were not yet
"out of the picture" and he is relishing his role as
a free agent.
White
confirmed Ortiz' comments, posting on his official Twitter account,
"Yes, Tito and I made up."
Although
White fell short of saying that his arms were open to a Tito
Ortiz return to the Octagon. "Doesn't mean he's back,"
posted the brash executive. "It means we aren't smashing
each other anymore and we don't hate each other."
Of
course, it's not out of the realm of possibility, since they
have obviously upgraded their status from "Extreme Danger"
to "Caution," that Ortiz could find his way back into
the Octagon.
Since
leaving the UFC following a loss to current champion Lyoto Machida,
Ortiz has been in negotiations, first with the now defunct EliteXC,
then Affliction, and most recently, Strikeforce.
In
fact, less than three weeks ago in an interview with MMAWeekly.com,
Ortiz sounded as if Strikeforce was all but a done deal.
"I'm
in negotiations right now with Strikeforce and working with CBS
and Showtime, so all three of us are going back and forth to
make a contract that makes sense to me," he revealed at
the time.
"Hopefully
by October I'll be competing. We're finishing the contract I'd
say with CBS, Showtime, and Strikeforce and making a deal that
UFC can't match."
With
the UFC's worth being estimated at more than a billion dollars,
it wouldn't seem that much would be out of the juggernaught's
reach, other than a network television deal.
"I
managed to come off a huge back surgery. It's been a year since
I've competed. I think one warm-up fight to get things going,"
Ortiz said in the MMAWeekly.com interview. "After that,
I don't want no more warm-up fights. I'm hoping by my fourth
fight, possibly fight Fedor Emelianenko at a catchweight. That'd
be something that I'm looking forward to possibly by the middle
of next year."
That's
one other element that the UFC currently can't deliver, Fedor.
But the promotion is maxing out many of its top stars with most
of its events booked out until October, with the notable absence
of a headline bout for its Sept. 19 landing in Dallas. And love
him or hate him, Ortiz has a legion of followers and the UFC
history that makes him an acceptable headliner or, at the least,
a feature bout.
Of
course, all of that is pure speculation as neither Ortiz nor
White was available for comment – outside of their Twitter
posts – at the time of publication. For now, all we know
is that one of the most entertaining feuds in MMA history is
winding down.
(Editor's
Note: References to Tito Ortiz' statements on Twitter have been
removed as the validity of the referenced account is being challenged.)
Source: MMA Weekly
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Wallid
talks Paulo’s fight at the UFC 100
With
only two fights in the UFC, Paulo Thiago already faced two of
the biggest names of the division. Knocking Josh Koscheck out,
the Brazilian was scheduled to face Jon Fitch at UFC 100, but
lost by unanimous decision. In conversation with TATAME, Wallid
Ismail, manager of the fighter that followed the fight from his
corner, commented the bout.
"Jon
Fitch is a tough fighter... Paulo won the first round, but it’s
a war... I talked with him and Ataíde (Paulo’s coach),
now is get back to the hard training to be called and return
to the top. The guys from Ultimate are very satisfied, because
imagine doing the second fight of the event already against the
second of the ranking, winning the first round. We know that
he could have fought better, even he said that wasn’t satisfied,
but we’ll go on", says Ismail, revealing that the fighter
can still return to the octagon this year. "They said that
until December he’ll fight again. He’ll rest a week
and return to the training to improve the wrestling".
Analyzing
the fight of the other Thiago, the “Pitbull”, who was
dominated by Georges St. Pierre, Wallid praises the Brazilian’s
heart. "That's right, it’s a war, but doesn’t
have any demerit for Pitbull, a warrior ", commented the
former fighter, providing the Canadian domain for a long time.
"I don’t see anyone from this category to beat him".
Source: Tatame
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André
Galvão ready for Dream’s WW belt
With
only three MMA fights in the career, André Galvão
will have his biggest challenge of his career this weekend, when
he enters Dream’s ring to dispute the finals of the welterweight
tournament. Prepared for the fights, the black belt is training
in San Diego for the challenge, and flyes today to Japan. Before
that, Galvão spoke with TATAME.com and give us his thoughts
about the upcoming fight against Jason High, his opponent at
the semifinal.
"Everything
is alright, I only have to lose weight. I’m very confident
and happy, now I just have to wait the time of the fight and
do my job, win the belt", said André, who submitted
the three fights that he made until today. Beyond the Jiu-Jitsu
as a main weapon, Galvão is getting the striking sharpen
with André “Dida” Amade in America. "I
trained well with (Fabrício Camões) Morango in
the last month, and before I was a month and a half with Anderson
(Silva) and (Rafael Cavalcante) Feijão. Now Dida and his
brother, (Maurício) Véio, are helping me in striking,
the part of Muay Thai. I'm feeling well", says the fighter.
CONFIDENCE
IN BRAZILIANS VICTORIES
With
three other Brazilians in action at the same day, Galvão
is excited. "I believe a lot in their work, they’re
great fighters", praises André, speaking of Vitor
Shaolin and Paulo Filho, who will face Shinya Aoki and Melvin
Manhoef. "Shaolin is very technical, dedicated, a very good
athlete and knows how to impose his game, has everything to win",
bets Galvão, confident in Filho’s return. "He’s
a very experienced guy. Japan is his home and he feels very well
fighting there. I think he will burst".
Beyond
them, another Brazilian who enters the ring is André Dida,
who helped Galvão in the trainings. "He has a lot
of experience at the striking part, already fought GP and everything,
and talked a lot with me about it. I think he will do great,
because he’s a guy who goes inside and has a heavy hand...
I think he’ll knockout", bets the black belt.
Source: Tatame
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Robert
Drysdale
The
ADCC open class champion in 2007, Robert Drysdale will face Roger
Gracie at the super fight of the tournament of this year, and
is excited for the challenge. With the confirmation of the submission
championship to the end of September in Barcelona, Spain, the
fighter spoke with TATAME.com about the preparation to face the
Gracie. "I’m very excited, training a lot with the
heavy guys. I'm getting prepared for a long time, but my most
intense preparation will start now. It’ll be the most important
fight of my life. He’s very good, but that is why I want
to beat him", said Robert, commenting about the Gracie’s
performance at the BJJ Worlds 2009, the success of his gym at
the USA and the trainings with Frank Mir, who is getting prepared
to dispute the belt of the UFC with Brock Lesnar.
How
is the preparation to face Roger at the ADCC?
I’m
very excited, training a lot with the heavy guys. I'm getting
prepared for a long time, but my most intense preparation will
start now. It’ll be the most important fight of my life.
He’s very good, but that’s why I want to beat him.
If he were a guy with no qualities, I would have no merit to
beat him. I feel that, if I beat him, I’ll be the best in
the world in submission, and this is my dream. I want to be the
best at what I do, and I feel that beat him it’s what I
have to do. I think he’s an excellent guy, full of qualities,
and that makes me have even more determination.
How
many times have you faced Roger?
I
lost to him three times in jiu-jitsu competitions, but never
fought in submission tournaments. It’s different, the rules,
the strategy is another, is another fight. I’m confident,
I think about this fight every day. I’ll enter heavier to
fight with him. Winning Roger, my life will change. It already
changed with the open class (ADCC title), which opened many doors
for me, but winning him, I’ll establish as the best in sbumission,
and this will open more doors for me. I think about this fight
since I defeated Marcelinho (Garcia).
What
did you think of Roger’s performance at the BJJ Worlds 2009,
submitting all his opponents with a choke from the mount?
It
was fantastic. The guy doing the same thing with everybody and
submitting everybody... Roger is the man, he’s great. We
can’t take off his credit. You can say that he’s big,
strong, but no, he’s good. He has a simple game and he’s
the man. But it’s all a kimono thing... If you take it off,
it changes everything. That’s why I’m confident. Much
of what he does depends on the kimono, and this is what I’ll
explore. His performance at the BJJ Worlds was brilliant.
How
is your gym at the United States?
I’m
opening a second gym here in Las Vegas, it’s awesome! Half
of the UFC is training Jiu-Jitsu here. We have trainings three
times a week and it’s full, only top guys. Frank Mir, Forrest
Griffin, Phil Baroni, Martin Kampmann, only the tops. For me,
it’s being a great training. The Wrestling guys from the
American team are here, it couldn’t be better. I’m
very happy with the academy and the way that things are going.
There is no lack of training here.
Seeing
Frank Mir’s preparation, how do you think it will be his
fight against Brock Lesnar?
He’s
trained. Who sees the Frank don’t believe in him, but he’s
sinister. I’ve never seen a guy learn so fast, he sees it
and already absorbs it. It’s very easy to teach him. If
Brock lets, he’ll take off the arm, the neck... I saw Frank
roll with a guy good of Jiu-Jitsu and people let and he almost
takes the arm off... With Brock will be the same thing. He hit
once and will hit again. The Frank Mir of today is better than
the one that fought against Minotauro. We didn’t stop training
his Jiu-Jitsu. I’m giving him particular lessons for a long
time and he improved absurdly, has no comparison. This fight
will probably go to the ground, it’s difficult to avoid
Brock’s takedowns, but, when it gets there, I have faith
that Brock will tap. If I were Brock, I wouldn’t take Frank
down, because if he does it, he’ll tap. Frank is very dangerous
there.
Since
he arrived at the UFC, Brock improved a lot...
Improved,
he has time and disposition, beyond a great team, but he’s
technically behind the other heavyweights. He was losing to Couture
and got that lucky punch behind the ear. Frank is very comfortable
with the back on the ground. I’m more confident for this
fight than I was to the fight against Minotauro, because Brock
doesn’t concern me much. He’s heavy, strong, but is
limited. He isn’t striker, isn’t good on the ground.
He’s a bull, that runs and takes you down.
Source: Tatame
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Shaolin
on Aoki match
Black belt on Brazilian Sensei Sportv TV show
Nearly
one year and a half out of action due to a detached retina that
endangered his vision, Vitor Shaolin returned to the ring in
April, at the eighth installment of the Japanese Dream event,
and beat Katsuhito Nagata by technical knockout in the first
round. His performance provoked such praise the organizers of
the event set up a dream match-up: Shinya Aoki, currently the
greatest Jiu-Jitsu rep in the Orient, against Shaolin, a world
championship winning Jiu-Jitsu phenomenon. But the bout will
be out of the sphere of gi-wearing combat, as it will be under
MMA rules, which Shaolin himself makes clear: “Anyone expecting
a grappling match is very wrong, that I promise.”
On
the Sensei Sportv show, a popular Brazilian martial arts TV program,
Flavio Canto and Mario Filho present an interview with Shaolin
taken in the black belt’s gym in New York and the Nova Uniao
training grounds in Rio de Janeiro. Aoki and Shaolin face off
Monday, the 20th, and the Brazilian reveals how much he asked
for this fight, but at the right time: “Everyone was asking
for it and everyone wanted it, but I needed to have a comeback
fight first. As everything went well against Nagata, the time
to face Aoki came,” he explains.
It
is worth noting Aoki too beat Nagata, finishing with a gogoplata.
In
the interview, Shaolin reveals how the recovery process went
and what it was like going through the greatest challenge he
has ever faced: the risk of blindness. During a match against
also-Brazilian Gesias Cavalcante, in the final stage of the K-1
GP tournament of 2007, the black belt suffered a series of strikes
from the American Top Team athlete, causing a seriously detached
retina. “It was the toughest ordeal of my life, but I did
everything precisely as the doctor ordered, and I was always
certain I would fight again,” says the former Shooto lightweight
champion, father to Henrique and Eduardo.
Source: Gracie Magazine
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Gracie
Championships
Aloha Competitors
We have received an extensive amount of requests in regards to
the price of the tournament in the last 2 days and in order to
attend all of these requests we decided to give all Onzuka.com
site fans a special
discount code
for our event on July 25th 2009.
With
the new code the
pre-reg price for the tournament that expires on July 18, 2009
will be
as follows:
ADULT
GI
OR NO-GI.......$45
BOTH .................$55
KIDS
GI
OR NO-GI........$30
BOTH .................$45
THE
DISCOUNT CODE WILL BE EFFECTIVE JULY 16TH 2009 AT 7AM HAWAII
TIME
THE
CODE IS: OAHU
For
questions please contact
Riane
Gracie
Tournament Coordinator
(310) 667-2067
rianegracie@gmail.com
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Amateur
Boxing at Palolo on July 25th!
Wanted to inform you that our next amateur boxing event will
be on Saturday,
July 25th at the Palolo District Park Gym. Bouts begin at 6 p.m.?
Tickets will be available at the door for $10.00. If you need
more info, or have any
boxers email me at bkawano@aol.com
Thank You for Your Help and Support!!
Source: Bruce Kawano
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Maui's premiere BJJ and submission grappling tournament has been
scheduled! Normally two large tournaments are planned per year,
one gi and one no-gi, but this time athletes will get the best
bang for their buck by being able to compete in both divisions
gi and no-gi. Start your team's travel planning now!
Currently all airlines are charging $98 for a flight from Oahu
to Maui, so book now before the rates creep up.
For more information, please contact Luis Limao at info@mauijiujitsu.com or Lee Theros at leetheros@aol.com.
Source: Event Promoter
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NAGA
is official
It will
be held on Sunday, October 18th at Pearl City High School Gym.
Eric Goo is also putting on a tournament in February next year.
It will be a NAGA ranked event. All
gi.... NO no-gi divisions. White, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black....AND
Absolute
division's. One day event. Set for be 2010. More info will be
released shorty.
Source: Eric Goo
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