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November
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9/25/04
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8/15/04
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(MMA)
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7/24/04
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July 9-12
BJJ
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(BJJ)
(SESC gym, Salvador, Brazil)
6/20/04
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(MMA)
(Japan)
May
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(Kickboxing)
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Bushido 3
(MMA)
(Yokohama Arena, Japan)
5/7/04
Rumble On The Rock
5
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
5/2/04
Ring of Honor 5
(Sub Grappling)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
4/30/04
Punishment
in Paradise 3
(MMA)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
4/25/04
Pride Heavyweight
Grand Prix
(MMA)
(Japan)
4/24 /04
Warriors
of the Ring 6
(MMA)
(Wailuku, Maui)
5th Hawaiian Champioships of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
(BJJ)
(Honolulu, HI)
4/18/04
The Pride of Martial Arts Tournament
(Sport
Jiujitsu, G3 Kickboxing, Extreme Sparring & Submission Grappling)
(Kam H.S. Gym)
4/17/04
Kona MMA Event
(MMA)
(Kona, HI)
4/16/04
Super
Brawl 35
(MMA)
(Blaisdell Arena)
4/9/04
Ring
of Honor 4
( Kickboxing/MMA)
(Campbell H.S. Gym)
4/3-4/04
Pan American BJJ
Tournament
(BJJ)
(California State University Gym, Dominguez Hills, Carson (Los
Angeles), CA) |
|
April 2004 News
Part 1
Wednesday
night and Sunday classes (w/ a kids' class) now offered!
Tuesdays at 6:00PM on
Olelo Channel 52 |
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Quote
of the Day
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Nick
G. Please resend me your email.
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Ring
of Honor Results
Campbell High School Gym, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
February 9, 2004
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
This
was a marathon of fights, 16 matches total, consisting of kickboxing
and MMA matches. The kickboxing matches pitted fighters from
many different schools, some of which have either not participated
in a kickboxing event or have not entered so many fighters from
their gym. All the fights were amateur bouts, but you probably
would not have been able to tell that from the talent. Versola
and Matila had a wild first round that had the whole gym on the
edge of their seats as these two warriors unloaded on each other.
The second round slowed a bit and by the third both men were
gassed out, but still found the energy to hammer each other at
every opportunity. MMA fighter Tyson Naho'oikaika from Maui stepped
up to fight Joseph Cooley in a kickboxing match. Naho'oikaika
won the match by unanimous decision, but Cooley took the upper
hand away from Naho'oikaika at times in every round. Tyson showed
great technique by slipping punches and firing back with counters.
"G-Money" Arevalo and Tyson Nam showed the crowd how
much energy and lightning quick strikes the small men have. Both
men put together great punch-kick combinations and kept up the
pace for all three rounds. MMA fighters Mark Moreno and Harris
Sarmiento also stepped into the kickboxing ring to take on two
tough opponents. Both fights went the distance and showcased
why it is always a good thing to have a solid stand up game when
fighting in MMA. It was great seeing so many fighters from so
many different schools in one event, where their fighters were
evenly matched, making for great fights.
Exhibition:
Kickboxing: 3 Rounds X 45 Seconds
Tristin Kamaka (808 Fight Factory) draw Triston Pebria (Ewa Beach
Fight Club)
Kickboxing:
3 Rounds X 1 Minute
Caleb Price (808 Fight Factory) def. Tad Saiki (Gee Yung)
TKO via injury default due to separated shoulder after the end
of the 2nd Round.
Kickboxing:
3 Rounds X 1 Minute
Joshua Versola (Advanced Kempo-Karate Systems) def. Jesse Matila
(HMC)
Split decision [(28-29), (28-29), (29-26)] after 3 rounds.
Kickboxing:
3 Rounds X 1.5 Minutes
Brandon Antonio (Jesus Is Lord) def. Eddie Lee (Gee Yung)
TKO via injury default due to separated shoulder at 34 seconds
in Round 2.
Exhibition:
Kickboxing: 3 Rounds X 1.5 Minutes
Cory Ferriera (808 Fight Factory) draw Keith Kugiyama (Gee Yung)
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
James Vincent (Kodenkan) def. Kimo Lee (Freelance)
Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 3 rounds
Kickboxing:
3 Rounds X 1.5 Minutes
Jason Simon (HMC) def. Ron Foster (808 Fight Factory)
TKO via referee stoppage at 1:05 minutes in Round 3.
Kickboxing:
3 Rounds X 1.5 Minutes
Tyson Naho'oikaika (Wailuku Kickboxing) def. Joseph Cooley (Advanced
Kempo-Karate Systems)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (30-27), (30-26)] after 3 Rounds.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Jeff Clark (The Garage) def. Chaian Alesna (Freelance)
TKO via injury (broken nose) in Round 1.
Kickboxing:
3 Rounds X 1.5 Minutes
Frank Robello (Advanced Kempo-Karate Systems) def. Alex Zarriello
(Gee Yung)
Unanimous decision [(30-28), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Kevin Delima (Bulls Pen) def. Allan Slate (Ewa Beach Fight Club)
Submission via rear naked choke at 2:16 minutes in Round 1.
Kickboxing:
3 Rounds X 1.5 Minutes
Gerald "G Money" Arevalo (808 Fight Factory) drew Tyson
Nam (Gee Yung)
Draw [(30-28), (28-29), (29-29)] after 3 rounds.
MMA:
2 Rounds X 3 Minutes
Casey Daniels (Kodenkan) def. Tosh Cook (New Era Martial Arts)
Split decision [(20-19), (19-20), (20-19)] after 2 rounds.
Kickboxing:
3 Rounds X 1.5 Minutes
Molly "Mol-inator" Helsel (Jeet Kune Do) vs. Jessica
Trevino (New Era Martial Arts)
Unanimous decision [(30-27), (29-28), (30-28)] after 3 rounds.
Semi-Main
Event:
Exhibition: Kickboxing: 3 Rounds X 1.5 Minutes
Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen) drew Zack Elezario (Wailuku Kickboxing)
Main
Event:
Kickboxing: 3 Rounds X 1.5 Minutes
Harris Sarmiento (808 Fight Factory) def. Shuji Yamauchi (The
Garage)
Unanimous decision [(30-28), (30-26), (29-24)] after 3 rounds. |
IS
PENN THE NEXT CHAMP TO
LEAVE THE UFC?
It's been a bizarre week for the UFC. After a very successful
pay per view at UFC 47, there has been some backlash about the
Tim Sylvia situation, but now comes word that UFC Champion BJ Penn has signed a fight
in K-1 for May.
While
K-1 is excited by the fact that BJ Penn would be joining them,
don't believe it just yet. Look for a legal battle to ensue and
don't look for Penn fighting anywhere but the Octagon in the
upcoming months.
MMAWeekly
could not get in contact with Penn or his manager yesterday to
get an official comment, but MMAWeekly has learned that the main
reason Penn wants out, is of course, the money.
It's
believed that Penn wants Hughes type of money. Hughes made $55,000
to show and $55,000 to win on his latest UFC contract. Penn on
the other hand made little less than half that number as he made
$25,000 to show and $25,000 to win against Hughes.
While
Penn wants more money, the bigger problem right now is the fact
that he is under contract with the UFC. In recent months, Zuffa
has put together new championship contract clauses that as long
as you're the champion, you can only fight in the UFC. This was
done to try and avoid the previous embarrasments of current champions
like Jens Pulver and Murilo Bustamante being stripped for not
defending their belts in the UFC. Both fighters went overseas
to try and make more money.
For
Pulver, he left because he was at the end of the contract. He
wanted more money, didn't get it and left. Bustamante came to
an end of a contract and instead of fighting, sat out a year
to get his release from the UFC.
This
situation is different because Penn is still under contract according
to some insiders, which means it will be very difficult for him
to sign any other contract than a UFC deal. He wouldn't be able
to sit out a year like Murilo did because Bustamante was at the
end of a deal.
Penn
has yet to comment publicly about the deal. We hope to have more
about the situation this weekend.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Post
fight with Yves Edwards
by: Joseph Cunliffe
The Woodlands,
TX -- Yves Edwards is on a 5-win streak defeating Hermes Franca
a week ago at “UFC 47: It’s On!” The Third Column
fighter earned the Split Decision win over the American Top Team
fighter in their lightweight fight at the Mandalay Bay Events
Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Suggested to be a qualifier fight,
Edwards may now face Josh Thomson of Team AKA for the vacant
UFC lightweight championship. The Thugjitsu specialist is now
5-2 in the UFC and feels having a (UFC) lightweight champion
will be good for the sport. A good striker, Edwards is also well
versed on the ground and feels his style matches up well with
that of Thomson to make for an exciting fight. The 27-year-old
is the most active of the UFC lightweight roster with over 50
amateur and professional fights to his record.
JC:
Congratulations on your win, Yves! YE: Thank you. I appreciate
it.
JC:
What was your reaction when Bruce Buffer announced you as the
Split Decision winner? YE: I felt pretty good. I knew it was
going to be close that it was going to be split or a draw...
it just depended on the Judges. I was pretty excited! I know
I won the first round and he won the second round. I felt like
I pulled it off and I was hoping they saw I was trying to push
the action in the third round.
JC:
So, we agree that Round 1 & 2 was clear? YE: Yeah, definitely.
I knew I had the first round and after I watched it on tape I
knew I lost the second round, but I thought it was worse then
it actually was. It didn’t look so bad on tape. He had position
and submission attempts. He had me at his will for a good part
of the round, but it wasn’t a totally dominating round it
was just a pretty solid 10-9 round for him.
JC:
What made Round 3 yours? YE: I think the fact that he did get
one take down, but I escaped, then every other take down I was
on top throwing punches at him the whole time. He was the one
defending. His submission attempts didn’t really come through
and he was trying to defend himself from the punches. I think
the punches are what gave me the third round. The submission
attempts were not as effective as they were in the second round.
JC:
If you could do something over in the fight what would it be?
YE: In the second round I didn’t feel winded, but I felt
him pressing his position a lot better. I would probably have
tried to create more of a scramble in the second round. From
half guard he started looking for leg locks. I think I would
have tried to not just defend the leg locks or pass his half
guard, but try to pull everything back out and make him stand
up with me again because after he got that takedown in the second
round I think he was pretty much done as far as takedowns go.
JC:
Keeping your legs together and ankles crossed was defending the
leg locks? YE: Yeah, that was defending the knee bar and toe
hold. He wasn’t really in position to get a heel hook and
because of the position we were in with my leg being crossed,
I had more leverage then if I had just one leg fighting against
him. Having both legs together gave me more leverage to keep
my knees bent and avoid the knee bar and it made it harder for
him to reach around both of my feet to try and set up a toe hold,
so by the time he got his toe hold set up I was ready to roll
and spin out of it and try to pull my leg out.
JC:
You brought 7 years experience and 50+ fights to the octagon
Friday night. What got you into MMA? YE: I was just like everybody
else... I watched the first UFC and I finally found a gym to
train at and after training a few months I did a local amateur
Vale Tudo tournament and I was hooked. Once you do this, you’ll
either get hooked or give it up. There is no in between.
JC:
You are obviously hooked. What drives you in MMA today? YE: The
competition is still good. I think one thing I have done lately
is put too much pressure on myself thinking I need to do this
and that... that I forgot the fun, but I think I have grown up
in not wanting to kill people today. For a long time I wasn’t
confident in my ground game as I am now. I need to have fun with
it again. The fun thing about it is you go up against a guy who
has been training just as hard as you and he is ready for you
and he knows what he is getting in to. He has his opinions of
what he has to do to win and you have your opinions of what you
need to do to win and it’s who is going to execute those
things... I think that is the most exciting part of it... that
this guy is totally 100% prepared for me. What am I going to
do to over come that? Is my training enough to over shadow his?
Am I going to faulter? There ain’t gonna be no faultering
around here.
JC:
Your training incorporates many facets and people. How have you
made this work for you? YE: We do everything in one place and
all the guys come to me. I have my boxing coach. He trains me
pretty much everyday he isn’t working. My Jiu-Jitsu coach
makes sure that I’m prepared. We have some really good wrestlers
that come in and train. Everybody is willing to learn from each
other and everybody wants to get better themselves. It all comes
together in a way that is like a stew... everybody has the same
goals to make everyone better and to get better themselves. Nobody
is selfish. I think that is how it works out best.
JC:
What is the name of your fight team? YE: The Third Column and
our style is Thigjitsu.
JC:
What is Thugjitsu? YE: Thugjitsu is the modern art of the beat
down.
JC:
How was that developed? YE: It’s a combination of Thai Boxing,
Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling. It’s all about exploiting what
you’re strong at and your opponents weakness. It’s
the same as everybody else does, but it’s finding a weakness
in your opponent and exploiting it. If someone has a really weak
takedown you make them want to shoot so you can land knees or
you can land big shots as they’re coming in. Some guys on
our team have sick Jiu-Jitsu... they just abuse people on the
ground so they work whatever they need to get the fight on the
ground and dominate there.
JC:
Was there any pressure on you hearing the winner of this fight
goes against Josh Thomson for the vacant lightweight championship?
YE: I didn’t want to put too much pressure on myself, but
that is what I want... I want the title. Whether it’s Josh
Thomson who whoever it may be... I hope that fight comes up...
and I hope we get to do it pretty soon because I’m ready
for it. I’m 5-2 in the UFC. I’m on a 5-fight streak
and I don’t want to be like Chuck (Liddell) and have to
wait forever for the title shot. I don’t want to miss my
shot. You only have a window of so long to do this and I don’t
want to get my title at the end of my career because I want to
defend it for a long time and hold on to it and represent.
JC:
The end of your career? YE: There is still plenty of time and
as long as I’m healthy and still learning I’m willing
to be in it. Things happen also. You never know. I don’t
want to think about it, but you have to accept it as a possibility.
JC:
Is there anything you’d like to say? YE: I just really want
to fight Josh for the belt because I think it will be good for
the sport having a lightweight champion and I think that fight...
the style of Josh and myself... can make for an exciting fight.
I would also like to say keep “TheRealJoker” free.
JC:
Thank you, Yves. YE: Take it easy.
Source: ADCC |
Latest
Pancrase Official Rankings (as of 4/5/2004)
by: Mr Oitate
[Open-weight]
the 10th Open-weight K.O.P. Josh Barnett (U.S.A./New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
#1 Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#2 Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#3 Yoshiki Takahashi (PANCRASEism)
#4 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#6 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#7 VACANT
[Super
heavyweight(221lbs. and over)]
the 1st Super heavyweight K.O.P. VACANT
#1 Semmy Schilt (Holland/Golden Glory)
#2 Ron Waterman (U.S.A./Team Impact)
#3 Keigo Takamori (Pancrase MEGATON) *UP from #4
#4 Tim Lajcik (U.S.A./Gladiators Training Academy) *DOWN from
#3
#5 Sehaku (RJW/CENTRAL)
#6 Jun Ishii (Chojin Club)
#7 Jimmy Ambriz (U.S.A./New Japan Pro-Wrestling)
#8 KENGO (PANCRASEism)
[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)
[Light
heavyweight(181lbs.~under 199lbs.)]
the 3rd Light heavyweight K.O.P. Yuki Kondo (PANCRASEism)
#1 Sanae Kikuta (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#2 Ricardo Almeida (U.S.A./Renzo Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy)
#3 Akihiro Gono (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#4 Nilson de Castro (Brazil/Chute Boxe Academy)
#5 Daisuke Watanabe (PANCRASEism)
#6 David Terrell (U.S.A./Cesar Gracie Academy)
#7 Yuki Sasaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#8 Keiichiro Yamamiya (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#9 Osami Shibuya (PANCRASEism)
#10 Ikuhisa Minowa (freelance)
[Middleweight(165.7lbs.~
under 181lbs.)]
the 4th Middleweight K.O.P. Ricardo Almeida (U.S.A./Renzo Gracie
Jiu Jitsu Academy)
#1 Nathan Marquardt (U.S.A./Colorado Stars)
#2 Izuru Takeuchi (SK Absolute)
#3 Crosley Gracie (U.S.A./Ralph Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy)
#4 Kazuo Misaki (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#5 Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#6 Eiji Ishikawa (Pancrase GRABAKA)
#7 Hidehiko Hasegawa (SK Absolute)
#8 Shonie Carter (U.S.A./AIKI Training Hall)
#9 Hikaru Sato (PANCRASEism) *IN!
#10 Yuichi Nakanishi (freelance) *DOWN from #9
[Welterweight
(152.5lbs.~ under 165.7lbs.)]
the 1st Welterweight K.O.P. Kiuma Kunioku (PANCRASEism)
#1 Koji Oishi (PANCRASEism)
#2 Takafumi Ito (PANCRASEism)
#3 Kenichi Serizawa (Wajutsu Keishukai Suruga Dojo)
#4 Satoru Kitaoka (PANCRASEism)
#5 Hiroki Nagaoka (MMA Dojo DOBUITA)
#6 Yuji Hoshino (Wajutsu Keishukai GODS)
#7 Takuya Wada (SK Absolute)
#8 Heath Sims (U.S.A./Team Quest)
[Lightweight
(141.4lbs.~ under 152.5lbs.)] VACANT
[Featherweight
(under 141.4lbs.)] VACANT
Source: ADCC |
FOUR
MORE FIGHTERS ADDED TO TOTAL ELIMINATION 2004!
Slowly but surely it looks as though the Pride Grand Prix is
starting to come together. MMAWeekly on Friday broke the story
that Mark Coleman would face Fedor Emelianenko in the
first round. Coleman's teammate Kevin Randleman faces Mirko
Cro Cop and it now looks like a couple of other rumors include
Heath Herring facing Ron Waterman in the first round and
Don Frye most likely facing Yoshiki Takahashi; according
to, MMAWeekly's Scott Petersen who has seen a couple of Japanese
newspapers confirm it as well.
Source:
MMA Weekly
LOS ANGELES, California - Four more participants have been added
to the sixteen man heavyweight tournament, TOTAL ELIMINATION
2004, which will take place on April 25th, 2004 from the Saitama
Super Arena in Japan. The event is scheduled to debut on North
American pay per view on same day delay.
Newly
Added Participants:
Kevin
"The Monster" Randleman
Murilo "Ninja" Rua
Ron "H20" Waterman
Yoshiki Takahashi
Previously
Announced Participants:
Mark
"The Hammer" Coleman
Hirotaka Yokoi
Paulo Cesar "Giant" Silva
Sergei Kharitonov
Fedor Emelianenko
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira
Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
"The Texas Crazy Horse" Heath Herring
Stefan "Blitz" Leko
Henry "Sentoryu" Miller
Two
of the previously announced competitors have dropped out---"Ice
Cold" Igor Vovchanchyn due to injury and Sylvester "The
Predator" Terkay for personal reasons.
One
of the most successful amateur wrestlers to make the transition
to mixed martial arts, Kevin "The Monster" Randleman
was a three time All-American and two time national wrestling
champion at Ohio State University. He enters the tournament as
a PRIDE FC veteran and as the UFC's former world heavyweight
champion, having won the title with a win against Pete Williams
at UFC 23: Ultimate Japan 2. Along with Mark "The Hammer"
Coleman, he is the second representative from the Hammer House
Gym in this 16-man tournament.
Murilo
"Ninja" Rua is the official heavyweight representative
in the tournament for the Chute Boxe Vale Tudo team of Brazil.
With Chute Boxe's Wanderlei Silva having won the 2003 middleweight
tournament, "Ninja" is looking to make it a sweep and
continue Chute Boxe dominance!
With
a mixed martial arts record of 10-2, the 6'2", 250 lbs Ron
"H20" Waterman is one of the most powerful men in the
sport. His strength coupled with his wrestling and submission
abilities makes this Colorado native one of the toughest match-ups
in the tournament.
A
mixed martial arts veteran with nearly thirty wins in the Pancrase
organization, Yoshiki Takahashi blends a solid stand up game
with an array of submissions. Among this heavyweight fighter's
list of career victories is a win over Wallid Ismail at UFC 12:
Judgment Day.
The
final two remaining participants as well as the match-ups for
the opening round will be announced soon. The schedule for the
tournament will be as follows:
PRIDE
FC 16-Man Heavyweight Tournament
TOTAL
ELIMINATION 2004
April 25, 2004
Saitama Super Arena
(Opening Round)
CRITICAL
COUNTDOWN 2004
June 20, 2004
Saitama Super Arena
(Second Round)
FINAL
CONFLICT 2004
August 15, 2004
Saitama Super Arena
(Semi-Finals and Finals)
PRIDE
FC: TOTAL ELIMINATION 2004 will premiere on North American pay
per view through iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra,
TVN1, Bell Express Vu, and Viewer's Choice Canada on Sunday,
April 25th, 2004. The premiere time is 9:00pm EST, 6:00pm PST
and the count down show is at 8:30pm EST, 5:30pm PST
Participants
and fight card are subject to change.
Source: FCF |
Quote
of the Day
"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the
need for a father's protection."
Sigmund Freud 1856-1939, Austrian Physician - Founder of Psychoanalysis
|
Ring
of Honor Tonight
Campbell High School, Ewa Beach, Hawaii
February 9, 2004
7:00PM
Come on down and see a ton of fights, there was at one point
20 fights scheduled. It will be a mix of kickboxing and MMA matches.
|
WLADIMIR
KLITSCHKO, JAMEEL MCCLINE, JEREMY WILLIAMS, ATTILA LEVIN, CEDRIC
KUSHNER, AND JOE BYRD ON 'KNOCKOUT RADIO' ON MAXBOXING.COM
by: Eddie Goldman/ADCC Wrestling Editor
We
are about to see just how new this 'new era' in boxing really
is.
In
case you're scratching your head, or merely shaking it, the historical
moment that was supposed to inaugurate this 'new era' was the
long-awaited and delayed retirement of Lennox Lewis in February.
Now we have four fights over the next three Saturdays for heavyweight
belts from four of the alphabet soup sanctioning bodies.
It's
Wladimir Klitschko vs. Lamon Brewster this Saturday for the vacant
WBO belt. On April 17, WBA champ John Ruiz defends against Fres
Oquendo, and IBF champ Chris Byrd defends against Andrew Golota.
Then on April 24, Vitali Klitschko fights Corrie Sanders for
the vacant WBC belt. If you had all that memorized already, go
out and read a book or have a beer or talk to someone, please!
Did
you ever leave a pot of soup sitting out on the stove too long?
Then you know the soggy, lukewarm mess you usually find. Multiply
that by a couple of decades, the length of time these alphabets
have been cooking up their schemes, and you don't have to be
a master chef to know that boxing has been stewing in a supersized
pot of poison that has already dragged it from the limelight
of the sports world into the flashing red lights of emergency
vehicles reserved either for criminals or the critically ill.
The business of boxing is both criminal and critically ill, so
much so that by contrast the politicians in Washington have stepped
forward to declare that they are its savior.
The
median age in America is about 36 years old. That means that
about half of the population was born in or before 1968, and
about half born in or after 1968. The last time the heavyweight
championship of the world was the world's most prestigious honor
in sports was in Muhammad Ali's second reign as champion, from
1974 to 1978. For boxing, that means that for about half the
population, that time was at best a dim childhood memory, or
took place before they were born. While there were numerous deserving
champions after Ali, the fragmentation of the title contributed
to diluting and eventually robbing it of its worldwide and previously
unequaled prestige.
Now
the fights over these next three Saturdays for the WBO, WBA,
IBF, and WBC heavyweight belts will presumably result in four
men holding these titles. If both Wladimir Klitschko and his
brother Vitali prevail in their fights, they have stated numerous
times that they will never fight each other. But that is not
the obstacle to unifying the heavyweight title. None of the contestants
in the Ruiz-Oquendo and Byrd-Golota fights are named Klitschko.
And if one or both of the Klitschkos fall over the next three
weekends, it will only be a moot footnote of history that they
had declared that they would not fight each other.
The
necessity for unifying the heavyweight title -- which most recently
became unglued when Lennox Lewis first refused a fight with John
Ruiz for the WBA belt and then Chris Byrd for the IBF belt --
occurs at a time in boxing when its basic structure is being
challenged from two different directions. Last week's passage
by the U.S. Senate, with bi-partisan support, of a bill to establish
a national boxing commission may begin a process where the politicians
begin to do what the promoters have failed to do for at least
a century -- establish some central control of this most fragmented
of major pro sports. At the same time, the move by the Teamsters,
through the Joint Association of Boxers (JAB), to set up a boxers'
union may take a giant step forward on April 15 with the holding
of what is being called the first unionized boxing card ever
at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom.
The
worse the promoters, television networks, and sanctioning bodies
make the heavyweight title mess, the stronger the politicians
will make their bids for control of the sport. And the more these
same forces -- the politicians included -- keep the boxers out
of the process of determining what the structure of boxing should
be, the stronger will be the efforts of the boxers themselves
to decide their own fates.
None
of this, of course, will happen straightaway and without all
sorts of zigs and zags. But there are some major and historic
showdowns coming in the boxing world, and its fate may just be
determined for at least decades to come by the outcome of these
power struggles.
That
is the backdrop behind the obvious and tedious succession drama
taking place over these next three weekends.
This
week on 'Knockout Radio,' exclusively on MaxBoxing.com(http://maxboxing.com),
host Eddie Goldman speaks with Wladimir Klitschko (42-2, 39 KOs)
about the prospects for unifying the heavyweight titles should
he win his fight Saturday night with Lamon Brewster (29-2, 26
KOs) in Las Vegas. We also speak with heavyweight contender Jameel
McCline (30-3-3, 18 KOs) about his fight in New York's Hammerstein
Ballroom on Thursday, April 15, with British heavyweight Wayne
Llewelyn (24-4-1, 19 KOs). We speak with heavyweights Jeremy
Williams (40-4-1, 35 KOs) and Attila Levin (29-1, 23 KOs), who
also face each other on that New York card, which will also be
broadcast on ShoBox on Showtime in the U.S. We speak with promoter
Cedric Kushner who put together this April 15 card. And we speak
with Joe Byrd, the father and trainer of Chris Byrd, about what
to expect on April 17 in the Madison Square Garden fight against
the controversial Golota.
'Knockout
Radio' is pre-recorded, and hosted by myself, Eddie Goldman.
Comments
or questions? E-mail the show at our new address: knockoutradio@aol.com
. Join in the discussion about boxing's hottest issues!
You
can always find 'Knockout Radio' on MaxBoxing.com by looking
at the right-hand column and going to the INTERACTIVE section.
'Knockout Radio' can be heard exclusively on the members-only
section of MaxBoxing.com. This section is a subscription service,
meaning that your subscriptions can keep the content there commercial-free.
The show is in RealPlayer format, so a media player that can
play RealPlayer is required.
'Knockout
Radio' is part of the MaxBoxing Audio Network.
Source: ADCC |
LIDDELL
NOW A SPECTATOR WAITING FOR FIGHT
Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell was the featured guest on
MMAWeekly Sound-Off Radio Thursday. Chuck discussed his knockout
win over Tito Ortiz and his future title shot against the winner
between Vitor Belfort and Randy Couture.
Chuck
has been doing his media tour and just finished shooting "Last
Call" with Carson Daly that will air next Tuesday. He said
doing the show was fun and that he enjoyed talking with Carson
who loves the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Daly had both Ortiz
and Liddell on leading up to the fight and, according to Chuck,
gets excited about having fighters on his show.
Liddell
took us through the fight with Tito, nearly minute by minute.
As the two entered the octagon, Chuck said he could tell Tito
was nervous by how many intimidation tactics he was trying to
use on him. He went on to say, "I knew it bothered him that
he didn't intimidate me at all." When asked what was going
through his mind right before the fight while standing in there
looking across at Ortiz, Chuck said he was thinking "get
everyone out of the ring and let's get this going."
As
the fight started, Liddell was looking for Tito to try and take
him down. He said, "I know he was looking for a chance to
shoot in." After Tito's two unsuccessful takedown attempts,
Liddell knew he was going to knock him out sooner or later. In
the closing seconds of round one, Chuck landed a high kick on
Ortiz that he thinks hurt him. "I was about to let loose
the same hands I did early in the second round right there,"
Chuck commented.
Chuck
and Tito exchanged early in the second round, leaving Tito rubbing
his eye afterward. When asked if it was from a poke or a punch,
Liddell stated clearly that "it was a punch." He said
it got him below the eye and, "his eye started swelling
up below the eye." When he saw Tito rub his eye, "below
his eye," Chuck went in for the finish. He had been working
on letting "his hands go" in training and that's exactly
what he did.
Liddell
said he thought, "OK, I gotta go after this guy and finish
him, he's hurting right now, he's worried about my punches."
He knew from watching tapes of Tito's fight that "when he
covers up like that, he doesn't do anything until you stop throwing
punches." Chuck said he was in good shape and would have
thrown punches for the next four minutes if it lasted that long.
"I knew I could knock him out, if I could keep him on his
feet, I'd knock him out sooner or later," Liddell added.
He was excited that he "was able to finish it in such explosive
fashion."
What
is next for Chuck? It is a "waiting game" to see who
wins between Vitor Belfort and Randy Couture. Chuck isn't counting
Vitor out but is picking Couture to win. He said last time, he
ran out of gas a little bit against Randy. Since then, Chuck
has gone back to training the way he used to. He said that he
was getting away from what got him where he was and has now gone
back to it. He will focus more on wrestling with the guys at
Cal Poly to prepare for a fight with Couture.
Liddell
already holds a win over Vitor Belfort and doesn't think much
will change if they fight again. In the first fight, Belfort
caught Chuck off guard and got the early takedown, something
Chuck doesn't want to happen again. "Give me five rounds
and I think I will finish him," stated Liddell. As for now,
Chuck has to wait until probably November to fight again. Having
fought four times in the last ten months, this could be a needed
break from fighting for Chuck.
Source: MMA Weekly |
BENNETT
BREAKDOWN:
UFC 47 PAY PER VIEW BUYS LOOK GOOD
First wanted
to say thank you to everyone who helped out MMAWeekly Radio last
week on the road in Las Vegas. Beth, Jack, Spence and the Mandalay
Bay were tremendous. Big thank you to you. Hard to believe that
the radio show turns ONE YEAR OLD on Monday. Who would have thought?
After
a great show at UFC 47 it looks like the early word on the street
regarding UFC 47 pay per view buys is very encouraging. I talked
briefly with UFC President Dana White this week and while he
wouldn’t comment on the actual numbers coming in so far
he said "The preliminary numbers are very good. We are very
optimistic about the early numbers…." What are those
numbers?
Dana
continued "We never comment about numbers. We could do 1.5
million buys like boxing does and still not comment. It’s
just what we choose to do as a private company. Good or bad we
don’t comment" .
By
the way I predict "good" and think a 6 figure number
is very possible. You have to be hoping for 100,000 buys. What
we do know is that the UFC poured in a lot of money in advertising
in Los Angeles and it looks like it paid off.
Somewhere
in the ball park of $200,000 was poured into commercials in the
L.A. market alone and judging from the live gate; announced at
1.7 million at the UFC 47 post press conference, not to mention
a sellout of over 11,000 fans it looks like the media blitz worked.
Can they keep the momentum going unlike UFC 40? Maybe and here’s
why.
The
UFC followed UFC 40 which had Tito vs Ken Shamrock as the main
event, with UFC 41 Ricco Rodriguez vs Tim Sylvia headlining.
Zuffa then followed that headliner with UFC 42 of Matt Hughes
vs Sean Sherk. While those last two were solid as far as MMA
fans go, does anyone else outside of MMA internet fans understand
who these guys are?
By
the way, it’s not the fighters fault at all; since, they
haven’t been marketed like Tito, Robbie Lawler and some
others in the company. On the flip side it’s not Zuffa’s
fault because they have FIVE or SIX shows, count them, six at
the most, A YEAR to market guys. How many poster boys can you
truly create in SIX shows a year? Yes, we needed a weekly TV
show like two years ago already.
With
that said, will the mainstream public have puchased UFC 40, 41,
and 42 over UFC 47 Tito vs Chuck, UFC 48 – Ken vs Kimo (yeah
it’s a WWE dream match not an MMA one) and UFC 49 –
Vitor vs Randy III? I think we would all agree that 47-49 is
much more appealing than 40 through 42 was, from a mainstream
point of view.
By
the way if UFC 47 pay per view buys translates like I think it
will, not only will it be a huge success for the UFC….but
a huge for one Tito Ortiz. Say what you want about Tito but even
after two losses, he is still a huge draw for this company.
You
look at the last six UFC’s he has been a part of, Ortiz
has sold out every single main event he's been in. Look, I buy
the statements when they say Chuck had as much to do with the
success of 47 as Tito did and you could even say Ken Shamrock
did as well back at 40, but let me ask you this. Did Vladimir
Matyushenko, or Evan Tanner or Elvis Sinosic have to do with
it when they "headlined" with Ortiz? As much as a fan
I am of those three guys mentioned, it was Mr. Ortiz who is still
a box office smash. If your keeping track at home that means
sellout’s of Tito’s last five shows….UFC 30, 32,
33, 40, 44 and now 47. Pretty good track record in my book.
The
Wes Sims vs Mike Kyle match was weird, bizarre and spectacular
all in the same fight. Do I think Kyle bit Sims intentionally?
Initially yes, but after going back and watching the tape and
hearing my friend Jeff Osborne’s opinion on the situation….I
may be switching my mind. (If you didn’t see what Osborne
said read Tuesday’s News).
This
is what needs to happen. Sims has to come back because he took
this fight basically on one days notice and he helped out the
UFC big time. Throw him in there with Johnathon Wiezorek.
By
the way, I totally disagree with Kyle’s strategy of trying
to take the big Wes down. Mike you have fast hands, you are a
good striker. Never take a guy down. Use your speed and quickness
to your advantage. With that said, can we see Kyle vs Cabbage
after all?
Speaking
of Wes Sims, it looks like he is coming out to California to
come train with the Pit fight team. Very good move on the big
man’s part. The Pit did a very good job with Gan McGee for
years and they can do the same for big Wes. Spending time with
Chuck Liddell is a very good career move and training under one
of the best in the business, in John Hackleman, is always a great
move. Big Wes bring Coleman and Randleman with you quick! Cro
Cop and Fedor are on the way for your boys? Fly to California
tomorrow!!
With
all the great steps the UFC and Zuffa are making at this time,
it’s finally time for more than two champions in the company.
Yes, I’ve heard it before, you can’t get five champions
to fight on just six shows a year, when the champ has it in his
contract to fight every other UFC.
Math
geniuses understand this concept, the rest of us that can’t
figure it out….it’s mathmatically impossible to do.
Or so I'm told. (I failed Geometry many times and I can't event
spell it correctly..)
So
with that said, if my math skills are accurate, we have just
TWO champions right now at last count. Vitor Belfort and BJ Penn.
That means while we sort out the mess at 185, we have a plan
in place for the Heavyweight division which is now a four man
tournament…..check that….a three man tournament. Andrei
Arlovski vs Frank Mir or Tim Sylvia.
Let’s
do the right thing and make Yves Edwards vs Josh Thomson for
the title. That will help give more legitmacy to the 155 division
or if we don't want to crown anybody else, then let’s not
showcase 155 and just do from 170 up. That’s what it comes
down to. These guys at 155 work just as hard if not harder than
anyone else, let’s make this a title and add a legit champion
to 155. (Oh yea, I forgot....winner fights Jens Pulver, then
it’s truly legit! Moving on...)
Speaking
of legitmacy, while 185 is a mess right now I would love to see
a tournament to crown a champion. No not a tourney in one night,
but a tournament spread out over many shows. Look if you did
an 8 man or 16 man tourney it would be sensational. You only
need to book one or two fights per UFC at 185.
It
would serve two purposes. It takes a long time to get a champion
if your only showcasing one or two fights on the card and it
furthers a storyline EVERY UFC in the 185 division, instead of
not knowing what is happening in the division. 8 or 16 man tourney
would be great, it would take a long time and by then you most
likely will be on TV.
Speaking
of 185, David Terrell is the greatest fighter in that division
you don’t know about and I would love to see a Terrell vs
Jeremy Horn first round match. All in all, great job with UFC
47, hopefully we capitilize on the momentum at 48, and here's
to titles at 155 and 185 before 2004. See you on the radio at
www.mmaweeklyradio.com (Mandatory radio plug, got it in, thanks
for reading.)
Source: MMA Weekly |
LIFE
OF A FIGHTER: PART III
by Ivan Trembow
I've heard that many of the wrestling sheets will have more on
this later today, but for the mma fans, while doing research
for this week's article on MMA salaries, I stumbled upon something
that is not salary-related, but is interesting and noteworthy
to point out nonetheless.
On
the "Advance Notice" document for UFC 47 salaries,
the document already lists Wes "Cabbage" Correira vs. Andrei Arlovski,
and Mike Kyle vs. Wes Sims as fights that are scheduled to take
place at UFC 47. As it says right on the document, advance notices
must be completed and mailed at least five days before the date
of the event.
This
really put a lot of pressure on the UFC to have an "alternate"
plan in place in case Syliva tested positive for steroids. Assuming
that Zuffa mailed the Advance Notice on the last possible day
of Saturday, March 27, this explicitly means that the plan as
of six days before UFC 47 was for Cabbage to fight Andrei Arlovski,
and for Wes Sims to step in and fight Mike Kyle to be protected
by Nevada State Athletic Commision rules. That was the UFC's
plan as of Saturday, March 27. Then the UFC could have then changed
these plans if Tim Sylvia produced a negative drug test on the
week of the show.
What
this ultimately means is while Cabbage, Arlovski, Kyle, and Sims
may have only known for 100% sure who their opponents would be
on the day of the weigh-in (24 hours before the event), they
at least had an idea that they could have been fighting someone
else. In the time period on or before Saturday, March 27, the
UFC had to have contacted the appropriate fighters, offered them
the modified fights, gotten all of the fighters in question to
agree to their paychecks and their new opponents, signed all
of the contracts, filled out the "Advance Notice" paperwork,
and mailed the Advance Notice paperwork... again, all before
Saturday, March 27.
One
other interesting tidbit is at one point Zuffa planned to have
a Heavyweight Title fight at UFC 47... and I'm not talking about
Tim Sylvia vs. Frank Mir. In the Advance Notice paperwork filed
on or before March 27, Cabbage vs. Arlovski is listed as a five-round
fight, which would mean it was scheduled to be a title fight.
It was later changed into a three-round, non-title fight at some
point between March 27 and April 1.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Terrell
in UFC?
Graciefighter, David Terrell will be fighting at U.F.C. 49. The
BJJ Blackbelt has been making a name for himself in Japan's Pancrase
organization where he has fought 2 opponents winning once by
knockout (Yuki Sasaki) and once by choking his opponent (Osami
Shibuya) unconscious.
Terrell is widely regarded as America's #1 grappler and he will
now be trying to turn that notoriety into success at the U.F.C.
Zuffa has not of yet named an opponent nor has it been determined
if Terrell will be fighting at the 185lbs or the 205lbs weightclass.
Source: Gracie Fighter |
Lindland
Speaks
We spoke with Matt Linland and asked him about his team and what's
next for him. Here's what he had to say:
GF-
Matt what's next for you in the fight world?
ML-The fight business “game” is tough right now. I
have no idea what is on the horizon for my next fight and me.
I don’t just sit around and wait for a fight I started a
promotion company here in Oregon. Since I fought last in the
UFC I have put on two shows and my third is coming right up.
Like any new business it takes a lot of time and money to get
going. Like fighting the harder I work the luckier I get.
GF-Anything
coming up for Dan Henderson?
ML-Sounds like Dan will be back in Pride come June.
GF:
Randy?
Randy looks to be fighting Vitor in UFC 49
GF:How's
Evan Tanner looking for his rematch with Baroni?
ML:Tanner is getting ready to put another beating on that clown
Phil Baroni. I heard they named the next UFC “Payback”
they should have named the show “Replay”
ML:Team
Quest young up and coming guys are getting real tough. We are
looking forward to testing Ryan Schultz against Gil in May.
GF:
Thanks Matt, good luck
Source: Gracie Fighter |
Quote
of the Day
"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our
aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low,
and achieving our mark."
Michelangelo Buonarroti, Painter, Sculptor |
Super
Brawl 35 Fight Card Announced!
Friday,
April 16, 2004
Neil Blaisdell Arena
Tickets are on sale now! Get your tickets quick because with
Enson head lining, UFC Veterans Jeff Curran and Rich Frankin,
Super Brawl/Extreme Challenge 185 lb tournament champion Joe
Doerkson, as well as some of Hawaii's best fighters and Enson's
hand picked Japanese fighters from his own team on this packed
to the hilt card, this one may be a sell out.
205lbs
Enson Inoue (Purebred, Omiya 11-7)
v
Tom "Trauma" Sauer (Team Extreme Ocala, FL, 14-6)
205lbs
Rich "Ace" Franklin (Team Extreme, Cincinnatti, OH,
12-1)
v
TBA
138lbs
Jeff Curran (Team Extreme, 11-6-1)
v
Kimihito Nonaka (Purebred, Omiya, 6-6-2)
160lbs
Ryan Bow (Purebred, Tokyo, 10-5)
v
"3D" Deshaun Johnson (HMC, 5-6)
155lbs
Tetsuji Kato (Purebred, Omiya, 16-5)
v
Jason Dent (Indianapolis, 3-1)
150lbs
Makoto Ishikawa (Purebred, Omiya, 9-5-1
v
Antoine Skinner (Indianapolis, 4-3)
Heavyweight
Kerry "Meat Truck" Schall (Team Extreme, Ohio, 14-6)
v
Ray "King Kong" Seraille (Grappling Unlimited, 3-5)
155lbs
Toshikazu Iseno (Purebred, Omiya,)
v
Bart Palaszewski (Team Curran, 7-3)
128lbs
Jyoji Yamaguchi (Purebred, Omiya)
v
Billy "The" Kidd (Indianapolis, 2-0)
180lbs
Kai Kamaka (808 Fight Factory)
v
TBA
205lbs
Riki Fukuda (Purebred, Omiya)
v
Joe Doerkson (Team Extreme) |
2004
Pan-Ams Full Report
The
final day of the 2004 Pan-Ams was off the rocker. With great
matches started right away with the Team USA v Team Brazil competition.
Team USA scored many big wins with stand-outs Jacob McClintock,
Mike Folwer, Brandon Vera, Rafael Lovato Jr and Alberto Crane
leading the charge. The US team made great strides towards winning
the team event! Of note, Rener Gracie was defetaed by Eduardo
Telles by points in a very contested match and Aaron Lapointe
put a great effort before succumbing to World Champion Bibiano
Fernandes!
There
were too many great purple and brown belt matches to report.
Blue belt Juveniles saw Kron Gracie show a glimpse of things
to come. With his father Rickson's mannerism, young Kron submitted
every opponent he faced to win the Blue Gold. Ralek Gracie had
a run of three submissions stopped by Jason Collard. Collard
submitted Ralek with an arm bar on his way to the title. TT's
Andre Galvao won the Brown Belt medium going away. The kid is
a prodigy and he defeated many very tough opponents by submission.
The
story of the day however were the incredible Black Belt matches.
Bibiano cleaned out the field and collected gold in the Superfeather.
He is a rising star who demonstrated that it is going to be hard
to keep him from collecting titles.
The
featherweight division had too many stars, Renato Migliacio opened
up with a points win over Megaton. His reward was a match against
Superfreak Leo Vieira. Leozinho scored a large victory over last
years Champion using his trademark acrobatic moves, showing everyone
he was ready for the final.
On
the other side of the bracket current World Cup Champion Fredson
Alves defeated his opponent setting up the MEGA match of the
Superfreak against the SuperSweeper. The match was one for the
ages with Leozinho getting the win by an advantage with the final
score 4 x 4 .
In
the light it was Edson Diniz all the way to the finals, with
a win over tough opponent Alberto Crane while on the other side
of the bracket Daniel Moares disposed of his opponetns. Daniel
won the title by referee's decision.
In
the medium, it was Terere's time. The man is as fast a lightning
and he won his first three matches with split second chokes.
The fight would start and everything would be fine and as soon
as an exchange would occur . . . ZAP Terere had a choke on. On
the other side Paulo Guillobel had a semifinal win over Joao
Silva by points. Terere continued his relentless submission march
over Guillobel for the Gold, Paulo however gave Terere heaps
and demonstrated he is a top contender himself!
The
medium heavy was the story of two people Ronaldo 'Jacare' and
Braulio 'Carcara'. Carcara, just like the legend says captures,
kills and then eats his prey. His game is volatile and precise
and was too much for most everyone.
Ronaldo
'Jacare' is a phenom in his own right and he was out to prove
everyone wrong. During his match with Fabio Negao, former teammate
'Soluco' called for Negao to submit him, he said: 'Submit him,
you've already done it once!' That was enough for Jacare to go
for the kill. As soon as he disposed of Fabio he turned to Soluco
and said: 'He did it once but it will be once only, never again...
and you are next! '
Next
in the finals against Braulio, it was Marcio Feitosa telling
Braulio: 'He can't pass the guard to this side, you've got him!'
Sure enough Ronaldo passed to that side and then submitted the
dangerous Carcara.
The
heavy battle had Rodrigo Comprido and Gabriel Vella locked in
a stand up battle in the final with Gabriel getting the referee
decision, while in the Superheavy Ralph Gracie fighters Jorge
Oliveira & Ricardo Barros split the podium. In the Super-Super
'Cafe' Dantas defeated Marcio Corletta by a large margin of points.
Cafe got the early upper hand, kept the pressure and Corletta
did not find any rhythm.
The
Absolute was the story of two runaway trains with a scheduled
date at Domingues Hills Arena. Jacare and Terere went on a tear,
with a complimentary show by Leozinho. Jacare and Terere disposed
of their first opponents while Leozinho was in a battle with
the tough Fabio Negao. Leozinho, despite giving out over 40 pounds
manged to turn on his speed and dazzle for the win.
It
was time for Jacare v Soluco. The same Soluco that was warned
before. The fight started with Soluco gripping Jacare's jacket,
Jacare quickly applied a simple self-defense move for the screaming
submission in less than 20 seconds. Todd Margolis then defeated
the ever dangerous Eduardo Telles. Margolis playd a smart game
avoiding Telles dangerous leg locks. He would run to the back
but keep the leg to the side away from danger and took the win
in a battle of advantages. For that he earned the chance to fight
Jacare!
Their
semi's match was a testament to Jacare's ability as he fended
of Margolis shoot and suddenly leaped into a flying triangle
for the submisison. A stunned Margolis sat next to me and muttered:
'Muito bom!' (He is very good)
Leo
Vieira forefeit his place to Terere and the dream match between
him and Jacare was on. A match between two great fighters many
times is decided by a moment, this was no different, early in
the match Jacare made a sudden attack and got Terere's back.
Terere managed to escape the attack and clawed back some points
but in the end, after a beautiful match with lots of positional
exchanges Jacare reigned Absolute!
Ronaldo
Jacaré & Bibiano Fernandes Pan Am 2004 champions Seminar
Saturday
04/10/04 at Aloísio Silva Academy .
Bibiano seminar from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Jacaré Seminar from 1:30 to 3:30
You can get one seminar for $40 or both seminara for $70.00.
Don't miss this unique opportunity.
Aloisio
Silva Academy, 4646 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Lawndale CA 90260
Call
us to reserve your spot @ Koral USA # 310-3700116 . See You all
there .
Koral Staff . Get Your Game On !!
Terere,
Telles and Galvao Seminar
The
dynamic trio did a seminar at Carlos Valente Academy yesterday.
Terere led the class showing many details that had all the attendees
shaking their heads! Terere, Telles and Galvao are associated
with their mentor, Valente Academy, in the US.
Source: ADCC |
ADCC
2005 in the 'Development' Stages - News From Around The Globe!
We
caught up with ADCC's Guy Neivens, the man behind the ADCC Submission
Wrestling World Championships. Guy is fresh back in Abu Dhabi
after a trip to the Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun. 'I was
in Japan, working on the host site and promotion for the 6th
Submission Wrestling World Championships' stated Neivens.
The
6th Submission Wrestling World Championships, or ADCC 2005, is
already in the works for the Spring of 2005 (March, April, May).
'We will have a site chosen in the next few weeks, we have to
review the proposals.' states Neivens. 'We have a goal of doing
this event in Japan, and certainly this trip laid the foundations
for that. When the decision is made, the ADCC will do what is
best for the competition.'
Neivens
also reveals plans for tournaments under ADCC rules in Mexico,
where the winners earn a berth into the North American Trials.
'This is in the development stages as well.' explains Neivens.
Meanwhile,
ADCC lead judge Lubomir Guedjev is bound for South Africa, for
the first ever tournament on the continent of Africa. Fresh from
seminars and events in Scandinavia and the United States, Guedjev
was 'anxious' to see the level of grappling and submission in
Africa.
Finally,
there was news on the North American Trials. 'The North American
Trials will be in a new location this year.' states Miguel Iturrate,
the spokesman for the ADCC in the US. 'The first series was in
the heartland, in Indiana, and the 2003 series was in San Diego.
The next edition of the North American Trials is scheduled for
September 18-19th, and we will have an official announcement
as to the location in the weeks to come. It will be exciting!'
The
road to ADCC 2005 has begun!
Source: ADCC |
Submission
Wrestling Champs Developing at Sao Joao da Barra Submission Wrestling
Event!
A Look
Back...
While
older stars like Jorge Patino and Nino 'Elvis' Schembri embark
on their careers in MMA by joining the prestigious army of Chute
Boxe, some of Brazil's best grapplers have gone back to the basics
on the mats, so to speak. Young, filled with dreams and thirsty
for victories, the next guy to shock the world at an event like
ADCC 2005 were on dicplay at a show called Sao Joao da Barra
Submission Wrestling, held in Rio de Janeiro last March.
One
of the best fights in the event was the 76kg final between Rani
Yarhya and Leonardo Pecanha. At just nineteen years old, Rani
has been unbeaten since his defeat to Leo Vieira in one of the
best bouts at the ADCC 2003. Curious about his own performance
in the MMA world, he decided to check his skills in a small vale-tudo
event in Brazil's capital, Brasilia. Result: Rani finished his
opponent in about 1'30'' and took home no more than US$ 100.
Now, Rani Yarhya is one of the stars confirmed in Heat Fighting
Championship, and he is getting ready to fight Jiu-Jitsu world
champion Fredson Paixao on April 30th.
Leonardo
Pecanha, a Jiu-Jitsu teacher from, is almost as young than Rani:
at 21, Leo is another hard-to-beat grappler, and was responsible
for Rani's first defeat in a year, by one takedown. Brazilian
and world champion, Pecanha assures us that his victories will
last at least until ADCC 2005: 'My last defeat last year was
at a Jiu-Jitsu fight against the much heavier Fabiano 'Pega Leve'
by 2-0. In 2004, though, I won't lose to anyone, I want to show
what I got at ADCC', says a confident Leo, about US$ 240 richer
after winning his category in Sao Joao da Barra Submission Wrestling.
Submission
Wrestling champion at 65kg, the strong Rodrigo Damm dreams of
Japan: he plans to join Shooto after his next fight in Shooto
Brazil. Thales Leites, who won gold in the 87kg-category, may
also be SHOOTO bound. One of the most experienced fighters among
the event champions, Gabriel 'Napao' Gonzaga intends to spend
some time with Jorge Patino 'Macaco' in Curitiba, training with
Chute Boxe. 'My idea is to alternate the no-gi competitions with
Jiu-Jitsu and vale-tudo tournaments', comments Gabriel, who 2-1
in MMA.
Looking
back at the results:
65kg:
Rodrigo Damm (Alliance) submitted Aldo Júnior (RVT/Nova
Uniao) by leglock
76kg:
Leonardo Peçanha (Nova Uniao) defeated Rani Yarhya (Ataide
Jr.) by 4-2
87kg:
Thales Leites defeated Carlos Baruch by ref's decision (0-0)
105kg:
Gabriel Napao (Gold Team) submitted Antoine Jaoude (RVT) by leglock
Absolute:
Antoine Jaoude (RVT) won Rodrigo Riscado (NU) by one advantage
Superfight:
Marcelinho Garcia (Alliance) submitted Rodrigo Riscado (NU) by
rear-naked choke
Source:
ADCC |
Edwards
vs. Thomson: The Lightweight Title Reborn?
Going
into UFC 47, matchmaker Joe Silva, posed with the question of
whether or not the winner of the Yves Edwards and Hermes Franca
bout would fight for the title in their next bout, responded
with, “Nothing is set in stone, yet. We’ll give the
fans whatever they want.”
It
seems that the fans have wanted a lightweight champion for sometime
now, but the question is, “Does it make sense for the UFC
to crown a lightweight champion, just so they can have one?”
The
UFC has gone without a titleholder in the division ever since
the exodus of Jens Pulver back in 2002. Pulver had been on a
roll, winning the title in a bout with Caol Uno and defending
the belt against Dennis Hallman and current welterweight champion
BJ Penn. Unable to come to terms with the UFC on a new contract,
Pulver opted to leave his belt behind in hopes of greener pastures
elsewhere. The greener pastures have yet to materialize either
for Pulver or the UFC.
In
the wake of Pulver’s exit, the UFC attempted to crown a
new champion with a four-man, two-show tournament. The first
round of the tournament saw two lackluster bouts with Penn winning
a decision over Matt Serra and Caol Uno wrestling a decision
away from Din Thomas. With neither first round matchup creating
much excitement, hopes were for a very exciting rematch between
Uno and the man that ko’d him with an ugly looking onslaught
in the opening moments of their first fight, BJ Penn.
The
title bout between Uno and Penn ended with the title picture
even deeper in the muck than when Pulver bolted. Though most
onlookers felt that Penn had eked out a decision win, the judges
in Atlantic City saw fit to rule the bout a very rare 5-round
draw. The UFC still, one year later, had no lightweight champion.
Since
that bout at UFC 41, the lightweight title has basically been
put on the back burner. BJ Penn exited the UFC scene and rebuilt
himself, going back to his roots in Hawaii. He reemerged in the
welterweight division and dominating the dominator Matt Hughes.
Meanwhile,
a few new lightweight contenders have emerged, albeit with no
belt to contend for, as Yves Edwards, Hermes Franca, and Josh
Thomson have risen to the forefront of the division. Genki Sudo
and Duane “Bang” Ludwig are following close behind.
The
three frontrunners, Edwards, Franca, and Thomson have started
a round-robin tournament of sorts with Thomson winning a close,
but unanimous decision over Franca at UFC 46 and Edwards winning
an even closer split decision over Franca at UFC 47. Which now
sets up a final between the three with Edwards facing Thomson
next.
It
only makes sense that Edwards vs. Thomson would be for the title,
right? You would think so, considering that they both defeated
Franca, and the three are so closely matched and hold the top
three spots in the division. This would be true if the UFC had
the luxury of viewing this solely as a sport for sport’s
sake. Alas, they don’t have that luxury.
With
only five shows per year with eight bouts each and a fraction
of the audience that boxing and the major sports play too, the
UFC doesn’t have the resources to keep up a competitive
race for a title in all five divisions. Until a mainstream TV
deal is inked, until major sponsor support picks up, until the
UFC can increase its frequency of shows, they must balance the
realities of trying to build a sport with the entertainment value
that drives audience attendance and revenues. Basically, if it
means that the fans will buy it, the UFC will have to do it.
But
with a fight like the one that Edwards and Franca had the other
night - a long, drawn out decision - it remains to be seen if
fans will demand the lightweight bouts and a title for the division.
Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you want to see
a lightweight champion, keep beating down the doors of the UFC
offices and demand it. They will do whatever you want.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
Quote
of the Day
"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things.
The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could
have, might have and should have."
Louis Boone, American Author
|
He
Passed!
Sylvia Test Results Come Back Negative
By Loretta Hunt
On the heels of Friday night's high-octane UFC 47, heavyweight
Tim Sylvia is sporting a clean bill of health. A relieved Sylvia
contacted FCF to confirm that he had indeed passed the steroid
test he'd taken this past Tuesday to be medically cleared for
licensing under the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Sylvia's
request to register with the Commission had been put on hold
when a urinalysis test he'd taken on or around March 4th as part
of his pre-fight medical work had come back positive for minute
amounts of a performance enhancing agent in his system. The NSAC,
as well as promoters Zuffa Sports Entertainment, have voiced
their belief that these readings came from Sylvia's first and
only use of an anabolic steroid some nine months ago. On that
occasion, Sylvia was suspended four months and fined $7,500 of
his $60,000 purse when tests following his September 26th UFC
44 title defense against Gan McGee came back positive for stanozolol
metabolite. Subsequently, Sylvia renounced the title and the
top position has been vacant ever since.
With
the March 4th test results still positive for Sylvia, the UFC
chose to give the fighter one last chance by administering a
final test with him on the Tuesday of fight week. Just minutes
before the weigh-ins, Zuffa released a written statement announcing
that Sylvia had not passed this second and final test and that
the card would be altered. The Nevada State Athletic Commission
was also under the same assumption, as they also confirmed to
FCF that Sylvia's results were still positive. But, Sylvia says
he was notified by Zuffa Friday that the results had actually
not come in till that next day, and he was fit to fight, albiet
a day too late.
Sometimes
things happen for a reason though, as the stress of last few
week's suspense has undeniably put a strain on Sylvia's mindset.
With an opportunity now to come in fresh and mentally unhindered,
Sylvia says he is being considered as an opponent for Frank Mir,
another heavyweight frontrunner for the belt, and that the bout
might take place as early as June 19th's UFC 48. It has been
rumored the victor of this match-up will move on to meet Belarussian
fighter Andrei Arlovski for the heavyweight title.
Source: FCF |
News
on Terrell & Heath
David Terrell defeated Osami Shibuya by north-south choke 3:04
into the first round! Prior to that Terrell knocked Shibuya to
the canvas with a kick to the head and used a barrage of chokes
before he secured one that put Shibuya to sleep for over a minute
after the ref stoppage.
Steve
Heath was defeated by Yuki Kondo with a rear naked choke 4:01
into the first round. Heath was hit by a bus earlier in the day
and thrown for about 15 feet. Despite this he still insisted
on fighting and showed great heart.
Source: Graciefighter |
Crosley
Gracie DQed
Crosley Gracie, black-belt under Ralph Gracie, did an amateur
kickboxing event this Friday night and was disqualified for double
legging his opponent and throwing him out of the ring. The event
was held in Stockton, California and was a mixture of kickboxing
and boxing . Into the 1st round, after exchanging strikes with
his opponent, Crosley suddenly and unexpectedly lifted his opponent
up and threw him over the ropes and onto the floor. The sold
out venue had several fights in the stands with the intoxicated
crowd only adding to the volatile atmosphere
Source: Graciefighter |
Quote
of the Day
"Within you right now is the power to do things you never
dreamed possible.
This power becomes available to you just as soon as you can change
your beliefs."
Dr. Maxwell Maltz, American Plastic Surgeon, Author of ''Psycho-Cybernetics''
|
Kickin
It Again 4 Results
Palama Settlement Gymnasium, Honolulu, Hawaii
April 3, 2004
By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com
Barring a few problems with the production of the event, kickboxers
from a number of different schools came out to compete in the
only exclusively kickboxing event on Oahu. Most of the fights
were decided fast and a few of the fighters overwhelmed their
opponents. There were a few battles like the Devin Damo and Antonio
Schmidt fight. Both light and young fighters let loose for two
of the three rounds with heated exchanges, with Damo edging out
a close majority decision. There were a couple of disqualifications
for the fighters either not being able to keep his kicks above
the waist or brawling instead of kickboxing, but the crowd loved
the action. Chad Pavao and Bronson Ellis was another war with
Ellis dominating almost of all of the first round, but Pavao
covered up and blocked most of the punches. Ellis ended up punching
himself out. Pavao attacked Ellis after this, but Ellis did fire
off hard punches as best he could but he never had anything left
in his gas tank. Pavao eventually burned up Ellis' last fumes
and ended the exciting fight with a knock out. The event was
capped off by a classic battle of a kickboxer pitted against
a Muay Thai fighter. The kickboxer in theory would stick and
move while the Thai fighter would look to land powerful kicks.
This fight followed that theory exactly. Balicao landed continuously
and bloodied Min, but Min kept stalking the whole fight. Min
looked to fluster Balicao a little by absorbing everything that
Balicao threw and kept coming. Balicao ended up with a unanimous
decision, but Min earned tons of respect.
60lbs.:
3 Rounds - 45 Seconds
Kekoa Wailehua (Freelance) def. Kawai Abregano (Ewa Fight Club)
TKO at 35 seconds in Round 1.
140lbs.:
3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Brandon Henderson (Jesus Is Lord) def. Joshua Baker (House of
Pain)
TKO at 1:28 minutes in Round 1.
160lbs.:
3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Ben Rodrigues (Nanakuli Kickboxing) def. Pat Menesis (House of
Pain)
TKO at 34 seconds in Round 1.
115lbs.:
3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Devin Damo (Animal House) def. Antonio Schmidt (Nanakuli Kickboxing)
Majority decision [(28-27), (27-27), (26-25)] after 3 Rounds.
135lbs.:
3 Rounds - 2 Minutes
Jensen Reese (Animal House) def. Travis Kagawa (Laupahoehoe Muay
Thai)
Disqualification for groin strikes at 1:34 minutes in Round 1.
165lbs.:
3 Rounds - 2 Minutes
Nick Gega (Laupahoehoe Muay Thai ) def. Ula Kamealoha (Nanakuli
Kickboxing)
TKO at 1 minute in Round 2.
190lbs.:Exhibition
3 Rounds - 1 Minute
Jon Texeira (Team Bad Intentions) def. Randall Kapololu (Ewa
Beach Fight Club)
TKO at 47 seconds in Round 2.
175lbs.:
3 Rounds - 1 Minute
Greg Kalilikane (House of Pain) def. Jason Luna (Nanakuli Kickboxing)
Disqualification due to not heeding the referee's warnings at
20 seconds in Round 2.
120lbs.:
3 Rounds - 1.5 Minutes
Chad Pavao (Nanakuli Kickboxing) def. Bronson Ellis (Animal House)
KO at 58 seconds in Round 2.
128lbs.:
3 Rounds - 2 Minutes
David Balicao (Nanakuli Kickboxing) def. Derek Minn (Laupahoehoe
Muay Thai)
Unanimous decision [(30-26), (30-26), (30-26)] after 3 rounds.
|
|
There
are great pictorials of the 2004 Pan Ams on ADCC's news site
by Kid Peligro. Check it out!
Source:
ADCC |
Minotauro:
back in Brazil talking Pride GP!
By: Gleidson Venga / Team TATAME
Rodrigo
Minotauro was in Japan last week to be part of the announcements
about his participation in the Pride GP:
'I
was at the press conference to announce the fighters who will
fight in the GP. There was me, Fedor, Heath Herring and several
others. Mirko sent a recorded video tape where he said he couldn´t
be there at that time but that he was wishing good luck to everyone'
states the Minotaur.
Minotauro
also did a special appearance on a Japanese soap opera:
'I
had the soap opera stuff. They´ve invited me to act as
a brazilian cook who just arrived in Japan. He forgets everything,
he let things fall on fhe floor, he´s way messy! I spoke
a few things in Japanese! I recorded six scenes and next month,
after my match, I will record 4more, ao thia soap opera will
always have something about this character.' describes Nogueira.
'Minotauro'
is now in the final phase of his preparation:
'I´ve
been training real hard, I have trained a lot my stand up game
and I´ve been doing some weightlifting. I want to be a
bit stronger this time and I´m gonna focus on my wrestling
this last month. I was training on the ground less than before,
I was training like 3 times a week. Before that, I was training
on the ground everyday, and now I´m gonna train everyday
again. I´m gonna train many positions, the sprawl, submissions.
I´ll try to submit and do a good fight. They´re saying
that Hirotaka Yokoi is my opponent. I depend on my supporters,
they are the ones who give me strength. I will train and win
once more for my fans. I´m focused as August gets closer
since I want to win this belt.' concludes Minotauro.
Source:
ADCC |
Catching
Up With PAT MILETICH
Submitted by: Keith Mills
With
only a few hours to go before UFC 47, the fighters’ training
is now done. Robbie Lawler will be fighting out of Miletich Fighting
Systems or Team MFS. Team MFS is also the home of former UFC
Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, former UFC Lightweight Champion
Jens Pulver, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia and many
more. Miletich himself is the former UFC Welterweight Champion
from the time the belt was started until his defeat by Carlos
Newton. We caught up with Pat Miletich!
KM:
Your last fight was supposed to be against Frank Trigg in the
WFA. First off should I say you are ‘retired’ or do
you have a better term? PM: Basically for me to fight again because
I have a new business with the police and military training that
is starting to pick up quite a bit now and getting other guys
ready to fight for me to take time off to train for a fight would
have to be something that was fairly lucrative. I’m not
going to do it for the simple fact I have to pay bills. I’d
have fun against somebody like a B.J. Penn or Royce Gracie but
those are about the only fights I would do.
KM:
Any regrets about the end of your career? PM: It would have been
nice to not have injuries end my career. It would have been nice
to walk away without injuries all the time.
KM:
Trigg leading up to the WFA was saying he respected you but it
was time you retired and he was the one to retire you. You sustained
an injury that basically forced you to retire and Trigg beat
Hallman instead. Trigg got in the UFC and Matt Hughes beat Trigg.
Was there any sense of satisfaction or redemption for you being
the one who trained the guy who beat Trigg? PM: Frank is always
a guy who likes to talk and gets things stirred up for a fight.
He is pretty good at promoting fights. Whether he feels that
actually or not when he’s saying things is irrelevant. It’s
more annoying to me. It’s always nice when you have a guy
who is running his mouth whether he is doing it for promotional
purposes or because he actually means it get beat.
KM:
How is Matt taking the loss to B.J. Penn? PM: He’s taking it pretty well actually.
He understands he wasn’t hitting on all cylinders that evening
and B.J. fought a good fight.
Everybody has a bad day every now and then.
KM:
For the last couple of Hughes’ fights people have been speculating
at what point Hughes would just get bored. Did this re-invigorate
him? PM: Yeah, it absolutely gave him a shot in the arm. That
is a good thing.
KM:
How is Tony Fryklund doing? PM: He’s doing pretty well.
He went over to Japan with Pulver. Pulver just won by knockout
over in Japan. Tony has been training very hard. We’ll go
right back to training hard for his upcoming fights May 1st in
Montreal (note: TKO) and May 21st in Guam.
KM:
Has Jeremy Horn moving to Salt Lake City had any effect on the
team’s training? PM: Jeremy was always somebody that helped
the guys and was always there for everybody and stuff. He asked
me what he should do on the possibility when he was possibly
moving and I told him he had to do what was going to make him
happy. I think he’s glad he did now. He’s back visiting
for a week before we go to the UFC helping Tim get ready. That’s
where his heart was so he had to go with it. The guys will always
miss him. Jeremy was the first fighter that came from somewhere
else and moved here to train. He’s a special guy to me.
I think it’s good for his training though because now he
doesn’t have everybody and his brother asking for help.
I know how he feels; when I had my first gym going and held the
world title and stuff I was training fighters and teaching all
the classes and training for my fights at the same time so I
know how overloading that can be.
KM:
So he’s helping Tim for this fight but not Lawler. PM: Not
necessarily, no. He’s just helping Big Tim a little bit.
KM:
Without Horn who helps with the ground game? PM: We have a lot
of guys that are very good on the ground. Everybody shares the
burden of doing that. I do that quite a bit. I’ve done jiu-jitsu
for fourteen years.
KM:
As far as Robbie Lawler and Tim Sylvia’s training how would
you describe it? PM: They have trained both very hard. There
is a lot of running, a lot of explosive training as far as doing
their acceleration training, they are working a lot of standup,
a lot of ground, a lot of takedown defense…their training
has been very well-rounded.
KM:
What did you think of Robbie’s fight against Lytle? PM:
I think Lytle is a very tough guy with a good chin and Rob took
the second round off. I stressed to Rob ‘wow, imagine if
you were in great shape and didn’t take the second round
off what you would have done to him’. That’s the mentality
I tried to place in his head and I think he’s taken it to
heart with this fight.
KM:
I had a feeling you weren’t too happy with his making a
face instead of pouncing… PM: You should write about that.
What most people perceive that as is somebody being cocky. Rob
was just having a blast. When Lytle fell down Lytle was waiving
at Rob clapping his hands like ‘good punch’ and Rob
was flexing his muscles because he was absolutely having a blast.
That wasn’t anything meant as Rob being cocky, he was just
having a blast like when Lytle landed a hard punch and Rob did
that. That was Rob going ‘I love this, I’m back in
the ring, and having a blast’. People perceive Rob the wrong
way a lot of time.
KM:
Rumor is he is considering moving up to Middleweight. PM: Rob
I don’t think plans on moving up. He enjoys the weight he
is at. I think the plan he has is as Matt waited for me to be
kind of done as Wolrd Champion Rob is being patient. Rob is young,
only 21, and maybe waiting for Matt to move up or retire eventually
a couple years down the road and take over that slot. You look
at Rob and he’s a really really scary person not even near
his potential right now. People should be thankful they aren’t
fighting him five years from now. That is one thing that will
get really ugly.
KM:
I heard Jens moved back to Idaho but is he doing any training
with you guys? PM: He’s never moved. He’s been here
the whole time training.
KM:
My apologies, I misunderstood. I also know he wants to fight
at 145 but keeps getting offers at 155 like Uno. PM: He just
won his fight at 143 in Shooto. He’s still pretty angry
the UFC won’t let him back in. He beat everybody; nobody
has ever beat him in the UFC. He deserves to be back in there,
same as Jeremy Horn.
KM:
Don’t start me. PM: It’s unfortunate. Business is business,
personal is personal. People need to learn to separate those.
KM:
As far as your training the police and military what can we say
in public? PM: We’re doing a lot of stuff scheduled all
over the country this summer and fall. A lot of stuff in Texas
at Lackland Air Force Base, a lot of stuff going on in Michigan,
stuff at the Pentagon…a lot of stuff whether it be local,
state, or federal police. A lot of different groups we’ll
be working with.
KM:
Anything else you wanted to get across to the public? PM: Just
thanks for supporting the sport is all I ever said. Make sure
you represent the sport in a decent way. Something I’ve
always tried to stress to people. They already have a preconceived
notion we are thugs, so don’t give them any basis for that.
Source:
ADCC |
Iceman
Freezes Hell Over:
Ortiz KO Tops Robustful UFC 47
By Loretta Hunt
After a
rocky week leading up to tonight's UFC 47, Zuffa Sports Entertainment
pulled off an excellent recovery in the eyes of the estimated
11,413 in attendance at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las
Vegas. None of them seemed to mind that there was no title on
the line tonight, after the last-minute drop of Tim Sylvia due
to medical ineligibility (following a positive anabolic steroids
test) in the co-main event forced a last minute heavyweight shuffle.
Besides creating what would become some memorable match-ups in
the end, welcome last minute changes from the 5-round title fight
drop included the third preliminary fight move to the live pay-per-view,
as well as an impromptu showing of UFC 46's fight of the night
between lightweights Josh Thomson and Hermes Franca in the forty
minute lull before the broadcast start. But, make no mistake,
spectators were here to see light-heavyweights Tito Ortiz and
Chuck Liddell finally meet after two years' speculation, and
the Iceman's KO was the cherry on top for another commendable
effort put forth by a talented group of fighters. Here's how
it went down ...
There
was time when everyone thought former light-heavyweight Tito
Ortiz was unbeatable. But times change, and one loss after at
the hands of wunderkind Randy Couture, the Huntington Beach Bad
Boy took another blow to his career -- a left hook to be exact,
nestled tightly on the tail end of a flurry of left and rights.
The word feverpitched probably does not give justice to the purely
electric atmosphere these two created in their entrances. That
excitement carried into the first pensive moments of the fight,
which in reality were not particularly spectacular, spare for
a last minute attack by Liddell in the final seconds that had
Ortiz fuming for more as he pushed referee John McCarthy out
of the way. But, barring two foiled takedown attempts, Ortiz
did indeed call the bluffs of all who said he would not stand
with his former friend and training partner Liddell. In round
two, Liddell's striking superiority began to become evident as
he landed the solidest punches, and after Ortiz tagged him with
a straight and then a hook, an enraged Liddell dove in and simply
unloaded on his foe. Liddell gets the big KO 0:38 into round
two.
In
the swing bout, welterweights Chris Lytle and Tiki Ghosn seemed
pretty evenly matched in a first round stand-up exchange consisting
predominantly of kicks. It was a well-paced effort, but lacking
that sense of urgency common place in the UFC octagon, the round
resembled an everyday sparring session. Lytle scored with some
well timed right inside kicks to the thigh, and got a takedown
early on, but Tiki was on the ball in the scramble and quickly
made it to his feet. In the second, Lytle showed a bit of finesse,
as he caught Tiki's leg from a clinch and swept down for the
takedown into Tiki's guard. Once on the ground, Lytle nimbly
moved into action, getting half guard to side control and then
his opponent's back. Without hooks in, Lytle managed to apply
a modified side choke for the tap out 1:55 in.
It
was a tough night for American Top Team's Hermes Franca who took
the second loss of his career after a hard-fought three round
display of lightweight technical prowess. Edwards had the upper
hand in the first round, working his distance and landing choice
shots to Franca's more frequent, but less effective punches and
kicks. But, as predicted, Franca's heart forced Edwards on the
defensive on many occasions, especially in the second round when
the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt risked all to get takedowns
on route to numerous submission attempts. Round three was the
deciding factor, as Franca hustled for a single leg and passed
guard to half position and then rolled into an armbar attempt.
Edwards recovered to his feet, though, and did enough from the
halfway mark in two judges' eyes to get the split decision. Edwards
moves on in the lightweight division, his rumored opponent to
be Josh Thomson for a reinstated lightweight title.
Andrei
Arlovski proved why he is a legitimate contender for the vacant
heavyweight title tonight, by showing a solid display of striking
power and technicality against iron-chinned Hawaiian import Wesley "Cabbage"
Correira.
If Arlovski had any apprehension or disappointment in meeting
Corriera, who moved up on the card to replace Sylvia for a non-title
bout, he didn't show it. The Belarussian fighter, who has shown
vast improvement in his three years with the promotion, landed
numerous combos on his game opponent, and worked his crisp kicks
to score and chip away at the boulder that is Cabbage. Cabbage
fought back every time Arlovski closed the distance, registering
some nice shots of his own that kept round one a completive one.
In round two, Arlovski moved in for the kill, backing Corriera
against the cage with a barrage of strikes, but cornered himself
as the two switched positions. Not able to go left or right,
Arlovski bit the bullet and dove right in for the TKO referee
stoppage with yet another uppercut win. Word on the street is
Sylvia will meet Frank Mir at the next show, with the victor
taking on Arlovski for the heavyweight title. Sounds like a good
plan.
For
the fourth offering for the evening, welterweight Robbie Lawler
came to bang. Unfortunately adversary Nick Diaz did as well.
A Cesar Gracie student known more for his ground game, Diaz quickly
surprised all by giving and taking intense shots with the Miletich
Martial Arts student, built up by the promotion as deadly weapon
on his feet. Lawler seemed to back away quickly as Diaz moved
in unprotected to taunt him, only fueling an intense rivalry
that seemed to grow with each passing second. With an astronomical
number of landing combos by both and not a second on the ground
to be had, it would be a tough call for judges to name a victor
of the first round. Luckily for them, Diaz got the bout ending
shot, off of all things, a typical Lawler onslaught. In dramatic
fashion, Lawler fell forward on his face, as the ref rushed in
to halt the action. In true Lawler fashion, he tried to rise
and continue, but wobbly fell back against the cage wall. Diaz
becomes the new welterweight to watch in this division.
Kicking
off the live show, last minute replacement and Hammer House protégé
Wes Sims gave it the old college try against American Kickboxing
Academy rep Mike Kyle. A growing crowd favorite each time he
comes out to play, Sims threw off first with a missed high right
kick but landed a follow-up kick that gave Kyle his opportunity
to move in for the takedown. But, pushed along the fence, Sims
resisted well as Kyle attempted some knees and foot stomps to
persuade him down. Sims latched onto the guillotine and pulled
guard, moving to a side choke attempt as soon as Kyle's head
freed from the hold. From above, Kyle's power seemed a bit lacking
the fight continued until the 2:30 mark, when the Californian
really started to get through with some shots. Referee John McCarthy
did restart the men and Sims was visibly not ready as he turned
on his own admission and tried to walk back to his corner. Kyle
moved in and landed four powerful knees, the last of which rang
Sims' bell good. A quick left, a right, and then another hit
its mark and Sims crumbled to the ground at the fence. Reviving
quickly, the loudmouthed Sims did have a legitimate gripe to
voice. A welt on his chest looked awfully similar to a bite mark,
but with McCarthy having already called the fight, Sims will
have to take his complaint to the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
At this time, his plans are to do just this.
In
comparison to the rest of the card, the heavyweight brawl between
newcomers Wade Shipp and Jonathan Wiezorek proved a messy, technically-lacking
affair Both men shot out of the gate charging at one another,
but it was Shipp who landed first with a brutal right knee. Tying
up, both men began a sloppy barrage of punches and knees on one
another, but it was Shipp that was amply landing his shots and
causing immediate damage. Wiezorek managed to get his first of
three takedowns for the night, but Shipp showed solid scrambling
skills and was quickly up on his feet. Cut and swelling below
his left eye with a bloodied nose for added effect, Shipp's handiwork
was starting to reveal itself, but Wiezorek worked hard to stay
in the game, keeping himself tied up at enough distance to avoid
more strikes. It became a back and forth exchange as both men
took turns pushing each other along the fence, and the lull in
the action was met with the crowd's displeasure. Losing steam
fast, Shipp was a candidate for the final and crucial takedown,
and Wiezorek got his opponent's back for a slew of unanswered
strikes that referee Herb Dean should have moved in faster to
stop. Wiezorek gets the TKO referee's stoppage 4:39 into round
one.
No
surprises in the opening bout tonight featuring Japanese jester
Genki Sudo and Team Elite rep Mike Brown. "The Neo Warrior"
made his usual intricately detailed entrance, this time as a
mechanical-moving China doll, and began the bout with a comical
martial arts pose. Brown wasn't here to fool around through and
quickly moved in to clinch for a body slam. Pushing Sudo against
the fence Brown simply didn't have the juice to get Sudo down,
even when he switched to the single leg, and Sudo tripped the
lesser-experienced foe to the ground and into Brown's guard.
Some funky maneuvering had Sudo over Brown's body and up again,
but Brown held in there with an impressive slam. On his back,
though, it was all Sudo, who went from triangle choke to armbar
and back again to finish the bout 3:31 into the first. Not a
bad showing for the scrappy Brown, who got in a few dead-on head
shots with his free arm while Sudo put on the finishing touches.
Sudo's "We Are All One" flag was greeted wholeheartedly
by a satisfied crowd.
UFC
47 Results:
Genki Sudo def. Mike Brown - Tap out to armbar 3:31 R1
Jonathan
Wiezorek def. Wade Shipp - TKO (ref stoppage) 4:39 R1
Chris
Lytle def. Tiki Ghosn - Tap out to side choke (headlock) 1:15
R2
Mike
Kyle def. Wes Sims - KO 4:59 R1
Nick
Diaz def. Robbie Lawler - KO 1:31 R2
Yves
Edwards def. Hermes Franca - Split decision (29-28E, 29-28F,
29-28E)
Wesley
Corriera
vs. Andrei Arlovski - TKO (ref stoppage) 1:15 R2
Chuck
Liddell def. Tito Ortiz - KO 0:38 R2
More post-fight photos will be posted later today.
Check back soon.
Complete
coverage of UFC 47 in the
April 2004 issue of FULL CONTACT FIGHTER, subscribe
now!
Source:
ADCC |
Mariana
Garcia
By Alexandre Lobo
A
female warrior fighting Submission
Submission
among the women is just beginning in Brazil. Even though, our
human source is so rich and talented we are starting to produce
champions at the most important internationals competitions.
On March 6th, 26-years-old-Mariana Garcia (1,67m and 62,5kg)
passed over the difficulties and won her three fights, conquering
the Arnold Gracie World Submission belt, in US. Due to the victory,
Mariana was invited to fight at the traditional Grapplers Quest,
on March 27th, where Mariana lost at the semifinal to Leonore
Avellan. Now, she returned to US, where during this weekend she
fights the BJJ Pan-Ams. In an exclusive to TATAME.com, Mariana
talks about her belt, the difficulty for the women fight Submission
in Brazil and what are her plans for the future.
Talk
to us about your winning at Arnold Submission.
I
started with some difficulties. My first fight was scheduled
to mid-day and due to it I just did a light snack. But I only
fought at 8 PM! I passed the day eating protein bars. When I
started fighting Felicia, I was doing well, till the moment I
became dizziness. So, I decided to hold the combat. She knew
that and accelerated the fight; she could sweep me, but she didn't
stabilized and, right after it, I swept her, taking the points.
Lasting three minutes to the end of the fight, she took three
guillotines choke, but I went out of them. When the fight finished
and the judge raised my arm, I was no longer resisting. I was
very bad and I asked Luiz K.Belinho to take me, because I was
faint.
And
how did you continue fighting?
Sonequinha
and his girlfriend was very nice with me and they gave me banana,
Gatorade, and I couldn't handle it. On the second fight, I took
a Mexican who tried to hold the first five minutes to explode
in the end. We fought on the feet all the time, I took a Harai
without a gi, and don't ask me how I did it, I did also a guillotine.
But she was very strong and she went out of it. The final was
against Laurance Vousin, who lost to Letícia Ribeiro at
the Worlds. We started with a lot of respect, I took two takedowns
and I ended the fight on the mounted position. It was my easiest
fight.
You
just fought foreigners. Is there any difference between her game
and the Brazilian one?
There's
a lot of difference, she trains Wrestling a lot and we don't.
Besides, she are stronger than us.
This
was your first Submission championship. Why?
I
didn't have an opportunity of fighting. Here in Brazil there
aren't Submission championships for women and I had to go to
US to fight. Leka had won the Arnold, I thought cool and so I
decided to try it. I told to a friend of mine I wanted fighting
the Arnold and, in January, he came to me and brought me an invitation.
Now, I hope the shows start to be produced in Brazil. Who don't
want to fight in your home?
Do
you train without the gi?
Just
for fun. I had never trained for competing.
And
do you train with other women?
At
the gym, I'm the only woman training everyday. So I trained for
fun with Frédson (Paixão - BJJ World champ)
Do
you have any advantage training only with man?
It
makes the things easier during the fight, because they are stronger
and technically better.
How
did you start training Martial Arts?
I
started in Campos (dos Goytacazes, city of Rio de Janeiro state)
with a Oswaldo Alves' pupil, in 1995. After 6 month training
I fought the Brazilian BJJ Championship. I lost in the final
to Flor Borger. I took the purple belt in 1997 and, in 1998,
I moved to Rio de Janeiro. In 2000, I took the brown belt and
this was the worst belt I had (she laughs)! I was kind of lost,
I trained, trained, but I wasn't focused, I wasn't mature. In
2002, I took the black belt.
Source:
Tatame |
Pablo
Popovitch rules Grapplers Quest
Held in Texas (US) on last March 27th, the Grapplers Quest West
5 was marked by Brazilian Pablo Popovitch (American Top Team)
victory among the lightweights. In the final bout, Popovitch
scored 9x0 in Jake Shields (Team Cesar Gracie) and took home
a $1,000 prize cash. The other Brazilians didn't do bad. Moacir
Boca (ATT) got the second place among the middleweight division
after being defeated by David Avellan (Florida Freestyle Fighting)
by two advantages against one.
Mariana
Garcia (Oswaldo Alves) reached the semi-finals and ended submitted
by Leonore Avellan (Florida Freestyle Fighting) via rear naked
choke. Avellan also won the female division and was considered
the "#1 Female Grappler in the World". Nova União
black belt Leo Santos (lightweight) was defeated by Shields during
the first round due to an foot lock's advantage. In the middleweight,
Ricardo Texeira was submitted via kimura by Diego Sanchez in
round 1.
Source:
Tatame |
Arona
waits for invitation for the GP
Almost a year away from rings, BTT Ricardo Arona expects an invitation
from Pride organization to join the upcoming Heavyweight Grand
Prix on next April 25th in Japan. "I am waiting for a chance
to be among the fours names they haven't decide yet," stated
the BJJ black belt, that left the Pride GP middleweight due to
a injury in his feet. Besides that, his will to compete is so
strong that if the BTT is not at the GP, he promises to keep
up the training: "I am returning to train with a gi. If
I don't have a scheduled match, I might be joining the upcoming
BJJ World Championships", guaranteed Arona.
Source:
Tatame |
Brazil
will have 4 trails for ADCC 2005
The Brazilian trials for ADCC 2005 begins next month (June) and
for the first time, it will be held in four different dates.
The first one will happen in Minas Gerais, during the traditional
Submission show promoted by BJJ black belt Vinícius Draculino
(Gracie Barra). This time, Brazil will qualify two athletes for
each category (66kg, 77kg, 88kg, 99kg and above 99kg).
The
trials will be under supervision of the Brazilian Kick Boxing
Confederation president's Paulo Zorello. He explains he has worked
hard to increase the chances for the Brazilian grapplers. 'We
all have many talented fighters and with only one trial is damn
hard and unfair for all of them. Now, the Brazilian team will
count with 10 fighters in each category, against just 8 of the
last show. This time, we gonna accept 64 subscriptions for category,'
reveals Zorello, stating that only brown and black belts will
be able to compete.
The
other three trials are gonna be held in São Paulo, Rio
de Janeiro and Curitiba. At this last one, the trial will be
organized with the support of Chute Boxer's leader Rudimar Fedrigo.
The ADCC 2005 will be held in Japan. Brazil will count with at
least 15 representatives, the ten qualified, the other four who
won their weight categories in 2003 (Leonardo Vieira, Marcelo
Garcia, Saulo Ribeiro and Márcio Pé-de-Pano) and
Ricardo Arona, who will face the American Dean Lister over the
super-fight.
Source:
Tatame |
UFC
48: Payback
It's gonna be payback time Saturday, June 19, at the Mandalay
Bay Events Center in Las Vegas when Heavyweight Ken Shamrock
returns to the Octagon to fight Kimo in the main event of Ultimate
Fighting Championships 48: Payback.
Tickets
for the all-star, eight-fight card, $350, $250, $150, $75 and
$35, will go on sale at noon this Saturday, April 3, at the Mandalay
Bay Events Center box office in Las Vegas, at all Ticketmaster
locations, www.ticketmaster.com and www.mandalaybay.com. Tickets
also may be ordered by telephone at 1-877-632-7400 or 1-702-474-4000.
Ticket purchases are limited to eight per person and are subject
to transaction fees. UFC„µ 48: Payback will be available
LIVE on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EDT on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish
Network, TVN, Echostar, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada.
The suggested retail price is $29.95.
In
the co-main event, former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes
(36-4-0 in mixed martial arts) from Hillsboro, Ill., will meet
Renato "Charuto" Verissimo (5-0-0) from Hilo, Hawaii,
and in a feature fight, power striker Phil Baroni (6-3-0) from
Las Vegas will battle Evan Tanner (9-2-0) from Portland, Ore.,
in a re-match of their controversial middleweight fight November
21 at UFC 45: Revolution at The Mohegan Sun. The remainder of
the card will be announced.
Shamrock,
"The World's Most Dangerous Man"(8-5-2) from San Diego,
Calif., and Kimo (10-3-1) from Huntington Beach, Calif., will
meet in a long-awaited re-match. Shamrock submitted Kimo with
a knee bar at UFC 8: David Vs. Goliath and fans have anticipated
a payback fight ever since. Shamrock, a former UFC super fight
champion is one of the world¡¦s most popular mixed
martial artists. In November at UFC 45, he was inducted, along
with Royce Gracie, as a charter member of the UFC Hall of Fame.
Kimo is coming off an impressive submission victory over hometown
rival Tank Abbott at UFC 43: Meltdown last June in Las Vegas.
Kimo got in Tank¡¦s guard almost at the opening
bell and won the fight at the 1:59 mark of the first round with
a front choke.
Hughes
also is looking for some payback against Verissimo because in
addition to being an accomplished fighter, Charuto is new Welterweight
Champion BJ Penn¡¦s jiu jitsu coach. Under Verissimo¡¦s
tutelage, Penn wrested away Hughes' long-held title at UFC 46:
SuperNatural January 31 in Las Vegas. But Verissimo exhibited
his outstanding talent on the same card with a three-round unanimous
decision victory over former Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton.
The
Baroni-Tanner fight will be a resumption of a war cut short by
a controversial decision in the first round of their fight at
UFC 45. Baroni started fast and opened a cut over Tanner¡¦s
left eye in the second minute. But Tanner came back with strikes,
a body slam and his patented ground and pound offense to get
the advantage. Tanner was raining elbows on Baroni when the referee
stepped in and stopped it because he mistakenly thought Baroni
had verbally submitted. Now, Baroni will get his chance for payback.
Source:
MMA Fighting |
Terrell
Interview
GF- You had a good win over Shibuya. What's next?
DT-
I need to heal up a little bit. I hurt my thumb in the fight
so I'll be relaxing for a week or two, then it's back to hard
training. I want to keep moving up in the Pancrase organization.
I like fighting for them.
GF-
What was your game plan going in for the fight?
DT-
I wanted to submit him. In my last fight I hurt my hand when
I punched Sasaki in the mouth. I didn't feel completely healed
yet so I decided not to punch that much this time. I thought
I could turn my submission game on and I'm happy it worked out.
GF-
Did Shibuya pose a threat to you?
DT-
He did. He made me work for everything. I thought for sure he
would tap out to my footlock. It was deep and must have hurt.
He was very tough and scrapped hard. I respect that fighting
spirit.
GF-
What did you think of Kondo?
DT-
He has a lot of strengths and poses a serious challenge. You
have to be prepared to take that title from him because he's
not going to give it to you. I look forward to a future fight
with him.
GF-
There are rumors that the U.F.C. is looking at you for their
organization. Anything you can tell us about that?
DT-
Nothing that I know of. Cesar will let me know if something gets
brought up. I would very much like to fight for them but I haven't
been contacted yet.
GF-
Thanks Dave. Best of luck.
Source:
Gracie Fighter |
Quote
of the Day
"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our
aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low,
and achieving our mark."
Michelangelo Buonarroti, Painter, Sculptor
|
Post-Steroid
Sylvia Eyes Second Chance
He
strolled through South Beach with a photographer and several
other media geeks in tow, stopping occasionally to pose and let
them do their jobs. Onlookers smelled fame, but they couldn’t
identify this six-foot-eight, 260-pound bear-of-a-man who was
posing for pictures and shaking hands and talking about hitting
someone “hawd” and carrying a large gold belt of some
sort.
That’s
where the geeks came in. “He’s Tim Sylvia, the UFC
heavyweight champion,” we told curious passersby who had
stopped to watch the photo shoot that would put Sylvia’s
face and belt on the cover of FightSport.
He
walked into a club, was handed a drink, leaned against the bar
and pondered something important while a camera flashed in his
face. He threw back the drink and was led into another club,
where two women curled into his arms and smiled exotic grins
that matched their attire. Sylvia smirked and a camera flashed,
then one of the girls scribbled down her number and handed it
to him.
Later
that afternoon traffic on the strip stopped -- literally -- so
Sylvia could stand beside a momentarily braked Hummer and scowl
into the lens of a camera with his heavyweight belt draped over
his shoulder.
Tim
Sylvia was settling into life as UFC heavyweight champion that
day in Miami last April. During a time when departed champions
and a revolving-door stigma diminished the value of holding UFC
gold to some fighters, capturing the heavyweight title meant
everything to Sylvia. “It meant all my dreams had come true,”
he says.
When
he flattened Gan McGee in his first title defense last September
it looked like a lengthy reign had begun, like any wavering or
lost legitimacy in the UFC heavyweight championship had been
restored. Less than two weeks later, Sylvia was announcing in
a press release that he had made “the biggest mistake”
of his life.
Earlier
that week in early October, the Nevada State Athletic Commission
had informed him that he failed a post-fight steroid test. The
champion responded quickly by admitting his use of steroids to
enhance his physical appearance and then issued apologies to
fans, family, teammates, the Nevada Commission and the UFC. “I
wish I could take it back, but that isn't possible,” he
said in the press release. “So, I'm ready to accept the
consequences for my actions.”
A
week later the Nevada Commission suspended his license to fight
for four months and fined him $7,500. Sensing his title would
be stripped in the same manner that Josh Barnett’s heavyweight
belt was taken by the UFC after he failed a steroid test, Sylvia
took preemptive action and handed his title over. “I didn’t
want anybody to take it away from me,” he says. “So
if I did it that way, no one could take it from me.”
Regardless
of how or why, Tim Sylvia was and is no longer UFC heavyweight
champion. “I was on top of the world,” he says, “and
then I go and do something stupid like (using steroids).”
Insecurity
has a way of finding those on top of the world and in the public
eye. Some time after he took the title from Ricco Rodriguez and
before he defended it against Gan McGee, Sylvia “experimented”
with steroids to augment his physical appearance. In other words,
he wanted to look a little better while strutting down South
Beach … and while knocking opponents into oblivion.
“It
was really stupid,” says Sylvia in reflection. “All
I had to really do was be more strict when it comes to dieting.
I train hard enough. I do enough cardio. All it is is my diet.
I was just being lazy. I wanted a shortcut.”
The
pressure to maintain a lean and intimidating physique comes from
all angles: the media, the fans, the promoters, other fighters.
It’s no excuse but it’s prevalent, and Sylvia was feeling
it when he began experimenting. “I mean, if you look on
all the (event) posters, I’m not on any posters,” he
says. “Who’s on all the posters? All the lean, ripped
guys. Tito, Chuck, Randy. They’re the guys they’re
showing off.”
Regardless,
the Nevada Commission gave Sylvia four months to consider other
solutions. During his suspension he spoke about steroid use in
a couple Las Vegas schools and plans on speaking at his high
school alma mater in Maine -- where, following Sylvia’s
fights, the entire school gathers in the morning of the next
school day to watch a tape of the bout -- after he regains the
title.
He
also did some hunting and plenty of training during his time
off, longing to jump back in the cage all the while. Not being
able to fight, says Sylvia, was the worst aspect of his punishment.
“I was supposed to fight in November,” he says. “Make
another 80-grand and beat the hell out of Frank Mir. It really
sucked. I wanted to get in there and I wanted to fight. I felt
I let my team down, my training partners.”
Friends
and teammates were there to support the 28-year-old. Some assured
him he was still champ, that a belt was just something you wear
around your waist and even at that, someone has to beat you to
take it for real. Sylvia speaks the same language. “You
have to be beat to have the belt taken from you,” he says.
“I just did something stupid because I wasn’t happy
with the way I looked.”
If
Sylvia walked the strip in South Beach tomorrow, though, no photographers
would flank him. No one would stop and gawk; no one would sense
celebrity or wonder who he is. Not without that belt.
Of
course, such attention is not the reason a fighter-at-heart like
Sylvia coveted the heavyweight gold in the first place. It was
just a trapping that comes with holding a title that “meant
everything” to him, an indulgence that may have led to his
steroid use.
Within
the MMA world, Sylvia still receives his fair share of attention
and he doesn’t perceive a loss of fans. “There were
some people who were disappointed,” he says, “but I
think people like me for my style of fighting -- not for what
I do.”
If
he had denied using steroids, he thinks fans may have reacted
differently. “I was human, I made a mistake, and I admitted
it to everybody,” says Sylvia. “I think everyone was
pretty happy with the way I chose to deal with it and the way
I handled the situation.”
Nothing
could please his mother, though. Soon after news of his steroid
use began to spread, says Sylvia, he started receiving drunken
phone calls from the woman he says physically and emotionally
abused him throughout his childhood.
“Ah,
I knew it,” Sylvia recalls his mother saying in one particular
conversation during the steroid situation. “You were never
no good. I knew something was going to happen.”
“She’s
just a piece of shit,” he says. “She’s been bringing
me down my whole life, so why would she stop now? She was just
rubbing it in.”
The
Eastbrook, Maine native knows his mother will be watching April
2 when he tries to win the title back. “I’m sure she’ll
be watching with 20 people around, saying, ‘Oh, there’s
my Timmy. Oh, he’s my pride and joy. He calls me everyday.
I love him so much. He tells me how much he loves me all the
time. He sends me money and I manage him.’ She’s a
compulsive liar.”
Regaining
the heavyweight championship is, in effect, a means of saying,
“Shut up and leave me alone” without having to deal
with the baggage of additional conversation. It’s also closure
on the last six months, a fallen champion having come full circle.
Feelings of discontent over physique may linger, but Sylvia figures
he’ll fix that problem on April 2.
“Get
that belt around my waist and I’ll be fine,” he says.
“When I have that belt around my waist, you can’t see
my love handles.”
Source:
Maxfighting |
PRIDE
Heavyweight GP Field Ups to 12
With
less than a month before "Total Elimination," the opening
round of PRIDE's second Heavyweight Grand Prix, is set to kick
off April 25 in Tokyo's Saitama Super Arena, 12 of the 16 participating
fighters have now been officially entered. At a press conference
in Tokyo on Tuesday, Dream Stage officials added Mark Coleman,
Hirotaka Yokoi, Sergei Kharitonov and Giant Silva to the field.
Coleman,
39, enters as the defending GP Heavyweight champion, having defeated
Igor Vovchanchyn in the finals to claim the first ever PRIDE
tournament in May 2000. A victim of injury, Coleman has fought
just three times since, including an armbar defeat to Antonio
Rodrigo Nogueira and a decision win over long-time rival Don
Frye. Of the four fighters announced on Tuesday, he is the favorite
to advance in the tournament.
Yokoi,
the second Japanese fighter named into the tournament pool, comes
in with a 10-0 record. His last fight came one year ago in Florida,
defeating Wilson Gouveia by referee stoppage. The 25-year-old
fought in SHOOTO, RINGS, DEEP and PRIDE, before his win last
year in the AFC.
Kharitonov
comes in unblemished as well, sporting a 7-0 record, but he's
yet to face a real test in the ring. The Russian last fought
in February, earning a submission victory over Cory Peterson.
Giant Silva, listed at seven-foot-seven, 500-plus pounds, is
a pro-wrestler who made his MMA debut versus Heath Herring last
New Year's Eve. His foray into the sport was unsuccessful when
Herring submitted him via rear-naked choke.
These
four join PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko, Antonio
Rodrigo Noguiera, Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Heath
Herring, Igor Vovchanchyn, Stefan Leko, Sylvester Terkay and
Sentoryu. The remaining fighters along with opening matchups
should be named within the week.
After
the field is chopped from 16 to eight, second round fights will
take place on June 20. The Final Four will fight both the semifinal
and final bouts August 15 at the Saitama Super Arena.
Source:
Maxfighting
|
Carson
Daly Among the Star Power Shining at UFC 47
By Loretta Hunt
Zuffa
has one more seat to reserve in its growing VIP section at UFC
47. Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell's recent appearances on Carson
Daly's late night talk show Last Call have convinced the MTV
icon to make the April 2nd trip out to Las Vegas to check out
the action for himself. Daly, who first featured the outspoken
Ortiz on his show back in September, took great pains to have
Liddell and Ortiz featured heavily on a recent edition of Last
Call, where the two traded trash talk on route to their long-awaited
showdown.
Now,
Daly, a growing MMA fan, is traveling the extra mile to see how
it all plays out. "I'm just a fan," Daly commented
recently to FCF on his interest in the sport. "It's nice
to have something in my life outside of what I do for a living
that I get excited about. I'm not going there to do anything
other than be a fan and watch a sport that I really enjoy on
a personal level. There's no hidden agenda."
With
the insight Daly has recently gained on the Ortiz-Liddell fight,
it'd be only fair to ask for his take on the now infamous grudge
match between the former friends and light-heavyweight contenders
for champion Vitor Belfort's belt. "These are famous last
words, right?," Carson joked from his New York office. "You
know, my heart's really going with Chuck because he's just the
underdog that I think...," he trails off in his answer.
"I just worry because he lost his last two fights. I think
Tito handled Randy better and I'm going to use Randy Couture
as the barometer of who's going to win this fight, so I think
Tito's going to end up winning this fight. That would be my prediction.
Certainly, I would love it if Chuck would win the fight too."
As
for the rest of the card, Daly says he has his eyes on the other
championship bout being offered for the fan's approval. "I'll
tell you what I'm looking forward to is Tim Sylvia versus Andrei
Arlovski. I just don't think Tim Sylvia can lose. I don't think
he'll ever lose. I mean, I don't know who can beat that monster.
I watch Andrei fight and I think that if there's anybody out
there right now that could do it, I think it's him. I'm really
looking forward to that fight."
To
catch more of Daly's thoughts on MMA, as well as the details
on his own training and the fighters he thinks rule the cage,
check out his exclusive interview in the next issue of Full Contact
Fighter.
Source:
FCF
|
MaxTales:
Ortiz vs Liddell
To go through
the whole sordid saga may just crash the Internet: suffice to
say that UFC royalty Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell have been on
a collision course since 2002. With injuries, contract disputes,
and egos out of the way, it's finally time to write what everyone
hopes to be a rousing climax. The winner earns a shot at the
UFC light heavyweight title: the loser may find himself at the
bottom of a very slippery slope.
Here's
the Max Tale of the Tape.
UFC
Light Heavyweight (205 lb. and under) Bout
Tito Ortiz
10-3-0
"The Huntington Beach Bad Boy," 29 yo,
Huntington Beach, CA
Most Notable Win
Vanderlei Silva via decision, 4/00
Most
Notable Loss
Frank Shamrock via submission, 9/99
Last
Win
Ken Shamrock via submission, 11/02
Years
as a Pro
7
Finishing %
80%
Time elapsed since last bout
6 mths
Strengths
Unlimited cardio; generally dominant in wrestling; physically
larger than many opponents
Weaknesses
Reluctant to exchange on the feet; at times overconfident
Chuck Liddell
12-3-0
"The Iceman," 34 yo,
San Luis Obispo, CA
Most Notable Win
Vitor Belfort via decision, 6/02
Most
Notable Loss
Randy Couture via TKO, 6/03
Last
Win
Alistair Overeem via TKO, 8/03
Years
as a Pro
6
Finishing %
50%
Time elapsed since last bout
5 mths
Strengths
Devastating power puncher; uncanny sprawl and ground defense
Weaknesses
Has tired easily; sometimes telegraphs strikes
MaxFacts:
-
Liddell is nearly impossible to hold down: MMA grappling wiz
Couture could only do so after battering him on the feet with
strikes.
-
Rumors run rampant that Liddell handled Ortiz in training, with
Ortiz unable to take him down and unable to be competitive on
the feet.
-
Both men are coming off losses to Couture.
-
Ortiz defended his UFC title five times before relinquishing
it to Couture. Liddell has vied only for an interim title, and
lost.
-
The fight was discussed several times in 2003: each time, Ortiz
had a different reason for bowing out.
-
Ortiz faced dangerous striker Vanderlei Silva in 4/02: he claimed
a decision victory and the UFC light heavyweight title.
-
Liddell was defeated by Ortiz protege' Quinton Jackson in Japan
in November '03.
Questions:
-
Can Ortiz hold Liddell down?
-
Can Ortiz exchange shots with Liddell on the feet?
-
Can Liddell avoid getting weary and succumbing to takedowns?
-
Will past training sessions influence mindsets?
-
How will a three-round bout effect the strategy of marathon fighter
Ortiz?
Summary:
In Liddell, Ortiz faces the worst possible adversary for his
style of fighting. Liddell will scramble back to his feet after
takedowns, leaving Ortiz to fend for himself on the feet. Ortiz
should look to press the action and not allow Liddell to counter,
something an aggressive Couture did with great success. If he
can wear Liddell down early, it will open up the probability
of grounding Liddell for good. "The Iceman" should
look to fire off bombs early and often, before the superior cardio
conditioning of Ortiz becomes his undoing.
Source:
Maxfighting |
Interview
with Tito Ortiz
After
three years of waiting, we finally get to see the big showdown
between Tito Ortiz vs Chuck Liddell. Earlier this month Tito
Ortiz talked with MMAWeekly about his up coming fight with Chuck
Liddell, his loss to Randy Couture and his new found attitude
toward fighting. Ryan Bennett asks the questions and Tito answers
the questions with a few surprising answers.
Ryan
Bennett: What's up my man?
Tito
Ortiz: How are you doing Ryan?
Ryan:
It's been a while dude. How you been?
Tito:
Good man, you know, just getting back in the swing of things
with training man. It's been almost two sold months now.
Ryan:
Let me ask you Tito, this is such a big fight for you. I know
you want this fight. You want to answer all those doubters that
said, you know, that you'd never fight Chuck. Let me ask you
this right off though, do you worry when a fight of this magnitude
comes around that you over train for a fight?
Tito:
Not really over train. I mean, I think I really try to push my
body to the limit each and every time. I mean, yeah the older
I get the harder it becomes. I think I'm becoming a smarter fighter
when it comes to training, doing more quality training than quantity.
Ryan:
Tell me about this oxygen machine or something. What's that about?
Are you going SciFi on me or what?
Tito:
Nah man. It's the newest thing in technology. You've got to take
advantage of it when it comes. It's here and luckily, I'm on
of the guys able to use it. I mean, it's something that will
be used in the future. Probably a lot of guys will use it. I
know that they're gonna try to we using it for our Army, for
guys going to battle in wars, then they will have no problem
going into altitude and fighting. It is something used to change
the red blood cells, to produce More red blood cells in your
body so you can recover quicker and stuff like that. you have
to take advantage of technology that comes out.
Ryan:
Sounds good man. So, what do you do with it? Explain it for the
people who don't know what it is. Tell us what it is.
Tito:
All it is, is a tank. I don't know if you've watched Mork and
Mindy, but it's an egg sized tank. You just sit inside of it
and kick back. It takes you to about, I don't know, 18,000 feet
and drops you down to 2,000, and it goes through these little
circle changes. through twenty minute cycles and you do three
twenty minute cycles. It really changes a whole bunch. I've noticed
a whole bunch actually so...It's not going to make me fight any
better but, I mean, It's one of those things to make a fighter
recover a lot quicker.
Ryan:
Look at you dude, getting all high tech on me.
Tito:
It just makes my body recover quicker, that's all it is. It's
not going to make me fight any better but when it comes to training
man, like I said, I'm not getting any younger. I just have to
make sure that my body recovers quicker than usual. When I went
to Big Bear, that's one of the reasons I went up there for. My
boy's home and my wife's home, it's just nice to be home you
know. I mean, my boy is getting bigger and he's at that age now
with everything. He's learning a lot and I'd like to be around
to see that.
Ryan:
Tito, lets talk about, I don't want to dive too much into this
last fight but, it was a surprise to me watching you lose the
way you did to Randy Couture. I know it was a surprise to you.
What happened in that fight?
Tito:
I don't know, I guess it was just Randy's night. I guess the
back injury that I had the month prior had a little bit to do
with it, where I didn't get to wrestle the last month. I think
that I took a lot out of it here I don't think I respected Randy's
wrestling as much as I should of. Randy is a great wrestler.
He was a great champion and in my mind, he's going to win that
belt back from Vitor in July I believe. I don't know, I'm hoping
for a rematch with Randy. That's something I'd like to have.
I don't know, it was his night and in this sport it can be anyones
night at any time. On that night, it was Randy Couture's night.
He fought a great fight and fought like a true champion. You
know what, I thought I was ready and I lacked the wrestling skills
that he had man. He had some of the best wrestling skills that
I thought I would never see and I did see them that night.
Ryan:
Let me ask you, when did you know in that fight that it wasn't
going to be your night? Was it the first round, the second, when
did you know?
Tito:
Actually, I knew about the second round. Um, It just seemed like
every just wasn't clicking man. It just seemed like I was a step
behind him each and every step that he was. It was just like,
I was getting taken down. It wasn't really, in my mind, it wasn't
like, wow I got taken down oh no. I expected to get taken down
but to get controlled as much as I did, I just felt like it wasn't
my night. When he was shooting in on me and I couldn't stop stop
his take down, I was like, what's going on? I usually stop people's
take downs. Then I just kinda realized that my legs are a little
too flat. I didn't have the speed and explosion that I usually
have.
Ryan:
Hey Tito, that's what happens sometimes. Sometimes guys are on
and the other guy's not. I mean, that's what happens in the fight
game.
Tito:
Yeah, I guess I came to realize that man. It was hard to swallow.
It took me a while to kinda accept it but, I've accepted it now
and you know what? It's time for Tito Ortiz to come back and
show what I do and that's kick ass.
Ryan:
I think that's what was so surprising to so many of us. I mean,
we've seen you, you were dominating for a couple of years. I
mean, it wasn't just a couple of fights, you had such a huge
roll and it was tough for us, as fans, to watch the end of that
fight. I mean, it was just one of those things that you lost.
It was refreshing in a way but I know that was very hard on you
wasn't it?
Tito:
Yeah, it was really hard. I mean, people say well, Tito Ortiz
was crying. You've got to understand man, this sport, this sport
is my love man. This is what I'd die for and when I come up empty
at the end of a match man, it's like a loved one dying you know.
It really hurts a whole bunch. I mean, them tears coming down,
those were tears of pain, tears of agony, of defeat man. It's
a battle I went out and lost and to me, that's what it feels
like. And it's not just a match, just a competition, I mean,
this is my life. Like I said, this is my love. This is what I
love to do and when I come up short after the match man, it hurts
deep down inside and it took a good month to swallow my pride
you know. I'm a fighter at heart. I'm a warrior, somebody who
wants to step up and give my life when it comes to fighting.
When I come up empty, it does hurt but it took a while to swallow
my pride man and I swallowed it and now I'm trying to come back
in the octagon. I'm excited man, and can't wait to get back in
there.
Ryan:
Let's talk about you future fight. What is it like? I mean, you
have never had to go through this in a long time, come prepared
for a fight coming off a loss. How is that different than the
win steak you were on?
Tito:
You know what, I think I've had enough time now to try and comeback
and not think of it as a loss anymore. I think of a loss as win
because I think I learned a lot from it, more than anything and
it wasn't like I got my ass stomped, got taken out of the round
or I got stopped or, I don't know, if I got knocked out. It's
just something where i got beat. I mean, don't get me wrong.
Randy fought a great fight but it wasn't something where after
the match that I was like, awe man, I need to go to the hospital,
my body's hurt. I wasn't. I was fine. I went out drinking that
night. I was cool, more than anything, it was the loss that hurt.
I was like, I mean, I've never really got my ass kicked that
bad. I don't know, come April 2nd, hopefully one of us are going
to get our ass kicked really bad where we're going to have to
go to the hospital and that's what I'm expecting.
Ryan:
Tito, you mention this next fight coming up, and you mentioned
the last one. You were just a little bit out wrestled there.
Le me ask you about this fight. Do you change you training from
Randy to Chuck or is it basically the same stuff and you implement
a few other things?
Tito:
I think I changed my training just a little bit. Like I say,
I am trying to do a lot more quality training than quantity training
just because this is a three five minute round. This is not the
five, five minute as before. I think I'm sticking to a lot more
kick boxing and boxing this time. I'm going to do what people
say I can't do and that is stand with Chuck Liddell man. I'm
going to try to pick him apart. I see a lot of Chuck's weaknesses.
I believe Chuck's gonna come in the best shape that he's ever
come in. His career's on the line here. I think he's kinda thinking,
well I've lost twice in a row and it isn't the fact that he's
lost twice in a row. He's got his ass kicked twice in a row where
he's been stopped and in my mind, I think he thinks his body's
too old now. I mean, he's been through some a lot of wars. Chuck
Liddell isn't the same fighter he was two years ago when he wanted
to fight Tito Ortiz. In my mind, you know what, it's another
match to me and I'm going to try to walk through Chuck Liddell.
If he thinks, oh Tito Ortiz doesn't hit hard and I'm just going
to walk through his punches, I hope he thinks that because when
I hit him with some good shots and he gets beat down, he's going
to go, oh here we go again. I'm going to be in his head like
that. If he thinks he has any kind of mental ability above me
as he tries to expect, then he's in for a world of hurting, that
is for sure.
Ryan:
I think that some people will ask, you know, why would you want
to stand with Chuck Liddell? I mean, I know Randy had some success
and Rampage did as well but let me as you that. Some people say,
hey your game is to get guys down and you know, beat the crap
out of them. Why would you want to stand and go away from what's
got you so much success?
Tito:
I say just because Chuck Liddell is a really hard guy to take
down, a hard guy to hold down. So, I don't want to waste all
of my energy doing that you know. I'm a great boxer, I'm a great
kick boxer. I mean, I spar with Quinton Jackson. I mean, me and
him, we get the best of each other. When I fought Randy Couture.
I was getting the best out of him when I was standing up, it's
just that's why he kept shooting on me from the 2nd round on
it seemed like. I've got what it takes in stand up. I've got
to believe in my self and the last month and a half, I've been
sparring with a lot of professional boxers and kick boxers and
it seems like I'm getting the better of them now. For once, I'm
knocking people out in my training. It's kinda a surprise to
me where I'm starting to learn now. I'm starting to more confidence
in my stand up where I believe I can stand with Chuck Liddell
and I'm going to stand with Chuck Liddell. I'm going to try to
give everybody what they paid for and that's a knock out.
Ryan:
You know, it was interesting watching the two of you in the octagon
at the last UFC promoting your next fight and you know, just
the look in both of your eyes. I mean, you guys have truly gone
through being friends to really being enemies, judging from that
last look. How personal is it right now between you and Chuck?
Tito:
This fight is really personal to me man. I mean, this is something
that I've never wanted from the beginning. I mean, I never wanted
to beat down Chuck Liddell. I mean, he's always been a friend
of mine. We've always been really good friends it seemed like
but I guess that people have different views and now we're enemies.
I mean, I dislike this guy. The hatred goes back as far as having
the hatred for Ken Shamrock. I mean this is someone I hate now.
I no longer like, I no longer can even think of the person and
it's weird like that. It's just something I'd like to clear up.
Everybody says how much I'm afraid of him and this and that.
You know what, I've never been afraid of the guy. I just didn't
want to give him a beating but now he's asking for t so much
and he wants it so bad. He's going to get it on April 2nd.
Ryan:
What is the victor tee-shirt going to say?
Tito:
Well, if I tell you guys what the victory tee-shirt is going
to say, it won't be a surprise so I can't say until the fight
is over. Sorry guys, you're going to have to wait but believe
me, it's going to be one that you're not going to forget that's
for sure.
Ryan:
That's been the tradition man. The T-shirt man, that's got a
following of it's own. What are you weighing right now?
Tito:
This time, I'm actually weighing heavier than I usually have.
Before, I always weighed around 211, 212. When I fought Couture
I was about 206 or 207 the Monday before the fight. Right now,
I'm walking around at least 218, 219 sometimes 220. This is the
heaviest I've been in a long time and I think that one of the
reasons is that I kinda slowed my training down a little bit.
I've kinda consumed a lot more calories when I eat. I'm trying
to eat healthier but a lot more it seems like. Before I wast
training so much that I couldn't eat as much. I was just losing
too many calories. Now I get to eat a little more and I kinda
slowed my training down a little bit, kinda slowed my running
down a little bit. I'm not running as much. I'm still just doing
about three miles a day. Before I was doing three and four miles
a day, I mean, a lot more high tempo running. Now, it's just
kinda low tempo just because it's only fifteen minutes you know,
not the twenty five like before. I just think the weights going
to be a big difference this time man. It's going to be a huge
factor and I'm going to have to push my tempo towards Chuck Liddell
by using my weight on him.
Ryan:
A three round fight, compared to a five round. We have seen what
you can do in five. Some people say three rounds favor Chuck,
what do you think?
Tito:
I don't think so. I mean, people say it favors Chuck? I mean,
I usually don't get warmed up until two rounds so it's going
to be really funny. I expect for Chuck to come in great shape.
This guy better come in great shape or he's gonna have a long
night. In my mind, I think Chuck Liddell's going to come in the
shape that he did when he fought Randleman. You know, he's coming
in really good shape and I expect him to so we're just going
to have to see April 2nd.
Ryan:
Who hit the hardest? What opponent have you been in with that
hits the hardest?
Tito:
Who hits the hardest. Well, I wold have to say Rampage in training.
Then I would have to go with Wanderlei Silva for sure. Rampage,
when we spar man, his punches will make you stupid. The fight
when I fought Wanderlei Silva, the thing that one time that he
hit me with the right cross, I'd say that's the hardest I've
ever been hit.
Ryan:
Let me ask you about Wanderlei Silva. It seems like he's getting
better you know. You've only lost once recently. What about a
rematch between you and Wanderlei?
Tito:
I would love to man. I would love it a whole bunch. You know,
I don't see him getting better, I see him getting lighter opponents.
He's fighting all the 185 pound guys in Japan it seems like,
all the Japanese guys he's fighting. Don't get me wrong, he did
beat Rampage soundly but Rampage went to war with Chuck Liddell.
In my mind, Wanderlei, yeah he's tough as hell. I would love
to rematch with him. I mean, in my mind I've still got some business
to take care of in the United States and ten we will see about
Pride.
Ryan:
When you're on top, everyone's going to call you out. Another
guy that's called you out recently is Lee Murray. I've seen the
heated exchanges in interviews. Lee came on the radio show and
said, hey man, if Tito can cut to 200 then I'll fight him. I
saw your interview over at insidefighting that said, hey man,
I'll cut to 200. What about Lee Murray man? Is that a fight you
really want?
Tito:
I'm glad that guy called me out man. I'm going to give him a
beating. I mean that guy's been riding on my coat tails all the
way through this whole thing. No one even knew who Lee Murray
was until he said he knocked me out. He said he knocked me out
man. This guy's on cloud nine. If he really wants to fight me,
I have no problem fighting him. I'll make weight the day of the
event at 199 pounds and Lee Murray will have a fight on his hands.
I have no problem doing that. I'm down for the fight.
Ryan:
So no matter what happens in this Chuck fight, you want to fight
Lee Murray next after this fight?
Tito:
Yes. I'd love to fight in July. I want to try to get three fights
this year man. I'm sick of fighting one time a year. You know,
before the injuries had a lot to do with it. I mean the injuries
is what kinda held me back and now it's like I'm pretty much
injury free so I want to try and get three fights in this year.
In July, I believe July 3rd, will be the next event. I'm not
100% sure about that but I'd like to be on that card. If not
a main event, as an under card. I have no problems doing that.
I mean, I just want to give Lee Murray a beating just because
that guy's been talking so much trash and riding on my coat tails
for so long that it's time to slap him off my coat tails.
Ryan:
What do you think about Vitor Belfort's "victory" over
Randy Couture?
Tito:
Um, you know what, people win for reasons. Everything happens
for a reason and that match happened for a reason. I mean, I've
got to give respect to Vitor Belfort just because of him stepping
in and fighting that fight you know. When his sister came up
missing is just something that I thought he'd never come in and
fight and he proved he's a true fighter by stepping up and fighting.
That kinda like, I've got total different respect toward Vitor
now. I kinda respect the guy by doing that. You know what, when
you do things and sacrifice things, things happen, good things
happen to you. I think that's one of the good things that's happened
to him. I mean, it's bad for Randy Couture but hey, that was
a win you know. But in my mind, Vitor Belfort, you better give
Randy Couture a rematch because he deserves it for sure.
Ryan:
How many fights do you have left with the UFC?
Tito:
Actually, I have three more fights with the UFC and then however
Many fights I sign the next time, we'll see. I believe I'll be
finishing my career with the UFC and I started here and I'm going
to finish here. So, I've got three more fights this year and
we'll see what happens in the future.
Ryan:
That's cool, so you don't really have any interest in fight in
Japan, you'd rather stick in the states with the UFC?
Tito:
Well, you know, it just depends you know. If I'm making a million
dollars to fight you know, I mean, they got to understand. I
mean, I've got to put food on my table for my family. I really
don't see it in the future but more than anything, I love fighting
for the UFC. They've always been really really good to me. I
mean those guys have been really good to me and always gave me
what I wanted and I plan on finishing my career with them.
Ryan:
You talked a little bit about Vitor Belfort and everything happening.
You guys were supposed to fight two different times and injuries
prevented that. What about a fight with Vitor Belfort, would
you like to finally see that fight happen?
Tito:
I would love for that fight to happen man, but more that anything,
I want to fight Randy Couture because I want to get my win back
and I'm one of those guys that believe in redemption. I believe
in trying to get the loss back and when I fight Randy Couture,
if Vitor Belfort is the loser, I'll fight Vitor after that. If
he's the champion then I guess I'm going to have to fight Belfort
but I have have no problem man. I'd love to fight Vitor Belfort.
It's actually been in the works for a long time. I think it's
a big money fight also. I believe the UFC would make a huge amount
money on that fight and I'd love for that fight to happen.
Ryan:
Come April 2nd, what's going to happen in this fight with Chuck
Liddell?
Tito:
This fight with Chuck Liddell, I mean, in my mind, I'm going
to try to stop the guy. I'm going to try to give him everything
I have and I'm gong to go in with no abandonment, pretty much
no respect and do what I do best and that's kick ass. On April
2nd, people are going to see the best of Tito Ortiz man. I mean,
I'm ready for this fight. This is something that I never wanted
to happen because I was or thought I was friends with Chuck Liddell.
But I guess not and things have changed so let the beatings begin.
April 2nd. people are going to see the best of Tito Ortiz.
Ryan:
Tito, I mean how much pressure do you feel? I mean, both of you
guys went on such an amazing win streaks. You've suffered a loss,
he's suffered a couple of loses. There's a lot of pressure going
in to this fight that the loser really drops in the 205 pound
division. Do you feel the added pressure going into this fight?
Tito:
For once, you know what man, I actually don't have any pressure
at all to tell you the truth. I have nothing to lose man. I don't
have the title anymore, I have nothing to lose. It doesn't matter
to me. In my mind, I just want to go in there and do what I do
best and kick ass. It seems like when I don't have no pressure
on my back, I actually compete better. But now, I just can't
wait to compete again. I'm not worried about, well I'm going
to lose my world title, I'm going to lose my belt. I don't care
anymore. It's kinda funny cause I'm gonna go in, like I said,
with reckless abandonment and just try to hurt Chuck Liddell.
I'm just going to go in and do what I do best and in my mind,
it doesn't matter to me anymore man. I really don't care. I mean,
to me, it doesn't feel like it did when I had the title you know.
I'm not afraid to lose anymore. I'm going to give it all on the
line, put it all out and just try to see what happens at the
end.
Ryan:
Tito, it's just weird hearing you say that because I remember,
you know, Matt Hughes said that same thing. I mean, almost the
exact same thing you just said. He said, hey the pressure's off
which is surprising to a few of us. It's interesting to hear
you say that. It's amazing how much pressure......
Tito:
I had the title for so long, me and Matt Hughes, we both held
the title for longer than anybody in the history of Ultimate
Fighting Championship. The pressure can build up after a while
man. It's over and over and over, doing the same thing, hopefully
you can compete at the same level each and every time. We do
get bored man. Your body gets beat up and you know what, sometimes
we aren't able to train as hard as we usually are. Now, it's
like every thing's kinda lifted off man. All the weight's lifted
off my shoulders, I mean, there's not a bunch of people trying
to crowd around me saying, oh this and oh that, you're the champ
this and you're the champ that. More than anything, it's just
time to compete at the level I did when I first started. When
I lost to Frank Shamrock, I came back 100 times better the next
time. So, I think this loss that I had kinda taught me a few
things and now it's time for me to come back and do what I do
best.
Ryan:
Well Tito, always a pleasure man. I appreciate you making time
out of you busy schedule for us. Always appreciate it my friend
and I look forward to seeing you in Vegas.
Tito:
Right on Ryan. Thank you very much. Of coarse, everyone out there,
if you want to check out my website, www.TitoOrtiz.com. I'm on
the live chat sometimes, you can chat with me, ask questions,
whatever. That's at www.TitoOrtiz.com. And of coarse, on
my world wide Punishment Athletics clothing line. Please get
on and buy some gear for the up coming fight. We've got some
good new gear on there and I've got some new stuff coming soon.
It's www.PunishmentAthletics.com.
Ryan:
I jumped on there, you guys got some new looks on the site. Looks
good man.
Tito:
Right on, thank you much man. I appreciate it.
Ryan:
Tito, see you in Vegas, take care.
Tito:
Alright Ryan, thank you.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
WEDNESDAY'S
FIGHTERS DIARY
WEDNESDAY
Well
everybody I made it to Las Vegas. Viva Las Vegas. I get my wake
up call at 8am and we are just a couple of days away from fight
day. The two hour difference isn't bad at all. I actually prefer
it because last time around I was fighting like at 10pm, this
time out west I get to fight at 7pm, so I'm pumped about it.
I
head down stairs at the Mandalay Bay and the have a huge buffett.
They have a little bit of everything, but I'm going to lay off
the bacon and sausage and just eat light with some eggs, toast
and orange juice.
Today
is what some call "media day". Basically I spend time
getting some photo's taken, and do a few video interviews for
the pay per view.That kicks off at 10am and usually goes for
an hour or two.
After
the interviews I will go check my weight again. I should be around
175, but we shall see. After that lunch today will be very light,
especially if I'm more than 175. Just have to wait and see.
I
think today I'm going to go down and check out some of the older
casinos on the other end of town. I got a chance to check out
the newer casinos yesterday, but haven't been across town, so
I'm going to check them out and see what they are all about.
After
that I will head back to the Mandalay and get a workout in. I
will do some treadmill stuff as well as roll around and work
on my technique and stuff. I should also find out if I'm heading
to the boxing gym in town. My boxing coach thought there was
a gym or two that I could get a light workout in.
Finally
it's dinner time and once again this dinner will depend on what
my weight is. This will also be the last meal of the day as tomorrow
is weigh-in day, so this will be the last time I get a chance
to eat a good meal before weigh-in's.
Around
11pm it's time to crash and I will get ready for tomorrow stepping
on the scales. I don't have a ton of new information to give
you today, but tomorrow I will share some insight about the weigh-in's
that you will find interesting.
Thanks
for reading my daily diary and I will see you tomorrow with my
final entry this week of my fighters diary. See you on the scales
tomorrow on MMAWeekly.
Source: MMA Weekly |
Tito
vs Chuck from a Fighter's Perspective
Duane "Bang" Ludwig, Professional Fighter
With
the whole history behind the fight, I know that both guys are
training there butts off and the will both be in great shape
so I feel that the fight will end up in one of two ways, Chuck
will either KO Tito if he tries to stand with him or Tito will
get a GnP decision. Just as all of Chucks fans are doing, I pray
that Chuck is working a lot of Wrestling because as soon as Tito
gets hit by Chuck, he will not stand any longer and start going
for the takedown. I want Chuck to KO Tito.
Jeremy
Jackson, Professional Fighter:
"I
can't say who I think will win, but if I had to make a choice,
I
would say Tito has the advantage. The reason being, Chuck gets
weaker every round whereas Tito gets stronger every round. Tito's
striking has also improved a lot. Therefore, I expect Tito to
win this one. Besides that, I expect a great fight!"
Debi
Purcell, Professional Fighter
"Let's
see... Chuck versus Tito... hmmm... I think that Chuck is
phenomenal. He's one of my favorite fighters. But I do not
underestimate Tito. I think that after his fight with Randy,
he is not coming to lose. If Tito doesn't get caught and if Chuck
does not end up on his back, the fight will be very interesting.
I'm going to play Switzerland today."
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
FRANCA
LOOKING FORWARD TO BATTLE VS YVES
MMAWeekly SoundOff Radio's Tuesday edition featured Hermes Franca
as a part of it's sixteen fighters in sixteen days. Hermes is
fighting Yves Edwards at UFC 47 and spoke about his up coming
fight, his loss to Josh Thomson as well as his training.
Franca
has been training hard, two and three times a day as well as
running everyday. He said, "I am ready for him," speaking
about Yves. Hermes is weighing around 162 pounds right now and
only has to cut down to 155 for the fight. This is his last week
of hardcore training and next week, the week of the fight, he
will rest and let his body heal.
He
considers Edwards to be an "incredible, experienced opponent"
and a "good fighter." Franca has watched Yves fight
tapes over and over and said he is "ready for everything,
it doesn't matter." Hermes plans to "work my Jiu-Jitsu"
but said he comfortable fighting stand up too.
Hermes
trains at American Top Team and credited the entire camp with
helping him prepare for this fight. He commented on Din Thomas'
hand speed and the asset of having Aaron Riley to train with
who has fought Yves twice.
He
went on to say that Riley knows exactly what Edwards is going
to do. Aaron has been helping Hermes with his stand up while
Hermes helped Riley with his ground game as they both prepare
to fight with in the next two weeks.
Franco
spoke briefly about his loss to Josh Thomson at the last UFC.
Josh won the fight by unanimous decision but when asked if he
felt he won the fight, Franca replied, "for sure."
He didn't want to take anything away from Thomson, saying he
is a good fighter and strong but added that had Larry Landless
not interfered, he would have knocked Josh out. If Hermes can
get past Yves, he may very well get his second chance against
Thomson but this time, a title could be on the line.
Source:
MMA Weekly
|
DIAZ
HAS TOOLS TO PULL OFF UPSET VS LAWLER
Nick
Diaz probably wasn't as nervous in his UFC debut, at UFC 44,
as many first timers in the Octagon. Considering that he was
facing the same opponent, tough striker Jeremy Jackson.
Nick
had faced Jeremy twice before, the most recent having been a
TKO win over him just two months earlier. Oh yeah, he also had
the world renowned Gracie name on his side and in his corner
as he was accompanied by his trainer Cesar Gracie.
He
defeated Jackson for a second time on that night, this time by
arm bar, which gave him a solid measure of revenge for the defeat
he suffered at the hands of Jackson in the finals of the King
of the Mountain tournament in 2002.
On
April 2nd, Diaz will return to the Octagon to face an even more
formidable striker in Team Miletich's "Ruthless" Robbie
Lawler, though facing solid opposition isn't really anything
new for Diaz. In only his second fight, he defeated UFC veteran
Chris Lytle and of the eight wins on his 9-2 record, Diaz can
also count Lion's Den fighter Joe Hurley as one of his victims.
Against
Lawler though, the stakes are as high as they've ever been for
the current IFC and WEC Welterweight Champion. A win over Lawler
would establish Diaz's position in the UFC as a true contender
for the welterweight title. Most likely, the winner of this one
will probably square off with one other contender and then be
given a shot at BJ Penn's title. Unless Penn and/or the UFC get
anxious for Penn to defend his belt, then the winner of this
one could possibly get a shot right away, but look for the winner
to have to do the dance one more time first.
Diaz
is very well known as a tough submission fighter, because of
his association with the Gracie name and fighting for the Cesar
Gracie Fight Team. And this is true, he is very good at submissions
and holds a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu. What isn't talked
about as much is how good his hands are. The hands that he started
working on with Cesar Gracie teammate Steve Heath, even before
he started training with Cesar. The hands that he used to earn
3 TKO victories with.
We
haven't seen much of Robbie Lawler on the ground. Of course,
with 5 of his 8 wins coming by first round KO or TKO, there hasn't
been much opportunity for Lawler to show what he knows on the
ground. Then again, that does mean that he hasn't had hardly
any actual fight experience on the ground no matter what he knows
from training. Diaz, on the other hand, has plenty of experience
both on his feet and on the ground and has faced the some tough
competition that Lawler has.
If
Diaz can whether Lawler's early storm of strikes, which he has
shown he can in his most recent bouts with Jackson and his earlier
bout with Lytle, he stands a very good chance of winning this
fight. Diaz is a very smart fighter and has some size to him,
he shouldn't be giving away much size to Lawler if any at all.
If he can get Lawler down, he should dominate on the ground.
Even
if Lawler somehow gets on top, it will interesting to see if
he is able to stay there and keep Diaz down. Diaz is very solid
on the ground and knows how to work his way out of such positions.
If they stay on the ground for too long, Diaz has the ability
to work to a submission and do what know other fighter has been
able to do, get him to tap or go out.
As
I said, the stakes are high and Lawler has fought more than half
of his fights in the Octagon. But Diaz is no stranger to big
fights and doesn't seem intimidated by the bright lights and
big stage of the UFC.
He
has preparation against Lawler with his last fight against Jeremy
Jackson who is very Lawler-esque if you will. Robbie comes from
one of the strongest teams in the sport in Team Miletich, but
the Cesar Gracie Fight Team are no slouches either with Diaz,
David Terrell, Gil Castillo, Steve Heath, and Jake Shields, making
up but a portion of the team.
I
don't see nerves playing a part in this one. The most important
part of the fight for Nick is the first three minutes. If he
can weather the Lawler storm early he will be fine. Diaz has
to maintain his composure and if he does look for him to put
Lawler on the ground and into his world to steal this one and
take another step up the ladder for a shot at the welterweight
title.
Win
- Mike Wick - Triangle Choke - IFC - 8-31-2001
Win - Chris Lytle - Split Decision - IFC - 7-12-2002
Win - Blaine Tyler - TKO - Ultimate Athlete: King of the Mountain
- 9-28-2002
Win - Adam Lynn - Arm Bar - Ultimate Athlete: King of the Mountain
- 9-28-2002
Lose - Jeremy Jackson - TKO - Ultimate Athlete: King of the Mountain
- 9-28-2002
Win - Harris Sarmiento - TKO - Warriors Quest 8 - 10-24-2002
Lose - Kuniyoshi Hironaka - Split Decision - Shooto - 12-14-2002
Win - Joe Hurley - Kimura - WEC - 3-27-2003
Win - Jeremy Jackson - TKO - IFC - 7-19-2003
Win - Jeremy Jackson - Arm bar - UFC 44 - 9-26-2003
Source: MMA Weekly |
Quote
of the Day
"Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things.
The saddest summary of a life contains three descriptions: could
have, might have and should have."
Louis Boone, American Author
|
UFC
FIGHTER TIM SYLVIA AWAITS ELEVENTH HOUR TEST RESULTS REQUIRED
FOR LICENSING
Rumor has
it that Sylvia tested positive and that he is out of the title
fight and Hawaii's own Cabbage is in. Remember you heard it first
here on Onzuka.com!
Las
Vegas, Nev., March 31, 2004….Pursuant to the terms of his
prior suspension, former Ultimate Fighting Championship®
Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia is anxiously awaiting satisfactory
test results indicating an absence of performance enhancing drugs
in his system.
In
anticipation of the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s requirement
for 2004 licensing, Sylvia took a preliminary test several weeks
ago, that still indicates miniscule amounts of the substance
detected after his September 26, 2003 bout. Sylvia insists, and
the results indicate, that the possible small trace amounts found
in his system go back to his first and only use of the agents
taken over nine months ago. Because the NSAC had ordered Sylvia
to provide satisfactory results before fighting again, Sylvia
has requested that he be given until the last possible opportunity
to obtain accurate results. This request is based upon a belief
that trace amounts can linger in an athlete’s fat cells
long after usage has occurred. Sylvia has already submitted his
urine sample and lab results for that test are expected early
tomorrow.
UFC®
officials are working closely with the NSAC and the fighter,
a proactive approach the company embraces in matters relating
to fighter safety and event integrity. Any changes to the official
UFC 47: It’s On! event card will be announced pending Sylvia’s
test results.
UFC47:
It’s On! features a much anticipated main event with Tito
Ortiz vs. Chuck Liddell for the number one contender status in
the Light Heavyweight division. The event airs live on pay-per-view
at 10 p.m. EST and 7 p.m. PST this Friday, April 2, from the
almost sold out Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
Source: ADCC |
FOUR
MORE FIGHTERS ADDED TO PRIDE TOTAL ELIMINATION 2004!
LOS
ANGELES, California – Four more participants have been added
to the sixteen man heavyweight tournament, TOTAL ELIMINATION
2004, which will take place on April 25th, 2004 from the Saitama
Super Arena in Japan. The event is scheduled to debut on North
American pay per view on same day delay.
Newly
Added Participants:
- Mark “The Hammer” Coleman
- Hirotaka Yokoi
- Paulo “Giant” Silva Cesar
- Sergei Kharitonov
Previously
Announced Participants:
- Fedor Emelianenko
- Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira
- Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic
- “The Texas Crazy Horse” Heath Herring
- “Ice Cold” Igor Vovchanchyn
- Stefan “Blitz” Leko
- Sylvester “The Predator” Terkay
- Henry “Sentoryu” Miller
At
10-0, Hirotaka Yokoi is one of Japan’s most promising heavyweights;
he is a veteran of the Rings organization and was victorious
in his PRIDE FC debut, defeating Jerrel Venetiaan at PRIDE FC
23 CHAMPIONSHIP CHAOS 2. At 7’5” and 528 lbs, Paulo
Silva Cesar, better known as “Giant Silva,” is one
of the most imposing physical specimens ever to compete in mixed
martial arts. With his incredible strength and reach advantage,
he constantly poses match-up problems for his opponents. Sergei
Kharitonov hails from Moscow, Russia and this undefeated fighter
(7-0) has quietly made his presence felt in mixed martial arts;
in his two PRIDE FC appearances he has impressive, armbarring
both of his opponents (Jason Nobunaga and L.A. Giant). Mark “The
Hammer” Coleman is one of the legends of mixed martial arts
and the winner of the 2000 PRIDE FC Heavyweight Grand Prix. That
night he made history as PRIDE FC’s first ever Grand Prix
winner and now he looks to repeat the performance.
The
remaining four participants as well as the match-ups for the
opening round will be announced soon. The schedule for the tournament
will be as follows:
PRIDE
FC 16-Man Heavyweight Tournament
TOTAL
ELIMINATION 2004
April 25, 2004
Saitama Super Arena
(Opening Round)
CRITICAL
COUNTDOWN 2004
June 20, 2004
Saitama Super Arena
(Second Round)
FINAL
CONFLICT 2004
August 15, 2004
Saitama Super Arena
(Semi-Finals and Finals)
PRIDE
FC: TOTAL ELIMINATION 2004 will premiere on North American pay
per view through iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra,
TVN1, Bell Express Vu, and Viewer’s Choice Canada on Sunday,
April 25th, 2004. The premiere time is 9:00pm EST, 6:00pm PST
and the count down show is at 8:30pm EST, 5:30pm PST. For additional
replay times, please contact your pay per view provider or pridefc.com.
Participants
and fight card are subject to change.
For
more information on PRIDE FC, visit http://pridefc.com!
Source: ADCC |
UFC
Preview: Talking with Nick Diaz
Las
Vegas, NV -- Nick Diaz arrived in Las Vegas Monday in final preparation
of his upcoming fight at “UFC 47: It’s ON!.” The
Team Cesar Gracie fighter will meet “Ruthless” Robbie
Lawler of Team Miletich Fighting Systems in a welterweight fight
this Friday, April 2nd, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. The
20-year-old has been fighting for roughly 3 years. In that time,
he has developed an 8-2 record, while earning championship titles
in the IFC and WEC. The BJJ purple belt is also active on the
grappling circuit winning several Gi competitions and No-Gi competitions
in his weight and absolute divisions.
JC:
What is your athletic background?
ND: I used to swim in school.
JC:
How did you come to train in MMA?
ND: I started with Steve Heath in Lodi (California) at the Animal
House Gym. Steve is affiliated with Cesar Gracie and I would
try to train as much as possible at Cesar’s Academy.
JC:
You’ve accomplished a great deal in a short time in MMA.
What do you attribute your success?
ND: There’s just a lot of good guys at Cesar’s Academy.
Dave Terrell, Jake Shields, Gil Castillo, Cesar of course.
JC:
It’s Robbie Lawler on April 2. How have you prepared for
him?
ND: I just trained really hard on every aspect of my game. I
feel I’m in shape and ready for whoever I face.
JC:
Are you a Gracie BJJ guy first and will stand up with Lawler
be a concern for you?
ND: I’m a Gracie JJ guy all the way. At Cesar’s we
don’t just jump to guard. We wrestle, box, you name it.
I’m sure Lawler hits hard. I’ve fought a lot of guys
that hit hard. I’ll have to make sure to not get hit.
JC:
How do you see the fight going?
ND: Hopefully I’ll win. I’ll take whatever is open
to take at the time. I will say that I’m going to come in
hard and do some things that are unexpected.
JC:
What are your goals in MMA?
ND: I want to see how far I can get. I want to keep improving
and challenging myself with bigger fights.
JC:
Is there anything you’d like to say?
ND: Just thanks to my fans and to my team.
Source: ADCC |
K-1
- Briggs Wins In Tokyo, Headed For the Bellagio!
Veteran
heavyweight boxer Shannon Briggs 40-4-1 (34 ko's) made his long-anticipated
K-1 debut. Briggs had a successful K-1 debut Saturday night at
the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The 32 year-old Briggs
hails from Brownsville, the same tough Brooklyn neighborhood
that produced Mike Tyson and Riddick Bowe. In 1997, Briggs took
a 12 round decision against the legendary George Foreman to claim
the heavyweight title. Briggs' opponent here was fellow American
Tom Erikson, a 142 kg MMA fighter trying for the third time for
his first victory in the K-1 ring.
It
was immediately apparent that Erikson's strategy here was to
wear down his boxer opponent with low kicks. Erikson threw four
low kicks in the opening seconds of the bout, and even though
they were not terrific strikes, Briggs did not look comfortable
blocking them. And so Briggs fixed it so that he would not have
to deal with any more kicks. Moving in quickly, he threw a left-right
punch combination that put Erikson down. The big fellow slowly
rose to one knee, and looked like he might beat the count --
if only the count were a whole lot longer. As the ref said 10,
Erikson slumped back to the mat, and Briggs had a KO win in the
first fight of his K-1 career.
'I
am happy to win here, this is my third trip to Japan and I must
say this is a wonderful place and I'm mad when I have to leave'
said Briggs afterwards. Briggs, who had boxed just two weeks
earlier looks to stay as busy and plans to fight both boxing
and K-1 again in April. The multi-talented Briggs is also an
actor who made his movie screen debut this past summer with Wil
Smith and Martin Lawrence in Bad Boys 2. 'I have a new film coming
out soon, but after that I intend to focus on fighting regularly
and regain the Heavyweight Championship of the world and a K-1
title.'
Source: ADCC |
Andrei
Arlovski:
On His Way to the UFC Heavyweight Championship!
Chicago,
IL -- At first glance, intimidating might be a word used to describe
UFC heavyweight title contender Andrei Arlovski. From his gothic
forehead to his dark eyes to the squared jaw and his overall
girth and height, the 25-year-old has the presence of a fierce
fighter. But many would be surprised to discover the man behind
the fighter is calm and peaceful in everyday life.
Religious
about his training, the Minsk, Belarus, native is 100% focused
on his upcoming championship title fight at “UFC 47: It’s
On!.” Arlovski isn’t approaching this fight differently
because it is for a title “it’s a fight,” he says,
“I have trained very seriously, as I did for my previous
fights, though there is more responsibility” in being the
champion.
Fighting
for the title vacated by opponent Tim Sylvia has no affect on
his mind or game leading into the fight. Sylvia voluntarily relinquished
his title during a hearing on October 15, 2003, stemming from
his positive test for Stanozolol Metabolite, better known as
Winstrol, a performance enhancing substance, after his first
title defense at “UFC 44: Undisputed.”
Arlovski
is an intelligent fighter. He has KO’d a striker and kept
a wrestler from taking him down. Going into this fight “I
want to win... and I’ll do my best to win it,” he said.
While Arlovski has been taller and out weighed a majority of
his opponents, on April 2, he will give up 6” and 20+ pounds
to Sylvia “I have taken this into consideration during my
preparations for this fight,” he said, “however, I
have trained in the same way as I did previously,” which
has scored him a 7-3 record. The 2-Time World Sambo Champion
isn’t sure if the height and weight difference will benefit
Sylvia “we’ll see,” he said, “I hope that
my opponent trains hard in order not to have his weight and height
as (his) only advantages for the fight.”
Arlovski
has remained in the United States since his Undisputed victory
over Vladimir Matyushenko in September 2003, “I love America,
and I feel that here I can train better for this fight,”
he said, “I really like to train in the US.” Arlovski
has been training in Chicago with Rickson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu affiliate
Dino Costeas, Arturo Salas for boxing and personal fitness trainer
Val Palanichka “I really appreciate everybody who has helped
me for this fight,” he said. Arlovski trains with Clubbells
for conditioning “I incorporated Clubbells in my training,”
he said, “they are great! Training with Clubbells helps
me to prepare for this title fight.”
Besides
earning the title this weekend in Las Vegas “I would like
to please my fans with my fighting,” he said, as he continues
to build a US fan base with each of his fights “I’m
very glad and thankful that I have fans in the US,” he said.
Arlovski has been traveling as a spectator and to market himself
at different MMA events around the US “It’s very interesting,
exciting, and even hot-tempering; especially when some of your
friends are fighting,” he said. And Arlovski was on hand
to support some of his friends at Euphoria MFC in Atlantic City,
New Jersey, a few weeks ago “my friends participated in
that event, so, I went there to meet with them and support them.”
Sylvia was scheduled to corner his friend and team mate Justin
Eilers on the same card, but chose to concentrate on his training
at Miletich Fighting Systems in Iowa.
Source: ADCC |
The
Brazilian Beat:
"The
Axe Murderer" Chopping his way into the Mainstream in Brazil,
Schembri adapting well to Chute Boxe, Storm Samurai coming up,
more HEAT FC 3 news and talk of Anderson Silva vs. Jeremy Horn
in Korea!
Things are heated in the Brazilian MMA scene as March marches
to an end and March Madness will turn into April Madness in this
country as plenty of MMA shows will be taking place in the coming
month. As those shows approaches more backstage happenings take
place and the Brazilian Beat returns to report some more tidbits
from the latest. HEAT FC 3 is approaching and its fights are
being announced all the time. Chute Boxe will also bring STORM
SAMURAI with some new MMA talent in their ring as the team looks
stronger and stronger with Nino "Elvis" Schembri starting
to look as an official Chute Boxe member. Besides that, Chute
Boxe main icon Wanderlei Silva is taking Brazilian mainstream
media by storm and preaching the word of MMA to newbies. As Chute
Boxe seems to always be the center of attention in what comes
to MMA here lately, even their former members are making some
noise as rumors have Anderson Silva may be going to Korea to
face PRIDE and UFC veteran Jeremy Horn in June. This may only
be a rumor, but as one would say, where you can find smoke there's
a huge chance of finding fire as well ... So, with no further
wait let's go straight to the news as the Beat can never stop
in FCF in typical Brazilian madness!
PRIDE Middleweight Champion Wanderlei Silva is a busy man. Besides
his usual demanding training schedule, Silva has been very requested
by the Brazilian press, not only MMA-wise, and his growing fame
shows no sign of stopping. This Monday "The Axe Murderer"
left his hometown of Curitiba to go to Sao Paulo, the biggest
city in the country, where he will attend numerous mainstream
media appearances until Wednesday, when he returns to Curitiba.
Among his most important commitments will be a guest appearance
on a live talk show entitled "É Show!" [which
means "It's Show" in Portuguese], the show is one of
the most important of its kind in Brazil. Wanderlei Silva told
his friends he is looking at this opportunity as a chance to
give MMA a good image with the general public and help the sport
to gain some more fans.
Speaking
of the Chute Boxe team, it's looking as their new addition, PRIDE
veteran Nino "Elvis" Schembri, will really stay in
the city for long and be officially part of the Chute Boxe team.
Schembri has been reported to be doing well in training and getting
along with everybody very well, and also showing an great enthusiasm
with the training. Nino is adapting well to the life in Curitiba
and Masters Rudimar Fedrigo and Rafael Cordeiro are very happy
with the development he may bring alongside with the work of
Cristiano Marcello for the team's groundwork. Speaking of new
additions to Chute Boxe, rumor have that talks are going on and
more famous names of the Brazilian MMA scene will be heading
for the famous academy of Curitiba in the coming months.
Chute
Boxe stand out Murilo Ninja Rua continues to train hard after
recovering from his shin injury, which seemed to be caused by
a spider bite. Ninja is training and getting ready, as he is
preparing to departure to Japan soon, which means that he will
most likely be really taking part in the PRIDE Heavyweight Grand
Prix, as it was rumored from a long time already. His opponent
on the first round though, is still uknown.
Still
on the subject of Chute Boxe, Promoter Rafael Cordeiro is putting
together the second Edition of STORM SAMURAI, which is the natural
evolution of the traditional Muay Thai STORM show, but now counting
with MMA matches as well. The next card will take place in Curitiba
at April 17th, the interesting note is that STORM also plans
a Muay Thai card in Sao Paulo just two days earlier. Anyway,
STORM SAMURAI will feature six Muay Thai matches and seven MMA
Matches, with STORM stand outs Fabio Tigrao and Mauricio "Veio"
Amado both fighting MMA. Tigrao will be debuting in MMA after
several Muay Thai wins at STORM, and Mauricio Amado will be going
into his second fight after scoring a win at the last STORM Samurai.
Speaking of STORM stand outs, rumor have that long time Chute
Boxe talent and now black belt Marlon Matias is being prepared
to fight in K-1 Max in Japan, and may be appearing in the Japanese
tournament in the near future.
The
northern region of Brazil continues to hold its share of MMA
events as the public seems to love our sport over there. One
more eight man tournament took place in the state of Amazonas
[where most of the Amazon forest is located], when this last
March 27th the city of Manaus saw the "Rei Da Selva"
show [means King of the Jungle in Portuguese] crown Jiu-Jitsu
fighter Paulo Lima as its king after submitting three opponents
in one night. On his way to the final Lima scored an arm-lock
at Alfonso Diaz in the first round, moving to get a rear naked
choke to submit Mauro Silva on the semi-finals to finally get
striker Kevin Christopher, who got two decisive KO wins during
the tournament earlier rounds, on another arm-lock on the 3rd
and final round of the fight.
Sources
on Brazil have that Shooto Welterweight champion Vitor "Shaolin"
Ribeiro will be taking his moves to Hawaii this next July 9th
at Shooto Hawaii. Shaolin's opponent isn't decide yet, and meanwhile
the champion continues to train hard as usual, as Vitor Ribeiro
is one of the hardest workers and most serious professionals
on the fighting game in Brazil.
Another
famous Brazilian fighter who may have a fight abroad soon is
Anderson Silva. The former Chute Boxe member and PRIDE veteran
has only fought once, at Conquista Fight promoter by Rodrigo
Nogueira in Bahia, since he left the famous Chute Boxe team.
Now his first international shot is looking to become a reality
as Ultra FC, the long awaited big time Korean show coming up
next June. Word is that Anderson will likely be fighting Jeremy
Horn in Korea, although nothing official has been announced yet.
One interesting point is that after leaving Chute Boxe, Anderson
Silva developed a friendship with PRIDE superstar Rodrigo "Minotauro"
Nogueira, and has been giving Minotauro some help with Muay Thai
training now and then, as Minotauro has been looking to help
him getting fights abroad again.
Another
PRIDE veteran that will be in action in Korea is Brazilian Top
Team member Paulo Filho. However, before Filho experience some
Korean action, he is fighting this next week in Brazil against
HEAT FC veteran Silmar Rodrigo at the third edition of Bitetti
Combat. UFC veteran Flavio Moura will also be performing against
BTT member "Capixu", and the card will count with another
HEAT FC veteran in its card in Fabio Bolinho. The show takes
place this next April 1st at the city of Natal, also known as
the HEAT hometown as well.
Speaking
of HEAT FC, as the third edition approaches at April 30th, new
fights and names are being confirmed. According to the promoters
all fights are signed but will not be announced at once. MECA
veteran and Brazilian Top Team member Roan "Jucao"
Carneiro will be making his HEAT debut against local fighter
Leonardo Souza. Souza fought at Mario Sperry's show Brazil Super
Fight and knocked out BTT fighter Haroldo Cabelinho Bunn at his
MMA debut. Souza is also a BJJ world champion at purple belt
and is currently a brown belt, as Carneiro is already a BTT black
belt and has wins at MECA and Argentina, and will be looking
to avenge his teammate loss to the hands of Souza. BJJ Black
belt World Champion Fredson Paixao's MMA debut at HEAT FC 3 is
also confirmed against Rany Yahyra, a stand out in submission
Wrestling who was last year's Abu Dhabi Brazilian trials champion!
Both guys have fought twice in Submission Wrestling and have
some sort of feud, that will be decided on both guys MMA debut.
Source:
FCF |
Sylvia,
UFC Wait Results of Test
Tim Sylvia will learn no later than Thursday morning whether
he will be eligible to fight Andrei Arlovksi for the UFC heavyweight
championship Friday, April 2.
Sylvia,
supsended four months and fined $7,500 by the Nevada State Athletic
Commission in September after testing positive for anabolic steroids
following a bout versus Gan McGee, arrived in Las Vegas last
week to take a test, administered by the NSAC, as part of the
adjudication of his suspension.
A
passing grade mandates that no more than 30 nanograms can be
found in his system. An active steroid user could register anywhere
from 900 to 1,000 nanograms. Nanograms are usually stored in
the user's fat cells.
Rumors
kicked up several days ago that Sylvia had taken a test on his
own accord and fallen short of the required NSAC mark.
"Tim
Sylvia three weeks ago was at 62 nanograms," UFC President
Dana White confirmed Wednesday evening. "So, we don't know
where his is now. We're waiting to see."
When
contacted, Sylvia asked to hold off on commenting until tomrrow
morning, when the results of the test would be known.
"He
didn't take steroids again," White says. "Tim's an
honest kid and a good guy. He made a mistake. We know he's not
taking steroids. The doctor said he's not taking steroids. It's
the stuff that's left in his body and it's one of those things.
He did something stupid and he's still paying for it."
If
Sylvia is unable to compete, says White, Wesley "Cabbage" Correira will probably fill
in his slot versus Arlovski. Wes Sims, who was notified a week
ago that his services might be needed, will face Correira's original
opponent Mike Kyle.
Source: MMA Weekly
|
IOWA
STATE HEAD COACH BOBBY DOUGLAS:
I LIVE TO WORK
When the Iowa State Cyclones finished in just 19th place at the
2003 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships, the team's lowest finish
since 1962, there were those ready to bury this storied program
for many years to come. But 2003 was the first post-Cael Sanderson
year for Iowa State, and followed a second-place team finish
in 2002 that saw them win three individual championships.
This
past season, 2003-04, was expected by some to be another in a
series of disappointing rebuilding years. That assessment was
only half-right: while this was at least partially a rebuilding
year for Iowa State, it was far from disappointing overall.
When
the dust settled at the 2004 NCAA Div. I Wrestling Championships,
held March 18-20 at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, Iowa State
had crowned one individual champion, Zach Roberson at 133 lbs.,
and had a total of five All-Americans, a number exceeded only
by team champion Oklahoma State. And as a team, Iowa State finished
in sixth place with 70 points, ahead of wrestling strongholds
like Illinois, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Michigan, and only behind
Oklahoma State, in-state rival Iowa (whom they defeated in a
dual meet this past season), Lehigh, Ohio State, and Nebraska.
The
most historic achievement, of course, was senior Zach Roberson's
individual NCAA title. After the tournament, I asked Iowa State's
veteran head coach Bobby Douglas the number of individual NCAA
champions from Iowa State Roberson's victory had made.
'I
have no idea,' he answered, but stressed, 'All I know is that
it was a good feeling for Zach. I'm so happy for him. He deserved
it. He did a great job.'
It
turns out that Roberson's title is the 62nd individual NCAA championship
from a total of 43 wrestlers in a team history that includes
NCAA titles from greats including Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson,
Chris Taylor, Nate Carr, Ben Peterson, Les Anderson, Larry Hayes,
Tom Peckham, Carl Adams, Mike Van Arsdale, current Iowa State
assistant coach Chris Bono, and so many more.
Coach
Douglas was also pleased overall with the performance of his
mostly young team.
'We
had a great tournament,' he said, 'not as good as we would have
liked to have had, but it's something to build on in the future.
The guys exceeded their seeds, so you got to be happy about that
and happy about the future.'
Of
the eight Iowa State wrestlers who qualified for the NCAAs, as
Coach Douglas said, four of the five who became All-Americans
all finished higher than their pre-tournament seeds.
NCAA
champ Roberson was seeded fifth. At 157, tenth seed freshman
Travis Paulson finished sixth. At 184, eighth seed freshman Kurt
Backes finished seventh. And at heavyweight, 12th seed junior
Scott Coleman finished eighth. Only at 141 did an Iowa State
All-American finish lower than his seed. There sophomore Nate
Gallick was seeded second, but finished fifth, losing only to
eventual runner-up Matt Murray of Nebraska in a double tiebreaker,
and Scott Moore, the top seed who finished third. In the match
for fifth place, Gallick defeated defending 141-pound champion
Teyon Ware of Oklahoma, 5-3.
Iowa
State has a tradition of faring better at the NCAA national tournament
than during the regular season. 'The tradition lives on,' beamed
Coach Douglas. 'Iowa State is a team that's always going to be
competitive, and I think we did a good job this year. Obviously
we want to do better, and we plan on doing better in the future.'
Since
only Roberson is a senior among these five Cyclone All-Americans,
Coach Douglas said that for next season, 'Our lineup is pretty
much the same. We'll have some holes that we have to fill, and
we don't know what we're going to fill in with the holes. But
our future looks bright.'
It
is also expected that highly-touted junior college wrestler Willie
Parks will be joining the team when he becomes eligible in January.
He is currently attending college at Iowa State.
After
all these years of coaching, I asked Coach Douglas if he still
enjoyed it all.
'Some
people work to live. I live to work,' was his studied reply.
'This fills my life, and I'm enjoying it, and I don't plan on
leaving it for a while.'
This
response, of course, brought up the subject of whether or not
he is planning to retire. Even though he sports some gray hair
and has been a member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame
since 1987, this was the only subject at which he bristled.
'I'm
not retiring,' he insisted. 'I'm tired of people asking me when
am I going to retire. When it's time to retire, I'll retire.'
I explained that I was not hinting that he should retire, but
only inquiring about a topic that has been discussed in wrestling
circles.
'It's
funny,' he shot back. 'All these guys are asking me the same
questions. I'm trying to be a gentleman about it, but I'm getting
pissed off.' Then he clarified, 'When I'm not effective -- and
I'll know when -- that's when I'll quit.' And that is exactly
what you would want the attitude to be of an effective head coach.
'We
had a good year. We're looking forward to next year,' he concluded.
With
seven of his eight NCAA qualifiers and four of his five All-Americans
returning, plus the anticipated addition of Parks, the Cyclones
should fly even higher in the 2004-05 college wrestling season.
Source: ADCC |
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