January News Part 1
Please take some time and sign our guestbook!
|
Quote
of the Day
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were
to live forever."
Mahatma Gandhi
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UFC
Replays
INDEMAND
Replays
Mon, Jan 14 8:00P ET
Tues, Jan 15 10:00P ET |
Amateur
Fighting Competition (AFC)
Update
February
2, 2002
Neil Blaisdell Arena
The weigh ins will be held at 24 Hour Fitness at Pearl Kai at
7:00 pm. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, Jan 16, 2002.
Augie T will be the announcer of the event and he talked about
the AFC event this morning on 98.5.
On Thrusday, Ray "Bradda" Cooper will be speaking at
8:00 am on 98.5 FM Radio.
There
are still openings for fighters. The weight classes are over
and under 200 lbs. If you are interested in participating in
a modified toughman/boxing type of event, call Ray at 696-5502
or
email: linebredllc@aol.com. |
Pride
Hawaii?
Details of the upcoming event to be held on February 22nd in
the Korakuen Hall, which is located besides Tokyo-Dome, became
clear today. The event will be called THE BEST and young pro-fighters
will challenge each other for the right to appear in PRIDE. There
are 5 matches scheduled and they will be fought in an 8-sided
ring. Tickets sales will be limited to members of the PRIDE Fan
Club. However, if there are any remaining tickets, they will
go on sale the day of the fight. THE BEST will be held 3-4 times
per year and will be a "must-see" for PRIDE fans.
Pride Schedules
January 12, 2002
Dream State Entertainment boss Naoto Morishita announced that
PRIDE would run a show called "THE BEST" on 2/22 at
Korakuen Hall in Tokyo with young Japanese & foreign fighters
facing against each other in matches in an Octagon.
Here
is the upcoming schedule in 2002 for PRIDE:
2/24
- Saitama, Chiinama Super Arena
4/29 - Yokohama Arena
6/21 - Saitama, Chiinama Super Arena
7/22 - Nagoya Aiichi Rainbow Hall
8/23 - Hawaii,
Aloha Stadium
9/?? - Osaka Dome
11/? - Tokyo Dome
12/24 - Fukuoka Marine Messe
Morishita
announced that the 8/23 Hawaii show would air live on American
PPV. PRIDE is trying to get things finalized for a show in July
at Aloha Stadium in Oahu, Hawaii. They want to bring Kazushi
Sakuraba back for this show. They want to do something with the
Middleweight Title at this show. PRIDE also wants to run a show
in Las Vegas. They are trying to schedule a show in China by
the end of '02.
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Shooto's
Uematsu
Many long time observers of SHOOTO will remember Naoya Uematsu,
who at one time was the #1 rated fighter in SHOOTO's rugged Lightweight
division. 2001 saw him slip to #6, and his recent most recent
appearance in SHOOTO was in a Jiu Jitsu exhibition on their November
26th, 2001 show.
What
was not apparent to observers of SHOOTO outside of Japan was
that the November match was a comeback to competition for the
once top rated fighter. Despite losing 2-0 on points to Takashi
Watanabe, it seems Uematsu's true victory came upon entering
the ring.
Uematsu
competed in Abu Dhabi's Submission Wrestling World Championships
in April of 2001, then left to train hardcore thai boxing in
Thailand. He was seemingly poised to challenge Pequeno Nogueira's
SHOOTO dominance until he fell ill during the spring.
Uematsu
was suffering from a life threatening bacteria to his stomach.
At one point, he was down to about 50 kilos (roughly 110 lbs).
Doctors are said to have begun preparing his parents for the
worst, as his recovery was not expected.
Then
Uematsu battled back and started to recover. He regained strength
and weight, and soon his thoughts turned back to competing. In
November, the return to the ring left him emotionally drained,
as he saw the joy of competition and performing in the SHOOTO
ring rekindled. Uematsu set his target of returning to the SHOOTO
ring in 2002.
Look
forward to the return of Naoya Uematsu, and know that the road
back to competion was harder than most -Uematsu is writing a
truly remarkable story!
Source: Abu Dhabi |
GUESS
WHO'S WATCHING COLLEGE WRESTLING?
NEW YORK --
"Hey, if you get a chance sometime, check out a college
wrestling match," said WABC-TV sports reporter Scott Clark
during the 11 PM telecast of Wed., Jan. 9. Maybe in Iowa and
Oklahoma such invitations are unnecessary, but in the Big Apple,
where those short sports segments on the local news shows are
drenched in baseball, basketball, football, and hockey, this
was a refreshing change.
Clark was in
attendance, along with a WABC-TV camera crew, at a dual meet
Jan. 9 between two nationally-ranked NCAA Div. 1 schools, Lehigh
and Hofstra, held at the New York Athletic Club (NYAC), next
to Central Park. The wrestling people at the NYAC have been working
on enhancing wrestling's popularity, both through their own tournaments,
and helping the college community. Thus they came up with the
idea of holding an annual NCAA Challenge meet and presenting
a trophy to the winning team.
"It was
fun," Clark commented during his report. It was also good
marketing, as many who otherwise would not have had much opportunity
to see Div. 1 wrestling crowded into the NYAC's Raymond G. Lumpp
Gymnasium.
It turns out
that Clark is a friend of Mario Mercado, a former Syracuse wrestler
and now associated with the NYAC wrestling program. Mario helped
persuade him to cover the meet, and thus WABC-TV reported on
Lehigh's 29-6 drubbing of Hofstra.
Networking helps,
a lesson all those interested in marketing combat sports should
heed.
WRESTLING'S
"BIGGEST FAN" OFFERS SOME ADVICE
Also in attendance
was a man who said he never wrestled, but described himself as
"the biggest wrestling fan in the world." This silver-haired,
6' 3" 76-year old spectator nevertheless had more than his
share of grappling battles. His venue was not the mat, but the
gridiron.
He played both
center on offense and linebacker on defense for the Philadelphia
Eagles from 1949 to 1962, and is considered the last "iron
man" who played both ways in the NFL. Voted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame in 1967, he still looks like he could still
sack many of today's quarterbacks.
But this night,
in between signing dozens of autographs, posing for photos, and
chatting with fans, the legendary Chuck Bednarik was intently
studying the ensuing Lehigh-Hofstra meet.
Discussing the
appeal of wrestling, he explained, "That's a one-on-one
situation. It's not like football where you got 11 guys out there.
But this, you don't have to be extra-strong. If you know what
you're doing, you can handle a guy pretty good. So it's a combination
of knowing what you're doing and a little bit of strength."
Despite his
love of the sport, he knows that wrestling has not realized its
potential. "Professional football is making all that money,
overpaid and underplayed," he observed. He also noted that
there are "a lot of schools, great schools, that don't have
wrestling."
He did offer
some advice for his adopted sport to improve even further its
popularity. What it needs more of, he said, was "Exposure.
Television. That's the secret. Exposure."
Wrestling has
already taken some important steps just on that path recommended
by this hall of famer. Last year, the NCAA Div. 1 National Wrestling
Championship finals were televised on same-day tape-delay, shortly
after they were completed. This year's event, scheduled for March
21-23 in the Pepsi Arena in Albany, New York, has long been sold
out, with only applications for standing room tickets being accepted.
The popularity of wrestling is not being lost on the television
executives, who are also expected to give this year's NCAA championships
a favorable time slot.
So take some
of this sage advice yourself when you can. "If you get a
chance sometime, check out a college wrestling match." You
just may become converted the way people like Chuck Bednarik
and Scott Clark have been.
Submitted By:
Eddie Goldman
|
Quote
of the Day
"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with
problems longer."
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955, German-born American Physicist |
PRIDE
Fighting Championships
"Bad Blood"
DATE; February 24th, 2002
GATE OPEN 2:00 PM
FIGHT START 4:00 PM
PLACE: Saitama Super-Arena (Omiya, Saitama-Pref., Japan)
Pay-Per-View;
SkyPerfecTV (JAPAN, Feb. 24th Live PPV) // DIRECTV, DishNetwork,
TVN (USA, Feb. 24th, 18 hours delay PPV)
DSE
announced "Bad Blood" (a.k.a. PRIDE-19), the first
PRIDE show in 2002, would be held on February 24th at "Saitama
Super-Arena".
PRIDE-19
will be same-day pay-per-view in the United States and be on
DirecTV, DishNetwork and TVN which airs on Cablevision and other
U.S. cable systems including AT&T Broad Band.
Announced
Matches:
Ken
Shamrock vs. Don Frye
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Enson
Inoue (Back from Retirement?)
PRIDE
Middle Weight Title Match
Vanderlei
Silva vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
Don
Frye
ENTRY
in PRIDE 16
HOMETOWN
Sierra Vista, AZ
DOB
9/19/1966
WEIGHT
254 lbs.
HEIGHT
6’10"
TITLES
and AWARDS
UFC
VIII Champion
UFC
"The Ultimate Ultimate ’96" Champion
Ken Shamrock
ENTRY
in PRIDE-GP2000 & 10
HOMETOWN
San Diego, CA
DOB
2/11/1964
WEIGHT
220 lbs.
HEIGHT
6’0"
TITLES
or AWARDS
1st
King of The Pancrasists
UFC
Super-Fight Champion
Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira
ENTRY
in PRIDE-15, 16 & 17
HOMETOWN
Salvador, Brazil
DOB
6/2/1976
WEIGHT
226 lbs.
HEIGHT
6’3"
TITLES
or AWARDS: PRIDE Heavy Weight Champion
Enson Inoue
ENTRY
in PRIDE-5, 7, GP, 10 & 12
HOMETOWN
Hawaii, USA
DOB
4/15/1967
WEIGHT
219lbs
HEIGHT
5'11"
Fighting
History:`97 UFC XIII def. Royce Alger, `98 VTJ def. Randy Couture
Vanderlei
Silva
ENTRY
PRIDE in 7, 8, GP, 10, 11. 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 & 18
HOMETOWN
Critiba, Brazil
DOB
7/3/1976
WEIGHT
210lbs
HEIGHT
6'0"
TITLES
and AWARDS;
PRIDE
Middle Weight Champion
Kiyoshi Tamura
ENTRY
First in PRIDE
HOMETOWN
Okayama, Japan
DOB
12/17/1969
WEIGHT
198lbs
HEIGHT
6'0"
Fighting
History;
UWF,
UWFI, RINGS Veteran
Source: Hideki Yamamoto, Dream Stage Entertainment USA |
Shooto
Event Results
January 12th, 2001
Tokyo Japan, Kourakuen Hall
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
(Class
B 2 x 5 rounds minutes) - WELTERWEIGHTS
Masakazu Kuramochi (Freelance) x Mitsuhiro Ishida (TOPS):
Ishida by Judges Decision
(Class
B 2 x 5 rounds minutes) - BANTAMWEIGHTS
Takeyasu Hirono (Wajyutsu Keisyukai) x Tomohiro Hashi (PUREBRED
Ohmiya):
Hirono by Judges Decision
(Class
A 3 x 5 rounds minutes) - FEATHERWEIGHT
Daiji Takahashi (K'z Factory) x Ryota Matsune (PARAESTRA MATSUDO):
Matsune By Judges Decision
(Class
A 3 x 5 rounds minutes) - LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT
Izuru Takeuchi (K'z Factory) x Ronald Jhun (808 Fight Factory):
Takeuchi by Judges Decision
(Class
A 3 x 5 rounds minutes) - FEATHERWEIGHT
Hiroaki Yoshioka (PARAESTRA TOKYO) x Hisao Ikeda (PUREBRED Omiya):
Ikeda by Judges Decision.
(Class
A 3 x 5 rounds minutes) - LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Lance Gibson (Gibson Pankration) x Masanori Suda (Club J):
Suda wins Title Belt, Judges Decision. |
WFA
Interviews
RUMOR: There has been a rumor circulating that since Ron Jhun
has just lost his Shooto match (See above), the upcoming WFA
match with Jermaine Andre is off. We will keep you updated as
other items arise and if this becomes news.
INTERVIEW:
RON “The
Machine Gun” JHUN
Team: 808 Fight Factory
Height: 5’ 11 Weight: 185 DOB: September 21, 1970
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii Fighting Style: freestyle fighting
MMA Record: 22-5
Manager: Kai Kamaka
Trainer: Kai Kamaka Sr. (cardio), Adrian Silva (boxing), self-taught
Strengths: heart, well rounded
How did you
get into mixed martial arts? My brother-in-law, Ray Cooper, entered
one of the earlier Superbrawls. I was his training partner. At
the time, we were just training freestyle wrestling. Ray asked
if I was interested in fighting. He said the promoter wondered
if I’d be entering, so I entered a few tournaments. From
there, I knew this sport was for me. At the time, I needed to
learn more of the ground, more stand-up, and
generally to become a more well rounded fighter. One of the guys
I trained with had studied under Relson Gracie for a few years.
That’s how we learned our first submissions. We trained
with the gi and I entered a few gi tournaments but what really
fascinated me was the NHB fighting. I did jiu-jitsu, grappling,
and wrestling tournaments but didn’t really pursue that
aspect as much. When fighters would come down to compete, we
would learn from them. A few of the Japanese fighters- Sato and
Sakurai- we trained and learned from them. We also trained with
John Lewis, Matt Hume and BJ Penn. We would learn things and
coordinate them into drills. We took a little bit from everybody
and incorporated it into our own fighting style.
How are training
for your upcoming fight? I’ve been focusing more on my cardio
with a lot of drills. I’ve also been getting more in-depth
with my boxing. A lot of new guys have been coming out- a lot
of wrestlers- so I’ve been working on my takedowns and my
wrestling defense. We have some grappling and jiu-jitsu guys,
so I’ve been working on both offensive and defensive moves
with them. We incorporate "bag drills" that simulate
weightlifting like "round robin"- six or seven exercises
that are set-up in a circle. There will be a hanging punching
bag, a bag on the ground, a medicine ball, our boxing station,
and a kicking bay. For thirty seconds, you hit that bag as hard
as you can and then move on to the next station till you hit
every station and that’s one round. We’ll do three
rounds. I’ve pushed weightlifting to the side because that
was limiting my flexibility. I’ve been doing more push-ups
and sit-ups instead. It’s basically the same thing I’ve
been doing for the past year but a little more intensified. It’s
a little more mental preparation and pushing myself to the next
level.
What’s
the fight scene like out in Hawaii? It’s like paradise out
here. The fight scene is really growing. The local people are
really getting into the sport. They don’t "boo"
as much. Before, they just wanted to watch two guys bang it out
and when the fight went to the ground, they would boo and yell
to the ref to stand it back up. Now, the crowd is a little mellower
and they understand what is going on with submissions, wrestling,
and technique. The more good fights they get down here and the
more knowledgeable the crowds get, the more it will help the
sport grow. This place is like a treasure that has not been found.
I think the reason why more promoters don’t come down here
is due to the legislation trying to ban the sport. They don’t
realize it is a sport. It’s not barbaric. It’s not
like two guys are getting in the ring to bang it out with no
special training. However, the state is becoming more aware as
the sport grows.
Who has been
your toughest opponent? It was one of my recent fights with Pete
Spratt in Warrior’s Quest II. The way the fight went it
was back and forth. It was like an all-out war. He gave me some
punches. I gave him some punches. I took him down. We stood back
up. It went all the way to the very last round with a TKO.
What are you
like right before a fight? Nervous? Calm? Any pre-fight rituals?
I try to stay relaxed by listening to Christian music. It keeps
me pretty mellow. It’s natural to get a little bit excited
but now I think about controlling it a little more. I found out
the more calm you stay, the less you burn yourself out.
What are your
thoughts on your last fight with Jermaine Andre in WFA I? The
fight was going well until...I felt it was a bad call but I’m
not going to take anything away from Jermaine. He’s a tough
fighter. I felt like I did what I trained to do. There was a
moment where I might have hesitated too long but...I guess we’re
going to have to find out on February 2nd!
What’s
your plan of attack this second time around? Well, the way he
came out was not the way I expected him to come out. I think
he underestimated me and took me lightly. I expected him to be
throwing punches and kicks from the start but he didn’t.
I think I was the first to throw an initial punch and I was shocked
he tried to take me down. I thought it was going to be a stand-up
fight. This next time, I’m gonna do a lot of movement on
him, a lot of punches, combinations, knees, whatever comes. I’m
going to apply whatever pressure I can and see where it goes
from there.
What are your
thoughts on the WFA? I think they’re pretty good. I see
a lot of good things happening with this new organization. John
is definitely getting some high quality fights and it’s
turning some heads. A lot of people are saying this card is better
than the UFC’s. I was actually surprised to see how good
the WFA card is. They treated me very well the first time. I
love the sport so anything I can do to promote it and get the
name of Jesus out there is my goal. I want to get Jesus’
name on pay-per-view so everyone can see it.
If you could
meet any celebrity- who would it be and why? Michael Jordan.
I like his character. He’s had a good comeback. The more
games he plays, the better he will get. He is showing everybody
that you’re never too old and that’s good for the sport.
"Hawaii-Five-O"
or "Magnum PI"? I would say Hawaii-Five-O. That is
a hard one though.
How does it
feel to be headlining the WFA show? Right now, there is no added
pressure but maybe when I get into the ring... This is the largest
crowd I’ve fought for. I’ve fought in front of a 7,500
crowd before, but that was a night that Egan Inoue headlined
against Marcello Tiger from Brazil. This will be my first headlining.
What are your
goals in mixed martial arts? Right now I am shooting for whatever
great event is out there. I want to be the best 185-pounder out
there. The UFC intrigues me and I wouldn’t mind fighting
in it one day.
Any words for
the fans? Thanks to everybody that has been supporting me. I’m
pretty much always an underdog, so I want to let everybody know
to go out there and give it their best. Give it your all and
no matter what you do you’ll be okay.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERVIEW:
JERMAINE
“Bamm Bamm” ANDRE
Team: The Striker’s Union
Height: 5’8” Weight: 185lbs DOB: July 22, 1972
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Fighting Style: Muay Thai kickboxing, Sambo
MMA Record: 5-2
Manager: Monte Cox Trainer: Ron Smith
Titles: Submission Fighting Championships Cruiserweight Champ
Submission Fighting Championships Light Heavyweight Champ
United States Shootboxing Association Heavyweight Champ
S.L.R. Light-Heavyweight Champ
Web site: www.jermaineandre.com
Why “Bamm-Bamm”?
Where’d that nickname come from? It actually came from the
fact that I had a good jab/cross. Usually, whenever I landed
it, that was pretty much it for whoever I was fighting. Guys
gave me the name to me on the streets.
What got you
started in MMA? My interest was definitely sparked by the UFC
and the first fights they had come out.
What other types
of fighting do you do? Muay Thai kickboxing, san shou kickboxing,
shootboxing, Draka. I hold the ISKA title for san shou.
In MMA, who
was your toughest opponent? I always get asked that and I never
have an answer. (He pauses and considers the question.) It’s
kinda shady because I wasn’t prepared for the fight, I didn’t
want to fight, I really wasn’t interested in fighting, I
just took it ‘cause it was the UFC – that was Lance
Gibson. Lance Gibson was tough, he was strong, he was quick,
but had I been the fighter that I am when I’m ready to fight,
then it would’ve been a different story.
You put up a
good fight in that bout! (Jermaine was knocked out in the third
round after a fierce stand-up war.) Yeah I did, and it would
have been a much better fight if I had felt like fighting, ‘cause
I really did not feel right. I had just got through fighting
the world champ Maurice Travis in Muay Thai. You know, in Muay
Thai we get torn up. We bust our shins and our legs up. I had
just fought him and I got like maybe two weeks notice for the
UFC. And I just took it ‘cause, you know, that’s what
everybody’s working towards. He was strong. What I liked
about him was that he was a good warrior, because I hurt him
a lot and even though he was hurt, he still acted like he wasn’t
hurt and kept pursuing and kept pursuing. He was pretty tough.
Usually the way I can tell someone is tough is by the beating
they can take, ‘cause it’s easy to give a beating,
but it’s harder to take one. And to keep coming strong…
You thoughts
on the WFA? I think it’s beautiful. I love the way they
treat us, the way they treat the fighters. I like the nightclub
idea. Even when I was back in the dressing room [at the last
show] I could hear the music beatin’ and bumpin’. I
never got to see the show ‘cause I was the second-to-last
fight, but from what I could hear, I think it was real cool.
I think it’s going to be huge. The most important thing
is I like the way that John’s trying to treat the fighters.
The fighters get treated real good. In a lot of [promotions],
they’re not concerned with treating the fighters good, they’re
just concerned with the show. The want to make the show the star
and they don’t want to make stars out of the fighters. The
whole key is to make the fighters stars, and that’ll make
the show great.
What would you
say your strengths are as a fighter? Definitely my striking.
And my aggressiveness.
What are you
like right before a fight? Nervous? Irritable? Relaxed? Definitely
relaxed.
No jitters?
Sometimes a little. But because of the way I look at fighting,
I can’t really be nervous at all.
Your thoughts
on your last fight with Ron Jhun? Do you think the ref stopped
it too soon? The ref’s job is to stop the fight before someone
gets hurt. And if he thought the guy was going to get hurt, then
it was his job to stop it. I don’t think the ref can ever
stop a fight too soon. I think a ref can stop it too late. Now
whether I think Ronald Jhun could’ve kept going – yeah,
I definitely think he could’ve kept going at the time that
the fight was stopped. He had a lot of heart, and when I was
hitting him I could see he was taken the shots – he was
taking a few – and he was still calm, he was trying to protect
himself. He took a few shots but that doesn’t mean he was
done. As far as what the ref saw, he probably figured I was dominating.
Ron got me with a beautiful knee to the head – it rocked
my bell – and I came back and slapped him with a leg kick,
backed him up, hit him with a job/cross, knocked him back against
the cage, hip tossed him, mounted him, and immediately started
pounding. So, to the ref, it may have looked like I was totally
dominating.
I definitely
don’t think the ref can’t stop the fight too soon,
but… I wasn’t done. I wasn’t yelling to the referee,
“Hey, come stop the fight.” I was just getting started.
And as you can see, the things I was doing were working. I was
getting ready to go to some different techniques right when the
referee stopped the fight.
Do you disagree
with the fact that they’re having a rematch right away?
I could never disagree with fighting. The WFA is a good league.
There are reasons for having the rematch: like I said, I wasn’t
done. Ronald’s a tough guy. I don’t mind re-matching
him, I don’t mind giving him another chance. He’s an
honorable guy. He’s not some loud-mouthed idiot. If he was,
I would’ve told him: “Screw off. Go fight someone else.
You’ll never get the rematch with me ‘cause you’re
just an idiot.” But as far as somebody to share the ring
with, he’s somebody I would like to share it with. He’s
definitely somebody I’d like to battle for the title. I
think he deserves it. He’s an under-rated
fighter. Big time under-rated.
Plan of attack
this time around? I never have a plan. I always go off of what
the other guy is doing. I try to feel his spirit, feel what he
wants to do, feel his energies, then go from there. If you go
in with a plan, you end up getting caught by something ‘cause
you’re too dedicated to what you were going to try to do.
Your fight is
the headlining fight. Does that give you any added pressure?
I think it’s great. It’s an honor to be the headliner
for the WFA. As far as pressure, because of the way I look at
fighting, there never is any pressure.
Which celebrity
would you want to fight? I don’t like Steven Seagal. But
I guess I’d say Jet Li. I can tell from watching him that
his kung fu is good. And I’d like to fight him in a kung
fu match. That’d be cool.
I think you
have a weight advantage on him. Yeah, I do have him in weight.
But if his kung fu is good, then it won’t matter.
You’re
Native American. What tribe are you from? Dakota Sioux. [It’s]
a blood relation down in my family. I’ve been working to
find it for so long. I know it’s there, my mom told me it’s
there. I got adopted in by a Lakota family off the reservation
up in Portland, Oregon. I know one of my grandparents was Sioux
– we’ve got pictures of him.
Did you like
“Dances with Wolves”? I liked “Dances with Wolves”.
What I like about it was that the ‘skins’ stuck together.
I think it was a real good movie. It pulled away from that ‘cowboys
and Indians’ thing where everybody always thought the Indians
were the bad guys. It showed a little more truth to the story.
Any words for
the fans? I love them all. I like them because they come to see
something that’s real – but don’t ever forget
to give respect to the warriors who have the courage and guts
to enter the ring. Win or lose. It’s time for the world
to start making martial arts heroes out of the true martial arts
heroes, and that’s the fighters of the no-holds-barred rings.
We’re the ones who put our martial art on the line, we’re
the ones who are willing to get out there and prove that it works
for real. There’s nothing fake about it. We wouldn’t
be anything without them, I love them to death – but don’t
forget that respect.
Source: The
Promoter |
Quote
of the Day
"If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember
them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment;
you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember
my name and you add to my feeling of importance."
Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, American Author, Trainer |
UP
CLOSE WITH 'THE WARRIOR'
Post UFC
When
you have a quiet, introspective fighter like UFC Middleweight
star Dave Menne, it is sometimes necessary to sit back and observe
the man over a period of time to really get to know him. On January
11th, 2002 he lost his Middleweight Title to Murilo Bustamante
in the 'UFC 35: THROWDOWN' event. How would he react? Would he
react like a 'warrior' or was this just a name someone gave him?
LOOKING
BACK
2000
was the year Dave Menne broke thru. He went to Abu Dhabi for
the Submission Wrestling World Championships, then came back
to the USA for his UFC debut against Fabiano Iha. Soon after,
in the summer of 2000, his stock skyrocketed with his WEF Championship
victory over top rated Pele Landi.
The
day after the Pele match, Menne was wandering thru the lobby
of the Evansville, Indiana hotel, a small, satisfied smile on
his face and the gold belt around his waist. He was alone, his
happiness showing despite the marks on his face. Approaching
Menne, he was talking and thinking about the fight. "I don't
know how you could complain the judges where wrong. I think I
won the first round and the third round pretty clearly."
he started. He was already at work, breaking down what happened,
understanding it and growing from it. When told one of the judges
had the third round a tie, Menne thought before he spoke. "I
guess I can see that, that might be fair, but I just don't see
how you could have me losing!".
From
there, Menne went on to a series of successes, in RINGS, in Kuwait
and finally in the UFC, where he was crowned UFC Middleweight
Champion at UFC 33, after handing highly regarded Gil Castillo
his first defeat. He was on top of the world, a professional
fighter and the owner of the Middleweight Title in the organization
that clearly has the most prestigious champions in the sport.
THROWDOWN
Bustamante
came thru the lobby early in the evening, belt around his shoulder,
smiling and happy. It was a rare chance to see the normally very
serious Brazilian at ease and happy. The Russian crew sat up
late in the lobby, talking and having fun with manager Bas Boone.
The Iowa team led by Pulver and Miletich walked in elated. BJ
Penn could be seen in the hallway outside his hotel room, talking
strategy with a teammate. No sign of Menne, however.
Menne
walked into the hotel late and alone. His face showed the signs
of the match, his usual cuts and bruises, and also showed the
loss sitting somewhere inside, eating away at him.
Menne
approached, and started talking "I didn't fight my fight.
I feel like I could have wrestled more, I feel like I don't have
to be afraid of anyone on the ground, and I didn't do that."
stated Menne. Someone asked about food poisoning, a factor that
affected several camps this weekend as there were problems with
the food. Menne said "yeah, I was sick. It hit me hard an
hour before the fight." This was matter of fact, Dave was
answering the question and not making excuses. When he steered
the conversation, he was thinking about the fight, what he could
have done different. He was thinking about the things he could
control.
The
last we saw Menne, he was walking with his manager, still talking
business. The persistence and consistency that define him as
one of the best fighters in the world are looking more and more
like the foundations of the quiet 'Warrior'.
So
what will we see next from Menne? Rest assured, the 'Warrior'
will be prepared for his next fight, and as always, he will be
prepared to let his talking be done in the ring. Evan if a rematch
does not materialize right away, Menne will do the work necessary
to earn the gold again - it's what he has always done.
UFC
Rumors
There are rumors swirling about Carlos Newton and PRIDE. Many
may recall word that alleged Carlos entered UFC while still having
one fight under a PRIDE contract. Newton has remained on good
terms with both UFC and Pride and is looking to fulfill his commitment
to PRIDE. There is also reason to look at possibly returning
to UFC against the winner of the Sakurai vs. Hughes scheduled
for March (given that this match stays in tact).
Another
rumor involving the exchange of PRIDE & UFC fighters conists
of a potential match between Igor Vovchanchin vs. Pedro Rizzo
at UFC 36. On paper, this is a most interesting fight of two
rugged stand up warriors, with many experts giving the slight
edge to Rizzo. According to some inside sources, PRIDE does not
hold fighters to exclusive deals and thus, Igor will get his
shot in the U.S. Visa problems kept him from appearing in the
UFC a couple of years back, but these may be easier to come by
in the current state of affairs.
Other
rumored fights include Pat Miletich vs. Matt Lindland, with MIletich
debuting in the 185 lb. Middleweight class, and Frank Mir vs.
Pete Williams in the Heavyweight class. Of course the long awaited
debut of Hayato "Mach" Sakurai who officially signed
this week, taking on Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz versus Vitor
Belfort in their long awaited battle, and UFC 36 is looking like
something special!
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
"Our limitations and success will be based, most often,
on your own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells
upon, the body acts upon."
Denis Waitley, 1933-,
American Author, Speaker, Trainer, Peak Performance Expert |
UFC
35 Results
Friday, January
11
Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut.
FIGHT CARD:
Lightweight
Championship Title:
Jens Pulver (Champion) vs BJ Penn (Challenger):
Pulver wins Judges Decision
A
very tough fight with the momentum going back and forth. Jens
showed why he is the champ by staying very calm and conserving
his energy and scoring in every round. The way I saw it was
R1: Pulver by a very slim margin, possibly Penn. I would have
to watch it one more time.
R2: Penn dominated the ground and almost finished the fight with
an armbar that Pulver seemed to tap, but it was just after the
bell.
R3: Pulver won the round with his standup.
R4: Pulver, again with his stand up.
R5: Pulver. BJ seemed tired, but showed his huge heart by sticking
it out, taking some decent shots and kept his composure.
BJ showed that not only he can hang with the best in the world,
but showed a huge heart and that he can last 5 rounds. Penn also
had a good strategy and hopefully can fight his way back to another
title shot. Pulver's experience, stand up skills, and conditioning
won him the fight.
Heavyweight Bout:
Ricco Rodriguez vs Jeff Monson:
Rodriguez wins TKO 3:00 Rd 3
Middleweight Championship Title:
Dave Menne (Champion) vs Murilo Bustamante (Challenger):
Bustamante wins by KO (punch) 0:43 Rd 2
Probably the best fight of the night. Congratulations to Murilo
who is a long time Jiu-Jitsu fighter that is finally getting
some recognition for all his years of hard work. He is an extremely
great guy and incredible teacher. I had the pleasure of training
with him a couple of times when he was in Hawaii and he is very
smooth. I also had the pleasure or displeasure of having my arm
hyperextended by him because of my hard head.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Chuck Liddell vs Amar Suloev:
Liddell wins by Unanimous Judges Dec.
Middleweight Bout: Ricardo Almeida vs Andrei Semenov:
Semenov wins by KO (punch) 2:01 Rd 2
Welterweight Bout: Gil Castillo vs Chris Brennan:
Castillo wins by Judges Dec.
Middleweight Bout: Eugene Jackson vs Keith Rockel:
Jackson wins via Guillotine Rd 2
Light Heavyweight Bout:
Renato Sobral "Babalu" vs Kevin Randleman:
Randleman wins by Judges Dec. |
|
1/11/01 UFC Day! 3:45 PM Update |
Relson
Gracie Academy OPEN Tonight!
Shane just
called and said that he is teaching class.
|
Quote
of the Day
"The world is filled with willing people; some willing to
work, the rest willing to let them."
Robert Frost
|
UFC
35 Weigh-Ins Go Off Without A Hitch
By Loretta Hunt
The
UFC held their official weigh-ins last night at the Mystic Marriott
Hotel in Groton, Connecticut. There was no autograph session
or local radio station to cover the event or beautiful female
celebrities conducting raffles. It was just the fighters and
the scale, but that was enough for a few fans that still came
out to observe the proceedings. Although this weigh-in was not
as big a production as the last two events held in Las Vegas,
the attendance list still read like a book of MMA's who's who.
Mark Coleman was there, as well as John Lewis and Vitor Belfort
to name a few. This was the first time the public and the press
were able to see all of the competitors in one room together
as Zuffa chose to bypass their usual day-before press conference
in favor of a "rolling press conference" that visited
numerous East Coast states throughout the week.
There
were no surprises today and every fighter made his designated
weight. As each fighter stepped onto the stage and then onto
the scale, their entourages looked on and clapped when the numbers
were announced by Bruce Buffer.
The
first to make their way up to the stage were BJ Penn and Jens
Pulver. Penn weighed in at 153 pounds, Pulver at 152 pounds.
Both men and their training camps made it a point to stay at
opposite ends of the room and when they were finished, they both
seemed to immediately slip out of the room or at least out of
the spotlight. Both fighters were sober and determined. This
was as tense and dramatic as the evening got as the rest of the
weigh-ins seemed to run like a roll call.
Ricco
Rodriguez was up at the platform next with his opponent Jeff
Monson not far behind him. Ricco weighed in at 239 and a quarter
pounds and Monson was 229 pounds.
Next
to the stage were Chuck Liddell and his opponent Amar Suloev.
As Chuck stepped onto the scale, he removed his T-shirt to reveal
incredibly chiseled abs. Tito Ortiz hooted from the crowd "Holy
abs Batman!" and the crowd laughed. There was no denying
that Chuck looked much improved from his last appearance in UFC
33. Liddell weighed in at 205 pounds and Suloev at 197 and a
half pounds.
Newlywed
Ricardo Almeida, sporting a new red hairdo, was next to step
on the scale. He was 185 pounds and his opponent Andrei Semenov
rested also at 185 pounds.
Dave
Menne made his weight at 183 and a half pounds. His adversary
Murilo Bustamante weighed in at 182 and three-quarter pounds,
getting a small reaction from a crowd that knew he was dropping
almost twenty pounds from his last UFC appearance to fight one
weight-class down at middleweight.
Kevin
Randleman made his return to the scale coming in at 204 pounds
and blew kisses to the audience as he stepped off. His opponent
Renato "Babalu" Sobral made weight at 203 and a half
pounds, looking well conditioned.
Gil
Castillo and Chris Brennan were next. Castillo was 170 pounds
while Brennan came in at 169 pounds.
Eugene
Jackson and his adversary Keith Rockel were the final pair to
weigh-in. Jackson was 185 pounds and newcomer Rockel made it
at 184 pounds.
As
each man made his way back to his camp sitting in the audience,
UFC president Dana White told the competitors to grab some food
that was waiting for them in the adjoining room and then to come
right back to begin the rules meeting. Joe Silva began the meeting
by thanking the fighters for coming in such great shape. He also
asked that they give one thing of themselves and that thing was
the best they had to offer in the Octagon. The rules meeting
went off without a hitch. With business out of the way, the room
quickly cleared out as the fighters went off to enjoy their last
night before they will have square off in the Octagon at the
Mohegan Sun Arena for UFC 35.
Check
out the FCF Website for an interview with the Wolf, Eugene Jackson.
Fight
Card:
UFC
LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Jens Pulver vs. BJ Penn
UFC
MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Dave Menne vs. Murilo Bustamante
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT
Chuck Liddell vs. Amar Suloev
LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT FIGHT
Ranato Sobral vs. Kevin Randleman
HEAVYWEIGHT
FIGHT
Ricco Rodriguez vs. Jeff Monson
MIDDLEWEIGHT
FIGHT
Ricardo Almeida vs. Andrei Semenov
WELTERWEIGHT
FIGHT
Chris Brennan vs. Gil Castillo
MIDDLEWEIGHT
FIGHT
Eugene Jackson vs. Keith Rockel
Source:
FCF
Website
|
Penn
vs. Pulver
UFC 35 Tonight
UFC 35: Tonite
is the Nite!
The
UFC 35 'THROWDOWN' marks a historic event in the evolving history
of the UFC. For the first time ever, the "little guys"
will headline a UFC pay-per-view, as UFC has reserved the MAIN
EVENT slot for the Lightweight Championship bout between Jens
Pulver and rising challenger BJ Penn.
In
the sport of boxing, it's usually the heavyweights that get the
glory and the world of MMA has been no different. Although boxing
has a history of MAIN EVENTS among the lighter weights, but it
is the heavyweights that still retain the crossover appeal to
main stream fans. Now UFC headlines with the little guys, , breaking
the mold in MMA - a sure sign that the ZUFFA folks feel they
have something special in L'il Evil and The Protege!
When
BJ Penn faces the Jens Pulver this weekend, one thing is certain
- both will stop at nothing to get the UFC gold! Both had the
following to say regarding the "headliner" fight this
weekend!
Penn:
UFC: What are your thoughts on Jens Pulver as an opponent?
PENN: He is the champ and finds a way to win.
UFC:
Which of his skills do you respect the most?
PENN: I respect his ability to prepare so I will be prepared
myself.
UFC:
Will you do anything special in training to prepare for him?
PENN: No not really, I will still train in everything like all
my fights.
UFC:
What do you think is the key to defeating Pulver?
PENN: I am going to push him and make him fight. I will not let
him dictate the fight. This is my fight and I will decide where
and when it will take place, whether it will be standing or on
the ground.
UFC:
Jens has an edge on you in experience. Do you think that matters?
PENN: Yes it does matter, but I will be ready for a long fight.
I am ready for him.
PULVER:
UFC:
What are your thoughts on your opponent?
PULVER: Well, I would be lying if I said he wasn't dangerous.
He has many tools and is well rounded in this game. Also, I think
he enjoys it a little more than most. BJ is a class act and has
both my respect and admiration.
UFC:
What do you think is his biggest weapon?
PULVER: He can do it all when it comes to being a complete fighter.
UFC:
Do you want to stand up with him, or go to the ground?
PULVER: I don't ever want to go to the ground. I always want
to stand. That is why you don't see me shooting in on the legs
and going for the takedowns. I know how to wrestle. I just choose
to stand instead. I plan on standing as long as I can defend
the takedown.
UFC:
What do you think is the key to defeating him?
PULVER: He hasn't been pushed or hit the way I will blast him.
He cannot bully me around, and I will not back up. I can beat
him at his own game because I am confident in my ability to dictate
the pace of the fight. We will see if I am right come Jan 11th
UFC
35
Oceanic InDemand Pay-per-view
Channel 76
Pre-fight 4:30 pm
Fights start at 5:00 pm
Also available on digital cable and satelitte systems.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
UFC
Tale of the Tape
Zuffa
Sports Entertainment presents “UFC 35: Throw Down”
on Friday, January 11, 2002, at the Mohegan Sun in Unicasville,
CT.
For
the first time in UFC history, the lightweights take center stage,
as the main event features UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver
defending his title against the number one contender, BJ Penn.
This is the second time Pulver puts his belt on the line.
In
the second title fight of the night, the UFC Middleweight Champion
Dave Menne defends his title against Murilo Bustamante. This
is Menne’s first title defense since winning the title last
September.
Six
additional fights complete this card.
The
official weigh-ins took place this afternoon. Every fighter made
weight! Here is the Tale of the Tape. . .
Keith
Rockel Eugene Jackson
6’0
5'8
184.0
lbs. 185.0 lbs.
Lancaster,
MA East Palo Alto, CA
0-0-0
2-3-0
2-0-0
8-4-0
Chris
Brennan Gil Castillo
5’8
5'9
169.0
lbs. 170.0 lbs.
Mission
Viejo, CA Concord, CA
1-1-0
0-1-0
11-4-1
16-1-0
Ranato
"Babalu" Sobral da Cunha Kevin Randleman
6'1
5'10
203.5
lbs. 204.0 lbs.
Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil Sandusky, OH
1-0-0
3-3-0
9-0-0
9-5-0
Ricardo
Almeida Andrei Semenov
6'0 6'0
185.0
lbs. 183.0 lbs.
Manhattan,
NY St. Petersburg, Russia
1-1-0
0-0-0
3-1-0
20-2-0
Chuck
Liddell Amar Suloev
6'2
5'9
205.0
lbs. 197.5 lbs.
San
Luis Obispo, CA. St. Petersburg, Russia
5-1-0
0-0-0
8-1-0
36-4-0
Dave
Menne Murilo Bustamante
5'10
6'1
183.5
lbs. 182.75 lbs.
Forest
Lake, MN Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
2-0-0
1-1-0
35-3-1
9-1-1
Ricco
Rodriguez Jeff Monson
6'3
5’9”
239.25
lbs. 229.0 lbs.
Las
Vegas, NV Olympia, WA
2-0-0
1-1-0
7-1-0
6-3-0
Jens
Pulver BJ Penn
5'7
5'9
153.25
lbs. 153.0 lbs.
Davenport,
Iowa Hilo, HI
5-0-1
3-0-0
20-2-1
4-0-0
Source: Abu Dhabi |
BJ
Penn: More Than a 'Little Evil'?
by Josh Gross of Maxfighting.com
Prodigies come
in many forms. Whether they deliver an exquisite work of art,
a flowing musical masterpiece, a high-flying dunk from the top
of the key or a perfectly timed knee to the jaw, their natural
ability shines above all others. Is BJ Penn a prodigy? Well,
if you pay attention to what those close to Penn have to say
and watch the way he goes about things inside the Octagon, it
sure seems that way.
Yet, talent
means little if there is no hard work to accompany it, and for
the first 15 or so years of Penn's life he lacked that discipline.
"Before, I didn't want anything to do with this kind of
stuff," Penn, who began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu as
a favor to his father, said. "I was just hanging around
doing nothing and some guy that lived down the road from my house,
he was a white belt (in jiu-jitsu), and he kept trying to force
me to wrestle with him. My dad was like 'you know what, just
go down and wrestle with him. This guy won't leave me alone.'
So I went down and the guy tapped me out."
It was the awakening
Penn needed, and at the urging of his father he left Hilo, Hawaii
to get away from the distraction of everyday Island life. To
this day "I end up slacking too much when I'm down there,"
admits Penn. Hilo is still his home, but it was his time with
Ralph Gracie, and his current home before fights in San Jose,
California's American Kickboxing Academy, which has allowed Penn
the chance to flourish in such a short amount of time.
Training under
the guidance of Javier Mendez, along with trading sparring sessions
with the likes of Frank Shamrock, "Crazy" Bob Cook
and many others, Penn's limitless talent was given the boost
it needed.
His rise, in
both the jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts world, has been swift.
One gets the impression that Penn likes doing things at warp
speed -- rather strange for a laid-back kid from wind-swept Hilo.
Why the contrast? "In Hawaii," says Penn, "it's
kind of laid back and aggressive. It's both ways, and so I guess
I take the techniques that way. I take the technique for what
it is, don't try and change it. I'm just laid back about that
and real aggressive when it comes to fighting."
The past six
months saw an ultra-aggressive Penn go 3-0 in the UFC. His record,
the way he's won and the fighters he's crushed resulted in a
number-two world ranking at 155 pounds and a shot at the UFC
lightweight title against number-one ranked Jens Pulver at the
Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT on January 11. As a testament
to just how impressive Penn has been, odds makers have him as
a 3-1 favorite.
If it all this
seems too perfect, you'd be right. Penn didn't just stumble upon
the fact he could throw down. No, he'd been doing it his whole
life. "I was always the smallest guy," says the now
five-foot-nine-inch Penn, "and I'd always fight anybody
all the time. I don't know if I had something to prove or what
it was, but I'd fight anybody. When I was 14, 15 I'd fight people
that were 25 and stuff. I didn't always win, but I was always
down to get in trouble. I'd always get in mischief and stuff
growing up."
So, you see,
Penn's father didn't send his kid packing to perfect a craft.
He sent his youngest son away to leave behind the perils and
temptations of home. And now he's participating in the pinnacle
of his game on its highest stage "that's gonna make history."
"I'm ecstatic
about it," said Penn when asked about fighting in the first
lightweight headline bout in UFC history. "I feel like I'm
pulling that fight a lot. I don't know if Jens would get the
main event if he were fighting someone else, who knows? I'm real
excited and happy with the position I'm in."
One thing that
could quickly damper his excitement is the possibility of losing
to a champion many people aren't giving much respect to. Penn,
a hate-losing-more-than-like-winning-type-of-guy, traces his
disdain for failing back to his soccer playing days, when he
was part of a state championship team. Take away the team aspect
and replace it with the strictly individual rewards and pains
associated with winning and losing in MMA, and another reason
for his success emerges.
"I remember
when I experienced my first loss in jiu-jitsu, or even when I
lost as a blue belt in the World Championships -- I just hate
losing," he says. "Winning just means your life goes
on as normal, it doesn't make it any better or anything -- but
losing sucks."
"I always
hear people saying 'winning's not everything, it's the only thing.
' Of course, I heard that type of stuff my whole life and I just
kind of enforced it on myself. I never want to lose and I'm going
to do everything within my power, unless I'm unconscious, to
not lose."
He's yet to
taste the bitter pill of defeat in MMA, but admits, "I'm
not invincible, or gonna to pretend to be invincible. That's
why I have to stay at the top of my game. Like that one saying:
'The true make of a professional is consistently performing at
a higher level' and that's what I 'm going to try and do all
the time."
Penn knows he
must be at his "highest level" to defeat Pulver. "There's
a reason why he's a champion," said Penn about Pulver. "I
don't know if skill-wise he's the best fighter out there, but
there is a reason he's the champion. He's tough mentally, but
I'm prepared to do whatever he wants to do."
While Penn expects
a "dangerous guy" to stand across the Octagon from
him on Friday, he's more than confident in his abilities to impose
his will during the fight -- something Pulver is usually responsible
for. Says Penn: "If he wants to stand up, ok. If he wants
to fight on the ground, ok. If he wants to fight in the clinch,
ok. If he wants to fight in the first round or the fifth round,
ok. If the wants to play mind games, ok. Whatever he wants to
do, we're going to do that. I'm not going to back away from him
in any areas. I'm going to take all areas away from him.
"This is
my fight. I'm going to push it. I'm going to decide where it
goes. On the feet I'm going to back him up. If I take a shot
I'm going to take him down. This is my fight. That's how I'm
looking at it. Whatever I want to do in the fight I'm going to
impose my will."
It's tough to
impose one's will if they're lying unconscious flat on their
back, and Pulver has, at the very least, a puncher's chance.
So what happens if the champ connects one of his hammer-like
left hands to Penn's untested chin? "I'm just expecting
to feel a punch," said an unfazed Penn -- we'll see if he
takes punches as nonchalantly as he does questions. Chances are
we'll find the answer to that on fight night, but Penn isn't
so sure that Pulver's left is all it's cracked up to be.
"I mean,
he knocked out John (Lewis), but John underestimated his skills,"
says Penn. "That's the only guy he's ever knocked out in
the UFC. I'm not going to go around saying Jens is Mike Tyson.
I'm not going to go around saying that he doesn't hit soft. I
mean I'm sure he hits hard, especially with those gloves. You
get hit with those gloves, you're gonna feel it. Who knows, I
might go down I might not, but I'm not going to go around saying
he's the most powerful puncher in the division, or around."
He may not want
to say it, but he must respect it or the fight could be very
short. By the same token, Penn has shown a knack for finishing
opponents via strikes -- a TKO of Joey Gilbert at UFC 31, KO
of Din Thomas at UFC 32 and KO of Caol Uno at UFC 34 -- and has
earned a reputation as quite a hard puncher in his own right.
Does he feel he throws the heaviest leather in the division?
"I don't know," he says. "We're yet to find out
if I am, so I don't know."
For the best
American-born Brazilian jiu-jitsu player to have won three fights
without so much as a sniff of a submission is almost blasphemous,
but don't tell Penn that. "As far as the jiu-jitsu mat,"
says Penn, "I look at it as all technical and fun. But in
the ring, I always put myself right past that barrier where I
would always fight when I was on the street, and just try to
annihilate the person that's standing in front of me."
"I pass
this barrier, you know, when I go to fight," he continued.
"And, I don't really want to say it because I'm a jiu-jitsu
guy, but sometimes submissions are the last thing on my mind.
I just want to hit the guy. Sometimes submissions escape my mind
totally, unless I really need it I'll use it. If not, I'm just
thinking about smashing the guy's face."
For someone
that's claimed using roughly "20 percent" of his game,
it's a scary thought, particularly for Pulver, considering the
competition Penn's mowed through. His knockouts of Thomas and
Uno were telling because they are common opponents. Pulver lost
to Thomas via submission and was pushed to the brink by Uno at
UFC 30 -- those results have been cause enough for some to pick
Penn and could be a concern if the champion lets it get in his
head.
However, trying
to deduce what's going to happen in a fight by the "fighter
A beat fighter B, fighter B beat fighter C, therefore fighter
A will beat fighter C" equation is far too simplistic.
This main event,
possibly the most worthy headlining bout since Zuffa took over
one year ago, will come down to a battle of wills. It's a game
Penn feels he can, and will win. How will we know when he's done
that? "When I take away every single bit of offense he (Pulver)
has," he said. While Penn is not arrogant enough to guarantee
victory, he believes that "if I'm at my best in a fight
it's going to be very hard to beat me."
Is he more than
a 'Little Evil'? "I can just feel it in my body," says
Penn, "and I know I'm going to do whatever I can (to win)
until I'm unconscious or whatever." |
Bustamante
Murilo Bustamante's
trip to the UFC 35 in Providence. RI turned into a saga of confusion
on Sunday night. The team was supposed to leave Brazil on Sunday
night. The group consisted of Murilo Bustamante and his retinue,
Claudio Coelho, Marcello Andrade, Marcio Pimentel and Luiz Bebeo
Duarte.
Murilo
is accustomed to having a big team to support him during big
events like UFC, since each person has a different function.
Claudio Coelho is the boxing trainer of most of the NHB stars
in Brazil, and critical for Murillo to warm up and stay tuned
in his stand up game. Marcio Pimentel is his physical conditioning
trainer, and Bebeo Duarte and I are his managers.
Due
to problems with the airline tickets, we were not able to fly
from Rio de Janeiro Sunday and Murilo and company had to wait
one more day in Rio. Murilo stated
that never felt so in shape for a fight! He also expressed some
concern about the weather in Providence, where it is around 30F
degrees. We are in full summer in Brazil, with temperatures going
over 100F degrees, so Murilo may have something to complain about
- it may be costly to lose one day to adapt himself to the cold
weather there.
On
Monday Murilo, Bebeo and I flew in, leaving behind coaches Pimentel
and Coelho waited for one more day. Both men did the best they
could, instructing and preparing Murilo with a regimen to hold
him over until they arrive on Tuesday!
Source:
Marcello 'Tetel' Andrade/Abu Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
"Well done is better than well said."
Benjamin Franklin
|
Ray
Cooper Interview
Ray Cooper... Superbrawl Participant... Ranked 4th in the world
by Professional Shooto Japan... Fierce Opponent. Feared Striker...
Ray
Cooper... Family man. Devoted Christian. Verizon Line Tech for
Military Bases.
"Okay,
so which one of these guys are we having lunch with today, the
fighter or this family man?", I ask. "Both, you idiot,
they're the same guy." answers Doc Choy.
Okay,
so maybe that's not exactly what happened the afternoon before
we met with Ray Cooper and his family. Surprisingly down to earth,
low key, and easy to talk to, Ray and his wife Monica shared
their visions of past and future with Hawaii411 over lunch.
Hawaii411:
How did you get started in mixed martial arts (MMA)?
Ray: I first started helping one of my friends prepare for his
fight and I worked out with him. It was one of the first Futurebrawls.
He asked me if I wanted to try. At first I was hesitant, but
I went, and that’s how I started.
Hawaii411:
When did you first start to realize you could really excel at
this sport?
Ray: I started, not at my weight class (170 lbs) but at 200 and
under, so I fought guys heavier than me, and I could handle myself.
I was the aggressor at that weight, so I could drop weight; I
knew I could be one of the top fighters.
Hawaii411:
When you first started, did you start out wanting to be a champion,
or was it more for recreation?
Ray: When I first started, I never really thought about that.
I just wanted to minister the Gospel and to show everybody what
God has done in my life. One way was to make a shirt, “Jesus
is Lord,” and wear it out into the ring and glorify God.
That was my main reason why I started, and all the other stuff
(success) just started happening.
Hawaii411: You wearing the “Jesus is Lord” shirt was
the start of the name “Jesus is Lord” for your team,
wasn’t it?
Ray: Yeah, unknowingly, that was the start. I never meant it
to be that way, but God just formed it that way.
Hawaii411:
What kind of fighting background do you have?
Ray: I used to play around with boxing. Me and my friend Dane
used to go to the gym during summertime and work out with Al
Silva. That and wrestling (in high school).
Hawaii411:
I heard that “Jesus is Lord” is pretty much a self-taught
team, how does that work with out having an instructor?
Ray: We learn through experience and watching other fighters,
and we pick up on their good points. We help each other out in
the gym. From past fights we remember what and what not to do.
We watch a lot of video. Mostly we rely on God. I believe that
God created the martial arts. Man never conjured up that idea.
I believe that God inspired some guy to fight in combat. I try
to lean on the Lord to reveal what kind of moves and techniques
work best for me.
Hawaii411:
Is it to your advantage that you don’t train in any one
style?
Ray: I believe you have to learn all aspects of the game. In
the beginning you could get by with only jiu-jitsu, but every
two or three years the sport evolves. Now you won’t come
across any fighter that only does jiu-jitsu. They have learned
how to strike and grapple. You have to know how to do each one.
Hawaii411:
What are your strengths in the ring?
Ray: I know my strength is striking, pretty much stand-up, but
I know I can grapple with the best. I like to just stand up and
strike.
Hawaii411:
Who was your toughest opponent so far?
Ray: I would say, Frank Trigg. I fought him in WEF in Georgia.
He was undefeated (22-0). He was the best in his weight class.
Hawaii411:
Who would you like to fight?
Ray: Frank again, someday. I know I will someday our paths will
cross again. There’s the Shooto title. Pretty much whoever
I have to fight to get that title… There’s (Hayato
"Mach") Sakurai, there’s (Tetsuji) Kato, I want
to fight him again. There’s Silva (Anderson Silva, the top
ranked Shooto fighter) too.
Hawaii411:
Fight enthusiasts say that you are very good with your hands,
and have a style that would be well suited for the UFC (Ultimate
Fighting Championships). Is the UFC a goal for you?
Ray: If it comes, it comes, but right now I really want the Shooto
title.
Hawaii411:
Do you have any goals past the Shooto title?
Ray: I just want to fight the best in the world, and be the best
170-pound fighter.
Hawaii411:
Who do you look up to in the fight world?
Ray: Roy Jones, because of he’s just at a different level
(above the rest) in his weight class.
Hawaii411:
Are you afraid that you might seriously injure someone else?
Ray: No, I’m not afraid to hurt anybody. We pray before
our fights for our opponents - that they can continue to fight
the next day.
Hawaii411:
Monica, when Ray first started, did you say to yourself, “What
are you getting into?”
Monica: At first, I didn’t agree with it, just because of
the hours and time it took, but God spoke to me, and I realized
that this was something bigger than just me. A lot of people
are affected, and a lot of people have changed their lives. After
the first fight, I was at peace with it.
Hawaii411:
Monica, do you every get scared that Ray may get injured in one
of his matches?
Monica: No. I know he trains hard. If I knew he wasn’t training
hard and wasn't into what he was doing in the gym, then I would
get concerned. I help make sure that everything, his mind and
body, is ready. If I don’t see that, then I have to (laughs)
get on him to train.
Hawaii411:
Monica, have you ever thought of training?
Monica: No (laughs)
Hawaii411:
As a mother, could you see your kids fighting competitively?
Monica: Yes, I can see them doing it later on, but I want to
make sure that we set a good foundation for them. I want to make
sure that they don’t get hurt. My husband will set a foundation
for them to have opportunities when they're through with fighting,
so that they have integrity. That’s what our lifestyle is
about.
Hawaii411:
Ray, How long do you think you could last as a competitive fighter?
Ray: Maybe ten, fifteen more years. We have this one guy, Steven,
who’s 36 years old and ranked #7 in the world.
Hawaii411:
Is “Jesus is Lord” affiliated with a church, or are
you just Christians who train together?
Ray: “Jesus is Lord” all are part of the same church,
but we are not an organization with the church. You could say
it’s a separate ministry with the blessings of our Pastor.
Hawaii411:
Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, and even Reggie White use sport
as a vehicle to preach religion. Do people have a problem with
the association of your sport with religion, because of the brutal
nature of it?
Ray: Yeah, always... Because this sport is young, people don’t
really see it as a sport yet. They just see it as fighting, as
guys who don’t train and guys off the street who just fight.
Slowly, people are seeing and learning that this is a professional
sport. It’s just like football... It’s very physical,
but it’s a sport.
Hawaii411:
“Jesus is Lord” is known as a real family operation.
How does family add to your training?
Ray: Training takes a lot of time, and if my family can be with
me at training it doesn’t take away from my family time.
The children see our practices, and are always running around.
Hawaii411:
How has the team aspect of “Jesus is Lord” helped you?
Ray: It’s helped in so many ways – building character
as a person, as a father, and a husband. It’s helped me
overcome many fears and doubts.
Hawaii411:
Sometimes there are problems with people learning the Martial
Arts without learning the discipline behind it. Do you think
there is a problem with lack of discipline within the sport?
Ray: I can’t speak for any of the other teams, but I think
there should be less rivalries. You can compete against each
other, but the sport turns bad when there’s fighting outside
of the ring.
Hawaii411:
There is a rumor that “Jesus is Lord” is going through
some changes with some people leaving. Is that true?
Ray: Well, just certain individuals decided to leave. It’s
just a matter of different vision.
Hawaii411:
But the core is still there?
Ray: “Jesus is Lord” is still going strong.
Hawaii411:
Tell us a little about the fight you’re promoting.
Ray: It’s the AFC (Amateur Fighting Competition). It’s
just stand up fighting (no grappling/wrestling). I want to give
an opportunity to amateur fighters. I want to give them a something
to look forward to, a vision, not just in the fighting, but training
to get in shape... just to challenge themselves. They can look
forward to competing instead of just training. A lot of guys
want to get into mixed martial arts, but are not ready to enter
the whole thing, so this is just another avenue into competing.
Hawaii411:
That’s great that you can provide the fighters with another
venue to test their skills. Would you compare it to a Tough man
competition?
Ray: Yeah. They’ll have gloves and headgear. It’ll
be tournament style with two weight divisions, single elimination
with three, one-minute rounds. No kicks, but spinning backhand
is allowed.
Hawaii411:
Is this your first venture into promoting?
Ray: Yes, but I’m getting a lot of help from my brother-in-law
(Brennan Kamaka, promoter of Warrior’s Quest events).
Hawaii411:
Do you think fight promotion may be an avenue for you to take
down the road?
Ray: Maybe, I’m not too sure at this point. I’ll try
this out and see how it goes..
Hawaii411:
How about being a trainer or an instructor?
Ray: Maybe more for my children. I can see myself as an instructor/trainer,
but I want to train my children first.
Hawaii411:
Speaking of your children, do you let them watch the fights?
Ray: We let them watch to a point, but one thing we don't let
them watch is WWF. That stuff is R-rated nowdays with all the
women and language. It's just ridiculous.
Hawaii411:
Where do you want to see mixed martial arts go in Hawaii?
Ray: I want to see it go where boxing is now. This sport is just
as physical if not more physical, and we train just as hard.
I think we should be recognized just as much as them.
Hawaii411:
Why do you think a small state like Hawaii does so well worldwide
in fighting?
Ray: I don’t know, I guess we’re just blessed with
talent. The mixture of cultures just brings out the talent.
Hawaii411:
Mixed martial arts has been slammed by the media for being too
brutal, what do you say to those critics?
Ray: I don’t think it’s brutal. I think boxing is more
brutal because of the amount of blows you take in a fight. You
have to knock the guy out. We have submission, where you can
tap-out.
Hawaii411:
Do you hope to be a mentor for young fighters and show them that
you can be religious, be a gentleman, and still be a great fighter?
Ray: I want to get across to the local boys that we aren’t
limited because we’re on an island, and we have to think
more highly of ourselves because we can compete with the best
in the world. Trust in God first and follow your dreams. Things
will work out.
Hawaii411:
Is there anything else you want Hawaii to know?
Ray: It’s the same thing I always say, ‘Trust in God
and get to know Jesus Christ.’
411
Conclusion: Ray and Monica Cooper - Two words: Super People.
They not only talk the talk, but walk the walk when it comes
to fair play, sportsmanship, morals and values. At a time when
the TV and Sports Arenas are full of monstrous egos, rampant
substance and wife abusers, trashy talk and trashier women, the
Coopers are a much needed breath of fresh air. Hawaii needs more
representation like Ray - He's cool, he's calm, he chooses his
words carefully and doesn't shoot his mouth off... And most importantly,
he's out there trying to do good things for his community, his
sport, and his church. Hawaii411 gives a 411 salute to Bradda
Ray Cooper, an extraordinarily positive local role model.
Source:
www.hawaii411.com |
FCF
Fighter Rankings
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heavyweight (205-264.9 lbs)
#1:
Randy Couture
#2:
Rodrigo Nogueira
#3:
Josh Barnett
#4:
Mark Coleman
#5:
Pedro Rizzo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Light Heavyweight (185-204.9 lbs)
#1:
Tito Ortiz
#2:
Vanderlei Silva
#3:
Dan Henderson
#4:
Chuck Liddell
#5:
Kazushi Sakuraba
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Middleweight (170-184.9 lbs)
#1:
Dave Menne
#2:
Matt Lindland
#3:
Paulo Filho
#4:
Ikuhisa Minowa
#5:
Murilo Bustamante [new entry into weight class]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welterweight (155-169.9 lbs)
#1:
Matt Hughes
#2:
Carlos Newton
#3:
Hayato Sakurai
#4:
Pat Miletich
#5:
Anderson Silva
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lightweight (145-154.9 lbs)
#1:
Jens Pulver
#2:
BJ Penn
#3:
Takanori Gomi
#4:
Caol Uno
#5:
Din Thomas
Source: FCF
Website |
Quote
of the Day
"Well done is better than well said."
Benjamin Franklin
|
WFA
WFA FIRST MIDDLEWEIGHT BELT UP FOR GRABS
JHUN AND ANDRE RETURN TO FINISH BUSINESS...
February
2nd is destined to be a night of mixed martial arts magic as
the World Fighting Alliance makes it return to Las Vegas. The
WFA's second installment promises to top its first with even
more electrifying sights and sounds, and fans are invited to
go "where the fight club meets the night club" –
this time at the beautiful Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino's 8,000
seat Events Center. At the heart of the excitement are seven
of the sport's most anticipated match-ups, including the WFA's
very first title fight of the year.
Ron
"The Machine Gun" Jhun and Jermaine "Bamm-Bamm" Andre
make their way back to the cage after a fierce encounter at the
previous show. From the moment these warriors first clashed,
it was a non-stop exchange of fists and knees. Andre was able
to come away with the win via referee stoppage – a stoppage
some say was premature, and left the fans screaming for more.
To put the controversy to rest, the WFA will bring these two
warriors together once again. This time, though, the victor will
walk away with WFA Middleweight Championship belt around his
waist.
A
devastating striker, Bamm-Bamm is out to prove the first time
was no fluke. Is he happy with the win he earned from their previous
fight? "I wasn't done! I wasn't yelling to the referee,
'Hey, come stop the fight.' I was just getting started!"
Though respectful of his opponent's skills, he is eager to give
it another go with the aggressive Machine Gun. "There are
reasons for having the rematch. Like I said, I wasn't done. And
Ronald's a tough guy. I don't mind re-matching him. I don't mind
giving him another chance."
The
Machine Gun had this to say of their last battle: "I felt
is was a bad call, but I'm not going to take anything away from
Jermaine. He's a tough fighter. I felt like I did what I trained
to do. There was a moment where I might have hesitated too long
but... I guess we're going to have to find out on February 2nd!"
With an MMA record of 22-5 and a reputation for rapid-fire punching,
this Hawaiian native promises not to disappoint.
Whatever
the outcome may be, this match-up is sure to entertain. Don't
miss out on the action. Tickets for this event are already on
sale and can be purchased through the Mandalay Bay website (www.mandalaybay.com), Mandalay Bay's Box
office (702-632-7580), and through all TicketMaster locations
(Ticketmaster WFA 2 Purchase Page). Ticket prices range from
$30, $50, $65, and $100. Fans will also have the opportunity
to enjoy the show ringside via $1000 VIP couch seating (5 seats
per couch). Visit the WFA's official web site for exclusive interviews
and bio information on the entire card. (The World Fighting Alliance
website)
Fore
more event information, please contact:
Paula
Romero, WFA Event Coordinator promero1@nyc.rr.com |
A
Talk with UFC Lightweight Champion Tito Ortiz -- Pt. 1
UFC 35
January 11th
Oceanic Cable Pay-Per-View Channel 76
Pre-Fight 4:30 pm
Fights start at 5:00 pm, Replay 8:00 pm
NEW YORK, Jan.
7 -- It had only been six months since I had interviewed Tito
Ortiz last. That was on what turned out to be the last "No
Holds Barred" show before eYada.com closed down, and before
UFC had run its first show in Las Vegas. Tito mentioned that
it had been a long time since we had done this, and he was right
in terms of how much the
world had changed since then, both for UFC and post-Sept. 11
American and New York. Time, after all, can be very relative.
The UFC light-heavyweight
champion was in town for a UFC meet-and-greet to promote Friday's
UFC 35. While Tito is not fighting on this card, his visit to
the Hooters restaurant in the unlikely location of midtown Manhattan
brought out about 20 souls on an evening that saw some light
snow with falling, brisk temperatures. They walked away with
some UFC goodies, got to talk and take photos with Tito and UFC
president Dana White, sample the Hooters menu, and mingle with
the friendly Hooters waitresses. Whatever order those perks may
have played in bringing them out, most of this small, dedicated
bunch did seem satisfied.
"It's nice
to be in New York, and it's cold as hell out here," said
the Huntington Beach fighter. "But, being a West Coast guy,
I got to get in touch with this coldness once in awhile."
Not having to
fight on this show has afforded Tito the opportunity to rest
after a hectic year that saw him headline four of five shows
between Dec. 2000 and Sept. 2001. "I finally got the show
off for once, after I fought the last three of them, I believe."
And he had special reason for needing that rest. "I had
a little injury before I fought Matyushenko in UFC 33. I had
stress fractures to my left foot. So now that it's healed, it's
time for me to get back to work, and get ready for Vitor Belfort.
That will be UFC 36 at the MGM in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March
22."
Despite his
injured foot, Tito was satisfied with his sometimes criticized
performance at UFC 33 against Matyushenko, a silver medalist
in the 1994 European freestyle wrestling championships for his
native country of Belarus, a former IFC heavyweight champion,
and a two-time junior college heavyweight wrestling champion
for Lassen Community College in California.
"I think
I was just trying to keep it safe," Tito said. "I had
a lot of explosion, a lot. I was taking a world class wrestler
down at will, it seemed like. He took the fight on a two-week
notice. He was training to fight Randleman. I was training to
fight Vitor Belfort. I was training to fight a southpaw. And
it turned my whole game around. In about a week and a half I
had to turn around and get Matyushenko's tapes and start watching
his fights, just trying to learning as much as I possibly could
in a week and a half."
Matyushenko,
Tito recalled, "had a lot of stuff I didn't really see before.
It was some of the wrestling, and some of the punches he threw.
I wasn't really ready for that because I was sparring with a
lot of southpaw guys."
Still, Tito
prevailed. "But I pulled off a win and I dominated the whole
time. I don't think he took me down one time at all. I took him
down in every round and I won by domination. Usually I win by
just punishing and taking a guy out within two rounds. But Matyushenko's
a tough guy and he hung through and it was a good fight. And
I was just happy that I dominated the way I did."
Now that his
fight with Vitor is rescheduled for March, the inevitable question
arises as to which Vitor will show up against Tito: the aggressive
punching machine of old, or the cautious and sometimes overly
hesitant ground fighters of his recent Pride bouts. Vitor maintains
that he will return to his old form of an explosive puncher.
Tito, though, is not
that impressed.
"I think
this is his last fight that he's going to have," Tito predicted.
"I heard that he was going to become an actor in Brazil,
and he wanted to do soap operas. A chance for me to tell him
right now: I think he could stay on and doing the acting deal,
because after my fight, he's going to be doing horror films,
that's for sure, after I get done with him. I'm
going to take him out. Hopefully I'll take him out between two
to three rounds. That's what I want to do. Take him out any time
before three."
Tito does expect
"the old Vitor," but not with the same results as the
old Vitor had. "He's going to come out punching. He's going
to try to take it to me right off the bat. But I break faces
and I break wills and I break hearts, and that's what I'm going
to do to him, that's for sure."
To counter Vitor's
expected opening volley of punches, Tito has been working on
both his hand speed and power. "A lot of the training I
have in Las Vegas," he said, "I've been training with
a lot of professional boxers, a lot of southpaw boxers. Dewey
Cooper, who fought in the K-1, who's a kickboxer, but actually
he's a great boxer." The latest posted ISKA ranking put
him at number 6 in the cruiserweight division. "He's a southpaw
I've been working with a lot," Tito went on. "So his
hand speed is super, super fast. I'm going to be ready for Belfort.
People that weren't ready for Belfort were the ones that got
taken out quick, like you see Tank Abbott and Vanderlei Silva.
Those were the guys that weren't really ready to box a boxer
who was as quick as Belfort. But when I come March 22, I'll be
ready for Vitor Belfort, that's for sure."
Tito's confidence
is based on studying Vitor and analyzing his style. And Tito
has also integrated a lot of conventional boxing strategy into
his game plan, which many mixed martial arts fighters have not.
"I watched
Belfort," Tito said, "and how he beats guys is going
straight forward and going bam-bam-bam-bam. He never uses angles
and turning the corner or anything. It's really more of a straight
back-and-forth fight. When he fought Vanderlei Silva, Vanderlei
never moves lateral. He always moves forward or back. That's
the only movement he ever has. That's how I beat Vanderlei. I
beat him by him coming into me and just turning angles and taking
him down at will. And I think this will help out a lot with Belfort,
too. His punches are straightforward, and he has no lateral movement.
And this is what I'm going to have to work on." And that
thinking sounds a lot like the teachings of Teddy Atlas and Emanuel
Steward, which would be a welcome addition to the arsenal of
many mixed martial artists.
Tito also does
not believe that Vitor's extensive training with top wrestlers
like former U.S. Greco-Roman wrestling national champion and
UFC competitor Darrell Gholar will be enough to allow him to
defend his takedown. Tito himself was a Division 1 wrestler at
Cal State-Bakersfield when two-time NCAA champion and later World
Freestyle Champion Stephen Neal was there.
"Darrell
Gholar, he's a tremendous wrestler," Tito agreed. "That's
a good partner for him to work with. But I've taken out a lot
of good wrestlers already. I've taken out a good jiu-jitsu guy
with Elvis Sinosic."
And Tito also
realizes that Vitor hasn't fought in a cage in many a year. "We'll
see how he likes the Octagon," he beamed. "He loves
fighting in Pride, so it looks like after I stomp his ass I'm
going to send him back to Pride."
This type of
talk does have more of a purpose than trying to sell tickets.
"With Belfort, I think I got to get into his head and just
work him mentally," Tito admitted. "We both got the
physical tools. It just becomes the mental tools when it comes
to fight. When you fight in Vegas, and you see the fans, and
all the fans I have, he's fighting in my home. This is my hometown
when he fights in Las Vegas. So he's going to have a lot of work
cut out for himself. And at the same time, I'm going to have
my work cut out for myself, and I'm going to be ready, man. Like
I said, this year 2002 is Tito Time, that's for sure."
Asked if his
anticipated game plan is to go to the ground, Tito was unsure.
" I don't know" he replied. "I'd like to stand
on my feet and see what happens, see how tough he really is.
Randy Couture stood with him. A lot of the other guys stood with
him. Sakuraba stood with him. I think I got the skills to stand
with him."
And Tito has
been preparing for just this type of challenge. "I've been
working on my standup now for the last two years. I've been working
with Don House and Colin Oyama. These are the guys, some of the
best kickboxing and boxing trainers there is on the West Coast.
They're teaching me a lot of stuff, and I hope I'll be able to
show my stuff off against Vitor Belfort."
Now, many grapplers
turned fighters have also had such training, perhaps for shorter
periods, but only to end up seeing the ceiling lights after being
dropped by a well-placed shot to the chin. Tito, again, is as
confident as can be.
"I can
take some pretty serious punches," he said. "I took
Vanderlei's punch and he hit me solid right on the tip of the
chin. And Kondo hit me with a flying knee and I took that without
no problem. I can take punches. When I used to spar with Tank,
I'd take his punches. It's just a factor of getting in there
and doing it, I believe. But at the same time, you mention, as
Caol Uno getting knocked out and John Lewis getting knocked out,
those type of fighters ain't nothing like Tito Ortiz. I come
in with the wrath and ferocity that no other fighter has ever
had in the Octagon. When I step in there, Belfort's going to
feel the wrath that I'm going to bring upon him, and the ferocity
that I'm going to bring on his head, we'll see on March 22."
Source: Eddie
Goldman |
SHOOTO
JAN 12th, 2001
Tokyo Japan, Kourakuen Hall
UPCOMING
CARD (Subject to change):
(Class
B 2 x 5 rounds minutes) - WELTERWEIGHTS
Masakazu Kuramochi (Freelance) x Mitsuhiro Ishida (TOPS)
(Class
B 2 x 5 rounds minutes) - BANTAMWEIGHTS
Takeyasu Hirono (Wajyutsu Keisyukai) x Tomohiro Hashi (PUREBRED
Ohmiya)
(Class
B 2 x 5 rounds minutes) - WELTERWEIGHTS
Takeshi Yamazaki (TEAM GRABAKA) x Tatsuya Kawajiri (TOPS)
(Class
A 3 x 5 rounds minutes) - FEATHERWEIGHT
Daiji Takahashi (K'z Factory) x Ryota Matsune (PARAESTRA MATSUDO)
(Class
A 3 x 5 rounds minutes) - LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT
Izuru Takeuchi (K'z Factory) x Ronald Jhun (808 Fight Factory)
(Class
A 3 x 5 rounds minutes) - Featherweight
Hiroaki Yoshioka (PARAESTRA TOKYO) x Hisao Ikeda (PUREBRED Omiya)
(Class
A 3 x 5 rounds minutes) - LIGHTHEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Lance Gibson (Gibson Pankration) x Masanori Suda (Club J) |
Quote
of the Day
"Well done is better than well said."
Benjamin Franklin
|
Mach
in the UFC
Word
coming from well placed Japanese sources are saying that Hayato
'Mach' Sakurai, certainly the SHOOTO organization's top draw
in Japan, has signed a contract with UFC.
There
have long been rumors of 'Mach' coming to UFC, since UFC matchmaker
Joe Silva is known to hold SHOOTO's top stars in high regard.
The rumors are confiming that ink has been put to paper and that
Sakurai will appear in the March UFC event, against a yet unspecified
opponent.
ADCC
NEWS contacted Silva for a confirmation, but Silva was sly -
"there will be a press release, I can't comment for now"
stated a reticent Silva, however word is that Sakurai is starting
a vigorous training regimen in anticipation of a hard opponent
in the USA.
Sakurai
comes of a 'redemption' win in round 1 over American wrestler
Dan Gilbert, a comeback after suffering his only loss to Brazil's
Anderson Silva in SHOOTO, where he lost his title. Sakurai is
15-1 in SHOOTO, and is certainly among the top 5 in the 170 lb
weight class. |
On
the road to 'UFC 35: Throw Down' Ricardo Almeida
Would you please
tell us about yourself (age, height, weight, location)?
25 years old 6'0 185 lbs Woodside, NY.
How did you
start to train in Jiu-Jitsu?
It’s very popular in Rio, where I grew up, a friend of mine
from High School took me to Gracie Barra Academy and I was hooked.
Today this friend of mine lives in Australia and teaches there.
You have trained
under Carlos Gracie, Jr and now Renzo Gracie. How did you come
to train under each? Carlinhos was the teacher at Gracie Barra,
besides him only Renzo was a Black Belt so it was kind of natural
to be his student. Being Renzo the only other graduated guy he
was kind of a hero for all the other guys, including myself.
But I didn't become his student until I moved back to the US
in 1997.
What are your
accomplishments in BJJ?
I won the Nationals 4 times and the Pan Ams in 1999. Although
I haven’t competed in BJJ tournaments for a while now
Finish this
line: Earning my black belt in BJJ from Renzo Gracie was....
a great honor! But like Renzo says when you get your black belt
is when it starts...so it was just the beginning.
How did you
transition into MMA?
I had a Pancrease style match against a Russian Sambo Champion
in Long Island, December of 1999. But my real debut in Pride
happened almost by chance...Alan Goes was supposed to fight Shoji
but he got hurt ten days before Pride 12, I was in Japan helping
Ryan Gracie get ready for his match against Sakuraba, I took
the fight with like a week notice and my career began just like
that.
What is your
current MMA record?
I have 3 wins and a disqualification against Lindland.
How long have
you been training? Competing?
Since 1992 so it will be 10 years in March, in 1993 I had already
won the Nationals for my age as a blue belt.
What is your
most memorable fight?
I would have to say the one with Shoji, just because of the circumstances
and the way the fight happened. It was a war! It really tested
me physically and mentally.
How did you
come to compete in the UFC?
Dana White came to Renzo's Gym around January 2001 if I recall
and they asked me if I wanted to fight Jeremy Horn, because I
still sustained an injury on my foot from the Shoji fight, and
I was suppose to leave to Brazil the following week, so I had
to turn it down. But right away the UFC showed interest in signing
me up, and I really wanted to do it, there’s just something
about the octagon...
In your UFC
debut, you lost to Matt Lindland by disqualification. Would you
take us back to that match?
It was a rough night, nothing seemed to work I just had done
all the wrong things in the preparation, and now I have to face
Lindland, the silver medalist of the past Olympics. I didn't
feel he beat me he just defeated me in every aspect of the fight,
takedowns and all. He scored the points he needed and won the
decision.
Would you like
a rematch with Matt Lindland? If so, what will be different the
second time around? That is one of the reasons I am fighting
as a middle weight right now...but I can’t think about that
at the moment all I have in my mind is Semenov.
In your second
UFC appearance, you defeated Eugene Jackson by triangle choke.
What was different in this match?
I guess you just have to watch and see...I prepared like never
before, I was focused and came out very aggressive. Everything
about this fight was different. From my preparation, mindset,
focus.
You are scheduled
to fight Russian Andrei Semenov in UFC 35. How have you been
preparing for this match?
I’ve been going to the Parisi School of Speed, Agility and
Quickness, which is a training center for Pro Athletes in North
Jersey. Here I do all my physical conditioning and some technical
training. Also lots of Jiu Jitsu and some stand up.
Semenov has
25 recorded wins throughout Europe and Brazil mostly by ref stoppage
due to mounted punches. Do you see this as a problem for you?
As a fighter, you have to be honest with yourself, know your
strengths and weaknesses, I try to do that every day. I acknowledge
my skills and trust them very much. When I go out there its 50/50
any one can win. I just don’t see him beating me up from
the mount, like I don't see guys taking Tito down or tapping
BJ with an arm lock...but that’s what’s so exciting
about this sport anything can happen.
Semenov is said
to be a well rounded fighter, with a background in Judo, Sambo
and kickboxing. Have you trained to defend this attack?
Semenov is pretty well rounded fighter but I think his strength
is on the ground. He likes to push the fight , so do I, so I
am expecting a really dynamic fight.
Besides an affective
one, what is your favorite submission hold?
I like chokes, from any where top, bottom, side.
Where were you
born?
I was born in NY, NY.
Where were you
raised?
I was raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Lived there from when
I was 3 until I was 20.
How did you
come to spend many years living in Brazil?
All my family lives there, my parents where going to Graduate
School here in Manhattan when I was born.
Fighting in
the octagon had been a dream of yours. Would you take us back
to your first thoughts on fighting in the octagon?
I saw the very first one, when Royce just beat guys like nothing.
And it was nice to see it was happening here in the states, something
we were used to watching for years in Brazil. I just kind of
had an intuition, sort of like a kids dream that one day I could
win a big event like that. So to me its like, when I fight, there’s
nowhere I'd rather be at that moment.
What is your
dream now?
I want the middleweight belt.
Competing in
Pride and the UFC, you’ve come a long way since your first
fight in NY. What’s in the future for Cachorrao?
Keep fighting, and most importantly getting ready cause soon
my time will come.
You were recently
married. What affect has marriage had on your life?
It just made me a better person, I am a lot more relaxed and
focused now. I am training more, eating better, staying at home
more...my wife is amazing, I am very happy.
Who has been
a major influence in your life? Why?
As a fighter I must say Renzo, he’s just the most amazing
person. But I say that not because he’s my teacher or anything,
its just the confidence he has in me, its the kind a father would
have for his child. When he’s around it just makes me want
to be a better person.
What do you
like to do in your free time?
I like sports very much, although my favorite which is surfing,
is not always available here in the northeast. Other than that
I like to stay at home and enjoy my family, especially these
days I only leave the house for something that will make me a
better fighter.
Do you have
a job outside of the octagon?
I teach Jiu Jitsu. I have my own school in South Jersey. Other
than that its only training for the UFC that’s my main thing
right now.
Do you have
a web site and how can people get in touch with you?
My web site is ricardoalmeida.com, there you can find info on my
school and information for seminars and also some gear coming
soon.
What is one
thing about Ricardo Almeida that would have people saying, "hmmm,
I didn’t now that?"
I wanted to say I was odd or special, but like a thousand other
kids where I come from, Jiu Jitsu has been the main activity
of my life since I was a teenager. I was just lucky enough to
find people like my family, Renzo and others to support me. Where
I come from, kids like I was can be picked from trees, there
where kids a lot more talented than me, but I was one of the
very few who chose to leave. Not every one was up to leaving
beachfront places to take on these ugly guys from the UFC...I
guess I watched too many movies as a kid.
Source: Abu
Dhabi/Joseph Cunliffe |
Marcio
Cromado Interview
FIGHTWORLD.com Brazil:
Did you feel pressure to win in your last fight on SHOOTO? "Cromado":
I fought a guy who would probably have replaced me in the SHOOTO
rankings if he had beat me. If I had lost this fight, I think
that I would not have another chance in SHOOTO too soon. So I
fought with a lot of pressure on my back since I was returning
after two consecutive losses fto two of SHOOTO's top fighters
(Dokonjonosuke Mishima and Rumina Sato). But since my first fight
in SHOOTO I've been facing very tough opponents and this was
the first time which I'd face lower ranked fighter. I faced Takumi
Nakayama, who was ranked #5 in the SHOOTO rankings
and I was able to show my skills.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: So do you think that you proved your place among "A"-Class
SHOOTO fighters? You are ranked higher than him. "Cromado":
I showed thim that there's a big difference between SHOOTO's
"A" and "B" Class fighters. But
I'm not taking anything away from Nakayama who was coming off
a good victory in HOOKnSHOOT, fighting in the "A" Class,
and he was the TAPOUT fighter of that weekend. He's a very determined
fighter.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Winning a fight in less then one minute brings a lot
of confidence to a fighter. Were you expecting such a quick victory
in this one? "Cromado": I talked with my training partner
Cyrillo Padilha (Heroes 2 winner) and I decided that I'd change
my strategy for this fight. I wanted to look for a submission
from the opening bell. This is a different strategy than I've
been using in my others fights, where I've always tried to skeep
a slow pace in the first two rounds then try to explode in the
last one. So before the fight in Japan I talked with Alexandre
"Pequeno" Nogueira
and Toniko Júnior and they agreed with me, because we
thought we could catch him by surprise, which fortunately happened.
And I can't forget to mention my boxing training sessions with
Paulo Bittencourt. This prepared me to close the distance and
get my opponent's neck with a guillotine choke.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Nakayama avoided fighting on the ground in his fight
against Bruno Queroí. Did you plan to finish the fight
quickly on your feet? "Cromado": Actually I didn't
think about it, but I like to fight on my feet, trading strikes.
I'm a Luta-Livre fighter but I also train boxing and soon I'll
be restarting my Muay Thai training. With this trainming regimen,
I want to take advantage of my punching power and my height to
knock out my future opponents.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: You won the fight, but did you stop to think what would
have happened if you were defeated? "Cromado": Sincerally
I don't know. I have had some invitations from other Japanese
organizations but I always choose SHOOTO, because I enjoy the
event and the way which they treat their fighters. If I leave
SHOOTO, I think that organizations would contact me and invite
me to their shows, and I'd fight with pleasure. I think that
almost every time which you step in the ring, each fighter has
a 50% chance of win. I won my last battle, but if I had lost
it, I think that I'd perfectly know how to deal with it because
I'm a fighter and this is my way of life.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: This fight against Nakayama was the first time you faced
a fighter who wasn't at the very top of the SHOOTO rankings.
But you faced Caol Uno, Mishima and Sato in a row! Do you think
that the Japanese promoters were trying to test your skills scheduling
these fights for you? "Cromado": This was really
hard. Both "Pequeno" and me had our debut in SHOOTO
facing their top fighters. "Pequeno" debuted against
the Japanese idol Noboru Asahi and I faced in sequence Uno, Mishima
and Sato. I used to think with myself: "Will SHOOTO ever
put me against a less skilled fighter"? But at this time
they matched me with Nakayama, who is a Parestra (Yuki Nakai)
fighter. He's a very good Jiu Jitsu fighter and knows how to
strike. Anyone who saw his fight against Queroí will realize
that he has a lot of talent. Actually this wasn't an easy fight
for me. Perhaps the fact of Nakayama isn't a household name in
Japan, nor does he have the experience of my first three opponents,
perhaps this helped me to enter the ring with more confidence.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Was Queroí able to help you with any kind of information
about Nakayama? "Cromado": My fighting style is completely
different from Queroí's. Querói is a more technical
fighter who fights looking to take the fight to the ground. I
was a Eugênio Tadeu student and there we've always trained
strikes, so I had to learn
how to accept and give punishment standing. I think this affected
my way of fighting. you can see in fights where Tadeu was defeated,
he accepted some punishment which few fighters in the world would
know how to deal with. So in my opinion, Queroí should
have used more his striking skills instead of trying to take
the fight to the ground. Maybe history could have been different,
but, who knows? Queroí and I talked about his fight against
Nakayama and I decided to use another strategy for my fight.
And it seems that it was the correct decision.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Is it true that you didn't train for your NHB debut against
Uno? "Cromado": Yes, I was working on promoting other
events and this was taking all my time. SHOOTO called me with
short notice to face Uno. To complete the disadvantages, my hand
was injured so I couldn't train well. But I said to myself that
I had to debut in NHB because you can't teach something that
you've never experimented in yourself. You need to step in the
ring to know how the things happens there. I've always trained
and competed in Luta-Livre events, so I learned how to teach
and explain how things happen to my students. But with NHB, the
story was completely different. It would be the same if I told
you how to surf Pipeline without even having surfed out there
(laughs). So I went there, defeated Uno and enjoyed it. Now I'm
passing this experience to my students and we'll see how skilled
and prepared they are in the near future. One of them, like I
said before, has already debuted with a win, Padilha in HEROES
2.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Do you have a good competition team right now? "Cromado":
We're training and have some fighters who are ready for their
debut. One of them is Marcelo "Pitbull" Machado and
another is Luciano Azevedo. I'm just waiting for a Sakamoto call
to put some of them in SHOOTO. The RENOVAÇÃO FIGHT
TEAM (RFT) has very good athletes in all weight classes and if
the Brazilains events as WVC, IVC, Meca or Heroes want them,
they'll be ready for it.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: I want to talk about these constant changes in the Luta-Livre
teams names. What is with this? "Cromado": Well this
happened with me too, but I'll try to explain it. When Padilha
fought in the Heroes 2, he was representing the Team Cromado&Wago
because I wasn't in Brazil at this time and since Wago, "Pitbull"
and Wilson Ventura helped him with his training, I think that
it was fair that Padilha fights with that name. I always fight
in SHOOTO representing the Sport Physical name which is the academy
where I have my space. But now to put an end on all this confusion
we created the 'RENOVAÇÃO FIGHT TEAM (RFT)'. This's
good, because the people will realize that I'm a part of a team
and we'll show it. I want to take this opportunity to make a
suggestion to some fighters who are constantly moving from one
team to other: -"stop it, stay with your teams and be patient
because this kind of stuff only will bring problems for you.
I waited for more than 15 years to make my NHB debut and it wasn't
because I didn't want it , but I had to wait for the opportunities.
Many fighters who are beginning now don't have a team identity
due to their constant moves. Stop with this team changes, just
train, because there's space for everybody".
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil:Do you think that the RFT name is going to be a fixture?
"Cromado": The RFT will show its potential in 2002.
You'll see great results from all fighters of this team.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Do you think that team changes take the fighter's 'team
identity' away? "Cromado": For sure. I've been in Luta-Livre
for years. I'm a black-belt under Eugênio Tadeu and just
left his academy to open my own gym, not to fight for another
team. I had a very hard time two years ago when I had only 4
students, but today the things has changed and I have 30 students
training with me right now. So this is only a question of time
and patience. Today many athletes see Pequeno's success and want
an immediate success. They think that "Pequeno" turned
into an idol in a question of days. To reach your goals, you
need to take things step by step: First you need win some Luta-Livre's
tourneys here in Brazil and after that go to NHB and Submission
events outside Brazil. I had my first international opportunity
fighting at the ADCC 2000 against a
World Class Grappler and Jiu Jitsu fighter, Jean Jacques Machado.
After that, I went to SHOOTO where I faced Uno. Now I'm trying
to pass this experience for my students. Just be patient, that
the things naturally will happen for you.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: You talked about the ADCC. Do you think that the Luta-Livre
needs to show a better peformance out there? "Cromado":
I don't think sthat is how I would put it. W we've always have
trained without the gi, but ADCC
rules are pretty different from Luta-Livre's rules. So this makes
some difference for us. Alexandre "Cacareco" Ferreira
fought there in 2001 and had a good result. And Dudu Guimarães
fought very well on the ADCC Brazilian Trials 2001. "Pequeno"
and I fought at the ADCC 2000, but we didn't know anything about
the event. But it was a good experience for us. In 2003, I really
wish that my team's fighters get invited. And I'll say a hello
to Marcelo "Tetel" Andrade (ADCC Brazil) and say that
every fighter on my team which qualifies for it will go there
to win, mark my words.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: You're one of the 'New Generation' fighters from Luta-Livre,
but while some of the guys are organizing some events - Leopoldo
Serão (Rio de Janeiro Cup and Clash of the Titans) and
"Pequeno" (Submission Fight), you're working on something
different. Do you think that your work is more related to spreading
the Luta-Livre name? "Cromado": I think so. I love
and live Luta-Livre since I was young. It requires a lot of time,
dedication and responsibility to put an event on the right way.
I don't have a sponsor so I have to spend all my time with the
training sessions. I work in the fashion industry as a model
and spend all my money on my training, and my students too. You
can see that my athletes have been undefeated for a while. I'm
also with a project in Switzerland and one of my students just
won a tourney and took 2nd place in a tourney in France. Besides
all of that, I'm trying to get some sponsors to dedicate myself
to my main goal this year - win the SHOOTO belt in my weight
class. So you can see that I don't have enough time to work with
events. Spreading the Luta-livre name outside Brazil and preparing
fighters is the way which I help my sport.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: What about this project in Switzerland? It has been good
for getting the Luta-livre name out? "Cromado": I went
to Switzerland because Master Daniel D'anne, who has been doing
a great job in Germany, got a contact with a Muay Thai champion
named Ronny, who has one of the best Muay Thai schools in Europe.
He was already the European Light-weight Muay Thai Champion and
did some work in some action movies too. So they called me because
they want to know something about ground fighting. Before this,
they just had ground specialists like Remco Parduel, but today
there are many Brazilians teaching Jiu Jitsu there too. I went
to Switzerland to show what Luta-Livre is, so when I arrived
there they loved it. I received a very good offer and I stayed
there for more than two months. After that I sent my student
Marcelo Brigadeiro to continue my job. Things are going very
well ithere. The work is very good and in June of this year I'll
be back to for 4 or 5 months there. Luta-Livre is growing up
and the thing that Masters such as Hugo Duarte, Eugênio
Tadeu, Carlinhos, Jéfferson, Mário Miglioli have
done and are still doing lay the groundwork to the work of the
new athletes like Serão and "Pequeno".
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Dot you think that there's a lack of union between the
'Old School' and the 'New Generation' from Luta-Livre? "Cromado":
Everything is a money deal. Obviously when you work you want
to receive something for it. The 'Old School' has a lot of things
to teach the 'New Generation'. I've learned a lot of things with
Tadeu and Duarte and now I'm learning with D'anne. We just need
some union to help Luta-livre develop. If this union doesn't
happen, I think that Luta-Livre will suffer a step back in the
future. Today we see many Luta-Livre fighters with good sponsors,
that's why we need to organize things so that we don't lose these
opportunities which have appeared in our sport.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Any closing remarks? "Cromado": First, I want
to say thank to God who helped me with everything along with
my family and my friends. To D'anne; João Alberto Barreto,
who supports me lot and is also a great psychologist and was
one of the best NHB and Jiu Jitsu fighters in history; Paulo
Bittencourt who's my boxing coach and I just want to say to everybody
keep training and fighting because Luta-Livre is growing up !!
Source: Abu
Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
"Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real
miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything
that comes from love is a miracle."
Marianne Williamson, 1952-, American Author, Lecturer on Spirituality |
UFC
Poster Deal
In an attempt
to help boast UFC buy here in Hawaii, we have come in to some
posters of the upcoming UFC this Friday, January 11th that will
be airing on Oceanic Cable's InDemand Pay-per-view featuring
Hawaii's own, BJ Penn in the main event for the Lightweight Title
against Jens Pulver. I believe it should air about 4:00 pm Hawaii
time, but check to make sure.
If
you can show us proof of purchase of the UFC on pay-per-view,
you get a free official UFC poster. Easy enough?
Since
we are not getting anything from this and are doing it just to
help the UFC to continue to put on quality shows (through good
buy rates of pay-per-view) and to give some press to our friend
BJ, the people who can show us a receipt or something of that
order will have to arrange to pick it up from me.
I
am not going to mail it to you so don't even ask and saying,
"Uh yeah, I ordered it," is not going to work.
We
have a very limited number of posters (probably about 5 or less)
so get on your horses and order the event. I have spread a number
of posters around various sports bars, clubs, and other venues
to get people to notice that the UFC is definitely available
now and can be ordered from Oceanic, Direct TV, or other satellite
providers. Hopefully, people will post them and that will start
stirring up interest and orders.
For
you cheapskates, make a UFC party and have each guest drop $5
and that should cut the costs of ordering the event.
Oh
yeah, I also don't want all my "friends" to come out
of the woodwork and give me the old, "how about one for
your buddy?" lines. Homey don't play that either.
Obviously,
if you are reading this you have access to email so email me
at Mike@onzuka.com
if you have proof of purchase.
By
the way, the poster above is exactly how it looks, just a bit
larger. |
AFC
Update
The rules
for AFC will be altered. Instead of a takedown required per round,
there will be a spinning back fist. All other rules remain the
same. They are still recruiting fighters 200 lb. & Under,
201 lb. & Over. They have fighters, but haven't reached their
goal yet so if you are interested, contact Linebred at the following
info below!
Contact
phone number is 696-5502
Email: linebredllc@aol.com.
There
will be also a interview from Ray "Bradda" Cooper coming
out about him and about the event at www.hawaii411.com. |
PRIDE
19: Major Fight Announcement!
Shamrock vs. Frye
If
all goes as planned, word eminating from PRIDE is that their
next event scheduled for February 24th, 2002 will be broadcast
live to the United States via satellite on DirecTV with a powerful
main event.
It
is becoming evident that airing a tape-delayed show can hurt
a buy rate. Pride is currently being shown one week and sometimes
nearly a month after the live event on American PPV. Results
and often video from Japan can be gathered via the Internet,
taking the sting out of buys for the actual PPV.
What
will strike most fans is that Pride has officially announced
a main event of Ken Shamrock vs. Don "The Predator"
Frye. The two have somewhat of a heated rivalry over the last
three years or so and it will come to a head.
One
would argue that Shamrock was one of the first pioneers to strike
mainstream interest in MMA (or then NHB) but a tournament victory
eluded him in the UFC. Shamrock went on to sign with Pride, possibly,
the largest money deal in MMA history for $700,000 for his two
fights with Otsuka and Fujita. This signing came after a lengthy
crossover to the lucrative world of pro wrstling, a gig that
apparently raised his stock in Japan.
Frye
became a much bigger star in pro wrestling than Shamrock, and
his success in UFC is probably more meaningful. Frye had basically
begged almost every promoter for the fight with Shamrock over
the last few years. He want on verbal rampages about Shamrock
in virtually every publication in MMA making the challenge and
throwing stabs at Shamrock as well.
What
is ironic is that the two did a tag-team match for Antonio Inoki's
12/31/00 1st Annual BOM BAY YA show in Japan with no problem
at all.
Pride
now has a powerful draw for U.S. PPV (although they are only
on DirecTV and NOT cable). Almost every casual fan remembers
Frye and Shamrock from when the UFC was a big player in the PPV
game. Hang on for this one! The word "pride" definitely
comes to mind when you think about these two facing each other
in the middle of the ring.
Read
another story regarding this match up and autograph signings
with Pride fighters at the FCF Website.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Liborio
to Stay in US
TOP TEAM
MEMBER MOVES TO USA!
Brazilian Top
Team is famous around the world for it's tough, technical fighters
and coaches. They have a very methodical way of working that
seems to use a successful formula where that has resulted in
very good performances in the world of MMA. The system is very
simple, based on a hard work and a lot of research.
Brazilian Top
Team is now expanding their horizons, as they are looking for
opportunities to show their system outside of Brazil. None other
than Ricardo Liborio is moving to Florida to spend 6 months explaining
how Brazilian Top Team works and revealing their
secrets. Liborio fought in the beginning of 2001 in Deep 2001
event in Nagoya and was booked to fight in the Warrior's War
Shidokan Jitsu event held in Kuwait.
Unfortunately
Liborio broke his jaw during a sparring session and wasn't able
to fight in Kuwait. He had to stop training for 4 months, however
he spent the time coaching several Top Team members in several
different events around the world. He returned to the fight scene
in April during the ADCC 2001 Submission Wrestling World Championship
where he completely destroyed Japanese star Kiyoshi Tamura in
less than 2 minutes of fighting but lost a decision to Egan Inoue in the second round. "I wasn't even training
for ADCC. My jaw was bothering me a lot and I couldn't spar properly
but it's an honor to fight in Abu Dhabi and I would never decline
an invitation. After ADCC I had some seminars in Europe, 2 in
Sweden, 1 in France, 2 in Germany and than I went back home."
stated Liborio.
Liborio, who
is one of the head coaches of TOP TEAM, was invited by Marcello
Silveira, who lives in Florida, to be the first Jiu-Jitsu coach
in Silveira's new project: a martial arts center with everything
that a fighter needs to become a monster! All facilities and
teachers from all sorts of martial arts. "I was happy when
Marcello invited me because they recognize that our work at BTT
in very good, so it's time to share this knowledge. I hope to
benefit whoever comes to train here with us. I would be very
happy to see this system grow up in America. Part of our main
goal at BTT is to plant roots in America. We already have a very
good reputation in Japan and our work there is going very well.
That's why I'm here, to help Americans to understand NHB from
BTT perspective." states an excited Liborio.
For sure if
you are in Florida near Boca Raton this is an unique opportunity
to drink from this source.
Contact numbers
are: 561 361-4447 // 954 303-4988
Source: Abu
Dhabi |
Warriors
of the New Millennium IV Results
Royal Lahaina Tennis Stadium, Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
January 5, 2002
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
Warriors of the New Millennium IV put on Maui's fourth mixed
martial arts event and have been trying to find a permanent home
to host its events. This time the event was held at the Royal
Lahaina Tennis Stadium. This outdoor venue had stadium seating
and added a new dynamic to the event. One of the most important
people behind the scenes is Lee Theros. As my good friend Lee
picked me up at Kahului airport, he was a little worried about
the prevailing Kona winds that was predicted to bring 25 foot
swells to Oahu's north shore, home of the famous Banzai Pipeline.
Along with big waves, the Kona winds bring about drastic weather
changes to all the islands and the promoters were worried that
a cloud front might be blown in. Fortunately, the weather was
perfect, even providing a light breeze to cool off everyone and
no rain in sight. This event has always provided a venue for
fighters to get their start or gain some experience in MMA without
being thrown to the wolves. One thing that must be said about
amateur fighters is that they usually give it their all with
every fight. Sometimes exhausting their energy reserves a little
too early in the fight, but what a show during that time! All
of pro matches featured some impressive new comers, Jamaal Perkins'
domination over Jay R. Palmer and the striking skills of Lyndon
Talanoa, David Santiago and Brandon Wolff. The first few events
were rocky to say the least, but they are ironing out the kinks
with every new show and the difficult art of matching up fighters
with no experience is getting further honed.
As always, this one is for the boys.
Amateur Division:
(2 rounds X 5 minutes)
Logan Gulick (Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu, 6'0", 159lbs.)
def.
Kawika Velles (Team Tribe) 5'6", 142lbs.
Tap out due to strikes (accumulated punishment) at 3:32min in
Round 1.
Ermin Fergustrom
(Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu, 5'9", 179 lbs.)
def.
Sasha Bauml (Yen Ching Tao, 6'0", 182lbs.)
Submission via triangle choke at 0:54sec in Round 2.
Nassor Lewis
(808 Fight Factory, 5'7" 169lbs.)
def.
Michael Labuanan (Maui Full Contact Fighting, 5'8", 169lbs.)
Unanimous decision after 2 rounds.
Garret Viernes
(Team Tiger, 6'3" 230lbs.)
def.
Jake Farmer (Freelance, 6'1", 214lbs.)
Submission via arm bar from guard at 2:50min in Round 1.
Professional
Division: (3 rounds X 5 minutes)
Women's Match:
Lynn Pendzik (Kihei Kickboxing) winner due to no show.
Jay R. Palmer
(Universal Rough Housing, 5'8" 150lbs.)
vs.
Jamaal Perkins (808 Fight Factory, 5'8" 155lbs.)
No contest due to Perkins' illegal knee to a downed Palmer and
Palmer's inability to continue at 1:41min in Round 1. It was
unclear if the knee caused Palmer injury or one of the other
strikes broke Palmer's ribs.
Lyndon Talanoa
(Grappling Unlimited, 6'2", 263lbs.)
def.
Johnny Mack (Eye of the Tiger, 5'11", 207lbs.)
TKO due to punches from the mount at 3:15min in Round 1.
Main Event:
Brandon Wolff (Grappling Unlimited, 5'9", 173lbs.)
def.
David Santiago (North Shore Freestyle, 5'7", 162lbs.)
TKO due to punches from the mount at 3:15min in Round 1. |
Quote
of the Day
"With vision, every person, organization and country can
flourish. The Bible says, 'Without vision we perish."
Mark Victor Hansen, American Motivational Speaker, Author |
UFC
35 Fight Card
January 11,
2001
Mohegan Sun, Conneticut
Live on Oceanic Cable InDemand Pay-per-view!
Support
your local boy, BJ Penn as he faces the fight of his life against
current UFC Lightweight Champ Jens "Little Evil" Pulver
in his quest to become a world MMA champion by ordering UFC 35
on pay-per-view.
For the Lightweight Championship Title:
Jens Pulver (Champion) vs BJ Penn (Challenger)
For the Middleweight Championship Title:
Dave Menne (Champion) vs Murilo Bustamante (Challenger)
Heavyweight Bout: Ricco Rodriguez vs Jeff Monson
Light Heavyweight Bout: Chuck Liddell vs Amar Suloev
Light Heavyweight Bout: Renato Sobral "Babalu" vs Kevin
Randleman
Middleweight Bout: Ricardo Almeida vs Andrei Semenov
Middleweight Bout: Eugene Jackson vs Keith Rockel
Welterweight Bout: Gil Castillo vs Chris Brennan
|
Jens
Pulver Interview
Pre-Fight Comments From The Champ!
January 5, 2002
By Brian Piepenbrink from Sherdog.com
UFC lightweight
champion, Jens Pulver, has been training hard for what could
be the defining fight of his career. On January 11th, Pulver
will defend his belt and his pride against the young and explosive
B.J. Penn. Penn maybe the most favored title challenger in the
history of mixed martial arts competition going into this match.
Being the gracious champion that he is, Jens took a few moments
to express some of his feelings on the upcoming bout.
Brian Piepenbrink:
How are you feeling, champ?
Jens Pulver:
I feel good. I'm a little tired today but I feel good overall.
Brian Piepenbrink:
Now, are you going to be training hard up until the fight, or
are you going to give it a bit of a rest?
Jens Pulver:
I'll train hard until I leave, then I'll train once a day for
two hours and run or something. I'll train right up to it. I've
got to keep my weight down.
Brian Piepenbrink:
Who have mainly trained with?
Jens Pulver:
Pat Miletich, Tony Frickland, Jason and some other guys from
the gym, Jeremy Horn and of course Matt Hughes.
Brian Piepenbrink:
Do you have any surprises for us, or things that you have been
working on that you haven't shown us before?
Jens Pulver:
Yeah I've got a surprise. I have shown it before, I just haven't
done it in awhile. Its just that aggressive, relentless attack.
Ever since I won the belt I haven't exploded on people the way
I've wanted to. I need to get back to the basics. I need to let
go of the idea of trying to keep this belt and just go for broke.
He [Penn] had the opportunity of bowling people over and catching
them backing up but that's not going to happen with me.
Brian Piepenbrink:
You've had the opportunity to see what Penn has done in his first
three fights. Din probably didn't know what to expect and maybe
Uno thought what he did to Din was a fluke, but now you have
seen what he [Penn] can do.
Jens Pulver:
Yeah, definitely. I know what he's got, I know what he can do.
I've seen him on the ground, I've watched tapes on him. He's
a great fighter, there's no taking that away from him, but by
the same token I can't go in there respecting him too much. I've
got to have confidence in what I can do and it has been a big
bonus being able to watch him come up in the UFC and watching
him do what he does. I'm just looking forward to this fight.
Brian Piepenbrink:
Now you have to be a little bit ticked off, as a matter of fact
I know you are ticked off, about you being the underdog in this
fight.
Jens Pulver:
It's not so much me being the underdog as it is people saying
that I'm going to get totally dominated. They treat me like I'm
a quadriplegic or something. Like I have no skills, like I can't
do anything, like I'm going to get trucked over and ran apart.
That's the part that really gets to me.
Even if you
think I'm boring and you think I'm slow don't take away the things
that I have done. I've beaten great fighters and I've been in
some great fights with some great people, and it just blows my
mind that people can sit there and tell me that I'm going to
get absolutely destroyed and that there's nothing I'm going to
be able to do to him, [and that] I'm helpless. That's the part
that really pisses me off.
Brian Piepenbrink:
Well if there is one thing you could say to B.J. right now what
would it be?
Jens Pulver:
I'd just wish him the best. I know he's going to bring his top
game. I think B.J.'s a class act. I admire his skills and I admire
the way he's handled himself and the way he's exploded onto the
scene. I admire the way he's handled the hype. It's nothing personal
towards him whatsoever. This is something I've got to do to shut
up those people that don't think I can fight.
He just happens
to be the one that is next in line to try and take what I have,
but the bottom line is it's mine! He had better be ready to go
25 minutes or 20 seconds, whatever. Whatever's going to happen
he'd better be ready for it, because now he's stepping up and
is going to try and take something. Before when he's fought he's
been chasing something and now it's right in front of him. Now
he's got to try and take it. I wish him the best of luck.
Brian Piepenbrink:
Thanks Champ.
Jens Pulver: Thank you. |
Lightshow
Internet Radio
OLYMPIC GOLD
MEDALIST AND WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT
CHAMPION WRESTLER RULON GARDNER ON
"NO HOLDS BARRED NEWS"
ON WBAI'S "LIGHTSHOW"
By Eddie Goldman
He
is the man who ended the great Alexander Kareline's 13-year unbeaten
streak at the 2000 Olympics. After becoming the focus of the
greatest sports story of the 2000 Games, American Greco-Roman
wrestler Rulon Gardner has done it again, winning gold at the
2001 Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships, held Dec. 6-9
in Patras, Greece.
We
spoke to the Greco-Roman wrestling world heavyweight champion
just before an appearance at last week's Midlands Tournament,
and we will play in its entirety that interview with wrestling's
biggest star on this week's "No Holds Barred News"
segment on WBAI radio's "Lightshow."
"Lightshow"
airs weekly late Friday night/early Saturday morning, 3-5 AM
Eastern Time. The "No Holds Barred News" segment airs
in the second hour of the show, between 4 AM and 5 AM EST, early
Saturday morning, January 5.
I
will be live in the studio this week. The Rulon Gardner interview
is prerecorded. We will also be taking phone calls at (212) 209-2900
and discussing whatever comes up in the world of combat sports,
including next week's UFC 35, boxing, real wrestling, and kickboxing.
WBAI
broadcasts in New York on 99.5 FM. For those not in the New York
area, WBAI can also be heard live on the Internet. There are
two sites that stream the signal: http://www.wbai.org/ and http://www.2600.com/wbai. At this time broadcasts
of "Lightshow" are not archived, but we are working
on getting these audio interviews posted.
We
also now have a new e-mail address for our segment: nhblightshow@yahoo.com. |
Quote
of the Day
"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it
is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."
Sydney J. Harris, 1917-, American Journalist |
Super
Brawl on K5 Tonight!
Sorry, it
was on Friday night. Catch Super Brawl again next Friday at 1:00
AM
Yours
truly and Chris will be making our commentating debut on Super
Brawl airing tonight at the excellent time slot of 1:00 AM. Yup,
that's right, 1:00 AM so when you are done partying, before you
get some sleep, turn on K5, watch some great fights and hear
some incredible commentating. How's that for a self-less and
modest plug?
For
you dumb guys, K5 is channel 5 on Oceanic Cable. |
Warriors
of the New Millennium IV Tonight!
Royal Lahaina Tennis Stadium,
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
January 5, 2002
7
man/1 women single elimination bouts
Main event:
David Santiago vs. Kolo Koka (Grappling Unlimited) |
SUSUMU
Has SHOOTO!
Susumu's
Gallery has added 27 pictures from Shooto show held on December
16th. You can see SATO Rumina vs. GOMI Takanori and so on. Please
enjoy!
Susumu's
Gallery:
http://come.to/susumu |
|
Battlearts
No More
Another Japanese Company
Goes Under!
In addition to RINGS
calling it quits in February 2002, yet another Japanese promotion
is closing it's doors for good.
BATTLEARTS, the pro
wrestling company who provides many fighters to PRIDE, officially
held their last show on December 1, 2001 in front of over 13,000
fans in one of their largest shows ever. Battlearts was never
a shoot (real fight) but utilized what many call "strong
style" pro wrestling giving the illusion that it was semi-real.
Battlearts is known
for bringing Alexander Otsuka, Carl Malenko and most recently
Yuki Ishikawa (lost to Quinton Jackson) into MMA through Pride.
The company's average
attendance was VERY small and hovered around the 100-300 fan
range (almost unheard of in Japan). Their October 14, 2001 was
thought to be able to turn things around for the better expecting
to draw 10,000 on drew around the 2,500 range which was disastrous
with a show using names like Bas Rutten, Shannon Rich, Quinton
Jackson and others MMA guys making their pro wrestling debuts.
Ishikawa, the owner
of the company, officially has decided to close it's doors.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
"The truth always turns out to be simpler than you thought."
Richard Feynman |
Fighters'
Club TV
Fighter's
Club TV is a olelo program that profiles schools, fighters, MMA
events, and everything around that genre. The guys who run the
show asked me to do a Technique of the Week section, but I am
not sure if I am on this episode coming up. Fighters' Club is
replaying this Sunday at 11:00 pm on ch. 52.
Sorry,
I'm not on this one, but watch it anyway. It should be great!
Check
it out! |
Warriors
of the New Millennium IV
Royal Lahaina Tennis Stadium,
Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
January 5, 2002
7
man/1 women single elimination bouts
Main event:
David Santiago vs. Kolo Koka (Grappling Unlimited) |
Pre
UFC Jens Pulver Article
Check
out Maxfighting.com for a long article on
Jens Pulver who will be defending his UFC Lightweight title against
Hawaii's BJ Penn. It is an interesting piece.
UFC
35 is on January 11, 2001 live on OnDemand pay-per-view and will
be on Oceanic Cable. |
Post
Shogun Interview with Bitteti
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Do you think, that this was a fight in a weight category
ideal for you?
Bitetti: Not yet, to tell you the truth, my weight division is
170 lb, because I weigh around 180lb, and as we know every fighter
drops weight in order to fight and I do exactly the other way
around, that is - I put on some weight to fight. After this match
(w/ Dennis Hallman), I am dropping to 170 lb.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Do you think embody the NHB evolution, fighting in the
heavyweight, middleweight and now in the lightweight?
Bitetti: That's for sure, NHB is one the sports that has grown
the most lately, and that's one of the reasons why we Brazilians
have completely changed our minds, few years ago, we'd fight
anyone despite the weight. And as a result of this evolution
we have grown into the weight divisions that exist nowadays.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: About this fight against Hallman, did you get ideas about
his game watching UFC 28-J3 and UFC 33?
Bitetti: Honestly, I didn't have a chance to find out too much
about him. As far as I was concerned, he was a good striker as
well as good in submission skills, what I did not know was that
he was also an outstanding wrestler.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Do you think you could not anticipate his game because
of his weight change, and also the little material available
from his fights here in Brazil?
Bitetti: Sure, but the only thing I was sure was that he couldn't
have gained more than 30 lb in three months, I mean, he fought
Jens Pulver at 155 lb, so it'd be almost impossible to fight
weighting over 185lb.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: What exactly did you knew about him?
Bitetti: The most impressive thing was his record (around 20
fights) and his two wins over Matt Hughes who in my opinion is
one of the best fighters in this division. This division also
has Pat Miletich whom we can never forget to mention.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Is it true that if Paulo Filho had not injured himself,
you would have fought against Frank Trigg?
Bitetti: No, this fight against Frank Trigg was an opportunity
that came up at John Lewis' WFA. Mr. Lewis talked to my manager
Chico and offered me this match and obviously I'd have taken
this offer but unfortunately, I wasn't 100% sure that I could
make this weight in so short notice, mainly because I have never
lost weight to fight. It'd be too risky to sign a contract and
maybe not be able to do it. I'm a professional fighter and if
I sign a contract I fight!
FIGHTWORLD.com Brazil: Brutal Work out or monkeying around?
Bitetti: This guy works hard! On the bag! Working on the Ground
Skills.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Were you surprised with Hallman's burst in the first
round?
Bitetti: I thought he was going to check me out a little bit
before he came after me as I always do in my matches but he didn't.
I got pissed off then I fought back right away.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Didn't you get to show your boxing skills during the
fight?
Bitetti: In the first 2 rounds of the match it was pure grappling,
in the third one I used not only my Muay Thai skills but I also
punched in his guard as much as I could.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Your opinion about this match-up?
Bitetti: It was a good match, with a very strong opponent however
I overcame and won it, with strength and heart.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: A controversy happened in relationship to the points
scored by the judges. did this have an effect?
Bitetti: As for the judges decision, I'd rather not to comment
it, all I want to make clear is that a Brazilian fighter, fighting
in the US against an American, if the Judges decided on me, probably
I won it. And I think we have to accept the judges decision.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Did Hallman complain and did you fear a result revision
or a no contest in this fight?
Bitetti: No, not at all.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: You didn't fight NHB or Jiu Jitsu since 2000, did you
feel lsome ring rust?
Bitetti: I felt the jet-lag more than any other thing, so I changed
my strategy in order not to get tired too fast.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: How long did you have to train, who helped you and in
what aspect were you more focused - Boxing/Muay Thai or Jiu Jitsu?
Bitetti: My training consisted of only one week, since this opportunity
came up as soon as I got back from the US where I was giving
some seminars. Even though it was a short notice fight, I took
the chance because I was very eager to fight and couldn't turn
it down. It's kind of difficult to train hard when you are teaching
(seminars), so I had to intensify my training to make the fight
happen. My Muay Thai coach was Artur Mariano (because Luís
Alves was on a trip with André Pederneiras), he really
helped me out a lot. As for my Jiu Jitsu training, I went everyday
to Pederneiras's academy to train with Vítor "Shaolin"
Ribeiro, João Roque and Marquinhos Pederneiras, a few
days training at BTT, and also have Master Oswaldo Alves helping
me with my mindset.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Speak about where you train. Do you consider yourself
lucky to be able to train at several academies like Carlson Gracie
Team, Equipe 3, Nova União, Boxe Thai and Brazilian Top
Team?
Bitetti: Certainly I'm a very lucky guy, and I grew up as a fighter.
I can train in any academy but I always fought for Carlson Gracie
Academy (Jiu Jitsu competitions) and in NHB my coaches are Artur
Mariano (Boxe Thai), Oswaldo Alves and André Pederneiras.
I like BTT guys, I get along pretty well with everybody there
and I'm there when they need me and they're there for me too
if needed. I consider my team people who help and respect me
and also whom I can help, I'm a very fortunate person since I've
academy to train even in the US, my friend Pat Miletich is always
calling me to train with them and always when I've opportunities
I go there and I hope one day I can do for him and for his team
as they've done for me. If you want to find me in Rio de Janeiro,
I'll be at: Carlson's, Oswaldo Alves' and André Pederneiras's
academies.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Do you intend or desire to become a member official from
BTT, fighting for their flag?
Bitetti: As I had mentioned before, I help them as I can, and
I hope they can help me back, that's it.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: The Brazilian fans say that you still haven't had a chance
to show all your skills - what do you think of these expectations?
Bitetti: I believe that the biggest problem I had to face until
now was the weight difference, NHB is quite different from Jiu
Jitsu. When fighting Jiu Jitsu this weight difference was never
a problem, since I won twice the Jiu Jitsu World Championship
in the Absolute division. However in NHB this is an advantage
that can't be given, we've to take into consideration that the
ground game has evolved a lot. I think that I've fought well
even being in tremendous weight disadvantage but the answer to
your question is still to come. The Hallman fight was just the
beginning of a new era. As soon as I fight at 170lb, the world
will know the real Amaury Bitetti.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Do you plan to compete in Jiu Jitsu again?
Bitetti: I really think about fighting Jiu Jitsu again but the
problem is the lack of sponsors. Our sport needs to have more
support from big sponsors. As my record in Jiu Jitsu, I don't
want to be disrespectful to anyone, but there's no one in the
world with a better resume than mine and I can prove it.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: You last participated in Jiu Jitsu events in 2000. Have
you been observing the scene? Who's the great Jiu Jitsu fighter
at the moment?
Bitetti: Frédson Paixão: In this division it's
very difficult for him to be defeated, besides his stamina, he
is Oswaldo Alves best pupil, "Shaolin": he needs no
comments, he just wins everything, Fernando "Margarida"
too technical and too strong; and a new star is born - he is
called "Jacaré", and in the near future you're
going to hear a lot about him. Keep this name in mind.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: After that UFC 26, rumors appeared involving your name
& HOOKnSHOOT. Why did these rumors not pan out? Bitetti:
What happened was the following, Chico talked to Miguel, the
matchmaker of HOOKnSHOOT and he was very interested in having
me in his show, but the card was already complete, if any fighter
at that point decided not to fight, I'd debut at 170 lb for sure.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Did SHOGUN give you a jump start?
Bitetti: Everybody talked to me about the fight and the show.
Even "Joinha" from SPORTV is negotiating in order to
have this show on tv here in Brazil. In the US the show was a
great success, Media, Matchmakers, Promoters, everybody was there,
and I was very happy because several people came to congratulate
me after my fight.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Your experience being a referee of NHB (MECAs and HEROES
2), were they good?
Bitetti: Of course, I hope one day I can be a referee not only
in Brazil but also in the US! Who knows one day I may become
like a "Big John" .... (laughs)
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: The Carlson Gracie Team (new generation) guys said that
you stepped in during the fight between Flávio Luís
Moura x Elson Mattos prematurely during HEROES 2, what can you
say about that?
Bitetti: The fighter Élson Mattos was in no condition
to continue that fight, he wasn't offering any resistance and
in my opinion, I waited too long before I decided to stop the
fight. My intention was to keep the fighter's physical integrity.
I'm pretty sure that I made the right decision, I was very close
to them and everything was very clear to me. But even if I have
been mistaken, I'm positive that no fighter is there to be sacrificed,
that is the referee's job, to stop the fight when it's necessary.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Which were the best fights who you refereed?
Bitetti: Anderson Silva's, Murilo Ninja's, Fabinho's and Jorge
"Navalhada" Magalhães's fights are all great
and memorable.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: After your fighter career; to referee fights in NHB can
be a way to stay involved in the sport?
Bitteti: Fighting is everything to me, that's all I got, it's
my history. I fight since I was born and I came from a family
of fighters (inside and outside the ring), just to illustrate
that: My great-grandfather fought a duel twice: One using swords
and the other guns, he won both, and the second one was almost
impossible for him to forget: one bullet stayed in his body and
couldn't be removed. Back to your question, when I retire, I
am going to keep training people and also being a referee and
I hope I'll never stop doing things related to the fight world.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil (impressed): ...you have fighter's blood for sure!
Bitetti: Ohh yeah!
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: After Shogun, did you get any contact or contract for
2002?
Bitetti: Chico is the person in charge of my career, he has already
made many contacts and we've had many offers, mainly after fighting
Hallman. We're studying all of them and waiting for others. If
anyone wants to have me either fighting or teaching seminars,
please get in touch with Chico at: chico@rionet.com.br.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Which would be your goal in 2002, a return at UFC or
to fight in Pride?
Bitetti:I've a special relation with UFC, they were always very
nice with me and always said good things about myself. I got
very well known in the world because of them and it's because
of my fights in UFC that people have given me the nickname, BRAVEHEART.
I'm very grateful to all of them in UFC. Of course I couldn't
forget to mention PRIDE as one of the best events too and would
be an honor to fight there too. As for other events, there're
so many excellent events such as HOOKnSHOOT, Shogun, WFA, DEEP,
KOTC and many others, I'm just waiting for people to contact
my manager Chico for me to debut at 170lb.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Is there anybody who you'd like to face nowadays?
Bitetti: I don't feel like challenging anyone, I'm ready to fight.
What I can tell you is that I am very excited with the idea of
fighting at 170lb, which is the toughest division. On the other
hand, I'd like to mention that I would not fight Pat Miletich,
because Mitelich is a great friend of mine.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: And your great friend Arthur Mariano?
Bitetti: He is going to keep on doing this great job as a teacher
and coach. We all know that he has this serious problem with
his leg, so no one can tell whether he is going to fight again
or not. I really hope he can get well. I ask God everyday to
help Artur and give him a quick recovery and I am asking that
not only because he is my best friend but also because NHB needs
fighters like him.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Would you like to add anything more?
Bitetti: I'd like to thank my sponsors, Jovem Rio, Barra Grill,
Vasco da Gama, Mister Pizza Copacabana (Alcidinho). And also
my family and friends: Eremílson, Léo de Itabuna
(Cocoa's Kings) my father, my mother, my sister Paula and my
girlfriend Aline, my manager Chico, Capitão Guimarães,
Pederneiras, Ebenezer (Muay Thai training, running, and grappling),
Artur Mariano, Luis Alves, Ricardo (Las Vegas), Serginho Penha,
Pedro Sauer, Mário Yamazaki, to my heavyweight sparring
partner Holligan, Carlinhos da Barra, Coronel Moraes, Anílton,
Pimentel, Caruso, Nicolai (the man from Boxe Thai). My goals
for the future are: To debut at 170lb division in the main sports
events, to keep my job as a referee and maybe to teach (live)
in the US someday.
FIGHTWORLD.com
Brazil: Big Hug, good luck and I hope to speak with you soon.
It was a pleasure to interview you.
Bitetti: Thanks a lot and it was my pleasure.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
"When you finally go back to your old home, you find it
wasn't the old home you missed but your childhood."
Sam Ewing |
World
Fighting Alliance
WHERE
THE FIGHT CLUB MEETS THE NIGHT CLUB
WORLD
FIGHTING ALLIANCE SETS DATE
FOR THE NEXT WFA EXPLOSION
MANDALAY BAY HOSTS A SUPERSTAR
WEEKEND OF WORLD-CLASS FIGHTS
LAS
VEGAS – On February 2nd, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
and Mandalay Bay Events Center will play host to the second eagerly
anticipated installment of the World Fighting Alliance. In a
night of non-stop entertainment, in and out of the ring, fans
will be treated to a card of seven mixed martial arts bouts featuring
some of the sport’s top talent. Brought to you by MMA veteran
John Lewis, in conjunction with famed "Club Rubber"
owner John Huntington, the WFA will boast a unique experience
of dazzling lights, hot sounds, and beautiful girls!
Tickets
go on sale this Thursday, January 3rd at 10:00 AM through Mandalay
Bay’s website (www.mandalaybay.com), Mandalay Bay’s
Box office (702-632-7580), and through all TicketMaster locations
(www.ticketmaster.com). In light of the times,
the WFA has committed itself to lowering the prices of tickets
to give more fans a chance to enjoy what is destined to be an
unforgettable night of MMA action. Ticket prices range from $30,
$50, $65, and $100. Fans will also have the opportunity to enjoy
the show ringside via $1000 VIP couch seating (5 seats per couch).
The entire floor seating area around the WFA Cage will be "couched
out," so spectators can curl up with four of their closest
friends to take it all in. The floor layout for this event can
be found at www.mandalaybay.com.
Be
on the lookout for details regarding the official WFA card later
this week.
For
more information, please contact:
Paula
Romero, WFA Marketing & Promotions
(917) 842-9086 or e-mail: promero1@nyc.rr.com
www.wfa.tv |
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|
SHOOTO:
Official Rankings
Updated as
of December 17th
Lightweight
[-65.0Kg]:
Champ:
Alexandre Franca Nogueira, Top Fight Center 8-1
1st - Katsuya Toida ,Japan Keisyu-kai 6-3
2nd - Tetsuo Katsuta, Japan K'z FACTORY 6-3
3rd - Stephen
Palling, USA Jesus is Lord 3-3
4th - Hiroyuki Abe, Japan RJW/Central 3-1-1
5th - Baret
Yoshida, USA Grappling Unlimited 3-3
Welterweight
[-70.0Kg]:
Champ.
- Vacant
1st - Takanori Gomi, Japan Kiguchi Wrestling School 8-0
2nd - Rumina Sato, Japan K'z FACTORY 16-4
3rd - Dokonjonosuke Mishima, Japan Cobra-kai 7-1-2
4th - Marcio Cromado, Brazil Sport Physical 3-2
5th - Ryan Bow, USA Freelance 5-2
Middleweight
[-76.0Kg]:
Champ.
- Anderson Silva, Brazil Chute Boxe 2-0
1st - Hayato "Mach" Sakurai, Japan GUTSMAN Dojo 13-1-1
2nd - Tetsuji Kato, Japan PUREBRED Ohmiya 11-3
3rd - Jutaro Nakao, Japan STG Osaka 9-7-2
4th - Ray
Cooper, USA Jesus is Lord 4-4
5th - Dan Gilbert, USA Hell House 1-2
Lightheavyweight
[-83.0Kg]:
Champ.
- Vacant - - -
1st - Lance Gibson, Canada Gibson Pankration 2-0
2nd - Masanori Suda, Japan Club J 7-5-1
3rd - Larry Papadopoulos, Australia Spartan Gym 2-0-3
4th - Izuru Takeuchi, Japan K'z FACTORY 4-1-3
5th - Martijn de Jong, Holland Martijn Dojo 1-2-1 |
Quote
of the Day
"May we know unity - without uniformity."
Dwight D. Eisenhower |
Warriors
Quest 2001 Awards
Pro
Fighters
Fighter
of the Year: Ray "Bradda" Cooper (Jesus Is Lord)
Match
of the Year: Ronald Jhun Vs. Pete Spratt
Submission
of the Year: Stephen Paling(Jesus Is Lord)
Best
K.O.: Ronald Jhun (808 Fight Factory)
Upset
of the Year: Sean Gray TKO over Falaniko Vitale
New
Comer of the Year: Buck Greer (Next Generation) & David Yueng
(HMC)
Amatuer
Fighters
Fighter
of the Year: Zack Pang (Relson Gracie)
Match
of the Year: Eddie Yagin Vs. Russel Mederios
Best
K.O of the Year: Jerry Samson (Jesus Is Lord)
On
behalf of Warriors Quest we would like to extend a special aloha
and
Thank You to all fighters that made Warriors Quest what it is
today.Its
fighters and fans that will take Warriors Quest to a new level
in 2002.
Source: Brennan Kamaka, Warrior's Quest Promoter |
BJ
Penn Interview
"What
Brah Like Cracks"!
B.J. Penn ready
to make his statement!
B.J. Penn was
born in the town of Wainaku in Hilo, on the Big Island of Hawaii
some 23 years ago. He is the second youngest in a family of five.
BJ grew up in the Islands with a big dose of confidence and determination,
because in Hawaii, growing up is sometimes a game of survival.
Now, after an
unprecedented Black Belt World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Title (first
for an non-Brazilian) in 2000, followed by a meteoric rise to
the top ranking of the U.F.C. lightweight division. After a victory
over Joey Gilbert, a knock out over #3 ranked Din Thomas and
a lightning fast knock out over #1 rated Caol Uno, the kid known
as “BJ” is ready to make his statement in the Title
Match in U.F.C. 35.
We caught up
with BJ at his training compound in San Jose, California where
he is getting ready for the biggest fight of his life . . . “The
U.F.C. Lightweight Title” bout against World Champion Jens
Pulver. BJ had been wearing the same T-Shirt he wore at U.F.C.
34 after he KO’ed Uno. The shirt said: "What Brah Like
Cracks", which is Hawaiian for: “I am going to kick
your ass!”
KP- What’s
happening BJ?
BJ- Not much I am here getting ready for the fight, Tony de Souza
and Renato Verissimo are here helping me train along with my
brothers.
KP- You had
some tremendous success with Jiu-Jitsu and then you went on to
NHB. Did you have a NHB match before the U.F.C. debut?
BJ- Just one fight. I fought someone while I was still at Ralph’s
school. It was a Pankration match with open hands. I was 18 years
old, it was a long time ago (laughs).
KP- Then all
of a sudden you have a U.F.C. debut against a very tough guy
in Joey Gilbert? He is a really good wrestler and a good puncher!
BJ- He is pretty tough.
KP- How was
that leading up to the fight and the fight itself?
BJ- I really didn’t know if I belong there and that was
just going to answer a lot of questions to myself. I was going
to gage myself and see where I was in the whole scheme of things.
KP- And you
went on to win via referee stoppage. You took him down twice
and he is a great wrestler?
BJ- Yeah I know, I couldn’t believe it either, I was as
surprised as everybody! That did a lot for me.
KP- Who Are
your coaches now?
BJ- My cardio vascular is done with Frank Shamrock, my fitness
I do with Greg from Crossfit.com. I do my stand up with Javier
Mendez. I do wrestling with many people, the local College, Tony
de Souza helps me out all the time, and I still have the same
Jiu-Jitsu teacher.
KP- You are
known for training hard and preparing yourself very well for
a fight, where did you get that from?
BJ- I don’t know where I got my work ethic from. The truth
is I really don’t like to train that much, but when it comes
to preparing for something I am very determined. If I have to
get up at five in the morning to go running, I do it because
it needs to be done.
KP- How long
before a fight do you like to start training?
BJ- Ideally, I like to have two months of preparation.
KP- Of the three
NHB matches that you had, which you did you think it was the
toughest?
BJ- Din Thomas posed the greatest test. He was really strong.
As soon as I grabbed him I could tell he was one of the strongest
guys I have ever felt at the weight. People think I lost my footing
or got taken down on the fight, but really I pulled guard and
pulled him to the canvas to try to submit him. He felt really
strong. He was my biggest test and the biggest growing experience.
Personally I felt like I really grew as a fighter because of
that fight. I got a chance to really feel what it was like being
in the Octagon and relax and everything. It is a lot different
from a street fight you know! I felt like I matured a lot after
that one.
KP- When you
fight a top contender and you beat him, you really get a feel
like you belong there.
BJ- Exactly.
KP- Then Caol
Uno, he comes out with a big flying kick and right after that
you nailed him.
BJ- Yes, he was wobbled right after the first punch, the left
and then the right uppercut knocked him out.
KP- What was
that like?
BJ- I really didn’t feel it in my hands, just like when
I hit Din with the knee I didn’t feel it. But that is what
they say, when you really hit the guy right, you don’t feel
it. I really didn’t fell myself hitting Uno, he felt really
light, same as when I kneed Din, it felt as if I went through
him and not hit anything.
KP- A lot of
the top boxers and trainers say the same thing, when you hit
it right it feels like nothing.
BJ-Yeah like the home run! They say you don’t even feel
it.
KP- Now you
are fighting Pulver for the Title. What do you expect will happen?
BJ- I think it is going to be a long fight. It is going to be
a long night. I see Pulver using his left hand and trying to
use the knees a lot as well. He is going to try to keep the fight
on our feet. I am planning on fighting him any which way. Standing
up, on the ground. If it goes to the ground good, if we get back
up it doesn’t matter, we will see what happens.
KP- What do
you think is the most important aspect of your game?
BJ- My Jiu-Jitsu, no doubt coupled with the ability to be open
minded and learning constantly.
KP- Do you still
train with a Gi?
BJ- Yes at least once a week while I am training for a fight,
but if I am not training for a fight I will train with a Gi everyday,
just for fun, just because I love it.
KP- Are you
planning on competing again with a Gi?
BJ- That is a question you know. Let’s see what happens
with my professional career. But in the future, who knows, may
be just for fun. I’d like to someday teach and it will be
with a Gi. Right now I have goals, like the first one was the
“Mundial” title, now it is to become a World Champion
in U.F.C. and other things, but after I reach those goals, I
will do it for the fun.
KP- Will we
see you at ADCC (World Submission Wrestling Championship) someday?
BJ- Possibly, but not right now. Right now I am concentrating
in NHB, because NHB is different.
KP- What about
people that want to get information about you, how do they do
that?
BJ- They can go to BJPenn.com and we also have a newsletter
that my brother JD is putting together right now.
KP- What advice
would you give to a kid that wants to be a Champion in Martial
Arts or NHB?
BJ- Train hard and practice the martial art for fun, because
if you don’t enjoy it you are never going get any good at
it. For NHB, you really have to have an open mind, Jiu-Jitsu
is good but you need to learn everything, if you come from a
striking martial art, you need to learn Jiu-Jitsu, you need to
learn how to grapple, the take downs and be ready for both the
ground and the stand up. Be ready for everything and never give
up.
BJ is ready
to dish out the “Cracks”!
Source: Abu
Dhabi/Kid Peligro (Photos by Kid Peligro & BJPenn.com) |
|
Happy
New Year From Master Susumu!
Susumu's
gallery has added 27 pictures from Pride 18 held on December
23rd. Please enjoy!
Susumu's
Gallery: http://come.to/susumu |