I
came home late last night and went straight to bed. I know you
guys need your daily fix.
Quote
of the Day
You
cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it
will be too late.
Ralph
Waldo Emerson
Warriors
Of The Ring II
Maui War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui
February 16, 2003
By Chris Onzuka – Chris@Onzuka.com
Warriors
of the Ring returned for their second event. The first event
brought in the largest crowd of MMA fans that Maui has ever seen
and for this show it looks like the promoters wanted to appease
Maui fight fans by filling the card with Maui fighters. Sometimes
the tendency is for established fighters to fight conservatively
in order to preserve their records and the first timers have
nothing to lose and come out to brawl. These fighters, most of
them making their debut, left nothing on the table after their
fights and went after each other. The crowd erupted after every
exchange. There were a couple of controversial calls, but they
were due to unusual circumstances. One instance was the Nerveza-Cabalero
fight, Cabalero was winning the fight until it went to the ground
and the adrenaline got to him and he fired off some knees to
Nerveza’s head, which are illegal. Before the referee could
step in to give Cabalero a warning, Nerveza scrambled up to take
down Cabalero. During the scramble, Cabalero locked in a tight
guillotine for the tap out. So it looked to be a win by submission,
but because the knees affected the outcome of the fight, the
referee, after consulting the judges, disqualified Cabalero due
to the knees. The matches were even with either fighter having
equal opportunity to win, which made for tight, but exciting
fights. Unfortunately the evening ended on a sour note. Two super
lightweights, who put on an very exciting first round, brought
the crowd’s excitement to a screeching halt by their lack
of action in the second round. Both fighters turned into counter
fighters and waited the whole round for their opponent to make
the first move. This was the only boring round in the event,
too bad it was the last one of the evening. The promoters promise
a stacked card and an even better show for the next event. They
brought in some up and coming fighters into the ring to build
anticipation for some great matches down the road during the
intermission. Even Cabbage Correira was brought in to let the
Maui fans know that he was thinking of moving to Maui and to
let everyone know his future with the UFC.
Preliminary
Bouts:
Paul
Laga (Bulls Pen, Honolulu, HI) def. Patrick Clark (Koali Fighting
Systems, Hana, HI)
Submission due to cut over eye at 3:25 minutes in Round 2.
Charles
Hendrickson (Freelance, 6’0”, 220lbs) drew Scott Tam
(Maui Full Contact Fighting, 6’0”, 225lbs)
Majority Draw [(19-19), (19-20), (19-19)] after 2 rounds.
Ednor
Lat (Maui Full Contact Fighting, 5’10”, 165lbs) def.
Robert Billianor (Lockdown Unlimited, 5’10”, 170lbs.)
Submission due to strikes from the mount at 3:48 minutes in Round
2.
John
Nerveza Jr. (Bulls Pen, 5’6”, 145lbs, Honolulu, HI)
def. Keola Cabalero (Wailuku Kickboxing, 5’7”, 140lbs,
Wailuku, HI)
Cabalero disqualified for illegal knee strikes on the ground
at 4:05 minutes in Round 1.
Paulo
Lupi (Brazilian Freestyle J.J., 173lbs) def. Lucky Keefner (Maui
Full Contact Fighting, 175lbs)
Submission via triangle choke at 1:59 minutes in Round 2.
Co-Main
Event:
Anthony
Billianor (Lockdown Unlimited, 260lbs) vs. Palmer Fuga (Kona
Boxing Club, 220lbs, Kona, HI)
Submission via neck crank (reverse rear naked choke) at 3:53
minutes in Round 1.
Main
Event:
J.R.
Baraoiden (Maui Full Contact Fighting, 120lbs, Kahului, HI) vs.
Tien Nguyen (Wailuku Kickboxing, 130lbs, Wailuku, HI)
Draw [(19-19), (19-19), (19-19)] after 2 rounds.
Breaking
news: Nino will face Sakuraba at Pride
by: Luca Atalla
The
first thing Antonio 'Nino' Schembri did when he received the
news was to call home. 'Mom, we must get a new guitar!' he said.
The reason is obvious: since he will face Japanese star Kazushi
Sakuraba at the next Pride, on March 16th, the big Elvis fan
must set up his costume to attend the show in a grand style.
It
was the opportunity Nino was asking for and he did not complain
about being caught by surprise: 'Actually I love that. It's really
an honor to have a chance to face Sakuraba and fighting is my
life, so I'm glad they called me. No matter, I was training with
a gi, no matter that there is less than a month for the fight.
It will be a pleasure, and I'll be ready.'
Nino
is not worrying about Sakuraba's experience (14-4-1) nor his
skills and he's confident in declaring: 'I'll submit him'. Everyone
familiar with Schembri knows this belief is not arrogance. He
really believes that, and says the reason: 'I know he will try
to avoid my game, but I think 20 minutes is too much time for
him to hide. So he probably will be tapping.'
Considered
perhaps the most dangerous fighter in Jiu-Jitsu nowadays, Nino
is
a former World Champion and holds the title of most technical
fighter at ADCC 2001. Only 2-0-0 in vale-tudo, the Brazilian
wants to build his career showing how Jiu-Jitsu submissions work
in this genre. It would be a big tribute to the real king, Elvis
Presley indeed, to submit Sakuraba at home!
Source:
ADCC
PRIDE.25
Fight Card
Yokohama Arena
March 16th, 2003
February
19th, DSE/PRIDE press release all match up of PRIDE.25 on March
16th as follows.
Alexander
Otsuka (Japan / AODC) vs Kenichi Yamamoto (Japan / Free)
Carlos Newton (British Virgin Islands/Warrior Martial Arts Center)
vs Anderson Silva (Brazil /Chute Boxe Academy)
.
Akira Shoji (Japan / Free) vs Alex Stiebling (USA / I.F.Academy
)
Already
announced
Quinton
"RAMPAGE"Jackson (USA / Team Panishment) vs Kevin Randleman
(USA / Hammer House)
Dan
Henderson (USA / Team Quest) vs Shungo Oyama (Japan / Free)
PRIDE heavy weight championship
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil / Brazilian Top Team) vs Emelianenko
Fedor (Russia / Russian Top Team)
Rogerio
"Minotoro" Nogueira (Brazil / Brazilian Top Team) vs
Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan / Yoshida Dojo)
Source:
Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki
More
on the LIGHTWEIGHTS
After
the UCC shakeup and the upcoming UFC featuring four of the top
ten, you can bet the top ten is going to shift!
Here's
a look at January's version of the MMA WEEKLY TOP TEN. It will
be interesting to see how things play out.
Here's
a look at some of the movers and shakers in the top ten. Some
have fallen, some have excelled and some have yet to shine!
LIGHTWEIGHT
DIVISION - 155 Pounds
1. Jens Pulver - 102 Points (7 first place votes)
2. Takanori Gomi - 99 Points (2 first place votes)
3. BJ Penn - 98 points (1 first place vote)
4. Caol Uno - 64 Points
5. Matt Serra - 48 Points
Tie - Genki Sudo - 48 Points
7. Din Thomas - 42 Points
8. Javier Vasquez - 36 Points
9. Dokonjonosuke Mishima - 17 Points
Tie - Vitor Shaolin Ribeiro - 17 Points
Other
votes - Josh Thompson - 10 Pts; Ryan Bow - 8 pts; Yves Edwards
- 7 pts; Rumina Sato - 5 Points, Hermes Franca 2 Points, Rich
Clementi - 2 pts, Alberto Crane - 1 point
Takanori
Gomi: Count 'em....twelve victories and ZERO loses. He's beaten
Rumina Sato, Stephen Palling, Ryan Bow, Chris Brennan and Mishima
and still hasn't been ranked number one. Often he's plagued with
playing it cool and getting a decision which makes him seem 'noneventful'
but regardless, he wins. It's highly doubtful he'd ever fight
out of Shooto (other than one SuperBrawl appearance) but anything
is possible.
Genki
Sudo: Another fighter who exudes excitement but is he serious
about MMA? There have apparent communication breakdowns between
Sudo's management and other organizations. Recently Sudo claimed
a hip injury forced him out of UFC but it appears he's fighting
for K-1 on 3/1/03 (the day after UFC). He is 7-2-1 with his most
notable victories being over Nathan Marquardt, Leigh Remedios
and Kenichi Yamamoto. He future is unsure in MMA but he does
add an unpredictable edge of excitement and finishes opponents.
His bizarre business choices may keep him from ever making it
as a star outside of Japan.
Rumina
Sato: Once regarded as the sports most exciting fighter, Sato
has suffered a bad luck streak. Sato is 1-3-1 in his last five
outings but is still a fan favorite. His legendary bouts with
Caol Uno, John Lewis, Joel Gerson and the single most amazing
piece of video in MMA, the flying armbar against Charles Taylor.
Sato has fallen out of the top ten but remains loyal to Shooto.
UFC was after Sato a year ago but his stock has dropped and he
is out of the top ten.
Matt
Serra: Many argued that Serra's loss to BJ Penn was questionable.
Although his record is a modest 3-2 Serra's aggressive style
makes him one of the most exciting fighters in the 155lbs division.
Serra's transitioning from submission to submission without giving
his opponents a chance to think is what makes him VERY dangerous.
Even when losing, Serra is fighting like a winner and that makes
him one of the most explosive fighters in MMA after only five
fights.
Jens
Pulver: Although 'Little Evil' has an unmatched record, he is
often criticized for not finishing his opponents. Some fans even
attack him personally which is out of line but Jen's keeps on
going. Although he is known for his dangerous left, Pulver's
last finish was 11/17/2000 in his now infamous KO of John Lewis.
Since then, all of Pulver's matches have went this distance until
his recent loss to Duane Ludwig. Criticisms started after Pulver's
wins in UFC when he apologized for his performance on a couple
of occasions. Although he was a winner, a select group of fans
took aim. Many believe Pulver will be back in the UFC. Dana White
has said publicly that Pulver calls and talks to him about coming
back. After such a 'high impact' loss to Ludwig, it may take
a little longer but everyone is optimistic.
Dokonjonosuke
Mishima: With a 10-2 record in MMA, Mishima is another player
in the 155lbs weight class. His two loses are to Shooto champ
Gomi and Din Thomas (lost on a cut). He is quite a character
outside of the ring but backs it up with massive submission arsenal.
His only MMA ventures outside of Shooto have been in HOOKnSHOOT
and Deep. He packs excitement into his fights and is a fan favorite
in Japan. It's doubtful that Mishima would venture outside of
Japan but Shooto fans in the U.S. are hopeful.
Source:
ADCC
The
Tao of Tank
Tank Abbott is back in the UFC, and regardless of how you feel
about it, the goal is the same as it always was: to fight and
destroy the guy in front of him. No more and no less. The advantage
of doing it in the Octagon versus one of his favorite watering
holes in Los Angeles? He gets paid and doesn't risk going to
jail for his fistic ministrations.
Abbott,
who returns February 28 in UFC 41, faces Frank Mir, a solid submissions
fighter who defeated Pete Williams before losing to Ian Freeman.
Despite the constant evolution of skills in the Octagon, the
Tank isn't losing sleep over that fact that he made his debut
in UFC 6, back when mullets and ineffective fighting styles were
comically all too common. The UFC has gotten civilized since,
and the Huntington Beach slugger feels it's more than enough
of a counterpoint to the spate of cross-training that lead some
to wonder if he can compete in today's game.
"There's
rounds now," Abbott told maxfighting.com. "There wasn't
back when I was fighting Taktarov. I think a lot of guys got
into the UFC and said, 'I wanna do this,' but I was out there
doing it for free. I'm back doing what I was put on earth to
do."
Abbott's
streetfighting dossier is the stuff of legend. Back in the mid-90s,
when he was whacking out people with a definitive nastiness that
made chilling fodder for the highlight reel, he estimated his
total at somewhere around 300, with a half-dozen losses among
them. "Sometimes I drink too much," he says in explaining
the occasional defeat in the street. When he lost in the UFC,
he went down swinging. Either way, Tank Abbott brought it, and
when he landed, usually that alone justified the price of admission
and left you feeling like you'd seen something primordial.
Like
a car wreck, you couldn't take your eyes off of him whacking
out a 400-lb. John Matua, leaving him twitching, and helped out
of the Octagon while clinging to an oxygen mask. Or blasting
favored Hugo Duarte with a look of a kid on Christmas while his
fists bounced off Duarte's head. It has all the subtlety of a
chain whipping, but unless you can deal with Abbott, and quickly,
you'll probably be his highlight-reel sissy. And that's just
the way he likes it. Tank isn't a bully, but he seems to take
special pleasure in beating up those who think they can intimidate
him.
Ironically,
though Abbott cultivates a bad assed persona during interview
segments on TV, he is well educated, holding a B.A. in History
from Cal State Long Beach. He's unpretentious and plain spoken
with a good sense of humor, and it's what endears him to fans.
What Abbott always brought to his bouts was the sense of something
memorable about to take place; it's that same appeal that probably
motivated the UFC brass sign him up for another run.
He
faces a new generation of heavyweights but doesn't dwell on it.
He doesn't even care about getting a shot at champion Ricco Rodriguez
for the belt. He just wants to fight whoever they put in front
of him. And he's still going to be Tank Abbott, all day, and
all night long.
"The
Tank Abbott training regimen is simple. You get up about 1 pm,
grab some food. Go down and do some training," he said.
"Then go out and get a drink." With his preferred Stoly
in hand, Tanks unwinds from the rigors of a training day.
Even
when he's keeping to himself he still finds a fight, and the
usually unfazed Abbott betrays a small tinge of bewilderment
at the Karmic hand he's been dealt.
"It
doesn't matter what I do. I can go into a bar, sit in the corner
by myself, and some tough guy is always gonna try and push me
around," he said, with a gruesome humor. "Most of those
fights were before I was Tank Abbott. I was 220 for half of them,
or about 280 for the other half. We'd get down and go for it."
"Nowadays,
apparently Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the new kryptonite," Tank
adds, pointing to the fighters coming into the game with grappling
pedigrees. "Street fighting is a mentality that these people
might not have had. It (UFC) is still a fight, though."
Abbott's
biggest problem in the UFC was always stamina and excess pounds.
His weight, which ranged from a low of 250 lbs. vs. Dan Severn
to just over 300 versus Scott Ferrozzo, is now at about 245,
startlingly low for his frame. And with time limits and five-minute
rounds, he'll be able to do something he was never able to do
in his long bouts which too often left him with empty barrels
-grab a one-minute rest, suck up some oxygen, and gather himself
for another burst of two-fisted mayhem.
Fighters
have definitely gotten better in the UFC since he was gone, but
if Tank Abbott can hit them, will it matter?
Source:
Maxfighting
Lions
and Tigers and Bulls!
Interview with Tony Galindo
It's been nearly a year and a half since Tony "The Bull"
Galindo last fought. In that fight Galindo suffered a severe
knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines of mixed martial
arts until now. The next King Of The Cage is only days away and
Galindo is set to face the always ready Joey VillaSenor. The
Bull took a few moments away from his students to talk about
his upcoming fight, his love life, the Lions Den and more.
Brian
Piepenbrink: So what's been going on Tony?
Tony Galindo: Well for the last few months I've just been getting
ready for this fight and trying to build up the school. Between
the school and the fight most of my time has been taken up. I
don't know if you've heard, but I've been training with Dean
Lister and the guys from City Boxing in the mornings. As you
know right now Ken has got his issues with his family and he's
more or less retired.
Therefore
it's just Vernon and myself here. And with just Vernon and myself
I don't feel I can get to where I need to be. Just like before,
I tried to work with other people… it's not like it used
to be. Before you could train with your team and if you didn't
have any other influences you were doing pretty good. Everyone
has now caught up with the game so much.
You
got guys from Millennia or Mileich or Barnett's camp up north,
their really good on their feet, their really good on the ground.
So I've had to go and expand my game. I give a lot of credit
to the guys from City Boxing. They've been there pushing me very
very hard. I've been training with Mike Regner for my Thai-boxing,
he's a Fairtex certified instructor. He came from San Francisco.
He's really really good. [I train] with Dean and Jaco in the
mornings. Dean's as good as anybody on the ground in my book.
He did very well at Abu Dhabi and is qualified to go again. This
is going to be a good fight for me. I'm very excited to be back.
It's been a long haul for me. And I'm engaged by the way.
BP:
Wow, when did that happen?
TG: It happened on New Years. I've been with Ute for well over
a year and a half and I care for her more than I've ever cared
for any other chick. She keeps me happy and she's good to me.
She's the reason the business is doing as well as it's doing.
She helps me with all my advertisement, she helps me with paperwork.
Things that us knucklehead fighters aren't very good at that's
when you get a good woman to come in and help you. She's doing
the Price Is Right, she's no longer doing the King Of The Cage.
BP:
Talk about you opponent.
TG: I'm fighting Joey VillaSenor. I know Joey, I have nothing
against him. Usually in my fights I have a grudge against the
guy or I don't know him and I build a grudge. With Joey I'm just
going to go in there and do my job and finish it as quickly as
possible. I'm sure he's training his ass of too.
BP:
So I know Guy Mezger has his camp out in Dallas, but what about
the other guys? What is the state of the Den today?
TG: Well we're always going to be brothers. We're like a band
of brothers that has been switched around. We've pretty much
more or less disbanded because we didn't have the leadership
that kept us together. The last big fight was Ken's fight with
Tito and I didn't get a chance to see him train and he came in
really light. That's the lightest I've ever seen him. And he's
pushing forty.
But
the status on the other guys, Mike still has his gym but he's
more or less just concentrating on his family. I talked to him
last week and he wished me luck and he said he'd be living the
fights through me. I talked to Jerry. Jerry teaches twice a week.
He's also engaged. He's doing very well but he's more or less
retired himself.
Guy
called me, he wished me luck. I told him I was training with
Dean and he said "you're in good hands" and he said
whenever I have the chance to come out to Texas and show him
what I've learned [I could]. And that to me was pretty cool because
Guy has never been one too… I wouldn't say cordial but I
was a subordinate to him. I was a Young Boy. When I got started
I was the young boy so he saw me as the young boy. Now they're
starting to see me as something different which I think is good.
Joe
Hurley is on his way down here as we speak. He should be here
any second. He's doing well himself. He wants to get fights in
now, he's been working, saving money trying to support his kid.
All these guys got girlfriends then got married and did they're
own things. Vernon and I are not training together because I'm
training at City [Boxing] and he has a commitment to Miguel Reyes.
He's going down to Mexico twice a week to kickbox with them.
He had an opportunity to train at City Boxing with us but if
he's going to train at City Boxing and represent City Boxing
they want to make sure he has the well-rounded training. They
can't have him doing jiu-jitsu in the mornings with us and then
going to Miguel's at night if he's going to represent the gym.
Because if he loses to a good kickboxer and he's representing
City Boxing it makes City Boxing look bad, it makes their program
look weak. I understand that side of it but I also understand
Vernon's. He loyal to Miguel and he has to fulfill his commitment
before he can move on and after this fight he said he'll think
about coming to City Boxing and I think it would be a good thing
for Vernon to do that.
Dean's
changed my game a lot him and Jaco. When they get on top or get
me from the side or pass my guard it's pretty much been impossible.
I've learned a lot of new tricks but like I was saying before
the sport has evolved so much. All the stuff that I learned a
year ago is either obsolete or you have to modify it and change
a few things. The guys are getting really really good. Look at
this guy Shoalin who beat Joe. He's got some crazy moves. You
can't just stay on the same track so I hope he comes out and
trains with us… I'm rambling on huh?
BP:
So tell me about your school.
TG: The school is doing very well. I'd say 35% of my students
are Navy. And I've got a lot of real young guys you know eighteen
nineteen-year-old kids that want to fight. I have a few that
I'm getting ready for fights. That's the reason I'm fighting
again, not just because I love it but after I win this fight
it will make my school look good.
Everyone
wants to train at the schools that are kicking ass, that's the
bottom line. If you go out there and you get buried or you get
pinned and you can't get out… I'm not trying to cut anybody
down but if you go out to a fight and some wrestler takes you
down and he holds you the entire match then your school is weak
in that sense, especially if you're their leader. I eventually
want to have my own dojo and whether it's called the "Bull
Pen" or it stays the Lions Den is entirely up to Ken. He's
still the Lions Den name owner and he's made me who I am today.
If it wasn't for Ken I wouldn't be here right now.
BP:
One thing I wanted to ask you about. I saw you and your girlfriend,
or should I say your fiancé, on ABCs "Are You Hot?".
How did she do?
TG: She dropped out of the contest because they called her for
The Price Is Right and asked her to take that position. And between
you and I now that I've watched the show I'm kind of glad she
didn't go through with it. I consider Ute to be my ideal girl
ever since I was a kid. But they were just ripping on the girls
who were a little too muscular or too skinny, it was just brutal.
It's like American Idol. They took the hottest people and the
ugliest people. There was no in-between. If you were like an
8 or a 9 you're out. You weren't hot enough for this show. If
you were a 10 or a 1 you're in. Because if you saw it they had
some crack-head looking chicks and some ugly dudes. So She [Ute]
made it and they looked at the rest of us and said you're not
hot enough to be on this show, please leave. And Vernon didn't
make it either [laughs]!
BP:
So you and Vernon actually entered the contest?
TG: Yep! [laughs]. I figured if she was going to be doing it
I may as well just for the shits and giggles. She says to be
with her I must be pretty hot myself. So with that mentality
I don't consider myself to be that ugly of a fighter. And she's
like "no baby you're hot!". So I went and apparently
they didn't think I was that hot. They didn't think Vernon was
that hot either. So Ute is the only one hot enough from the clan
over here [laughs]. It's the ears, maybe my ears throw them off.
BP:
Yeah, cauliflower ears probably don't go over big in Hollywood.
TG: No, but in Japan I'm pretty fucking hot though, I know that
[laughs]!
BP:
So did she get the Price Is Right job yet?
TG: Yeah she did and she's got another gig with the Travel Channel.
She's been doing a lot of commercials. I can guarantee that she's
not only going to pass me up, which she already has, but she's
going to hit the big time before me or any of my guys will that's
for sure.
BP:
Well it's a good thing you're marrying her now [laughs].
TG: Oh yeah. I was going to be with her no matter what. She's
not only beautiful but she's more beautiful on the inside to
me. I mean come on, who would want to take care of me or put
up with my shit? I feel very very lucky to have her. I'm going
to be with her for a very long time. They say a girl will either
make you or break you. That's so true. All the guys that got
women who were either not in love with them or with them for
the wrong reasons they're all down hill skiers. There is only
1% of the group that's going on the chair lift back up to the
mountain. Jerry's doing well, and Mikey is married with kids
but everyone else I'm not going to even comment.
BP:
Well do you want to add anything before we close?
TG: Watch out for my standup now and my ground. Watch out for
this fight because it's going to be a fun thing and you're going
to see a different Tony Galindo. No longer will you see the angry
caveman going in there and just clubbing and Rahhh! Just muscling
his way in there. I think I've put a little dance in my steps
now so I can flow a little better.
BP:
And the knee's fine?
TG: The knee is perfect. Both of them.
BP:
Thanks Tony.
TG: Thank you.
Source:
Sherdog
2/18/03
Quote
of the Day
What
this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists...and
it becomes available only when you are in that state of mind
in which you know EXACTLY what you want...and are fully determined
not to quit until you get it.
Alexander
Graham Bell
Matt
“The Terror” Serra (pt 2)
Matt
“The Terror” Serra is preparing for his upcoming fight
in the UFC against Din Thomas. His most recent fight was a decision
loss to B.J. Penn who is fighting on the same upcoming UFC card,
against Caol Uno for the 155 lb belt. Matt has always trained
under Renzo Gracie and now owns two academies that are affiliates
of Team Renzo Gracie, the largest and most dominating team in
the North East.
KM:
Speaking of which I take it the new Renzo Gracie gym has opened
already?
MS: It should be open soon. I was there last weekend; he showed
me and it’s still getting under way; it looks beautiful.
KM:
How often are you training at Renzo’s and how often boxing
at Ray Longo’s?
MS: I’m at Ray Longo’s more because it is more convenient
for me in Long Island. I do a lot of my boxing there and my sparring
and my cardio work. I definitely try to see Renzo as much as
I can and he’s always got great advice for me.
KM:
How do you look back at the Penn fight?
MS: I enjoyed it. I got to work a lot of stuff. The decision
went to him and I’m not going to cry about it. I thought
I should have got it but that’s the same as me saying ‘hey,
I got robbed’. It was a close fight.
KM:
You definitely put on the more exciting show.
MS: I enjoyed it because definitely thought I’m going to
grow from that fight. I got tested; I got cut in the first round
when I was going for a single. No big deal, nothing to slow me
down or anything. It tested my mettle. Everybody said if I couldn’t
get him down I’m getting knocked out but he was shying away
from the stand-up with me. He tried to get aggressive in the
second round and everytime he did…one time I knocked him
on his ass. Going into the third round he wasn’t listening
to his corner; he didn’t come right after me. He must have
felt something. I’m think I’m going to grow from that
fight. Anytime you go fifteen minutes with a tough guy you grow
from it.
KM:
Even though you lost by decision I think you made him look bad.
It reminded me of the Pulver/Penn fight and Penn hasn’t
quite been the same since then but he definitely took a 180 when
he stepped in there with you. He was all defense and stall and
even though you lost by decision you had such an effect on him
that it’s nothing like his other wins.
MS: You’d think after a fight like that the guy would be
respectful but I guess not.
KM:
How do you think this Uno/Penn match is going to go? MS: (Penn)
is very talented. His mental state and his heart is definitely
in question but he is very talented. Uno, if he takes him out
in a later round is his best chance. There is a good possibility
of that. With this game, it’s a game of upsets. I think
Penn will win but at the same time Uno is smart; I think Uno
will learn from my fight with Penn. Nobody is unbeatable and
this guy is definitely not unbeatable.
KM:
How do you feel about the perception of the winner your fight
against Din stays in the UFC while the loser needs to step down
and get more experience before coming back?
MS: Is that a fact or are you just throwing that out there?
KM:
Mostly from Din. He was saying the winner stays in there and
I believe his term was ‘the loser goes home’. I was
making the point with Din about like Yves Edwards loses and steps
down, goes to HOOKnSHOOT and wins that, and now is back in the
UFC.
MS: That is only a fight away from getting back in. When you
start looking at it like that you put too much pressure on yourself.
You put too much pressure on yourself you can affect your performance.
You’ll hold back, play it safe…I never want to fight
like that. I’d rather go out hard and die hard then win
decisions. I’m not even thinking about it to tell you the
truth. I’m training for a fight and I know what I gotta
do in there and I’m training hard to take this guy out,
not win a decision.
KM:
We are seeing more attention to the 155s than we usually do in
part due to three fights in the next UFC at 155 and Pulver/Ludwig
last month. Do you see anything really coming from this like
larger paychecks and publicity or is this just a passing phase?
MS: There is a ton of talent in my division. Not only that but
styles make fights and there are a bunch of different guys with
different styles that match up very well in our division. The
Lightweights definitely shouldn’t be paid less, they are
more exciting than many of these big guys. I think it’s
about time we got paid our due.
KM:
So how is the rest of your gym coming right now? Anybody likely
to cross over soon or are they sticking to grappling?
MS: Oh no, I have some very good up-and-comers. Pete “Drago”
Sell just beat the used to be undefeated Ted Govola. Govola was
9-0 and my guy Pete Sell was 1-0 and people were saying he shouldn’t
even take that fight but I knew his abilities in there and they
fought a tough fight but Pete definitely dominated. Besides Pete
I have Joe Scarola, my highest ranking belt in here, a very good
BJJ technician you can expect big things from this year. Also
my big guy Tom Muller who just won in Ring Of Combat and Luke
“The Silent Assassin” Cummo who just won in Ring Of
Combat who is also really good in muay thai. I think these guys
all have a future in MMA doing some damage.
KM:
I’m wondering at what point we are going to see some of
your guys outside the North East.
MS: I‘m going to wait until after my fight with Din and
make some calls because I have some guys that are definitely
ready for HOOKnSHOOT and things that are on that level and the
bigger shows, it’s just a matter of a lot of these guys
that I named are helping me with my tow academies so while one
if them is fighting the other guys pick up the slack. After this
fight these guys all helping me now get ready and helping the
academies I’m definitely going to concentrate on my guys
and let them get something in.
KM:
Anything else you want to project to the fans?
MS: Besides thanking Renzo I want to thank Ray Longo and say
keep an eye out for my guys.
Source:
ADCC
Fighters
on the Move!
Duane
Ludwig, fresh off a brutal KO of #1 ranked Jens Pulver, has started
receiving offers! After his victory, UFC was hot on his trail
and offered him a shot at Yves Edwards. 'Bang' turned down the
fight due to short notice and being an acquaintance of Edwards
as well. Bang is reportedly waiting on his next combat - K-1
in May! Bang's future is looking brighter every day.
Jose
'Pele' Landi. Not much has been heard out of him after he and
Chute Boxe parted ways. There was a strong rumor that Pele may
be headed for the UFC in the 185lbs division as UFC President,
Dana White, publicly stated he was interested in Pele and was
going to make an attempt to contact the Brazilian powerhouse.
Pele's last fight was against Carlos Newton where he lost via
submission in an incredible seesaw battle at PRIDE. ADCC recently
reported Pele is relocating to Rio - so look for a return in
2003!
There
was also some chatter about Dan Henderson heading towards the
UFC. Henderson has primarily fought in PRIDE for the last two
years and is now reported to be fighting again for PRIDE in the
next edition. He displayed incredible versatility in his last
fight, with 'Minotauro' Nogueira, even after taking the fight
on two weeks notice and giving up over 40lbs. Henderson could
be back in UFC by year end!
Aaron
Riley is preparing for a HOOKnSHOOT World Title match against
Chris Lytle. This will crown the new HnS Champion at 170lbs after
the belt was vacated by Yves Edwards. The two have somewhat of
a rivalry that makes the match more interesting, since both have
come up with BIG reputations in their home state of Indiana.
Riley is also planning on fighting more often in 2003.
Could
Dennis Hallman get a THIRD victory over UFC Welterweight Champion
Matt Hughes? Dennis seems to think so! He gets his opportunity
to establish himself as a contender at UFC 42. Hallman will take
on KING OF THE CAGE Champion Romie Arum in a welterweight showdown.
The
WEF and HOOKnSHOOT 145lbs champion is looking to add another
belt to his collection. Hermes Franca, from American Top Team,
is looking to take home the King of the Cage Championship. Negotiations
between the two have started.
Speaking
of Hughes, many are speculating that he could retire the welterweight
title and move up to 185lbs. This would make room for teammate
Robbie Lawler to make a bid for the vacated championship....IF.....Hughes
steps up in weight.
Source:
ADCC
"Rampage"
vs. "The Monster" in Pride 25
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson will square off against Kevin
"The Monster" Randleman March 16 at PRIDE 25 in a battle
of two the most powerful and formidable light heavyweights currently
competing. Randleman, 3-0 in PRIDE fights, is coming off a TKO
victory over Murilo Rua in December. This marks Jackson's first
fight since a late-September victory over Igor Vovchanchyn. It
was also announced that Dan Henderson will fulfill the final
fight in his PRIDE contract versus Shungo Oyama.
Source:
Maxfighting
March
SHOOTO Bouts Announced
Slumping SHOOTO 154-pound star Rumina Sato faces Danish competitor
Joachim Hansen March 18 in Tokyo, Japan. Sato, 1-3-1 in his last
five fights, hopes to again climb the ranks of SHOOTO welterweights,
where he's currently ranked sixth. Hansen, 4-1, surprised Takumi
Nakayama in SHOOTO's December end of the year event in earning
a majority decision victory.
Less
than a month following his Feb. 21 King of the Cage bout versus
Fernando Vasconcelos, Shonie Carter will fight in Japan for the
first time since a December 2000 Pancrase bout. He'll face Seichi
Ikemoto in a 167-pound contest. Other Class A bouts include Tetsuo
Katsuta versus Hideki Kadowaki and Mamoru against Homare Kuboyama.
Source:
Maxfighting
Thinking
Out Loud: The UFC Heavyweight Division
What
is going on in the UFC these days? First, Jens Pulver exits to
pursue personal interests. Then Josh Barnett pees hot for three
anabolic steroids, is stripped of his title and abandons Zuffa.
After that, Murilo Bustamante, regarded by many as the best fighter,
pound-for-pound, in mixed martial arts, turns up his nose to
various offers from UFC and has yet to resign. And, of course,
Tito Ortiz appears to be a little more than reluctant to fight
Chuck Liddell. If that’s not enough, Zuffa has only one
supreme big guy, and he is none other than Ricco Rodriguez.
Do
you think the UFC Heavyweight class is stacked, or malnourished?
Discuss it in the Mixed Martial Arts forum
Ricco
will step into the Octagon come February 28th and face challenger
Tim Sylvia in what will be the first defense of his title at
UFC 41. Ricco smashed Randy Couture into submission in the fifth
round of their memorable match in UFC 39 to win the belt, which
was forced to be vacated after the Barnett fiasco. Sylvia, a
seasoned fighter who hails from the legendary Miletich camp,
boasts an impressive 14-1 MMA record, with a solid majority of
his wins via knockout. Sylvia lost his professional debut to
Jorge Rivera, but has been perfect ever since.
Though
Sylvia is a tremendous puncher with an excellent record, does
he truly deserve a shot at Ricco’s title? He’s only
had one fight in the UFC and even though it was a seesaw slugfest
of epic proportions, that one fight alone shouldn’t warrant
his shot at the title so quickly. Now, believe me, I am taking
absolutely nothing away from Sylvia whatsoever. He definitely
deserves to have a crack at the UFC limelight, but it just shouldn’t
come so soon. And besides, can you blame him for stepping up?
Certainly not. This is the day he’s been dreaming of for
many moons. It’s not his fault that he has been catapulted
into the #1 ranking for Zuffa’s heaviest strap.
So
the question remains: whose fault is it? Not Ricco’s. Not
Tim’s. Certainly not the fans. And it’s not even us
MMA media guys.
It’s
Zuffa’s fault.
True,
Zuffa has done a remarkable job in transforming the UFC into
the mainstream mega-beast-in-training that it should be. With
the help of Lorenzo and Frank Ferttita and Dana White, who knows
where the UFC would be these days. They’ve done almost the
impossible, which is mutating their fighters into MMA superstars,
outdo themselves with seemingly every show and gain more and
more notoriety along the way. UFC, right now, is so much better
than what it used to be before Zuffa started doing their Copperfield-esque
magic tricks. The only thing is, why is the heavyweight division
in the UFC so bleak, so blue, so bland?
Alright,
check this: UFC has Randy Couture, once dubbed the invincible
warrior who’d never tasted defeat inside the Octagon, but
has lost two consecutive matches, one by TKO, one by submission.
Barnett, Couture’s first slayer, has banished himself from
his Vegas ties and is considering a move to fight in Japan or
pro wrestling. Pedro Rizzo, the always-deadly striker, has lost
three of four, two by TKO. Frank Mir, the Sin City native once
hailed as the next best thing in the heavyweight class, got his
arse handed to him by Ian Freeman and pulled out of his proposed
match at UFC 40. Freeman has since been blasted out of there
by Andre Arlovski, who has lost to Rodriguez and Rizzo. We have
Gan McGee, who stomped Rizzo, but he seems to be too big for
a shot at the title or something. So all we have left is Ricco
Rodriguez, a deserving champion if I’ve ever seen one, and
Tim Sylvia, a time-tested warrior who’s feasted on weaker
competition who gets a crack at the title.
Then
we have Pride. Ah, Pride, the “owner” of the world’s
#1 heavy, Rodrigo Antonio Nogueira. Those three words say enough,
not even mentioning his godly nickname. After him we come to
Fedor Emelianenko, fresh off of his dismantling of Heath Herring,
another top-notch contender. Moving down the list and we possibly
have Barnett. Just those three guys alone topple virtually Zuffa’s
entire stable of big guys, not even mentioning Igor Vovchanchyn,
Semmy Schilt or Don Frye. Oops, I just mentioned them. What gives?
Why is Pride so stacked and UFC is so toppled? The answers will
be forthcoming.
Aside
from Pride’s more desirable stable of 205+ lb. warriors,
another subject looms for Zuffa. He is none other than Tank Abbott.
Is he the best of the class, or even near the top? Hell no. But
he’s more exciting to watch than a pack of mako sharks feasting
on Taliban in a pool of carved up mackerel, that’s for sure.
Tank is set to face Frank Mir and there is no doubt that he’ll
explode towards Mir, blazing his guns and unloading everything
from his clips. The safe bet is to pick Mir because he’s
tremendously gifted in almost every aspect of his game, but after
seeing him stagger across the Octagon and doing the James Brown
from the pummeling courtesy of Freeman, can anybody really bet
against Tank? And what if Tank wins? He’ll assuredly be
rewarded with a shot at the title, either against Ricco or Sylvia,
whoever survives that battle.
It
seems to me that Zuffa realizes that their heavyweight class
is shedding thin and needed a name fighter to rescue it, in a
way that Ken Shamrock came out of nowhere and received a title
shot after losing a fight. But hey, bringing Tank back is an
ingenious move, certain to rake in cash over fist. There isn’t
any MMA fan out there who isn’t talking about, or at least
curious to see, what Tank will do. Can you just imagine the shockwaves
that would rage through MMA if Tank Abbott, the master of no-holds-barred
all-or-nothing mayhem and expert of no true discipline, became
UFC’s heavyweight champ in this, the era of all-around and
truly talented fighters? Utter BLASPHEMY!
Now
I’m not bashing Zuffa at all. Not whatsoever. It’s
just that with the departure of Barnett due to the steroid scandal
and Rodriguez as the only “great” heavyweight out there,
the division is just blah. Thankfully, I can’t say the same
thing about the other weight classes in Zuffa’s ranks. Liddell/Ortiz,
Bustamante/Baroni, Hughes/Newton III anyone? Okay, we all can
let Zuffa slide about the heavyweight situation…for now.
Source:
Sherdog
INTERVIEW
OF THE WEEK: JENS PULVER
In his
first public interview since his loss to Duane "Bang"
Ludwig, MMAWeekly's Ken Pishna sat down with Jens Pulver as Pulver
reflected on his first loss in three years. Little Evil was very
candid in the interview and he talked about his fighting future,
IF there is one, not to mention leaving Iowa and moving to Las
Vegas to branch out on his own. Here's a sneak peak of the interview
that you can read in it's entirety tomorrow.
MMAWeekly:
So, Jens, what's been happening since your loss to Duane Ludwig
at UCC 12?
Jens Pulver: I've just been sitting at home, really. Reflecting,
trying to think about what it was that happened. And the more
I sit at home, the more I think about what was going on, I was
having a hard time. I'm not making excuses. Duane caught me.
Duane studied me, Duane beat me. I give all the props in the
world to him. But as far as me, if you watched the tape, I ran
out there brawling, I ran out there and threw two great big punches,
just wild. I got caught up in this whole stand up thing and I
went out there angry. And that's not my motif. I've never fought
like that. I'm always patient, kind of slow, calculated. And
Duane was ready for it. I've looked at a lot of things that are
going on. I've been keeping one big secret from the MMA world
and that is that I'm having a little girl, I'm having a baby
in a month.
MMAWeekly:
Really? Congratulations man!
Jens: Thank you, thanks. That's been tough. That's a lot of work,
a lot of preparation. I'm not married. The girl and I are friends,
we're dating. And watching Tony get his head split open, that
happened right before my fight. And it was just a lot of things
kind of built up and I just went out there angry. It wasn't a
fight for me no more, I was just angry. I wanted to throw and
get all my frustrations out. I lost my skill in the process.
MMAWeekly:
You had mentioned many times that you wanted to become more of
an exciting standup type of fighter. Do you feel like that kind
of got in your head and affected your game?
Jens: I know it did. I didn't even think about take downs, didn't
even think about grappling. I'm sitting here worried about this
guy, thinking his stand up is great. It never even crossed my
mind, Òh, just take him down and beat him on the ground.
I got so wrapped up in what I was doing. After 3 years of winning
and going undefeated and being on this big streak and holding
the belts that I held, you kind of have to invent things to keep
you motivated and get you going again. That's what I did. I just
wanted to be a stand up guy and that's what Duane was really
good at. I don't like being the favorite, I like to be the underdog.
Well, I'm an underdog in the standup game, so that's what I'm
going to go after is his stand up game. The weird thing is, a
lot of people talk and they talk about the whole fight. The truth
is after my second left hand, I was out. I do not remember the
rest of that fight, the takedowns, the stand up, rolling under
the ropes, I don't remember any of it. I was out the whole time.
I woke up back on the seat looking at Pat going, Hey, what happened?
He goes, Well, it's over. And I go, Really, that's the fastest
round I've ever done in my life man. Wow! That was a fast five
minutes, then I go, What the? Why's he putting his shirt on?
He goes, No, it's over Jens. You got knocked out. I go, Awe,
I got knocked out? Oh man.
MMAWeekly:
That's the first thing you remembered?
Jens: Yeah, then I'm sitting in the locker room and I go, Well
what's this bruise here? And they go, Oh, well that's where he
tried to kick you in the head. I'm like, Well, what are these
bruises right here? They go, That's when you shot in on him.
I go, What's this bruise on my chin? And their like, That's where
he caught you with the left hook. I'm like, God damn, how long
did we fight? A lot of people ask me, Are you hurt? Are you upset?
I'm doing fine, I don't remember it enough to be hurt. I can't
accept all the wins and all the great things that MMA has done
for me if I can't take a loss. It's just one of them things.
Look what happened last time I lost. I ended up beating the world.
I wouldn't want to be the guy that I fight next. It's given me
a lot of focus.
MMAWeekly:
Sounds like you have a great attitude about it. Have you started
planning a comeback yet or are you mulling things over?
Jens: I'm working on it. I think a big thing for me, and I make
no secrets about it, being in the UFC and then leaving the UFC,
it's been tough on me. You know, you had a belt. You had a motivation
going in to every fight. So now, you're just kind of going out
there for money. I thought that was what it was about, just getting
money.
MMAWeekly:
And now you think it's not so much about the money?
Jens: To me, it's not. I lost focus on why I was fighting. I
liked to fight in the UFC because my family got to watch me,
my friends. Like I said, I came from garbage. I came from nothing.
I was abused. And this is a great way for me to achieve my dreams.
Dana and Lorenzo and all those guys are great people, I just
miss them. I miss being around those guys. I miss being around
the fighters. Somewhere along the way, I just kind of went on
a little self destruction. The only thing that I'm thinking about
now, is when I fight again, I want it to be somewhere where I'm
going to be happy. I'm going to go back to what I used to be.
I'm not Jens Pulver the stand up guy.
MMAWeekly:
Do you think that your attempt to be a stand up fighter was a
failed attempt?
Jens: I don't think it was failed. I'm in MMA. There is a reason
why they don't box with 4 ounce Boxergenics on their hands. They
will sting yah. I got the stand up, but I just got to remember.
I got to go back to what I was. I was a wrestler. I came from
the ground and I got to keep that in mind. I forgot about my
ground all together. All I was thinking about was stand up. I
got to change that up. This is everything goes and I have to
go back to using everything.
MMAWeekly:
It sounds like a lot of your thoughts center around the UFC.
Are you going to make a hard push to get back into the UFC?
Jens: I'm not gonna make a hard push. But, I've got a little
girl on the way and there are a few things that I'd like to do
for myself. I'd like to beat Royce Gracie's record, I'd like
to go 10-0 in the UFC. But again, there's a lot of problems with
that. I don't know if they'll ever have me back. I don't know
if they want me back and the truth is, it's not necessarily the
UFC that I'm worried about getting into or getting out of. I
just want to be happy wherever it is that I'm fighting. I was
extremely happy when I was in the UFC.
MMAWeekly:
Do you regret deciding to leave the UFC?
Jens: I took some advice from people and made my decisions, and
I stick by my decisions. If I never go back, that's okay, I did
what I needed to do when I was there. I gotta be happy. I gotta
get hungry again. I gotta have fun. It's gotta stop being a job
and stop being about money. It's gotta be about the fans and
being about having fun again. If I don't have that, then I really
don't want to do it any more. I've contemplated quitting and
start training other people who are hungry and have what I had.
MMAWeekly:
The thought of quitting has come about since your fight in the
UCC?
Jens: Yeah, since the UCC. I still, I haven't fully made up my
mind. I may not fight anymore. I'm gonna help Rich Clemente get
ready for his fight in the UFC against Yves Edwards. I don't
know, there's just a lot more on my plate right now than there
was six months ago.
MMAWeekly:
So you're saying that you might not return to the ring?
Jens: I don't know if I will or not.
MMAWeekly:
I know a lot of people would be disappointed if they don't ever
get to see you fight again, myself included.
Jens: I don't want to disappoint anybody. I want to be the fighter
that they knew and grew to enjoy and grew to like. And if I don't,
then I'd be cheating them, just like I'd be cheating you and
I'd be cheating myself. So, that's what I'm after right now.
I'm looking at maybe making a move to Vegas for training. Not
because of anything wrong here. The things that I have set up
to do after fighting are in Vegas, working with elderly care
and things like that. Which is something that I've always wanted
to do, working with people.
MMAWeekly:
What would be your involvement with that?
Jens: Basically just running a business. Doing in-home nursing
and registered nursing and things like that. It'd be great for
fighters. The fighters could go spend some time with the elderly
people, just hang out with them and get paid. They'd have a job,
you know. Elderly people, they're the warriors. Anyone that can
make it as long as they have, my hat is off to them. Thats just
a job that I've been planning for a long time.
MMAWeekly:
So you would run the business?
Jens: Well, what it would do is, it would get me back to Boise
so I can complete the circle that I've been trying to complete
which is to run the office there in Boise and take care of Boise's
elderly. And then go back to fly fishing and get outdoors. Start
training fighters and start working with teams and possibly fight
myself. It's just time to make a move and get back to what I
was doing before and just always remembering, there's gonna be
an exit here pretty soon and your window is short as a fighter.
MMAWeekly:
Does this mean that you're leaving Miletich Fighting Systems
and Team Extreme?
Jens: No, I'll never leave Monte. Monte has been a great manager
to me.
MMAWeekly:
What about Pat?
Jens: The thing is with Pat is he's kind of like the nest. I
mean, he took care of me, he's mothered me and even he agrees,
maybe it's time for me to go. I have a lot of experience.
MMAWeekly:
So, you feel like you need to go out on your own?
Jens: Now, when I get into a big fight, I'm coming back here.
But, before that, it is time for me to go out there and make
my own life. I'm not really doing much here but training with
people and for three years, that was fun. That's what I wanted.
But I need more to do than just sitting around training all day
long. I've got to have an exit from the fighting world and that
was the other thing. Constantly being in the gym, never taking
yourself anywhere. Never giving yourself a reward for winning.
Never giving yourself time to forget that you're a fighter and
go be something else. There's nothing to do in Iowa man, that's
why the fighters are so good here, you're stuck, you train, that's
it. [laughs] It's just time for me to go out there and plan my
exit while I have the opportunity.
MMAWeekly:
Sounds like you've really been thinking things through?
Jens: Oh boy, I tell you what, it's been a spiritual thing man.
I go from I don't know if I even want to fight again to completely
accepting the fact that I got beat. I'm glad I got beat by such
a classy individual though. Duane was nothing but class. Bas
Rutten, I always loved him, he's a great guy. I got started in
his tournament in Denver. If it had to go, I'm glad it went to
him. Now I'll be ready. If a guy like B.J. comes at me, I'll
have to flatten him. Guys like him don't deserve it, but a guy
like Duane, very deserving, very humble, a guy who works hard.
If I had to go down, I'm glad I went down to a guy like him.
Problem is, I'm gonna come back up. That I know. I'm not gonna
go out on a low note.
MMAWeekly:
Despite what you said, you don't sound like you're done yet.
Jens: Not yet, there's still some fire in this belly. I'm just
trying to figure out which direction I want to shoot it.
MMAWeekly:
Well, thanks for talking to us at MMAWeekly.com Jens.
Jens: Thank you, I appreciate it. Anything for MMAWeekly.
Source:
MMA Weekly
2/17/03
Quote
of the Day
Faced
with the choice between changing one's mind and proving that
there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof.
Galbraith's
Law
808
Fight Factory Gladiator Challenge 14 Results!
Hot
off the presses! Kai Kamaka, one of the head trainers and coaches
at 808 Fight Factory, just called me with the result of his fighters
in the Gladiator Challenge 14.
Carl
Malenko vs. Nate Quarry
Carl Malenko got injured so Mac Danzig vs. 808 Fight Factory's
Tripson Kersiano was the main event!
Mac
Danzig (RAW) vs. Tripson
Kersisano (808 Fight Factory)
Quick Summary:
Tripson lost late second round by rear naked chokes, but won
the first round by grounding and pounding. Tripson picked up
the RAW fighter and slammed him as well as took him down numerous
times in round 1. Tripson also had a deep footlock and popped
his opponent's foot. Kai said that his foot almost touched his
leg.
Abe
Baxter vs. Dez
Miner (808 Fight Factory)
Dez Miner
wins in the middle of the second round by choke. He beat his
opponet down real good.
Albert Hill vs. Jim
Kikuchi (808 Fight Factory)
Jim Kikuchi
wins by tap out from shoulder pops in the second round.
Congratulations
to all the 808 Fight Factory Fighters who did an incredible job
and represented Hawaii very very well!
Joao
Morais returning to Brazil!
After
13 years in Hawaii, Black Belt Joao Morais will be returning
to his native Brazil to pursue his dream. Morais, who has long
dreamed of having a fitness training camp, began to set the wheels
in motion and will be opening a surf ,jiu-jitsu,kite surfing
,fishing and wind surf camp in the southern Brazil's City of
Garopaba.
Joao
wishes to thank the 13 years of support from all his students
and friends and invites everyone to stop by and check out his
new digs as soon as it opens. Be sure to keep an eye on www.joaomorais.com for the latest. Aloha
Joao!
Source:
ADCC
Kickin
it Again!
Derek
Bright and I are trying to give the fighters of Hawaii another
venue to fight in again if intrested in fighting in one of our
events coming up, We are planning another fight at the end of
May, please contact Derek Bright@ 554-7898...
The name of the event is called "Kickin it Again"
Date: April 5, 2003
Start Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Palama Settlement Gym
Cost for entry: $10 General admission
$15 Ringside
Tentative Main Event-
170lbs-
Shawn "Tornado" Taylor
vs
PJ Dean ( AFC 2 Champion )
Semi
Main-
150lbs-
Brandon Absher
vs
TBA
The rest of the fight card will be sent soon I'll be in touch
Thank you very much for your time and support.
Mahalo,
Danny Kaheaku
Hawaii
International Muay-Thai Boxing Association
Tony
Giraldi, presents Hawaii International Muay-Thai Boxing Association.
Hawaii's Sanction Body for Professional, Amateur and Jr. Amateur
(ages 8-17), competition for American Kickboxing / Oriental /
Muay-Thai / Free-Style / Unarmed Combat. This is to build fighters
from Beginner to Advance levels in Amateurs, then turn Pro. Safety
equipment is mandatory to protect ALL Female and Male Amateur
Fighters.
Rounds/Time
Limit for Amateurs 18 year's old and above: March 29, 2003
American
Kickboxing: 3-rounds, 2-minutes each round, 1-minute rest.
Oriental:
3-rounds, 2-minutes each round, 1-minute rest.
Muay-Thai:
3-rounds, 2-minutes each round, 2-minutes rest.
Rounds/Time
Limits for Jr. Amateurs
American
Kickboxing/Oriental/Muay-Thai:
Ages
8-15, 3-rounds, 1:30 each round, 1-minute rest.
Ages
16-17, 3-rounds, 2-minutes each round, 1-minute rest.
Fighters
registation, rules, competition attire and fees $30.00. Contact
Tony Giraldi @ 623-6238 or e-mail giraldimuaythai@yahoo.com.
DEADLINE for ALL registration and fees March 15, 2003. Full name,
address, contact numbers, gym name, coaches name, weight, height,
want to fight American Kickboxing/Oriental/Muay-Thai, TRUE fight
record. NOTE: If you have fought Professionally, you cannot fight
in this Amateur Event.
Fighters,
mark your calenders for our monthly Amateur competition March
29, April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30, September
27, October 25, November 22, 2003. Event will be held at Giraldi
Muay-Thai Gym in Halawa Valley, 99-1421 Koaha Place # Bay 3,
located next to OICA Poison Ink. December 2003, date and location
pending for championships.
TWINS,
mahalo for ALL your help. Aloha, Tony
Copa
Pacifica
Cleber
Luciano's Copa Pacifica is getting a lot of attention. The traditional
event in its 6th year now has become the talk of tha academies.
The Copa is being viewed as the perfect opportunity for a last
tune-up prior to the 2003 Pan Ams by most of the teams and that
is generating a LARGE number of entries. The event is going to
be held on March 8 & 9 at the Estancia High School in Costa
Mesa, Ca.
Be
sure to call (714) 842-4554 or check out www.cleberjiujitsu.com for more info or to
sign up!
Source:
ADCC
The
Cricket Speaks!
Fresh
of his big sprint win over the Gracie Barra Team on the Pedra
da Gavea Challenge Royler Gracie 'AKA 'The Cricket' (shown right)
spoke with Kid about the race and future plans. The Challenge,
actually a friendly between the two super competitive schools,
actually began in ADCC 2001 during a breakfast gathering, the
day before the competition. The Gracie Barra table Renzo Gracie,
Nelson Monteiro, Cachorrao Almeida, Marcio Feitosa & Sean
Alvarez was discussing fitness training and the subject of climbing
the Pedra came up. The Barra team was raving about Monteiro's
speed and dominance of the climb. Royler interjected: 'I love
the climbing Pedra and my time is pretty good!' The Gracie Barra
team going: 'Yeah yeah! Sure sure!'
Fast
forward to 2003 and Royler sees Gordinho climbing the rock and
kids with him: 'Are you here for a nice afternoon walk?' The
fiesty and very competitive Gordinho didn't take the coments
lightly and the challenge began to take shape. Gracie Barra's
leader Carlos Jr, who has been coaxing his fighters to use the
climb as an important way for body/mind conditioning with obvious
great results (see most tournament Team wins), ran with the idea
and became the designated head judge. (see Luca's report for
details)
After
the win Royler commented: 'This is a great way to get everyone
fired up about the upcoming 2003 ADCC! What could be better way
than to get the competitve juices flowing along with some physical
conditioning on a dare that started in ADCC 2001?' Royler went
on to tell that he is already started his conditioning program
eyeing ADCC 2003, but had only trained two days for the climb.
He continued saying that after Gordinho's start he thought that
a record would be broken, and he wasn't planning on coming in
second. Royler continued: 'At this time, all my energies are
focused on ADCC. The tournament is THE definitive word in Professional
Grappling and I want to defend my title! The preparation has
already began. After the event I want to fight NHB, but we will
address that after May!'
When
asked about Nelsinho's demand for a rematch Royler quipped: 'Tell
them to run and practice and when someone in their team starts
to reach 17.5 min, they can start to call me!' . Gracie Barra's
second in command Marcinho Feitosa, who is currently in California,
wants to avenge his school: 'I want to get that 'Magrinho' on
the hill!' Marcio said laughing, 'we should have a big run-off
after ADCC snactioned by the CBJJ and the ADCC Commitee!'
Could
we be seeing a new event become a part of ADCC and the CBJJ events
? :) With May just around the corner, ADCC is already dominating
the thoughts and lives of the top grapplers in the World!
Source:
Kid Peligro/ADCC
Eddie
Bravo and the Twister
“Twister, Twister!” Sometimes you’ll hear it yelled
at tournaments when he’s fighting. Sometimes you hear it
in class if you happen to be there when he’s training at
Jean Jacques Machado’s school in Tarzana, California. You
might even see some of the other students in the class trying
to “get the Twister” on another student in the class.
Eddie
Bravo started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu over eight years ago after
seeing one of the early UFC’s when Royce Gracie won against
much larger opponents by fighting on the ground. Realizing that
his karate lessons weren’t cutting it, he signed up at the
Machado school and began his journey into the world of Brazilian
jiu-jitsu. Before that, he had played football and done some
wrestling in high school.
“The
Twister”, as it has come to be known, has it’s origins
in wrestling. “It’s called ‘the Guillotine’
and is one of the very few wrestling moves that’s actually
a finishing move. They call anyone that specialized in the Guillotine
‘Leg Riders’ and that’s what I was” Bravo
says. “When I started jiu-jitsu, I would always go for the
guillotine. The only setup in wrestling is when you have control
of someone’s back which is very common in wrestling. But
the thing with jiu-jitsu is I couldn’t get in on anybody
because I couldn’t get anybody’s back and if you get
someone’s back, you might as well try the rear naked choke.
So I figured out a few different ways to get it without having
the back. The most common way is side control. Also when a guy
shoots for a double and you sprawl on top of him, I can get it
from that spot. I made it work for jiu-jitsu.” Rigan (Machado)
and Jean Jacques had never seen it and didn’t know what
it was. “They just started saying ‘that’s a tweeest…that’s
tweesting.’ They just started calling it ‘Twister’
(there is already a choke in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu called the Guillotine)
and then they started calling me ’Twister’ and I hated
that because back then in ’95, that’s when that Disney
movie “Twister” was out. It was just so Taco Bell…plus
that game, Twister - a white, shiny sheet with colorful spots.”
It got to the point where he even asked Rigan and Jean Jacques
to stop calling him “Twister” and asked them to change
it to whatever ‘twister’ was in Portuguese. They told
him that the closest thing to twister in Portuguese was “toronado”
which he didn’t like any better. He gave up on the name
and it stuck. Now, he likes the name and enjoys it when he’s
at a tournament and people yell for him and the move.
Eddie
Bravo continues to train. He has a brown belt under Jean Jacques
Machado and trains other jiu-jitsu and NHB fighters including
Gerald Strebendt. He recently won a spot at the ADCC North American
trials and is headed for Brazil in May.
Source:
ADCC
Big
Dog beats Minowa in Japan
PANCRASE
/ 2/16/2003
Osaka, Japan - Osaka Grand Cube
PIC:
The BIG DOG swinging at PRIDE, against Akira Shoji
“It
was a good fight”, states a happy Ricardo Almeida as his
train pulls into Tokyo station after the trip from Osaka, where
he beat Ikuhisa Minowa by unanimous decision at the Pancrase
show a couple of hours before. Although Minowa is a very respected
grappler in the Land of Raising Sun, a calm and confident Big
Dog proved to be just too much for him. “We did not exchange
many punches and kicks, as I preferred to fight on the ground,”
describes a tired Ricardo who went to Osaka early this morning
(Japanese time), fought, and came back from there on the same
day, on the 8pm train.
All
the action was controlled by Almeida, who swept Minowa with good
“omoplatas” and almost submitted his opponent several
times. “I caught him in a guillotine choke right at the
beginning and he snored, but he didn’t tap. This guy definitely
has a strong heart”, says Almeida remembering another important
point of the match: “I got the side position and went to
his head, choking him holding his head and arm together. he even
left some slobber on my arm, but he did not give up. After spending
some time in that situation I released the hold in order to conserve
energy”.
During
the three five minutes rounds, Ricardo mounted, got Minowa’s
back and side position many times and, according to himwas hit
hard at any time, ending with no injuries at all. Big Dog’s
win was a big thing in the fighting world, especially in Japan.
It seems that Minowa, along with Kikuta and several other fighters
were part of a TV show, the theme of which was “How to beat
Ricardo Almeida”. In that program, they studied what they
thought were the strongest points the Big Dog had, and how avoid
them. The results prove they must study a little more!
COMPLETE
RESULTS:
Daisuke Hanazawa defeated Tetsuo Uehata at 1:39 of round one
due to rear-naked choke.
Satoshi
Watanabe DREW Kenji Takeshige
Daichi
Fujiwara defeated Kenji Matsui With a MASSIVE KO in only :11
of round one.
Yoshiro
Maeda defeated Shigeyuki Umeki in 1:41 of round two by rear-naked
choke.
Yuji
Hoshino bested Takaku Fuke by Judges decision (3-0).
Kengo
Watanabe over Koji Okuyama by Judges decision (3-0).
Hidehiko
Hasegawa defeated Kosei at3:05 of round two with an armbar.
Kenichi
Serizawa defeated Roland Fabre at 2:58 of round one with a rear-naked
choke.
Akihiro
Gono DREW Chael Sonnen.
Ricardo
Almeida ended
the winning streak of Ikuhisa Minowa.
Unanimous decision after three rounds. Pancrase was hoping Minowa
would win after promising the fans an 'undefeated 2003.'
Source:
ADCC
STEPPING
UP WITH DAN GABLE (Part One)
If
you don't know about Dan Gable, then you don't know about wrestling.
He had 181 straight victories, first in high school and then
in college at Iowa State, over a seven-year period, until his
last college match, that famous 13-11 loss to Larry Owings in
the 1970 NCAA finals. He was a freestyle world champion in 1971,
and then an Olympic gold medalist in 1972, where he did not surrender
even one point to his opponents. Then Gable entered coaching,
leading the University of Iowa from 1977 to 1997. In those 21
years, the Hawkeyes won 15 NCAA Div. I national championships.
He now serves as an Assistant to the Athletic Director at the
University of Iowa, as Interim Head Resident Freestyle Coach
for USA Wrestling, and unofficially as an ambassador for the
entire sport of wrestling.
All
those numbers and official titles, however impressive and unprecedented,
barely speak to the intensity, passion, and undaunted spirit
that this wrestler from Waterloo, Iowa, has brought to the world's
oldest sport.
Amidst
a blizzard of awards ceremonies, speaking engagements, and media
appearances, Dan Gable traveled to New York the weekend of Feb.
7-9 to be a featured part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary
of college wrestling at Columbia University. Almost having myself
to wrestle off an endless stream of well-wishers, admirers, and
media, I sat down with Dan Gable just prior to the Columbia-Princeton
meet that highlighted this 100th anniversary celebration. Fittingly,
we talked matside, as the teams prepared for action.
All
sports have legendary, historical figures. Gable is surely one
of wrestling's legends. But just because one has gone down in
history does not mean that one knows everything about it. We
started by discussing that the birth of college wrestling in
America did not take place in his home state of Iowa, or other
current American wrestling capitals such as Oklahoma or in the
Midwest, but in New York City, at a meet between Columbia and
Yale in 1903.
'I
should look into my history books a little bit more, I guess,
because I didn't know that,' admitted Gable. 'I didn't know exactly
that this was the birthplace. And now I do know that, and it
means a lot to me. I know a lot about the sport, and I just keep
learning. That's kind of my motto as a coach and as an athlete,
and now as somebody that deals with a lot issues. And it's certainly
important for me to know this, just from the standpoint of knowing
where it evolved.'
Gable
then referred to the many historical articles that were part
of the program for this 100th anniversary celebration. 'I was
reading the article that talked about the first match, and I
tell you, it was very interesting,' he said. 'And then yesterday
[Feb. 7] I was at the New York Athletic Club, watching an event
with Columbia and Cornell, and that was very interesting. Then
again, here we have one right here at Columbia, and I see some
of the same people that were at the New York Athletic Club that
are in the stands here. So I'm actually thrilled to be here.'
It
used to be almost automatic that college wrestling's top teams
would come from Oklahoma or Iowa. But with Minnesota winning
the past two NCAA Div. I National Championships, and top wrestlers
emerging on teams all throughout the country, college wrestling
has moved in a direction where things are beginning to even out
somewhat.
'You
just don't know what's going to happen as much,' agreed Gable,
citing the Iowa-Michigan State meet of Feb. 7. 'I figured Michigan
State matched up pretty good with them, so I gave them a chance
to win a couple of matches. But they won the dual meet on criteria.
So that just wasn't happening as much when I was coaching.' He
continued, 'It's definitely going to make some areas very excited,
and others probably not quite as excited. But they're already
established, so there's no going away for Iowa, I'll tell you
that.'
Right
in the mix of that evening out process is the Ivy League, which
has seen a resurgence of wrestling, both on the team and individual
levels. Harvard's Jesse Jantzen, Cornell's Clint Wattenberg and
Travis Lee, Princeton's Greg Parker, and even freshman Matt Palmer
of Columbia are among those who now can be seriously considered
as candidates for one year or another winning NCAA national championships.
'I
think that's great,' commented Gable. 'I think it should be that
way. The thing that's been amazing to me is, our sport has to
battle a bunch of issues right now, just to keep it around. But
we are stepping up. And we're stepping up and taking on these
issues. And some people are getting upset with us, creating a
little bit of factions here. But I'll tell you, when you believe
in something, you go for it. And our group has stepped up. But
you know what? I want to give a lot of credit to the Ivy League
schools, because they have had the ability to step up as much
as anybody else, just because they have not only wrestled, but
they have put themselves in a financial position to be able to
step up more than a lot of wrestling people. And that means a
lot to me, and to the sport it represents. I'm not just going
to say 'thanks.' I'm just going to say it's a good combination,
academics and sports, especially wrestling.'
At
the top of the list of these issues facing college wrestling
has been the interpretation and enforcement of Title IX, in particular
its 'proportionality' clause.
'You've
hit the main issue,' Gable continued. 'We just have to right
now get some things changed that will give a little bit more
flexibility in running athletic programs. Right now, they're
kind of hard-fast. You are either this way, or change it, or
you get sued. So right now we have to have some flexibility,
and hopefully that flexibility will happen in the near future.'
A series of battles at hearings and committees of the Department
of Education have drawn the lines on that contentious issue.
But
Gable sees wrestling imperiled by forces not only at home, but
abroad as well.
'The
other thing that's really going on right now is at the International
Olympic Committee level,' he stressed. 'We need to really step
up there as well, because there are a lot of people that are
in charge right now that are saying we should only have the sport
of wrestling, not freestyle, not Greco. We have men's wrestling
and women's wrestling. So they're thinking about trying to do
something with the style. We are so established in freestyle
and so established in Greco across the world that it would be
a shame.'
As
recently as the 1996 Olympics, there were ten weight classes
apiece in freestyle and Greco. These were reduced to eight in
2000, and now to seven each. Women's wrestling has seven weight
classes in international competition, except in the Olympics,
where there will only be four.
'We
already got cut back so many weight classes, that it puts too
many kids in the same weight class. I have six kids right now
that wrestle for me that were in five different weight classes,
that are all in the same weight class right now. That's unheard
of,' he said, speaking about the 145.5 lbs./66 kg weight class.
Still,
Gable remains the optimist.
'I'm
really looking forward to getting wrestling even more organized
than it has been,' he said. 'And it looks to me that we are doing
a pretty good job. Otherwise we would have got thrown out already.
I'll tell you why, because there were enough outside people,
with enough outside interests away from wrestling, that we could
have been gone. But we got some great people in here, and they
know what it means. And it's now the time to step up.'
"The
nearest way to glory is to strive to be what you wish to be thought
to be."
Socrates
The
Cricket: Royler is the King of the Mountain!
by: Luca Atalla
The morning was suitable for the challenge. Although the summer
in Brazil is often hard, the temperature was not too high warly
this Saturday, a cloudy day in Rio de Janeiro. Without eating
anything, Rafael 'Gordinho' Corrêa woke up and went straight
to Nelson Monteiro's house to catch a ride with his teammate
for the battle at the Pedra da Gávea hill against Royler
Gracie.
The
Gracie Barra team arrived at the foot of the hill nearly 20 minutes
ahead of the time scheduled. Royler arrived there with his own
'rabbit' - his student Mauro - right on time, 10:30am. The groups
were relaxed and joking with each other, but when the start time
was near they stopped talking, their faces showing the signs
of deep concentration.
Anyone
who has climbed the hill knows the exercise is tough. It is a
long, steep trail where there is not time to rest until the end,
the place known as 'The Boat' because the big rock that looks
like a hull. The route is used by the Jiu-Jitsu athletes to train
since the early eighties, when Carlos Gracie Jr. moved his academy
to the neighborhood of Barra da Tijuca, where 'Pedra da Gávea'
is located, and discovered that the effort to climb challenges
the mind just like a fight.
Most
people in good shape that are used to climb the mountain normally
make the route in 25 minutes. A handful have made it in 22',
23' and very few have done it in less than 20'. The under 20'
group are known by name, since they are very rare. Nelson Monteiro
(18'), Royler (17'30'') and Rafael (18'30'') are in that select
group, however they've never competed against the clock and each
other as they did today.
Rafael
started the race running like a maniac and pushed the group in
the very beginning, where usually people walk to warm up. 'At
that time, I thought that if he keeps that pace until the end
we would all suffer a heart attack' Royler stated after the contest.
Fortunately Rafael did not. When they arrived in the first steep
part, he slowed down and Royler immediately got the lead. From
there on Gracie simply disappeared from their opponents' view.
'It was unbelievable! He seemed like a cricket. Every time I
looked Royler was farther away.' Stated a baffled Rafael!
As
the minutes ticked by, things got even better for Royler, as
he surged in the last sprint, with a relaxed expression on his
face, and his opponents nowhere to be seen. With the hands on
his knees helping each big step, he crossed the check point just
16'25'' after the start. 16'25''!!!
His
student came in next clocking 18' and Royler started shouting:
'Where is Gracie Barra? ! ? !' while Nelson and Gordinho were
still climbing. The former finished in 19'13'' and the latter
in 19'35''. Both were ashamed. 'It was like been outscored by
15 points, and after that being submitted,' compared Gordinho
while the champion did not stop of joking: 'You were my rabbit.
If you did not rush in the beginning I would not had broke my
record!'
Gordinho
shrugged: 'I confess. I'm not able to make that time.' However
Nelsinho did not give up and wants more: 'I want a rematch. I'm
sure I can beat you', said the black belt. Royler laughed and
did not say anything more. He can keep quiet as he lets his time
speak for him.
Source:
ADCC
PELE
LANDI - Bound For Rio De Janeiro!
by: Marcello Tetel
Many
who know him say the same thing - he is a great guy, but sometimes
his emotions overcome him! Inevitably, for some, thee are bad
feelings when his name arises.
After
a controversial decision to leave the team he was such a big
part of, it appears that Cuban born Jose 'Pele' Landi is ready
to make news again.
First
things first - the split between him and the ChuteBoxe Team is
irreversible. 'I don't want comment on that, but my love for
the team just ceased.' states Pele. There are rumors everywhere,
with money swirling as the central issue, but Pele will not feed
any of these rumors!
The
2nd big piece of news about Pele is that he is moving to Rio
de Janeiro!
Pele
will try to rebuild his career, and he is looking to Rio de Janeiro
for a fresh start. 'I love this city! I will be going back to
Curitiba from time to time to see how things are going in my
school.' states Pele.
We
don't know yet where Pele will be training in Rio, but his new
teammates better be ready, because his training methods are hard
and heavy, and he is hungry to fight again. 'I have been contacted
by the Battleship people but nothing confirmed yet.' states Pele.
Source:
ADCC
Tamura's
U-STYLE
Kiyoshi Tamura's first U-STYLE show is in the books! This event
sold out, taking place in front of a 1,600 head standing room
only crowd. The enthusiasm at the event and the fan response
was described as enormous and extremely positive.
The
opening of the show featured a video presentation showing the
various stages of scoring with complete demonstrations. This
gave the crowd a detailed rundown of rope escapes, submissions
and how the fighters obtain points.
Most
observers believe the majority of the matches were legitimate,
but some still have the skepticism after some pro wrestling style
angles played out.
One
angle saw Dokonjonosuke Mishima, formerly of Shooto, challenge
Kiyoshi Tamura himself to a match at the upcoming April event.
There
is also serious talk about Josh Barnett coming in for a future
U-STYLE event. Barnett is a longtime fan of the UWF (now U-STYLE)
type of pro wrestling/fighting. Many believe the Barnett would
love this far more than New Japan but it's his call.
The
inaugural card went down as follows, with several MMa veterans
in there. More to come on whether the matches are real or not:
1.
Katsushisa Fujii defeated Ryio Echigo.
1:33 by referee stoppage due to a dangerous wrist-lock.
2.
Manabu Hara submitted Naoki Kimura.
7:41 with a choke sleeper.
3.
Yasuhito Namekawa tapped Kyosuke Sasaki.
9:14 with a kneebar.
4.
Ryuuki Ueyama defeated Hiroyuki Ito.
8:47 with a leglock.
5.
Takehiro Murahama defeated Kazuki Okubo.
7:14 when Murahama scored a brutal German suplex and followed
up with a straight armbar. Match was described as spectacular
and Murahama challenged Tamura after this match.
MAIN
EVENT. Kiyoshi Tamura defeated Wataru Sakata.
In match that was described as HOT, was a dramatic-style match
that got the crowd pumped. The score was tied but it was Tamura
scoring a guillotine choke at the 11:46 mark.
U-STYLE
returns to Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan in April with great
momentum from their first event.
Source:
ADCC
Extreme
Challenge 49 - A Look Back
by: Keith Mills
Extreme Challenge 49 held last weekend in Davenport, IA kept
most of the standing room only crowd glued to the action, partly
due to faster stand-ups than most promotions. Guest referee and
UFC Welterweight champion Matt Hughes wasted no time in separating
stalled fighters, a good move considering the amount of regional
wrestling talent on the card.
Quickest
fight went to Jonathan Goulet with an :08 high kick KO to HOOKnSHOOT
vet Jason Rigsby in the first bout. Rigsby threw one distance
testing punch before Goulet fired off his right leg.
The
most surprising fight was Dennis Reed’s loss to Kyle Jensen.
For most of the fight Reed reversed takedowns in mid-air or threw
his opponent to land in the top position, arguably totally dominating
the fight but it was in round 2 that Reed appeared to be too
close to the ropes and didn’t have the room to flip Jensen,
landing up on his back where Jensen pined him down with his own
legs and fired off shots at his unprotected face.
Now
12-4 Jason Medina’s win over then 3-0 Eric Beaulieu was
the most uneven fight of the night based on the fact that Beaulieu
had only a week to train to replace Medina’s original opponent
Pain Peters. Beaulieu never quit and managed to go the distance
but Medina resisted Beaulieu’s ground strategy, even knocking
down the Canadian at which point the fight was obviously going
to Medina.
Fight
of the night would have to go to the tournament finals between
Buck and Seguin. At one point while the fighters were on their
feet Buck maneuvered behind Seguin and lifted him in the air
to slam him but Seguin managed to defend and escaped still on
his feet. Buck did manage to finally take Seguin down and land
some face shots while Seguin managed to land at least one of
his own from his guard but the TKO came when the fighters were
standing in the second round and Buck snuck in a straight right
that knocked Seguin down and followed it up with some strike
to the prone Seguin before Hughes stepped in.
Complete
Results:
Jay Buck def Ryan Stout 1:48 r2 by guillotine choke
Kyle Jensen def Dennis Reed 2:20 r2 by TKO
Jonathan Goulet def Jason Rigsby :08 r1 by KO (kick)
Brenden Seguin def Leo Sylvest :46 r2 by neck crank
Spencer Fisher def Kurt Illeman 1:15 r1 by KO
Jay Buck def Kyle Jensen by unanimous decision
Brendan Seguin def Jonathan Goulet :46 r3 by TKO
Jason Medina def Eric Beaulieu by unanimous decision
Jay Buck def Brendan Seguin 1:34 r2 by TKO:
Gladiator
Challenge 14: Tomorrow at Eagle Mountain
The
next Gladiator Challenge event takes place February 16 at the
Eagle Mountain.
Doors open at 3:30, fights start at 5:00 PM.
Carl
Malenko vs. Nate Quarry
Marcos
Santos vs. Jeremy Jackson
Joe
Stevenson vs. Casey Balkenbush
Mac
Danzig vs. Tripson
Kersisano
Jason
Lambert vs. Tom Vaness
Brain
Sleeman vs. Lee McKenna
Cole
Escovido vs. Derek Baca
Source:
Sherdog
Noguiera,
Emelianenko Comments
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira:
I've heard that PRIDE is having some troubles and now is the
time for that we fighters have to put our strength together.
I think our biggest and most important job is for us to have
great fighters in the PRIDE ring. I swear I will defend PRIDE
as the PRIDE Champion. Proving that I am the strongest in the
world will be my way of protecting PRIDE. Mr. Morishita tried
to put this fight together last year and I want my victory of
Fedor to be in memory of him. And I want to give him the present
of beautiful technique as well.
Fedor
Emelianenko:
I'm really excited now that I can finally challenge the PRIDE
Champion. I put the honor of our Russian Top Team on the line
and promise that I will defeat Nogueira. Vale Tudo was a made
for the Brazilians by the Brazilians. That doesn't deter Russian
fighters, though. I will overcome him. The time has come for
the world to know the skill and power that has lay dormant in
the Russians.
Source:
Pride
2/15/03
Quote
of the Day
"Live
out of your imagination instead of out of your memory."
Les Brown
Royler
challenges Gracie Barra! We are finally
getting into the season of Jiu-Jitsu and grappling this year,
and our athletes are already getting close to their best shape.
Three time ADCC champion Royler Gracie is one of those guys.
Looking to defend his title at the World Championship event,
next 17 and 18 of May, Royler has been training hard! Otherwise,
he would not go to Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu academy headquarters,
as he did last Monday, challenging anyone to face him at “Pedra
da Gávea”, a hill where usually the competitors improve
their physical conditioning on a very hard trail.
Gracie
Barra then sent two contenders to the battle: Nelson Monteiro,
one of the earliest trainers of Jiu-Jitsu at the ADCC Club in
Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Rafael “Gordinho” Corrêa,
a former world Jiu-Jitsu Champion who claims to be the king of
that rugged hill. Royler does not believe that.
“Gordinho
is an easy guy to beat,” says Gracie laughing loud. But
he respects “Nelsinho”. “Let’s see if he
can beat me. Perhaps, but honestly I don’t think so. And
I’ll break my time record in that competition so I’m
sure it is going to be even harder.” Asked if that challenge
will be as tough as a fight, Royler had a clear answer: “Yes,
we are going to sweat blood in that race”.
This
friendly contest happens tomorrow morning and we will let ADCC
news readers know the results.
Kiyoshi
Tamura's U-STYLE show set for tomorrow afternoon has officially
sold out! ADCC reported that this would happen and it's official.
This
is considered a major and monumental success for such a new product
in the crowded Japanese sports industry. New Japan and All Japan
PRO Wrestling have had miserable ticket sales lately, so this
has to open the eyes of many people.
The
two rival pro wrestling groups have drawn approximately 1,500
in attendance, down from a pinnacle of 9,000 in the past.
Many
believe that Tamura's product will be real fights mixed with
'worked' fights. This adds drama to their main events and the
proven formula of pro wrestling and MMA works in Japan. If this
is true, it enables them to build strong characters and storylines
for their main events (which is why RINGS was a huge success).
There
are some who are claiming that U-STYLE will be 100% legitimate
as well. If this is the case, opponents will be carefully picked
for the company's top fighters.
There
will be an additional 300-500 tickets made available on the day
of the event that will be 'standing room only.' These tickets
will be sold at a high price just hours before the event takes
place.
There
is talk amongst fans that U-STYLE has inadvertently capitalized
on the fall of K-1 and PRIDE. Tamura stumbled into a very fortunate
situation by accident after the arrest of Ishii and the death
or Nayoto Morashita.
We'll
find out what happened within 24 hours!
Source:
ADCC
Mauricio
"Shogun" Rua - Ninja's Little Brother
by Drew Carr
Drew
Carr: I want to start at the beginning. Were you a tough kid
growing up, and got into a lot of fights at school? Did you and
Murilo fight a lot when you were younger?
Shogun:
No, I always played sports, but I never fought in the streets.
I have never been in a fight in the streets in my life, but Ninja
used to. With Murilo (Ninja), we used to play fight. We had,
when I was ten or twelve, these sets of boxing gloves, and we
used to play fight with these.
Drew
Carr: Take us through a typical day in your neighborhood growing
up. A lot of fighters come from tough neighborhoods. Was there
a lot of violence around Murilo and yourself?
Shogun:
Our neighborhood was pretty quiet by Brazilian standards, but
I always hung around fighters and they always seemed to be getting
into something.
Drew
Carr: Now you're obviously a part of one of the top fighting
teams in the world, and brother to the ultra aggressive Murilo
"Ninja" Rua. Was Ninja involved in getting you involved
in MMA? Whom do you train with the most at Chute Boxe?
Shogun:
Yes, my Brother got me involved with Vale Tudo. I had already
been training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for 4 years at that point,
and I had trained some Muay Thai when Murilo took me to Chute
Boxe. I am a purple belt. I still train Jiu Jitsu. But when I
fight, I like to stay on my feet and fight. So in that sense,
I am more of a striker. My Professor is Rafael Cordeiro.
At
Chute Boxe everybody fights everybody. It is like a round robin.
It does not matter your weight class or skill level, everybody
fights. In the morning it is mostly professionals, and the fighting
is Vale Tudo. In the afternoon it is Muay Thai, and everybody
fights everyone. Amateurs, Pros, Black Belts, and Beginners,
we all mix it up.
Drew
Carr: Do you prefer to train in ground skills, or is it more
fun for you to do the striking part of your training?
Shogun:
The striking part. I like Muay Thai better.
Drew
Carr: How many fights have you had, total (including Muay Thai)
? How many pure MMA fights have you had?
Shogun:
I have had 5 Muay Thai fights and one vale tudo fight.
Drew
Carr: Which style was more difficult, MMA or Muay Thai?
Shogun:
The most difficult fight I have had so far was my first Muay
Thai fight because I was so nervous. But in terms of what is
more physically demanding, Vale Tudo is more strenuous.
Drew
Carr: If given the chance to win a fight using strikes from the
rear mount, or using a submission like a rear naked choke, which
one do you think you would instinctively go for?
Shogun: It depends on the situation. If someone gives me his
neck.... (Note: We are on the Tatame, and he is acting and thinking
different. The situations on his back, side, and mounted). then,
I will go for the Mata Leon (Rear naked choke) If he tries to
protect his neck with his arms, or chin, I will hit him.
Drew
Carr: What weight class are you fighting in, and who do you want
to fight in that weight class?
Shogun:
I fought in Mecca 7 at 80 kilos. I now weigh 90 kilos and will
fight Mecca 8 at 85 Kilos. Rudimar (Chute Boxe Manager) asked
me to go up to the next weight category.
Drew
Carr: It is looking like you might face Roan Carneiro at MECA
8 in April, will you be doing anything special to prepare for
him, or is he just another opponent for you?
Shogun:
I am surprised, you found out the same day I did. (laughs) I
heard the same rumor that I was fighting him too. However, I
will keep the same training regimen no matter who I fight.
Drew
Carr: Do you follow the sport of MMA closely, or just enjoy the
art of fighting for yourself?
Shogun:
I am a big Vale Tudo fan. I like to watch the sport that I participate
in. I always watch the MMA fights on cable on Saturday nights.
I am a big fan of my Brother, Wanderlei, and Rafeal Cordiero
my teacher.
Drew
Carr: How does a daily workout at Chute Boxe go for you?
Shogun:
In the morning, I fight MMA (Vale Tudo) for two hours. Then,
I go swimming for 40 minutes, then I lift weights. I train Muay
Thai in the afternoon. At night my bother and I give classes
and I train with my students. I give classes at a friends Tatame.
Drew
Carr: You're lifting weights to help in your quest to gain muscle
to fight in the heavier weight class, what type of a program
are you on?
Shogun:
Yes, Rudimar asked me to go up weight so I am lifting heavy weights
with supplements. I lift heavy weight three times a week. One
day leg and triceps, next back and shoulders, then biceps and
chest. 3 sets of 10 repetitions.
Drew
Carr: Who are some of the other younger fighters that will be
emerging from Chute Boxe and making an impact on the MMA world
in the near future?
Shogun:
I can think of Pit Bull, who is 16 and is great at Muay Thai,
and good on the ground and has a very strong will to win.
Then
there is Mauricio Amando, he is 21 years old, and 73 kilos. He
will explode this year.
There
is Jamanta, who is a young heavyweight. He is good on the ground,
and also good on the feet.
Drew Carr: Does Chute Boxe have a lot of other fighters from
other teams asking to come and work out there?
Shogun:
Lots of people ask Rudimar if they can come and train at Chute
Boxe (Professional Teams), but very few are selected.
Drew
Carr: Is it a difficult process for an outsider to be able to
workout/spar/roll with your team?
Shogun:
Anyone can train Muay Thai at Chute Boxe, however, the professional
team training is restricted where we train for MMA.
Drew
Carr: There was a rumor in the MMA community lately that you
had signed a contract to fight for The Pride organization, is
this true? Or, are you still in negotiations with them?
Shogun:
No my dream is to fight in the Pride or UFC. Rudimar is my manager
and he is responsible for my contracts. Mr. Kawasaki from the
Pride organization came to the Mecca and liked my fight, but
nothing has been signed.
Drew
Carr: Do you think once you secure a big fight in an organization
like The UFC , or Pride, that there will be any extra pressure
on you to perform well?
Shogun:
That is a complicated question. Do you mean psychologically,
or because my of my brothers success? (pauses)
Either
way I do not think so, because my Coach Rafael, and Master Rudimar
prepare us psychologically. In one of the Brazilian fight magazines
they commented how calm I was during MECA 7. There are some guys
who are great in practice, but when you get them in front of
a crowd they cannot fight in these events, but I hope I am not
one of them.
Drew
Carr: It seems as though all of the Chute Boxe fighters do perform
well under pressure, are there any special preparations your
trainers put your team mates through before their big fights?
Shogun:
Yes, there is a lot of psychological help. First off, everyone
supports everyone else. Nobody hangs their head if they lose.
And, everyone is respectful when they win. We fight every day.
Second,
on the day of an event … your professor gets you ready.
Also, Master Rudimar gets you ready. They do not say "Hey,
watch out for his left hook!!!!", that stuff would be crazy
to say 30 minutes before a fight. They say "Go man, you're
the best! It's all yours. You are better than the other guy,
you're going to tear him to pieces." You listen, you believe
in yourself, and it works. No pressure, just win.
Drew
Carr: Other than your Chute Boxe team members, name a few MMA
fighters you enjoy watching.
Shogun:
I like to watch Minotauro, and Murilo Bustamante.
Drew
Carr: Do you like to watch any fighters from countries other
than Brazil?
Shogun:
Yeah, I like "Jon Pipi" (Lightweight from the US "note:
I have no idea who he is talking about"), and I also like
to watch Tito Ortiz and Dan Henderson from the US.
Drew
Carr: What do you do in your spare time, away from Chute Boxe
and training?
Shogun:
I like to go to the beach and play soccer, like all Brazilians.
Drew
Carr: What types of music do you listen to when not training?
Shogun:
When I am not training I like to listen to Brazilian Music. MPB
Musico Popular Brasiliero, Yvette Sangalo, that sort of stuff.
For Training, Techno.
Drew Carr: Where do you see yourself in 3 years?
Shogun:
I hope to be fighting in Pride in 3 years.
Drew
Carr: Do you think you will have won, and still be holding, a
title in a big MMA event within that time frame?
Shogun:
I think about fighting and training. I think winning, and being
a champion, is a consequence of that work.
Drew
Carr: What are your goals in MMA , as well as in life?
Shogun:
My goals are to help out my family, and those around me, through
MMA. My next goal is to buy an apartment.
Drew
Carr: Anything else you would like to add.
Shogun:
I think the Chute Boxe team is the best in the world for its
unity, its heart, and its will to win. For this I want to Thank
Master Rudimar and Professor Rafael Cordeiro for teaching me
what I know, and my brother for pushing me on.
Source:
Sherdog
2/14/03 Happy
Valentine's Day
Valentine's
Day
Guys, it's
that time of the year again to bring something home or don't
bother coming home. You have been warned! Just trying to help
the boys out by keeping the peace on the home front.
Quote
of the Day
Courage
is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear.
Mark
Twain
AFC
3 is Looking for Fighters
The
promoters of Amateur Fighting Competition 3 is still looking
for fighters that are 200 lbs & Under & 201 lbs &
above. Remember, the winner gets a $1000 prize.
You
can apply to fight in this exciting event by writing to or calling:
Linebred, LLC
P.O. Box 2747
Waianae, HI 96792
Phone 808-696-5502
The AFC is a 2 weight-class 'toughman' single elimination tournament.
There is an Under 200lb division as well as a 200 and over division.
The winner of each division gets either a cash prize (in which
case he would no longer be considered an 'amateur') or a gift
certificate (thereby keeping amateur status).
The
AFC is an idea started by Linebred, LLC. Ray "Bradda"
Cooper and his wife Monica wanted to give local fighters a chance
to compete in a fair, controlled environment without having to
step into a full blown MMA match. The AFC is a place for fighters
to see if they have what it takes in the ring against others.
Ray
“Bradda” Cooper is an international fighter who is
compassionate about seeing local talent discovered. Ray competes
at a professional level in a sport called Mixed Martial Arts.
Ray is a renowned fighter that holds titles in Superbrawl, Warriors
Quest and is ranked #4 in World Shooto in Japan. In the sport
of MMA he is highly respected as an athlete. As an athlete, his
purpose and vision is to see economical growth, physical strength
increase, and to provide a place where people can come and watch
a sport that will uphold professionalism as well as integrity.
Line Bred believes that through having these types of events
it will create desire as well as vision in local athletes - The
desire to get physically fit and a vision to see dreams fulfilled.
Before
the AFC, an aspiring fighter might never see actual competition
in a semi-controlled ring environment. Now, the Amateur Fighting
Competition put on by Linebred, LLC provides him that chance...
The chance to show his skills without the danger of a severe
experience mismatch.
The
first AFC was held on February 2, 2002. 16 fighters - 8 in each
weight category - went at each other that night, each hoping
to win the $1000 prize. The punches rocked the arena that night,
and when the dust settled and all was over, Shaft Rideros had
taken the Under 200 division and Vai Togia had conquered the
200 and over division. Both chose to take the prize money in
cash, a move that eliminated them from defending their new titles
in any other AFC events.
The second AFC was held May 23, 2002. 16 fighters again went
after the 2 titles and $1000 in prizes. AFC2 showcased boxing
skills that were definitely not considered 'amateur' by any means.
The fights were very exciting and well matched, and the crowd
was on it's feet more than once! By the end of the night PJ Dean
had taken the 200 and under title and Kaleo Westbrook won the
over 200 division. AFC2 definitely had the crowd pleasing fights.
March
29th, 2003 will be the date of AFC3. Fighters are being contacted.
It will be held at the Waikiki Shell in the Amphitheather.
An
exciting 2003 for AFC is planned, as the winners of the AFC's
will face off at the Neal Blaisdell Center in the 'Big Show'.
3 AFC events are planned for this year.
It
is a really hot afternoon in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro's southernmost
beach. As the elevator climbs the Cantagalohill, the temperature
gets even higher, reaching a nearly unbearable 42C as we approach
the Nobre Arte boxing club. A bell rings, stopping a guy whose
legs look more like tree trunks from swinging in the middle of
the ring.
After
five rounds of intensive training Pedro Rizzo looks for the window
beside him and his eyes gaze at the Lagoa Rodrigues de Freitas,
on of Rio's lagoons that is famous for sightseeing. Despite the
beautiful view, Rizzo's mind is not paying attention at all.
He is thinking about his fight two weeks from now, against Vladimir
Matyushenko at 'UFC 41 - Onslaught'.
'I'm
more than ready,' states 'The Rock' as he takes offthe gloves,
helped by boxing coach Claudio Coelho. Coehlo keeps quiet, his
eyes say he agrees with the pupil. Rizzo breaths almost without
any effort, and after the workout he has been thru, it seems
to confirm the fact he is in shape.
It's
obvious why Rizzo is taking his fight against the Russian wrestler
very seriously. He used to be the UFC's heavyweight number one
contender, and even after his two losses to Randy Couture - one
of those very controversial - he as still at the top of the game.
Then came a big upset last September, when he roke his nose against
Gan McGee and lost the fight. He went through
surgery, stayed out for five months and now he's back, trying
to prove that he should have another shot for the belt.
Another
fighter looking for redemption at the UFC will be Alexandre 'Café'
Dantas, the current absolute Jiu-Jitsu national champion in Brazil.
Café lost to Yuki Kondo at the 'UFC 27 - The Bad Boys',
on Sep 22nd, 2000, and since then he's been looking for a chance
to step back into the octagon. And now the chance comes, as the
promoters put him to face the same Gan McGee who beat Rizzo.
'Actually, I wanted to fight Rizzo, who is the best fighter out
there, even better than Ricco [Rodriguez, the belt holder],'
Dantas gives his opinion 'but they offered me McGee and I accepted.
I think my time is now! I as focused a lot in Jiu-Jitsu recently
and in 2002 I won everything and I didn't have any points scored
on me the whole year.'
Café's
mind seems strong and his confidence does not change what he
thinks about his opponent's skills. 'I'll try to exchange punches
and kicks but I don't think it is going to be hard to take him
down, since he's very tall. On the ground of course, I'm better
than him,' finished the BJJ black belt.
Source:
ADCC
A
Look At the 155 lbers in MMA (pt 2)
We
took a look at some of the 'little guys' making BIG waves in
the sport a few days back. Once again, we look at five more fighters
that are on the verge in the 155 lb weight class. These are five
more that have potential 'breakout power' and several have undefeated
records but are still going unnoticed!
Javier
'Showtime' Vazquez: Don't let the pink hat and robe fool you!
Vazquez is a submission machine. A perfect 6-0 record with five
wins in KOTC and his landmark win over Rumina Sato in Shooto
back on 6/29/02. He is gradually increasing the bar everytime
he steps out. Facing tougher fighters is definitely in his future
and if he can keep up the pace....it will definitely be 'Showtime.'
Stephen
Palling:
'Bozo' is another fighter who many feel deserves a shot. The
only problem is that Palling is only 144lbs and would considered
'small' for 155lbs. He has a 10-4 record but his loses are to
top-ranked fighters (Din Thomas, Taknori Gomi, 'Pequeno' Nogueira
and Joao Roque). Palling has won seven out of eight fights and
if he can pack on a few pounds, he could be a major force at
155lbs.
Alexandre
Franca Nogueira: At 9-2-1, 'Pequeno' packs an impressive SEVEN
submissions into his record. He is known for his patented guillotine
choke (sometimes called 'five finger choke'). Like Vitor Ribeiro,
you may know it's coming but you can't escape it. He has finished
five opponents with this very move. Nogueira is another exciting
fighter but is light (around 145lbs). All of his matches have
been with Shooto and many doubt he would be willing to leave,
but should he try his luck at 155, he could be in the top ten
in a hurry!
Josh
Thompson: A relatively unheard of fighter out of American Kickboxing
Academy with an impressive 4-0 record. He has been called up
two times for the UFC but injuries have kept him from stepping
up to the big show. He has yet to defeat a top 10 fighter, but
his exciting style makes him a hot prospect for the future. Thompson
is fresh of a decision victory at the WFA 3 and if he can keep
healthy, he's going to make an impact.
Yves
Edwards: ALL of his wins, with the exception of his fights with
Aaron Riley, are FINISHES (many knockouts)! This means, if you're
on the receiving end of an Edwards beatdown, you have about a
60% chance of being knocked unconscious. Most are aware of his
KO power and play a ground game, but only the TOP submission
guys have submitted Edwards (Sato, Iha) and none have come close
in years. His last two matches have ended with his opponent knocked
out. Yves is the best known of the prospects, having fought 3
UFC matches, but at 25 years old, this exciting sand up fighter
may just be beginning to come into his own.
We'll
take a look at the MMA Top Ten in a few days. Where does Jen's
stand? Should Gomi be #1? You'll find out!
Source:
ADCC
Tournaments:
Love 'em or Hate 'em?
With the King of the Cage heavyweight championship up for grabs
in an upcoming tournament style draw and the ongoing Extreme
Challenge middleweight tournament making headlines, I thought
it would be a good time to take a look at the tournament format.
Keep in mind; we are talking about same day tourneys, where competitors
fight multiple matches to determine the eventual champion.
Back
in the Dark Ages of MMA, nearly every show adhered to a tournament
style. It was the way the first UFC’s were marketed, style
versus style, to find the best fighting art. We have come a long
way since then, and I one of many grateful fans.
Now
don’t get me wrong, I’m all for giving the fans what
they want--and they have clamored for tournament style shows
for year--but just don’t confuse a tournament winner with
the best fighter because they are not always synonymous. Tournaments
bring up a whole host of problems when it comes to determining
who is truly the ultimate fighter.
First
off there is the injury factor. Injuries are a part of any sport
but how can you say one fighter or another is the best when their
opponent comes in after a lengthy war in a previous round, battered
and bruised, while said fighter breezes through his early round
competition. Or how about an alternate fighter getting into the
main draw and winning the whole shebang after just one match
ala Steve Jennum in UFC 3.
Or
how about fatigue? When both fighters come to the ring fresh
and ready to go, we get a clearer picture of the skills they
bring with them to the arena. That picture gets more and more
distorted as the night wears on and the athletes advance in their
bracket.
The
Royce Gracie-Kazushi Sakaraba fight is the best example of this.
After defeating Gracie in a 90-minute marathon, Saku goes on
and nearly armbars Igor Vovchanchyn. Would he have been able
to pull that off if he were fresh? We will never know.
Another
factor that must be taken into consideration is fighter safety.
It is not sensible to keep sending these guys out there in a
fatigued or injured state. These athletes are warriors and we
must look out for their protection as well as the sports.
The
worst scenario might have to be the fighter who loses but is
tabbed to replace the injured combatant who had just defeated
them. We saw this recently in the K-1 Grand Prix this last December,
when Ernesto Hoost lost to Bob Sapp but somehow was chosen to
continue--even though there was an alternate waiting in the wings--and
eventually won the whole thing.
Are
you telling me Ernesto Hoost is a better fighter than Bob Sapp?
While his credentials speak for themselves, he has yet to prove
it in the K-1 ring and should never have been in the position
to win the Grand Prix after getting TKO’d by Sapp. I guess
what I am trying to say is call him Grand Prix Champion but please
don’t say he is the best fighter in K-1.
Sure
it makes sense for some of the smaller shows to continue to set
up tournaments. Number one, they create excitement and draw fans.
It also is a way for them to narrow down a large field of contenders
and crown a champion. A champion in some people’s eyes I
suppose.
I
would much rather see two highly-skilled athletes come to the
ring in top condition and meet on a level playing field to determine
who the better fighter is. I am not into watching two guys, already
tired and beaten, give lackluster performances at the end of
a long night.
While
they can be entertaining--the best show I think I have ever seen
live was the IFC Super-heavyweight tournament where Gan McGee
won it all--they just don’t lend themselves to always finding
the best fighter. Add to that the fact that they are banned by
the Nevada State Athletic Commission and we will most likely
never see a same day tournament in a major event again.
There
will always be the people claiming the old days were so much
better. Not just in MMA but in all walks of life. I do not concur.
Its
called evolution, folks. And while it is nice to reminisce about
the past and get all sentimental about how great things used
to be, we sometimes forget how far we have come. I, for one,
am not ready for a return to the Dark Ages.
Greg
Savage grew up in the dark ages, before there were VCRs and remote
controls.
Source:
Sherdog
"15
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Success
is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you
become.
Jim
Rohn
Brotherly
love
McKinley's
wrestling team
has 2 sets of brothers and
all of them open the year
as OIA champs
By
Jason Kaneshiro jkaneshiro@starbulletin.com
left to right, Emile Suehiro (senior, 130 pounds), his brother,
Rene (junior, 140), Desmond Thain (senior, 135) and brother,
Lawrence ( senior, 119).
When
the McKinley wrestling team opens its Oahu Interscholastic Association
schedule on Friday, the Tigers will take the mat knowing they've
already faced some of the best the league has to offer.
Two
sets of brothers account for one-third of McKinley's 12-member
wrestling team, and all of them return this season as OIA champions.
"You're
only as good as your workout partner, and they have such good
workout partners. It fortifies the whole room," McKinley
coach Chris Johnson said. "The whole room lights up because
of the intensity."
Emile
and Rene Suehiro and Desmond and Lawrence Thain won league titles
in their respective weight classes last year. As a team, McKinley
also opens defense of the championship won last winter Friday
against Kaimuki at the Kaiser High gym.
"We've
had a lot of brother sets go through, but it's been awhile since
we've had this kind of quality brother sets," said Johnson,
entering his 17th season with the Tigers program.
The
Thain brothers are both seniors but aren't twins, as Desmond
is eight months older than Lawrence. Desmond is wrestling in
the 135-pound weight class this season, while Lawrence is the
Tigers' representative at 119.
Emile
Suehiro is also entering his senior season, with Rene going into
his junior year. Both are moving up a weight class this year,
as Emile is entered in the 130 division and Rene at 140.
The
two sets of brothers have known each other since elementary school
as classmates at the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu school. Marcel Suehiro,
the eldest of the Suehiro brothers, got his younger siblings
interested in wrestling before graduating from McKinley in 1999,
and moving on to Embry-Riddle University in Arizona.
The
Suehiros went to McKinley, while the Thains enrolled at Kaimuki.
The brothers were reunited last year when the Thains transferred
to McKinley, where the Suehiro brothers helped them assimilate
into the Tiger squad.
"We
felt close to everybody in the first three weeks," Desmond
Thain said.
He
added that facing the Suehiros in practice let he and brother
Lawrence know they had the potential to contend in the OIA.
"It
told us where we were at," Desmond said. "If we were
junk, we'd be getting our butts kicked by them. But we came in
and we were doing all right and improving against them."
The
quartet helped McKinley make up for a lack of numbers by winning
their divisions at last year's OIA championships. It gave the
Tigers their fourth team championship since 1996.
Lawrence
Thain got the Tigers started by winning the 119-pound class.
Emile Suehiro then won at 125 and Desmond Thain followed with
a victory at 130. Rene Suehiro captured his second league championship
by winning the 135 division.
Rene
went on to win a state championship with a 6-3 win over Iolani's
Kyle Muraoka in the final and enters his junior year with high
expectations.
"I
know how the competition is in states and how much harder you
have to push," he said.
Rene
got a little extra boost at the state meet by watching his brother's
match. Emile lost to Iolani's Brent Kakesako, 4-3, in one of
the fiercest battles of the 2002 championships.
"His
match was before mine last year and that motivated me a lot,"
Rene said.
Emile
said the loss is pushing him to work even harder in his senior
season and his effort in practice hasn't gone unnoticed by his
coach.
"(Emile)
has all the attributes of a champion," Johnson said. "He's
extremely disciplined, he's very humble, he's very respectful.
He wrestles injured all the time because he goes so hard.
"When
we sprint he's always first. All I have to do is say, 'Keep up
with Emile' and I know they're going hard."
Both
Desmond and Lawrence advanced to the semifinals in their divisions
at last year's state championships, but lost to Iolani wrestlers.
Desmond went on to finish fifth at 130, while Lawrence came in
sixth at 119.
As
McKinley's lightest wrestler, it's up to Lawrence to get the
team off to a strong start in its matches.
"I
usually have to go up first, so I have to break the ice,"
Lawrence said. "I always try to win that first match so
I can give the team a better look at what they have to do."
Aside
from the point totals, the Suehiros and Thains also give the
Tigers stability in a sport with a notoriously high attrition
rate and provide their teammates a high standard to measure themselves
against.
"When
we put these four guys in there it keeps the mix going and it
keeps the intensity high," Johnson said. "In this case,
you have four OIA champions going at it, and I have the luxury
of shifting them around the room so everybody can see different
styles of wrestling."
Source:
Honolulu Star Bulletin
Allan
Goes - Back With BTT?
Allan
Goes is back in Brazil and has been spotted around his former
teammates in BTT. Word is that he will face Jeremy Horn in the
next PRIDE. Look for a confirmation of this match from PRIDE
in the coming weeks.
A
return to BTT for Goes means that confusions and misunderstandings
of the past. Remember that Goes was one of the fighters from
Carlson Gracie Team that separated to form the Brazilian Top
Team.
Goes
has actually been in and out of the BTT a few times! The first
time was
when Vitor Belfort, Carlos Barreto, Ricardo Arona, Paulo Filho
as well as Goes disagreed with the adopted policies of the BTT
head coaches. Some time passed, and the BTT seemed to have accept
Filho, Barreto and Goes back.
After
Goes' fight against Mark 'The Hammer' Coleman (in Pride 13),
the misunderstandings returned, and Goes left BTT again. Goes
formed a new NHB Team, Universo Fight Team, and spent some time
living in the states. He fought against Alex Stebling in Pride
18 (12-23-2001) and lost again. After recovering from injuries,
Alan surfaced for several weeks at AMC in Seattle, where there
were rumors he helped train Bob Sapp for PRIDE. Now, the Prodigal
Son has returned home to Brazil and the BTT.
After
a long hiatus, Goes is certain to have ring rust, but he is once
again training with the best fighters in the world! He is working
to provide a good show for us in the next Pride!
Source:
ADCC
Tripstin
Kerisiano's opponent speaks! 2 other 808 Fight Factory Fighters
in Gladiator's Challenge
First
look at Gladiator Challenge fighter and rAw team member Mac Danzig
by: Keith Mills
This
Sunday rAw team member Mac Danzig returns to Gladiator Challenge
at a new weight of 170, up from 155 in his last fight in WEC
last summer. His opponent, 808 Fight Factory fighter Tripstin
Kerisiano, tends to be known for his decision wins in shows like
Warriors Quest and last weekend’s SuperBrawl while Mac is
best known for his submission wins in shows like the Extreme
Challenge trials and Gladiator Challenge.
KM:
The next show you are in is Gladiator Challenge this coming weekend.
Tell us about your opponent Tripstin Kerisiano.
MD: A guy from Hawaii. He actually just fought SuperBrawl this
past weekend.
KM:
Did you get a chance to catch that SuperBrawl?
MD: No, I didn’t see it. I have friends in Hawaii and they
told me how he fights and everything. I pretty much know what
to expect.
KM:
What do you expect from him? MD: I expect him to come out throwing
big right hands because that is basically what everyone told
me he does. When he gets to the ground he just tries to ground
and pound but I’ve been training for that. I don’t
have a whole lot of partners that are the same size as him but
I think I train with a much better team, train a lot smarter.
No disrespect for him but it should be a good warm-up fight for
me to get back into the game where I want to be. It’s my
first fight at 170.
KM:
You are going up to 170?
MD: Yeah, I’m moving up to 170. Last time I cut to 155 I
had a really really hard time doing it. When I first started
fighting it was easy for me to get to 155 but once I moved out
here to rAw and started training full-time and eating basically
I just kept growing. It was really hard for me to make 155 for
that WEC and then after that we decided even though I’m
small for 170 right now that’s what I’m going to have
to move up to. I would love for them to have a 165 division;
that would be perfect.
KM:
The odd thing is the trend right now is for people who have been
fighting in the 170 division to start dropping down to 155 like
Chris Brennan and now Joe Stevenson.
MD: Yeah, it’s true. I guess everybody is different with
their body types and how much weight they can cut. I walk around
at 168 with 5% body fat so it’s really hard for me. I’d
have to cut about 8 lbs of muscle and then 5 lbs of water before
the fight and for me I can’t do it. For someone like Trigg
who has been wrestling all those years and cutting weight all
the time, his body is used to it but with me I didn’t wrestle
in high school or college or anything so it’s a lot harder.
KM:
But at 170 you are going to be facing people like Romi Aram and
John Alessio that cut from higher. Do you feel more confident
fighting at 170?
MD: When I first was going to make the move up I was pretty worried
about it because I train with Fernando Vasconcelos and Trigg
and they are both pretty big, especially Trigg. I train with
him every day and it’s really hard for me to move him around
or get anything accomplished so it’s kind of discouraging
but as I started just training more with some of the bigger guys
in the gym and some of the guys that fight at 170 I’m starting
to get used to it. I think a lot of it is mental. When it comes
down to it I am going to have to gain probably at least about
5 more pounds in order to feel comfortable. I may walk around
at like 178 and then cut. It is intimidating when you have guys
like Hughes and Trigg in that weight class but when the time
comes I think I’ll definitely be ready.
KM:
The rAw team seem more like the strong wrestling-based fighters
we see out of the mid-west, not the typical California fighters
we are used to seeing. As an insider, how do you view it?
MD: When I first came out here me and my friend Mike Willis were
staying in Huntington Beach. We were planning on training with
Team Punishment and I didn’t even get a chance to go there.
He went there once and told me about it and then I said ‘why
don’t we go to rAw and check it out’ and as soon as
I came here I decided this was where we were going to stay because
the very first thing I did is I came in and trained with Trigg
and Rico (Chiapparelli) my very first day and that was coming
from Pittsburgh where there wasn’t much out there. As far
as the approach to fighting goes it is grappling oriented and
takedown oriented; those are the fundamentals, the foundation
of everything out here. The way Ricco teaches us you definitely
have to be a complete fighter. He wants us to use the ground
skills and we work on everything but he won’t let anybody
show up that wants to fight without training their muay thai
like they need to. Every single day of the week we do something
different. Some days we just put on the gloves and spar kickboxing
and some days we’ll just go on the ground with strikes.
He has us working everything; it’s really Rico’s influence.
He definitely knows what you need to do to be a complete fighter.
A no-nonsense type of gym.
KM:
You don’t teach fitness classes on the side. One thing I
noticed with Trigg especially was the amount he listened to Rico
but I don’t know how true that is of all the team. You were
just talking about the no-nonsense approach and amount of direction
of Rico but how much of an influence in the actual fight does
Rico have to the rest of the team?
MD: I think he has a real big influence on everybody. I’d
say he along with Miletich are the two best corner people in
the business. Trigg is going to be in my corner for sure and
Rico is going to be there for this fight. It’s something
that gives you confidence. He knows the right thing to do in
every situation; he knows my strength is submission and he’s
going to let me work that. That’s a problem I see with a
lot of corner people; they are good and they know what they are
doing to a certain extent but they want their people to do the
things that they would do but Rico knows I’m not a NCAA
National Champion wrestler so I’m not going to get takedowns
off of every single combination. He knows I need to work my guard
sometimes and he’ll let me do that. You just keep your ears
open and when you need advice he’s there. I think everyone
on the team listens to him, especially me and Trigg and Fernando.
Gladiator
Challenge 14 takes place this Sunday, February 16th at Eagle
Mountain Casino. The complete line-up so far is:
Carl
Malenko vs. Nate Quarry
Marcos Santos vs. Jeremy Jackson
Joe Stevenson vs. Casey Balbenbush
Mac Danzig vs. Tripstin
Kerisiano (808 Fight Factory)
Jason Lambert vs. Tom Vaness
Brain Sleeman vs. Lee McKenna
Jaime Hantz vs. Joe Barrios
Cipi Gamino vs. Brandon Salcedo
Cole Escovido vs. Derek Baca
Abe Baxter vs. Dez
Miner (808 Fight Factory)
Big 'John' Dabney vs. Mike Martinez
Neil Peyron vs. Gilbert Magana
Albert Hill vs. Jim
Kikuchi (808 Fight Factory)
Source:
ADCC
Two
more Pride Matches announced
Kevin Randleman will be facing off against Quinton Jackson at
the Next Pride event on March 16th. Both fighters are extremely
strong and it will be a step up in competition for both fighters.
Jackson is coming off a big win against "Ice Cold"
Igor Vovchanchyn and Randleman against a subpar Kenichi Yamamoto.
This match looks to be very competitive on paper and one of the
highlights on the card for the American fans. Dan Henderson will
also be on the card against Shungo Oyama, who lost his last fight
to Ryan Gracie via Armbar. The Armbar injured Oyama putting him
out of action for a while and he will be facing an uphill battle
in Dan Henderson. Henderson must be relieved he isnt fighting
any Heavyweight Champions on short notice this time around. Look
for Dan to control early and often. An interesting side note
is that both competitors trained at Millenia Jiu Jitsu in California
for various periods of time. Now they will be facing each other
in the Pride Arena. Sakuraba is also rumored to be on the card
but his opponent is still unknown.
Source:
MMA Ring Report
DIN
THOMAS Interview (part 2)
In
part 1 we heard Din’s thoughts on the next UFC and Matt
Serra. Din fights Matt at the UFC 41 “Onslaught”. In
this part Din talks about the American Top Team and the 155 division
as a whole.
KM:
What is your perspective on the American Top Team? DT: Just watch
out, American Top Team is doing big things this year. We’ve
been pretty much destroying everybody in the South.
KM:
Dustin Denes and Hermes Franca have been fighting in HOOKnSHOOT
in Indiana but how many people go out to Indiana to see that.
At HOOKnSHOOT in Florida in December we saw a couple more like
Boca. DT: We have a plethora of guys who do nothing and care
nothing else in the world except to fight. The good thing about
it is they’re all pretty new to the game and they are all
like sponges, all learning the right way. They all come from
a jiu-jitsu background but they are all open to learn everything.
We box and kickbox and everything is under the eye of Ricardo
Liborio who is a genius, a wizard when it comes to fighting.
Everything we do is very detailed and specific and I don’t
think there is any team in the world that has what we have. We’re
all still pretty new so the potential is limitless. I’m
telling you, in the next couple of years it’s going to be
ridiculous how fast we row. Right now everybody thinks of Miletich.
Miletich has the squad right now but you’ll see.
KM:
I still track Miletich Martial Arts more than others but I’ve
got my eye on Millennia Jiu-Jitsu in California and American
Top Team. I think it’s going to get interesting as we get
to the point of you guys taking on each other of which of these
two is going to be the next Miletich Martial Arts. DT: I’ve
heard a lot about Millennia and they seem to be going in the
right direction too. I think with the amount of guys we got just
in the room in one day it’s crazy, bananas, really impressive.
After a session you go ‘wow, look at all these guys, these
guys are for real, it’s no joke’.
KM:
How many ATT people normally fight at 155? I thought you were
the only one and then Hermes fights at 145. DT: (Hermes) fluctuates;
he can go from 155 to 145. We also have Edson Denes and Marcus
Aurelio. We have the four of us at 155 and every day we battle.
KM:
What is Dustin “Clean” Denes fighting at now? DT: 185.
He has a fight coming up in Shooto in a couple weeks.
KM:
The next Shooto? DT: The next Shooto, yeah. I’ll tell you
what, Clean is just the most intense, serious guy when it comes
to fighting I’ve ever met. I can’t believe how intense
this guy is.
KM:
He always comes off so focused and methodical. I don’t think
I’ve ever seen him change his facial reaction. He’s
just so flawless; he’ll grab a position and not let it go,
keeps working it. You are more familiar with Boca then me. I
remember last time I saw you in Florida you were saying ‘keep
and eye on Boca’. DT: Yeah, Boca. A monster. We call him
Frankenstein; he just strolls forward and when he grabs you it
feels like a bear.
KM:
Isn’t he 170? DT: I think right now he’s about 185.
KM:
American Top Team isn’t known as much for the Heavyweights.
DT: Our biggest guys are in the 205 range. With the exception
of Wade Rome but Wade I wouldn’t say is one of the serious
guys. He’s got the 9-5 and isn’t looking to make big
things happen. He’s still doing his thing with grappling
and everything.
KM:
Following your career for the past couple of years until last
year when you joined up with the ATT you were pretty much a loner
as far as training, not really affiliated with a team until the
ATT. How does it feel to have found a home and be part of the
ATT? DT: It feels good to have support and the backing, not having
to worry about if a guy is going to show up for practice one
day, this guy being hurt…I’m just a pawn in the game
now instead of the king. I show up to practice and I do my thing
and I know in practice every day there are going to be about
twenty guys there waiting to beat me up as opposed to before
I had to teach class and maybe I couldn’t get some training
in and it was really hard to focus.
KM:
Who is your biggest challenge in training? DT: Honestly, Hermes
Franca.
KM:
It seems like you are in the lowest division that have enough
fighters around to make a division on a large scale. We don’t
have enough 145s… DT: That’s true. That’s very
true. I could name like six guys.
KM:
How does it feel to fight in the lightest class supportable when
most promoters seem to favor the Heavyweights? DT: I think it
kind of sucks and it is kind of disrespectful. Even at 155 I
think the top guys at 155 could hang with the guys at 170 and
even 185. I think it’s kind of disrespectful to us as 155ers.
KM:
It seems like there is still the perspective that the Heavyweights
draw the crowds and give the most money to the Heavyweights and
the headline bout and all that. I prefer the 155s and 170s myself.
DT: The thing that sucks about it is the only reason why the
Heavyweights draw the most crowds is because the promoters put
more money into those guys. They are the ones on the posters.
UFC sometimes will put the lighter guys on the poster and everything
but for the most part all you see is the big guys and the big
guys never really do anything exciting. I would think that if
the promotions start promoting the smaller guys a little bit
more it would be a lot better because those fights are always
better.
KM:
Now that Yves Edwards is signed to fight in the next UFC which
should be at 155 do you think that view is changing? Are the
155s starting to get the recognition they deserve or am I just
jumping to the wrong conclusion? DT: The UFC, they do promote
us a little bit and they are giving us a chance. I do think that
in the future as people start to see more 155ers they’re
going to start demanding it and it’s inevitable we’re
going to get the respect that we deserve.
KM:
With the attention right now on Duane Ludwig and Yves coming
back, both predominantly known as strikers, but either Penn or
Uno would hold the belt if given the choice who would you like
to fight next? DT: I never really think about that.
KM:
Whoever they put in front of you? DT: Realistically. It’s
not like I can say ‘I want to fight this guy because he
matches up well’. It never works out that way because everybody
has strong points. In a fight anything can happen so it doesn’t
really matter.
KM:
How is dinthomas.com going? Any changes coming? DT: Yeah, Yeah.
As a matter of fact I’m thinking of getting my little brother
to work on the site.
KM:
Are we going to see more videos or merchandise? DT: Hopefully
we’ll get more videos and merchandise. Right now it’s
just hard for me to find time to do anything. Within the next
couple of weeks with the UFC coming up with people seeing me
they’ll want to go to my site. By that time I’m going
to have to start making some changes because right now my site’s
a little dull.
KM:
I was wondering if you were going to do anything to capitalize
on that timing. DT: Absolutely, I have to. Gotta be a little
bit more professional about that.
KM:
Are you still running your own gym? DT: In Orlando. Mike Black
has got that. He’s pretty much taking care of that for me.
I really appreciate Mike because he understands at first and
foremost I’m going to be a fighter and to fight I have to
train and to train I have to train with the best. The best happens
to be down here. I just have to do what I have to do and he understands
that.
The
UFC’s next live PPV event is UFC 41: Onslaught at 10 p.m.EST/7
p.m.PST Friday, February 28, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City,
N.J. Locate Ultimate Fighting Championship on the internet at
www.ufc.tv.
Source:
ADCC
Sanderson
one of five finalists
for the 2002 AAU James E. Sullivan Award
With Full Credit to USA Wrestling
Sanderson
one of five finalists for the 2002 AAU James E. Sullivan Award
ORLANDO,
Fla. - The Amateur Athletic Union today announced the that Cael
Sanderson (Ames, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) is one of five finalists
for he 2002 AAU James E. Sullivan Memorial Award. Known as the
' Oscar' of the sports awards, the AAU Sullivan Award honors
the outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.
The
2002 AAU Sullivan Award Finalists are: Cael Sanderson, Wrestling;
Natalie Coughlin, swimming; Sarah Hughes, Figure Skating; Apolo
Anton Ohno, Speed skating and Chris Waddell, Paralympic athlete
Skiing and Track and Field. The presentation to the recipient
will be held on March 18th, 2003 at 7:00 pm in the New York Athletic
Club following a dinner reception for the five finalists.
'What
an amazing array of athletes this year's group of finalists represent.
These are the best of the best in amateur athletics,' said Bobby
Dodd, AAU President. 'We could not be more proud of these fine
young athletes. They uphold the true values and ideals of the
award and the AAU with their outstanding athletic performances,
coupled with their fine display of honor and integrity in every
day life.'
Sanderson
will have the opportunity to become the fourth wrestler to win
the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Memorial Award. John Smith
(1990), Bruce Baumgartner (1995) and Rulon Gardner (2000) have
also won the award.
Sanderson
was a member of the 2002 U.S. Freestyle World Team at 185 lbs.
In 2001, he also qualified for a spot on the World Team, but
forfeited his spot to complete his senior year of college after
the Sep. 11 World Trade Center attacks postponed the World Championships
set to be held in New York City in late September.
This
year, Sanderson was once again unable to compete in the World
Championships after a credible threat was made to the U.S. team.
The event was slated to be held in Tehran, Iran.
Sanderson
capped off an amazing 2002 by winning his fourth NCAA Division
I title. His career record of 159-0 is tops on the Iowa State
Univ. career wins list and he became the first collegiate wrestler
ever to win four NCAA titles and go undefeated for his career.
His season ended with him being named the NCAA Tournament's Most
Outstanding Wrestler for the fourth consecutive year and he captured
his third Dan Hodge Award, given to the nation's top collegiate
wrestler annually. Both accomplishments were firsts in college
wrestling.
'It
is an honor to be mentioned with so many great athletes and Olympic
heroes,' Sanderson said. 'I feel blessed to have been able to
accomplish the things I have. It is always nice to be recognized
for your hard work and accomplishments, and I am sure the others
up for this award feel the same way as well.'
Sanderson
will compete this weekend in the Titan Games in San Jose, Calif.
He will wrestle against six-time World and Olympic medalist Yoel
Romero of Cuba.
A
voting body of over 800 members narrowed the field of finalists
from 11 to the top five for the 73rd Annual AAU James E. Sullivan
Memorial Award, based on the qualities of leadership, character,
sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism.
The
AAU Sullivan Award goes far beyond athletic accomplishments and
honors those who have shown strong moral character. It has been
presented annually by the AAU since 1930 as a salute to founder
and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union, and a pioneer
in amateur sports, James E. Sullivan.
Source:
ADCC
MARC
LAIMON
ADCC: How have you been? Marc: Very good, thank you.
ADCC:
You have had many great matches during the last year, what was
your most memorable one? Marc: I'd have to say the Dale, Jr.,
was the most memorable.
ADCC:
Tell us your thoughts on that controversial match with Clemente.
Marc: I have never seen anything like that before. I tell all
my students to go for the tap and not let the judges decide,
but I guess even that doesn't work sometimes. I made him tap!!!
I have the tape you can see the match at www.onthemat.com Video
tape does not lie!!!
ADCC:
Will you be going to the ADCC Championships in May? Marc: I would
love to have the opportunity to fight in ADCC again. I just hope
I get an invitation
ADCC:
If you do receive an invitation, What will be your strategy this
time compared to last? Marc: Last event I lost to Cacareco by
minus 1 for jumping the guard. He never came close to passing,
and I felt I was more aggressive, but the way the rules are I
lost. I have been working on my wrestling, which has been slowly
improving to help in this type of competition. I also have a
few new tricks to unveil if I am invited.
ADCC:
Do you have any MMA plans in the near future? Marc: I only train
MMA Fighters. I am not a fighter. I only fight on Dead or Alive
3 for Xbox. I am the man at that. No One can beat me!!! I also
ruin peoples lives in Halo. I have an open challenge to anyone
out there. Anytime, anyplace, anywhere, I will smash you in DOA
3 or Halo, you pick it.
ADCC:
Any last comments? Marc: Even though I feel I get some 'questionable'
calls when I compete, I love this game. I want the sport to grow!
A competitor only has a limited time to compete, but a lifetime
to watch and enjoy the sport. I hope people can get the politics
out of these competitions, and set rules to help push the sport
into the mainstream. It may not be in my lifetime, but hopefully
a strong foundation will be laid for future competitors and fans
alike. Thank you for the interview Frank.
Source:
ADCC
2/12/03
Quote
of the Day
Optimisn
is the one quality more associated with success and happiness
than any other
Brian
Tracy
Warriors
Of The Ring II
Maui War Memorial Gymnasium
Wailuku, Maui
February 16, 2003
Warriors
of the Ring returns for their second event this Sunday, so get
your tickets today because the event is only 4 days away.
Preliminary
Bouts (tentative card):
1.
Scott Tam (Maui Full Contact) vs. Charles Hendrickson (Freelance)
2.
Ednor Lat (Maui Full Contact) vs. Robert Billianor (Lockdown
Unlimited)
3.
Keola Cabalero (Wailuku Kickboxing) vs. John Nerveza Jr. (Bulls
Pen)
4.
Lucky Keefner (Maui Full Contact) vs. Paulo Lupi (Brazilian Freestyle
J.J.)
5.
Patrick Clark vs. To be announced opponent
Co-Main
Event:
6. Anthony Billianor (Lockdown Unlimited) vs. Palmer Fuga (Kona
Boxing Club)
Main
Event:
7. J.R. Baraldon (Maui Full Contact) vs. Tien Nguyen (Wailuku
Kickboxing)
Source:
Event Promoter
Pacific
Fighting Championships
Waikiki Shell, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 17, 2003
The
PFC has just released a tentative fight card. Expect a lot of
knockouts because almost every fighter on the card is a boxer
or kickboxer, so you know that leather is going to fly. Tickets
for the inaugural PFC event will go on sale on March 1st, at
the Blaisdell box office. Music group Ka’uka will also be
performing. Get your tickets early because it will be held under
the stars at the Waikiki Shell, where seating is limited.
170lbs
PJ Dean (Waianae Boxing Club/Hard Knocks, AFC 2 Champion)
Vs.
John Naole (HMC)
205lbs
Roman Paris (Team Nanakuli)
Vs.
James Kepa (Bulls Pen)
155lbs
John Kukahiko (Kokenkan)
Vs.
Neal Andres (HMC)
Heavyweight
Pasi Fa’amui (Professional Training Center)
Vs.
Sonny Leiutu (Waianae Boxing Club/Hard Knocks)
170lbs
Deshaun Johnson
Vs.
TBA
145lbs
John Naraveva (Bulls Pen)
Vs.
Lyndon Patricio (Westbrook Kickboxing)
170lbs
Blake Hottenberg (Kodenkan)
Vs.
Jaime Gelapia (Bulls Pen)
155lbs
Josh Colleon (Kodenkan)
Vs.
Jerome Kekumu (Hard Knocks)
145lbs
James Rumler (Professional Training Center)
Vs.
Zack Rapal (Waianae Boxing Club/Hard Knocks)
160lbs
Craig Park (Hard Knocks)
Vs.
Kepa Riveira (Professional Training Center)
Source: PFC Matchmaker
Steven
Seagal Takes Witness Stand at Mob Trial This is a confirmation of part of the documentary on Steven
Seagal that just aired this past week on E!. It was E!'s True
Hollywood Story: Steven Seagal.
NEW YORK - Action film star Steven Seagal testified Tuesday that
a crew of alleged mobsters demanded that he make movies with
them -- or else.
As
he left a 2000 meeting with the men, Seagal claimed one told
him, "If you would have said the wrong thing, they would
have killed you."
Seagal
was called as a government witness at the racketeering trial
of Peter Gotti, brother of the late crime boss John Gotti, and
other reputed gangsters.
Authorities
say Seagal -- known for his martial-arts moves in films like
Under Siege and Exit Wounds -- was a victim of a bid by the Gambino
crime family to infiltrate the film industry for profit.
Prosecutors
say Seagal, 50, was extorted after a falling-out with his former
business partner, Julius Nasso, an alleged Gambino associate.
The
actor testified that he was menaced by defendant Anthony "Sonny"
Ciccone, who allegedly demanded the actor pay the Gambinos $150,000
for each movie he made with Nasso.
"Look
at me when I talk to you," Seagal quoted Ciccone as saying
during one shakedown. "We're proud people. ... Work with
Jules and we'll split the pie."
He
testified he tried to "buy time" by agreeing to reunite
with Nasso: "These were people who were not going to let
it go."
Prosecutors
say wiretaps caught Nasso being instructed to demand money from
the actor. In a bugged VIP room at a Brooklyn restaurant in 2001,
the suspects could be overheard chuckling over how "petrified"
Seagal looked at a meeting, prosecutors said.
The
actor told jurors he has a license to carry a handgun and had
gone to the meeting armed.
"In New York, I always carry a gun," he said.
Defense attorneys deny any threats were made, saying Nasso was
always businesslike in seeking to get Seagal to repay $500,000
he loaned the actor for taxes. In his opening statement last
month, defense attorney George Santangelo called Seagal "a
pathological liar."
On
Tuesday, Santangelo asked Seagal if he once tried to hire a former
CIA operative to kill someone.
"This is insane," Seagal shot back before the judge
struck the question. "I'm not on trial here."
Seagal also testified that he never asked authorities to protect
him from the mob.
"I'm a movie star," he said. "If you want to keep
making movies, you don't want to start a war with these people.
Source: Associated Press
Steven
Seagal Is 'Under Siege' in Court
By Katie Cornell Smith
NEW
YORK — Action star Steven Seagal could come Under Siege
today after a federal judge yesterday left the door open for
two reputed mobsters' lawyers to grill him on his various legal
entanglements.
"I'm going to keep some restraints so this does not turn
into a media spectacle," Brooklyn federal Judge Frederic
Block ruled yesterday. "I'm going to try and keep things
cool."
Seagal,
who is set to take the witness stand Tuesday, claims his former
film producer teamed up with a crew of wiseguys in a $3 million
shakedown scheme. Since the start of this case, defense lawyers
have branded Seagal a "pathological liar."
"He
has the appearance of a history of attacking people or threatening
people who he perceives as a threat," said Richard Levitt,
lawyer for Primo Cassarino, a reputed wiseguy on trial for extortion
with alleged capo Anthony "Sonny" Ciccone.
Block
said he would allow cross-examination on a suit Seagal has filed
against the "German mafia," thwarting prosecutors'
attempts to stop defense lawyers from suggesting that Seagal
likes to feign victimization.
But
Levitt and Ciccone's lawyer, George Santangelo, will not likely
be permitted to grill Seagal on his ties to a private eye in
L.A. who has allegedly threatened journalists reporting on the
New York case.
Source: NY Post
Source:
Fox News
Luca's
Column: The SUPER DOG!
The crew of Continental Airlines is used to a blond, muscular
customer who checks in alone for flight #9 departing from Newark,
NJ to Narita, Tokyo. Last Monday, with a mask covering his eyes
and two bottles of water stuffed into his seat pockets, he would
lay for nearly 14 hours, refusing all meals.
His
boarding pass had the name Ricardo Almeida on it, and the customer
with these “freaky” habits, the one known as Big Dog,
acts like that for a reason: this Sunday the 16th of February,
at Pancrase's event scheduled for Osaka, Japan, he will face
Japanese star Ikuhisa Minowa, and his discipline prior TO a fight
includes a lot of rest and NO plane food (sigh!).
A
very technical and well rounded fighter, Big Dog is an awesome
athlete as well. We caught up with Martin Rooney, the Managing
Director of the Parisi Speed School (in NJ). Martin is Ricardo’s
conditioning guru, and he gave us some inside information about
the Big Dog's body and mind for this important duel.
ADCC
- How is Ricardo’s shape this time?
Martin Rooney - He is in the best shape ever. Every fight he
continues to
improve physically and mentally. Physically, he is much stronger
in the legs for this fight. We have focused a lot of the training
here, since this is a very important area to be strong with against
Minowa. Ricardo is 200 pounds and solid. He continues to put
on muscle and his improved legs are a big part of the weight
gain.
ADCC
– You said he improved mentally too. How?
Martin - We focused a lot on the mental aspect as well. We have
been working on training from a top sports psychologist for sharpening
mental toughness. Ricardo is now much more in control of his
emotions for the fight which makes him even harder to beat.
ADCC
– What was his routine before he left?
Martin - The week before the fight we did less volume, but higher
intensity exercises that helped Ricardo to see his improvements
and to keep him fresh. We worked snatches, heavy med ball throws,
sprints, and a lot of core work. Ricardo is also working heavily
on his fight game with a lot of time spent on boxing, muay htai
and of course grappling under Renzo Gracie. Ricardo is ready,
and Japan is going to see it.
ADCC
– Any special care considering the time difference and the
tiresome trip?
Martin - As for jet lag, Ricardo is used to the time change and
knows what to do. He makes sure he drinks plenty of water the
whole flight, and rests over the trip. He gets there a week before
the fight to acclimate to the time change, and has the proper
supplements with him to fight stress and immunity issues.
Come
on readers, I want interaction! Keep sending me short anecdotes,
curious stories or questions, critiques, opinions, preferences
etc. I will try and develop my column with the most wanted stuff
from right here in Brazil. Let’s work together. React!
Master
Team's Leozinho Vieira competed in the Professional Jiu-Jitsu
League Ground Impact Zero-Two in Ariake, Japan yesterday. Leozinho
defeated the tough Mitsuyoshi Hayakawa (Striple/Black) by choke
at 4:12. Hayakawa is considered one of the best Black Belts in
Japan having recently bested Yuki Nakai. Leozinho fought despite
suffering from a serious cold and high fever. Leo somehow mustered
enough will to fight and choke his opponent. Hayakawa entered
the match wearing an Alliance Team patch in his Gi! Hayakawa
had trained in Brazil at Alexandre Paiva's Academy and also had
taken private lessons with Terere. The sight of Hayakawa with
the Alliance patch infuriated the normally calm Vieira and accoring
to him: 'caused me to go into hyperdrive! I choked him from the
mount but still can't recall what kind of choke I used!'
In
the other Superfight Nakai attempted to avenge his Worlds 2002
loss to 'Soca' Carneiro. Soca and Nakai faced each ther in the
early round of the feather weight in a thrilling match. With
less than a minute to go Nakai was ahead on points over Soca,
but lack of experience on his part along with a gritty effort
by Soca left Nakai on the losing end. This time around 'Soca'
defeated Nakai by 3 advantages in a very tight match demonstrating
that Japan is rapidily gaining status as a force in Jiu-Jitsu
along side of Brazil and U.S.A.
More
details to come including more words from Leo.
CBJJ
top brass Marcelo Siriema & Carlos Gracie Jr have informed
us that the CBJJ Website has been updated with complete info
on the Pan Ams along with enrollment form.
Siriema
confided that this year, with the event being in California,
he is expecting the largest number of competitors ever. In his
words: 'This year's winners will truly be best in the Pan American
Continents!'.
Additionally
the CBJJ is planning to have the 1st BRAZIL X USA TEAM CHALLENGE
opening the 2003 Pan American, thereby garanteeing the strongest
presence of 'top' Brazilians ever in the Pan Ams. Names like
Marcio 'Pe de Pano Cruz, Saulo Ribeiro, Marcio Feitosa and many
others will be competing against America''s best! Don't miss
out and check it out!
This
event will occur on April 26th and 27th, 2003 in Santa Barbara,
Ca!
Source:
ADCC
UFC's
Lightweight Fighter MATT SERRA
Just
as UFC 40 focused on the Welterweight class, UFC 41 on February
28th in Atlantic City, NJ looks to be focused of the Lightweight
class with Caol Uno taking on BJ Penn for the belt, Yves Edwards
taking on Rich Clementi, and Matt Serra taking on Din Thomas.
Here is part one with Renzo Gracie disciple Matt Serra, one of
the toughest, fastest, most technique oriented fighters to enter
the octagon regardless of weight.
KM:
Before I forget what is up with your student Chris Schlesinger?
MS: Chris? He’s actually here right now training. He’s
not going to be fighting mixed martial arts any time soon, he
wants to concentrate on getting his stand-up better-he’s
been concentrating on that a lot. I want to watch out for my
guys. I think he’s going to be going to the Pan Ams this
year and he’s just concentrating on the grappling circuit.
The Pan Ams, maybe back to the Worlds this year.
KM:
I’m keeping an eye out on him.
MS: He’s a very entertaining grappler.
KM:
He seems to follow in your footsteps pretty well. MS: You’ll
be seeing a lot more of him this year.
KM:
One last question about Chris; last I heard a couple months ago
he was going to be fighting in his first mixed martial arts show.
Did he go through with that?
MS: No, what happened was his opponent dropped out.
KM:
Well let him know I’m waiting for him. Speaking of which,
you in the next UFC.
MS: Exciting. Very exciting.
KM:
What are your thoughts on Din as an opponent?
MS: I think Din is very tough. He’s tough in a lot of different
areas. I believe his strategy is going to be like most guys I
fight, going to try to keep it on the feet and try to knock me
out. That’s what I think he’s going to try to do. I
really doubt he’ll use the same strategy he did with Uno
because he knows that will be playing right into my hands. That’s
okay because I always train for the worst case scenario. I’ll
be prepared whether it’s on the feet or on the floor.
KM:
My perception is that he seems to have a reputation for a 155
as a pretty good striker but you have the speed. There is no
doubt you are faster. I think it will be a matter of speed versus
power. MS: Yeah. I believe he got worn out a little bit with
Uno and not taking anything from Uno because I think he’s
a warrior but I think I’m more powerful and quicker and
even more aggressive. He’ll have to be in really phenomenal
shape because he will get pushed to the limit. I’m ready
for a fifteen minute war. I’m actually having my first day
off in a while tonight because I’ve really been training
my ass off.
KM:
Are you going to train right up to the fight or are you stopping
a week or so out?
MS: I train up until the week, like four or five days right before
the fight and then I’ll take off. I’ll take off when
I need it like I have one day off a week.
KM:
You’ve been training for this for a while so you’re
not wrapping it up yet but over half way through. Are you starting
to slow it down at all?
MS: I’d say I’m more than half way through. I’d
say the next eighteen days are going to be rough. It’s definitely
going to get harder before it gets easier.
KM:
You don’t seem to cut much weight or have any problems with
that.
MS: I actually do. I cut the weight but it’s so much better
now. At first I was like ‘I have to walk around at 155’
but it’s nothing like that. I just get down really close
to 160 and then cut the water out and put it back. I’m not
a guy who cuts more than 10 lbs or anything like that like wrestlers
that have been doing it all their lives. With the Dullanty fight
(UFC 36) it was pretty scary because I was never used to it and
I actually got dehydrated training and tore my bicep sparring
like three weeks before the fight.
KM:
You were saying you only cut weight the last two times you fought.
MS: Yeah, because I fought 170 before that and I walk around
at 170. It’s just too much of a weight difference when I
get in there because I’m not fighting guys that are 170.
KM:
I finally saw your demo tape. Were you 170 for those fights?
MS: I believe for the Abu Dhabi it was the qualifiers and when
I fought over there it was in kilograms but it was like 167 or
something like that.
KM:
This tape was two MMA bouts in a ring. I didn’t recognize
the referee. I think one ended with a choke and one ended with
an armbar pretty quickly. (Note: Vengeance At the Vanderbilt
7 & 11).
MS: Oh yeah, those I was fighting around 165.
KM:
On the Best Of Abu Dhabi DVD I think was the qualifier.
MS: That one I think the cutoff was 168 or something like that.
It was in kilograms. I won’t cut weight for a grappling
tournament like Abu Dhabi or anything but with MMA I would definitely
like to be my quickest and strongest and I think 155 is a great
weight class.
KM:
What I’m getting at is you fought around 170 before and
you’ve been fighting at 155 for three shows now. Do you
think 155 is your home?
MS: Again, if there was a 160 lb weight class I’d like that
a lot better but there’s not so I’ll get rid of the
extra 5 lbs. I’ll suffer for like a day and a half with
the weight. I like fighting lighter; it just makes more sense.
You have guys like Matt Hughes and Sakurai and these guys are
like big dudes. I’m sure they walk around at like 190 if
not or more and it’s not right. To get a guy down is hard
enough and then they stand you up. I’m fighting guys more
my size at 155.
KM:
I prefer the 155s and the 170s because they are quick and exciting.
One thing that seems odd to me lately is we are used to seeing
mostly grapplers at 155 but lately we have been seeing more strikers
making the news at 155 like Yves back in the UFC, Duane just
knocked out Jens Pulver.
MS: With these little gloves on anybody can get caught. It’s
not a boxing match. Sometimes it’s the guy who lands the
better shot first. Look at Pedro Rizzo versus Gan. He’s
probably got ten times better hands but the other guy landed
a big straight ‘boom’ and that’s it, ended the
fight. You gotta know you are one punch away from losing in there
so you gotta just get the hard sparring in, the hard training.
All
that hard training will pay off on February 28th when Matt Serra
steps into the octagon to battle Din Thomas in UFC 41 in Atlantic
City. For more information check out www.ufc.tv.
Matt
Serra’s website www.serrajitsu.com has much more information
on him as well as his gym, part of the Team Renzo Gracie structure.
Source:
ADCC
W.I.N.
Magazine’s
NCAA Division I individual wrestling rankings
Below
are W.I.N. Magazine’s NCAA Division I individual wrestling
rankings. The rankings are formulated on input from coaches across
the country and by analyzing past results. Individuals are ranked
according to placement potential at the NCAAs. To follow the
weekly rankings during the season, go to our website at WIN-magazine.com.
W.I.N.’s
Top Twenty-five
125
Pounds
1. Chris Fleeger - Purdue, So. (1st)
2. Travis
Lee - Cornell, So. (2nd)
3. Ben Vom Baur - Boise State, Sr. (3rd)
4. Jason Powell - Nebraska, Jr. (5th)
5. A.J. Grant - Michigan, Sr. (6th)
6. Nick Simmons - Michigan State, Fr. (7th)
7. Luke Eustice - Iowa, Jr. (4th)
8. Bo Maynes - Oklahoma, Sr. (8th)
9. Tony Black - Wisconsin, Sr. (9th)
10. Skyler Holman - Oklahoma State, Sr. (10th)
11. Kyle Ott - Illinois, Fr. (11th)
12. Vic Moreno - Cal Poly, So. (12th)
13. Jordan Sianni - Pittsburgh, Fr. (13th)
14. Efram Ceballos - Cal State Bakersfield, So. (14th)
15. Rocco Mansueto - Cleveland State, Sr. (17th)
16. Matt Valenti - Penn., Fr. (18th)
17. Seth Lisa - West Virginia, Fr. (NR)
18. Chris Rodriguez - North Carolina, So. (15th)
19. George Cintron - North Carolina State, Sr. (NR)
20. Jared Opfer - Kent State, Jr. (NR)
133
Pounds
1. Johnny Thompson - Oklahoma State, Jr. (1st)
2. Ryan Lewis - Minnesota, Sr. (2nd)
3. Cliff Moore - Iowa, Jr. (3rd)
4. Zach Roberson - Iowa State, Jr. (4th)
5. Kevin Black - Wisconsin, Sr. (5th)
6. Witt Durden - Oklahoma, Sr. (7th)
7. Foley Dowd - Michigan, Jr. (6th)
8. Cory Cooperman - Lehigh, Fr. (8th)
9. Josh Moore - Penn State, Jr. (9th)
10. Mike Simpson - Arizona State, So. (10th)
11. Mark Jayne - Illinois, So. (11th)
12. Ricky LaForge - Hofstra, So. (12th)
13. Phil Mansueto - Cleveland State, Sr. (13th)
14. Rad Martinez - Clarion, Sr. (14th)
15. Jesse Brock - Boise State, Jr. (15th)
16. Evan Sola - North Carolina, So. (16th)
17. Brandon Lauer - West Virginia, So. (17th)
18. Joe Malia - Nebraska, Jr. (18th)
19. Urijah Faber - Cal-Davis, Sr. (19th)
20. Travis Drake - Appalachian State, Sr. (20th)
141
Pounds
1. Zach Esposito - Oklahoma State, Fr. (1st)
2. Teyon Ware - Oklahoma, Fr. (2nd)
3. Dylan Long - Northern Iowa, Jr. (3rd)
4. Aaron Holker - Iowa State, Sr. (4th)
5. Jason Mester - Central Michigan, Jr. (7th)
6. Dana Holland - Arizona State, Sr. (5th)
7. Mike Maney - Lock Haven, Jr. (6th)
8. Phillip Simpson - Army, So. (8th)
9. Scott Moore - Penn State, Jr. (9th)
10. Coyte Cooper - Indiana, Jr. (10th)
11. Derek Phillips - Minnesota, Sr. (11th)
12. Clinton Frease - Brown, Sr. (12th)
13. Gabe Vigil - Boise State, Sr. (13th)
14. J.P. Reese - Missouri, Sr. (14th)
15. Jeff Ratliff - Ohio State, Jr. (16th)
16. Doug McGraw - Penn, So. (17th)
17. Cory Ace - Edinboro, Sr. (18th)
18. Shane Cunanan - West Virginia, Sr. (19th)
19. Josh Wooten - Northern Illinois (20th)
20. Luke Moffitt - Iowa, Sr. (15th)
149
Pounds
1. Eric Larkin - Arizona State, Sr. (1st)
2. Jared Lawrence - Minnesota, Sr. (2nd)
3. Jesse Jantzen - Harvard, Jr. (3rd)
4. Jake Percival - Ohio, So. (4th)
5. Jerrod Sanders - Oklahoma State, Sr. (5th)
6. Collin Robertson - Boise State, Sr. (6th)
7. Jeremy Spates - Missouri, Jr. (7th)
8. Travis Schufelt - Nebraska, So. (8th)
9. Dustin Manotti - Cornell, Fr. (9th)
10. Ryan Churella - Michigan, Fr. (14th)
11. Karl Nadolsky - Michigan State, Sr. (10th)
12. Jon Masa - Hofstra, So. (11th)
13. Billy Smith - West Virginia, Jr. (13th)
14. Ty Eustice - Iowa, Fr. (12th)
15. Jody Giuricich - Penn, So. (15th)
16. Ty Morgan - Central Michigan, Jr. (16th)
17. Justin Giovinco - Pittsburgh, Sr. (18th)
18. Tony Overstake - Oregon, Sr. (19th)
19. Anthony Coleman - Cleveland State, Jr. (20th)
20. Dan Jankowski - Purdue, Sr. (NR)
157
Pounds
1. Keaton Anderson - Ohio State, Sr. (1st)
2. Luke Becker - Minnesota, Sr. (2nd)
3. Scott Owen - Northern Illinois, Sr. (3rd)
4. Shane Roller - Oklahoma State, Sr. (4th)
5. Gray Maynard - Michigan State, Sr. (6th)
6. Ryan Bertin - Michigan, So. (5th)
7. Derek Zink - Lehigh, Fr. (7th)
8. Joe Johnston - Iowa, Fr. (8th)
9. Alex Tirapelle - Illinois, Fr. (9th)
10. Derek Jenkins - Rider, Sr. (10th)
11. Kenny Burleson - Misouri, Sr. (12th)
12. Rocky Smart - Arizona State, Sr. (13th)
13. Dave Bolyard - Central Michigan, So. (11th)
14. Nate Wachter - Penn State, Sr. (14th)
15. Mike Tolar - Kent State, Jr. (15th)
16. George Carter - Bloomsburg, Sr. (16th)
17. Mike Patrovich - Hofstra, Fr. (17th)
18. Adam Britt - VMI, Sr. (18th)
19. Tim Foley - Virginia, Sr. (19th)
20. Matt Gentry - Stanford, So. (20th)
165
Pounds
1. Matt Lackey - Illinois, Sr. (1st)
2. Tyrone Lewis - Oklahoma State, Jr. (2nd)
3. Troy Letters - Lehigh, Fr. (3rd)
4. John Clark - Ohio State, Jr. (4th)
5. Jacob Volkmann - Minnesota, Jr. (5th)
6. Tyrone Woodley - Missouri, So. (7th)
7. Nick Passolano - Iowa State, So. (6th)
8. Kevin Carr - Central Michigan, Sr. (8th)
9. Oscar Santiago - Purdue, Sr. (9th)
10. Noel Thompson - Hofstra, Sr. (10th)
11. Levi Provost - Wyoming, Sr. (12th)
12. Matt Palmer - Columbia, Fr. (16th)
13. Chris Vecchio - Penn State, Sr. (11th)
14. Nick Nemeth - Kent State, Sr. (13th)
15. Nick Frost - Arizona State, So. (14th)
16. Mike Kulczycki - Michigan, Sr. (15th)
17. Drew Kelly - Northern Iowa, Jr. (17th)
18. Matt King - Edinboro, Jr. (18th)
19. Jacob Klein - Michigan State, Fr. (20th)
20. Sean Jenkins - Brown, Sr. (NR)
174
Pounds
1. Greg Jones - West Virginia, So. (1st)
2. Chris Pendleton - Oklahoma State, So. (2nd)
3. Tyler Nixt - Iowa, Jr. (3rd)
4. Robbie Waller - Oklahoma, Sr. (4th)
5. Ryan Lange - Purdue, Jr. (8th)
6. Eric Hauan - Northern Iowa, So. (5th)
7. Blake Kaplan - Ohio State, Jr. (6th)
8. Brian Glynn - Illinois, So. (7th)
9. Brad Dillon - Lehigh, Jr. (9th)
10. Travis Pascoe - Nebraska, So. (10th)
11. Shane Webster - Oregon, So. (11th)
12. Eddie Gifford - Fresno State, Sr. (12th)
13. Curtis Owen - Arizona State, Sr. (13th)
14. Josh McClay - Minnesota, So. (14th)
15. Ralph Everett - Hofstra, Jr. (15th)
16. Mark Fee - Appalachian State, Sr. (16th)
17. Hunter Guenot - Bloomsburg, Sr. (17th)
18. Carl Fronhoffer - Pittsburgh, Sr. (18th)
19. Rashaad Evans - Michigan State, Sr. (20th)
20. Matt Herrington - Pennsylvania, Fr. (19th)
184
Pounds
1. Clint Wattenberg - Cornell, Sr. (2nd)
2. Jessman Smith - Iowa, Sr. (1st)
3. Greg Parker - Princeton, Sr. (3rd)
4. Josh Lambrecht - Oklahoma, Sr. (4th)
5. Scott Barker - Missouri, Jr. (5th)
6. Mark Becks - Penn State, Sr. (6th)
7. Gerald Harris - Cleveland State, Sr. (7th)
8. Ben Heizer - Northern Illinois, Sr. (8th)
9. Ralph DeNisco - Wisconsin, Jr. (9th)
10. Austin Palmer - Iowa State, Sr. (10th)
11. Ty Matthews - Indiana, Sr. (11th)
12. Travis Frick - Lehigh, Fr. (13th)
13. Jake Rosholt - Oklahoma State, Fr. (12th)
14. B.J. Padden - Nebraska, Fr. (14th)
15. Ryan Wilman - West Virginia, So. (15th)
16. Jordan Holm - Northern Iowa, So. (16th)
17. Scott Justus - Virginia Tech, Sr. (17th)
18. Jake Stork - Maryland, Sr. (18th)
19. Dusty Heist - North Carolina, So. (19th)
20. Pete Friedl - Illinois, Fr. (NR)
197
Pounds
1. Jon Trenge - Lehigh, Jr. (1st)
2. Justin Ruiz - Nebraska, So. (3rd)
3. Muhammad Lawal - Oklahoma State, Sr. (2nd)
4. Chris Skretkowicz - Hofstra, So. (5th)
5. Dave Shunamon - Edinboro, Sr. (4th)
6. Anthony Reynolds - Sacred Heart, Sr. (6th)
7. Nik Fekete - Michigan State, Sr. (7th)
8. Damion Hahn - Minnesota, Jr. (8th)
9. Anton Talamantes - Ohio State, Sr. (9th)
10. Pat Degain - Indiana, So. (10th)
11. Chris Jones - Drexel, Jr. (11th)
12. Eric Mausser - Clarion, Sr. (12th)
13. David Schenk - Cal Poly, Sr. (13th)
14. Tom Grossman - Oklahoma, Sr. (14th)
15. Ryan Fulsaas - Iowa, Jr. (15th)
16. Kyle Smith - Michigan, Sr. (16th)
17. Morgan Horner - Lock Haven, Fr. (19th)
18. Sean Stender - Northern Iowa, So. (17th)
19. Matt Greenberg - Cornell, Sr. (18th)
20. Tyrone Byrd - Illinois, So. (20th)
Heavyweight
1. Steve Mocco - Iowa, So. (1st)
2. Tommy Rowlands - Ohio State, Jr. (2nd)
3. Kevin Hoy - Air Force, Sr. (3rd)
4. Kellan Fluckiger - Arizona State, Sr. (4th)
5. Paul Hynek - Northern Iowa, Sr. (5th)
6. Boe Rushton - Boise State, Sr. (6th)
7. Garrett Lowney - Minnesota, Jr. (7th)
8. Pat Cummins - Penn State, Jr. (8th)
9. Matt Feast - Penn, So. (9th)
10. John Testa - Clarion, Sr. (10th)
11. Andy Bowlby - Oregon State, Sr. (12th)
12. Greg Wagner - Michigan, Fr. (11th)
13. Brent Miller - West Virginia, So. (13th)
14. Joe Sahl - Lehigh, Jr. (14th)
15. Kevin Herron - Missouri, Sr. (15th)
16. Tomas Rodriguez - Kent State, Fr. (16th)
17. Justin Staebler - Wisconsin, Sr. (17th)
18. William Gruenwald - Oklahoma State, So. (18th)
19. Russ Davie - Cleveland State, Jr. (19th)
20. Brad Steele - Wyoming, Sr. (20th)
Source:
ADCC
2/11/03
Quote
of the Day
Lack
of forgiveness causes almost all of our self-sabotaging behavior.
Mark
Victor Hansen
Fighters'
Club TV Tonight!
Due
to popular demand, Fighters' Club TV episode VII will reair on
ch. 52:
February
11 (TUE), 8:00 pm
February 18 (TUE), 8:00 pm
February 25 (TUE), 8:30 pm.
Episode
VII features:
Your
favorite 2 MMA hosts (Mike O. & Mark K.)
Superbrawl 25 highlights featuring:
-Eddie Yagin vs. Jin Kazeta (+intv w/ Eddie)
-Barret Yoshida vs. Jason Bress
-Egan Inoue vs. Martin de Jong (+intv w/ Egan re: fight analysis/retirement/his
future)
Chris
Onzuka will be making his FCTV debut as roving reporter conducting
the interviews.
Technique
of the Week: UFC, PRIDE, & Pro-Wrestling Champion, Don "The
Predator" Frye
And, a FCTV exclusive interview with Superbrawl Promoter T. Jay
Thompson regarding the mysterious ring announcer, Tommy Dakota.
Any
comments or suggestion--like us, hate us, want to feature more
pretty sheelas.
Also,
if you see us in a store or at the mall, stop by and say what's
up and that you watch the show. We're just your average MMA hosts
trying to make a living on no pay.
Didn't
have enough MMA action on Saturday night at Super Brawl? Think
you are at least as good as the fighters in the ring or just
want to see what it is like to participate in a MMA match? Come
down to Gussies (near the airport, the birthplace of MMA in Hawaii)
and try your luck.
Fight
Time: 8:00 pm
Time Limit: Three One-Minute Rounds
Level: Amateur MMA Fighters only
Cost: $5 cover, but it is free if you fight.
Gi or No Gi competitors allowed.
Egan
Inoue's Super Brawl Fight is Online!
Check
out Egan Inoue versus a very game and talented Yukiya Naito at
www.superbrawltv.com
As
you all know, we are only a few weeks away from the Arnold Classic
-- Gracie Worlds competition! We have over 58 different teams
competing this year to go along with some of the most accomplished
grapplers on the PLANET! This years event looks to be "The
Best Grappling event Ever held in North America!" Please
don't forget that the Schwarzenegger fitness expo, which we are
a part of, has approximately 75,000 to 85,000 people in attendance
each day with over 10,000 different athletes competing in a multitude
of sports. Please come prepared for this! That said, there are
a few items that I want to pass on to everyone:
Hotel
Rooms -- Please contact our tournament travel agent at 1-800-801-4481
and ask for "Michelle." They have a complete list of
area hotels for the competition and can get great rates on airfare!
Please leave your name and number if you get their voicemail,
and remember, Michelle is on pacific time.
Men's
Amateur No-Gi -- We have added NEW weight classes to this event.
They are:
155 and under
156lbs. to 171lbs.
172lbs. to 187lbs.
188lbs. to 203lbs.
204lbs. to 219lbs.
220lbs. and over
We
have also given the competitors who are just doing the No-Gi
competition the option of weighing in on Saturday, March 1st
between 10:00AM and 4:00PM.
Tournament
Coverage -- Ultimate Athlete Magazine and Grappling Magazine
will be at the event. Also, Schwarzenegger/Lorimar Productions
has made a deal with Fox Sports to cover all the events at the
Fitness Expo to include our competition!
Mats
for Sale -- Zebra Mat Company will be supplying the mats again
at this years competition! All of the tournament mats will be
on sale at a discounted price. Each individual mat will sell
for $95.00 each. Please contact Tom of Zebra Mats at 1-800-989-8085
to place your order.
Special
Guests -- This year Tito Ortiz and Carlos Newton will be in the
house!
Gracie
Seminar -- Relson Gracie along with his brother Rolker Gracie
will be conducting a seminar on Friday, February the 28th from
7:00PM to 9:00PM. We are also planning on having a few more of
the Gracie clan in attendance!
Sponsor
-- This competition would not continue to grow if we didn't have
great sponsors. One of our sponsors, who must go unnamed, has
made our Pro event a huge success each year. I just wanted to
thank him for all of all of the support!
Another sponsor, who I can name, is GLC. This company has been
supporting our event over the past couple of years. Please check
out their website at GLCDIRECT.com!
T-Shirts
and other goodies -- Finisher Fight wear will be supplying all
of the competition t-shirts for this years event! The first 400
athletes will receive a free t-shirt. Ultimate Athlete magazine
will be handing out 400 Pride Playstation II games
and Magazines. Finally, just a reminder to all of the competitors.
You will receive a weekend pass for the Schwarzenegger Fitness
Expo. Make sure you take one of the free bags they give you at
the door. The fitness/nutrition vendors give you a bunch of free
stuff, "enough to fill up several bags full."
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HMAIS WORLD
MARTIAL ARTS
CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR KICKS OFF
February
6, 2003 , The Hawaii Martial Arts International Society announced
today the official
opening of their 2003-2004 tournament season and the 2003-2004
HMAIS World Martial Arts Championship Tour.
This
years events (2003-2004 Season), will consist of State, Regional,
and International Conferences, martial arts tournament qualifiers,
along with the Hawaii Martial Arts International Society "HMAIS"
World Championships Tournament. Our purpose is to promote "Martial
Arts Sporting" competitions that are both Sanctioned and
Rated by the "HMAIS". During our 2003-2004 competition
year, each "COMPETITOR" (Who is a member of the "HMAIS",
and who competes in our "HMAIS" Sanctioned & Rated"
events), will accumulate "Division Points" per tournament
placing or win, will compete for "Seeded Placements",
in our upcoming "HMAIS" Tournament Conference events
and each will strive to achieve "HMAIS World Champion"
status in their respective divisions, at the end of our tournament
season.
At
the completion of our tournament season, the "HMAIS"
will honor our very best competitors with our coveted "HMAIS
World Champion" awards, at our Annual HMAIS Awards Banquet.
That this year is taking place in Las Vegas Nevada on July 12,
2003
The
first tournament of the 2003-2004 season, will be the "HMAIS
Presidents Tournament", which will be held at the luxurious
Sahara Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas Nevada, on July 13th, 2003,
this is the day after the who's who in martial arts "HMAIS
Hall of Fame Awards Banquet". The Martial Arts Sporting
Competitions will consist of the following, Open Martial Arts
(Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, etc), Mixed Martial Arts "Team"
(Pankration, Sports Jiu Jitsu, Sambo, Judo, Greco-Roman, etc)
and Filipino Stick Fighting and Sayaw (Forms).
"This
seasons events should prove to be extremely exciting, with the
new additions and having the event take place in Las Vegas just
adds to the excitement for not only the competitors but for the
spectators and the society members. I have to thank Professor
Jody Perry,Grandmaster Dano Meadows and all the members for all
the work they have put into the 2003-2004 season, that is what
is going to make this tournament so great" Stated "HMAIS"
Chairman Professor Jaime Abregana Jr.
For
those tournament promoters interested in becoming a part of the
"HMAIS Santioning and Ratings" please contact Grandmaster
Dano Meadows at jadedragon@sympatico.ca. The "HMAIS"
is always looking to expand into new markets worldwide, so feel
free to inquire about becoming part of the "HMAIS"
and finding out all the benefits that come with it.
If
you want to join the Hawaii Martial Arts International Society
feel free to visit the "HMAIS" website at www.hmasociety.com.
Go
to www.karatekidzonline.com/community to view past news announcements
Davenport,
Iowa - Jay Buck beat odds favorite Brendan Seguin to win the
first qualifier in the Middleweight tournament series. Both fighters
made it all the way through the tournament showing great striking
and wrestling with Buck actually taking one minute more to finish
his first bout of the evening and four more to finish his second.
Although there was an alternate bout in case of injury the winner
Spencer Fisher wasn’t needed in the tournament.
Even
though Seguin lost in the finals he is still on his way with
Buck to Hawaii May 9th for the finals in SuperBrawl 24 where
they will both face the top two winners of the EC50 tournament
later this month and four other invitees including Joe Doerkson.
Chances are since Fisher won the alternate bout but wasn’t
included in the actual tournament there is a good chance he will get one of
the spots in Hawaii
but nothing is decided at this time.
-
Jay Buck def Ryan Stout 1:48 r2 by guillotine choke
- Kyle Jensen def Dennis Reed 2:20 r2 by TKO
- Jonathan Goulet def Jason Rigsby :08 r1 by KO (kick)
- Brenden Seguin def Leo Sylvest :46 r2 by neck crank
- Spencer Fisher def Kurt Illeman 1:15 r1 by KO
- Jay Buck def Kyle Jensen by unanimous decision
- Brendan Seguin def Jonathan Goulet :46 r3 by TKO
- Jason Medina def Eric Beaulieu by unanimous decision
- Jay Buck def Brendan Seguin 1:34 r2 by TKO
The
second qualifier takes place in Salt Lake City, Utah on Sunday,
February 23rd. No official card has been released yet but promoter
Monte in a recent interview said, “Shooting from memory
I know we have Dennis Kang, Griffin Reynaud, Todd Carney, Randy
Rowe, Cruz Chacon for Ludwig’s camp, Tim, I think it’s,
Graham from Liddell’s school, Brian Ebersole from IL, and
Eddie Rolon.” Stout, when interviewed before this show indicated
he was training for the Utah show when Forrest Petz had to cancel
and Monte called his camp to ask him to compete in this one,
in addition to if necessary the Utah show.
Also
on the Utah card is the much-anticipated return of Jennifer Howe
as she takes on Amanda Buckner, the up-and-coming 135 lb fighter
that made an impressive performance in a quick win over HOOKnSHOOT
vet Christine Van Fleet last year. Howe has been off with recovery
from ACL surgery and was said to have been working on her boxing
extensively lately in addition to her back ground in BJJ.
Source:
ADCC
Baroni
speaks out!
It's
a shame that Zuffa doesn't have a weekly TV. Why? Because Matt
Lindland and Phil Baroni are cutting promos and interviews that
would make the WWE salivate!
The
two have gone back and forth with unbelievable insults and promises
that are not only intriguing, but are making this match more
interesting each day.
Recently,
Baroni came under criticism from Brazilians and the fans of Brazilian
fighters.
For
the longest time, Baroni has done EVERYTHING to attempt to get
Bustamante to fight him. It has gone unanswered and it reached
Baroni's boiling point.
Baroni,
who many believe has a great shot at beating Bustamante, recently
spoke publicly about the situation to answer some questions.
'I
want to make one thing clear I am not a racist. I don't hate
Brazilians. I just have a problem with one, Murilo Bustamante,
for not facing me.'
'I
got pissed off talking about him and I said some things that
did not come out the way I meant. I understand Ricardo Pires
being pissed off with that interview but as far as him kicking
me out, I have been training at John Lewis' school for the last
month and a half because I didn't like the way things were going
at Ricardo's gym.'
'He
was always off in Brazil and wasn't there to train me. We had
a deal and I fulfilled my part of it and now we're done. I think
it was a low blow for Ricardo to come out publicly like this.
I didn't go public when I fired him as my trainer for him not
living up to his part of the deal.'
'What
I was trying to get across in the interview was since Bustamante
isn't American he doesn't care if he fights in America. I'm American
and it means a lot for me to fight in the UFC. I was not being
insulting saying that Brazil is a third world country.'
'So
once again to make it clear, I don't hate all Brazilians, just
Murillo Bustamante for denying me my shot at the title and if
he wants to do something about it he can meet me in the Octagon.'
Phil
Baroni
Source:
ADCC
Results
from Submission Wrestling in Campos
This
last weekend the city of Campos, located in the state of Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil, was once again the stage for the best grapplers
in the country to perform their art, in an event that is surely
becoming the best of its kind in Brazil. 2003 has been THE year
in terms of Submission Wrestling in Brazil, since the famous
Abu Dhabi world championship will be hold here and all the most
important athletes from Jiu Jitsu, Luta Livre and other grappling
forms have been training hard for it, therefore accepting all
possible chances to improve their game competing in all the the
events that are popping up. With the Abu Dhabi Brazilian trials
happening less than a month ago, most athletes are still in competition
rhythm and the chance to fight for a prize money of more than
1,000 dollars surely appealed for everybody, and plenty os stars
appeared on the beaches of Campos to showcase their skills and
guarantee the success of the second edition of the event. Names
like Alexandre Cacareco, Eduardo Jamelao, Gustavo Ximu, Johil
de Oliveira, Antoine Jaude, Cristiano Lazarini, among others,
were all fighting in Campos.
Success is the right word to describe the event indeed! Despite
the late drop out of Carlos Barreto from the superfight against
Alexandre Cacareco, due to his participation in K-1 Brazil, and
the intense heat of the Brazilian Summer, promoter Leandro Ribeiro
Campos managed to work around the problems and guaranteed the
success of the event that had a crowd of 4,000 people on hand
for it! It's amazing to see an Submission Wrestling event counting
with a crowd of that magnitude, and besides the 4,000 names like
PRIDE champion Rodrigo Minotauro Nogueira, Ebenezer Braga and
others were also watching the event live. On the mats, placed
in an interesting open air arena, the action was also hot with
RVT fighter Alexandre Cacareco once again reigning supreme both
in the Absolute division and the Superfight, repeating the level
of performance displayed in the ADCC Brazilian trials. Cacareco
used his solid Wrestling skills, combined with his power and
experience to win the event's championship for the second time
in its second edition. Bruno Bastos, from Nova Uniao, who did
well in the ADCC trials as well, and Cristiano Lazarini from
Gracie Barra also put on impressive performances. Overall the
event pleased the crowd and most importantly the fighters who
had the chance to compete in a professional event, with a good
prize money and press support. Now let's wait for the third Submission
Wrestling in Campos as soon as it happens! Here are the champions
in each division:
Up to 65 kg: Rodrigo Damm (Alliance)
Up to 76 kg: Suyan Queiroz (Brazilian Top Team)
Up to 87 kg: Bruno Bastos (Nova Uniao)
Up to 98 kg: Cristiano Lazarini "Titi" (Gracie Barra)
Absolute: Alexandre Cacareco (Ruas Vale Tudo)
Superfight: Alexandre Cacareco defeated Eduardo Jamelao by points.
