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(All events on Oahu, unless noted)

2011

12/9/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

11/11/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

10/22/11
NAGA Hawaii
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)

10/21/11
Destiny MMA
(MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower Market Place)

10/7/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

9/23/11
808 Battleground Presents: Unstoppable
(MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower Market Place)

9/2/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

8/27/11
Pro Elite MMA
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

Toughman Hawaii
(Boxing, Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic)
Add to events calendar

8/20/11
POSTPONED
Maui Jiu-Jitsu Open Tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Neal Blaisdell Center
Lahaina Civic Center, Lahaina, Maui)

8/13/11
Destiny
(MMA)
(Waterfront at Aloha Tower)

8/12/11
Up N Up: Waipahu Brawl
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom)

8/6/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)

7/22/11
808 Battleground & X-1 World Events
Domination
(MMA)
(Waterfront at Aloha Tower)

Vendetta
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

7/16/11
2011 Sera's Kajukenbo Open Tournament
(Continuous Sparring, MMA (Controlled), and Submission Grappling)
(War Memorial Gym, Wailuku, Maui)

7/8/11
Chozun 2
(Kickboxing)
(The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu)

Rener Gracie Seminar
O2 Martial Arts Academy
$65
7-9PM

7/1/11
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

6/25/11
Kauai Cage Fights
(MMA)
(Kilohana Estates)

6/17-19/11
Big Boys & MMA Hawaii Expo
Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)

6/18-19/11
Hawaii Triple Crown
“State Championships”
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)

6/18/11
Destiny: Fury II
(MMA)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)

6/17/11
UpNUp: On The Rise
(MMA)
(Neal Blaisdell Center, Honolulu)

6/10/11
Genesis “76 South Showdown Kickboxing”
(Kickboxing)
(Campbell H.S. Gym, Ewa Beach)

6/2-5/11
World Jiu-Jitsu Championship
(BJJ)
(California)

5/28/11
HUAWA Grappling Tournament 2011
Grappling Series II
(Submission grappling)
(Mililani H.S. Gym, Mililani)
Cancelled

Battleground 808
(MMA)
(The Waterfront, Aloha Tower)

Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

5/21/11
Scraplafest 3
(BJJ & Submission Grappling)
(Island School, Puhi, Kauai, behind Kauai Commuity College)

5/20/11
Kauai Knockout Championship II: Mortal Combat
(MMA)
(Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, Lihue)

5/14/11
Boxing Smoker
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Gym)

5/6/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)

4/28/11
Destiny: Fury II
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

4/23/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

Gladiators for God
(Amateur Muay Thai)
(Wet&Wild Water Park)

4/16/11
Hawaiian Championship of BJJ
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kaiser H.S. Gym)

4/15/11
Destiny & 808 Battleground presents "Supremacy"
(MMA)
(Aloha Tower Waterfront)

4/9/11
Fight Girls Hawaii
(MMA)
(Waipahu Filcom Center)

4/2/11
Toughman Hawaii
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Ctr)

3/24-27/11
Pan American Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA)

3/26/11
Mad Skills
(Kickboxing, Triple Threat)
(Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

HUAWA Grappling Tourney
(Sub Grappling)
(Mililani HS Gym)

3/12/11
X-1: Dylan Clay vs Niko Vitale
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)

3/11/11
Chozun 1: "the Reckoning"
(Kickboxing)
(The Waterfront at Aloha Tower Marketplace, Honolulu)

3/5/11
Just Scrap
(MMA)
(Hilo Civic Auditorium, Hilo)

2/25/11
808 Battleground Presents
War of Warriors
(MMA)
(The Waterfront At Aloha Tower, Honolulu)

2/20/11
Pan Kids Jiu-Jitsu Championships
(BJJ)
(California State University, Carson, CA )

2/19/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

2/5/11
Garden Island Cage Match 10: Mayhem at the Mansion 2
(MMA, Kickboxing)
(Kilohana Carriage House, Lihue, Kauai)

Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)

2/4/11
Amateur Boxing
(Boxing)
(Palolo District Park Gym)

1/29/11
Man Up & Stand Up
(Kickboxing)
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu)

Battle At The Barn
(MMA)
(Molokai H.S. Gym, Molokai)

1/8/11
Hawaii Toughman
(Kickboxing)
(Hilo Civic Center, Hilo)
 News & Rumors
Archives
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August 2011 News Part 2

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 & Erwin Legaspi.

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!



Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum is Online!

Chris, Mark, and I wanted to start an official Onzuka.com forum for a while now. We were searching for the best forum to go with and hit a gold mine! We have known Kirik, who heads the largest and most popular forum on the net, The Underground for years.

He offered us our own forum within the matrix know as MMA.tv. The three of us will be the moderators with of course FCTV808 being the lead since he is on there all day anyway!

We encourage everyone from Hawaii and our many readers around world to contribute to the Hawaii Underground.

If you do not have a login, it's simple and fast to get one.
Click
here to set up an account.

Don't worry about using Pidgin English in the posting. After all it is the Hawaii Underground and what is a Hawaii Underground without some Aloha and some Pidgin?

To go directly to the Onzuka.com Hawaii Underground Forum
click
here!

Want to Advertise on Onzuka.com?

Click here for pricing and more information!
Short term and long term advertising available.

More than 1 million hits and counting!

O2 Martial Arts Academy
Your Complete Martial Arts School!

Click here for pricing and more information!

O2 Martial Arts features Relson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu taught by Relson Gracie Black Belts Chris and Mike Onzuka and Shane Agena as well as a number of brown and purple belts.

We also offer Boxing and Kickboxing classes with a staff that is unmatched. Boxing, Kickboxing, and MMA champions Kaleo Kwan and PJ Dean as well as master boxing instructor Chris Slavens provide incredibly detailed instruction of the sweet science.

To top it off, Ian Beltran & Erwin Legaspi heads our Kali-Escrima classes (Filipino Knife & Stickfighting) who were directly trained under the legendary Snookie Sanchez.

Just a beginner with no background? Perfect! We teach you from the ground up!

Experienced martial artist that wants to fine tune your skill? Our school is for you!

If you want to learn martial arts by masters of their trade in a friendly and family environment, O2 Martial Arts Academy is the place for you!


Want to Contact Us? Shoot us an email by Clicking Here!

Follow O2 Martial Arts news via Twitter at:
http://www.twitter.com/O2MAA



8/21/11

‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Goes Live on FX Starting on Friday Nights in Spring 2012
by Damon Martin

The monumental deal that will put the UFC on FOX for at least the next seven years will also include a major shift that will see “The Ultimate Fighter” go live on FX.

The long running reality show, which enters its 14th season in September, will move to the FX Network and air on Friday nights starting with Season 15 in the Spring of 2012.

The new format will take the show in a completely different direction, which includes fighters being on “The Ultimate Fighter” for 13 weeks total, with each elimination fight airing live on FX on Friday nights.

“Over the last seven years and the last 14 cycles of ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ they’ve been taped over six weeks, then they’re in the can and edited for three, four months and then they make it their way to air. Now the show’s going to be shot over 13 weeks and each installment will be edited the week of and then aired that week. What happened that week will be airing on FX Friday night followed by a live fight,” said John Landgraf, president of FX Networks.

UFC president Dana White gave a few more details as far as how the show will be taped during the week and then the actual fight taking place on live television.

“‘The Ultimate Fighter’ will now be live. Where we used to go in and the guys would stay there for six weeks and it would be in the can and we’d release the show months later. (Now it will be) four or five days of filming – it’s what I call ‘jive live’ – the reality will be jive live and every fight will be live. So people will be tuning in and watching ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ live,” said White.

Another wrinkle added to the new version of TUF will have the coaches for the season train alongside their team for all 12 weeks, and that will then lead to their fight, which will take place on pay-per-view.

“The reality will have happened over the last couple of days and the two coaches that come in to coach will also be there, their training camp will be there for that 12 weeks, and all these fights leading right into the finale. Also, when the coaches fight on pay-per-view, (it) will all line right up and it will be live,” White commented.

The new show format will be 12 weeks of “The Ultimate Fighter” with all 12 elimination bouts airing live on FX on Friday nights. “The Ultimate Fighter” finale will then happen on week 13 with the show again airing live on FX.

Twenty-six total weeks of live fights per year for “The Ultimate Fighter” on FX in addition to the six UFC Fight Night events that will also air on the network brings the total to 32 weeks of live programming for the UFC on FX.

One other major change in the show will be that fans will now have the power to help pick the fights that take place on “The Ultimate Fighter.” Each week fans will have the chance to vote on what fight they want to see for an elimination bout, and the following show the results will be announced.

“This is revolutionary television right here,” White stated.

The 15th season of “Tthe Ultimate Fighter” will kick off in Spring 2012 with episodes airing live Friday nights on FX.

Source: MMA Weekly

Jonathan Shrager: Interview with Tom ‘Kong’ Watson — “I stand by my training partner Nate Marquardt”
By Zach Arnold
By Jonathan Shrager

You can follow Tom “Kong” Watson on Twitter @TomKongWatson.

Jonathan Shrager: “I’d like to begin by asking about your unfortunate withdrawal from the Frank Trigg title defence at BAMMA 7?”

Tom Watson: “Yes, injuries are an inevitable bane of a sportsman’s life. It doesn’t matter at what level you compete, there are few things worse for a keen sportsman than not to be able to ply his trade and perform his art, whether through being on the substitutes’ bench, on the treatment table, or even worst case scenario on the operating table. The bottom line is that being sidelined is difficult to take, not only physically, but also mentally. And yet it is a sentiment with which you have to become accustomed to dealing through experience.”

Jonathan Shrager: “And can you elaborate a little on the specific injury which has forced you out of the fight?”

Tom Watson: “I had a scan the other day on my back, but even prior to assessing the images the doctor predicts that I have at least one ruptured disc. It’s pretty uncomfortable because the ruptured disc in my back is hitting a nerve resulting in constant nerve spasms. Consequently, I’m also struggling to stand for 15 minutes without having to sit down, and vice versa. I’m spending most of my days lying down.”

Jonathan Shrager: “Ok, well obviously everyone hopes that the scans reveal that the injury isn’t too serious, and that you can return to the cage ASAP. Prior to the Trigg fight, I heard Ariel Helwani had been in contact with you to discuss the fight. This highlights the rising prominence of BAMMA when you’re on the radar of the industry’s most recognisable interviewer?”

Tom Watson: “Indeed, I am proud to be fighting for BAMMA, and prior to its advent there weren’t many promotions outside of the UFC that were staging respectable events. The principal issue for BAMMA originally was attracting and signing high profile fighters, which it has successfully managed to address. And in terms of the live shows, the production values, the entertainment, and the treatment received by the fighters, the organisation is top notch. This will all be amplified by BAMMA’s recent global distribution deal with Content Media Corporation, which can only serve to significantly increase exposure and profile in numerous countries, and in turn attract even bigger marquis name fighters and sponsors. All positive implications.”

Jonathan Shrager: “Fantastic, and what do you think of Ariel as an interviewer?”

Tom Watson: “Ariel is undoubtedly a weasel, but he’s great at his job. In his line of work, a stirrer attains results. It’s no coincidence that Ariel is the man who always manages to obtain the exclusive interviews with Dana White at UFC events.

“Simply put, he captures the interviews that people want to see, full of media sensationalism. He broaches the topics and poses the questions that other interviewers may choose not to through concern of offending the fighters. I saw his recent sit-down with Chael Sonnen in which Chael defamed PRIDE and lambasted Brazilian fighters. Whilst extremely close to the bone, people enjoy such spectacles, including myself admittedly. And the proof is always in the pudding; Ariel is now arguably the single most successful and well-recognised reporter within MMA. From relative obscurity to prominence within a short time frame is a testament to his skill.”

Jonathan Shrager: “So you’re evidently a fan of his?”

Tom Watson: “Yes, I quite like Ariel. He only asks the questions, and it remains the fighters’ prerogative whether to respond. What does frustrate me is the occasions on which a reporter will purposefully modify your words, or omit certain sentences, in order to achieve the desired effect for their article.”

Jonathan Shrager: “It appears that the bitter war of words between BJ Penn and your teammate Nate Marquardt has recommenced following Nate’s assertion that BJ is a “Pothead”. Other fighters contributed with their input when the feud initially began. What did you make of fellow countryman Dan Hardy’s statement that Nate should work as a male stripper if banned indefinitely?”

Tom Watson: “Yes, Dan Hardy emerged with a characteristically humorous citation, but can Dan substantiate his comments about Nate’s medical background? At the end of the day, it’s all pure speculation. Referring to Nate’s past record with PEDs is futile since Nate has served his suspensions so that should be left in the past. And by Dan claiming that he doesn’t understand why 30 year-old men need TRT, well that’s an ignorant statement on behalf of Dan. Seemingly robust young athletes have suffered grave medical issues which nobody could anticipate so we shouldn’t always judge a book by its cover without knowing the hard facts. It’s a little bit silly for Dan to be involving himself in the debate, but then again I suppose he needs the publicity after his recent skid.”

Jonathan Shrager: “It’s evident that in MMA, fighters will always defend their teammates over countrymen. It underscores the bond that can be created between training partners.”

Tom Watson: “Well, I’ve never really trained with Dan Hardy, as when I’ve been with the team Roughhouse boys in Nottingham (Paul Daley, Andre Winner, Dean Amasinger), Dan has generally been out in the States. I always look out for his results, because he’s a Brit, he trains with guys I know, and he’s usually involved in exciting fights, but on the flip side, when he fought GSP I was one of Georges main training partners. And that’s the curious thing about MMA; you don’t always necessarily ally with your compatriot. The gym set-up resembles the military in that respect, in that sometimes different nationalities will unite to fight for a common cause. So I consider my training partners at Jackson’s as my brothers, as opposed to an unfamiliar fighter who happens to be of the same nationality.”

Jonathan Shrager: “And Chael Sonnen claimed that Nate might be omitting certain details. What’s your opinion on that?”

Tom Watson: “I’ve trained with Nate sporadically over the last few years, and he’s a good friend. I don’t like to offer an opinion, since the UFC, Nate and his medical advisors are the only parties privy to the specifics. What I can confirm, echoing the sentiments of many personalities within the MMA world, is that Nate is a great guy, and an honest man. It’s not as if he fought and was subsequently caught, but rather Nate was open about his TRT, and there were legitimate reasons for the treatment, so it’s a difficult situation.

“With respect to Chael Sonnen’s assertion that Nate was omitting certain details during his expose on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour, Chael found himself in a position which compelled him to make such a statement, in order to make it appear as if there was some point of distinction from his case of TRT following the Anderson Silva fight. Chael will soon be fighting one of my close friends and main training partners Brian Stann, which I don’t think is a favourable fight for Sonnen. Sonnen will probably enter the fight as the bookies’ favourite, so when Brian bests him, it’ll automatically thrust “The All-American” into title contention. I’ve become particularly close with Brian since his drop to middleweight, and following my fight with Murilo “Ninja” Rua I flew straight out to Vegas for his fight with Santiago, and then stayed at his house for a week.”

Source: Fight Opinion

Monumental TV Deal Expands UFC's Reach, but Sport Remains the Same
By Ben Fowlkes

Farewell, Gladiator Intro Man. We hardly knew yet.

The UFC is headed to Fox, which, according to Dana White, means big changes are in the works. That gladiator who's been gearing up at the start of every televised event for what feels like centuries now is just the first to go. You can bet he won't be the only casualty as the UFC upgrades its TV presence courtesy of a seven-year deal with FOX, which will bring a live UFC event to network TV this fall.

In other words, remember how your grandfather used to tell you about boxing's heyday, when you could sit down on Friday night and watch Rocky Marciano or "Sugar" Ray Robinson duke it out on network TV in between commercials for shaving cream and hair tonic?

Yeah, this is kind of like that. Or at least, it could be, even if it probably won't change the entirety of the MMA landscape the way some might expect.

Here's where we are obliged to remind ourselves that this is not MMA's first foray into live network TV. EliteXC did it, and so did Strikeforce, but both organizations did it with CBS, which never got entirely comfortable with being in the "bloodsport" business and so didn't push MMA quite as hard as it could have.

But with a seven-year deal that will bring UFC programming to several different FOX properties, from the cable TV hinterlands of Fuel and FX to the network giant itself, the UFC now has a TV partner that isn't just dipping its toe in the water. As White likes to say, the big challenge for a promoter is simply letting people know there's a fight on Saturday night. When you can wave that banner during NFL games and sitcoms alike, that part of the job gets a lot easier.

At the same time, there were some conflicting messages coming out of Thursday's press conference to announce the landmark deal. For starters, take the bold claim from FOX executives that you can hardly find an 18-35 year-old man in America who doesn't know something about the UFC.

A) That's not completely true, as any MMA journalist who has ever tried to explain what he or she does for a living to a confused stranger on an airplane already knows, and B) Even to the extent that it is true, what does that mean for the sport's potential growth via network television if the public has already heard about MMA and formed an opinion on it?

Say, for example, you're an average American pro football fan. Say you see an ad for an upcoming UFC event on FOX flash across the screen while you're watching your beloved Seattle Seahawks play (a stretch, I know, but stick with me). Say you're one of those aforementioned American males who has heard of the UFC before, who maybe even knows who Brock Lesnar is, but who has never seriously considered sitting down to watch an entire event before.

What's going to change your mind this time?

Maybe it will be the fact that it's on free TV, and on a channel you don't have to search for. Maybe it will be the association that already exists in your mind between FOX and pro sports you enjoy. Or maybe it will be nothing, since you've heard of the UFC before and made either an unconscious or conscious decision not to learn anything else about it, plus the Seahawks just fumbled on the goal line so you have other things to worry about just now.

The difference may be the UFC's willingness to roll out its biggest stars for free events on FOX, foregoing short-term pay-per-view dollars for the opportunity to create some long-term fans. The things that make Lesnar a guaranteed pay-per-view draw are the same things that might convince John Q. Sportsfan to forego his Saturday night movie date so he can stay home and watch the UFC on FOX.

Is that guy going to become a Gray Maynard fan after that one night? Probably not, and he may never get interested enough in the sport to so much as chip in on a pay-per-view. Does it matter? Not really. That's because the UFC is already legitimate. It's already mainstream, or at least as mainstream as two men fighting in a cage is ever going to get.

The FOX executives are mostly right when they say that, in general, most American males have some idea of what the UFC is. They also have some idea of whether they like it or not, and the channel it's broadcast on isn't likely to make a huge difference either way.

Of course more people will watch a UFC event on FOX, if only because more people watch what's on network TV in general, even when it's godawful. Some people might even take it more seriously when they see it on network TV, but some will also see it as the sporting version of 'Temptation Island' and dismiss it just as easily as they did when it was stuck way up on the cable dial.

Still, the increased viewership on those network TV nights will make a huge difference to sponsors and to the fighters who rely on those sponsors for a hefty chunk of their annual income. Make no mistake: this is big.

But the fact that the UFC managed to make a seven-year deal with a network like FOX should tell us that MMA is already big. The UFC is not becoming mainstream or legitimate because of this deal; the UFC got the deal because it's mainstream and legitimate.

That doesn't mean the entire world will suddenly fall in love with MMA. Anything with this much real blood in it has built-in limitations. If you hated the idea of two guys in compression shorts elbowing each other in the face on Spike TV, you'll probably still hate it on FOX and FX.

Too bad though, because you're probably going to have to hear about it a lot more often now.

Source: MMA Fighting

UFC on Fox: Lightweight Champ Frankie Edgar Weighs in on the Deal and Gray Maynard

As the hours tick by, the impact of the UFC’s announced television partnership with Fox on Thursday continues to build in its perceived significance.

That feeling is spilling over in several directions, and it’s something that wasn’t missed by UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who was flown out to Los Angeles to take part in the announcement.

“My career’s been a fun ride thus far, to be able to look back some day and say I was a part of this is something I’ll be proud of. This is probably one of the biggest days in UFC history,” he told MMAWeekly.com‘s Erik Fontanez.

Source: MMA Weekly

Matt Serra Says Only a Small Percentage of Fighters Don’t Use PEDs
by Crooklyn from TapouT Radio

Former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra is still a very busy man. With a brand new daughter and another location of Serra BJJ opening up soon, he barely has time to make the sauce for his wife’s pasta.

One thing he’s not too busy for, is to weigh in on the recent issues of performance enhancing drugs that have plagued all sports, but particularly MMA, of late. When asked his thoughts on the subject, Serra had several things to say.

“It’s wrong man, it’s really wrong. Let me tell you something. I got to the title without doing anything. I didn’t use anything,” Serra commented. “Me and BJ Penn are in that small percentage that don’t do (expletive). There’s a lot of guys that are considered legends, and they’re doing the GH and doing this and that, and it’s obvious, it’s freaking obvious.”

Serra points out that the danger of performance enhancing drugs can lead to serious injury, as well as simply giving fighters an unfair advantage in a fight.

“It’s one thing if you’re fighting for an hour, but you got 15 minutes in there. There’s certain teams out there that look like they got a freaking chemist assigned to them,” said Serra. “It’s not that I want to judge anybody, but hey man, I’m fighting these people. Next thing you know you’re in there fighting a guy with unlimited energy that looks like a He-Man figure. I don’t give a (expletive) if it’s happening in baseball, but when a guy can kick your head off, someone can get hurt. There’s a chance for serious bodily harm.”

Serra’s Career and Weight

While he doesn’t currently have a bout set up for the immediate future, Serra claims he’s not done fighting yet, despite the chemistry going on in the sport.

“I’m like herpes. I’m not going anywhere,” Serra said. “Like Rocky 6, I’ve still got some (expletive) in the basement.”

On the subject of his weight, he says he’s currently on the wrong side of 200 pounds, but that he loses weight easily. UFC president Dana White even took a jab at Serra’s heavier set self at the UFC 133 post fight press conference when speaking about his student, Costas Philippou, training with a heavyweight.

He says he needs three months, solid, to prepare for a fight, and if the right offer comes along, he’d be ready, possibly by December. Questioning about opponents he’d be interested in fighting led to some discussion of Brian Ebersole.

Serra commented that he heard Ebersole was interested in fighting him, and it’s a fight he’d happily accept.

“I think that would be an interesting fight because the guy does freaking cartwheels in there. It’ll be a freak show,” Serra stated. “The guy is six-foot-one so I might be below his arrow.”

Matt closed by giving his thoughts on the upcoming bout between Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz. He feels that St-Pierre won’t be able to match Diaz’s striking or jiu-jitsu, and said that the only way he saw GSP winning is with takedowns and wrestling.

Source: MMA Weekly

Focus for UFC shifts to more live, Friday night TV content on Fox for 7 years
By Zach Arnold

Tomas Rios: “People, a major network has made a multi-year, multi-platform, big money commitment to the UFC. This is the biggest MMA story ever.”

Fascinating that ESPN has not discussed at all (either in TV reporting or their newsticker) UFC moving from Spike to FX/Fox family. Relations between ESPN & Fox are not as competitive as they once were, especially given NBC & Comcast as one unit now as the major competitor for programming (and Yahoo Sports as the top online sports reporting hub). At least ESPN put up a report on their web site.

The Ultimate Fighter will be more interactive in terms of airing live fights and taping footage from the past week prior to said fights airing. Friday night on FX will basically be UFC’s cable footprint. I’m a bit skeptical about Friday nights working out for them as opposed to Wednesdays or Thursdays.

Thankfully, the Gladiator graphic UFC has used forever is going the way of the do-do bird. As I predicted, not many changes at all to the UFC production layout (including their announce team).

Sports Business Journal says that Fox is paying UFC about $100 million dollars a year. The majority of UFC’s programming will air on cable channel FX, with four network television specials airing live each year on Fox terrestrial. Fox executives seem to think that they have found a real growth play here.

Luke Thomas: “UFC source tells me new Fox deal does NOT affect online distribution deals to Roku, Yahoo!, XBox or UStream. Nothing changes.”

Both Loretta Hunt & Josh Gross were at the press conference and credentialed. Loretta says that she shook Dana White’s hand. Make of that what you will.

An interesting question/premise being debated yesterday on Twitter about this new deal with Fox — will Fox force UFC management & employees to change their behavior (i.e. Rampage ‘motorboating’ & Joe Rogan’s comments about Maggie Hendricks) or will the status quo for behavior remain? I’m in the minority in stating that absolutely nothing will change from a behavioral standpoint. If Joe Rogan can come back to network TV (NBC) for a new series run of Fear Factor after the online kerfuffle he got into a few months ago, I don’t see how or why Fox is going to make him change (business reasons or not).

What was fascinating to see during the press conference was the reaction from Fox suits towards UFC’s production values. They seriously will allow Zuffa to produce shows as they see fit. When Fuji TV backed PRIDE, Fuji TV brought all of their resources and production team to the table. If Fox is going to allow UFC to produce shows the want they want to and pay them nearly $100 million USD a year, that’s a sweet development for UFC.

Source: Fight Opinion

UFC Maintains Control of Production Under New Fox Deal, But Plans on Changing Everything
by Damon Martin

As the UFC embarks on the new deal with Fox, one of the biggest questions was what changes, if any, would be made to the production of the broadcasts?

In past dealings with television networks, UFC president Dana White has admitted that they didn’t want to give up complete production control to other entities.

It appears with Fox, the UFC will remain in complete control of their productions, however they will happily sit down with their new partners to discuss any relevant changes.

“I think their production is first class, and I doubt that there’s anything that we could bring. There will be discussions as the months and years go on about production, but I think they’re doing a fantastic job as it is,” said David Hill, Fox Sports Media Group Chairman.

One addition to the new UFC on Fox deal will be pre- and post-shows that will air on the subsidiary station Fuel TV in conjunction with all live broadcasts and UFC pay-per-views. Fox will handle those programs, but outside of that the UFC will maintain regular control of their shows.

“The production’s going to be done the same way it always has been,” said White. “Me and my crew will run the production, and Fox Sports will come in and we’re going to have a pre-show, a post-show, and they’ll bring in their guys, the Fox guys, for the pre- and post-show. The UFC’s going to run the production.”

Much like their time with Spike TV and other television partners, the UFC will sit down with executives and production teams at Fox to collaborate and make sure they are putting the best version of their product on television.

“We’re going to sit down with the team at Fox and collaborate on things,” said co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta.

While the UFC will maintain production control over its programming, it doesn’t mean major changes aren’t already in the works.

White is viewing the deal with Fox like a rebirth for the company and several big shifts will be made in everything from the UFC Fight Night broadcasts to a new look for the pay-per-views.

“I look at this Fox deal as a fresh start for us, so I want to change everything,” White stated. “I want to change the look of the pay-per-view, graphics, show open, the show opens in our Fight Nights, everything’s going to have a different feel to it.

“We’ll be working with these guys, I love what they do in sports, and to enhance the look and feel of a UFC event.”

What those changes will entail haven’t been revealed yet, but with the first Fox broadcast set for Nov. 12, fans won’t have to wait very long to find out.

As far as the broadcast team goes, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan will still be the voices of the UFC shows, but just because of the sheer amount of programming, the UFC will be adding new talent as well.

“Obviously, Goldie and Rogan are going to be the main broadcast team for our big fights, pay-per-views, fights on Fox, fights on FX. Some additional programming, you know, we’re going to probably have to bring in some new talent because it’s just not physically possible for these guys to do that number of events and still have a life,” UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta told MMAWeekly.com.

“So, yeah, we’re going to be adding new talent, whether it be on live fights, whether it’d be on magazine shows, whether it be on pre-shows, post-shows.”

One big difference, however, to the look and feel of the UFC pay-per-views will be a change to the opening sequence that has run for the last several years.

“What about the gladiator opening?” asked UFC commentator Joe Rogan.

“It’s going away,” White responded.

The change will most likely be greeted well by fans, but maybe not as much from the band Stemm, whose song “Face the Pain” will fade into obscurity and possibly a special place as a question in Trivial Pursuit or Jeopardy in a few years.

Source: MMA Weekly


Man up and Stand up
Waipahu Filcom Center, Waipahu, Hawaii
Sept 2, 2011

JONAH AFOA
215
KANOE KAHIKINA

DUSTIN CULLASTRO
230
BEN BOYCE

EVAN QUIZON
130
TONY RODRIGUES

ISAAC HOPPS (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
145
CORY ESTRAD

MIKE MORALES
145
MAURICE PHILIPS

BRYSON AIONA
205
JUDE KAPUA

CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA
175
MICAH ABREU

COLIN MCKENZIE
145
LAA HOOKELE

NALU KAWAILIMA (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
125
KALEI AIWOHI

KEONI CHANG
140
MARK YARCIA

MAKANA WIGGLESWORTH
145
KAI KIWASAKI

KAYLEN STAFFORD
140
DARRYL DANO

JONAH VISTANTE
153
JORDAN ANDUA

OLA LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
140
DEREK MINN

AJ DEGUZMAN
125
DENNIS MONTIRA

RODNEY BANIS
170
TOLO SARAGOSA

DAMON APPLEBAUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
215
AARON ROSE

MARC KUMAI
185
PELETI FAUMUINA

BRADA
130
BRYAR

BRYSEN 4 REAL LUM (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
150
LANCE BELL

ANGELO DEAN BONGO (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
105
MAKOA DESANTOS

STANFORD HOKOANA
155
JUSTIN

JUSTIN BURGESS
160
JOSEPH GARCIA

DARIUS LONDO (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
175
LOMBART MALEDONA

DUSTIN JACOBSEN
125
SHAWN DESANTOS


CHRIS DE AQUINO (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
200
SPENCER QUELL


JEFF LAGAMAN
145
MAKAIO ALVARADO


BRANSON TADAKI (O2 Martial Arts Academy)
140
NOA KAMELAMELA

All matches & participants may be subject to change.

Source: Derrick Bright

ProElite August 27 Fight Card Rumors

Powered by Xyience LogoProElite Return
Date: August 27, 2011
Venue: Neil S. Blaisdell Arena
Location: Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii



ProElite leaks partial card for August return

ProElite, Inc. announced a press conference yesterday, scheduled for Friday, July 29th in Honolulu, to reveal the matchups on the upcoming August fight card. However, the poster above which was recently released on their site offers a few spoilers.

The poster reveals “The Pitbull” Andrei Arlovski fighting someone with a last name of “Lopez”, Kendall Grove fighting Joe Riggs, and confirms the debut of MMA debut of Reagan Penn. Conor Heun has been speculated to be on the card, but is not confirmed on this poster. “I am confident that MMA fans will not be disappointed with the matchups, which will be announced later this week. It’s exciting to have the MMA community on the edge of their seats awaiting the next ProElite news,” stated Paul Feller, President and CEO of Stratus. “I am confident that MMA fans will not be disappointed with the matchups, which will be announced later this week.”

T.Jay Thompson, head of Fight Operations said, “This is just the start of ProElite’s return to a dominant player in the industry.” “We look forward to regaining the support of the MMA global audience.”

The August 27th fight marks the third time ProElite has staged an MMA event in Hawaii.
Tickets can now be purchased at the Blaisdell Arena box office, or online at ticketmaster.com. Reserved seats are $28, $40, $65, and $90; Cage side seats are priced at $150 and $200. Info via Fight Nerd fan Jeff Youngs.

Main Card (On Pay-Per-View):
-Andrei Arlovski (15-9) vs. Ray Lopez (5-2)
-Kendall Grove (12-9) vs. Joe Riggs (34-13)
-Drew McFedries (9-6) vs. Kala Hose (7-5)
-Raquel Pa’aluhi (3-1) vs. Sara McMann (2-0)
-Mark Ellis (0-0) vs. Jake Huen (1-0)
-Reagan Penn (0-0) vs. TBA

Source: MMA Weekly

Toughman Hawaii
August 27, 2011
Hilo Civic Center

UFC 134
Rio de Janeiro at HSBC Arena
8/27/11
By Zach Arnold

Dark matches/Facebook
Featherweights: Yves Jabouin vs. Ian Loveland
Featherweights: Yuri Alcantara vs. Antonio Carvalho
Middleweights: Rousimar Palhares vs. Dan Miller
Welterweights: Mike Swick vs. Erick Silva
Welterweights: Paulo Thiago vs. David Mitchell
Lightweights: Thiago Tavares vs. Spencer Fisher

Main card
Light Heavyweights: Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov
Lightweights: Ross Pearson vs. Edson Barboza
Heavyweights: Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Light Heavyweights: Mauricio Shogun vs. Forrest Griffin
UFC Middleweight title match: Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami

Source: Fight Opinion

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