Upcoming
Events
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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)
2009
November
Aloha
State Championship
of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
10/10/09
NAGA
Hawaii
(BJJ/Sub Grappling)
(Hawaii, Tentative)
August
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
(PPV)
8/9/09
WEC
(Las Vegas, NV)
8/8/09
UFC
101: Declaration
(BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian)
8/1/09
Affliction: Trilogy
Fedor vs. Barnett
(Honda Cetner, Anaheim, CA)
7/20/09
Dream 10: Welterweight GP Final
(Japan)
7/11/09
UFC
100: Lesnar vs. Mir
(Las Vegas, NV)
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)
|
|
May
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! |
Looking
for a hotel room on Oahu?
Check out this reasonably priced, quality hotel in Waikiki!
For
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
without some Aloha and some Pidgin?
To
go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click here!
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1 million hits and counting!
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O2
Martial Arts Academy Day Classes Start May 2!
Women & Kids Kickboxing Class starts May 4!
Click here for pricing and more
information!
O2MAA Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Day Classes will be held on Monday,
Wednesday, and Fridays from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm and will be taught
by one of Relson Gracie's first black belts, Sam Mahi!
We will be starting a Womens and Kids kickboxing class on Sunday
afternoons from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm. The class will be taught
by none other than O2's Kaleo Kwan! It will be a non-competitive,
fun atmosphere and allow the ladies and kids to get in a quick
workout and learn some legitimate kickboxing technique before
the long work week starts.
New
O2MAA Kid's Jiu-Jitsu Class Starts Friday, December 5 from 5:30
to 6:30 PM!
Adult Wrestling Class Starts Starts Friday, December 5 from 8:30
to 9:30 PM!
|
Want to Contact
Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!
Quote
of the Day
"We
improve ourselves by victories over ourself. There must be contests,
and you must win."
Edward Gibbon
|
Affliction
reveals 'Trilogy' poster feat. Fedor-Barnett
The WAMMA heavyweight title bout between Fedor Emelianenko and
Josh Barnett is now official for Affliction "Trilogy"
at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. on Saturday, August 1.
Affliction revealed today the poster for the event headlined
by the two top ten ranked heavyweights. Additionally, Gegard
Mousasi, Ben Rothwell, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Tim
Sylvia, Mark Hominick, Dan Lauzon, Chris Horodecki and Paul Buentello
are listed as participants.
Affliction
"Trilogy" airs Saturday, August 1 at 9 p.m. ET on pay-per-view.
There will be a total of ten fights on the card, with five on
HDNet and five on the pay-per-view. Affliction will announce
specific matchups next week.
RUMORED
CARD:
Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett
Tim Sylvia vs. Paul Buentello
Dan Lauzon vs. Chris Horodecki
Jay Hieron vs. Paul Daley
Ben Rothwell vs. TBA
Renato "Babalu" Sobral vs. TBA
Mark Hominick vs. TBA
Gegard Mousasi vs. TBA
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Lyoto
Machida vs. The UFC 205 Division
by Tomas Rios
Look back on the history of any sport, and you’ll find a
history defined by evolution that comes by the mile early and
by the inch once it becomes a mainstream entity.
After
a slow burn from the early days of UWF and Pancrase to the packed
arenas of today that follow the UFC wherever it goes, evolution
seemed to be in short supply. The code had been cracked; the
pillars of the sport were supposed to be wrestling, judo, Brazilian
jiu-jitsu, boxing and muay Thai. End of story.
Then
came an unassuming light heavyweight bred on Shotokan karate
and sumo, the product of exposure to both the traditional Japanese
martial arts that his father passed on to him and his own unflinching
acceptance of the modern fighting styles of today. Lyoto Machida
is an absolute anomaly in a sport where a rigid notion of what
works is defended at the expense of innovation, which is what
makes his future even more compelling than his past.
As
the newly crowned UFC light heavyweight champion, Machida not
only joins the pantheon of past champions but also has to avoid
tacking onto the UFC’s streak of one and done light heavyweight
champions. Ironically, Machida’s recent predecessors represent
some of his stiffest competition.
Quinton
"Rampage" Jackson was supposed to be building a legendary
title run. Instead he lost his belt in an epic bout with Forrest
Griffin and subsequently went off the rails. Now back to whatever
qualifies as “normal” for him, Jackson is expected
to be the first in line for Machida’s gold and as one of
the division’s best boxer/wrestler hybrids, he can work
the game plan that no one has had the good sense to go for.
Standing
with Machida has become the cool thing to do, and it’s gotten
some of the division’s best nothing more than a loss and
some short-term memory problems. However, Jackson’s orthodox
boxing style is good enough to get him inside on Machida without
getting chin checked, which would put him in prime position to
slam Machida to the mat and turn the fight into something other
than another Shotokan striking seminar.
The
problem with expecting that of Jackson is that he simply doesn’t
work that game anymore. For whatever reason, Jackson is convinced
that he is best served getting into firefights on the feet instead
of mixing it up and reverting to the multifaceted fighter he
once was. Boxer/wrestlers who forget how to wrestle don’t
have much to offer Machida -- just ask Rashad Evans.
The
two fighters in the division who have something different to
offer Machida also have the most to prove. In fact, one of them
may not even get the chance, as Forrest Griffin has to deal with
UFC middleweight champion and pound-for-pound luminary Anderson
Silva before even being considered for another run at the title
he once held. Regardless, Griffin’s bruising, physical style
and sadistic taste for punishment have taken him from being just
another one of Dana White’s chosen ones to a legitimate
force in the sport’s most demanding weight class.
Of
course, Griffin’s love of fistic fireworks makes him a major
wildcard in the cage, especially since his chin is hardly bulletproof.
Tempering that wild-eyed bloodlust and focusing on bulling Machida
around and turning the fight into a trench war instead of a Wild
West fistfight would be the key variable in any scenario that
involves Griffin winning. In other words, you’d have to
bank on Griffin fighting a mistake free fight against a fighter
who simply doesn’t make mistakes.
Mistakes
and more have hounded Mauricio "Shogun" Rua during
his UFC run. Coming into fights with his knee in tatters and
his cardio MIA sent his once brilliant career into a decline
that culminated against Mark Coleman -- a sloppy, amateurish
display of professional fighting. Thankfully, just as quickly
as Rua dovetailed into mediocrity, he got everything back in
sync and turned Chuck Liddell into the canvas on which he painted
the sign announcing his return.
Don’t
get me wrong, Rua is by far the biggest wildcard in the division
-- a once great fighter who may or may not have rediscovered
his past self. If Shogun can somehow resurrect the explosive,
versatile fighter of old -- the fighter who looked set to become
the light heavyweight monarch of our time -- he may be the only
man who can truly stand toe to toe with Machida and expect something
other than a loss.
Between
his loaded punches, unorthodox arsenal of kicks, slick grappling
and pure fighting instincts, Rua is the only fighter in the light
heavyweight division who goes beyond the typical definition of
what a modern mixed martial artist is supposed to be. Whether
Rua simply looked great against a fading star in Liddell or whether
he was making real progress toward fulfilling his unfulfilled
potential is the important question, and no one has the answer
to that one.
The
answer may not even matter because Machida is a fighter that
no one can prepare for. There isn’t a training camp in the
world that can prepare a fighter for him. No one keeps training
partners around who happen to be world-class Shotokan karate
fighters. Even if someone starts, good luck finding one who also
studies sumo, jiu-jitsu and muay Thai.
I’m
not in the practice of assuming much of anything when it comes
to a sport as wildly unpredictable as MMA, but I am getting myself
ready to see the next generation of fighters take a second look
at the forgotten styles of old. No matter how long Machida holds
the belt, having a fighter leave behind a legacy built on rediscovering
respect for tradition and ditching the pseudo-macho trappings
of modern MMA is something we’ve all been missing out on
until now.
Source:
Sherdog
|
Paulao:
‘It’ll be violent’
Check out the interview with the black belt, who makes his comeback
at Dream, in July
Carlos Ozorio / Portal das Lutas
Out
of action since May 2008, when he suffered the first loss of
his career and took time off to resolve personal problems, Paulo
Filho is all joy now that, on July 20, in Japan, the black belt
will be making his return at Dream 10. The opponent will be no
push over, Melvin Manhoef, who in his 23 wins, decided 22 by
knockout.
Check out the interview by Portal das Lutas, GRACIEMAG.com partner
site.
Portal
das Lutas – How are you feeling now you know you’ll
be fighting again?
Paulo
Filho – I’m really happy, it’s such a joy I got
all emotional. I cried and everything.
PDL
– After all this time off you are going back in against
a seriously tough opponent…
PF
– What bothers me some is that some folks, who I’d
rather not say the name of, told me “Shoot, let’s get
out of this one. It’s Melvin Manhoef.” I can say the
following: I’m 31, so one thing I’ve learned is that
you can’t run and hide. If God says “You’re going
to lose, but I’ll give you the right to seek refuge,”
I’ll say I’d rather lose. Not long from now I want
be fighting anymore and if I recall something like that I’ll
get chills. So, I’m prepared and you can be sure this kid
will have his work cut out for him. I respect him as an athlete,
he’s an aggressive guy, but I think I’m more well-rounded
as far as MMA is concerned. I t’s in God’s hands and
it’ll be violent. There are a lot of folks who don’t
believe it, saying I messed up and I’m going to take a beating.
If that happens, it’ll be a an honor and that’s what
we get out of life, our acts of valiance, goodness and love.
It’ll be violent and I’ll get this victory for better
or for worse.
PDL
– How are you preparing for this challenge?
PF
– I’m physically really well off and training. I’ve
been working for some time now with Master Oswaldo Alves, Josuel
Distak, Mauricinho, who is helping me out a lot with my muay
thai, with Franklin Magalhaes and Oto, who are to special guys.
Franklin’s my physical trainer, a post-grad, a beast. I
can’t forget about my wife, Daniela, who was with me throughout
the hard times, and I needn’t even mention my parents. So
I’m well accompanied in every way, with folks who do what
it takes for my best. The rest is up to me.
PDL
– Melvin is a striking specialist. Have you any plan for
getting inside and sticking to him?
PF
– I’ll surely wait for him. Like Master Carlson said,
you can’t take it to the guy. I’ll fool him into coming
after me, once he comes in, I’ll grab him.
PDL
– You’ll fight as a light heavyweight. Before you had
that whole weight problem…
PF
– I’ll be strong, in my division, and I won’t
have to pace myself like in my last fights, where I could have
finished in two minutes but would only finish in nine. I’m
92kg now, lean. It was hell making 84kg. And that day against
Chael Sonnen I had all kinds of personal problems, I hadn’t
trained, I checked myself in and was in a deep depression. I
went because I needed the money. It wasn’t cool, but now
I’m fine. I won’t need the sauna, I won’t have
to lose 14 kg in one day. I’ll do my part well and as God
wills it.
(Paulao
pauses and remember an important message)
I’d
like to send out my best to someone who won by armbar at Jungle
Fight (Arimarcel Chocolate, of Nocaute Fight) and I was really
touched and even cried the next day. He said he dedicated his
win to his idol Paulo Filho, who brought his spirits up. I was
with him and, when he needs me, my house is open to him. Shoot,
that statement of his moved me. I can tell you we never know
what’s going to happen in the ring, but I’ll be fighting
for him and everyone who believes in me.
PDL
– I saw you at the Brazilian Nationals Jiu-Jitsu Championship,
where you went to watch some friends. Did that quell your longing
for the gentle art?
PF
– I won six Brazilian titles and was runner-up once against
Comprido (Rodrigo Medeiros), in a really great match, and at
the end he was slicker and won on advantage points. I also won
three world championships in a row and those titles set me up
to fight abroad. The last Brazilian Nationals I fought at I was
a black belt, in 2000, and that was what set me up in this sport.
A lot of athletes were lost, because they didn’t have the
opportunities I did. I’m really thankful to Carlinhos (Gracie,
IBJJF president) and the Confederation, because they were the
ones to set me up in MMA. Jiu-Jitsu is the most complete fighting
style and all I’ve achieved before was really important
in my fighting where I have fought and all my wins came through
Jiu-Jitsu, with armbars, not strikes. So, it’s not four
naught that my obligation, when I can, is to go out there and
cheer for my friends. It’s that longing and that romantic
thing knowing that there is responsible for all the good things
in my life.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Igor
Gracie in Bellator
Debut against fellow Brazilian
The
name Gracie always catches attention no matter what the event.
Igor Gracie, a black belt just setting out on the path taken
by many of his famed relatives, is the Gracie making news this
time. Resident of the United States, Igor on June 12 will participate
in one of the fights on the card of the Bellator event to be
held at the Mohegan Sun Casino, in Connecticut.
“The Bellator season will end June 18, so this is only a
one-fight contract. But they want to ink something else for next
year,” Igor told GRACIEMAG.com.
His
opponent for his Bellator debut will be also-Brazilian Vagner
Rocha, a black belt under Pablo Popovitch.
Now
he’s carving out a place for himself in the current MMA
world, does having the last name of the most famous fighting
family help or hinder? “Having the Gracie name helps a lot
in motivating me in training, when I’m fighting. Knowing
there are people who want you to win because of your last name…
But it also hinders when it comes to getting opponents in MMA,
especially in the beginning. A lot of folks with three, four
fights don’t want to fight you because you are a Jiu-Jitsu
black belt,” answers Igor.
Stay
tuned to GRACIEMAG.com for further information on Bellator.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Wand
working on “calligraphy” for Franklin
By Guilherme Cruz
Wanderlei
Silva’s phase wasn’t good. With three losses in four
fights, the Brazilian bet on his historical and agreed to do
the third fight against Quinton "Rampage" Jackson,
at UFC 92, the same guy that was knocked out twice by the Brazilian.
However, this time the result was different. To turn things around
in the UFC, Wanderlei called his ex-coach, Rafael Cordeiro, and
is doing everything to repair the mistakes and go back to victories
in UFC 99, against Rich Franklin.
"I'm
doing calligraphy. When someone writes badly, he takes the notebook
and writes the "a, b, c"... It is a very tough job.
Yesterday, I was doing basic boxing training for an hour with
my boxing coach here. He fixes me in all punches, the positioning
of the foot and the hand", said Wanderlei, in an exclusive
interview to the TATAME Magazine #159. In the chat, Silva also
revealed that is planning to open a Wand Fight Team branch in
Brazil, after the success that the team did in the United States.
"I will open a branch of my gym in Brazil, it’s right.
I’m just choosing the city. I’ll built my academy and
I want to open the branches with all that I have here ",
revealed the Axe Murderer, advancing, the intention to create
a project to help poor fighters.
Source:
Tatame
|
Yvel
Wants to Put Rizzo to Sleep
BILOXI, Miss. (May 27, 2009) – Dutch knockout artist Gilbert
“The Hurricane” Yvel has relocated to the United States
and plans to put his June 27th opponent, 3-time UFC heavyweight
title challenger Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo, to sleep in
the “Ultimate Chaos” co-feature live on pay-per-view
from the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley (3-0-0) headlines against
K1 and PRIDE combat fighting legend Bob “The Beast”
Sapp (10-4-1) on “Ultimate Chaos, presented by Prize Fight
Promotions and Fight Force International, in association with
the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum, Treasure Bay Casino and
Budweiser.
“Ultimate Chaos” is being produced and distributed
by Gotham MMA and Integrated Sports at 9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in
the United States and Canada on cable and satellite Pay Per View
via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV, Bell TV, Shaw, Star Choice and Viewer’s
Choice for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.
Yvel (35-13-1) has stopped 30 of his 35 victims but he has fought
only once in the United States, losing this past January to highly-rated
heavyweight star Josh Barnett on “Affliction’s –
Day of Reckoning.”
“I used to fight in Europe and Japan,” Yvel said. “It
was okay, but I’m now living and fighting in a place where
fighting is so big, the United States. This is the beginning
of a new career for me. I’m a fighter and, in my opinion,
takedowns are BS. I don’t want to fight on the ground. I
believe there should be one man left standing and the other asleep.
If both fighters are still standing, to me, it’s like a
draw. I want to win by knockout, not points.
“Pedro used to train in Holland where I’m from and
I know a little bit about him. I hope we have a stand-up fight
but he’s a black belt in jiu-jitsu and if he’s smart,
he’s going to take me to the ground. I hope he fights standing
up so I can knock him out.”
Yvel, who won seven straight matches before losing to Barnett,
has stopped top fighters such as Valentijn Overseem, Cheick Kongo,
Carlos Barreto, Gary Goodridge, Kiyoshi Tamura and Brian Dunn.
Gilbert’s career, however, has been surrounded by controversy
due to three losses by disqualification.
“Everybody makes mistakes,” Yvel explained. “I
don’t live in the past and that was years ago. Every day
is new and I’m training to fight to my full potential. I’m
a real fighter, the type fans want to see. I’m just being
myself. I just want to go in there and hurt somebody. I’m
the guy the American public has been waiting for. I bring something
new into the cage or ring.”
Always dangerous lightweight Din “Dinyero” Thomas (24-8-0),
star of The Ultimate Fighter 4, takes on former King Of The Cage
and Gladiator Challenge champion Javier “Showtime”
Vasquez (12-2-0), while Canadian lightweight sensation Chris
“The Polish Hammer” Horodecki (12-1-0) meets 4-time
World Muay Thai champion William “The Bull” Sriyapai
(12-4-0).
Also fighting on the card are welterweights Brett Cooper (9-4-0)
vs. Waachiim “Native Warrior” Spirit Wolf (5-4-0),
Affliction vice president Tom Atencio (1-0-0) vs. pro debuting
lightweight Randy Hedderick, middleweight James Orso (8-3-0)
vs. Colby McMahan (3-1-0), The Ultimate Fighter 3 star Danny
Abbadi (3-4-0) vs. veteran middleweight Lance Thomson (4-2-0);
welterweight Eric Bradley (2-1-0), 2-time All-America wrestler
and 2003 NCAA boxing champion at Penn State, vs. Belfast, Northern
Ireland brawler Colin McKee (3-2-0). All fights and fighters
are subject to change.
Tickets are priced at $25.00 (limited discount seating), $40.00
(general admission) and $55.00 (premium reserved seating) and
sale at the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and all TicketMaster
outlets.
For more information go to www.theultimatechaos.com, www.fightforce.org
or www.mscoastcoliseum.com. Doors open at 5PM/CT, first fight
6 PM/CT, and the first PPV fight is at 8 PM/CT.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Dos
Santos on Brock Lesanr: "HE will not be champion for long"
Eduardo Cruz
Junior
Dos Santos believes he could take UFC heavyweight champion Brock
Lesnar's belt away from him by outboxing him.
“I
would like to fight him. Brock’s very heavy and fast for
his weight but I don’t see this speed on him at all. I think
the way to beat him is standing. He is tough, grabs hard, but
I believe that I have the ability to win with the right use of
striking,” he said to Bahia News today.
Dos
Santos (8-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) also believes that Lesnar has acquired
the belt too soon in his MMA career, and will be shown up "soon".
“In
MMA, the fights go as the public ask for. Lesnar is very famous
in the world. He came from pro-wrestling, which sells a lot.
The public wanted him fighting the best fighters. UFC did. I
don’t know whether he deserved it or not, it’s up to
UFC so [fighters] haven’t much to do with that decision,"
he explained. "I was indifferent because, if he has no ability
to be the champion, he will lose soon.
Despite
this, Dos Santos admits he is impressed by the way Lesnar has
handled himself in the UFC thus far, although he does not expect
the champion to be in clover for much longer.
"He
has showed himself a good athlete, focused, and came from something
like theatre and has gotten success in the real fight world.
But I believe his house will fall soon. If he faces Minotauro,
he losses.”
Dos
Santos has scored two technical knockouts over Fabricio Werdum
and Stefan Struve since he joined UFC. This is the outcome of
Monday-to-Saturday boxing training combined with Muay Thai sessions
on Tuesdays and Thurdays.
Dos
Santos also trains Jiu Jitsu on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
and conditioning three times a week. His next fight is with Justin
McCully at UFC 102.
“I
took a look at his vídeos. He is from the old times and
fought in Japan. McCully has good wrestling, kicks and strikes
well but he’s most dangerous on the floor and wrestling.
Once again, I will try to develop the fight standing using the
boxing to define the fight. My opponent is tough and I believe
this is going to be a very good fight.”
As
the fight comes closer “Cigano” – as he is known
– revealed that he will go to Rio de Janeiro to improve
his ground game with the Nogueira brothers and Vitor Belfort.
Cigano
is scheduled to face Justin McCully at UFC 102, event headlined
by Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy Couture in Portland, Oregon, on
August 29 2008.
Source:
Fighters Only Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"We
don't know who we are until we see what we can do."
Martha Grimes
|
EVENT
OF THE CHAMPIONS TODAY!
"To be
filmed for Television!"
What:
Sporting Event
Host:
Egan Inoue and The Champions
Start
Time: Saturday, May 30 at 10:00am
End
Time: Saturday, May 30 at 7:00pm
Where:
Elite Auto Group Center
2806 Ualena Street
Honolulu, HI
A. Kids
1. Kids- grappling ( positional only, no chokes or holds) 7-9yrs.
2. Kids- No Gi Grappling 10-13 yrs old
3, Kids- Triple Threat- 13-17 years old
B. Adults-Amateur
1. Thriple threat- 155lb
2. Gi Submission match- 155lb
C. Japan Tryouts
Men Pro and Amateur - All Weight classes needed
D. Heavyweight Tryouts for Egan Inoue Presents...The Champion
television show
For more information call 808-216-4972
or Email: prestigesports@gmail.com
|
Fight
Card Update for WarGods 5
Wargods
promises to showcase the most exciting match up in the light
heavyweight division outside of the UFC with Vernon “Tiger”
White versus Lew Polley at the Viejas Casino in Alpine, California
May 30th. However, do not underestimate the lightweight tournament
line up. Steve Magdaleno, who trains out of Vladimir Matyushenko’s
VMAT camp, steps up and steps in for sparing partner Andy Wang.
Steve is hot off Pancrase Neo-Blood Tournament winning performance.
“He
stepped up to face Kit (Cope) who has done nothing but work on
his MMA Game including his Jiu Jitsu with the Diaz brothers.
Kit is a proven stand up fighter and great wrestler. He took
some losses early, but he was thrown in there against Kenny Florian
and Rob McCullough. Kit is a super class athlete who is yet to
peak in his MMA career. Steve Magdaleno will be a factor in the
future of the lightweight division and with a win that can mean
the future is now. A win for Kit means he is now ready to take
on the top lightweights in the world.” states Wargods Promoter
Marcelo Rivas.
Joe
Duarte hopes to catch some home cage advantage as the young 155
prospect meets a proven lightweight, David Gardner. Gardner is
coming off a few losses to once Wargod Brian Cobb and Shinya
Aoki. Gardner’s loss to Japanese Super Star Shinya Aoki
was an embarrassing loss in which many thought he was doing incredibly
well against one of the best ground fighters in the world. Gardner
has much to prove and so does Guam born and now San Diego native
Joe Duarte. Duarte’s stint in “The Ultimate Fighter”
was shorter and less memorable that former team mate, Andy Wang.
However, Duarte has the natural talent that helps him keep up
with training partner and close friend, Diego Sanchez.
Because
of a late commitment, highly rank lightweight Bryan Travers will
face Tom Belt who already has a victory over Wargod Marcus Levesseur.
“Belt
has to go in there to show that he belongs in this tough Wargod
lightweight division,” states Wargods Promoter Jaime Iracheta.
“Travers took a belt away from a solid welterweight champion,
Jeremiah Metcalf, now in his new weight class he looks quicker.”
The
rest of the card features Team Quest’s 4 and 0 Yarec Saffiedine
meeting 4 and 0 Cesar Gracie student Lucas Gamaza. San Diego’s
own Rick Slanton and Gary Padilla have also joined the card.
For
more info go to www.wargods.tv
Main
Event
Vernon “Tiger” White 26-32-2 vs Lew Polley 9-2-0
Lightweight
Tournament 1st Round
Kit Cope 4-4-0 vs Andy Wang 6-7-0
David Gardner 11-6-0 vs Joe Duarte 4-1-0
Lightweight Tournament Alternate Bout
Bryan Travers 11-1-0 vs Tom Belt 6-2-0
Rest of Card
Tarec Saffiedine 4-0-0 vs Lucas Gamaza 4-0-0
Gary Padilla 9-4 vs Derek Thornton 4-10-0
Salah Zabian 1-2-0 vs Rick Slaton 1-1-0 (1 NC)
Bailey Byne Debut vs Joey Gibran Alvarez Debut
Source:
Fight Network
|
Aoki-Ribeiro,
Manhoef-Filho added to DREAM.10
Shinya Aoki vs Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro and Paulo Filho
vs Melvin Manhoef have been added to DREAM 10, happening July
20 at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan.
WAMMA champion Aoki (20-4) and former Cage Rage champion Ribeiro
(20-2) are meeting in a grappling fan's dream MMA fight. Aoki
is coming off a failed experiment at welterweight, losing via
first-round TKO to Hayato "Mach" Sakurai at DREAM 8.
At the same event, Ribeiro returned to action after a an over
18-month absence by winning by TKO over Katsuhiko Nagata.
Filho
(16-1) will look to resurrect his career after a horrendous stint
with the WEC. Despite winning the WEC middleweight title, a disastrous
performance against Chael Sonnen was so bad that the UFC passed
on Filho when the WEC's middleweight division was incorporated
into the UFC's. The loss was Filho's first, but dropped him from
being the number two middleweight in the world to completely
out of the top ten.
Manhoef
(23-5-1) is one of the most dangerous fighters in MMA, just as
long as he doesn't go to the ground. On New Year's Eve, it took
Manhoef only 18 seconds to knock out Mark Hunt, a feat neither
Mirko Cro Cop nor Wanderlei Silva were able to accomplish.
DREAM
10 will also feature the semifinals and final of the DREAM Welterweight
GP.
FIGHT
CARD:
Hayato
"Mach" Sakurai vs. Marius Zaromskis (WW GP)
Jason High vs. Andre Galvao (WW GP)
Shinya Aoki vs. Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro
Melvin Manhoef vs. Paulo Filho
Katsunori Kikuno vs. Andre "Dida" Amade
Source: MMA Fighting
|
ADCC
date defined
Traditional grappling event takes place September 26 and 27
Now
you can mark the date on your calendar. The ADCC organization
has finally released the exact dates for the 2009 installment.
The cream of the world submission grappling crop will get together
in Barcelona, Spain, on the 26th and 27th of September.
According to information conveyed to GRACIEMAG.com by ADCC representatives
in Brazil, the athletes to have qualified through domestic tryouts
should arrive in Spain on September 24 armed with their invitations
granted by the ADCC so as to avoid any immigration problems with
the local authorities.
The
venue chosen for ADCC 2009 is the Badalona Municipal Sports Pavilion.
The
very gymnasium was the one to receive the basketball competition
for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, or in other words, it served
as a showcase for the likes of Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and
Magic Johnson, who made up the unforgettable Dream Team of the
United States, gold medalist on the occasion.
Total
capacity at the gymnasium is 12,500 spectators, and currently
it is used for basketball games and music concerts.
Source:
Gracie Magazine
|
Shogun:
“Lyoto is the best of this division”
By Guilherme Cruz
Back to great performances after knocking the former UFC champion
Chuck Liddell out at UFC 97, Maurício “Shogun”
Rua is waiting for the definition of his next fight in the octagon.
While Joe Silva and Dana White doesn’t set his future in
the organization, Shogun spoke with TATAME.com about the title
fight between Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans, giving the Brazilian
the title of your division.
“Lyoto
was phenomenal, beat Rashad and proved he’s the best os
this division”, praised Rua, who was pointed the best light
heavyweight fighter in 2007, after 12 victories at Pride, most
of all by knockout. Without opponent set, the Brazilian approved
the fan’s choice in some internet forums, asking for a fight
between the Brazilian and Rashad Evans. “I’d love to,
he’s a top guy. I wanna fight the best”, finished Maurício.
Source:
Tatame
|
FEIJAO
VS KYLE CONFIRMED FOR JUNE 6 STRIKEFORCE
by Steven Marrocco
A
rumored showdown between light heavyweights Rafael "Feijao"
Cavalcante and Mike Kyle is now set to take place.
Strikeforce
Director of Communications Mike Afromowitz confirmed the news
with MMAWeekly on Wednesday afternoon.
Kyle
is the third opponent on the table for Cavalcante. An originally
proposed match-up with Strikeforce light heavyweight champion
Renato "Babalu" Sobral was scratched after Sobral withdrew
due to family issues. A second proposed fight with Jared Hamman
fell through when Hamman broke his nose, Cavalcante told MMAWeekly.com
on Wednesday morning.
The
fight will take place on the preliminary card of "Lawler
vs. Shields," set for the Scottrade Center on June 6 in
St. Louis, Mo. Another last minute addition hit the wires last
week when a heavyweight match-up between former UFC heavyweight
champ Andrei Arlovski and Brett Rogers materialized for the event's
main card.
Cavalcante
has been inactive since the breakup of EliteXC. He was scheduled
to face Cyrille Diabate at the now-defunct promotion's final
show last November, but was put on the back burner once again.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has been staying busy, though,
training the last five months with Black House teammates Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira and Anderson Silva. He is 7-1 in his professional
career.
Kyle
last fought last August at a charity fight event in Los Angeles,
defeating Mychal Clark by unanimous decision. It was his second
straight win since falling short against Wayne Cole at the joint
Strikeforce/EliteXC promotion, "Shamrock vs. Le," last
March. The controversial fighter was then returning from a nearly
two-year suspension by the California State Athletic Commission
for striking a fighter past a referee's stoppage. Kyle, a former
UFC prospect, is 11-6-1 as a professional.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
Andrei
Arlovski-Brett Rogers Winner Could Fight Overeem For Strikeforce
Title
By Mike Chiappetta
Andrei Arlovski fell into the June 6 Strikeforce card only after
champion Alistair Overeem was forced to pull out of a proposed
title fight with Brett Rogers due to a hand infection, and apparently,
Arlovski's stay with the San Jose, Calif.,-based organization
could extend past one fight.
According
to Strikeforce director of communications Mike Afromowitz, the
winner of the Arlovski-Rogers bout could be next in line for
a crack at Overeem's belt.
Afromowitz,
however, did caution any excitement, noting that a winner vs.
Overeem fight was no certainty because of the many factors in
play, including Overeem's recovery time, Arlovski's contract
situation and the ever-present possibility of fight-sustained
injuries hurting the timeline.
"There's
a lot of moving parts there," he said during a conference
call promoting the June 6 Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields event..
"Depending on the winner, it's a possibility. We have to
revisit where Andrei is at with his contract. And if Brett wins,
if he's healthy it's a possibility. We'll see what happens, but
yeah, either fighter could easily challenge Alistair for the
title."
The
29-year-old Overeem won the belt in November 2007 but since then
the belt has collected dust as he has competed exclusively overseas.
After fighting four times in '08, Overeem has yet to make his
'09 debut. He seemed set to defend the belt against Rogers, but
reportedly injured his hand in a bar brawl with his brother (pro
fighter Valentijn Overeem) and several bouncers, and was unavailable
for the June 6 date.
Rogers
was not amused at the missed opportunity.
"I
was putting in time for him, and then he wanted to act the fool,"
Rogers said. "He's a pro fighter, and he wanted to act the
fool a couple weeks beforehand regardless of the family situation.
But that's all him. I'm moving on to bigger and better: getting
this fight with Arlovski, knocking him out and then moving on."
Asked
if he'd be willing to fight Overeem, Rogers didn't hesitate.
"I
did have my mind set on that belt. I was kind of concentrating
on that, so whenever he heals, I'm going to go for that,"
he said.
Perhaps
more intriguing is the possibility that ex-UFC champion Arlovski
could fight for the Strikeforce title. Though officially signed
to Affliction, the organization has co-promoted him through EliteXC
and now Strikeforce. Neither Arlovski or his management would
comment on his Affliction deal and if a Strikeforce title fight
would be possible.
"Andrei
appreciates the opportunities he has, but we consider contract
information to be proprietary information of the promotions,"
Arlovski's manager Leo Khorolinsky told FanHouse.com.
Meanwhile,
Strikeforce expects Overeem to return by mid-summer. With Arlovski
and Rogers fighting in early June, the winner might require a
quick turnaround to get in the cage with Overeem before summer
shifts to fall.
"Right
now, he's 100 percent confident he'll be back," Afromowitz
said.
Source:
Fan House
|
Larson
On Roll, Wants to Fight Contender
By Kelsey Mowatt
Despite
having a change in opponent, just days before UFC 98 last weekend,
Brock Larson had no difficulties evidently in making the adjustment.
The Minnesota fighter had been scheduled to take on Chris Wilson,
but when the IFL was unable to compete, Xtreme Couture’s
Mike Pyle stepped in.
“It
didn’t change it much,” said Larson, when asked if
his game-plan underwent a drastic alteration due to the opponent
change. “I trained specifics for Wilson, but the game-plan
was kind of the same, just win. Get it down on the mat, impose
my will, and do what I do.”
The
win was impressive, not only because it was Larson’s 26th
of his career and 5th in a row, but because the WEC vet tapped
out a fighter like Pyle, who is well known for his formidable
ground game.
“That
was kind of key,” said Larson, who submitted Pyle with a
first round arm-triangle-choke. “He’s known for his
good ground, I mean his nickname is ‘Quicksand,’ so
if you can submit ‘Quicksand’ you know you’ve
done pretty good.”
Larson
is widely respected for his wrestling abilities and his ever
improving striking game, but often the accomplished fighter’s
submission skills might get overlooked.
“I
train with a lot of high level black belt guys,” Larson
added. “Dave Camarillo is who I’m affiliated with,
I’m a brown belt under him. So in that regards, I’m
right there.”
“It’s
not like I’m not used to training great grapplers with great
guards. I train to beat those kinds of guys; I train with people
like that everyday.”
Unlike
Wilson, who has faced the likes of Jon Fitch in the UFC, Saturday’s
bout was Pyle’s UFC debut.
“I
think Mike Pyle has caught a lot of people’s eyes,”
said Larson. “He was one of the better guys not under Zuffa
contract. He’s on a lot of people’s radars. He has
a win over Jon Fitch, early of course, but I think it was a good
win. It worked out for me, and I think it worked out for Pyle
as well, you know?”
On
paper, Larson’s record remains one of the most impressive
in the welterweight division, one which has just two losses,
to Carlos Condit and Jon Fitch. With two wins now under his belt
,since Larson returned to the UFC earlier this year, he hopes
to face one of the division’s top talents in his next bout.
“I’m
not sure when the next fight will come,” Larson told FCF.
“I’m hoping for a break now, I’ve fought twice
now in the last couple of months, in April and May, so I need
to get caught up with the family, get some things done. Then
definitely I want to fight a top ten guy, someone who really
will push my training, someone I really have to get up for.”
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
|
Urijah
Faber Not Surprised Joe Warren Beat Kid Yamamoto
By Michael David Smith
Just about every MMA fan would agree that Urijah Faber and Mike
Brown, who will battle for the World Extreme Cagefighting title
on June 7 at WEC 41, are the two best featherweights in mixed
martial arts. But for a long time, a large contingent of MMA
fans would have argued that Japan's Kid Yamamoto is actually
the best.
That
changed Tuesday, when Yamamoto was defeated by the unheralded
American Joe Warren. And although that result surprised most
of the MMA community, Faber told me on Wednesday that it didn't
surprise him.
Faber
invited Warren to his gym in Sacramento to help him prepare to
fight in MMA, and he said he could see that Warren -- a former
Greco-Roman wrestling world champion -- had the athleticism to
become an excellent MMA fighter.
"Joe
came down here and trained with us for about a week and a half,
and he was pretty raw when he came down here," Faber said.
"But people are forgetting that he's been doing some of
the most difficult training for pretty much his whole life. He's
been one of the top guys in the world in one of the most difficult
sports. So I wasn't that surprised he won. ... I thought it would
go one of two ways: Either Kid Yamamoto would knock him out,
or Joe Warren would win by decision, and Joe pulled it out."
By
defeating Yamamoto, Warren advanced to the semifinals of Dream's
featherweight tournament. Faber said he thinks Warren is unlikely
to leave Dream for the WEC or any other American promotion any
time soon, because he thinks Warren could make more money fighting
for Dream than he would in the WEC.
"I
think he'll probably stay in Japan," Faber said. "He's
got a personality that I think could really catch on in Japan,
and I think he's got a good thing going out there. American promotions
aren't as good at paying people. Japan is better, especially
for guys who are up-and-coming. I think Joe Warren is there to
make some money."
A
Faber-Yamamoto fight once would have been viewed as the biggest
featherweight fight ever, and Faber acknowledged that he was
hoping that if an American was going to beat Yamamoto, he could
have done it himself.
"Unfortunately,
I didn't get my chance to be the first American to beat him,
but I think if that fight ever happens people would still want
to watch it," Faber said.
The
full FanHouse interview with Faber, which focused mostly on his
rematch with Brown, is coming up on FanHouse.
Source:
Fan House
|
Quote
of the Day
"We
must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
|
2009
Hawaii Senior and Junior Olympic Boxing Champions
The
2009 Hawaii Senior and Junior Olympic Boxing Champions will compete
in the USA- Boxing National Championships on June 7-14, 2009
in Denver, Colorado. All boxers are vying for spots on the USA-International
Boxing Team. The Hawaii Delegation consists of:
Senior
Open Boxers (17-35 yrs old):
106lbs- Garin Rabelliza, 112- Cory Altura-Pescado, 119- Lean
Gumboc, 125- Thomas Matias, 132- Conrado Martin, 141- Mike Uemoto,
152- Antone Pereira, 165- Kainoa Oca-Kauhane, 201- John Asi,
201+- Eric Edwards, Females: 101- Colleen Loo, 165- Gardenia
Sims, 178+- Natacia Manuma, Team Manager/Regional Coordinator:
Bruce Kawano, Coaches: Nante Manangan, and Don Tsarks.
Open
Adult male division:
Bruno Escalante representing the P.A.L at 112lbs.
Junior Olympic Boxers (15-16 yrs old):
101- Jonathan Benitez, 106- Dido Rodrigues, 110- Joshua McShane,
114- Emmit Bolibol, 119- Ansen Armitage, 125- Anthony Ibanez,
132- Arnold Dinong, 138- Keanu Sabado, 145- Jonathan Dinong,
176+ Mark Antalan, Females: 114- Sharville DeCastro, 125- Chazzette
Sau, 132- Alyssa Kane, 154- Kalynn Talalotu, Team Manager: Don
Casil, Coaches: Fred Pereira, and Anthony Pagan, Team Official
is Joe Feliciano.
Program
Outline
If
you have any questions email me at bkawano@aol.com
Thank You For Your Support!!
Bruce Kawano
2009 USA-Boxing Hawaii Team Manager/Regional Coordinator.
Ringside Board of Advisors.
USA-Boxing NMU Task Force Appointed Member.
|
EVENT
OF THE CHAMPIONS tomrrow!
"To be
filmed for Television!"
What:
Sporting Event
Host:
Egan Inoue and The Champions
Start
Time: Saturday, May 30 at 10:00am
End
Time: Saturday, May 30 at 7:00pm
Where:
Elite Auto Group Center
2806 Ualena Street
Honolulu, HI
For more information call 808-216-4972
or Email: prestigesports@gmail.com
|
Mike
Tyson's Daughter Dies After Tragic Accident
Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter Exodus died at a Phoenix hospital
shortly after noon this morning.
According
to MyFoxPhoenix.com, she was playing by herself on a treadmill
and was found by her brother hanging from the machine’s
powercord. Tyson arrived at the hospital shortly thereafter.
The
Fight Network extends its condolences to the Tyson family for
this tragic loss.
Source:
Fight Network
|
Trigg
returns to UFC
Frank Trigg is back for another turn in the Ultimate Fighting
Championship.
The former welterweight contender has signed a four-fight deal
with UFC, the fighter told MMAjunkie.com on Wednesday. He had
been negotiating with UFC's parent company, Zuffa, for nine months,
he said.
Trigg
has become a ubiquitous presence on the mixed martial arts landscape
as a TV commentator and online radio host, but he also happens
to have a very good record as a fighter. Relying on his high-level
wrestling as a base, Trigg has compiled a 19-6 record in professional
mixed martial arts, with his losses coming only to the best,
including two memorable bouts with Matt Hughes.
Since
exiting UFC with back-to-back losses in 2005, Trigg has won seven
of nine bouts. He currently has a four-fight winning streak.
Source:
USA Today
|
DREAM
9 gets a boost in TBS TV ratings with help from Daisuke Naito
By Zach Arnold
Tokyo Broadcasting System aired a 2 1/2 hour block night of fights
on their channel on Tuesday. First up was a WBC Flyweight Title
match between Daisuke Naito and Xiong Zhao Zhong in Tokyo at
Differ Ariake. Naito’s decision win pulled a 20.4% rating
on TBS, which is very good. A one-hour telecast from 8:30-9:30
PM JST was the time block the fight got.
With
Naito’s big fight as a strong lead-in, DREAM 9 drew a strong
16.2% rating on TBS from 9:30-10:54 PM JST. The focus of the
TV broadcast was the Super Hulk tournament featuring Jose Canseco,
Choi Hong-Man, Bob Sapp, Minowaman, Gegard Mousasi, Mark Hunt,
and others. The star power combined with freak-show element of
the broadcast and the strong lead-in by Naito’s fight helped
DREAM’s prospects of staying alive. The high ratings watermark
was for Joe Warren vs. Kid Yamamoto, which drew a 19.1% QH rating.
Will Yamamoto’s loss to Warren hurt his drawing power? (Probably
unlikely.)
Interestingly,
most of the major Japanese media outlets didn’t report an
attendance figure for DREAM 9 at Yokohama Arena. The claimed
attendance figure was 15,009.
Additions
to the DREAM 10 card on 7/20 at Saitama Super Arena - Shin’ya
Aoki vs. Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro and Melvin Manhoef
vs. Paulo Filho.
Source:
Fight Opinion
|
Dream
9: Upsets and Fallouts
by Joshua Stein
Jose Canseco may not have put out Hong Man Choi, but his underwhelming
performance was not the standard at Dream 9, which, despite a
bizarre Superhulk tournament, was a pretty interesting event.
KID
Yamamoto’s return to the MMA world was not quite as he planned
it. Yamamoto took 2008 off, and returned to drop a split decision
to Joe Warren, who moved on to the next round of the Dream featherweight
tournament. It was a huge upset, as Yamamoto was the heavy favorite
to take the tournament and recieved a free pass to the second
round.
In
a tighter upset, Gesias Cavalcante lost a unanimous decision
to Tatsuya Kawajiri. Kawajiri is a tough fighter, and he and
Cavalcante are both middle of the top ten. With the win over
Cavalcante, he may improve that ranking further.
Bibiano
Fernandez decisioned Masakazu Imanari out of the featherweight
tournament, though that wasn’t too much of a surprise, given
Imanari’s unimpressive split decision victory in the first
round. All of this promises an impressive semifinal round.
In
an upset and finish, Hiroyuki Takaya defeated former WEC top
contender Yoshihiro Maeda. Takaya, a WEC veteran himself, TKO’d
Maeda with twenty seconds left in the first round. Perhaps this
wasn’t a huge upset, given that Maeda was a considerably
smaller fighter, but it does, in retrospect, still seem like
a surprise.
The
Ronaldo Souza vs. Jason Miller ended in a no contest as the result
of a cut due to an illegal soccer kick, which was surprising,
but not an upset.
Ikuhisa
Minowa defeated Bob Sapp, which was not a huge upset, but was
a pretty cool submission to watch. I’ve heard discussion
of this fight being a work, and that’s certainly possible,
but the notion that Bob Sapp could be submitted by Minowa, who’s
submitted much larger opponents before is not a leap.
Overall,
it was a freak card, in the tradition of Japanese MMA weirdness,
but it was a solid event with some exciting fights. Soukoudjou
defeated the gargantuan Jan Nortje in a solid TKO and Mousasi
tapped Mark Hunt and that makes for a solid night.
Source:
MMA Opinion
|
Miguel
Torres vs. Brian Bowles at WEC 42
The WEC bantamweight title bout between Miguel Torres and Brian
Bowles will happen at WEC 42 on Aug. 9 in Las Vegas, according
to the MMA section of The Northwest Indiana and Illinois Times
Newspaper.
The announcement will be made Sunday, June 7 during the Versus
broadcast of WEC 41 "Brown vs. Faber 2" in Sacramento.
Torres
(36-1) had been booked to defend his belt against Bowles (7-0)
at WEC 40, but Bowles withdrew due to a back injury. In came
Takeya Mizugaki as the replacement and Torres was given the toughest
test in the WEC, being pushed five rounds before coming away
with the unanimous decision win.
Bowles
is 4-0 in the WEC and has finished all seven of his career fights.
The 28-year-old fighting out of Athens, Georgia is coming off
two consecutive guillotine choke victories.
Source:
MMA Fighting
|
Mousasi:
Belfort is next in line
by Jake Rossen
Fresh off his submission victory over Goomba-shaped Mark Hunt,
Dream 9 victor Gegard Mousasi told M-1 Global that Vitor Belfort
is now in his sights for the August 1 Affliction show in Anaheim,
Calif.
Good
fight, bad timing. The bulkier Mousasi has already stated that
the weight cut had begun to grate on his nerves, and Belfort
has shown renewed life at 185 pounds. Assuming the fighters meet
at 205 by way of compromise, it's not going to have any tremendous
impact on rankings. It also conceivably could affect Mousasi's
participation in the second round of Dream's Super Hulk Tournament,
which should happen in the fall.
Then
again, some people might not consider that a problem at all.
Belfort himself is noncommittal, telling Tatame that he has no
interest in moving up from 185 pounds.
"I
want to fight with him in the weight he was champion [at], then
I think it's worth [it]," decreed Vitor.
Hear
that? Americans just "say" stuff. Brazilians "decree."
Source:
ESPN
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AFFLICTION
NEWS: Mousasi vs. Belfort not a guarantee for Affliction III
By: Jamie Penick
What would certainly be a high profile number two fight for the
third Affliction event may have some difficulty coming to fruition.
Gegard Mousasi and Vitor Belfort are expected to face each other
on the event, but a point of contention for the fight is becoming
the fight weight in which it will take place.
Belfort
told the Brazilian website Tatame.com that he doesn't think it's
worth his time to move up in weight, so he'd only face Mousasi
at 185 lbs, where he was DREAM Champ. Mousasi, however, has moved
on from the 185 division, stating he can no longer make the weight,
that being the reason he gave up his DREAM Middleweight Championship.
He defeated Mark Hunt this week on the DREAM 9 event in the "Super
Hulk" tournament, and in response to Belfort's comments
has challenged him to fight at a catchweight.
Mousasi
told M-1Global.com that he is "very surprised that Belfort
was willing to challenge Fedor at heavyweight yet is unwilling
to fight me at a catchweight...If [he] does not want to fight
at middleweight, why not fight me at a catchweight?"
So
as of now, these two are at an impasse, and it will take a compromise
on the weight issue to bring this fight to the table in time
for Affliction III on August 1st. That card is expected to be
headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett for the WAMMA
Heavyweight Title, live on pay-per-view.
Penick's
Analysis: The apparent sign of disrespect from Belfort is surprising,
as I don't know who else he expects to be facing that's a more
challenging fighter than Mousasi at the moment. Still, he has
no obligation to fight at a catchweight if he wants to fight
in the middleweight division, and Affliction may need to start
brainstorming some other options for these two for their third
pay-per-view.
Source:
MMA Torch
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McFedries
Back on Track, Ready for Next Challenge
By Kelsey Mowatt
As
advertised, the Drew McFedries, Xavier Foupa-Pokam bout on Saturday
night was a brief and explosive affair, as McFedries made short
work of “Professor X”, stunning the French fighter
with several pounding punches before the bout was stopped just
37 seconds in. Although UFC fans have grown accustomed to seeing
McFedries blast away opponents with his powerful strikes, Foupa-Pokam’s
stand-up game has also produced many stoppages throughout his
extensive career.
“Really
I didn’t have a game-plan,” McFedries told FCF. “I
just knew that I had to be aggressive with this guy. I was very
concerned with his Thai Boxing, so I was very cautious at first,
because he is so unorthodox in his movement. He’s very technical
in his striking, but very unorthodox in his movement, so I was
cautious at first, but obviously threw caution to the wind and
went.”
As
referee Yves Lavigne stepped in to rescue Foupa-Pokam from any
further punishment, the middleweight was trying to work his way
out of trouble, and appeared to protest the stoppage afterwards.
Lavigne was the same official who drew the ire of many in the
Las Vegas crowd earlier, for stopping the Phillipe Nover, Kyle
Bradley when he did, awarding the TKO victory to Bradley.
“Not
at all,” said McFedries, when asked if his bout was stopped
too early. “I threw some really heavy shots in there. I
believe he was dazed, and if he had still been on his feet, and
I had hit him with another clean shot, I think it would have
been a bad situation. Maybe not just a knockout, but broken pieces,
things like that.”
“I
think with the Bradley fight that everybody saw that the one
guy (Nover) was in trouble. He got hit and he did go limp. When
he did that, and Lavigne went to jump in, at that point he became
indecisive. When he became indecisive that’s when people
started questioning him. I have to defend Lavigne in that way,
as the guy went limp, so he made the right decision, but he shouldn’t
have been indecisive about it.”
With
the win, McFedries (8-5) has got back on track, after being submitted
by Mike Massenzio and Thales Leites in back-to-back fights. Despite
the fact that the Miletich trained fighter is a highlight reel
factory, who holds memorable stoppages over Jordan Radev and
Marvin Eastman, losing three times in a row may have sent McFedries
on an Octagon hiatus.
“I
just sort of let things go,” said McFedries, when asked
if he has a preference in regards to his next opponent’s
ranking. “My manager and the UFC kind of work those things
out. They run opponents by me sometimes, but most of the time
I just let my manager make those decisions. I really stick with
my manager. Besides that I don’t really have any passion
to go fight anybody. I’m not really into chasing titles.
I’m really not into all of that. What I’m more interested
in is my own performance. I look at myself and weigh my performances
in the ring, not only to put on a good show, but I want to know
that I was the best I could be on that night.”
Source:
Full Contact Fighter
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Paul
'Semtex' Daley vs. Jay Hieron at Affliction 3
Paul "Semtex" Daley has confirmed that he is scheduled
to take on Jay Hieron at Affliction 3 on August 1 at the Honda
Center in Anaheim, California.
Affliction has refrained from confirming any details about the
event, but an official announcement could be coming soon. Fedor
Emelianenko vs. Josh Barnett is expected to be the main event.
Daley
(21-8-2) has been bouncing around from promotion to promotion
in recent years, bringing his explosive striking to EliteXC,
Cage Warriors, MFC, Ultimate Gladiators and most recently WFFC.
His last ten victories have all been via strikes and has only
lost once in his career via TKO, and it was only due to a dislocated
thumb.
Hieron
(17-4) has won five straight and is coming off a KO win over
Jason High at Affliction 2 in January. Hieron was first seen
on the big stage in June 2004 at UFC 48, when he was walked through
by the then emerging Georges St-Pierre. After joining Xtreme
Couture and stringing together a 7-2 record with the IFL, Hieron
has since positioned himself as a welterweight with the potential
to break into the top ranks.
Source:
MMA Fighting
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Fighters
Torn on Kids Following Footsteps
by Mike Harris
While many doctors, lawyers and Wall Street investment bankers
-- at least those not in jail or being investigated by Congress
-- would likely encourage their children to follow in their footsteps,
what about mixed martial arts parents?
After
all, the life of a fighter is a harsh one. The top of the top
make money that rivals, surpasses even, what the above-mentioned
white collar professionals bring home, but most cage fighters
live modest paycheck by modest paycheck with little or no job
security.
Then
there is the physical price. Could MMA parents stand to see their
kids get the snot beat out of them, knocked unconscious, suffer
injuries and, worst of all, develop cauliflower ear?
Former
Icon Sport middleweight champion Frank Trigg, the father of two
sons and one daughter, says he would not want his kids following
in his footsteps simply because they would forever be compared
to him.
“My
son, we had this conversation, he said he wanted to be a fighter;
I told him to go play tennis,” Trigg says. “Don’t
follow in your father’s footsteps. Go do something else.
Be better than your father, but do it in your own right. Follow
your own path.”
Trigg
noted that Ken Norton Jr. could have been a great boxer like
his father, but because he wanted to be his own man, chose instead
to play football. Norton won three Super Bowls with the Dallas
Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.
“How
many NASCAR drivers do you know whose kids are NASCAR drivers?”
Trigg asks. “How many drag racing drivers [are there] whose
kids are drag racing drivers? There are very few. Now if the
kid really has a passion for it and they really want to be an
MMA fighter, that’s cool. But are they going to be any good
at it? Genetically, they should be, but who knows?”
Pioneering
female MMA fighter Debi Purcell does not have any kids of her
own, but the 14-year-old son of her fiancé, Brazilian
jiu-jitsu world champion Ronald Assumpcao, is for all intents
and purposes her stepson. Having grown up around jiu-jitsu his
whole life, the teen-ager has naturally expressed an interest
in becoming a professional fighter, according to Purcell.
“He’s
been training since he was 5,” she says. “It’s
funny because he told me he wants to be a fighter because he
just wants to relax all day and then train. And I said, ‘It’s
not like that.’ So he doesn’t fully understand what
it’s really about.”
Purcell
believes the teen’s misunderstanding may come from “jiu-jitsu
being an easier -- not an easier sport, but it’s different
than professional fighting.”
Purcell
concedes that if the boy seriously wants to pursue fighting,
she will support him, as long as he earns a college degree first
and has something to fall back on if fighting does not pan out.
“I’m
all for it, but I say it with reservations because I want him
to have a realistic idea of what it actually entails,” she
says. “It’s a lot of hard work. It’s not easy
and fun. It’s a job. If you’re going to do it professionally,
it has to be a job. You have to make a lot of sacrifices, and
it’s a very selfish sport” that leaves one little time
for much of anything or anyone else.
Middleweight
Benji Radach does not have children but plans to father some
one day. What if they want to follow his career path?
“I’d
tell them to get ready for a big pile of crap,” Radach says,
“because the majority of what you get from the sport is
just a bunch of hardship.”
Radach
is currently appealing what he considers an early stoppage of
his last fight, a knockout loss to Scott Smith at a Strikeforce
event in April.
“On
the flip side, all the things you gain from those hardships and
trials and tribulations you can’t replace,” Radach
says. “So I think I would definitely -- not push my kid
into it -- but support them in everything they want to do. I
wouldn’t be against it at all.”
Featherweight
Jens Pulver says if his 5-month-old son one day asks him if he
can become an MMA fighter like his father, he -- like Purcell
-- will point to college.
“You
graduate college, you can do whatever you want,” Pulver
says. “That’s what my mom said to me, and I was trying
to be an MMA fighter when it was stupid. It was legal in three
states. I made $750 my first UFC. There was no fame.”
Pulver
says he would insist his son get a college degree first, not
only to have something on which to fall back but, just as importantly,
to live away from home and get some real world experience. Only
then will the boy be able to gauge if he really wants to become
a fighter or if it’s just a passing fancy, Pulver says.
“You
would think they would really start to figure it out then,”
Pulver says. “As you are figuring out who you are for the
next five years going to school, if you still want to train MMA
while you’re getting your grades, for sure. You don’t
have to listen to me. You’re over 18. You can do whatever
you want.”
But
long before college, Pulver says, he would “absolutely”
let his son start training in the gym while still a child. That
goes double, he says, for his 6-year-old daughter, for very personal
yet pragmatic reasons.
“She
has to train, at least in submissions,” Pulver says. “Because
think about the rape position. What position is that? Oh, you’re
in my guard. Think about the sport of jiu-jitsu. It’s supposed
to be a weaker, smaller person fending off a bigger, stronger
person, so, absolutely, my daughter has to train.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Quote
of the Day
“You
may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment
if you do not trust enough.”
Frank Crane
|
UFC
98 "EVANS VS. MACHIDA" FIGHTER SALARIES
MMAWeekly has obtained the fighter salary information from the
Nevada State Athletic Commission for UFC 98 "Rashad Evans
vs. Lyoto Machida" featuring the light heavyweight championship
fight, which took place on Saturday, May 23, at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
The
following figures are based on the fighter salary information
that promoters are required by law to submit to the state athletic
commissions, including the winners' bonuses.
Although
mixed martial arts fighters do not have collective bargaining
or a union, the fighters' salaries are still public record, just
as with every other major sport in the United States. Any undisclosed
bonuses that a promoter also pays its fighters, but does not
disclose to the athletic commissions (specifically, pay-per-view
bonuses, fight of the night bonuses, etc.), are not included
in the figures below.
In
the listings below, "Main Event Fighters" are defined
as fighters who compete in the main event of a show. "Main
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose fights appear
on the main card, but not in the main event. "Preliminary
Card Fighters" are defined as fighters whose matches take
place before the main card goes on the air, regardless of whether
or not those matches end up airing on the TV or Internet broadcast.
MAIN
EVENT FIGHTERS
–
Lyoto Machida $140,000 (includes $70,000 win bonus) def. Rashad
Evans $200,000 (win bonus would have been $175,000)
MAIN
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Matt Hughes $200,000 (includes $100,000 win bonus) def. Matt
Serra $75,000 (win bonus would have been $75,000)
–
Drew McFedries $34,000 (includes $17,000 win bonus) def. Xavier
Foupa-Pokam $6,000 (win bonus would have been $6,000)
–
Chael Sonnen $50,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus) def. Dan Miller
$15,000 (win bonus would have been $15,000)
–
Frank Edgar $40,000 (includes $20,000 win bonus) def. Sean Sherk
$40,000 (win bonus would have been $40,000)
PRELIMINARY
CARD FIGHTERS
–
Brock Larson $42,000 (includes $21,000 win bonus) def. Mike Pyle
$15,000 (win bonus would have been $15,000)
–
Tim Hague $10,000 (includes $5,000 win bonus) def. Pat Barry
$7,000 (win bonus would have been $7,000)
–
Kyle Bradley $8,000 (includes $4,000 win bonus) def. Phillipe
Nover $10,000 (win bonus would have been $10,000)
–
Krzysztof Soszynski $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def.
Andre Gusmao $5,000 (win bonus would have been $5,000)
–
Yoshiyuki Yoshida $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Brandon
Wolff $3,000 (win bonus would have been $3,000)
–
George Roop $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus) def. Dave Kaplan
$8,000 (win bonus would have been $8,000)
UFC
98 DISCLOSED FIGHTER PAYROLL: $956,000
Source: MMA Weekly
|
DREAM
9 QUICK RESULTS: KID UPSET; NO TITLE
Dream
9 Quick Results:
Dream
Middleweight Title:
-Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Jason "Mayhem"
Miller scored a No Contest (Illegal Kick)
Featherweight
Grand Prix Quarterfinals:
-Hideo Tokoro def. Abel Cullum by Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
at 1:37, R2
-Hiroyuki Takaya def. Yoshiro Maeda by TKO (Strikes) at 9:39,
R1
-Bibiano Fernandes def. Masakazu Imanari by Unanimous Decision
-Joe Warren def. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto by Split Decision
“Super
Hulk” Openweight Tournament Quarterfinals:
-Ikuhisa Minowa def. Bob Sapp by Submission (Achilles Lock) at
1:16, R1
-Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou def. Jan Nortje by TKO (Strikes) at
1:18, R1
-Gegard Mousasi def. Mark Hunt by Submission (Kimura) at 2:28,
R1
-Hong Man Choi def. Jose Canseco by TKO (Strikes) at 1:20, R1
Non-Tournament
Bout:
-Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Gesias "JZ" Calvancante by Unanimous
Decision
WARREN
UPSETS KID;
NO TITLE WINNER AT DREAM 9
YOKOHAMA – Greco-Roman wrestling champion Joe Warren upset
local favorite Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto Tuesday at the
Dream 9 Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 Second Round.
"Kid
Yamamoto is a champion, and I respect him," said the 32-year-old
American from the winner's circle, "but a lot of these champions
have been on top for a long time, and it's my job to crush them!"
Yamamoto,
who had not fought since New Year's Eve 2007, got a bye in the
Featherweight GP's first round. His return to action from knee
surgery was the big story on tonight's card – but Warren
had his own ideas regarding the ending.
The
tone for this one was set during the referee's pre-fight instructions,
when Yamamoto appeared ready to hug his opponent. Warren accepted
a handshake, but swatted away Yamamoto's second hand. This was
a hard-fought bout that went the distance.
Warren
started light on his feet, and Yamamoto sent him reeling with
an early front kick. The American reset, and closed with uppercuts
before getting the first of his throwdowns from the clinch. Repeatedly,
Warren the wrestler closed for takedowns. Yamamoto, who has a
pretty good ground game himself, elected to stand and strike
here, and made a strategy of meeting his opponent's advances
with kicks, knees and the clinch. Warren accepted, going into
the over-and-under clinch and trading knees with the Kid.
When
he did get the fight to the mat Warren was mean – frequently
guillotining and mashing Yamamoto's face then standing to slam.
By midway through the first Yamamoto was bleeding from the bridge
of the nose, by the end of the bout more blood was flowing from
a gash under his left eye.
Yamamoto
too often waited for Warren to close then tied him up, and the
Japanese fighter was shown a yellow for this. A solid right hook
and right straight punch scored points for Yamamoto, but Warren
was overall more intrepid; and had the better stuff on the mat,
particularly when he managed side mounts to bring the knees in
and hammer down punches.
Yamamoto
was still very much in this going into the second, but again
he let his opponent control the flow and pace. Yamamoto's dandy
right hook might have turned the tide, but Warren shook the blow
off, smiled and continued pressing.
One
judge did give it to Yamamoto, but the other two went with Warren.
"It's
a win, we'll take it." beamed Warren in his post-fight interview.
"I'm honored to beat a champion like Kid Yamamoto. This
was the Featherweight GP quarterfinal, so now we'll put this
win behind us and concentrate on coming back and winning those
other belts."
He
continued, "I know my technique is not as solid as it should
be, I need to learn how to stop some kicks, but I'm working hard,
and the most dangerous thing is that I get better every single
day."
"It
was a split decision," sighed Yamamoto in his post-fight
interview, "but he was on top of me a lot, so I admit I
lost the fight. He's a very good grappler, and I couldn't punch
him as much as I hoped. But I hadn't fought for a long time,
and I learned a lot tonight."
Warren
vs. Yamamoto was one of four elimination bouts in the 63kg/139lbs
DREAM Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round – the marquee attraction
at Tuesday's event. The Yokohama Arena also hosted four "Super
Hulk" David vs. Goliath battles; a Lightweight contest featuring
Brazilian MMA star JZ Calvancante; and, in the Main Event, a
DREAM Middleweight title match between Ronaldo "Jacare"
Souza and Jason "Mayhem" Miller.
Also
in the Featherweight tournament, Brazilian jiujitsu master Bibiano
Fernandes took on Masakazu Imanari of Japan.
Fernandes,
in a crouch, repeatedly went for the leg takedown here. And repeatedly,
Imanari dropped to defend with bicycle kicks, which Fernandes
grabbed and kicked at some, but was otherwise reluctant to pass.
Plenty of tension, but an overall lack of engagement through
the first until Fernandes ducked a flying knee and took a side
mount with a minute remaining, putting in only a few off-target
uppercuts and knees to end the first frame.
A
similarly listless second – Fernandes got the win, but the
fighters lost the room.
Happily
for the crowd of 15,009, there were thrills galore when Japanese
grappler Hideo Tokoro took on Abel Cullum, a 22-year-old American
with a postmodern penchant for sideburns and cowboy hats.
Spirited
sparring to start before a clumsy Cullum leg takedown attempt
left the pair tied up in what can only be described as the pretzel
position. Plenty of creative twisting and tumbling through an
unorthodox first, Tokoro getting close to a triangle choke at
one point, Cullum approaching a heel hook when they went north-south
for a spell. Neither could finish but both had great chances,
reversals and strikes.
Cullum
started the second with a single leg takedown but Tokoro ended
up with a good rear position that the fatigued Cullum could not
break. With Cullum's corner shouting for a sweep, Tokoro tightened
his grip, and when his opponent attempted to stand, brought up
the arms for a rear naked choke to force the tapout.
In
the final Featherweight GP contests, Yoshiro Maeda of Japan tangoed
with compatriot Hiroyuki Takaya.
Maeda
took an early half mount here, but Takaya's defenses were sound
and soon the pair were standing and striking, both getting a
few punches in on target. Maeda had better results with his second
mount, passing with punches and knees. When the boys got back
on their feet it was Maeda again with the superior stuff, and
now Takaya was bleeding badly from above the eye. With the clock
running out on the first Takaya was stuck in the corner and Maeda
was pumping in knees – when in a flash everything changed.
Takaya
dodged a blow, and, with Maeda going the other way, ducked out
of the corner and to his feet. Maeda turned and followed with
fists, but Takaya landed a devastating right cross on a counter.
Maeda's knees buckled and he went down in a heap. A revitalized
Takaya leapt in to hammer at his unresponsive opponent, bringing
the referee forward to stop the fight just 20 seconds before
the bell.
With
their victories tonight, Warren, Fernandes, Tokoro and Takaya
advance to the September Featherweight GP semifinals.
There
was plenty of action and excitement in DREAM's helter-skelter
Super Hulk tournament, as none of the four Openweight bouts made
it out of the first round.
Bruiser
Bob Sapp of the United States brought a whopping 56kg/123lbs
weight advantage to the ring for his bout with Japanese pro-wrestler
Ikuhisa Minowa. Everybody loves the underdog, and Minowa gave
the partisan crowd plenty to love in this short-but-sweet performance.
Sapp
charged to wrap around a headlock, and soon had muscled his opponent
to the ground for a side then rear mount. However, Sapp could
not sustain pressure, and after absorbing a few punches to the
side of the head the crafty Minowa made his move, reversing to
top position and working an Achilles lock to force the tapout
at just 75 seconds.
"I've
fought the big guys before," said Minowa afterward. "And
I learned that I shouldn't stay in the ring with them too long
– one good strike from them could be very dangerous. So
I really wanted to finish the fight early, to avoid that."
Also
wildly heterogeneous were Korean titan Hong-Man Choi and six-time
Major League Baseball All Star Jose Canseco, 45. These two faced
off in a match that had garnered plenty of media interest stateside.
Alas,
Canseco just didn't have it in him. The Cuban landed a promising
right cross during his early hit-and-run strategy, then threw
a couple of kicks before pointing to his right knee and wincing.
Now Choi caught up with his limping opponent, tossing him to
the ground then leaping atop to rain down the punches. The referee
had no choice but to step in and call it for Choi. This one went
77 seconds.
Another
pair of strikingly dissimilar athletes were K-1 veteran Jan "The
Giant" Nortje and Cameroon judoka Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou,
who fought in the third Super Hulk contest.
Nortje
missed with a low kick before the aggressive Sokoudjou closed
with a bear hug, looking for the takedown. Nortje however stayed
on his feet. Sokoudjou made good with low kicks before taking
another bear hug and twisting a takedown to side mount. Nortje's
defense was wanting, as Sokoudjou pounded in enough fists to
get the referee to stop it. Sokoudjou however didn't immediately
heed the call to cease, and this did not go over well with K-1
veteran Ray Sefo and the rest of Nortje's corner. A bit of shoving
and shouting between the two teams at the end of this one, and
a yellow card to Sokoudjou.
"Nortje
was too big, so it was too difficult for me to reach him,"
said Sokoudjou in his post-bout interview. "My tactics were
to clinch, take down, and strike. I was a little emotional at
the end. I never intended to keep punching after the referee
signaled a stop, so I want to apologize to my opponent."
With
a mere 31kg/68lbs weight differential and 8cm/3" of height
going the other way, boxers Mark Hunt of New Zealand and Gegard
Mousasi of Holland represented – on the Super Hulk card
anyway – relatively similar physical specimens.
Mousasi
came in quickly with a single leg takedown and took side mount,
but Hunt defended well against the punches. Mousasi however soon
seized the opportunity to extract Hunt's left arm and hyperextend
for the submission and victory.
Tonight's
four Super Hulk winners – Minowa, Choi, Sokoudjou and Mousasi
– advance to the tournament semifinals in September, with
the two men victorious there going head-to-head at "Dynamite!"
on New Year's Eve.
Topping
off tonight's card, the Main Event was a title fight. When Mousasi
moved up a weight class he had to leave his Dream Middleweight
belt behind. Here, Brazilian Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza
and American barbarian Jason "Mayhem" Miller fought
for the right to claim it. This was a rematch between the pair,
Jacare won by decision last June.
The
two traded hard strikes from the opening bell, Jacare finding
his distance and making good with a straight punch combination
before a throw left Jacare down in the corner. In a flash, Miller
fired in a kick, opening a nasty gash over the Brazilian's forehead.
The foul prompted a time stoppage, doctor check and a yellow
card for Miller. Jacare was cleared to continue, and after resumption
got a quick takedown. With Jacare pressing hard for a mount,
it quickly became clear he was also flooding Miller's chest with
blood. Another stop and this time the ringside doctor decided
the cut was too serious and Jacare could not continue. It was
announced that under Dream rules the fight would be ruled a "no
contest."
Afterward,
Jacare told the media he thought he'd been on the road to victory
in the fight, because his punches were landing. Informed of the
quip, Miller just laughed. "I'm very disappointed,"
he said, "I wanted to give the Dream fans a great show and
I think I did, but the wrong way – baka dakara! (I must
be stupid!)"
And
finally, a highly anticipated Superfight in the Lightweight class
saw wrestler Tatsuya Kawajiri of Japan take on popular Brazilian
grappler Gesias "JZ" Calvancante.
Kawajiri
did a fine job of controlling here. The bout started with Calvancante
in a boxing stance, fists far forward, tagging Kawajiri with
the one-two before grabbing a kick and firing in a hard left.
They then went to the ground, Calvancante locking the head and
wrapping the legs, but doing little else to threaten. Some sparring
after a re-stand before Calvancante failed with a leg takedown
and Kawajiri hooked up the Brazilian and pumped the knee. Kawajiri
landed a nice left before they tumbled down and locked up on
the mat. No apparent damage to either fighter at the bell to
end the first.
The
fight went to the mat early in the second, Kawajiri again on
top and Calvancante locking him up to stay out of trouble. Back
on their feet it was Kawajiri with the better strikes, pounding
a right onto his opponent's chin. Midway through the second,
the Japanese fighter landed more tight punches from a side mount.
Now Calvancante looked tired, and Kawajiri's superior stamina
allowed his to ride out the round to a well-deserved unanimous
decision.
All
fights were fought under official Dream rules, with a 10-minute
first round and a five-minute second round.
The
Olympia DREAM.9 Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 2nd Round attracted
15,009 to the Yokohama Arena. It was broadcast live in Japan
on TBS and SkyPerfect; and in the United States on HDNet.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
LYOTO
MACHIDA'S TIMING IS EVERYTHING
With a new UFC belt sitting in front of him, Lyoto Machida said
his preparation for Rashad Evans boiled down to timing and aggression.
It
took Machida just under nine minutes to rip the title from Evans’
hands at UFC 98.
That
Evans struggled to find his range and offensive rhythm was only
a by-product of the overall game plan. Matching up with Machida
karate was difficult for anyone, the new champ said at the post-fight
press conference.
Finishing
the champion came down to seizing the moment when he was most
vulnerable.
That
moment, as Machida called it, was called “kyo.”
“Which
basically means when you’re opponent has no defense,”
said Machida through translator Ed Soares. “So what I did
is I studied it, to make sure I attacked at the right kyo, and
that’s exactly what I did. I timed his mistake properly.”
In
the second round, Evans walked into a straight left hand that
buckled him. In the subsequent scramble, he stood on shaky legs.
The “kyo” had arrived.
“I’ve
been training with a new physical trainer and I’ve also
been working on being a lot more aggressive,” said Machida.
“But at that particular moment, as soon as I hit him and
I felt that he felt it, I knew in my heart that right then I
had to go in and finish the fight.”
The
fight’s end, a flurry of punches that sent Evans keeling
backwards, was another decisive counter to charges that he was
boring.
“As
soon as I hit him with that final punch, and I saw his legs bend
back like they did, I saw that most likely he was out,”
said Machida.
The
challenge moving forward was to avoid complacency.
“Now
that I’ve become the champion, is when the real work begins,”
he said. “My goal is always to go out there and become a
better fighter every time I step into the Octagon, and now with
the title, its even more responsibility to do that. So what I’ll
do is I’ll go back home, my father will analyze the tapes
with my brothers, and see the mistakes that I’ve made, and
try to improve.”
Machida
stressed that like the Gracies, family made his art possible.
“The
only difference is that we’re showing it through karate,
and the Gracie’s are showing it through jiu-jitsu,”
he said.
"It's
hard to match up with Machida Karate. That's my base," commented
the newly crowned light heavyweight champion. "Some guys
have a base in Jiu-Jitsu, some have a base in Muay Thai. My base
is in Machida Karate, and it's a difficult style to understand."
But
one thing’s for sure. As the new champion said after his
win... "Karate is back."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HUMBLED,
ARLOVSKI IS RESTOCKING HIS ARSENAL
LOS ANGELES – Former light heavyweight and heavyweight boxing
champion Michael Moorer loves the attitude Andrei Arlovski wants
to change.
“I
love his personality,” said Moorer, ringside at Wild Card
Gym after a session with the former UFC heavyweight champ. “Just
like mine: don’t give a (expletive).”
Moorer,
a chief assistant to gym patriarch Freddie Roach, is training
Arlovski for his boxing debut on June 27, and presumably, his
fight with Brett Rogers on June 6 at Strikeforce in St. Louis.
Moorer
loves MMA and watches it frequently. Training wise, he’s
as new to it as Roach, and can’t speak for anything other
than the pugilistic part of Arlovski’s training. Anderson
Silva wanted to bring him to Brazil to train, but he declined.
In
Arlovski, he sees a young, talented fighter that can be molded.
The downside of the attitude doesn’t concern him, and anyway,
he hasn’t been around long enough to see its effects.
“That’s
just the way I was,” he said. “You’ve gotta have
a chip on your shoulder in boxing. You have to have arrogance.
You gotta have a little disrespect. You gotta show that. How
many nice guys you know make it?”
Arlovski
arrived with a different plan. After a right hand crushed his
dreams of toppling the dominant Fedor Emelianenko at Affliction
"Day of Reckoning," he said he needed more discipline.
He didn’t follow the gameplan; he was reckless in attempting
the flying knee that set up Emelianenko’s punch. Roach wanted
an immediate rematch.
Back
in Chicago, Arlovski made a promise to his trainers – no
more complaining. He wanted Roach and Moorer to push him.
“My
last training workout before my fight on Jan. 24, I was kind
of sick, I was in a bad mood,” said Arlovski. “I just
messaged my friends and joked around. My trainer, John Kading,
I never, ever, heard him raise his voice. He said, ‘listen,
what’s your problem, man? Everybody came here for you and
you’re joking around. You didn’t do what your trainers
told you to do.’
“Here,
for example, I wanted to jump rope for six minutes, and Michael
told me, ‘you have to do 20 minutes.’ So it doesn’t
matter if I like it or not, I’m going to do 20 minutes.”
The
41-year-old heavyweight is less drill instructor than patient
tutor. He gives calm and deliberate instruction between rounds
as Arlovski spars with one of the gym’s boxers. Arlovski
charges forward, throwing jab-cross combinations, bullying his
partner around the ring. The boxer is far slower, and seems more
concerned about Arlovski’s defense than getting hit.
“I
can still hit you!” he yells after taking a combination.
“I can see that (expletive) coming!” after another.
At
one point, Arlovski tires of the constant clinching and trips
his partner to the floor, almost taking mount... He still likes
to joke around.
“He’s
trying to MMA me!” the partner counters.
Afterwards,
Moorer meets Arlovski in the ring, recaps the action, and sends
him off to jump rope. His goal – a goal they share –
is consistency.
“I
want him to start hitting with power,” said Moorer of his
instructions. “I want his power to be displayed all the
time. Not when he wants to do it. I want a jab to be powerful,
like my jab was powerful.”
The
champion boxer is encouraged by what he’s seen so far.
“He’s
very green,” said Moorer. “But he’s learning a
lot. He’s the type of guy that studies it. When I tell him
to do something, he’ll wonder why he’s doing it. But
then he goes home, he writes it down, and he practices it. He
dreams about it. He’s a guy who wants to do it – that’s
always good.”
Whether
the skills are used for boxing or MMA is no matter – Moorer
says Arlovski will be more dangerous wherever he goes.
“He’s
going to be able to keep people at bay with his jab,” said
Moorer. “He can knock him out with a right hand, left hook,
uppercut, whatever punch we work on. Most fights end up on the
ground if you don’t knock 'em out. But he has that under
lock and key already.
“I’m
just trying to remind him of the things he can do. The arsenal’s
going to be a lot different now.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
AFFLICTION
3 FIGHT CARD TAKING SHAPE
It will have been more than six months between its sophomore
effort, "Day of Reckoning," and Affliction 3 on Aug.
1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., but the fight card
is finally starting to take shape.
Recent
reports, which MMAWeekly.com has independently confirmed, pit
No. 1 ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko against No. 2 ranked
Josh Barnett in the main event. The bout has been years in the
making.
Gegard
Mousasi, currently one of the Top 10 middleweight fighters in
the world, left the weight class on Tuesday to fight in Dream's
openweight Super Hulk tournament. He handily defeated Mark Hunt
by Kimura in the first round.
Following
the bout, Mousasi announced to M-1Global.com that he has accepted
a bout against UFC and Pride veteran Vitor Belfort. "Yes,
those (rumors) are true and I will be fighting Vitor Belfort
(at Affliction 3)."
Belfort
has recently been fighting at middleweight, but that weight class
would appear unlikely for the meeting with Mousasi. Although
no weight has yet to be announced for their bout, Mousasi on
Tuesday stated, "I could not make (middleweight) anymore.
I am a natural heavyweight. I always had to cut from 93 kilo’s
to middleweight. It was just too hard for me to do."
Besides
Emelianenko versus Barnett and Mousasi facing Belfort, MMAWeekly.com
has also confirmed that former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia
will make his return to Affliction on the Aug. 1 card, although
an opponent has yet to be revealed.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
AOKI,
RIBEIRO, FILHO, MANHOEF ON DREAM 10 CARD
Dream on Tuesday announced a handful of fighters confirmed for
Dream 10, scheduled for July 20 at the Saitama Super Arena in
Saitama, Japan. The event features the completion the promotion's
Welterweight Grand Prix, which kicked off at Dream 8 in April.
The
event’s main card will not feature a rematch between Shinya
Aoki and Joachim Hansen as widely expected. Instead, Aoki will
draw submission ace Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro.
Aoki’s
welterweight tournament dreams ended when Hayato “Mach”
Sakurai knocked him out early in their opening round fight. The
Dream mainstay has gone 6-2-1 for the promotion, with key wins
over Gesias “JZ” Calvancante, Caol Uno, and Eddie Alvarez.
Ribeiro
is on the rise again after a 2007 TKO loss to Calvancante –
just his second in 22 fights – took him from competition
for a year and a half. At Dream 8, the submission ace rebounded
with a TKO win over Katsuhiko Nagata.
Though
unconfirmed by Dream, Hansen may face the winner of Aoki vs.
Ribeiro.
In
middleweight action, former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho
will tangle with striking powerhouse Melvin Manhoef. Since knocking
out the iron jawed Mark Hunt on New Year’s Eve, Manhoef
has struggled in two K-1 kickboxing matches, losing to Keijiro
Maeda by knockout in March and averting a decision loss to Stefan
Leko in May when Leko injured his leg late in the fight.
Once
considered the world’s top middleweight, Filho fell from
grace with two abysmal performances against Chael Sonnen, the
last of which forced him to mail his WEC middleweight belt to
the contender. Filho was reportedly close to a deal with Bellator
Fighting Championships, but pulled out in the final stages of
negotiation. The July 20 card will mark the first time he’s
fought on Japanese soil in almost three years.
Dream
lightweight and former Chute Boxe standout Andre “Dida”
Amade (6-3-1) was also confirmed for the card, drawing Kikuno
Katsunori (11-1-1).
Confirmed
Dream 10 Bouts:
-Shinya Aoki vs. Vitor Ribeiro
-Kikuno Katsunori vs. Andre Amade
-Melvin Manhoef vs. Paulo Filho
Dream
10 Welterweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals and Finals:
-Hayato Sakurai vs. Marius Zaromskis
-Jason High vs. Andre Galvao
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HUGHES
CONTENT WITH WIN, NOT GOING ANYWHERE
Matt Hughes defeated Matt Serra by decision at UFC 98, and following
the co-main event bout he announced that he was a free agent.
But before promotions start calling the former welterweight champion,
he told Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview that he wouldn't
fight for anyone outside of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The
fight with Serra was close, but resulted in a unanimous decision.
Asked what was going through his mind as the judges' scorecards
were being read, Hughes stated, "I thought I had it. I'm
sure Matt (Serra) thought the same thing. I thought I lost the
first round and won the second two. The second round, I thought
the majority was definitely on my side. I thought the third round
was maybe a little closer, but I still thought it was mine. So,
I went like I thought it was."
"When
he knocked me down in the first round, I didn’t know what
hit me. When I finally realized what had happened, I thought
it was the same punch that knocked GSP down," Hughes said
via his blog on his official website, Matt-Hughes.com. "My
corner eventually told me that it was a head butt. His two minor
submission attempts never even had me worried. When the fight
was over, I was pretty confident I was going to get my hand raised.
"He
stayed in real good position on his back," added the former
welterweight titleholder. "I thought I would be able to
use my weight and strength a little bit better. I was wanting
to throw more elbows, but he did a good job of defending where
I didn't get to throw the strikes that I was wanting to. I think
I was able to wear on him a little bit, wear him out a little
bit, but I thought he would be more tired than he was. He came
in, obviously, better than I thought he would."
At
the point in his career when every fight completed begs the question
of what's next, Hughes discussed his future plans with the media,
saying, "I don't know what I'm going to do. D.W. (Dana White)
and I will get in a room and we'll talk about it, and we'll figure
it out.
"I
definitely still want to compete. I still think I'm competitive
in the weight division, so we'll keep going," said the 35-year-old
fighter, clearly not ready to hang his gloves up. "It will
be interesting to watch Thiago Silva and Georges St. Pierre go
at it. It will be an interesting fight for me to watch. We'll
figure it out. Like I've said before, I'm not going anywhere."
Source: MMA Weekly
|
SMITH
TALKS TURNAROUND, WANTS INTERIM BELT
It’s a blessing for Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith
to have fought in so many wars, even if he’s a little banged
up.
He’ll
be facing Nick Diaz at a catch-weight of 180 pounds next Saturday
at “Shields vs. Lawler” in St. Louis, just shy of two
months after brawling with Benji Radach at the promotion’s
exclusive debut with Showtime Networks in April.
Smith
took plenty of shots in the nearly 15-minute fight and received
stitches in his eyelid. But he says he’s healed up now,
or at least as healed up as anyone can be with the kind of schedule
he’s had in the past two years.
“I
have a tendency after fights of getting out of shape,” said
Smith during a Wednesday teleconference promoting the June 6
bout. “I stop my training camp, and half of my training
camp is just getting back into shape, and I’m not learning.
Although I did get banged up in the Benji fight, I stayed in
great shape. I started training three days after the fight. And
that’s the key to me, cardio, especially when you’re
fighting a guy like Nick Diaz, who has excellent cardio. I wasn’t
going and asking for a fight right away, but I’m glad I
did accept it.”
Radach
has indicated his desire to challenge the result of the fight
– he was stopped when Smith knocked him out in the third
with a counter right hand after Smith nearly succumbed to his
– claiming Smith’s follow-up included illegal punches
that should change the decision to a no-contest.
Smith
concedes he landed the illegal blow, but thinks the talk is unnecessary.
“I
think it’s pretty unfortunate,” he said. “I think
it’s taking away from what was such a great fight. Win or
lose, that was a great fight for both of us. He looked great
up until he got caught at the end. So I think he’s kind
of taking away from that. I don’t think anything’s
going to come of this appeal. I think it’s just trying to
re-assure a rematch down the road. But I think that fight was
such a great fight that we’d rematch no matter what.”
And
while he’s open to a second fight with Radach, he has concerns
over what happens if he defeats Diaz. Diaz’s victory over
Frank Shamrock scrambled Strikeforce’s plans to set up a
fourth quarter rematch between the former middleweight champion
and current champion Cung Le. Le has indicated he wants to return,
but is also considerate of his burgeoning movie career.
Smith
thinks the promotion needs to create another opportunity for
its fighters.
“(Le)
is the champion, but we’ve got to get something going, like
an interim belt,” he said. “We can’t just sit
around and wait forever. Especially after this card, there’s
going to be some guys deserving that title.”
For
now, though, those thoughts are on the back burner. He’s
not looking past Diaz.
“I’m
anticipating a knockout,” said Smith. “I’ll be
going for it in the first round. Whether it happens or not, it
doesn’t matter to me, as long as it doesn’t go the
distance.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
“Truth
is the only safe ground to stand on.”
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
|
Maui
Jiu-Jitsu presents:
MAUI OPEN
2009
Submission Grappling Challenge
Sunday June 21st, 2009
War Memorial Gymnasium
Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii
11am Start time
Adult, Women and kids divisions
For information, please click here to email your questions.
|
EVENT
OF THE CHAMPIONS
"To
be filmed for Television!"
What:
Sporting Event
Host:
Egan Inoue and The Champions
Start
Time: Saturday, May 30 at 10:00am
End
Time: Saturday, May 30 at 7:00pm
Where:
Elite Auto Group Center
2806 Ualena Street
Honolulu, HI
For more information call 808-216-4972
or Email: prestigesports@gmail.com
|
UFC
104 SET FOR OCT. 24 IN LOS ANGELES
The UFC is California bound for the sixth time.
UFC
104 will set up shop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on
Oct. 24, UFC president Dana White announced at the UFC 98 post-fight
press conference. No bouts were confirmed for the event.
It’s
the second time the promotion has used the arena, home to the
Los Angeles Lakers, since May of 2006, when then-champion Matt
Hughes defeated UFC Hall of Fame member Royce Gracie in a one-sided
blowout.
The
UFC last touched down in California at UFC 73, and while the
event was a success, its fallout was not. The evening’s
co-main event, a lightweight title bout between then-champion
Sean Sherk and Hermes Franca, was tainted when both fighters
were suspended after testing positive for performance enhancing
drugs. Sherk unsuccessfully appealed his suspension and has since
maintained his innocence.
The
California State Athletic Commission, which regulates all professional
mixed martial arts events in the Golden State, is currently without
any senior leadership after the resignation of its Executive
Director Armando Garcia last November and resignation of Assistant
Executive Officer Bill Douglas. Sarah Waklee, a representative
with the CSAC, last week confirmed Douglas’ departure and
the departure of longtime Chief Athletic Inspector Dean Louhis.
The
Department of Consumer Affairs has placed an interim Executive
Officer, Gil Deluna, to oversee office operations while the search
is underway.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MACHIDA
& RAMPAGE TO COACH TUF 10?
Now that Lyoto Machida has cemented himself as the #1 light heavyweight
in the world, the next step for him is to defend his title, and
possibly build his reputation with more fans all over the world.
A
natural step to build that bridge would seem to be placing Machida
on the next season of the "Ultimate Fighter" reality
show, and have him opposite his next opponent, Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson, who previously served on the show during season 7.
UFC
president Dana White was asked point blank if the coaches for
the tenth season of the show had been picked, and while he was
able to confirm they have been chosen, he wouldn't divulge any
names.
"I'm
not going to tell you. We start filming on the 1st and there's
a media day on like the 2nd or 3rd. All your questions will be
answered then," White responded.
Even
though White wouldn't disclose the coaches, he did verify that
Jackson would be the fighter Machida would face for his first
title defense, and with every other champion on the UFC roster
already scheduled for fights over the next few months it would
seem fighting to pit the two top light heavyweights in as coaches
for the reality show.
With
the news still forthcoming, Machida seemed intrigued at the possibility
of becoming a coach, and many have noticed the Brazilian's rapidly
improving English, which has been an obstacle for many foreign
fighters to overcome when dealing with the American market.
"I'd
like to sure, it would be great," Machida said about possibly
coaching on the "Ultimate Fighter". "But Dana's
the boss."
All
signs point to a Machida vs. Rampage coaching situation and with
the show's filming ready to start in June, the timing would seemingly
work out perfectly to have the two fighters square off during
the UFC's year in show in December.
Stay
tuned to MMAWeekly.com for more information on the "Ultimate
Fighter" season 10 as it becomes available.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Dream
5/26 Yokohama Arena (6 PM start time)
*
Featherweight GP: Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren
* Featherweight GP: Hideo Tokoro vs. Abel Cullum
* Featherweight GP: Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
* Featherweight GP: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Masakazu Imanari
Event
promoters replaced DJ Taiki with Hideo Tokoro on the card because
Taiki has a fractured eye socket.
Thoughts:
What a rib on Kid Yamamoto. Yamamoto, who had his own marijuana
scandal nationally in Japan, is booked against a former USA Wrestling
star who failed two drug tests for using marijuana. Of course,
marijuana usage carries a negative stigma in Japan, so the promoters
will not mention it. They will simply say that Warren is a former
world amateur wrestling champion. The fight media in Japan will
not likely bring up the failed drug tests at all.
Sure,
there’s plenty of money at stake for Yamamoto in this fight,
but this fight is mostly a losing proposition to him.
*
Warren’s only other MMA win was against Virginia MMA no-shower
Chase Beebe at DREAM 7. If Warren keeps the fight competitive
or wins outright, Yamamoto’s stock is publicly damaged in
Japan.
* If casual fans learn of Warren’s marijuana usage and his
past failed drug tests, they will immediately think about Shukan
Gendai’s media blitz on Yamamoto. The irony is thick, given
what happened to Enson Inoue.
The
politics in the Japanese fight game always amaze me, but then
again this shouldn’t be a surprise given all the controversy
last year about Yamamoto taking time off due to a knee injury
which some MMA insiders questioned the seriousness of (I thought
it was legitimate and still believe that it was on the up-and-up).
The politics between management, agents, and fighters in Japan
has always been volatile, but this is an intriguing story to
watch develop.
I
do wonder how much leverage Yamamoto has left in the Japanese
fight scene given how down everything is lately…
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Dream
9: Jose Canseco's worst nightmare
Jose
Canseco's boxing battles haven't gone over so well. So what makes
him think he can hang in MMA?
MMA
promoter FEG has announced its lineup for Dream 9 on May 26 featuring
a David versus Goliath tournament capped by the MMA debut of
MLB castaway Jose Canseco.
Words
fail me, which might be considered dereliction of duty for a
blogger, but there you go.
Canseco
will be facing Hong-Man Choi, a guy whose pituitary tumor once
produced more human growth hormone than BALCO; at 7-foot-something,
Choi actually has a semi-credible K-1 record because he's just
too damned big for mere mortals to deal with.
Canseco
is 44, was TKO'd in a celebrity boxing match over the summer
and recently admitted his struggle to produce testosterone naturally
after years of steroid use in an A&E documentary.
A
classy affair all around.
It
should be noted Japanese promotions enjoy making up complete
nonsense and passing it off as fact in an effort to stir up publicity,
and that all of this might be news to Canseco. If he declines
participation, I'm sure the Bearded Lady will gladly step in.
Source: ESPN
|
The
Machida Puzzle Box
Options: Email Article | Printer Friendly
“Himitsu-Bako” is the blanket term for the design and
implementation of Japanese puzzle boxes. Beginning in the 1600s,
craftsmen would manufacture the shells so that they could be
opened only by the owner of whatever valuables were stored inside.
This usually involved finding a “secret” pressure application
or performing a series of adjustments in sequence. A box produced
by the legendary Yoshio Okiyama demanded 125 different motions
before it would relinquish its contents.
You
can probably guess where this is going.
Lyoto
Machida made history Saturday night by becoming the first mixed
martial artist to win a major title by wielding an art perceived
as primitive and nearing extinction. He didn’t outwrestle
Rashad Evans, he didn’t submit him and he didn’t gorilla-press
him. He feinted, floated out of the way of hammering strikes
and applied the principles of Shotokan karate he established
while still in diapers to send Evans down and thinking of his
sleep number.
Many
-- including myself -- were confident Evans’ physicality
and wrestling ability would at least give Machida a hard time.
There had to be a limit to what his brand of karate could deal
with. Greg Jackson, Evans’ trainer, was pegged to test that
theory.
But
once the two engaged, it wasn’t even competitive. The man
who knocked down heavyweights earlier in his UFC career, who
folded up Chuck Liddell and Forrest Griffin as expertly as a
Gap part-timer, barely touched Machida.
No
one, it seems, can touch Machida, literally or metaphorically.
Is
Jackson in trouble?
You’re going to hear a lot of that in the coming weeks:
that Machida’s style is impregnable, that he’s so adept
at getting out of the way he’s practically teleporting.
He’s going to be deified because that’s what sport
does when someone looks good. Fans like the idea that there’s
a level -- shades of Jordan, Woods, Gracie, Emelianenko -- that
no one else can touch. Obsessed with it to the point where a
50-year-old Rickson Gracie, who was never once in a competitive
fight beyond a bruised Funaki, is still talked about. Imagine
how someone competing at an elite level will be received.
This
is all fine. MMA needs its mythological figures to intrigue the
media. Sports traditionally reach new levels of respect and popularity
when someone special arrives. There may be no one better to fill
that spot in MMA’s third decade than Machida, who speaks
respectfully, doesn’t grab his crotch unless he’s just
been clocked there and speaks convincingly of his love for family
and art.
But
because MMA is MMA, he’ll be defeated. Soon. Not too soon
-- not against Quinton Jackson, who will stubbornly stand up
with him -- but soon enough.
Possibility
one: Evans in a rematch. Forget trying to pick off Machida on
the feet. It’s not happening until he gets older and slower.
Close in, get his feet over his head and stack him against the
fence. Punch until done.
Possibility
two: Randy Couture. Laugh all you want, but if Couture gets inside,
Machida is going for a ride. Couture’s retirement fight
if he fails in another heavyweight title bid, but only if Machida
agrees to do it at heavyweight. (Guy’s gonna be 46 soon.
Cut him some slack.)
Possibility
three: MRSA.
In
Machida, the UFC has finally found its first real enigma. Champions
have gone on impressive runs in the past, but none have been
unblemished from the start. (Sorry, Fedor Emelianenko fans: As
much as that one loss reeks, it’s still there.) Losses chip
away at fighter veneers. Fans get restless. They look elsewhere.
But
Machida doesn’t bend. He’s in the most physically demanding
and superficially damaging sport in the world and comes out looking
like he just finished a step aerobics class. It’s preposterous.
Another
puzzle box designer, Hiroshi Iwahara, recently created a design
that requires 324 steps to solve. Perhaps one should be gifted
to Quinton Jackson. He’s going to need the practice.
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
98 Notebook: No Retirement for Hughes
Two-time welterweight champion and future hall of famer Matt
Hughes does not sound like a man with retirement on his mind.
Hughes,
the sport’s most accomplished welterweight, edged longtime
rival Matt Serra by unanimous decision in the co-main event at
UFC 98 “Evans vs. Machida” on Saturday at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Despite rampant speculation that the
bout might have been his last, the 35-year-old H.I.T. Squad founder
believes he still has more to accomplish inside the Octagon.
“I
definitely still want to compete,” said Hughes, now 50 fights
into his professional career. “I still think I’m competitive
in the weight division, so we’ll keep going.”
Having
completed his most recent contract with the promotion, Hughes
(43-7) plans to meet with UFC President Dana White to iron out
the details of a new deal, though he remained non-committal when
talk turned to how much gas might be left in his tank.
“I
don’t know what I’m going to do,” Hughes said.
“DW and I will get in a room; we’ll talk about it and
figure it out. Like I’ve always said before, I’m not
going anywhere.”
Hughes
hinted at a desire for potential rematches with reigning UFC
welterweight king Georges St. Pierre and Thiago Alves, the last
two men to defeat him. The sports top two 170-pound fighters
will collide at UFC 100 on July 11 in Las Vegas.
“It
will be interesting to watch Thiago and GSP go at it,” Hughes
said. “That will be an interesting fight for me to watch.”
Newfound
Aggression Spurs Machida
Not
long ago, when Lyoto Machida was going the distance with the
Sam Hogers, David Heaths and Kazuhiro Nakamuras of the world,
some openly questioned whether or not he was fit for primetime.
Those concerns seem to have been alleviated.
Machida
(15-0) knocked out Rashad Evans in the UFC 98 main event to capture
the light heavyweight championship in spectacular, crowd-pleasing
fashion. He has finished three of his past four opponents inside
the Octagon, melding newfound aggression with the patience and
precision that has come to define him.
“It’s
a little bit of a combination of I’ve been training with
a new physical trainer, and I’ve also been working on being
a lot more aggressive,” Machida said.
Machida's
legend grows.
He floored Evans in both rounds of their title fight and finished
the Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts standout with a lightning
strike of a left hook in the second round. Once he had Evans
reeling, Machida moved in for the kill. Soon after, his foe lay
crumpled beneath him, sleeping peacefully against the cage.
“At
that particular moment, as soon as I hit him and I felt that
he felt it, I knew in my heart that right then was the time that
I had to go in and finish the fight, and that’s what I did,”
Machida said. “[For] every fighter, I have a different strategy
in my training because every fighter has different weaknesses.
My goal is to study his weaknesses and try to capitalize off
his mistakes.”
Growing
in popularity, the Shotokan karate and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt remains undefeated and virtually untested 15 fights into
his professional career. By the time he left the MGM Grand Garden
Arena, people were drawing favorable comparisons between Machida
and the great Fedor Emelianenko.
“It’s
hard to match up with Machida karate,” he said. “That’s
my base. Some guys have a base in jiu-jitsu; some have a base
in muay Thai. My base is in Machida karate, and it’s a difficult
style to understand.”
UFC
Awards $240K in Bonuses
Brock
Larson turned his submission skills into a hefty payday at UFC
98.
The
former World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight title challenger
banked a $60,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus after
he coaxed a tapout from Xtreme Couture’s Mike Pyle with
an arm-triangle choke. A last-minute replacement for Chris Wilson,
Pyle raised the white flag 3:06 into the first round of their
preliminary match.
Larson
(26-2), who has lost only to world-ranked Jon Fitch and one-time
WEC champion Carlos Condit, has made the most of his return to
the UFC, as he has posted back-to-back first-round submissions.
Based out of the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, the rugged 31-year-old
has delivered 18 of his 26 career victories by submission. Larson
has won five straight since his defeat to Condit at WEC 29 in
August 2007.
Meanwhile,
Hughes and Serra were awarded matching $60,000 “Fight of
the Night” bonuses in wake of their competitive three-round
battle. Judges awarded Hughes a unanimous decision by 29-28 scores.
“I
thought I had it,” Hughes said. “I’m sure Matt
thought the same thing.”
Serra
(9-6), who has dropped back-to-back fights, thought he had done
enough to pull out the victory, especially after he had taken
down Hughes in the closing moments of round three.
“I
knew it was close,” Serra said. “I knew I won the first
round. I felt I lost the second, and I thought I squeezed out
the third, personally. I really felt like it came down to that
third round. With the foot sweep and I got on top and landed
some good shots … I thought I squeezed it out. It was close.
What are you going to do?”
Machida
was the final beneficiary of the post-fight windfall. The Brazilian
karate ace pocketed a $60,000 “Knockout of the Night”
bonus after he flattened Evans and won the UFC light heavyweight
championship.
This
& That
Drew
McFedries -- who recently dealt with a career-threatening staph
infection and the murder of his mother -- pointed a critical
finger in the direction of the Miletich Fighting Systems camp
after he stopped Xavier Foupa-Pokam in 37 seconds. The middleweight
slugger has spent his entire career under mixed martial arts
pioneer Pat Miletich. “I have to give credit to [boxing
coach] Matt Pena, who has supported me through a lot of this,”
McFedries said. “I really didn’t get a lot of support
from actually my own team at MFS, which is sad; that’s my
hometown. Being here with [former teammates] Matt Hughes and
Robbie Lawler -- two champion level guys -- that was really motivating
for me. It just put me in a positive mindset where I could go
and do things without thinking about the death of my mother,
the staph infection -- everything that’s gone on in my life
in the past year.” The victory snapped a two-fight losing
streak for McFedries, who also suffers from Crohn’s disease
… Frankie Edgar became just the fourth man to defeat former
lightweight champion Sean Sherk, joining Hughes, St. Pierre and
B.J. Penn … Chael Sonnen’s win against former International
Fight League champion Dan Miller was his first inside the Octagon
since he defeated reigning Maximum Fighting Championship light
heavyweight titleholder Trevor Prangley at UFC Fight Night 4
in April 2006 … Nine of Yoshiyuki Yoshida’s last 11
bouts, including his brutal knockout loss to Josh Koscheck in
December, have ended inside one round. He finished Brandon Wolff with a first-round
guillotine choke at UFC 98.
Source: Sherdog
|
Notebook:
Edgar breaks through
LAS
VEGAS – The scouting report on Frank Edgar seemed simple
enough. Everyone knew he was a great wrestler but might not have
the standup skills necessary to hang with the world’s elite
lightweights.
Time
to toss that info in the trash. The Toms River, N.J., native
scored a breakthrough victory at UFC 98 on Saturday night, outstriking
former UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk for the better part
of 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory. Edgar
(10-1) won by across-the-board scores of 30-27.
“I
think adding standup to my game is only going to help,”
Edgar said. “My boxing coach is a perfectionist. He’s
on me all that time. I improved my strategy 100 percent.”
As
an undersized lightweight with unproven striking, it remained
to be seen whether the former Clarion University wrestling standout
would break through to the top of the 155-pound weight class.
A fight with Sherk was sink-or-swim time, and the fighter known
as “The Answer” lived up to his nickname.
“I
thought there was no way he could win this fight,” said
UFC president Dana White. “He’s smaller. Sherk is bigger.
This kid put on an amazing fight. No one has ever seen him use
his hands like that before. I was blown away by Frank Edgar.
“
Sherk
(33-3-1) rode his way to the title in 2006 with his takedowns
and ground-and-pound ability, but since getting run by B.J. Penn
at UFC 84, he has focused on his boxing seemingly to the exclusion
of the rest of his game. That worked in an October win over Tyson
Griffin but came up short Saturday night.
Edgar
spent the bulk of the fight sticking and weaving. He initiated
the bulk of the action, mixed up his strikes, and his constant
in-and-out motion kept Sherk from finding his range.
“I
didn’t know what his game plan would be,” said Edgar.
“But watching his last two fights he was standing up the
whole time, so he didn’t really surprise me.”
In
the third round, Sherk finally returned to his wrestling base.
But Edgar was up for the challenge. Sherk scored on his first
takedown attempt, but Edgar quickly scrambled to his feet. Edgar
then stuffed Sherk’s final two takedown attempts, including
one in the final seconds, in which Edgar pulled guard and locked
Sherk into a guillotine choke as time ran out.
“I
knew I had to step my game up,” Edgar said. “Sherk
is a former lightweight champ. I’m not going to hold my
head too high though. I want a shot at the title.”
Sherk,
meanwhile, caused a brief behind-the-scenes panic after the fight,
as he bolted from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in his fight shorts
and gloves before submitting to his postfight medical exam. He
was reportedly spotted in the vicinity of the Hard Rock Hotel
and Casino, about a mile away. Sherk, who was not among fighters
subjected to a random postfight steroid exam, returned about
20 minutes after he left and submitted to his commission exams.
“He
was just upset that he lost,” said Nevada State Athletic
Commission executive director Keith Kizer. “This is a guy
whose only losses were to [Georges] St. Pierre, [B.J.] Penn,
and [Matt] Hughes. Now he’s on the first fight of the pay-per-view
and he loses and where does he go from here? I sympathize with
him.”
Sherk
did not immediately return phone calls after the fight.
Questionable
call?
The
crowd at the MGM Grand sure seemed to think veteran referee Yves
Levigne made a bad call in stopping the Kyle Bradley-Philippe
Nover undercard fight just 1:03 in. But the replays vindicated
Levigne’s work.
Bradley
(14-6, one no-contest) dropped Nover (5-2-1) with a huge slam
and followed up with a nasty right that connected square on the
grounded fighter’s face. Nover flopped onto his stomach
and appeared to go limp after eating a couple more punches, at
which point Levigne halted the match.
If
Levigne did make a mistake, it was that he hesitated to break
up the two fighters immediately, and Nover regained his bearings
in the interim. But the fact remains that at the time the match
was called off, Levigne saw a fighter who appeared to go unconscious
after taking damage and he can’t be faulted for erring on
the side of caution, regardless of what the fans in the stands
may have thought.
“I
actually was watching on TV in the back,” White said. “I
felt when [Nover] got hit with that punch his shoulder dropped
to the canvas and the ref made the call.
“I
thought [Nover] was out too. Those guys have to make split-second
decisions and I’m not going to second-guess something like
that.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
Quote
of the Day
“Truth
is the only safe ground to stand on.”
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
|
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Channel
52
8:00 PM
If
you are not on the Onzuka.com Hawaii Ground forum, you are missing
the latest news from upcoming events, get to rub elbows with
numerous promoters and fighters, and get to voice your opinion
on any subject you can dream up. Hit the links above to sign
up for a free account and start posting away!
|
$60,000
BONUSES HANDED OUT AT UFC 98
Las Vegas, NV- 12,606 spectators filled the MGM Grand Garden
Arena to witness "UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida" and the
UFC crown a new light heaveyweight champion.
Lyoto
Machida was awarded the Knockout of the Night award for his second
round KO of former titleholder Rashad Evans. Machida had Evans
in trouble several times throughout the bout, but a left hand
on the chin ended the fight at the 3:57 mark of round two.
Fight
of the Night honors went to former welterweight titleholders
Matt Hughes and Matt Serra. Serra had Hughes in danger of being
finished in the first round but Hughes survived and controlled
the second stanza with his top game and ground and pound. The
third round was extremely close with Serra working submission
attempts while Hughes stayed in top control. Serra closed out
the round with a takedown of his own, landing a few solid punches
as well.
The
Submission of the Night bones when to Brock Larson who submitted
late replacement Mike Pyle with a side choke in the first round.
-
Knockout of the Night: Lyoto Machida, $60,000.
-
Fight of the Night: Matt Hughes and Matt Serra, $60,000 each.
-
Submission of the Night: Brock Larson, $60,000.
Total
bonus money paid, $240,000.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Get
ready for the Machida Era
LAS
VEGAS – It’s true that defense wins championships,
and there may be no better defensive fighter in mixed martial
arts than Lyoto Machida.
It
was his punching power, however, that helped him to claim the
Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight title
with a second-round knockout of previously unbeaten Rashad Evans
at UFC 98 on Saturday before 12,606 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
And
judging by the way Machida performed, fans had better get used
to the Brazilian sitting at the top of the heap. After wins over
former UFC champions Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn and Tito Ortiz
and Saturday’s dominant performance against Evans, it doesn’t
seem there is anybody out there now who is going to be able to
take that belt from him.
“He’s
definitely there,” UFC president Dana White said. “The
way he beat Rashad Evans, that was very impressive. He gets better
every time he fights. It might be the Machida Era.”
Former
champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson will get the next
shot. Perhaps the one man who might be able to solve the Machida
riddle, though, is UFC’s middleweight champion Anderson
Silva, who has begun to dabble in the 205-pound division. But
Machida and Silva are close friends who are each managed by the
same man, Ed Soares. And they insist they will not fight each
other.
Other
than Silva, it is a stretch to conceive of anyone lifting the
belt from Machida any time soon.
“My
style is difficult,” Machida said in the night’s biggest
understatement. “It’s hard to match with Machida Karate.”
In
his last three fights, he’s beaten Ortiz, Thiago Silva and
Evans, who came into those bouts with a combined 41-5-2 record.
The
increase in his competition level hasn’t mattered at all,
though, as Machida has systematically taken his opponents apart.
On
Saturday, Evans raced out of his corner but didn’t attack.
He spent much of the first round circling Machida, keeping his
powerful fists at his side. As a result, Machida became the stalker
and the man moving forward making the fight.
The
first round was no barnburner, but Machida was measuring the
distance with kicks and the occasional punch and was clearly
gaining in confidence. He knocked Evans down with a kick and
then a short left with about a minute remaining in the first
round, but didn’t rush in trying to finish.
That
Machida was defensively proficient and exceptionally patient
couldn’t have been surprising. It’s been his modus
operandi since his days as young boy in Belem, Brazil, when he
learned karate from his father, Yoshizo.
There
weren’t many, though, who would have predicted Machida’s
lightning-fast hands and powerful punches would have been the
difference in the fight or that his fists would have ended it
so dramatically.
He
cracked Evans with a left on the chin that badly hurt the champion
and sent him staggering back into the cage.
Perhaps
two years ago, Machida would have waded in cautiously, unwilling
to risk the possibility that Evans was trying to bait him. This
time, though, Machida pounced, fully realizing he had the opportunity
to end the fight.
Evans
proved with his one-punch knockout of Chuck Liddell in September
and his TKO of Forrest Griffin in December that he’s powerful
enough to win any fight with a single shot.
Machida,
though, went for the kill as soon as the first opportunity presented
itself.
“As
soon as I hit him and I felt he felt it, I wanted to try to finish
the fight,” Machida said.
Machida
laughed when he was asked whether it was the best punch he ever
landed (it was). Evans’ legs were like spaghetti as he reeled
backward, and Machida knew the title was at hand.
He
didn’t waste the chance. He attacked, as former New York
Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor once famously said, like “a
crazed dog.”
He
landed a series of shots as they battled along the cage and finished
it with a devastating and perfectly placed left. Evans slumped
down the cage as referee Mario Yamasaki jumped in to save him
and, yes, signal the beginning of the Machida Era.
“He’s
good,” said former welterweight champion Matt Hughes, who
won a close decision from Matt Serra in the co-main event. “Real
good. … He’s kind of the total package.”
The
UFC acquired Machida in 2006, when it bought the World Fighting
Alliance. White said the only reason for the purchase was to
acquire the contracts of Machida and Jackson.
Given
that both have now held the light heavyweight belt and will meet
in a major bout later this year, it was obviously a terrific
investment.
But
White had to repeatedly defend Machida in his first few UFC bouts
from fan and media criticism. White was steadfast in his belief
that Machida’s tentative nature would change once he got
comfortable in the UFC.
If
he gets any more comfortable than he was on Saturday, they’ll
make laws to outlaw him.
Machida
said he would go home and try to correct his mistakes. He noted
that the real work will begin now that he’s the champion.
That’s
undoubtedly true, but it’s hard to imagine Machida being
able to be much better than he is now. He’s 15-0 with thunder
in both hands, the game’s best defense and a confounding,
unusual style.
“I
always said he’d be scary when he got comfortable,”
White said. “And I think he’s comfortable now.”
Source: Yahoo Sports
|
QUINTON
JACKSON IS 1ST CHALLENGER TO MACHIDA
Newly crowned light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida will make
his first title defense against former champion Quinton “Rampage”
Jackson in a bout to be scheduled soon.
UFC
president Dana White made the announcement at the post-fight
press conference for UFC 98.
The
undefeated Brazilian stopped previously unbeaten Rashad Evans
with pinpoint punches that laid the former champion out midway
into the second round. It was his seventh straight Octagon victory
and fifteenth career win.
White
kept with an earlier refrain on Machida’s swtich from dull
to devastating.
“I
think this kid needed to feel comfortable in the Octagon, and
I think he got over that hump," said White. "I was
blown away by his performance tonight. Absolutely blown away.”
The
victory on Saturday was a validation of his investment in the
Machida’s tactical, karate-based style, which drew early
criticism from fans.
“We
bought the WFA to acquire his contract and Rampage’s,”
added White. “I’ve always thought this kid was talented.”
Former
welterweight champion Matt Hughes, celebrating a close decision
victory over Matt Serra, praised the new champion while sizing
him up.
“He’s
good, obviously really good,” said Hughes. “The thing
he’s got going for him is he’s very different. If I
was going to fight somebody like him, I would bring two or three
karate guys in. His head’s back, his legs are forward. (He’s)
obviously good on the ground, good wrestler; he defended Tito’s
shots. He’s kind of the total package.”
With
Jackson on deck to face Machida, White acknowledged it would
be difficult to find someone to solve Machida’s riddle.
“It
might be the Machida era right now,” he said.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Mundial
2009: Consulate denies more
visas to Worlds 2009
Last
week, TATAME.com reported the difficulty of some athletes to
get the visa to fight in Jiu-Jitsu World Championship, which
happens in early June in California. After the drama of the athletes
of the Kimura team, most fighters came to us report the difficulties
to obtain the necessary documents to board toward to the U.S.
Paulo
“Bananada”, known of the MMA fans, tried to get the
visa to compete at the event, but, when he went to the American
Consulate, received a "no" as an answer. "Even
with all the documents that I would go only to fight for the
World Championship of Jiu-Jitsu, letters from the sponsors, from
the ONG where I’m a volunteer and even the invitation of
the Brazilian Confederation of Jiu-Jitsu, I didn’t got it",
he said, dissatisfied. Partner of Bananada in the TFT team, Vitor
"Pepi" gets revolted with Consulate’s decision.
"When
they saw the report of the TATAME, where other visas were denied,
the responsible for the embassy said that the athletes who tried
to get the visa didn’t carry the invitation or documents
evidencing the dispute. What now? Paulo and his friend William
Viana took all documents that showed their trip to the World
Championship, and the Embassy continues denying visas to the
fighters. As the report said before, you must be rich to go to
the World Championship?", says the fighter.
And
it wasn’t just the athletes from Brazil who have suffered
with the visas. MMA fighter living in Portugal, Fábio
Moraes "Tipinho" also had no luck in the American Embassy
in Portugal. "I signed up to fight the World Cup of California
and, despite having submitted my application along with other
documents, including the paper of the Customs of the United Arab
Emirates (I was in Abu Dhabi fighting at the beginning of this
month) and have the stamp of that country in my passport, the
American Embassy denied me the visa to go fight in the United
States", said Tipinho, revolted, in an e-mail to the TATAME.
"I’m
writing this email because I would like you to give notoriety
to this report, because it’s an absurd what they’re
doing with the Brazilian athletes in the world, barring the entry
on the countries, disabling them to continue their professional
lives as athletes. That way you can’t be athlete and try
to grow in the world of Jiu-Jitsu and MMA... Something must be
done", concluded Fábio Moraes. The eve of the Jiu-Jitsu
World Championship, where most fighters are Brazilian, the question
remains: until when the athletes will have problems to fight
such an important competition of the sport?
Source: Tatame
|
Gesias
ready for Kawajiri: “I’m crazy to fight"
One
of the biggest lightweight of the world, Gesias “JZ”
Cavalcante is ready for his return to the rings. Thirst for fight,
the American Top Team representative is scheduled to fight Tatsuya
Kawajiri in the Dream 9, on May 26, Japan. Without stopping the
trainings, Gesias talked with TATAME.com and guaranteed: is ready
to return with victory.
“He’s
a very complete man, has a good game standing, good wrestling,
does a good ground. I follow his career for a long time, I always
liked his style. For me, it’s an honor to be able to fight
with this guy”, praises Gesias. “I can't say that I’m
going to do this or that, I’ll go there and do my own. I’m
training the maximum tools as possible so that when I get to
the ring I don’t get surprised with anything”.
Check
an exclusive interview with the fighter, who also commented about
Shynia Aoki’s loss to Hayato Sakurai at Dream welterweight
tournament, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro’s return at
Dream, the title fight between his team mate Thiago Alves and
Georges St. Pierre and much more.
Gesias
Cavalcante
One
of the best lightweight fighters of the world, Gesias “JZ”
Cavalcante is ready for his return to the rings. Thirst for fight,
the American Top Team representative is scheduled to fight Tatsuya
Kawajiri in the Dream 9, on May 26, Japan. Without stopping the
trainings, Gesias talked with TATAME.com and guaranteed: is ready
to return with victory. Check below the exclusive interview with
the fighter, who also commented about Shynia Aoki’s loss
to Hayato Sakurai at Dream welterweight tournament, Vitor “Shaolin”
Ribeiro’s return at Dream, the title fight between his team
mate Thiago Alves and Georges St. Pierre and much more.
How
are the trainings to your return to the rings?
I'm
crazy to fight. Actually, I'm not considering my return at the
trainings, because I’m like I would be if I’d fight
at the end of the year. I trained to fight, but the opponent
was injured and the fight didn’t happen. Then, I was supposed
to fight in April and, two weeks before, they told me that it
would be better for me to fight at the end of May. So, I'm training
hard, in a good rhythm. It just needs to put me up at the ring.
What
do you know about Tatsuya Kawajiri?
He’s
a very complete guy, has a good game standing, good wrestling,
does a good ground game. He’s a guy that I respect a long
time, since the time of Shotoo, then in Pride, is a career that
I follow for a long time, I always liked his style. Even before
he was fighting professionally, I already liked his style. For
me, it will be an honor to fight with this guy that I follow
since I was a kid, and today I'm doing front with them, so that
he challenged me. He has a good cross from the right on top,
strikes well, has a good Boxing and Wrestling. I can't say that
I’m going to do this or that, I’ll go there and do
my own, training the maximum tools as possible so that when I
get to the ring I don’t get surprised with anything.
How
is the preparation? Will you keep the fight standing or take
him to the ground?
At
first I’ll fell standing and, as the fight goes, I’ll
take to the ground. Is like I said, it’s a difficult fight
to predict and difficult to guess, because of the game of the
two. There are fights that he just strikes, others that he wants
to do ground, so he’s a little unpredictable. But I'm going
with the full game, to make everything a little.
How
do you face this return and, winning, being possible to have
a chance for the Dream belt?
For
me is great, the expectation I have is this: the time that I
was stopped was the time I had to evolve. Definitely, I want
to show everything that I’m training here at the academy,
all that I came through with ATT, which, for me, is the best
team in the world. Has other teams, but we have done a good job,
even for the amount of top athletes and belt disputes we have
had. I can only thank the strength that the guys give me, the
Parrumpinha, who is my teacher of Jiu-Jitsu, always accompanies
me and is always with me at the fights, my coaches of Muay Thai,
Libório, Conan and Darrel. This are only the top coaches,
just to give that confidence that I'm improving and I have how
to evolve, not being stopped, or stalled. The expectation to
return now is the best, then go for the belt, with whoever.
Do
you want to face Aoki again?
I
will be quite honest, my desire is to fight with anyone with
the belt. I have a history with Aoki, but I also have a bad resolved
history with Hansen, that was a fight that we had long ago, at
the beginning of my career, which I lost in a dubious decision.
So, I never stayed running after Hansen, wanting to fight with
him again, nothing. I just want to fight with who is doing well
there, I want to fight with who is in focus, which is the possibility
that I have to always be with the belt, always showing myself
and beating myself, expanding my limits. Would be the case to
be fighting against both. Thank God the two guys who I’ve
lost are the two which today are at the top, disputing the belt,
and whoever it is, is good for me, I’m well settled with
these things.
What
did you think of his fight in the Dream’s welterweight GP?
Were you surprised with the result?
I
wasn’t surprised, because Sakurai is an athlete who is on
the road too long, already went through good and bad phases.
Sometimes he fights very well, others not so good, but he’s
a very tough athlete, further in weight 77kg. He is a strong
guy, I’m not surprised at all. Aoki had his chance, of course,
formerly he fought in the Shooto’s category, he fought well,
was champion. It isn’t a surprise, even because the physical
quality of Aoki isn’t the strength, but is flexibility,
the game, being able to do many positions that the opponent isn’t
used to see. I saw possibilities for him to win too, but it isn’t
a surprise that Sakurai have won the way he won.
What’s
your bet to the final phase of the welterweight GP?
I'm
betting on Galvão’s new blood, who arrived showing
service. I had also seen his other fight, before that in the
Dream, and I had liked. He had taken a knockdown, recovered in
the fight, was well. He is showing that he’s doing the right
job.
What
did you think of Shaolin’s return?
Thanks
God, he is a guy who was also stopped for a long time, wasn’t
well physically, went through injury, so I know the anxiety he
was. As a fighter, I can say, I don’t want anyone to be
stopped a long time because of injury. For those who love the
sport, it is very complicated. I’m glad that he is back
and winning, is good because the category is always moving. He
is an top athlete too, so I’m happy for him to be back in
the tops.
Many
fans want you to go to UFC. Why didn’t this happen yet?
First,
I always had the contract with K-1, which joined with the Dream,
and the guys are treating me well. I always have fights, so I
couldn’t try to negotiate with anyone else, with any other
event. Some times people commented about it, but no one came
to an agreement, then I didn’t get involved. I leave these
things in Dan Lambert’s hand, my manager, he takes care
of this bureaucracy things. I have a job and he has another.
If one day appear an opportunity and everything is beneficial...
But, today still has much top athlete in Japan, so I think I
still have much to do there. If one day appears the opportunity
to come here, if is natural, it will happen, I leave in the hands
of God.
What
are your bets to Thiago Pitbull’s fight against GSP?
He
takes the belt, I have no doubt. The team, anyone who sees the
guy training, his dedication and desire, already gives as almost
certain. He just needs to follow the line that he’s going,
making it simple. It will be simple. Of course that Saint Pierre
is a top fighter, certainly he’s in the top 10 pound for
pound, he’s an excellent athlete. But, because of the game,
also in the physical quality, Pitbull has much to complicate
GSP, and we’re exploring this. It will have a Camp for the
training, will be almost all guys. At that time, he will be the
only one fighting, so everyone will be together for him. So it
won’t be only Pitbull against St. Pierre, it will be the
American Top Team against St. Pierre... The team here is a family,
we all work together and helping each other. Everyone here has
its value. Pitbull is damn strong, has a heavy hand, a heavy
kick. Saint Pierre wasn’t always very strong in striking,
as we saw in the fight against Matt Serra. Pitbull is a guy who
always takes the opportunity.
Source: Tatame
|
Anderson
talks about Griffin and Wand’s bet
After
making history in UFC’s middleweight, defending his belt
one more time and breaking the record of consecutive victories
in the UFC, Anderson Silva is now getting ready for his next
fight at the light heavyweight division. After debuting against
James Irvin, winning by knockout in only 61 seconds, Anderson
will have a hard challenge ahead, where he faces, in the UFC
101, the former champion Forrest Griffin.
"It's
a tough fight, the light heavyweight category isn’t mine,
I have to train. Griffin is a tough guy, he’ll go to striking,
so I have to train", said Anderson to TATAME.com, revealing
that hasn’t pushed the training to the fight yet. "I’m
calm, helping the guys in their training here. I didn’t
start my hard training yet, I’m only doing the maintenance,
my Boxing... There’s a Thailand teacher here. We’ll
get back from (Rafael) Feijão’s fight and then I’ll
get the heavier trainings for this fight", says Anderson,
commenting the bet offered by Wanderlei Silva to his next fight
against Rich Franklin, who spend a week training with Anderson.
"Man,
no comments. Rich is a nice guy, I like him a lot, we have a
nice friendship, although we have faced each other twice. Rich
came here, made classes with us and we trained what we could,
I don’t know if it will make some difference to this fight,
but yes, he trained with us. Unfortunately, Wanderlei is Brazilian
and will fight with him, but we aren’t cheering for anyone.
I prefer to remain quiet with these comments, I don’t even
have anything to say. Each one speaks what they wants, the time
that wants", declared the champion.
Source: Tatame
|
ADCC
USA Trials West Quick Results
West Coast USA has its ADCC participants
The
first of the two US tryouts for the ADCC finals took place this
Saturday, May 23, at the California State University Dominguez
Hills gymnasium, in California. Check out who will be in Barcelona
carving out a place for themselves among the greatest grappling
artists in the world:
Mens
U65
KG: Ryan Hall - all submission wins
U76KG:
Don Ortega
U88KG:
Jason Selva
U99KG:
Rafael Davies
Over99KG:
Asa Fullar
Ladies:
Light:
Hillary Williams
Heavy:
Lana Stephanac
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Machida
celebrates title
“Now the work really begins”
As
would be expected, Lyoto Machida was all smiles at the press
conference held after UFC 98, in Las Vegas. With the belt on
his arm, the Brazilian karateka commented on the achievement
of having knocked out Rashad Evans and taking his place at the
top of the light heavyweight division.
“Now
that I’m champion the work will really begin. My goal is
to go out there and become a better fighter every time I step
into the octagon. Now, with the title, the responsibility to
do that is even greater,” said Lyoto.
Despite
maintaining his undefeated record and winning fights regularly
without suffering even a scratch, the karateka says there is
still much to analyze in his game. “I’m going to go
home with my dad and analyze the footage with my brothers and
see what mistakes I made, to thus try and improve,” he continued.
Present
at the interview, Dana White, UFC top dog, was all praise in
regards to the new champion. “Obviously the way he beat
Rashad was impressive. He gets better and better, it could be
the beginning of the “Machida Era,” said the UFC head.
Now
it is a given that Lyoto’s first title defense will be against
former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and the
Brazilian guarantees he will be up to the challenge. For each
fighter I have to have a different strategy in training, as each
one has his weaknesses. Some have a Jiu-Jitsu base, others muay
thai. I have Machida-Karate, a difficult style to understand,”
he said.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
|
5/25/09
Happy Memorial Day! |
Quote
of the Day
“We
must use time as a tool, not as a crutch.”
John F. Kennedy
|
Destiny
Saturday,
June 13, 2009
Waipahu Filcom
Main Event
-145lbs
Tim "Majik" Moon (freelance) vs Lorenzo Moreno (Bulls
Pen)
Semi-Main
-145lbs
Ricky "Real Deal" Wallace vs Albert "Alwayz Bad"
Manners (Hilo)
-145lbs
Chad Pavao (Hakulia) vs Toby "2quick" Misech (LAVA
MMA, Hilo)
-135lbs
Keola Silva (HMC) vs Mark Tajon (Bulls Pen)
-145lbs
Justin Wong (HMC) vs Nui "Soljah Boy" Wheeler (Team
Souljahz)
-155lbs
Shaison Laupola (Gods Army) vs Nathan Haring (Team C.A.T.)
-145lbs
Richard Barnard (Gods Army) vs Miles Hayes (Team M.A.C.P.)
-205lbs
Jon Wright (Kurrupt Ambitionz) vs Nathan Patopoff (Team C.A.T.)
-135lbs
Zachary Close (freelance) vs Steve Albanese (Team M.A.C.P.)
-145lbs
Makenzie Young (Kurrupt Ambitionz) vs Charles Matias (freelance)
-155lbs
Ikaika Cabebe (freelance) vs Trey Corrales (Team C.A.T.)
-145lbs
Hizson Linkee (Gods Army) vs Layton Pacheco (freelance)
-140lbs (female amateur bout)
Lii Furuta vs T.J. Rodrigues (Bazuko MMA)
-185lbs
Chris Santiago (Gods Army) vs Charles Hazelwood (Combat 50)
MORE
BOUTS WILL BE ADDED. FIGHT CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE!
Japheth
"Jay" Bolos
CEO
DESTINY Entertainment, LLC
Westside Fight Gear
94-144 Farrington Hwy. Ste# 112
Waipahu, HI 96797
Store# (808)381-2790
T-mobile Cell# (808)277-2335
Sprint Cell# (808)368-5568
|
EDGAR,
SONNEN, AND MCFEDRIES VICTORIOUS
New Jersey’s own Frank Edgar waged a brilliant hit-and-run
campaign against former lightweight champion Sean Sherk.
In
an extremely technical affair, Edgar managed to keep Sherk off-balance
through much of their fifteen-minutes together.
Sherk
took the center of the cage and stayed largely static, relying
almost solely on his hands to trade with Edgar as he came into
range.
On
the other hand, Edgar mixed up his attack strategy, which opened
Sherk’s guard to set up opportunities. He faked shots and
threw combinations. He lead with body shots and went upstairs.
He kicked the inside of Sherk’s legs. But ultimately, he
landed more damaging punches.
When
Sherk attempted to counter his fast combinations, Edgar angled
off and reset.
Sherk
found success with a left hook and overhand, but while the shots
scored points, they did not stop Edgar.
Sherk
began to throw with more abandon, clearly frustrated. In the
third, down two rounds, he took the first takedown opportunity
presented, waiting until Edgar committed to a right hand to plant
him on the canvas. But Edgar popped right up, and the fight would
stay there.
His
right eye bleeding, Sherk continued to chase after Edgar, but
took more punches for his efforts.
Judges
awarded Edgar all three rounds, giving him a unanimous 30-27
decision and his biggest career victory to date.
Edgar
was not shy about his fighting wish.
“I
want a title shot,” he told Joe Rogan.
Chael
Sonnen, fresh off a huge weight cut to make the 185lb. limit
for his bout with Dan Miller, played it smart and used ground
and pound to take a unanimous decision victory.
Miller
went with defense strategy number one for wrestling-based fighters,
trapping the Team Quest original in two guillotine chokes. But
Sonnen weathered the storm and used his escape to administer
punishment in the form of elbows and punches from side guard
and guard.
Miller
tried using his legs to stop the damage, working for multiple
submissions, but Sonnen pulled out and continued to work his
way towards victory.
All judges gave Sonnen each round with 30-27 scores.
Drew
McFedries railroaded Xavier Foupa-Pokam, leaping across the Octagon
with a lead left hook that put the Frenchman on his bicycle.
A
right hand follow-up flash KO’d Foupa-Pokam, but somehow,
he found his way upstairs. Waiting for him was a right uppercut
that was certainly the end of the end.
With
Foupa-Pokam turning his back, McFedries chased his man down,
landing a left that finally brought Yves Lavigne between them.
The whole sequence took 37 seconds.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
HUGHES
SETTLES THE GRUDGE WITH WIN OVER SERRA
A sixteenth win in the UFC couldn't have been much sweeter for
former welterweight champion Matt Hughes, as he was able to get
a unanimous decision win over longtime rival Matt Serra in a
grudge match on Saturday night.
Destined
to be a UFC hall of famer, Hughes went back to his roots by out
wrestling his opponent, pinning him down on the mat and working
a ground and pound attack for much of the fight.
The
first round saw the closest moment to a finish during the fight
as the fighters clashed heads, and the Illinois native took the
worst of it, and almost immediately Serra pounced on him with
punches trying to close him out.
Serra
landed a few more shots and it seemed like he might get the stoppage,
but Hughes did a good job of recovering and getting a clinch
to give himself some breathing room.
"I
didn't know exactly what hit me, I didn't know a headbutt or
what punch it was, so he obviously hit me pretty good,"
Hughes said about the first round.
Late
in the round, Hughes did land a great throw that landed him in
side control on Serra, hitting a few shots as the time came to
an end in the first five minutes.
Hughes
controlled every aspect of the second round as he took Serra
down early and never let the New Yorker get any offense going
at all. The former champion put Serra down on his back and despite
his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pedigree, Hughes was able to pepper him
with shots that frustrated him for almost the entire round.
The
third round saw the biggest action in the fight as Hughes landed
another good takedown, with Serra trying to land an omoplata.
Hughes battled out and eventually started to work a ground attack
again.
With
time running out in the fight, Serra landed a takedown of his
own, putting Hughes on his back, but before much damage could
be done the horn sounded stopping the fight and soon after Matt
Hughes was declared the winner, getting two rounds to one on
all the judges' scorecards.
The
battle of bad blood seemed settled as the fighters hugged and
exchanged a few words after the bout ended, but Hughes admitted
that the smack talk and long standing feud didn't hurt his motivation
for the fight.
"It
was definitely a motivating factor with what he said about me,
I'm sure he had the same thing with what I said about him, so
it definitely wasn't hard getting into the gym," Hughes
said after the win.
Matt
Serra gave credit to his opponent for the win, but was still
heavy hearted for not being able to get the win in the grudge
match.
"As
a fighter, I always regardless of what I thought about him personally,
as a fighter I always held him in high regard. He's a hall of
famer," Serra commented about Hughes following the fight.
"I just really wanted this win, I trained really hard for
it, I'm a little upset right now."
Before
the fight ever started there was a lot of attention to whether
or not Matt Hughes would come back for another shot in the Octagon,
or if he would call it a career. Hughes seemed more than ready
for another fight following the win over Serra.
"I
still go out there to compete, because I love the competition,"
Hughes said. "I will say I'm a free agent now, I don't have
anything with the UFC, so Dana and I will go and we'll talk about
it, by no means does that mean I'm going anywhere else, I won't
fight for anybody else. We'll see what goes on. I'd love to fight
one more time in my home area though."
After
the conclusion of the bout, Serra was asked by UFC commentator
Joe Rogan about his future, but the former welterweight champion
couldn't comment if he would consider a return to the 155lb weight
class, or stay at 170lbs for the present time.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
MACHIDA
BLASTS EVANS EN ROUTE TO TITLE
There may soon be an argument in Brazil as to who is the best
pound for pound fighter on the planet as Lyoto Machida put his
name in the hat as the top light heavyweight in the world after
knocking out the previously undefeated 205lb. champion, Rashad
Evans, in the 2nd round of their title fight at UFC 98.
Machida
displayed his dominance early in the fight landing good punches
and kicks to Evans, prompting the now former champion to gesture
at his opponent, but not offer much back in the way of offense.
The
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and karate practitioner once again
used his elusive style to keep away from any kind of power shot
that Evans had in his arsenal, while popping him with good punches
whenever the opportunity presented itself.
The
second round was clearly all Machida, as he started to open up
with more punches, seemingly gaining confidence with every second
that passed.
As
Evans stepped in to engage Machida with just over a minute left
in round two, it was the Brazilian who landed a big combination
of punches that buckled his opponent's knees, putting him on
the defensive.
Trying
his best to recover, Evans threw wild punches, but had no answer
to Machida's superior striking and as soon as the fighters moved
against the cage, it was Machida who put an end to the fight.
Another
good combo followed, and a big left hook landing squarely on
Evans' jaw saw the now former champion crumble to the mat, knocked
unconscious with Lyoto Machida standing over him victorious as
the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
"I
try all my life to be champion, and I am very, very, very happy,"
Machida said after the championship win. "Now I'm going
to keep this belt for a long time."
Still
undefeated in his professional career, Lyoto Machida now adds
some championship gold to his resume, and will now take his place
as the #1 light heavyweight in the world.
"If you have a dream, go ahead, it's possible," Machida
commented after the emotional victory.
Machida
also shouted "karate's back" to the crowd in attendance,
showing his love for the martial art that he's studied for so
many hear, and that annoucement will very likely boost DVD sales
of the 80's classic "The Karate Kid", although hopefully
no one will try a crane kick in MMA.
As
for Rashad Evans, the former champion tasted defeat for the first
time in his career, but despite the loss, he stayed positive
and smiled, as he always seems to do.
"Only
thing you can do is go forward," Evans stated after the
fight.
Lyoto
Machida will celebrate his win, and look for a showdown later
this year against top contender, Quinton "Rampage"
Jackson.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Lyoto:
“I invested my life on this dream”
Lyoto
Machida needed 15 fights to achieve his biggest dream: becoming
the UFC champing. Last night, on UFC 98, the Brazilian neutralized
Rashad Evans and, showing great striking ability, knocked Evans
out on the second round and left Las Vegas with the light heavyweight
gold. “The pressure was huge, because it was a five rounds
fight for the belt, a new thing for me, but I did it well. Our
strategy was set on top of his mistakes and I knew I’d induce
him to mistake and he’d fell, and it happened on the second
round. I felt him coming, so I connected some punches and he
fell”, sayd Machida to TATAME.com.
Lyoto
shared with us his feelings by hearing Bruce Buffer calling him
the new UFC light heavyweight champion. “I’m very,
very happy, it wasn’t easy for me. I fought my whole life
to get where I’m today, I invested my whole life believing
on this dream. It was the end of one stage, now is to remain
champion, what’s tougher”, tells Lyoto, who doesn’t
wanna think about his first title defense, possibly against Quinton
Jackson.
“They
talked about it, but I don’t need to focus on this until
its confirmed. I wanna rest a little, I’m coming from two
fights and I need to rest some days and then come back to training.
Then, I’ll focus on my goal: remain champion”, says
the Brazilian, open to be the TUF 11 coach, with one condition:
“I can do it, but I have to have a structure here in the
US, because I have to train too. I can’t be only coaching,
it’s six weeks and it’s very important. My focus is
fighting. I know I have to use this moment to make my name bigger
and all that, but it’s not my main focus right now. With
the right structure here, I’d do it”.
Source: Tatame
|
Mundial
2009: Braga Neto wants the gold at Worlds 2009
Antônio
Braga Neto showed, once again, that the super-heavyweight division
has a champion. In the Brazilian of Jiu-Jitsu, which happened
last weekend in Rio de Janeiro, the black belt of Gordo JJ didn’t
give chance to his opponents and submitted one by one, until
he win the gold medal. After the conquest, the current World
Champion spoke with TATAME.com about the submissions and his
expectations for the second World Championship in 2009.
"The
expectation is the best possible. I hope that all the tough guys
that exist are fighting and that everyone is there to be champion.
The expectation is that, I will be there well prepared and looking
for the title too", said Braga Neto, adding that: "I’ll
search for the World Championship as if it were the first. I’ll
go in search of my eighth gold medal at World Cups and I’ll
go after the openweight too. I respect everyone that will be
there, but I’m going to be champion", guarantees.
Mundial 2009: Antônio Braga Neto
Antônio
Braga Neto showed, once again, that the super-heavyweight division
has a champion. In the Brazilian of Jiu-Jitsu, which happened
last weekend in Rio de Janeiro, the black belt of Gordo JJ didn’t
give chance to his opponents and submitted one by one, until
he win the gold medal. After the conquest, the current World
Champion spoke with TATAME.com about the submissions, his expectations
for the second World Championship in 2009 and much more.
How
do you felt winning your second Brazilian championship in the
black belt?
This
was my second consecutive title submitting all fights. It was
very nice to win another important title in my career, but I'll
wake up tomorrow as if it was nothing and searching to get better
each day and get new achievements, such as next year Brazilian.
If I have the opportunity, I’ll fight to get one more.
You
fought at the openweight and you was going well, but lost to
Tiago Gaia. What happened?
Talk
about it after the fight is difficult. We already know each other,
I know his game and I knew he would do that, but, unfortunately,
in the middle of the fight, I was tired... It is difficult to
talk, give explanation. I'm sick, I’ve got dehydration in
recent days, but that doesn’t matter, he won, congratulations
to him. I’m just a little sad because I’m working very
hard, dedicating myself, and comes in the week of the championship
and I’m sick again, but I’ll see if I make a medical
monitoring to the World Championship and, if all goes right,
I’ll get there 100%. Today wasn’t my day, congratulations
to Tiago and everyone. When I got here I wasn’t feeling
so good, my friends from the academy wanted me to go home, but
I'm there, I’m a warrior. I prefer to enter and lose than
put my kimono under my arm and go home. This is no excuse, but,
today, unfortunately, didn’t work for me, but I’ll
try in the next for sure.
What’s
your expectation to the World Championship, since you’re
the current Champion and everyone is after you?
I
try not to think of this very much, to who is after me or not.
I do my job and, thanks God, is going well. I will go after the
World Championship as if it were the first. I’ll go for
my eighth gold medal at World Cups and I’ll the openweight
too. I respect everyone that will be there, but I’m going
to be champion. The expectation is the best possible, I hope
that all the tough guys that exist are fighting and that everyone
is there to be champion. The expectation is that, I will be there
well prepared and in search of the title too.
Are
you training in Rio again?
Yeah,
I'm back and I’m with a social project, I’m work and,
for now, my future will be here in Rio
Rodolfo
Vieira, who was brown belt when he won the World Professional
selective, was graduated black belt now. Do you expect a rematch
against him at the World Cup?
I
would like to fight against him again and with any other fighter
that is good. He has a very good technical quality, is a tough
guy, but I try not to think in opponent. He arrived there now,
won the championship and congratulations to him. In the World
Championship, if he’s really there, it will be a pleasure
to fight with him and with everyone.
Have
you already fought with Marcel Fortuna (Gracie Floripa) before?
It
was the fifth or sixth time that we fought and thanks God I was
the champion. I will defend my world title there, for sure, and
get the title that is what every fighter wants, the world openweight
title in the black belt, to contemplate a career of victories.
I, thank God, was openweight champion in all belts and, at the
black, is a title that I still don’t have, and that I will
try to get to the end of my life.
Source: Tatame
|
Machida
celebrates title
“Now the work really begins”
As
would be expected, Lyoto Machida was all smiles at the press
conference held after UFC 98, in Las Vegas. With the belt on
his arm, the Brazilian karateka commented on the achievement
of having knocked out Rashad Evans and taking his place at the
top of the light heavyweight division.
“Now
that I’m champion the work will really begin. My goal is
to go out there and become a better fighter every time I step
into the octagon. Now, with the title, the responsibility to
do that is even greater,” said Lyoto.
Despite
maintaining his undefeated record and winning fights regularly
without suffering even a scratch, the karateka says there is
still much to analyze in his game. “I’m going to go
home with my dad and analyze the footage with my brothers and
see what mistakes I made, to thus try and improve,” he continued.
Present
at the interview, Dana White, UFC top dog, was all praise in
regards to the new champion. “Obviously the way he beat
Rashad was impressive. He gets better and better, it could be
the beginning of the “Machida Era,” said the UFC head.
Now
it is a given that Lyoto’s first title defense will be against
former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, and the
Brazilian guarantees he will be up to the challenge. For each
fighter I have to have a different strategy in training, as each
one has his weaknesses. Some have a Jiu-Jitsu base, others muay
thai. I have Machida-Karate, a difficult style to understand,”
he said.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Quote
of the Day
"Be
entirely tolerant or not at all; follow the good path or the
evil one.
To stand at the crossroads requires more strength than you possess."
Heinrich Heine
|
UFC
98 RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY
PLAY-BY-PLAY
-Rashad
Evans (16-0-1; #1 Light Heavyweight in the World)* vs. Lyoto
Machida (14-0; #2 Light Heavyweight in the World)*
R1:
The fighter start out cautious like expected. They are both testing
the distance and looking to find their range. Evans misses a
low kick as Machida starts to stalk him. Neither fighter is committing
to much until Machdia lands a punch. Evans misses with a hook
as Machida stalks him. Machida lands a body kick and then a staright
punch as Evans comes in. Evans seems to be having a hard time
with Machida's karate stance. They clinch breifly only to seperate.
Machida drops Evans with a punch and follows up but Evans survives
and gets back to his feet. Machida goes for a head kcik as Evans
circles around. The round ends with the fighters stalking one
another.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Machida
R2:
Evans starts the round with a step in his feet as Machida stalks
him. A lot feinting between the fighters as they look for their
openings. They clinch up for a bit but seperate quickly. Machida
lands a low kick as he stalks Evans. Machida lands a combination
and Evans returns fire but can't touch him. The fight slows done
as they continue to stalk one another. Machida drops Evans with
an uppercut and pounces on him. Evans surviving the barrage of
punches and gets back to his feet. Machida landing at will on
the feet and Evans is trying to stay alive. Machida lands a huge
left hook and knocks Evans out cold.
Lyoto
Machida def. Rashad Evans by KO at 3:57, R2.
-Matt
Hughes (42-7; #6 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Matt Serra (11-5;
#7 Welterweight in the World)*
R1:
Hughes the aggressor with some jabs as Serra circles around looking
to find his range. Serra drops Hughes with a right hook but can't
finish him. Hughes is still hurt and Serra lets him back to his
feet. Serra tags him with more hooks and drops him again. Hughes
struggles to survive by getting a takedown but eventually recovers
and clinches along the fence. They seperate and the action slows
a bit. Hughes charges in and gets a clinch then slams Serra to
the ground. He gets Serra's back and goes for the choke but Serra
is defending well. Serra escapes and gets back to his feet. Serra
ends the round with kicks as Hughes goes for a takedown. The
crowd is absolutely going nuts for this fight.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Serra
R2:
Hughes lands a jab to start the round. Serra lands a nice hook
but Hughes avoids the follow-up. Hughes lands a body kick then
gets a takedown. Hughes controlling the action from the top with
some ground and pound. Hughes starts to work the body with punches
as Serra is unable to mount any offense. The action is starting
to slow a bit until Hughes lands some elbows and moves into half
guard. The action slows and the referee stands it up. Serra going
for broke as the round comes to an end.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Hughes.
R3:
Like in the previous two rounds, Hughes starts off with a jab.
Serra looking to land his big shot but Hughes gets another takedown.
Serra using the rubber guard. Hughes controlling the action from
to as Serra switches back to guard. Hughes looking to pass but
gets caught in a triangle choke that he escapes. The crowd gets
restless as Hughes controls the action from the top. The fight
is stood up and Serra presses forward. Serra motions for Hughes
to hit him. They clinch up and Serra takes Hughes down. Serra
working with away with punches but Hughes gets to his knees and
the fight ends with Hughes going for a takedown.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Hughes and the fight 29-28 for Hughes.
-Drew
McFedries (7-5) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-10)
R1:
The fighters circle to start the round and then McFedries pounces,
dropping Foupa-Pokam with a left hook. He follows up with punches
but Foupa-Pokam is able to get back to his feet, where is tagged
again with punches and falls back to the mat. McFedries follows
up with more punches that forces the referee to stop the fight.
Drew
McFedries def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam by TKO at 0:37, R1.
-Dan
Miller (11-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (21-10-1)
R1:
Miller comes out aggressive on the feet, Sonnen goes for a takedown
and gets caught in a tight guillotine choke. He is able to escape
after some tense moments and drops a couple shots on Miller.
Sonnen starting to work some solid ground and pound. Miller goes
for a leg but Sonnen is defending well. He escapes and gets side
mount, where he drops some elbows on Miller. Miller retains half
guard then guard as Sonnen drops punches. Sonnen stands up and
drops some solid shots on Miller. Sonnen continues to work from
top with solid shots as the round comes to a close.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Sonnen.
R2:
Miller lands a straight to start the round, which forces Sonnen
to go for a takedown that Miller defends. Miller lands some more
shots that makes Sonnen clinch up. Sonnen picks Miller up and
slams him but is caught in a guillotine choke that he is able
to escape. He starts his ground and pound attack once again.
He lands some hard shots that seem to bother Miller. Sonnen continues
the attack but Miller goes for an armbar that Sonnen is able
to escape. Sonnen starts to slow down a bit but is still controlling
the action from the top. Sonnen ends the round on top of Miller.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Sonnen.
R3:
Miller getting the better of the stand-up as he lands a nice
combination that hurts Sonnen. Sonnen then goes for and gets
a takedown. Sonnen controlling the action from top but not doing
too much. Not much action as the crowd starts to get restless.
Sonnen starts to get a bit busier but not by much. Miller is
unable to do anything as Sonnen controls the action from the
top. Miller looking for submissions but Sonnen is able to thwart
his attacks. The fights ends with Sonnen controlling Miller from
the top.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Sonnen and the fight 30-27 for Sonnen.
Chael
Sonnen def. Dan Miller by Unanimous Decision (30-27 on all three
cards)
-Sean
Sherk (33-3-1) vs. Frankie Edgar (9-1)
R1:
Edgar starts with a head kick that Sherk blocks. They trade shots
with neither landing too much. They both start to land a bit
more but nothing too significant. Edgar lands a nice one-two
combination that gets a reaction from the crowd. Sherk returns
the favor as he starts to press the action. They trade combinations
and Edgar goes for a takedown that Sherk defends. Sherk lands
a low kick but is dropped by an Edgar straight punch. Edgar has
a hold of Sherk's head who works for the takedown. They seperate
and start striking again. They continue to trade at abrisk pace.
Edgar lands a kick and Sherk lands a combination, they start
to trade with both fighters landing as the round ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Edgar.
R2:
Edgar lands a jab to start the round and Sherk fires back. Edgar
landing some good shots as Sherk presses on. Edgar goes for a
takedown but is tagged by Sherk with punches. They trade some
vicious shots as both fighters lands. Edgar lands a head kick
that gets a reaction from the crowd. The pace of the fight slows
a bit as they trade shots. Sherk lands a nice combination that
backs off Sherk. Edgar charges back with a combination of his
own. Edgar seems to be getting the better of the stand-up. Sherk
lands a vicious combination that hurts Edgar for a bit. Edgar
goes for a takedown but then misses a head kick. A close round.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Edgar.
R3:
The two fighters starts where they left off. Sherk seems to be
pressing the cation more as he lands some good strikes. Sherk
gets a takedown but Edgar gets back to his feet shortly after.
The pace of the fight starts to slow down as Sherk continues
to press, while Edgar lands shots. Edgar looks the fresher of
the two fighters. Sherk goes for a takedown but Edgar defends
and misses a head kick. They are trading shots but Edgar is getting
the better of it. Sherk lands a nice combination and Edgar a
jab. Edgar still getting the better of the stand-up exchanges
as he seems to have more in the tank. Sherk goes for a takedown
but is caught in a guillotine choke that Edgar squeezes till
the fight ends.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Edgar and the fight 30-27 for Edgar.
Frank
Edgar def. Sean Sherk by Unanimous Decision (30-27 on all three
cards).
-Brock
Larson (25-2) vs. Mike Pyle (17-5-1)
R1:
The fighters start the fight cautious as they test the distance.
Not much action until Larson gets a takedown. Pyle working for
leg locks but Larson defends well and gets on top. He lands a
couple of punches before Pyle grabs a leg. Some nice ground work
as the fighters trade positions. Larson goes for a side choke
and moves over to the side. He locks it on and Pyle taps out.
Brock
Larson def. Mike Pyle by Submission (Side Choke) at 3:06, R1.
-Tim
Hague (9-1) vs. Patrick Barry (4-0)
R1:
Hague comes out aggressive, while Barry looks to keep the distance
with kicks. Barrry lands a high kick then punches that stun Hague.
He tries to finish the fight but Hague is able to get a takedown.
Hague locks on a guillotine choke and Barry taps out.
Tim
Hague def. Patrick Barry by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at
1:42, R1.
-Phillipe
Nover (7-1) vs. Kyle Bradley (13-6)
R1:
The fighters trade shots with Bradley landing a one-two combination
and Nover landing a solid body kick. Bradley gets the clinch
and lands some knees that drop Nover, Bradley pounces with punches
that knock Nover out but he comes to and rolls to his back as
the fight is stopped. Referee Yves Lavinge is later seen telling
Nover "I'm sorry that I stopped the fight".
Kyle
Bradley def. Phillipe Nover by TKO at 1:03, R1.
-Andre
Gusmao (5-1) vs. Krzysztof Soszynski (17-8-1)
R1:
Soszynski pushes the action against the cage but Gusmao is able
to escape. Soszynski lands a couple good shots then Gusmao responds
with a combination that stuns Soszynski. Gusmao lands an errant
kick and the action is halted for a bit. Action resumes with
Soszynski pressing forward with punches. Gusmao working the kicks
as Soszynski looks for an opening. Soszynski taggs Gusmao with
a nice combination and is landing punches but Gusmao escapes
danger. Soszynski presses the action and lands a combination
that stuns Gusmao and knocks him out with a straight right.
Krzystof
Soszynski def. Andre Gusmao by KO at 3:17, R1.
-Yoshiyuki
Yoshida (10-3) vs. Brandon
Wolff (7-3)
R1:
Fighters start the fight rather cautious withe neither throwing
a strike. Wolff lands a couple of punches as Yoshida pushes Wolff
against the cage. Yoshida gets a guillotine choke and drops down
to finish it. He has it while mounted on Wolff. Wolff taps but
the referee doesn't see it and Yoshida secures it from his guard
and Wolff taps again to end the fight.
Yoshiyuki
Yoshida def. Brandon Wolff by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at
2:24, R1.
-George
Roop vs. Dave Kaplan
R1:
Both fighters trade shots but nothing significant landing. Roop
pressing the action with combinations, while Kaplan loads up
on kicks. Kaplan lands a nice one-two combo and starts to find
his range. Kaplan begins to press the action and Roop keeps him
at bay with kicks. Roop lands a nice combination that bloodies
Kaplan's nose. Kaplan responds with one of his own as the two
fight at a brisk pace. Kaplan lands a couple of low kicks but
Roop responds with a straight right. Kaplan gets a takedown but
Roop gets back to his feet after some struggling. They trade
shots as the round comes to an end.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Roop.
R2:
Roop lands some kicks to start the round as Kaplan circles around.
kaplan goes for a takedown and Roop lands a knee but is soon
on his back. After some inactivity, Kaplan gets up and lets Roop
up. Roop using his reach well with kicks and punches. Kaplan
pushes Roop against the cage and gets a takedown. Roop gets back
to his feet after a bit and Kaplan attacks with low kicks, while
Roop lands punches. Kaplan goes for another takedown but Roop
struggles before finally going down. Roop being the aggressor
from the bottom with elbows as Kaplan works the body with punches.
Close Round.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Roop.
R3:
Kaplan working the low kicks as Roop looks to use his hands.
Roop lands a good series of punches that force Kaplan to go for
a takedown. Kaplan is able to work to mount but Roop gets him
back into half guard then gets back to his feet. Roop then goes
for a head kick and lands a straight punch. Roop looks a bit
tired as he lands some solid knees. Kaplan pushes Roop against
the cage but Roop defends the takedown well. Kaplan finally gives
up and the meet in the center of the cage. Kaplan looks winded
as Roop controls the action with kicks. Kaplan gets the action
along the cage again. He misses a big overhand right as Roop
attacks with punches. They end the fight trading shots. Another
close round.
MMAWeekly
scores the round 10-9 for Roop and the fight 30-27 for Roop.
George
Roop def. Dave Kaplan by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27).
Main
Card Bouts:
-Lyoto Machida def. Rashad Evans by KO at 3:57, R2.
-Matt Hughes (42-7; #6 Welterweight in the World)* vs. Matt Serra
(11-5; #7 Welterweight in the World)*
-Drew McFedries def. Xavier Foupa-Pokam by TKO at 0:37, R1.
-Chael Sonnen def. Dan Miller by Unanimous Decision (30-27 on
all three cards).
-Frank Edgar def. Sean Sherk by Unanimous Decision (30-27 on
all three cards).
Preliminary
Card Bouts:
-Brock Larson def. Mike Pyle by Submission (Side Choke) at 3:06,
R1.
-Tim Hague def. Patrick Barry by Submission (Guillotine Choke)
at 1:42, R1.
-Kyle Bradley def. Phillipe Nover by TKO at 1:03, R1.
-Krzystof Soszynski def. Andre Gusmao by KO at 3:17.
-Yoshiyuki Yoshida def. Brandon Wolff by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:24, R1.
-George Roop def. Dave Kaplan by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29,
30-27)
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Art
of War: Dream or reality?
China, Emirates, legends of the sport and a job well done by
Rolles Gracie
Luca Atalla, special envoy to China
If
you just awoke from a week-long dream, let GRACIEMAG.com introduce
you to Art of War:
Imagine
an MMA event held in Beijing, China. Now add to that the backing
of a prince of the United Arab Emirates. Send him over 400 guests,
among them legends, VIP fans and reporters from a slew of different
nations around the world, as well as students awarded the trip
as a surprise gift. And stick in the card a 115 kg black belt
with the last name Gracie.
With
the said elements, now try to visualize what we documented in
the last few hours.
Still
need help, eh? We’ll try.
As
Rolles Gracie, 30, moves between the mount and taking Russian
Baga Agaev’s back, in search of a submission, the pulpit
of honor behind the journalists at Olympic Sports Center Auditorium,
made up of 200 people uniformed in white polos lead the chant:
“Jiu-Jitsu! Jiu-Jitsu! Jiu-Jitsu!”
As
unbelievable as it may seem, the nationality of the bulk of the
cheering section is not Brazilian, but Middle Eastern, easily
discerned by the small flag stitched on the shirts. They are
Jiu-Jitsu practitioners from the United Arab Emirates, who arrived
in China from the country two days earlier on a chartered flight.
The
most illustrious of them, with three empty chairs in front of
him, to have a better view, is Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammad bin
Zayed, the 15-years old son of the prince of Abu Dhabi who commands
the armed forces of the Arab Emirates.
His
Highness, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, is the same one
who sponsored the World Pro Jiu-Jitsu Cup that took place two
weeks ago in the Emirates, and of which complete coverage can
be found in the June issue of GRACIEMAG. And who has sponsored
the Chinese Art of War event – the endeavor of Chinese brothers
Andy and Konrad Pi – discretely since it debuted four years
ago, but who only now decided to reveal it.
And
he did it in royal style, naturally. Besides the plane carrying
Middle Eastern Jiu-Jitsu practitioners and students invited on
a trip to China who new little about the surprise event they
were to watch, H.H. Mohammad invited celebrities like:
Rickson,
Renzo, Royce, Royler Gracie; Ricardo Libório, Demian Maia,
Fabrício Werdum, Tim Sylvia; Thales Leites, Vitor Shaolin,
Jeremy Horn, Joachim Hansen, Fabio Leopoldo; world famous boxing
announcer Michael Buffer; the duo of Stephen Quadros and Bas
Rutten; the most famous referee in the west – John McCarthy
(former UFC) – and in the East – Yuji Shimada (former
Pride); Carlao Santos, leader of Emirates Team; journalists from
the world’s specialized media, event promoters, the fighters’
family members.
All
had business class plane tickets costing around 10 thousand dollars
each, and occupied 80% of the rooms in the Crowne Plaza, one
of most luxurious hotels of the city that less than a year ago
hosted the Summer Olympics. And, at around eight o’clock
on the night of Saturday, May 23, all are now watching attentively
the movement in the ring of Rolles, the first member of the sport’s
pioneering family to perform on Chinese soil, or better yet canvas.
Agaev
doesn’t make it easy, while he can. Standing, he attempts
spinning punches and kicks. In the clinch, he tries to use his
judo background to counter takedowns. On the ground, he survives
valiantly. But the Gracie dodges the strikes, topples his adversary,
and, while on top, is always between side-control, the mount
and the back, with submission attempts interspersed between positions
of privilege. Until, at 5:09 in, fallen prey to a rear-naked-choke,
the Russian finally taps out.
Rolles
immediately lets go of the hold and runs to cousin Renzo, in
his corner, open-armed. Rickson, who two days earlier cried when
commenting on the role of Rolls (Rolles’ father) in his
upbringing, and who was obliged to hand over the winner’s
prize, regardless of the result, doesn’t hide his partiality
and only doesn’t lift his nephew up off the ground with
a hug because all the master’s leverage is not enough for
such a feat, so heavy is the fighter.
Before
the celebration that carried over to the Gracie’s dressing
room could end, the event came to a close with the great appeal
of an age old rivalry between Japan and China, favoring the hometown:
In 1:39 min, Wu Hao Tian knocked out Yutaka Kobayashi.
Gourmet
dinner time for the guests on the second floor of the Crowne
Plaza, courtesy of a certain 15-year-old boy, who occupies the
round table at the center of the room, beside a Tae-Kwon-Do-practitioner
princess of Dubai, the Gracies, Carlao Santos, and the middle-aged
Chinese officials, next to the private physician to Sheikh Mohammad,
Dr. Geber Bittar, a Brazilian graduated in the USA and who, through
Jiu-Jitsu, was the bridge between the China of the Pi brothers
and the royal family of the Emirates.
Can
you imagine all that? Well, perhaps you haven’t yet awoken
from that week-long dream after all.
Results:
Art
of War 12 - Invincible
Beijing, China, May 23, 2009
Yutaka
Kobayashi (China) knocked out Wu Hao Tian (Japan) at 1:39min,
R1
Rolles
Gracie (Brazil) submitted Baga Agaev (Russia) by rear-naked-choke
at 5:09 min, R1
Dai
Shuang Hai (China) and Atsuhiro Tsuboi (Japan) drew
Fransino
Tirta (Indonesia) defeated Malik Arash (Sweden) by doctor's intervention
at 5:58 min, R1
Ning
Guang You (China) submitted Sirojid din Izakbaev (Uzbekistan)
by rear-naked-choke at 4:51 min, R1
Ole
Baguio Larson (Denmark) knocked out Shawn David (USA) at 3:39min,
R1
Koji
Kanechi Ka (Japan) submitted Kelvin Fitial (USA) by armbar at
1:27 min, R2
Marko
Huusansa Ari (Finland) submitted Xue Guo Bin (China) by rear-naked-choke
at 3:06min, R1
Chris
Bostick (USA) submitted Kim Ho Jin (Korea) by kimura at 2:42min,
R1
Wang
Sai (China) submitted Kim Whi Gyu (Korea) by rear-naked-choke
at 1:59min, R1
Justin
Holdaas (USA) defeated Lee Hyeung Seok (Korea) by referee intervention
at 7:22min, R1
Yao
Qiang (China) submitted Nemat Bobomukha Medov (Uzbekistan) with
a rear-naked-choke at 1:47min, R1
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Full
lineup for DREAM.9 Featherweight GP 2nd Round
DREAM has announced the complete lineup for next Tuesday's DREAM.9
Featherweight GP 2nd Round at the Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa,
Japan.
DREAM.9 features two tournaments, a "Super Hulk" open-weight
tournament and the second round of the Featherweight Grand Prix.
A
matchup between Ronaldo "Jacare" and Jason "Mayhem"
Miller for the vacant middleweight belt will close out the event.
A
bout to keep an eye on is Japanese superstar Norifumi "Kid"
Yamamoto's return from knee injury. He takes on Joe Warren, who
only has one fight under his belt but was a win over former WEC
champ Chase Beebe.
Gegard
Mousasi, who vacated the DREAM middleweight title to fight at
a higher weight class, will take on K-1 kickboxer Mark Hunt as
part of the Super Hulk Tournament.
And
of course, former MLB slugger Jose Canseco will make his MMA
debut against seven-foot-two Hong-Man Choi.
DREAM.9
will air live on HDNet Tuesday, May 26 at 5:00 a.m. ET and will
be repeated Friday, May 29 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
FIGHT
CARD (in order):
Ikuhisa
“Minowaman” Minowa vs. Bob Sapp ~ Super Hulk Tournament
~
Jose Canseco vs. Hong Man Choi ~ Super Hulk Tournament ~
Jan "The Giant" Nortje vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
~ Super Hulk Tournament ~
Gegard Mousasi vs. Mark Hunt ~ Super Hulk Tournament ~
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. J.Z. Calvan
Hideo Tokoro vs. Abel Cullum ~ Featherweight GP ~
Yoshiro Maeda vs. Hiroyuki Takaya ~ Featherweight GP ~
Masakazu Imanari vs. Bibiano Fernandes ~ Featherweight GP ~
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Joe Warren ~ Featherweight
GP ~
Ronaldo "Jacare" vs. Jason "Mayhem" Miller
~ Middleweight championship ~
Source: MMA Fighting
|
The
obligatory “OMG! Fedor vs. Barnett” post
By Zach Arnold
See, both fighters have reportedly agreed verbally, but no contracts
have been signed. Enough cold water to pour on the fight?
So,
if the fight takes place, ponder the following questions:
Does
the fight impact the standing of both men in their profession
as far as the outcome goes?
Over/under the amount paid to watch the fight in Anaheim - 7,000.
Over/under the PPV buys it draws - 60,000.
Is this going to be the last Affliction MMA event?
Don’t worry, the fact that I asked these questions means
that I am ‘quick to piss on the excitement’. Who used
the Original Whizzinator in that guy’s cheerios this morning?
*sigh*
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Ultimate
Women's Combat Gets Syndication Deal
Press Release
Lyle
Howry Productions in partnership with Momentum Entertainment
& Sports Network is proud to announce the syndication of
Ultimate Women’s Combat (working title). Executive Producers
are Lyle Howry, Dallas Tanner, and Jeff Rice.
This
reality based television show will be syndicated by Momentum
Entertainment & Sports Network. The show will be broadcast
over NBC stations and affiliates throughout the United States.
Other network affiliated stations and station groups will also
be included in the airing of the show. With an anticipated premiere
in late 2009 or early 2010, the show is expected to reach over
60 Million households in top markets throughout the U.S.
Ultimate
Women’s Combat is a television show that focuses on 16 female
Mixed Martial Arts fighters as they attempt to make a name for
themselves in the rough and tumble world of professional cage
fighting. Many of these combatants have been connected to male
fighters and trainers their entire careers. It’s now time
for them to step out of the shadows and into the fire! Throughout
the show the audience will get to know these warriors not only
as fighters but as women who have lives, responsibilities and
experiences that extend beyond the cage. Ultimate Women’s
Combat will delve deep into the lives of these women pulling
from them the most intriguing details of what makes a female
fighter. The weekly challenges will have the girls working closely
with nationally recognized organizations to make the public aware
of issues that have impacted our communities and the women themselves.
Make no mistake, this is a fight show and there will be fights!
At the end of the season the winners of the tournament will receive
a major contract from a partnered fighting promotion. Ultimate
Women’s Combat is not a fighting promotion and the creators
do not intend to promote fights under the Ultimate Women’s
Combat banner.
Bas
Rutten and Maxim 100 model, Joanna Krupa will play hosts to the
show. Also featured as coaches are #1 ranked fighter, Tara LaRosa,
U.K. fighting sensation Rosi Sexton, Strike Force contender Cristiane
"Cyborg" Santos and Jiu-jitsu legend Cesar Gracie.
The 16 female fighters include Felice Herrig, Angela Magana,
Angela Hayes, Melissa Steele, Roxy Richardson, Lauren Sugahara,
Kerry Vera, Michelle Vera, Moroeles Coenen, Casey Noland, Molly
Helsel, Vanessa Mariscal, Jessica Aguilar, Martha Benavides,
and Kate McGray (fight roster subject to change).
Lyle
Howry of Lyle Howry Productions would like to thank the following
sponsors for their continual support throughout Ultimate Women’s
Combat tryout’s and preliminary events: Self Defined Clothing,
Tussle Fight Gear, Super Body Care, U.K. Cage Warriors, HGH Infusion,
Bas Rutten's Elite MMA and Dojo Fight Gear.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quest
for Champions 2009
The Quest
for Champions 2009 Tournament featuring
Sport-Pankration, Submission Grappling and Continuous Sparring.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Kalani High School Gym
Email kunltd@hotmail.com for more information.
|
Evangelista
Cyborg on training for Villasenor
Headliner at Strikeforce no longer with Rafael Cordeiro
Carlos Osorio / PortaldasLutas.com
After
a suffering a devastating arm injury in September of 2008, while
fighting at Sengoku, Evangelista Cyborg will be back at Strikeforce
on June 19, when he’ll face Joey Villasenor in the evening’s
main event. Now living in the United States, with his wife and
fighter Cristiane Cyborg, the fighter comments on how training
is going, and how he is no longer coached by Rafael Cordeiro.
Check
out the interview with Portal das Lutas, GRACIEMAG.com partner
site.
What
are your thoughts on your upcoming Strikeforce debut?
It’s
a really important fight, because it’s the first on my contract
with Strikeforce and also the first since my injury. I’m
well prepared to put in a good effort. I’ll face Joey Villasenor
and it’ll be the main event at Strikeforce on June 19. I’m
at 90% right now and there’s still a month to go, but I’ve
been keeping up a good pace for some time. I’m already training
well and I’m just looking forward to being able to fight.
What’s
your take on your opponent?
We
were supposed to have already fought before, but I had problems
with my visa and couldn’t. He’s coming off three wins
and is a good fighter. He was the champion of EliteXC, knows
a bit of ground fighting, knows a bit of takedowns and knows
a bit of standup, but isn’t exceptional, from my point of
view. He’s a guy who likes to keep it standing, knows how
to defend takedowns and has a relatively good ground game. I’m
really paying special attention to everything. I’ve been
training boxing with Macolin at The Boxing gym, muay thai and
Jiu-Jitsu with Cleber Luciano here in Huntington Beach. I’m
looking to fight standing, but only when the time comes will
I know what will happen.
And
how has training been with Rafael Cordeiro?
I’m
no longer working with Rafael. After he left Chute Boxe we felt
it was best not to work together anymore. We’re doing parallel
activities, finding sparring partners, who are really good. We’re
just not together anymore, but we’re still friends. We’re
just not training together for professional reasons. He left
the firm, it was an awkward situation and we thought it best
not to continue.
So
you’re training “American style,” with no one
particular place?
In
the United States things are a bit different from Brazil. Over
there you get to the gym and there are 20 to 30 guys to beat
the hell out of you every day. In Brazil there’s the advantage
of having huge training sessions. But the boxing guys around
here are awesome, and I’ve been training blows with them,
the ground training with strikes is also really good with Cleber
Luciano. And I’m doing my conditioning work with Justin.
So I’m covering all the bases to be ready for this fight.
Here it’s like this, you do boxing with about a half dozen
here, train with someone really good at muay thai there, do some
ground with strikes with a Jiu-Jitsu group, work on your wind
with a physical conditioning coach somewhere else and get ready
for your fight. When we want to fight and like what we do, we
put in a lot of effort to be ready for anything. I’m really
focused and have been waiting for this opportunity for a long
time.
Source: Gracie Magazine
|
Forrest
Griffin wins first-ever UFC Spirit Award
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin was announced
today as the winner of the inaugural Tequila CAZADORES Authentic
Spirit Award.
The new monthly award recognizes UFC fighters that demonstrates
either social responsibility, dedication to the art of MMA, or
good sportsmanship. The winner receives a plaque and a $1,000
check to the fighter's charity of choice. Later in the year,
a fighter that best excels in the Spirit Awards will be presented
with a $10,000 award for a charity.
Griffin
won the award for his support of the Wounded Warrior Project.
Griffin's $1,000 will go towards the non-profit dedicated to
honoring wounded soldiers.
The
award is presented by Tequila CAZADORES, the official spirit
sponsor of the UFC.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Quote
of the Day
"Everyone
has talent. What is rare is the courage to follow
the talent to the dark place where it leads."
Erica Jong
|
UFC
98 (5/23 Las Vegas) card line-up
Today!
By Zach Arnold
We’re
one week away. Make your predictions for a) the main card fights
and b) the PPV buyrate. Over/under… 550,000 buys?
As
it currently stands:
Dark
matches
Lightweights
(155 pounds): Dave Kaplan vs. George Roop
Welterweights (170 pounds): Yoshiyuki Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff
Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Krzysztof Soszynski vs. Andre
Gusmao
Lightweights (155 pounds): Phillipe Nover vs. Kyle Bradley
Heavyweights (up to 265 pounds): Pat Berry vs. Tim Hague
Welterweights (170 pounds): Brock Larson vs. Chris Wilson
Main card
Lightweights
(155 pounds): Sean Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar
Middleweights (185 pounds): Chael Sonnen vs. Dan Miller
Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Drew
McFedries
Welterweights (170 pounds): Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra
Light Heavyweights (205 pounds): Rashad Evans vs. Ryoto (Lyoto)
Machida
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Pros
Picks: Evans vs. Machida
by Mike Sloan
The UFC will pit two world-class undefeated fighters against
one another for the light heavyweight championship this Saturday
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Champion Rashad Evans
has but one blemish on his professional resume -- a draw against
Tito Ortiz. Challenger Lyoto Machida’s ledger remains perfect.
At the end of the UFC 98 main event, one will exit the Octagon
with the bottomless feeling of failure in his stomach, a sensation
he has never before experienced.
Sherdog.com
spoke with dozens of professional trainers and fighters to gauge
their feelings on the light heavyweight title tilt.
Din
Thomas: How do you pick a winner in this fight? Neither guy has
lost, so it’s hard to say how one could lose. My guess is,
after five long rounds, they will defensively both be so dominant
that they will cancel each other out. And [for] the first time
in UFC history, nobody will win. It’ll be a draw.
Randy
Couture: This is a very interesting style matchup. If Rashad
Evans can get his hands on Machida and implement his wrestling
skills, he will win the fight, but that’s no easy task.
I believe he has the ability to pull it off. Should be very interesting
to see it unfold.
Kit
Cope: I think Evans will beat Machida in this tussle. If Evans
isn’t smart enough not to play Lyoto’s chase game,
then Greg Jackson at least is. This fight is gonna come down
to game planning, and I believe Rashad will have the best one.
Zac
George: Machida can out-karate “Sugar” standing, but
Rashad has the tools to end it on the mat. Machida [via] fourth-round
stoppage due to accumulation of damage.
Cung
Le: I’m going with Lyoto by decision.
Nick
Thompson: Lyoto [will win] by making Rashad swing and miss.
Jeff
Monson: Machida by stoppage late.
Mike
Whitehead: No pick; it’s too close.
Roland
Sarria: Lyoto Machida by decision.
Lyoto
Machida is the pros' slight favorite.Erik Paulson: This is a
tough one. I think that this one will go to the ground, and Machida
could be the victor.
Pete
Sell: Rashad has proved people wrong in the past thinking that
he would lose, even though I have to go with Machida. I feel
Lyoto has such an unorthodox and elusive style.
Marvin
Eastman: I think Evans by decision. Machida’s style makes
it difficult to look good against because he’s always moving
around. He can make for a so-so fight.
Nate
Marquardt: Rashad by TKO in round five.
Guy
Mezger: I will take Evans; he just outworks him.
Micah
Miller: I predict a lot of dancing and running.
Joe
Stevenson: I like Rashad. I just think that he’ll be able
to use his wrestling to dictate the pace of the fight. I think
Machida is very good, very talented, but they are both very similar
in their counterstriking ways. I think that you’ll see a
more crisp Rashad landing strikes on the feet and definitely
more sound takedowns. From the ground, I don’t see Machida
submitting Rashad. Maybe he’ll try to pull kimuras, but
[he’ll] pretty much just be taking blow after blow from
his back.
Ryan
Bader: I’ve got Rashad by decision. I don’t think it
is going to be a very exciting fight, but I do believe that if
Rashad uses his wrestling with his hands and mixes it up, then
he edges out Machida
Michael
Guymon: I love Rashad and his style, but Machida is the king
of the distance game. I see [him] frustrating Rashad and getting
the W.
Scott
Epstein: Machida might be the most elusive fighter in the world
of MMA. Evans has some choices -- either try the patience game
and be elusive himself, which will make one of the most boring
fights of the decade, or bum rush the show, throw caution to
the wind, get the takedown, smother Machida into the fence and
pull a TKO. Unfortunately, Evans is not a kamikaze pilot and
will try the first of my two choices. I got Machida by decision.
As always with my predictions, I hope I’m wrong. I really
don’t want to watch two guys try not to get hit for 25 minutes.
Stav
Economou: I see Rashad chasing Machida constantly until the fourth
round, where he’ll finally land a shot or two and take the
win. Rashad wins [by] TKO [in the] fourth round.
Stephane
Vigneault: That’s a very tough fight to say. I think Rashad
by decision. I predict a boring fight, too.
Gabe
Ruediger: I think Machida will win. I think his style will eventually
force Rashad to initiate. Machida will counter and use his footwork
to ensure that he fights his fight. I’m not sure which round
-- although something is telling me third -- but Machida will
win.
Elvis
Sinosic: This is a great match [between] two undefeated fighters.
Both have really grown as fighters within the UFC. The problem
is both are counter fighters. I think Lyoto is more patient,
but saying that, I can see Greg Jackson making a strategy that
forces Lyoto to come forward. Rashad has great stand-up and great
wrestling. Both guys have KO power. Both use fantastic footwork
to set up their attacks. Lyoto works best against an aggressive
fighter. Will Rashad break and push forward or will he be patient
enough to wait for Lyoto to attack, knowing he has the belt and
you have to beat the champ? I’m stuck on the outcome of
this match. I really think both guys are extremely talented and
have the ability to win. I can see it going to a decision. If
it goes to the later rounds, who will be stronger? I’m going
to sit the fence on this one.
Rick
Roufus: I think Machida will win. I think his style will eventually
force Rashad to initiate. I believe the only way for Rashad to
win is to take him down and ground-and-pound him. Machida will
counter and use his footwork to ensure that he fights his fight.
Thomas
Denny: Man, this is a rough one. These are two of the best 205ers
out right now. I’m pulling for Rashad. The fight is really
hard to pick … Rashad via third-round TKO.
Ben
Saunders: I predict a riot breaks out in round four, ending in
a controversial no contest (laughs).
Robin
Black: Machida does not have superpowers; he’s just a guy
who’s super good at a fighting style that’s really
different than most pro MMA fighters. If anyone could create
a game plan that will work for Machida, it’s Greg Jackson,
Rashad’s coach. If anyone can implement it, it’s Rashad.
But I’m guessing it won’t happen. Machida has been
so elusive and dominant; he hasn’t come close to showing
his full skill set. Without it, Jackson can’t create a perfect
plan, and Evans can’t make it happen. Machida finishes the
fight.
Jonathan
Goulet: Rashad Evans will be the first one to beat him. They
have a good game plan, and I’m telling you, once again,
we will be surprised at how good Rashad is. Rashad will bring
the belt back to New Mexico after the fourth-round KO.
Pros
that picked Evans: 10
Pros that picked Machida: 11
Pros that could not decide: 7
Source: Sherdog
|
UFC
98 'Evans vs. Machida' Preview
by Robert Rousseau
MMA is a very difficult sport with a lot of variables. Boxing
fans with no MMA knowledge often don't understand how a fighter
with a 10-3 record (so few fights) can somehow be a champion
in the sport. The answer is simple and has already been said.
MMA
is a difficult sport with a lot of variables. So undefeated high
caliber fighters are a rarity. That's why UFC 98 is such a treat,
in that two fighters with no professional losses are vying for
the UFC light heavyweight title in Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.
What's more, UFC 98 will also bring us the grudge match to end
all grudge matches with Matt Hughes vs. Matt Serra.
Get
ready, get set, go.
Rashad
Evans (13-0-1) vs. Lyoto Machida (14-0): Machida's unique Shotokan
karate style has been giving opponents fits for years. He's simply
outstanding at staying out of another fighter's range until such
time as an opening presents itself. Further, in recent fights
he's proven that he has the power to take someone out when those
openings occur.
In
other words, he's as technical as technical gets on his feet
with power to boot. What's more, Machida possesses outstanding
takedown defense (see the Tito Ortiz fight), better than average
submissions, and really isn't missing anything in his arsenal.
Can he win a tough back and forth encounter? Well, that remains
to be seen.
You
see, he's simply dominated everyone he's fought in the UFC to
date.
Rashad
Evans received someone of a bad rap on TUF 2, despite winning
the show in the heavyweight division when he was one of the smallest
contestants. People seemed to question his heart, primarily because
of some less than exciting wins on his way to the championship.
But then he fought Brad Imes in the finale. In the end, he took
some big shots against Imes and proved time and time again that
his resolve was unquestionable, as was his toughness. Beyond
that, Evans possesses outstanding athleticism, elite wrestling
skills, and very underrated stand up, with a lot of power.
Sometimes
Evans seems to fall into a lull during matches for short periods
of time, however. On top of that, he hasn't shown much in the
line of submissions, even if his submission defense is strong.
Rashad
Evans vs. Lyoto Machida Prediction: This, of course, is a tough
call. First, you have two guys that have not lost before, and
the first loss is often the hardest one for opponents to deliver.
Evans will likely try to turn this fight into a blood and guts
affair. There are three ways he could attempt this. His best
option would seemingly be to take Machida down and pound away.
But guess is that will be hard for him, as Machida's takedown
defense is outstanding. He could also try and work the clinch
along the Octagon wall, but Machida may possess a better clinch
than him. Finally, he could just try and stand up with Machida,
hoping to hit home with a big shot. The problem is that it has
been proven very difficult time and time again to do that to
the man they call "The Dragon".
Evans
could win here. But guess is that Machida just has the stuff
to foil his plans.
Lyoto
Machida wins via unanimous decision.
Matt
Hughes (43-7) vs. Matt Serra (16-5): Matt Hughes has had one
of the greatest MMA careers of all-time. What's allowed him to
do this are his ground skills. Simply put, he possesses outstanding
takedowns, great power, and excellent Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills
from the top position. In terms of striking, he has never truly
been strong. Further, his guard is hard to comment on as he hasn't
ended up there very often.
Of
course, his skills have looked diminished in losing three out
of his last four (two to Georges St. Pierre and one to Thiago
Alves). Still, those are perhaps the two best young bucks in
the welterweight division, and both are huge.
Matt
Serra has underrated striking skills, particularly when it comes
to his hands or boxing skills. After winning TUF 4, he got the
chance to prove this against Georges St. Pierre and delivered
with a TKO victory. Beyond the speed and power in those fists
of his, Serra is an outstanding Brazilian Jiu Jitsu fighter.
In terms of weaknesses, however, it's hard to ignore that Serra
is a small welterweight.
Matt
Hughes vs. Matt Serra Prediction: The major question here is,
can Matt Hughes get this fight to the ground, as he likely won't
win a striking battle against Serra. The answer is probably.
Hughes won't be dealing with a size or power disadvantage here
as he did against St. Pierre and Alves. Actually, he should be
the bigger and more powerful combatant by a decent margin. Once
on the ground, guess is that he can avoid submissions and pound
his way to a decision victory.
But
don't count Serra out. He's surprised before. Still, Hughes's
50 MMA fights and power should give him the advantage he needs.
Matt
Hughes wins via unanimous decision.
THE
REST OF UFC 98
Drew
McFedries (7-5) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (20-10): Should be a good
fight. McFedries had more time to get ready for this one.
Drew
McFedries wins via TKO.
Dan
Miller (11-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (23-10-1): Sonnen is the better
wrestler, but Miller has the better submissions. On their feet,
this is a close fight. Miller just seems like one of those guys
we're going to hear a lot about in the future.
Dan
Miller wins via submission in round two.
Sean
Sherk (37-3-1) vs. Frank Edgar (9-1): Both of these guys have
solid technical striking skills, but Sherk seems faster. Both
guys are ground and pound specialists, but Sherk just has more
experience at the whole thing.
Sean
Sherk wins via unanimous decision.
Brock Larson (26-2) vs. Chris Wilson (13-5): Chris Wilson has
well-rounded skills. Larson is a killer.
Brock
Larson wins via round one submission.
Pat
Barry (4-0) vs. Tim Hague (9-1): Barry has awesome striking skills.
Hague is a tough guy on his feet as well, but this will be his
Octagon debut. Sometimes the nerves get to people.
Pat
Barry wins by way of third round TKO.
Phillipe
Nover (6-1-1) vs. Kyle Bradley (13-6): Nover is the better striker
and more well-rounded athlete. That should carry him through.
Phillipe
Nover wins by way of second round TKO.
Krzysztof
Soszynski (18-9-1) vs. Andre Gusmao (5-1): Go with a minor upset
here, based on Gusmao's ability to hit home quicker with strikes.
Andre
Gusmao wins by way of a close decision.
Yoshiyuki
Yoshida (10-3) vs. Brandon Wolff (7-3): You never know how someone
coming off of a devastating knockout loss, such as Yoshida is,
will react. Still, he has the more well-rounded skills here.
Expect a somewhat lackluster, yet winning performance.
Yoshiyuki
Yoshida wins via third round submission.
Dave
Kaplan (3-2) vs. George Roop (8-5): Roop's reach advantage should
do wonders for him.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
UFC
98 PRESS CONFERENCE: HISTORIC TITLE FIGHT
by Ricardo Mendoza
Go to MMAweekly.com for a UFC
98 Press Conference Video
Las
Vegas– Today the UFC held its press conference in anticipation
for UFC 98 with UFC president Dana White leading the way with
all four main event fighters joining him on stage.
White
noted the historic significance of Saturday's fight, “The
main event for the light heavyweight title on Saturday night,
for the first time in UFC history, that two undefeated fighters
have faced off for the title.”
The
challenger Lyoto Machida was short and sweet with his thoughts
on the fight, “I’m very excited and I’m looking
forward to this fight. I will try to finish this fight before
the end.”
This
will be Rashad Evans first title defense and he hopes to keep
the title for a long time as he mentioned in his comments for
the fight.
“I’m
very excited to be here. I’m blessed to be on the card with
two other great fighters in Matt Serra and Matt Hughes. What
can you say about him, this guy defended the title more than
anybody else. That’s what I hope to do and Saturday’s
my first step.”
Although
he is confident in himself, Evans knows that he has a tough task
ahead of him on Saturday night. “I got to fight a tough
fighter in front of me in Machida. He’s on his game and
we are going to see what happens but I’m definitely going
to win”.
White
went into detail about the co-main event of the evening between
former UFC welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Matt Serra,
going into how each fighter has a rather large disdain for the
other and how the fight has been a long time coming.
The
pair of fighters were originally scheduled to face off for the
UFC welterweight championship at UFC 79 about 17 months ago,
but injuries have prevented the fight from happening until now.
Serra
expressed his excitement at the fight finally coming to fruition.
“What can I say? It’s been a long time coming; I was
devastated when we were supposed to fight the first time. I’m
just happy that it’s finally happening”.
To
Serra it feels like the fight has been a long time coming, “I
feel like I’ve been training forever for this fight, I had
a three-month camp. I’m in phenomenal shape.”
It’s
been well documented that the two fighters dislike one another
and Serra addressed it bluntly. “We don’t like each
other, that’s evident.”
He
even addressed some trash talking from Hughes camp that mentioned
Serra would be scared to be in the cage with Hughes on Saturday
night. “Believe me, there is no place on the planet that
I’d rather be then staring across the cage from Matt Hughes
on Saturday night.”
Hughes
was a man of few words, as he kept it brief, just talking about
being healthy for first time in a long time. “I’m very
healthy for this fight, I had a great training camp and my body
has really worked with me and been injury free. So I’m definitely
100 percent healthy for this fight, mentally and physically.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
5
Things to Watch for at UFC 98
by Danny Acosta
The UFC’s Memorial Day weekend offering promises to be memorable.
UFC 98 “Evans vs. Machida” emanates from the MGM Grand
Garden Arena, a combat sports beacon, in Las Vegas.
Here
are five things to watch for come fight night.
1.
The 205-Pound Elephant
Rashad
Evans defending his light heavyweight crown against Lyoto Machida
is the elephant in the room. Everyone sees it, and no one wants
to talk about it.
The
style clash between two defensive-minded counter strikers has
inspired little pre-fight steam. It’s a shame when you consider
the technical prowess involved and a travesty when you consider
that it’s the UFC’s first title bout between undefeated
fighters in any division. The blame rests on the uneasy shoulders
of premature promotion.
Evans
was brought into the Octagon to hype a fight with Quinton Jackson
after “Rampage” scored a decision over his teammate,
Keith Jardine, at UFC 96 in March. Oddly, the champion called
out the challenger. The storylines of Evans trying to avenge
a teammate and Jackson attempting to recapture gold -- along
with their heated faceoff -- were all compelling enough to push
a matchup; too bad that fight’s not happening yet.
The
prospect of Evans-Jackson turned Evans-Machida into a second-fiddle
booking. Come fight time, though, it should be apparent that
the combatants are two of the world’s best -- Sherdog.com
ranks Evans and Machida at No. 1 and No. 4, respectively -- at
205 pounds. Regardless of the outcome, their well-rounded games,
which emphasize defense, will likely ensure they will remain
among the sport’s elite for years to come, even if fans
are not thrilled by what they see at UFC 98.
2.
Grudge Match
Matt
Serra’s grudge with Matt Hughes was so intense that an entire
season of “The Ultimate Fighter” was built around it.
The coaches were slated to fight after taping wrapped, but Serra’s
back injury nixed those plans. Now the reality series has moved
on to season nine, and two subsequent super bouts -- Forrest
Griffin vs. Quinton Jackson and Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rogerio
Nogueira -- have diminished the appeal of Serra vs. Hughes.
Georges
St. Pierre’s reign over the welterweight division further
buries their co-main event match at UFC 98. Hughes finds himself
in the unfortunate position of having lost to both the current
champion (twice) and number one contender Thiago Alves. Serra,
however, split two fights against the champion and, should he
dominate Hughes, could be a fight or two away from a rubber match,
especially if his home state of New York grants MMA a Big Apple
blessing soon.
The
sport’s unforgiving nature has come down hard on these former
champions. Their overall relevance may have diminished, but come
fight time, one man will try and beat down the other. That’s
so much sweeter when two combatants dislike each other.
3.
Chris Wilson is one of many fighters to have an opponent change
at UFC 98.3. Injuries, Replacements & Rewards
UFC
98’s undercard closely resembles that of its predecessor.
After losing his promotional debut to Denis Kang, Xavier Foupa-Pokam
challenges Drew McFedries, instead of the injured James Irvin.
Meanwhile, 170-pound bulldozer Brock Larson steps in to face
Chris Wilson for an ailing Josh Koscheck. And Krzysztof Soszynski’s
kimura victory over former World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder
Brian Stann lands him across the cage from Andre Gusmao in a
showdown between International Fight League veterans.
The
shakeups can shoot Larson and Soszynski up their divisional ladders.
“Professor X,” on the other hand, snags a fast turnover
with a chance to turn it into something meaningful. The same
holds true for amateur politician Chael Sonnen, who last saw
action when Demian Maia sent his UFC career spiraling like the
Republican Party. He takes on former IFL middleweight champion
Dan Miller.
Even
if these replacements falter, the UFC figures to reward their
willingness to compete. A win would serve as a double down for
each of them. Potential rewards are greater than the risks.
4.
Put Up or Shut Up
Sean
Sherk has favored slugfests in his last two bouts, and fireplug
Frankie Edgar will be happy to oblige him. It’s a nice invitation
for Sherk -- finish a tough fighter with a similar to, equal
to or greater than boxing-wrestling combination, and a shot at
gold could be in the works.
Sherk
was the second person to defeat Tyson Griffin; Edgar was the
first. It was a noteworthy debut for Edgar, and the New Jersey
native has continued his rise, posting a 4-1 UFC record. His
one loss, however, came to a larger wrestler in Gray Maynard.
Edgar’s challenge seems more pressing: prove the 155-pound
division is his proper weight class by staying competitive against
a former champion, or find a home at 145 pounds in the WEC.
Meanwhile,
Phillipe Nover hopes to get a grip on the slippery hype that
dubbed him the next Anderson Silva/Georges St. Pierre. He has
not competed since he lost to Efrain Escudero at “The Ultimate
Fighter 8” Finale and will take on Kyle Bradley, a fighter
still searching for his first UFC win.
Finally,
George Roop and David Kaplan also made their names on season
eight of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but they certainly
seem to be closer to the chopping block than Nover. The lightweight
division is a shark tank, and they will need to show their teeth
in order to survive in an organization increasingly unforgiving
to those spawned by the reality TV world.
5.
From Concussed to the Cage
Yoshiyuki
Yoshida and
Brandon Wolff
know the health hazards of their chosen profession all too well
-- provided they can remember anything after their respective
bouts with Koscheck and Ben Saunders in December.
Yoshida
suffered one of the worst knockouts of 2008, so severe in fact
that it prompted critics to evaluate the UFC’s safety standards
and point out the irony that he was put down in an event meant
to raise funds for traumatic brain injuries. On the same card,
Wolff worried viewers, as well, when Saunders raised a watermelon-sized
hematoma on his head with a series of knees.
“Zenko”
needs a win in order to rekindle the hype he enjoyed after he
choked War Machine silly in his debut. Wolff, on the other hand,
wants to keep his spot in the UFC and escape the Octagon without
a two-pound growth in tow.
Meanwhile,
Patrick Barry’s first Octagon appearance at UFC 92 did not
leave anyone concussed, but it left Dan Evensen writhing on the
canvas after some classic K-1 leg kicks. Questions surround Barry’s
ground prowess -- he’s only been training for a year --
and one-time King of the Cage heavyweight champion Tim Hague
may try to test it.
Source: Sherdog
|
SERRA
ON HUGHES: "A LOT OF PEOPLE FEEL THE WAY I DO"
by Steven Marrocco
UFC 98’s other underdog, Matt Serra, looks at himself as
one lucky guy.
Lucky
because he gets to fight a guy he can’t stand, and without
throwing anybody under the bus, a guy a lot of other people can’t
stand.
“I
know that for a fact…I had former teammates of the guy coming
up to me, saying, ‘Hey man, he might have been that good
country boy back in the day, but either he was never like that,
or changed along the way,’” Serra told reporters after
an open workout promoting his co-main event bout with Matt Hughes
this Saturday at UFC 98.
“I
was always real cool with the Miletich crew, except for Tim Sylvia,
he’s a bit of a dork. If I saw those guys I’d approach
them and say, ‘I’m just letting you know, it’s
nothing towards you, I understand if you don’t want to say
hello.’ And that’s when I got some heart-to-hearts,
and I’m like, I’ve got this guy pegged right. I was
shocked. I’m not throwing anybody under the bus, but believe
me—a lot of people feel the way I feel.”
With
that, he threw some reporters under the bus.
“A
lot of you guys probably feel the same,” he laughed.
By
now, Serra’s feelings toward Hughes are a broken record.
He’ll state them as often as asked, and they’re real
(“This ain’t Shamrock vs. Tito, the WWE crap,”
he says). Nothing could be more real, however, than what actually
happens when the cage door closes. Most think it’s Serra’s
jiu-jitsu versus Hughes’ ground and pound. The difference,
Serra says, is in what they expect of each other.
“I
think Matt Hughes’ ego is going to be his downfall, because
I’m expecting a tough fight,” he said earlier. “I
don’t like the guy, but I know he’s dangerous. But
I think he really feels that I don’t belong on the ‘Real
World,’ let alone the cage. He thinks that he’s way
up here and he can do whatever he wants. When he finds out that
the fight’s not going like that, and he’s not in for
an easy night, it’s going to be too late.”
The
one-time welterweight champ says he's been hard at work for three
months, bringing in "stunt doubles" of Hughes to grind
him against the cage. He's ready to face the man he calls a "one-trick
pony."
A
while a lot of grudge matches end in hugs at the final bell,
Serra doesn’t want to entertain the thought of reconciling
with his nemesis afterwards.
“I
don’t want to even be in that mindset right now,” he
said. “I just want to take his head off.”
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Lashley
vs. Sapp Will Be 'Battle of the Giants'
Press Release
 
Miss. (May 21, 2009) – Fresh off his 24-second destruction
of Mike Cook, former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley called his June
27th showdown against Bob “The Best” Sapp in the “Ultimate
Chaos” pay-per-view event headliner, live from the Mississippi
Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi, the “Battle
of the Giants.”
Ultimate
Chaos,” presented by Prize Fight Promotions and Fight Force
International, in association with the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Coliseum, Treasure Bay Casino and Budweiser, is being produced
and distributed by Gotham MMA and Integrated Sports at 9:00PM
ET/6:00PM PT in the United States and Canada on cable and satellite
Pay Per View via iNDemand, TVN, DirecTV, Bell TV, Shaw, Star
Choice and Viewer’s Choice for a suggested retail price
of only $29.95.
The
6-2, 255-pound Lashley, 3-time NAIA wrestling champion at Missouri
Valley College, is an incredible physical specimen. Bobby joined
the U.S. Army and was a 2-time Armed Forces Champion and 2002
Military Games Championship silver medalist. Two years ago, the
chiseled Lashley became a WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)
superstar, joining Donald Trump at Wrestlemania 23 in a bet against
WWE president Vince McMahon. Lashley won the match and helped
Trump shave McMahon’s head in the ring.
Bobby’s
third pro MMA fight was a major hit last weekend as he displayed
tremendous power submitting Cook, who had taunted the unbeaten
Lashley by wearing a pro wrestling-type mask into their fight,
with a near spine-snapping Guillotine choke. Bobby looked like
a much more polished MMA fighter than he did in his previous
three-round decision against Jason Guida.
“He
tried to get in my head but I wasn’t going to let him,”
Bobby explained. “He probably saw that the opponent in my
previous fight had gotten a little in my head, but I learned
from that experience and just shrugged it off this time. I trained
hard and knew I was ready for that fight. My cardio was great
and I worked on my boxing. I’ve reached a level of validation.
When he put that mask on, I was only concerned with being validated
to my opponent. The WWE thing will always be there, whether I
have three or 300 MMA fights, but I’m glad that I have that
WWE fanbase.”
Lashley
fights a larger man for the first time in MMA action when he
steps into the cage against an imposing 6-4, 350-pound Sapp (10-3-1),
who played in the NFL for four years before becoming an iconic
combat fighter in Japan, where he starred in PRIDE and K-1.
“Most
heavyweights (in MMA) weigh 230-240 and that’s the size
of guys I’ve fought,” Lashley said. “But I’m
fighting a huge opponent in this coming fight. This guy must
have weighed 370 at the press conference. Even if he gets down
to 340, he’ll still outweighs me by around 85 pounds. Sapp’s
really aggressive and I know he’s going to come out hard.
He won’t be able to go through me, though. He’s strong
but his weakness is in the gas tank, even though I know he’s
training hard for this fight. It’s going to be a good fight.
“We
liked this fight when it was first offered. When I fight there’s
always been a ‘but’ after it. It was a good fight but
…….fill in the blank. Well, I’m fighting a bigger
guy who’s popular overseas. I don’t think this fight
will go long. It certainly won’t be a long, drawn-out fight.
There will be a lot of heavy blows, lots of banging – ‘Battle
of the Giants!’ I’m training right now back home in
Colorado. I like working in the altitude but I’ll probably
make a brief trip to train (with American Top Team) in Florida
where there are a lot of big guys at our fight club. I may have
to stack three guys up (to simulate Sapp, Bobby jokingly said).
I have some big guys here I’m training with. They not be
quite as big as Sapp, but they’re big, very strong and have
heavy hands like Bob.”
Controversial
Dutch heavyweight Gilbert “The Hurricane” Yvel (35-13-3)
takes on 3-time UFC title challenger Pedro “The Rock”
Rizzo (16-8-0) in an intriguing co-feature. Former King Of The
Cage and Gladiator Challenge champion Javier “Showtime”
Vasquez (12-2-0) meets dangerous lightweight Din “Dinyero”
Thomas (24-8-0), star of The Ultimate Fighter 4; Canadian lightweight
sensation Chris “The Polish Hammer”Horodecki (12-1-0)
faces 4-time World Muay Thai champion William “The Bull”
Sriyapai (12-4-0).
Also
fighting on the card are welterweights Brett Cooper (8-4-0) vs.
Waachiim “Native Warrior” Spirit Wolf (5-4), Affliction
vice president Tom Atencio (1-0) vs. pro debuting lightweight
Randy Hedderick, middleweight James Orso (8-3-0) vs. Colby McMahan
(3-1-0), The Ultimate Fighter 3 star Danny Abbadi (3-4-0) vs.
veteran middleweight Lance Thomson (4-2-0); welterweight Eric
Bradley (2-1-0), 2-time All-America wrestler and 2003 NCAA boxing
champion at Penn State, vs. Belfast, Northern Ireland brawler
Colin McKee (3-2-0). All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Tickets
are priced at $25.00 (limited discount seating), $40.00 (general
admission) and $55.00 (premium reserved seating) and sale at
the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum and all TicketMaster outlets.
Source: Fight Network
|
“As
far as his fighting career… I don’t know.”
By Zach Arnold
Dana
White word’s today about Chuck Liddell during an interview
with Dana Jacobson on ESPN’s First Take show.
Other
quick notes:
-
White was really curt, if not tight-lipped when grilled on questions
about the Loretta Hunt Youtube rant. Amazing self-control (by
Dana’s standards.)
-
Said the next country UFC would advance into after Germany is
France.
-
Claimed that business is up 20% this year in the current quarter
from last year’s quarter.
-
Said that the UFC Heavyweight division never looked better.
Is
Dana White’s stance on Chuck Liddell fighting one more time
softening?
Source: Fight Opinion
|
FCF
EXCLUSIVE: BIBIANO FERNANDES
Fernandes: “It’s My Dream to Win the Belt”
By Kelsey Mowatt
World
class grapplers often carry the highest of expectations when
they transition into the sport of MMA, and for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
champion Bibiano “Flash” Fernandes, it was certainly
no different. After making his MMA debut a successful one in
late, 2004, the 3 time world jiu-jitsu champ was next matched
up against two of the planet’s best in Norifumi “Kid”
Yamamoto and Urijah Faber. Although Fernandes lost both bouts,
the very fact that he was matched-up against fighters of that
caliber in just his second and third pro fights, speaks volumes
about the hype which accompanied the Brazilian into MMA.
Since
then, however, Fernandes has gone on to win 3 straight, developing
all of his skills while showing the form that many expected when
the BJJ champ decided to jump into the ring.
“It’s
because of my coaches,” said Fernandes, who has spent months
now living and training with British Columbia’s highly regarded
Revolution Fight Team. “Now I have more experience for MMA.
I fight and train with very good fighters. Revolution has very
good coaches, good training, and because of this it’s helped
me a lot. They have the best coaches I believe.”
Up
next, Fernandes (4-2) will have an opportunity to demonstrate
just how far he has come as an MMA fighter, as the Brazilian
will meet FCF’s 10th ranked featherweight Masakazu Imanari
(16-6-1), in the second round of Dream’s Featherweight Grand
Prix.
“Fighting
for me is my job, but I really enjoy fighting too,” said
Fernandes, who will fight Imanari May 26th, in Yokohama, Japan.
“I feel ready; I feel ready for this fight.”
“Paul
Lalonde, my Muay Thai coach has been helping me get ready for
the fight, Tony Pep, my boxing coach, and Nick Ugoalah for wrestling,
so I’m going to be very ready.”
For
avid MMA fans, the name Imanari immediately evokes visions of
painful looking leg locks and heel hooks, as the Japanese veteran
has become infamous for his submission abilities during his extensive
career. In fact, of Imanari’s last 5 wins, 3 have come way
via toe hold or heel hook.
“Really,
I know he’s dangerous for leg locks, but I’ve known
Imanari for a long time and what he’s known for. People
tell me that the Japanese might not know me, but for me, I know
him, so there is no surprise. Believe me I know. For this, I
say go ahead, show me, and I’ll show him what I have. He
has leg locks; I train a lot on leg locks. Let’s go see
what happens in the fight.”
Although
Fernandes has spent considerable time trying to develop all the
skills that are required to be a top ranked fighter, the Brazilian
concedes he has no game-plan heading into his bout with Imanari.
“I
don’t have a game-plan,” Fernandes told FCF. “Before
I used to be just jiu-jitsu, but I’ve changed a lot. Now,
no problem, we’ll see what happens in the fight. Maybe I
fight him standing; maybe on the ground. I have to see Imanari
first. You know what I mean? I need to feel what happens and
then I’ll make a plan for the fight.”
In
March, Fernandes advanced into the Grand-Prix’s second round
by working his way to a Unanimous Decision over Takafumi Otsuka.
Now, Fernandes is focusing his energy not only on defeating Imanari,
but moving onto to the tournament’s championship, where
the possibility of a rematch with “Kid” Yamamoto remains.
“My
dream is to win the belt,” said Fernandes. “That’s
my dream. Yamamoto coming into my weight, for sure I’ll
go fight him. I didn’t look for Yamamoto, but if I have
to fight him, I’ll go show how different a fighter I am.”
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
HDNet
Announces Time Change for DREAM.9 Coverage
Press Release
HDNet
will broadcast exclusive coverage of "HDNet Fights Presents:
OLYMPIA DREAM 9 Featherweight Grand Prix, 2nd Round 2009,"
early Tuesday morning, May 26, at 5:00 a.m. ET LIVE from the
esteemed Yokohama Arena in Kanagawa, Japan.
MMA
fans can catch former MLB slugger Jose Canseco who will be making
his mixed martial arts debut in the open weight competition entitled
the "Super Hulk" Tournament vs. 7-foot-2 and 330-plus
pound Hong-Man Choi from Korea.
Gegard
Mousasi, Mark Hunt, and Bob Sapp will also compete in first round
action in the "Super Hulk" tournament.
DREAM
9 will also feature the second round of its Featherweight Grand
Prix including a highly anticipated bout between Norifumi "Kid"
Yamamoto and Joe Warren, plus Jason "Mayhem" Miller
meets Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza for the vacant DREAM Middleweight
Title.
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 26 at 5:00 a.m. ET (early morning) on HDNet with
an encore presentation to air Friday, May 29 at 10:00 p.m. ET
About
HDNet
HDNet
(www.hd.net) is a network that is original, thinks independently
and delivers unique content and provocative, authentic programming
that appeals to men of all ages, delivered in true high definition.
HDNet
is the exclusive, high definition home for popular, original
programming, including television's only HD news feature programs
"HDNet World Report," and the Emmy Award winning "Dan
Rather Reports," featuring legendary journalist Dan Rather.
Only HDNet goes beyond the headlines to deliver real news that
is redefining the way we look at our world. HDNet News is provocative,
sometimes controversial and always relevant - telling the important
stories of our time in-depth, with attitude and with independence.
HDNet
presents championship sports coverage featuring the best of Mixed
Martial Arts through HDNet Fights. HDNet Fights partners with
leading MMA promoters including Affliction, DREAM, Sengoku, XFC,
M-1, K-1, K-1 Max, MFC, Adrenaline and more. HDNet produces more
live Mixed Martial Arts events than any other network and HDNet's
"Inside MMA" is the hottest Mixed Martial Arts program
on television, giving MMA fans their weekly fix for everything
MMA.
HDNet
also delivers the world's largest and most diverse concert line-up
through the HDNet Concert Series. The HDNet Concert Series features
leading artists and bands including Coldplay, Gwen Stefani, John
Mayer and more. HDNet also features revealing lifestyle programming
featuring "Art Mann Presents," "Vegas Confessions,"
"Deadline" and "Get Out!" HDNet is also the
exclusive high definition home to critically acclaimed and award
winning documentaries as part of the InFocus series. "NASA
on HDNet" presents all live shuttle launches through 2010.
Only
HDNet Movies delivers exclusive Sneak Previews of new movies
before they hit theaters. The HDNet Movies Sneak Preview series
features top Hollywood stars in critically acclaimed performances
including Gwyneth Paltrow, Joaquin Phoenix, Demi Moore, Michael
Caine, Tom Hanks, Vera Farmiga, Parker Posey, Brian Cox, Matthew
Broderick, Brittany Snow, Eric Bana, John Malkovich, and Emily
Blunt.
Upcoming
Sneak Previews include "The Girlfriend Experience"
directed by Steven Soderbergh.
In
addition to being the exclusive home of Sneak Previews, HDNet
Movies presents viewers with over one hundred films and an average
of twenty-five "HD Premieres" each month. HDNet Movies
viewers enjoy the best films from the classics of the 1950s-1970s,
to favorite films from the 1980s and 1990s, to recently released
theatrical films.
HDNet
Movies offers subscribers a premium movie viewing experience
in true HD, and more original movies shot entirely in HD than
any other network.
Launched
in 2001 by Mark Cuban and General Manager Philip Garvin, the
HDNet networks are available on AT&T, Bright House Networks,
Charter Communications, Comcast, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight,
Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon and more than 40 NCTC cable
affiliate companies. For more information visit www.hd.net.
Source: Fight Network
|
Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu legends at China for AOW
By Marcelo Alonso
Royce
Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Rickson Gracie, Ricardo Libório,
Fabrício Werdum, Demian Maia, Thales Leites, Vitor Shaolin,
Fábio Leopoldo, Rolls Gracie. This real Dream Team of
the Jiu-Jitsu is in Beijing to watch from the first row the 12th
Edition of Art of War, which will happen this Saturday in the
Olympic Sports Center. The Brazilians head the list of nearly
200 celebrities from the world of MMA and Jiu-Jitsu, brought
by the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
who has just organized the first professional world cup of the
sport and now pretends to officially announce his entry in the
MMA world.
"Neither
in Pride times we could see so many celebrities together and
in a so friendly climate", commented, today, at breakfast,
the American journalist Stephen Quadros, who divided the table
with Rickson Gracie, Ricardo Libório and Fabrício
Werdum, minutes before the arrival of Tim Sylvia, Demian Maia
and Thales Leites. "We brought almost 200 invited among
journalists and fighters from around the world, not forgetting
the plane with the delegation from Abu Dhabi, which arrived today
in Beijing with more than 300 people”, revealed first-hand
the organizer of the event Konrad Pi, beside his brother and
partner Andy Pi, who, for security reasons, didn’t want
to reveal if the Sheik will be at the event. "We brought
the greatest judge of the Pride, the greatest judge of the UFC,
the first champions of Pride (Rickson) and UFC (Royce) and the
main journalists of the MMA world. All I can say is that we’ll
make an excellent show, and later we’ll have five more in
2009", Andy told us.
At
the meeting of rules, realized this Thursday just after lunch,
the 24 fighters of the event were told that the fights will be
disputed in a round of 10 minutes plus a five minutes round,
mixing rules of the Pride (stomps and soccer kicks) with the
ones from the UFC (elbows will be allowed without restrictions).
The only Brazilian in the card will be Rolles Gracie, son of
the legendary Rolls, who will face the Russian Baga Agaev. Today,
Rolles, showing excellent shape, met his cousin Rickson, who
had just arrived from almost 20 hours of travel. Stay tuned on
TATAME.com for more news about the event.
Source: Tatame
|
Bellator
F.C. ESPN Deportes Schedule
Press Release
Bellator
VIII “The Road to the Championship”, airs on ESPN Deportes
May 23, 2009 and will highlight each of the remaining tournament
fighters and their journey to the Bellator Featherweight, Lightweight,
Welterweight and Middleweight world championship fights.
The
show will set the stage for the lone remaining semi-final bouts
and all three world championship matchups and will showcase the
spectacular action that led to the final showdowns of Bellator’s
first tournament season.
Live
event action will return for Bellator IX featuring the Middleweight
semi-finals on May 29th at the Monroe Civic Center in Monroe,
Louisiana, airing on ESPN Deportes May 30th, followed by the
Featherweight world title on June 5th at the Citizens Business
Bank Arena in Ontario, California, the Welterweight world title
on June 12th at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and
concluding with Bellator’s Grand Finale on June 19th from
the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood Florida featuring
both the Lightweight and Middleweight finals.
Source: Fight Network
|
Quote
of the Day
"Live
neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day's work
absorb
your entire energies, and satisfy your widest ambition."
Sir William Osler
|
Forrest
Griffin to guest on Friday's 'Carson Daly'
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin will make
a guest appearance this Friday, May 22 on "Last Call with
Carson Daly" on NBC.
Catch the episode at 1:35 a.m. ET following "Late Night
with Jimmy Fallon." Also slated to appear on the show are
comedians Marlon, Shawn and Damon Wayans and musical guest Glasvegas.
Griffin
graces the cover of the American release of the new "UFC
2009 Undisputed" video game, which arrived in stores Tuesday
to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 platforms.
"The
Ultimate Fighter 1" winner's next fight will be against
middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 101 "Declaration"
on August 8 in Philadephia.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Predictions
for UFC 98: Evans vs. Machida
by Jeff "Wombat" Meszaros
It's
not often that you see two undefeated fighters collide for a
world title. At least, it's rare in mixed martial arts. You see
it more often in boxing, where fighters pad their records by
beating up chubby mama's boys who are pulled from soup lines
and paid two dollars to take a beating. But building your resume
in the UFC is no easy task; since anyone across the octagon from
you has probably spent the last several months chewing through
telephone books and staring at your picture with unbridled hatred
burning in their eyes. Still, both Evans and Machida have gotten
their "W" column into the 'teens without once suffering
a loss; Evans by beating his opponents at their own game and
Machida by drawing his foes into a bizarre house of mirrors like
the final fight scene from "Enter the Dragon" starring
Bruce Lee, except for the part where the bad guy takes his hand
off and puts on a weird cat claw thing. There's no way any athletic
commission would approve that.
Rashad
"Suga" Evans vs. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
If
Dana White had any hair, he would probably be pulling it out
right now, worried sick that Machida might win the light-heavyweight
belt. As it stands, the UFC already has one seemingly untouchable
champion who also happens to be totally unmarketable since he
doesn't speak English and has now gone two fights in a row without
scoring a knockout. I am speaking, of course, about Anderson
Silva who, like Machida, thrives on chipping away at his opponents
with jabs and side-kicks while dancing around the octagon like
a cross between Roy Jones and Sammy Davis Jr. It drives beer-swilling
fight-fans out of their mullet-furred minds to seeing a fighter
that cruises around like a ballerina while pecking at his enemy
like an angry duck. This is exactly why the UFC is probably praying
to see Evans win, so they can match him up against "Rampage"
Jackson; who has already had a much-publicized stare-down with
Evans inside the UFC octagon. If Machida wins, they might as
well tip the octagon into a lake. Everyone will just put him
into the same category that Anderson Silva is getting into now
and assume that, no matter who he faces, he will beat them badly
in a profoundly tedious manner. Balance that against the faltering
economy and the rising costs of pay-per-views and it means that
soon Dana White could be dropping F-bombs for a good reason instead
of just doing it to sound cool. My Guess: Machida by decision.
Matt
Huges vs. Matt "The Terror" Serra
This
fight was supposed to happen two years ago, which means both
guys have had plenty of time to train. Hughes has likely just
spent the time throwing hay bails over barns, while Serra has
been running his jiu-jitsu club and eating more lasagna than
Garfield the cat. What will happen? Exactly what would've happened
if the fight had happened two years ago. Hughes will score the
takedown and beat Serra senseless from the top position. Unless
"The Terror" lands one of his mini-Fedor punches on
Hughes, as he did on St. Pierre in another life, the match will
end with Hughes smiling smugly as his arm is raised and then
promptly announcing his retirement. The only difference is more
people would've watched it in 2007, when the UFC marketing engine
was in full swing promoting the fight. My Guess: Hughes by decision.
Drew
McFedries vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam
Foupa-Pokam
is from France, but I don't think his last name is French; or
even from any culture on Earth. Is he a space alien? It is possible.
Then again, Cheick Kongo is French, and he is basically the same
as Professor X, only 33 percent bigger. I think there is also
a massive black guy from France who has been terrorizing athletes
in Olympic judo. Where does France get its supply of super-athletic
African guys? My Guess: Africa. I guess my idea that French people
are all skinny white people who chain-smoke and wear berets is
a load of crap. My Guess: Professor X by TKO.
Dan
Miller vs. Chael Sonnen
Chael
Sonnen probably left the octagon after his loss to Demian Maia
feeling a lot like I felt after having to sit through "Bridget
Jones' Diary" at the movies. Confused, disgusted and wanting
to punch someone. Now he's facing Dan Miller, who is coming off
a choke-out win over Jake Rosholt; who doesn't fight that differently
from Sonnen, who was thwarted in winning the WEC belt when Paulo
Filho showed up for their last fight with a belly full of donuts,
making it a non-title bout. Truthfully, Sonnen has seen some
serious disappointments lately. If Miller submits him, it might
be the final straw before a serious mental breakdown where he
shaves his head, wanders off into the forest and lives the life
of a forest druid. At the very least, it will cause him to go
back to the drawing board again and possibly evaluate his ground
and pound style; which seems to work everywhere except inside
the octagon. My Guess: Miller by submission.
Sean
Sherk vs. Frankie Edgar
I
was going to compare the fight between Hughes and Serra to a
match between a Teddy Ruxpin and the Chucky doll from "Child's
Play" (really just a "My Buddy" doll with the
soul of serial killer) but I think the analogy fits better here.
Sherk has the wingspan of a penguin, but he moves like he's been
shot out of a cannon. Edgar became a personal hero of mine when
he beat Tyson Griffin who is exactly like Sherk, except with
a better tan. Edgar was badly out-wrestled by Gray Maynard, so
this fight could go down the same road, with Sherk slamming Edgar
to the canvas at the start of every round while bleeding badly
from a cut and barely avoiding guillotine chokes. My Guess: Sherk
by decision.
Brock
Larson vs. Chris "The Professor" Wilson
Wilson
is unusually tall for a 170-pound fighter. Larson is unusually
strong for that weight. Who wins the battle between tall and
strong? It's hard to say. It depends who is smarter and who is
luckier. Since Wilson's nickname is "The Professor"
I'll give him the edge in brains; even though that is totally
unfair. Also, I hear he ran into some trouble with a gang of
criminal thugs in Rio, but still escaped with his life. That's
lucky. Also, Wilson barely lost a fight to Jon Fitch, who is
essentially exactly like Larson but with an amish-style beard
instead of a Minnesota accent. My guess: Wilson by submission.
Pat
Barry vs. Tim Hague
Does
anyone besides me think that Pat Barry looks like Fred Flintstone?
Does anyone even remember that cartoon? I saw Tim Hague fight
at a Raw Combat show in Calgary, where he went head-to-head with
a huge Croatian for three rounds of blood, pain and sprawling.
Something tells me he'll have a harder time with Barry who seems
to have retard-strength. My Guess: Barry by TKO
Phillipe
Nover vs. Kyle Bradley
Nover
was the favorite to win The Ultimate Fighter, but then he went
and lost to Efrain Escudero, who everyone has now promptly forgotten
about. The UFC puts a lot of money into making their TUF stars
household names, and they'll be damned to see someone like Nover
drop off the radar too. He's a male nurse, after all. Damn, that's
respectable, which is why he gets Kyle Bradley, who comes into
the fight with an 0-2 UFC record. With luck, Nover will win and
the UFC can send him and former math-teacher Rich Franklin on
a speaking tour through nearby schools to show that not all of
their fighters are meatheads who laugh when they see old women
fall down. My Guess: Nover by TKO.
Krzysztof
Soszynski vs. Andre Gusmao
Gusmao
was supposed to fight someone else, I forget who, but they had
to pull out of the fight, I forget why. Anyway, now Krzysztof
has stepped in as a replacement. Whoever Gusmao was going to
fight, I bet he would've had an easier time with them then he
will with "The Polish Experiment" who I once saw eat
an entire box of Krispy Kreme donuts while on a road trip. My
Guess: Krzysztof by decision.
Yoshiyuki
Yoshida vs. Brandon Wolff
How
many Japanese fighters are there with the last name Yoshida?
I can think of at least three and I'm sure there are more. Still,
I think that Yoshiyuki is probably the most skilled of them all.
Did you see his fight against Jon "War Machine" Koppenhaver?
He tossed him to the ground and choked him effortlessly. Of course,
he then went on to get his face knocked off by Josh Koscheck.
Still, the Hawaiian is in trouble here. Yoshida will probably
choke him to death and then get in trouble with some animal rights
group for killing the only Hawaiian Wolff on Earth. My Guess:
Yoshida by submission.
Dave
Kaplan vs. George Roop
Everyone
keeps talking about how good Kaplan is but, honestly, I have
not seen what all the hype is about. He got choked silly on TUF,
showing no jiu-jitsu whatsoever and then got tapped out again
in his UFC debut, losing to Junie Browning by armbar. I'm no
expert, but it seems to me he needs to spend less time working
on his ring entrances and more time working on his submission
defense. Roop is the latest lightweight that is over six feet
tall, probably due to genetic engineering. Are kids drinking
giraffe milk these days? My Guess: Roop by TKO.
Jeff
Meszaros welcomes reader feeback at wombat@fcfighter.com and
can be heard as the host of FCF Radio.
Source: Full Contact Fighter
|
YOSHIDA
WORKS WITH TEAM JACKSON FOR UFC 98
by Damon Martin
The education of a mixed martial artist never truly stops. For
Japanese Judoka Yoshiyuki Yoshida the learning curve came at
the expense of a knockout loss to Josh Koscheck in December 2008,
but he believes he has learned from the mistakes he made, and
is ready to return at UFC 98 this Saturday night.
For
his last bout, Yoshida was expected to be a tough match-up for
the former NCAA wrestling champion, but what many thought would
be a ground war turned into a stand-up fight that the Japanese
fighter lost in the first round.
"I
think I thought about the opponent too much and basically forgot
to fight my style of fight," Yoshida told MMAWeekly.com
in an exclusive interview prior to his fight at UFC 98. "So
this time, I want to go and just do what I do best and win."
What
Yoshida did to get back to his winning ways was completely change
his training routine, and that included adding himself into the
mix at Greg Jackson's gym in New Mexico.
"I
have been training at Greg Jackson's at almost two full months.
For this fight I didn't wanted to train in Japan. If I train
in Japan then coming to America and fight in the UFC, that itself
would put everything into something extraordinarily and rare,"
Yoshida stated. "I wanted to approach this fight like any
other fight I fought in Japan. So train in New Mexico for full
two months, then take short flight out to Vegas to fight. It's
about changing the environment to prepare for this fight in a
different mindset.
"Also
of course, I wanted to train and spar with best fighters in the
world, particularly UFC fighters, under great coaching and I
thought Greg Jackson's is the place for that."
For
his third fight in the Octagon, Yoshida will face Brandon Wolff,
a young up and comer who suffered a loss in his debut bout for
the UFC when he was TKO'd by American Top Team fighter Ben Saunders,
after a devastating series of knees in the first round.
Admittedly,
Yoshida knows little about his opponent, but he isn't worried
about what Wolff is going to do. Wolff should be worried about
him.
"I
do have DVDs of his fight, but this time, I am not going to watch
so I won't know anything about it," said Yoshida. "One
of the coaches at Greg Jackson's here apparently saw Wolff's
fight and advised me on few points, but that is about it. I want
to concentrate on doing my fight. I don't want to think about
my opponent."
Of
course the biggest pressure added into the mix for this fight
is the fact that both Yoshida and Wolff are coming off of losses,
and while the UFC hates to lose quality competitors, winning
is the only guarantee to keep you around.
"There
is always a pressure to win in this sport," Yoshida commented.
"I mean, at this level, you have got to win every fight.
That is the bottom line. So the pressure is the same."
Having
only fought twice in 2008, Yoshida is hopeful for a slightly
busier 2009, but his main focus is on Brandon Wolff and getting
back on a winning track in the UFC.
Yoshida
also thanked the sponsors that supported him to this point, and
helped him get ready for the fight at such a crucial spot in
his career.
"I
would like to thank Sprawl, that has been staying behind me from
basically my very first day in the US," said Yoshida. "Manto,
polish apparel brand, that makes awesome shorts and rash guard.
I also would like to (thank) Hayabusa Fight Wear. I am very excited
to be able to work with fast growing brand, and also KUBED, the
brand that makes very stylish wears and gears."
Yoshiyuki
Yoshida makes his return to action on Saturday night against
Brandon Wolff at UFC 98 in Las Vegas.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
M-1
Team USA vs. Team Brazil Set for Friday on HDNet
Press Release
The
second episode of the 2009 season of the "M-1 Challenge
presented by Affliction" (www.M-1Global.com) is set to premiere
Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on HDNet (www.HDNetFights.com). And
this week's best-of-five head-to-head series will feature two
of the most prominent countries in the world when it comes to
the growing global sport of mixed martial arts as USA West squares
off with Brazil.
Team
USA struggled in the 2008 M-1 Challenge but have become an even
bigger part of the fight series that bills itself as "the
World Cup of Mixed Martial Arts" with two entries this season,
Team USA West and Team USA East.
Founded
by owners Steve Bash and Roy Engelbrecht, Team USA West is new
and improved in comparison to last year's entry. Unfortunately,
the team's chances for a playoff berth is less than certain after
being placed in a tough Group B that includes South Korea, returning
M-1 Challenge Champion Team Imperial, and Brazil.
With
such a tight division, every matchup is a must-win situation
for USA West. Does the squad have what it takes to defy the odds?
Tune in Friday night to see USA West begin its quest to bring
the 2009 M-1 Challenge Championship Cup back to America.
Led
by head coach Colin Oyama, USA West features a strong lineup
that includes welterweight Dylan Clay, middleweight Reggie Orr, heavyweight Carl Seumanutafa,
light heavyweight Raphael Davis, and a top contender for M-1
Challenge "Rookie of the Year," undefeated lightweight
David Jansen.
In
Friday's episode, Jansen is welcomed to the M-1 Challenge by
former Rio Heroes star Flavio Alvaro. Jansen accepted the fight
with Alvaro on short notice after having competed just two weeks
prior in Atlantic City, N.J. for the World Cagefighting Alliance.
After
submitting BodogFIGHT veteran Matt Lee via Anaconda choke at
3:00 of round 1 at the WCA event, Jansen improved to 8-0. The
Team Quest product will look to improve to 9-0 and get Team USA
West off to a quick start when he faces Alvaro, a veteran of
nearly 30 fights who sports a sterling record of 24-5.
Another
must-see fighter is 2008 Submission Wrestling World Champion
Raphael Davis, who holds a notable verbal submission victory
over TUF 8 light heavyweight runner-up and BJJ World Champion
Vinny Magalhaes. The one-time IFL veteran Davis entered his M-1
Challenge debut with a 4-1 record.
With
an improving standup game to complement his strong submission
skills, Davis has the ability to emerge as the top light heavyweight
in the entire M-1 Challenge. But standing in Davis' way is Jair
Goncalves, a rugged Brazilian with a 6-2 record whose victories
have all ended within the distance.
In
the end, USA West's hopes could come down to Clay, a Hawaiian
native and accomplished jiu jitsu competitor who has only competed
in MMA five times since 2003. Matched up against IFL superfight
veteran Eduardo Pamplona, many pundits expected Clay to lose
early. Can Clay follow Jae Young Kim's incredible upset over
Mikhail Zayats from last week's episode? Tune into HDNet at 8
p.m. ET to find out.
The
night's action will be rounded out by King of the Cage and TUF
7 veteran Orr taking on Brazil's Juliano Belgine and Seumanutafa,
an EliteXC veteran who made his Strikeforce debut last Friday
night, taking on Edson Franca.
And
remember to check out the M-1 Challenge live when it comes to
the United States on Friday, June 5 at the Memorial Hall in Kansas
City. Featuring a best-of-five series between USA East and Finland,
the 15-bout event will mark the final time that the M-1 Challenge
is scheduled to come to the U.S. this year. For more ticket information,
please visit Ticketmaster.com. For additional information regarding
the Kansas City event as well as all M-1 Challenge events, please
visit www.M-1Global.com.
Source: Fight Network
|
Behind
The Scenes: Signing Arlovski-Rogers and What it Means for Strikeforce
By Loretta Hunt
Thursday, 5:05 p.m. ET: I was as surprised as anyone when Strikeforce
suddenly added a bonus matchup between heavyweights Andrei Arlovski
and Brett Rogers to their June 6 event at the Scottrade Center
in St. Louis. You hear a lot of rumors in the biz –- no
secret stays one for long -- but this was a big one that seemed
to slip through the cracks.
That
is until I heard the deal had been masterminded in the wee hours
that Tuesday morning.
I
love last-minute deals –- it’s just another perk of
this unpredictable sport. So, I asked Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker
how it all went down.
“This
fight was supposed to be between Alistair Overeem and Brett Rogers,
and then Alistair hurt his hand in the last seven days, we were
waiting to see if his hand was going to heal or if he was supposed
to come out [to the U.S.],” Coker said Tuesday. “It
turns out that he could not, so Brett Rogers was left without
an opponent. At that time, the opportunity for Andrei Arlovski
to fight on our card appeared on our doorstep, and we thought
it would be a great fight with him and Brett.”
With
a main event between the Terminator that is Robbie Lawler against
jiu-jitsu ace Jake Shields, as well as the scraps that will likely
be Nick Diaz versus Scott Smith and Phil Baroni trading blows
with Joe Riggs, I hardly thought this card needed an extra boost.
“Anytime
Andrei Arlovski is able to fight on your card, why wouldn’t
you want him?” Coker told me. “That’s the goal
with the big fight cards, between us and Showtime people, to
put on a card that’s stacked from top to bottom.”
Of
course, Arlovski’s introduction into the Strikeforce stable
–- whether it be for one fight or more –- is tantalizing,
to say the least. Can you say Alistair Overeem?
As
Coker told me, “There’s a lot of great fights ahead.”
But will he be able to land Arlovski full time?
Arlovski
has a single fight remaining on his three-bout contract with
Affliction. Arlovski’s management wouldn’t discuss
where this impromptu fight falls, and Affliction VP Tom Atencio
did not return calls to clarify.
“I
don’t really know the contract status of Andrei Arlovski,
but this is a two-pronged question,” said Coker. “One
is when he’s a free agent, we’re going to have conversations
with every free agent out there. The other answer is this: we’ve
had a good relationship with all of the other organizations out
there, including Affliction. When they wanted to use Paul Buentello,
we said OK. When they wanted to use [Renato] Babalu [Sobral],
we OK'd it. We have a working relationship with them, so this
is something where we’ve done ‘fighter sharing’
back and forth. It just that this one happens to be Andrei Arlovski,
who’s a superstar of the sport today.”
Arlovski
is currently training with boxing guru Freddie Roach in Los Angeles.
The 30-year-old fighter was set to make his pro boxing debut
on June 27 under Golden Boy’s banner. No word yet if that
bout has been put on ice.
Source: Sherdog |
Diaz
Back to 170?
It looks like Nick Diaz staying at middleweight will probably
be a thing of the past. We asked Cesar Gracie to comment on Nick's
future.
"With
a title fight against Cung Le nowhere on the horizon Nick will
probably be going back down to the 170lbs division. I know there's
been speculation about a rematch with Robbie Lawler, but Diaz
will be dropping weight as he picks up his running and cardio
training.
As
far as a return to lightweight is concerned, forget it. Unless
BJ Penn or some other mega fight comes up he won't return to
that weight class. It just isn't healthy. He was having terrible
performances against B-level fighters. The weight drop was causing
lots of health related problems and he wasn't performing to his
ability. If you put Anderson Silva at lightweight he'd get crushed
cause he'd enter the cage half dead. Now we got guys that are
running around bragging about how good they did with Diaz when
he was a lightweight.
After
this fight we'll have Nick drop back down to 170lbs and probably
stay there unless Strikeforce has something interesting for him."
-Cesar
Source: Gracie Fighter
|
No
more HDNet for Time Warner Cable subscribers
Bad news for Time Warner Cable subscribers. The cable company,
effective May 31, will drop HDNet and HDNet movies, ending a
partnership which began in December 2003.
For mixed martial arts fans, this means the loss of watching
DREAM, Sengoku, M-1 Challenge, K-1 and select regional promotions.
The aforementioned events all have exclusive North American television
deals with HDNet.
In
a report on Multichannel News, the Time Warner Cable director
of corporate public relations Robyn Watson said the decision
was due to the "limited appeal for the programming."
"In
a world with more than 100 HD channels, being in HD is not enough,"
Watson said. "We are adding other channels in HD to give
our customers more choice."
HDNet
co-founder Mark Cuban is not giving up just yet. Negotiations
are ongoing, he says.
HDNet
threw its hat into MMA in 2007 by promoting a live event October
and a follow-up in December. HDNet would soon after decide to
televise other promotions' events rather than organize its own
fight cards. In addition to airing fights, HDNet has a weekly
MMA program called "Inside MMA," hosted by Bas Rutten
and Kenny Rice.
Source: MMA Fighting
|
Ultimate
Fighter 9 Report
Blaine van der Griend
This week on the Ultimate Fighter...
The
show opens with the US training session already in progress.
Jason Pierce cannot stop complaining about his injured foot.
He says he's worried about amputation (I'm sure it's not that
serious).
Meanwhile,
at the British training session, Bisping is giving some final
words of encouragement to Dave Faulkner (little do either of
them know that Pierce isn't ready to fight by a long shot). Faulkner
keeps complaining about having to wear a mouth guard, because
apparently it keeps gagging him. Bisping says Faulkner shouldn't
complain about the little things, because he's Bisping's choice
to win the show.
The
US team is finally starting to show some unity as they are in
the front yard of the house, playing Frisbee. Pierce seems to
have isolated himself from the rest of his team (just when they
seemed to be getting along). Now Pierce is complaining about
how much it hurts when he puts his socks on (kick this guy out
of the house already). Henderson tells him to start cheering
up. In the meantime, Demarques leads the US team in a chant.
At
the house, Lester is cooking some enchiladas. The guys seem to
be getting along, until Pierce comes in and kills the mood. Santino
DeFranco jokes about how Pierce only answers to the British guys
and how the Americans have to throw on phony British accents
to get Pierce to answer them. Lester and DeFranco discuss how
when they cook, they always cook enough for everybody and that's
the only time when Pierce and Jason Dent act as part of the team.
Lester says he wants to punch Pierce in the face and then three
seconds later, he says he wants Pierce to die (that escalated
quickly).
During
the fight announcement, it's quite obvious that Pierce isn't
anywhere close to being ready, so Henderson has no choice but
to choose Team USA's Jason Dent to fight Team UK's Jeff Lawson.
Henderson says it should be a good fight for Dent and he pictures
it being more of a chess match than a brawl.
Bisping
calls this fight as a submission victory for Lawson (obviously
the coach is going to root for their guy).
The
guys at the house have noticed that the isolation of the house
is getting to Dent. Dent says he hates sharing a fridge and bathroom
with everybody and he says there's no privacy in the house. Dent's
room looks like a prison cell and he sleeps on a mattress against
the wall on the floor. Demarques says Dent never even tried to
make the best of a bad situation and try to get along with people.
Dent says he just wants in the cage.
At
the US training session, Henderson says he has a problem with
Dent wanting to do everything his way. He calls Dent in for a
sit down chat, where he lets him know that everyone is just trying
to encourage him and he should accept their help.
At
the house, the British team are trying to amuse themselves. Lawson
puts a balloon over his face (can't that kill him?) and draws
an angry face on it, which is supposed to be Pierce. Lawson then
gets pantsed by Dean Amasinger. Lawson and Faulkner then dress
themselves up in masks for a pro wrestling match (I can't believe
they still have the same "costume" stereotype for pro
wrestling). Amasinger eventually joins them and they start whacking
each other with plastic weapons and garbage can lids (I guess
it's a hardcore three-way). One of the guys suplexes Amasinger
into the pool off the diving board, which looked pretty good.
Lawson then starts bragging about having 21 armbar victories
in his career; 10 in amateur and 11 in pro. Lawson then reveals
his strategy to the entire viewing audience (what if Dent was
watching?). He then declares victory.
Each
of the teams provides final encouragement to the fighters on
the way to the training facility. As Dent is preparing for his
fight, all the fighters are coaching him on, but Pierce sits
alone like a gargoyle against the wall. Dana White comes in and
calls Pierce and Henderson into his office (this can't be good).
He
asks Pierce what the problem is and Pierce tells him he has a
staff infection in his foot. Dana asks him if he can fight. Pierce
says it's pretty bad and he's afraid that worse things can happen
(translation: no). Dana realizes there's no way that Pierce wants
to fight.
Nevertheless,
it's fight time...
Team
USA's Jason Dent vs. Team UK's Jeff Lawson
Herb
Dean is your referee. Lawson misses a roundhouse kick early and
Dent goes for the back. Lawson tries a leg lock on the floor
and almost gets side control, but ends up in Dent's full guard.
From that position, Lawson rains blows on Dent below, but Dent
answers back with some elbows. Lawson lifts Dent for a slam and
Dent tries an arm triangle to no avail. Lawson is finally able
to pass Dent's guard, but the round ends.
In
round 2, Lawson shoots in for a takedown, but Dent has a nice
sprawl waiting for him. Lawson tries an ankle lock or heel hook,
but Dent escapes, only to catch a knee. Dent then quickly mounts
Lawson and secures a guillotine without the body scissor which
was impressive to me, for the tapout victory.
Winner:
Jason Dent by guillotine
Dana
White says it wasn't an impressive victory for Dent, but with
the US team's victory, the score is now 4-3. Pierce then goes
over and lifts up Dent to celebrate his victory (I guess that
foot heeled pretty quickly). Lawson is upset that he cannot take
his family on vacation now after the loss.
Pierce
and Henderson have one final meeting with Dana and Dana tells
Pierce he's not going to let him fight, which seems upsetting
to both Pierce and Henderson. Dana says he never thought Pierce
wanted this fight and if he gave him any indication that he did,
he would have given it to him, but he didn't.
Source: Fight Network
|
Fabrício
Camões eyes Strikeforce belt
By Eduardo Ferreira
Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Royler Gracie, Fabrício “Morango”
Camões debuted with a victory at Strikeforce, last Friday
(15), at Fresno, California. The Super Challenge champion faced
Torrance Taylor and showed a great Jiu-Jitsu, submitting the
American fighter with a rear naked choke on the first round.
“I’m going after this belt, that what my goal at EliteXC
until is shuts the doors”, said the Brazilian, who won his
sixth fight in a row, the last four on the first round.
Source: Tatame
|
Last
Rodeo for Hughes?
by Mike Whitman
After more than a year of trash talking and anticipation, Matt
Hughes will finally face rival Matt Serra in what could be the
country boy’s last rodeo.
The
co-main event of UFC 98 “Evans vs. Machida” this Saturday
at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the fight represents
the culmination of the personal feud between the two, which dates
back to the fall of 2007 when they coached against each other
on season six of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series.
The
two coaches were originally slated to square off at UFC 79, but
Serra was forced to withdraw with a back injury. The postponement
of the grudge match has done little to quell the animosity between
the two former welterweight champions, exemplified by a Hughes
interview in which he revealed his wife has called for Serra’s
blood. No doubt intent on complying with his spouse’s wishes,
Hughes has put himself through another grueling training camp
in preparation for the showdown.
Hughes’
base of operations is the H.I.T Squad Training Center, the Illinois
gym he opened last year after parting ways with longtime coach
Pat Miletich. Training with former EliteXC middleweight champion
Robbie Lawler fulltime, Hughes also works with coaches Marc Fiore
and Matt Pena on his grappling and boxing.
“We
put on a seven-week training camp for this and took no time off,”
Fiore says. “We did everything we needed to do. We got our
cardio up. He’s in condition. He’s in shape. He’s
very strong right now.”
Fiore,
who has trained and cornered Hughes since 2002, says that despite
the well-documented grudge, his fighter stays on an even keel.
“Is
it easier to get motivated for this fight? Probably so, because
there’s bad blood, but he’s a professional,” Fiore
says. “He knows this is what he does for a living. Fighters
get show money, and they get win money, and it’s always
nice to get that win money.”
Hughes’
training has not been limited to the confines of his own gym,
however.
“I’ve
switched things up a little bit,” he says. “I went
to a lot of training camps, went out a lot to different places
and didn’t stay home near as much.”
One
of those outside camps visited by Hughes (42-7) was Greg Nelson’s
Minnesota Martial Arts Academy, home to former and current UFC
champions Sean Sherk, Dave Menne and Brock Lesnar.
“We
just basically got him into the fold of our training camp, and
we all worked together,” Nelson says. “We have Sean
training for Frankie Edgar. We have Brock Larson training for
his fight the same weekend. [Hughes is] kind of the king of the
hill at his own school, so it’s nice to come to another
spot where they have a lot of guys who are high-level grapplers
and high-level fighters that could put him in jeopardy and push
him. And we worked on all the same stuff: punching to takedowns,
submissions on the ground, full-on grappling, sparring, the whole
ball of wax.”
Perhaps
the biggest news coming out of the Minnesota camp is the state
of Hughes’ cardio. According to Nelson, Hughes not only
participated in Sherk’s tortuous endurance training but
did not miss a step, going stride for stride with “The Muscle
Shark.” Long considered to have one of the deepest gas tanks
in the sport, Hughes may have just upgraded to a bottomless reserve,
especially considering his showdown with Serra is only a three-round
contest.
Hughes,
who turns 36 in October, also spent time on the mat at Jeremy
Horn’s Elite Performance Gym in Utah. A former Miletich
Fighting Systems teammate for many years, Horn is well-acquainted
with Hughes’ performance in the gym and the cage.
Hughes
takes his bout with Matt Serra personal.“Matt Hughes is
one of the strongest, most physically gifted people I’ve
ever met or trained with, and he’s been working really hard
for this fight,” Horn says. “Physically, he looks bigger
and better than I’ve ever seen him, at least for a long,
long time.”
Hughes
has not fought since suffering a technical knockout loss and
knee injury to Thiago Alves at UFC 85, meaning he has spent a
little less than a year on the shelf. Admittedly in the latter
stages of a long and storied career, will the time off work for
or against the future hall of famer?
“We’ve
both had injuries, but that happens in our sport, as rough as
we are on our bodies,” Hughes says. “I’m getting
older now, so the time off was actually pretty nice.”
Perhaps
the bigger question, however, is if the cringe-worthy knee injury
sustained as a result of the Alves loss will limit the agility
of the traditionally explosive wrestler. Hughes did not have
surgery to repair his torn medial collateral ligament and partially
torn posterior cruciate ligament, saying they grew back together
naturally. Nelson does not believe the injury will affect his
performance.
“When
he was here, there was absolutely no glimmer of anything [wrong
with the knee],” he says. “He wasn’t wearing a
brace or nothing. He was just ready to go.”
As
far as strategy goes, it seems a foregone conclusion among fans
and media alike that Hughes’ best chance for victory lies
in securing a takedown.
“Going
with the statistics, it’s in our advantage if we get Serra
on his back,” Fiore says. “I mean, you look at a lot
of Matt’s wins; they’re from that position, where Matt’s
on top of his opponent and he grinds ’em out, or he goes
for a submission or goes for ground-and-pound. That’s where
Matt is strong.”
Never
considered a deadly striker, Serra (9-5), a Renzo Gracie Brazilian
jiu-jitsu black belt, put his fists on the map in 2007, when
he knocked out the heavily favored Georges St. Pierre to win
the welterweight strap. While members of the Hughes camp would
not concede that Serra has a decided stand-up advantage, they
are game-planning specifically for the stocky New Yorker’s
striking style.
“What
you have to watch out for with Matt [Serra], more than anything,
is that when he’s up on his feet, he holds nothing back,”
Nelson says. “When he throws a punch, he’s going for
it. It may not be pretty, but if it lands, you’re going
to be in trouble. A lot of times, people always train for the
guy who’s throwing the nice, straight punches and the pretty
boxing, but what do you usually get hit by? The crazy shot that
comes flying out of nowhere. I watched a lot of Matt Serra and
kind of imitated the way he throws his punches and kind of threw
wild shots at [Hughes], as well as clean shots.”
If
Hughes can avoid getting clipped and score with takedowns, it
seems likely he will unleash some of his world-famous ground-and-pound
and walk away a winner in what all signs point to being his last
fight. Retirements are seldom set in stone in the sports world,
but if this turns out to be the two-time champion’s last
walk to the cage, he will surely be remembered as one of MMA’s
greatest fighters, regardless of the outcome. Of course, a win
certainly would not hurt his legacy, and that’s exactly
what Fiore predicts.
“Somehow,
someway, Matt Hughes is going to get his hand raised on May 23,”
he says. “Ground-and-pound, submission, that’s the
way I think it’s going to be.”
Source: Sherdog
|
Josh
Barnett: Next fight is in August
By Zach Arnold
So sayeth Daily Sports in Japan, which says that Barnett hasn’t
decided which offer to take yet - the Inoki booking at Ariake
Colosseum in Tokyo, an Affliction booking, or a Pancrase/Sengoku
booking.
Prediction
time - if Affliction offers him a deal less than his previous
fights, he’ll take the Sengoku 8/2 Saitama Super Arena booking
and work the IGF show. May as well do it.
Source: Fight Opinion
|
Quote
of the Day
“Nothing
is as simple as we hope it will be.”
Jim Horning
|
Kauai
Technical Institute Relson Gracie Jiu Jitsu
SCRAPPLER
FEST TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Kids
Gi
WHITE
BELT
6-7
Yrs.
1st
Keawe Alapai-Pimental (Longman)
2nd Kayson Lopez (Longman)
8-9
Yrs.
1st
Makai Sheldon McGihon (Longman Kawaihau)
2nd Robert Brown III (Longman Kawaihau)
3rd Moses Mau-Espirito (Longman East)
10-11
Yrs.
1st
Ezekiel Bagano (Longman)
12-13
Yrs.
1st
Kaimana Carney (Longman)
2nd Neno Costales (Longman)
3rd Alexis Brede (Mad Tiger-Gracie Humita)
14-15
Yrs.
1st
Matthew Heringer (Longman)
2nd Akyuna Akish (Kamole)
3rd Grey Tsosie (Kamole)
16-17
Yrs.
1st
Daniel Quinlon (Kamole)
2nd Tyler Tangeldor (Kamole)
3rd Cole Burton (Kamole)
YELLOW
BELT
11
& Under
1st
Blake Cremer (Longman Kawaihau)
2nd Larson Aiwohi (Longman Kawaihau)
3rd Kaeokai Lizama (Longman Kawaihau)
12-13
Yrs.
1st
Lathan Aiwohi (Longman)
YELLOW/ORANGE
BELT
14-15
Yrs.
1st
Bobby Castle (Longman)
2nd Elijah Koga (Kamole)
3rd Braden Beck (Longman)
YELLOW/BLUE
BELT
16-17
Yrs.
1st
Chris Kaui (KTI-Relson Gracie)
2nd Kobe Yasutake (KTI- Relson Gracie)
3rd Kevin Killerman (Kamole)
Womens
Gi
WHITE
BELT
125
& Under
1st
Kate Fox (Longman)
2nd Kalia Hara (Longman)
3rd Karleigh Diaz (Kamole)
Open
1st
Alexis Carvalho (KTI-Relson Gracie)
2nd Dita Montgomery (KTI-Relson Gracie)
Mens
Gi
WHITE BELT
131
& Under
1st
Arjay Balisacan (KTI-Relson Gracie)
2nd Micah Bermoy (Longman)
3rd Rory Greg Morris (Longman)
132-145
1st
Justes Marins (Longman)
2nd Kainoa Kahaunaele (Kamole)
3rd Daniel Dang (Longman)
146-159
1st
Raymond Miller (KG)
2nd Nate Beralas (HK-Relson Gracie)
3rd Larry Harper (KTI-Relson Gracie)
160-173
1st
Treston Salocio (Longman)
2nd Mason Moriguchi (KTI-Relson Gracie)
3rd Roy Simao (Longman)
174-187
1st
Christian Kennedy (Mad Tiger-Gracie Humita)
2nd David Cambell (KTI-Relson Gracie)
3rd Art Diaz (Kamole)
188-201
1st
Allen Mundon (Longman)
2nd Angel Santiago (Kamole)
3rd Joel D'Aitilio (Kamole)
202-215
1st
Antonio Griado (Hawaii Kai-Relson Gracie)
2nd Chala Vidinah Jr. (Longman)
3rd Scott Brede (Mad Tiger-Gracie Humita)
216
& Above
1st
Mahi Naihe (Redemtion Fighters)
2nd Christopher Taylor (Brazilian Freestyle)
3rd Gio Lagmay (Redemtion Fighters)
BLUE
BELT
131
& Under
1st
Glen Dagiou (KTI-Relson Gracie)
2nd Dj Cremer (KTI-Relson Gracie)
132-145
1st
Matt Park (Kamole)
2nd Noa Mau-Espirito (KTI-Relson Gracie)
3rd Glen Dagiou (KTI-Relson Gracie)
146-159
1st
Dane McBride (Longman)
2nd Raymon Rebero (Longman)
3rd Shane Kahananui (KTI-Relson Gracie)
160-173
1st
Kaula Watson (Longman)
2nd Bubby Greff (Longman)
3rd Nainoa Andrade (KTI-Relson Gracie)
174-187
1st
Graham Kovarik (KTI-Relson Gracie)
2nd Damon Dawson (Kamole)
3rd Kaili Panui (Longman)
188-201
1st
Lebeau Lagmay (Redemtion Fighters)
2nd Kien Averio (Nova Uniao)
3rd Catlin Strom (Longman)
202-215
1st
Grant Manning (Longman)
2nd Chris Kaui (KTI-Relson Gracie)
216
& Above
1st
Steve Alvarez (KTI-Relson Gracie)
2nd Shea Montgomery (KTI-Relson Gracie)
PURPLE
BELT
159
& Under
1st
Desmen Thain (Relson Papakolea)
2nd James Dolan (Central Oahu)
3rd Troy Takara (Central Oahu)
202
& Above
1st
Desi Miner (Central Oahu)
2nd Russell Morita (KG)
3rd Nick Pananganan (KTI-Relson Gracie)
Kids
No-Gi
6-7
Yrs.
1st
Keawe Alapai-Pimental (Longman)
8-9
Yrs.
1st
Robert Brown III (Longman Kawaihau)
2nd Moses Mau-Espirito (Longman East)
10-11Yrs.
1st
Blake Cremer (Longman Kawaihau)
2nd Bryson Yoro (Longman Kawaihau)
12-13
Yrs.
1st
Kaimana Carney (Longman)
2nd Blake Cremer (Longman)
14-15
Yrs.
1st
Bobby Castle (Longman)
2nd Grey Tsosie (Kamole)
3rd Akyuna Akish (Kamole)
16-17
Yrs.
1st
Daniel Quinlon (Kamole)
2nd Michael Beltran (KTI-Relson Gracie)
3rd Peter Morillo (Maui Grappling)
16-17
Yrs. Advanced
1st
Chris Kaui (KTI-Relson Gracie)
2nd Kobe Yasutake (KTI-Relson Gracie)
3rd Noa Mau-Espirito (KTI-Relson Gracie)
Mens
No-Gi
BEGINNER
131
& Under
1st
Arjay Balisacan (KTI-Relson Gracie)
2nd Dj Cremer (KTI-Relson Gracie)
3rd Chris Park (Kamole)
132-145
1st
Matthew Park (Kamole)
2nd Eric Pereza (KTI-Relson Gracie)
3rd Jaron Sit (Longman)
160-173
1st
Treston Salocio (Longman)
2nd Mason Moriguchi (KTI-Relson Gracie)
3rd Jon Fatu (KTI-Relson Gracie)
174-187
1st
Daniel Quinlen (Kamole)
2nd Christian Kennedy (Mad Tiger-Gracie Humita)
3rd David Cambell (KTI-Relson Gracie)
188-201
1st
Allen Mundon (Longman)
2nd Angel Santiago (Kamole)
3rd Romell Balbin (KTI-Relson Gracie)
216
& Above
1st
Gio Lagmay (Redemtion Fighters)
2nd Grant Manning (Longman)
3rd Marcus Punzal (Longman)
PRO
159
& Under
1st
Luke Hacker (Longman)
2nd Austin Rapozo (Kamole)
3rd Nick Arnold (Longman)
160-180
1st
Ben Salapanio (Maui Grappling)
2nd Braden Rapozo (Kamole)
3rd Jay Jenson (KTI-Relson Gracie)
181-201
1st
Lebeau Lagmay (Redemtion Fighters)
2nd Sy Kageyama (Brazilian Freestyle)
3rd Damon Dawson (Kamole)
202
& Above
1st
Russell Morita (KG)
2nd Desi Miner (Central Oahu)
3rd Nick Pananganan (KTI-Relson Gracie)
Team
Standings
1st
Longman 106 pts.
2nd
Relson Gracie 74 pts.
3rd
Kamole 45 pts.
Gracie
Humita 18 pts.
Redemtion
Fighters 13 pts.
Brazilian
Freestyle
Maui Grappling 18 pts.
Nova
Uniao 2 pts.
Rk
Sports
Kihei Kompound
Freelance 0 pts.
|
UFC
98 IN-DEPTH: MATT SERRA VS. MATT HUGHES
The grudge match is finally here. On May 23 at the MGM Grand
Garden Arena, enemies Matt Serra and Matt Hughes will let their
fists do the talking and purge 17 months of built up animosity.
Originally
scheduled for UFC 79, Serra was forced to withdraw from the bout
a month prior with a herniated disc. Replacement killer Georges
St. Pierre stepped in to the slot and submitted Hughes in the
second round, seizing an interim welterweight belt and forcing
the nine-time champ back to the drawing board.
Upon
recovering, Serra lost the undisputed title at UFC 83, and Hughes
fell further from grace with a TKO loss to Thiago Alves at UFC
85, injuring his knee in the process.
While
time and titles have taken some of the luster from the bout,
the feelings have not. On a Tuesday teleconference for UFC 98,
Serra re-affirmed his feelings for Hughes, and Hughes, putting
it mildly, said they were “different people.”
It’s
unlikely that next Saturday’s fight will quash any of the
bad blood, but the bragging rights will be a lot bigger than
a game of bowling.
STRIKING
After
years of work in the grinder of Miletich Fighting Systems, Hughes’
has become a proficient striker. Not a great one, but for someone
of his background, enough to set up his ground and pound go-to.
He throws straighter punches and is more comfortable in the pocket.
He mixes stances, recently fighting Thiago Alves as a southpaw.
Regardless of which leg leads, though, Hughes’ lead hand
defines his striking game. He throws a lunging jab, pecking at
opponents before closing the distance. The shots come one or
two at a time in short, controlled bursts. He never swings for
the fences. Kicks serve as a precursor to an eventual shot. Clinch
striking is not his forte, though he does use knees to soften
an opponent up before attempting a takedown.
Serra
tends to sling himself low and forward on his feet, and similarly
uses his jab to minimize his usual reach disadvantage. Once inside,
though, he often goes bombs away with power punches. Like Hughes,
the shots are often a distraction for the clinch game or a takedown.
Still, he lingers in the pocket longer and is willing to throw
hands. Serra’s right hand is his moneymaker, and it’s
the shot he will commit to fully.
GRAPPLING
Hughes
is wrestling personified. Takedowns, slams, and sheer power on
the ground have defined his style. On top, he is one of the best
at passing an opponent’s guard and doing damage with punches
and elbows. Recently, he’s also showcased a strong game
from the bottom, using an active guard to prevent being passed.
In losses to St. Pierre and Alves, he’s finally encountered
opponents who exceeded his wrestling ability, but he continues
to follow the same blueprint for each fight: take an opponent
down and work for a TKO stoppage from top position.
Serra’s
defining feature is his jiu-jitsu. A Renzo Gracie black belt,
his ground attack is rooted in his bottom game, particularly
the control of opponents. He ties opponents up from the bottom
and inches towards submissions. On top, he doesn’t pour
on the ground and pound, preferring to play the position game.
And as of late, he’s played a very patient game, happy to
slow the action down until a submission attempt or scramble is
wide open.
OCTAGON
CONTROL
Serra
is more tactician than brawler. Not overly aggressive, he measures
offense and defense equally, waiting for the right moment to
strike. Because he often waits for the action to start rather
than initiating, he finds himself countering aggressive fighters.
On the other hand, he is more than happy to storm in with a Superman
punch to grab a single leg and take the fight down after an opponent
has been felt out.
Hughes’
motives are simple: take the fighter down and control him. Every
movement is geared towards that goal. More than past fights,
he is willing to stand and trade before the drive to the ground.
But the end is still the same. He bides his time on the feet
before going to the mat.
CONDITIONING
A
relentless worker, Hughes applied his work ethic on the family
farm to MMA. He’s got “farm boy” strength, and
won’t stop unless hurt. He works tirelessly on his conditioning
and since becoming a UFC staple, has never been accused of conditioning
problems.
Serra
has bounced between the lightweight and welterweight classes,
and with his smaller frame, is a natural fit for 155 pounds.
Undersized in his recent bouts at welterweight, Serra has been
stopped before conditioning could become a factor. Since his
return to the UFC via TUF 4, he has not been tested by a consistently
high-paced fight. He can sit in guard or drive for takedowns,
fighting at his pace, but fighters who push the action wear him
down, the last example being Karo Parisyan at UFC 53.
THE
“X” FACTOR
In
all likelihood, the fight hinges on whether or not Serra can
damage Hughes before he gets taken down. Their hatred of each
other might ensure a slightly longer exchange on the feet, but
there’s no doubt that Hughes’ will shoot. If Hughes
takes a southpaw stance, it could be good news for Serra. But
if “The Terror” over commits and ends up on his back,
which it’s certain he will, his ability to stymie Hughes
will be the question mark the fight hangs on. Even if Serra can
delay damage, it will remain to be seen whether he can do it
for three rounds in a constant battle for position.
Serra's
ability to leverage technique against power will define the fight.
KEYS
TO VICTORY
Serra:
-Catch Hughes with right hand
-Takedown defense, constant movement
-Scramble to feet if taken down
-An early submission from the bottom
Hughes:
-Take the fight to Serra early
-Use jab to close distance
-Back to basics: Takedown and ground and pound
Source: MMA Weekly |
KONGO
STEPS IN FOR HERRING AT UFC 99
The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday announced that
Cheick Kongo has agreed to step in for the injured Heath Herring
at UFC 99 to face Cain Velasquez.
The
promotion on Tuesday revealed that Herring had to withdraw from
the bout due to an unspecified injury.
Kongo
– a teammate of Michael Bisping and Quinton Jackson at the
Wolfslair Academy in England – enters the bout riding a
wave of success. He has won three straight bouts since losing
a bout, ironically enough, to Herring at UFC 82 more than a year
ago.
Velasquez
has quickly amassed an undefeated record of 5-0, finishing all
five of his opponents – including three in the UFC –
by way of TKO. Kongo, however, is the American Kickboxing Academy
trained fighter's toughest bout to date.
Source: MMA Weekly |
ALL
SHAPES AND SIZES AT DREAM 9
The Featherweight Grand Prix 2nd Round is the marquee attraction
for DREAM.9, but fightsport fans will be treated to a lot more
on Tuesday, May 26, as a quartet of "Super Hulk" David
vs Goliath battles rock the Yokohama Arena.
American
bruiser Bob Sapp -- who set the K-1 world on its ear a few years
back with dramatic victories over no less than Ernesto Hoost
-- will bring a 25cm/10" height advantage and a whopping
76kg/150lbs weight advantage to the ring for his bout with Japanese
pro-wrestler Minowaman. Similarly heterogeneous are K-1 veteran
Jan "The Giant" Nortje and Cameroon judoka Sokoudjou;
and Korean titan Hong-Man Choi and six-time Major League Baseball
All Star Jose Cansesco, who will also take to the ring next Tuesday.
Actually, with a mere 43kg/95lbs weight differential and 8cm/3"
of height going the other way, boxers Gegard Mousasi of Holland
and Kiwi Mark Hunt represent, on the Super Hulk card anyway,
relatively similar physical specimens.
Of
course, weight means less and height means next to nothing when
a fight goes to the ground. And so much of the speculation in
advance of the Super Hulk extravaganza has been about tactics
-- a topic even the purists cannot resist. Plenty of attention
has been focused on these bouts, the winners will advance to
the Super Hulk semifinals in September, with the two men victorious
there clashing at the New Year's Eve "Dynamite!" event.
Meanwhile,
because Mousasi has moved up a weight class he has outgrown his
DREAM Middleweight title. DREAM.9 will crown a new Middleweight
Champ when Brazilian Ronaldo Jacare and American barbarian Jason
"Mayhem" Miller clash in Yokohama.
In
a highly anticipated Superfight in the Lightweight class, it
will be Tatsuya Kawajiri of Japan and Gesias JZ Cavalcante of
Brazil.
For
all the amusement the Super Hulks are expected to bring to Yokohama,
the heart of the event is the Featherweight Grand Prix Second
Round -- and, more specifically, the return to action of local
hero Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto.
Yamamoto,
who has not fought since New Year's Eve 2007, got a bye in the
Lightweight GP's first round. He will meet American wrestler
Joe Warren in one of the four 63kg/139lbs contests.
Also
in the tournament: Brazilian jiujitsu master Bibiano Fernandes
will meet Masakazu Imanari of Japan; Japanese grappler Hideo
Tokoro will step in against American ground fighter Abel Cullum;
and Yoshiro Maeda of Japan will meet compatriot Hiroyuki Takaya.
The
four winners on Tuesday will advance to the September DREAM Lightweight
GP semifinals.
The
Olympia DREAM.9 Featherweight Grand Prix 2009 2nd Round kicks
off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26 at the Yokohama Arena. It will
be broadcast live in Japan on TBS and SkyPerfect; and in the
United States on HDNet.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Wanderlei
cheers for Lyoto against Rashad
Next
Saturday (23), Lyoto Machida will enter in the UFC octagon to
face Rashad Evans, when the American puts his belt for the first
time in game. One of the biggest names in the history of MMA,
Wanderlei Silva, who just drop to middleweight division to face
Rich Franklin, is cheering for the victory of the Brazilian at
the UFC 98. "Both have an elusive style, both gets out and
enter. Man, when the bell rings each one will run to one side,
they’ll stick in the fence waiting for the other to attack
(laughs)", jokes Wanderlei, analyzing the game of the athletes.
"It's
a chess match, I think it will be very smart game. Evans is very
good at wrestling, and both are unbeaten. A fight of unbeaten
is always interesting. Lyoto is a very cool guy, never let the
success go up the head... He is a guy that I respect both inside
and outside the octagon", he said, sending a message to
the fighter: “I wish all the luck in the world to Lyoto,
train a lot because that’s for you. I hope that Lyoto brings
this belt to Brazil”.
Source: Tatame |
BROWN
INJURED, STILL OPEN TO JOHNSON FIGHT
UFC welterweight Matt Brown was scheduled to face Anthony Johnson
at the season nine finale of “The Ultimate Fighter,”
but it wasn’t under the best of circumstances.
“Bumps
and bruises” hampered Brown’s preparation for the June
20 fight, and when news came that Johnson had withdrawn from
the bout with a knee injury, it was a relief.
“Everything
worked out better for me, anyway,” Brown told MMAWeekly.com.
“I was like, ‘that’s cool with me.’ The main
thing is my wrist is pretty jacked up.”
The
season seven contestant of “The Ultimate Fighter” says
he should be 100 percent in 30 to 60 days, and is still training
in Las Vegas.
Though
he welcomes another opportunity to face Johnson, he doesn’t
have too much stake in his next opponent, and says his managers
will alert him on his next fight.
Facing
Johnson, though, would have been a good fight.
“Absolutely,”
he said. “I’m not one of those guys who’s big
on picking fights. I think Anthony’s a good exciting match-up
that would have been a barnburner of a fight, so that’s
always good motivation to fight someone.”
Meanwhile,
a replacement fight between Martin Kampmann and TJ Grant has
been rumored, although a source close to negotiations said it
was not going to happen.
Source: MMA Weekly |
UFC
98: FRANKIE EDGAR AND THE MUSCLE SHARK
Exciting fights keep you in the UFC. Winning those exciting fights
makes you a commodity. When you’re a commodity you become
a contender. When you become a contender… well, you’re
Frankie Edgar.
Taking
the lightweight division by storm, the New Jersey native made
his Octagon debut against fellow top lightweight Tyson Griffin
in a rousing three-round battle (which still is seen on television
sets across the globe thanks to UFC Unleashed) with each fighter
having their moments. The victory ultimately went to Edgar, who
used effective wrestling coupled with a solid stand-up game to
hand Griffin his first professional loss.
After
suffering his own first professional loss to Xtreme Couture’s
Gray Maynard, in true Edgar form, he came back with another exciting
fight against former title challenger Hermes Franca at UFC Fight
Night 14 in Las Vegas this past July.
Gearing
up for his most important fight to date, against former UFC lightweight
champion Sean Sherk, to be televised on the main card of UFC
98, Edgar spoke with the MMAWeekly Radio show discussing his
pivotal match-up and what had kept him out of action for the
remainder of 2008.
“Believe
it or not, I sprained my ACL in my right leg and my MCL in the
other one. It was kind of one after the other, so it was tough
to deal with, but I got over it. No surgery needed; physical
therapy, one hundred percent” explained Edgar.
Eager
to continue climbing the mountain that is the lightweight division,
the Ricardo Almeida pupil had the option of returning to the
fight game earlier this year, however, opted to wait until May
to compete against Sherk. With a win over the former champion,
Edgar could begin to stake his claim as the next title challenger
in the crowded division.
“I
just feel that the opportunity to fight Sherk is an opportunity
you could wait for.”
Originally
scheduled to face Matt Wiman back in December, after succumbing
to multiple injuries, Edgar has used his time out efficiently.
And with plenty of notice to face Sherk, the newly minted father
(who admits fatherhood is his biggest challenge, taking precedence
over fighting) believes that the extra allotted time can only
benefit him physically and uses his daunting task at hand as
extra motivation to come in pristine condition.
“Being
that my knee was banged up, being that Sherk is such a tough
opponent, I wanted to start this training camp out really early,
so timing was excellent for this one.”
Having
been able to win the majority of his fights based on pure skill
rather than physicality, questions began to circle the Tom River,
N.J., resident when he garnered his first and only loss, to Maynard,
who is the epitome of “large” lightweights. Many feel
that Edgar would be much better suited in the featherweight division…
but not him.
“I
enjoy fighting in the UFC. I wanna stay here. You never know
what the future holds, but right now I feel like I have a great
opportunity heading in with Sherk. I feel like if I beat Sherk,
I’m right in the picture for this title, so I don’t
see any reason to go down (to 145). When people question my ability
at 155 it absolutely motivates me. I don’t mind being the
little guy; I think it’s a fun position to be in as a fighter.”
Knowing
well that the win over Sherk is a near guarantee for top spot
for the lightweight title, Edgar will make the best of the opportunity
given to him. He also relishes the chance to prove the naysayers
wrong and make a statement that size doesn’t matter.
“I
really feel like Sean is on his way back to the title. I feel
that if I beat him, I take his spot or at least a notch right
below it. I think it can only help me to where I want to be,
so that’s why I was really quick to jump on this one."
Source: MMA Weekly |
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Quest
for Champions 2009
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