"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest
later."
Og Mandino, 1923-1996, American Motivational Author, Speaker
Pride
Grand Prix Update
DSE/PRIDE announced match up of PRIDE GP .
Here
is first match ups;
Kazushi
Sakuraba vs. Wanderlei Silva
(Takada Dojo) (Chute Boxe Academy)
Quinton
Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona
(Team Oyama) (BTT)
Hidehiko
Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
(Yoshida Dojo) (U-FILE CAMP.COM)
Alistair
Overeem vs. Chuck Liddell
(Golden Glory) (The Pit Fight Team)
PRIDE
GRANDPRIX 2003
Date: August 10th 2003
Place: Saitama Super Arena
Open:13:00 Start: 15:00
And,
Mr.Sakakibara /President of DSE spoke that All match is probably
7 or 8 matches, and one fight middle weight fight and it is maybe
Gracie family in., and 3 or 4 heavy weight fights, Fedor, Mirco,
Herring, Nogueira is ready to fight. But, it will not happen
Fedor vs Mirco this time.
And,
he said about prize money as follows;
1
st : 20,000,000 yen
2nd : 5,000,000 yen
3rd : 2,500,000 yen (2 fighters)
Source:
Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki
Call
Him Igor, but Don’t Call Him Outside
From Russia, With Bare Knuckles
ew deserve a more fearsome reputation than Igor Zinoviev, a 36-year-old
Russian with a military-issue crew cut and a body that most closely
resembles a cinder block.
He's
a Soviet-trained expert in several martial arts, a former Red
Army commando, and a veteran of illegal bare-knuckle fights held
in discreet locations in the outer boroughs. For three years
in the late 1990s, he was a middleweight champion in the more
regulated form of this sort of scrapping, known variously as
extreme fighting, ultimate fighting, no-holds-barred, or mixed
martial arts. He's spent the past few years as a personal trainer,
a bodyguard, and a stuntman for television shows, preparing intently
for the day when he might regain his crown.
It's
quite a life story, the kind that leads most to imagine Zinoviev
as a snarling automaton who is forever asking people to step
outside for an Eastern Bloc ass-kicking—a combination of
Chuck Zito and Drago from Rocky IV. But the truth is—how
should I say this?—he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet.
"He's shy," says one acquaintance. "A great guy,"
says another. "A gentleman." Three days a week, he
visits a small martial arts school on a forlorn stretch of Bath
Avenue in Brooklyn, patiently instructing Russian teenagers in
the self-defense techniques he's spent a lifetime honing. "I
don't do it for the money," he says with a smile.
Zinoviev
grew up dirt-poor in St. Petersburg, Russia. Stricken with meningitis
as a child, he wasn't able to walk until he was four years old.
In an attempt to strengthen his weakened leg muscles, he would
paddle around a local pool for hours on end. By his early teens
he was a talented enough swimmer to be enrolled in a Soviet sports
academy. Over time, he grew more interested in studying judo
and boxing, drawn by the camaraderie of gym life and the exhilaration
of hand-to-hand combat. He also started winning a lot of competitions.
When he reached military age, Zinoviev was taken into the Soviet
army, where he was trained as a member of an elite special-forces
squad. "It was like a SWAT team here," he says. For
two years, he participated in actions throughout the Soviet Union,
defending airports against terrorist attacks and busting illegal-immigration
rings. Following his discharge, he spent four years on a municipal
police force doing much the same kind of work.
After
the fall of Communism, he ran into an American businessman in
a Turkish bath. A fluent speaker of Russian, the businessman
struck up a conversation with the six-foot-tall Adonis who had
branched out to study sambo, jujitsu, and kickboxing. "You
should come to America," the man said. "I could get
you some fights."
Zinoviev
bid do svidanya to his father and brother and arrived in New
York carrying little more than a gym bag of clothing. He was
eager to connect with the American businessman and engage in
prize-brawls of the sort portrayed in the movie Fight Club. But
the businessman was nowhere to be found. "So I found the
fights through my own connections," says Zinoviev. They
were held in warehouses in Brooklyn and Queens and attended by
moneyed clientele eager for blood. "It was rich people with
cigars," he recalls. He participated in about 10 fights,
he says, winning all but one of them. Asked about the atmosphere,
Zinoviev refers to the primeval ferocity displayed in the movie
starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt: "That's the way it
was."
In
1995, he opted to try his hand at the above-ground form of this
fighting during the World Extreme Fighting championship in Madison
Square Garden. But New York officials put a stop to the affair—mixed
martial arts continues to be illegal in New York—and at
the last minute the venue was switched to Wilmington, North Carolina.
He faced a Brazilian jujitsu master named Mario Sperry in a caged,
circular ring, a match-up in which Zinoviev was thought to be
a huge underdog. For much of the battle the tenacious Sperry
wrapped Zinoviev in a succession of grappling holds, in hopes
of forcing the Russian to cry uncle. But Zinoviev jarred himself
free and cut Sperry above the eye with a blow that drew blood,
ending the fight.
"It
was a great upset, one of the defining moments of the sport,"
says Joel Gold, editor and publisher of Full Contact Fighter
magazine. "Mario was the king from Brazil. He was this superstar.
You know what made the victory greater? Here was a guy who didn't
speak much English and was quiet and intense—there was a
mystery about him."
Zinoviev
successfully defended his title until 1998, when the extreme-fighting
organization went under. "He always maintained his composure
and was able to measure his opponents with deadly accuracy,"
says Brett S. Atchley, a writer and photographer for Ultimate
Athlete magazine. In March of the same year, Zinoviev challenged
Frank Shamrock, the holder of the middleweight title of the Ultimate
Fighting Championship, but lost the bout in 24 seconds to a fighter
who's regarded as one of the best in the history of the sport.
Nagging injuries and management problems have kept Zinoviev from
mounting a full-scale return to the fight game. Besides, he has
found other ways to seek his fortune in America. Wasn't it inevitable
that he would wind up as a Manhattan personal trainer?
"I
remember when I first met him," says Alex Reznik, founder
of Complete Body Development, a Manhattan-based outfit that offers
a battalion of trainers—many of them (including Igor) former
athletes from the Soviet Union. "I watched him train at
a gym and I was afraid to approach him. He was killing the bag.
I thought, 'He's gonna kill my clients.' They are professionals—dentists,
lawyers. Then I found out that he taught kids. Then I thought,
'He can't be too bad.' And the first clients he had fell in love
with him."
Zinoviev
also branched out into bodyguarding, protecting the likes of—
well, Zinoviev would prefer if the names of celebrity employers
remain off the record. Then stunt work for television shows like
Oz and Homicide came his way. For fun, he goes deep-sea scuba
diving, shark fishing, and snowboarding with his nine-year-old
son.
That's
not to say that's he's given up on returning to the ring for
another chance at glory. He trains as hard as ever and professes
to fear no opponent. "I'm ready to fight," he says.
"If I get a good deal, I'm definitely gonna fight."
Would he like to fight Shamrock? "I would like to,"
he says. "I don't care. I'll fight anybody."
UFC:
November Event Impossible To Predict?
September
Event Solidified by COUTURE-ORTIZ Main Event - November May be
Constrained by Contract Obligations
With
the announcement of the RANDY COUTURE-TITO ORTIZ bout, ZUFFA
has added a main event that everyone wants to see for the September
event. So what is in store for November? Impossible to say, as
ZUFFA has always produced surprises, but there are a few items
that can be counted on:
The
main event will most likely feature 170 lb champion Matt Hughes.
As champion, ZUFFA is obligated to keep Hughes busy, and he needs
to fight per his contract. His opponent will be harder to predict
- naturally, the rematch with Dennis Hallman has been talked
about, but it would be impossilbe to etch Hallman-Hughes in stone
yet. Hallman is set to appear in the September UFC, against rising
name Jeremy Jackson. If Jackson and Hallman both get to UFC undefeated
(both are signed for other bouts in between at other events),
look for Hughes to get the winner. If either guy falters, ZUFFA
will have to go elsewhere for a Hughes opponent.
Another
fighter expected to return for the November UFC is American TOP
TEAM's Din Thomas. Thomas is coming off a high profile win over
Matt Serrain his last UFC appearance, where he looked good. If
he wins his upcoming match on another show (against Steve Berger)
look for Thomas to be back.
Despite
not throwing a punch in 2 bouts, it appears that ZUFFA is obligated
to bring Tank Abbott back for one more bout. Though signing him
to a 3 fight deal may have seemed like a good idea, his return
has not had the impact desired. Look for ZUFFA to bring back
Abbott for his 3rd fight in November, then they will likely discard
him.
Another
high dollar obligation is Pedro Rizzo. Rizzo is on the last match
of his landmark contract. It was rumored that ZUFFA offered to
buy Rizzo out of his contract, but Rizzo doggedly wants to fight.
Perhaps a Rizzo-Tank rematch is in the works? Don't laugh - there
first bout was one of the highlights of the year 1998, and at
this point, it would be foolish of ZUFFA to use up one of the
newer heavyweights they are developing (Mir, Cabbage, etc.) to
fight Rizzo or Tank.
Other
names in the mix for this event are 'The Prodigy' BJ Penn, who
has not been seen in a while, and Kimo.
With
ZUFFA still working to seal the location for the September event,
it is unclear where the November UFC 45 will be held.
Source:
ADCC
From
the Mount: Summer Thoughts
And so, the slow summer months creep along, with nary a major
MMA event in sight. Those of us lucky to catch a small-time show
in person during the dog days of mid-year can fall back upon
a booster shot while the big PRIDE and UFC shows approach, but
some short thoughts are never absent during the long road to
satiation.
The
September 26 UFC 44 card will pit Randy Couture, "interim"
light heavy champ, against Tito Ortiz, "reigning" champ.
Whatever the terminology you prefer, Couture's victory over Chuck
Liddell suggests that Ortiz may have been better off fighting
"The Iceman" instead of Couture, whose dominance of
the excellent Liddell gives credence to the bumper sticker that
declares, "Age and Treachery will always overcome Youth
and Skill."
It's
a hard-nosed match up of two master ground-and-pound stylists,
and seems a bigger version of the excellent Sean Sherk-Matt Hughes
match up at UFC 42. Couture might be the one man at 205 that
is strong and crafty enough to put Tito on his back -- something
displayed even less often than Ortiz showing willingness to fight
Liddell.
"I
wasn't surprised by Randy's victory over Liddell," Ortiz
said on a teleconference call announcing the fight last week.
"He used the exact strategy I would." This is akin
to Oscar De La Hoya explaining Bernard Hopkins' strategy over
Felix Trinidad as similar to his own, except that De La Hoya
at least got into the ring with his nemesis before he ran from
him.
But
enough shots at Ortiz. He's back, happily, because the sport
can use him. He has a lot to prove, and has usually come up big
in those situations. He should make a tough fight for Randy,
but I think Randy is simply too strong, too early, and has enough
mental toughness to take the fight in the opening battle and
never relinquish it. And as an 8-5 underdog he's a great bet
to make those of us money who subscribe to the notion that sometimes
mental toughness (brought on, no doubt, by Age and Treachery)
will overcome youth and skill, because Couture has a lot of the
latter two while noticeably retaining the former. His top-notch
Greco and dirty-boxing skills will give Ortiz a tough time in
the opening forays, and it will be interesting to see how deep
Ortiz is willing to go down into the well to dig out the victory.
Gan
McGee also gets a heavyweight title shot at Tim Sylvia. Recently
I told Sylvia that it would resemble a fight between two NBA
players who actually COULD fight, given their heights of 6'10"
and 6'8", respectively. Sylvia liked the analogy, and because
he's somewhat tighter in the standup game, I go with him. The
champion doesn't over-commit to his punches, instead letting
his range and reach do the work for him, and he throws compact,
short shots that do the job. His takedown defense should be tested
against the powerful McGee. It's a nice argument for super heavyweights,
but the UFC has enough vacant belts as it is.
Certainly
PRIDE's eight-man 205-pound tournament is a doozy if there ever
was one. The current seven entrants are Quinton Jackson, Vanderlei
Silva, Chuck Liddell, Alistair Overeem, Kazushi Sakuraba, Hidehiko
Yoshida and Ricardo Arona. The eighth fighter will be added soon,
and we can only hope that the rumors that it might be a Gracie
are true (nothing like some old-school cred to add spice to the
mix). The Grand Prix kicks off August 10 in the beginning of
a two-event tournament format. This is truly a murderer’s
row of entrants.
A
look at the PRIDE eight-man tournament and the current crop of
seven fighters:
Quinton
Jackson
What he brings: A top-pedigree wrestler with good striking skills
is rare, and Jackson is the new breed of wrestlers who actually
look forward to trading strikes on the feet. Nasty attitude and
a brawler's disposition make him a good bet to do very well in
the tournament. Also lives in Orange County, a hotbed of stale
suit-and-tie yuppies, which keeps him edgy and motivated during
training. I once asked Quinton if he was fitting into his new
environs (he's part of Team Oyama), and he replied, "Fuck
no!" with nary a pause. You got to like that. Think Clubber
Lang in Rocky III.
What
he'll need to win it all: Might be most vulnerable against a
pure submission type like Arona, but anything short of a well-schooled
and strong-willed submissions foe will be running smack-dab into
Jackson's strengths. Tough to out-grapple and heavy-handed, Jackson
isn't likely to quit or be knocked out easily.
Prediction:
Goes at least to the quarterfinals and maybe the finals depending
on the draw and whom he faces. But either way seems destined
to raise his stock competing against the best in the division.
Vanderlei
Silva
What he brings: PRIDE 205-pound champion still feels he has a
lot to prove, and this is his opportunity to do so. Great striking
ability with hands, feet and knees, and is emblematic of the
CHUTE BOXE team he represents - jiu-jitsu skills with Muay Thai
mayhem in his heart.
What
he'll need to win it all: Since Vanderlei can end fights quickly,
don't be surprised if he comes out gunning especially if matched
against someone with weak standup in the opening round. Probably
looking to make a statement since his opposition has been somewhat
weak of late.
Prediction:
A finals berth. Anything less would be considered a failure.
Probably the odds-on favorite to win it, but the tournament format
means anything can happen.
Chuck
Liddell
What he brings: "The Iceman" may have fallen to Randy
Couture, but this tournament will show why Tito Ortiz did not
face him. He's tough to take down for just about any 205-pound
fighter and his combination of scrambling to the feet and striking
effectively is potent. Also should be very hungry to redeem himself
after loss to Couture where he was a 3-1 favorite and most assumed
he would win easily.
What
he'll need to win it all: Somebody who reads too much into the
Couture bout and tries to replicate what Couture did. In doing
so, they might be taken out with a trademark Liddell counter-shot
or lured into costly assaults that spell defeat.
Prediction:
Wins first round, and loses close decision in second to either
Silva, Jackson, or Arona, depending on who has more gas down
the stretch.
Alistair
Overeem
What he brings: 6'4" Golden Glory fighter is a rangy, capable
striker with 16-3 record, beating largely unknowns of varying
class and quality. A light-heavy version of Semmy Schilt, with
better ground game and submissions.
What
he'll need to win it all: Somebody silly enough to trade with
him.
Prediction:
Could win in first round as long as he doesn't get Jackson, Silva
or Arona. But a striker like Overeem can win a fight even while
losing it badly, and his striking and size advantage brings welcome
element of danger against whomever he faces.
Kazushi
Sakuraba
What he brings: Legendary submissions game, though with serious
mileage on it. Experience against bigger fighters still counts,
though.
What
he'll need to win it all: Someone to take him lightly and try
and submit him quickly. Sakuraba is a master of the transition
from defense to offense on the ground, and could surprise someone
who doesn't bring their "A" game.
Prediction:
Beaten badly in first round unless matched with a gimme. Is a
beloved hero in Japan, but you'd hardly know it considering the
bigger foes PRIDE seems to enjoy putting him in with.
Hidehiko
Yoshida
What he brings: Olympic-level submissions skills, but very green
in MMA. Fight with Don Frye was impressive but Yoshida may be
in way over his head here.
What
he'll need to win it all: Serious luck of the draw. A pure submissions
specialist could get sucked into a duel for a tapout, but it's
hard to envision anyone in this crop not maximizing their advantages
by pounding Yoshida and using MMA tactics to give him a nasty
introduction and object lesson that Judo is indeed different
than MMA.
Prediction:
Gets beaten in first round unless he's a lot better than can
be expected. If he wins at least one fight, will have huge momentum
to build on because the Japanese love upstart heroes.
Ricardo
Arona.
What he brings: Top-notch grappling as Abu Dhabi Superfight champion,
and geared to use it in MMA. At 8-1, his sole loss is a decision
to Emelianenko Fedor, the uber-heavyweight of PRIDE. Two decision
wins over Jeremy Horn, and recent wins over Dan Henderson and
Murilo Rua are credentials that cannot be ignored.
What
he'll need to win it all: May be important to him to obtain top
position in early fights to avoid the "lay and prey"
syndrome that may get victories early but costs him in the end
with too much punishment received.
Prediction:
Should advance at least to second round, meeting Jackson or Silva
in a pick'em dream fight.
Source: Maxfighting
K-1
WORLD GP 2003 in FUKUOKA
Date : July 13, 2003
Place : FUKUOKA Marine messe
7th
Match:5R
Francisco Filho VS Mike Bernardo
(Brazil / Kyokushin Kaikan) (South Africa)
6th
Match:5R
Ernesto Hoost VS Cyril Abidi
(Holland / Vos Gym ) (France /Challange Boxing Marseilles)
5th
Match:5R
Semmy Schilt VS Remy Bonjasky
(Holland / Golden Glory) (Holland / Mejiro Gym)
4th
Match:5R
Alexey Ignashov VS Jan "The Giant" Nortje
(Belarus / Chinuk Gym) (South Africa / Steve's Gym)
3rd
Match:5R
Michael Mcdonald VS Gordan Jukic
(Canada / Free ) (Croatia)
2nd
Match:5R
Pele Reid VS Aziz Khatou
(UK) (Bergium / Center Gym)
1st
Match:5R
Ray Sefo VS Tatsufumi Tomihira
(New Zealand/ Fight Academy) (Japan / SQUARE)
Source:
Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki
7/9/03
Quote
of the Day
"I have great faith in fools. My friends call it self-confidence."
Edgar Allan Poe
Pete
Spratt on TKO and training with Chris Brennan
Erroneously reported as September 7th, the next TKO show in Montreal
is actually scheduled for September 6th. Headlining this card
is Pete Spratt fighting Canadian Welterweight Champion George
St. Pierre. Spratt won his UFC debut against Zach Light at UFC
37.5 and is coming off a huge win over Robbie Lawler at UFC 42,
where Lawler verbally submitted in the second round due to Spratt's
powerful kicks. Although previously Spratt's ground defense was
in question, (see his loss to Carlos Newton), he is now with
Chris Brennan training for his next fight in Canada.
KM:
So what do you think of George St. Pierre so far? PS: You know
what, when I got offered the fight that was the first time I'd
ever heard anything about him. I don't know what St. Pierre brings
to the table. I know what I bring to the table and I think I
have the experience edge. I'm looking forward to an exciting
fight.
KM:
He's the Canadian Welterweight Champion… PS: I believe so.
KM:
This is in September so we still have a little while. Have you
started training for this yet? PS: No, I only train twenty days
out from a fight. If I train any longer than that I peak and
then I go down and then I have to get back up. Three weeks is
all I'm going to train for the fight, that's all I train for
any of my fights. I like to be at my best and I should be healthy
in contrast to my last fight with Robbie Lawler where I got bit
by a brown recluse (spider) and I had day surgery ten days prior
to the fight.
KM:
And still beat him. PS: (smiling) Yes, I still won…
KM:
I hear you were a little upset about the fans' reaction for not
giving you the respect you deserved for that win. PS: I read
an interview where Robbie Lawler said my kicks had nothing to
do with him being hurt. I was thinking about retiring before
that but with comments like that I still feel I have things to
prove in this game and that's what I'm going to do. That's going
to keep me motivated to continue to fight to the best of my abilities.
KM:
How do you look back on that Lawler fight? PS: The fight went
exactly how I trained for it. Robbie didn't do anything different
than what I trained for and quite honestly it was the perfect
training camp and the perfect time for me to fight Robbie and
win. Everything fell in place. On any other day it could have
been a different outcome but that particular day everything fell
into place.
KM:
Your next fight is in TKO instead of UFC. PS: I may be back in
the UFC in November. What I understand is Hallman is probably
next in line to get the title shot against Matt if he gets past
Jeremy Jackson but if he looses to Jeremy Jackson I think I'm
next in line to get a shot at Matt. Matt stated that he wanted
to fight me anyway. Maybe that is something that can happen,
we'll just wait and see.
KM:
You are in town right now helping Chris Brennan train for his
next fight. How is that coming? PS: That is going to be good.
I'm going to put Chris trough the ringer for the next five days.
I want to see Chris improve on his striking. I don't think his
striking is as good as it could be. I'm one of the best strikers
in the sport and he brought me out to help him bring his game
to another level in striking. That's what I plan on doing.
KM:
Are we going to see more training from you? PS: Yeah, you are
going to see a lot more of me and Chris getting together and
training, doing some things together. See if we can learn something
from each other's game. I'm just looking forward to helping Chris
train and get him ready for his next fight.
KM:
Anything else? PS: I'd love to thank my sponsors, especially
my new sponsor I just picked up Ideal Roofing. Of course the
people that have been there from the beginning Sherdog.com, Tapout,
and Cutting Edge Karate. All those guys have been doing everything
they can to support me and keep me in this game and keep me fighting.
To all you fans I want you to know I'm in it for the long haul
and you're going to see a lot more people getting hurt once they
step into the octagon with me.
Source:
ADCC
Europe's
EXTREME FORCE: JASON BLACK Interview!
At
14-0-1 Team Extreme's Jason Black is on a roll. He started out
last year with a win over James Meals in Extreme Challenge before
winning his UCC (now TKO) debut against Ivan Menjivar and really
cracking the big time with a win over Chad Saunders in WFA last
November. In January of this year Black took the UCC Welterweight
belt from defending UCC Champion and current KOTC Superfight
Champion John Alessio in a breakout show for the UCC. Now Black
is getting ready to take on Michael Johnson of London Shootfighters
in Extreme Force in London.
Black's
opponent Johnson is riding a three-fight winning streak in Millennium
Brawl, a London based show. He has won those three fights by
arm bar, keylock, and triangle choke.
KM:
What are your thoughts on your opponent so far? JB: To tell you
the truth I really don't know anything about the guy. He's like
3-1 or 4-1, supposed to be pretty good at jiu-jitsu and my understanding
is pretty good at standup too. I can't really get pinpointed
on anything and haven't been able to get a tape of him because
nobody over there is co-operating. It's not like they are across
the street and I can drive over and grab it. We're just hoping
that when we get over there we can get a tape of him. If not
I'll just have to thrash him like everybody else.
KM:
When do you leave for London? JB: We leave Thursday.
KM:
Are you going to get a chance to see any of the other fights?
JB: I don't know why I wouldn't be able to.
KM:
I wasn't sure if you'd stay in the dressing room until you fought
and not even sure where you are in the night your fight lies.
JB: I'm sure with all those guys on the card I'll be one of the
first fights.
KM:
So what are you looking forward to the most? JB: The paycheck.
(Both laugh). I don't care where I fight. I can fight at the
gym or I can fight in Holland…anywhere, it doesn't matter
to me. I go to fight, not to travel. I don't do any of the sightseeing
when I go over because I'm there to fight. When we were in Hawaii
we were there five days and I was in my room the whole time or
I was working out. I don't care about the sights.
KM:
The way I'm expecting this to go is with most of his record being
submissions but he doesn't have the wrestling you do I expect
this to be a battle decided by takedowns. JB: We're hoping it
will be. If he has great standup that's okay, I don't care. As
far as submissions go that is pretty much usually in the gym
and hardly comes out in a fight unless the guy just screws up.
KM:
You're not doing anything different training wise? JB: No, I
don't care what this guy is supposed be good at, I'm going to
train for what Jason is good at. For me to worry about what he
is good at is ridiculous. It would be nice to know if he is standup
or ground but that is just a heads up going in. I'm going to
do the same thing no matter what.
KM:
Are you wrapping up your training now? JB: Pretty much. I'll
hit it hard Monday and Tuesday, get some work in on the pads.
I've been rolling really hard with Jeremy (Horn) just trying
to get in shape.
KM:
Who will be cornering you? JB: Jeremy will be. Jeremy and a guy
named Spencer Fisher.
KM:
Your last fight was UCC in Canada against Alessio. What were
your thoughts on that fight? JB: I knew that John would be hard
to stand up with but I didn't know it was going to be a track
meet. If I had the fight all over again I'd thrash him because
I wouldn't chase him down. I got too narrow minded and that was
all wrong. He was able to pick me apart with jabs and stuff.
I fought really bad. I was talking to Jeremy about it. He didn't
do anything to win, he just stayed back and jabbed and threw
a couple punches here and there. If I hadn't made the fight active
people would have got up and left and got a beer or something.
KM:
I'm not trying to get between you guys or start trouble but in
a piece on John Alessio a couple weeks ago he was talking about
a rematch. JB: He lost, why would I give him a rematch right
away? I don't think he deserves a rematch. He's the one that
made it a boring fight and ran. He has to prove that he's worth
it.
KM:
I thought it fair to give you a chance to respond to Alessio's
comments. JB: You can tell John he still owes me $400 on the
phone bill from when he was living with me. If he wants to come
down and fight about that I'm more than willing to give him a
shot at that.
KM:
Any thoughts on fighting in London? You are turning into the
international fighter with your last one in Montreal and this
one in London. JB: Well, we can't get anybody in the States to
pay us money.
KM:
Any final thoughts or sponsors to thank?JB: I'd like to thank
the guys from thesupplementzone.com. He's been sending me all
my supplements trying to help me keep healthy and strong. The
guys from International Sportswear. They sponsored us in the
UCC and are real enthusiastic about putting clothes on our backs
and everything.
Source:
ADCC
Joe
Stevenson getting ready for KOTC 155 belt fight
On
August 10th Joe Stevenson fights Thomas Schulte for the Lightweight
belt. Stevenson is currently ranked as the #2 contender behind
former champion Javi Vazquez but Vazquez is still out recovering
from a knee injury. Stevenson is the former Welterweight champion,
having lost that belt to Romi Aram last October. Schulte just
won the belt last month by defeating MASH's John Mahlow in New
Mexico, making this his first title defense. In the rest of the
field Mahlow is ranked #3 contender, Ruas Vale Tudo's Robert
Emerson #4, Bao Quach formerly of Next Generation comes in at
#5, Charles 'Crazy Horse' Bennett surprisingly at #6, and Chris
Brennan himself at #7.
Since
losing the Welterweight belt to Aram Stevenson has picked up
two wins in Gladiator Challenge and one in KOTC in Las Vegas
in May. In the May KOTC Stevenson choked out Thomas 'Wild Man'
Denny in just 0:31 of round 1. Denny was shooting in for a double
leg when Stevenson caught him in a guillotine choke before jumping
into guard on Denny while still standing. Right after they hit
the ground Denny had to tap out.
KM:
What do you think about fighting for the belt?
JS:
I think it's an awesome opportunity. I'm happy I get a shot right
away when I cut. I'll try to knock him out.
KM:
This is your first fight at 155.
JS:
I was supposed to have two this month but the guys both dropped
out.
KM:
Have you made 155 yet?
JS:
Last time I made it physically was like three years ago. I'll
make it. Right now I'm standing at 165-170.
KM:
What do you think of his living at a higher altitude and the
blood doping effect that has?
JS:
I don't fear him. I'll just go out there and do what I do best.
Just balls to the wall.
KM:
Did you see the last fight he had?
JS:
I have the tape, yeah.
KM:
What did you see out of that so far? Any opportunities?
JS:
He doesn't look too strong on his feet. I know his strong points
are his ground. I'll try to keep it on my feet, that's about
it.
KM:
Any changes in training?
JS:
I've been doing boxing like six months. Just focusing on my hands.
KM:
Where have you been boxing?
JS:
My trainer. WDC Training Center with Irvine Downs. He won Golden
Gloves three times, really good guy.
KM:
Anything else to get across right now?
JS:
If they want to see a fight I'm going to whup his ass.
This
KOTC will be the one at Soboba Casino. For more information check
out www.kingofthecage.com
Source: ADCC
Brazil
and Japan ready for SHOOTO weekend
SHOOTO Japan organization will have an big weekend with two great
events. The action will start on Saturday with SHOOTO Brazil
making history, since they have organized a pro event with 5
Class B matches, besides the 10 Amateur matches that will bring
a lot of entertainment to the Brazilian SHOOTO fans.
Without
letting the action come down, the attention will be focused on
the other side of the World with SHOOTO in Tokyo Koruaken Hall.
This event will mark the debut of two SHOOTO Brazil champions
- Luciano Azevedo and Aritano Barbosa - besides Marcio Cromado's
fighting against Takaharu Muharama. 'Cromado' is in do or die
time with a record of 2-3; a new defeat can put him out of top
10 SHOOTO ranking. And of course keep your eyes peeled over the
main event where the veteran Jutaro Nakao will face the undefeated
Team Scandinavian member, Sauli Heirimo.
SHOOTO
Brazil July 12th
Place: Instituto La Salle, Niteroi – RIO DE JANEIRO
Preliminary
Match:
Leonardo Nogueira (WFC - Pequeno) x TBA
The IFC is heading to Denver and looking to make a big splash
right away. They have already announced that their inaugural
event in Denver will take place on September 6th at the Pepsi
Center. The event will consist of an 8-man Light Heavyweight
Tournament to lay claim to Chuck Liddell's recently vacated title,
as well as, several single bouts that will feature some of the
more high profile mixed martial artists from the Denver area.
And now you can add Ron "H2O Man" Waterman to that
list of Denver area fighters.
Many
people have wondered just when Waterman would reappear after
his surprising submission victory over Valentijn Overeem in his
Pride debut last December. MMAWeekly's Ken Pishna spoke with
the IFC's Paul Smith last night, who was able to shed a little
light on the subject. He confirmed that Ron Waterman will indeed
be fighting on the card at the Pepsi Center in September. As
of last night, an opponent was yet to be signed, but heading
the list of hopeful opponents was none other than fellow UFC
veteran Dave Benateau.
Though
Benateau has been away from the ring and/or cage for a while
now, due to his law school studies, he has been training hard
and would make a good opponent for Waterman. Currently though,
neither Benateau nor anyone else had been officially signed to
face Waterman. Waterman joins fellow Denver fighters 5-time King
of Pancrase Nathan Marquardt, 2-time UFC veteran Brad Gumm, top
female fighter Amanda Buckner (though she recently moved back
home to Maine), and local fan favorite, heavyweight fighter Tony
Zamora, as well as a stacked Light Heavyweight tournament.
The
tournament, which is the feature of the show, brings in some
of the top light heavyweights from around the world. Jeremy Horn,
Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua, Paulo Filho, Falaniko
Vitale,
Mike Van Arsdale, Trevor Prangley, and Michail Avetisyan, will
all compete to see who will be the next IFC Light Heavyweight
Champion. The winner may also have to face none other than one
Chuck Liddell down the road if he decides to come back to try
and reclaim his vacated belt.
Source:
MMA Weekly
7/8/03
Quote
of the Day
"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill
of creative effort."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 12 Tonight!
Fighters' Club TV. Episode 12
Premiers Tuesday, July 8th at our NEW TIME!
6:00pm on Channel 52.
It'll repeat on the following 3 Tuesdays (July 15, 22, &
29), "Same
Bat-time, same Bat-channel"
This
is one of our best Episodes yet, featuring:
Highlights
from Superbrawl 29 (9MAY03)
-Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Mark Moreno
-Kolo Koka vs. Billy Rush
-Stephen "Bozo" Paling vs. Mark Hominick (+ interv.
w/ "Bozo")
One
the best fights ever in Hawaii...
-Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Jeff Curran (+ interv.
w/ "Kid")
-Egan Inoue vs. Masanori Suda (presented in a multi-angle play-by-play
interview w/
Egan)
-Chris Onzuka interviews Phil Baroni (Don't miss this one!)
Mike's
Technique of the Week
-featuring local fan favorite and UFC Veteran, Falaniko Vitale,
demonstrating his deadly
toe-hold
and
of course, Hawaii 2 favorite Hosts, Mark Kurano and Mike Onzuka
I
know what you're thinking, these guys probably never screw up
and hit everything on the first take right? Well, watch this
episode and see our blooper reel under the credits. This episode
may answer your questions why Mike looks so stiff (because
he is trying not to bust out laughing).
Let
your friends know that this is definitely a "DO NOT MISS"
Episode!
Due to a double booking of the facility PFC BATTLEGROUNDS we
have to be postponed. First of all I would like to apologize
to all the fighters and trainers who was preparing for this event.
I tried to look for new facility but had no luck due to short
notice. This is the first time this has happen so I was a little
shock about the whole thing. I will keep you all updated on any
updates about the new dates. AGAIN MY APOLOGIZES...
Source:
The Promoter
Masato
does Japan Proud at World Max 2003 Final
Saitama,
JULY 5 -- Twenty-four year old Masato worked through a tough
eight-man elimination tournament to win the second annual K-1
World Max Final at the Saitama Super Arena. The K-1 World Max
features fighters in a 70kg and under weight class; the bouts
are fought under regular K-1 rules.
The
"Silver Wolf" Masato had lost just once in K-1 since
2000, in last year's World Max Final against eventual Champion
Albert Kraus. But Masato's first fight opponent Mike Zambidis
of Greece also brought an impressive record into the ring, 38
wins in 41 bouts -- the last of the victories an upset KO against
Kraus this March. Zambidis started out strong here, taking advantage
of Masato's relatively relaxed defense to step in with quick
hard hooks and body blows. But Masato got through with a left
knee late in the first to score a down, and it was lucky for
the Japanese fighter that he did, because he would very much
need that point later. Masato's low kicks were good, but really
Zambidis was in control the next two rounds, punishing Masato
with body blows and roundhouses. But Zambidis could not get the
down he needed to equalize. At the end of this thrilling contest,
one judge scored for Zambidis by a point, but two had Masato
up by one. A rare split decision that had to be a terrible disappointment
for the very determined Greek fighter.
"I
was in the hospital with stomach flu before I came to Japan,
and I lost a couple of kilograms," explained the sportsmanlike
Zambidis after the fight. "So I wasn't 100% today, but even
still I did think I won the last two rounds, guess I was wrong."
The
second bout featured Sakeddaw Kiatputon of Thailand and Brazilian
Marfio Canoletti. Neither of these Muay Thai fighters brought
much K-1 experience to their clumsy dance. Invisible forces caused
Canoletti to fall down at the opening bell, and things just got
worse from there. Kiatputon was assessed a yellow card and a
warning for elbows, but Canoletti was unable to turn this into
an advantage. The Brazilian was constantly jostling, deking,
but never able to mount any sort of effective attack. Kiatputon
was not a lot better, really the television editors had a hard
time finding a single clean strike to feature on the between-round
highlights. Judges finally determined that at least Kiatputon
had undertaken some reasonable attempts at kicks, and so he got
the unanimous decision, but the biggest winner here was Masato,
who would meet the feckless Thai in the semis.
The
next fight was much better, as veteran Kozo Takeda, 30, met American
Duane Ludwig. The experienced Takeda was technical and fast but
Ludwig stayed with him. The first round was close, Takeda snapping
in low kicks and combinations, Ludwig answering in kind, and
throwing some good punches, looking quick on his counterattacks.
At the bell Ludwig was up by a point on one card. Early in the
second, it was one of these Ludwig counters, a big left hook
to the jaw, that caught Takeda unprepared and dropped him to
the canvas. Takeda turned slowly to a semi-crouch and looked
ready to make a valiant attempt to beat the count, but then collapsed.
An impressive KO victory for Ludwig, who looked to be fresh for
the semis.
Defending
World Max Champion Albert Kraus met fellow Dutchman Andy Souwer
in the last of the first tier bouts. Many insiders were picking
Souwer, at 20 the youngest fighter in the tournament, to upset
the field and win it all today. But Kraus had other ideas, and
late in what as otherwise a polite first round, he got in with
a left and then a right to stun Souwer badly. Kraus followed
up with a right good pummeling, but the challenger somehow stayed
on his feet. Only when he dropped his guard did the referee step
in to call a standing count. Afterwards, Kraus resumed the attack,
and Souwer just made it out of the round. Wisely, his corner
decided not to answer the bell for the second, and Kraus, who
would also be fresh, was through to the semis.
After
the bout Souwer would protest that there was elbow contact in
the Kraus blow that did the damage. "I hope," he said,
"that I will have the chance for revenge."
In
the first of the semifinals, Kiatputon looked better than expected
against Masato, but was still badly outclassed. The Thai fighter
threw high kicks and straight punches which missed and missed,
while Masato was happy to stay outside with low kicks, occasionally
stepping in with quick punch combinations. It was late in the
second when a Masato left scored a down, and seconds later when,
as the two were close, a Masato left uppercut dropped Kiatputon
for good.
In
the second semi, Kraus showed that age and experience are two
very different things. Although he is two years younger than
Ludwig, Kraus has been in the thick of a K-1 tournament before,
and here he fought the consummate tournament bout -- relaxed
but focused, racking up points, looking for chances. Ludwig used
his long reach to come at Kraus with straight punches in the
early going; Kraus answered by coming in low with quick punch
counters. When Ludwig tried the knees late in the first, Kraus
answered with a right hook from inside for a down. Kraus controlled
the fight -- pushing Ludwig without rushing him, blocking well,
knowing when to open up and attack. In the second, Kraus got
in with body blows, scored a second down; and in the third, with
Ludwig's corner screaming for him to "gamble!" and
the fighter attempting to land high kicks, Kraus coolly brought
a left hook in to score his third down. This time Ludwig did
not get up, and fans had the dream final.
Albert
Kraus and Masato fought a fairly even, and very intense first
round. Masato's main attack was with low kicks, while Kraus,
always leaning forward, kept coming in with good quick punch
combinations. It looked like Kraus wanted nothing but a KO here,
and so he mostly ignored Masato's low kicks, dodged the punches,
and made with counterattacks in the form of smart punch combinations.
The tactic was not entirely ineffective, as he was ahead by a
point on one judge's card after the first. But all those kicks
were taking their toll, and when Kraus started dancing in the
second, in what might have been an attempt to signal that his
legs were fine, it looked more like his legs were in fact not
fine. Backed into the corner, Kraus stumbled early into the round,
and pulled his leg up awkwardly after a Masato kick a little
while later. He then moved in with a more aggressive punching
attack, and this is where the battle turned.
Masato
found his chance when he was able to block a Kraus right punch
headed for his head, and quickly respond with a tight left hook
that caught Kraus on the side of the jaw, sending the Dutch fighter
falling. For an instant it looked like Kraus might find his feet,
but he did not, and hit the canvas. Masato looked on as the count
progressed, and although Kraus just barely made it up to his
feet, the referee didn't like the far away look in his eyes and
wisely decided to end the fight. For the first time ever, Japan
had a World Champion in K-1 competition.
"I
focused on boxing training these last months," said a beaming
Masato post-tournament, "going to the Watanabe Gym four
times a week. The good thing was that my sparring partners there
were always strangers, so it was good practice for meeting someone
for the first time, like tonight." Masato agreed with a
reporter's suggestion that the Zambidis fight had been close,
"It was a tough bout, he is a good fighter, and it left
me very tired."
Masato
said he plans to bank most of the 10,600,000yen (US$90,000) prize
money he earned in winning the World Max, although he has earmarked
a chunk of it for his trainer.
In
a Superfight on the card, Japan's Takashi Ohno had to be surprised
at the acrobatics of opponent Serkan Yilmaz. Anyway, everyone
in the arena was. From the first bell, the handsome Turk with
the sculpted Roman face pranced into a display of double and
triple spinning kicks that was more suggestive of a dance routine
than a K-1 attack. But this was not the Ballet Comique de la
Reyne, this was a real fight, and as the Ohno's bloody face testified,
it involved hard and accurate kicks. When Ohno retreated to the
ropes late in the first, leaving Yilmaz little room to unleash
his artistry, the Turk's response was a one-two straight punch
combination which dropped Ohno for a down. As the fight progressed,
Ohno adjusted his style, coming in faster, dropping back when
it looked like Yilmaz was about to erupt. Ohno won the last round
on all three cards, but this was too little too late, and Yilmaz
took the unanimous decision.
In
the Reserve Match, Kazuya Yasuhiro's quick fists earned him a
second round down against Russian fighter Viatcheslav Nesterov,
and the local boy held on to win by unanimous decision..
The
World Max 2003 Final drew a crowd of 15,600 to the Super Arena,
and was same day broadcast across Japan on the TBS network.
Source:
Maxfighting
DANA
WHITE INTERVIEW
MMAWeekly's
Ivan Trembow had a chance to sit down and talk with UFC President
Dana White about many subjects. Including if the UFC is in any
financial trouble, whether Vince McMahon has contacted the UFC
about buying the company and much more. This interview exclusive
is our Interview of the Week here at MMAWeekly.com
Interview
with UFC President Dana White
Ivan
Trembow: The Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter recently reported
that Vince McMahon was once interested in buying the UFC, but
chose not to pursue it because he knew that his name being attached
to the UFC would kill any chance the UFC has of getting mainstream
media credibility. The same report also said that Vince McMahon
may be interested in buying the UFC at some point in the future.
What is your reaction to a report like that?
Dana
White: There have been a lot of people interested in buying the
UFC. We've had a lot of offers on the UFC... specifically Vince
McMahon... I don't know, I don't really want to comment on that.
There have been a lot of people interested in buying the UFC.
There has been a lot of interest since the day we bought it.
Ivan:
Has Vince McMahon or the WWE made any formal offers to buy the
UFC in the time that Zuffa has owned it, or sent out informal
feelers to get a sense of how interested Zuffa would be in that
kind of deal, or anything like that?
Dana:
I'll put it this way. Vince McMahon has been very cooperative
with the UFC. We've had commercials run on his Raw show, and
lots of things like that. He controls who advertises on his shows.
I'll just say that he has been very supportive of the UFC.
Ivan:
But with the news story specifically saying that Vince McMahon
wants to wait until the UFC has built up its mainstream media
credibility before he tries to buy it... do you think he just
wants to help build up the UFC so that he can later buy it once
it has more mainstream credibility?
Dana:
I think we've got a ton of mainstream credibility. Right now,
as far as sports credibility, I think we've got a ton of it.
Look at where we were three years ago.
Ivan:
It's better than it was three years ago, but it's still nowhere
near what we'd all like it to be. I mean, just recently the guys
on Pardon the Interruption were talking about Toughman events
and they said, "They don't have doctors at Toughman shows,
and people are getting killed all over the place... and man,
that Ultimate Fighting stuff is even worse," and both hosts
agreed about it.
Dana:
Yeah, but you also have things like on HBO's Real Sports where
they did a piece on Toughman, and afterwards Bryant Gumbel was
like, "That's just like Ultimate Fighting, right?"
And the guy said, "No, Ultimate Fighting is a real sport."
Ivan:
Yeah, and he said they're trained athletes. So Frank DeFord was
able to make that distinction between Toughman and MMA on Real
Sports, but the vast majority of the mainstream media isn't able
to do that, with the typical example being Michael Wilbon and
Tony Kornheiser on Pardon the Interruption. I think when the
Torch Newsletter says that Vince McMahon wants the UFC to have
more mainstream media credibility before he tries to buy it,
that would mean that most media outlets would accept the sport
or at least know something about it. So with the WWE cooperating
with the UFC and being very supportive of the UFC, as you put
it... does that relationship have anything to do with the fact
that both the UFC and WWE use Team Services as a consultant and
PR firm?
Dana:
Not really, I don't think so. Nah.
Ivan:
How do you respond to reports that doom and gloom are awaiting
Zuffa and the UFC in the future?
Dana:
Well, I heard that Jeff Osborne went on MMAWeekly's radio show
and said that the UFC is broke and will be out of business within
a year. We definitely don't have as much money as Jeff Osborne
does, but I think we're going to survive. (laughs)
Ivan:
I think Jeff Osborne was focusing more on the pay-per-view buyrates
and how they haven't been that good...
Dana:
Buyrates have been an issue for us since Day One, and that's
the part of the business we're trying to build. There's no doubt
about it that the buyrates are pretty low. We're basically a
start-up company. You know, that's the way we looked at this
company when we bought it. If anybody thinks that when we got
into the UFC, we thought we were going to be making huge amounts
of money right off the bat, there's no way. This is an uphill
battle, but let me tell you something. This is going to be a
battle long after Zuffa is gone and somebody else owns the UFC.
This sport is decades and decades away from being at its highest
point of popularity. Everybody's waiting for us to become mainstream
tomorrow, but it's not gonna happen. It's going to take years
and years and years and years, and this is a battle that will
be fought long after I'm gone and Lorenzo's gone. It's a battle
that will take decades and decades. This isn't something where
we think we're going to make millions of dollars in the next
few weeks. We're trying to build the sport.
Ivan:
Is that something that would be at least a couple years from
now, as far as somebody else owning the UFC? Or is it possible
that it could be late this year, or early next year, or anywhere
in that timeframe?
Dana:
It could be tomorrow, or it could be ten years from now. I've
said this since Day One and I'll say it again. My house isn't
for sale right now, but if somebody walked up to me and gave
me the right number for it, I'd probably sell it. It's the same
thing with any business. Right now, as far as we're concerned,
we're not interested in selling the UFC, and we're definitely
not going out of business. Jeff Osborne is crazy to even say
something like that. "Oh, I heard their buyrates have only
been 35,000 lately." And what do you think the buyrates
have been this whole time? First of all, the final buyrate isn't
even out for UFC 42 yet. I wish we could get the buyrates that
quickly... and second of all, what does he think we were doing
before that? Two hundred thousand buys? And for Jeff Osborne
to say that the sport itself is dying, that's absolutely ridiculous.
That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard.
Ivan:
How you would describe the state of MMA as it stands right now?
Dana:
The sport is stronger than it's ever been right now in terms
of mainstream growth. There are a lot more of the smaller promotions
out there putting on shows, and there are more cases of MMA getting
TV coverage. The sport is definitely not dead. It's stronger
than it has ever been, but we're one of those sports that's definitely
dangling and walking that line. You know, let's say somebody
died in this sport, on any show anywhere. That would be a huge
blow. There are just so many different things that could happen.
This is a struggling, fighting, growing sport. If anything came
that easily, everybody would be able to do it. It's not going
to be easy. The way I look at it is... I work my ass off on this.
This is all I do, I'm working 24/7, I travel all the time, I'm
gone from home for a month at a time sometimes. It's a fight,
just like building any small business. That's what we're trying
to do.
Ivan:
The UFC's goal of signing a national TV deal is something that
we've talked about before, and what I'm hearing is that TNN is
now a viable option, whereas it wasn't before. The WWE's very
favorable TV contract with Viacom expires in two years, and Viacom
has like 95 percent of the leverage in that relationship right
now. So the WWE could technically veto any pro wrestling or MMA
company from having a show on TNN or any other network owned
by Viacom... but they probably wouldn't because Viacom could
put enough pressure on the WWE to prevent them from doing that.
Combine this with your statement a few minutes ago that the WWE
has been very supportive of the UFC, and it's looking like more
and more of a possibility that the UFC could very well have a
national TV show on TNN at some point. Is TNN/SpikeTV specifically
looked at as a potential home for the UFC?
Dana:
Every network is looked at as a potential home for the UFC. There's
no doubt about it. We're out there, and we've been working on
these deals for a long time now. (long pause) I'm going to tell
you right now, we have TV offers on the table right now. It was
definitely a lot harder and a lot more work than we thought it
was going to be. When we first started out, things started cruising
and we were getting a lot of things done quickly, and we thought
it was very possible that a TV deal was right around the corner.
But I wasn't going to cut a bad TV deal just to get on TV. You
have to think long-term, and you have to make your business work
long-term. If you cut a bad TV deal... once you cut a bad deal,
it's very hard to go back and get a better deal. You can't go
back and get a good deal once something like that happens. That's
why I was so horrified at the possibility of the WFA paying for
the TV time to be on national television.
Ivan:
You mean because TV companies would then expect the same thing
from all MMA organizations?
Dana:
Yeah, it's insane. That would have destroyed everything.
Ivan:
Do you still plan to run smaller shows with fights that are taped
specifically to air on free TV, as you said in an interview with
me earlier this year? Also, you're talking about a TV deal almost
as if it's in the past tense, like it "was" a lot harder
to get a deal than you thought it was going to be, and you also
said that you have offers on the table right now. Are you at
the point now where one or more of those offers is a good deal
or is close to what you hoped for in a TV deal?
Dana:
Yeah, we're almost right where we had hoped to be. People don't
realize how long it takes to make a good deal and everything
that goes into it, but we're going to have some big announcements
this summer that fans are going to be very happy to hear. This
sport is far from dead. It's bigger than it has ever been right
now, and hopefully we can keep the momentum going and keep moving
forward.
Source:
MMA Weekly
RENZO
UPSET WITH PRIDE
During
an official interview of Pride Grand Prix 2003 participants,
over and over, Renzo Gracie interrupted the other fighters who
were talking with the media.
He
got the microphone and asked several times
for the matchmaker of Grand Prix, Nobuhiko Takada, to put him
on the Grand Prix card. But Renzo basically only managed to upset
Takada, who said, " Renzo, Renzo... Please, don´t
disturb the interviews, because I know who I will call, ok??
You
are staying boring!! Please, don´t disturb anymore..."
The local TV (NHK 1) transmitted the interviews on the "Pride
Program," that goes every Thursday in Japan in the morning.
Source: MMA Weekly
7/7/03
Quote
of the Day
"Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill
of creative effort."
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Picnic
was a Success!
We have finished another Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu picnic
and we had a pretty good turn out. We were there from about 8:15
am to 8:00 pm so it was a all day affair. We got to have some
competitive volleyball games and finally a return to water football
where we all laid some good hits on each other. Stay tuned for
our next outing.
Worlds
nears! Everyone is going to Rio!
With the 2003 World BJJ TournamentGracie Barra, Gracie Humaita,
Carlson Gracie, Nova Uniao & BTT are already seeing a great
increase in the 'foreign legion' department as fighters from
all around the globe are beginning to make their way for the
biggest BJJ show on earth.
Leaving
to Brazil from the US this Wednesday is 'Megaton' Dias soon to
be followed by Cleber Luciano to add their names to the fracas.
The big names will be there, Marcio 'Pe de Pano', Saulo Ribeiro,
Rodrigo 'Comprido', Leozinho Vieira, Marcio Feitosa, Gabriel
Vella, Fabio Leopoldo, Fredson Paixao, Fernando Terere, Carlos
'Escorrega' and many others are For information and to sign up
for the event go to CBJJ.com
Source:
ADCC
SPRATT
SIGNS TO FIGHT IN UCC'S NEW TKO PROMOTION
(Montreal, Canada) – The anticipation has been building
for months and the suspense is finally over as TKO finally announces
GEORGES “RUSH” ST-PIERRE’s opponent for TKO 13
Ultimate Rush™: Texas’s own PETE “THE SECRET WEAPON”
SPRATT, one of the best strikers in the game, who just recently
defeated UFC’s phenom Robbie Lawler in Miami, Florida.
“This
will be a great fight, as a fan I’m really looking forward
to this one; it will be a war” said TKO president Stephane
Patry. “This will be St-Pierre’s biggest test, and
a chance for Pete Spratt to show why he’s one of the most
dominant welterweight fighters in the world right now –
the perfect example of a striker vs. grappler war – it will
definitely be an Ultimate Rush for the fans when these two collide!”
added Patry.
TKO
13: Ultimate Rush™ will feature 9 bouts including one World
championship fight and three Canadian championship bouts. Die-Hard
fans will also have the chance to see some of the hottest future
stars in Canadian MMA as TKO will present an extra 8 undercard
bouts from 5pm to 8pm – just before the start of the main
Pay-per-view card! A total of 17 action-packed MMA bouts in ONE
NIGHT!
Source:
MMA Weekly
'Other'
Hughes set for Extreme Challenge in Chicago
After spending time helping his twin brother keep in shape, Mark
Hughes has gotten the itch to fight again.
Although
he is a UFC veteran, Mark Hughes has been happy to play a supporting
role and watch brother Matt win the UFC welterweight championship
and single-handedly clear out the 170-pound division.
However,
it will be Mark Hughes getting onto the ring at Extreme Challenge
51, scheduled for Aug. 2 at Sportsplex in St. Charles, Ill.
'I've
been training a little and thought it would be fun to do again,'
he said. Mark will be facing Leo Sylvest, a winner of three straight
bouts, who represents Integrated Fighting.
Mark's
lone UFC appearance was a decision victory over Alex Steibling
in UFC 28.
In
addition to the Hughes-Sylvest bout, Jeremy Horn will make his
first-ever appearance as a middleweight (185 pounds) when he
takes on William Hill. It will be Horn's 16th fight in the Extreme
Challenge.
'I'm
hoping this division is kind of a new start for me, so it makes
sense to go where I started my career,' Horn said.
Sportsplex,
the host for the event, is an indoor soccer facility in St. Charles,
a suburb of Chicago.
'I
haven't been doing many events lately, but Jeff Curran wanted
to team up on an event and I thought this would be fun,' said
promoter Monte Cox. 'When it started, I really didn't expect
it to be such a strong show.'
In
the main event, Jason Medina of Miletich Martial Arts will face
Gideon Ray of Hackney's Combat in a battle of up-and-coming welterweights.
The
undercard features many of the top young fighters in the Chicago
area. Also competing is Mark Homnick, the UCC Canadian champion.
Doors
will open at 6:30 p.m. with the first bout starting at 8 p.m.
Tickets
for the event are available at numerous sites, including the
Sportsplex (630) 762-8100; Linxx Academy (815) 356-0454; Hackney's
Combat (630) 351-1209; and Combat-Do/All-American (708) 222-8100.
The
lineup:
Ron Fields vs. Terry Martin
Drew McFedries vs. Steve Dau
Mustafa Hussaini vs. Eddie Wineland
Mark Homnick vs. Tommy Lee
Bart Palaszewski vs. Tom Kirk
Mark Hughes vs. Leo Sylvest
Jeremy Horn vs. William Hill
Jason Medina vs. Gideon Ray
Source:
ADCC
Pancrase
7/27 Event Complete Lineup
PANCRASE 2003
HYBRID TOUR
~HEAVYWEIGHT KING OF PANCRASE TITLE DEFENSE~
~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT 2003~
SUNDAY,JULY 27,2003 ~DAY EVENT~
DOORS OPEN; 12:30PM
FIRST FIGHT; 1:00PM
KORAKUEN HALL (TOKYO,JAPAN)
PRO-MATCH
#1 ~FEATHERWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
MIKI SHIDA (P's LAB TOKYO) vs REIJI (HYBRID WRESTLING MUGEN)
PRO-MATCH
#2 ~FEATHERWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
YOSHIRO MAEDA (P's OSAKA INAGAKIGUMI) vs TAKAHIRO SANEHARA (TEAM
SHINAGAWA)
PRO-MATCH
#3 ~WELTERWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
KENJI ARAI (PANCRASEism) vs TAKAHITO IIDA (A-3)
PRO-MATCH
#4 ~WELTERWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
NAOKI SAKI (FREELANCE) vs DAISUKE HANAZAWA 13 (MMA DOJO COBRAKAI)
PRO-MATCH
#5 ~MIDDLEWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
SEN NAKADAI (PANCRASEism) vs MASAKATSU OKUDA (SHINBUKAN)
PRO-MATCH
#6 ~MIDDLEWEIGHT FIRST ROUND 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
ICHIRO KANAI (PANCRASEism) vs YUICHI NAKANISHI (FREELANCE)
SEMIFINAL
~LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
MITSUYOSHI SATO (PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs JOHN LOBER (2x1996 I.F.C.
HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION/iU.S.A./TEAM MACHINE)
MAIN
EVENT ~HEAVYWEIGHT K.O.P. TITLE DEFENSE~
YOSHIKI TAKAHASHI (1ST HEAVYWEIGHT K.O.P./PANCRASEism) vs TSUYOSHI
OZAWA (HEAVYWEIGHT 1ST RANKED/ZENDOKAI)
PANCRASE 2003
HYBRID TOUR
~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT 2003~ FINAL
SUNDAY,JULY 27,2003 ~NIGHT EVENT~
DOORS OPEN; 5:30PM
FIRST FIGHT; 6:00PM
KORAKUEN HALL (TOKYO,JAPAN)
PRO-MATCH
#1 ~WELTERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
MINORU OZAWA (V-CROSS) vs MANAO KUMAGAI (ZENDOKAI)
PRO-MATCH
#2 ~LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
OSAMI SHIBUYA (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 10TH RANKED/PANCRASEism) vs
SHUNICHI AKIMOTO (WAJUTSU KEISHUKAI IWATE DOJO)
PRO-MATCH
#3 ~MIDDLEWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS~
EIJI ISHIKAWA (PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs HIDETAKA MONMA (A-3)
PRO-MATCH
#5 ~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT FEATHERWEIGHT FINAL 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
FIRST ROUND MATCH #1 vs FIRST ROUND MATCH #2
SEMIFINAL
~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT WELTERWEIGHT FINAL 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
FIRST ROUND MATCH #1 vs FIRST ROUND MATCH #2
MAIN
EVENT ~NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT MIDDLEWEIGHT FINAL 2x5 MIN ROUNDS~
FIRST ROUND MATCH #1 vs FIRST ROUND MATCH #2
Source:
ADCC
7/6/03
Quote
of the Day
"Each of us must do massive right thinking,
take massive right action and get massive right results, right
here, right now."
Mark Victor Hansen American Motivational Speaker, Author
Picnic
and BBQ on July 6th Today!
Everyone:
We are having one of our outings that we normally do for our
Academia Casca Grossa de Jiu-Jitsu on a three day holiday. As
always, everyone from Aiea, as well as any Relson affiliated
school is welcome to hang out, talk story, play volleyball and
water football, and spend time with your families. We encourage
you to bring the wife/girlfriend and kids for a day of sun (hopefully)
and fun. This will give everyone a chance to get to know each
other outside of class and increase the strength of our team.
We normally set up camp at the key hole in the middle of Ala
Moana Beach Park, right next to the tennis courts. It is the
only spot that actually cuts in to the park.
We need people to come early to reserve our spot. As you can
probably tell, Lisa and I (and Brandon) are tired of always being
the ones that come early to set up.
It is a potluck so bring whatever you want. If you want to let
me know what you will bring, I will keep a tab and email everyone
again with the list so far so there are minimal duplications.
Sorry about the late notice. We were debating on having on the
4th of July, but the last time Lisa, Brandon, and I showed up
at 4:00 am and had to wait in line to get in the park. Once we
got in, it was already packed and reserved so we decided to move
it to Sunday so it should be less crowded and easier to get our
spot. Plus, parking was insane even if you were parking at Ala
Moana Center and walking over. Also, this date will allow you
to spend time with your family on the 4th. Please email me back
to let me know if you are thinking about coming so I can get
a feel if we should put up the volleyball net and everything.
Here are the details in summary:
When: Sunday, July 6th
Where: Ala Moana Beach Park in the Key Hole
Time: 7:00 am - whenever
What to bring: Potluck, anything you want.
Hope to see you there!
Thanks!
Mike
RANDY
COUTURE Speaks Out About TEAM QUEST Rising Stars!
by: Keith Mills
Most
fans know the name Team Quest mainly as Randy Couture, Matt Lindland,
and Dan Henderson but there are many more. With news of Randy
appearing everywhere this update focused more on the team itself
and took place at King Of The Cage where Team Quest fielded Nate
Quarry and Buck Meridith.
KM:
You won the UFC Interim Belt. What are your thoughts on that
now? Has the effect worn off? RC: No, I don't think it ever wears
off. I'm pretty excited about it, it was a great fight. It couldn't
have went any better.
KM:
You took Liddell right out of his gameplan. RC: Anytime you get
to execute a gameplan that well on a night like that where everything
comes together it's a lot of fun.
KM:
Is there a new trainer or boxing coach at Team Quest? RC: We
got a guy we've been working with a little while named Dave Hagen.
He's an older kickboxer, doesn't do any competition now but has
a lot of experience. I do a lot of mits with him and then Mo
Smith again. Worked a lot with Mo again for a couple weeks on
my standup and will continue to progress there I think. Add that
to the wrestling skills and it makes a pretty good combination.
KM:
I guess we won't see you defend the belt until November or so?
RC: I think it's going to be September. I think Tito is going
to step up so we're looking forward to that.
(Note:
this update was conducted before the recent UFC press releases)
KM:
Does the rest of the team have access to the same trainers you
do? RC: Yes, they do. Dave Hagen is a member of our school. Nate's
been working a lot with him and our younger guys have been getting
some time with him too. Nate's been up with me to train at Mo's
school and some of the other guys like Evan Tanner have as well.
It's been a nice relationship and we'll continue to foster that
in the future.
KM:
At the Excalibur show in Richmond last summer Nate and Greg Piper
really impressed me and you said you had other up-and-comers
that weren't ready yet. I heard Piper cut his knuckle? RC: Cut
his knuckle. He was working as a butcher and had an accident.
He's back punching again and doing a lot of things with his arm
tied behind his back (both laugh). Made his other hand pretty
dangerous. He's still teaching a lot of classes for us and he'll
back in there. We have a really good group of guys, six or seven
guys that are just phenomenal, coming along really well.
KM:
Nate has had a couple fights since Excalibur that I missed. What
is your perspective on how he's advanced since Richmond? RC:
He just continues to get more experience. More the dealing with
the adversity of the fight. Each time we're stepping him up in
bigger shows. Obviously this is a little bigger show than some
of the others he has been in. The more we get him accustomed
to that pressure and dealing with that then that'll allow him
to go out and execute the technique that we know he has. He has
been working on all parts of his game but especially his stand-up.
His last fight in Gladiator Challenge was 1:20 KO, pretty nasty
knockout with his right hand. It was an awesome fight.
KM:
Anybody else new to us ready to come out of Team Quest? RC: I
think Chael Sonnen is right there. He fought in Pancrase (2/16/03
draw vs. Akihiro Gono), he fought in that Hitman Production show
in California and beat Renato Babalu. He showed great improvement
and a lot more commitment to his training this last year and
he's ready to do whatever we want him to do. We have a Heavyweight
Brian Stromberg that is one of those guys that works a full-time
job and still finds time to train. He's been in a couple of the
Idaho shows and having some really good success. One of those
guys that just loves to fight.
KM:
What was his background? (Note: at the time I didn't realize
Stromberg fought in WEC in March.) RC: He was a football player
and he's been doing this for about six years. He's been training
with us pretty consistently for over a year now. We have a couple
young guys; Dennis Davis who is the Full Contact Fighting Federation
Lightweight Champion, a little dynamo who is also one of our
instructors, and then another kid Chris Leben who is another
20 or 21 year-old kid who just won the Light Heavyweight championship
for that same federation in OR. He's a Tasmanian devil, just
will not quit so he's pretty fun to watch too.
KM:
What about the rumors of Team Quest in UCC (now TKO). RC: I haven't
been approached by anybody in UCC. I called him for a while but
didn't have much success getting through to him. Since then I've
heard some not very good things about the way he runs his show
so I don't know if I'd take the risk of putting any fighters
in that show at this point or not.
KM:
I was getting a little confused when we started seeing Dan Henderson
getting more involved with training some of the fighters down
here (California). We're wondering if you are going to start
a franchise. RC: That's an idea, something that is in the works.
We'd like to open a school in the Temecula area and use Dan's
expertise. He has a few really good fighters. Art (Sanotore)
and Buck (Meridith) is making his debut here tonight (KOTC 25).
Heath Simms has fought for us in the past. If we can find somebody
we can feel comfortable managing the gym we'd like to open a
branch down here.
KM:
Anything else from the team perspective to get across? RC: We
just started promoting our own show in OR. It's called Sportfight.
Matt Lindland, myself, and Robert are putting that on. We just
had our first one a Sunday ago and it went really well. It's
pretty small right now but went without any glitches and was
a good show. We're going to do another one on the 23rd of August
in Portland.
KM:
Anybody set for that one? RC: We're working on the card right
now. Just started this week.
KM:
How can fans or prospective fighters find out more? RC: Go to
our website www.teamquestfightclub.com. It has a schedule
on there of all of our camps and shows. Everything we are going
to be putting on is on that website.
Source:
ADCC
Boxing:
Lewis set for Klitschko rematch
by: BBC Soort
World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis says negotiations for
a rematch with Vitali Klitschko are already under way and the
fight is likely to take place on 6 December.
Lewis
beat Klitschko after gaining a sixth-round technical knock-out
in Los Angeles two weeks ago.
The
Briton was then expected to turn his attention to a big-money
bout with Roy Jones Jnr.
Jones
has captured the imagination of the boxing public after stepping
up from the middleweight division to claim the WBA heavyweight
title last March.
But
Lewis says a second fight against Ukrainian Klitschko is what
really interests him.
'I'm
opting more for the rematch - I enjoyed that fight,' he said.
'They
(Klitschko's camp) should agree to it. If not, then we will have
to look at other options, like Roy Jones, or call it a day.'
One
obstacle to a rematch could be the condition of Klitschko's left
eye.
The
Ukrainian required more than 50 stitches to gashes above and
below the battered eye that ultimately resulted in the fight
being stopped.
'We
want our own independent doctor to go there and check the eye
and if he will be available,' Lewis said.
Source:
ADCC
AMAR
SULOEV: Looking For Revenge!
by: Stanislav Khramov
One of the top Russian middle weight fighters Amar Suloev (Red
Devil FT) has told organizers the Mix-Fight Championship M-1
'Russia vs World' that he wants to organize a rematch with American
sportsman Phil Baroni. Amar Suloev met hithe first time at on
tournament UFC 37 - High Impact. Since then, Suloev has won 2
fights in convincing fashion.
The
first fight with Baroni ended in defeat for Amar Suloev. Suloev
speaks 'I think thatI began fight very well. Even it seemed that
Phil Baroni's condition and experience were less than my level
of preparation. But I admit to a tactical mistake, and luck just
turned to face Phil Baroni.'
Now
Amar Suloev it is ready to repeat the fight. Suloev has offered
the organizers to fight for free if they can organize this fight
with Baroni. The match is hoped for on Mix-Fight Championship
M-1 'Russia vs World - 6' scheduled for October 11, 2003 at sports
Arena 'Lujniki' in Moscow.
Organizers
of the M-1 were rather interested with this offer and they are
ready to listen to an offer from the manager's Phil Baroni.
All
questions and offers for the organizers of the event please send
e-mail stas@reddevil.ru to Stanislav Khramov.
Source:
ADCC
HEAT
FC Coming to Make Some Noise, STORM Around the Corner, Belfort
Everywhere and Silva Looking for Knockouts!
By Eduardo Alonso
The Brazilian Beat:
July is beginning, bringing a new promotion to add even more
spice to the Brazilian NHB scene. Heat Fighting Championship
is coming up with some interesting facts and a complex project,
not to mention a solid card, looking to take back Brazil to its
deserved status in our sport, and alongside with MECA contributing
to spread MMA to all corners of this country. If a fan can't
ask for more than that to being his month, July will also bring
STORM Muay Thai with the already traditional BTT x Chute Boxe
rivalry translated in the final match of the event, as well as
developments for the next MECA edition, promising to add even
more to the Curitiba X Rio de Janeiro drama. Also in this edition
of TBB is the one and only Vitor Belfort, who is everywhere these
days in Brazil, "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva,
Renato Babalu Sobral, and some other stars along with yet another
small show adding up to the heat in the middle of the Brazilian
winter. Enjoy the weather no matter where you are, in Summer
or Winter, as USA prepares to celebrate the 4th of July and Brazil
works hard to bring more fighting for all of us, with Full Contact
Fighter always delivering the beat in tropical style!
Still following the impact of his victory at UFC 43 against Marvin
Eastman, Vitor Belfort is continuing to do TV appearances in
Brazil, and recently was in one of the country's most important
Sunday TV shows, where once again he took the chance to speak
about our sport and his fight. In the middle of talks about a
possible match against Randy Couture, that ended up not being
signed, Belfort was invited to play a big role in one of Brazil's
biggest soap operas, on the country's most important channel,
however "The Phenom" told FCF he declined the big role
and decided to play only a special appearance during some of
the soap opera's chapters, cause his focus now is on fighting
and nothing else. Vitor will play a fighter, with some sort of
evil tendencies, in the drama.
Ruas
Vale Tudo fighter Renato "Babalu" Sobral is continuing
to train hard for his Extreme Force appearance in London, July
13th. Babalu is taking this fight so seriously that he qualified
to represent Brazil in the PanAm games in Wrestling, this next
August, but choose not to go in order to compete in NHB, showing
the level of commitment he has with our sport. On the verge of
departing to England this next July 6th, word is at Ruas Vale
Tudo camp that Renato's original opponent at Extreme Force, Khalid
Arrab, injured himself and a new opponent may be announced at
any minute.
In
one of the most important Jiu-Jitsu matches of the past weeks
Brazilian Gladiators 2 winner Gabriel Napao, out of Macaco Gold
Team, finished MECA 8 winner Delson "Pe de Chumbo"
with a choke. The fight was a true war with Gabriel only catching
up the MECA 8 sensation with 27 minutes into the fight, at the
2nd Copa NaGuarda de Jiu-Jitsu [In the guard Jiu-Jitsu cup] This
fight had no time limits, and no points since it was the cup's
superfight, with special rules. Napao took home a good prize
money, and both fighters are expected to be performing at the
next edition of MECA World Vale Tudo, against different opponents.
Speaking
of MECA World Vale Tudo 9, plenty of work is being done for the
show that promises to be the first ever MECA to take place outside
of the Chute Boxe hometown of Curitiba. The show, likely to happen
at the city of Teresopolis, near Rio de Janeiro, has a tentative
date of August 1st, although talks say that the show may be moved
to July 31st. As far as the card goes, besides fights like Assuerio
Silva against BTT member Fabiano Scherner, and Mauricio "Shogun"
Rua against Carlinhos Lima, it seems now that Francisco Bueno
will no longer face American fighter Brandon Lee Hinkle. Gabriel
Napao may take Bueno's place against Hinkle, and fights such
as Delson "Pe de Chumbo" versus Daniel Acacio, Roan
Carneiro against Adriano Bad Boy and Bitetti Combat veteran Marcelo
Alfaia facing Claudinho das Dores are all being mentioned as
likely to appear on the show.
The
next edition of STORM Muay Thai is ready to go in the beautiful
city of Curitiba this next July 5th, and the card is finally
confirmed with the highlight being the match-up between Chute
Boxe PRIDE veteran Assuerio Silva and Brazilian Top Team striker
Edson Drago. Here's the card:
-Monge (Chute Boxe) x André (Body Planet).
-Maurício Amado (Chute Boxe) x Wagner Nega (Body Planet).
-Rodriguinho (Thai Boxe) x Amaral (Chute Boxe).
-Hélio Dipp (Garra Team) x Urso (Octagon).
-Fábio Tigrão (Chute Boxe) x Carlos (ac. de Minas).
-Loli (Body Planet) x Madona (Octagon).
-Lauro (Chute Boxe) x Ângelo (Naja/Santos).
-Jefferson Cascão (Chute Boxe) x Eduardo (Garra Team).
-André Amado (Chute Boxe) x Eduardo (Thai Boxe).
-Felipe (Chute Boxe) x Tomahawck (Vital).
-Levi (New Body Station) x Claudinei (Vital)
-Assuério Silva (Chute Boxe) x Drago (BTT).
Brazil
will have two newcomers in the August Shooto edition, with the
Japanese debut of MECA veteran Aritano Barbosa, and his teammate
Luciano Azevedo. Both young fighters were the stand outs of Shooto
Brazil, the amateur show that happened some time ago in Rio de
Janeiro, and because of their performances secured their gig
at Shooto in Japan, next August 12th. Aritano is likely going
to face Japanese fighter Hiroshi Konatsu, in a up to 60kg fight.
His teammate Luciano will face another Japanese fighter in Seiji
Ozuka, in a up to 65kg contest. Both fighters are training hard
and will be joining their master Marcio Cromado, already a Shooto
veteran, who will be facing Takaharu Murahama in the same night
of fights.
The
IFC tourney is shaking things up in the Brazilian fighting scene,
with the presence of three key figures in the country's NHB world.
With Chute Boxe prodigy Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and RVT
fighter Renato Babalu training for their fights before the tournament,
Brazilian Top Team member Paulo Filho has been doing nothing
but concentrating on the IFC show, and being already training
hard for it. The PRIDE veteran is confident on his combination
of ground skills, good cardio and power to endure the task of
winning three fights in one night, and promises to bring the
title back to BTT.
On
the other hand the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix is the maybe
the most awaited tournament ever in our sport, and fighters are
already training hard for it while the event's organization doesn't
announce the 8th man to compete in the brackets. Chute Boxe superstar
Wanderlei Silva continues to train for his toughest task in the
last few years, and went to Japan recently to promote the show.
On his way to the land of the rising sun, "The Axe Murderer"
found time to call FCF from the airport to say he is not only
planning to win the tournament, but to demolish the competition
and knock everybody out, as he insisted to ask Full Contact Fighter
to leave this message to the fans. Who will doubt him?
This
Thursday, July 3rd, yet another small northeastern show will
take place keeping our sport alive more than ever in Brazil.
The seventh edition of Champions Night will take place on the
city of Fortaleza, at the Nautico Club. The show will count with
6 NHB fights, 5 Muay Thai bouts and one Submission Wreslting
match. Among the fighters competing in the NHB fights will be
Bitetti Combar Nordeste veterans Antonio Samurai, Rivanio Aranha
and Carlos Indio. Antonio Samurai, fighting in front of his hometown
fans, will be facing Andre Barbosa, from the state of Rio Grande
do Norte, in a 200lbs limit fight.
Brazil
is gaining a new MMA event and this one promises to bring the
sport to yet another level. In an effort to bring the country
back to the taste of truly international MMA shows, Heat Fighting
Championship is debuting in Brazil this next July 31st in the
city of Natal, famous for its gorgeous landscapes, beaches and
friendly people. Natal was already the home of Bitetti Combat
Nordeste, and two promoters from this show are involved in the
organization of HEAT FC, now bringing the audience to a brand
new experience in terms of production and counting with international
fighters, as well as famous Brazilian ones. According to the
promoters a complex project involving even Amateur shows to develop
the sport in Brazil are on the work, and HEAT FC 2 will take
place in December. More news are going to be released soon, and
FCF will keep a close eye on this brand new promotion!
Source:
FCF
LINDLAND
HAS TO WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER
Last week, UFC fighter Matt Lindland said that he will be fighting
in November at UFC 45. This statement serves as confirmation
that Lindland will not be fighting on the UFC 44 card in September,
but he will be fighting on the UFC 45 card in November.
Lindland
didn't mention who his opponent might be, but he previously said
that he wants his next fight to be a rematch with Falaniko Vitale. If Royce Gracie does
indeed come to terms with Zuffa to appear on the UFC's 10th anniversary
show in November, Matt Lindland's name would have to be on the
list of potential opponents for Royce.
Source:
MMA Weekly
7/5/03
Quote
of the Day
"The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready
for his opportunity when it comes."
Benjamin Disraeli, 1804-1881, British Statesman, Prime Minister
Fighters'
Club TV Episode 12
Episode 12: features
Premiers Tuesday,
July 8th at our NEW
TIME! 6:00pm on Channel
52.
It'll repeat on the following 3 Tuesdays (July 15, 22, &
29), "Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel"
Highlights
from Superbrawl 29 (9MAY03)
- Kuniyoshi Hironaka vs. Mark Moreno
- Kolo Koka vs. Billy Rush
- Stephen "Bozo" Paling vs. Mike Hominick (+ interv.
w/ "Bozo")
- Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Jeff Curran (+ interv.
w/ "Kid")
- Egan Inoue vs. Masanori Suda (presented in a multi-angle play-by-play
interview w/ Egan)
- Chris Onzuka interviews Phil Baroni (Don't miss this one!)
Mike's
Technique of the Week
-featuring local fan favorite, Falaniko Vitale demonstrating
his deadly toe-hold
and, of course, Hawaii 2 favorite Hosts, Mark Kurano and Mike
Onzuka
It's the question everyone wants to know. Who will get the last
spot for the Pride Grand Prix in August? MMAWeekly.com has learned
that Pride would like the last spot to go to a Japanese professional
wrestler named Tamura.
First
round of the eight-man Pride Middleweight Grand Prix with the
following fighters being officially announced as participants:
-Vanderlei Silva
-Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
-Chuck Liddell
-Ricardo Arona
-Kazushi Sakuraba
-Hidehiko Yoshida
-Alistair Overeem
(one participant to be announced, most likely to be Kiyoshi Tamura
or Ryan Gracie)
Rumored
Heavyweight Fight
-Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Mirko Cro Cop
Tamura
is wanted by Pride to fill the eighth position. Tamura has a
pro wrestling background and fought in Rings. He is very popular
with the Japanese fans; in fact, so popular that he was recently
voted #1 over Sakuraba by Japanese fans of who they wanted to
see fight in the Pride Fighting Championships in a recent survey.
The
biggest obstacle for Pride right now is trying to work out a
deal. Some members of the Japanese Press believe a deal won't
be reached between the two because of some negotiation problems.
Pride
is pushing hard to sign him for the last spot in the Grand Prix.
Whether they can actually sign him for this tournament is another
story.
Source: MMA Weekly
UFC
44: OFFICIAL CARD
When reached for comment by MMAWeekly on Thursday afternoon,
UFC President Dana White officially confirmed the entire scheduled
line-up for UFC 44. In addition to the three fights that were
announced during Wednesday's teleconference, five other fights
that were previously listed on MMAWeekly's "Rumors"
page have now been officially confirmed by Dana White.
UFC
44 Official Line-Up (September 26--- Las Vegas, Nevada)
-Randy
Couture vs. Tito Ortiz for the UFC Light-Heavyweight Title
-Tim
Sylvia vs. Gan McGee for the UFC Heavyweight Title
-Wes "Cabbage"
Correira
vs. Andrei Arlovski
-Caol
Uno vs. Hermes Franca
-Dennis
Hallman vs. Jeremy Jackson
-David
Loiseau vs. Jorge Rivera
-Rich
Franklin vs. Edwin Dewees
-Gerald
Strebendt vs. Josh Thompson
Also,
when MMAWeekly specifically asked Dana White during Wednesday's
teleconference about the latest updates on Ricco Rodriguez, Phil
Baroni, and Robbie Lawler, White replied that all three fighters
are "very, very likely" to recover from their injuries
in time to compete on November's UFC 45 card.
Source: MMA Weekly
PRIDE
Grand Prix 2003 Press Conference
A press conference was held in Tokyo on June 25 to announce 7
of the middleweight fighters that will compete in the August
10th PRIDE GP 2003 opening round. However, there's still one
spot open! Who will be Mr. X?
PRIDE GP 2003 Opening Round Lineup (August 10th)
Arona,
the man who took down Mezger, Henderson and Ninja, was the first
to enter the press conference. Second, Alistair Overeem made
his entrance. Overeem took out Mirko Cro Cop's training partner,
Bencic, at PRIDE 26. The fans present gave a big cheer to these
2 middleweight fighters.
There
was a commotion in the meeting hall when the next fighter's name
was called. He was none other than the UFC representative, Chuck
Liddell. Finally a champion-class fighter from the UFC will fight
in PRIDE!
The
next fighter to enter is a bomb just waiting to go off. The fans
went wild as Quinton "Rampage" Jackson made his entrance.
Jackson walked the walk, sporting his trademark chain around
his neck.
Jackson's
rival and current Middleweight Champion, Wanderlei Silva, had
a stern look on his face as he entered, giving Jackson only a
quick glance before he took his seat.
Finally,
Kazushi Sakuraba came out to take his seat.
Although
his participation in the tournament has already been announced,
Hidehiko Yoshida was unable to attend the press conference due
to personal reasons.
Who
is the 8th fighter?
8 fighters are needed for the tournament but only 7 have been
decided. Who will fill the 8th man's spot? When asked about this,
Nobuhiko Takada, General Manager of PRIDE, said, " The lineup
(of fighters) is really big and it's a tough decision to make.
The one thing you can be absolutely sure of is that the final
member will be top class and won't be inferior to any of these
guys you see here today." President Sakakibara continued,
"It's a thrilling sight to see these fighters lined up together.
I'm really looking forward to August 10th." (When asked
about the remaining fighter) "There really are a lot of
candidate fighters. We haven't been able to decide up till this
point but we expect to decide within the next week to 10 days.
This will allow the fighters a month to train." Apparently
we can expect the 8th fighter to be announced in the beginning
of July.
Furthermore,
the Sports Producer from one of Japan's largest TV networks,
Fuji Television, made the announcement that this will be the
first PRIDE to be broadcast on regular television in Japan. Only
the final match will be shown on PPV.
Director
Takada went on to explain the details surrounding the selected
fighters. "These fighters were not chosen solely by DSE.
I think all of the fans that see them will understand. The all
have solid records and a lot of strength. I don't think it will
be an upset regardless of who wins."
However,
there was another man there with something to say. Renzo Gracie,
promised by Takada at PRIDE 26 that a Gracie would fight, had
also come to the press conference. There were no Gracie fighters
to be seen on stage this day, though. What's going on?
Renzo
Gracie: Takada, you said that a Gracie could fight in the Grand
Prix. I'm ready. My brothers are ready. What is this?
Nobuhiko
Takada: I know, Renzo. I know that the Gracies are true men.
Look at these fighters here. All of these fighters are real men.
You've got to give me more time.
Renzo
Gracie: …I see.
New
Venture With The UFC
There still remained one big point to mention, UFC fighter Chuck
Liddell's participation. President Sakakibara was all praise;
" The UFC responded very quickly to our challenge and sent
a top-class fighter. We appreciate that greatly."
UFC
President, Dana White, responded "The reason I came to Japan
today is that PRIDE declared war on the UFC. I've been very interested
in putting together a fight with PRIDE since Chuck Liddell KOed
Guy Mezger in PRIDE 14. The fighter that I really wanted to have
someone fight against is the current Middleweight Champion, Wanderlei
Silva. However, since the Grand Prix is an opportunity to fight
against many of PRIDE's middleweight fighters, I felt Chuck Liddell
is the most appropriate. I'm happy to accept PRIDE's challenge.
I believe that Chuck Liddell will come out on top of this tournament.
He's the top among middleweight fighters in the UFC, PRIDE or
anywhere else in the world. If there is any PRIDE fighter who
wants to challenge the UFC, I would welcome it."
Source: Pride
Official
Pancrase Rankings (as of July 1, 2003)
Open-weight
The 9th Open-weight K.O.P. Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#3 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#4 KEI Yamamiya (PANCRASEism)
#5 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#6 Tim Lajcik (U.S.A./Gladiators Training Academy)
#7 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
#8 Ron Waterman (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#9 Hideki Tadao (RJW/CENTRAL)
#10 Jun Ishii (Chojin Club)
Heavyweight
(199lbs. - under 221lbs.)
The 1st Heavyweight K.O.P. Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#1 Tsuyoshi Ozawa (Zendokai)
#2 Katsuhisa Fujii (UFO)
#3 Jason Godsey (U.S.A./I.F. Academy)
"If you are sure you understand everything that is going
on, you are hopelessly confused."
Walter Mondale
Sean
Sherk: Rough Justice for Second Best
By Jason Probst
After tangling with Matt Hughes in UFC 42 and losing a hard-fought
decision to perhaps the best fighter in the world, Sean Sherk’s
future with the UFC seemed assured off the heels of his performance.
He didn’t beat Hughes, but did give the welterweight champ
the toughest tussle of his title reign.
But
instead of building on the long-delayed exposure Sherk had been
gunning for, he learned shortly after his bout with Hughes that
the UFC had let him go, preferring to let him out of his contract
rather than keep him in the event. The UFC will go on, and life
will go on, but Sean Sherk’s release from the event is the
kind of thing that keeps happening with the UFC that eradicates
the necessary storylines and familiar faces that help sell the
product. Ostensibly, fighting in the UFC is supposed to be a
meritocracy, but it’s also a business, and Sherk feels his
style may have played a factor in his release from the UFC.
“It’s
real tough for me to gather why they let me go, because I put
everything out there, and I should’ve showed the world that
I was the number two guy,” Sherk told Maxfighting. “I
think they’re looking for younger fighters who bang and
make less money. After the fight my whole outlook was the UFC
would give me two more fights, win those, and then get another
shot at the title. That was my whole outtake on the fight, I
kept a positive outlook on the whole thing. So I have no idea.
It’s real frustrating to me, to lose the thing that I worked
for for so long.”
Sherk
plans to compete in the UCC and keep busy. After fighting on
UFC under cards before making his televised debut against Hughes,
he’s used to soldiering on, making the best with hand he’s
dealt. But he expected more after giving Hughes a tougher fight
than could have been expected.
“Hughes
is a powerhouse 170-pound fighter,” Sherk said. “I
felt his strength and his size. There were times I felt he was
stronger and vice versa. Hughes is the best in the world and
to fight a good battle with him for 25 minutes, it shows me I’m
the same caliber. Everybody at my gym was real proud of what
I did and I showed a lot of heart. Basically I’m contractually
free, and any event that contacts me I can consider.”
Sherk’s
management team figures eventually he’ll be in a position
to fight for the UFC again. Given his solid performance against
Hughes, Sherk will probably be favored against any other welterweight
in the game. He may not lose for some time if he’s not fighting
in the UFC.
“I
think the bottom line is UFC is favoring more entertaining guys,”
Bob Cook, Sherk’s co-manager said. “We had a contract
we were pretty happy with him. Of course we’re gonna be
looking to fight for UFC in the future. It’s not the case
of him never fighting in the UFC again.”
Sherk
still wants a rematch with Hughes, and he feels like he learned
enough to do better next time.
“It
was frustrating for me to go out there and lose those first two
rounds. I wanted to sprawl and brawl, keep it up on the feet,”
Sherk said. “Once I ended up on my back I was comfortable
there, and I did a lotta things I did in the gym, like strike
from my back. In the third round I did start shooting on him,
and it was real nice to be on top and give back some of the punishment
he gave me. Now, I know if we do fight again, I’ll have
a different game plan.”
Source: Maxfighting
Tito
Ortiz: Looking out for Number One
By Josh Gross
After months
of being sequestered in Utah, where he "worked eight hours
a day, seven days a week" on the set of The Crow: Wicked
Prayers , UFC light heavyweight title holder Tito Ortiz finally
had his day in court. Though the chambers in which proceedings
took place offered no wood paneling, jury box, or judge (despite
UFC head Dana White's best efforts) his trial-by-fire was as
telling as it was important.
Speaking
to the media for the first time since news broke that Ortiz had
demanded a radical restructuring of his contract, two warm-up
fights and a partridge in a pear tree before he'd even think
about stepping into the Octagon versus Chuck Liddell, the "Bad
Boy" and his success at skipping a bout versus Liddell was
fodder for questions during much of yesterday's 90-minute teleconference,
intended to announce an Ortiz-Randy Couture September 26 main
event.
To
his credit, he shucked and jived around the majority of oncoming
fire. Though with answers like "Movie's over" or "If
I had fought Chuck it would have been the same thing with what
Couture would have done," it was, at times, tough to stomach.
But,
in the end, Ortiz couldn't help but contradict himself on more
than one occasion, and those that paid attention didn't have
trouble catching it. "I fight. I don't do the contracts,"
he said. "I just step up and fight." Yet, seconds later:
"When decisions come down, of course I'm the last one to
say and I'm going to make the right decisions for my career."
My
personal favorite: "I just take fights that make me feel
comfortable."
So,
in a nutshell, there you have Tito Ortiz. He fights. No doubt
about that. But who and when he fights is solely his call. And
there's no doubt that he could have stared across the Octagon
at Chuck Liddell had it been what he wanted.
"I
had entertainment commitments I had to fulfill," he answered
as to why the bout with Liddell did not take place in June. "It
wasn't a fact of [hesitation to fight Liddell]. It was a fact
in making right decisions at this time."
His
decision, he said, to skip out of a June fight had nothing to
do with an injured hand, either. Noting that the fist he hurt
while peppering Ken Shamrock in the head was completely healed
by late-April, the perception that an Ortiz' injury was cause
for the Liddell-Couture June title fight was proven utterly false,
relegating the idea of the interim bout a total farce.
Take
nothing away from Couture or Liddell. They stepped in the ring
and put it on the line. The blame here goes to UFC. In the midst
of contentious negotiations, it's clear that there was never
going to be a point where Ortiz would have found himself absent
of the belt. The stripping of Ortiz' title was simply not going
to happen.
Interim
titles, when properly executed, can play an important role in
keeping fighters honest while making titles meaningful. This
time around, it seems, proved less-than satisfactory for the
sole reason that an alleged champion was able -- regardless of
the reason -- to sidestep a more-than-worthy competitor. Worse
yet, in doing so no penalty was levied against him.
But,
should that come as a surprise from an organization where each
time a fighter defends his belt he gets a new one in addition
to the strap he just fought for?
Championship
belts are nothing more than symbolic hardware, made significant
only by what the men -- past and present -- who fight for them
bring into the equation. In Couture there is no more worthy man
to wear a crown. Ortiz, despite his three-year undefeated reign,
still has much to prove.
"When
Chuck Liddell took the fight with Randy Couture I told myself
and I told everyone around me: 'Watch what happens,'" Ortiz
said. "And what happened was I was about $10,000 richer
and I didn't even have to fight."
There
lies the rub… "and I didn't even have to fight."
Do
those words sound like anything a champion worthy of being considered
amongst the best in the game would ever utter out of his mouth?
But
here we are, expected to buy into the notion that the ferocious
Tito Ortiz could not step into the ring in April against his
greatest and most worthy challenger to date because of injury.
Fine. Now, however, we come to find that he was 100 percent at
the time of the fight, with a good five weeks to prepare for
the June 6 date to boot. OK. "Entertainment commitments."
Right.
Two
things are clear. First, when he wants to be, Ortiz can be the
best light heavyweight in the world. Second, he only cares to
be when it suits him.
Couture
and Liddell are fighters. It is in their fiber. There is no pretense
about their actions or in-actions.
Ortiz,
however, is a man that can fight. Big difference.
And
as the challenges grow so to will the rift between his desire
to make money -- whether it be in the ring, on the big screen
or a myriad of other possibilities -- and his desire to fight.
It has already waned considerably since his bout versus Vladimir
Matyushenko, no doubt aided and abetted somewhat by surgery to
repair a torn ACL and the trappings of his perceived fame following
the dismantling of an under-whelming Ken Shamrock.
At
only 28, Ortiz can redeem himself. But when asked if he needed,
at some point, to face Liddell so there could be some degree
of finality between the two, not to mention the slamming of the
door on the fans' and media's questions regarding his proclivity
at doing anything possible to avoid "The Iceman," Ortiz
simply scoffed.
Nope,
he insinuated, he didn't need to fight Liddell to prove anything
to anyone. Amazingly, it just didn't occur to him (or he just
doesn't care, which I find hard to believe) that by not fighting
Liddell it would in some measure negatively impact how fans and
pundits perceived his career.
If
nothing else, shouldn't the sheer competitive nature of a fighter
warrant a different type of answer? Apparently not.
Regardless
of where Ortiz has been -- mentally, physically, and fiscally
-- since November 2002, it's evident that over the next three
months we'll have Tito Ortiz: Fighter in our midst. His fans
should rejoice, his detractors should jeer and us media types
should ask as many questions as possible.
It
can be tough to reach a guy on set.
Source:
Maxfighting
KERR
TO COMPETE IN NEW ORGANIZATION
MMAWeekly.com has learned that a new organization will be started
up by a former boxing promoter who wants to promote MMA.
The
new organization (whose name is not yet known) will look to bring
in Kerr to possibly fight Travis Wiuff in their debut event which
is set to take place in a couple of months.
It
seems the company is interested in using Kerr after watching
him on HBO's documentary "The Smashing Machine" and
they also look to add a few more former UFC names.
Other
fighters they appear to be close to signing are Gary Goodridge,
who will most likely fight Andre Roberts also on the same card,
in addition to the Wiuff vs Kerr fight. More details will be
upcoming at MMAWeekly.com
Source:
MMA Weekly
President
Sakakibara & Takada
PRIDE REBORN
PRIDE 26 was called REBORN in Japan. We wanted to take a second
look at how we came this far and return to our origins. What
do the fans want? What do the fights want in the fight? We've
got to take these things into consideration. There may be fans
that are happy just to see someone appear all the time or maybe
they want to see highly skilled matches. Some fans said the screens
at Yokohama Arena were hard to see. Some fans said they couldn't
see because of the person's head in front of them. So, we set
out to do what we could to fix these things. So, we put in 2
giant screen TVs. Even small things like this can really improve
the environment for the fans.
PRIDE
26
I think you'll agree with me that we put together a very good
card for this match. I think there were a lot of high quality
fighters. The fans are smart and you've got to show them the
real thing. It's a must. Of course, you might be able to create
a story around the fight but at its base, the fighter's skill,
defense and attacks will make the fight what it is. I want the
fighters to make themselves into the best, in a mental sense
and a technical sense. Take Mirko for example. He really wanted
to appear in PRIDE. He trains very hard, very seriously. That's
why he's called the Terminator. Sakuraba is also like that. To
get in the ring and fight like the do, in a way that no one can
possibly imitate, it take tremendous effort and training. I really
feel that from Mirko. I don't think he's just playing around
in MMA while being a pure stand-up fighter. He came here with
the intent of become a complete fighter and the top fighter in
PRIDE.
COMING
PRIDES
There were 14 fighters in 7 matches this time. There were a lot
of fighters who wanted to fight but we couldn't give everybody
a chance. If you're lazy or doing fights that look like works,
there are a lot of replacement fighters waiting, even if you're
a regular. It won't be based on our decisions alone, either.
We'll also make changes based upon the needs of the fans. It's
good to cycle the fighters. There's also another pressing job
for Dream State and for the martial arts world. I want the Japanese
fighters to work harder. Hamanaka and Takase had high hurdles.
Can they produce good results and get another chance to fight?
Yoshida's student, Nakamura, who fought last time, showed a lot
of potential but unfortunately, doesn't have enough experience.
I think that's going to become important.
PRIDE's
NEW BRAND
We were prepared to have Igor Vovchanchyn fight but he wasn't
able due to his July 7th fight in Holland. We've got Brazilian
Top Team's Mario Sperry and Rogerio Nogueira and also Gary Goodridge
and Tom Erikson, who were seconding Mark Coleman. They said they
would fight if there was a cancellation. We also had some Japanese
fighters that paid there way back to Japan from other countries
to say the same thing. Fighters who want to be in PRIDE are highly
motivated. We want to provide an arena that will pay proper respect
to that feeling. Rather than THE BEST, we're thinking of adding
a second line to PRIDE. There are a lot of themes that we'd like
to make but primarily it will be a spotlight for PRIDE Lightweight
division, centering on the 70 -80 kilo class. We also want to
bring up Japanese fighters there. We've already said that we
want to have a Grand Prix every year but it's getting hard to
create new concepts for each and every event and match. We want
to create this second line in the fall. This will be held as
a series every year. The title isn't fixed yet. We still want
to put some more though into the overall concept, first.
Special
Rules?
Most likely it will be under PRIDE rules. If we said cross-guard
is forbidden or you can only use open-guard on the ground, the
stand-up fighters would get really upset (laughing) so we're
planning on using the regular PRIDE rules from the start.
THE
BEST?
It will be held as before.
Will
PRIDE-class fighters be in this new event?
Yes, it's possible.
CURRENT
LIGHTWEIGHT CLASS
Of course there are organization considerations but I'm interested
in Sakurai and Rumina. Pancrase also has a lot of great fighters.
It's important to fight within your organization but it's also
good to have a neutral ring to fight in, too. Also, the UFC's
Kaoru Uno and Genki Sudo. That's not the only place to fight.
There are several current fighters that I'd like to see. It's
tough on lightweight fighters when most of their opponents are
middle and heavyweights. It's for that reason that we want to
put a spotlight on the lightweight class.
SCHEDULE
We'd like to have these lightweight-centered events 3 or 4 times
per year, 2 events in America per year and 3 events within Japan
per year. Well, that's just our plan.
Nobuhiko
Takada, PRIDE General Manager
PRIDE
26
Just before the fight, Mirko said that PRIDE is easy. After hearing
that, Herring got pretty worked up. It's important for the fighters
to work their feelings against each other. Then they can get
in the ring and give an unusually tough fight and that will make
the fans happy. Fedor and Fujita were the same way. The fans
need to see that effort from the first fight to the last fight.
The most important thing is to attack. Attack and win. Move and
win. The fans can get into that kind of fight.
ANOTHER
LINE
This should have been done 2 or 3 years ago. We had THE BEST
but there was no real concept and it wasn't done properly. This
time we are going to create and event with strong foundations,
somewhere that strong Japanese fighters can be born.
Source:
Pride
PRIDE
Grand Prix 2003 Post-Press Conference
RICARDO
ARONA
PRIDE Fighting Championships: What do you think about the upcoming
Grand Prix?
Arona: I'm very happy to be able to fight in the PRIDE Grand
Prix with such great fighters. It is an honor. PRIDE is a place
for the strongest fighters to come together so I will train even
harder than usual. I promise the fans that I will give them great
fights. You never know what will happen in the PRIDE ring and
it's no different for this Grand Prix. Anybody can win. I think
whoever trains the hardest will win.
PRIDE:
Who would you like to fight the most out of these fighters?
Arona:
They're all good so it's difficult to choose just one. I leave
everything up to my promoter.
PRIDE:
But if you had to choose?
Arona:
I can't choose. I think it would be a great fight no matter who
it is.
PRIDE:
Compared to the other fighters here today, what is your biggest
advantage over them?
Arona:
Mental strength. I always feel that I have to win, regardless
of whether I'm in a difficult position or not.
ALISTAIR
OVEREEM
PRIDE: What are you thoughts on the Grand Prix?
Overeem:
I'm very happy and excited that I can fight. I will win the tournament.
PRIDE:
How will that hammer you're holding help you?
Overeem:
I always bring it with me when I enter but if I need more strength,
I can use my hammer (laughing).
PRIDE:
Who would you like to fight the most out of this lineup?
Overeem:
The fighters in this tournament are all very good so I don't
care. It will be a great match no matter who it is.
PRIDE:
Well, if you had to choose?
Overeem:
I guess I would choose Mr. X (laughing).
PRIDE:
What do you think is your major advantage over the other fighters
here today?
Overeem:
I've got balance whether I'm standing up or on the ground. I
think my left knee is my strongest weapon.
WANDERLEI
SILVA
PRIDE: How do you feel about the upcoming Grand Prix?
Silva:
It is a great honor for me to participate in this Grand Prix.
It was my dream. I will use all my skill and strength and prove
that I am the PRIDE champion. All of these guys are great fighters
I think all of the fights are going to be great but make no mistake;
I'm going to win by KO.
PRIDE:
Who would you like to fight the most?
Silva:
I want to fight the most aggressive fighter. I'll fight anyone
here. I train from morning till night in preparation for this
event. I am ready. It doesn't matter who I fight because I'm
going to win.
PRIDE:
Chuck Liddell said earlier that he would like to fight you. Any
thoughts?
Silva:
Chuck is definitely a strong opponent but I can't choose my opponents.
If it does turn out that Chuck is my opponent, he will get knocked
out.
PRIDE:
What do you think is your main advantage over these fighters?
Silva:
When I get into the ring, I'm full of rage. My opponent becomes
the source of my energy.
KAZUSHI
SAKURABA
PRIDE: How do you feel about the Grand Prix?
Sakuraba:
(Pointing to the light in front of him) That light is really
hot (laughing).
PRIDE:
Any words you'd like to bet on the Grand Prix?
Sakuraba:
I just want to do my best and not get injured.
PRIDE:
You're wearing a suit today. Something special?
Sakuraba:
I figured that everyone would come in T-shirts so a suit would
stand out more! (laughing)
PRIDE:
Who do you want to fight the most from this card?
Sakuraba:
Hmmm. Everyone is strong so I guess I'd like to fight the first
person that loses.
PRIDE:
That's funny but seriously, who?
Sakuraba:
Mr. X (laughing)
PRIDE:
Sorry for the abrupt question but would you like to fight Yoshida
in the first round?
Sakuraba:
I'd rather fight him in the final round rather than the earlier
matches. Everyone will have taken a shot at him by them and his
body will be in rough shape (laughing).
PRIDE:
What do you think is your main advantage over the fighters here
today?
Sakuraba:
Hmmm, my main advantage? I guess my old age (laughing). (Note:
Sakuraba and Liddell are the oldest fighters in the Grand Prix)
QUINTON
JACKSON
PRIDE: What are your thoughts on the Grand Prix?
(Jackson
slowly grabs the mike and stands. The conference room goes silent)
Jackson:
It's an honor to fight in the Grand Prix. And, I'm glad that
Chuck Liddell and Mr. White have come today (he shakes hands
with both of them). I also really like the UFC but PRIDE is the
best.
PRIDE:
What do you think the Grand Prix will be like?
Jackson:
This will be the first time for me to fight with so many strong
fighters so I'm really looking forward to it. You can bet that
I'm slamming somebody.
PRIDE:
You seem to be behaving yourself today.
Jackson:
(slight laugh)
PRIDE:
Who do you want to fight the most from the people here today?
Jackson:
(without missing a beat) Takada! (laughing)
Takada
stands up and starts to take off his jacket.
Jackson:
Really, really. I want to fight Takada.
PRIDE:
No, out of the fighters who will be in the Grand Prix.
Jackson:
(Jackson puts his hand on Sakuraba's shoulder) I'd choose my
friend, Sakuraba. He's the only one who's ever been able to make
be tap out. I'd like to get some revenge.
PRIDE:
What do you think is your major strong point over the fighters
here today?
Jackson:
Video games! I don't lose to anybody in video games (laughing).
CHUCK
LIDDELL
PRIDE: How do you feel about the Grand Prix?
Liddell:
I feel great. I want to fight the guys here as soon as possible.
Since I will represent the UFC in PRIDE's Grand Prix, I want
to prove that the UFC is the strongest organization and take
PRIDE's belt home.
PRIDE:
Who would you like to fight the most?
Liddell:
Wanderlei Silva, of course. He's been the PRIDE Champion for
a long time and I've wanted to challenge him for a long time.
I definitely want to beat Silva.
PRIDE:
What do you think is your strongest point compared to the other
fighters?
Liddell:
I've got the guts to challenge anyone and I can fight standing
up or on the ground.
DANA
WHITE
PRIDE: Who do you want to let fight in PRIDE next?
White:
No one else at the moment. The UFC responded to a PRIDE request
and sent a fighter. Next time it will be PRIDE's turn to send
a fighter to the UFC. It doesn't matter which fighter or which
weight class.
DSE
PRESIDENT, NOBUYUKI SAKAKIBARA
Sakakibara: (When asked about Mr. X) Well, we really planned
on making the announcement today but it looks like it will take
another week to finalize it. We're in the middle of talks with
a fighter that we definitely want to appear. I can't say who
but I can say that he has fought in PRIDE before and he is Japanese.
PRIDE:
How will the 2nd round in November be set up?
Sakakibara:
We're going to listen to the fans and also look at how the 4
winners performed in the opening round in August and adjust the
final rounds to make the most interesting card.
PRIDE:
And the battle with the UFC?
Sakakibara:
Speaking for PRIDE, we can have a double title match. We're interested
in sending champion class fighters to the UFC. IF we were to
have a double title match, and IF the PRIDE belt were taken,
it wouldn't take anything more than a PRIDE fighter going over
to the UFC and getting it back. Middleweights will probably be
the priority but I'd like to have 3 or 4 matches, including fights
with heavyweights such as Fedor and Nogueira. I think the UFC
is going to get a big shock when it feels the quality of PRIDE
in this tournament. (laughing)
Source:
Pride
7/3/03
Quote
of the Day
"It is always the case that the greater the joy, the greater
is the pain which precedes it."
St. Augustine
From
the Mount: Couture vs. Ortiz
While officially announcing the September 26 UFC 44 match up
of Randy Couture vs. Tito Ortiz, it looks like Zuffa has a good
show in the making, billing it as “Undisputed.” It
was obvious that Randy Couture is more interested in beating
Tito Ortiz to resolve who the real 205-pound champion is than
arguing about interim titles, and all that stuff in the UFC that
suddenly reminds you of why you got sick of boxing.
Teleconferences
calls are sometimes informative, and just as often the village
idiot jams up the works by getting on late and asking a question
that’s already been answered (ironically, the only people
on time for these gigs are those of us who do it for free). One
wag asked Ortiz, in a tone that was so syrupy you could’ve
served pancakes under it, if he thought he was the real light
heavyweight champion, a kind of softball pitch that even Larry
King would be reluctant to throw. Of course, Ortiz answered yes,
he was the champ, and last time he checked in his bedroom there
was a belt.
Couture
replied he was more interested in settling the affair come September.
He even was genteel enough to say, “I don’t know if
Tito is afraid of Randy, you’d have to ask Tito.” Ortiz’
management piped in that Ortiz was, indeed, the real champ. But
Couture would have none of it.
“I
think we'll settle it once and for all in September. The rest
is semantics,” Couture said.
The
pre-fight games that Ortiz played against Ken Shamrock and others
will have no effect on Couture if the early returns are any indication.
He barely registered a pulse at Ortiz’ offerings to “give
him a beating,” and “Make him an ex-interim champion.”
Ortiz
was asked repeatedly about his inability to face Chuck Liddell
after his November UFC 40 win over Ken Shamrock. UFC president
Dana White circled the wagons around Ortiz, citing an injured
hand and then movie making commitments this summer (Ortiz is
working on the latest installment of “The Crow,” with
Dennis Hopper and Edward Furlong), White seemed eager to move
forward and leave the controversy of the Liddell-Ortiz chapter
behind him.
Odds
maker Danny Sheridan tabbed Ortiz an 8-5 favorite. Sheridan’s
support of the sport by appearing on broadcasts and giving odds
is great for the game, and he deserves serious props for breaking
ranks with the stultified nation of sports media who act like
mixed martial arts don’t exist (they wouldn’t sully
themselves by doing so, even though football, basketball, and
baseball are riddle with players on steroids, grass, and more
steroids, and if you don’t believe the second allegation,
just look into Allen Iverson’s wall-to-wall pupils…but
I digress….).
But
part of making odds is the supposition of how people are going
to bet. Clearly, Sheridan believes people are more likely to
subscribe to the post-Shamrock allure of Ortiz as an unbeatable
wrecking machine, and that Couture’s victory over Liddell
proved Tito wasn’t afraid. People also preferred to remember
Ken Shamrock beating Kimo and Dan Severn leading up to UFC 40,
instead of age and mileage getting the best of him in losing
to Don Frye and Kazuyuki Fujita. People want to remember their
heroes at the top of their form.
It
was shocking to see Couture as an underdog, especially since
he’d just dominated and destroyed a guy that Ortiz made
no great effort to fight. It’s funny how now that Liddell
is gone off to PRIDE that Ortiz’ injuries are healed, his
contract has been “amended,” as White remarked, and
suddenly in good stead, and now he doesn’t seem to be so
busy. But who cares about appearances? Just because, say, an
intern leaves the Oval Office with a stain on her dress and a
crooked smile, they might have been discussing the vagaries of
the Middle East, or a position paper on importing Havana Cigars.
Right.
Anyways,
Ortiz wants to get inside Couture’s head. It’s a long
way off, three months, and he’ll do his best but he won’t.
Randy Couture, after all he’s said and done, doesn’t
let it bother him that he’s on the long end of the odds.
“I’m
always the underdog,” he said in response to his feelings
about the betting line. He’s always been the underdog in
his most impressive fights, against Vitor Belfort and Liddell,
and he beat Maurice Smith after Smith beat the seemingly invincible
Mark Coleman. He makes a habit of beating those who aren’t
supposed to lose.
Ken
Shamrock was bet down to an 8-5 underdog against Ortiz when it
was apparent after the opening minute that he was no better than
5-1. People like to cling to memories of fighters, believing
that a guy can summon one last big performance. For Shamrock
that time had clearly passed. For Couture, that time is still
now, despite his 40 years of age. Despite the fact that he dominated
Chuck Liddell and is imposingly strong at the 205-pound class;
despite his opening-round dominance against 243-pound monsters
in Josh Barnett and Ricco Rodriguez. Couture figures to be more
of his old self because it’s still his current self; those
believing in him will not have to make a great leap of faith
to think he can summon up the magic against Ortiz -- his greatness,
after all, is still in present tense.
Perhaps
the worst thing to happen for Ortiz was Couture as an underdog.
It’s incongruous to see how Ortiz can have the edge early
-- Couture’s Greco skills are every bit as good as Ortiz’
takedowns, his standup is better than Ortiz, and he’s used
to fighting bigger men.
As
the fight progresses, Ortiz’ excellent stamina could help
him pull out ahead. Logic would give the edge to the younger
man in a long fight. But isn’t that what everyone thought
about Liddell?
It’s
enough to subsist upon -- the mental game, the odds that seem
too favoring of Ortiz -- until the fight happens. Throughout
the teleconference Ortiz was taking subtle shots at Couture but
Randy did not return fire. It’s a game he won’t play.
The guess here is that Ortiz knows Couture is feeling very confident,
and wants to pull him into preflight animus, which traditionally
works in Ortiz’ favor. The subplots will have to suffice
for now. Ortiz can keep talking, which he probably will, as is
his wont. Couture will keep deflecting. But the fight will happen.
But
the fact that Ortiz feels a need to do it must give Couture more
confidence, because it comes off as the canned antics of an intimidator
that doesn’t run the neighborhood quite like he used to.
Source:
Maxfighting
Sylvia
to Defend Heavyweight Belt Versus McGee
In addition to Wednesday's news that the UFC officially announced
the September 26 showdown between Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz
for the UFC light heavyweight crown, UFC president Dana White
also confirmed that UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia (17-0-0)
will defend his title versus Gan McGee (12-1-0) on the same card.
Sylvia, who won the belt at UFC 41 by knocking out Ricco Rodriguez
in Atlantic City, New Jersey, stands 6'8" his challenger's
6'10". The bout makes history, pitting two of the tallest
competitors in UFC history against each other.
Source:
Maxfighting
UFC
44: Undisputed Announced
Couture vs Ortiz, McGee vs Sylvia, Cabbage vs Arlovski
Zuffa held a conference call today, and announced that Randy
Couture would face Tito Ortiz for the Undisputed UFC Light Heavyweight
title, taking place September 26 in Las Vegas. USA Today lists
Ortiz as an 8:5 favorite.
Discuss
this news in the MMA forums
Also
on the card, Gan McGee is challenging Tim Sylvia for the Heavyweight
title on the same card, and "Cabbage" Correira is facing
Andre Arlovski.
Contract
Status??
Dana White: "Ortiz has the same contract as before...with
some modifications."
Randy Couture: Doesn't know about the exact terms of his contract,
it's been a while since he signed it.
Injuries?
Tito Ortiz: "I have no injuries, at all."
Current
Light Heavyweight Champion?
Dana White: "...The Light Heavyweight Champion, Randy Couture..."
Randy Couture: "I fought the guy Tito wouldn't fight, I
am the Light Heavyweight Champion."
Tito Ortiz: "I've still got the belt, and it still has my
name on it."
Tito's
Feeling on the Interim Title?
Tito Ortiz: "I feel disrespected that the UFC created the
interim title. I feel like I'm the challenger now, but that's
OK - I like feeling like the underdog."
Strip
Tito if he hadn't signed?
Dana White: "It's a non-issue. He signed, and is going to
fight."
Interest
in PRIDE Fighters?
Dana White: Interested in Cro-Cop, Sakuraba, and others.
PRIDE
Grand Prix?
Dana White: Had Liddell won, he would not have gone.
Couture: "I would probably have gone had I lost."
Ricco
Rodriguez?
Dana White: Definately in the November show.
Tito's
Suspect Chin?
Tito Ortiz: "I don't have a suspect chin. I've never been
knocked out in practice, or a fight. I have great recovery time."
Restructuring
UFC
Dana White: Anticipating a TV deal, will do more ".5"
shows.
Tank
Abbott a failure?
Dana White: "He was not a failure, he sold out the New Jersey
(UFC 41) show."
Tito Ortiz: "Ricco Rodriguez had a lot to do with that show,
he's from Long Island."
Dana White: [laughing] - "Yeah, Ricco was the reason we
sold the show out."
State
of the 185 lb Weight Class?
Dana White: "We'll make an announcement at the September
show."
Source: Sherdog
What
in the World is Happening to Little Evil?
Wow. A year ago, Jens Pulver was the undisputed king of the lightweights.
Though he didn’t defeat everybody he faced in spectacular
fashion like most fans preferred, he defeated everybody nonetheless.
After suffering a draw with Alfie Alcarez in his UFC debut back
at UFC 22, Pulver went on a tear, busting up everybody he faced
in his next six UFC fights.
After
he blasted John Lewis out in just 35 seconds, fans and MMA insiders
alike were drawn to Jens’ captivating punching prowess.
Little Evil eventually scored impressive decision victories over
such top stars as Caol Uno, Dennis Hallman and BJ Penn.
Sure,
he was submitted by Din Thomas via heel hook right before the
Lewis bout in the WEF, but other than that, Pulver was absolutely
perfect. People came close to beating him as they each wound
up lasting the distance with the world’s top lightweight,
but Pulver continuously arose from the battlefield victorious.
In
what was to be Jens’ toughest fight of his career at that
point, he took on #1 contender and thought-to-be untouchable
phenom in Penn. The two little giants duked it out for 25 memorable
minutes, but again, Pulver was the one with his arm raised, narrowly
defeating Penn via split decision. Penn was supposed to go medieval
on Pulver, but Jens proved to everybody who watched why he was
regarded at that time the world’s best at 155 lbs.
However,
once Pulver scored a victory in what would be the turning point
of his illustrious career, things slowly deteriorated on that
magical luster in Pulver’s platinum armor. He sought monetary
rewards in trying to sign a new, more lucrative contract with
the UFC after discovering that other fighters were bringing home
more bread than he.
Disgusted
by the newfound dirt he dug up, Pulver demanded more money from
Zuffa. Once UFC refused to budge and disallowed him a more beneficial
contract, Pulver flew the coop and was determined to stumble
upon a much larger deal, one that would grant him the money he
felt he was worth. His coveted lightweight championship crown
was in turn vacated.
PRIDE
was interested, but not as much as Pulver had hoped, and after
communicating with several other MMA organizations, Shooto had
the deal he liked most. The only thing, however, is that Pulver
had already signed on to fight Robert Emerson in "Ultimate
Wrestling." In what turned out to be a much tougher than
expected test against Emerson, Pulver was victorious nevertheless,
scoring a decision win.
Next
up, Pulver signed on with the new Japanese organization, UFO.
Pulver squared off against the extremely tough Takehiro Murahama
in what was a seesaw battle of skill and determination. Pulver
eeked by Murahama, snagging a split decision in the contest.
With
a possible mega bout with Takanori Gomi looming in the near future
for a huge Shooto event, Pulver first had to pass the test battle-proven
Muay Thai superstar Duane Ludwig at UCC 12: Adrenaline.
Almost
everyone involved in the sport of MMA, whether media or fans,
picked Pulver to defeat Ludwig. Many chose Pulver to knock out
Ludwig and end his muddy streak of five consecutive decision
wins. In the weeks leading up to the bout, Little Evil proclaimed
that he was set in his ways to stand toe-to-toe with Ludwig no
matter what happened. Though Ludwig was far more seasoned than
Pulver in the standup realm, Jens was focused to prove all the
critics of his gameplan dead wrong. Pulver was so confident of
his striking and boxing abilities that he convinced himself that
Ludwig would be no match for him. Pulver was eager to give the
fans what they wanted: a dramatic knockout.
Well,
one thing was for sure; Pulver got the knockout he promised.
Unfortunately, he was the one who was knocked out. Ludwig unloaded
a sensational combo that ended Jens’ 38 month winning streak.
In one minute and thirteen seconds, Pulver’s reign as the
world’s best lightweight was over, with Ludwig now the new
stud on the block. Since then, Ludwig signed with the UFC and
won a too-close-to-call war with Genki Sudo, gaining tons of
fans along the way while Pulver was set to sift through the ashes
of defeat.
No
worries, though, because Pulver was rumored to have inked a four-fight
deal with Shooto after the Ludwig disaster anyway and that mega
matchup between he and Gomi was still a go, as long as Pulver
was victorious in is next bout in HOOKnSHOOT. A few weeks back,
on May 24 in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Pulver was poised to destroy
little-known fighter in Jason Maxwell. Entering the contest a
respectable 3-3, Maxwell was picked to be nothing more than a
tuneup bout to get Pulver back in the winner’s circle.
Having
already lost to Tiki and Ludwig, Maxwell was supposed to just
get bombed out of the ring. Well, what happened that night was
nothing short of shocking. Maxwell pulled off the unthinkable
and scored a huge upset by taking out Pulver six seconds shy
of the end of the first round. For the second straight time,
Jens Pulver was shockingly knocked out.
But
here’s where it gets tricky; was that TKO loss legit? Taking
absolutely nothing away from Maxwell, but he did hit Pulver in
the groin on two separate occasions. It doesn’t matter who
you are, but if you get wailed on to the groin, twice, it will
adversely affect your performance. Pulver retaliated by peppering
Maxwell’s groin, too, but the damage had already been instated.
Maxwell
eventually scored a takedown and slugged away at a reeling Pulver
until the ref had to rescue Jens. The official stoppage came
at 4:54 of the first round. So, yes, Pulver was indeed a victim
of a TKO, but the groin shots could have been the deciding factor
in what caused it. That’s not to say that Maxwell would
have lost to Pulver had he not landed those groin shots, but
they played an important role in the outcome of the fight.
Now
where exactly do Pulver and Maxwell go from here? The deal with
Shooto might have evaporated by now with Pulver losing again.
That huge showdown with Gomi appears to be a mirage, much like
that rumored bout between two blokes named Ortiz and Liddell.
Does Pulver’s status near the top of the lightweight mountain
drop? Certainly. How could it not? He lost two consecutive fights,
the second time to a modest and unknown fighter who now boasts
a 4-3 record.
Ludwig,
Penn, Uno, Gomi, Sudo and Yves Edwards are certainly catapulted
far ahead of Pulver in the rankings now and it will take some
time and effort for Pulver to get his gameplan back on track.
It will assuredly take time for him to land a worthwhile deal
with some of the bigger shows like UCC or Shooto and it’s
doubtful that PRIDE or UFC will sign him anytime soon.
Pulver
will probably ink a deal with King of the Cage or stick with
HOOKnSHOOT, but the aura of invincibility has vanished. In fact,
it wouldn’t be too shocking if Pulver agrees to fight for
Lewis’ WFA.
Maxwell
is now on top of the world because of his remarkable victory.
He’s not the #1 lightweight in the world by any means, but
the win will have a profound impact on his career. If he doesn’t
jump ship from HOOKnSHOOT and sign on with a bigger organization,
he should at least become a featured attraction in future HOOKnSHOOT
cards. It’s not every day that someone comes along and takes
out Jens Pulver.
Most
of the time its best for fighters on a losing streak to time
some time off, regroup and go right back to the drawing board,
but in Pulver’s case, that shouldn’t be. He was knocked
out quickly by Ludwig, yes, but that happens to a ton of the
greatest fighters in history. One quick stoppage, fluke or otherwise,
doesn’t spell instant doom to one’s career.
However,
losing two straight fights in the same manner could. The loss
to Maxwell can and probably will be deemed controversial due
to the groin shots, so Pulver shouldn’t get too down on
himself for that.
And
with that said, Pulver must quickly get another fight ASAP, similar
to what airline pilots do when they are involved in a plane crash,
saying they survive. It’s been forever known that if an
airline pilot crashes or miscues a flight/landing/takeoff and
as long as said pilot doesn’t perish, he/she is forced to
return to man the airplane as soon as the pilot is fully recovered.
This way, the pilot can rid himself of the fears and anxiety
of going through another perilous incident.
Pulver
must do the same. The longer he remains inactive, if he chooses
to be, the longer it will take for him to shed the depression
and frustration of losing. The longer Pulver stays out of action,
the more likely he is to lose again.
Of
course, that’s not to say Jens isn’t down on himself
or will be inactive for a lengthy period of time. He could be
ready to fight next week, sign a contract and take on another
foe, with the loss nothing more than just water down a duck’s
back. But the best advice for Pulver is to comeback in a smaller
show, fight a lesser-known guy, fight like his career is on the
line and if he lands the victory, slowly move back into the lightweight
limelight. If he can muster up the winning formulas while staying
as active as possible, he might just land that mega fight with
Gomi or be asked to return to the UFC. Only time will tell, but
Pulver must act fast.
Source:
Sherdog
7/2/03
Quote
of the Day
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang
on."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Kaos
Returns!
July 27 2003 , War Memorial Gymnasium
Doors open at 6:00 pm
Fights Start 7:00 pm
General admission $25.00 and Ringside $35.00
Main Event 3 x 5 min rounds
Kaos Superfight Championship Belt
170lbs. Brandon Keen (GU) vs. Mike Labunan (MFC)
Ku
Kai'li Moku
"The God of War"
Award
Team
Oahu
3
x 3minute Rounds
Team
Maui
Dez Miner
205
Eddie
Seafross
Abe Rodrigues
155
Tyson
Naho'oikaika
Jim Kikuchi
145
Ed Joy
Tripson
Kerisiano
185
Kendall
Groves
Kyong
Song
145
Allan
Hinojosa
Dennis
Bohner
185
Kaniala
Joy
Stephen
Paling III
120
Jr. Baldron
Kickboxing
Shawn
Taylor
175
Kevin
Cabrera
Kaleo
Kaho'okelii
175
TBA
Hannah
Smith
Female
TBA
Kai Kamaka
III
55
Abe Rhinehart
Special Thanks to Ira Ho'okano, Fairtex Gear, Oica custom
printing, Hawaii411.com, Percision Lighting, Campos Towing, Phenom,
and I&I Sports.
Also
Grappling Magazine will be doing a 6 page coverage of the event
to help
give our local boys exsposure. The referee will be UFC ref Larry
Landless.
Source:
Promoter
CABBAGE
VS TANK TALKED ABOUT FOR NOVEMBER
MMAWeekly.com's John Harnett reports that a deal could be signed
very soon between Cabbage Correira and Tank Abbott for the UFC
in November.
Harnett
talked with a few different people and he has heard that Cabbage
has been offered the deal and he hopes to sign it within the
week. Correira has fought very well over the past five fights,
with his last win occuring in SuperBrawl last month.
Correira
in his last UFC performance defeated Shawn Alvarez in Miami at
UFC 42. Tank Abbott has flat our struggled as he is 0-2 in his
comeback fights, with a couple of embarrassing losses to Frank
Mir and Kimo.
This
will be the first fight for Tank against a stand up fighter since
his comeback in the UFC. The fight will hopefully come off in
November.
Source: MMA Weekly
Lister
Subs Sleeman to
Defend KOTC Middleweight Belt
SAN
JACINTO, Calif. -- Dean Lister, returning to the United States
a triumphant submission wizard having become the first American
to win the Abu Dhabi World Submission Championships’ absolute
tournament, had no problem catching tough guy Brian Sleeman in
a sneaky armbar just 1:14 of the first round of the three-round
title fight on Sunday night.
The
victory upped Lister’s record to 5-1-0 and marked the first
defense of his King of the Cage middleweight crown (though the
fight was listed at 195 pounds on the bout sheet) since winning
the belt August 2002 versus Brendan Seguin. Lister, reported
to have worked on his striking skills in San Diego’s City
Boxing, threw just one low kick during the fight’s short
duration. The 27-year-old didn’t need any more.
Sleeman,
always one to willingly war, stopped the first Lister takedown
effort and for the most part thwarted the second. However, Lister’s
submission game ranks amongst the world’s best and position
isn’t necessary for it to be effective. Controlling Sleeman
from the half-guard, Lister used underhooks -- in the form of
his legs and arms -- to force his challenger into his world.
From there it was academic.
Lister
worked his legs up Sleeman’s back, all the while waiting
for the perfect moment to secure an arm. That time came soon
enough and Lister maneuvered his legs into position while snaring
Sleeman’s right arm. An arch of his hips and Lister was
victorious by verbal tapout.
While
Lister won in a walkover, his bout was not the most anticipated
on the 13-bout card. That honor belonged to two protégés
of champion fighters. Making his American debut, Gustavo “Ximu”
Machado, flanked by Marco Ruas and Pedro Rizzo, stepped into
the cage versus Team Quest up-and-comer Nate Quarry, who had
UFC light heavyweight title holder Randy Couture as well as world-class
middleweight Dan Henderson cheering him on.
Quarry,
an atypical Team Quest fighter due to a lack of wrestling pedigree,
resembled Evan Tanner in the ring: chiseled, submission-savvy,
and a bit stiff though dangerous on his feet. Unlike Tanner’s
M.O., however, Quarry was forced to the mat in the early moments
of the first round.
Machado,
despite the top position, did little for the first half of round
one. As both men warmed up so did the action. Back on the feet
“Ximu” finally let go a salvo of fluid kicks, though
none presented any danger for Quarry.
The
Brazilian opened strongly in round two, scoring with a jab-straight
combination followed by another takedown. Again, Machado did
little inside his challenger’s guard except control position.
Hoping to incite action, referee Cecil Peoples stood the fighters
up two times during the period. Quarry, knowing his takedown
defense was ineffective against “Ximu,” unleashed a
Henderson-like right straight that almost instantly formed a
large mouse under the Brazilian’s left eye.
Despite
landing the best shot of the fight, Quarry was down on the judges’
scorecards heading into the final period. The action picked up
and several scrambles ensued. Quarry recovered from Machado’
takedowns and rolled his way out of heel hook attempts but in
the end he could not must an answer for the takedowns. All three
judges had it for “Ximu” by decision.
Fighting
at 205 pounds for the past six months has given Jason Lambert
a second lease on his fighting career. The strong wrestler appears
better at light heavyweight than his previous stint as a heavyweight,
and it showed in his contest with Brian Foster, a granite-chinned
no-nonsense KOTC veteran.
Following
an early takedown, Lambert grounded-and-pounded Foster from the
mount for much of the first period. Bloodied and battered, Foster
refused to give in to his stronger opponent. With moments remaining
in the first period Lambert swiveled for armbar from the mount;
a puzzling move considering it appeared he was on the verge of
finishing Foster.
The
switch in position allowed Foster a momentary respite from the
pummeling and he scored several heavy punches of his own after
escaping the submission try.
Again
in round two, Lambert controlled for nearly four and a half minutes
of the five-minute period. At no point did Foster stop punching,
though, bloodying Lambert’s nose with hammer fists from
the bottom. But in the end Lambert’s positioning and damaging
shots proved too much, winning a unanimous decision.
Returning
to action for the first time since April 2001 in which he decimated
Bao Quach, Michigan’s Greg Mayer once again tore through
an experienced and relatively tough Jamal Perkins. Mayer, a statue-sculpted multi-time
All-American wrestler in college, exploded out of the gate, catching
Perkins in an off-positioned
rear naked choke. With Perkins sprawled out face-first on the mat, Mayer tangled
his left arm around his opponent’s throat and cranked, torquing
Perkins’ head in the
air while his stomach was stuck to the mat. Seconds later, Perkins was out and Mayer
earned his second impressive victory in two outings.
Thomas
Denny used his size and strength advantage to stifle the more
technical Kyle Brees en route to a unanimous decision win. Training
with Team Oyama, Denny forced Brees to the mat several times
and effectively grounded-and-pounded during the 10-minute fight.
It was a good win for Denny, who’s trying to find some sort
of consistency in his game.
Randy
Velarde controlled Marcos Santos for five minutes before the
Brazilian quit in his corner between rounds.
Jeff
Newton and Allen Sullivan battled in the card’s most action-packed
contest. Using his Tae Kwon Doe skills, Newton peppered Sullivan’s
thighs with snapping kicks for much of the contest. Sullivan
endured throughout, content to wade past the punishment until
he could ground-and-pound from the top. The end came when Sullivan,
working for a leg lock of his own, was caught when he sloppily
let a leg dangle in Newton’s crosshairs. Sullivan tapped
out with just 54 seconds remaining in the fight.
Shad
Smith fired a flurry of unanswered strikes at a cornered Louie
Vaith until the referee was forced to stop the onslaught 3:53
of round one.
Wes
Combs scored a knockout after landing a leaping punch that appeared
to catch Raul Delgado on the way down. The shot dropped Delgado
on the spot 0:23 into the fight.
Alex
Rickards scored a textbook heelhook victory of Augie Garcia 2:08
of round one. Rickards took Garcia’s leg, fell back and
immediately started working on the submission. It took several
times, but the resulting submission forced Garcia to limp back
to the dressing room.
Chad
Davis battled back-and-forth with Kevin Cook for 10 minutes before
earning a split decision victory.
Buck
Meridith impressed in his KOTC debut by scoring a TKO of Harris Sariento 3:41 of round two.
Baki
submitted Kauai
Kupihea
when Kupihea went the wrong way
on a choke and had no choice but to tap from the guillotine 0:22
of round one.
Source:
Maxfighting
Eight
Men, Two Nights, A Lifetime of Glory
An In-Depth Look at the Pride Grand Prix
The
date was January 30th, 2000, and while 48,000 raucous fans filled
the Tokyo Dome, 16 fighters anxiously awaited the beginning of
the most lucrative Mixed Martial Arts tournament to date. The
eclectic field contained some of the sports most decorated athletes,
inclusive of but not limited to: Kazushi Sakuraba, Igor Vovchanchyn,
Mark Kerr, Enson Inoue, Royce Gracie, and Mark Coleman. Unlike
the rest of the aforementioned fighters, Coleman entered the
tournament with a variety of questions surrounding him. In between
Coleman’s victory over Dan Severn at UFC 12, and the Pride
Grand Prix, he had suffered convincing losses at the hands Maurice
Smith, Pete Williams, and Pedro Rizzo. His lone victory between
February of 1997, and January of 2000 was a rather lackluster
decision against the behemoth Brazilian Ricardo Morais. Nevertheless,
Coleman was able to recapture his old form, and use his patented
Ground-N-Pound
style to become the 2000 Pride Grand Prix Champion. Of course,
it is also important to note the fact that Coleman was the beneficiary
of a weak draw, a forfeit, and an opponent who was too physically
exhausted to cope with “The Hammer’s” strength.
While
Coleman’s victory placed him back at the top of the proverbial
MMA Mountain, the event as a whole solidified Pride’s place
as the top MMA Company in the world. With the financial woes
of Maeda’s RINGS, Pride would soon welcome an even larger
influx of talent, which in turn led to greater popularity. However,
the question over the last two years remained: Had the Pride
brass retracted on various promises of a second Grand Prix tournament,
or were they simply waiting for the most opportune time? Before
the untimely death of DSE President Morishita, it was announced
that 2003 would be the year of the Middleweight Grand Prix, with
a Heavyweight tournament scheduled for 2004. While this announcement
created tremendous anticipation, and excitement with fans around
the world, Pride officials remained tight-lipped as to the exact
venue, format, and participants.
On
the heels of two riveting cards, Pride General Manager Nobuhiko
Takada announced that the Grand Prix would begin with eight fighters,
and would be fought over the course of two separate nights. The
opening round is slated for August 10th, at the Saitama Superarena,
in Omiya, Japan. While Pride has had good success in drawing
consistently large crowds to this venue (27,500 seems to be the
median over the last 2 years), one might question why an event
of this magnitude would not be held in a larger venue, even in
its initial phase. I mean, the opening round of the 2000 event
was held at the Tokyo Dome, with the finals there in May as well.
Despite the fact that a baseball game is apparently scheduled
for the 10th in the Tokyo Dome, there should have been more flexibility
on Pride’s part as far as dates are concerned. It also appears
that National Stadium, where Pride ran the Shockwave show last
fall, was also booked for this specific date. While I can certainly
understand that the costs of running these venues are significantly
higher, the turnover in a live gate would be substantially greater.
When one factors in the absurdly priced tickets for a Pride show,
the difference between the 27,000 that routinely pack the Saitama
Super Arena, and the 77,000 that packed National Stadium for
Shockwave is quite striking. Now it should be said that Pride
enjoys a strong fan following in this region (the venue can also
increase its seating if need be), and perhaps they feel that
the real turnover will be seen in television ratings, and overseas
PPV buys. It could also be assumed that the Grand Prix Finals,
to be held in November at the Tokyo Dome, will be where Pride
will have the opportunity to once again break the 50,000 fan
mark. Though, it is interesting to note that the 2000 Grand Prix
Finals drew a reported 10,000 fans less than the Grand Prix Opening
Rounds.
Enough
talk about the logistics of the event, and onto the actual competitors
themselves. Just recently, Takada, and DSE President Nobuyuki
Sakakibara formally announced seven of the eight fighters for
this tournament. They are Ricardo Arona, Kazushi Sakuraba, Alistair
Overeem, Vanderlei Silva, Quinton Jackson, Chuck Liddell, and
Hidehiko Yoshida. The eighth, and final competitor will be announced
sometime in the near future. The speculation is that it may be
a member of the Gracie clan, with a majority feeling that Ryan
Gracie will be the representative. Other evidence may point to
a third Japanese entrant, in the form of either Pancrase star
Yuki Kondo, or Ex-RINGS star Kiyoshi Tamura. Whoever rounds out
this field, it will be the most star-studded MMA cast ever assembled.
The
first of the competitors that I would like to examine is the
grappling machine from the Brazilian Top Team, Ricardo Arona.
After another dominating performance in the Abu Dhabi Submission
Tournament, Arona is looking forward to concentrating solely
on his MMA career. Arona has an impressive record, and his lone
loss was to current Pride Heavyweight Champion, Fedor. Despite
the fact that all three judges voted for Fedor in that bout,
after rewatching the match several times, I feel that Arona deserved
at least a draw. Anyhow, what we know about Arona is that he
is a superb grappler, with incredible strength, and good submissions.
His stand-up skills are solid, but perhaps can be exploited if
someone can avoid the takedown or the clinch. One thing working
for Arona is that he trains with arguably the best team in the
world, and his strong cardio will certainly benefit him if he
is able to advance past the first round. The things that could
work against Arona are his lack of MMA activity in recent months,
alongside the draining effects of a recent bout with the flu.
Of course, he should be fully recovered by the time the bell
rings, but any slight hints of weakness could cost him.
I
do think that Arona is considered a favorite by many people because
of the fact that he always seems to parlay his methodical style
into decision victories, no matter the opponent. However, I feel
that there are certain match-ups that could hinder him. Silva,
Liddell, and Jackson all pose serious threats to Arona because
of their devastating striking skills, and strong takedown defense.
Arona may be able to get these three down but could he keep them
there for the duration of three rounds? I don’t think so.
I also think that Sakuraba could potentially pose a lot of problems
for Arona in the first round if he is physically fit, and motivated.
Sakuraba has a tendency to dictate the pace of a match, and with
his tremendous grappling ability; he may pose a multitude of
problems for the former
Abu
Dhabi Champion. Perhaps the most intriguing match-up for Arona
would be a first round affair with Japanese Judo Superstar Hidehiko
Yoshida.
Dutchman
Alistair Overeem, armed with his trademark hammer, will be looking
to impose his stand-up will on whomever he fights. Overeem, a
Golden Glory member, burst onto the scene in 1999, following
his brother, Valentijn, by competing in Maeda’s RINGS. Overeem’s
early results were mixed, but his real arrival came at Pride
24, when he scored a devastating TKO victory over highly touted
Volk Ajatev. Overeem has followed that up with a couple more
victories, and has not tasted defeat since 2000, when the much
larger Bobby Hoffman knocked him out. I like Alistair’s
game, and I think he has a lot more variety than many people
give him credit for, but I don’t know how he will match-up
with some of the other fighters in these brackets. It was originally
announced that Overeem was going to fight Rampage in the opening
round, but as of right now, it appears that the draw will be
completely random.
Overeem
stands 6’5, which makes him an anomaly in the Pride Middleweight
division. He has sharp knees, and an ever-improving ground game.
However, his size makes him susceptible to submissions, because
the longer the limbs of an individual, the easier to submit them
(ask Semmy Schilt). I think Overeem could potentially struggle
against the predominantly submission based fighters, and I also
believe that his stand-up isn’t on the level of Silva’s,
or Jackson’s. I also question whether Overeem’s takedown
defense is good enough to avoid the skills of Yoshida, Sakuraba,
or Arona, should he be placed opposite of them. In the end, I
do think Overeem will be a very dangerous first round opponent
for somebody, but his chances of winning the entire tournament
are seemingly slim.
Quinton
“Rampage” Jackson, of Team Oyama, is considered by
many as one of the most improved fighters of the last year. Rampage
has taken Pride by storm with a series of powerful performances
against high-level competition. While I am rather disappointed
not to see Rampage get his opportunity to fight Silva in a Superfight,
I feel he has a great opportunity to stake his claim as the top
205-pound fighter by winning this tournament. He has underrated
grappling skills, and is devastating with his hands and knees.
He also has a strong chin, which will prove valuable if he is
pitted against the likes of Silva, or Liddell.
The
key to Rampage’s success will be what path he has to take
to get to the final, and whether he brings strong cardio to the
table. If he faces Silva, Liddell, or Arona in the first round,
he may be in some trouble. Silva has quick hands, and may be
able to keep Rampage at bay with strong leg kicks. Liddell also
could pose a threat with his vast array of strikes, but I believe
Rampage is better suited to face him than Silva because of Silva’s
higher quality combinations. Arona may potentially be Rampage’s
most difficult opponent, in that he is competent enough to survive
on his feet against a barrage, and then attempt to take Rampage
down and submit him. Though, it should be noted that Kevin Randleman
had zero success taking the powerful Jackson down (it can also
be said that Randleman’s takedown attempts weren’t
his best). Again, I believe Jackson has as good a chance as any,
but the deciding factors will be his draw, and his cardiovascular
conditioning.
This
tournament also poses an opportunity for Vanderlei Silva to verify
his claim as the top 205-pound fighter in the world. Silva has
been on an incredible hot streak, but sees this tournament as
the only viable way to affirm himself as the top fighter in the
world. Silva is obviously a devastating striker, but his ground
game is also very solid. As exhibited by Silva-Sakuraba 2, he
will not be easy to submit, even if you are fortunate enough
to take him to the mat. While many feel that Silva is one of
the clear-cut favorites for this tournament (and rightly so),
I have to question whether his double knee surgery will be a
factor. These types of surgeries are quite major, and the performance
of athletes after them is rather unpredictable. Sure Silva trains
incredibly hard with his Chute Boxe teammates, but nothing can
simulate an actual 20-minute MMA fight.
If
Silva is given a tough first round opponent, I can see him struggling.
Liddell, Jackson, Sakuraba and Arona could all prove to be very
difficult tasks. If Silva is able to get past the first round
without any damage, I think he then can be considered the favorite
because of the three extra months between events. His cardio
is also a dangerous weapon if he can advance. Again, my biggest
question regarding Silva is not his skill level, but whether
he will have the flexibility, and agility in his legs.
UFC
Superstar Chuck Liddell has also thrown his hat into the Pride
ring. Liddell has the responsibility of representing his organization,
and himself. Liddell was widely considered the top 205-pound
fighter in the world until his devastating loss at the hands
of Randy Couture and the recent UFC 43 event. Liddell will be
highly motivated to make amends for his poor performance, and
will seek to prove that the UFC too employs some of the top fighters
in the world.
I
like Chuck a great deal, and feel his variety gives him a good
chance against anyone. However, I must question his psyche going
into a potential showdown with any of a number of these fighters.
How has he recovered mentally from the defeat at the hands of
Couture? His striking skills will obviously bother most of the
fighters in this tournament, but can he withstand being taken
down by a guy like Arona, Rampage, or Yoshida? Also, will fighting
in a ring, instead of the Octagon, play a role in his fights?
One could argue that he was successful against Guy Mezger, but
one time doesn’t necessarily mean he is accustomed to it.
Barring a miracle, Chuck will most likely have the most difficult
road of any fighter to the finals, but if anyone can persevere
it’d be him. Unless Liddell has long-term plans to fight
for Pride, I doubt they would like him to come out as the champion.
Former
Judo Olympic Gold Medalist, and 3-time World Judo Champion Hidehiko
Yoshida will look to preserve his undefeated record in MMA. Yoshida
is probably one of the most controversial figures in MMA at the
moment, due chiefly to a poor referee’s stoppage against
Royce Gracie. He also holds submission victories over Don Frye,
and Masaaki Satake. The latter was probably expected, as Satake
had only one win in his failed crossover attempt to MMA, but
the former has caused a lot of speculation. Now, I have watched
shoot-style Japanese Pro-Wrestling for a very long time, so I
think I accurately could see a work. While Frye did not strike,
or grapple very effectively, I feel those were simply a byproducts
of Yoshida’s complex game.
What
we do know is that Yoshida has simply devastating throws, with
the traditional Uchimata being his favorite (he is probably one
of the greatest in competitive Judo history at this move). While
it may be difficult to adapt to an opponent without a Gi, Yoshida
will certainly take advantage of his own to apply various chokes.
What we have seen of Yoshida’s ground attack is very good.
Even with the controversial stoppage against Gracie, no one doubted
that Yoshida was competent on the mat. In my opinion, had the
match been restarted or continued with Yoshida attempting to
apply sleeve choke, the end result would’ve been the same.
Nevertheless, the potential opponents in this Grand Prix pose
different types of problems for the former Olympic Champion.
Firstly, we do not know what kind of striking, if any, Yoshida
brings to the table. When one competes in Judo at such a high
level for his whole life, he simply does not have time to train
in various striking techniques. Can Yoshida be capable in the
stand-up having only his recent training to fall back on? I don’t
think so, but if he is able to take any of the aforementioned
fighters to the mat, the issue may become obsolete. Secondly,
how will Yoshida react to being struck in the face? As is evidenced
in his pupil Nakamura’s match with Rogerio Nogueira, adapting
to full on MMA rules can be difficult. Yet, getting the perception
that Yoshida cannot endure pain is dangerous. After all, this
is a man that has suffered some hideous fractures in Judo matches,
and has always shown tremendous heart while competing. The most
intriguing match-up for Yoshida must be Arona, in that they both
have distinct, yet effective grappling style. If Yoshida draws
any of the predominant strikers, he may have his work cut out
for him. But if he can figure out a way to either incorporate
his throws (especially the Uchimata), or impose his style on
an opponent, he has a chance to do very well.
I
purposefully left the final fighter, Kazushi Sakuraba, for last,
since not many people seem to be giving him a legitimate chance.
Sakuraba has transcended what it means to be a MMA competitor,
and is for my money, the most entertaining fighter to ever compete
in MMA. Sakuraba had tremendous success in the 2000 Grand Prix,
and may have advanced further if he hadn’t fought 90 minutes
with Royce Gracie. This time around, Sakuraba is coming off of
the worst loss of his career, a stunning KO loss at the hands
of Nino Schembri. However, Sakuraba was throwing crisp strikes
until the freak knockout about “Elvis.” Some say that
age, injuries, drinking, smoking, and lack of desire have caught
up to Sakuraba in his last 4 fights. I am of the opinion that
the nagging injuries, and bad fortune are what has caused him
to lose three of his last 4 fights. I mean, in both the second
Silva match, and the CroCop match, Sakuraba had opportunities
to win the fight (many have argued that he was dead even in both
matches until injury stoppages). Had Sakuraba been able to win
either of those matches, we wouldn’t even be considering
him as a potential “has-been” but as the favorite.
Sakuraba
will have a difficult road ahead of him, but if he is healthy,
and motivated, he can defeat any fighter on any night. He has
an underrated striking game, and is obviously very fluid on the
ground. Even if he draws one of the strikers in the first round,
his tremendous wrestling skills will allow him to take the fight
to the mat. I can only see a parallel between Sakuraba and Mark
Coleman, in that the same cloud of doubt was encircling Coleman’s
head before his 2000 triumph. Will Sakuraba also accomplish the
same feat? Perhaps not, but to discount him as a secondary favorite
to Liddell, Jackson, or Silva, is a big mistake.
While
many people seem to believe that Jackson, and Silva are the clear-cut
favorites, I’m not sure that is the case. Tournaments like
this have so many unforeseen variables, that anyone that has
ability could potentially come out the winner. In the end, the
true winners in all of this will be both Pride, who could potentially
make a lot of money from these shows, and the fans, who finally
get to fulfill their craving for top-notch action.
Source: MMA Weekly
Catching
Up With YVES EDWARDS
We caught up with new father Yves Edwards, and as usual, he sounds
cool and collected.
Coming
off a stellar performance in the last UFC, Yves is looking to
stay active, and it appears that he has an offer for a potential
match in SHOOTO.
The
opponent is said to be Tatsuya Kawajiri (8-2-1, ranked 5th) and
it appears that the match is in the works for the August-Spetember
match. Kawajiri comes off a big win at the end of May, KOing
Takumi Nakayama, raising him to 5 in the rankings.
Nothing
is definite, but with the UFC card for September becoming set,
Edwards does not want to wait until November or later to fight.
Edwards
wants to fight in SHOOTO, we will see if the deal materializes.
Source:
ADCC
Catching
Up with ALEX STEIBLING
Alex
Steibling has been training in Salt Lake City, Ut. and he continues
to take aim at PRIDE and the upcoing August Grand Prix. 'I want
to hear from PRIDE, I want in their Grand Prix' states Steibling.
'If I don't get in, you will see me fighting everywhere! I will
be fighting again, even once a month' states the outspoken star.
In
November of 2001, Steibling captured the ICV Venezuela 16 man
tournament, winning 4 fights in 1 day. This catapulted him to
PRIDE, where upset wins over Alan Goes and Wallid Ismael gave
him the 'Brazilian Killer' nickname and left him on top of the
MMA world. The last year has seen Steibling's star lose it's
luster a bit, going on a 4 fight losing streak against top competition.
Nevertheless, Steibling remains 100% committed to fighting.
Steibling
raves about his facilities in Utah. 'If people could see this
gym, they would DEFINITELY be out here to train'. MMA artist
Griffin Reynaud
Alex
has spent the last year just training and he invites anyone in
the area to hook up and train. Anyone interested in hooking up
and staying for some serious training is welcome as well - get
in touch!
School
Name:
Walt Bayless Combat JJ - 801-273-0772
Salt Lake City, UT.
Source:
ADCC
7/1/03
Quote
of the Day
"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves
of strength that will endure as long as life lasts."
Rachel Carson
Ortiz
vs. Couture Signed;
UFC Light Heavyweight Title to be Unified in September
MaxFighting has learned that UFC light heavyweight champion Tito
Ortiz and newly crowned UFC "interim" light heavyweight
champ Randy Couture will step into the Octagon on September 26
to unify the division's title. Though Zuffa president Dana White
could not comment except to say there would be an announcement
on Wednesday announcing plans for the September card, it's believed
that Ortiz, absent in the ring because of injury and contract
squabbles since November, has signed on the dotted line following
several months of contentious negotiations, which saw both sides
played out in the media.
Couture,
meanwhile, is the UFC's only three-time champion, having just
won his light heavyweight crown on June 6 versus Chuck Liddell
-- the man Ortiz was intended to face for the past two years.
Speaking to Couture last night after he was on hand to corner
two fighters at the King of the Cage, the "Natural"
expressed excitement for the September showdown.
Ortiz's
signing comes at the last minute. Just days earlier MaxFighting
reported that Zuffa had called Vitor Belfort to offer him the
bout versus Couture. That appears, however, to have been a back-up
plan. Following further discussions between Zuffa and Ortiz's
people, the "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" apparently signed
during the day Sunday. Terms of the deal are not known at this
time.
Source:
Maxfighting
The
Secret Weapon Takes on Rush!
TKO LAUNCHES WITH AN ULTIMATE MAIN EVENT!
(Montreal,
Canada) – The anticipation has been building for months
and the suspense is finally over as TKO finally announces GEORGES
"RUSH" ST-PIERRE's opponent for TKO's Ultimate RushTM:
Texas's own PETE "THE SECRET WEAPON" SPRATT, one of
the best strikers in the game, who just recently defeated UFC's
phenom Robbie Lawler in Miami, Florida. "This will be a
great fight, as a fan I'm really looking forwardto this one;
it will be a war" said TKO president Stephane Patry. "This
will be St-Pierre's biggest test, and a chance for Pete Spratt
to show why he's one of the most dominant welterweight fighters
in the world right now – the perfect example of a striker
vs. grappler war – it will definitely be an Ultimate Rush
for the fans when these two collide!" added Patry.
TKO
13: Ultimate RushTM will feature 9 bouts including one World
championship fight and three Canadian championship bouts. Die-Hard
fans will also have the chance to see some of the hottest future
stars in Canadian MMA as TKO will present an extra 8 undercard
bouts from 5pm to 7h30pm – just before the start of the
main Pay-per-view card! A total of 16 action-packed MMA bouts
in ONE NIGHT! TICKETS ON SALE RIGHT NOW ON THE ADMISSION NETWORK
(514-790-1245) and on www.admission.com
COMPLETE
LINEUP – TKO 13: ULTIMATE RUSHTM
MAIN EVENT – ULTIMATE RUSH
PETE SPRATT vs. GEORGES ST-PIERRE
CANADIAN MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SEAN PIERSON vs. STEVE VIGNEAULT
WORLD SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
RYAN DIAZ vs. IVAN MENJIVAR
CANADIAN LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
KULTAR GILL vs. DAVE GOULET
CANADIAN SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
SHAWN DAVIDSON vs. MARK HOMINICK
MIDDLEWEIGHT SUPERFIGHT
DENIS KANG vs. STEPHAN POTVIN
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT SUPERFIGHT
CAMERON BROWN vs. KRISTOF MIDOUX
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT SUPERFIGHT
PATRICK COTE vs. YAN PELLERIN
LIGHTWEIGHT SUPERFIGHT
BLAKE FREDRICKSON vs. DONALD OUIMET
PROUDLY
BRINGING TO YOU THE BEST IN MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
Source: FCF
DEEP
10th IMPACT in KORAKUEN HALL
By Yoshinori Ihara (www.boutreview.com ) (June 26, 2003)
Main event 77kg 5min 3R
Hayato Sakurai def. Dave Menne by TKO (Doctor stop) in 2R 2'02"
Sakurai
took Menne to the ground first, but Menne reversed soon and punched
from top. Sakurai took open-guard and Menne countered by going
for a heel hook. However, Sakurai quickly escaped and once again
gained top position. In the stand game Sakurai used knee attacks
effectively. The second round of the fight saw Sakurai deeply
cut Menne's left cheek with a knee. The doctor was forced to
stop the fight 2:02 of the second period. Many PRIDE fighters
as well as UFC president Dana White were in attendence after
the press conference for the PRIDE Grand Prix.
Source: Maxfighting
BENNETT
BREAKS IT DOWN: TITO, VITOR OR RANDY?
It's the most asked question I get right now. Who will Randy
Couture face Vitor Belfort or Tito Ortiz? It's a great question
and it's one I really don't have an answer for. It makes it just
that much more confusing especially if you read Saturday's News
where MMAWeekly talked about the story about Tito and the UFC
trying to work out a deal. Apparently negotiations stalled on
Friday between Tito and the UFC and it looks like Vitor Belfort
is interested in fighting Couture in September.
So
is it Belfort that will get the shot? I think it's a bit too
early to assume that. I don't have any secret insider information.
I'm actually on vacation by the time you read this, so I'm not
in the loop, but I have a gut feeling Tito is ready to fight
again and when the dust settles I think Tito will face Couture
when it's all said and done. I think Ortiz has had a good time
doing the movie thing, but now it's time to go to work and one
would think he will need to return to work before November.
Why
you ask? I'm not sure how Tito's contract is broken down, but
I do know we had a former UFC Champion, Murilo Bustamante who
had a year to defend his title before he would be stripped. I
don't know if Tito has a different contract or not, but one would
think if he doesn't fight in September or November that the same
thing COULD apply to his contract.
I
have no problem if Vitor gets the call, because I thing the storyline
is awesome that we see a rematch between two fighters who last
fought back in 1997, when Vitor was just 20 years old. Couture
wasn't supposed to have a chance, was a heavy underdog and fight
an amazing techinical fight and won. Sounds familiar doesn't
it? A lot has changed since Couture won that epic match up and
I look forward to a rematch if that's what Zuffa decides to do.
Now
to the emails....
"Do
you think the UFC is almost done like some reports on the internet
suggest?" Mike Daimon - Davenport Iowa
I
don't think the UFC is going under anytime soon. I remember an
interview I did with Dana White almost a year ago. He basically
said they were in this for the long haul and at the time they
had a five year plan to get this sport "on the map."
Right now they are basically two and a half years into the plan
and I think if they can get on television things will turn around
in a hurry. If they don't get a television deal soon, then I
think the UFC could be in some trouble.
"I
see the UFC on the Sunshine Network. Do you think any other television
networks will pick up the UFC? Kevin Gardocki - Bronx, NY
Well
Kevin as you probably know they have done some things in your
neck of the woods with Empire Sports and I believe the NESN sports
network, as those networks back east air UFC programming. The
one positive thing that I mentioned a few months ago, is when
certain TV. Executives watch what the "competition"
is doing, in this case, rival networks; people watch to see the
professionalism of the product. The weekly shows that the UFC
have produced for these networks is first class. I remember watching
the UFC shows on Fox thinking, this is EXACTLY what the sport
needs.
These
three networks that currently air UFC programming, will give
us a shot in the arm, as these three networks are the gateway
to getting the UFC on bigger networks, mainly NATIONAL networks.
I think the one thing that the fans did a killer job was to jump
on the emails with the new Spike TV/The New TNN network. When
TV executives ask fans to email them with what they want to see,
they aren't doing it just for the hell of it. They really want
to know what you want to see.
From
all accounts, the mass email campaign done by the MMA fans, has
made the TNN executives take note and it seems their is legit
interest by TNN about possibly picking up the UFC somewhere down
the road. I don't know where the UFC stands on the deal as of
today. I don't know if they are talking about a TV deal, I don't
know if they have had any negotiations, but this is what I do
know. When a network is starting to ask questions about your
product that is a great sign and it could definitely breathe
some life into our sport IF we can get some sort of national
TV deal. If we can't, then the sport will definitely be in trouble.
"Is
Butterbean a legit thread in K-1?" Jed Cowan - Spokane,
Washington
Jed
long time no hear, feel free to use something called email from
time to time. Butterbean in my opinion could give certain fighters
some problems, but to answer your question no his not a legit
threat in K-1 even though he won over the weekend.
Here's
the interesting part. I do think he could hang with Bob Sapp
under K-1 rules. Remember most people didn't think Sapp could
actually KO Ernesto Hoost with limited tools. Sapp showed in
his K-1 performance that a guy with legit power, like Butterbean
has a punchers chance against the upper echleon fighters. He
still can't beat the top flight guys in my opinion, but I think
he COULD beat Bob Sapp.
Source: MMA Weekly
RANDY
COUTURE STILL GOING STRONG AT 40
He shocked the world with another impressive win, this time against
Chuck Liddell. So what is next for one of the best MMA fighters
in our time? It looks like either Vitor Belfort or Tito Ortiz.
MMAWeekly's Ivan Trembow transcribes this week's interview that
took place on MMAWeekly Radio with Ryan Bennett and Randy Couture.
Ryan
Bennett: You're probably smiling right about now, aren't you?
Randy
Couture: Yeah, but I'm always smiling.
Ryan:
That's true, but you probably have a little bit more bounce in
your step because here's this 40-year-old guy who wasn't supposed
to do what we all saw you do in the ring at UFC 43. Did you know
that you're 40 years old and not supposed to be this good? (laughs)
Randy:
(laughs) No, I haven't figured that out yet.
Ryan:
One of the comparisons I made in Vegas before the fight was comparing
your fight with Chuck Liddell to the Ken Shamrock-Tito Ortiz
fight. Ken Shamrock was cutting weight, he was an older guy,
and I thought you would have some problems cutting weight. How
good did it feel to be fighting at 205 pounds?
Randy:
It felt really good. It was nice to be competing against someone
who was close to my own size. I think the biggest area where
it showed was the ability to take Chuck down. You know, just
the ability to pick a guy up for a change. Giving up 20 or 30
pounds really makes a big difference in being able to take someone
down.
Ryan:
I know Chuck Liddell is one of the bigger light-heavyweights
and probably walks around at the same weight you do, but you
seemed really comfortable out there with someone who was smaller
than the fighters you usually face.
Randy:
I was really comfortable, and our gameplan was perfect. I don't
think Chuck was really able to catch his balance and figure out
what to do with me when I came out throwing punches. So it worked
out really well for me, and I think the weight class suits me
very well.
Ryan:
How did you and your team come up with that gameplan?
Randy:
Well, we put together a tape of about six or seven of Chuck's
fights. We just watched the tape and looked at what Chuck was
doing, and looked at what his opponents were doing to see how
he was able to do so well and win nine fights in a row. We noticed
a couple of things. First of all, we noticed that just about
every guy Chuck fought let him control the tempo and the distance,
and sort of pick his shots of when he wanted to come in and strike.
He's a really good striker who has knocked a lot of people out
with his right hand, which he sets up with a long left hook.
We also noticed that in the fight with Guy Mezger, it took Chuck
a while to sort of get into the groove of things, and Guy was
dominating the first ten minutes of the fight before he got knocked
out. Guy was able to do so well because he came at him and pressed
the fight early. So, knowing that, we came up with the gameplan
of trying to hunt him down and cut off the ring and get in his
face. Every time we got in range, I wanted to hit him before
he had a chance to hit me. And also, just making sure not to
be distracted by the left hook and watching out for the big right
hand that you know is really going to hurt you if it lands.
Ryan:
I know you respect Chuck Liddell a lot, and I know he respects
you a lot based on the statement he released after the fight.
Do you empathize with Chuck knowing that he waited two years
to get a fight with Tito Ortiz and now he may never get that
chance?
Randy:
Of course I do. He deserves that fight and has worked very hard
to get that fight. I think Chuck deserves a title shot, and I
think he's a champion any way you look at it. Chuck has done
a lot of awesome things for this sport and is a perfect example
of the kind of great athletes that we have in this sport.
Ryan:
Does it get to you at all to have a ring entrance without much
fanfare where it's pretty much, "Here's Randy Couture"
and then Chuck Liddell have this big, giant ring entrance? Does
that kind of thing affect you mentally in any way?
Randy:
I've been in that situation before. I've been the underdog before,
and in some situations I've been the guy where management is
backing one guy and I'm the other guy. I wasn't really surprised,
and it doesn't bother me. That's not what I'm there for. I'm
there to just do my thing, and I don't really pay attention to
the ring entrances. I did watch the intro, but I didn't really
listen to it because I knew there was going to be a pyro going
off and I had my fingers in my ears. But Chuck deserves all of
the accolades that he has ever gotten. He earned that spot. He
earned that recognition, and it didn't bother me a bit.
Ryan:
Now you're in a situation where you have to sit back and see
whether Tito Ortiz is going to step up to the plate and fight,
or whether you're going to be fighting some guy named Vitor Belfort
who looked absolutely sensational in his comeback fight at UFC
43. I know you want to fight both of those guys, but what is
your mindset right now and what do you think is going to happen?
Randy:
I just have no idea. I don't know at this point what Tito is
going to do, and my wish is certainly that he steps up and fights
me. But if he doesn't, he doesn't. He has to do what he thinks
is best for him, and I don't have to like it or understand it.
If it's Belfort, that would be a great fight too. He has come
a long way as a fighter since the first time we fought, and so
have I, so it would be an interesting match-up and an exciting
fight.
Ryan:
Hypothetically speaking, if you ever did fight Tito Ortiz, what
advantages do you think you would have over him? Do you think
you would have an advantage in striking since you've beaten so
many great strikers in the past?
Randy:
Tito is such a well-rounded fighter and he has done a phenomenal
job in the Octagon. We started in the UFC on the same night back
at UFC 13, and I've seen him come along, and he has seen me come
along since then. I don't think he really has a weakness that
I can exploit. If there's any area where I might have an advantage,
I think it would be in the clinch, in the standing position.
I think I would be comfortable standing up with him, but then
again, just when you start thinking in a fight that you're going
to knock somebody out, that's usually when they take your legs
out from under you and put you on your ass... and then you're
fighting from your back, and it's a completely different fight.
Ryan:
Do you think you would end up on your back at some point if you
ever fought Tito?
Randy:
Well, I ended up on my back in my last two heavyweight fights.
So the process kind of started from there of being able to be
a fighter on my back... being able to protect myself and being
able to scramble better. I've been working on that quite a bit.
It's an ongoing process like everything else in the fight game
where you just try to get better at it all the time. It's just
a matter of being comfortable and being able to operate in that
position during a fight. Being on my back would certainly be
a possibility if I fought Tito Ortiz because he has great takedown
skills and mixes up his attacks a lot, but the nice thing would
be that I wouldn't be giving up 30 or 40 pounds. Tito is about
the same size as I am, so I would want to be able to move him
and create scrambles and work from the bottom effectively.
Ryan:
Was Chuck as difficult to take down and keep down as everyone
said he was going to be?
Randy:
Yeah, he was. We had watched so much tape on him and worked on
certain transitions and techniques that we thought were going
to work, and a lot of them didn't work that well. He was hard
as hell to keep down. I was a little surprised that I wasn't
able to capture that far-side arm and pull that out from under
him to keep him down. He just kept working his way back up.
Ryan:
What does he do that makes it so hard to keep him down?
Randy:
He scrambles to the half-guard position, he circles back up,
and he gets that far-side arm underneath him so he can get his
head higher. And then if you try to force him back down, he just
keeps getting up. He uses the fence well, and he's got some great
wrestling skills and scrambling ability.
Ryan:
You've had a lot of times where not many people thought you were
going to win, like your first fight against Pedro Rizzo, your
fight with Vitor Belfort, and this fight with Chuck Liddell.
What keeps you motivated at age 40? How do you continue to do
it at this stage in your career?
Randy:
I just seem to operate really well being the underdog. I don't
know if it's a pressure thing, where being the underdog alleviates
some of that pressure. No one really expects you to win, so you
can just go out there and compete the way you've been trained
to compete. And I think the thing that keeps me going at age
40 is that I'm still progressing as a fighter. I'm learning new
skills all the time, I'm refining my game, and I'm moving forward.
The biggest thing is probably the people you get to meet. The
fans are great, and all of the friends I've made in this sport
are just phenomenal.
Ryan:
How tough was it for you physically to cut weight down to 205
pounds?
Randy:
The last real weight-cutting I did before that was back in 1996
when I was cutting down to 198 pounds in amateur wrestling. I
was doing that for eight years. And this time cutting down to
205 pounds, it came off surprisingly easy. I increased the amount
of running I was doing and modified my diet just a little bit.
I was still eating pretty normally and I ate a lot of good stuff.
I didn't really have to struggle with it at all. I came down
to right under 215, which is right where I wanted to be before
the weigh-in where I would have to weigh 205. I mean, on that
last day before the weigh-in, I only had to cut about six pounds.
You generally lose more than that in a good work-out. I'm in
a good position because I work out twice a day, or three times
if I need to. The average person on the street working a 9-to-5
job probably doesn't get a chance to work out more than once
a day, so I feel really fortunate to be able to work out as much
as I do. Working out and staying in shape kind of is my job on
a day-to-day basis.
Ryan:
Who would you personally like to fight next or in the future?
Randy:
There are a lot of guys out there. Other than Tito and Vitor...
I don't know if Ken Shamrock would be interested in coming back
down to 205 pounds, but I would love to fight him. He's a huge
name from the past, and a lot of people would be interested in
seeing that fight. Vanderlei Silva... he got a decision over
(Team Quest teammate) Dan Henderson, and I wouldn't mind getting
in there with him and paying him back for that fight. There are
a lot of guys out there, and who I fight just depends on how
it plays out and what happens.
