Three Title Fights Highlight Impressive March 24th WEC Lineup By FCF Staff
The World Extreme Cagefighting’s March 24th card is shaping up to be an extremely impressive lineup, a further testament to the direction the organization is taking under Zuffa ownership. The event, which will take place at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, will be highlighted by three title fights. WEC Featherweight Champion Urijah Faber (17-1) will look to defend his 145 pound crown against the undefeated Dominick Cruz (7-0). The Californian Faber won the promotion’s title in January at WEC 25 by stopping Joe Pearson in the first round with strikes.
The night’s second title fight will feature WEC Bantamweight Champion (135 lbs.) Eddie Wineland (12-4-1), looking to defend his title against Chase Beebe (9-1). Wineland has won his last nine fights in a row, a streak that includes a KO win over Antonio Banuelos at WEC 20 last May. Beebe has won his last four fights with his only career loss coming to Matt Fiordirosa, who defeated him by unanimous decision at the Xtreme Fighting Organization 12 last August.
The final title bout will see Canadian John Alessio (18-10) take on Carlos Condit (19-4) for the WEC Welterweight belt, in a fight between two well established fighters. Most recently, Alessio defeated Brian Gassaway in January by rear naked choke at WEC 25, a nice rebound for the UFC veteran who was defeated by Thiago Alves last October at Ultimate Fight Night 7. Condit has won his last four bouts in a row, including a first round rear naked choke submission win over Kyle Jensen at the WEC’s last event.
The upcoming WEC card will also feature some other fights of considerable interest, with several other UFC veterans slated to compete. Joe Riggs (25-9), who was knocked out by Diego Sanchez at UFN 8 in December, will try to get back on track against middleweight Hiromitsu Miura (3-3). The Japanese fighter is coming off a win, as Miura defeated Ryo Takigawa by TKO at K-1 Hero’s October event last fall.
Erik Apple (9-0) will face off against veteran Brock Larson (20-1) in what should be another great welterweight fight on the card. The King of the Cage announcer Apple is coming off a TKO win over Ray Elbe at Total Combat Entertainment 16 last September. Larson, whose only career loss, was to Jon Fitch in 2005, defeated Keita Nakamura by unanimous decision last December at UFN 8.
Also scheduled for the March 24th card; featherweight Tommy Lee will fight Cub Swanson, Scott Norton will take on Alex Serduykov in a welterweight bout, LHW Steve Cantwell will meet Brian Stann, and Jesse Moren will fight Micah Miller in the 145 lb. bracket.
March 1, 2007 VITOR BELFORT SPEAKS OUT
Wanderlei has a weak chin Photo by Marcelo Alonso
Belfort
Ready for his upcoming fight at the Cage Rage 21, which will be held on April 21st in London, Vítor Belfort talked with us about the results of Pride 33 and analyzed the bout between Wanderlei Silva and Dan Henderson, who defeated Belfortin the first edition of Pride Las Vegas.
"Actually I was expecting this result; in my opinion Hendersonwas not the underdog in this fight because Wanderlei does not have a good chin. Wand didn’t make a mistake, Hendersonwas just better than him, period. The KO doesn’t leave any doubt, nobody can complain. Hendersonshowed a much more complete game than Wanderlei," said Belfortasking for a rematch against the new champion: "Dan Henderson is an amazing fighter, but if Pride gives me this opportunity of a rematch, the outcome will be different from the first bout," The Phenom guaranteed.
Vitor also analyzed the bout between Rogerio “Minotouro” Nogueira and Thierry Sokoudjou. “Rogerio’s case is completely different. Being knocked out in the third round and in 17 seconds is totally different. Rogerio was clearly unlucky. I believe that if the bout went to the ground, Rogerio would have submitted him and I believe if Pride makes a rematch, he will win,” evaluated the black belt.
Vitor also talked about his opponent for the upcoming Cage Rage 21 and how he is training for the bout: “I don’t remember his name, but I know he is a European champion. I will fight to win this bout, because he is a tough fighter, he has a good wrestling game and has a heavy hand,” said Belfort.
March 1, 2007 FROM THE EVENT'S PROMOTER: IFL PRESS RELEASE
MyNetworkTV Presents “Countdown to Battleground” Excitement Builds for Broadcast Premiere of Mixed Martial Arts Programming
New York, March 1, 2007 – MyNetworkTV, the broadcast home of the International Fight League, announced today that it will present “Countdown to Battleground” on Wednesday, March 7 at 8 p.m. (EST/PST). The one-hour special will give audiences a sneak preview of the new MyNetworkTV show, “IFL Battleground.”
The program is designed to introduce audiences to the IFL and mixed martial arts, as well as the athletes and teams that make up the league.“Countdown to Battleground” will include interviews with the fighters and the five legendary coaches, Ken Shamrock, Renzo Gracie, Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten and Frank Shamrock.Audiences will also get a taste of the action-packed fast-paced competition through recaps of recent IFL events.
“We are excited to bring viewers a taste of the powerful battles, intense rivalries and inspiring stories that will be featured this season on ‘IFL Battleground,’” said Greg Meidel, President, MyNetworkTV.
“We are looking forward to exposing these great athletes and our legendary coaches and the sport of MMA to the largest TV audience ever,” said Gareb Shamus, co-founder and CEO, International Fight League.“This preview will give viewers an intense glimpse of the action and the personalities that will be coming every Monday night starting March 12.”
MyNetworkTV is a primetime general entertainment broadcast television network.Targeted to Adults 18-49 and broadcast television’s only all Hi-Definition network, it reaches over 95% of the country. MyNetworkTV provides its affiliates 12 hours of programming Monday through Saturday.Currently, MyNetworkTV airs Twentieth Television’s dramas “Wicked Wicked Games,” starring Oscar-winning actress Tatum O’Neal, and “Watch Over Me,” with Dayanara Torres, Casper Van Dien and Catherine Oxenberg.For more information, please visit www.mynetworktv.com.
International Fight League™ (IFL) is the world’s first professional mixed martial arts sports league. IFL has its headquarters in New York, NY and offices in Las Vegas, NV. For more information about IFL, please see: www.ifl.tv.
March 2, 2007 UFC 68 PREVIEW
UFC 68 Preview:The Uprising - A Night of Comeback Fights By Peter Parsons
The comeback is the theme as the Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its first foray into
Ohio at the Nationwide Arena in
Columbus for UFC 68 on Saturday night, March 3.The sold out crowd will watch as Randy Couture comes out of retirement to fight Tim Sylvia for the heavyweight title.As well, Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin come back to fight for the first time since losing their respective titles.
Former two-time UFC heavyweight and two time light-heavyweight champion Randy “The Natural” Couture is coming out of retirement to fight current heavyweight champion Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia in the night’s main event.Couture is coming back after announcing his retirement in the Octagon following his KO loss to Chuck Liddell last February at UFC 57.
At 43, age isn’t the only thing that Couture has to overcome against the 30 year old Sylvia.Size may be the major factor as Couture is giving up six inches and approximately 40 pounds to the 6’8, 265 pound champ.
During Sylvia’s last title defense against Jeff Monson, which coincidently Couture was commentating Octagon-side, the 5’9” Monson failed on multiple double leg shots to get Sylvia to the mat.Couture needs to get the fight in the clinch and utilize his Greco roman skills to take the giant down.Conversely, Sylvia will look to use his reach, keep the fight standing and look for the KO.
Matt Hughes is the most dominant champion in UFC history having defended his welterweight title for a record seven times.Hughes lost his title to Canadian superstar Georges St. Pierre at UFC 65 in November of last year.This will be Hughes’ first fight back against “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 4 runner up Chris “Lights Out” Lytle.A victory for Hughes over Lytle will set up the rubber match against
St. Pierre .
Hughes can not make the mistake of looking past Lytle.The father of four, Lytle fought for years while holding down a full time job as a firefighter.Coming off of the TUF 4 show, Lytle recently devoted himself full time to MMA.He has had success as a pro boxer and is well versed in the submission game.The well rounded Lytle will want to use his boxing as much as possible against Hughes, but will inevitably have to use his jiu-jitsu game from his back to fend off Hughes’ dominant ground and pound.
Rich Franklin is coming off of a devastating KO loss to middleweight champion Anderson Silva.The Cincinnati, Ohio native
Franklin will have the home town fans behind him as he faces the red hot Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald.The Canadian MacDonald is now 2-0 in the UFC, coming off of back to back upset submission victories over Team Quest standouts Ed Herman and Chris Leben.
Franklin will likely want to keep the fight standing against MacDonald who has won his last four fights by submission.MacDonald will look for the clinch where he usually scores his takedowns from.This fight could be a battle of attrition as both fighters are known for their outstanding cardio.
Light-heavyweight contenders Renato “Babalu” Sobral and Jason Lambert are coming back after devastating knockouts at the hands of Chuck Liddell and Rashad Evans respectively.Both fighters were on major rolls up until their last fights.There is a lot on the line in this battle as one of these warriors will suffer two losses in a row while the other will begin their ascent back up the light-heavyweight ladder.
Also on the main card, heavy hitting Miletich fighter Drew McFedries will take on kickboxer Martin Kampmann of Denmark.Both fighters left lasting impressions in their last outings in the Octagon.McFedries stepped up a weight class on short notice to take on light-heavyweight Alessio Sakara.He took the former pro boxer Sakara’s best shots and rallied back with devastating power scoring the first round TKO over the Italian Sakara.Kampmann won a unanimous decision over Brazilian Thales Leites in a fight where he dominated Leites, picking him apart with accurate strikes.It will be the precision striking of Kampmann versus the power punching of McFedries in a fight that has fireworks written all over it.
In preliminary action, TUF 3 star Matt Hamill makes his return to the octagon taking on fellow
Ohio native Rex Holman in his UFC debut.Luigi Fioravanti takes on
American
Kickboxing
Academy sensation and FCF top 10 welterweight Jon Fitch.In lightweight battles, American Top Team member Gleison Tibau takes on
Ohio native Jason Dent and Indiana native Jason Gilliam takes on Jamie Varner of
Phoenix, Arizona .
UFC 68:The Uprising full card:
Main Card: Tim Sylvia vs. Randy Couture Matt Hughes vs. Chris Lytle Rich Franklin vs. Jason MacDonald Renato “Babalu” Sobral vs. Jason Lambert Drew McFedries vs. Martin Kampmann
Preliminary Card: Matt Hamill vs. Rex Holman Jon Fitch vs. Luigi Fioravanti Gleison Tibau vs. Jason Dent Jason Gilliam vs. Jamie Varner
March 2, 2007 NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: PETE SELL
New episode of FCF Radio
In our latest broadcast, we talk with Pete "Drago" Sell.
March 2, 2007 JON FITCH Jon Fitch, Swinging in the Dark: The fighter talks about his MMA beginnings, his upcoming bout and his place in the UFC’s welterweight division By Dustin Lee DePue
It’s easy to overlook a fighter like Jon Fitch if you’re not, as he puts it, “a diehard” fan of the sport.Even though he’s had four fights in the UFC (UFN 2, 4, 5 and UFC 64) only one of those, the bout on UFC 64, has actually made it onto the air.Throw in a stocked welterweight division with an uber-talented and seemingly invincible champion (Georges St. Pierre), a longtime veteran and beloved former champion (Matt Hughes), a Jiu-Jitsu phenom with the skills to beat anyone in the world (BJ Penn), a hungry young talent whose career blossomed on cable T.V. (Diego Sanchez) and an exciting, never-say-die Judo wizard whose beaten the best of the rest (Karo Parisyan) and you’ve got a shadow a mile long that any up-and-comer has to step out ofto be noticed.
For Fitch, it’s just another challenge to overcome.“You’ve got a lot of so called experts out there who have only been watching the sport for a year or two who probably don’t know me,” Fitch tells FCF. “But, you know, my time will come.As long as I stay focused on the technique and the work and not worry about any of that other crap everything else will take care of itself.”
Hard work, it seems, is what Fitch is all about.A wrestler and four-year letterman at Purdue, Fitch was in the midst of earning a degree in Physical Education when he realized that he didn’t want to become a teacher.Still, he finished his degree and received his teacher certification in Indiana so that he would have something to fall back on while he planned a way to fuel his competitive desires and still make a living.
“I really wasn’t wanting to compete in the Olympics and try to make the Olympic team.I knew some guys who were trying to do that, go that route and their bodies were racked and they had no money.It didn’t seem like a smart career path at the time.”
Then, Fitch caught a glimpse of what the future might hold for him.Through Purdue’s assistant wrestling coach and MMA fighter Tom Erikson, Fitch met and occasionally trained with MMA stars Mark Coleman and Gary Goodrich. Their ability to make a living off of fighting quickly caught his attention.
“Honestly, one of the big things that first interested me was the financial aspect,” says Fitch. “Those guys got paid an incredible amount of money.At the time I didn’t realize that most guys didn’t make that kind of money.I figured I’d have a couple of fights and step into that kind of payday.”
Thus Fitch plunged headfirst into MMA.With little training and no real team of fighters to consistently train with, Fitch wasn’t growing enough as a fighter.After losing two of his first four fights with little money to show for it, Fitch made the decision to move California to train with the AmericanKickboxingAcademy.
“I moved to California and gave myself 3-5 years.I said I’d put everything I had into it, you know, no partying no hanging out, no girls in that time period.If I didn’t amount to anything or if the sport itself didn’t go anywhere I could go back to teaching.I knew it would be tough going at first, but I also knew that with my work ethic and my drive I would be able to make something out of it, make some money.If not, you know, its something that I tried.I could move on and be happy with that.”
That decision has taken Fitch to the brink of MMA stardom.With victories over Shonie Carter, Kyle Jensen and Jorge Ortiz among others, Fitch was given a shot in the UFC’s Ultimate Fight Night 2 in October of 2005, where he won a unanimous decision over the undefeated Brock Larson.Next in line was the very tough Josh Burkman, who fell by rear naked choke at UFN 4 followed by a TKO victory over Thiago Alves at UFN 5.Fitch capped 2006 with his fourth UFC victory in a row, winning a unanimous decision over Kuniyoshi Hironaka at UFC 64.Currently ranked seventh overall in FCF’s top ten ranking and sixth among UFC fighters behind St. Pierre, Hughes, Penn, Sanchez and Parisyan, Fitch has garnered favorable attention among critics and hardcore fans, but he hasn’t completely shaken the “unknown” title off of his name.With his upcoming bout on UFC 68 being slated as an undercard bout, and hence, not a PPV guarantee, the shadow, for now, remains cast upon him.
Regarding his current level of exposure, Fitch says, “It’s not hugely important to have a lot of people watch you, but it’s nice, it’s exciting, but I don’t have to have it.I think a lot of guys do it just for the fame and to be in the spotlight.If the spotlight wasn’t there I’d still be doing this.But the money” he pauses a moment, “it’s good to pay the bills.”
His opponent for UFC 68 this Saturday is Luigi Fioravanti,Fioravanti sports an overall record of 11-2 and is 2-1 in the UFC.Following his unanimous decision loss to Chris Leben in his UFC debut at UFN 4, Fioravanti has won four in a row including a KO victory over Solomon Hutcherson at TUF 3 Finale and a TKO over Dave Menne at UFN 8.Known for his heavy hands, expect Fioravanti to keep the fight standing where he can finish the fight.
“He hasn’t fought really tough guys, no one with huge name recognition or big wins.” says Fitch of his opponent, “Not to take anything away from him, he’s kind of a sleeper in that he is still a very dangerous opponent.I think a lot of fighters might take him for granted but he still only has one loss, still has very heavy hands.I don’t think he’s a top 10 guy but he could very well give me a hell of a fight and rank right up there afterwards.I consider him a very tough opponent.I kind of go into every fight now thinking my opponent is the best in the world.”
Despite the collegiate wrestling background and the comfort that gives him on the ground, Fitch feels he is more than capable of handling himself on the feet.With the strong base of fighters at AKA, Fitch has spent a significant amount of time honing his stand-up game during training.
“We try to exploit weaknesses and build defenses against [opponent’s] strengths.Luigi is extremely heavy handed so one of the things we’ve been working on is keeping everything really tight with my striking.Not getting loose, not chasing, not dropping my hands, which is something you should be training anyways but we double it to make sure we don’t get caught.I think that technically I’m a better striker but the power factor, man, it only takes one punch to change the course of a fight, so I can’t really say who’s the better standup fighter.He’s got more power and more experience in the ring standing and throwing.”
Of course, if things go wrong on the feet, Fitch always has his ground game, where he feels his wrestling and jiu-jitsu compliment each other.
“I use a hybrid jiu-jitsu style.I take what I learn from [BJJ instructor Dave Camarillo] and I come up with my own stuff that incorporates a lot of the wrestling background that I’ve had throughout my life.Jiu-jitsu gives me outstanding control and positioning.I use the two together so I can posture and deliver a lot of damage with the ground and pound.”
Fitch sees himself as the number five guy, behind St. Pierre, Hughes, Sanchez and Parisyan, and hopes that a victory over Fioravanti, will lead to a fight with Karo Parisyan.“That would be a crazy fight, both of us don’t stop moving, don’t stop fighting.It would be non-stop action” He insists, however, that his mind is not on Parisyan, that he is fully focused and ready for a battle with Fioravanti.
“From bell to bell I come out and I fight, always pushing forward putting pressure on my opponents.If I’m not striking or grappling or doing something I don’t feel comfortable.It could be a really good scrap, people should get their money’s worth.”
As for 2007, “Hopefully this will be my breakout year.Hopefully I’ll fight mostly on PPV, maybe on Ultimate Fight Night.Basically this is the year when the fans get to know who I am and I position myself in the top 2 or 3 in the division and put myself in a nice position to fight for the title next year.”
Will Jon Fitch step out of that far-reaching welterweight shadow and into the minds of an ever-growing legion of MMA hobbyists known as the average fan?The UFC weekend warrior?He’ll be one step closer to finding come Saturday night.
March 4, 2007 UNDERGROUND COMBAT LEAGUE RESULTS
Underground Combat League: “Self-Destruction” Report by Jim Genia - Photo by Gaby Genia
(March 4th, New York City)Thanks to a recent New York Times article and a ton of industry insiders on hand, the latest Underground Combat League installment wasn’t so much of a fighting event as it was a “scene.”From a film crew capturing everything for a documentary to a group of Hollywood producers, from mainstream media to talent scouts for an upcoming MMA reality show, this one had almost as much going on outside the ring as going on within it.Yet the affair dubbed “Self-Destruction” was anything but a self-destruction, for despite serving up only three MMA bouts, the Big Apple’s only grassroots limited-rules combat event seemed to leave everyone satisfied.Highlights of the night included:
Team Balance’s Lamont Lister and his no-nonsense throw down with Anthony Congemi.The game Congemi had his moments, but in front of those talent scouts, Lister was determined to come out on top.
The seesaw battle between freestyle fighter Jose Rodriguez and Kaizen Dojo sensei Mike Mullero, which ended with Mullero redeeming his prior loss with a victory by tap out.
Lister (right) laying into Congemi
Results:
Mike Milian (Mendez Boxing Gym-170lbs) vs. Chris Coor (American Freestyle Fighting-175lbs) Milian via verbal submission at 2:23 of R3
Lamont Lister (Team Balance-215lbs) vs. Anthony Congemi (Royce Gracie JJ-230lbs) Lister via ref stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 0:48 of R2
Jose Rodriguez (freestyle-200lbs) vs. Mike Mullero (Kaizen Dojo-190lbs) Mullero via keylock at 2:45 of R2
March 4, 2007 NEW EPISODE OF FCF RADIO: MIKE PYLE, BENJI RADACH, AND JEFF MESZAROS
New episode of FCF Radio
In our latest broadcast, we talk with Randy Couture's cornerman and Elite XC fighter Mike Pyle, UFC veteran and IFL fighter Benji Radach, and Jeff "Wombat" Meszaros.
UFC 68: Couture Dominates Sylvia, Regains Heavyweight Title for Record Third Time By Peter Parsons
March 3, 2007 - Randy Couture shocked the sold out crowd at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio as well as the MMA world with his dominant performance over Tim Sylvia to win the UFC heavyweight title for a record third time.We shouldn’t be at all shocked that Couture won the fight; however who would have thought he would dominate the much larger and younger Sylvia, not only on the ground, but “The Natural” out-struck Sylvia on their feet as well. When Randy Couture dropped down to light-heavyweight and defeated Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz at the age of 40, it seemed nobody including himself could top that feat.Being counted out by many going into this fight with Sylvia, the 43 year old once again proved all critics wrong by not only defeating the much larger and younger champion, but dominating Sylvia to once again become UFC champion of the world for an unprecedented fifth time.
Couture came out fast and surprised Sylvia with a big right hand that dropped the former two-time champion.Couture followed Sylvia to the ground and scrambled to take Sylvia’s back.The majority of the round was spent with Couture on Sylvia’s back with both hooks in and Sylvia hanging on desperately.Unfortunately for Couture his back was to the mat and he was unable to unleash much of an offence.
Couture came out strong in the second round landing another solid overhand right.Couture was able to get to the clinch and score the trip takedown where he landed some effective ground and pound inside Sylvia’s guard before being stood back up by referee Big John McCarthy.Couture scored another takedown to end round two.
The third round did not hit the mat once and Couture surprisingly continued to out strike the striker Tim Sylvia.For his efforts Sylvia did land a left punch and a solid knee that Couture took well.“The Natural” utilized great head movement avoiding Sylvia’s punches while landing numerous punches of his own.Couture looked like he was starting to tire dropping his hands and taking deep breaths, but continued to get the better of the stand-up exchanges.
Going into the championship rounds, it was apparent that Sylvia needed to finish the fight.The question appeared to be whether or not Couture had enough in the gas tank to finish strong.Couture got his second wind and poured it on the champion in the fourth round.He set up the early takedown with some good strikes and landed some effective ground and pound within Sylvia’s guard before being stood up by Big John.The challenger Couture kept Sylvia off balance mixing his takedown attempts with his strikes landing a couple big rights before taking Sylvia down once again this time into side control.Couture advanced to full mount and landed some nice elbows before Sylvia gave up his back and escaped back to his feet where the round ended with Couture in complete control of the fight.
Couture came out strong in the fifth and final round scoring an early takedown.He advanced to side control where he landed some effective knees to the body of Sylvia.Randy showed his dominance in the fifth round advancing to full mount where he landed some big punches.Sylvia once again gave up his back to escape only to be taken down once more.Couture finished the fight strong pounding away at Sylvia to the final bell.
Couture pitched a shutout on all three judges’ scorecards that read 50-45. Joe Rogan once said, “Randy Couture is my hero,” but was left speechless in the Octagon in the post fight interview.Couture is a hero to many and with his awe inspiring performance proved many nay sayers wrong once again.Couture’s response to a speechless Rogan was, “not bad for an old man.”
Rich Franklin proved to his hometown fans in attendance and to the world that he is back with a vengeance.The former middleweight champ was too much for a very tough Canadian Jason MacDonald.
The first round saw Franklin defend the takedown well and land some solid punches on MacDonald.MacDonald threw punches in order to close the distance to get in the clinch where he looked for the takedown.It was Franklin however, who got the first takedown.Franklin threw some big punches, but MacDonald defended well and got back to his feet.MacDonald continued to work hard for the takedown and finally got Franklin to the mat with a single leg.Franklin was able to sweep MacDonald near the end of the round and finished the round in top position.
MacDonald closed the distance quickly in the second round going for the single once again.Franklin showed great balance hopping on one leg to defend and push MacDonald off.Back in the clinch, MacDonald got to Franklin’s back and dragged the former champ to the ground.Franklin however scrambled to side control eventually advancing to full mount.MacDonald gave up his back and took some big shots from Franklin.Franklin got back to mount with 10 seconds remaining in the round and unleashed some big bombs on MacDonald who appeared to be saved by the bell.A wobbly MacDonald made his way back to his corner where his corner man wisely stopped the fight.
Matt Hughes came to the octagon knowing that a victory over Chris Lytle would secure a rematch with welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre.Lytle, who looked tentative to pull the trigger in his last fight with Matt Serra, came out aggressive throwing big punches.Hughes got the takedown but found himself in a Lytle guillotine attempt.The choke looked pretty tight, however Hughes had one arm through and was able to escape and advance to side control.Hughes came close to locking up a straight arm bar to end the round.
Hughes looked more like the Matt Hughes of old tonight coming out and getting the quick takedown in the second round.He passed Lytle’s butterfly guard and landed some effective elbows from side control that cut Lytle.Hughes moved into the mount near the cage.Lytle re-established half guard before using the fence with his feet to sweep Hughes.Hughes went for the Kimura and Lytle countered missing with a straight armbar attempt giving up top position to end the round.
Round three saw more of the same with Hughes getting the early takedown and dominating position on Lytle.At the ten second marker Hughes attempted a straight armbar that missed.Hughes however, did more than enough to grind out a unanimous decision victory.
Miletich fighter Drew McFedries came out throwing bombs against native Martin Kampmann.After landing some hard left hooks, it was a right hand from McFedries that dropped Kampmann early.Kampmann got back to his feet where it was looking like a matter of time before McFedries would land the punch to end it.The 24 year old Danish Thai boxing champ, Kampmann hung tough on his feet with McFedries before landing a nice takedown that landed him in side control.Kampmann looked to have an arm-triangle and hopped to the other side to secure it, choking McFedries unconscious at the mark of the first round, running his UFC record to 3-0.
Light-heavyweights Jason Lambert and Renato “Babalu” Sobral opened up the live pay per view card.Babalu came out fast taking down Lambert.Sobral got to Lambert’s back and looked close to finishing with a rear naked choke.Lambert got back to his feet and landed some nice uppercuts from the clinch.The fighters disengaged where Lambert landed a big right and another uppercut that dropped Babalu with 10 seconds left in the round.Lambert pounced on Babalu throwing big punches.Babalu was saved by the bell.
Round two saw Lambert getting the takedown and wearing out Sobral with some solid punches within Sobral’s guard.After a stand-up from referee “Big” John McCarthy, Lambert landed a big left hook to knock Sobral out at of the second round.
In preliminary action, Matt Hamill defeated fellow Ohio native Rex Holman by TKO at of the first round due to strikes on the ground.
AmericanKickboxingAcademy standout and FCF top 10 welterweight Jon Fitch continues his impressive streak to 5-0 in the UFC defeating American Top Team fighter Luigi Fioravanti by rear naked choke at of the second round.
In lightweight preliminary action, Brazilian Gleison Tibau defeated Ohio native Jason Dent by unanimous decision and Jamie Varner took just to defeat Jason Gilliam by rear naked choke.
UFC 68 was a huge success with 19,000 plus in attendance at the sold out Nationwide arena for the UFC’s first stop in the Buckeye state.It was a night of comebacks for former champion’s Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin who look to regain their titles against Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva respectively.Everything else tonight was overshadowed by Randy Couture’s thrilling performance over Tim Sylvia.
UFC 68 “The Uprising” Full Results:
Randy Couture def. Tim Sylvia - Unanimous decision Martin Kampmann def. Drew McFedries - Arm-triangle choke R1 Rich Franklin def. Jason MacDonald - Corner stoppage R2 Matt Hughes def. Chris Lytle - Unanimous decision Jason Lambert def. Renato Sobral - KO (punch) R2 Matt Hamill def. Rex Holman - TKO (strikes) R1 Jon Fitch def. Luigi Fioravanti - Rear-naked choke R2 Gleison Tibau def. Jason Dent - Unanimous decision Jamie Varner def. Jason Gilliam - Rear-naked choke R1
March 5, 2007 DIAZ TESTS POSITIVE FOR POT
I Want To Take You Higher: Nick Diaz Tests Positive for Marijuana By Steven Marrocco
After receiving an "all clear" from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for performance enhancing drugs, Pride's "Second Coming" lightweight Nick Diaz has tested positive for Marijuana, according to NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer.
Kizer told FCF that "drugs of abuse" are part of the second round of testing and usually come in a few days after the test for performance enhancers.
Diaz (right) vs. Gomi at Pride 33
The positive test comes as a slight blemish to the Cesar Gracie student's star-making performance against Pride Lightweight Champion Takanori Gomi last Saturday at the Thomas & Mack center.
FCF will post more details and reactions from Diaz's camp as they become available.
March 5, 2007 DAN HENDERSON
Pride Middleweight and Welterweight Champ Henderson Enjoying New Belt By Derek Constable
March 3, 2007 - Wanderlei Silva’s not a man many people look forward to facing, but just five days after knocking out Silva in the third round of their middleweight title bout, Dan Henderson said that’s exactly how he felt going into PRIDE 33.
“I got excited every time I thought about it, I had goose bumps,” Hendersonsaid. The win over Silva unified Pride’s middleweight and welterweight title, making Hendersonthe first MMA champion to hold belts in two weight classes simultaneously.
“I didn’t realize that it was that big of a deal until I did it, and everyone started talking about the fact that it’s never been done before,” he said.
More amazing than the milestone itself was the fact that Hendersonfinished the fight after fracturing a hand in the very first round. He showed no sign of it bothering him from the start of Round 2 up until he KO’d the former champ with a ferocious left hook in Round 3.
“I don’t know exactly when I broke it. It was probably a lot of the adrenaline,” Hendersonsaid. “I just focused on what I had to do after the first break between rounds. I felt so good in what I was doing, it never hurt me. I just kept fighting.”
Hendersonis a former Olympic wrestler, who competed in 1992 and 1996, and while he’s known for his intensity and heavy hands in MMA, he said that it was his many years of wrestling that have made him the guy he is today.
“There are a lot of guys that are good in cage fighting who haven’t [qualified for an] Olympic team, but if you’ve been on one, it shows you put in the work and your dedicated both mentally and physically – you’re going to be ready.”
Hendersonwas more than ready for this last fight in Las Vegas, a rare appearance by PRIDE on American soil. He said it was definitely a nice change as an American whose been fighting in for eight years.
“I definitely still want to fight in as well, but it was a welcome change to have my friends and family there, it made all the difference in the world.”
Silva defeated Henderson by decision in 2000, but Henderson said this rematch wasn’t about settling scores, saying, “It was so long ago the first time, obviously it felt good to beat him the other night, but it wasn’t about settling the score it was about making history and taking his belt. Either way it felt good.”
Henderson celebrates after beating Silva
Hendersonjoins Randy Couture in holding a title in two different weight classes, but Henderson holds both belts at the same time.
Couture became the newest UFC Heavyweight champion, and the UFC’s first five-time champion, after going the distance five rounds with Tim “The Mainiac” Sylvia on Saturday at UFC 68. Many questioned Couture’s decision to move up a weight class in his return from retirement, but Saturday’s performance solidified Randy Couture as one of the greatest MMA champions of all time, in addition to surprising a few fans and friends.
“I don’t think it was the smartest decision to fight someone like Tim his first fight out,” Henderson said of Couture two days before the big fight, “but I’m not involved in his training and am looking on it from the outside … he might know something that we don’t.”
March 5, 2007 VALLEY FIGHT 2 RESULTS
Valley Fight 2: Melting Point Held March 3, 2007 At the Tzeachten Hall Chilliwack, British Columbia Report & photos by Mike Neva
Thousands of miles from the glitz and glamour of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the second edition of Valley Fight took place in the small working community of Chilliwack, British Columbia, about one hour east of Vancouver. With beer flowing and scantily clad ring girls making the rounds the rowdy crowd seemed completely unaware of the monumental event happening in Columbus, Ohio.
With a line-up comprised mainly of new faces none of the opening fours bouts made it out of the first round. Sahba Fabi opened the evening with a solid performance as he mounted and pounded his way to victory against Ajdin Nexic. In the second fight, Jake Ivan easily took out the ill-prepared Nathan Dunn via knee bar in only 24 seconds. Up next was the best of the undercard fights as team Aiki fighter, Steve Gilkes withstood a early onslaught of punches from Joel Gunther to finally end the fight with a heel hook late in the first round.
Gilkes tapping Gunther with a heel hook
In the co-feature, local favorite, Dominic Richard, took on first time fighter Chris Bilodeau. These heavyweights came out swinging and it was Richard who connected first as he sent Bilodeau crashing to the canvas. Referee Jason Williamson quickly ended the fight much to the chagrin on the blood thirsty crowd, but Bilodeau was clearly stunned and could have been seriously injured if the bout had not been stopped.
The main event pitted hometown boy Miles Merola against the undefeated Gary Wright from team Toshido in Kelowna, British Columbia. After a brief feeling out period both fighter locked up in the clinch with Wright getting the better of the action as he landed effective knees to the legs and body of Merola. From there Merola was able to score a takedown, but was immediately reversed. Wright then went to work with punishing strikes until Merola gave his back to avoid the barrage of punches. Unfortunately for Merola, there was no were to hide from the relentless attack of Wright as continued to bomb away for the remainder of the round. Round two was much of the same as Wright kept up his high paced assault of punches, which blooded and battered Merola. After four and half more minutes of punishment Merola finally succumbed to punches late in the second round. A dominate performance by Wright who kept his undefeated record in tact.
Wright pounding on Merola
Results
Sahba Fadi def. Ajdin Nexic by TKO referee stoppage from punches at 2:37 of R1
Jake Ivan def. Nathan Dunn by knee bar at 0:24 of R1
Steve Gilkes def. Joel Gunther by heel hook at 4:27 of R1
Jordan Bills def. Americo Pena by submission from punches at 1:08 of R1
Rick Hopp def. John Balzer by rear-naked choke at 1:28 of R2
Dominic Richard def. Chris Bilodeau by TKO referee stoppage from punches at 0:15 of R1
Gary Wright def. Myles Merola by submission from punches at 4:34 of R2
March 6, 2007 ACROSS THE POND: BRITISH MMA NEWS
Across the Pond: British MMA News Results from Cage Rage: Contenders 4 Held March, 2007 - Hammersmith Palais - London, England
After unsuccessfully challenging Paul Daley for the British welterweight title last year, Sol “Zero Tolerance” Gilbert got his career back on track with his first fight of 2007, by stopping Darren Guisha in the third and final round of their fight at the top of the bill at Cage Rage’s fourth Contenders show. Gilbert stalked Guisha around the octagon, repeatedly landing leg kicks that turned Guisha’s left thigh dark purple and keeping him under constant pressure with some crisp boxing. In the third round Gilbert scored a takedown as Guisha rushed in, then took his back and pounded him until the referee stopped the fight to save the battered fighter. Gilbert advances to 9-4-1.
Sol Gilbert (left) punching Darren Guisha
After losing to the much more experienced Daijiro Matsui at the last Cage Rage, Tom “Kong” Watson came out mean and angry against Dorlan “The Dog” O’Mally from London Thai Fighters. O’Mally had no chance to employ his powerful stand-up as Watson took the kickboxer down from the bell and punished him on the canvas until the referee was forced to step in.
There was plenty of ground and pound on display throughout the night, including Michael Pastou’s stoppage of Jake Bostwick. A brawling middleweight on the rise, Bostwick was 3-0 coming in, opposite Pastou’s 0-1. Bostwick scored a takedown early, but Pastou took top position and went after him with a fury. Bostwick threw punches of his own from his back, but Pastou held nothing back and went for the finish, pounding like a man possessed until the referee stopped the contest as Bostwick was taking a pasting.
The submission of the night belonged to Alex Korsivich, from the Bloodline Fight Team, for his ankle lock tap-out of Cambridge Free Fight’s Afnan Saeed. Korsivich cut Saeed early in the fight and took mount when they hit the floor. As Saeed tried to escape by scooting out the back door, Korsivich latched on to his leg and cranked on the ankle lock for the submission.
Lloyd Clarkson, from Poole Jiujitsu, came from behind to stop Dan Movahedi, of the Elite Fighting System. Movahedi started strong, snapping Clarkson’s head back with punches over and over again, but Clarkson refused to go down and kept coming back for more, until he threw a left hook that caught Movahedi flush and dropped him. A brief burst of hammer fists on the ground and Clarkson got the KO in a gutsy performance.
Full Results
Sol Gilbert def. Darren Guisha by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 2:24 R3 Tom Watson def. Dorlan O’Mally by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 2:51 R1 Michael Pastou def. Jake Bostwick by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 4:48 R1 Alex Korsivich def. Afnan Saeed by Ankle Lock 2:18 R1 Steven Elliot def. Deano Durant by Tap-out (strikes) 1:55 R1 Joe Mac def. Marvin Arnold Bleau by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 4:08 R1 Jeff Lawson def. Mark Dayrell by Arm Bar 1:23 R1 Lloyd Clarkson def. Dan Movahedi by KO 3:15 R1 Sunnat Ilyasov def. Mindaugas Mockevicius by Guillotine 0:31 R1 John Hathaway def. Serge Ussanov by Rear Naked Choke 2:08 R1 Jeff Hayes def. Jamie Spooner by TKO (Referee stoppage – strikes) 1:33 R2 Luke Smith def. Jack Miles by KO 0:40 R1
Cage Rage 21 News
Vitor Belfort’s opponent for Cage Rage 21: Judgement Day will be ’s Ivan Serati. At 5-0, Serati has campaigned as a heavyweight and in his previous fights has shown an aggressive style, stopping all of his opponents in the first round. However, he’s never been in with anyone with a fraction of Belfort’s experience and will find his chin sorely tested by the Brazilian Phenom.
In a slight shuffling of the card, Alex Reid’s rematch with Xavier Foupa-Pokam will have to wait for another day as Reid has been lined up to meet Murilo “Ninja” Rua, from Chute Boxe. Rua took a beating from Mark Weir in his last fight at Cage Rage 18 before he caught the Brit in an arm triangle in the second round. Reid’s best hope will be to pressure Rua in the standing exchanges and try to avoid going to the floor.
Foupa-Pokam’s replacement opponent looks like being Tom Watson, who just beat Dorlan O’Mally this past weekend. Foupa-Pokam has seen plenty of controversy in his career, with two losses by disqualification to Martin Kampmann and Sol Gilbert. In his match against Reid in December, Foupa-Pokam won a decision after the fight went to the scorecards in the second round when Reid was unable to continue after being struck in the eyes twice. Watson is an ex-professional boxer, so he should be able to hang with Foupa-Pokam on his feet and Watson brings plenty of passion into the cage.
Berik to Japan Britain’s Sami Berik has announced that he is heading to to compete in Pride. For a time Berik was supposed to be meeting Takanori Gomi, but now Berik has announced that he’ll be facing Hayato Sakurai. A natural lightweight who has often fought at welterweight, Berik is a highly unorthodox fighter who likes to perform drunken kung fu during his matches but with his record at 8-16-0 against domestic opposition, he faces an uphill battle against the very dangerous Sakurai, whose record stands at 27-7-2 including wins over Joachim Hansen and most recently Mac Danzig.
March 6, 2007 MMA MOVIE “Never Submit” Adds Another Fighter to its Already Impressive Cast By Gaby Genia
Imperia Entertainment, Inc. and Muller Media, Inc. have issued a press release announcing the casting of legendary champion kickboxer, Michael Anthony McDonald, in a fighter role in the highly-anticipated MMA feature film, “Never Submit.”Boasting an impressive resume, McDonald holds the Canadian, WKA Heavyweight and WKC World Cruiserweight Championship titles in kickboxing, as well has numerous K-1 titles.Those titles notwithstanding, within this community, it is undoubtedly his win against Mirko “CroCop” Filipovic, that earns Michael McDonald the most distinction.
Said to be an inspirational story in the same vein as “Rocky”, “Never Submit” is set against the backdrop of the MMA world. McDonald joins a distinguished MMA cast, including Ken Shamrock, Wanderlei Silva, Andrei Arlovski, Mauricio Rua and Josh Koscheck. Offers to other name (and presumably mainstream) actors are currently being made by Imperia’s casting director, Rosemary Walden. A cross country tour will include auditions at notable dojos and MMA events. At the culmination of the tour, the movie’s principal will be announced.
March 6, 2007 THE NORTHERN TOUCH
Macdonald: “Quitting Never Entered My Mind!”
On the heels of his TKO loss to former middleweight champion Rich Franklin at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s “Uprising” event this past weekend, FCF caught up with Jason “The Athlete” Macdonald to hear his thoughts on the fight. The loss was Macdonald’s first in 7 fights, and his first competing in the UFC, after the Pro Camp fighter defeated Chris Leben and Ed Herman on route to UFC 68. Macdonald’s corner threw in the towel after round two ended, as although the Canadian fighter managed to survive a vicious onslaught from Franklin to end the round, Macdonald’s vision was drastically reduced.
“The last two punches of the round hit me square in the right eye and my vision in that eye went black,” Macdonald tells FCF. “I was in a lot of trouble at the end of the round and was unsure if (referee) Herb (Dean) had stopped it or not, but I managed to make it through. As I got up I was on rubber legsand started back to my corner when the Doctor asked me something not sure what, like I said I was wobbled and could not see out of my right eye. I went to my corner and Mark (Pavelich) said look at me but I could not see him with out turning my head and looking through my left eye which was badly swollen. Let me be very clear at no time did I say I was done or to quote some of the people on the net I quit!”
Macdonald is referring to some of the comments and speculation that have been a topic of conversation on several internet MMA forums.
“Remember I was the one moving forward on Rich not running away! I was on rubber legs though and could not see out of my right eye. Mark saw this and made the decision to stop the fight. I did not even really know what went down but I never said I was done! Looking back Mark made the right choice because like I said I was in a lot of trouble and could not see out of my eye. I got 7 stitches in that eye and the doctor said it was probably just a broken blood vessel that caused the loss of vision. I can see now but I am having a lot of pain looking to the side so I am having another doctor look at it here at home and x-ray it. What is funny is the flack we are taking for this. Randy (Couture) stopped when Ricco (Rodriguez) busted his eye and (Jeremy) Horn stopped when Chuck (Liddell) busted his eye but when I get my eye busted by Rich, I'm all of a sudden a quitter! The fans of this sport can be crazy like that. Like I said I was the one moving forward the whole fight! Quitting never entered my mind!”
Despite the loss, Macdonald was quick to give credit to Franklin, who, by all indications, will face the man who defeated him for the title, Anderson Silva, in the near future.
“Well I thought Rich fought a very safe fight,” says Macdonald. “He was not as aggressive as we have seen him be in the past. I'm not sure if that was part of his game plan to not come after me for fear of being taken down, or if he was not taking any risks just trying to get the win and get back on track. My game was to go out there and to get the take down but not force it too much. I think Rich not coming after me got me trying to force the take down too much but he never hurt me standing or really landed anything clean standing. I feel I have pretty good stand up but just have not shown it yet in the UFC. The Herman fight was too fast and Leben and Rich were both lefthanders so I could not use my long reach as effectively against them. To Rich's credit I was not able to establish a good solid top position on him to work my ground and pound and open up a submission. Rich fought a good smart safe fight.”
As for his own future, Macdonald will first have to heal up from his injuries before returning to the Octagon.
“I'm real thankful to the UFC and to all the fans out there supporting me right now that have helped me in the rise to the top of this division in a short time. I have a huge fan following in the and actually got a louder cheer than Tim Sylvia, even being in Franklin's home town. I really feel I am one of the top five in this division and will beat 90% of the guys in this division right now. I will take a little break and get healed up and then get back in the gym and get back to work improving my weaknesses and preparing for my next fight who ever it may be. There are a few good match ups the UFC could have for me like (Martin) Kampmann, (Dean) Lister; (Kendall) Grove's any of the top middleweights. I will be waiting for the call!”
Upcoming Canadian MMA Events
King of the Cage “Capital Chaos”- March 28th, Robert Guertin Arena, Hull, Quebec Extreme Cage Combat 5- March 31, Halifax Forum, Halifax, Nova Scotia Ultimate Cage Wars- April 7th, Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba Maximum Fighting Championship “Unplugged 3”- April 20th, Crowne Plaza, Edmonton, Alberta King of the Cage- April 28th, Vernon, British Columbia
March 6, 2007 TKO 29 CARD
TKO 29 Card Beginning to Take Form By FCF Staff
TKO has announced several additions to the organization’s upcoming TKO 29 event, “Repercussion,” which will take place on June 1st in Montreal, at the Bell Centre. Headlining the card will be a welterweight championship fight between Jonathan Goulet (16-7) and Steve Vigneault (11-6). The title fight was supposed to take place at TKO 28 last month, but was delayed due to an injury Vigneault incurred preparing for the bout. Goulet fought Greg Jackson fighter Thomas Schulte instead at the February 9th event, a fight that has been declared a no-contest. As Goulet was striking a downed Schulte, the referee failed to hear the bell to end round one, stopping the fight originally in Goulet’s favor several seconds after the round had actually ended. The former lightheavyweight and middleweight TKO champ Vigneault, has not competed since last March, where he lost to Mike Swick at the Ultimate Fighting Championship 58.
TKO has also announced that UFC veteran Patrick Cote is scheduled to fight on the TKO 29 card, but as of yet, no opponent has been announced. Cote is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Scott Smith at UFC 67 in February.
In a heavyweight clash that has been announced, professional hockey player Steve Bosse will make his MMA debut against David Fraser (0-2). Bosse, who plays in the North American Hockey League for St.Jean, is known as an “enforcer” type of player. The 5’11 240 pound aspiring MMA fighter has recorded 175 penalty minutes in just 22 games this season. Bosse has been preparing for his upcoming MMA debut with Renzo Gracie purple belt Mark Colangelo and TKO fighter Stephane Dube.
March 6, 2007 FROM THE EVENT'S PROMOTER: IFL PRESS RELEASE
TIFFANY FALLON AND BAS RUTTEN TO CO-HOST “IFL BATTLEGROUND” ON MyNetworkTV Legendary MMA Champion and 2005 “Playmate of the Year” to Give Viewers the Play by Play Inside and Outside of the Ring
NEW YORK, March 6, 2007 – The International Fight League (OTC.BB: IFLI), the world’s first team-based professional mixed martial arts league, and MyNetworkTV today announced that Sebastian “Bas” Rutten and Tiffany Fallon will co-host “IFL Battleground.”The two-hour show premieres on MyNetworkTV, Monday, March 12 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).
”Tiffany and Bas are the perfect co-host team for ’IFL Battleground,’” said Greg Meidel, President, MyNetworkTV.“His invaluable knowledge of the sport, coupled with her cunning personality makes them the ideal choice for this type of program.
“IFL Battleground” follows the athletes, coaches and personalities of the International Fight League, the world’s first professional mixed martial arts organization to compete in a team format.Cameras will capture the stories both in and out of the ring, bringing fans all of the event and behind the scenes action.Segments will take viewers up close during the competition and also into the locker rooms, training routines, and home lives of this diverse group that is part of the world’s fastest growing professional and recreational sport.
“We are very pleased to have two great personalities…an MMA expert like Bas and a rising star like Tiffany…to present this sport to the largest audience possible,” said IFL co-founder and CEO Gareb Shamus.“New fans will be able to get Tiffany’s perspective on the goings-on of the lives of these great athletes and coaches, while Bas’ expertise in MMA will give both the MMA fan and the casual observer unique insight into what’s going on during the fight action.It’s a very solid balance we think everyone will enjoy.”
Known for her intelligence and quick wit on camera, Fallon is widely regarded as one of the great new faces in television.The former Miss has been featured in dozens of commercials and has held on-camera roles for Spike TV, E! and TBS Rivals.com.A graduate of FloridaStateUniversitywith a degree in Sports Management, Fallon was selected as Playboy’s “Playmate of the Year” in 2005.
Rutten is one of the most colorful and well-respected personalities in the MMA world.The 41 year-old Dutchman competed professionally for over 20 years in various MMA disciplines, holding titles in the Pancrase (the Japanese precursor to MMA) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight division title. Following his retirement he moved on to coaching, acting and broadcasting, landing roles on TV shows, such as “Martial Law” and “The King of Queens,” as well as three movies, “The Eliminator,” “The Vault” and “The Kingdom of Ultimate Power.” He was also the color commentator on PRIDE’s Fighting Championship events, where his sense of humor and intimate knowledge of the sport immediately made him a fan favorite.
Each of the nine regular season IFL events consists of four teams – each with an athlete in all five weight classes competing – for a minimum of 10 bouts per card.The team that wins the best three of five match setup will be declared the team winner for the match, similar to collegiate and high school wrestling meets. The IFL also differs from other MMA organizations in that the bouts are held in an oversized five-rope boxing ring with three, four-minute rounds, each designed to create the most compelling in-arena experience for local fans.
Each of the 12 IFL teams for 2007 will compete in three regular season events; the teams with the top four overall win-loss team records will advance to the semi-finals, which will be held on Thursday, August 2, at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.The 2007 IFL Finals will then be held at The Forum in Los Angeleson Saturday, September 15.
March 7, 2007 THE CARVALHO REPORT
The Carvalho Report: The Life and Times of a Shooto Contender in Japan By Antonio Carvalho
Full Contact Fighter is honored to have Shooto contender Antonio Carvalho on our writing staff. Once a month, Antonio will be sending in his "Carvalho Report", a journal of sorts, which will tell readers about his experiences living, training and fighting overseas in Japan. The Team Shah Franco fighter recently relocated to Japan from Toronto, Canada, to pursue more training opportunities in the Nation where many of his greatest career successes have come thus far, competing in Shooto. Readers can also look forward to interviews that Antonio will be also sending in with various Japanese fighters, in addition to his monthly "Carvalho Report."
Waterfalls training
Japan! The longer I stay here, the more I love this beautiful country. Waking up in the morning is such a treat. I am the kind of person that appreciates small details. Japan is certainly a country of small details. Just take a walk down the street and everywhere you look is a feast for the eyes. Every street corner looks different. Nothing looks the same. Walk twenty feet and there is always something different to look at. There is this combination of the old with the new. It is quite fascinating. Then again, that is probably the reason why I get lost all the time! However, this morning, I would not get lost. It was 5:30am and I knew exactly where I was going. The day had come for me to travel to "Mitake" mountain with Hiroyuki Abe and the AACC kids wrestling team for some good "old fashioned" training. We are going to meet up with former Kyokushin world champion Sensei Hajime Kazumi and his karate team. We are to take part in a traditional Karate class first. Then after, travel up the mountain to the waterfalls. This is something that most people only see in movies. But this type of traditional training is alive and well in Japan. Now what does this have to do with MMA you ask? Well, to many, nothing. But see, that is the problem in MMA today. In my humble opinion, with the emergence of MMA, this kind of training is sorely lacking. You just go to a gym, lift weights, spar, grapple and drill. Then you go home and do it again the next day. While there is nothing wrong with that, I feel that what really makes the difference between world champions and other fighters is that they are mentally very strong people. At some point, from a physical level, every top fighter matches up well. Every fighter has strong physical and technical attributes. So at the highest level, being mentally tough is what many times make the difference in the end. How many times have we seen a fighter with all the physical attributes in the world never make it to the top? How do you explain a fighter with lesser physical attributes overcoming someone who is stronger, faster and more technical? It is very important for a fighter to have this balance of the physical aspect with the mental aspect. This is something that I always felt that I have had trouble with myself. I had always trained my body, but not always my mind and I believe that is why I have faltered in several of my fights. I am very happy to have an opportunity to experience this kind of training and I am sure I will be better for it.
March 3, 2007 - Wanderlei Silva’s not a man many people look forward to facing, but just five days after knocking out Silva in the third round of their middleweight title bout, Dan Henderson said that’s exactly how he felt going into PRIDE 33.
