March News Part 3
Please take some time and sign our guestbook!
|
Quote
of the Day
A hug is
a great gift..one size fits all. It can be given for any occasion
and it's easy to exchange.
Anonymous
I prefer the bear hug.
|
Karaoke
Tonight!
Place:
Crazy
Karaoke
(Pearl Kai Shopping Center Next to 24 Fitness)
In the same complex as Tower Records (across the street from
Pearl Ridge Shopping Center)
Time: 10:00 pm-close
BYOB and food.
|
Warriors
Quest 4 Results
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
March 29,2002
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
The night started
off a little slow with the first two fights being halted early
due to a broken noses. Strangely, the next two fights ended by
way of rear naked chokes. The outcome of the fights seemed to
come in pairs. Two broken noses, two rear naked chokes. In the
next fight, the Jesus Is Lord/808 Fight Factory team has been
telling me about their "new" guy Yobie for a quite
while, but for one reason or another, he delayed his entrance
into the ring. Tonight was the night to see Yobie in action.
Yobie fought a tough fighter in T. J. Johnson, but Yobie's time
in the gym showed through. Yobie controlled the action on the
feet and then got a huge take down and controlled the fight on
the ground on his way to a submission victory. Watch for great
things to come from this kid. It has been a while, but Kawika's
back!!! Kawika (pronounced Ka-vee-ka) Pa'aluhi first came out
onto the Hawaii fight scene by systematically destroying his
opponents in T. Jay Thompson's first two Future Brawl events,
which were held in a biker bar. He proved back then that he was
on a totally different level than all the local fighters. He
then made an impact in Super Brawl 2 at the Blaisdell Arena in
1996, by destroying a couple more opponents and winning the tournament.
His last fight was back in 1998 and tonight would be his come
back fight…and what a come back it was. Bobby Southworth
has been in the big shows and has the experience. Kawika reminded
the Hawaii fans what they were missing while he was on a hiatus
from the ring, in the form of a quick 16 second knockout of Southworth.
If you are not already, keep an eye out for Kawika Pa'aluhi.
It was Pa'aluhi who got Ray "Bradda" Cooper into MMA.
There was even a women's match on the card pitting grappling
sensation Erica Montoya against Hawaii's Betta Yeung. Montoya
used her superior takedown and grappling skills to control the
entire fight on her way to a unanimous decision. She is cute
as a button, but watch out boys, this lady can grapple! The build
up to the match between King of the Cage champion, Chris Brennan
and Ray "Bradda" Cooper took the necessary steps as
Brennan key locked a game Crisostimo and Cooper punched his way
through Dan Gilbert. This should be an incredible match seeing
as Chris Brennan has never been better and Ray Cooper is out
to show the world that he deserves everyone's respect and a shot
at either the Shooto or UFC titles.
Deshawn Johnson
(HMC) def. Tripstin Kersiano (808 Fight Factory)
TKO due to doctor stoppage due to broken nose at 1:09 minutes
in Round 2.
Jason Dacquel
(808 Fight Factory) def. John Kukahiko (Kodenkan)
TKO due to doctor stoppage due to broken nose at 3:39 minutes
in Round 1.
Yobie Song (Gamebred)
def. T. J. Johnson (Universal Roughhousing)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:29 minutes in Round 1.
Jason McCormick (HMC) def. Paul "Spiderman" Wright
(808 Fight Factory)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:46 minutes in Round 1.
David "Kawika"
Pa'aluhi (808 Fight Factory) def. Bobby Southworth (Team Shamrock)
KO via overhand right at 0:16 seconds in Round 1.
Tracey Hess
(Next Generation) def. Virgil Strzelecki (Hell House)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:26 minutes in Round 1.
David Padilla
(Gamebred) def. Jay R. Palmer (Universal Roughhousing)
Unanimous decision after 2 rounds.
Jamaal "The
Tasmanian Angel" Perkins (808 Fight Factory) def. James
Vincen (Kodenkan)
TKO via referee stoppage due to Vincen not adequately protecting
himself at 3:48minutes in Round 1.
Erica Montoya
(Next Generation) def. Betta Yueng (HMC)
Unanimous decision after 2 Rounds.
Renato "Charuto" Verissimo (Nova Uniao) def. Roland
Fabre (Team Renzo)
TKO due to referee stoppage due to punches from mount at 3:50
minutes in Round 1.
Chris Brennan (Next Generation) def. John Crisostomo (808 Fight
Factory)
Submission via key lock (Kimura) at 4:10 minutes in Round 1.
Ray Cooper (Jesus
Is Lord) def. Dan Gilbert (Hell House)
Submission due to punches at 2:02 minutes in Round 1. |
Margarita
One Surgery Down, One More To Go
'Margarida' Pontes Latest News
A
conversation with 'Margarida' today about his health status after
the accident, found him in good spirits. Details about his accident
are in the 'sinister' category. 'Margarida' told us that he got
broadsided by an unlicensed senior citizen who uses a walker
to get around. The driver ran a red light and caught 'Margarida's'
motorcycle square in the middle crushing his foot. From the description
of the accident and details about the damage to his motorcycle,
in reality, it was a miracle that he didn't die from the incident.
He
continued telling us that he had come on stronger than before
after breaking his hand and was looking forward to hit the competition
mats again in the Pan-Ams when this happened. He stated: 'After
breaking the hand, I was so determined to come back strong, that
I actually surpassed my previous best form. I plan to use the
same determination to come back from this even better! Mark my
words!'
'Marga'
had surgery last week to repair some of the damage to his foot
an goes back under the knife on Tuesday. Anyone wishing to email
him well wishes can do so by emailing me at kidpel@yahoo.com and I'll make sure he
gets it.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Latest
Official PANCRASE Rankings
Submitted by: Mr Oitate, Pancrase Organzition
Latest Official
PANCRASE Rankings (as of 3/28/2002)
Open-weight
the 9th Open-weight K.O.P. Semmy Schilt(Holland/Golden Glory)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#3 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#4 KEI Yamamiya (PANCRASEism)
#5 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#6 Tim Lajcik (U.S.A./Gladiators Training Academy)
#7 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
#8 Jason DeLucia (U.S.A./Pancrase Hybrid Budokan)
#9 Katsuhisa Fujii (V-CROSS)
#10 vacant
Heavyweight(199lbs.under
221lbs.)
the 1st Heavyweight K.O.P. Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#1 Katsuhisa Fujii (V-CROSS)
#2 vacant
#3 vacant
Light heavyweight(181lbs.under
199lbs.)
the 2nd Light heavyweight K.O.P. Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 Ikuhisa Minowa (PANCRASEism)
#3 Yuki Sasaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#4 Mitsuyoshi Sato (Pancrase GRABAKA) *UP from #5
#5 Eiji Ishikawa (Pancrase GRABAKA) *NEW!
#6 Paulo Filho (Brazil/Tough Brothers) *DOWN from #4
#7 Daisuke Ishii (PANCRASEism)
#8 Kosei Kubota (PANCRASEism)
#9 Akihiro Gono (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#10 Omar Bouiche (Sweden/Mixed Martial Arts Stockholm) *DOWN
from #6
Middleweight(165.7lbs.~
under 181lbs.)
the 2nd Middleweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#2 Chris Lytle (U.S.A./I.F. Academy)
#3 Shonie Carter (U.S.A./AIKI Training Hall)
#4 Yuji Hoshino (RJW/CENTRAL)
#5 Daiju Takase (Wajutsu Keishukai Tokyo Hombu)
#6 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism)
#7 Kazuo Misaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
Welterweight(152.5lbs.~
under 165.7lbs.) VACANT
Lightweight(141.4lbs.~
under 152.5lbs.) VACANT
Featherweight(under
141.4lbs.) VACANT
|
Quote
of the Day
Everyone
needs to be loved...especially when they do not deserve it
|
Warriors
Quest 4 Tonight!
March 29,2002
Blaisdell Arena
7:30 PM
**Tenative Card**
Ray
Cooper (Jesus Is Lord)
Warriors Quest Champion, #4 Rank Shooto
Vs.
Dan Gilbert (Hell House)
#6 Rank Shooto
Chris
Brennan (Next Generation)
UFC Veteran, KOTC Champion
Vs.
John Crsistomo (808 Fight Factory)
Superbrawl Tournament Winner
David"Kawika"Pa'aluhi
4x Superbrawl Champion
Vs.
Bobby Southworth (Team Shamrock)
Pride Veteran, IFC Champion
Renato
"Charuto" Verissimo(Nova Uniao)
Brazilian Black Belt, Pro Debut
Vs.
Roland Fabre (Team Renzo)
1-0
Betta
Yueng (HMC)
1-0
Vs.
Erica Monteya (Next Generation)
Pro Debut
Jason
Dacquel (808 Fight Factory)
1-1
Vs.
John Kuikihiko (Koden Kan)
Pro Debut
Jamal
Perkins (808 Fight Factory)
2-0
Vs.
James Vincen (Koden Kan)
Pro Debut
Jerry
Samson (Jesus Is Lord)
Pro Debut
Vs
Miles (Team BJ Penn)
Pro Debut
Yobie
Song (Blood Bought)
Pro Debut
Vs.
DJ Delfeen (Team BJ Penn)
Pro Debut
Jason
McCormick (HMC)
1-0
Vs.
Paul Wright (808 Fight Factory)
Pro Debut
David
Padilla (Blood Bought)
1-1
Vs.
Virgil Strzelecki (Hell House)
5-2
Deshawn
Johnson (HMC)
0-1
Vs.
Tripstin (808 Fight Factory)
Pro Debut
|
PRIDE
Fighting Championships
'Armed and Ready'
Thursday, Marc 28, 2002 From TOKYO, JAPAN
PRIDE-20
Information
DATE; April 28th, 2002
GATE OPEN 3:00 PM
FIGHT START 5:00 PM
PLACE; Yokohama Arena (Yokohama, Kanagawa-Pref., Japan)
Pay-Per-View; SkyPerfecTV (JAPAN, April 28th Live PPV)
DIRECTV, DishNetwork, TVN, Bell ExpressVu (April 28th, 18 hours
delay PPV)
Viewer's Choice Canada (TBA)
DSE
announced one card for 'Armed and Ready' (a.k.a. PRIDE-20) which
will be held on April 28th at 'Yokohama Arena'. PRIDE-20 will
be same-day pay-per-view in the United States and Canada as well
as the last PPV.
Announced
Matches, Card Subject Change:
Vanderlei
Silva vs. Mirko CroCop *
* NON-Title Match
FIGHTER
FACT SHEETS:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vanderlei Silva
ENTRY PRIDE in 7, 8, GP, 10, 11. 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18 &
19
HOMETOWN Critiba, Brazil
DOB 7/3/1976
WEIGHT 210lbs
HEIGHT 6'0'
TITLES and AWARDS:
PRIDE Middleweight Champion
Mirko
'CroCop' Filipovic
ENTRY PRIDE in 17
HOMETOWN Croatia
DOB 9/10/1974
WEIGHT 213lbs
HEIGHT 6'2'
Fighting History;
`01 Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye def. Yuji Nagata
`01 K-1 Andy Memorial def. Kazuyuki Fujita
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Susumu
Has UFC & SHOOTO!
Hello,
We
have added photos from UFC 36 and a Shooto show held on March
15th. Please enjoy!
Check
out pictures of Hawaii's Baret Yoshida!
Susumu's
Gallery:
http://come.to/susumu
|
A
Word From Jamie Levine...
Dear Fight Community:
I feel that
it is appropriate to send a response to the unsolicited message
that many of you have received. First, let me say that airing
things publicly is NOT our standard way of doing business, but
the broadcast of accusations as outrageous as these required
a response—if for no other reason than to point out the
flaws. I was not aware of Dustin Ware’s concerns and -–as
he stated-—never did anything to him prior to him sending
an email to more than 250 addresses.
I will make
this one statement, but I will not be part of a spam war. Regardless
of future comments, I will not continue to bother fight fans
about this point.
A response to
Dustin Ware’s email:
This message
was deeply troubling. First, accusations have been made and judgment
has been passed on me based on gossip when you openly state that
I have never done anything against you. Obviously, I have made
a huge mistake on judging your character and in deciding to take
a chance on bringing you into my business. You did not contact
me directly regarding alleged 'shady dealings', but rather chose
to make a public statement based on what you admit is 'hear-say'.
Hiding behind platitudes like 'love of the sport' to me reads
as a weak-minded way of bowing to the pressures of a very vocal,
but few, disgruntled individuals. Also, let's clarify the 'match
maker' thing. You were (passed tense) to do the initial screening
for fighters, that is, to find talent. After that, you were to
present your suggestions to me and I was to work out the details
of the matches. You put out a press release on announcing YOURSELF
as the new matchmaker without authorization or approval. (Not
the way we do it in this organization.) Where you got the wild
idea that I need to hide behind anybody is far beyond me. I go
head-to-head, toe-to-toe in my business dealings.
Sincerely,
Jamie Levine
President, Reality Sports, WEF, RSF, King Of The Streets
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
The real
measure of a man's wealth is what he has invested in eternity. |
FCF
Staffers on Howard Stern Show
Fans
of the Howard Stern show were treated to a humorous half hour
early Tuesday morning as FCF's own Joel Gold and Derek Panza
called in to discuss an upcoming boxing match. The proposed match,
between Stern show regulars "Stuttering" John Melendez
and "Crazy Cabby", will take place in about a month
in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Joel
[Big man at FCF] and Derek [champion kickboxer as well as trainer
of champions] are training John for the match against the rotund
Cabbie. FCF's dynamic duo called in to discuss John's training
and his chances against his much larger opponent.
While
they only have a few weeks to work with John, after seeing a
tape of Cabby's last fight (vs. "Angry Black" - another
Stern show regular) and observing John in the gym, the pair feel
confident in John's chances... so confident in fact that Joel
offered to bet infamous bloated barrister Dominic Barbara $50,000
(Barbara was offering 3-1 odds up to that point). After some
hemming and hawing, Barbara refused. Apparently losing confidence
in what he felt was an easy money bet on Cabby, he even began
to rethink his offer of odds on his other bets when he heard
about John's training. Joel then asked Howard if he'd allow him
in on some of his action, Stern replied that he might just let
cover some of the $10,000 he'd already bet with Barbara.
Joel
and Derek may be back on the show in the near future to discuss
John's progress, we'll keep you posted as things develop.
Source: FCF |
UFC
36 Photos
Check
out UFC 36 photos on the FCF Website!
Source: FCF |
Royler
Gracie returns to the West Coast:
Word
is that 4 times BJJ World Champion and 3 times ADCC Champion
Royler Gracie is returning to the West Coast of the US for a
seminar series. Royler had a very successful East Coast Series
a few months ago and the West Coast dojos couldn't wait any longer
an clamored for his return.
The
early schedule for the Champ is:
May
9- 12 at Megaton Academy in Phoenix,AZ for info (602) 841-9779
May
17th at the Pedro Sauer Summer Camp in Salt Lake City Utah
May
18 & 19 at Cleber Luciano Academy in Huntington Be., Ca.
(714) 842-4554
May
23 - 27 In Oahu, Hawaii Location to be determined
Call
early to secure your spot in this don't miss series!
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Maxercize
News
DC
Maxwell says: 'This was my last Pan Am. I bronzed in the Purple/Brown/Black,leve
division. That makes 3 medals in 4 years for me and now I'm going
to stop before somebody kills me! '. DC was stating how impressed
she was with the growth of the female division in BJJ. I second
that as I witnessed in the Jean Jacques Machado event of a few
months ago. Go ladies! ! !
This
past weekend at the Pan Ams, Steve Maxwell, owner of Team Maxercise
in Philadelphia, received his Black Belt Diploma, with blessings,
from Carlos Gracie, President of the Confederation of Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu, in Rio de Janeiro. This makes Steve not only the first
American to receive a black belt from Relson Gracie, but the
first American to receive his diploma from the Confederation.
This is only the second diploma given to a non-Brazilian by the
Confederation, the first being to Yuki Nakai, of Japan. Congratulation
Steve!
Source: Abu Dhabi |
UFC
vs. Pride
The heat around Pride & UFC's competition for the sport's
elite is heating up. Apparently, the UFC has the potential to
lose up to 3 of their champions to Japan's DSE PRIDE. As we reported
yesterday, heavyweight champion Josh Barnett may be getting wooed
by PRIDE.
Surprisingly,
it appears that Jens Pulver may also be available to PRIDE. Jens
has defended his UFC belt against all competition after defeating
Caol Uno for the title. The rumors swirling have PRIDE dabbling
in a new weight divsion for Pulver, with the return of AMC Pankration's
Matt Hume to face him being pushed as a potentia feature fight
for PRIDE this summer. UFC may have plans to use Pulver in July
in England, so it would seem the champion is in a comfortable
position.
The
third champion is Murilo Bustamante, who has already been offered
big money to fight in Japan by DEEP - Murilo turned down one
offer prior to his UFC match. Murilo is said to face Matt Lindland
in UFC 37, but look for another offer from DEEP shortly after.
Japanese superstar Sanae Kikuta, who is also rumored to be PRIDE-bound,
has been vocal in public about his desire to fight Bustamante.
Kikuta wants the rematch against Murilo to prove to the Japanese
fans that he can defeat a BJJ master in NHB as well as well as
in Grappling. Kikuta has a win over Brazilian Saulo Ribeiro to
become the first Japanese Champion of the Abu Dhabi Submission
Wrestling.
Word
from PRIDE is that the April 28th show will feature the 'Brazilian
Killa' Alex Steibling against another Brazilian fighter. There
are two rumors, one saying Rodrigo Gracie and the other saying
Rogerio Nogueira (Note by Mike: Rodrigo Gracie is around 160
lbs which is way too light for Steibling). Alex is becoming
very popular in Japan, but it also seems that he has firmly come
to the attention of the Brazilian camps!
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Din
Thomas Speaks out!
Word
on the WEF From Din Thomas & More...
Professional
Mixed MArtial Arts fighter Din Thomas made a public statement
recently regarding his relationship with Jamie LEvine and the
WEF that he wanted to make public:
'The first time
I saw Jamie Levine was in the line at Wendy's waiting to order.
It was right before a show in Orlando, FL where Paul Rodriguez
was fighting.
Jamie was wearing
his Brazilian Jui-jitsu T-shirt standing with his head held high
and a face as if he owned the place. Not knowing him, I asked
him if he was fighting. He looked at me as if he was Rickson
Gracie and said, 'No,' while brushing me off.
Months later,
I fought in the Tampa Vale Tudo against Rodney Brown, a 210 karate
man, who was a football player at Bethune Cookman. After beating
Brown, the man who was once in a BJJ t-shirt at Wendy's was now
wearing a 3-piece suit accompanied by a lackey running up to
me asking me if I wanted to fight in his show called World Extreme
Fighting (WEF) the very next week.
He was fast-talking.
He told me it would be a 4-man tournament and that in the 1st
round I would be fighting a Venezuelan kid who did nothing but
karate and weighed 15lbs less than I did. I showed up to fight,
and apparently my Venezuelan opponent couldn't make it to Florida
and was replaced with none other than Scott Bills, the toughest
son of a bitch on the west coast of Florida and whom I happened
to be intimidated by. Coincidence or con?
Somehow I won
the tournament and guess what, Jamie paid me what he said, $500.
After fighting for Jamie a few more times, he wanted me, Paul,
and Chad Saunders to fight on his card in Deland, FL. I couldn't
do it because of an injury at the time. Paul and Chad didn't
do it because of a prior engagement.
However, Jamie
and his lackeys wouldn't accept no for an answer. Jamie and his
lackeys barged into my training domain (Internal Power at the
time) with a contract in his hand and tried to strong arm me
to sign it. I refused. He left and made it clear that me, Paul,
and Chad would NEVER fight again.
After only 3
months, I went to Japan and lost a 3 round war with Kauro Uno.
Not surprisingly Jamie was again at my door. He asked me if I
wanted to fight for his WEF super featherweight title. I won.
Shortly down the road with my winning streak going strong Jamie
comes in again. This time it wasn't solely for me to fight. He
apparently pissed off the Brazilians at the DelaRiva BJJ academy
and they kicked him out of their school. He was looking for a
place to train.
Even though
not many people liked him and he came across as an arrogant prick,
he has a way of feeding the ego of anybody he wanted to entice.
Besides, at the time he was large, had a show rivaling the UFC,
drove a Porsche, always had money, and hmmmmm never worked. I
let him in.
He next set
me up with a fight against Jens Pulver. I beat him too. A few
days later Jamie comes in with 2 management contracts for Paul
and me. Those contracts were like slavery. But Jamie took Paul
and me on a cruise to the Bahamas so what the hell, I'll sign.
Paul, like the smart man he was took his time then after a few
months ripped it up. That's right, Paul never signed on with
him.
All the while,
the one thing I noticed about Jamie was that he was a pathological
liar. I had heard from people who tried to warn me. But, I had
battered girlfriend syndrome and thought, 'I know he's bad but
I'm different.' Of course I had seen him look a man in the eye
and tell a lie. He even knew I knew it was a lie but he would
tell it anyway because he knew I wouldn't tell.
Din Thomas
In addition
to the bizarre string of events that have taken place between
Levine and Din Thomas, Levine allegedly wrote himself checks
out of the gym account and cashed them, leaving Din and his school
trying to figure out why checks to legitimate sources were bouncing.
ADCC is willing
to print all sides of this story - but other allegations of problems
surrounding Jamie Levine are surfacing.
Another situation
involves the aforementioned Savannah, GA (Din versus Pulver)
show in which he allegedly stole money from investor Jay Gagne,
a highly respectable owner of a Merrill-Lynch firm in Indianapolis,
IN.
Gagne filed
a civil and criminal lawsuit when Levine breached his contract
to pay back a $100,000 loan that was legally drawn up by Gagne's
lawyers. According to Gagne, 'he just took the money with no
regard and walked out of the building never expecting to hear
from me again.'
He stood his
ground and pursued the matter thoroughly, managing to secure
his third 'win' in court this past January. Apparently Levine
no-showed all three appearances. According to experts, this forfeited
any right to appeal.
'I can't believe
someone hasn't done something drastic to this guy. He is one
of the worst things to ever happen to the sport,' continued Gagne.
After the win
in Indianapolis Marion County court, the case would move to Florida
in which the courts would freeze Levine's personal assets and
accounts. Levine will be issued a subpoena to appear in Florida
courts this time.
It should be
noted that $4,100 of the money stolen from Thomas' gym was part
of a federally sponsored government program for the gym, and
will be very hard to replace.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
The
8th All-Japan Combat Wrestling Championships
Combat
Wrestling, Japan's version of Submission Wrestling, is establishing
itself as a significant piece of the Japanese sports culture.
In the past there have been a number of standout Mixed Matrial
Artists involved including Rumina Sato, Takanori Gomi and Baret Yoshida. The annual tournaments
held by the National Amateur Combat Wrestling Association have
been taking place since 1993.
The
NACWA is headed by Noriaki Kiguchi, the founder ofthe Kiguchi
Dojo. Noriaki Kiguchi started teaching Combat Wrestling out of
this basement back in 1970. Years later in 1986 he started teaching
his system at the Super Tiger Gym. This was the school founded
by Satoru Sayama where his revolutionary system known as SHOOTO
was born. Noriaki then began teaching SHOOTO in his own school
and eventually expanded to be aTotal Unarmed Wrestling Academy.
He has used his training principles and techniques from Combat
Wrestling to produce some of the finest SHOOTO Champions in Naoki
Sakurada, Japanese legend Noboru Asahi, and overwhelming fan
favorite and superstar Hayato Sakurai.
He
continues to teach Combat Wrestling today and has develop a program
for kids that reinforces physical education in youth development,
as well as, providing these young people with a unique opportunity
to participate in an exchange program with the U.S. for wrestling
meets and cultural enrichment.
Combat
Wrestling continues to be an exciting element of the combat sports
world. Below is a list of the champions for this years tournament.
And like before, a number of MMA stand outs, such as Katsuya
Toita and Takanori Gomi, are numbered amongst them:
March
24th - Tokyo, Japan -Machida Sogo Gymnasium
[up
to 60Kg]
1st: Daiji Takahashi (K'z FACTORY)
2nd: Mamoru Okouchi (GUTSMAN Shooto Dojo)
3rd: Hiroki Kita (PARAESTRA TOKYO)
3rd: Takumi Murata (A3 Gym)
[up
to 66Kg]
1st: Katsuya Toida (Keisyukai)
2nd: Masakatsu Ueda (PARAESTRA TOKYO)
3rd: Masaki Yanagisawa (PARAESTRA TOKYO)
3rd: Junichi Ishida (Cleanup)
[up
to 74Kg]
1st: Takanori Gomi (Kiguchi Dojo)
2nd: Hiroaki Kotani (Rodeo Style)
3rd: Hiroyuki Kojima (Freelance)
3rd: Satoshi Nishino (Keisyukai)
[up
to 84Kg]
1st: Izuru Takeuchi (K'z FACTORY)
2nd: Shigetaka Yonezawa (RJW)
3rd: Katsuya Inoue (RJW)
3rd: Tomofumi Yamamoto (Freelance)
[over
84Kg]
1st: Jun Aizawa (Chuou University)
2nd: Jun Ishii (Chojin Club)
3rd: Makoto Miyazawa (Office Aramusya)
3rd: Anthony Hass (PUREBRED Omiya)
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
Everything
has beauty but not everyone sees it.
We used to say this to Chris a lot when he was growing up. |
UFC:
What We Heard...
There
is talk here in Japan that Caol Uno may take on up and comer
Matt Serra in the May UFC. Serra is a tough BJJ representative
who is comng off an impressive win. The winner of Serra and Uno
might make for an interesting rematch against Jens Pulver. Another
rumor has Uno facing Yves Edwards who fought Rumina Sato at that
weight and may now be going down to the UFC's 155 lb. class.
Speaking
of Rumina, the SHOOTO golden boy is strongly rumored to be UFC-bound,
perhaps appearing on the July 13th London event. The opponent
is not known yet, however a match with UFC star BJ Penn would
be much talked about in Japan.
It
seems that DEEP 2002 will have to keep waiting for Murilo Bustamante,
as the UFC officially presented Matt Lindland as the Middlewight
challenger for the May 10th 'UFC 37' in Bossier City, LA.
New
UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett is apparently in a situation
to negotiate his next contract with UFC. Though ZUFFA is known
for extending generous incentives to their champions, look for
PRIDE FC to make a heavy move for Barnett. With names such as
Rodrigo Nogueira, Mark Coleman, Heath Herring and Enson Inoue,
PRIDE already has an advantage in the Heavyweights over UFC,
and getting Barnett would add another notch on the belts. The
truth is Barnett-Nogueira or Barnett-Herring are marquee matches
that are hot right now. Look for PRIDE to show interest in former
champion Randy Couture as well.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
DAN
GABLE:
CAEL SANDERSON COULD BE WRESTLING'S BIG MAN FOR A LONG TIME
Submitted by: Eddie Goldman
It
is well-known that Dan Gable achieved unparalleled success in
the sport of wrestling. Undefeated in high school, he ran up
a 118-0 record in college at Iowa State until his very last match,
in the 142-pound finals of the 1970 NCAA Championships, when
he lost a wild one to Larry Owings of Washington, 13-11.
'I
think it probably needed to happen to me, even though I don't
like to admit it,' Gable said at the conclusion of the 2002 NCAA
Wrestling Championships in Albany, NY. Gable, if you didn't already
know, went on to win a world championship in 1971 and Olympic
gold medal in 1972, without being scored upon. He then went on
to coach the University of Iowa from 1977 to 1997, winning 15
NCAA team titles in those 21 years.
But
now here he was, a wrestling legend, being asked about his own
reaction to the historic performance of another Iowa State wrestler,
Cael Sanderson, who had minutes before completed his own college
wrestling career with 159 victories, 0 losses, four NCAA championships,
and four Outstanding Wrestler awards at the NCAA Wrestling Championships.
'I
really -- I almost feel like he should have been me, and I should
have been him. Then I wouldn't have had to lose. And, you understand
that? Basically he was able to have something before him to be
able to use as an example of how not to do things,' Gable explained.
His
own loss to Owings, he went on, actually improved his wrestling
ability. 'Because I don't think I was as good as I needed to
be at another level. I was going to improve, but the amount of
improvement I had in one year from that loss probably wouldn't
have happened the same way had I won that match. I can honestly
say that I think I improved as much in one year as I did in my
seven years through high school and college, after that loss,'
said Gable.
Gable
compared Sanderson favorably to himself at this stage of his
career. 'But his level of excellence right now in certain skills
were ahead of mine, at that time, on his feet. And my level of
riding and control might be a little bit more that his, but the
next level is freestyle, and that's where the standing is. And
so I had to really get good there. So he's probably already up
on me from that point of view, but he's going to have to continue
to get better, too, just because, I don't know if he'll make
that big a jump.'
As
for the importance to wrestling of Sanderson's victory, Gable
tried to put it in perspective. 'I think it's really good, but
I don't think it needs to be a moment,' he said. 'I think the
guy adds a lot of value to the sport for the future, too. And
so, if you look at me, I had a moment at the NCAA championship.
It was a big moment. But do you think the moment would have stayed
there and coming back in front of everybody had I not stayed
in the sport, had I not kept doing things positively, had I not
kept being a coach and bringing other people up? So what I'm
saying is the guy has a chance to be a big man in wrestling for
a long time. And that's important in this sport.'
Sanderson's
next stop will be to focus on freestyle wrestling on the national
and international level. Gable said that, 'He's already proven
he's good,' noting that Sanderson already has one U.S. national
championship, in 2001. But even though Cael could have competed
in the 2001 World Championships, after it was moved from New
York to Bulgaria and rescheduled from Sept. to Nov., he chose
to pass on it and focus on his final college season and last
semester at school.
Gable
noted that 'the guy that replaced him [Brandon Eggum] won the
silver, so it's just a matter of continuing.' He also said Cael's
freestyle experience helped his college wrestling. 'And I know
his freestyle already has made his level jump here, because I
see him score from a defensive point of view that he didn't have,
that he learned to tilt people from freestyle. But he's taken
the same advantage. He tilts people from a scoring position for
freestyle. Instead of just letting them go, he stops them. Then
you get that back, near fall for college, too, and the takedown.
So he's being very, very smart. Very good wrestler.'
What
makes Cael so special, Gable analyzed, is that 'he's always ahead
of his opponent. That attribute I believe I had as well, except
for my final match there. Most of the time I was always one or
two moves ahead of the guy, and keeping pressure on and continuing
to score and dominate. I think he has this. And I said in this
match [2002 NCAA finals], the only way that the guy could beat
him is if he could stay with him for five minutes and see a light
at the end of the tunnel. And obviously after 40 seconds where
he was down 5-0, there was no light.'
While
Gable wrestled for Iowa State, he coached at rival University
of Iowa, where he now works as Assistant to the Athletic Director.
That in no way tempered his emotions at Cael's incredible achievement.
'All
I say is that the more association I can have with any program
makes me feel better, because that's my sport, and I have a passion
for it unbelievably. So I'm glad that I haven't been [with] just
one school in my whole career. In fact, the area I grew up in
has a lot to do with UNI (Univ. of Northern Iowa). So there were
three Division 1 schools in the state of Iowa, which gives me
a lot of what I feel ability to help the sport, especially in
that area,' said Gable.
Wrestling
now has two active stars recognizable beyond its own fan base,
Rulon Gardner and Cael Sanderson. Gable commented, 'I think the
only thing that can help that is we keep it at that level. The
same names. Now that Gardner's had this little incident with
his feet, I don't know exactly what's going to happen there.
But Sanderson still has the ability for sure, and hopefully Gardner's
OK, too, but time will tell. But you got to take advantage of
who these people are right now.'
I
suggested that someone should just keep Sanderson off a snowmobile,
referring to the accident Gardner suffered in February on one
that left his toes injured. 'Well, he's from out in that Utah
area, isn't he?' Gable said about Sanderson. 'Wyoming, Utah,
Idaho, all those places out there have a lot of snow and mountains
and stuff, so you better be smart. He better not be going anywhere
by himself.'
Gable
has become an unofficial ambassador for the sport of wrestling,
but is not happy with the way some outside of wrestling have
dealt with him.
'I'm
coaching internationally. I deal with the college people,' he
said. 'And I'd like to see the NCAA utilize my talents a little
more, because I feel like I'm fighting a lot of people at that
level. And I don't understand why they don't respect me. I think
they think that I'm some kind of guy from an extreme point of
view. But I if I was [from] an extreme point of view, I would
have never been a good coach. Because maybe I was an extreme
athlete, but if I was an extreme coach, I would have never been
able to bring all these different people in the world to success,
because not all these kids I've coached were fanatics, by any
means.'
While
he may not be an extreme kind of guy, I asked him if, after all
these years, he still had that great passion for wrestling for
which he was known.
'Unbelievably.
More than ever,' he replied. 'Because I see some things that
I can use my expertise with that nobody else probably sees. They
just don't. Nobody sleeps and eats it 24 hours a day for their
whole life, and I'm 53. So, that's just the way it is.'
Source:
Abu Dhabi |
Interview:
MIKE RADNOV
At the recent
UFC 36, I was on the same shuttle with Extreme Challenge 46 runner
up Mike Radnov the day before so I knew he would be in the arena
somewhere. Thanks to Monte Cox telling me in what section Radnov
was sitting it was only a matter of stopping by the section 3
times before I finally saw him and grabbed this quick interview.
For those who haven't been following the Extreme Challenge/Super
Brawl Heavyweight tournament series Radnov is the competitor
that came in 2nd in the Des Moines show, the first in the series.
Ben Rothwell, who was given a first round bye due to one competitor
not showing up, beat Mike in the finals. Radnov takes the loss
like a true sportsman and prepares for the series finals in Hawaii in April.
KM: Personally
I think if Rothwell was given a first round fight I thought it
might have turned out a lot different.
MR: Well, that and the fact I caught that cut in the first round
of my first fight. That's the reason they stopped the fight.
I felt I was winning when they stopped it. He's a tough kid and
has a good record but I feel that I was beating him and I would
have beaten him.
KM: Are you
getting ready for Hawaii yet?
MR: I'm definitely getting ready. It's about a month away. I'm
getting my conditioning even better than it was last time, I'm
prepared to go every fight 13 minutes with overtime if I have
to. I'll see it all the way through.
KM: Do you know
who the rest of the field is?
MR: They took four guys from my tournament, 4 guys from the UT
tournament…I think they got like 13 or 14…they need
to fill about 2 or 3 spots.
KM: It's a 2-day
tournament this time?
MR: Everyone is going to fight the first night to get it down
to 8 guys and the next day will be like a regular 8-man tournament.
KM: I think
from the IA tournament it's also (in addition to Rothwell) Wiuff
and Schall.
MR: Actually my opponent in the first round even though I beat
him he was a tough kid and Monte said he's going to have him
in the tournament because he knows he won't quit. I beat him
but he caught me with two good shots. Those and the knee to the
cheek actually started the swelling that ended up turning into
a ripe tomato that in that last match it was pretty easy to split
at that point.
KM: I thought
it was a broken nose that you had.
MR: No, it bled a lot but it wasn't broke.
KM: My apologies,
in my article…
MR: I read that. I thought 'I wonder who told him that, I guess
he just assumed' cause there was a lot of blood.
KM: I think
it was in-between some of the fights I came up and asked and
I thought you said it was broken.
MR: No, it was pretty sore but it wasn't broken. I had a few
less stitches too: 19 instead of 24 but who cares at that point.
KM: The fight
scene in general is moving away from the tournaments. Your thoughts?
MR: I'm hoping this will be my last tournament but it's the best
way to get your name out there the quickest. If you establish
yourself in one of these it puts you out in the limelight and
gets you some bigger shows hopefully right away. I'm looking
to do 1 more and hopefully after that it will just be single
fights. It's hard to prepare for so many different fighters and
the luck of the draw. I had two hard matches going into that
last one and you never know how it's going to go. You can get
some easy (fights) or like he (Rothwell) did you can get a bye
and kind of coast through it, so that makes a big difference
in the outcome of the fight.
KM: So what
do you expect out of the Hawaii show?
MR: I expect to make a good showing. I really expect to win…that's
what I'm training for, that's my goal. Last year the top 7 guys
went right into UFC or Pride so even if you make a good showing
in this one it's hopefully going to get your name out there and
get you some good shows. I just want to do well and make a good
showing but I'm confidant I'll be up there hopefully in the finals.
KM: How do you
feel about the publicity behind this series?
MR: I feel they're doing a good job promoting it. These guys
that are in there are really talented. Most of these guys are
new talent. I think there's a couple of them that have been to
some big shows but overall I think it's a good way for newer
people to get discovered. I've been in and out of the game for
the last 6 years, I just started getting serious about it last
year, so even though I'm a newcomer I'm older so I have to do
something that's going to get me out there the quickest. I'm
not going to be in this game forever so I have to hit it while
I'm still able.
KM: Have any
other promoters approached you yet?
MR: I've had some other people that have called me on some other
shows a little bit. Talked a little bit to KOTC, had a couple
other smaller shows but the money really wasn't that good. It
wasn't the quality of shows that Monte and T Jay put on so I'm
looking to focus just on those and try to establish myself from
those shows and then use that as a springboard to hopefully get
into maybe UFC or Pride. KOTC possibly but I'm focusing on this
one right now.
KM: Where are
you from anyway? MR: Dallas, TX. I trained with the other guys
out of Dallas, the Lions Den guys.
KM: Besides
Guy Mezger's training last I heard he was trying to put on a
promotion but was having problems with the closed fists…
MR: The boxing commission kind of shut him down a little bit.
It looked like they were going to get it going for a while and
then these other guys, actually the gym I was training at, put
on these backyard brawls and the boxing commission told them
to not do it and they did another one. I think it really pissed
off the boxing commissioner and they were already kind of leery
on the NHB game anyway. They're not real wild about it in TX.
I know they were trying, I hope they can get it but it but it
seems to be an uphill battle in TX. I think the bottom line is
getting some more money on the table. That seems to sway the
boxing commissions generally.
KM: So go over
your background.
MR: My background is primarily wrestling and I've tried to evolve
from that. I was an All-American in high school and I was a ranked
All-American for the University of Nebraska. Then I started training
with the Lions Den guys about 6 years ago off and on and discovered
I had a knack for it and then started exploring other aspects.
I took other martial arts: I had rank in 3 different kinds of
Karate from junior high, high school, and college and that gave
me a little bit of a kicking background. I've been working pretty
hard with a boxing coach. I fought Travis Fulton in December
and decided I had some flaws in my boxing game so he's helped
me tremendously.
KM: When did
you fight Fulton?
MR: I fought him in Omaha at the Rock and Rumble on December
29th. I won that by decision. I wasn't expecting to fight him,
I really wasn't prepared for that fight and I wouldn't have taken
it had I known I was fighting him because I was just coming off
a knee injury. I was doing it for the experience and the money
but somebody dropped out and they put him in at the last minute.
Luckily it turned out for me but it was close and I wasn't in
my best shape at that time.
KM: So people
who saw that…that's not what to expect of Mike Radnov?
MR: No. I definitely made improvement by the Des Moines show;
I expect to make that much more improvement by Hawaii. My conditioning
is going to be superb by then.
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
It's important
for parents to live the same things they teach.
|
Warriors
Quest 4
"GENESIS"
Weigh-Ins
Warriors Quest 4 Weigh Ins will be held Thursday, March 28,2002
at Neal Blaisdell Maui Room at 5:30 pm. The Maui Ballroom is
located on the side of
the exhibit hall on the 2nd floor.
Come
meet and Greet with the WARRIORS!
|
NCAA
Wrestling Finals:
Travis Lee 7th Place!
Hawaii's
own, Travis Lee, fresh out of St. Louis and in his first year
at Cornell wrestling as a freshman has taken 7th place in his
first NCAA finals. This is an incredible achievement for Lee
and brings notoriety to Hawaii wrestlers. He only had one loss
of the tournament and dominated some of his matches. Below are
the results from his matches.
Travis
Lee, CORNELL DEC Matthew Pitts, CHATTANOOGA 6-3
Travis Lee, CORNELL WBF Matt Ridings, OKLAHOMA 6:52
Skyler Holman, OKLAHOMA STATE DEC Travis Lee, CORNELL 12-9
Travis Lee, CORNELL OT Shawn Bunch, EDINBORO 12-10;SV
Travis Lee, CORNELL MAJOR Chris Rodrigues, NORTH CAROLINA 14-4
7TH PL BT
Note: WBF = win by fall (pin)
BT = by tech (a point difference of 10 finishes a match) |
UFC
36: Replay Schedule
A
replay schedule for 'UFC 36: WORLDS COLLIDE' is out. Don't miss
this event from the MGM Grand in Los Vegas, Nevada.
iN
DEMAND
Sunday, March 24, 2002, 11:00P ET (iN2)
Tuesday, March 26, 2002, 10:00P ET (iN1)
DIRECTV
Sat, Mar 23 04:30p, 08:00p, 11:30 p ET
Mon, Mar 25 06:00a, 04:30p, 08:00p,11:30p ET
Tue, Mar 26 06:00a, 04:30p, 08:00p,11:30p ET
Thu, Mar 28 06:00a, 04:30p, 08:00p,11:30p ET
Sat, Mar 30 06:00a, 09:30a, 01:00p,4:30p ET
Bell
Express Vu
Tuesday, March 26, 9:00 PM and 1:00 AM
Viewers
Choice Canada and Dish Network
Check Local Listings! |
UFC
Quick Interviews:
Matt Lindland and More...
Even though
Matt Lindland is undefeated in MMA and won the silver medal at
the 2000 Olympic games in Sydney he doesn't get the respect he
deserves. His defeat of Phil Baroni at UFC 34 was one of the
highlights of the night, even earning his preliminary bout a
run on the Pay-Per-View broadcast. This interview took place
the night before he beat Pat Miletich.
KM: It seems
like you're not given enough credit for your Olympic silver medal.
ML: I think its just Pat is getting a lot of credit for his reputation
and his experience in the UFC.
KM: Do you feel
you're being short changed?
ML: I think I just haven't fought enough to show everybody what
I can do.
KM: Isn't this
your 3rd UFC fight now?
ML: 4th one. I fought Ricardo Almeida, Phil Baroni, and Yoji
Anjo. I won all 3.
KM: Did they
just renew your contract for 3 more?
ML: Yep. I just started a new 3-fight deal.
KM: I take it
you're happy with UFC? Have you been contacted by Pride or anybody
else? ML: I'm happy with the UFC. I haven't been out seeking
anything new. I'm happy with what we got going on right now.
I know that they're building an organization, a sport. I wish
there was a little more money in it but I understand what they're
trying to do for down the road.
KM: It seems
like in my opinion the lack of money comes from a lack of sponsorships.
It's not like Mountain Dew will slap their name on your butt.
ML: We need that. We need to get those big sponsors.
KM: What do
you think the solution is?
ML: More exposure. We need to be on TV, we need to be on HBO,
Showtime…
KM: Can you
see being sponsored by someone like Pepsi or Budweiser?
ML: You bet, anybody. (Laughing) Slap that on my ass, I don't
care.
KM: (laughing)
It's not like snowboarding where you can cover a snowboard with
all kinds of logos. You don't have much space. How do you feel
about training Couture and Henderson?
ML: I train with those guys daily. It's great. We go way back
wrestling together. We've been friends for over 10 years. Randy
and I have a gym together now.
KM: Are there
any other people training at your gym we haven't heard about
yet? Who should we keep an eye out for?
*Note: this was only a tape interview so I am not sure of the
spelling of these names. I'm guessing at the spelling and ask
the forgiveness of the fighters if I make any errors. Look at
the bright side: at least I'm interested and trying.
ML: There's a lot of up-and-comers coming out of our gym. You
should probably look for (something) Sunnan and Nathan Corey;
they'll be fighting in here shortly. Heath Simms…they're
all fighting on the 30th out in LA in one show.
-----------
Speaking of
Lindland/Baroni… Phil Baroni was also in attendance. Baroni
is signed to fight Amar Suloev in UFC37 in May. Baroni lost to
Lindland at UFC34 while Suloev lost to Chuck Liddell at UFC35.
KM: UFC37 will
be your 3rd fight for the UFC?
PB: Yeah, it's my 3rd one. The first one (Curtis Stout) was a
prelim, it wasn't televised.
KM: The feedback
I heard about the difference between your fights with Stout and
Lindland was you really switched gears for Lindland. Was it that
the first one you were intimidated?
PB: No, neither guy really wanted to fight. Lindland and I forced
the fight more. Stout just kept his guard closed: he wouldn't
open his guard, he wouldn't take any chances. Lindland mixed
it up a little more. That's basically the difference: one guy
was looking to survive, one guy actually tried to win for a little
while.
KM: It's not
that you're taking a different attitude nowadays?
PB: I got the same attitude. I'm coming in and kick the other
guy's ass. I'm looking for the knockout. First guy I tried to
knockout he just wouldn't open his guard, he just lay on his
back. I threw like 500 punches at the guy. Lindland opened his
guard and I just stood up. We'll see with Amar Suloev, I'll show
what I got to offer.
KM: What do
you know about Suloev?
PB: He likes to mix it up, like to punch. He likes to kick, stand
on his feet, and trade. The first two guys just wanted to get
on the ground and survive. Neither one wanted to mix it up. Neither
one had any courage or heart, they just wanted to win or loose
a decision.
KM: If you get
through Suloev…
PB: I will get through Suloev.
KM: (Ooops)
How long will it be before you get a title shot?
PB: I don't know, it's up to them. I'll take a title shot tomorrow.
I can beat anyone out there. I have the big equalizer: the big
right hand. I can put anyone to sleep in this game right now.
I think I'm the most dangerous guy at 185 and I'm going to prove
that against Suloev.
KM: Isn't Miletich
fighting at 185 now?
PB: Yeah, he is. He's more well rounded but he's not as dangerous
a one-punch knockout as I am. I just gotta get in shape now.
I just haven't been in shape before. I took guys a little lightly.
I'm going to be in shape and I'm going to be the best I can be.
KM: So you took
the criticism about your conditioning being in question seriously?
PB: I kind of took the fights a little light. It's going to be
time for some action when I get out there. I'm knocking this
dude out. It's going to be a war.
Source: Abu
Dhabi
|
NCAA
Wrestling Championship Finals:
MINNESOTA CAPTURES SECOND STRAIGHT NCAA WRESTLING TITLE
Submitted by: Eddie Goldman
While
Cael Sanderson's victory at 197 pounds, thus completing his college
career undefeated and as a four-time NCAA champion, was the biggest
story coming out of the 2002 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships,
held March 21-23 in Albany, NY, the other accomplishments at
this event should not be overlooked.
Minnesota,
coached by J Robinson, captured its second straight team national
championship, outdistancing second place Iowa State, itself a
surprise as a team, 126.5 points to 104. Last year Minnesota
did it without any individual national champions, but this year
they had two, Jared Lawrence at 157 and Luke Becker at 165. Iowa
State, coached by Bobby Douglas, had the most individual champions
with three: Aaron Holker at 141, Joe Heskett at 165, and Cael
Sanderson at 197. Oklahoma finished third in the team race, and
Iowa dropped to fourth, followed by Oklahoma State. Iowa also
had no national champions this year. Iowa State's finish above
in-state rival Iowa was noted by many of the Iowa State fans
in attendance.
At
125, Stephen Abas, a senior at Fresno State captured his third
straight NCAA title and went undefeated this year, 35-0. The
only other undefeated college wrestler this year was Cael Sanderson.
In the finals, Abas dominated Luke Eustice of Iowa, 8-4, effectively
scoring with low single-leg takedowns and only giving up escape
points. Abas will now turn his attention fulltime to freestyle,
where he should become a major force.
At
133, Johnny Thompson of Oklahoma State defeated previously-unbeaten
Ryan Lewis of Minnesota, 5-4. Thompson scored a second-period
reversal and near fall to go up 5-2, a lead which Lewis could
not catch, despite nearly scoring a takedown in the closing seconds.
This was a thrilling match with a great ending. These two may
meet again, as Thompson is just a sophomore and Lewis a junior.
Another
great match took place at 141, as Iowa State's Aaron Holker,
a junior at Iowa State, beat Eric Larkin, a junior at Arizona
State, 10-5. Holker reversed an attempted cradle by Larkin in
the first period to go up 4-2, and never lost the lead. Holker
had been an All-American at Brigham Young University in 1999,
but transferred to Iowa State after Brigham Young dropped its
wrestling program.
At
149, Jared Lawrence gave Minnesota its first of two championships,
decisioning Jared Frayer of Oklahoma, 3-1. With about two seconds
left in the first period, Lawrence hit a takedown at the edge
of the mat to go up 2-0. Each man got an escape in the only other
scoring.
Minnesota
followed up at 157 when Luke Becker got by previously-unbeaten
Bryan Snyder of Nebraska, 5-4, by winning the tie-breaker. The
tie-breaker occurs when the score is tied after the one-minute
overtime which follows the regulation three periods. One wrestler
is put in the down position, and has 30 seconds to escape. If
he does, he wins. If he does not, his opponent wins. Usually
there is a coin flip to determine who gets the choice of position,
but in the NCAA championship finals, it is determined by who
scored the first offensive point. It is estimated that about
80 to 90 percent of those who start in the down position in tie-breakers
win, and almost everyone who wins the coin flip chooses down.
The use of this tie-breaker system is highly controversial, with
many in wresting wanting to eliminate anything dependent on a
coin flip. In this match, Becker escaped in about four seconds.
Becker also won his semifinal match with Penn's Yoshi Nakamura
in a tie-breaker. Nakamura ended up finishing third.
The
third time was indeed the charm for Iowa State senior 165-pounder
Joe Heskett, making his third straight trip to the finals. He
had lost in both his previous attempts. Here he faced Matt Lackey
of Illinois, and the match went right own to the wire. Lackey
got the first takedown of the match in the first period, ensuring
his choice if it went to a tie-breaker. Heskett picked up escapes
in the first and second periods, knotting it up at 2-2. Lackey
chose to start the third in the neutral position, hoping for
another takedown. But with both men shooting unsuccessfully,
time was dwindling down. Suddenly, with about five seconds left,
Heskett got in for a takedown and held it as time ran out. He
won 4-2, garnering his first NCAA championship in his last college
match.
At
174, freshman Greg Jones of West Virginia defeated junior Greg
Parker of Princeton, 12-5. Parker seemed to injure his ribs early
on, but Jones's technique, especially his cross-body rides, stifled
Parker, who got no takedowns in this match. With the freshman
Jones, who was 33-2 this year, winning an NCAA title in his first
year, the comparisons to Sanderson were inevitable.
The
184-final between Rob Rohn of Lehigh and Josh Lambrecht of Oklahoma
will be remembered for a long time. With the score tied 2-2 in
the second period, Lambrecht got a takedown and a tilt for a
near fall to go up 7-2, and immediately followed with another
near fall to take a commanding 10-2 lead. He scored yet another
near fall, this time for two points, to go up 12-2 at the end
of the second period. Lambrecht opened the third with another
takedown to increase his lead to 14-2. With the rule that a 15-point
lead is a technical fall, many thought he had this match sown
up. Rohn managed an escape to make it 14-3, but time was running
out. With a little more than a minute left, though, Rohn scored
a takedown from a headlock and instantly planted Lambrecht on
his back. Now the score was narrowing, and Rohn held Lambrecht
there for almost a whole minute, angling and pressing for the
pin. Even two near falls wouldn't be enough to win, so Rohn continued
to pressure Lambrecht. Finally, with about 15 seconds remaining,
the referee slapped the mat, signaling a pinfall victory for
the Lehigh wrestler. The crowd rose to its feet for the comeback
of the finals -- and we hadn't even seen Cael Sanderson yet.
The
last match saw two young heavyweights, sophomore Tommy Rowlands
of Ohio State and freshman Steve Mocco of Iowa, in a close match.
Rowlands had defeated Mocco in the finals of the 2002 Big Ten
Championships, after losing to him in their two previous encounters.
These closely-matched grapplers went scoreless in the first period,
with each getting an escape in the next two periods. That sent
it to overtime, where neither man scored. So to a tie-breaker
it went. Rowlands lost in last year's NCAA finals in a tie-breaker
to Lockhart of Illinois, and lost the coin flip this time again
(the coin flip being used here because no man had scored an offensive
point). Mocco tried to escape with a standup, but Rowlands, as
he later said, 'tried to ride him like a bull.' The taller Rowlands
was able to keep the stockier Mocco from escaping, thus defying
the odds and winning the tie-breaker after losing the coin flip.
Expect these two to have many more matches as their careers progress.
All
in all, this was a tremendous event. It is sold out months in
advance, so if you want to attend the 2003 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling
Championships in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, make plans NOW.
There
were over 300 members of the media covering this event, including
over 200 reporters, with the rest photographers. Representing
Grappling, I was seated right in the middle of the three long
and crowded press rows, facing the center of the mat for the
finals, and the center mat during the rest of the event when
there were more mats in use at the same time. Sports Illustrated
had two photographers shooting the finals, and the wrestling
media, including USA Wrestling, W.I.N. (Wrestling International
Newsmagazine), and Grappling will have extensive coverage of
it as well.
Also
remember, if you missed the same day tape-delay broadcast, there
will be a rebroadcast on ESPN on Tuesday, April 9, at 1:30 PM
Eastern time. This was history, and college wrestling at its
best.
Source:
Abu Dhabi
|
SHOOTO
JAPAN: March 31st Card
Nagoya, Japan
Upcoming
Card, Subject To Change:
CLASS
B:
Bantamweight 2002 Rookie's Tournament 1st round:
Masatoshi Abe v. Keisuke Kurata
Bantamweight 2002 Rookie's Tournament 1st round:
Takahisa Toyoshima v. Yasuhiro Akagi
Welterweight:
Takayuki Okouchi v. Naoki Matsushita
CLASS A:
Welterweight:
Kohei Yasumi v. Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie
Lightweight:
Naoya Uematsu v. Kazuhiro Inoue
BJJ Match:
Taba Aginaldo Masao v. Hiroshi Umemura
Source: Abu Dhabi |
UFC
Up & Comer: FRANK MIR
Belt promotions
are rarely mentioned on ADCC as many practitioners of BJJ and
Judo frequent this page but we thought this one deserved some
attention.
Frank Mir made
his MMA debut in HOOKnSHOOT back in July 2001. Mir faced a very
game Jerome Smith and edged out a decision victory.
Judging him
by his HnS fight, Roberto Traven was in line to get back in the
UFC but he would have to face the Las Vegas youngster. The Traven
camp had apparently taken Mir lightly.
Mir overcame
the 'Octagon jitters' as well as the pressure to perform in his
hometown and delivered a armbar submission victory in seconds!
Just days ago,
it was thought that Mir had been thrown in with the 'lions' too
soon. Pete Williams would be his opponent, again in Las Vegas.
Just when you
think Mir may have met his match, he comes out looking like a
kickboxer. This BJJ purple belt was firing away with virtually
no offensive return from Pete Williams.
Again, in just
seconds, Mir had Williams tapping to a shoulder-lock submission
that earned him his SECOND Tapout award (beautiful etched crystal
trophy that weighs around 20lbs).
With that being
said and done, Ricardo Pires had this to say about the dedication
of Frank Mir:
'I am very proud
to announce that tonight l promoted Frank Mir to brown-belt in
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been doing a great job with the Gi
and this promotion has nothing to do with his winning against
the great fighter Pete Williams. Don't forget, BJJ is a Sport
martial art and he will keep competing with the GI. Thank you
all!'
Ricardo Pires.
Source: Abu
Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
If you fill
your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow,
you have no today to be thankful for.
|
Jiu-Jitsu
Picnic
It was another
great picnic with a pretty good turnout. Malcolm got to the park
at 6:00 am to reserve the spot. I (Mike) got there at 6:40 am
and we got everything set up pretty quick, except for the volleyball
net that we had to grapple with to put up. Guys started filing
in and we all had a great time. We had some competitive volleyball
matches and a bone crunching water football game. We stayed until
about 8:00 pm. I was so busy having fun that I forgot to take
pictures. Oh well, next time. This Saturday we have a Karaoke
night so if you didn't make the picnic, come to this Saturday! |
2002
Pan-Ams Quick Results
The largest
BJJ Tournament in US history just completed with a few surprises
as 3 time World Champion Rodrigo 'Comprido' Medeiros loses to
Alexandre 'Cafe' Dantas by points 4 x 2 while teammamte World
Champion Terere also loses. The event was a big success however
that success is making the event site become too small for the
large number of competitors and spectators.
The Blue Belts
saw ADCC Champion Jeff Monson take the Masters Super Heavy, while
Asa Fuller took the weight and Absolute divisions while Teammate
'Chewy' won his weight in the Seniors.
Ladies results
include Gracie sensation Kyra Gracie closing out her division
with teammate Shanon Logan, while Black Belt Leka Vieira took
the gold in the Advanced Division.
Here are the
results for the Black Belt Division:
Super Feather
- Ricardinho Vieira
Feather - Leozinho Vieira, won the division with 2 submissions
Medium - 'Pe de Chumbo' defeats Fernandinho 'Terere'
Medium-Heavy - Alexandre 'Xande' Ribeiro wins closing with 'Jamelao'
Conceicao.
Heavy - Fabio Leopoldo closes out with Gustavo Muchiatti from
Gracie Barra
Super-Heavy - 'Cafe' Dantas defeats 'Comprido' Medeiros by points
in the final
Over - 'Pe de Pano' Cruz submits Alex 'Negao' Paz from Brazilian
Top Team
Absolute - Marcio 'Pe de Pano' Cruz closes out with Gracie Barra
teammate Fabio Leopoldo
Team Results:
1- Gracie Barra
2- Alliance Team 'Jacare'
3- Cia. Paulista
Source: Abu Dhabi |
2002
National Combat Wrestling Results!
DATE:
03/24/2002
PLACE: Machida City Gymnasium Sub-Arena (Machida/TOKYO)
Result
of Finals:
-60kg Final: Daiji Takahashi (SHOOTO Gym K'z Factory) def. Mamoru
Ohkouchi (Gutsman SHOOTO Dojo) by decision:1-0.
-66kg
Final: Katsuya Toita (Wajyutsu Keisyukai) def. Masakatsu Ueda
(Paraestra) by heel hook.
*In all his fights, Toita won by heel hook.
-74kg
Final: Takanori Gomi (Kiguchi Dojo) def. Hiroaki Kotani (Rodeo
Style) by armlock.
*NOTE: Rumina Sato pulled out of the event - he would have been
in this weight class.
-84kg
Final: Izuru Takeuchi (SHOOTO Gym K'z Factory) def. Shigetaka
Yonesawa (RJW/Central) by heel hook.
+84kg
Final: Jun Aizawa (Chuo University) def. Jun Ishii (Choujin Club)
by decision:1-0
Source:
Abu Dhabi |
ALL
HAIL KING CAEL, THE BEST EVER IN COLLEGE WRESTLING!
Submitted by: Eddie Goldman
ALBANY, NY,
March 23 -- It was about six o'clock, an hour-and-a-half after
he had conquered his 159th straight foe, setting the record by
completing all four college seasons undefeated. He was still
in his wrestling uniform and one of the last people left in the
Pepsi Arena, the site of the 2002 NCAA Division 1 Wrestling Championships.
Yet still he signed autographs to endless lines of fans and admirers,
most of them kids. Still he granted every request for photographs,
with complete strangers, about 20-30 members of his family, and
even Dan Gable. And for the first time after several months of
media frenzy and growing anxiety, his smile reappeared, a modest
but proud grin that revealed pure joy from triumph in what has
been called the last pure sport.
23-year old
Cael Sanderson of Iowa State has earned the distinction of being
called the greatest college wrestler of all time by just about
all students and aficionados of the sport, including Dan Gable,
whom everyone previously would have granted this honor, and Mike
Chapman, founder of the International Wrestling Institute and
Museum in Newton, Iowa. His victory this Saturday at the NCAA
championships ended his illustrious college career, but also
heralded the next, and more difficult, stage of his wrestling
career. He will turn his attention to conquering the world now
in freestyle wrestling, in which he has already captured a U.S.
national championship last year.
This year's
NCAA finals match against Lehigh's second-seeded Jon Trenge was
another work of art for Cael, also a two-time academic All-American
who majored, interestingly enough, in art and design. While standing
on the mat before the match commenced, Cael slapped himself a
little, looking away like the over 12,000 people in the arena
couldn't see. That ritual was to get him to focus on just one
of those people there, his opponent, and his task.
As the match
started, Cael took the offensive, shooting for a takedown but
not scoring as Trenge went out-of-bounds. This time Cael slapped
the mat in frustration. After Cael tried again in vain to score,
he finally got Trenge's leg, hit the takedown, and immediately
put him on his back for a near fall. That made the score 5-0,
less than a minute into this historic match.
Cael's style
is to let his opponent escape so he can take him down -- again,
and again, and again. This pattern repeated itself, as Cael scored
a second, third, and fourth takedown, and Trenge was granted
four escapes, making it 11-4 at the end, plus the one point for
riding time, making it a 12-4 win.
Cael's win,
his 40th this season, was thus by a margin of eight points, making
it a major decision. All but three of these 40 wins were either
by pin, technical fall, or major decision. He got two pins, one
tech fall, and two major decisions in his five matches in the
NCAA Wrestling Championships, making it 23 pins and 11 tech falls
for the season. He was also named Outstanding Wrestler for the
fourth straight time. He continued to wrestle like a magician,
seemingly 20-feet tall, attacking the head and leg at the same
time while standing in the neutral position, and easily fending
off any attempts of any mere mortals who thought they should
try to shoot for a takedown of their own. No one was quite sure,
but he either gave up one or two takedowns all season, or perhaps
none, as his coaching staff was itself unsure of the exact numbers.
This event is
a national festival of wrestling, with the sold-out arena filled
with sections of fans wearing their favorite teams' colors, the
yellow and black of Iowa, the maroon and gold of Minnesota, the
bright orange of Oklahoma State, and the red and yellow of Iowa
State, along with so many others. When Cael won, all colors arose
in unison, everyone from everywhere, including the officials,
media, and referees, to give him a protracted standing ovation
that continued for many minutes. We had witnessed history and
greatness, a milestone that is one of the greatest in the history
of not only wrestling, but sports in general.
I caught up
with the champion amidst the never-receding ocean of his supporters,
and asked him about his suddenly smiling gaze.
'I've been trying
to find it the last few months. But I've had a great time,' he
beamed. 'I just love wrestling. I love competing. It's been awesome.'
I asked if he
was more relieved or ecstatic. 'A combination of the two, I guess,'
Cael replied. 'I didn't want to screw things up too bad, but
luckily things went my way, so it was nice for me.'
As far as what
his historic performance will do for wrestling, he said, 'I don't
know. I hope something good. I'd like to give back some way.
Wrestling is a great sport. Hopefully more people will see it
and they'll get hooked on it as soon as they do. So hopefully
I'll give a few people an opportunity to watch wrestling or to
follow it.'
He did especially
want to encourage kids who hope to follow in footsteps. 'Just
go for it,' he advised. 'You can do anything you set your mind
to. People say that.'
Cael has previously
said he will now focus on freestyle. I asked if he was looking
forward to this, and he said, 'A little bit. I'll think about
that tomorrow. I'm just kind of excited and ready to get moving.'
The unanimous
reception he received from all sections in the arena 'was nice,'
he commented, understating everything, as is his speaking style.
'I really appreciate their support. It means a lot, it means
a lot lot, a lot lot lot. I'm just kidding.' And his sense of
humor has returned as well.
The 2002 NCAA
Division 1 Wrestling Championships was broadcast on tape delay
Saturday night on ESPN2. If you missed it, the rebroadcast is
scheduled for ESPN on Tuesday, April 9, at 1:30 PM Eastern time,
so check your local listings and get the VCR's ready if you haven't
already.
This whole week
we will be devoting considerable time to honoring Cael's achievements
and analyzing their importance for the sport of wrestling. We
will be posting interviews with Dan Gable, Mike Chapman, Jeff
Blatnick, Iowa State head coach Bobby Douglas, and Iowa State
assistant coach and fellow U.S. national freestyle team member
Chris Bono. For college wrestling, this is Babe Ruth, Muhammad
Ali, and Alexandre Kareline all rolled into one.
As Cael prepares
to take the world scene by storm now, let the world know what
he has done, for it should surprise no one when a lot more history
is made.
Source: Abu
Dhabi |
Quote
of the Day
Here is
a quote for us now that we are officially over the hill (or at
least on the way down).
Happy memories never wear out.... re-live them as often as you
want.
Anonymous
|
Jiu-Jitsu
Picnic Today!
The picnic is today,
so if you are sitting at your computer reading this, grab some
sun tan lotion and throw a towel in the car and head down to
Ala Moana Beach Park!
As with all
our picnics, it is a potluck so bring what you want, but do not be shame and not come if
you don't have anything to bring. Just come on down.
This is a family day so bring your wife, girlfriend (or both
for additional entertainment for the boys), kids, "pal"
(you know who this is for), friends, baby's momma, baby's momma's
momma, etc. This is a great time for your family to meet the
people that you waste your Tue and Thurs, Sat (for the new Kaneohe
guys), or if you train at the main academy, all week long with.
It is also a time to kick back and spend some time outside of
a gi.
This is important:
Guys, it's not cool to walk around the beach in your fight shorts
(I felt I needed to say that).
This is not a formal occasion, but if you must dress up, you
can wear your best Badboy shirt/short outfit with matching fanny
pack and hat.
Date: Sunday,
March 24, 2002
Time: All day, but come early (like by 8:00 am)
Place: Ala Moana Beach Park
(in key hole, the center of the park by the tennis courts)
Activities: Volleyball, water football, loafing off, eating too
much, etc.
Ground rules
are the same as usual:
No biting
No eye gouging
No fish hooking
New rule change: Groin shots allowed
See you there!
|
Fighters'
Club on Olelo
Here is
a great show that features NHB matches and local martial artist.
If you have not checked it out, do it! I heard that the hate
mail has doubled since Mike has been helping out.
Fighters' Club
TV #3 airs:
Channel 52
3/23/02 12:30 pm
3/24/02 2:00am (just added)
3/24/02 11:30 pm
3/25/02 11:30 pm
3/26/02 9:30 pm
|
2002
Hawaiian Championship of
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Results
Gi / No Gi Event
University of Hawaii, Klum Gym
March 23, 2002
Hosted by Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu
Team Title:
Brazilian Freestyle Jiu-Jitsu - 70 points
Relson Gracie - 30 points
808 Fight Factory - 27 points
Here are some results of the Relson Gracie team. We had a
small team for this tournament, but did very well. 808 Fight
Factory also made their presence know in the no-gi division.
If we receive the complete results, we will post them.
Shane Agena - 1st
Place Gi Purple Lightweight
(Shane moved up a weight class and was the lightest competitor
in this division)
Ronn Shiraki - 1st Place Gi Purple Heavyweight
Malcolm Ahlo - 1st Place Gi Blue Belt (over 213)
2nd No gi Advanced (over 213)
(Malcolm broke his toe during his match with Niko and set it
back in place himself during the match because it was sticking
out sidewards. How's that for a tough guy?!).
Kyle Olivares - Gi 2nd 160lbs Men's division
(Kyle is 14 years old and stepped up to the men's division)
Kyle also won the most technical trophy.
Roman Gaspar - 2nd Place Gi (188-202lbs)
Don Cabinian - 1st No Gi (161-173lbs)
(Don has not been training for a few months and jumped in to
test himself)
Brandon Bernardino - 2nd Place Gi 135-147lbs
(Brandon is about 130lbs, but moved up in weight to test himself)
Shane Ahlo - 1st Place Gi (over 213lbs) Champ
Alofa Nua - Gi White Belt (over 213lbs)
1st Place & No Gi Beginner (over 213lbs) 2nd Place
(Shane & Alofa share the 1st & 2nd Place white belt Gi
over 213lbs class)
Brad from Kaneohe
also won first place in, I think, the 188 lb class white belt
gi division.
Other:
Niko Vitale (Grappling Unlimited) - 1st Place Heavyweight No-gi
Advanced
|
My
Girl is a champ!
Mililani YMCA
March 23, 2002
Unfortunately I was unable to attend the BJJ tournament and support
our team today because I had to support my other team. My daughter
had her first swimming competition. I have been trying to convince
her to compete in anything for a long time. I am totally against
forcing my children into anything because I do not want them
to resist it or end up hating it. She finally made up her own
mind and decided to compete in the YMCA's swim meet. She entered
4 divisions (25 meter Freestyle, 25 meter Breaststroke, 50 meter
Freestyle & 50 meter Breaststroke) and she won first place
in every division. 4 divisions, 4 Blue ribbons (sorry no medals).
As you can tell, my wife and I are extremely proud of her and
I think she may have gotten the taste for competition.
I
smell college swimming scholarship...
or at least that is what I hope I am smelling...
|
UFC
: Worlds Collide Results
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
March 22, 2002
Barnett Crowned
New Heavyweight Champ, while Hughes Retains his BeltBy Jim GeniaThe
Ultimate Fighting Championship 36 "Worlds Collide"
show is now one for the books, and it was a resounding success.
To the tune of 8,327 fans in attendance, a brand new production
team, and a stacked card that played out into a night of action-packed
fights, UFC 36 was virtually flawless. Josh "the Baby-Faced
Assassin" Barnett met Randy "the Natural" Couture
head on and came away victorious, becoming the new UFC Heavyweight
Champ. In the welterweight division, champ Matt Hughes punished
Japanese superstar Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and retained
his belt. Slams. Knockouts. Slick submissions and surprising
escapes. "Worlds Collide" had it all.
The main card:
Evan Tanner vs. Elvis Sinosic, light-heavyweight bout Tanner
pushed Sinosic against the fence and got the takedown. From within
Sinosic's guard, Tanner rained down elbows, opening a cut on
the Aussie's forehead that ended the bout. Tanner won via ref
stoppage due to cut in the first round at 2:06.
Matt Lindland
vs. Pat Miletich, middleweight bout Lindland dominated, taking
Miletich down and holding him tight against the fence. Passing
the guard and securing the mount, the "Law" kept up
the pressure and unleashed a fury of strikes. Though unhurt,
Miletich failed to defend himself effectively -- forcing the
ref to stop the match. Lindland earned the win via ref stoppage
due to strikes at 3:09 of the first round.
Hayato Sakurai
vs. Matt Hughes, welterweight championship bout Both fighters
started out strong -- Hughes with jabs and takedowns, Sakurai
with a spinning back-kick and good defense. But as the bout progressed,
the champ turned up the intensity. Scoring with his trademark
high-amplitude slams, Hughes grounded & pounded, and in the
fourth round attained the full mount. From there, the flurry
of punches prompted the ref to stop the match. Hughes retained
his belt via ref stoppage in round four at 3:01.
Pedro Rizzo
vs. Andrei Arlovski, heavyweight bout Though they started off
tentative, both fighters warmed up to exchange some crisp strikes
on their feet. All three rounds were a kicking & punching
chess match -- Arlovski showing good hand combos and Rizzo landing
hard round kicks. A right cross by Rizzo ended the standup war,
knocking Arlovski out in the last round. Rizzo won via KO in
the third round.
Josh Barnett
vs. Randy Couture, heavyweight championship bout A strong Couture
pushed Barnett against the fence and took the challenger down,
then punished him with hard punches. A very game Barnett rallied
back to his feet. The second round was a seesaw battle that saw
Couture in the mount, and Barnett reversing. Barnett unloaded
a storm of strikes from the top position -- forcing referee Big
John McCarthy to call a halt to the match. Barnett earned the
win via ref stoppage due to strikes, and became the new UFC Heavyweight
Champ.
The preliminaries:
Sean Sherk vs.
Jutaro Nakao, welterweight bout Sherk came out aggressive, going
for the takedown on a defensive Nakao. All three rounds were
similar, with Sherk's takedowns and ground & pound onslaught
getting more and more effective. Sherk earned the unanimous decision.
Kelly Dullanty
vs. Matt Serra, lightweight bout Serra exerted complete grappling
dominance, securing a quick takedown, then mount. Giving his
back to avoid the raining strikes, Dullanty escaped a tight rear-naked
choke, then armbar -- only to succumb to a triangle choke. Serra
earned the win via submission in the first round at 2:58.
Pete Williams
vs. Frank Mir, heavyweight bout Mir, strong and aggressive with
kicks, was quickly taken down by Williams. Even faster, though,
was Mir's bent armlock from the guard, forcing Williams to tap
out. Mir via submission in round one at :46. Mir earned the Tapout
Submission of the Night Award for his performance.
Souce: FCF |
|
3/22/02 Happy Birthday to Us! |
Quote
of the Day
Home is the place where we grumble the most, but are often treated
the best.
|
UFC
Today!
Oceanic will be airing UFC 36 today!
Countdown
at 4:30 PM
Fights start at 5:00 PM
PPV76/Dig.701
No
Problems Making Weight for UFC 36
By Jim Genia
The
weigh-ins for the Ultimate Fighting Championship 36: Worlds Collide
took place at the MGM Grand today, and it was more than the usual
fanfare. Studio 54 was packed -- both with mixed martial arts
enthusiasts and international media. Joe Rogan, comedian and
host of "Fear Factor", kept the crowd laughing. Japanese
hero Hayato Sakurai, making his UFC debut, took the stage and
the flashbulbs were nearly blinding. With cash, tickets, and
merchandise on the line, three contestants assumed the roles
of their favorite fighters and battled it out via the UFC Tapout
game. And after it was all over, a couple took the plunge and
got married, exchanging their vows in the Octagon. It was more
than the usual weigh-in fanfare -- and it was a blast.
Cutting weight seemed to be no problem for the fighters on the
card. Welterweight champion Matt Hughes was extremely ripped
at 169. Quiet yet intimidating, challenger Sakurai was 170. There
were no staredowns, with these competitors nor all the others.
Instead, they posed with their arms around the ring card girls
and exchanged friendly smiles.
Champ Randy Couture weighed in at 226 pounds, while challenger
Josh Barnett was 243 pounds. Respectful and amiable, both fighters
soaked up the applause that was showered upon them.
Pedro Rizzo, another fan favorite, was 237 pounds. His opponent,
Andrei Arlovski, tipped the scales at 242 pounds. Local Las Vegas
fighter Frank Mir and Lion’s Den icon Pete Williams were
250 and 225 pounds respectively. Newcomer to the lightweight
division Matt "the Terror" Serra came in at 153 pounds.
"Psycho Kelly" Dullanty, intense and focused, was 154
pounds. In the welterweight division, Sean Sherk weighed in at
169 pounds, while Jutaro Nakao was 170. Filling out the roster,
middleweight contenders Matt "the Law" Lindland and
Pat "the Croation Sensation" Miletich were 184 and
183 pounds, and light-heavyweights Elvis Sinosic and Evan Tanner
were 203 and 198 pounds.
A digital Jeremy Horn (courtesy of an X-Box plugged into a giant
screen television) knocked out every opponent he faced. Lucky
fan Ryan Baumgardner chose the role of Horn, and with the real
light-heavyweight fighter Jeremy Horn standing behind him, Baumgardner
managed to defeat Rogan and win $500. "I don’t have
time to play video games," quipped Rogan. "I have a
hit TV show and a life!"
Fans patient enough to wait in line received free autographed
posters. Present for autograph signing were lightweight champ
Jens Pulver and top light-heavyweight contender Chuck Liddell,
as well as superstar Carlos Newton, Gil Castillo, and Ricco Rodriguez.
As always, Zuffa made it worth while for those in attendance.
Capping it all off, Mike Camp and Laryssa Schroeder tied the
knot in the Octagon set up in the MGM Grand Arena. Two obvious
UFC fanatics, they exchanged their vows while workers paused
to watch. Pat Miletich - one-time trainer of Camp - was the best
man. With the quintessential crucible of combat made the setting
for this ceremony of holy matrimony, it was the perfect example
of when "Worlds Collide."
Joe Rogan on the microphone. Jeremy Horn knocking out Eugene
Jackson and Tito Ortiz. A wedding. There were no problems making
weight for UFC 36. Will "Worlds Collide" be as much
of a blast?
The Way of
the Day
By Loretta
Hunt
Wednesday,
March 20th -- With only two days left till UFC 36, the pace is
starting to pickup on the lower floors below the MGM Grand Casino
and Hotel. This is where Zuffa has set up its offices for the
week and today's agenda is a full one for the small yet efficient
team that will put on a show for approximately ten thousand hungry
fans this Friday. Scheduled today are the usual pre-fight interviews
that will be seen prior to the fighter's entrances, photo shoots,
and promos being shot by In Demand and Direct TV for future advertising
broadcasts. As the sixteen competitors make their way down to
this area in the morning and into the early afternoon, they are
juggled between the various rooms to accomplish these tasks,
stopping at times in the hallway to gab with one another. Pat
Miletich greets Elvis Sinosic with a handshake and a smile. Randy
Couture stops to playfully jab with the two, as Andre Arlovski
respectively nods to them as he passes by. The topic of conversation?
Mostly small talk and catching up from the last show, yet almost
all comment on the urgency to get their fights over and done
with.
Among
the usual press figures here to cover the event, there are some
welcome new faces. The ESPN Channel is here to document Randy
Couture and Josh Barnett for an upcoming hour installment of
its popular show "Outside The Lines" that they hope
to air in June. On the heels of its broadcast deal with Zuffa,
WOWWOW, the Japanese subscriber-based cable station (similar
to HBO), has also made the trip over and a pack of journalists
follow Hayato Sakurai's move from room to room. At one point,
Couture and Barnett are whisked off for a radio appearance at
local sports talk radio station KBAD. Back at Ricardo Pire's
gym, local boy Frank Mir [pictured] is interviewed for a segment
on News 13- Inside Las Vegas, an ABC affiliate.
In
the arena itself, the Octagon has not been erected yet, but a
group of workers furiously work away on light grids and platforms.
Across the hallway, Zuffa's headquarters is a buzz of phones
and faxes. Dana White stands in the corner, telephone to one
ear, his right arm raised to direct a worker to a floor plan
hanging on the wall. With an entirely new production team in
place, the anticipation reads plainly on his face. The broadcast
will have a different look on Friday and he wonders how it will
fair with the public.
As
the sun sets on the Las Vegas strip and the infamous casino lights
start to appear, the fighters go off to get in their evening
training sessions. Besides the equipped training rooms provided,
many fighters make their way to UFC veteran John Lewis's facility,
minutes away from the hotel. An impressive two-floor training
complex complete with mats, a sparring area, and even a cage
-- its too good an opportunity for these fighters to pass up.
Matt Lindland and Pete Williams practice their clinch work in
the cage while just feet away on the ground, Matt Hume rolls
with Pride veteran Dan Henderson. In the cleared area used for
sparring, various couples box and kick. Ricco Rodriguez, Marvin
Eastman, Quentin Jackson, and Phil Baroni all take their turns
with Maurice Smith, who stops them occasionally to give pointers
and guidance. Randy Couture seems to be everywhere at once --
sparring in the cage and then outside of it with various opponents
or even just hitting the punching bag off on his own. And in
the corner, watching Randy's every move, is Josh Barnett! Josh
yells across the space for Randy to try this move or that move,
and one almost forgets that these two will be battling their
hearts out against one another in two short days. Animosity does
not exist here -- just a group of fighters willing to share and
learn with little cares for who is fighting who or what camp
so and so comes from.
And
so goes Wednesday, March 20th. Two more days before "Worlds
Collide." The day has gone quickly, as it usually tends
to do in the days and hours leading up to that completely unique
experience known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Pedro Rizzo
and His Road to the UFC Title:
It's a long one, but he's already on his way again!
By Eduardo
Alonso
Over
the last four years of his career, Ruas Vale Tudo Team's own
Pedro Rizzo has been thinking of only one thing: To become the
UFC heavyweight champion. On his way to his supreme glory, Rizzo
has found numerous obstacles, and a lot of people doubted whether
he will be able to achieve his dream. However, Pedro himself
never doubted his abilities or the guidance of his long time
friend, and master, Marco Ruas. In his last meeting with current
UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture, Pedro suffered a convincing
loss at the hands of the "the Natural." After a defeat
like that, a lot of fighters would find themselves in a desperate
search for answers, the uncertainty of what's coming next in
their professional careers, but that's not the case with "The
Rock." Rizzo's answers are in his skills and determination,
and any uncertainty disappears with a lot of hard work.
Rizzo is truly a man on a mission, and he won't rest until the
UFC heavyweight belt is around his waist. The long road to the
UFC title has already begun with the training for his fight at
the next UFC. His opponent had better be ready, Pedro is focused
and hungry! In this quick conversation with FCF, Pedro shares
his views on the Ruas Vale Tudo Team future, his last fight against
Couture, his relationship with the UFC and much more.
FCF:
Thank you for your time Pedro; it's a pleasure to interview you!
PR: It's my pleasure.
FCF:
You recently attended the last MECA event, and you also worked
as a referee, not only at this event, but in a previous edition
of MECA as well. What's your impression of the event's evolution?
PR: I believe it's the natural evolution of the event, since
nowadays we have the best NHB fighters in the world here in Brazil.
I believe that Brazil is in need of these types of events, and
every event that you create with seriousness and respect will
grow here. MECA is an example of that! Nowadays everybody knows
that MECA is the biggest event, and the most respected event
in Brazil. So it works like [a proving ground/stepping stone]
for the bigger events abroad. MECA is bringing the upcoming Brazilian
fighters to the event, but not only that... as you could see
in the last event we had Anderson Silva, who's the Shooto champion!
Carlos Barreto, Ximu and Macaco are also famous international
fighters, and they were there, fighting at MECA. Because MECA
is the biggest event in Brazil, and the consequence is this growth,
and I'm sure the event will grow a lot more in the future.
FCF:
The Ruas Vale Tudo team had some great victories in the past,
but went through some tough times recently. What happened with
the team in the last events? Is it true that Marco Ruas came
to Brazil recently to check on how things were?
PR: Marco was here; he came to visit the team, to see how things
were and to organize things with the team. We had some great
victories in the past, but we went through some tough moments
losing a lot of fights. But it was never because of lack of training,
or because lack of technique. It was never because we're worse
than anyone. Thank God nobody ever questioned the quality of
the athletes from our team. It was bad moment! Nobody forgot
how to fight. I went through a bad moment in November. My head
was very bad, and it ended up that I fought badly. I won't even
comment about May's fight, because I believe I won that fight.
Well, Babalu lost to Randleman recently, but it was a game that
the guy won't win, but won't let the other win either, you know?
FCF:
Ruas recently came back to the fighting game, and not only that
but he came back winning. Can we expect to see him fighting again?
PR: Marco won, and gave everybody an example! He is 41 years
old! But I don't know if he will fight again. Marco was thinking
if this would be his last fight or not. But we never know. Marco
has also been training some international fighters... So who
knows? If a good proposal appears, we may be seeing Marco kicking
some ass in his 40's. He is in great shape and very well trained.
He trained with us, and he still looks like a kid when he's training!
I can't speak for him, if he quit fighting or not, I think this
is something that is in his head. I believe he still wants to
fight, and that fighting is in his spirit. And it was great for
our team that he did this fight. Because it raised our confidence
and it was a big incentive for everybody. Even for me! In my
mind I only lost one fight this year, but Marco's comeback showed
me that the only way is to train and come back strong, like he
did! Since he was coming from two losses too. And I'll come back
strong! The Ruas Vale Tudo team will have a great year in 2002,
and we will grow a lot with all the support from Marco.
FCF:
You already have a fight signed for the next UFC, against Andrei
Arlovsky. What are you expecting from your next fight?
PR: A tough fight! For me every fight is tough and there's no
easy opponent. NHB has reached a very high level. Like you see
in tennis, where the #1 ranked player in the world will lose
to the #99 ranked player. NHB is like that nowadays. Nowadays
in NHB a new guy appears all the time, and with great abilities,
good on the ground and standing up! So, I'm expecting a tough
fight, but as in all of my fights, I'll go for the knockout.
And for me this last fight against Couture was the first real
loss in my career. In the Randleman fight I took a headbutt and
it was an unusual fight; in my first fight against Couture I
was robbed, and this last one I really lost!
FCF:
Speaking about your last fight against Couture, what happened
to you in that fight? It seemed that you couldn't fight your
game like you wanted to.
PR: It was like that. My head wasn't right for this fight, there
was a lot of pressure. I suffered a lot of pressure. It wasn't
like that people were putting pressure on me to hinder my chances,
but it was a pressure like "Man, go there! You already beat
him once! They robbed you! You got to win now! You got to knock
him out!" So, I ended up putting a lot of pressure on myself.
I thought to myself, "I can't lose! I can't make any mistakes."
Instead of coming into the fight thinking, "I'll win! I'll
fight a good fight for me. I'll do my game." I ended up
fighting for the others, fighting not to lose and not to make
any mistakes. So I locked myself. Because when you don't want
to make any mistakes, you don't take any risks. And when you
don't take any risks you don't do anything! So, I locked myself
and learned the biggest lesson of my life. For the first time
I entered the fight to fight for others, and I didn't fight for
me. I thought, "Man, they did all that for me. They got
me the rematch," and stuff like that. But for this next
fight, I don't have any pressures. The only pressure now is to
get in the ring, fight and win! And that's what I've always done
in my career, and thank God my career was always very successful,
and with the help of God I'll get back on track now.
FCF:
You have a very long and good relationship with the UFC, but
people always wonder if there's any chance of seeing you fighting
in Japan in the future. What's your view on that right now, and
do you even consider fighting for PRIDE in the future?
PR: I have a very long contract with the UFC. I have five more
fights to do in the UFC in my contract. But even in the beginning
of my UFC career, when the event didn't have a lot of money,
they always treated me well, always treated me with respect,
and always paid me like a top athlete. Thank God my contract
was always a high level contract with them, like all the top-level
athletes from PRIDE. This created a great relationship between
the UFC and myself, since I was always faithful to them. So,
I'm very happy with the new UFC organization, with Zuffa, with
Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White and Frank Fertitta. I feel like
home, like I'm among family there. So I really don't think about
going to PRIDE. I've already received some offers, but the UFC
offer is a lot bigger and a lot better for me. The UFC is doing
great, and is inside Vegas now! Las Vegas is the world's show
window. For you to be at the MGM, the biggest hotel in Las Vegas,
where you have Julio Iglesias playing on one side, and Britney
Spears playing on the other side, and you get a packed house
on the same night! Man, this means that the UFC is growing a
lot! So, I'm very happy with the UFC. Now the Pay-Per-View is
back, and the UFC is the oldest and most traditional NHB event
in the world. I believe that nowadays PRIDE is very big, but
the UFC is also very big, and they are the two biggest events
in the world.
FCF:
You mentioned how the UFC is getting bigger, and there were a
lot of expectations about the fight between Tito Ortiz and Vitor
Belfort. Although it will no longer take place at the upcoming
UFC, what do you think would've happened in this fight?
PR: I believe the two of them would find a lot of difficulties.
I believe that Vitor is more talented, in terms of groundwork
and better stand up. But at the same time Tito is a better wrestler,
and he has been fighting more than Vitor lately. He trains very
hard and he had his head very focused on that fight. He wanted
that fight a lot, and Tito is a guy that grows a lot inside the
ring. With Vitor we never know! If he is at his best... it would
be a great fight! It would depend on who would take the fight
to his gameplan! If Tito ends up on top, he is very tough to
beat! He has good positioning and strikes very well from the
top. And if the fight would stay standing, Vitor would have a
better chance. But you never know. A fight is a fight, and anything
can happen! They both had a great chance of winning.
FCF:
Thanks a lot for your time Pedro.
PR: Thanks a lot.
Source: FCF
Website
|
UFC
36 Previews
Pedro Rizzo
vs.
Andre
Orlovski
Sambo
and kickboxing practitioner Andrei Arlovski fights for the third
time in a cage in the US. He's 1-1 in the Octagon and got his
NHB feet wet in the European Cage Fighting tournaments. Andrei
holds the title of International Master of Sport, a designation
held by many Russians including some members of the Red Devil
Fight Club. In his debut, Arlovski defeated Aaron Brink in under
a minute at UFC 28. It wasn't really enough time to gage Andrei's
skills so his follow-up appearance was eagerly anticipated. That
bout came at UFC 32 against Ricco Rodriguez (a loss for Andrei)
but it was preliminary fight and most of the fans of the UFC
didn't see more than a clip of the bout. He currently trains
with fellow Russians UFC 13 competitor Dmitri Stepanov (lost
to Stephen "3-D" Graham) and K-1 and M.A.R.S. participant
Andre Dudko (lost to Mario Sperry). With his next challenge being
a three-time UFC heavyweight title contender, Andrei could make
a lot of ground with a win.
What
can you say about Pedro Rizzo right now? Honestly, I feel sorry
for him. He's in a bad position in a division that has a huge
drop off after the top three or four fighters. You have Couture,
Josh Barnett who is fighting for the title, Pedro himself and
who else? Ricco Rodrigues? Sure, he's up there. But he's not
so far ahead of Pete Williams, Frank Mir or even Andrei Arlovski.
This division needs a wake up call desperately. Rizzo has fought
for the title 3 times in the last 10 UFCs but the ironic thing
is if Josh Barnett beats Randy Couture who would be a natural
#1 contender? The man who KO'd Josh and handed him his only loss,
Pedro Rizzo. Also, Pedro is safer in the UFC than in Pride because
the open rules of Pride would force him to depend more on his
ground skills and the level of competition goes way up. Not to
say he couldn't do it, it's just that it is a difficult move.
I'm confident Ortiz would have the same problem. Rizzo's striking
is top notch and we've seen he's competent on the ground as well
so he is never out of his element in a fight. Also, with being
his 10th appearance in the Octagon, few can match his experience
in the UFC. He's lost 3 of his last 5 matches but still holds
an impressive 11-3 overall record. Maybe he has the same problem
as Pride standout Igor Vovchanchyn; he's fighting too often.
MY
PICK: I'm sorry but I think this is not the best match-up for
either guy right now. If Pedro wins, big deal. We really didn't
know what to expect from Arlovski anyway. If Arlovski wins, people
will say Pedro is washed up and it still won't get Andrei a title
shot. Personally I would've liked to see Arlovski go against
Pete Williams, eliminating one of them as a serious "road
to the title" threat. Ricco should be fighting Frank Mir
in a more serious division impacting match-up. Pedro should be
resting and waiting for his next break. However I'm not paid
as a matchmaker (Joe Silva is, the lucky dog!) and we have the
matches we have. I don't think Arlovski is ready to step up.
I feel it will be Rizzo by KO late in the 1st Rd.
Josh
Barnett
vs.
Randy
Couture
In
the final match of the night Randy Couture defends his title
for the 3rd time. And they finally gave him someone other than
Pedro Rizzo to play with. Couture is possibly the most respected
heavyweight fighter in all of MMA. There's just something about
the guy. You have to pull for him. And at his age, you have to
respect the fact that he's able to compete with and dominate
his opponents on this level. He's not a dinosaur or anything.
It's just that he's in there with kids sometimes. Fighting in
the RINGS King of Kings tournament was like a UFC "old home
week" as he faced Octagon veterans Jeremy Horn and Tsuyoshi
Kohsaka before losing to Golden Glory fighter Valentijn Overeem.
Since pummeling Kevin Randleman in UFC 28 and capturing the title,
Randy shown just how complete his game is with a balanced attack
of striking and his vast wrestling expertise. Also, no one is
better in the clinch than Couture. He seems to train it as a
separate component of the sport (in addition to striking, grappling
and submissions). Now in his 3rd title defense, he faces a young
fighter who has done everything right to earn the opportunity
in front of him and has no intentions wasting it.
Josh
Barnett can do everything. He's not invincible (Pedro Rizzo taught
him that) but he continues to improve his game and looks better
every time you see him. We're starting to see that mythical "new
breed of fighters" we all dream about who hit the ground
running and are complete the very first time you see them. Heath
Herring comes to mind and Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
is an even better example of this. They are the future. They
are the MMA machines that are being breed in training halls all
over the world. Isn't it great? Let me answer that for you. Yes!
It is! With Barnett, you have to prepare for everything. The
new breed of fighters zero in on a weakness like a Scud missile.
That is, if they didn't already have your medical history and
two-hour fight tape before they walked in the cage with you.
His stand-up is refined from multiple kickboxing and Pankration
matches in local Seattle competitions. His submissions are smooth
from working with "The Wizard" Matt Hume for the last
few years. Josh is not without his weaknesses. I'm almost sure
of it. They're there somewhere. But, I won't waste this space
trying to point them out to you. I don't want to ruin it for
you (sheesh! Like how I avoided that one?) In the Octagon, he's
been almost perfect. He defeated a pair of giants in the form
of SLO Kickboxing's Gan McGee and the Golden Glory Team's Semmy
Schilt and knocked off Bobby Hoffman in his last appearance.
The one blemish, as I'm sure you're aware, was the loss to Pedro
Rizzo at UFC 30 where he was KO'd.
MY
PICK: I hate to have to pick one here. I really like both of
these guys as fighters and as people and I honestly feel it could
go either way. But, that just won't do. If I have to go with
one, I have to say Barnett. The one statistic that jumped out
at me when dissecting this battle was Randy's losses. He doesn't
lose often (he's 10-3) so it wasn't hard to figure out. Randy
lost to Enson Inoue at Japan Open Vale Tudo '98. He then lost
to Mikhail Illoukhine in RINGS competition. Finally, again in
RINGS competition, he lost to Golden Glory's Valentijn Overeem
at the RINGS King of Kings tournament last year. What is the
common denominator? They are all submission specialists. Randy
doesn't fair well with guys who live by submission and it could
be argued that Josh is the best he's faced so far. Add to that
Josh's balanced striking and youth and you've got a real problem
on your hands. Randy is always prepared. We know this to be fact.
He has always impressed me and continues to surprise me. The
rapid submission attempts by Josh will come as no surprise to
Randy but how long can he continue to avoid them? We'll see.
I feel it will be Barnett by submission early in the 3rd Rd.
For pre-fight
interviews of many UFC fighters, go to Sherdog's Site.
Source: Sherdog |
Vanderlei
Silva to Face
Mirko "Cro Cop" at PRIDE 20!
By Eduardo Alonso
As the PRIDE
20 card continues to develop, the long rumored and very awaited
battle between PRIDE Middleweight Champion Vanderlei Silva and
K1 fighter Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is bound to headline
the April's PRIDE card. Although the match hasn't been officially
announced yet, chances are very high the fight will happen, as
FCF was told today that the fight is already a sure headline
for the event. The fight will be a non-title fight, and will
have the special "K1 vs. PRIDE" rules, with 5 rounds
of 3 minutes each. The weight limit for the fight will be 97KG!
And it will be very interesting to see how the Axe Murderer's
agressive style will match with Cro Cop's amazing striking skills.
The Croatian fighter earned his NHB reputation with a TKO win
over Japanese Wrestler Kazuiyuki Fujita. The fight with Silva
will be the first time that he will face another striker in an
NHB match. Vanderlei Silva is reported to be already preparing
for the match, we will keep you posted on the latest developments
on the next PRIDE card!
Source:
FCF Website
|
Information
on Japan's
First Professional Jujutsu Meeting
May
2nd, 2002 //DIFFER-ARIAKE (TOKYO/JAPAN)
There
is word from Japan of a 'professional' Jiu Jitsu competition
league, planning to start this May. Below is a link to limited
info in English: http://www.if-pro.com/gi/english.htm
Participation:
Yuki
Nakai
Mituyoshi Hayakawa
Kouji Asakura
Takashi Watanabe
Ticket
& Inquiry: IF-PROJECT
TEL/FAX : 81-3-5945-7166
E-Mail : gi@if-pro.com
Source: Abu Dhabi
|
Quote
of the Day
Man looks at outward appearance but the Lord looks within.
|
Relson
Gracie University Association
Todd Tanaka, purple belt and former manager of the Relson Gracie
academy, has opened an association near the University of Hawaii.
As seen below, he is offering day classes which are very hard
to come by. Todd is extremely technical and one of the few instructors
that knows all aspects of Jiu-Jitsu, including self-defense techniques
which are great for women to learn.
Check
Todd out!
University
Square
(Inside The International Karate Federation Dojo)
2615 South King Street 3rd Floor Suite #302
Honolulu, HI 96826
Contact:
(808) 277-1128
Class
Times:
Monday - Wednesday - Friday
12:00pm - 1:30pm
|
UFC
Focus: Sakurai vs. Hughes countdown!
One
of the most anticipated matches in UFC history is just days away
from now. Quite possibly, Japan's most complete fighter, will
square off against Team Extreme's powerhouse in a match for the
UFC Welterweight Championship. Hayato 'Mach' Sakurai is not only
preparing for his first match in the UFC but his first match
out of SHOOTO. How big of a step is this? VERY big according
to many insiders. It marks the first time Sakurai has fought
in a cage and many are considering this to be a major factor
in the fight as Hughes is a master at moving his opponent where
he wants. Sakurai had trouble finishing off Frank Trigg after
being hammered up against the ropes on his back (Shooto takes
place in a ring). If he is trapped against the fence in UFC,
there is little he can do about it. Each time a new round begins
or the fight is stood up, the advantage will go to Sakurai who
is a stamina machine. The other can be said for Hughes, each
time it hits the ground, Hughes will most likely be in control.
Hughes has never had a match in UFC go the distance. The title
match will be 25 minutes which adds more intrigue to the battle.
Sakurai is doing his 'usual training' and feels the key to beating
Hughes is avoiding his takedown and keeping the fight standing
but 'Mach' says he wants to battle both standing and on the mat
with Hughes. 'Put him against the cage and pound him. It's his
first time in the cage, so we'll use that to our advantage' says
Hughes who was asked, 'What's it going to take to beat him?'
'His standup is good. He's got power in both hands, and he's
real good with his knees. It'll be the same thing as with Carlos
Newton to where I'm not going to take any shots. I'll take him
down off of body locks. You've got to respect his knees. Look
what he did to Trigg.' said Hughes in a recent interview done
for UFC. A combined win/loss record between the two is 40-4-2
which makes these two seemingly unbeatable! If you're looking
for an odds breakdown, neither is a safe bet because it's either
fighters game!
Source: Abu Dhabi
Hayoto
Sakurai
vs.
Matt
Hughes
A
lot of people feel Matt Hughes got the biggest gift of his career
at UFC 34. One could easily argue that given the fact Hughes
and then UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton were both knocked
out when they hit the canvas, the fighters should've been restarted.
The mysterious "first one to regain consciousness wins"
rule that was apparently used to govern the their match was in
a word: bogus. Both athletes fought a terrific battle. After
the first round it was anyone's fight. With that in mind, it
was a shame it ended the way it did and I feel a more decisive
victory was in order. But so be it, the match is history. Hughes
has performed well in the UFC and has the title now. His 1st
title defense will also mark his 5th appearance in the Octagon
with wins over Brazilian Marcelo Aguiar (who fought Sakurai twice,
going 0-1-1), Sambo stylist Val Ignatov, and his title appearance
with Carlos Newton. Matt's only loss was to Dennis Hallman (who
he has lost to twice in MMA). The four-time All American wrestler
has an impressive 25-3 MMA record. In recent competition he's
faced Austrailan jiu-jitsu stylist Chirstopher Haseman and Japanese
grappler Hiromitsu Kanehara in RINGS competition and beat them
both. He also too part in the Shidokan-jitsu Warrior's War 1
in Kuwait but was eliminated by Chute Boxe fighter Jose "Pele"
Landi-jons. Now, in his 1st title defense, he faces a fighter
many MMA fans have waited a long time to see in the UFC.
Shooto
champion Hayato "Mach" Sakurai finally makes the jump
over to the UFC and personally I couldn't be happier. There are
a handful of fighters you just can't wait to see in the Octagon
and Sakurai is near the top of the list. I include Frank Trigg,
Tom Erikson and Rumina Sato on that list as well. If you haven't
seen him fight before, you are truly in for a treat. Those who
know him will tell you there is no such thing as a boring Sakurai
fight! His flamboyant "go for broke, every time" style
has thrilled crowds in Japan for years now. From the jumping
reverse roundhouse and rolling axe kick he threw against Marcelo
Aguiar (in their second bout) to the 180 degree spinning aerial
guard pass (ala Sakuraba) he attempted against Jutaro Nakao,
you can be sure you'll see some unorthodox tactics employed in
every contest. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention his trademark
midsection stomps he plants on opponents most every fight. Sakurai's
striking is very solid as well. He usually opens with a punishing
low leg roundhouse that shakes the foundation of most every leg
it meets. The bout with Frank Trigg showed he could take a great
deal of punishment (Sakurai lost the 1st round and was getting
hammered on the ground) and change the course of a fight in a
blink to pull out the win (Sakurai nailed Trigg in the 2nd round
and it resulted in a flash KO that Frank was never able to recover
from). He will definitely bring as complete a game as you are
likely to see from a Japanese Shooto fighter.
MY
PICK: I cannot wait for this one. I picked Hughes to win against
Newton but as quickly as he got the title, I think he's going
to lose it. The major "x factor" in this bout is Sakurai's
lack of experience in a cage. Also, he's never fought outside
of Japan. Fellow Shooto fighter Caol Uno (whom Sakurai beat)
also experienced "cage jitters" when he made his Octagon
debut. I don't discount Hughes ability as a fighter, or even
his to ability as a striker. He's a Miletich fighter and they
click on all cylinders. Pat's team has few weaknesses. It simply
comes down to the fact that I don't think there's anyone better
at this weight than "Mach". He's a far better striker
than Newton. Carlos' and Sakurai's submission skills are both
top shelf but when you factor in the striking, Sakurai is more
complete. As a highly decorated wrestler Hughes has wonderful
ground control and takedown skills. He's going to need them.
He also says he has a decent stand-up game. Better bring that
too Matt. I hope it doesn't go the distance because between the
two of them, they've only lost once (12-1 combined) so I don't
know who to pick there. This should be a hell of a contest but
I feel it will be Sakurai late in the 3rd Rd by TKO/strikes.
Source: Sherdog |
UFC
36 Preview
Pat Miletich
vs.
Matt
Lindland
Although
some might consider it a gamble, Pat Miletich makes the move
to go up a weight class and fights as a middleweight in the UFC.
However if you know his history, you know Pat is a master at
cutting weight prior to a fight. In reality, all he's really
doing is allowing himself to cut out that tedious process as
fight time approaches. Granted he'll have a whole new group of
fighters to combat but the move up in weight may prove to be
a positive. Pat is a ring savy veteran with more than 30 fights
in MMA and it's likely he has as many bouts combined from his
muay Thai and boxing competitions as well. He's been around long
enough to know how his body will react to weight gain. Also,
part of the move was born out of necessity because student and
stable mate Matt Hughes currently holds the welterweight division
title and you can't have two fighters from one camp in the same
weight division. Finally, he may have looked at this as an "ultimate
challenge" to himself, seeking to be the first fighter in
UFC history to have titles in 3 weight divisions; lightweight,
welterweight and maybe middleweight someday (Tito is currently
tied with him having been the middleweight champion and being
the current light heavyweight champion). His next bout with wrestler
Matt Lindland is just the first step on the journey to that third
prestigious title.
Team
Quest wrestler and Olympic silver medallist Matt Lindland has
yet to lose in MMA. He's by no means a flashy guy but that seems
to be the attitude in the Team Quest camp (includes UFC Heavyweight
Champion Randy Couture and UFC and RINGS tournament champion
Dan Henderson among others). The lack of showboating on his part,
which has become the norm in MMA, makes Matt a difficult athlete
to place when it comes to a UFC middleweight title picture. However
his record and skills show he unquestionably deserves to be in
the team photo. What do we make of this guy? He beat a very game
Karo Davtyan (from Gokor Chivichyan's camp) in the World Fighting
Federation 1 and has continued on to beat Travis Fulton in the
IFC, and Yoji Anjo (no comment), Ricardo Almeida and Phil Baroni
in the Octagon. Now he faces the most experienced opponent he's
ever faced in MMA. In fact, Travis Fulton has more bouts than
Pat (more than twice as many really) but the caliber of opponent
was not the same. Also, not to discredit Travis, but he's only
fought on the "big stage" a handful of times with mixed
results. Matt's first true "big test" in the UFC has
arrived. A win over Miletich could mean a fast approaching date
with Murilo Bustamante.
MY
PICK: I'm looking forward to this one. In the few bouts we've
seen him in, it is still difficult to assess how good Lindland
is. In my opinion, each match for Lindland has provided him a
more difficult opponent. Pat will provide a true litmus test.
Miletich owned the UFC lightweight division for 3 years and defended
his title 6 times in that span. No one else in the UFC can say
that. If he's decided to make the middleweight division his new
home, he instantly becomes a contender in the shallowest division
in the UFC. The next opponent for Murilo Bustamante would likely
be the winner of this match. That is unless Zuffa decides to
make things very interesting and throw in the darkhorse Russian
fighter Andrei Semenov. That would rock. I think Miletich will
be comfortable at this weight and is too much for Lindland right
now. Although the win over Shonie Carter was big, it didn't happen
in this division. He needs to prove himself here. I feel it will
be Miletich by TKO/strikes (possibly s knee to the face) late
in the 2nd Rd.
Source: Sherdog |
Tickets
on Sale 3/23 For
'UFC: HIGH IMPACT' on MAY 10th IN BOSSIER CITY, LA.
Murilo
Bustamante To Defend Middleweight Crown For First Time
LAS
VEGAS, March 20, 2002… The Ultimate Fighting Championship
today announced that tickets, $150, $100, $50 and $25 will go
on sale Saturday, March 23, for UFC:High Impact, which will take
place Friday, May 10, at the Centurytel Center in Bossier City,
La.
Tickets
may be purchased at the Centurytel Center box office in Bossier
City, at all Ticket Master outlets, Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone
at (318) 741-9700 or at www. ticketmaster.com. Service charges
may apply depending upon the point of purchase.
The
event also will be available in North America on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV,
Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada pay-per-view
and in Brazil on Globosat Programadora LTDA. UFC: High Impact
will air live at 10 p.m. EST/7p.m.PST in the United States and
Brazil and on a tape-delayed basis on WOWOW-TV in Japan. The
suggested pay-per-view retail price in the United States will
be $29.95.
UFC
Middleweight Champion Murilo Bustamante (10-1-1 in Mixed Martial
Arts) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will defend his title for the
first time against an opponent to be named. Bustamante claimed
the middleweight crown Jan. 11 when he knocked out former champion
Dave Menne in the second round at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville,
Conn. Other match-ups will include a lightweight bout between
Caol Uno (11-4-2) of Kanagawa, Japan, and Yves Edwards (7-4-1)
of The Woodlands, Tex., and Heavyweight top contender Ricco Rodriguez
(8-1-0) of Las Vegas, Nev., versus Tsyushi Kosaka (3-2-0) of
Shega, Japan. Light Heavyweight contender Chuck Liddell (9-1-0)
will meet an opponent to be named as will Lightweight top contender
B.J. Penn (4-1-0) of Wainaku, Hilo, Hawaii.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev.,
is the world's leading mixed martial arts sports company. It
is owned and operated by Zuffa LLC and has partnerships with
WOWOW, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan, British Sky Broadcasting (BskyB)
in London, England, and Globosat Programadora LTDA and Sportv
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Ultimate Fighting Championship
is a sport that brings together the world's most talented mixed
martial arts (MMA) athletes from disciplines such as karate,
jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling, sumo and others in a quest
to become an ultimate fighting champion.
|
2002
Pan-Ams Margarida Out Due to Injury
Margarida out
of the Pan-Ams and Mundial
Word out of
Brazil is that World Champion sensation Fernando 'Margarida'
Pontes suffered another set back. 'Margarida was just returning
from a broken wrist that had him out for several weeks, and was
ready to turn heads at the Pan-Ams when he had a motorcycle accident.
Riding a motorcycle in Sao Paulo or Rio is a big risk. Besides
losing a lot of skin in the accident 'Margarida' severely injured
his foot and will have to take a 'sabatical' for the next few
months.
Everyone at
ADCC News wishes 'Margarida' a speedy recovery and stay away
from motorcycles from now on! The sport needs you healthy!
Source: Abu Dhabi |
Jiu-Jitsu
Picnic Reminder
It's about that time
for another Jiu-Jitsu picnic. We haven't had one for a while
and it's probably a good enough time as ever to have one. The
tentative dates and location are shown below. Let me know ASAP
if it's a bad date for you. We proposed this date because its
before spring break (hence less crowds) and on Sunday because
there is a tournament on the 23rd. Also, it's two days after
a momentous and historic day. If you don't know what day that
is, click on this link (http://www.onzuka.com).
As with all
our picnics, it is a potluck so bring what you want and if you
want to let me know what you are bringing, email me and I'll put together a list.
This is a family day so bring your wife, girlfriend (or both),
kids, "pal", friends, baby's momma, baby's momma's
momma, etc. This is a great time for your family to meet the
people that you waste your Tue and Thurs, Sat (for the new Kaneohe
guys), or if you train at the main academy, all week long with.
It is also a time to kick back and spend some time outside of
a gi, and guys, it's not cool to walk around the beach in your
fight shorts (I felt I needed to say that). This is not a formal
occasion, but if you must dress up, you can wear your best Badboy
shirt/short outfit with matching fanny pack and hat.
Date: Sunday,
March 24, 2002
Time: All day, but come early (like by 8:00 am)
Place: Ala Moana Beach Park
(in key hole, the center of the park by the tennis courts)
Activities: Volleyball, water football, loafing off, eating too
much, etc.
Ground rules
are the same as usual:
No biting
No eye gouging
No fish hooking
New rule change: Groin shots allowed
See you there!
Karaoke
Night
Date: Saturday, March 30, 2002
Time: 10:00 PM-close
Place: Crazy Karaoke (next to 24-Hour Fitness Pearl Kai)
This is also
a potluck, BYOB, and help with the room deal. Ross is putting
this together for another event for the Jiu-Jitsu guys and friends
so if you are interested email me so I can give Ross a head count. Ross is also
fronting the money for the room so plan on kicking him something
back so he doesn't take it in the shorts with the room rental. |
The
Real Deal Regarding Baret's Fight
Straight from the horse's mouth, I got the story of the fight
that Hawaii's Baret Yoshida had with Abe in the Shooto event
in Japan. Baret heard that Abe, who has been winning a lot of
Shootboxing event, was telling the press that he was going to
stand up with Baret and knock him standing. Baret did not know
of this prior to the fight. In round 1, a jab, hook, straight
right dropped Abe who got an 8 count early in the fight. Abe
changed his strategy and used his excellent wrestling skills
to basically hold Baret against the ropes in an attempt to recover.
In round 2,
Baret went for a tackle, but ended up on his back in the guard.
He kicked away Abe, but again it was a standing clinch round.
Round three
saw Baret almost catch Abe with a guillotine, but Abe escapes.
While on his back, Baret kicked up at Abe in a quick exchange
and broke Abe's nose. In Shooto, you are not allowed to kick
an opponent's face if he is on one knee or two so Baret got penalized
a point.
The end result
was a draw as reported earlier this week, but by Baret's account,
he felt that he should have won based on him winning the second
round. He said that Abe was beat up and he left the fight without
a scratch. Congratulations once again to Baret and hopefully
Shooto will set up a fight with the top ranking opponents for
him to move toward the title! |
2002
Hawaiian Championship of
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Gi / No Gi Event
Date:
Saturday March 23, 2002
Tournament Starts: 10:30 a.m.
Location: University of Hawaii, Klum Gym
Fee: $40 entrance fee, additional $10 to compete in both Gi /
No Gi events.
Weigh-in date: Friday, March 22nd 2002
From 12:00-1:00 p.m. or 6:00-8:00 p.m.
U.H. Athletic complex #4
Contact:
Romolo @ (808) 244-5593, or
James @ cell 223-9363
email: rwarriorinc@aol.com |