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July 9-12
BJJ World Cup (CBJJO)
(BJJ)
(SESC gym, Salvador, Brazil)
Sometime
between Arnold-Gracie & Pan Ams
Pac-Rim BJJ tournament
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Hawaii)
3/5-7/04
Arnold
Schwarzenegger World Gracie Professional Submission Championships
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Columbus, Ohio)
2/15/04
First Maui Invitational
of Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ & Sub Grappling)
(Kahului, Maui, Hawaii)
Punishment
in Paradise II
(MMA & Kickboxing)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
2/7/04
Ring of Honor 3
(Sub Grappling)
2/6/04
Super
Brawl 32
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
1/31/04
UFC
46: Super Natural
(MMA)
(Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV)
1/24/04
Ring of Honor 2
(MMA)
(Oahu)
1/19/04
Second 2 None Submission Grappling Tournament
(Sub Grappling)
(Oahu)
2004
12/31/03
"INOKI BOM-BA-YE 2003"
(Kobe Wing Stadium, Kobe, Japan)
(MMA)
Pride's Special Otoko Matsuri 2003
(MMA)
(Japan)
K-1
(Kickboxing & MMA)
(Japan)
12/27/03
Rumble On The Rock 5
(MMA)
(Hilo, Hawaii)
|
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December News Part
1
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night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
 
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Quote
of the Day
"With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all
things are attainable."
Sir Thomas Foxwell Buxton, Abolitionist and Reformer
|
Stephen
Abas Wrestling Clinic
Date:
December 23, 2003
Time: 9:00 AM
Place: Moanalua High School
Price: $10 or $200 per team
This
guy is an animal. Read below to see the stats that I researched
on Stephen Abas.
Stephen Abas
Quick Bio
Three-time NCAA National Champion 1999, 2001, 2002
Four-time All-American 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002
Number 1 Ranked in the USA at 55 kg/121 lbs.
Fresno State: (2001-02) Proved himself to be the undisputed best
wrestler in the nation in the 125 division for the third time
… was consistently ranked No. 1 in the 125 division throughout
the entire season … beat Iowa's Luke Eustice 8-4 in the
finals at the NCAA Championships in Albany, N.Y., to win his
third national championship … won the West Regional Championships
and led Fresno State to a second-place finish … completed
a perfect season, going 35-0 overall and 19-0 in dual meets …
racked up 12 pins, three technical falls and nine major decision
victories … is Fresno State's first three-time national
champion and second four-time All-American … set a Bulldog
record in season win percentage (1.000) and career win percentage
(.973) … finished his Fresno State career with a record
of 144-4 … topped his brother, Gerry, in the record books
for wins in a career … led the Bulldogs to a 19th place
finish at the 2002 NCAA Championships.
(2000-01) Top ranked 125 division wrestler in the nation …
captured his second national title at the NCAA tournament and
became a three-time All-American … won the Western Regional
Championships … was the first Bulldog to go undefeated through
an entire season with a record of 34-0 … was voted among
Fresno State's Top-25 greatest athletes.
(1999-00) Took the year off from school and wrestling to train
for the 2000 Olympics. Abas placed fourth in the US Olympic Trials.
(1998-99) Captured the national title at 125 pounds, becoming
the second person in Fresno State history to earn such an honor
in wrestling … had only one blemish in his national championship
season (37-1), a loss to three-time national champion Eric Guerrero
… was the WAC champion for the second straight year …
had a dual match record of 14-1 … voted Fresno State's male
athlete of the year … ranked second in Bulldog history with
a single season win percentage of .974 … picked up the WAC
Outstanding Wrestler honor for the second year in a row …
racked up 11 technical fall victories and six pins.
(1997-98) One of the top freshman in the country … made
an immediate impact in his first collegiate season with a 38-3
overall record while going a perfect 15-0 in dual meets ... was
ranked as high as second in the nation at 118 pounds ... capped
his standout season going 5-2 at the NCAA Championships to earn
a fourth place finish and All-America honors ... was named the
WAC Wrestler of the Year and conference Freshman of the Year
after winning his first WAC championship at 118 ... opened the
season winning his first 24 matches ... took first place at the
Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, All-California Open, UC Davis
Aggie Open and at the California Collegiate Invitational ...
was named Outstanding Wrestler of the Tournament at the Las Vegas
Invitational ... four times earned
|
Wanderlei
Silva - Taking Off the NEW YEAR Events
It
was recently announced that Wanderlei Silva, PRIDE's GP and Middleweight
Champion had surgery on his elbow, which was retaining water.
Check out http://news.adcombat.com/article.html?id=5554 for our post surgery
report with pictures of the elbow post surgery.
Amid
much speculation in Japan that the champion would fight on one
of the New Year's events, word is that PRIDE handlers have received
a letter authored by Rudimar Federigo, Chute Boxe's leader and
Wanderlei's principal handler. The letter states that Wanderlei's
recovery is going well from the surgery, however the recovery
will prevent him from training properly for a New Year's Eve
appearance. Reportedly, the letter was received in Japan on Tuesday,
the 9th and seems to confirm that Wanderlei will be sitting out
the New Year's events in 2004.
Source: ADCC |
Interview:
M-1 Veteran DENIS KANG
Canadian star Denis Kang earned a draw against Andrei Semenov
in M-1 “Russia vs. The World 7” last weekend in St.
Petersburg, Russia. Most observers describe a cleaner vicotry
for Kang than the judges saw, as several times Semenov would
shoot in and Kang wouldn’t go down, either by use of a guillotine
and sprawl, backing against the fence, or just punching as Semenov
came in. Semenov did get Kang down twice by clinching against
the fence and ripping Kang’s legs out, so Kang ended up
sitting down but Kang’s defense on the ground prevented
Semenov from doing much with it. Each time they hit the ground
Kang came online a little more until by the end of the single
10-minute round Kang was on top firing shots at will. Several
questionable stand ups in Semenov's favor came in to play as
well, as once they were bought up 5 seconds after the Canadian
achieved side control.
KM:
Tell me about the jetlag. DK: This is the worst I’ve ever
been jetlagged before. This is worse than Japan because this
was a fifteen hour trip here and I only came here a day and a
half before the fight.
KM:
Weren’t you saying the general rule of thumb was one day
of rest per time zone difference? DK: That is what they say you
should do. Ideally that is what you want. I understand they can’t
do that, that would be about two weeks. I think it should be
at least five days.
KM:
What effect did that have on you fight? DK: My muscles weren’t
tired but I could really feel it in my lungs. I knew I was in
good shape but I really had to push it. I got a good poker face
so I don’t show it. I could tell he was tired so I was trying
to act like I wasn’t tired.
KM:
You saw the show on closed circuit tv backstage. What was your
impression on the endurance of the Russian fighters in general?
DK: A lot of the Russians got a little tired. I think what is
happening is a lot of the Russian fighters are getting fed easy
opponents and they are getting used to it. I think maybe that
is what happened with me and Semenov is he thought he was getting
an easy opponent, he didn’t hear of Denis Kang. Maybe he
didn’t train as hard as he should have and I think that
is what happened with a lot of these other guys too. They’ve
been getting treated pretty nicely and when they step it up in
the quality of adversaries they were a little caught off guard.
KM:
To me it does seem like they have been increasing the level of
adversaries lately. How do you look back on that fight? DK: I
think it was a good fight. I think I fought well, I did everything
I should, I nullified all of his attacks, and gave him some things
to think about. You look at my face now and his face now ad you’ll
see a big difference. I think it’s really important to look
at how the fight ended. The fight ended with me on top pounding
away and landing shots at will. I’m not talking about the
last five seconds, I’m talking about the last thirty seconds.
That is a long time in a fight. If you look at the whole fight
overall it’s me dominating.
KM:
Dominating yes, but counterpunching or reacting in the beginning.
DK: I was counterpunching a lot in this fight because as I mentioned
earlier I was tired so I really wanted to save my energy. It’s
a really small cage; one step and you are pretty much nose-to-nose.
I didn’t really have to go too far to wait for him to come
in. I wanted to get in on him a little and throw some but I also
wanted to save some energy.
KM:
Tell me about the controversial ref stand-up right after you
hit side control. You two had a total of four stand-ups and one
separation clinched against the cage. How do you feel about that?
DK: I understand from their point of view they want to keep the
fight exciting, they don’t want any deadlock or stalling,
but at the same time the ref maybe has to be more educated in
terms of when a fight is really a deadlock and when both opponents
are actively working towards making a technique work. That is
what is important here, making a technique work. For example
if one opponent passes the guard and ends up in side mount you
don’t stand them up two seconds into holding side mount.
I think most stand-ups happened within five seconds of hitting
the ground or clinch. I think they could have been a little more
lenient with the stand-ups.
KM:
Did it bother or distract you in the fight? DK: I just move on
and act like it doesn’t bother me. After the fight I bitch
all I want but during the fight I don’t care. I think about
the fight and only the fight.
KM:
You look healthy today, like you don’t have much damage.
A little bit of a bruise above your left eye. How do you feel?
DK: Feel great. Still a little tired from the jetlag. Other than
that I feel fine.
KM:
Semenov is highly respected in the European community and with
me. Now that you have beaten him, in theory, do you feel any
differently about yourself or your career? DK: Of course I’m
glad it’s over and I came out and did well. I think it’s
a good win for me because he has a good record, he has beaten
some top dogs out there, and I think this solidifies my standing
in at least the top 10. It shows I’m ready for world-class
opponents.
KM:
I wanted to point one thing out; you and I agree but you just
said ‘good win’ when it was officially a draw. DK:
You can change that if you want. I don’t want to get in
trouble with M-1.
KM:
I’d like to leave that in if you don’t object because
the point I’m trying to make is everybody I’ve talked
to agrees you won that fight. How do you feel about it being
ruled a draw? DK: It is what it is. Decisions are what they are.
You know and I know how the fight went, it will come out on video,
people will know. It’s normal in a foreign country the judges
are a little biased towards the local fighter but also there
has to be some reason. It has to be within reason. That’s
ok; the crowd loved me, the promoters loved me, I’m going
to be back and hopefully next time it will be a better decision.
KM:
Suloev is around 185 also. Has anybody mentioned specific names?
DK: No names at all, just said I’d be back.
KM:
Would you recommend coming out for M-1? DK: Absolutely. I think
it’s evident they are trying to make M-1 a world-class show
with the amount of work that was put into it backstage and onstage.
KM:
Given what you said about coming back would you look for a fight
between now and a return to Russia? DK: It depends. I’m
tentatively scheduled to fight January 30th in TKO. That is not
for sure yet, a verbal agreement. After that I don’t have
too much planned.
KM:
Assuming the fight with you and Vigneault does happen what are
your thoughts on fighting Vigneault? DK: It would be an honor
because he is the champ and I wanted to fight him for a long
time. He is a good fighter, a good athlete, but I think I’m
better.
Source: ADCC |
Pancrase
12/21 Event Complete Lineup -
DAVID TERRELL To Make Pancrase Debut!
'PANCRASE
2003 HYBRID TOUR'
SUNDAY,DECEMBER 21,2003
DOORS OPEN;3:00PM
FIRST FIGHT;4:00PM
DIFFER ARIAKE (TOKYO,JAPAN)
Lineup
Subject TO Change:
PRO-MATCH
#1 / WELTERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
KENJI ARAI (PANCRASEism) vs DAISUKE HANAZAWA 13 (MMA DOJO COBRAKAI)
PRO-MATCH
#2 / WELTERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
TAKAFUMI ITO (OPEN-WEIGHT 2ND RANKED/PANCRASEism) vs LINSON SIMANJUNTAK
(INDONESIA/BIO FIGHTING CLUB)
PRO-MATCH
#3 / WELTERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
KOJI OISHI (WELTERWEIGHT 1ST RANKED/PANCRASEism) vs TAKAHITO
IIDA (A-3)
PRO-MATCH
#4 / HEAVYWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
HUR SUNG JIN (KOREA/NEO FIGHT) vs YUKIYA NAITO (A-3)
PRO-MATCH
#5 / LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
OSAMI SHIBUYA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 10TH RANKED/PANCRASEism) vs
TSUYOSHI KURIHARA (TEAM ROKEN)
PRO-MATCH
#6/ MIDDLEWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
HIDEHIKO HASEGAWA (MIDDLEWEIGHT 7TH RANKED/SK ABSOLUTE) vs EIJI
ISHIKAWA (MIDDLEWEIGHT 10TH RANKED/PANCRASE GRABAKA)
SEMIFINAL/LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
KEIICHIRO YAMAMIYA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 10TH RANKED/PANCRASE GRABAKA)
vs BRET BERGMARK (U.S.A./CESAR GRACIE ACADEMY)
*YAMAMIYA WAS TRADED FROM PANCRASEISM TO PANCRASE GRABAKA
MAIN
EVENT/LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
YUKI SASAKI (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 7TH RANKED/PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs
DAVID TERRELL (U.S.A./CESAR GRACIE ACADEMY)
Source: ADCC |
OKLAHOMA
STATE TOPS TWO NEW POLLS, AS IOWA STATE MOVES INTO SECOND PLACE
Last weekend's flurry of college wrestling activity has resulted
in yet another shuffling in the team polls.
Intermat
had ranked Illinois as first, but they only finished fourth at
the 2003 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational held Friday and Saturday
in Las Vegas. Nebraska won that 43-team tournament, followed
by Michigan and Missouri.
W.I.N.
Magazine had ranked Iowa at the top of the heap. But on Sunday,
Iowa State ended a 30-meet losing streak to win six matches out
of ten, including the final five, to defeat Iowa 21-13 at home
in Hilton Coliseum in Ames.
Also
on Sunday, defending national champion Oklahoma State earned
a 23-12 victory over Oklahoma. Oklahoma State had lost its dual
meet with Missouri two weeks earlier by a score of 21-17. But
Missouri's third-place finish in Las Vegas, and the fact that
each team had won five matches at the Oklahoma State-Missouri
dual, gave enough ammunition to continue to rank Oklahoma State
ahead of Missouri.
The
result: both Intermat and W.I.N. have restored Oklahoma State
to the top spot. Both also installed Iowa State in the second
slot. W.I.N. follows with Las Vegas champion Nebraska, then Michigan,
and then Iowa, demoted from number one. Intermat follows with
Lehigh, Iowa, and Nebraska, with Illinois dropping all the way
to number seven.
Here
are their latest top 20 team rankings:
W.I.N.
Magazine- 12/9
Rank. School .................. 11/26
1 ............ Oklahoma State ...............2
2 ............ Iowa State ...........................3
3 ............ Nebraska ............................9
4 ........... Michigan .......................... 8
5 ........... Iowa ................................. 1
6 ........... Lehigh .............................. 5
7 ........ Missouri .................... 7
8 ........... Illinois ............................. 4
9 ........... Cornell .......................... 11
10 ........ Minnesota ...................... 6
11 ........ Hofstra .......................... 10
12 ........ Arizona State ............... 16
13 ........ Ohio State .................... 13
14 ........ Penn State ..................... 12
15 .......... Oklahoma ......................... 14
16 ........ Pennsylvania .................. 15
17 ........ Central Michigan ......... 18
18 ........ Northern Iowa ............ 17
19 ........ Cal Poly ........................ NR
20 ........ Michigan State .............. 21
Intermat-12/9
Rank. School ................... 12/2
1 ............ Oklahoma State ...............2
2 ............ Iowa State ...........................4
3 ........... Lehigh .............................. 5
4 ........... Iowa ................................. 3
5 ............ Nebraska ............................9
6 ........... Michigan .......................... 7
7 ........... Illinois ............................. 1
8 ........ Missouri .................... 6
9 ........... Minnesota ...................... 8
10 ........ Cornell .......................... 10
11 ........ Arizona State ............... 17
12 ........West Virginia ................ 11
13 ........ Penn State ..................... 12
14 ........ Hofstra .......................... 13
15 .......... Oklahoma ......................... 18
16 ........ Ohio State .................... 19
17 ........ Pennsylvania .................. 14
18 ........ Central Michigan ......... 15
19 ........ Wisconsin ..................... 16
20 ........ Northern Iowa ............ 20
PAC-10
RANKINGS
We
also have the latest individual Pac-10 rankings for Dec. 9, as
compiled by the coaching staff of Arizona State University:
Pac-10
Individual Wrestling Rankings Release #2 - December 9, 2003
125
1. Efren Ceballos (CS Bakersfield)
2. Eric Stevenson (Oregon State)
3. Christian Staylor (Arizona State)
4. Tom Schurkamp (UC Davis)
5. Tony Franco (Cal Poly)
133
1. Darrel Vasquez (Cal Poly)
2. Derek Moore (UC Davis)
3. Matt Sanchez (CS Bakersfield)
4. Scott Jorgensen (Boise State)
5. Tim Norman (Oregon State)
141
1. Brad Metzler (Stanford)
2. Jeff Bristol (UC Davis)
3. Juan Mora (CS Fullerton)
4. Jesse Brock (Boise State)
5. David Roberts (Cal Poly)
149
1. Patrick Williams (Arizona State )
2. Matt Cox (Cal Poly)
3. Nick Davis (UC Davis)
4. Tony Hook (Oregon State)
5. Brett Gordon (CS Fullerton)
157
1. Matt Gentry (Stanford)
2. Brian Stith (Arizona State)
3. Brian Cobb (CS Bakersfield)
4. Jeremiah Jarvis (UC Davis)
5. Ben Cherrington (Boise State)
165
1. Matt Ellis (Oregon State)
2. Luke Larwin (Oregon)
3. Mike Font (UC Davis)
4. Brody Barrios (Cal Poly)
5. Brian Perry (Stanford)
174
1. Jed Pennell (Oregon State)
2. Imad Kharbush (Stanford)
3. Ron Renzi (Arizona State)
4. Leonel Sanchez (CS Fullerton)
5. Shannon Sams (UC Davis)
184
1. Ryan Halsey (Cal Poly)
2. Nick Frost (Arizona State)
3. Casey Phelps (Boise State)
4. Dan Pitsch (Oregon State)
5. John Garfinkel (Stanford)
197
1. Ryan Bader (Arizona State)
2. Matt Monteiro (CS Bakersfield)
3. KC Walsh (Boise State)
4. Landon Seefeldt (CS Fullerton)
5. Ralph Garcia (Cal Poly)
285
1. Cain Velasquez (Arizona State)
2. Ty Watterson (Oregon State)
3. Dan Howe (Cal Poly)
4. Jacob McGinnis (Boise State)
5. Cody Parker (Oregon)
Source: ADCC |
Tyson’s
debut postponed until 2004
Controversial
boxer Mike Tyson appeared on the big screen of Tokyo Dome during
the K-1 World GP Finals, to state that he will fight in K-1 indeed.
He also hinted that he didn’t travel to Japan this time
because perhaps the country authorities would not allow him to
enter Japan. (He’s referring to his criminal record, probably).
Tyson
said also that K-1 is the biggest martial arts organization in
the world and that he will knock out everyone who faces him.
Right
after Tyson’s appearance, the former football player and
current fight idol Bob Sapp went to the ring and said he will
face Tyson in 2004. Before that, however, Sapp will fight former
Sumo champion Akebono in the Mixed Martial Art event that K-1
will hold this coming December 31st.
Source: ADCC |
Fraser,
Lewis and Seras named by USA Wrestling to coach 2004 U.S. Olympic
Team in Greco-Roman wrestling
USA
Wrestling has made its choice for the Olympic Coaches for the
2004 U.S. Olympic Team in Greco-Roman wrestling that will participate
in the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Selected
to join USA Wrestling National Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser
of Colorado Springs, Colo. as Olympic Coaches in Greco-Roman
wrestling are Shon Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo. and Andy
Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn. This selection has been forwarded
for final approval from the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Lewis
served as head coach of the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World team
that competed in Cretiel, France. The U.S. team placed 13th in
the standings. He served as the assistant coach of the 2002 U.S.
Greco-Roman World Team, which placed fifth in the World Championships
held in Moscow, Russia. Lewis has also served as a coach for
the U.S. World Military team, which competes at the annual CISM
World Military Championships. Lewis works as the coach of the
U.S. Army team, stationed in Fort Carson, Colo.
Seras
was head coach of the 2002 U.S. World Team, which competed in
Moscow, Russia. The team placed fifth in the standings. Seras
was the assistant coach for the 2001 U.S. World Team. When the
head coach could not attend the World Championships, Seras assumed
additional responsibility, serving as the head coach. The United
States won the third-place trophy, led by three medallists. As
an athlete, he competed in the 1988 Olympic Games. Seras works
as the head wrestling coach at Sacred Heart Univ.
Fraser
joined USA Wrestling as the National Greco-Roman Coach in October,
1995, serving as the full-time professional coach working with
the national Greco-Roman program. Fraser led the U.S. to its
best team performance ever at the 2001 World Championships with
the United States taking home the third place trophy. He also
led the U.S. to strong performances at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic
Games. In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the U.S. won one gold, one
silver and one bronze medal. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the
U.S. won three silver medals. As an athlete, Fraser won a gold
medal at 90 kg (198 lbs.) at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles,
becoming the first U.S. wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal
in Greco-Roman wrestling.
Complete
biographies of each Olympic Coach selection follows, as well
as quotes from each of the coaches.
The
two volunteer coaches selected as Olympic Coaches came from a
group of five finalists. Lewis and Seras were selected by the
USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach Selection Committee, then approved
by the USA Wrestling Executive Committee. All of the finalists
were interviewed by the Greco-Roman Coach Selection Committee.
The
other volunteer coaches who were finalists for the positions
were Jay Antonelli of Quantico, Va., Joe DeMeo of Niskayuna,
N.Y. and Rich Estrella of Colorado Springs, Colo.
USA
Wrestling will add one more official volunteer coach to the Greco-Roman
coaching staff at a later date.
QUOTES
FROM THE OLYMPIC COACH SELECTIONS
MEN*S
GRECO-ROMAN
Shon
Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo.
*It
is a great honor to be recommended to be on the staff to take
our nation*s best athletes to the Athens Games to compete in
Greco-Roman wrestling. It is with pride that we work to help
develop young athletes to win medals and pursue their goals.
It is an honor to be selected to take on this task.*
*For
our team, mental toughness and mat awareness are important. We
have to learn to mentally will ourselves to victory. We have
to win the last two minutes of every match. That will be a big
focus for us, whether it is scoring points or getting the passivity
calls. Picking it up a knotch, and closing out the match is important.
As long as we stay focused, we are on the right track. We don*t
have to change anything * we just have to get better.*
Andy
Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn.
*I*m
excited. I*ve worked hard to get this opportunity. I think we
have a great chance to make history. My wife makes it possible
for me to volunteer as a coach. Joe DeMeo, my coach, mentor and
friend has shaped my entire wrestling career. Without him, it
would not have happened.*
*We
need to shore up some weaknesses, No. 1 being par terre defense.
We need to get them to believe in the depth of their minds that
they can be Olympic champions.*
(on
the difference between being an Olympic athlete and an Olympic
coach) *Part of being a wrestling is being selfish and putting
yourself and your training first. It is totally opposite as a
coach. You have to put yourself second always. You have to make
sure the athletes are happy, comfortable and have everything
provided for them in a professional manner.*
National
Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo.
(about
Lewis and Seras)
*Both add a freshness to our staff. They are young coaches, who
are very well respected by the top athletes. They are hungry
to win and do well. They are committed to the Greco-Roman program
and the plan. They care about all of the Greco-Roman athletes,
not just the wrestlers from their clubs. I*m real happy with
them, and all of the Greco-Roman coaches who volunteer their
time on the Senior level. We get along well, are on the same
page, and have the same commitment to the quest.*
*The
priority at hand is to get all seven weight classes qualified
at the two Olympic qualifiers remaining. It will be a great challenge.
There are about eight World medallists at every weight class
not qualified. These are serious and competitive. We treat these
events like the World Championships. We are preparing every day
for the Olympics. Our goal for the Olympics is four medals, with
two golds. Our goal is for all seven to place in the top eight,
and a first-place team finish. It is an aggressive goal for our
Greco-Roman program, but one I am confident we can achieve if
everyone prepares properly and everyone wrestles to their potential.*
BIOGRAPHY
SKETCHES OF OLYMPIC COACHES IN GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING
Shon
Lewis of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Lewis
served as head coach of the 2003 U.S. Greco-Roman World team
that competed in Cretiel, France. The U.S. team placed 13th in
the standings, led by three athletes in the top 10 of their divisions.
He
served as the assistant coach of the 2002 U.S. Greco-Roman World
Team, which placed fifth in the World Championships held in Moscow,
Russia. The team was led by World Champion Dremiel Byers. Lewis
is also Byers* full-time club coach, a major reason that Byers
was able to develop into a World champion.
Lewis
works as the head coach of the U.S. Army team, stationed in Fort
Carson, Colo. He is responsible for training the athletes in
the Army*s World Class Athlete Program. The U.S. Army team features
a number of nationally-ranked athletes, including Byers, and
2001 U.S. World Team member Keith Sieracki. The team has won
the U.S. Nationals Greco-Roman team title for the last three
seasons.
Under
Lewis* guidance, the U.S. Army won the 2003 Armed Forces Championships,
claiming the title in both freestyle and Greco-Roman, as well
as the overall title. The U.S. Army has won the Armed Forces
title a number of times since Lewis became head coach. Lewis
has also served as a coach for the U.S. World Military team,
which competes at the annual CISM World Military Championships.
Lewis was also named 2002 Greco-Roman Coach of the Year by USA
Wrestling.
As
an athlete, Lewis competed on the 1993 and 1999 U.S. World Championships
teams. He also qualified for the 1998 U.S. World Team, but was
unable to participate in the World Championships that year. He
was a four-time U.S. Nationals Greco-Roman champion (1993-94,
1996, 1998), and was a medalist in three U.S. Olympic Team Trials
(1992, 1996, 2000).
Lewis
was a member of the U.S. Army team as an athlete, winning six
Armed Forces Greco-Roman titles and competing in the World Military
Championships. He was the 1993 U.S. Army Athlete of the Year,
an award including all sports in the Army*s program. Prior to
joining the Army, he attended the Univ. of Oregon, as well as
competing for Placer High School in Auburn, Calif.
Andy
Seras of Sandy Hook, Conn.
Seras
was head coach of the 2002 U.S. World Team, which competed in
Moscow, Russia. The team placed a strong fifth in the team standings,
led by individual gold-medalist Dremiel Byers.
Seras
was the assistant coach for the 2001 U.S. World Team, and worked
in that capacity during its training period. When the head coach
was injured and could not attend the World Championships, Seras
assumed additional responsibility on the coaching staff, serving
as the head coach. The United States won the third-place trophy,
led by three medalists: World champion Rulon Gardner and World
silver medalists Brandon Paulson and Matt Lindland. It was the
highest placement of a U.S. team ever at the Greco-Roman World
Championships.
He
was also the head coach of the 2001 U.S. Greco-Roman World Cup
team, which competed in France and placed third in the standings,
led by four individual medalists. Seras served as assistant coach
of the 2001 U.S. team in Poland, as well as assistant coach of
U.S. tour team that competed in Russia and Sweden.
Seras
was selected as the 2001 USA Wrestling Greco-Roman Coach of the
Year. He has coached a number of U.S. teams on international
tours. He is a club coach with the Atlas Wrestling Club and the
Sunkist Kids. He has also served on the coaching staff of the
Connecticut Junior National Team in 1999 and 2000.
He
works as the head wrestling coach at Div. I Sacred Heart Univ.,
where he is building a strong program. He was an assistant coach
at Sacred Heart for a number of years, and was previously an
assistant coach at SUNY-Albany.
Seras
was a member of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team. He was a 1991 Pan
American Games champion, and placed second in the 1995 Pan American
Games. Seras claimed a gold medal at the 1994 World Cup. He competed
on five U.S. World teams, placing sixth in the 1991 World Championships
and ninth in the 1989 World Championships. Seras won five U.S.
National titles and made the finals of the U.S. Greco-Roman National
Championships for 12 straight years.
He
competed for SUNY-Albany, where he was a 1985 NCAA Div. III national
champion. He is originally from Niskayuna, N.Y., where he was
fourth in the New York state high school meet. Seras was a two-time
placewinner at the Junior World Championships.
National
Greco-Roman Coach Steve Fraser of Colorado Springs, Colo.
Steve
Fraser joined USA Wrestling as the National Greco-Roman Coach
in October, 1995. He serves as the full-time professional coach
working with the national Greco-Roman program and works to develop
Greco-Roman programs in the United States.
Fraser
led the U.S. to its best team performance ever at the 2001 World
Championships with the United States taking home the bronze team
medal. A U.S. Greco-Roman team had never won a team medal at
a World Championship.
Fraser
has worked hard to help improve the entire national Greco-Roman
effort, from youth through the Olympic levels. This was also
evident with the performance at the 2000 Olympic Games when the
U.S. won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. Gold medalist
Rulon Gardner stunned the world with his win over unbeaten Alexander
Kareline of Russia during the Sydney Games. Fraser also coached
the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, that won three Olympic silver medals
in Atlanta, Ga.
He
also works closely with the U.S. Olympic Committee Greco-Roman
resident athlete program in Colorado Springs, Colo. Fraser has
created a number of new programs to assist in the development
of age-group wrestlers and coaches in Greco-Roman.
Fraser
won a gold medal at 90 kg (198 lbs.) at the 1984 Olympics in
Los Angeles, becoming the first U.S. wrestler to ever win an
Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. He won five matches
on the way to the title, including a 1-1 criteria decision over
Ilia Matei of Romania in the gold-medal finals. Among his key
victories was a 4-1 decision over three-time World Champion Frank
Andersson of Sweden.
He
also won a gold medal at the 1983 Pan American Games. Fraser
was a member of the 1979 and 1982 U.S. World Teams. He claimed
U.S. Nationals titles in Greco-Roman in 1981 and 1983, and was
a U.S. Nationals freestyle champion in 1984.
Fraser
was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling
Hall of Fame in 1994. He was named USA Wrestling Athlete of the
Year in 1984, and was a finalist for the James E. Sullivan Award
that year. He has been inducted into the Michigan Wrestling Hall
of Fame and the Michigan Amateur Sports Hall of Fame.
He
attended the Univ. of Michigan, where he was a two-time NCAA
All-American. Fraser received a bachelor*s degree in physical
education in 1980. He was a Michigan state high school champion
at Hazel Park High School.
Fraser
was a college and club coach after his competitive career was
over. He was an assistant coach at the Univ. of Michigan from
1980-87, and at Eastern Michigan Univ. from 1987-1993. He also
coached with the Michigan Wrestling Club for 10 years, working
with their elite wrestlers in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Fraser
came to USA Wrestling after serving with Domino*s Pizza for 10
years. His final position with the company was the Senior Operations
Director for the Flagship Academy for Domino*s Pizza, Inc., where
he directed 65 stores, including Domino*s Pizza*s most elite
corporate stores. Among his other positions were Special Projects
Coordinator, Manager of Public Affairs, National Director of
Sports Systems.
Source: ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always
tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'"
Harris, American Journalist
|
Sperry
Set to Face Don Frye and Rogerio Close to Facing Sakuraba at
PRIDE!
By Eduardo
Alonso
As
the PRIDE New Year's Eve card continues to be built, a lot of
stars are being signed in an effort to be a step ahead of the
competition, as K-1 and Inoki are also putting cards on the same
day in Japan. An important part of that mix is, as it should
be, the Brazilian Top Team, and one of the most important fighters
on the team is now confirmed on the card. Jiu-Jitsu legend Mario
Sperry will be facing none other than PRIDE and UFC veteran Don
Frye in what promises to be an exciting fight matching up two
veterans with different fighting styles. DSE is likely to announce
this match-up this coming Wednesday. Another fight that is in
the works and is likely to be announced also is Rogerio "Minotoro"
Nogueira, twin brother of Rodrigo "Minotauro," facing
PRIDE legend Kazushi Sakuraba, who is coming off a win over Kevin
Randleman. Some details are still being negotiated, but this
fight is likely to be announced soon as well. Still on the subject
of the Brazilian Top Team, HEAT FC veteran Angelo Araujo, who
is fighting at the Antonio Inoki New Year's Eve show, will likely
be facing PRIDE Bushido veteran Alexander Emelianenko, brother
of Fedor Emelianenko, who defeated Assuerio Silva in his MMA
debut. FCF will keep an open eye on all the developments of the
negotiations.
Source: FCF |
4th
American International Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu &
Submission Grappling
The
4th American International Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
& Submission Grappling was held this past weekend in Costa
Mesa,Ca. Highlights of day one of the event were on the Black
Belts: Alberto Crane, who arm barred his opponent, James 'Avalanche'
Boran successful return to competition with a strong win and
Ryron Gracie taking the open Black Round Robin with a 7 x 4 victory
over current World Champion Cassio Werneck followed by a submission
win (arm-lock) over Valtinho' Nagakawa.
In
the Brown, once again Rafael Lovato Jr showed everyone why he
is considered one of the best in the World taking the division
easily, but the story of the tournament was the Purple belt division
with Lloyd Irvin's rising star Mike Fowler and wonder kid Ralek
Gracie facing each other in the absolute finals.
Both
Mike and Ralek won their weight division and signed for the absolute.
Fowler proceeded to mowed down his opponent's with the same efficiency
and technique that has conquered him all the events he has entered
of late while Ralek quickly submitted his opponent via foot lock
setting up the big match.
Fowler
opened up with a sweep followed by a guard pass and a quick 5
x 0 lead. At this point it appeared that his experience would
be too much for the young Ralek in just his second ever tournament.
Mike continued to attack and nearly got Ralek's back, but Ralek
mounted an offensive, first a vicious foot-lock that had everyone
grimacing including Fowler. But you don't win tournament by not
having heart and great escapes and Mike has both, he gutted out
of the lock, but the relentless Ralek went from half-guard to
pass to mount, as Mike quickly replace the half-guard Ralek went
for the arm and again appeared to have the fight ending sub,
but again 'Houdini' Fowler escaped and went back on the attack,
transforming a kimura from Ralek into an arm lock attempt that
ended up out of bounds.
In
the end of the great match it was Fowler with an 8 x 4 victory,
but both fighters showed everyone they are tops!
Lloyd's
crew continues to shine, it appears that his Grappling Blueprint
3 1/2 year plan is overshooting the mark, at this rate this kids
will start getting there in 1 1/2 : ) Lloyd stop teaching them!
! !
On
the other hand, young Ralek showed HUGE improvement in just one
year (since the USJJF tournament) and the 17 year old has a bright
future ahead of him!
Source: ADCC |
"Black
Belt Challenge - Hosted by Joe Moreira
Joe
Moreira announces the return of his famous Black Belt Challenge.
The traditional event took a hiatus but is now scheduled for
Fri., December 19, 2003, 7:00 pm to 9:00pm at the Hollywood Park
Casino in Los Angeles, CA. with a strong line up of fighters.
Scheduled
to fight:
Ricardo
Barros, Chris S., Ed Keller, Macaco, Paulo Gazze, Marc Kompaneyets,
Japa, Micah Cipili, Gustavo Moreira, Alexandre Brandao, Waldomiro,
Jr., Cleber Luciano, Joao Silva, Paolo Guillobel, Walter (Rodrigo
Medeiros), John Cunaha, Ricardo 'Franjinha' Miller, Gerald Weiner,
Wander Braga, Fabio Vinella, Dartanian Bagby & Ricardo Teixeira
. More names and the event format to be announced soon.
Tickets
will go fast so make sure to call quickly to reserve your spot.
Feel free to call Joe for more information or tickets at 949-254-3554
Prices
are:
Premier Seating: $50
Reserved Seating: $35
General: $20
Source: ADCC |
SHOOTO
ADDS LYTLE vs. SPRATT!
Friday,
January 2nd 7:30PM
Belleville Exposition Center
200 Southbelt East
Belleville, IL. (East St. Louis)
St.
Louis area fight fans are in for a monumental treat.
There's
nothing like ringing in the new year with some brews, babes and
battles and that's just what promoter Randy Greenman has in mind
for the 1/2/04 RSF/SHOOTO event.
As
with many MMA shows, keeping a rock-solid main event can be a
difficult thing to do.
The
original main event of CHRIS LYTLE vs. KARO PARISIAN was off
due to Karo accepting a UFC fight less than 4 weeks out which
is a 'no-no' for both Shooto and UFC.
Dennis
Hallman stepped up an accepted the fight but later had to pull
out. Hallman recommended northwest standout SCOTT NORTON. Norton
wanted to bring his 8-0 record to the Midwest against Lytle but
due to a severe family emergency pulled out of the fight.
'I
was to the point where I didn't even want to call anyone else'
says CO-matchmaker Jeff Osborne who shares booking duties with
Greenman and Shooto. 'I was so frustrated over keeping this one
fight together and the cost of plane tickets around showtime
that I was going nuts all weekend.'
Randy
Erikson, USA SHOOTO representative, suggested that a call to
PETE SPRATT should be made. After a few phone calls from both
Osborne and Erikson, Sven Bean called and said Pete would gladly
accept the fight.
IT
IS ON! Pete Spratt vs. Chris Lytle will do battle and both will
be brought back to UFC.....but one will get there a little quicker
after January 2nd.
Main
Event:
- Chris 'Lights Out' Lytle (Shooto Americas #3) vs Pete 'The
Secret Weapon' Spratt (A-class)
- Phil Johns (Shooto Americas #6) vs Steve Berger (A-class)
- Sam Morgan (Shooto Americas # 4) vs Manvel Gamburyan (A-class)
- Alex Steibling vs Mike Rogers (A-class)
- Curtis Stout (Shooto Americas #4) vs Mike Rothmeir (A-class)
- Ginelle Marquez vs Kelly Kobald (B-class)
- Mark Long vs Jay Estrada (B-class)
- Doug Sauer vs Travis Fulton (B-class)
- Ryan Maynor vs Heath Pedigo (B-class)
- Matt Schwinnen vs Bill Hill (B-class)
Area
fans are no strangers to Randy Greenman's RSF shows. He's drawn
as many as 2,400 fans to his events with zero advertising! This
show is no different as nearly 900 tickets have been sold at
an alarmingly fast pace.
This
event also marks the first time ever that a women's MMA bout
will take place in Illinois.
Look
for more news in the upcoming weeks!
For
ticket information call (314) 832-3489 or visit
WWW.RSFSHOOTOCHALLENGE.COM
WWW.SHOOTOAMERICAS.COM
Source: ADCC |
HORN
DEFEATS LISTER SO WHAT'S NEXT...
THE UFC OR FIGHTING DAVID LOISEAU?
The big question for Jeremy Horn, what is next? Horn looked great
against Dean Lister over the weekend at King of the Cage. The
fight turned out to be a bloody battle as Horn cut Lister early
in the fight on the forehead.
It
was a forearm/elbow that did the damage and split open Lister.
Then Horn almost finished the fight in the first round, but Lister,
somehow escaped out of a tight triangle choke in the first round.
From then on Lister wasn't able to muster much of an attack.
According to various media at the event, most people had Horn
winning the fight 3 rounds to 1 round.
Now
what is next for Horn? He most likely will give up the King of
the Cage title and pursue fighting at both 205 and 185. Horn
would prefer to fight in the UFC at 185, but there are strong
indications until the UFC calls, he will take a fight against
David Loiseau in the TKO promotion in February.
The
UFC seemed to be interested in Horn fighting at 185, but after
a lackluster performance against Vernon Tiger White in Las Vegas
last year, the UFC made it clear, you can't just win... you have
to win impressively.
Now
fast forward a year later and Horn has made it understood, he's
ready to FIGHT, with the word FIGHT being the key word in the
equation. Horn was sensational at the IFC event in Denver in
June and since then has focused on being an exciting fighter
and has delivered on becoming more aggressive in his fights including
this weekend against Lister.
So
what are the possibilites of Horn fighting in the UFC? You would
think pretty good since Phil Baroni was suspended for a year
and now the only fighter they have as a legit contender at 185
seems to be Matt Lindland. When Horn was asked about fighting
in the UFC at 185 he said "I would love to fight for the
UFC at 185, but until they call I have to keep fighting to make
a living."
Don't
look for Horn to drop to 185 immediately. Horn's promoter Monte
Cox told MMAWeekly "You got to remember the money at 205
is better than 185. So I think you will be able to see Jeremy
compete in both divisions for now."
Source: MMA Weekly |
Fanning
the Flames as the HEAT is Coming:
Forrest Griffin Returns to the Brazilian Spotlight at HEAT FC
2!
Taking
the MMA world by storm last July 31st with his submission win
over seasoned veteran Ebenezer Fontes Braga at HEAT FC 1, youngster
Forrest Griffin out of Athens, GA, suddenly got the recognition
his fighting skills and raw talent should have got him long ago.
Ever since his amateur days Forrest was adding win after win
to his record, scoring armbars and chokes and amazing those who
were close to him at that time. Later, in his first venture as
a pro, Griffin faced much more experienced and much heavier Dan
Severn, only to lose by judge's decision. His next six professional
fights saw six impressive wins, including names such as Jeff
Monson and Travis Fulton. However, as he was getting ready for
bigger opportunities a broken hand would sideline Forrest for
quite a while, making him miss a potential fight against Bobby
Hoffman and having him wonder about his future. However, it would
be a matter of time until he would be back on track again as
faith would give him a shot at facing tough veteran Ebenezer
Braga in the inaugural HEAT show, all the way down in Brazil!
In what seemed a risky move, Griffin went down to Brazil to score
a rear naked choke and get the win in under four minutes, and
doors started to open again. Next step for Forrest was his IFC
tournament appearance, where he proved his potential again in
both winning and losing efforts, as he submitted Team Quest member
Chael Sonner with a triangle choke, and lost to UFC and PRIDE
veteran Jeremy Horn by KO, in an exciting match up that he won't
forget soon. Already known in our sport's biz, Forrest Griffin
is now taking his game to Brazil once again at HEAT FC 2, where
he will most certainly prove his skills once again and show a
bit more of his sense of humor, as this guy is truly one of the
most humble fighters you'll ever meet! As HEAT FC 2 Evolution
approaches, Full Contact Fighter is gearing up the expectations
for what promises to be one of the best MMA shows in Brazil in
recent times, and so we bring you Forrest Griffin as he talks
about his last fights and his next tasks!
FCF:
Your last fights took place at the IFC tourney, where you won
your first fight before losing in the second one. Besides the
actual results of your fights, what was your general feeling
of being part of that show?
Forrest Griffin: Just being around the fighters and being at
an event of that caliber made me think, "shit this really
is a professional sport!" The athletes were there to win
and they trained and lived like professionals. They didn't mess
around, for them it was not a vacation, it was work and it showed
in their performances. The event itself was organized and ran
like a German clock.
FCF:
In your first fight you submitted wrestler Chael Sonnen by triangle.
You mentioned to me, before the tournament, that you would be
happy if you would just win the first fight. Did you really feel
happy with it after the show?
FG: Hell no! That was garbage! I don't know what I was talking
about. I think I was afraid to come out and say "I want
to win". But I should have gone Quinton Jackson's style
and just said "damn I want that money!". After I lost
I was depressed as hell and wanted to quit all together.
FCF:
What did you think of your fight against Sonnen, and do you like
to fight from the bottom, using your guard?
FG: Junk, nobody wants to see a guy just sit in his guard and
protect himself. It's performances like that that give Jiu-Jitsu
a bad name. The guard can be exciting. My guard can be exciting!
FCF:
After your win over Chael, you ended up facing experienced fighter
Jeremy Horn, in a fight that was somewhat even before you got
surprised by a kick and ended up knocked out. How do you analyze
that fight?
FG: I mostly try not to think about it, I just have nightmares.
He out worked me and he wanted to win more than I did. Oh yeah,
and he's real slick too! I really like the guy, but God, I want
to fight him again.
FCF:
You seemed to take your loss quite well, so this may sound as
a dumb question, but how did it feel to be knocked out for the
first time in your career?
FG: I'd rather get knocked out in grand fashion than lose a decision
where I fight "smart". I'm never going to be one of
the top level guys, so I don't worry about wins and losses, or
at least I try real hard not to, but I want to be exciting.
FCF:
I have to say I think you're on the verge of being one of the
top guys, and it's good to see you're still humble [Laughs].
Anyway, you're now about to return to action fighting at HEAT
FC 2 Evolution. What are your expectations for this fight?
FG: I'm ready to fight again. It's been a long time and I'd like
to fight more often, except that I keep breaking stuff and that
makes it hard [Laughs].
FCF:
Your opponent is Edson Paredao, who is somewhat unknown for the
international public. What do you know about your opponent and
what do you expect from him?
FG: I really don't know anything about him except he's big and
strong, and has anice straight right hand, which I'd like to
stay clear of.
FCF:
This is a smart move! [Laughs] Did you change anything in your
training for this fight? What did you emphasize the most training
for HEAT FC 2?
FG: All kidding aside I added alcohol, lots of it, to my diet
and went out a lot more. I also started working at a strip joint
and keeping odd hours [Laughs]
FCF:
Damn! Let's take it as an improvement on your part! [Laughs]
You also took part on HEAT FC 1, defeating seasoned veteran Ebenezer
Braga. What do you recall from that experience, and do you think
that win will give you some support and recognition from the
crowd in Brazil?
FG: Sure! The fans down there appreciate the sport and a good
"balls to wall" performance. That's what they got last
time this is what they will get this time.
FCF:
You're now fighting on a card with other famous fighters such
as Allan Goes, Carlos Barreto, Ebenezer Braga, Gustavo Ximu,
Travis Wiuff, and others you saw fighting before such as Eric
Wanderlei, who was also in the IFC. Are there any fighters that
you're looking forward to see competing live at the show?
FG: I can't wait to see some of those fights. I tell the American
fans who probably don't know of him to watch Eric Wanderlei!
He fought in the IFC with one days notice and no time to adjust
to the Denver alttitude, which is a killer. But despite all that
he still showed me how good a fight can look on the ground.
FCF:
After your win over Braga at HEAT 1, and your display of skills
at the IFC you became known and rumors are always flying around
about Forrest Griffin. After HEAT FC 2, what's next for you?
FG: A lot of dieting [Laughs], I'm fighting Marvin Eastman on
January 17th.
FCF:
This is going to be also a great fight! Any final messages for
the fans?
FG: Don't be my fans, guys in the NFL have fans. Randy [Couture],
Chuck [Liddell], and Tito [Ortiz] have fans, I just have friends.
FCF:
There you have it! Thank you very much for your time Forrest
and the best of luck at HEAT FC 2!
FG: Thank you Eduardo.
Source: FCF |
Wrestling
Weekend Wrap-Up
By: Eddie Goldman
IOWA
STATE DOWNS IOWA, 21-13, TO END 30-MATCH LOSING STREAK; OKLAHOMA
STATE DOWNS OKLAHOMA AT BEDLAM; LEHIGH, PENN, PENN STATE, COLUMBIA,
NAVY NEWS
The
last time the Iowa State Cyclones defeated their in-state rivals,
the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, in a dual meet, Ronald Reagan
was president, there was no World Wide Web, and the Berlin Wall
still stood. That was in 1987, some 30 dual meets ago.
That
all changed Sunday afternoon, as Iowa State won six matches out
of ten, including the final five, to defeat Iowa 21-13 at home
in Hilton Coliseum in Ames, before a crowd of 5149. Iowa State
upped its unbeaten mark this season to 7-0, while Iowa is now
4-1. While the Red Sox and Cubs may still have to wait, one of
college wrestling's longest losing streaks is now over.
With
unbeaten Nebraska winning the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational,
in which Illinois took fourth, and Iowa falling to Iowa State,
it will once again be interesting to see just whom the pundits
anoint as number one in this week's polls. Unlike college football,
with its hopelessly flawed BCS computer rankings devised by hopelessly
flawed human beings, the real national champions in college wrestling
will be decided by head-to-head competition, in the NCAA Div.
I Wrestling Championships this coming March in St. Louis.
Also
on Sunday, Oklahoma State prevailed in the 146th edition of Bedlam
by defeating in-state rival Oklahoma, 23-12. The crowd in Gallagher-Iba
Arena totaled 7402. With over 5000 watching Iowa State-Iowa and
over 7000 watching Oklahoma State-Oklahoma in early season duals,
the popularity of college wrestling seems to be on the rise.
We
also have results from Lehigh at the Sheridan Duals, the University
of Pennsylvania, Penn State, Columbia, and Navy, all compiled
from the press releases sent to us by these teams.
THE
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
HAWKEYES
LOSE TO IOWA STATE, 21-13
AMES,
IA -- The University of Iowa wrestling team lost its first dual
of the season, 21-13, to Iowa State Sunday in Ames. A crowd of
5,149 saw the loss that snapped Iowa's 30-match winning streak
against the Cyclones.
Iowa senior Tyler Nixt started things off with a 19-8 major decision
over Nels Matson at 174. The win was the 95th of his career,
and he improves to 15-0 on the season. Iowa State's Kurt Backes
put the Cyclones on the board with a late takedown to defeat
Hawkeye sophomore Paul Bradley, 4-3, at 184.
The Hawkeyes won the next three matches, starting with Hawkeye
senior Ryan Fulsaas' 3-2 win over Cyclone Trevor Smith at 197,
making the team score 7-3. At heavyweight, Hawkeye redshirt freshman
Ryan Fuller added three more team points with his 10-5 decision
over Iowa State's Richard Schopf. Hawkeye senior Luke Eustice
improved to 7-0 on the season with a 7-5 win over Cyclone Grant
Nakamura at 125 to make the team score 13-3.
The Cyclones started a roll of their own at 133, when senior
Zach Roberson scored a 10-5 decision over Iowa redshirt freshman
Todd Meneely. At 141, Iowa State sophomore Nate Gallick defeated
Hawkeye senior Cliff Moore, 6-3. Hawkeye sophomore Ty Eustice
scored a late escape in regulation at 149 to take Cyclone redshirt
freshman Trent Paulson to sudden victory, but Paulson scored
a takedown and backpoints in the overtime to win the match 5-1.
Iowa State took a two-point team lead at 157 when
Cyclone redshirt freshman Travis Paulson held off a late comeback
from Iowa sophomore Joe Johnston to win, 7-4. Cyclone senior
Nick Passolano sealed the streak-snapping win with his 36-second
pin of Hawkeye redshirt freshman Cole Pape at 165.
In other competition, Hawkeye freshman Mark Perry won the 165-pound
title and sophomore Lucas Magnani placed third at 125 at the
Northern Iowa Open Saturday in Cedar Falls.
Iowa (4-1) will host Northern Iowa (1-1) in its home opener Thursday
at 7 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.
INDIVIDUAL
MATCH RESULTS
Iowa State 21, Iowa 13
174 Tyler Nixt (I) maj. dec. Nels Matson (ISU), 19-8
184 Kurt Backes (ISU) dec. Paul Bradley (I), 4-3
197 Ryan Fulsaas (I) dec. Trevor Smith (ISU), 3-2
Hwt Ryan Fuller (I) dec. Richard Schopf (ISU), 10-5
125 Luke Eustice (I) dec. Grant Nakamura (ISU), 7-5
133 Zach Roberson (ISU) dec. Todd Meneely (I), 10-5
141 Nate Gallick (ISU) dec. Cliff Moore (I), 6-3
149 Trent Paulson (ISU) dec. Ty Eustice (I), 5-1
157 Travis Paulson (ISU) dec. Joe Johnston (I), 7-4
165 Nick Passolano (ISU) pinned Cole Pape (I), 0:36
OKLAHOMA
STATE
Cowboys
Win Round 1 of Bedlam, 23-12
Cowboys
Win Round 1 of Bedlam, 23-12
Thompson earns fall; Ward, Lewis record major decisions.
STILLWATER,
Okla. (OSU Athletics ) ' Senior Johnny Thompson fueled the Cowboys
to a 23-12 victory over No. 14 Oklahoma in their conference home
opener Sunday afternoon in Gallagher-Iba Arena.
The
Oklahoma City, Okla., native only needed 1:54 to pin OU's Mimi
Miller, sending the crowd of 7,402 to its feet after referee
Pat Fitzgerald slapped the mat. The win gave OSU a 6-3 advantage
over the Sooners.
'It's
going to be very important in any of our dual meets to have the
opportunity to pick up a pin or a major decision,' Head Coach
John Smith said. 'Until we can establish oursevles in a few weight
classes outside of our four or five regulars, we are going to
have to pick them (bonus points) up.'
OU's
defending national champion Teyon Ware wrestled in his first
match of the season against Ronnie Delk. After a scoreless first
period, Delk got on the board first with a reversal. Ware cut
the lead to 2-1 with an escape and then took the lead with a
takedown with 11 seconds left. Delk then tied it at 3-3 with
a buzzer-beating escape.
Ware
then scored an escape and a takedown in the third to record the
6-4 victory, and to tie the team score at 6-6.
Zack
Esposito's 9-4 decision over Jeff Ecklof started a string of
five wins for the Cowboys. Kevin Ward would notch his first conference
win at 157 with a 13-3 major decision over Charles Jones, while
Tyrone Lewis recorded three takedowns and a pair of three-point
nearfalls en route to a 16-4 major decision over Rafael Maturino.
'He
(Kevin Ward) has done a good job,†Smith said.
'He's having an opportunity now to do something that he hasn't
had in two years, and he is taking advantage of it right now.
'157
pounds is another strong weight class for us right now,' Smith
said. 'Johny Hendricks just finished up winning a tournament
up at Fort Hays this past weekend, and both of those guys will
get the opportunity to go at Reno.'
Chris
Pendleton defeated E.K. Waldhaus, 4-2, and OSU's defending national
champion Jake Rosholt won his first match of the year, defeating
Justin Dyer, 3-0.
The
Sooners got decisions from Sam Hazewinkle, Joel Flaggert and
Leonce Crump.
The
Cowboys return to action on Dec. 14 with a pair of duals against
Oregon State and Oregon.
Results
OSU - 23, OU - 12
125 - Sam Hazewinkle (OU) dec. Cody Stites (OSU), 5-2
133 - Johnny Thompson (OSU) fall Mimi Miller (OU), 1:54
141 - Teyon Ware (OU) dec. Ronnie Delk (OSU), 6-4
149 - Zack Esposito (OSU) dec. Jeff Ecklof (OU), 9-4
157 - Kevin Ward (OSU) m.d. Charles Jones (OU), 13-3
165 - Tyrone Lewis (OSU) m.d. Rafael Maturino (OU), 16-4
174 - Chris Pendleton (OSU) dec. E.K. Waldhaus (OU), 4-2
184 - Jake Rosholt (OSU) dec. Justin Dyer (OU), 3-0
197 - Joel Flaggert (OU) dec. Rusty Blackmon (OSU), 2-1
285 - Leonce Crump (OU) dec. Will Gruenwald (OSU), 7-2
OKLAHOMA
Sooner
Wrestling Loses To Oklahoma State, 23-12
Oklahoma Wins Four Matches in Bedlam Dual.
NORMAN,
Okla. - The No. 15 ranked Oklahoma wrestling team lost to Oklahoma
State in front of a crowd of 7,402 fans in Gallagher-Iba Arena
on Sunday. Red-shirt freshman Sam Hazewinkel, sophomore Teyon
Ware, freshman Joel Flaggert and senior Leonce Crump won their
matches tonight at 125, 141, 197 and HWT respectively.
'We
are extremely young,' head coach Jack Spates said. 'We had six
freshmen in there. I am just disappointed in the number of warnings
that we received. You have to battle out there, and we felt that
we had a real good shot to win five matches if we wrestled the
way that we are capable of. The bottom line is that you have
to do more.'
Ware
made his return to the mat after injury held him out for the
start of the season. Ware decisioned Ronnie Delk of Oklahoma
State, 6-4 in a close match as defending national champion.
'From
the beginning I just played this match by ear,' Ware said. 'I
did not know how I was going to feel coming into this match.
I was a little nervous when I came out because this was my first
match back and it was bedlam. I am not throwing any excuses out
there. He wrestled a great match. He kept it close, which was
what a lot of the fans were hoping for. He is a tough wrestler
and I will get another chance at him.'
Hazewinkel
maintains his undefeated streak with a 5-2 decision of Cody Sites
of Oklahoma State. The win puts Hazewinkel at 12-0 on the year
with his first dual win of the season.
Flaggert
won his match with Rusty Blackmon of Oklahoma State by a 2-1
decision. Flaggert reversed Blackmon in the second period to
receive his only points of the match, which were enough to hold
off Blackmon for the win.
'Sam
and Joel Flaggert were excellent,' Spates said. 'They both wrestled
extremely hard.'
Crump
decisioned Will Gruenwald of Oklahoma State, 7-2 in the last
match of the dual. Crump pulled away in the third period after
a 2-0 lead through the first and second periods by recording
two takedowns to finish off Gruenwald.
“We
wrestled a great team, but a team that is vulnerable. We just
have to do more to put ourselves in a position to win,â€
Spates said.
Oklahoma
will next travel Edmond Okla. to take on Bacone College and Central
Oklahoma on Dec. 12, at 4 p.m.
LEHIGH
Bethlehem,
PA - In Lehigh's first match of the day, the Mountain Hawks overpowered
EIWA foe American, winning by a score of 38-9. Head coach Greg
Strobel elected to use the match get some mat time for more of
the wrestling squad, as Mario Stuart, Matt Ciasulli, and Matt
Cassidy were the only starters to wrestle. The match only included
seven matches, as American forfeited at three weights.
At
125, Mario Stuart came out firing, executing a takedown and a
three-point near fall in the first period. He never let up either,
winning over Matt Pelligrino by tech fall at 6:44 by a score
of 20-3. Then, at 133, Matt Ciasulli gained his team-leading
third pin on the season, toppling Ben Lamson in just 1:13.
Mark
McCauley made his first appearance of the year at 141, losing
a very close match to Daniel Lobsenz. Lobsenz executed a takedown
with just :10 left on the clock in the third period to take the
victory 3-2. Tommy Rohn returned to the mat at 149, and Lehigh
lost another thriller when Tim Kneizewski beat the buzzer with
a match-tying takedown in the third, then scored another takedown
in overtime to win 11-9.
The
Mountain Hawks then took the next three weights by forfeit, with
Derek Zinck, Mike Maceroli, and Brad Dillon picking up the wins.
At 184, Dan Waters continued American’s efforts,
beating Dave Helfrich with the only takedown of the match, winning
3-2. At 197, Matt Cassidy improved to 5-1 on the season with
his first pin, taking down Adam Montgomery at 1:51. Finally,
at heavyweight, Anthony Livecchi won his first match by besting
Jared Hyman 8-6.
In
an exhibition matchup, Lehigh’s Jon Bruno defeated
Joe Maroney of Rider by tech fall, 16-0. Lehigh will finish off
the Sheridan Duals with a match with Rider at 2:00. In an earlier
match at 10:00am, Rider defeated American 46-3.
Weight
Matchup Result
125 Mario Stuart (LU) over Matt Pelligrino (AU) WTF, 20-3 (6:44)
133 Matt Ciasulli (LU) over Ben Lamson (AU) WBF, 1:13
141 Daniel Lobsenz (AU) over Mark McCauley (LU) 3-2
149 Tim Kniezewski (AU) over Tommy Rohn (LU) 11-9 (OT)
157 Derek Zinck (LU) forfeit
165 Mike Maceroli (LU) forfeit
174 Brad Dillon (LU) forfeit
184 Dan Waters (AU) over Dave Helfrich (LU) 3-2
197 Matt Cassidy (LU) over Adam Montgomery (AU) WBF, 1:51
HWT Anthony Livecchi (LU) over Jared Hyman (AU) 8-6
Bethlehem,
PA – Senior Mario Stuart began the match by
picking up his second win of the day with a 5-3 win over Jim
DiCisco in a match that was tight throughout. Don Fisch of Rider
than controlled the next match as he defeated Matt Ciasulli of
Lehigh by a score of 7-1, to tying the team scores at three.
Ninth ranked Cory Cooperman helped the Mountain Hawks regain
the lead with a 12-6 victory over Mike Molosky of the Broncs,
in a match that Cooperman controlled throughout.
Freshman
Matt Anderson then dueled with Labe Black in a bout that was
close throughout, but Anderson was able to prevail as he came
out on top with a 5-4 victory at 149. At 157, Derek Zinck engaged
in a very close and entertaining battle with Dave Miller, as
both wrestlers tried to gain control of the bout, but neither
able to pull away. In the end, Zinck prevailed with a 3-1 victory
and the Mountain Hawks led 12-3.
Mike
Macerolli then got on the mat for the first time this season,
after winning a decision by forfeit earlier in the day against
American. Macerolli had a tough time against Ryan Cunningham,
who came out fired up early and took control of the bout. Cunningham
won the 165 pound by major decision with a score of 15-7, as
the Broncs closed to within 12-7 overall. But, senior All-American
Brad Dillon quickly put an end to that with a win by technical
fall, as he defeated Chris Marold 20-5, and put the Mountain
Hawks back up by ten, 17-7.
Travis
Frick scored a tough 3-2 victory over Nick Catone to put Lehigh
ahead 20-7, which put the match out of reach. Freshman Matt Cassidy
then went up against Jeff Black in a very intense match, which
was interrupted midway through, when Black spit on the mat, which
turned into a technical point being awarded to Cassidy. Cassidy
then countered Black’s outburst with a balanced
attack of his own, which turned into a 6-2 victory. In the final
bout of the day,
Weight
Matchup Result
125 Mario Stuart (LU) over Jim DiCisco(RU) 5-3
133 Don Fisch (RU) over Matt Ciasulli (LU) 7-1
141 Cory Cooperman (LU) over Mike Molosky (RU) 12-6
149 Matt Anderson (LU) over Labe Black (RU) 5-4
157 Derek Zinck (LU) over Dave Miller (RU) 3-1
165 Ryan Cunningham(RU) over Mike Macerolli (LU) MD, 15-7
174 Brad Dillon (LU) over Chris Marold (RU) WTF, 20-5
184 Travis Frick (LU) over Nick Catone (RU) 3-2
197 Matt Cassidy (LU) over Jeff Black (RU) 6-2
HWT Paul Weibel (LU) over Carmelo Marrerro (RU)
Rider-American
Rider 46 American 3
125- Jim DiCicco (R) over Matt Pelligrino (A) WTF, 5:34 15-0
133- Don Fisch (R) over Ben Lamson (A) WBF, 5:27
141- Mike Molosky (R) over Daniel Lobsenz (A) WTF, 5:27 18-3
149- Labe Miller (R) over Tim Kniezewski (A) 10-3
157- Dave Miller (R) forfeit
165- Ryan Cunningham (R) forfeit
174- Chris Marold (R) forfeit
184- Dan Waters (A) over Joe Maroney (R) 11-5
197- Jeff Black (R) over Adam Montgomery (A) WBF, 2:30
HWT- Jared Terrell (R) over Jared Hyman (A) 16-14, (OT)
UNIVERSITY
OF PENNSYLVANIA
No.
12 Wrestling Crowns Three Champions at Penn State Open
Six Quakers compete in the Championship finals.
State
College, Pa. – No. 12 University of Pennsylvania
wrestling crowned three champions and sent six wrestlers to the
championships finals at the Penn State Open on Sunday on the
campus of Penn State University. Sophomore Matt Valenti remains
undefeated on the season as he topped teammate Mike Silengo,
8-5, for the 125 pound title. Senior co-captain Brett Vanderveer
and sophomore Matt Herrington both earned blue ribbons at 157
pounds and 174 pounds, respectively.
Valenti
made his way to the gold medal round by defeating Brad Cipriano
of Duquesne, 6-0 in the semifinals while Silengo topped Peter
Derstine of Clarion, 10-8 in sudden victory.
Vanderveer
earned his first win of the season with a convincing, 12-6, win
over Nate Galloway of Penn State at 157 pounds. After pinning
Tim Allen of Pitt, Vanderveer earned a major decision over John
Pruit of Navy, 13-2 and defeated Mike Carbonaro of Navy to advance
to the championship finals.
Herrington
continued his momentum from Friday nights win into today’s
tournament to earn his second win of the season at 174 pounds.
Herrington pinned all three of his opponents on his way to the
championship finals including a technical fall against Jonathan
Crimeni of West Virginia as he led 16-0 before pinning Crimeni
in 4:19. In the finals, Herrington defeated Bryce Hasselman of
Bloomsburg, 13-4.
Junior
Marcus Schontube finished second at 197 pounds after falling
to Joel Edwards of Penn State, 6-3. At 133 pounds, sophomore
Matt Eveleth pinned Justin Langiois of Navy and Mike Luppa of
Maryland before defeating Mike Messina of Sacred Hart, 3-1, to
earn a spot in the championship finals against No. 2 Josh Moore
of Penn State. Moore topped Eveleth with a 10-2 victory.
Also
placing for the Red and Blue were senior co-captain Ethan Bullock
(third at 184 pounds), juniors Matt Feast (fourth at 285 pounds),
Craig Wright (sixth at 149 pounds) and Kyle Bernholz (eighth
at 157 pounds), sophomores Shawn Protz (fourth at 133 pounds)
and Dustin Wiles (fifth at 174 pounds) and freshman Brock Wittmeyer
(fifth at 157 pounds).
The
Quakers return to action after the holiday break at the Midland
Championships on the campus of Northwestern on Dec. 29 and 30.
Championship
Finals:
125; Matt Valenti, Penn 8-5 over Mike Silengo, Penn
133; Josh Moore, Penn St 10-2 over Matt Eveleth, Penn
157; Brett Vanderveer, Penn 12-6 over Nate Galloway, Penn St
174; Matt Herrington, Penn 13-4 over Bryce Hasseman, Bloomsburg
197; Joel Edwards, Penn St 6-3 over Marcus Schontube, Penn
Consolation
Finals (for third through eighth):
133; Mike Messina, Sacred Heart 7-6 over Shawn Protz,
149; Jon Denk, Duquesne F2:34 over Craig Wright, Penn
157; Brock Wittmeyer, Penn 12-1 over Adam James, Maryland; Rob
Belville, Sacred Heart 7-0 over Kyle Bernholz, Penn
174; Dustin Wiles, Penn F1:07 over Pat Cissne
184; Ethan Bullock, Penn 6-1 over Nate Shirk, Bloomsburg
285; Mike Faust, unat, 6-6;2tb over Matt Feast, Penn;
PENN
STATE
Penn
State wrestlers post two champions, four finalists at Bic Open
State
College, Pa., Dec. 7, 2003 - The No. 12 ranked Penn State wrestling
team had its final tune-up before the start of the dual meet
season Sunday as the Nittany Lions posted two champions, four
finalists and eight placers at the 2003 Bic Open in Rec Hall.
Leading the way for Penn State on the day were highly ranked
seniors Josh Moore and Pat Cummins and sophomore Joel Edwards.
Moore, ranked No. 2 at 133 pounds, rolled to his third tournament
title of
the season as he posted two falls and a pair of major decisions
in winning the 133-pound championship. Moore defeated Penn's
Matt Eveleth, 10-2, in the final and ran his season fall total
to 12 and season record to 17-1.
Cummins, ranked No. 1 in the nation at heavyweight, cruised into
a semifinal showdown with No. 3 ranked Matt Feast of Penn. Cummins
posted a pair of falls and a technical fall in the early rounds
before posting a 3-1, sudden victory decision over Feast to reach
the final.
Once there, he was greeted by U.S. National Champion Kerry McCoy
who returned to Penn State for the competition. McCoy, a two-time
NCAA Champion as a Nittany Lion, posted four victories on the
day as he continued preparations for the 2004 Olympic Trials.
The two Nittany Lions decided not to wrestle the final match
and shared tournament title honors. Cummins is now 13-0 on the
year with six falls and has three tournament titles to his credit.
Edwards picked up the title at 197 pounds after posting five
impressive victories on the day. Two falls, a major decision
and an 11-4 win put him into the finals where he downed Penn's
Marcus Schontube 6-3.
Also reaching the finals on the day for Penn State was sophomore
Nate Galloway. He posted four victories to reach the final at
157 pounds where he fell, 12-6, to Penn's Brett Vanerveer.
Also placing for Penn State on the day were juniors Josh Walker
(5th at heavyweight) and Anthony Rivera (5th at 184) and freshmen
A.J. Cummins (8th at 197) and Rich Brooks (3rd at 174).
Penn State starts the dual meet season Saturday in Rec Hall as
they take on Navy at 7:00 p.m.
COLUMBIA
WRESTLING'S
SATO GIVES TEAM'S BEST PERFORMANCE AT THE LAS VEGAS INVITATIONAL
LAS
VEGAS, NE (Dec. 5, 2003) – Jeff Sato (So.,
Pismo Beach, Calif.) had the best showing for Columbia in the
first day of the Las Vegas Invitational. Despite losing in the
first round at 125, Sato tried to battle back through the consolation
bracket and made it to the third round. He then lost a intense
match by a score of 5-2. Sato finished the day at 2 wins and
2 loses.
Winning
their first bouts of the tournament were Sam Kuntz (So., Cicero,
Ill., 174) and Devin Mesanko (So., Toms River, N.J., 157). Kuntz
won his first battle by forfeit at the 4:58 mark. He went on
to the next round, where he endured a harsh loss. In consolations,
he suffered at difficult 6-0 loss, ending his day. Mesanko easily
won his first match 13-1 to move on to the next round. He then
faced Ivy foe Jesse Jantzen from the Harvard Crimson and was
eventually pinned. Once in the consolations, Mesanko lost a tough
5-1 battle.
The
Lions will not be in action again until Dec.27th where they will
travel to Greensboro, N.C. to take part in the Southern Scuffle.
Complete
results:
125 - Jeff Sato, 2-2
133 - Eric Amstutz, 0-2
141 - Anthony Constantino, 0-2
149 - Dean Kinports, 0-2
157 - Devin Mesanko, 1-2
165 - Justin Barent, 0-2
174 - Sam Kuntz, 1-2
184 - John Grando, 0-2
Hwt. - Bart Seemen, 0-2
NAVY
Navy's
Brochetti & Manion Capture Individual Titles at Penn State
Open
STATE
COLLEGE, Pa. - Navy wrestlers Adam Brochetti (So./Kittanning,
Pa.) and Travis Manion (Sr./Doylestown, Pa.) each captured titles
their respective weight classes at the Penn State Open Sunday
afternoon.
Brochetti
defeated top-seeded John Zarzycki from Maryland, 8-1, in the
championship match of the 149-pound weight class. Manion put
together four-straight wins on the weekend, capped by a 6-4 decision
over Rider's T.J. Morrison in the finals of the 184-pound division.
'The
guys competed hard and we had quite a few guys place this weekend
which is good for us,' Navy head coach Bruce Burnett said. 'Where
we're at right now, we can't afford to make the mistakes we're
making. There are still some injuries we're trying to overcome,
but it's all practice right now and everyone is competing hard.
We head back up here next weekend to wrestle nationally-ranked
Penn State, so we have to get ready.'
Junior
Nate Gulosh (Stow, Ohio) continued his strong wrestling with
a third-place finish in the 141-pound weight class. Gulosh scored
an 8-4 decision over Sacred Heart's Jason Cucolo to place third,
while his younger brother Matt won the seventh-place match with
a 12-5 decision against Sacred Heart's Kyle McCarthy.
Senior
Michael Carbonaro (Blairstown, N.J.) scored a narrow 3-2 decision
over teammate Craig Dziewatkowski (So./Aurora, Ill.) to place
third at 157 pounds.
In the 125-pound weight class, freshman Alex Usztics (Dauphin,
Pa.) defeated West Virginia's Troy Forte, 7-3, in the fifth-place
match.
After dropping a close match in the 197-pound quarterfinals,
junior Thayer Paxton (Jr./Meyersdale, Pa.) fought back in the
wrestlebacks and pinned Penn State's A.J. Cummins at 1:23 in
the seventh-place match.
Navy (3-0) returns to action Saturday at 7 p.m. when the Mids
travel back up to State College, Pa., to take on 12th-ranked
Penn State.
Championship
Finals
125- Matt Valenti (Penn) dec. Mike Silengo (Penn), 8-5
133- Josh Moore (Penn St.) major dec. Matt Eveleth (Penn), 10-2
141- Frank Edgar (Clarion) dec. Scott Heckman (Bloomsburg), 13-9
149- Adam Brochetti (Navy) dec. John Zarzycki (Maryland), 8-1
157- Brett Vanderveer (Penn) dec. Nate Galloway (Penn St.), 12-6
165- George Carter (Bloomsburg) dec. Carlo Mercadante (Maryland),
12-5
174- Matt Herrington (Penn) major dec. Bryce Hasseman (Bloomsburg),
13-4
184- Travis Manion (Navy) dec. T.J. Morrison (Rider), 6-4
197- Joel Edwards (Penn St.) dec. Marcus Schontube (Penn), 6-3
HWT- Kerry McCoy (NYAC) and Pat Cummins (Penn St.), No Contest
Source: ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"Look at your past. Your past has determined where you are
at this moment. What you do today will determine where you are
tomorrow. Are you moving forward or standing still?"
Tom Hopkins, American Sales Trainer, Speaker, Author
|
Local
News Updates
According to Enson, Egan did break two ribs in his fight with
Jason Miller. He thinks that it may have occured when Miller
stacked him to pass his guard. Egan is said to be in good spirits
and is not thinking of retirement. Egan will probably be out
for a while, at least until his ribs heal.
We
talked to BJ Penn and he said that he asked the UFC for a match
with the winner of the Hughes/Trigg fight prior to the last UFC.
He is walking around now just under 170 lbs and will start his
intense training for the biggest fight of his life. He said that
he wants to pick Matt Hughes up and slam him like Hughes does
all of his opponents. Many people say that BJ is too light for
Hughes, but besides Carlos Newton, who has Hughes fought that
has a good mixture of good stand up skills and an excellent game
off his back? BJ has a more decorated background in Jiu-Jitsu
than Carlos Newton and Newton did very well in his first fight
with Hughes. I think Hughes did better in the second fight because
he knew what Newton was like and made his adjustments. Hughes
does not know how BJ feels which will be to BJ's advantage.
Good luck to BJ and Charuto, who will be making his UFC appearance,
on the same show!
|
Black
& Brown Pro Events -
Arnold/Gracie Championships
The 2004 Arnold World Gracie Submission Championships will be
adding (2) Professional competitions to the overall event, a
Black Belt Invitational and a Brown Belt Professional tournament.
Here are the details:
Brown
Belt Professional Tournament
The
Professional brown Belt tournament will consist of 10 weight
classes (rooster, super feather, feather, light, middle, light
heavy, med. heavy, heavy, super heavy and super super heavy)
The winners from each weight class will fight the winner from
the next higher weight class. Each champion will win $500.00
(5 champions)
All
competitors who hold the rank of Brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu or Judo
are eligible. Please register online www.gracieworlds.com (available December
the 8th)
Black
Belt Invitational
We
will create a Black Belt competition based on the largest number
of entries from a particular weight class, for example, if 20
light weight black blacks register before our posted closing
date and only 2 heavy, then we will run a light weight competition.
We want to represent the group with the most entries. The prize
money for the winner $1000.00 and $500.00 for the runner-up!
If
you are interested in competing, all you have to do is email
us the following information: Name of School/Team, Weight, Belt
Rank (Must be Black Belt in Jiu-Jitsu or Judo)
This
information must be submitted by January 15th, 2004 to:
gracieworlds@aol.com or you can call 800-765-6999
in the U.S. 614-238-3662 outside of U.S.
Competitors
invited to compete will receive confirmation by the tournament
director! Please go to www.gracieworlds.com on December 8th for
more details on both competitions.
Source:
ADCC
|
|
Hidehiko
Yoshida's Tormentor chosen to run with Olympic torch in Rio de
Janeiro
“Carrying
the torch can be as important as winning an Olympic medal”,
said an emotional Carlos Honorato, when he learned he would be
the first athlete chosen to carry the Olympic torch along the
streets of Rio de Janeiro, on its way to Athens. It’s the
first time that the torch comes to South America.
A
Silver medalist in the middleweight category in Sydney-2000,
the 29-year judo fighter is known in Japan and abroad after his
spectacular victory against Hidehiko Yoshida in the Olympic games
in Australia. 57 seconds into his third fight, Honorato got a
sensational ippon over Yoshida, at that time known for his three
world titles and his gold medal in Barcelona-1992. While taking
down Pride’s big star, Honorato almost broke his opponent’s
arm when the Japanese fighter fell over his right arm. Yoshida
left the dojo on a stretcher.
“I
was screaming with joy and could not even see that he was screaming
too, but in pain”, recalled Honorato.
He
is the first athlete among the 120 Brazilians who will run with
the Olympic torch in June of 2004, along a total distance of
45 kilometers. The judo fighter was really happy with the announcement
made by the Brazilian Olympic Committee (COB) and Rio de Janeiro’s
mayor, at the end of November. The name of Carlos Honorato was
also suggested by Coca-Cola, old sponsor of Olympic games and
sponsor of the Brazilian judo team.
“I
guess I was chosen because of the our judo in 2003 is heading
upwards. But my good results and my will also contributed, as
well as the fact that I won the silver medal in Sydney”,
believes Honorato, who got this year one gold medal in the Judo
Pan-American and two bronze medals, in the Pan-American Games
and in the World Championship, in Japan.
“I
always run during my preparation for the competitions, so that
distance of 500 meters will be a piece of cake”, he said
with good humor.
Source:
ADCC |
The
Brazilian Beat
Belfort focused on Couture, endless rumors of Brazilians fighting
in Japan, Silva and Mino relaxing and HEAT FC 2 just 11 days
away!
The
Brazilian Beat:
As December will grace us with plenty of MMA action all around
the globe, this column begins the month with plenty of news from
the hot summer of Brazil, since this humble reporter has been
boosting up his writing once again and trying to keep up the
pace with the growth of our sport here in this young country.
With shows happening in the most diverse places around globe
this month, such as Scandinavia, Russia, America and Japan, Brazil
couldn't be any different, mostly after a busy end of November
that saw three shows in a mere 3 days. Like a Christmas gift
to Brazilian fans, the month we waited desperately for as kids
will bring the two most prestigious MMA shows in the country,
HEAT FC and MECA with only two days separating one from the other.
I guess this can only be beaten by the always lucky Japanese
fans, who will have three top-notch events on the same day to
choose! What a way to end 2003, a year that brought us so many
emotions in Mixed Martial Arts. However, it's not time to get
emotional as we'll see in more editions of "The Beat"
over the course of the month, and with news regarding all sorts
of rumors from Brazilian fighters, and the above mentioned events,
it's better for me to leave you with the news instead of my rhetoric.
Whether you're a Silva fan, Belfort fan, Minotauro and Sperry
fan, or even a fan of them all, enjoy our December debut as Full
Contact Fighter brings you the Beat, as summer keeps getting
hotter here!
Getting ready for his long awaited rematch against Randy Couture,
Vitor Belfort has been training for a good while already, since
he at first expected to participate in the last UFC, with rumors
flying around some months ago that he would have faced Rich Franklin.
However, as he ended up confirmed to face "The Natural"
at UFC 46, Vitor slowed down the pace of his preparation a bit
to not risk overtraining, and now he is already gearing up his
training for the UFC title shot he craved for so much. "The
Phenom" told FCF he is very confident going to this fight
and is taking the fight as seriously as he ever did. Belfort
is now preparing in his new training center, also located in
the city of Sao Paulo, but nearer to his house than the ADPM
one [Featured in an article here at FCF months ago].
Three-time
MECA winner, IVC Venezuela runner-up and HEAT FC veteran Angelo
Araujo seems to be on the verge of finally getting his shot to
fight in Japan. The Brazilian Top Team fighter has been rumored
to be taking part in the Antonio Inoki New Year's Eve show against
a yet to be named opponent. Reports from the Brazilian Top Team
camp have it that Angelo is in shape and ready to perform, as
he was training previously for the postponed major Korean MMA
show.
Speaking
of Brazilian fighters rumored to be on Japanese New Year's Eve
cards, Chute Boxe fighter Murilo Ninja Rua has been reported
to be taking part on the PRIDE December 31st card, also against
a yet to be named opponent. Ninja was supposed to fight at MECA
10 in Brazil, but with this gig in PRIDE appearing after a year
since his last professional appearance, his brother Mauricio
Shogun Rua is supposed to take his place at MECA as Murilo goes
to Japan to resume his fighting career.
Another
PRIDE veteran who is reported to be returning to the Japanese
ring on December 31st is none other than the manager, promoter,
trainer and still a top level fighter Mario Sperry! The "Zen
Machine" is taking part at the next PRIDE card and is still
waiting to find out his opponent in the show. Sperry has been
training very hard and told FCF he is feeling like a kid again,
and is eager to fight after all the promoting activities he has
been performing. Rumors have it that his opponent may be a very
famous American fighter, time will tell.
PRIDE
Middleweight Champion and Middleweight Grand Prix Champion Wanderlei
Silva has been relaxing after his conquest of the PRIDE Middleweight
GP, defeating both Hidehiko Yoshida and Quinton Jackson on the
same night. "The Axe Murderer" took his wife and 3-month-old
son and traveled all the way up to the gorgeous city of Natal,
home of HEAT FC, in the Northeast of Brazil to enjoy the sun
and the beaches there. During his vacation Silva has been taking
his time to rest and enjoy his family, while he had the pleasure
of checking out the preparations for HEAT FC 2 Evolution, next
December 18th. Wanderlei is likely coming back to Curitiba Monday
and is recovering fine from his elbow surgery.
PRIDE
Heavyweight interim champion Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
has also been enjoying his moments of glory, which are not rare
for him, after his win over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
at the last PRIDE show. Minotauro went to Curitiba where he received
some tributes at the last STORM Samurai event, and he is soon
traveling to his birth city of Vitoria da Conquista, in the state
of Bahia also in the Northeast of Brazil, where he will once
again receive an homage and also attend at an small MMA event
that will take place in his city, to honor him and give something
back to the sport that made famous the most important son of
Vitoria da Conquista.
Scheduled
at first to take place in the city of Porto Alegre at December
20th, the 10th edition of MECA Vale Tudo won't take place in
the Southern Brazil city anymore. According to reports one company
that was serving as a partner in the project of bringing MECA
to the city backed out, and now the show is likely coming back
to the city of Curitiba, hometown of the Chute Boxe team that
held MECA for its first 8th editions, in a venue to be decided.
According to the promoters, the show will keep its date of December
20th, and more information is expected to follow in the coming
days.
Jungle
Fight veteran Leopoldo Montenegro, who defeated famous Wrestler
Mark Schultz in a match full of controversy, just won an 8-man
MMA tournament in his hometown of Manaus, up in the North of
Brazil, in a small event. The sad news is that the show was reported
to have no gloves, and believe it or not no mouthpiece! Montenegro
got prize money amounting to 5,000 Reais [around US$1,700] for
winning the tournament. In this day and age, shows that won't
require at least a mouthpiece are just what some politicians
may need to ban our sport and with so much struggle to make MMA
grow again in Brazil, having people trying to take advantage
of the momentum putting up shows such as these is extremely sad
and what can be called a disgrace. Hopefully the sport will soon
find some form of a regulation and only serious promoters will
be able to handle it from now on. Hopefully Montenegro will find
better places and stages to show his talent in the near future
as well.
Plans
for a major MMA show taking place next January in the city of
Rio de Janeiro have been floating around Brazil for a while already,
and now are getting stronger and stronger. Global Mix Combat,
as the show is called, is reported to take place the last week
of January at Rio Centro, the same venue where Rock In Rio Festivals
I and III took place, and will feature not only MMA fights but
live bands doing gigs as well as DJs to entertain the crowd and
mix fighting with partying in the hot summer of Rio. Names such
as Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz and Marcio Feitosa are
supposed to make their MMA debuts in the show.
UFC
veteran Pedro Rizzo is already back in Brazil after his trip
to Las Vegas, where he held talks with representatives of fighting
organizations about his future. Pedro told FCF he hasn't closed
any deal yet, but talks are going well and he will have good
news for his fans about his future very soon. Now "The Rock"
is focused on his teammate Gustavo "Ximu" preparation
for his bout against Allan Goes at HEAT FC 2 on December 18th.
Another
major Jiu-Jitsu event is going to take place in Brazil as Summer
Combat will bring the action to the beach in the city of Guaruja,
near Sao Paulo, on December 12th and 13th. Taking place in an
arena located on the beach, the show will feature single matches
and will include famous Jiu-Jitsu names such as Saulo Ribeiro,
Fernando Terere, Jorge "Macaco" Patino and Marcio "Pe
de Pano" Cruz, among others. In one very interesting challenge,
Abu Dhabi 2003 champion Marcelo Garcia will face Adu Dhabi Brazilian
Trials 2003 champion Daniel Moraes.
Time
is coming for the second edition of HEAT FC, on December 18th
in the city of Natal, including fighters such as Carlos Barreto,
Ebenezer Braga, Allan Goes, Gustavo Ximu, Travis Wiuff, Forrest
Griffin, Vinicius Draculino, Eric Wanderlei and others. As everything
gets ready for the much anticipated show, entitled "Evolution,"
tickets are on sale now in the city, as advertisements of the
show are being aired every day on TV creating hype among the
local fans. Promoters are still looking for the best possible
opponent for Gracie Barra fighter Marcelo "Uirapuru"
Azevedo, who fought Renato Babalu at HEAT FC 1, with the withdrawal
of PRIDE veteran Akira Shoji. Local fighter and BJJ brown belt
World Champion Alexandre "Vaca" may end up being his
opponent, as Alexandre was also left without an opponent when
Roman Roytberg also had to step out of the card. Both guys' opponents
are likely to be announced in the following days, as HEAT FC
2 Evolution is just 11 days away!
Source:
FCF
|
Pride
News
Due to the fact that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira stepped up to fight
on 12/31, Mirko CroCop and Emelianenko Fedor will finally fight
at PRIDE 27, the next event from DSE following their New Year's
Eve show at the end of this month.
The
winner of the Emelianenko Fedor vs. Mirko CroCop fight will then
fight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (given Nogueira doesn't lose on
New Year's) for the official PRIDE Heavyweight title.
The
debut of PRIDE in the United States is scheduled for March 26th
in Las Vegas, Nevada. Not much more information on the show,
although it's the possible setting for the Nogueira vs. CroCop-or-Fedor
fight, and obviously American's like Quinton Jackson, Dan Henderson,
and so on will be featured.
The
PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix show will be of similar format to
the recent Middleweight Grand Prix tournament.
The
first show will be in June, with one fight taking place for each
of the fighters in the tournament, with two fights for those
who remain scheduled to take place during the finals of the tourney,
set for August.
Source:
MMA News |
Javier
Vasquez Interview
MMARR's Joe Blaze recently got a chance to sit down with Javier
"Showtime" Vasquez and get the MMA world caught up
with the former King of The Cage lightweight champ. Vazquez is
a true warrior and he truely fit the shows billing of "Warriors
Spirit". Mr Blaze got a moment to ask him questions and
thought people would like to know what was on his mind while
he was relaxing before his tough fight with Rob Emerson at Shooto
Warriors Spirit Vegas.
JB
: How has your training been for this fight coming up and the
recovery of your knee been lately?
JV:
Pretty good, I have been just waiting for a fight. I have been
pushing my knee pretty hard through training. So I have been
pushing myself pretty hard with my knee. I guess we will have
to wait and see.
JB
: How is your relationship with KOTC right now?
JV:
Ah... Over.
JB
: Over?
JV:
Pretty much. Nothing more and nothing less.
JB
: Where do you see yourself after this fight and where would
you like to be?
JV:
I don't know. Ummm, hopefully the UFC in Jan. Hopefully. I don't
know. We will have to wait and see.
JB
: I heard you have been training with some new guys lately. Who
have you been training with?
JV:
I have been training with Dan Henderson. Regularly. I have been
training with Dan 3 times a week before he left for Japan. He
comes up and I have gone to Temecula once. So I train with him
at least once a week or couple more times if I can. I trained
with him before he went to Japan to fight in Pride. He has been
the best new guy I have been training with lately.
JB
: How has your team and camp been doing lately?
JV:
Pretty good. They are in and out. Some guys take a little break.
Some of the other guys are still hanging around. They are around.
JB
: How has your been since your surgery?
JV:
As far as my knee goes I have no problems right now. It should
be alright.
JB
: What do you think of your fight with Rob Emerson?
JV:
It's not going to be easy. He is a good fighter. I just hope
for the best. Do what I do and hopefully it will turn out my
way.
JB
: Since he trains with Marco Ruas and his team do you think he
may try to attack your knee or leg you had surgery on?
JV:
It's a possibility. I am sure he probably will, but you cant
worry about that stuff. It feels good. So what can you do? You
know.
JB
: Doing any kind of special preparation for this fight?
JV:
Nothing special. I am pretty good at chucking leg kicks. I have
been working kinda counter punching and counter striking takedowns
off of leg kicks. I have been doing that anyways. So it hasnt
been any realy big change.
JB
: Have you gotten calls or anything thrown at you from any of
the bigger shows like UFC or Pride?
JV:
Pride no. UFC, possibly. I talked to them on several occasions.
They wanted me to get one fight before they brought me in. Just
to see how my knee was or how I looked. Thats one of the main
reason why I am fighting this one. They wanted to take off some
ring rust before they brought me in. Hopefully I look good and
hopefully I impress some people. Right now I just want to come
away with another win. So I just hope for the best.
JB
: Since you are in such a talented weight division. Is there
anyone out there you would want to fight right now?
JV:
I just want to fight the best out there. Whoever they want me
to fight I would have no problem in fighting. Whoever the fans
would like to see me fight too. Thats real important to make
fans happy too.
JB
: There is one question I am always asked by people who see you
for the first time. If I show them a fight of yours or when they
look through the Grappling magazine and see your photos for the
first time they ask, "Whats up with the pink shorts?"
Do you want to address them for me?
JV:
(laughs) Ah...that was accidently. I did it for a goof the first
time. It caught on so I stuck with it. A lot of people noticed
me with them on and it stuck in their head who I was because
of the pink shorts.
JB
: In closing I appreciate the time you have given me to ask you
these questions before your important match tonight. In closing
anything you would like to say?
JV:
If it wasn't for the people who supported me. The guys who knew
me and also the fans who didn't know me there is no way I will
be back here. I fight for them as much I fight for myself. Because
without their support I was done. I didn't feel like I wanted
to do it anymore and I didn't feel like I should do it anymore.
Because of the support of the fans thats why I came back.
Source:
MMA Ring Report
|
Quote
of the Day
"Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of
flattery. . . . If you want to influence someone, listen to what
he says. . . . When he finishes talking, ask him about any points
that you do not understand."
Dr. Joyce Brothers, 1927-, American Psychologist, Television
and Radio Personality
|
808
Fight Factory's Harris Sarmiento Wins at KOTC
King of the Cage.
Fight
1 - Caleb Williams wins by first round submission (triangle choke)
over Gary Ingram
Fight
2 - Manny Tapia wins by first round submission (rear naked choke)
over Manuel Sawyze
Fight
3 - Gus wins by two round unanimous decision over Reggie Orr
Fight
4 - Mike Seal wins by first round TKO over Michael Martin
Fight
5 - Josh Gaskins wins by first round submission (arm bar) over
Tony Llames
Fight
6 - Carlos Garcia wins by first round TKO over David Gallegos
- Gallegos could not answer the bell for the second round
Fight
7 - JJ Pugsley wins by submission (side/rear naked choke) over
Brent Mackey
Fight
8 - Chad Smith wins by two round unanimous decision over Victor
Valenzuela
Fight
9 - Manny Reyes Jr. wins by submission (rear naked choke) over
Jason Dickinson
Fight
10 - Jimmy Smith wins by two round decision over Matt Stensel
Fight
11 - Harris
Sarmiento
wins by submission (strikes) over Logan Layton
Fight
12 - Larry Landless wins by submission (neck crank / choke) over
Paul Castelloni
Fight
13 - Jeremy Horn wins a four round unanimous decision over Dean
Lister - Horn retains title
Source: MMA Weekly |
Rumble
On The Rock Rumors
ROTR is taking their show back to Hilo for their December 27th
event. Here are some rumored matches:
Kaynan Kaku versus Harris Sarmiento
Niko Vitale versus Homer "The Rock" Moore
|
Punishment
in Paradise 2 Rumored matches
The next Punishment in Paradise is scheduled for February 15th
at Campbell High School.
The fights that they are working on finalize are:
Will Armstrong (808 Fight Factory) versus Dominator Lopez
Deshaun
Johnson (HMC) versus Wayne Perrin Jr. (Team Big Dog)
Source: ADCC |
Rigan
Machado Seminar Was Very Cool.
We want to thank Rigan Machado and all the guys at HMC for their
hospitality and for bringing down one of the most famous BJJ
black belts for a seminar. We had a blast learning new techniques.
Even BJ Penn and Charuto Verissimo were there, learning the moves
and bouncing quesions off of Rigan. We have a few pictures and
will post them as soon as Mike can format them.
|
Vitor
Shaolin
By Alexandre Lobo
My
first belt
The
December 14 can make history for one of the best Lightweight
teams in the world, the Nova União. After all, Vitor Shaolin
will be fighting for the first title belt for the Brazilian team,
at the Shooto, in Chiba, Japan. With eight fights and eight victories,
Shaolin is ready to face the Welterweight champion Joachim Hansen
and join Alexandre Nogueira Pequeno, Wanderlei Silva and Rodrigo
Minotauro at the gallery of the Brazilian MMA champions.
How
are your expectations, and your teams, to the dispute of this
first title belt?
We
are very calm. We are working hard for this fight being just
as anyone. Because of that, we changed something in our training.
But I'm feeling great as usually. I'm very focused and conscious
about what I have to do. I'm pretty sure that it'll be a tough
fight.
What
did you change in your training?
Ah,
the only changing is that I started training three months ago,
instead of two, as I usually do...
During
this time, how was your training?
Hansen
does a good rib and high kick, so I trained to block them well.
Now, I'm training hard on the ground.
And
what about Hansen's game. Did you see any of his fights?
Of
course. I watch his last three fights, the belt dispute against
Takanori Gomi, and the victories over Rumina Sato and Takumi
Nakayama. Hansen is a complete fighter, do well on the feet and,
on the ground, fights on the bottom as good as fights on the
top. On Gomi's fight, I could see that he does good on the feet.
Once
you said that João Roque is like a symbol for you. Is
he going with you?
Unfortunately
not. This time there will be just me, Dedé (Pederneiras)
and Robinho (Róbson Moura). João Roque is a great
friend and a marvelous fighter. He is older than me, send us
a great energy and talks the right thing at the right time. But,
that's ok.
Robinho
is also in the card. How is he to face Junji Ikoma?
I
think he will rock. He's a great fighter, has an amazing ground
game and he usually train just with people heavier than him.
Unfortunately, this time he won't be fighting for the belt, but
I'm sure that this title belongs to him and sooner he'll be battling
for it.
Source: Tatame |
K1
World GP Final Results
Saturday, December 6 2003
Tokyo, Japan
2003 GP Finals Tournament:
Quarterfinals:
Cyril Abidi defeats Francois Botha by unanimous decision.
Remy Bonjasky defeats Peter Graham by KO at 0:58, RD 1.
Musashi
defeats Ray Sefo by majority decision.
Peter Aerts defeats Alexey Ignashov by unanimous decision.
Semifinals
Remy Bonjasky defeats Cyril Abidi by KO at 1:46, RD 1.
Musashi defeats Peter Aerts by majority decision.
Final:
Remy Bonjasky defeats Musashi by unanimous decision.
Reserve
Match:
Carter Williams defeats Bjorn Bregy by KO at 2:06, RD 2.
Super
Fights:
Yusuke Fujimoto defeats Mathias Riccio by KO at 2:34, RD 2.
Martin Holm defeats Jan Nortje by KO at 1:06, RD 1.
Source: MMA Weekly |
M-1
"Russia vs. the World 7"
Two draws slow international stage progress in St. Petersburg
Report by Keith Mills
St.
Petersburg, Russia-The Russian team mainly represented by Team
Red Devil slipped in the results slightly compared to October's
Moscow show by picking up the same amount of losses but also
picking up two draws for a total on the main card of 7-2-2. Unfortunately
the two draws were in two of the fights with the most attention
from the Western perspective, with both the much-anticipated
Denis Kang/Andrei Semenov fight and the main event of Gilbert
Yvel (from Holland but fighting as Red Devil)/Daniel Tabeira.
The Russian team did do better against the Americans with two-time
UFC vet Dave Strasser and his student Brad Lynde both losing
by guillotine choke but the Russians still couldn't beat Tiberia
from Spain and this time one of the Frech fighters Kassim Anan.
It should be noted that both Anan and Tibeira were losing their
fights early on but Anan mustered a good comeback while Tabeira
was handed a surprising draw after fouling Yvel with an illegal
elbow.
The major outcomes of this show were the inaugural Welterweight
belt fight between the USA's Dave Strasser and Russian Ansar
Chalangov left the belt in Russia while German fighter Fatih
Kocamis took the belt with a TKO over Arman Gambaryan. Semenov
is the Middleweight Champion but his fight was a non-title Super
Fight as was Gilbert Yvel's.
Look
for a full report in an upcoming issue of Full Contact Fighter.
Preliminary
Fights
Karen Grigoryan def Roman Galako 2:06 by rear choke
Casiliy Krilov def Danila Vaselov by decision
Sergei Bal drew Magomed Magomedrasulov after 10 minutes
Main
Event
Light-Heavy champ Kocamis
Musail Alaydinov def. Yuji Hoshino 0:13 by TKO
Alexi Prokophiev def. Loic Pora 2:02 by rear choke
Denis Komkin def. Yuji Hisamatsu 0:16 by TKO
Ansar Chalangov def. Dave Strasser 0:53 by guillotine choke (Chalangov
new Welterweight Champion)
Alexi Veselovzorov def. Brad Lynde 1:51 by guillotine choke
Andrei Semenov drew Denis Kang after 10 minutes
Bashir Guliev def. Stefan Crnko 0:15 by TKO
Kassim Anan def. Mikhail Bogdanov 3:40 by triangle choke
Sergei Kaznovski def. Slavomir Molnar 2:34 by TKO
Fatih Kocamis def. Arman Gambaryan 8:00 by TKO (Kocamis new Light
Heavyweight Champion)
Gilbert Yvel drew Daniel Tabeira after 10 minutes
Source: FCF |
Stephane
Patry Part II
Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim
The dust
hasnt settled on the aftermath of the Shut up and FIght show
in Vernon B.C getting cancelled and already the speculation is
running rampant. MMARR had a chance to talk with Stephane Patry
who is now affiliated with the MFC and sitting in the centre
of the storm. We talked with him at 1:00 Am in the morning and
had some interesting things to say about himself, broken promises,
Joe Ferraro, J.T McCarthy and the Shut up and Fight promotion.
We have part ywo of this three part interview.
MMARR:
How about J.T McCarthy?
S.P:
There is not much I can say about J.T, J.T was doing a very good
job at what he was doing. But J.T was also always putting himself
in bad situations publicly and that is something that always
annoyed me. As the broadcast team he was doing an awesome job,
he is going to be very hard to replace but there are some very
good people around the sport right now. There is Goldberg with
the UFC that is good, Ryan Bennett that is awesome and there
is a lot of professional broadcast people in Toronto and Montreal
so we will be able to replace J.T but it is unfortunate because
I really believe in consistency, When we succeed, my dream was
to have everybody that was there day one beside me and to show
everybody that we did it, and we are proud of what we did as
a family and a team. You have to remember I am not Zuffa, I started
TKO I was 26 years old going on 27 I had money because I had
always put money aside and I was lucky with some stock markets
stuff. I decided that I wanted to put everything I had in Mixed
Martial Arts because I am a big fan of that and I really thought
this is the sport of the future and I put everything on the line
and started working 20 hours a day seven days a week. It hasn’t
been easy and I lost friends and I lost family on that, when
you work 20 hours a day on something it is always, hard for other
people to understand what you are doing. I mean I lost my girlfriend
after I started MMA because after 6 months she was like “you
are spending too much time at the office” and she left.
Ever since then I didn’t have a girlfriend. It is certainly
not because I look like SHIT. I don’t have a chance to have
a girlfriend and I am not kidding, like when I said that to you,
you were laughing. It is good to be surrounded by nice looking
women but sometimes you look for something deeper then that and
that is something else that I am missing a lot and I think it
is going to happened when we succeed we will have more time.
I would love to be like Dana [White] and relax on the weekends,
he is lucky.
MMARR:
You mentioned to me that you owed money to Joe Ferraro and J.T
McCarthy do you still owe money to Mr. Ferraro and McCarthy?
S.P:
The thing with J.T and Joe, and what I always told them was…
first of all the money I owed them was all in regards to Pay
Per View stuff, broadcasting. I always told them when I get the
money from the DVD’s I would pay them. That was very true
with them I always told them that. When the financial crisis
started I said listen, I will have to wait till the money comes
in to pay you and I will give you an example. The way it works
with our distributor, we released UCC 6 and 7, five months ago
and we still haven’t received a penny from that. It takes
like 6 months to get the first report and then we can deal the
distributor so we weren’t going to get money from that till
January. We just released number 8 and 12 and we won’t get
money from UCC 8 and UCC 12 till probably June. So I owe them
money for the broadcasting voice overs from the shows, and they
will get paid just like everybody else. People can say all they
want about me, I never not pay someone.
MMARR:
So do you still plan on paying them once you get the money.
S.P:
Of course, I know a lot of business people that would tell them
to Fuck Off after all they wrote but you know that is not way
of doing business. I will be able to look at myself in the mirror
in a year from now and you know I will say I achieved everything
I had to, and I fulfilled all the promises I make. Like I said
I am not Zuffa and I am just working very hard with what I have.
I remember UCC 8 and UCC 12 I had two shows that put me in a
very bad position but you know what I am a fighter as well. I
am not fighting in the ring but I will tell you something outside
of the ring I am the Randy Couture of that sport.
MMARR:
we talked about MMA in B.C being shut down some people are saying
we may never see MMA in B.C in the near future do you think MMA
in B.C is gone or do you think it is just a short term thing.
S.P:
You know what, I don’t think that MMA in B.C is gone because
of that. It is easy for Leslie Dickens and his crew to blame
it on me and Mar, to whoever they want to blame it on. I said
numerous times I had nothing to do with that. I believe that
Mark had nothing to do with that either but the bottom line was
why did they do a show, they knew that they had no sanctioning
in Vernon. Why didn’t they do their show in Vancouver, or
where they have a sanctioning body? Why would you gamble the
reputation of that sport by doing an unsanctioned event? Why
would you do that? That is my big question. Why would you run
an unsanctioned event? I hope that it won’t hurt the sport
in B.C. Legally I would have to check with lawyers, but legally
I don’t think they can turn down the decision from Vancouver
to hold MMA events with the athletic commissions regulating it
there .If they end up saying No there is no more MMA in B.C,
Well they should blame it on themselves. Why would they run an
unsanctioned illegal event in this province? The sport just got
sanctioned in B.C. Why do an unsanctioned event? Why do that?
MMARR:
You already answered it already but I want to touch back on it.
Mark Pavelich, I haven’t talked to him yet. A lot of people
are claiming that he is the person behind who is trying to get
them shut down. Some people have said because of this you may
end up splitting up with Mark Pavelich, even though it was only
a short time ago that you united. Is there any chance that the
TKO will split up with MFC?
S.P:
No, I will not split up with Mark. Mark has been very supportive
of me the last few months. I am someone who has a very long memory.
I remember in January after all the problems we had with UCC
12 a lot of people were bashing me a lot of people were on my
back. People were talking shit about me. That is when I realized
Mark is a man of honor cause he stood by me, know what I am saying?
I know he has nothing to do with what happened in B.C. I completely
trust Mark and if he would have anything to do with the show
being cancelled, you know how Mark is. He would publicly say
it. He would brag about it. You know what I have a lot of confidence
in Mark. I don’t think he did that. Like I said he is not
the one that took the risk. He was shut down before, I don’t
know exactly what show it was but he got shut down before too.
Then he decided he would never do an illegal event again.
MMARR:
What if, What if it was proved that Mark Pavelich was the one
who made those phone calls. Would you then sever ties with them?
Stop your business with the MFC or would you try to work through
it? If it was proved.
S.P:
I would sit down with Mark and we would have a discussion, but
then I would not say ok I am going to split with Mark and Support
to Shut up and Fight. Like I said I don’t support illegal
events. Not because it is Shut up and Fight, I mean if this show
would have been legal, I would have supported it. I would have
sent fighters there, if they would have needed fighters like
I have done in the past with the WFF and the MFC.
MMARR:
If the show got sanctioned at a later date would you ever say
that even though the relationship might not be good right now,
Could you ever see, TKO, MFC, WFF, Shut up and Fight all in Major
League MMA or working together in some way? Could you ever see
that happening? Would you like to see that happen?
S.P:
I think we are far from that. Major League MMA is our trademark.
I decided to share that with Mark because I think that he can
bring something to us and I think I can bring something to him.
I think we have some kinds of the same work ethic. I think we
can build something around that. I have no problem with the other
promotions, as long as everybody respects everybody. I showed
it in the past by sending fighters to the MFC and the WFF. Obviously
if we have a champion we have to protect our interests, and make
sure that if he fights somewhere else, it won’t be dangerous
for us. It is a business also. Try to do a wrestling event in
New York with Hulk Hogan on your card, you will never get him.
He is signed with the WWF or WWE or whatever. It is part of the
game and I think this Country is huge and there is a place for
everybody, As long as two shows don’t try to run in the
same city.
MMARR:
J.T McCarthy mentioned on the underground about a conversation
that you had with him and this is quoted from Mr. McCarthy’s
post on the underground.
“Hmmm,
that's funny, I remember you telling me last night that you had
JUST gotten off the phone with the Vancouver Boxing Commission.
You remember ? During the same phone call you made to me laughing
out loud about how the event was cancelled ? You don't remember
saying to me: "...LOL !!! I hope you had a clause in your
contract stating that you get paid even if the event doesn't
happen LOL !!! This is comical J.T. COMICAL LOL !!!"
Did
you say this to J.T McCarthy?
S.P:
…
This
is the end of part 2 Part three is coming soon...
Source: MMA Ring Report |
Chael
Sonnen
by Kyle Iwamoto
Several
Springs ago, Chael Sonnen headed off to wrestling practice like
he did normally numerous times before, his training partners
Randy Couture and Dan Henderson were there as usual, but this
time something was different. “I show up for practice and
everyone’s wearing gloves instead of wrestling shoes”,
says Sonnen of his introduction to mixed martial arts, “I
didn’t have much of a choice.”
Hailing
from West Linn Oregon, a small rural town eight miles south of
Portland, Sonnen’s wrestling career began at the tender
age of five. He earned All-American Freestyle honors at West
Linn High and was twice Jr. National runner-up. A natural athlete,
Sonnen’s prowess on the mat earned him a wrestling scholarship
to the University of Oregon in Eugene after a brief semester
at Brigham Young University. Training at Team Quest with the
likes of UFC light-heavyweight champion Randy Couture and Pride
stand out Dan Henderson, coupled with his strong wrestling background
has worked very well for the University of Oregon graduate. In
just over a year, Sonnen has fashioned a record of 7-3-1, with
impressive victories over such notable names as Jason Lambert
and UFC veteran Renato “Babalu” Sobral. When the Canadian
promoters for “Shut Up and Fight” contacted Team Quest
about Sonnen fighting Canadian Bill Mahood in their Dec. 6 show,
in Vernon B.C, the answer was almost automatic. “I never
turn ‘em down”. For Sonnen, fighting in Canada is just
icing on the cake. “I was up there in 1999 for the Pan American
games, and I loved it, I’ve been looking for an excuse to
get up to Canada for a while”.
In
addition to his training, Sonnen has numerous other “projects”
to keep him busy, among them is his role as a promoter, along
with University of Oregon wrestling teammate and long-time friend
Kevin Keeney. If that weren’t enough, he coaches a wrestling
club, “All-Phase Wrestling”, which he has grown from
it’s inaugural eight members, to over sixty athletes. His
promotion, the FCFF (Full Contact Fighting Federation) is an
amateur MMA promotion which holds events all over Oregon, giving
the talent-rich Pacific Northwest pool of fighters an avenue
in which to showcase their skills. Sonnen originally started
the event, which utilizes a cage, with his father who regrettably
passed away approximately a year ago. Sonnen himself will be
making his FCFF debut exactly one week after his showdown with
Bill Mahood, taking on Tough Enough competitor Dan ‘The
Wolfman’ Theodore
The
aforementioned match-up between Sonnen and Mahood had been rumored
on several prior cards in different events, but this will be
their first encounter. “I’ve never seen the gentleman
fight, but I know he’s a tough guy. I will definitely take
him seriously”. Chael feels with his wrestling background,
explosiveness and speed will be his advantages. Traits he says,
which were acquired and honed in the wrestling room. On par with
his fighting ability is Sonnen’s intelligence and sharp
wit, a wicked sense of humor, to go with his wicked takedowns.
One is immediately struck, by the air of confidence that he exudes,
from his six foot one, two hundred and five pound frame. When
asked about his strengths in the ring, Sonnen is by no stretch
of the imagination, at a loss for words. Aggressiveness? Check,
Power? Check, Speed? “I’m the fastest white guy in
the ring, ever.” CHECK! He is as articulate as he is dangerous,
and his tough mental preparation is where his confidence was
born, a toughness, which Sonnen feels, goes hand-in-hand with
his lifelong sport. Does that mean wrestlers make better fighters?
Chael thinks so. “I don’t think it’s because the
double-leg takedown is the most efficient move in martial arts,
wrestlers just condition their minds and bodies to be tough.
A lot of this fight game is technical; some call it a chess match,
but 90% of it comes down to who’s the toughest.” MMA
fans may remember Sonnen’s exchange of words with UFC veteran
and current UFC outcast Phil Baroni. “My thoughts on Phil?
I want to beat him up. I beat him up in private (referring to
Baroni’s brief training stint with Team Quest) and I’ll
beat him up in public. He has a different opinion of what happened
then I do. He has a big mouth. I don’t fault him for having
a big mouth, I think it adds entertainment to the sport. I’d
tune in to see him. But with that being said, he’s a second-rate
athlete, a third-rate fighter and a fourth-rate commentator.”
Ouch, I did say sharp didn’t I?
Sonnen
is focused, and makes no qualms about his fighting future. “I
want to be a world champion for sure. I’ve fought (and trained
with) guys who have been in the UFC and Pride. I definitely want
to get myself into the position to get into one of the big shows”.
Chael Sonnen will be looking to take a big step towards that
goal this Saturday. -MMARR-
Source: MMA Ring Report |
Quote
of the Day
"A man's doubts and fears are his worst enemies."
William Wrigley Jr., 1861-1932, American Businessman, Founder
of Wrigley & Co.
|
Super
Brawl 32 Results!
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
December 5, 2003
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
SB
32 was to be the road back to the rematch between former Super
Brawl Champion, Egan Inoue and current SHOOTO and Super Brawl
champ, Masanori Suda. In their first meeting Suda scored a brutal
knock out taking the championship back to Japan. Inoue wants
to prove that fight was a fluke, but in order to do that, the
rematch had to be built up by having Inoue fight Miller and Suda
taking on Ritch. Jason Miller had an impressive showing at the
Super Brawl 185lbs tournament and then dispatched Inoue's student
Shawn Taylor showcasing a myriad of submissions. Shannon Ritch
is one of the most active MMA fighters and has fought all over
the world. Both Suda and Inoue were favored going into their
matches, but nothing is guaranteed in the world of MMA. Inoue
started off the match looking strong. He controlled the clinch,
took Miller down and snapped on a vicious Kimura key lock that
had Miller rolling to escape and Inoue looking to lock down Miller's
body so he could crank it more. Miller somehow got out of that
and survived Inoue's onslaught of punches from the standing,
the guard and even the mount only to reverse the position and
end both rounds pounding a turtled up Inoue. Inoue looked to
be spent after the first round but came back in the second and
landed a few hard blows that made Miller realized that the fight
is not totally in his hands yet. At the end of the second round,
Inoue tried to stand, but grabbed his ribs and fell to the ground.
He winced in pain, apparently from a separated or broken rib.
The fight almost got ugly when some disrespectful fans started
heckling Inoue. Egan's brother, Enson, who is always at Egan's
side for his fights, stepped into ring and told them to shut
up. A huge crowd of people stood up, but luckily the situation
was calmed down before any punches were thrown. The final match
was a walk through for Suda. Shannon Ritch started off well and
landed a leg kick, but made a fatal error when he chose to clinch
Suda. Suda took him down, mounted him and lock up a triangle
from the mount and rolled onto his back to finish off Ritch.
Under
card highlights were the Super Brawl debut of Stephen "Bozo"
Paling's son, Stephen IV against Harvey Nakamura, who had an
impressive debut in SB 31. Paling, like his father showed crisp
punches and good take down defense. Nakamura showed some power
of his own, in addition to his good ground game. In the end,
Nakamura won the unanimous decision, but it was a very close
fight. Watch out for Paling, he is only 17 years old and has
very good skills and composure for his young age. And Nakamura
has shown a lot of potential in both fights. Other highlights
were the Brandon Keene-Mike Bauer fight. Keene came in with an
undefeated record, having just won in Maui. Bauer is coming into
the fight with one win under his belt and has shown that he is
a tough young fighter and very aggressive. Both fighters went
after each other on their feet and exchanged hard punches, kicks
and knees. The fight turned as Keen started taking Bauer to the
ground more often and finally wearing him down enough to slip
in a rear naked choke.
The
road to the rematch took a detour as the title, which was expected
to be heading back to Hawaii, will now either stay in Japan or
move to the west coast. One name that can be thrown into the
mix is Falaniko Vitale, who is hungry after coming off of a disappointing
performance in the UFC. The next event is scheduled to take place
on February 7, 2004 and only time will tell what surprises T.
Jay Thompson has in store.
139
lbs. - 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Ivan Jennings (808 Fight Factory) drew Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen)
Draw after 3 rounds.
125lbs
- 3 Rounds - 3 Minutes
Harvey Nakamura (Grappling Unlimited, 2-0) def. Stephen Palling
IV (Jesus is Lord, 1-1)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (29-28), (29-28)] after 3 rounds.
170lbs
- 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Brandon Keene (Grappling Unlimited, 5-0) def. Mike Bauer (HMC,
1-1)
Submission via rear naked choke at 1:58 minutes in Round 3.
205lb
- 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Bryan Pardoe (Phoenix, 7-4) def. Sam Bass (Grappling Unlimited,
1-1)
Submission via tap out due to strikes from the cross position
at 3:40 minutes in Round 1.
Heavyweight
- 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Ray "King Kong" Seraille (Grappling Unlimited, 4-4)
def. Tyler Lecky (Phoenix, 1-1)
Submission via inverted key lock (Kimura) at 2:14 minutes in
Round 1.
145lbs
- 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited, 3-2) def. David Yeung (HMC,
2-3-1)
Submission via rear naked choke at 51 seconds of Round 1.
185lbs
- 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Jason "Mayhem" Miller (Las Vegas, 10-3) def. Egan Inoue
(#1 Contender, Grappling Unlimited, 14-6)
TKO via rib injury, Inoue could not answer Round 3.
185lbs
- 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes
Masanori Suda (Super Brawl Champ, 20-8-2) def. Shannon "The
Canon" Rich (Team Canon)
Submission via triangle at 1:01 minutes of Round 1.
|
Rigan
Machado Seminar at HMC Today
Don't miss this opportunity to train with one of the most technical
and experienced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors and competitors
in the world, Rigan Machado of the famous Machado brothers.
The Machado brothers are cousins of the Gracies and were the
champions of the champion factory Gracie Barra team for a number
of years. They were one of the pioneers that followed Rorion
to America and created a huge powerhouse team primarily based
in California, but now have associations and academies all over
the US and the world. The Machados were the first to produce
numerous American black belts and break down the walls by openly
promoting Americans to high levels.
For
a while, Rigan Machado was considered "the next Rickson"
and has fought Rickson in a sport Jiu-Jitsu in a close battle.
He has had success in the tournament scene as well as in the
Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championships.
Here
are the specifics for the seminar:
When:
Saturday, December 6
Where: Hawaii Martial Arts Center (HMC)
2nd Floor in the Kentucky Fried Chicken and Jiffy Lube complex
on the corner of Dillingham, Liliha, and King St.
HMC is directly under Canyan Rent-to-Own
555 N. King St.
Honolulu, HI 96817
Contact: 841-5144 to reserve your spot! A $20 non-refundable
down is required to save your spot.
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Gi $40
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM No-Gi $40
Sign up for both seminars for $60 and save $20!
Spots
are limited by the amount of space at HMC and to prevent over
crowding. Don't think that you will show up the day of the seminar
and fill an empty spot. This seminar is sure to sell out so act
fast!
There
will be no video camera equipment allowed during the seminar
so as not to interrupt the instruction being given and because
the seminar might end up being filmed for use by a production
company later.
|
The
Man Page Has Been Updated!
For all you MANiacs. I have finally added a ton of information
for your viewing pleasure. Spread the word (pun intended) and
check it out.
Click here to
enter the Man Page.
(Men Only of course)
|
WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING
Vitali Klitschko vs. Kirk Johnson
"Baby" Joe Mesi vs. Monte Barrett
Live
on HBO, Saturday, December 6 at 9:45PM ET/6:45PM PT. HBO Sports
showcases the new stars of the heavyweight division with an action
packed double-header. The main event has major knockout potential
when Vitali Klitschko faces Kirk Johnson. In the undercard, "Baby"
Joe Mesi takes on battle tested Monte Barrett.
HBO.COM will provide an interactive ringside experience with
our popular web event featuring: Action photos, expert commentary,
punch statistics, and scoring from Harold Lederman.
Source: HBO |
BTT/ATT's
Ricardo Liborio Returns to the Ring!!!!
by: Team TATAME
After 2 years away from MMA action Ricardo Libório is
set to return to the MMA circuit. His last bout was with Japanese
fighter Ikuhisa Minowa at the inaugural Deep 2001 event.
Considered
one of the most technical jiu-jitsu fighters of the 90´s,
and now one of the leaders of the American Top Team, Libório
is set to fight on the traditional event at the end of this year,
Inoki Bom Ba Ye.
The
brazilian is under intense training, preparing to be in great
physical shape and with sharp technique, in order to face Japan's
Tadao Yasuda, who has a MMA record of 2 wins and 3 defeats. After
being trained by Marcos Ruas, Yasuda defeated in Vale-Tudo rules
the K-1 legend Jerome LeBanner at last Inoki Bom Ba Ye.
Source: ADCC |
DON
KING AND MICHAEL BUFFER ARE “READY TO RUMBLE” TOGETHER
AGAIN
DEC.
13TH ON KINGVISION PAY PER VIEW
The
world’s greatest boxing promoter, Don King and the “Voice
of Champions,” Michael Buffer are “Ready to Rumble”
together again in Atlantic City on Saturday, December 13th for
a historic night of eight back-to-back world championship boxing
matches on KingVision Pay Per View.
The
announcement was made today by Don King. Buffer will step into
the ring to handle all eight bouts of the “Undisputed—Back-to-Back-to-Back”
promotion at the Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall before a sell-out
crowd of 13,000. A world-wide pay per view television audience
will witness five of the eight championship bouts beginning at
8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The
blockbuster pay-per-view event will feature an unprecedented
night of champions highlighted by IBF/WBC Middleweight Champion
and WBA Super Champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins
against 3-time and current WBA Middleweight Champion William
Joppy and WBA/WBC Welterweight Champion Ricardo “El Matador”
Mayorga battling IBF Welterweight Champion Cory Spinks. The card
also will feature a heavyweight clash of Hasim Rahman meeting
John Ruiz for the WBA Interim Heavyweight Championship. And it
doesn’t stop there…WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion Zab
“Super” Judah and WBA Super Welterweight Champion Alejandro
“Terra” Garcia will defend their world titles against
top contenders Jaime Rangel and Travis Simms.
Michael
Buffer is known worldwide for announcing many of the greatest
boxing events over the last 20 years igniting the sold-out crowds
in attendance and the millions of boxing fans watching around
the world with his internationally famous “Let’s Get
Ready to Rumble®” trademark phrase.
Michael
Buffer had this to say about this record setting blockbuster
of a night of boxing, “I’ve been announcing fights
for over twenty years and I’ve never seen anything like
this! Eight world title bouts on the same card and each one is
a main event. If I was not working this show I would definitely
buy it because I’m a great fight fan and this is a dream-come-true
for all boxing fans. This December 13th monster fight night is
an early Christmas present for anyone who loves boxing.”
CONTACTS:
Steve Brener, BZA, 818-344-6195, ext. 103
Bobby Goodman, DKP, 954-418-5800
Bruce Buffer – Buffer Enterprises. Inc. 310-306-2851
Source: Bruce Buffer |
101
Submissions DVD - In Stock and Shipping
This
is available on Sherdog.com, if anyone gets this, please let
me borrow it! Looks pretty killer.
101 Submissions is real competition footage remixed into ninety
minutes of today's top fighters submitting their opponents one
after another. This DVD is the first of its kind and we are very
proud to offer it. Not only is 101 Submissions entertainment,
it is also a valuble-learning tool.
Featured
Fighters:
Adrino
Nasal
André Galvão
André Soares
Brad Court
Cacareco
Cachorrinho
Café Dantes
Cameron Earle
Christiano Marcello
Cranivata
Dan Camarillo
Danny Ives
David Camarillo
Dean Lister
Dennis Asche
Don Geddis
Eddy Bravo
Edson Carvalho
Edwardo Telles
Erica Montoya
Fredson Paixão
Gabreil Kitober Gazzy Parmen
Gordinho
Hanette
Igor Gracie
Jacaré
Joe D’Arce
Josh Griffiths
Kenny Florian
Lagarto
Leandro Slaib
Leo Santos
Leozinho Vieira
Luciano Azevedo
Luke Stwart
Marc Laimon
Marcello Grosso
Margarida
Mario Reis
Mike Flower
Mike Mrkulic
Nam
Nino Schembri Pé de Pano
Pedro Elias
Rafael Lavato Jr.
Rany Yahrya
Reinaldo Ribeiro
Renner Gracie
Robert Drysdale
Rockson Gracie
Rodrigo Bomba
Rodrigo Riscado
Royler Gracie
Ryan Gracie
Ryan Gregg
Saulo
Serginho
Suyan Queiroz
Talhes
Tererê
Tony DeSouza
Tyrone Glover
Young Gun
And More!
Source:
Sherdog
|
Stephane
Patry
Arnold "The Sushiboy" Lim
The dust
hasnt settled on the aftermath of the Shut up and FIght show
in Vernon B.C getting cancelled and already the speculation is
running rampant. MMARR had a chance to talk with Stephane Patry
who is now affiliated with the MFC and sitting in the centre
of the storm. We talked with him at 1:00 Am in the morning and
had some interesting things to say about himself, broken promises,
Joe Ferraro, J.T McCarthy and the Shut up and Fight promotion.
We have part one of this three part interview.
MMARR:
We had the Shut up and fight show cancelled as you know, what
are your thoughts on the Shut up and fight organization?
S.P:
Well it is unfortunate that his show got cancelled because I
know what kind of hard work it takes to put on a card like that.
I did 14 Pro TKO events as well as 8 Proving grounds, so I know
what kind of work it is. But at the same time the Shut up and
Fight guys were telling everybody that they are the biggest show
in Canada, that they were the real thing that they were bigger
then TKO, yet they were NOT sanctioned. If you are going to do
a lot of publicity like that you really need to be careful because
if you are not sanctioned, you are taking a huge risk. To be
quite honest with you, I don’t even know Leslie Dickens
personally, I have never talked to him and every time somebody
would talk shit about me on the internet he would give them a
pair of VIP tickets. I don’t know why he was doing that.
I didn’t like what he was saying so that is why I kind of
ignored his show. Then one day we happened to learn that his
show got cancelled by the province of British Columbia. We need
to be careful with that.
MMARR:
When you talked about the risks of running and unsanctioned show,
what risks do you speak of?
S.P:
If your show is not sanctioned and you are going to invest money
in buying flights, and renting the arena, and buying publicity
and preparing your production, anything that has to do with an
expense you have to do before an event, you know there is always
a shadow of your show not being sanctioned. If you are not sanctioned
there is always a risk. When I talk about a risk, it is the risk
of your show being shut down by the province or by the closest
athletic commission. I am sure the Vancouver Athletic commission
was not to crazy about a show happening in Vernon without no
supervising. It happened here in Quebec where a show got cancelled
because they were not sanctioned. I think that it is normal if
the sport is going to grow that everybody has to get sanctioned.
Like I said on numerous occasions, I have nothing against the
Shut up and Fight guys but I am not going to start supporting
guys that are not sanctioned.
MMARR:
I am going to come right out and ask you because some have been
accusing you of being part of the people who shut down the Shut
up and fight show. Did you have anything to do with shutting
down the Shut up and fight show?
S.P:
Arnold I have nothing to do with shutting down this show. I mean,
like I said I am flattered that people give me that kind of power,
if I really had that kind of power I would open up Ontario [To
MMA, Ontario is also one of the provinces that MMA is banned
in] I had nothing to do with that. People accused Mark Pavelich
and myself I can’t speak for Mark, I had discussions with
Mark about it because I thought it was very serious accusations.
I mean since Mark is going to help with the shows in the future
and he is doing the same thing for me, so it was important for
me to know the truth from Mark. Mark told me listen Stephane
I had nothing to do with the show being cancelled and you know
I believe Mark had nothing to do with it and to get back to the
original question, myself and TKO have nothing to do with this
show being cancelled, if these guys want to find somebody to
blame it on, cause they didn’t do the work of getting their
show sanctioned the first time, then it is up to them but down
the line the truth will be told and announced by the authorities
and everyone will find out that TKO had nothing to do with that.
All I did in the last three weeks was work on my show and the
day the show ended all I did was work on Georges getting in the
UFC and I don’t have a second to lose on a bunch of guys
that are not sanctioned.
MMARR:
Have you ever in your career tried to get any show in Quebec
or any other show anywhere in the world, shut down because of
sanctioning issues or any other issues?
S.P:
We did that in Quebec a few times, there was a group of people
trying to run unsanctioned events in Quebec and we actually shut
them down, that was normal, this is a territory that we operate
and I don’t think it was right for somebody to do the same
things as us without having to pay the licensing fee to the commissioner.
I mean that is 5000 dollars! We did that in Quebec but that has
nothing to do with the situation that happened in British Columbia.
MMARR:
Have you ever discussed with Mark Pavelich or anyone else the
shutting down of any show other then Quebec?
S.P:
To be quite honest with you in the past weeks when Leslie Dickens
the promoter of Shut up and fight, was pretty much bragging to
everybody how big his show was, I didn’t know the show wasn’t
sanctioned. It was Mark who brought it up to my attention that
these guys are not sanctioned and these guys should shut up and
get sanctioned. We laughed about it and we never sat down and
planned on having their show shut down. I mean I just thought
it was funny when Mark mentioned that they should shut up and
get sanctioned. Then we did the announcement of the TKO and MFC
merger, ironically it happened the same day as they got shut
down. I am flattered they are giving me that kind of power but
unfortunately I don’t have that power, like I said I will
repeat myself, I have nothing to do with this show being cancelled,
and it is unfortunate for them but I guess next time they take
such a risk on promoting a big show like that they will at least
take the basic insurance of having their show sanctioned.
MMARR:
Joe Ferraro recently left the TKO organization and went to work
for the Shut up and fight organization. J.T McCarthy left the
TKO organization and went to work for the Shut up and Fight organization.
In the same time frame we have the merger of the MFC and The
TKO organizations. Does that sound to coincidental that the merger
would happen on the same day and Joe Ferraro and J.T McCarthy
would leave and the show that they are now working for gets shut
down? Some people might see this as too much of a coincidence,
What do you have to say to that?
S.P:
First of all Joe Ferraro I don’t know what kind of work
he was going to do with Shut up and Fight, I don’t think
his implications with Shut up and Fight were anywhere near the
kind of implications he had with TKO, Joe had huge responsibilities
with us, He wasn’t the matchmaker, but he was doing the
matchmaking with me, and he was taking care of all of our talent
relations, which is not what he was supposed to do with Shut
up and fight as Jason Darrah was already doing that. What happened
with Joe was Joe did a lot for TKO, Joe has been very supportive
of the organization since day one, of course Joe was looking
for a full time job in Mixed Martial Arts, and I told him that
was a possibility to happen with us, maybe I made promises that
I shouldn’t have done, but you know I am a positive person
and through all the hard times, we were having in January [UCC
12] I was still seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I
pretty much telling Joe hold on, hold on, it is going to happen,
it is going to happened, and I guess he was very patient, but
his patience came to a limit. A few weeks before TKO 14 we had
some issues with one of the guys he was managing, that became
a conflict of interest and things went down from there. As you
know in January there was huge financial difficulties on our
part, through a sponsor pulling out it put us in a very difficult
situation that went public with some fighters requesting the
remaining of their purse that wasn’t paid, I wont go into
the whole story of the 25% that wasn’t paid to the fighters,
but two fighters went public about it, Duane Ludwig and Thomas
Denny. That put a lot of heat on us, I worked my ass off. I was
able to pay back the fighters which was my priority, once all
the fighters were paid and the production as well, Joe and J.T
were also owed some money and I explained what kind of situation
the company was in, and I asked them to be patient, and I guess
their patience came to an end and Joe decided to leave a few
days before the last show. Like I said, it was unfortunate because
Joe was almost the second half of my brain. I think we worked
very well together and I missed him at the last show, but at
the same time I cant blame him, and now what is happening and
I guess Joe really thinks I had something to do with the show
being cancelled and he is very wrong and I am sure time will
tell that I had nothing to do with that. I think it was stupid
some of the facts, some of the things he put on the internet
to make me look bad in regards to the money, because of this
show being cancelled. I remember when Joe started in MMA at UCC
2 he was fan that just wanted to start a clothing line and I
said, you know what I will support you man, I will put Showdown
fightwear all over the place, and you know, a few years later
his company was on the shorts on a guy fighting in the UFC, after
that I gave him a position on TV, so he was on TSN he was on
PPV. I pretty much made him in MMA, I am not saying that because
I uhh…. How do you say it in english Arnold…uhh…I
am not
MMARR:
You are not trying to take credit for it?
S.P:
I am not trying to take credit he worked very hard for what he
got but I still opened all the doors for him, and while I understand
while he left and I respect his decision of leaving, I really
don’t appreciate the way he conducted himself in the last
few days, and like I said, everything that happened was out of
my control with the money situations and everything. With the
Shut up and Fight being cancelled I had nothing to do with it.
In regards to J.T, the Joe and J.T situations are very similar,
the only difference was that J.T never told me about being interested
in working for Shut up and Fight, I happened to find it out on
the internet one morning and I called him and he was gone. I
think he got pissed off the Anthony Horng our ring announcer
was paid what he was owed before him. I think he decided to just
leave and go on the internet and start talking shit. With the
announcement we made yesterday about MFC and TKO and all the
accusations going towards Mark, today I think it was quite important
for me to support Mark, and J.T by reading my support to Mark
felt offended that I didn’t include him in the people that
I felt supported me. My goal wasn’t to list all the people
that supported me and forgetting people my list was just to support
Mark. My gesture was just to support Mark. So he was all offended
that I named Mark as the person that all backed me up and stuff,
and he started writing even more bullshit. Like I said it all
comes down to the money, I mean we had a difficult situation
and everyone was all made aware that it was going to take some
more time to get everything that was owed to them but to be patient,
and their patience came to and end, Shut up and Fight came offered
them some stuff and they decided to go ahead and move with them.
I am fine with it, there are other people that are able to work
the broadcast and there are other people that can handle Joe’s
tasks with us.
MMARR:
You mentioned that you missed Joe Ferraro at the last show. J.T
McCarthy wasn’t at the show before that. Do you still feel
the same way now?
S.P:
I will always miss Joe, Joe is special, I am always going to
find somebody that is going to do the tasks that Joe was doing,
but it will never be the same again. Me and Joe went through
some very rough things together. When he left like that, even
though I was pissed, I have to say that hurt me a lot. He was
the guy I had a lot of confidence in, I gave him a lot of personal
opinions on stuff he was my confidant man, you know what I am
saying? Like I said Arnold, I have no hard feeling towards them,
I understand why he left. He wants to be involved full time in
MMA it wasn’t going to happened with us I guess it is going
to happen for him one way or another. Like I said I wasn’t
him in any position to offer him what he was looking for I hoped
it was going to happen soon and I still think it would have happened
very soon, but it part of the game. There is nothing I can do,
I can’t just sit on my ass and cry for Joe’s departure,
it is done. He took his decision and hopefully whoever replaces
will do as good a job as he did.
MMARR:
How about J.T McCarthy?
S.P:
…
THis
is the end of part one, In part two...
MMARR:
You mentioned to me you owed money to Joe Ferrarro and J.T McCarthy
do you still owe money to Mr Ferraro and McCarthy?
S.P:
…
Stay
tuned for part 2
Source: MMA Ring Report |
Fedor
signs with Inoki's Bom Ba Ye Event
Inoki officially announced today that Pride HW champ Emelianenko
Fedor will be on the Inoki Bom Ba Ye card. Not in the Pride Special!
He also said that the complete cards would be released on Dec.
8th.
The Pride champ could be against Fujita or Yasuda.
Source: MMA Fighting |
MMA
full of petty backstabbers? Whoda thunk it?
Fightsport 24/7 is reporting that the "Shut Up and Fight
Card" scheduled for this weekend in Canada was shut down
because of complaints lodged by rival promoter Mark Pavelich
from TKO.
Coincidentally,
I decided to tune into the Ryan Bennet's Internet radio show,
and he dedicated nearly the entire hour to discussing the cancellation.
Ryan was shocked that a promoter would try to shut down a rival.
He could not understand why that would happen in such a small
and growing sport.
Well,
Ryan has been around the sport long enough that he should have
learned that there may not be another sport filled with more
petty, short sighted people than mixed martial arts.
Both
Ryan and I do color commentary for the IFC. The IFC has told
me stories for years about two promoters who have gone to great
lengths to have their shows shut down.
The
IFC once threatened to never use fighters who signed with a certain
promoter who the IFC claimed owed it money. (Although, to my
knowledge, it never followed through on this threat - it was
a stupid threat none the less.)
The
UFC is also known for its pettiness. One example (of many) was
when it offered Murillo Bustamante a contract extension and Murillo
said he would like to test the market to see what his value was.
The UFC responded by totally withdrawing its offer and basically
kicking one of its few bright stars out of promotion.
King
of the Cage and Gladiator's Challenge might be the worst of the
bunch. The stories about their pettiness and attempts to hurt
other promoters are legendary. And believe me, Pride is no better
than any of the others.
The
funny thing is that Ryan himself had a famously public and petty
feud with the man who replaced him as the UFC post-fight interviewer,
Eddie Bravo. After Ryan lost his job to Bravo, Ryan wrote to
the UFC to complain that Bravo was hurting the UFC's image because
he publicly admitted that he smokes pot. When Ryan's message
was forwarded to Bravo, all hell broke loose.
Lets
be honest about the sport. It is not filled with nice guys who
have brilliant visions for the future. Instead, for the most
part the sport has been saddled with petty, short sighted "leaders"
who have managed to do little more than nip at each other's heels
for years. I, for one, will not act surprised when people behave
according to form.
Source: Whaledog |
K-1:
Bonjasky planning to win the GP
Thanks to Monty di Pietro
Remy
Bonjasky, the fighter they call The Panther' for his sleek build
and explosive leaping attacks, made quite an impression on the
USA when he turned aside a tough field to win the Battle at the
Bellagio last August 15th. His popularity there endures -- in
a recent poll on the K-1 USA website, fully 30% of respondents
picked Bonjasky to win the eight-man World GP Final this weekend.
The 27 year-old Dutch fighter seems to agree, he already has
plans on how he is going to spend the US$400,000 prize money! Bonjasky arrived
in Japan last Saturday, giving him a full week overcome jet lag.
He has been doing some light training, says he is relaxed and
ready, and plans to 'kick some ass' at the Final.
Source: Tatame |
Quote
of the Day
"A man's doubts and fears are his worst enemies."
William Wrigley Jr., 1861-1932, American Businessman, Founder
of Wrigley & Co.
|
Super
Brawl 32 Tonight!
Here
is the final card:
Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
December 5, 2003
139 lbs.
Ivan Jennings (808 Fight Factory) vs. Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen)
125lbs
Stephen Palling IV (Jesus is Lord, 1-0) vs. Harvey Nakamura (Grappling
Unlimited, 1-0)
170lbs
Brandon Keene (Grappling Unlimited, 4-0) vs. Mike Bauer (HMC,
1-0)
205lb
Bryan Pardoe (Phoenix, 6-4) vs. Sam Bass (Grappling Unlimited,
1-0)
Heavyweight
Ray "King Kong" Seraille (Grappling Unlimited, 3-4)
vs. Tyler Lecky (Phoenix, 1-0)
145lbs
David Yeung (HMC, 2-2-1) vs. Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited,
2-2)
185lbs
Egan Inoue (#1 Contender, Grappling Unlimited, 14-5) vs. Jason
"Mayhem" Miller (Las Vegas, 9-3)
185lbs
Masanori Suda (Super Brawl Champ, 19-8-2) vs. Shannon "The
Canon" Rich (Team Canon)
|
Interview
with Enson Inoue
by Mick Hammond
Enson Inoue is a legend in Hawaii and Japan. He is respected
all over the world as one of the toughest fighters in MMA. MMAWeekly's
Mick Hammond went one on one with the one and only Enson Inoue
for our Interview of the Week.
Mick: First off, your tattoo collection has grown quite a bit
since most fans saw you in your last appearance with Pride. You
state your tattoos have deep meanings to you. Is the pain and
accomplishment of getting a tattoo comparable to fighting to
you?
Enson:
Well, every single one of my tattoos has a deep meaning to me.
Each and every one signifies part of my beliefs, my family and
my life. The day I die, I will die proud with these tattoos inked
in my skin. In a way, I will take all the important things in
my life with me to my grave. Fighting is a whole different thing.
I fight to better myself as a man. I sometimes forget about winning
or losing because I'm so focused on attacking and facing my weaknesses
that I can strengthen through my fights.
Mick:
Your website (www.yamatodamashiiichizoku.com) is very fan-friendly
and it affords people the opportunity to speak with you via your
message board and chat. You obviously take a lot of time out
of your schedule to try to connect with your fans, how important
is this to you?
Enson:
Very important. What most fighters don't realize is that the
fans are what makes us fighters. If there were no fans, then
there would be no promotions. If there were no promotions then
there would be no fights, and without any fights, fighters would
have no work. Also, something that would take 10 minutes and
a couple dollars, like sending out an autographed picture, could
give a fan happiness that money can't buy. I can't pass up an
opportunity like that. It's like giving a homeless child 20 bucks.
20 bucks ain't shit to me, but to a homeless child in Thailand,
it would mean 2-3 weeks of food. How can you turn your back on
something like that? I sure can't.
Mick:
You recently held a competition on your site that allowed a fan
who put together a highlight reel of you to come to Japan and
spend time with you. Again your connection to your fans is exceptional,
how did that come about and why did you choose to do such a thing?
Enson:
Yeah, he's right here as we speak. He's been here for about 2
weeks now and he's living it up in Japan. I did that contest
because it was my way of giving back to my fans. Again, going
back to the previous question, paying for a full expense paid
trip for the winner, Brent, is nothing compared to the experience
and happiness he is getting from this trip. To see him smile
and thank me makes me happy to know that I'm doing something
good for someone.
Mick:
You obviously have great love for your family, your fans, your
dog and fighting. Tell us how those things influence and impact
your life.
Enson:
No matter what it is: family, fans, friends, sponsors, or students,
I connect from the heart. Without them I'm just as well as dead.
They have a major impact on my life just being around me everyday.
Mick:
This past year, you signed a deal with NJPW and made your first
appearance in February. How did that come about and explain to
us what the experience is like in NJPW compared to your experiences
in Shooto and Pride.
Enson:
Well, they called me. I never considered it, but the money and
a lot of persuasion from Josh Barnett and here I am. I'm still
not used to it, but I'm glad I gave it a shot. My heart is in
MMA, but my business and face value has gone up tremendously
because of Pro Wrestling. I've also met a lot of great people
in the association.
Mick:
More and more MMA fighters, past and present, are joining pro
wrestling organizations in Japan. For people in the states that
do not know what pro wrestling is like in Japan, please explain
the differences between it and what we see here in the states
(WWE).
Enson:
I think that WWE and NJPW has its hard core stuff. Japanese wrestlers
will take more hits, get cut, and bleed more; while WWE wrestlers
will take falls from scary heights. I think that the Japanese
wrestlers can not create the drama as well as The Rock or Kurt
Angle can, so they compensate by sometimes taking full on punches
and actually getting put to sleep.
Mick:
NJPW has begun to hold MMA fights at their events this past year.
Since you are currently under contract to them, will we see you
in any MMA rules fights for them in 2004?
Enson:
Most definitely. Pride or New Japan at 205 pounds.
Mick:
If you return to full time MMA competition, what can fans expect
to see different from the Enson we last saw in Pride compared
to the Enson of today?
Enson:
An older Enson, that's for sure. Other than that, the same fire
and using my head a bit more. That would be ideal.
Mick:
Tell us how your mentality has evolved since saying you were
going to retire after your loss to Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at
Pride 19 and what it is like now with the chance you will return
to MMA competition?
Enson:
I think I can be more focused and because of injuries and age,
I will be forced to use my head more.
Mick:
You are known for your never say die attitude and your unwillingness
to tap out, even if it means serious damage to yourself. Can
you explain to people why you refuse to tap out?
Enson:
Great question. You know... there are two Ensons... one in the
ring and one outside of the ring. “Ring Enson” thinks
“Outside the Ring Enson” is a pussy. “Ring Enson”
wouldn't tap even if he took a worse beating than the one he
took from Igor (Vovchanchyn, at Pride 10). “Ring Enson”
is willing to die in the ring. “Ring Enson” thinks
of his fight with Igor and recalls the chances he had to change
the momentum in the fight. Thinks of what he needs to work on
to crush his opponent if ever in the same situation. Call it
stupid or crazy, but that's the in-ring Enson, "there is
no better way to die than in the midst of battle… fighting
to the very end… like a man."
Now
there is “Outside the ring Enson” and, first of all,
he thinks “Ring Enson” is an absolute idiot. “Outside
the ring Enson” watched the Enson versus Igor fight and
cringed the whole 10 minutes. He felt a bit scared for the guy
getting pounded by Igor, only to realize that that was him. He
watches the video and thinks that next time he should tap, knowing
all the damage that he received during that battle. I had a ruptured
left eardrum, cracked jaw (right side), swollen brain, broken
right index finger, and a liver count 2000 times the normal person.
I was hospitalized for 4 days and out of action for 3 months.
The doctors told me that the swelling in my brain was very critical
because bleeding in the brain could have easily occurred... and
if bleeding occurred, I wouldn't be answering this right now.
“Outside the ring Enson” says, "realize when you
are defeated, get out in one piece, learn, and live to fight
another day."
Mick:
So having said that, would you ever consider tapping out?
Enson:
No, I wouldn't tap. It may sound stupid, but I would rather die
than tap.
Mick:
That never say die attitude is shared by fellow MMA and pro wrestling
veteran Don Frye. If you faced Frye, what do you think would
happen?
Enson:
Don Frye is a friend, so I would never fight him. If we ever
did fight though, the hospital would have two bodies to fix.
Mick:
You’ve relocated from the US to Japan, tell us what it is
like being out of the States and how you are enjoying things
in your new homeland?
Enson:
I love it. This is the heart of MMA. This is the place to be.
This is my home.
Mick:
You have four Purebred Team gyms, not only in Japan, but one
in Guam as well, tell us how they came about.
Enson:
I was approached by sponsors. Guam was done on my own for my
little brothers in Guam. All my students are my family. Of the
other four, two are from legit sponsors and the other two are
sponsored by the Japanese Yakuza and the Chinese Mafia respectively.
Mick:
The Japanese Yakuza and Chinese Mafia? What is your relationship
like with them?
Enson:
They are actually good friends, sort of like family. These guys’
whole lifestyle is about being tough and having power. My fighting
style and beliefs just so happen to go hand in hand with what
they believe is an ideal man. I get a tremendous amount of respect
from these guys.
Mick:
There has been a lot of controversy this year in MMA. What do
you think can be done to cut down on it and keep the fights where
they should be finished, in the ring, by the two fighters?
Enson:
Give more of a finishing incentive and recruit fighters not by
their win/loss record, but instead, on their aggressiveness.
Mick:
In this past year, we have seen fighters such as Dan Henderson
go into fights not 100% healthy. You have done this before (albeit
against the wishes of doctors), how much of a disadvantage does
it put you to not be at full health going into a fight?
Enson:
Nothing. As long as it’s not a broken bone or a completely
torn ligament, it shouldn't affect one fight. Those minor injuries
only affect you as much as you let it. Mental preparation is
90% of overcoming any adversities like small injuries. If my
body is not 100%, then you better believe that mentally, I'll
be 110%.
Mick:
People have made a big deal out of the fact that Hidehiko Yoshida
uses a gi in his fights. You have fought with both a gi and without
a gi. Tell us, what are the differences and/or advantages/disadvantages
of it?
Enson:
The advantages are: it prevents slipping from sweat and it adds
a few more options for chokes. The disadvantages are: your opponent
can grab a hold of you and control you more.
Mick:
You were included in Pride’s video game, what is it like
to see yourself represented in the video game world?
Enson:
Pretty trippy. It's really cool. I'm flattered. However, my son
always picks Nogueira and kicks my ass.
Mick:
Speaking of your son, has fatherhood changed you at all? Your
son plays the games, so does he understand what his father does/did
and would you let him get into MMA when he gets older?
Enson:
Fatherhood hasn't changed me much, but it has changed my direction
in life a lot. I still work hard at my future. The only difference
is that, in the back of my mind, it's all about creating a good
future for my family and my son after I pass on. My son understands
exactly what I do. In fact, he's the very one telling me to fight
in Pride again. He keeps telling me to fight Wanderlei (Silva,
Pride Middleweight and Grand Prix 2003 Champion). He also wants
to fight in Pride in the future and wants a shit load of tattoos
too. Yikes!
Mick:
Lastly is there anything you want to say to the MMA fans around
the world or anyone you want to give a shout out too?
Enson:
Yes. I would like to thank everyone for all the support throughout
the years. I look forward to getting back in the battlefield
again being able to say, “I’m Back!”
Source: MMA Weekly |
BJJ
State championship in Rio
Rickson Gracie's birthland, Rio de Janeiro will have this weekend
two State championships. The first one will be held by the Rio
de Janeiro Olympic BJJ Federation in the Castelo Branco College,
next Saturday. The other one is being produced by the Rio de
Janeiro BJJ Federation, in the Gama Filho University.
Source: Tatame |
Anderson
Silva deals with BOM-BA-YE
There's a huge chance of Anderson Silva celebrates the New Years
Eve in Japan. According to Anderson, he may appear at the Inoki
BOM-BA-YE. The fighter is training with the other athletes who
left Chute Boxe last month and is also working out for a new
team. 'We are being supported by a Brazilian bussinessman and
I have been receiving a lot of fight proposals', stated Anderson.
The
recent problem with his former team, Chute Boxe, preocupies Anderson
that talks about the open letter signed by Assuério Silva
at TATAME.com. 'I would like to ask people to respect this difficult
moment that I have been trought. Unfortunately, what Assuério
said is very serious, but it's just his opinion. I don't have
and I've never had doubts about the transparecy on the negotiations
of the fighting purses. I left Chute Boxe due to other problems',
guarantees Anderson, who didn't want to give more details about
it.
Source: Tatame |
New
Year's Eve Shows' War and Broken Nose Takes Shoji Out of HEAT
FC 2!
By Eduardo Alonso
A
broken nose suffered in late November and later the battle taking
place between three Japanese organizations to use fighters on
their New Year's evening shows forced Japanese fighter and PRIDE
veteran Akira Shoji to be taken out of of the HEAT FC 2 Revolution
card, coming up this next December 18th. Around the initial date
for HEAT FC 2, November 27th, Akira suffered a broken nose during
a training session against UFC veteran Ivan Salaverry, making
it impossible for him to attend the show. With the constant rain
in the city of Natal, hometown of HEAT, moving the show to December
18th at an indoor arena, it was against possible, although not
sure, for the Japanese fighter to compete again, since his trainer
Matt Hume was hoping for a possible recovery in time. However,
as the seasoned fighter recovers Japanese events started a war
after fighters to use in their cards. With three major shows
taking place at New Year's evening, fighters native from the
land of the rising sun became very important and a fight for
Shoji in one of those also became probable, making HEAT promoters
to make a choice for taking him out of their card, keeping a
good relationship with the AMC Pankration camp as well as shows
such as PRIDE. On the same trend, WEF veteran Roman Roytberg,
also from AMC Pankration, had to withdraw from the show due to
personal issues and conflicts with the new date, but will most
likely be featured at a future edition of the show, with HEAT
FC 3 being tentatively scheduled for late March of 2004. Replacements
for both Akira Shoji and Roman Roytberg will be announced at
any time by the promoters. Here is the current card of HEAT FC
2, on December 18th:
Carlos Barreto vs. Travis Wiuff
Allan Goes vs. Gustavo "Ximu" Machado
Ebenezer Fontes Braga vs. Eric Wanderlei
Forrest Griffin vs. Edson Paredao
Vinicius "Draculino" Magalhaes vs. Kleber Galdino
Marcelo "Uirapuru" Azevedo vs. TBA
Dinarte Silva vs. Charles Andrade
Sergio Junior vs. Fabio "Bolinho"
Alexandre "Vaca" vs. TBA
Source: FCF |
Dean
Lister: Ready for the Test
By Arron Barringer
Reigning King of the Cage middleweight champion Dean Lister (6-1)
steps into the cage and up in weight Saturday against KOTC light
heavyweight champion Jeremy Horn (59-12-5) in what many are calling
the toughest fight of his career. While Lister has racked up
a solid record in mixed martial arts competition as well as a
fairy-tale victory in the Abu Dhabi tournament earlier this year,
he has yet to face anyone with the skill and experience of Horn.
When
stacked up against an opponent with the record and reputation
the magnitude of Horn, most fighters on the other side of the
cage have faltered. Some might say they were not ready. They
needed more time. But not Dean Lister.
"I
like it," he says. "I don't like being the favorite.
I like being the underdog." Being the underdog, explains
Lister, allows him the focus to train all that much harder for
the fight.
Known
for possessing a world-class submission game, Lister stresses
that he is constantly training to improve himself. "I'm
always trying to improve what I'm not known for. Like I'm not
as known for my striking, so I am always looking to improve my
striking. And I'm not one of those guys that has to stand with
a guy and prove it."
He
makes no secret, and offers no apologies for his fighting style.
"Pretty much my game is to take a guy down," Lister
says. "Even against a really good wrestler, I'll find a
way to take them to the ground and try to finish them; take their
back or something." Lister contends that while he has been
training his standup skills in an effort to become more evolved
as a fighter, there are no illusions about his strategy.
"Everyone
should have their specialty, their one thing that they're better
at than anyone else," he says. "And everybody knows
what [mine] is; there's no mystery. I'm not trying to fool anyone.
The ground is my element, that's where I like to be."
When
pressed about fighting an athlete such as Horn, Lister responds
with a chuckle: "I don't know if it's because of the fight,
but I have been working on a lot of other things I have not worked
on before."
In
a sport rampant with trash talkers, Dean Lister has set himself
and his gym light years apart from most others. MMA is a sport
like no other, with athletes that define themselves in their
versatility and expertise. Yet that has not precluded certain
fighters from showing disrespect to their opponents. "For
me it's really important," says Lister of sportsmanship.
"First of all it's the outlook from the public."
Lister
is quick to point out that as of late sportsmanship is lacking
in all sports. "When you're in a sport, you have to respect
what's around you, and one of those things that's really important
to respect is your opponent," he says. "Because your
opponent is what makes you better.
"The
reason I'm in this sport is to become a better individual, a
better fighter. And in becoming a better fighter, I become a
better individual. It's the overall development of what you are,
your discipline. You can't go out there and hide behind a team.
It's just you out there. And if you make a mistake, yeah, you
can get beat. You have to learn from it."
Don't
let his enlightened attitude fool you: He still intends to bring
all the intensity he can into the fight. "You can be a cool
guy, and still be fierce in the ring."
This
positive attitude combined with an impressive list of accomplishments
has led him to a cult celebrity status among MMA fans. Rumors
and whispers of Lister moving up into 'the majors' have been
repeatedly spread across Internet forums and chat rooms. "I
would consider fighting for anyone," Lister says. "It's
up to my manager, but to be honest I'm looking to go where I
am wanted. I've put my time in for so long, I mean, I don't have
over a hundred something fights like Jeremy Horn, but I'm not
a rookie; I've been around for a long time. And I've been trying
to impose my style, to prove myself, and I want to be with an
organization that wants me around."
Some
organizations are known for promoting fighters that 'ground and
pound' more than others who look for a more technical finish
to a fight. Ultimately, Lister wants to remain true to his own
style of fighting. "If they see that I'm an entertaining
fighter, you know, I expose the full game of submissions in a
fight and how it's applied -- I think I show that well -- and
I will apply that. If [an organization] doesn't want to see that
game then that's not where I belong. I've had more interest from
some organizations then I have from others. Whatever event you
see me in the future is going to be where I'm wanted."
To
this point he has been extremely loyal to the King of the Cage.
"And of course I'm loyal to them," he says. "That's
real important, I'm not just looking to go out and just get what's
for me. I want a feeling of mutual benefit from both parts."
If
you want trash talking and posturing in a fight, you're better
off watching Tough Man. Lister and Horn are renowned for their
sportsmanship and humility as much as for their skill and aggression.
When the two fighters square off December 6 at the Soboba Casino
in San Jacinto, Calif. the spectators will not get contrived
drama or shouting. Instead they will witness two game, technical
fighters competing to win.
Source: Maxfighting |
Quote
of the Day
"You will become as small as your controlling desire; as
great as your dominant aspiration."
James Allen, 1864-1912, British-born American Essayist, Author
of ''As a Man Thinketh''
|
Congrats
to Officer Hosaka
Long time Casca Grossa and Relson Gracie team member (and our
calabash cousin) Kaleo Hosaka graduated from the Honolulu Police
Department's training last night at the Okinawan Center. This
has been a long time coming because as far as I could remember
Kaleo always wanted to be a cop and we were like brothers since
we were about 3 years old. To top off his successful completion
of the rigorous training, he won the leadership award and a trophy
to go with it. He was only one of five cops that received awards
that night out of 42 new recruits.
We
would just like to congratulate him and say that we're proud
that we finally made his dream come true. It's also great that
there will be another great cop protecting our family and friends.
|
Super
Brawl 32 Weigh-Ins Today!
The road to the rematch of Egan Inoue and Masanori Suda starts
on Friday as both fighters must take on Jason Miller and Shannon
Ritch, respectively, in order to earn the right to face each
other for a rematch for the title.
Weigh-ins
for this event will be held today at 24-Hour Fitness Kapiolani
at 1:00 PM. This is a great opportunity to meet and greet the
fighters and see what they are all about outside the ring.
On
that same note, For Love and Glory, the Super Brawl documentary
which will follow a handful of Grappling Unlimited fighters outside
the ring as they prepare for Super Brawl 31 will air this Sunday
at 10:00 PM on Channel 5 (K-5). |
PRIDE
FC: TWO SHOWS IN TWO WEEKS!
LOS ANGELES, California – Dream Stage Entertainment announces
two upcoming events for the year 2004:
PRIDE
FC: INFERNO
Live Event: February 1, 2004
PPV Date: February 8, 2004
From the Osaka Castle Hall in Japan
PRIDE
FC: BUSHIDO 2
Live Event: February 15, 2004
PPV Date: TBA
From the Yokohama Arena in Japan
More
information on both fight cards soon to follow.
For
more information on PRIDE FC, visit pridefc.com!
MORE
PRIDE NEWS - PRIDE FC SHOCKWAVE 2003!
From
Dream Stage Entertainment:
LOS
ANGELES, California – The mixed martial arts year of 2003
is not over yet for PRIDE FC fans! Scheduled for December 31,
2003 from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan is PRIDE
FC’s New Year’s Eve spectacular … SHOCKWAVE 2003.
Headlining
the fight card will be the long-awaited rematch between Royce
Gracie and Hidehiko Yoshida. These two submission artists battled
at SHOCKWAVE 2002 and the result was the controversial finish
in which Yoshida was victorious via gi choke, though Gracie protested
that he did not tap and was not unconscious. This rematch continues
the epic rivalry between Gracie Jiu Jitsu and Japanese Judo,
which began over 50 years ago when Helio Gracie fought Masahiko
Kimura in a match to prove who had the superior fighting style.
Also
on the SHOCKWAVE 2003 fight card: Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro”
Nogueira, Wanderlei Silva, Ryan Gracie, Don “The Predator”
Frye, Heath Herring, Mario Sperry, and Hayato “Mach”
Sakurai. Match-ups will be announced soon.
Though
SHOCKWAVE 2003 will not be available in North America via pay
per view, travel packages are available on pridefc.com and a
DVD of the event will follow in the first quarter of 2004.
Fight
Card Subject to Change.
Source: ADCC
|
Interview:
JEREMY HORN
On December
6th Jeremy Horn makes his first King Of The Cage title defense
when he takes on Dean Lister at Soboba Casino. Horn is the KOTC
Light Heavyweight Champion while Dean is the Middleweight Champion.
This show is a non-PPV show, with the match being for Horn's
title.
Horn
won the title back in May by defeating the Champion at that time,
Vernon “Tiger” White by decision. In that fight White
scored with kicks, while Jeremy scored with control and positioning.
Both fighters were so good at defending the other’s strategy
that neither did significant damage or came close to a submission.
Overall this year Jeremy has gone a total of 7-1-1, a record
this year alone that beats many of the fighters we see on pay-per-view
shows. Jeremy’s one loss this year was by decision and was
his only loss in over two years, coming to Renato Sobral in the
finals of the IFC 8-man tournament in Denver in September.
KM:
What are your thoughts on fighting Lister?
JH: I know he is a really good grappler. It’s really all
I have to go on.
KM:
In the Abu Dhabi Submission Worlds he is the Absolute Division
Champion but in MMA he hasn’t really faced somebody of your
caliber yet. Does that mean anything to you?
JH: No, not really. I’m sure he’s training hard, I’m
sure he has some good people to train with.
KM:
This is your first defense of your King Of The Cage belt. You
mentioned before belts themselves don’t really mean anything
to you but KOTC is high profile. Does that mean anything to you?
JH: Nope. Losing the fight means something to me but that’s
about it.
KM:
This is at Light Heavyweight but you have been fighting recently
at Middleweight?
JH: I had a fight at Middleweight. That is where I want to fight
mostly but the fights I keep getting offered are Light Heavyweight.
KM:
The one Middleweight was in Extreme Challenge?
JH: Yeah.
KM:
So your most recent fight in London in Extreme Brawl…
JH: Yeah, that was at 205.
KM:
For those who haven’t seen it can you tell us about it?
JH: He’s a tough guy and hard to submit but I took him down
and pounded on him for three rounds. You never know judges; it
went down as a draw. They were probably all 10-8 rounds. I pounded
the shit out of him but he’s a tough guy and wouldn’t
quit.
KM:
This is for the Light Heavyweight belt but you are trying to
establish yourself at Middleweight. Lister on the other hand
is the Middleweight Champion and is trying to establish himself
at Light Heavyweight. Would you be fighting for the Middleweight
belt in KOTC later on?
JH: Yeah, probably.
KM:
Your last fight was in London. Anything lined up for January?
JH: Might be three times in January. There is a local promoter
here that does smaller boxing stuff and I might fight on one
of his cards here. I might fight in TKO the day before or day
after UFC, I forget which. I might do that; it depends on how
the schedules work out with that. I’d be fighting David
Loiseau.
KM:
Would that be defending your World Light Heavyweight belt or
at 185?
JH: That would be at 185.
KM:
Would you give up the TKO belt?
JH: No.
KM:
So you have the Light Heavyweight belts in King Of The Cage,
2Hot2Handle, TKO…do you know how many belts you have?
JH: I have about twelve. I forget all the names.
KM:
Isn’t it February you are defending your 2Hot2Handle belt?
JH: That is still in negotiations. They want me to fight Alistair
Overeem but they are really not offering much money. We’ll
see how that goes.
KM:
There are rumors about a rematch between you and Babalu in Brazil
in March.
JH: That is kind of what we are looking at. That is pretty tentative.
We haven’t heard a whole lot from the people that want to
do that so we’ll see how that goes.
KM:
We’ve talked several times about how I think you deserve
to be back in the UFC and here you are I believe the most international
fighter; London, Rotterdam, Brazil, California, Japan…what
are your thoughts on being the most international fighter?
JH: I never really thought about it before you mentioned it.
I’d always rather travel as little as possible. Traveling
so much I spend so much time away from home, I don’t like
it.
KM:
So this isn’t a conscious effort or strategy to spread your
name to foreign fans…
JH: No, not at all. I’m taking the fights that are offered.
KM:
You moved to Salt Lake City.
JH: Yes.
KM:
So you get that high elevation training 24/7. Have you noticed
any difference?
JH: Oh, yeah. When I first came out here was before the tournament
in Denver and I noticed a huge difference. It’s only about
a thousand feet lower than Denver while everybody else in the
tournament was almost at sea level pretty much. I was out here
about a month or six weeks before that fight. I noticed a big
difference.
KM:
I’ve heard fighters talk about taking 2-3 weeks to go to
high elevation like Big Bear being a favorite of the California
fighters. Since you are living at high elevation now are you
noticing even better conditioning or does the conditioning increase
level off after 2-3 weeks?
JH: I’m not really sure about how all that works. My understanding
is by going up in high elevation there is less oxygen and your
body learns to survive and work on less oxygen. Living gets your
body more used to it. I don’t think it’s that big a
difference just coming up for a month or so but now it’s
something I don’t have to think about, to worry about.
KM:
It used to be you were training mainly at Miletich Martial Arts.
Do you go back there or is it a different training regimen?
JH: I still train the same way. We still do a lot of boxing,
a lot of grappling, stuff like that. I get a lot of those guys
coming out here to train with me and I go back home to train
with them a lot. It’s still pretty much the same group.
KM:
I hear you are training around Walt Bayless’ place now.
JH: Yeah.
KM:
How should I phrase it, you are Team Miletich, Team Extreme,
fighting out of Walt Bayless Combat Jiu-Jitsu…
JH: I got a lot of friends at that gym so that is where I train
but I don’t know how you would phrase it. It’s more
like a partnership than them training me.
KM:
Maybe I should continue to just say “Team Extreme”.
JH: I don’t know, it’s kind of blurry.
KM:
You are still getting along with the Team Miletich people…
JH: Oh, absolutely.
KM:
It seems that whole split between Monte and Pat was blown out
of proportion.
JH: It was, yeah.
KM:
Things are pretty much like they used to be?
JH: Yeah.
KM:
It seems like it’s just another day at the office for you,
the KOTC belt is nothing to get worked up for you.
JH: No, not really. It’s just another fight. That doesn’t
mean it’s any less important but it’s just not anything
special just because of all that extra stuff. It’s just
a fight.
KM:
Sponsors to thank?
JH: Always Tapout. Fairtex. I know James Wong is going to be
helping me out but Tapout has always been supportive of me.
Source: ADCC
|
BJJ
World Champion Márcio Pé de Pano out of Global
Mix Combat
The
much awaited MMA debut of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission
Wrestling WOrld Champion Márcio 'Pé de Pano' (Gracie
Barra Combat Team) has been postponed.
It had been expected that Marcio would be on the card being planeed
for Rio next January, called . The card is set to feature many
great names from the Gracie Barra Combat Team, but according
to BJJ blck belt 'Pé de Pano' himself, he won't be one
of them. 'We couldn't reach a deal. It seems like they don't
care if I do fight or not. Whatever, my knee is still hurt',
complained Pé de Pano.
The
Global Mix Combat is scheduled for the last week of January and
promises a huge show with a Brazilian Reggae band, TV presenters,
DJs, dancers and a fair sports fair. 'The tickets will cost around
R$50 (US$ 15), but we are working to decrease it', stated Global
Mix Combat's manager Cláudio Seabra in other news on this
developing event.
Source: ADCC
|
Catching
Up With with Duane "Bang" Ludwig
PL: Tell
us about your last fight in K-1 against Toshio Matsumoto?
My last fight for K-1 was a very important fight to me. It was
my first fight for K-1 while on contract so I really wanted to
put on a good show. My opponent Toshio was a stablemate of my
first round opponent for the 03 World MAX tournament, Kozo Takeda,
and our fight was built as a revenge match for Kozo since I had
beaten him. My plan for the fight was to just outbox him while
countering his kicks. I went to New Mexico to train with Mike
Winklejohn for this fight, and like I said earlier, I really
wanted to put on a good show so I knew that Mr. Winklejohn would
get me more then ready, and I was.
The
fight went as planned with me being able to catch him with my
boxing. Toshio just likes to kick and knee so I just wanted to
counter his kicks and watch out for his knees to the head since
he is about 6'1''. Funny thing is, I actually KO'ed him with
a knee to the head.
PL:
Talk about your new contract with K-1. Where do you see that
going in the future?
My manager Sven "Boogie" Bean got me a really good
deal with K-1 MAX. The contract is basically a two-year deal
saying that I will fight in three K-1 shows a year, but that
I still can fight for other non-Japanese organizations like the
UFC. This is great for me, and it's what I have been dreaming
of for years - being a K-1 fighter. One thing that is very important
for me is the K-1 World MAX tournament, so now with this contract,
K-1 is keeping me busy with actual K-1 style fights. When I jump
back and forth between NHB and K-1, my striking skills suffer
and that can't happen when I'm fighting the world's finest strikers.
Basically, no other top K-1 MAX fighter is doing both NHB and
K-1. If I can concentrate on K-1, my chances of reaching my dream
are better. With the contract that "Boogie" got me
from K-1, I can give 100% to my dream.
PL:
K-1 has also taken an interest in promoting you to Japanese fans.
Is that part of the contract?
Basically there are two contracts - a fight contract and a promotion
contract. The fight contract says that I will fight on at least
three K-1 shows a year and is only exclusive in Japan; fighting
for shows like Ring of Fire and UFC are OK. The Promotion contract
says that K-1 will get me commercial deals and that they are
going to have some BANG items made up. K-1 has mentioned a few
things to help promote me, like T-shirts and a doll. The qualities
that I naturally have are what the Japanese fans like - I am
the All American guy for one, I have tons of heart and I am not
that bad at fighting. I guess if you throw a little Apple pie,
a couple steel balls, a good chunk from a lion's heart and a
little bit of fighting skill you got me. One thing about Japanese
fans is that they are very knowledgeable of the fight game. They
love you win or lose. It's a great thing to be appreciated as
an athlete and not a brawler.
PL:
Talk about K-1's new MMA promotion. Where do you see yourself
fitting in there and are you more interested in pursuing K-1
or MMA rules fights?
Now that K-1 has launched a MMA series, I will also be fighting
in that, but nothing is set yet. Hopefully I will not be fighting
too much MMA because K-1 is my dream and that is what I want.
With K-1 signing me to this contract, I am the only foreigner
to be signed in the MAX series and the second American ever to
have a K-1 multi fight deal, so this is big stuff. With me being
able to do both K-1 style and MMA, K-1 can keep me very busy,
with possibly more than three shows a year.
PL:
Your last K-1 fight was supposed to be against Genki Sudo. Does
that still look like a possibility, and do you still want to
fight him, whether under K-1 or MMA rules?
I was supposed to fight Genki in K-1 rules but it was pulled.
If we fight again, I hope for it to be in K-1 rules so I do not
have to worry about the takedowns and I can just go after him.
I do owe him and the fans a rematch in MMA though.
PL:
Where do you stand with the UFC right now?
With the UFC not having a 155 title anymore, I am not too sure
where I stand. For me, I don't really want to fight a particular
person as much as I want to fight for the title. I was asked
after my last K-1 fight who I would like to fight. I said nobody,
I just want the K-1 04 MAX title, and I want to bring it back
to America. That is a big thing to me, to show the world that
America has great kickboxing. Americans get little respect in
the world when it comes to kickboxing and I am going to change
that.
PL:
Comment on BJ Penn moving up in weight to fight Matt Hughes.
Who can beat Matt Hughes?
I think that Matt is going to beat BJ pretty easy. BJ doesn't
seem that strong at 155 and now he wants to fight the strongest
170 pounder?? BJ better do some steroids or something. Hey, BJ,
just don't tell the UFC OK? If Matt comes to fight like he has
been, then it's not going to be a certain fighter that is going
to beat him as much as it's going to be a lucky strike or some
mistake from Matt that will get him submitted.
PL:
Do you plan on staying at 155? Would you fight at 170 in the
UFC?
With my new trainer Mike Winklejohn, making 155 is no problem.
That guy worked me out so much that I had to actually eat more
to keep my weight up to stay at 160 so I could still cut five
pounds and have a little weight on my opponent. Fighting at 170
is not too likely for me. The only way that I would fight at
170 is if I had a street fight two weeks after one of my scheduled
fights.
PL:
I understand your next fight is for Alex Gong's title. How does
it feel to fight for a title that was vacated in such a way?
Alex Gong's death was just wrong. Of all people, he should know
not to try to street fight. Everybody knows that people do not
fight fair. Even then, you're a professional fighter with a moneymaking
gym, let your insurance and police handle it, man! The whole
thing pisses me off. I have a little story for you guys. I had
this loudmouth guy at work one time wanting to fight me and I
told him "I don't fight for free". The guy's brother
says that would put $1000 up and so would my boss. "Great,"
I told him and we scheduled to meet after work, but of course
he backs out, saying that we shouldn't be fighting and that I
was cool and all. This was when I was working as an electrician
and the other guy was a dry waller. There is always something
happening on a construction site. Actually, a week after Alex
was shot, this guy on the highway invited me to pull over for
a little road rage dance after work. I told this fat dumb ass,
"you don't want me to pull over," but of course looking
like a 15-year-old Boy Scout doesn't help when I try to talk
bad so then I remembered what happened to Alex and I just kept
on driving. Now I am glad to say that because I didn't pull over
to fight, I am here to answer your questions and to say that
I will be fighting for the ISKA title that Alex had vacated.
The date is Jan 10th here in Colorado, which is rare these days,
against Terrek Rashad from Lebanon. This will be full Muay Thai
with elbows. This title means a lot to me. I plan to keep the
title here in the United States and keep a bit of Alex Gong's
memory with it. Since his last defense of the title was against
me, I have a little emotion wrapped up with this fight. I hope
that I can keep the title here for a lot of reasons but one reason
in particular and that's to keep it here in Alex Gong's memory.
PL:
What's after that fight? What do you want to work on in terms
of your fighting? What is your next goal?
My next goal is to win the 04 MAX World Grand Prix. That has
been my dream for 10 years now, to win the K-1 Grand Prix.
PL:
What has kept you motivated over the years as you've moved closer
to that goal?
I have a few reasons why I fight. One is because this is what
I am wired for, but I must do the best I can because if you don't,
why do it at all? I don't fight because I want people to think
that I am cool and/or tough. I don't wear fight shirts in public
and I don't talk about fighting when I am in a public place so
people can hear how cool I am. I fight to make my mother proud.
I am the youngest of five children so that means that it's up
to me to finally put the LUDWIG name in a place to be proud of.
I grew up fighting and I am good at it so this what I am running
with. Finally, I am making enough money to do it full-time. The
place where I'm at today is due to a lot of things: My desire,
my first coach James Tigrett who gave me a strong Muay Thai foundation
and my manager / big brother Sven "Boogie" Bean, who
has always looked out for me since day one. No one can really
say that this one thing or one person did everything, but I tell
you this, if it wasn't for "Boogie", I would not be
where I am today.
PL:
You've had two chances to win the MAX title in the past. What
do you feel has held you back?
One thing that has held me back from winning the MAX tournament
is me. I never believed that I could win it. There are a few
things that I would like to blame, but the bottom line is that
I never believed in myself. Now I have my diet down better, I
finally have a true kickboxing coach, I have been focusing 100%
on K-1 rules and I am getting better each time I fight. A few
things that held me back were a lack of training partners and
a true experienced kickboxing coach. No excuses, I just have
to trust in my training and myself. When I fought Masato in the
02 MAX, I was a little intimidated and I was hearing all this
shit at the camp I was training at. I was just not there 100%.
Also, I starved myself to stay at weight for four days before
the fight. My diet was wrong and my training was not what it
should have been for that Masato fight. I was just not myself.
In this last 03 MAX, I was totally focused for the Kozo fight
and I trained entirely for Kozo. My goal was to beat Kozo and
to at least win one fight. When that happened, I was happy with
what I accomplished. I kind of settled for that win and that
win only. When I fought (Albert) Kraus, I did what I never do
and that is fight a fighter at his own game. I am good at doing
what my opponent is not doing. When I faced him, I tried to box
him and he caught me and I went down. From then I was scared
that I could not take his power. I was just not myself. When
I cut so much weight, I do not take a shot as well. That is not
going to be a problem from now on. With my new training, I have
to eat to keep weight on so that is a good thing.
PL:
How is your game improving with your new trainer?
With my new trainer Mike Winklejohn, I have full confidence when
I fight. My training is exactly what I need to be doing. Mr.
Winklejohn has the experience and the knowledge of the fight
game and that is a big thing to me. When someone tries to tell
me something and they have never fought, then I do not take it
to heart. That is why I love Bas Rutten so much. He has he skills
and he has always looked out for me. I listen to everything he
says. Mr. Winklejohn also looks out for me; his training is very
intense and very good. I feel great training with him. No one
trains the way we do. We run this mountain, and at the top, we
do pads and a bunch of drills. That is the shit. When I do that
training, it gives me this confidence that I have never had before.
I felt so good at this last fight with the training that I did,
that when I fight for the ISKA title (Gong's title), I am going
to go off.
PL:
K-1 obviously pays better than most US organizations. How much
has this contract helped you financially?
Having this K-1 contract, I do not have to work and I do not
have to worry about getting sponsors. One big thing about the
fight game has always been sponsors. I have had a few good ones
and a few bad ones. Now with this K-1 contract, I don't really
need sponsors, so I guess you can say I get to pick what I want
to wear on my fight clothes. That is a good thing too because
I had a clothing sponsor out of Cali. That was just a pain in
my ass to deal with. Sometimes the actual fight itself was easier
then getting the money from the sponsor. Then there is my supplement
sponsor that wanted to start charging me for protein when he
figured out that sponsoring wasn't going to bring in a million
dollars to his shop. Then I have another supplement guy who came
to me that starts off big (of course), only to end up being another
pain. I am not going to mention their company so they can get
any free advertising but the second supplement sponsor's name
is "back order Jeff" because every time I try to get
something from this guy it's always back ordered. Yeah right,
man. I would ask for a certain protein bar or certain protein
and he would always be like "no, that's on back order but
I have this half empty protein that I didn't finish". Thanks
bro. I wouldn't get half of what I was supposed to but I was
all right with that because, shit, it was free. The problem comes
when you hear that the guy talks shit behind your back about
how "I only give Duane half his stuff because he doesn't
get me as much business as he should by sponsoring him".
When you confront him he totally backs off and denies everything.
I also had a website that gave me a few bucks here and there
but this guy is one two-faced asshole, a total snake. This guy
says one thing and then goes back on it the next day like we
never talked, kind of like Terry from KOTC. When I drive 1,200
miles to Cali for a six-month fight deal to find out that there
is no apartment like we agreed on, that is when I found out what
a contract is good for. Not to trust a man's word. Scratch that
man, I meant snake's word. So to all the sponsors that are a
pain in my ass, I want to say, "f**k off", but that
would not be good so instead, I would like to say "f**k
off". One thing about me, I am a very honest and dedicated
person but if you piss me off one time, I never forget it. I
will stay on the ride until I get everything I can, but after
the ride stops, bye bye.
With
that off my chest, I would like to thank some people and sponsors
that have been there from the beginning and have always been
willing to help me out in a pinch. GLC 2000, even if they didn't
sponsor me, I would take their product; that stuff works. Profile
Autobody, who took a chance on me. They paid for my 02 MAX training
and I didn't win, as we all know, but they didn't care, they
were just proud to help me out and have ever since. Dakota's
Steak house out in Cali. They would give me any free meal all
the time when I lived there and didn't want anything in return.
Brothers BBQ here in Denver, they always hook it up with the
BBQ. Always a smile when we meet and never a question when I
bring in the whole gang to throw down on some ribs. For some
very special people that have helped me from the get go, in no
order mind you. Bas Rutten, and BASRUTTEN.TV always looked out
for me and got me hooked all over the world. Sven "Boogie"
Bean, who, like a big brother would, has never left my side in
any situation, my snugglers, who didn't care if I had money or
not; still there was love in her eye for me. There are so many
people who helped me through my career, training partners Nate
Marquardt who fights in Pancrase on the 30th, Christian Allen
and Clarence Thatch. I could go on for a while but I better quit
now. THANKS TO ALL MY FANS AND THANKS TO ALL THE WEBSITES AND
MAGAZINES THAT GIVE ME EXPOSURE. God Bless.
Source: Maxfighting |
FRANKLIN
TO FIGHT IN JAPAN
MMAWeekly.com broke the story a couple of weeks ago that Rich
Franklin had signed a three fight deal to fight for the K-1 organization.
He will also be available to fight in the UFC as well.
It
appears that Franklin will fight his first K-1 fight in Japan
on the big December 31st show. While an opponent has not been
officially announced, there have been some rumblings that his
opponent most likely will be Pride fighter Alistar Overeem. Overeem's
last fight was against Chuck Liddell in the first round of the
Pride Grand Prix where he lost to the Iceman.
Speaking
of this K-1 show, it appears another UFC fighter that might be
competing on that show as well. It's expected that Din Thomas
will sign a deal this week to compete in Japan as well. Thomas
is expected to be a guest on MMAWeekly Radio later this week
with the official word.
Source: ADCC
|
Quote
of the Day
"If money is your hope for independence, you will never
have it. The only real security that a man can have in this world
is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability."
Henry Ford, 1863-1947, American Industrialist, Founder of Ford
Motor Company
|
Rigan
Machado Seminar at HMC this Saturday!
Don't miss this opportunity to train with one of the most technical
and experienced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructors and competitors
in the world, Rigan Machado of the famous Machado brothers.
The Machado brothers are cousins of the Gracies and were the
champions of the champion factory Gracie Barra team for a number
of years. They were one of the pioneers that followed Rorion
to America and created a huge powerhouse team primarily based
in California, but now have associations and academies all over
the US and the world. The Machados were the first to produce
numerous American black belts and break down the walls by openly
promoting Americans to high levels.
For
a while, Rigan Machado was considered "the next Rickson"
and has fought Rickson in a sport Jiu-Jitsu in a close battle.
He has had success in the tournament scene as well as in the
Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championships.
Here
are the specifics for the seminar:
When:
Saturday, December 6
Where: Hawaii Martial Arts Center (HMC)
2nd Floor in the Kentucky Fried Chicken and Jiffy Lube complex
on the corner of Dillingham, Liliha, and King St.
HMC is directly under Canyan Rent-to-Own
555 N. King St.
Honolulu, HI 96817
Contact: 841-5144 to reserve your spot! A $20 non-refundable
down is required to save your spot.
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Gi $40
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM No-Gi $40
Sign up for both seminars for $60 and save $20!
Spots
are limited by the amount of space at HMC and to prevent over
crowding. Don't think that you will show up the day of the seminar
and fill an empty spot. This seminar is sure to sell out so act
fast!
There
will be no video camera equipment allowed during the seminar
so as not to interrupt the instruction being given and because
the seminar might end up being filmed for use by a production
company later.
|
Fireworks
in the Corners
"The
New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni to corner Jason Miller
"Yamato Damashi" Enson Inoue to corner Egan Inoue
Fans
will likely have their eyes glued to the action inside the ring
as Hawaii's own Egan Inoue battles Jason "Mayhem" Miller
this Friday night. Super Brawl promoters are taking extra precautions
to make sure they are the only ones battling in the ring. "We
are aware that both Enson and Phil can be very emotional"
says T.Jay Thompson, Super Brawl producer. "We have spoken
to both of them and are confident there will be no extra-curricular
activities"
Bigger
Production in Store for 32nd Installment
Super Brawl production staff have big plans for this Friday night's
Super Brawl. "We have hired a new lighting crew and will
have a full production truck in back. We will have new fighter
introduction packages and will have immediate slow-motion replay
capability" Will Shipley, Chief Production Engineer
Tickets
on Sale now for the Dec 5th, Super Brawl!
Great Early Christmas Gift!
Pick them up at the Blaisdell Box Office
Charge by phone 1-877-750-4400
or Click
Here
to Order Online!
Unfortunately,
the fight that was slated to happen didn't so here is the finalized
Super Brawl card for Friday Night (or at least up to right now.
As you know fight cards have been known to change at the last
minute)!
1.
Stephen Paling IV 125lbs Harvey Nakamura
(Jesus Is Lord) 1-0 (Grappling Unlimited 1-0)
Stephen Palling has some big shoes to fill. His father is Super
Brawl Superstar "Bozo" Palling. At just 18 years old
he will fight tonight as an amateur, but from all accounts he
is ready to break into the pros now. Lightning fast hands and
a solid grappling game will make him a formidable opponent for
Harvey Nakamura. Nakamura is also known for his hands, but if
young Palling is too quick he also has an amateur wrestling background.
This should be an exciting fight. Even Odds, Pick' em
2.
Mike Bauer (HMC 1-0) 170lbs Brandon Keene (GU 4-0)
Bauer trains at HMC in Kalihi with top level instruction. He
is a young fighter who will look to take the fight to his opponent
and make waves tonight in Super Brawl. Keene is looking to improve
his impressive record tonight and an impressive performance tonight
may help him shine amongst so many talented teammates. Keene
2-1 Favorite
3.
Bryan Pardoe (Phoenix 6-4) 205lb Sam Bass (GU 1-0)
Pardoe is a physical specimen who has been in the ring with UFC
legend Frank Shamrock. He hits hard and has solid ground skills.
Bass is a raw talent who is new to the MMA game. He will attempt
to use his extensive wrestling experience and his new found fighting
skills (Grappling Unlimited) to beat his veteran opponent. Pardoe
2-1 Favorite
4.
Tyler Lecky (Phoenix 1-0) Hwt. Ray "King Kong" Serraille
(GU 3-4)
Lecky is a young fighter from Arizona who is accustomed to having
a size and reach advantage. He will likely try to keep the fight
standing and utilize his extensive Muay Thai experience. Kong
has taken on all comers and recently beat Travis "The Iron
Man" Fulton. That win has put this young fighter on the
radar screen of many other big promotions. He is not afraid to
stand but seems strongest when the fight is on the ground. He
will try to even his record to .500 tonight. Kong 2-1 Favorite
5.
David Yeung (HMC 2-2-1) 145lbs Justin Mercado (GU 2-2)
This has the potential of being a war. Yeung is coming off a
less then impressive draw at the last Super Brawl against Eddie
Yagin. Normally a counter puncher, he will likely fight a more
aggressive fight tonight. If he does chose to counter, Mercado
will likely guarantee an exciting fight. His gameplan is always
coming forward and will do his best to keep this fight "up
and up". Yeung 3-2 Favorite
6. Jason Miller (Las Vegas, 9-3) 185lbs Egan Inoue (#1 Contender
14-5)
Jason Miller does not only talk a big game ("Eeegan…Come
out and Plaaayy!), but walks one as well. He recently started
training with the" New York Bad Ass", Phil Baroni and
will likely take the fight directly to Inoue. His strong suit
is his extensive submission arsenal, but don't be surprised to
see him stand and trade with Inoue. Egan is anxious to end a
streak of bad luck that seems to have been following him. He
has picked a tough "come-back" opponent and if his
mind is not right he could be upset tonight. Inoue 3-2 Favorite
7.
Shannon Rich 185lbs Masanori Suda
(Pride Veteran) (Super Brawl Champ 19-8-2)
Rich
has fought all over the world and knows what it's like to be
in with Championship talent (Kazushi Sakuraba, Frank Shamrock).
Although he has failed to beat the best in the business he has
recently focused his training and is confident he will walk away
tonight with a victory. Suda will have something to say about
this. He showed his tremendous power last May, knocking out Egan
Inoue to become only the second 185lb Champion in Super Brawl
history. A win by Egan and himself tonight would likely set up
a rematch of the two in early February. Suda 3-1 Favorite
|
Interview
with Rolker Gracie
How old were you when you started training?
I was 6 years old. I just turned 39, so it's been a little while!
(Laughs)
What was it like growing up in the Gracie family and EVERY one
of your brothers was on the mat training? Ever have any "friendly"
fights when someone got angry?!
(Laughs) No, nothing like that. We all respected each other,
worked very hard, and were very close. Plus, catching each other
proved very difficult; we all knew the same techniques! (laughs)
You & your brothers all started training very young, how
did your Father train young children?
Dad was always very serious with us, but fun and playful. He
believed children, especially very young ones, are best taught,
through play, and that was how he taught me.
What age do you recommend kids to start training?
For me, it was 6, so I'm biased towards that age group. My brothers
differ with me on this, but I feel that 6 is the perfect age.
Most children are ready by then and usually do well, with proper
training.
The game today seems to be leaning more and more without the
Kimono, how do you feel about this? Do you feel that Gi training
is more important?
The Gi is where technical precision comes from. Period. Much
easier to take it off and roll effectively than train without
it and expect to do well with it. Keep your Gi's, American guys!!
(Laughs)
Of your Father's many accomplishments, which are you the most
proud?
That's a tough question. My Father's accomplishments are many
and it would take a lot longer than this interview to list them
all. But, by far, my proudest was when my Father saved the swimmer
who was drowning in the shark-waters. It is mentioned in Kid
Peligro's new book, "The Gracie Way", (plug). That
is the one that I can say, makes me feel the most proud.
In America, there are very few Women students studying GJJ. What
can we do as instructors and practitioners to help attract more
Women students to our art?
I think GJJ has something for everyone, especially Women. In
Brazil, we have the same problem, not many of the Ladies want
to train. I think we need to emphasize Self-Defense even more.
That has been my families mantra since day one: Self-Defense.
After all, isn't that what everyone really begins training for?
So, I think getting more Women involved will be through pushing
the Self-Defense aspect even more so.
What would you say are the biggest differences in training in
Brazil versus America?
In Brazil, the game is much faster, and of course, much more
technical, but our American friends have better educations on
Nutrition, Fitness, etc and this is helping to improve their
overall game, as well.
What major changes have you seen in the evolution of GJJ over
the last 5 years? The Leg game? No-Gi?
The Leg game is certainly a factor, as well as the no-Kimono,
but to me, the biggest change that I have noticed is the explosion
of children training. More and more children are discovering
GJJ every day! Which is wonderful, because they are the future.
Our art will die without them.
Finally, what is your opinion of American GJJ?! Are we Americans
improving?
(Laughs) As long as you have good instruction! Just kidding!
But, absolutely. As I said a minute ago, American JJ enthusiasts
have many tools in their arsenals, that are helping them to catch
up. Also, one big factor, is American passion. Americans are
very passionate about JJ and that is a big factor in how well
you actually do something. Is it in your Heart or not.
Thank you Sir, for your time!
My pleasure! Keep up the hard work out there American JJ guys!!
|
Francis
Botha - Buffalo Soldier
Francois
Botha may have let fight fans down during his K-1 debut two months
ago. But, now he’s back in new form. And if his first tournament
fight on Saturday only lasts 19 seconds, he is certain that it
will be as a result of a knockout produced by his hands.
When
word got out that Francois “The White Buffalo” Botha
had signed an agreement to fight in the K-1 circuit, the interest
of martial arts fight fans in “The New Fighting Sport”
soared as they were finally about to see how a world class professional
boxer would fair in a combat sport that permits the use of, not
only punching techniques, but also kicks and knee strikes.
Sadly,
anticipation quickly turned into disappointment as the former
International Boxing Federation (IBF) heavyweight champion punched
his way to disqualification a mere 19 seconds into his October
11th K-1 “Final Elimination” bout after he struck opponent
Cyril Abidi while Abidi sat on the canvas (Abidi slipped to the
mat moments earlier.)
With
the debacle behind him, but not forgotten, Botha is ready to
make headway in the new challenge that he has tackled. Thanks
to failed negotiations between K-1’s front office and the
management of German kickboxer Stefan Leko, who was scheduled
to compete in Saturday’s Pay-Per-View televised K-1 “World
Grand Prix Finals” eight-man tournament, Botha received
a call to step up and fill the void that Leko left. Ironically,
the 35-year-old South African boxer will again face Abidi –
this time in the opening round of combat sports’ most prestigious
annual, single-elimination playoff.
Q:
So, how is your training going?
A:
The training’s excellent. But, this time I did a lot more
kicking techniques. We have some good kickboxing guys working
with us now.
Q:
How do you find the training with your newfound weapons –
your legs?
A:
Well, that’s what I wanted to concentrate on this time –
getting my legs ready for the kicks and I can tell you right
now that my legs are all blue. I’ve got blue marks everywhere,
but surprisingly, I’ve been taking the kicks very well.
I’m doing very well with it.
Q:
Are these Japanese trainers you are working with?
A:
They’re Japanese fighters – K-1 fighters.
Q:
Now that you’ve been training with kicks, what do you think
will be different about this K-1 fight from your first one?
A:
I think the first time I just rushed out. I was very excited.
The guy kicked me and I just really lost my cool, you know? But,
this time I’m gonna be more composed. I’m gonna stay
calm and collected because I know how to block kicks and then
just go in and get him out of there. You cannot give these guys
any space. That’s what I’m not gonna do. I’m not
gonna give him any space to allow him to kick me.
Q:
When you say you lost your cool, is that how you would explain
the illegal blow you threw in the first fight with Cyril –
the punch that resulted in your disqualification?
A:
The guy was on the ground when I hit him, but basically I was
still upset because of the first time the guy kicked me. When
I came in, the guy kicked me and I lost my balance. When he was
on the ground, I threw an uppercut because I just wanted to get
him out. I believe this time, like I said, I will stay more composed
and get him out easily. I’ll do anything no matter what
it takes. If the guy hits me, I’m gonna (knock) him to the
ground. I’m gonna really hit him. I might even bite off
his ear, you know? (laughs)
Q:
How surprised were you that he chose not to continue after you
hit him with the illegal shot?
A:
I wasn’t really that surprised because it happened to me
a lot in the past – like in my amateur career. You know,
guys want to get rid of you, that’s what they’re gonna
do. They’re gonna claim a foul and get rid of you that way.
But I think now (K-1) changed the rules. That’s what I hear
down the pipeline – that they changed the rules. You gotta
be able to continue. If you can’t continue, you lose. You
cannot win by a foul anymore because that night, I think it happened
to Bob Sapp also (Note: Sapp was disqualified from his fight
with Remy Bonjasky, also for hitting his downed opponent after
Bonjasky slipped and fell to the ground.). So, now I would probably
get a yellow card instead and, from what I understand, once you
get a yellow card, you basically can’t win a fight. I don’t
know how many yellow cards they can give me – they can give
me 10 – but I’m still gonna knock him out before the
end of the fight.
Q:
You sound very confident about this fight.
A:
Oh, yea. It’s something new, but I know that I can beat
everybody out there. I know I’ve got the ability. The kicking
is something new but, like I said, if it hurts me then I’m
really gonna hurt him. I’m gonna put him on the ground.
Q:
Are you planning to continue your boxing career or focus only
on K-1 in 2004?
A:
I’m still doing both. I think I’ve got something (in
boxing) scheduled in March. Everything is really about money.
I see that K-1 is gonna probably take over boxing in the near
future because of the production, because of the way they do
it. I’ve got some people coming from Vegas to attend this
fight – very good friends of mine. They’ve got some
great facilities in Las Vegas and that is where we’re gonna
start staging (more) K-1. So, I believe that once the American
public starts seeing more of K-1 and the production that they
do and more and more popular fighters get involved, then it’s
gonna take over.
Q:
You’ve made it clear that you want a rematch with Mike Tyson.
(Note: On January 16, 1999, Tyson knocked out Botha at 2:59 of
the fifth round of their Las Vegas, Nevada bout. Before the stoppage,
Botha was winning the fight on the judges’ scorecards.)
How willing would you be to fight him under K-1 rules?
A:
Oh, I would fight him any way under any rules. You know, before
(Tyson’s) fight with The Black Rhino (Clifford “The
Black Rhino” Etienne), we were gonna give (Tyson) $8 million.
He turned that down and he took the Black Rhino fight for $3.5
million. Clearly, that shows everyone that he’s running
scared and he don’t want nothing to do with me because he
knows I’m gonna kick his ass bad this time. So he keeps
on running and he keeps on running. He’s supposed to be
taking part in a K-1 and I understand that he’s coming here
in January, but so far that’s not a sure thing because,
with him, you never know. But, whenever and wherever he wants
to fight, I’ll fight him. He’s running away not me.
Q:
What is your opinion of the level of competition in this World
Grand Prix Finals tournament?
A:
You know, these are the best of the K-1 guys coming together
and I’m honored to be a part of this. It’s gonna be
a big challenge for me so I won’t feel ashamed if one of
these guys should beat me. But, I don’t see that happening.
Like I said, it’s something new. Give me one year and I’ll
be like Bruce Lee. I’ll be kicking and flying, you know?
Q:
It sounds like you’re very happy with the K-1 experience
so far.
A:
Oh, yea. Very happy. These people treat me like a champion and
it’s not so much for the money that I joined the K-1. It’s
more like what’s in the future. This is a long future that
I’ve planned with K-1. It’s not like a one shot deal.
The money lies in the endorsements and the long road ahead. The
White Buffalo name will be a marquee name a year from now.
Source: Sherdog
|
The
Savage Truth - What in the World Was That?
Well,
it took about 1.7 seconds for me to realize I was back at the
Mohegan Sun for another UFC event. That’s about how long
it took for the crowd to start booing Yves Edwards and Nick Agallar
as they circled the cage feeling each other out in the first
round of the opening preliminary match. Ah, home sweet home.
I
guess it was the perfect setting for such a huge letdown of an
event.
Retarded
crowd? Check
Piss
poor card? Check
Fighter
losing his mind and attacking the referee? Check
Bench
clearing brawl between corners after a fight, complete with an
idiot from the crowd running down and jumping into the cage only
to leave and return to his seat with no ramifications from security?
Check
How
bout some technical difficulties for the pay-per-view broadcast?
Sure why not.
Could
we scale the arena wrong and ensure we don’t get a sellout
because we only have $300 dollar seats left for walk up customers?
You bet.
I
went into this trip with low expectations and believe me they
weren’t low enough. This ranks right up there with UFC 33
(the parts I was awake for anyways) as one of the worst shows
I have ever been to. Even the Legends and Hall of Fame ceremonies
couldn’t save this train wreck.
Oh
well, it’s only 67 days until UFC 46 and a pretty good chance
at redemption for the folks at Zuffa. God knows it won’t
be too difficult to improve on their last performance.
Moving
on. So I am talking with Larry Landless this afternoon, he called
to give me his statement on the Baroni stoppage which ended up
being an apology to Phil. He said he had just gotten off the
phone with Baroni and they were cool, that both had apologized
and they were hoping to move on from this unfortunate situation.
I
could tell how heavily this whole situation has weighed on Larry
and I, for one, feel he showed the class and professionalism
that has made him one of, if not the, best referees in the world
of MMA.
That
said, there is always room for improvement and as the sport continues
to evolve, the referees must advance as well. I feel the ability
to determine the severity of a cut or how it is affecting a fighter’s
vision is one thing that must happen. In my opinion there was
no reason to stop the fight to check Tanner’s cut, especially
when he was clearly out on his feet.
Another
thing I feel could be improved upon is the dialogue between fighters
and referees. Referees should be limited to giving commands while
the action is happening. Can you imagine being Phil Baroni, mounted
by Evan Tanner with elbows falling like bricks against your head,
trying to hold a conversation with the referee? No thanks.
I
didn’t have a problem with Landless’ stoppage but I
do feel he should have told Phil to get out of the bad position
or defend himself or he would have to stop the fight instead
of asking him if he wanted out. Phil had other things on his
mind at the time—namely Tanner’s elbows—and could
not be faulted for misunderstanding what the referee was asking
him.
Baroni
made the point at the press conference that the referee should
know the fighters they are reffing. When I asked Landless about
that he brought up the Randy Couture-Ricco Rodriguez fight and
explained that no matter how tough a fighter is they could be
seriously injured with the type of strikes Tanner was landing.
He said he remembered how much pain Couture was in after he took
the elbow from Rodriguez right to the eye and reiterated the
fact that he thought he was helping Phil by stopping the onslaught
of elbows he was being battered with. Landless made the point
that the fighter’s safety along with enforcing the rules
is the main function of the referee and that he had those thoughts
in mind when he called a halt to the fight.
Whether
Phil Baroni agreed with it or not, he can not be excused from
his actions after the fight was called. It has been reported
that he will be banned from fighting at the Mohegan Sun for life—not
the worst thing after all—and will face a one year suspension
at the hands of the Mohegan Tribal Commission. With most athletic
commissions honoring each other’s rulings, Baroni can expect
another long layoff.
Hopefully
he can use the time to figure out who he really is. I really
don’t care for his mostly contrived persona, the New York
Badass but found myself pulling for the guy at the press conference
with his emotions on his sleeve bearing his heart and soul to
those who would be judging him on his most recent outburst. That
Phil Baroni, the guy who lets everyone into his fragile world,
the guy who reveals his fears and faces up to his responsibilities
could easily be a crowd favorite, a working class fans fighter.
Don’t
let the New York Badass fool you, he may say the things to stir
the pot and be controversial but when the criticism comes down,
it hits Phil Baroni like a ton of bricks. Hopefully he will take
this time off to figure out what direction he wants his career
to go in. He is by no means done and as long as he handles the
punishment handed down with dignity and class the fans will forgive
him and cheer for him like never before.
Especially
if it is Phil Baroni and not the New York Badass.
Source: Sherdog
|
POLL
RESULTS: UFC 45 School Letter Grade?
The
following are results from last week's MMANews.com weekly poll:
What
school letter grade would you give UFC 45: Revolution?
A
52
B 123
C 184
D 119
F 94
Votes: 572
Source: MMA News |
COUTURE
TO DEFEND LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE AGAINST BELFORT LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW
AT UFC 46: SUPER NATURAL, JANUARY 31
Matt
Hughes To Meet BJ Penn For Welterweight Crown In Ultimate Fighting Championship
Super Bowl Weekend Show At Mandalay Bay In Las Vegas
Heavyweights
Frank Mir, Wes Sims To Battle In Rematch; British Middleweight
Lee Murray To Clash With Jorge Rivera
TICKETS
NOW ON SALE!
LAS
VEGAS, December 2, 2003…Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
Light Heavyweight Champion Randy “The Natural” Couture
will defend his title for the first time against Brazilian phenom
Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 46: Super Natural LIVE
on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST, Saturday, January 31, at the
Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
In
the co-main event of the Super Bowl Saturday fight show, Welterweight
Champion Matt Hughes will defend his belt for the sixth time
when he meets one of the world’s top rated fighters, BJ
Penn, who will move up from the lightweight division for the
title fight. In two feature matches on the eight-fight card,
Las Vegas Heavyweight Frank Mir will again fight Wes Sims in
the much-anticipated re-match of their June 6 bout, and Lee Murray,
one of Britain’s top ranked middleweights will clash with
Jorge Rivera. The remainder of the card will be announced.
Live
event tickets, $350, $250, $150, $75 and $35, are now on sale
at the Mandalay Bay Events Center box office in Las Vegas, at
all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com and www.mandalaybay.com.
Tickets also may be ordered by telephone at 1-877-632-7400 or
1-702-474-4000. Ticket purchases are limited to eight per person
and are subject to transaction fees. UFC 46: Super Natural also
will be available on pay-per-view on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish
Network, TVN, Echostar, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada.
The suggested retail price is $29.95.
Couture
and Belfort fought six years ago in an epic battle that Couture
won by technical knockout. Now both are at the peak of their
careers and are ready for a re-match. Belfort vows the outcome
will be different this time, but Couture says the light heavyweight
division suits him well and he won’t be relinquishing the
belt any time soon.
Couture
(12-5-0 in mixed martial arts) from Portland, Ore., is the 40-year-old
superman who has blitzed the light heavyweight division since
he dropped down from heavyweight in June and defeated then number
one contender Chuck Liddell to capture the interim championship.
He followed with an even more impressive defeat of Tito Ortiz
by unanimous decision September 21 to capture the light heavyweight
crown outright. Couture, the former two-time heavyweight champion,
is the only fighter in the UFC’s 10-year history to win
titles in two different weight classifications.
Belfort
(11-3-0) from Rio de Janeiro, is one of the world’s top-ranked
light heavyweight fighters. He is coming off a dominating performance
in June in Las Vegas where he defeated Marvin Eastman by technical
knockout in just 1:10 of the first round. Belfort’s mastery
of jiu jitsu and his lightning quick hands established his reputation
early on. He exploded on the scene in 1997 at just 19 dazzling
fans and opponents alike with his furious hands and punching
power. He won his first three fights with devastating punches,
including a 53 second knockout of the legendary Tank Abbott.
Penn (6-1-1) from Hilo,
Hawaii, is the undisputed top lightweight fighter in the world.
A threat both striking and on the ground, the energetic, young
Hawaiian is always looking for a new challenge. He may have accepted
his greatest one yet moving up a weight class to challenge the
seemingly unstoppable Welterweight World Champion Hughes (30-3-0)
from Hillsboro, Ill.
Since
winning the welterweight crown in November 2001 with a knockout
of Carlos Newton, Hughes has destroyed everyone in his path including
highly-rated Frank Trigg with a rear naked choke in just 3:54
of the first round at UFC 45: Revolution. Hughes, known for his
high amplitude body slams and devastating ground and pound attack,
is considered the pound-for-pound strongest fighter in mixed
martial arts. He is at the absolute top of his game right now
and everyone wants to know if Penn will shock the world or if
he has bitten off more than he can chew against the most dominant
welterweight champion in UFC history.
The
Mir-Sims bout not only will be a re-match but also a grudge match.
Sims, the 6’10” Hammer House fighter, and 6’3’
submission expert Mir first battled at UFC 43: Meltdown. Mir
(6-1-0) from Las Vegas, started strong taking Sims down and working
for a submission. The fight ended when Sims (6-2-1) from Columbus,
Ohio, was disqualified for repeatedly stomping Mir in the face,
a tactic that is illegal under UFC fight rules. Sims claims the
stomps were payback for Mir eye gouging him earlier in the fight.
Both agree the only way to settle their differences is with a
rematch and both are confident it is their hand that will be
raised at the end.
The
Murray-Rivera fight will pit two fighters of similar styles.
Rivera made an impressive debut at UFC 44: Undisputed in September
with a three-round unanimous decision over David Loiseau, one
of Canada’s top middleweights. After sustaining a head cut
in the first round, Rivera (7-1-0) of Milford, Mass., came back
strong to win all three rounds with his boxing skills. Murray
(8-1-1) from London, England, will be making his UFC debut. He
also is an accomplished boxer and submission specialist who says
bluntly that his favorite technique is the knockout. He currently
holds middleweight titles in World Extreme Force, Millennium
Brawl and is the CFC British champion.
The
Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev.,
is the world’s premier mixed martial arts sports association.
Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC programs six live pay-per-view
events yearly through cable and satellite providers. In addition
to its U.S. distribution on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network,
Echostar, TVN, Bell ExpressVu and Viewer’s Choice Canada,
UFC events are distributed internationally through WOWOW, Inc.,
in Japan, Globosat in Brazil, Main Event Television in Australia
and Sky Network Television in New Zealand. Zuffa, LLC licenses
the distribution of UFC video games through Crave Entertainment
and TDK Mediactive and its fight show DVDs through Studio Works
Entertainment, a Ventura Distribution company.
The
UFC’s next live PPV event will be UFC 46: Super Natural
at 10 p.m. EST, Saturday, January 31, during Super Bowl weekend
from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev. For more
information, visit the web site at www.ufc.tv.
Source: MMA News |
Quote
of the Day
"Thinking is easy, acting difficult, and to put one's thoughts
into action, the most difficult thing in the world."
Goethe, 1749-1832, German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist
|
Super
Brawl 32 This Friday!
Neil Blaisdell Arena
Friday, December 5, 2003
Fights start at 7:30 PM (Time to be confirmed)
Get there early to avoid the traffic!
Weigh-ins
will be on Thursday, December 4 at 24-Hour Fitness Kapiolani
at 1:00 PM.
Buy
your tickets now! With Egan and Suda fighting, the Blaisdell
should be packed. If you missed Jason Miller at the last Super
Brawl, you do not want to miss him against Egan. This fighter
is the real deal and a submission machine in his own right. Egan
will have his hands full. Don't expect Egan to justwalk through
Miller. Also, come see if Suda's skills were a fluke or he is
as good as they say he is. Both Egan and Suda will need a win
to solidify their rematch. Another fight that may be a barn burner
is Dave Yeung vs. Justin Mercado. Mercado looked extremely sharp
in his last outing with quick hands. Yeung is known as a very
hard kicker with solid submission skills. Both fighters need
to push the fight to get over the 500 mark. Finally, Stephen
"Bozo" Paling's son makes his debut in Super Brawl.
The young Paling is said to be gifted in the hands department
like his father and I have personally witnessed his skills on
the ground. Harvey Nakamura is an aggressive fighter with a good
overall game. If Paling can handle the aggression of Nakamura
or counter punch early, this will be a great fight to open the
night.
One
more fight will be announced, probably tomorrow. At this time
the fight cannot be revealed, but it will involve one of Hawaii's
top fighters returning to the ring and looking to return to his
winning ways. His opponent will find out that it may have been
in his best interest to wait a fight or two before facing this
stud. There will be hell to pay.
1. Stephen Paling IV 125lbs Harvey Nakamura
(Jesus Is Lord) 1-0 (Grappling Unlimited 1-0)
Stephen
Palling has some big shoes to fill. His father is Super Brawl
Superstar “Bozo” Palling. At just 18 years old he will
fight tonight as an amateur, but from all accounts he is ready
to break into the pros now. Lightning fast hands and a solid
grappling game will make him a formidable opponent for Harvey
Nakamura. Nakamura is also know for his hands, but if young Palling
is too quick he also has an amateur wrestling background. This
should be an exciting fight. Even Odds, Pick’ em
2.
Mike Bauer (HMC 1-0) 170lbs Brandon Keene (GU 4-0)
Bauer
trains at HMC in Kalihi with top level instruction. He is a young
fighter who will look to take the fight to his opponent and make
waves tonight in Super Brawl. Keene is looking to improve his
impressive record tonight and an impressive performance tonight
may help him shine amongst so many talented teammates. Even Odds,
Pick’em
3.
Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen 1-0) 135lbs Will Hagerty (GU 1-0)
4.
Tyler Lecky (Phoenix 1-0) Hwt. Ray “King Kong” Serraille
(GU 3-4)
Lecky
is a young fighter from Arizona who is accustomed to having a
size and reach advantage. He will likely try to keep the fight
standing and utilize his extensive Muay Thai experience. Kong
has taken on all comers and recently beat Travis “The Iron
Man” Fulton. That win has put this young fighter on the
radar screen of many other fight promoters. He is not afraid
to stand but seems strongest when the fight is on the ground.
He will try to bring his record to .500 tonight. Kong 2-1 Favorite
5.
David Yeung (HMC 2-2-1) 145lbs Justin Mercado (GU 2-2 )
This
has the potential of being a war. Yeung is coming off a less
then impressive draw at the last Super Brawl against Eddie Yagin.
Normally a counter puncher, he will likely fight a more aggressive
fight tonight. If he does chose to counter, Mercado will likely
guarantee an exciting fight. His gameplan is always coming forward
and will do his best to keep this fight “up and up”.
Yeung 3-2 Favorite
Intermission
6.
Fight to be announced soon!
7.
Jason Miller 185lbs Egan Inoue
(Las
Vegas, 9-3) (#1 Contender 14-5)
Jason
Miller does not only talk a big game (“Eeegan…Come
out and Plaaayy!), but walks one as well. He recently started
training with the”New York Bad Ass”, Phil Baroni and
will likely take the fight directly too Inoue. His strong suit
is his extensive submission arsenal, but don’t be surprised
to see him stand and trade with Inoue. Egan is anxious to get
back in the ring after a string of bad luck has been following
him. He has picked a tough “come-back” opponent and
if his mind is not right he could be upset tonight. Inoue 3-2
Favorite
8.
Shannon Rich 185lbs Masanori Suda
(Pride
Veteran) (Super Brawl Champion 19-8-2)
Rich
has fought all over the world and knows what it’s like to
be in with Championship talent (Kazushi Sakuraba, Frank Shamrock).
Although he has failed to beat the best in the business he has
recently focused his training and is confident he will walk away
tonight with a victory. Suda will have something to say about
this. He showed his tremendous power last May, knocking out Egan
Inoue to become only the second 185lb Champion in Super Brawl
history. A win by Egan and himself tonight would likely set up
a rematch of the two in early February. Suda 3-1 Favorite
Source:
Promoter
|
Wanderlei
Speaks Post Surgery!
We
caught up with Wanderlei Silva, and many things were on his mind.
First was his new teammate Daniel Acacio who was recently added
to the ChuteBoxe team. 'Daniel Acacio is coming too and that
will help. I am certain that from now on, he'll change his style
and technique. He's a great fighter and we have plans for him,
and we hope for him to fight in the PrideFC.'
After
the departure of former teammates Assuerio Silva, Anderson Silva
and other Chute Boxe's members, people might make a mistake thinking
that the team was weakened. The champ guarantees 'Our team continues
strong. We bought in Daniel Acacio. In the next month you'll
have BIG a surprise. A great vale tudo name is talking with us
and we are in negotiations to integrate the team. I invited the
athlete, who is an athlete of reputation and he said that he's
thinking about it seriously. He said it would be an honor integrating
with ChuteBoxe. I believe that he will accept. Let's wait 'cause
it will surprise everybody, but I can say he is a heavyweight,
and a top Jiu-Jitsu fighter.'
Wanderlei
also spoke about his Wednesday surgery to correct a problem in
his elbow. He is 100% healthy now and explained what happened
'For some time I had a problem in my left elbow, due to the kicks
that I blocked in training. It swelled up before the GP, I had
a ball on the elbow, a soft ball, but the fight was so close,
there was nothing to do. The doctors said that it was better
to leave it and have surgery later. It was operated in this Wednesday.
That was a good surgery, the doctor said that he pulled a lot
of liquid from the elbow I had bursitis, but it is all corrected.
The doctor who operated on me was the same that operated my knee.
This surgery was at the end of the year, last year I operated
on my knee and this year was the elbow. I will be back to training
in two or three weeks, then I'll be able to rehab properly and
I'll be able to train for the next competition.'
Source:
ADCC
|
4th
American International Championship
4th American International Championship in Los Angeles on Dec
6th 7 7th is heating up! The competition is one day Jiu-Jitsu
and one day Submission Grappling. Check out our completely updated
website with comprehensive information, video, pictures, fighter
pictures and resumes at http://worldgrapplinggames.com
The
8 man black Belt division is including Ryron Gracie, Cassio Werneck
and Jamie Cruz! We still have a few open slots. If you are interested
send an email to director@worldgrapplinggames.com
The
8 woman No-Gi Division is stacked to the moon. The fighters include
Leka Viera, Gazzy Parman, Amanda Buckner, Leonor Avellan, ect…….
All the girls pictures and resumes are posted at http://worldgrapplinggames.com There is $1100 on
the line. We have one slot open if there are any girls out there
interested send an email!
Black
Belt Superfights include Carlos Machado, Wander Braga, Leonardo
Xavier, Javier Vasquez, James Boran, Rey Diogo, Ed Keller, Dave
Ruiz, ect…………
We
currently have 25 brown belts registered including fighters such
as Roy Nelson, Frank Mir, Mike Rose, Rick Milgrese, Thiago Vella,
Rafeal Lovato, Alex Crispin, Pat Hardy, etc...........
We
also have over 25 women registered. We are currently looking
for a heavyweight purple belt for a girl without a match. If
you are worried about not having a match it will not happen,
guaranteed!
WGG
makes getting here easier than ever. Our team is constantly striving
to bring you the best deals. Below is what we have come up with!
Lowest
registration fees out there! $40 for one day and $60 for two.
There
is a free shuttle to and from Long Beach Airport and the tournament
Location. This means you will not need to rent a car if you fly
into Long Beach. You can also Fly into LAX or Orange County.
Luxury
Hotel Rooms are $49 for 4 people! hotelhb.com
Source:
ADCC |
K-1
MMA in the USA: 'We Are Going To Compete with the UFC'
After hosting the first ever K-1 MMA event held recently in Brazil,
the president of K-1 Brazil, Sérgio Batarelli announced
a new weight class (up to 70kg) for K-1 MMA.
Brazilian
Márfio Canoletti, who won the K-1 World Max 2002 is one
of the fighters who looks forward to K-1 MMA. 'I want to fight
Vale-Tudo so much, but I do realize I have a lot to learn with
my ground techniques' stated Canoletti. Another fighter who has
been invited to fight in the K-1 show is 'The Brazilian Beast'
Montanha Silva. The next event is called K-1 Premium Dynamite
and it will take place in Japan on December 31st. As of now the
only confirmed fight is between the former Sumo champion Taro
Akebono and Bob Sapp.
During
the K-1 MMA press conference, Batarelli announced that he intends
to do four K-1 shows per year in Brazil, and he also revealed
plans for a K-1 MMA show in United States. 'We sold the broadcasting
to a pay-per-view channel. We are goingcompete with Ultimate,'
celebrates Batarelli.
Source:
ADCC
|
UFC
Rumors/Info
In some other news, Georges St.Pierre has signed to fight Karo
Parisyan at UFC 46 after his TKO victory over Pete Spratt. Nick
Diaz is rumored to be fighting Robbie Lawler at UFC 47. The show
closed with call-ins from listeners. The hot topic seemed to
be the Baroni/Tanner fight and all that followed the controversial
stoppage. Fans seem to be split on this. Many feel it was stopped
early while others think it was a good stoppage. The one consistency
in it all is that everyone agrees that refs are not to be touched
by fighters period.
Souce:
MMA Weekly
|
The
New Deal - Not Just History
Who would
have thought that when Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1932,
right around the time Helio and the gang were beginning to hit
the mats, America would change forever. Despite what is nice
to believe, Helio has had little influence in the course of American
history relative to ole FDR, however now, with MMA running full
swing in America, the concept that the former Asst. Secretary
of the Navy came up with to lift America out of the Great Depression
is all too applicable to the hurting UFC.
Fans
and fighters deserve and need a New Deal. When FDR campaigned
against the despised incumbent Herbert Hoover 71 years ago, he
insisted that he would attempt to help the poverty-stricken citizens
and if his plan didn’t work, he’d try another, if that
failed, he would, without losing any steam, keep on truckin’.
This is what America needed at the time, and now, although on
a lesser and less desperate scale, the UFC needs to use the same
tactic.
Act
now and fix the repercussions of your actions later. The UFC
right now is a puzzle that can get put together, but before connecting
the pieces they must be found. How the UFC can resurrect itself
and find a show to top the 40th installment is to swing into
action now and help the fighters and fans to the necessities
that any kind of fighting body needs: champions.
The
fighting masses are used to boxing where, with the alphabet goons,
there are too many titles. It looks down right odd that in the
UFC there aren’t enough and if say, the UFC on Spike TV
goes through, it’s even more imperative that America’s
first MMA chow looks it’s best. With all of the production
complaints form fans and the increasing amount of bellyaching
over referee stoppages, it’s time the Ultimate goes and
crowns champions in the three of five weight divisions lacking
a honcho. If a title is vacant and there’s nobody to claim
it just yet, as is the case with the heavyweights, so be it.
The
big guns’ image has had a consistently long bad break with
a Teflon belt that won’t stay on one waist for long. The
UFC heavyweight title went form once being the belle of the ball
to the stunning cheerleader whose lost all respect because she
gets around way too much. But the problem is one that will fix
itself because when men over 205 pounds fight, it’s not
easily overlooked. In such a conspicuous rock ‘em sock ‘em
weight class, a champ is necessary and when a motivated and agitated
Tim Sylvia gets off of suspension and looking for his title,
surely he’ll give it as a good a go for a comeback as anyone.
The
bottom line is that the UFC needs champions desperately at middle
and lightweight. The divisions are jam-packed with talent and
hungry fighters, and there’s absolutely no reason hwy they
shouldn’t get put back on track. The UFC has got a whole
lot of things to fix about their shows but first, they need to
give their athletes something to fight for.
The
LIGHTWEIGHTS
There are several lightweights that have legitimate wants for
a title shot, and with a vacant championship, it’s easier
to pick who will fight. Instead of finding one top contender
to face a champ, two are picked! The decision to find who fights
is made twice as easy. An obvious choice for one of the guys
to get a title shot is the longstanding contender BJ Penn. Despite being only
25 years of age, he’s still riding high off of his rocket
launched ascent of the lightweight division and his 5-1-1 run
in the UFC, coupled with his recent submission win over SHOOTO
star Takanori Gomi place him right in the thick of a title fight.
But
it isn’t just BJ Penn taking the division by storm. Matt
Serra, at 3-3 and coming off of two losses, would be all but
out of the title picture had it not been for his 2001 win over
Yves Edwards, whose been as active as any fighter. Since his
loss to Coal Uno he’s gone 4-0 in the Octagon, soundly beating
game competition.
The
leech sucking away his stock would be the loss to Uno, who recently
knocked himself out of the picture by dropping to American Top
Team fighter Hermes Franca. With his last seven fights being
in the Zuffa-era UFC beginning with show 30, Uno is a familiar
face. However, he hasn’t shown much since he blew his last
title chance when he drew with ‘The Prodigy,’ BJ Penn.
Franca
on the other hand is undefeated at 8-0, handing Rich Crunkilton
his first loss directly before the Uno triumph. So from these
fighters, it would seem as if Edwards and franca have an indirect
score to settle. Widely regarded as the number one hombre, Penn
should have his shot sealed.
Din
Thomas was about to fight Edwards at the UFC’s most recent
installment, however injury sidelined him and unfortunately for
Thomas, the show must go on. Unless Duane Ludwig and Genki Sudo
rematch and complete their unfinished business, it should be
the winner of Edwards vs. Franca who faces BJ Penn for the vacant
lightweight title. All three fighters are young, hard working
prospects who, above all the others, deserve a shot at the strap
as step one of injecting some excitement into a lagging division.
Source:
Sherdog |
College
Wrestling Weekend Wrap-up: IOWA AND IOWA STATE REMAIN UNDEFEATED,
LEHIGH WINS, OKLAHOMA OPEN RESULTS
It was a weekend where a lot of teams and individual wrestlers
racked up more victories and kept their undefeated records alive.
Iowa
defeated both Arizona State and Embry-Riddle on Sunday to go
to 4-0. Iowa State defeated Tennessee-Chattanooga, Virginia Tech,
and Carson-Newman at the UTC Quadrangular Saturday to go to 6-0.
Iowa State's freshman phenoms, the Paulson Twins, also remained
undefeated. Both Trent at 149 and Travis at 157 won three matches
apiece on the day, with Trent's record now standing at 10-0 and
Travis's at 9-0. And Oklahoma's undefeated redshirt freshman,
125-pounder Sam Hazewinkel, also remained undefeated with a victory
at the Oklahoma Open.
But
something will have to give this coming week, at least in the
team race. Iowa State will play host to Iowa on Sunday, Dec.
7, in Ames's Hilton Coliseum in a meet slated to start at 2 PM
CST. This meet will also be broadcast on tape-delay on both Iowa
Public Television and CSTV: College Sports Television. As always,
check your local listings. We will post more details about the
Iowa State-Iowa matchup this week.
Here,
compiled from the teams' press releases, are some of the results
from his past weekend:
HAWKEYES
DEFEAT ARIZONA STATE, 24-17
THE
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
Traci Wagner
November 30, 2003
TEMPE,
AZ -- The University of Iowa wrestling team improved to 3-0 on
the season with a 24-17 win over Arizona State Sunday in Tempe,
AZ. The Hawkeyes won five of the 10 matches to extend their overall
dual match winning streak to eight, and hand the Sun Devils their
first loss of the season.
The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 15-0 lead on pins by redshirt freshman
Todd Meneely (133) and senior Cliff Moore (141), and a decision
by sophomore Ty Eustice (149). Arizona State's Brian Stith put
the Sun Devils on the board with his 9-7 sudden victory win over
Iowa sophomore Joe Johnston at 157. The Hawkeyes struck back
with a decision from sophomore Cole Pape at 165, and a pin from
senior Tyler Nixt at 174. Nixt fought off his back at the start
of the match and came back from a 5-2 deficit to
improve to 13-0 on the season. Meneely and Moore are also undefeated
for the Hawkeyes, at 2-0 and 8-0, respectively. The Sun Devils
took the remaining four matches to make the final score 24-17.
Iowa senior 125-pounder Luke Eustice did not make the trip due
to illness.
INDIVIDUAL
MATCH RESULTS
Iowa 24, Arizona State 17
133 Todd Meneely (I) pinned Curtis Ray (ASU), 5:38
141 Cliff Moore (I) pinned Jeremy Mendoza (ASU), 6:40
149 Ty Eustice (I) dec. Patrick Williams (ASU), 2-1
157 Brian Stith (ASU) dec. Joe Johnston (I), 9-7 sv
165 Cole Pape (I) dec. James Terry (ASU), 10-5
174 Tyler Nixt (I) pinned Ron Renzi (ASU), 4:15
184 Nick Frost (ASU) dec. Paul Bradley (I), 4-1
197 Ryan Bader (ASU) dec. Ryan Fulsaas (I), 4-2
Hwt. Cain Velasquez (ASU) dec. Ryan Fuller (I), 6-1
125 Christian Staylor (ASU) tech. fall Matt Morkel (I), 16-0
in 4:18
HAWKEYES
DEFEAT EMBRY-RIDDLE, 41-6
THE
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
Traci Wagner
November 30, 2003
PRESCOTT,
AZ -- The University of Iowa wrestling team improved to 4-0 on
the season with a 41-6 win over Embry-Riddle Sunday night in
Prescott, AZ. The Hawkeyes won nine of 10 matches, and scored
team bonus points in six of those matches. It was the ninth-straight
win for Iowa, and its seventh-straight victory on the road.
Redshirt freshman Todd Meneely (133), senior Cliff Moore (141),
sophomore Joe Johnston (157) each won by match-ending technical
falls, while senior Tyler Nixt (174) and sophomore Paul Bradley
pinned their Embry-Riddle opponents. Iowa's lone loss on the
night was a forfeit at 125 pounds. Hawkeye senior 125-pounder
Luke Eustice did not make the trip due to illness, and sophomore
Matt Morkel suffered an injury while filling in for Eustice at
Arizona State earlier in the day and could not compete.
The Hawkeyes will head back on the road to face undefeated Iowa
State (6-0) Dec. 7 in Ames, IA. The dual will be held at 2 p.m.
in Hilton Coliseum. Iowa will be trying for its 31st consecutive
win over the Cyclones, and Head Coach Jim Zalesky will be going
for his 100th career coaching victory.
INDIVIDUAL
MATCH RESULTS
Iowa 41, Embry-Riddle 6
133 Todd Meneely (I) tech. fall Marcel Suehiro (ER), 20-5 in 3rd period
141 Cliff Moore (I) tech. fall Adalberto Villaescusa (ER), 23-8
in 6:16
149 Ty Eustice (I) dec. Tyler Moran (ER), 4-3
157 Joe Johnston (I) tech. fall Morgan Scott (ER), 22-7 in 5:16
165 Cole Pape (I) won by forfeit
174 Tyler Nixt (I) pinned David Rivera (ER), 5:18
184 Paul Bradley (I) pinned Joffre Lander (ER), 4:56
197 Ryan Fulsaas (I) dec. Robert Charlton (ER), 15-8
Hwt. Ryan Fuller (I) dec. Robert McConkie (ER), 8-3
125 Richard Byrd (ER) won by forfeit
ARIZONA
STATE
No.
20 Sun Devil Wrestling Falls Short at Home to No. 3 Iowa, 24-17
Trio of Sun Devils score upsets of higher ranked foes in home
opener for Arizona State
November 30, 2003
TEMPE,
Ariz. - In its first dual of the year, as well as its first home
action of the 2003-04 campaign, the No. 20 Arizona State wrestling
team (0-1, 0-0 Pac-10) fell behind early and could not overcome
No. 3 Iowa, dropping a 24-17 decision to the Hawkeyes Sunday
inside Wells Fargo Arena. Following a 15-0 advantage for the
visitors after three matches, the crowd of 1,088 saw the Sun
Devils try to climb back into the dual but it was too late as
Iowa used three falls to move to 3-0 on the season. ASU is now
1-19-1 all-time against Iowa.
The
dual opened at 133 with the Hawkeyes taking a 6-0 lead when Todd
Meneely pinned Curtis Ray (Fr., Mesa, Ariz.) at 5:38. No. 5 Cliff
Moore followed with the visitors' second fall as he downed the
Sun Devils' Jeremy Mendoza (So., Temecula, Calif.) at 141. No.
6 Ty Eustice upped the lead to 15-0 with his 2-1 decision over
No. 17 Patrick Williams (Jr., Homestead, Fla.) at 149.
The
Sun Devils broke into the scoring column following the 157 bout
as No. 12 Brian Stith (Fr., Hampton, Va.) upset No. 8 Joe Johnston,
9-7, in overtime. Trailing 6-5, Johnston hit a takedown with
17 seconds remaining to go up 7-6, followed by Stith escaping
with two seconds remaining to force the match into overtime.
In the one minute sudden victory period, both wrestlers fought
for control with Stith grabbing a takedown on the edge of the
mat with 25 seconds remaining to win the match.
The
Hawkeyes won the next two duals with Cole Pape defeating James
Terry (So., Tucson, Ariz.), 10-5, at 165 and Ron Renzi (Sr.,
Burke, Va.) falling to No. 5 Tyler Nixt at 4:15 to push Iowa's
advantage to 24-3. Renzi nearly handed Nixt his first loss of
the season when he took Nixt down at the start of the match and
put him on his back. Renzi was unable to get the pin and Nixt
went on the offensive before pinning the Sun Devil in the second
stanza.
No.
17 Nick Frost (Sr., Tucson, Ariz.) started the winning streak
for ASU as he upset No. 6 Paul Bradley, 4-1, at 184. Frost held
the Hawkeye to the mat for the entire second period following
a 2-1 lead and kept his opponent there for most of the match
on his way to the win. No. 8 Ryan Bader (So., Verdi, Nev.) stayed
perfect on the year as he handed No. 7 Ryan Fulsaas a 6-1 decision
at 197. After a scoreless first period, Bader escaped and was
taken down to trail 2-1 heading into the final stanza. With Fulsaas
taking the down position to start the third, Bader rode him the
entire period, and picked up three near fall points with 20 seconds
remaining to take the win.
No.
14 Cain Velasquez (So., Yuma, Ariz.), after no scoring in the
first period, rode Hawkeye Ryan Fuller for most of the second
period, forcing the heavyweight into two stalling calls to earn
a 1-0 lead. Fuller's escape tied the match at one heading into
the third period. Velasquez won his home debut with a takedown,
another point on stalling and riding time for the 6-1 decision.
The final match of the day saw Christian Staylor (Fr., Chesapeake,
Va.) also win his home debut as he needed just 4:12 to score
16 points on his way to a 16-0 technical fall over Matt Morkel.
ASU
will compete again Dec. 5-6 at the Cliff Keen/Las Vegas Invitational.
ASU does not return to home action until Jan. 4 when it plays
host to the Sun Devil Duals featuring a 10 a.m. dual with Stanford,
a noon
dual with Embry-Riddle and a 4 p.m. meeting with No. 6 Iowa State.
IOWA
STATE
No.
4 Iowa State Wrestlers Perfect at Tennessee-Chattanooga Quadrangular
Nov. 29, 2003
CHATTANOOGA,
Tenn. -- The fourth-ranked Iowa State wrestling team remained
a perfect 6-0 this season taking three dual matches at the UTC
Quadrangular at Maclellan Gym Saturday. The Cyclones defeated
host Tennessee-Chattanooga 27-9, Virginia Tech 30-12 and Carson-Newman
42-6. ISU's Grant Nakamura (125), Nate Gallick (141), Trent Paulson
(149), Travis Paulson (157) and Kurt Backes (184) each picked
up three wins.
Nakamura, ranked eighth nationally at 125 pounds, improved his
season mark to 8-2 with a decision over UTC's Matt Pitts (6-2)
and falls against VT's Joe Thompson (2:14) and C-N's Chonci Houston
(3:54). Gallick, the nation's eighth-ranked wrestler at 141 pounds,
decisioned Michael Keefe of Tennessee-Chattanooga, 10-5, Donny
Ooton of Virginia Tech, 3-1 and Kenny Foster of Carson-Newman,
10-4, improving to 7-3 this season.
Trent and Travis Paulson, ranked fifth nationally at 149 and
157 pounds, respectively, remained undefeated this season at
10-0 and 9-0 in their respective weight class. Trent won by technical
fall over the Mocs' John Kofer, 20-4, decisioned Hokie Reed Carpenter,
6-1 and pinned C-N's Billy James in 1:40. Travis decisioned UTC's
Jake Yost, 5-2 and VT's Andrew Donofrio, 8-0 and pinned Steve
McKinney of Carson-Newman at the 3:10 mark.
Backes, the nation's sixth-ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, upped
his record to 10-1 this season with decisions against John Davis
of Tennessee-Chattanooga (8-3) and Shaun Guttridge of Virginia
Tech (16-5) and a technical fall over Carson-Newman's Drew Woodward
(20-5).
Cyclone Nick Passolano wrestled at 165 pounds for the first time
this season, notching decisions against UTC's Jon Sioredas, 7-4
and VT's Chris Stith, 7-5.
Iowa State will return to Ames Dec. 7 to host in-state rival
Iowa at 2 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum.
No.
4 Iowa State 27, Tennessee-Chattanooga 9
125-Grant
Nakamura (ISU) dec. Matt Pitts (UTC) 6-2
133-Zach Roberson (ISU) dec. Josh Keefe (UTC), 8-7*
141-Nate Gallick (ISU) dec. Michael Keefe (UTC), 10-5
149-Trent Paulson (ISU) tech. fall John Kofer (UTC), 20-4
157-Travis Paulson (ISU) dec. Jake Yost (UTC), 5-2
165-Nick Passolano (ISU) dec. Jon Sioredas (UTC), 7-4
174-Josh Ward (UTC) dec. Nels Matson (ISU), 13-7
184-Kurt Backes (ISU) dec. John Davis (UTC), 8-3
197-Woodley Milord (ISU) tech. fall Drew Roberts (UTC), 20-4
285-Jason Pennington (UTC) won by forfeit
(*one team point deducted)
No.
4 Iowa State 30, Virginia Tech 12
125-Grant Nakamura (ISU) pinned Joe Thompson (CN), 2:14
133-David Hoffman (VT) won by forfeit
141-Nate Gallick (ISU) dec. Donny Ooton (VT), 3-1
149-Trent Paulson dec. Reed Carpenter (VT), 6-1
157-Travis Paulson dec. Andrew Donofrio (VT), 8-0
165-Nick Passolano (ISU) dec. Chris Stith (VT), 7-5
174-Steve Borja (VT) pinned Grant Turner (ISU), 6:20
184-Kurt Backes (ISU) dec. Shaun Guttridge (VT), 16-5
197-Trevor Smith (ISU) dec. Canaan Prater (VT), 11-4
285-Richard Schopf (ISU) pinned Kris Wiedegreen (VT), 5:44
No.
4 Iowa State 42, Carson-Newman 6
125-Grant Nakamura (ISU) pinned Chonci Houston (CN), 3:54
133-Jake Brumbelow (CN) won by forfeit
141-Nate Gallick (ISU) dec. Kenny Foster (CN), 10-4
149-Trent Paulson (ISU) pinned Billy James (CN), 1:40
157-Travis Paulson (ISU) pinned Steve McKinney (CN), 3:10
165-Grant Turner (ISU) dec. Derek Schisler (CN), 10-1
174-Nels Matson (ISU) dec. Nathon Jones (CN), 12-8
184-Kurt Backes (ISU) tech. fall Drew Woodward (CN), 20-5
197-Trevor Smith (ISU) tech. fall Tim Freel (CN), 16-3
285-Richard Schopf (ISU) pinned Juan Flores (CN), 3:33
UNIVERSITY
OF TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA
UTC
Quad Results
UTC
Quad
Nov. 29, 2003
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Team
Results
Iowa State 3-0
Virginia Tech 2-1
Chattanooga 1-2
Carson-Newman 0-3
(Iowa State results listed above)
Virginia
Tech 25, Carson-Newman 9
125-Chonci Houston (CN) dec. Joe Thompson (VT), 7-3 0-3
133-No.8 David Hoffman (VT) Jake Brumbelow (CN), 13-3 3-3
141-Donny Ooton (VT) dec. Kenny Foster (CN), 6-2 6-3
149-Reed Carpenter (VT) dec. Billy James (CN), 3-1 9-3
157-Andrew Donofrio (VT) dec. Isaac Bernard (CN), 8-3 12-3
165-Chris Stith (VT) pinned Derek Schisler (CN), 3:22 18-3
174-Steve Borja (VT), dec. Nathon Jones (CN), 11-6 21-3
184-Shaun Guttridge (VT) Nate Moorman (CN), 2-1 24-3
197-Tim Freel (CN) by disqualification Cannan Prater (VT) 22-9*
285-Kris Wiedegreen (VT) dec. Juan Flores (CN), 2-1 25-9
(*two team points deducted)
Chattanooga
32, Carson-Newman 10
125-No. 17 Matt Pitts (UTC) dec. Chonci Houston (CN), 2-1 3-0
133-Josh Keefe (UTC) pinned Jake Brumbelow (CN), 4:19 9-0
141-Michael Keefe (UTC) tech. fall Kenny Foster (CN), 20-5 14-0
149-Billy James (CN) dec. John Cofer (UTC), 12-6 14-3
157-No. 20 Jake Yost (UTC) won by disqualification Issac Bernard
(CN) 20-3
165-Jon Sioredas (UTC) pinned Derek Schisler (CN), 1:39 26-3
174-Josh Ward (UTC) dec. Nathon Jones (CN), 6-3 29-3
184-John Davis (UTC) dec. Nate Moorman (CN), 6-4 32-3
197-Tim Freel (CN) tech. fall Drew Roberts (UTC), 14-2 32-7
285-Juan Flores (CN) dec. Jason Pennington (UTC), 3-1 32-10
Virginia
Tech 20, Chattanooga 18
125-No. 17 Matt Pitts (UTC) maj. dec. Joe Thompson (VT), 20-7
0-4
133-No. 8 David Hoffman (VT) dec. Josh Keefe (UTC), 5-1, 3-4
141-Michael Keefe (UTC) dec. Donny Ooton (VT), 4-3 3-7
149-Reed Carpenter (VT) pinned John Cofer (UTC), 2:12 9-7
157-No .20 Jake Yost (UTC) tech. fall Andrew Donofrio (VT), 24-8
9-12
165-Jon Sioredas (UTC) dec. Chris Stith (VT), 3-2 9-15
174-Steve Borja (VT) dec. Josh Ward (UTC), 6-3 12-15
184-John Davis (UTC) dec. Shaun Guttridge (VT), 6-4 ot 11-18*
197-Cannan Prater (VT) pinned Drew Roberts (UTC), 1:15 17-18
285-Kris Wiedegreen (VT) dec. Jason Pennington (UTC), 5-2 20-18
(*team point deducted for coach misconduct)
LEHIGH
WINS IN HAWAII!
Lehigh
defeats Oregon State 36-7
Honolulu,
HI - The Mountain Hawks made the best of their trip to the tropics,
posting their most impressive win on the young season Friday
afternoon. Lehigh's wrestlers racked up three pins and three
major decisions on their way to a 36-7 pasting of Oregon State
at the Aloha Duals.
Mario Stuart lost his first match on the season at 125, falling
in a major decision 10-2 to Oregon State Eric Stevenson. Stuart
had won four straight to start the year. Then, at 133, the Mountain
Hawks got rolling. Easton native Matt Ciasulli picked up his
team-leading second pin on the season, dropping Tim Norman in
only 1:27 at 133. Following that, Cory Cooperman gained his first
pin at 141, besting Mike Unger at 4:01 of the second period,
giving Lehigh an early 12-4 lead.
Tony Hook got the Beavers back in contention at 149, defeating
Matt Anderson 13-6 to close the gap to 12-7. But that would be
all for Oregon State. At 157, Derek Zinck started a run of three
straight major decisions with a 20-7 shellacking of Brian Duhrkoop.
Zinck executed nine takedowns in the match. No. 1 Troy Letters
had two three-point near falls in the first period on the way
to a 12-3 win at 165. At 174, senior Brad Dillon scored early
and often in an 18-8 rout over Jed Pennell.
Oregon State made a bit of a comeback at 184, as Travis Frick
needed a reversal in the third plus riding time to take a 7-4
victory. At 197, Matt Cassidy finally wrestled a lopsided affair,
beating Jed Lowe 8-2. It was the first match of the season for
Cassidy not decided by a single point. Finally, at heavyweight,
freshman Paul Weibel finished the afternoon with his first win
by fall at Lehigh, pinning Ty Watterson in just 2:29.
Lehigh head coach Greg Strobel was happy with the win, even if
it did come against his alma mater. I told our guys Oregon State
would be in shape and attack and they did, said Strobel, They
scored even when they were well behind. I thought both teams
put on a good exhibition, and we had to wrestle well to beat
a good team.
The Mountain Hawks will return to the mainland on Sunday, and
will have a week to rest up before hosting American, Rider, and
Rutgers in the Sheridan Duals on Saturday, December 6.
#5
LEHIGH 36 OREGON ST 7
weight matchup score
125 Eric Stevenson (OS) over Mario Stuart (LU) 10-2, MD
133 Matt Ciasulli (LU) over Tim Norman (OS) WBF, 1:27
141 Cory Cooperman (LU) over Mike Unger (OS) WBF, 4:08
149 Tony Hook (OS) over Matt Anderson (LU) 13-6
157 Derek Zinck (LU) over Brian Duhrkoop (OS) 20-7, MD
165 Troy Letters (LU) over Matt Ellis (OS) 12-3, MD
174 Brad Dillon (LU) over Jed Pennell (OS) 18-8, MD
184 Travis Frick (LU) over Dan Pitsch (OS) 7-4
197 Matt Cassidy (LU) over Jed Lowe (OS) 8-2
HWT Paul Weibel (LU) over Ty Watterson (OS) WBF, 2:29
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma
Wrestling Hosts Oklahoma Open
Sooners capture five individual championships
NORMAN,
Okla. ” The Oklahoma wrestling team won five individual
championships and placed seven more at the Oklahoma Open on Saturday.
Red-shirt freshman Sam Hazewinkel, freshman Charles Jones, junior
E.K. Waldhaus, freshman Joel Flaggert and senior Leonce Crump
won individual championships at 125,157, 174, 197 and HWT respectively.
“It
was a pretty good showing, assistant coach Barry Weldon said.
Everyone is getting better.
Hazewinkel
won his third consecutive tournament of the year with a deciding
win over Ethan Kyle of Oklahoma State, 10-2. Hazewinkel is currently
undefeated and added three more to his record. Hazewinkel’s
toughest match came in the semi-finals against fellow Sooner
freshman Joe Comparin. Hazewinkel barely escaped with a 1-0 decision.
Jones
won his championship by an 11-5 decision over Eric Dabbs of Oklahoma
State. Waldhaus defeated Keith Clifton from Citadel by a 10-5
decision. Flaggert, who wrestled unattached, decisioned Kevin
Lochner of UCO, 6-2. Crump added one more pin to his record on
his way to a 5-2 decision over Mike Whitehead of Missouri.
The
Sooners placed seven wrestlers at the tournament. Freshman Mimi
Miller placed second in the 133 pound weight class, losing to
Cole Provence of UCO 5-0. Freshman Brandon Hardy placed fourth
in the 133 pound weight class. Sophomore Shane Kidd placed fourth
in the 141 pound weight class by a 15-9 decision from Matt Crippes
of USAFA. Freshman Jeff Ecklof continued his string of placing
in every tournament, coming in second in the 149 pound weight
class. Senior Rafael Maturino placed second in the 165 pound
weight class. Junior Randy Sulaver placed fourth in the 165 pound
weight class. Sophomore Jake Hager placed fourth in the heavyweight
division.
Mimi
continues to impress, head coach Jack Spates said. “He
beat the number one recruit in the country on his way to the
finals
Waldhaus
has struggled this year, Spates said. He was magnificent in the
finals today.
Our
true freshman have done a tremendous job for us this year, Spates
said.
The
Oklahoma Open is also a tournament where Junior High and High
School wrestlers can compete to further their wrestling careers.
This
was a great tournament, Spates said. It was the best High School
tournament I have ever seen hear.
Open
Results
125
Pounds: Sam Hazewinkel, OU - First
Ethan Kyle, OSU - Second
Derrcik Fleenor, OSU - Third
Heath McKim, USAFA - Fourth
133 Pounds: Cole Provence, UCO - First
Mimi Miller, OU - Second
Daniel Frishkorn, OSU - Third
Brandon Hardy, OU - Fourth
141 Pounds: Chris McCormick, MO - First
Matt Brenza, USAFA - Second
Matt Crippes, USAFA - Third
Shane Kidd, OU - Fourth
149 Pounds: Kyle Shelton, OSU - First
Jeff Ecklof, OU - Second
Jerod Goodwin, UCO - Third
Jason Leavitt, Neosho - Fourth
157 Pounds: Charles Jones, OU - First
Eric Dabbs, OSU - Second
Jake Deffenbach, MO - Third
Pen Phillips, UCO - Fourth
165 Pounds: Shawn Silvis, UCO - First
Rafael Maturino, OU - Second
Blaine Brown, USAFA - Third
Randy Sulaver, OU - Fourth
174 Pounds E.K. Waldhaus, OU - First
Keith Clifton, Citadel - Second
Brent Parkey, OSU - Third
Bill Smallwood, USO - Fourth
184 Pounds: Jack Jensen, OSU - First
Mark Wall, MO - Second
Luke Lefeuer, USAFA - Third
Ryan Daniels, UCO - Fourth
197 Pounds: Joel Flaggert, OU - First
Kevin Lochner, UCO - Second
Michael Christian, OSU - Third
Jasper Lockett, Neosho - Fourth
Heavyweight: Leonce Crump, OU - First
Mike Whitehead, MO - Second
John Vestal, OSU - Third
Jake Hager, OU - Fourth
Outstanding
Wrestler: Cole Provence, UCO
Source:
ADCC |
Quote
of the Day
"The greatest sight in the world is to see great men stuggle
against adversity."
Anonymous
|
Punishment
In Paradise Results!
Campbell High School Gym, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
November 30, 2003
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
The name is new,
but the people behind the event are not. Brennan Kamaka, the
man behind Hawaiian Combat and Warriors Quest is back with his
new event combining mixed martial arts matches with kickboxing
matches. The three of the four kickboxing matches consisted of
kids matches which included two of Brennan's nephews and his
son. These kids are the future champions of Hawaii and it is
amazing to see so much skill in that small a package. The MMA
matches brought together some young fighters looking to get their
feet wet by taking on opponents that are on the same level. These
fighters really wanted to gain some experience because some of
the fighters fought last week. In fact, there was a rematch from
last week's event. Marcus Moreno wanted another shot at Ed Newalu,
but Newalu repeated his performance and went on to beat Moreno
via decision again. Vilapando was the other fighter to return
to fight again and racked up another win using a relentless take
down game and controlling Aiana on the ground. The main event
pitted the Amateur Fighting Champion, PJ Dean against one of
Hawaii's best kept kickboxing secrets, "3D" Deshaun
Johnson. Dean is an accurate and power puncher and Johnson has
power of his own, but is known for his ability to NOT get hit.
This was an interesting match up going in. Both fighters exchanged
strikes going in, with Johnson effectively slipping some punches
and counter punching. Johnson surprised the home town crowd when
he started landing more punches and buried a punch that had Dean
lean into Johnson. Dean was out on his feet and when Johnson
finally stepped out of the way, Dean fell to the canvas. Dean
was given a standing 10 count and he recovered and survived the
round. The second round had Dean pressuring Johnson trying to
make up for the previous round. The final round saw Dean come
on strong and the deciding factor turned out to be the minimum
number of kicks required per round. Johnson did not meet the
kick requirements in the last two rounds and a point was deducted
off the score cards because of it. This turned out to be the
one factor that cost Johnson the match.
Exhibition: Kids
Kickboxing - 3 Rounds - 60lbs - 3 Rounds - 1:30 minutes
Dido Rodrigues (Waianae Kickboxing) drew Kai Kamaka III (808
Fight Factory)
MMA - 130lbs - 3
Rounds - 5 minutes
Corey Ferreira (808 Fight Factory) def. Ikaika Silva (Animal
House)
Submission via triangle choke at 1:11 minutes in Round 1.
MMA - 145lbs - 3
Rounds - 5 minutes
Ed Newalu (808 Fight Factory) def. Marcus Moreno (Bulls Pen)
Unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
Exhibition: 65lbs
- Kids Kickboxing - 3 Rounds - 45 seconds
Chancen Kalua (Makakilo Kickboxing) def. Keanu Kamaka (808 Fight
Factory)
TKO via referee stoppage at 32 seconds in Round 2.
Exhibition: Kids
Kickboxing - 60lbs - 3 Rounds - 45 seconds
Triston Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) draw Triston Pebera (Ewa Beach
Fight Club)
Exhibition: Kickboxing
- 145lbs. - 3 Rounds - 1 minute
Duke Saragosa (808 Fight Factory) drew Alvin Ulip (Animal House)
MMA - 170lbs. 3
Rounds - 5 minutes
Robert Vilapando (808 Fight Factory) def. Chris Aiana (Kailua
Fight Club)
TKO via injury default (injured ribs) after the end of round
1, fighter could not come out for second round.
MMA - 190lbs. 3
Rounds - 5 minutes
Corey Daniels (Kodenkan) def. Jason Nicholson (808 Fight Factory)
Unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
Exhibition: MMA
- 145lbs. - 3 Rounds - 5 minutes
Harris Sarmiento (808 Fight Factory) def. Ben George (Bulls Pen)
Submission via toe hold at 3:23 minutes in Round 1.
Main Event
Kickboxing - 170lbs. - 3 Rounds - 2 minutes
PJ Dean (Waianae Kickboxing Club) def. Deshaun Johnson (HMC)
Split decision [(27-28), (28-27), (28-27)] after 3 rounds.
|
PANCRASE Mega Event
Results
'PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR'
~10TH ANNIVERSARY SINCE 1993~
TRIPLE KING OF PANCRASE TITLE MATCH
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30,2003
RYOGOKU KOKUGIKAN (TOKYO, JAPAN)
There
are a few pictures of the event on MMA Weekly.
BIG DOG IS THE NEW
KING OF PANCRASE
by: Luca Atalla
Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelt
and ADCC veteran Ricardo Almeida is the new King of Pancrase
at 181 pounds. In this Sunday’s evening night, in Tokyo,
“Big Dog” submitted American Nathan Marquardt with
a guillotine choke, only eight seconds before the end of the
first round. It’s the fifth straight win by Almeida since
he started fighting in Pancrase on November 30, 2002, exactly
one year ago! Renzo Gracie’s pupil never lost in Japan.
In the main event
of the show Hybrid 10, Yuki Kondo hit Sanae Kikuta with a strong
punch that made the 2001 ADCC champion taste the kanvas in the
beginning of the second round. The KO led Kondo to finally achieve
the belt of the light heavyweight category. Both fighters disputed
the title in last May, but the bout ended with a draw.
The program had
yet, among others, the fight where Baret Yoshida was knocked
out by Yoshido Maeda in the first round and the one where Chute
Boxe member Nilson de Castro lost to Akehiro gono by unanimous
decision.
AMATEUR MATCH #1
/ PANCRASE GATE RULES FEATHERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
TAKUMI MURATA (A-3) drew ATSUSHI YAMAMOTO (KILLER BEE)
AMATEUR MATCH #2
/ PANCRASE GATE RULES LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
YUYA SHIRAI (UNPLUGGED KOKUBUNJI) drew YASUHIRO KIRITA (TEAM
ALLIANCE)
PRO-MATCH #1 / FEATHERWEIGHT
3x5 MIN ROUNDS
YOSHIRO MAEDA (PANCRASE INAGAKIGUMI) def BARET YOSHIDA (U.S.A./ GRAPPLING UNLIMITED)
via KO
in Round 1.
Maeda caught
Baret shooting in with a straight right and that was all...
PRO-MATCH #2 / MIDDLEWEIGHT
3x5 MIN ROUNDS
KAZUO MISAKI (MIDDLEWEIGHT 5TH RANKED/PANCRASE GRABAKA) drew
JAKE SHIELDS (U.S.A./CESAR GRACIE ACADEMY) after 3 rounds [(30-29,
30-30, 29-29)]
PRO-MATCH #3 / SUPER
HEAVYWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
RON WATERMAN (SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT 2ND RANKED/U.S.A./TEAM IMPACT)
drew JIMMY AMBRIZ (U.S.A./NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING) after 3 rounds
[(30-30, 30-30, 30-30) ]
PRO-MATCH #4/ LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
AKIHIRO GONO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 3RD RANKED/PANCRASE GRABAKA)
def. NILSON DE CASTRO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 4TH RANKED/BRAZIL/CHUTE
BOXE ACADEMY) via unanimous decision [(30-28, 30-28, 30-28)]
PRO-MATCH #5/ WELTERWEIGHT
K.O.P. TITLE DEFENSE 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
KIUMA KUNIOKU (1ST WELTERWEIGHT K.O.P./PANCRASEism) def KENICHI
SERIZAWA (WELTERWEIGHT 3RD RANKED/WAJUTSU KEISHUKAI SURUGA DOJO)
via unanimous decision [(30-28, 30-28, 30-27)]
SEMIFINAL/ MIDDLEWEIGHT
K.O.P. TITLE DEFENSE 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
RICARDO ALMEIDA (MIDDLEWEIGHT 4TH RANKED/U.S.A./RENZO GRACIE
JIU JITSU ACADEMY) def. NATHAN MARQUARDT (3RD MIDDLEWEIGHT K.O.P./U.S.A./COLORADO
STARS) via guillotine choke at 4:53 minutes in Round 1.
Almeida becomes Middleweight King of Pancrase.
MAIN EVENT/ LIGHT
HEAVYWEIGHT K.O.P. TITLE DEFENSE 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
YUKI KONDO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 1ST RANKED/PANCRASEism) def. SANAE
KIKUTA (2ND LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT K.O.P./PANCRASE GRABAKA) via KO
by left hook at 0:08 minutes in R2
Source: Underground |
Ring
of Honor Annouces Next Events
Ring of Honor will hold its next MMA event on January 21st and
its first submission grappling division tournament on February
7. More details to follow.
|
Pride press conference
in Japan announces Royce v Yoshida II
Recent news that there will be 3 major events happening on December
31st, 2003 in Japan has pitted Pride, K1 and Inoki's camp against
each other to see who has the BIGGEST show! Pride has scored
the big coup! One of the most awaited rematches of recent times
is going to happen, December 31st, in Pride! Latest news from
our sources in Japan have that Pride has announced Royce v Yoshida
II during their press conference.
In other words 'THE
FIGHT IS ON.
According to inside
sources, the fights is on full MMA rules, with 2 ten-minutes
rounds. The camps have agreed that there will be no referee stoppage
and no judges decision.
The event will be
called PRIDE'S SPECIAL OTOKO MATSURI 2003
NOTE: OTOKO means
is MAN, MATSURI means is festival
Other stars rumored
to be in the lineup for PRIDE's event are 'Minotauro' Noguira,
Wanderlei Silva, Don Frye, Heath Herring, Mario Sperry, Ryan
Gracie, Hayato Sakurai.
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro |
Great fights mark
the 2nd American Nationals
Despite a low turnout
because of the Thanksgivings holiday, the 2nd American Nationals
was crowned with great matches.
Standouts in the
Blue Belt was 15 year old Jacob McClintock winning the weight
and taking 2nd in the absolute (8 matches - 7 submissions - many
triangles), in the purple belt Mike Fowler from Lloyd Irvin,
continued to show his brilliance winning the weight and the absolute.
Brown Belt Rafael Lovato Jr won the Heavy Brown and Las Vegas
Combat Club's Fabricio won the Brown light, Lloyd Irvin's Brad
Court won his division.
In the Black Belt
BJJ Revolution's 'Valtinho' Nakagawo was the show. Valtinho submitted
his very tough opponents Joao Silva & Jared Weiner to take
the weight and the absolute. Jared defeated Joao in the first
match of the absolute.
Team results were:
1st Place: Aloysio
Silva Academy
2n Place: Machado Academy
3rd Place: Cleber Luciano Academy
Complete report
and photo gallery to come in the next few days on ADCC
Source: ADCC/Kid Peligro |
ST.PIERRE PUNCHES
TICKET TO UFC 46; DIAZ LOOKS AHEAD TO UFC 47
It was a crazy weekend to say the least in the MMA world. If
you missed out and weren't with us on Saturday and Sunday, then
you missed some important fights.
Pete Spratt was
upset in Canada this weekend losing to George St.Pierre by submission
in the first round. As a result, Spratt will not be fighting
in January against Karo Parisyan at UFC 46. MMAWeekly.com has
learned that St.Pierre signed a contract last night to face Parisyan
at UFC 46.
Another guy that
who was thought to maybe face Parisyan if Spratt lost was Nick
Diaz. Diaz had the impressive win over Jeremy Jackson at UFC
44. Diaz most likely won't return to the Octagon until UFC 47.
MMAWeekly has learned
that Diaz most likely will face Robbie Lawler at UFC 47. This
will be a fight that Diaz and his people feel could make the
"name" in the UFC, but right now that is just talk
as Diaz will be a part of the card, but they have only talked
about the possibility of facing Lawler, nothing has been signed
as of yet.
Source: MMA Weekly |
|