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Monday - November 1, 2004 |
From Dream Stage Entertainment: CHAMPION VERSUS CHAMPION; GOLD MEDALLISTS CLASH AT PRIDE FIGHTING'S SHOCKWAVE! TOKYO, Japan – The two main events for PRIDE FIGHTING'S New Year's Eve spectacular, SHOCKWAVE, have been announced. In the first bout, the highly anticipated rematch … for the title of undisputed heavyweight Grand Prix Champion of 2004, Fedor Emelianenko versus Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. In the second bout, for the first time in mixed martial arts history and under mixed martial arts rules, it will be Olympic gold medallist versus Olympic gold medallist as Japan's Hidehiko Yoshida (1992 Judo Olympic gold medallist) takes on Rulon Gardner of the United States (2000 Greco Roman Wrestling Olympic gold medallist). Also on the card, Japanese hero Kazushi Sakuraba will face a yet to be named opponent. SHOCKWAVE will take place from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan and is scheduled to debut on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, and TVN on Sunday, January 2nd, 2005 at 9:00pm EST, 6:00pm PST. The first main event match pits champion versus champion as reigning PRIDE FIGHTING heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko goes up against PRIDE FIGHTING'S interim heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. This rivalry began at PRIDE 25 BODY BLOW back on March 16, 2003 when Fedor ended the championship reign of Nogueira, taking the heavyweight title via unanimous decision. With Fedor suffering a hand injury in 2003, a rematch was not possible, so Nogueira was matched against Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic for the title of interim heavyweight champion. In a historical bout, Nogueira overcame a disastrous first round to submit the Croatian sensation in round two via armbar. But despite the impressive victory, fans still longed to see "Minotauro" face Fedor. Both champions participated in the 16-man heavyweight Grand Prix tournament of 2004 and the inevitable happened … each man reached the finals. With the scenario set, this bout was supposed to prove which man would have the right to be called PRIDE FIGHTING'S top heavyweight. Instead, the match was stopped early in the first round due to a very bad cut suffered by Fedor. To the protest of Nogueira, the bout was declared a no-contest and neither man was declared Grand Prix champion. Now at SHOCKWAVE, the highly anticipated rematch … for the title of undisputed heavyweight Grand Prix Champion of 2004, it will be Fedor Emelianenko versus Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. In the second main event, for the first time in mixed martial arts history and under mixed martial arts rules, it will be Olympic gold medallist versus Olympic gold medallist as Japan's Hidehiko Yoshida (1992 Judo Olympic gold medallist) takes on Rulon Gardner of the United States (2000 Greco Roman Wrestling Olympic gold medallist). Hidehiko Yoshida is a legend in the word of Judo. This Japanese star has successfully competed in the Judo World Championships and the Olympics, capturing the gold medal in the 1992 Barcelona Games (he won all six of his matches by ippon). Upon his retirement from the sport, Yoshida was intent on proving the effectiveness of Judo within mixed martial arts. Thus far he has been successful, as he has garnered wins against Don Frye, Masaaki Satake, Kiyoshi Tamura, and Mark Hunt. Just as Yoshida is a legend in the Judo world, so is Rulon Gardner in the world of Greco Roman Wrestling. A native of Wyoming, Gardner's amateur wrestling career contains an impressive list of accomplishments: in 2001 he was the Greco Roman world champion, he is a three-time American National Champion (1995, 1997, 2001), and at the Olympics in Sydney in 2000, he did the unthinkable, winning the gold medal by defeating Russian Aleksander Karelin, himself a three-time gold medallist and unbeaten in competition for 13 years. Gardner competed once again in the Olympics in 2004 and successfully captured a bronze medal in Athens and then announced his retirement from the sport. With his place in wrestling history secure, Gardner now looks to display his skills in the arena of mixed martial arts. So which style will prove superior … Judo or Greco Roman Wrestling? SHOCKWAVE FIGHT CARD Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil) (This bout is for the title of PRIDE FIGHTING 2004 Grand Prix heavyweight championship) Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan) vs. Rulon Gardner (USA) Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. TBA Fight card subject to change. More bouts to be announced soon. |
Tuesday - November 2, 2004 |
Great for training or just hanging out! This type of short would cost over $60 FCF PRICE $39.95! (516)676-0033 Or Click here to order securely online with your credit card or print off the order form & mail it in with your payment |
From the event's promoter: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 26th IN MONTREAL! GET READY FOR THE IMPACT! (MONTREAL, CANADA) – TKO Major League MMA is proud to announce the fight card for TKO 18: IMPACTTM on Friday November 26th 2004 to be held at the PIERRE-CHARBONNEAU CENTRE in Montreal, Quebec. This event will feature an unprecedented four championship fights! The top fighters in Canada have been assembled and are ready to compete for the ultimate recognition of being Canada's best. They hope that this recognition will lead them to follow in the footsteps of Georges St-Pierre and Patrick Cote who both put on terrific performances at UFC 50: The War of '04TM. No punches will be held, no kicks will be restrained and no submissions will go untried as these impeccable athletes are looking to make an IMPACT! DAVID LOISEAU (11-4-0) will return to defend his TKO Middleweight Championship. "The Crow" has been involved in some of the most epic bouts in TKO's history and never hesitates to fight whoever is thrown in front of him. He will do so again at TKO 18 as he hopes this fight will put him one step closer to achieving his goal of returning to the UFC. His opponent will be announced shortly. DONALD OUIMET (8-3-0) leapfrogged to the top of the lightweight division with two spectacular victories over his nemesis Dave Goulet. He will now defend his belt against a monster of a lightweight fighter, STEVE DUQUETTE (2-0-0). Both men have shown devastating striking skills in their recent bouts. Ouimet brings a wealth of jiu-jitsu skills with him into the ring; Duquette's background is in boxing but he spent the last six months training with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Wagnney Fabiano. How this fight will be fought and how it will end is anyone's guess! This has "fight of the night" written all over it. SHANE RICE (1-2-0) shocked the MMA world with his dominating performance against highly regarded Mark Hominick to capture the TKO Super-Lightweight Championship at TKO 17. Rice gives all praise to his teacher Rickson Gracie and hopes to continue to use his outstanding jiu-jitsu skills against a formidable, young and talented fighter, STÉPHANE VIGNEAULT (7-2-0). Vigneault is coming off a spectacular KO by spinning back fist over Stephane Laliberte at TKO 17. Lately, "Simba" has overwhelmed his opponents and pleased the fans with his constantly improving standup game. Rice does not care what Vigneault has done of late and he is furious to be a heavy underdog in this fight. He wants to silence his critics and prove that he is the best super lightweight fighter in Canada. With wins over Hominick and Vigneault, that claim would be very difficult to deny. Fans in attendance at TKO 18 will witness the crowning of a TKO Heavyweight Champion! The stage could not be set any better. Both of these fighters are undefeated, both train with two of the country's finest MMA teams, and both fighters have knocked out all of their opposition to date! TODD GOUWENBERG (3-0-0) is an aggressive fighter from Gibson's Kickboxing & Pankration. ROB MacDONALD (3-0-0) is another hard-hitting product from Team Tompkins. Just seeing these two goliaths standing across the ring from one another will be worth the price of admission! Fireworks are guaranteed as this fight promises to end violently and suddenly. In a fight between two of the most underrated and exciting fighters in MMA the storyline will be Canada vs. USA! CURTIS STOUT (7-5-1) is a UFC veteran who has fought some of the best in the sport. He impressed everyone in his TKO debut, showcasing some devastating Muay Thai strikes in the fight with David Loiseau. STEPHAN POTVIN (7-6-0) has beaten some of the best fighters in the middleweight division. He dominated both UFC veterans Joe Doerksen and Ronald Jhun. Both Stout and Potvin feel that the best in their careers is yet to come. A win at TKO 18 will certainly put them on the right track. This incredible fight card will also feature the long awaited return of Canadian MMA legend DAVID BENETEAU (6-5-1) as he takes on Quebec's power house ICHO LARENAS (1-1-0). The event will also feature TKO superstars JONATHAN GOULET (10-5-0), SAM STOUT (3-1-1), RYAN DIAZ (7-8-0), PHILLIPE LAGACE (2-2-0) and many, many more! Order your tickets now through the TKO Ticket office (1-866-445-8886). All tickets will be sent by priority courier. Tickets are going at a furious pace, so please hurry and reserve your seats for this exceptional event! As one of our preferred customers, we certainly don't want you to miss out on seeing this electrifying show live! |
From the event's promoter: Saturday Nov 13, 2004 Pinal County - Parks, Recreation & Fairgrounds 11 MC Road Casa Grande, Arizona Doors Open: 6 PM, Fight Time: 7:30 PM. Tickets prices are $20 (General Admission Bleachers) and $30 (Floor Level Seating). Rage in the Cage is proud to announce the featured Main Event for RITC 66 will be local favorite Thomas Gil against Cory "Tugboat" Timmerman. It will be a great night of action. Please come on out and support your favorite fighters. Fight Card: Cory Timmerman (330) vs Thomas Gil (230) Gabe Rivas (165) vs Robert Maldonado (165) RJ Gamez (165) vs Frank Sanchez (160) Melesio Perales (185) vs Paul Arroyo (180) Matt VerHalen (145) vs David Klein (155) Richie Hightower (190) vs Jeremy Neer (185) Donald Paskiewiez (140) vs Carlos Ortega (150) Nick Hedrick (140) vs Eddie Castro (145) Joey Juvada (205) vs TBA Mark Kempthorpe (175) vs Bob Calnin (175) Brandon Oliver (140) vs Troy Tolbert (140) Fight Card subject to change. Here are the directions for those traveling from Phoenix or Tucson for the event. Take I-10 to Exit 194 Head East on 287 away from CG for 7 miles Turn right on 11 Mile Corner Rd and you're there |
Thursday - November 4, 2004 |
From the event's promoter: FAIRFIELD, Ohio -- With John Kerry conceding the election, and Ohio not being under the national spotlight this week as expected, promoters are hoping fight fans line up like voters for this Friday's ICE 12 event at Metropolis nightclub. Headlining the event are a pair of heavyweight battles between local standouts and two visitors from New York. Hometown favorite Rod Housley (4-0) faces Justin Hayes (3-1), while local Maurice Walker (6-1) takes on Rich Mitchell (19-2). Area ICE regulars Mojo Horne, Greg Franklin, Ron Fields, Justin McElfresh and Trevor Garrett also are scheduled to fight on the 14-bout card. Tickets are available by calling promoter Kerry Schall at 513 290-3259 or SACAN Martial Arts at 513 759-4488. Doors open at 8 p.m. with the first bout at 9 p.m. The lineup:
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Friday - November 5, 2004 |
From DSE/Pride: PRIDE FIGHTING U.S. AUDITIONS NEARING! LOS ANGELES, California – If you haven't turned in an application for the PRIDE FIGHTING U.S. AUDITIONS, now is the time to do it! To be considered, all applications must be postmarked no later than Tuesday, November 9, 2004. Selected finalists will be eligible for either PRIDE FIGHTING contracts or mixed martial arts "scholarships" (an opportunity to train and fine-tune MMA skills in Japan). The PRIDE FIGHTING U.S. Auditions will occur on Saturday, November 20, 2004 on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles. Are YOU the next PRIDE FIGHTING SUPERSTAR? Audition participants will be given a rare opportunity to showcase their skills in front of PRIDE's decision-makers. Criteria will include striking skills, grappling ability, and personality. In attendance will be PRIDE FIGHTING stars, major media, and other special guests! DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? Audition Date: Saturday, November 20, 2004 Location: University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Venue: Student Activities Center (next to the John Wooden Center) Interested in participating? For more details and the application form, visit pridefc.com |
From the event's promoter: FRIDAY NOVEMBER 26th 2004 IN MONTREAL, CANADA TKO 18 TO FEATURE THE RETURN OF JOHN "THE NATURAL" ALESSIO! (MONTREAL, CANADA) – TKO Major League MMA continues to put the finishing touches on an outstanding fight card for TKO 18: IMPACTTM to be held on Friday, November 26th 2004 in Montreal, Quebec. This event will be held at the Pierre-Charbonneau Center and will showcase the best Canadian fighters in an unprecedented four championship bout fight card! Have you heard a lot about Canadian MMA of late? There is no better time or place to come check out the Canadian scene then at TKO 18. At this time, TKO would like to announce the addition of three exceptional fighters to their already stacked fight card. John Alessio, Dave Goulet and Jacob Conliffe are all very excited to be taking part in this unparalleled night of Canadian MMA action. UFC and PRIDE veteran, JOHN ALESSIO (14-6-0) is among the best welterweight fighters in the world! He's won eight out of his last nine fights against such top competition as Ronald Jhun and Chris Brennan. His only loss was a close split decision to the highly regarded Jason Black at UCC 12. Alessio brings dangerous submissions and devastating kick-boxing skills each time he steps into the ring. His opponent, JONATHAN GOULET (10-5-0) has also been tearing up his opposition lately, winning his last five fights. He brought the fans to their feet in his last fight with a vicious seven second knockout of Joey Brown. This promises to be a meaningful and highly entertaining fight in TKO's welterweight division. SAM STOUT (3-1-1) is a hard hitting muay-thai fighter from one of the best MMA teams in Canada, Team Tompkins. Stout's last fight was a back and forth war with hometown favorite, Steve Claveau. Stout withstood heavy punches from a mounted position and escaped a seemingly secured arm bar to respond with repeated brutal elbow strikes to end the fight for his third straight knockout victory. DAVE GOULET (5-2-0) is the former TKO lightweight champion. Like Stout, Goulet has a forward fighting style and he possesses excellent striking skills with a background in boxing. Goulet has dual motivation for this fight. Firstly, he wants to get back to the top of the Canadian lightweight division. Secondly, he immensely wants to avenge the loss of his friend and trainer, Steve Claveau. In contrast, Stout is a young fighter that feels Goulet, like Claveau is just another stepping stone in his resolute climb to the top. JACOB CONLIFFE (0-0-0) was scheduled to make his professional debut at TKO 17. Unfortunately, his fight was cancelled at the last minute as his opponent got ill. That appears to have been a blessing in disguise as he will now make his debut for the TKO Heavyweight Championship! He is replacing a prominent fighter and police officer, Rob MacDonald, who was advised by his superiors in the police force not to compete at this time. MacDonald hopes to resume his MMA career in the New Year. Meanwhile, Conliffe will challenge TODD GOUWENBERG (3-0-0), an aggressive fighter from Gibson's Kickboxing & Pankration. If there is any fight on this card that is least likely to go to a decision, this is it. These big guys are set to blow the roof of the Pierre-Charbonneau Centre! The fights described above, along with the rest of the fight card have been arranged with the fight fan foremost in mind. TKO continues to exhibit impeccable athletes in highly competitive matches with intriguing clashes of styles. TKO 18: IMPACTTM will continue to prove how exciting the sport of mixed martial arts is. Alert your friends, your co-workers, your posTMan, your milkman and your local sanitary engineer that this is an event unlike any other. Those fortunate to be in attendance this night will attest to the fact that this is visual entertainment and athletic competition at its finest. Tickets on sale now at the TKO ticket office: 1-866-445-8886 |
Saturday - November 6, 2004 |
Mike and Christie Neva are excited to announce the birth our first child, Carter William Neva. He was born November 3, 2004 at 6:37 pm, and weighed 9 pounds 7 ounces. Both mom and Carter are doing well. Best wishes from your family at FCF. |
Sunday - November 7, 2004 |
By Joe Hall
Heath Pedigo vs. Eric Acker Winner: Pedigo by flying triangle R1 Lisa Ward (Washington) vs. Mandy Stewart (Australia) 125lbs Winner: Stewart by triangle choke R1 Jan Finney (Ohio) vs. Rikki Burnett (Kentucky) 135lbs Winner: Finney by unanimous decision (10:00) Ginelle Marquez (Washington) vs. Molly Helsel (Hawaii) 135lbs Winner: Marquez by armbar R2 Shelby Walker (Texas) vs. Adrienna Jenkins (Hawaii) 135lbs Winner: Jenkins by rear naked choke R1 Tara LaRosa (New Jersey) vs. Linda Langerak (Canada) 135lbs Winner: LaRosa by armbar R2 Kelly Kobold (Minnesota) vs. Greta Hicks (Wisconsin) 160lbs Winner: Kobold by unanimous decision (15:00) Julie Kedzie (Indiana) vs. Jen Case (Kansas) 155lbs Winner: Case by armbar R1 Jennifer Howe (Utah) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (Massachusetts) 135lbs Winner: Modafferi by unanimous decision (15:00) Erica Montoya (California) vs. Megumi Fujii (Japan) Winner: Fujii by unanimous decision (15:00) |
From W. Hendricks/Pancrase USA: Marquardt crowned King of Pancrase for a sixth time! TK new super hvywt K.O.P. 11-07-2004 Tokyo, Japan Pro-Bout#1 middleweight 2x5 min rounds HIROMITSU MIURA defeated KWAK YUN SOEB by TKO in round 1. Pro-Bout#2 welterweight 3x5 min rounds KATSUYA INOUE defeats SATORU KITAOKA by unanimous decision. Pro-Bout#3 light heavyweight 3x5 min rounds AKIHIRO GONO defeated Tim McKenzie by TKO in round 2. Pro-Bout#4 heavyweight 3x5 min rounds RYUTA NOJI wins over RYUSHI YANAGISAWA by unanimous decision. Pro-Bout#5 light heavyweight 3x5 min rounds SANAE KIKUTA submited ICEMAN by ankle lock in round 1. Pro-Bout#6 middleweight K.O.P. title match 3x5 min rounds NATHAN MARQUARDT defeated KAZUO MISAKI by unanimous decision (arquardt becomes a 6-times middleweight King of Pancrase) Semifinal super heavyweight K.O.P. title match 3x5 min rounds TSUYOSHI "TK" KOSAKA wins over RON WATERMAN by unanimous decision. MAIN EVENT light heavyweight 3x5 min rounds YUKI KONDO defeated EVANGELISTA CYBORG by unanimous decision. |
Monday - November 8, 2004 |
Maui War Memorial Gymnasium, Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii November 6, 2004 By Chris Onzuka
Boxing Exhibition: 3 Rounds X 1 Minute Josh Dela Cruz (Wailuku Boxing Club) vs. Masu "Boy" Manangan (South Side Boxing Club) Boxing Exhibition: 3 Rounds X 1 Minute
Boxing Exhibition: 3 Rounds X 1 Minute Keola McKee (Maui Kickboxing) vs. Tomas Juan (Maui Kickboxing) MMA: 3 Rounds X 3 Minutes Kona Christi (5'8", 160lbs., Lahaina) def. Shane Pacarro (5'8", 160lbs., Puna Boyz) Split Decision [(29-28), (28-29), (29-28)] after 3 rounds. MMA: 3 Rounds X 3 Minutes Kevin Delima (5'8", 140lbs., Bulls Pen) def. Steven "The Beast" Bento (5'9", 140lbs., Da Barn) TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the back mount at 1:28 into R1. MMA: 3 Rounds X 3 Minutes Jake Mapes (6'2", 190lbs., Maui Jiu-Jitsu) def. Kaimi Santiago (6'0", 190lbs., Puna Boyz) Verbal submission at 1:47 into R1. MMA: 3 Rounds X 3 Minutes Brandon Visher (5'7", 140lbs., Maui Full Contact Fighting) def. Albert Manners (5'6", 135lbs., Puna Boyz) Submission due to strikes from the cross at 2:38 into R1.
Lorrin Ishimine (5'7", 155lbs., Maui Full Contact Fighting) def. Marcus Moreno (5'8", 155lbs., Bulls Pen) TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 2:57 into R3. Main Event MMA: 3 Rounds X 3 Minutes Ira Hookano (5'9", 190lbs., Maui Full Contact Fighting) def. Doug Chong (6'4", 300lbs., Freelance) Split decision [(30-27), (29-28), (28-29)] after 3 rounds. |
Tuesday - November 9, 2004 |
PRIDE FC Final Conflict 2003 Tournament Matches: Chuck Liddell (USA) vs. Quinton Jackson (USA) Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan) vs. Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) The winners of the above matches meet in the Finals for the Grand Prix Championship Additional Matches: Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (Croatia) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil) Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Kevin Randleman (USA) Dan Henderson (USA) vs. Murilo Bustamante (Brazil) Daniel Bobish (USA) vs. Gary Goodridge (Trinidad and Tobago) Heath Herring (USA) vs. Yoshihisa Yamamoto (USA) Special Features: Bonus Fight: Heath Herring vs Yoshihisa Yamamoto Un-Fut Fighter Interviews All Access Pass Footage Fighter Intros Highlights PRIDE Girls Outtakes Video Game Release Party PPV Commericial Music of PRIDE Fighting Fighter Bios Fight Photographs Fight Dictionary Rules of PRIDE Fighting (516)676-0033 Or Click here to order securely online with your credit card or print off the order form & mail it in with your payment |
From the event's promoter: With less than two weeks remaining before his long-awaited showdown with fellow mixed martial arts superstar Rodrigo Gracie (5-0), former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight champion, BJ Penn (8-1-1), lacks no self-confidence about a task requiring him to tack on additional pounds for his debut in a 185 pound weight limit division. "I feel great. I'm already in shape to fight. I'm just waiting now," stated Penn, while taking a rare breather from what has become one of the most intense training camps of his career. The 25-year-old Jiu-Jitsu specialist, otherwise known as "The Prodigy," will lock up with Gracie during the main event of "Rumble on the Rock 6," which will be presented at Honolulu, Hawaii's Blaisdell Arena by the newly-formed K-1 Fighting Network on Saturday, November 20th. "This is another step forward for me in another weight class. I'm ready and I'm gonna be doing everything during the fight. People are gonna see somebody fighting their heart out." For six weeks, Penn has been toiling in his native Hilo, Hawaii with training partners who hover around the 190-pound mark. UFC veteran Renato "Charuto" Verissimo and Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Mike Pyle are amongst those helping him prepare for the upcoming matchup. Penn's appearance will mark his second in an event promoted by a K-1 affiliate entity. On May 22nd, he faced world Muay Thai champion and fellow American Duane "Bang" Ludwig in Saitama, Japan during the promotion's premiere mixed martial arts fight card. At the 2:45 mark of the matchup's opening round, Penn slapped a chokehold on Ludwig that prompted the latter fighter to submit. Before crossing over to the world's most dignified martial arts fighting circuit, Penn pulled off a feat of epic proportions on January 31st when he made a jump from the UFC's 154-pound limit division to its 168-pound class and easily defeated the heavier weight category's reigning champion, Matt Hughes, by way of rear naked choke. In other Rumble on The Rock 6 action, 2003 K-1 USA champion, Carter Williams (36-9), will make his fourth career start under mixed martial arts rules when he takes on Tom "Green Beret" Howard (0-2) while another esteemed member of the famed Gracie clan, Royler (3-2-1), will face Kazuyuki Miyata (7-1-4). The event will also see a return to action by UFC heavyweight veterans Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (13-6) and 6 foot 9 inch Wes "The Project" Sims (5-5). Tickets for Saturday, November 20th's Rumble on the Rock 6 event are priced at $30, $60, $65, $100, $150, and $200, respectively, and can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com as well as at all Ticketmaster locations. Rumble on the Rock is a Hawaii-based mixed martial arts fight promotion that was launched by Prodigy Productions two years ago. Recently, Prodigy Productions partnered with K-1 Fighting Network, a division of the Japan-based K-1 Corporation, to bring mixed martial arts sporting events to a growing fanbase. |
Wednesday - November 10, 2004 |
Striving to Be 'Tough Enough' By Joe Hall
Last week Puder had a run-in with Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle that left fans debating whether what they had seen was real. In the next issue of FCF, Puder discusses his experience thus far on Tough Enough, his views on the professional wrestling business, what gave him eight-hour headaches, whether Kurt Angle and "Big Show" intimidated him, and more. Bob Cook, Puder's manager from American Kickboxing Academy, also discusses Puder's abilities as a fighter and his future in MMA. SmackDown airs Thursdays on UPN at 8/7 Central. The voting period opens Thursday nights and continues until 12 a.m. the following Tuesday. To vote for Puder or the other contestants, visit http://toughenough.wwe.com/ |
Give Us Your Thoughts... Tell us your thoughts on the recent UFC and Pride events (UFC 50: The War of '04 & Pride 28: High Octane) or, feel free to discuss anything else on your mind that has to do with MMA ... contoversies, potential match-ups ... anything. The survey results and some of the commentary we receive will appear in the November 2004 issue of FCF Click here to take the survey |
From the event's promoter: This Weekend at the Liverpool Olympia Golden Glory fighter Paul Cahoon and his business partner Daniel Taylor bring us, CageFighting Championships 2 this weekend, November 14th at the Liverpool Olympia. With an almost sellout crowd for his first show, Paul promised that his shows will keep getting bigger and fighters will keep getting better purses and so far he's kept his promise. On a card with 11 MMA fights and 1 Thai fight, Paul and Daniel have not come up with just one or two headline bouts but five. The 4 novice fights see fighters ranging from 65 to 110Kg stepping into the cage for their first or second time with fighters from Cyprus, France and Ireland in a veritable England versus the rest of Europe under card. Then, two intermediate bouts see Team Schreiber fighters in action against English opponents in what promise to be standup wars. Geoff Oughton protégé, Michael Hobbs takes on Marco Merodio and Paul 'Terminator' Taylor is in action against Dann Kooiman. Jiu Jitsu Fighter Mark Goddard will put it all on the line against the Georgian Gladiator Tengiz Tedoradze. Tengiz's only two losses both come via triangle choke and Mark coming from a Jiu Jitsu background might be the man to hand him a third submission loss. This fight should tell us how far Tengiz' Game has evolved. Hardhitting Welterweights Daniel Weichel from Germany and Mohamed Khacha from the French Top Team will face off in what promises to be yet another stand up war. Paul like others feels that these 2 fighters are 2 of the best among Europe's Welterweights and has promised a top American opponent for the winner. Golden Glory's Faith Kocamis, fresh off a KO victory over Mark "The Beast" Epstein will again be in action against the UK's own Alex Cook. Cook will be looking to add a top European Scalp to his 4-2-0 record while Kocamis looks to extend his 4 fight winning streak. Antony Rea makes his long awaited UK debut in this event. Antony was so determined to fight in the UK that after his original opponent pulled out due to injury Antony agreed to fight at Heavyweight. His opponent on the night will be Milco Voorn, a member of Team Schreiber with a 12-1 record who will be no pushover for the tough Frenchman. The final Headlining bout sees Paul himself fighting. Paul, though a Lightheavyweight fighter, has often fought against Heavyweights, sometimes giving up as much as 25Kg. He had his last fight over 2 years ago against UFC veteran Amar Suloev in Holland. Even though he's the only english fighter ever to conguer the dutch crowd, earning their respect as a warrior for never refusing a fight and never giving up, Paul has decided to come back to the UK and rebuild his career at home, this will mark his first fight as a Heavyweight. In this, his comeback fight and his return to UK soil for the first time since the year 2000, he will take on Dutch standup fighter Samir Bourekba. The promise of another unforgettable night in UK MMA beckons! Venue: Liverpool Olympia Date: November 14 Doors: First fight: Tickets available from Danny on 07980721958, book early because this event will sell out. |
Thursday - November 11, 2004 |
FCF would like to thank those who have served their country and wish everyone a happy and healthy Veteran's Day. |
From Zuffa/UFC: UFC Fighters Blind Date Episodes Look for former UFC® Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia and four other UFC fighters as they appear as special guests on the popular television show Blind Date during sweeps week of Nov.15-19. Sylvia, and UFC fighters Tiki Ghosn, Pete Spratt, Wes Sims and Josh Thomson each will be featured on a blind date with a woman they have never met. Monday, Nov. 15, Pete Spratt and Andreina Pete's an Ultimate Fighter who has put his bad boy days behind him. Andreina's an independent girl who doesn't fall for cheesy lines. Will these two strong personalities knock each other out, or will they be an equal match for one another? Tuesday, Nov. 16, Josh Thomson and Denise Denise wants a guy who is as masculine as she is petite. Josh is an Ultimate Fighter with more experience in the ring than with the opposite sex. Will Josh's old-fashioned attitudes appeal to Denise, or is his game of hard-to-get going to make him hard to want? Wednesday, Nov. 17, Tiki Ghosn and Rebecca Tiki's an Ultimate Fighter who likes a girl to carry herself like a lady. Rebecca's a part-time model who works at a Hooters Restaurant. Is she hiding a deep reserve of feminine mystique, or do her short skirts and belly shirts reveal all there is to know? Thursday, Nov. 18, Tim Sylvia and Jennifer Tim's the Ultimate Fighting Champion who wants a girl who can hold her own with the guys. Jennifer's got a weakness for bad boys, and claims she can drink anyone under the table. Will Tim's affinity for girlie drinks be a turn-off for the Irish girl or is his strength of character enough to carry her interest? Friday, Nov. 19, Wes Sims and Erika Erika works in a sex shop, and likes spending time with guys who enjoy strip clubs. Is Wes an Ultimate Fighter with more brawn than brain? Will he be able to keep his foot out of his mouth when he finds out that Erika's a former stripper, or will the girl from the wrong side of tracks have to teach her date some manners? Blind Date host Roger Lodge will make several television appearances this week to promote the shows featuring the UFC fighters. Lodge's schedule includes: ESPN2's Cold Pizza: Thursday, Nov. 11, at 8:30 a.m. EST Fox & Friends: Friday, Nov. 12, at 6:45 a.m. EST CNBC's The John McEnroe Show: TBA, the week of Nov. 15 Blind Date is syndicated through NBC Universal. Check local listings for times. The Ultimate Fighting Championship®, based in Las Vegas, Nev., is the world's premier mixed martial arts sports association. Owned and operated by Zuffa, LLC, the UFC programs six live pay-per-view events yearly through cable and satellite providers. The UFC's next pay-per-view telecast will be UFC 51: Super Saturday LIVE at 10 p.m. EST, Feb. 5, 2005 from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. |
From the event's promoter: Pinal County - Parks, Recreation & Fairgrounds 11 MC Road Casa Grande, Arizona Doors Open: 6 PM, Fight Time: 7:30 PM Tickets prices are $20 (General Admission Bleachers) and $30 (Floor Level Seating). Bombs will be flying in a standup war this Saturday night when UFC veteran Joe "Diesel" Riggs takes on heavy handed local favorite Thomas Gil in RITC 66. It's a fantastic fight card. Please come out to support your favorite fighters. Fight Card: Joe Riggs (200) vs Thomas Gil (205) Gabe Rivas (165) vs TBA RJ Gamez (165) vs Frank Sanchez (160) Melesio Perales (185) vs Paul Arroyo (180) Richie Hightower (190) vs Jeremy Neer (185) Donald Paskiewiez (140) vs Carlos Ortega (150) Eddie Castro (150) vs Nick Hedrick (145) Joey Juvada (205) vs Paul Schmadeke (200) Mark Kempthorne (175) vs TBA Chris Lee (290) vs Neil Abbott (200) Brandon Oliver (140) vs Troy Tolbert (140) Fight Card subject to change. Here are the directions for those traveling from Phoenix or Tucson for the event. Take I-10 to Exit 194 Head East on 287 away from CG for 7 miles Turn right on 11 Mile Corner Rd and you're there |
Friday - November 12, 2004 |
From the event's promoter: Tickets are on sale now for the December 11th show at the DC Event Center in Castle Rock. The area's premiere event will surely blow the roof off with this year end extravaganza! Colorado's favorite fighter, Duane BANG! Ludwig will get to fight for his hometown fans for the first time in almost a year. Ludwig, the current ISKA World Muay Thai champion, will take on European Kick Boxing and World Karate Champion, Grisha Todorov of Bulgaria. It will be Muay Thai vs. Kyokshinkai for top dog bragging rights! In the super fight of the night, UFC veteran Pete SECRET WEAPON Spratt returns to compete in Colorado for the first time since ROF 3. He's coming to settle some bad blood with Denver's John The ANNIHILATOR Cronk. There is no love lost between these two, and both fighters have guaranteed a victory on the 11th. This card has something for every type of fight fan, and the amount of high level athletes is amazing. Two UFC veterans, 4 World Champions, K-1 veterans, pay per view fighters, Abu-Dhabi veterans, and even a 2004 US Olympian!! The full fight card will be released in the coming week as some contracts are still being signed. Tickets are on sale now at all King Soopers stores, online at www.ticketswest.com, and by phone at 1-866-464-2626. As always if you want to see the show in style, VIP tables are available by calling 303-246-5237. ROF #14: NO MERCY! Saturday, December 11th, 2004 Douglas County Event Center, Castle Rock, CO Doors @ 6:30, first bout 7:30 pm GA $25.00, Reserved $40.00 Ring of Fire: For the FANS.. For the FIGHTERS.. For the SPORT!! |
Sunday - November 14, 2004 |
From the event's promoter: Former UFC champ refuses to quit in dramatic Extreme Challenge win MEDINA, Minn. -- In his celebrated career, fans can always count on Dave Menne for at least two things: 1. He will get hit a lot. 2. He will never quit. At Extreme Challenge 60, the former UFC middleweight champion ran into trouble quickly against newcomer Trevor Garrett. By the time the first round ended, the doctor was in the cage and was prepared to stop the fight. Menne was already bleeding badly from a cut under his left eye, his nose and a cut on his upper lip. "The doctor said he was going to stop it, but Menne talked him out of it," said promoter Monte Cox. "The doctor wanted to stop it again after the second round, but Menne said 'no, I still have a round left in me.' The doctor said if it was anybody but Menne he probably wouldn't have changed his decision." Having lost the first round, Menne went quickly for a takedown to open round two. Garrett, a chiseled 185er from Dayton, Ohio, used his super strength to make up for what he lacked in technique... but after a brief struggle, Garrett was on his back and Menne was attacking, eventually getting to full mount. Although he dominated position, Menne still had trouble landing solid blows. However, he won the second round by controlling the action and position for four minutes of the round. Although the fight was even a round apiece, you never would have guessed it from the two combatants... Menne was bleeding badly and both eyes were closing, while Garrett looked a little tired, but was all but unmarked. Menne again opened the third round with a takedown and maneuvered his way into the mount. Garrett again defended well from the bottom, but said he knew he had to get out from the bottom if he was going to win the fight. A standup for a stalemate was followed quickly by another takedown and Menne managed to control the action in Garrett's guard until the bell sounded. Judges awarded a split-decision victory to Menne by scores of 29-28, 29-28 and 29-30. "Menne proved again that nobody in this sport has his heart... his warrior spirit," Cox said. "I don't know too many fighters who would have kept going with the damage he suffered, let alone keep going and pull out the win. And, Garrett became a star tonight. This guy may lose some fights, but he's going to leave a lot of bodies behind him as he continues to improve." In a night of great fights, the Menne-Garrett war was only slightly better than battles between newcomer Roger Huerta and Jake Short, and UFC veteran Tyrone Roberts and Daryl Guthmiller. Huerta improved to 13-1-1 with a submission win over Short at 37 seconds of the third round, following an intense battle between top 155ers. And, Guthmiller earned a unanimous decision over the determined Roberts in another crowd favorite. Also, Sean Sherk continued to roll, showing his improved subs with a arm-triangle win over Lee King. Ron Fields pulled an upset, beating Canadian Chris Fontaine by triangle in the first round, while Joe Jordan delivered a G&P clinic in a win over Vern Jefferson. Clay Guida arrived an hour before his fight after agreeing to drive 5 hours from Chicago and face Randy Hauer. The trip didn't seem to affect him as he scored the victory due to referee stoppage. Reed Wismer lost the first round, but rallied to beat Mike Belker in the second, while Ryan Antle did the same against Cliff Saunders, who took the fight literally on 20 minutes notice when Antle's opponent failed to arrive. Complete results:
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From the event's promoter: Riggs wins by arm bar Perales named Fighter of the Night RITC's return to Casa Grande after a 6 month absence with our "Thanks Tri-Valley" show was greeted with strong local support. In the Main Event, Thomas Gil landed a solid power punch that momentarily stunned Joe Riggs who recovered quickly. Later in the round Riggs landed a picture perfect high kick to the head that dropped Gil. Riggs advanced from half guard to side mount to full mount. From there Riggs rained down strikes to setup a smooth transition for the arm bar submission victory at the 2:05 mark of round 1. The fight or the night was a standup war between Melesio Perales and Paul Arroyo. Both fighters were visibly marked with Perales awarded the victory by majority decision. For this impressive win, Melesio earned Fighter of the Night (FOTN) honors. Other candidates for FOTN honors were Neil Abbott, Eddie Castro, Troy Tolbert, Richie Hightower, Frank Sanchez and Joe Riggs. Results: Fight #1 Neil Abbott (200), Arizona Jiu-Jitsu won by submission (arm bar), 1:57 Rd 1 Joey Juvera (200), Devil's Den Fight #2 Eddie Castro (149), Devil's Den won by submission (arm bar), 2:17 Rd 1 Nick Hendrick (146), AMAC Fight #3 Troy Tolbert (140), AMAC won by submission (strikes), :43 Rd 1 Donald Paskiewiez (130), Team Brausa Fight #4 Richie Hightower (184), Roufus Kick-Boxing won by ref stoppage (strikes), :50 Rd 1 Jeremy Neer (194), Team Brausa Fight #5 Melesio Perales (186), Devil's Den won by decision (2-0-1) Paul Arroyo (180), Team Brausa Fight #6 Frank Sanchez (165), Devil's Den won by submission (choke), 1:56 Rd 1 RJ Gamez (170), Genesis Jiu-Jitsu Fight #7 (Main Event) Joe Riggs (201), ACS won by submission (arm bar), 2:05 Rd 1 Thomas Gil (241), Devil's Den Upcoming Events:
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Monday - November 15, 2004 |
Results
The title fights had some changes along the way with defending champion Eric Pele dropping off the card leaving opponent "Scary" Jerry Vrbanovic to fight Kadillac Marshbanks for a superfight belt as opposed to the original Unlimited belt. Vrbanovic also looked improved on the ground and much of his spare tire from last year seems to have been sculpted into upper-body muscle since his losses to Mike Kyle and Ron Waterman. Marshbanks won the majority decision largely due to impressive takedowns and damage from strikes on the ground.
Paul Buentello returned to KOTC to defend his Heavyweight title for the first time. Not much can be said about his 0:45 TKO over Bo Cantrell other than they went toe to toe standing and Buentello got the better of Cantrell. Uriah Faber, the Gladiator Challenge Bantamweight Champion, took the vacated KOTC belt in an exciting defeat over Eban Kaneshiro. Uriah is known as a headhunter on the ground that critical fans say isn't known for controlling the positions before unleashing barrages of strikes while fans that praise Uriah view it as Uriah strikes before an opponent is used to strikes coming in and from unorthodox angles, resulting in an accumulation of blows that so far have always won him fights. Takumi/Kohler was one of the most evenly matched fights of the night, with Takumi walking away with the belt in a fight where he for most of the fight controlled the top position on the ground. The crowd did not like the judges' decision that gave James Fanshier the Welterweight belt over Thomas Denny. Denny controlled the takedowns and James did more damage with strikes in a very close fight but it was probably the dominant first round by Fanshier that won him the fight. As the bell rang Denny was stunned or even knocked out, leading many to jump to the wrong conclusion the fight was over. Denny recovered between rounds and got his gameplan going in the second but that dominant round was probably the edge that won Fanshier the title.
Look for a full report in an upcoming issue of Full Contact Fighter.
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From the event's promoter: When he steps into the squared circle at Honolulu, Hawaii's Blaisdell Arena on Saturday, November 20th, mixed martial arts star Rodrigo Gracie (5-0) will be in for his greatest competitive challenge to date in former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight crown holder, BJ Penn (8-1-1). Gracie is looking at the mega-fight, not as a risk, but as an opportunity to take his career to all new heights. "I am in the best shape of my life," said the 29-year-old Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu second degree black belt who will take on Penn during the main event of "Rumble on the Rock 6," a star-studded mixed martial arts fight card that will be presented by the newly-formed K-1 Fighting Network. "I take this fight seriously because BJ is a top competitor with great skills; the kind of fighter that you cannot afford to make mistakes against. I am going into the fight 100 percent ready physically and mentally." The grandson of Gracie Jiu-Jitsu founder, Carlos Gracie, Rodrigo has helped extend the dynasty of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu's most heralded family by securing victories in all five of his professional mixed martial arts appearances. Four of his career starts have taken place in Japan. "This is as important as any fight is, but up until now, all of my opponents have been Japanese," commented Gracie. "Fighting B.J. in the United States will give me larger exposure to the American fans." At the tender age of four, Gracie began studying the fighting art pioneered by his grandfather. After relocating to California from his native Brazil, he once again hit the road before settling down on Long Island, New York. Recently, Gracie opened his own Jiu-Jitsu school on Long Island where he has been preparing for the November 20th bout. Strength and conditioning Coach Martin Rooney as well as cousin Crosley Gracie and UFC veteran Matt Serra have all played major roles in the fighter's training camp. In other Rumble on The Rock 6 action, 2003 K-1 USA champion, Carter Williams (36-9), will make his fourth career start under mixed martial arts rules when he takes on Tom "Green Beret" Howard (0-2) while another member of the famed Gracie clan, Royler (3-2-1), will face Kazuyuki Miyata (7-1-4). The event will also see a return to action by UFC heavyweight veterans Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (13-6) and 6 foot 9 inch Wes "The Project" Sims (5-5). Tickets for Saturday, November 20th's Rumble on the Rock 6 event are priced at $30, $60, $65, $100, $150, and $200, respectively, and can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com as well as at all Ticketmaster locations. |
From David Whitney: Here are the full results from Reality Combat XXIV: Total Trauma held in Biloxi, MS at the Imperial Palace on 11/13/04.
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From the event's promoter: On December 11th, in the Super Brawl ring, Tim Sylvia and Wes Simms will settle a grudge that has lasted over two years. The never short on words Sims does not appear to be changing his game plan. "I just checked my voice mail this morning" said Super Brawl producer T.Jay Thompson "and the first message was from Wes...he just said 'Just calling to let you know I'm going to kick Tim Sylvias ass!'" Sylvia who is scheduled to fight for the UFC Heavyweight belt in February said "Wes has been flappin his gums for far to long....I am just plain sick of his crybaby antics....and since I need a tune-up fight I will oblige his request to fight and knock his oversized, undertalented, pro-wrestler wannabe ass out." |
Tuesday - November 16, 2004 |
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From the event's promoter: RING OF COMBAT VII November 20th, 2004 Rexplex Sports Complex Elizabeth, NJ FIGHT CARD*
if you are interested, please e-mail promoter@ringofcombat.com ASAP |
Wednesday - November 17, 2004 |
Modafferi's Soaring to the Top of Women's MMA By Joe Hall
The 22-year-old had noticed HOOKnSHOOT promoter Jeff Osborne searching for female fighters on The Underground Forum. She e-mailed him in hopes of landing a spot in his upcoming women's event, "Evolution," but the card was full by the time she got through. Modafferi booked a flight to Evansville anyway, figuring, if nothing else, she'd compete in the grappling tournament scheduled the day after the show. In the meantime, she persisted with Osborne and the possibility that he could work her onto the card. Then, three weeks out from the event, several fighters fell injured or incapable of fighting. One was Howe's scheduled opponent. As Osborne struggled to patch the card together, Modafferi volunteered to step into the co-main event against Howe. Osborne hesitated at first, she says. |
Thursday - November 18, 2004 |
From the event's promoter: Saturday 18th December The Octagon Centre Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TQ, UK Doors Open 6pm – Event Starts 7pm The "Snowman" set to invade Sheffield, England, as The Cagewarriors Fighting Championship concludes 2004 with an Xtreme Xmas. On Saturday December 18th the Cagewarriors Fighting Championship comes back to the Sheffield Octagon centre and brings with them a huge Christmas Present for all UK MMA fans in the form of Cagewarriors 9: Xtreme Xmas. After a successful show back in September which was a near sell out, and saw eight exciting CWFC match-ups, the CWFC returns to the steel city of Sheffield in a party mood and plans to celebrate Christmas by holding their biggest show to date. Where as Cagewarriors 8 focused on top level domestic talent, this time round CWFC owner/promoter Dougie Truman will deliver a card that is stacked full of international stars, title matches and even some shocking announcements that will rock the UK MMA scene to its foundations. However for now the innovator of the UK MMA scene and the CWFC Owner/Promoter Mr Dougie Truman is proud to announce that the Cagewarriors 9 main event will feature the American Top Team Heavyweight Jeff "The Snowman" Monson. As "The Snowman" will be coming to the UK in an attempt to prise the CWFC Heavyweight Title from current Champion Tengiz Tedoradze in the main event of "Xtreme Xmas". Jeff 'The Snowman' Monson (10-5-0) is one of the top active Submission Grapplers in the World today. He is a former Abu Dhabi Champion, Multiple NAGA Superfight Winner, and Multiple Grapplers Quest Winner. Monson reinforced his grappling credentials this past weekend by winning the "superweight" division of the 6th Grapplers Quest West Coast Submission Grappling Championships in Las Vegas. However Monson is also a dangerous MMA competitor and is a 3 time UFC veteran who has mixed with some of the very best in the MMA world (Chuck Liddell, former UFC Champ Ricco Rodriguez and Forrest Griffin to name just a few). Monson is also undefeated in his last 4 MMA contests, which last saw him fight at Euphoria in October where he beat Pat Stano by TKO. He'll be looking to make it 5 in a row and add the CWFC Heavyweight Title to his Resume at "Xtreme Xmas" The CWFC Heavyweight Champion Tengiz Tedoradze (12-2-0) is in the midst of an 11 fight win streak that has lasted for nearly 2 years and includes the notable scalps of early UFC legend Remco Pardoel, Michael Knaap (twice) and James Thompson. (Who Tedoradze beat in June and ended the unbeaten streak of the Ultimate Combat World Champion and PRIDE FC Veteran with a brutal display of ground and pound) In his last bout at Cagewarriors 8, Tedoradze successfully defended his CWFC Title with a 20 second Ground and Pound beatdown of the stocky Extreme Brawl and K-1 UK Star Craig Amer which alerted many in the MMA world of Tedoradze's skills. So will Jeff Monson's vast skills be enough against the former 2 time Greco Roman World champion, or will "The Barnsley Gladiator" who has streamrolled through opponents in the UK, successfully defend his title once more and add Monson's name to the list of fighters who have been "Tengizzed." At Cagewarriors 9: Xtreme Xmas we will find out when these 2 top wrestlers clash for the Title. If that isn't enough CWFC owner/promoter Mr Dougie Truman has another 5 confirmed bouts (which include 2 big CWFC Title bouts) which will be announced in due course, plus we also hope to deliver another big announcement. So stayed locked on and enjoy an Xtreme Xmas with us this December, as the Cagewarriors Fighting Championships invades the Sheffield Octagon Centre once again this December 18th. For Ticket and Travel information contact the ticket hotline +44(0)7881 552 525. Tickets are priced at £25 standard and £300 for an octagonside table (which seats 7 people and includes a buffet, bubbly and fine wines.) |
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Friday - November 19, 2004 |
By Jim Genia The match-ups are competitive. The skill levels are high. And the action is almost always crowd-pleasing. On November 20th, Lou Neglia's Ring of Combat returns to the Rexplex Sports Complex in Elizabeth, New Jersey, after a seven-month hiatus - and with it comes all the thrills and excitement we've come to expect from this top East Coast MMA show. Here's a brief look at some of the fighters on the card:
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3 Fighters Test Positive for Marijuana Use By Loretta Hunt Following a trio of mixed martial arts events that took place in Atlantic City, New Jersey over the month of October, three fighters have allegedly tested positive for marijuana as part of their mandatory post-fight drug testing. Urinalysis results collected by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB) revealed the presence of the illegal substance in three individuals spanning two professional mixed martial arts events, including two fighters from October 15th's EUPHORIA Mixed Fighting Championship "The Road to the Titles" and one competitor from October 22nd's UFC 50: "The War of '04." Following NJSACB protocol, which does not regularly make the medical and/or monetary details surrounding its athletes public record, the sanctioning body has opted to keep the identities of these participants anonymous, although they will all be listed on "administrative suspension" under fightfax.com, a website that tracks boxers' records and statuses, and has been utilized by the Control Board as of late for mixed martial artists as well. According to Nick Lembo, counsel for the NJSACB, all 20 EUPHORIA participants were tested for "performance enhancers, narcotics, stimulants, pain killers and other banned substances." The following weekend, all 14 UFC competitors were administered the same battery of tests. All samples in question were again retested two times each at an independent laboratory, said Lembo, with cut-off levels for the presence of marijuana set "much higher" than that of passive ingestion. No competitor(s) tested positive for anabolic steroids. "Due to the fact the three fighters tested positive for the same substance in the span of one week of competitions, October 15 and October 22, the New Jersey Athletic Control Board would like to remind the mixed martial arts community that all contestants must submit a urine specimen for drug testing at all MMA events held in New Jersey, regardless of the size or scale of the promotion," stated Lembo. "The MMA community should be aware that drug testing practices are not standardized throughout the United States." Currently, the Nevada State Athletic Commission conducts drug testing for title and/or main event fights, as well as "random" testing for an average additional 1 to 3 bout(s). The two EUPHORIA participants were notified of their status by written notice dated November 10th via certified and regular mail, while the UFC contestant's notification was dated November 15th. Citing first violations for all three individuals, each letter proposed intent to suspend the competitor's New Jersey license for 90 days and outlined the appeals process. Under NJSACB regulations, which mirror the same guidelines utilized for professional boxing, a second violation would result in a 180-day suspension and require graduation from an approved supervisory treatment program. A third violation would result in a 2-year ban without the right to appeal. Although not required, all three competitors will have 15 days to respond to the allegations from the date of notification receipt. "Any suspension will not go into effect until the time that the fighter has let his time to appeal expire, notifies us of his or her choice not to appeal, or receives an actual appeals decision," explains Lembo. Lembo also added that any victorious competitor testing positive for a banned substance afterward would be subject to his bout's official results being changed to a "no decision" or "no contest." However, none of the three competitors currently under allegations won his bout. |
From the event's promoter: Palaszewski, Strzelecki fight for event's first title LAKEMOOR, Ill. -- After enjoying its first sellout crowd, the Xtreme Fighting Organization was faced with trying to improve upon what was without a doubt its most competitive and successful event in its brief history. No problem. Promoters decided to make a few key improvements to its mainly Midwest-based lineup for its Dec. 3 event in Lakemoor, Ill.
Naoyuki Kotani, the champion of Tokyo's ZST event, will take on UFC veteran Phil Johns of Silverbacks. Hiroaki Kotani, a veteran of the famous Shooto organization, will face Alex Gasson of Canada. For the second straight show, XFO will feature a women's bout. Alisa Cantwell of Madison, Wis., returns to face Ryanne Dee of Detroit. "Besides all the new faces, we'll also have most of the local favorites that have been regulars on the show," Curran said. "Guys like Mark Wallen, Clay and Jason Guida, Jay Estrada and Gabe Lemley will all be back for us." The card will probably feature 12 bouts, but the final two depend on outcomes of the Ironheart Crown event this weekend. Tickets for the show start at $25 and can be purchased by calling Curran Martial Arts at 815 356-0454. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the first bout starting at 7:30 p.m. For more information, including directions, checkout the XFO website at http://www.x-fighting.tv/. The lineup: XFO Lightweight title Bart Palaszewski vs. Virgil Strzelecki Feature bouts Naoyuki Kotani vs. Phil Johns Hiroki Kotani vs. Alex Gasson Terry Martin vs. Chael Sonnen Women's bout Alisa Cantwell vs. Ryanne Dee Main Card Tyrell Roberts vs. Charles Trice Jason Guida vs. Mark Wallen Jay Estrada vs. Sonny Leong Gabe Lemley vs. Dave Budney Clay Guida vs. Vito Woods |
From the event's promoter: 2003 K-1 USA champion, Carter Williams (36-9), will return to mixed martial arts rules competition when he faces fellow American Tom "Green Beret" Howard (0-2) during "Rumble on the Rock 6" this Saturday, November 20th at Honolulu, Hawaii's Blaisdell Arena. A three-time mixed martial arts contestant, Williams picked up his last victory in the genre of combat sports that permits warfare on the ground as well as in the stand-up position on February 9th of last year. During the opening round of a matchup staged at California's Colusa Casino, he pounded out Dan Quinn with an onslaught of strikes. On July 12, 2002, Williams secured a win over contender Gary Marshall by way of armbar. Last May, the 24-year-old Californian, who has gained widespread recognition for his uncommon mix of knockout power and foot speed, shot to stardom by claiming wins over three consecutive opponents as an 18 to 1 underdog during the annual, spring K-1 USA tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. After earning a judges' decision victory over defending tournament champion, Michael McDonald, Williams went on to score knockouts over Yusuke Fujimoto and six-time world kickboxing champion, Rick "The Jet" Roufus, respectively. Williams continued to prey on the ranks of martial arts fighting's heavyweights only a month and a half after his victory in Sin City when he defeated three more opponents, including 2000 K-1 USA runner-up, Thomasz Kucharzewski, to take hold of an International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) single-elimination tournament championship in Villa Park, Illinois. The return to the squared circle by one of K-1's brightest young forces will be followed by the long-awaited showdown between former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight crownholder, B.J. Penn (8-1-1), and undefeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, Rodrigo Gracie (5-0). In other Rumble on the Rock 6 action, Royler Gracie (3-2-1), will face Kazuyuki Miyata (7-1-4) while UFC heavyweight veterans Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (13-6) and 6 foot 9 inch Wes "The Project" Sims (5-5) will attempt to reignite their careers during their respective bouts. Tickets for Saturday, November 20th's Rumble on the Rock 6 event are priced at $30, $60, $65, $100, $150, and $200, respectively, and can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com as well as at all Ticketmaster locations. |
Saturday - November 20, 2004 |
Ala Moana Shopping Center Center Stage By Michael Onzuka The powerhouse organization known as K-1 has teamed up with promoter JD Penn to back Rumble on the Rock 6, ROTR's biggest show to date. Once again, JD puts his famous little brother to work, this time moving up yet another weight class to the 185 lb. division. JD Penn was the man who placed his number one ranked 155 lb brother against then number 2, Takanori Gomi, in this same octagon to determine who was the best at 155 (Everyone knows BJ won). The UFC then matched up the Prodigy against the most devastating force at 170 lbs, Matt Hughes, whom was choked by Penn to claim the number one spot at 170 lbs. This time Rodrigo Gracie, grandson of the one of the two brothers that founded Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Carlos Gracie, puts his undefeated record on the line as Penn attempts to climb to the top of the 185 lb division. If BJ does succeed tomorrow night and a dominate 185 lb fighter is clearly determined, you can probably bet that may be the next ROTR main event. This would solidify his place in MMA history as the best MMA fighter ever, but first a very talented young fighter with an enormous family history in the fight business wants to de-rail the BJ Penn train. During the press conference, Rodrigo Gracie, showed a lot of class by acknowledging Penn's skills and said that he was looking forward to the fight. BJ, when asked why was he moving up, stated that he would fight anyone at any weight, even a 300-pounder because if he got knocked out, he wouldn't remember it anyway.
This star studded card also features K-1 superstar Carter Williams in an MMA match with the Green Beret Tom Howard. UFC veterans Wes "The Project" Sims faces a lesser known Antoni Hardonk and Hawaii's own Cabbage Correira is locked up in a heated battle with Yoshihiro Nakao. There seems to be a little grudge going on here. Cabbage needs a win badly to get his career back on track as he attempts to raise his stock in the heavyweight division. Rodrigo's second cousin and one of the most successful grapplers of all time, BJJ black belt and Abu Dhabi world champion, Royler Gracie, makes his Hawaii fighting debut after a brutal loss to Genki Sudo in the last K-1 event. Royler thanked K-1 for giving him another opportunity and will face 2000 Sydney Olympian, freestyle wrestler Kazuyuki Miyata who will be making his fighting debut. Dennis "Superman" Hallman jumped in after a number of opponents dropped out for local boy, Ross "Da Boss" Ebanez. Ebanez, who usually fights at 170 agreed to fight at 180 to match Hallman. Hallman stated that he has been working a lot on his upper body Karate which he plans to use tomorrow night and after the fight he will be looking for a lady to practice some lower body Karate. Ex-pro-wrestler, Sean O'Hare had some funky hair and dropped 20 pounds to fight a very small, but rugged Shungo Oyama. The fight of the night may be the first fight were BJ Penn's Kaynan Kaku challenges one the fastest raising fighters at 155, Cesar Gracie's Gil Melendez. Both fighters come in with undefeated records and may possibly make a jump to fight the division's best at 155 in a fight or two. Ticket sales have been going through the roof and the big screen had to be taken down to add more seats to satisfy the Hawaii fans. Other notables at the press conference were Mark "The Hammer" Coleman, newly crowned Pancrase champ, TK Tsuyoshi Kosaka, and Pride veteran Gilbert Yvel. ROTR has brought in Bruce Buffer to announce for the event to solidify that he is the voice of the octagon(s) and Larry Landless to referee. At the end of the press conference, K-1 revealed that the headline fight for the huge end of year show would be none other than Hawaiian Chad "Akebono" Rowen vs. Royce Gracie. Both fighters showed mutual respect for each other and Royce even joked that his strategy was to just survive against the mountain of a man, Sumo Yokozuma (or Grand Champion) Akebono. This is one of the biggest weight differentials for quite some time with Royce coming in at a lean 185 lbs and Akebono listed at 460 lbs. Yours truly will be doing the color commentary with Ryan Bennett and I will be looking forward to a number of fights on this card as well as the main event. Stay tuned to FCF for the full write up. Rumble on the Rock 6 Fight Card 11/20/04 Neil Blaisdell Arena
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By Keith Mills
The crowd during the six main events was notably enthusiastic to say the least. How about near riotous in their support. Few shows have attained that level of sheer noise as former champion and local favorite Jamie Jara entered the cage. With Tito Ortiz in his corner, Lou Russell also made the fans go hoarse as he did a good job against Walter Patterson but in the end Patterson kept his cool and found the submission. Hungary's Sarkozi added a dash of international appeal despite his opponent Scott Ernsty just not being up to the task, finally quitting in less than a minute after being knocked down, a major disappointment from a main event. The sixth main event winner was Marco Alvarez from Nor-Cal Fighting Alliance. From a team perspective Nor-Cal, headed by Team Cesar Gracie's latest UFC vet David Terrell, went 3-0 with Tyson Griffen and George Lopez also picking up wins. Also from the team perspective UFC vet Cal Worsham's Team X went 4-0 with Jara, Saints Perrases, Alan Scoville, and Jason Gerus emerging victorious.
Look for a full report in an upcoming issue of Full Contact Fighter. Gladiator Challenge 32: King of the Hill Held November 18, 2004 Colusa Casino - Colusa, CA
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Sunday - November 21, 2004 |
HnS Revolution 2 This is one of the best DVDs HnS has ever done. It features nearly two hours of content with matches NEVER before seen anywhere. This is a must for your DVD collection!
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By Jim Genia
Results:
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Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii November 21, 2004 By Chris Onzuka Hawaii has had some big names fight in past events, but this would mark the first time that a Gracie would fight here. ROTR recently announced its partnership with the K-1 Fighting Network, the largest fighting organization in the world. After looking at the card, you can see K-1's influence with a few of the K-1 fighters peppering the fight card along with six UFC veterans. ROTR is always trying to raise the level of their events, so why have one Gracie fight when you can have two Gracies fight? Royler and Rodrigo Gracie came and brought the "Gracie mystique" to Hawaii fight fans, with Rodrigo taking on Hawaii's most successful fighter, BJ Penn and Royler taking on a wrestler who represented Japan in the Sydney Olympics. This fight would set new ground for BJ Penn. Penn started out in the 155lb division and beat the highest ranked fighter, Takanori Gomi soundly to become the undisputed best fighter at 155lbs. He then moved up in weight to fight the number one fighter and UFC champion at 170lbs, Matt Hughes, and beat him by way of the same technique (rear naked choke). Now Penn has moved up one more weight class to fight undefeated Rodrigo Gracie at 185lbs in front of a hometown crowd. The event was reportedly sold out by Thursday, so a Jumbotron screen had been removed to open up more seats to help meet demand. The attendance record for an MMA event set by SuperBrawl could have been broken, but final numbers need to be verified for this. To kick it up a notch, a Hawaiian themed entrance stage was constructed. It featured giant tiki's, palms and Polynesian dancers. The fights ended up being fast a furious and it was unfortunate because fight fans were not able to see more of the beautiful ring card girls. Oh well, such is life. Two fights went the distance and two got into the second round, but the rest of the matches ended quickly. Two of BJ's students took a jump in skill levels and fought two very good fighters and came up short. Big Wes Sims was easily taken out by Antoni Hardonk. If Sims does not regroup after this loss, he will probably not be invited back to any event of reasonable importance and get killed in a couple weeks when he fights Tim Sylvia at Super Brawl. Local boy Mike Malone replaced Niko Vitale on a couple days notice, Vitale had to pull out of the fight due to personal reasons. Malone got viciously KO'd when Midoux threw one over the top. At the ROTR press conference, it was announced that Chad "Akebono" Rowan would be fighting Royce Gracie at the December 31st event in Japan. To build up their match, one student of each fighter's went into the cage to square off. Royce's student came out the winner, which could mark things to come. Also on the card was ex-Pro wrestler and behemoth of a man, Sean O'Hare taking on Judoka Shungo Oyama, who was much smaller (8 inches shorter and 60lbs lighter). Needless to say, O'Hare destroyed Oyama in 31 seconds. Cabbage came back after two tough losses and fought a war against Nakao. Nakao took down, cut and bloodied Cabbage in the first round and got some questionable restarts by the referee, but Nakao pulled it out in 2 out of the 3 judges. Royler Gracie had his first MMA match since being KO'd by Genki Sudo in Japan. Miyata, an Olympic wrestler representing Japan, was extremely strong and dished it out to Royler. Miyata even picked up and slammed Royler on his head, causing Royler to be stunned for a moment. Royler performed a comeback from behind win (classic Jiu-Jitsu style) by locking in a triangle for the submission later in the fight. Carter Williams made short work of Tom Howard unloading on some of the hardest hooks thrown from the ground that I have ever seen. Finally, Rodrigo controlled BJ against the cage, apparently hoping to tire BJ out in the first round. In the second, BJ got off the fence and dropped Rodrigo, passed his guard and pounded on him from cross-side. Rodrigo defended from the cross very well, but took another hard uppercut in the third round that sent him to the canvas. Penn was not able to finish him in the time given, which shows the skills of Rodrigo Gracie. The crowd was brought to its feet over the fight and it even spilled out into the crowd where there was a huge fight in the audience. The mood in the Blaisdell arena was charged up, probably due to the packed house and BJ Penn testing himself against a member of the Gracie family. Rumors have been circulating that if BJ beats Rodrigo, his former teacher, Ralph Gracie will challenge BJ. This has not been substantiated, but it makes for an interesting situation. All in all, ROTR out did themselves for their inaugural partnership with K-1 and largest event that they have ever produced. The next ROTR is tentatively scheduled for February 2005. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: Gilbert Melendez (Cesar Gracie) def. Kaynan Kaku (BJ Penn's MMAA) TKO via referee stoppage due to punches at 3:58 into R2. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: Dennis Hallman (Victory Athletics) def. Ross Ebanez (BJ Penn's MMAA) Submission via rear naked choke at 1:13 into R1. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: Antoni Hardonk (VOS Gym) def. Wes Sims (Hammer House) Submission via key lock from the mount at 4:24 into R1. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: Kristof Midoux (Lebanner Extreme Team) def. Mike Malone (Eastsidaz) KO via an overhand right at 1:54 into R1. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: Spencer "Aitor" Canup (Royce Gracie) def. Juda A'alona (Team Yokozuna) Submission via standing guillotine choke at 1:37 into R1. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: Sean O'Hare (Shark Tank) def. Shungo Oyama (Omiya) TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 0:31 into R1. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: Yoshihiro Nakao (Freelance) def. Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (BJ Penn's MMAA) Split decision [(30-27), (30-26), (28-19)] after 3 rounds. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: Royler Gracie (Gracie Humaita) def. Kazuyuki Miyata (Freelance) Submission via triangle choke at 2:46 into R2. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: Carter Williams (Voodoo USA) def. Tom Howard (Universal Pro Wrestling) TKO via referee stoppage at 2:16 into R1. 3 Rounds - 5 Minutes: BJ Penn (BJ Penn's MMAA) def. Rodrigo Gracie (Royce Gracie) Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds. |
From the event's promoter: Reality Combat, the longest running NHB show in the South, will be hosting its 25th show on December 4th at Isle of Capri Casino and Resort in Lake Charles, LA. The show will include two, 8 man amateur tournaments. The weight classes are 170-185 lbs and 205-265lbs. The finalists of each tournament will split a $1,500 purse, with the winner of each tournament receiving a professional contract. This is a great opportunity for amateurs looking to make the step up to the professional ranks. Applications are currently being accepted for both weight classes. If you are selected, you will receive travel/airfare as well as food and hotel accommodations. All applications should be sent to Rich Clementi at Rich@globalsportsent.com. |
Monday - November 22, 2004 |
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Stars come down while new talent emerges from shadows at Pride auditions UCLA campus, Los Angeles, CA By Keith Mills Los Angeles, CA (Nov. 20, 2004) -- A who's who of unsigned North American MMA talent descended on the campus of UCLA for invite-only auditions for Pride FC. A complete list of fighters and even amount of fighters per weight class is currently unavailable but said to be available in the days to come. The Lightweights had the greatest representation by far with at least 72 fighters while Middleweights had about 31 and Heavyweights around 44. Here is a partial list FCF compiled: Lightweights: Adam Lynn (Next Generation) Mac Danzig (Millennia Fight Team) Frankie Bollinger (former KOTC Bantamweight Champion) Ricardo Nogueira (American Top Team) Steve Bruno (American Top Team) Heath Simms (ranked in Pancrase) John Alessio (Millennia Fight Team, former KOTC & TKO Champion, UFC/Pride vet) Thomas Denny (Team Oyama) Robert Emerson (Team Oyama) Manny Reyes (KOTC/AFC vet) James "Lightning" Wilks Keith Wilson (American Kickboxing Academy) Akbarh Arreola Steve Berger (UFC vet) Jake Draves Stephen Haigh Middleweights: Mike Seal (KOTC/SportFight vet) Marcos Avellan (Freestyle Fighting Academy, ADCC North American qualifier winner) Chael Sonnen (Team Quest) Charles McCarthy (Freestyle Fighting Academy) Tim McKenzie (Team Cesar Gracie) Buck Greer (Next Generation) James Lee (former Gladiator Challenge Champion) Heavyweights: Mike Kyle (American Kickboxing Academy, UFC vet) Jimmy Ambriz (former KOTC Champion) Wojtek Kaszowski (Team Warrior, trained by Carlos Newton) Paul Buentello (American Kickboxing Academy, KOTC Champion) Bobby Hoffman (UFC vet, former KOTC Champion) Kadillac Marshbanks (KOTC Champion)
Fighters were led to the audition area behind a floor-to-ceiling curtain in groups of six where they performed two minutes of standup, two minutes of takedowns, and two minutes of submission work for three judges including Bas Rutten and Matt Hume. Some of the pairings were told to "go live" for full sparring while at least one group which included Chael Sonnen, Marcus Avellan, and Charles McCarthy was further divided for thee of the fighters to show more for the judges. One pair was brought in by themselves for even further study, the pairing and reason for which will be revealed in an upcoming issue of Full Contact Fighter magazine. After the group pairings each fighter was given one minute in front of a camera to talk about why they deserved to be there and who they were. The fighters now have to wait four weeks for "winners" to be posted. Some clues were visible but fans will have to look for complete coverage in an upcoming issue of Full Contact Fighter for more details and insights. |
Tuesday - November 23, 2004 |
Maladied Mezger Awaits Medical Diagnosis By Loretta Hunt "The stories of my health have been greatly exaggerated," Guy Mezger says with a lighthearted chuckle. It's been a few weeks since the Lion's Den fighter had to drop from his rubber match with Tito Ortiz, a bout that was scheduled as the main event for October 22nd's UFC 50, and caused a major last-minute reshuffling of the card. Mezger had also intended this fight to be the last of a healthy 30-13-2 career that began with UFC 4 and spanned appearances in Japan's Pride and Pancrase promotions. While doctors have thrown around terms like "a small stroke" and "stroke-like symptoms," a battery of tests have still not identified Mezger's ailments. What is known is that when Mezger woke up the morning of October 11th, trainer and friend Ken Shamrock insisted something wasn't right. Shamrock noted slurred speech and an uneven equilibrium. Mezger says he was over-exhausted from poor sleep and a harder-than-usual training session the day before. Shamrock persisted and took Mezger to a local hospital, where the symptoms could not be connected to a malady. A routine MRI, however, revealed irregularities in the vein patterns of Mezger's frontal brain lobe that cause weaknesses along its walls. Referred to as a "Silent Killer" in medical circles, the symptoms Shamrock saw were completely coincidental, but were "a strange blessing in disguise," says Mezger. If he had fought Ortiz, doctors say a blow to Mezger's head could have been highly detrimental. Although nothing has been deemed 100% conclusive, Mezger says the proposed condition is a hereditary one for his family, and is trying to take the news in stride. "It's just more hurry up and wait," says Mezger, whose earlier symptoms have subsided. The vivacious fighter has not had to stop any of his day-to-day activities, which includes his training, although doctors have asked him to pare it down for the time being. "So far, they've reassured me I'm going to be okay, but it's been the most frustrating fucking thing." "If my brain was gonna blow up, I wish it would have been in week one or two [of training]. I was really looking forward to that fight," Mezger adds, noting that his loss to Ortiz at UFC 19 was one that never sat well with him. "Even if I get a clean bill of health, the UFC may never put that fight together again." Still awaiting test results, Mezger will have other projects to turn his attention to in the meantime. His wife is expecting their second child in March, while Mezger's reality television show "Badass" (formerly "American Badass") is making strides of its own. |
Friday - November 26, 2004 |
A chance to rewrite history! Samy Schiavo ready to rematch Jean Silva. By Eduardo Alonso It's unquestionable that MMA has been growing worldwide in the last few years, and it's even more unquestionable that Europe is finally taking a role in our sport that it should have taken a long time ago. With the number of important countries in the old continent, the current power of the Euro, not to mention the good old Sterling pounds, and the fighting tradition in most European countries, that changes from one martial art to another in mere miles of distance, there's endless potential for shows to grow in that region in the coming years, making it also for talented fighters to appear, and creating a new market for fans and professionals of our sport. With that said, the UK has been leading the way recently with promotion Cage Rage taking charge and adding interesting fighting cards, one after the other, bringing famous fighters from countries such as the USA and Brazil to their roster and giving fans all over the world a new event to look for. The next edition of Cage Rage, coming this Saturday November 27th in England, is no exception. With a stacked card that counts with names such as UFC veterans Renato Babalu and Matt Lindland, one title fight on the card has the potential of a show stealer, as Brazilian UK sensantion Jean Silva will be rematching one of his toughest opponents ever in French striker Samy Schiavo. During my recent trip to Europe I had a chance to meet Schiavo and follow a bit of his training, and could witness his talent and commitment to fighting. If you consider that the first time these two competitors fought it was elected as the best fight of the UK in that year, you can understand the level of excitement for local fans regarding this fight, much more now that a belt is on the line. We took some time to talk with Samy Schiavo and have his thoughts on his upcoming fight at Cage Rage against Jean Silva. Take this chance to know more about this fighter, and don't be surprised if this fight steals the show once again!
SS: My big bro James was already in martial arts, and when I was 6 years old he brought me naturally. My grandfather was a good boxer in Italy and we love fighting in our family. I grew up fighting my brother when I was little, all the time (Laughs). FCF: (Laughs) I can picture it... After many competitions, and having a brother that is also a fighter, how did you make the transition to MMA, and why did you decided to go to MMA? SS: I practiced Tae Kwon Do and kick boxing at high level, and sincerely I was a little disappointed with the judging criteria, especially in Tae Kwon Do, and all the bizarre stuff that goes on in kick boxing. So I decide to go to MMA cause I think you're not stop by a number of rules, and you can do sincerely what you want, trying to be effective. No frustration! |
The Brazilian Beat: It took a long time, I know it took a real long time, but we're back! It took more than a month the Brazilian Beat is finally back at Full Contact Fighter, and we'll do it in good style. After traveling trough the most diverse regions of Europe and having a chance to meet some of the readers, this humble reporter got back to the headquarters in Brazil where plenty of news were waiting to be told, as the MMA wheel never stops turning here in this hot weather country. It's even tough to know where to start, as plenty of great happenings on the MMA world took place while this space was "on hold", such as Wanderlei Silva's epic battle against Quinton Jackson, Mauricio Shogun's new success in Bushido, or even Ricardo Arona's comeback to the Pride winning circle. Besides that, some backstage news are always popping up, like Mario Sperry finding out he will have a daughter, and Vitor Belfort's minor back injury that prevented him from finally resuming training at BTT, despite different news posted on different vehicles. But we're back for what's worth, and it's time to settle the record straight and release some news! As we have a lot of catching up to do, let's move along and go straight to the news, cause the world keeps turning and The Brazilian Beat keeps beating up in the rhythm of the hot summer that is coming over soon in Brazil! Feels good to be back home at FCF, enjoy!
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Saturday - November 27, 2004 |
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From Pancrase: PANCRASE 2004 BRAVE TOUR Friday,November 26,2004 doors opened; 5:30PM first bout started; 6:00PM Korakuen Hall(Tokyo,Japan) live gate: 2,000- Amateur Bout#1 Pancrase Gate lightweight tournament semifinal 2x5 min rounds Tomoya Miyashita(B-CLUB) def. KAZUYA HIROSE(IMN Grappling) by front choke at 1R 4:30 Amateur Bout#2 Pancrase Gate lightweight tournament semifinal 2x5 min rounds MITSUO MATSUMOTO(Gracie Barra VTT) def. HIROYUKI OTA(Team POD) by 3-0-0 unanimous judges' decision at full time limit Pro-Bout#1 welterweight 2x5 min rounds DAIZO ISHIGE(SK Absolute) def. HIDENOBU KOIKE(Team GRABAKA) by referee stoppage TKO(mount punch) at 1R 4:22 Pro-Bout#2 open-weight 2x5 min rounds KEN ORIHASHI(Team POD) def. TAISHIRO(Pancrase MEGATON) by referee stoppage TKO(negative fight) at 2R 4:02 Pro-Bout#3 welterweight 2x5 min rounds KENJI ARAI(PANCRASEism) def. HIROYUKI NOZAWA(STAND) by high kick KO at 2R 3:33 Pro-Bout#4 middleweight 2x5 min rounds YUJI HISAMATSU(Wajutsu Keishukai TIGER PLACE) HIKARU SATO(PANCRASEism) by 3-0-0 unanimous judges' decision at full time limit Pro-Bout#5 middleweight 2x5 min rounds DAISUKE HANAZAWA 13(MMA Dojo Cobrakai) def. OSAMI SHIBUYA(middleweight 9th ranked/PANCRASEism) by 3-0-0 unanimous judges' decision at full time limit Pro-Bout#6 middleweight 2x5 min rounds IZURU TAKEUCHI(middleweight 1st ranked/SK Absolute) def. SEIKI RYO(STAND) by doctor stop TKO (shoulder dislocation) at 1R 5:00 (during the 1R interval). Semifinal light heavyweight 3x5 min rounds YUKI SASAKI(light heavyweight 7th ranked/Pancrase GRABAKA) def. YUYA SHIRAI(Unplugged Kokubunji) by 3-0-0 unanimous judges' decision at full time limit Main Event light heavyweight 3x5 min rounds GUSTAVO XIMU(Brazil/Gracie Barra Combat Team) def. KEIICHIRO YAMAMIYA(light heavyweight 8th ranked/ Pancrase GRABAKA) by heel hook at 3R 1:20 |
From the event's promoter: Held Nov. 27, 2004 - Duisburg, Germany 1.) Hasan Mohamid (Enegy Gym Eschwege) vs. Christian Weber (Freelance Großerlach) Winner: Christian Weber R. 1 - 3:23 - Choke 2.) Patrick Schmitt (Bulldog Gladiators Karlsruhe) vs. Eike Bornemann (IMAG Berlin) Winner: Eike Bornemann - Decision 3.) Steeve Sifflet (Free Fight Academy - Paris) vs. Robert Scott Westerman (Stallions Cage Stuttgart) Winner: Steeve Sifflet R. 1 - 2:39 - Choke 4.) Michael Kneip (Grandmaster Gym Gelsenkirchen) vs. Stephan Holtmann (Fight Center Minden) Winner: Stephan Holtmann R. 1 - 0:55 - Strikes 5.) Andi Asangarani (Slam Vale Tudo Braunschweig) vs. Martin Over (Cologne Free Fighters) Winner: Andi Asangarani R. 1 - 0:45 - Strikes 6.) Chris Rackley (Spangdahlem Combat Sports) vs. Alex Wiebe (Fight Center Minden) Winner: Alex Wiebe R.1 - 0:35 - Strikes 7.) Michael Cüpper (Cologne Free Fighters) vs. Roman Lasarenko (Sportschule Bankamp Lübbecke) Winner: Michael Cüpper R. 1 - 2:16 - Armbar 8.) Gary Kono (Free Fight Academy - Paris) vs. Fatih Balci (Gorilla Team Sopper) Winner: Gary Kono R.1 - 2:02 - Choke 9.) Raouf Omar (Gorilla Team Sopper) vs. Arnaud Anoussou (Free Fight Academy - Paris) Winner: Decision / Draw 10.) Jan Dinglinger (Stallion Cage Stutttgart) vs. Andy Zarov (Fight Center Minden) Winner: Jan Dinglinger - Decision 11.) Christopher Roberts (Spangdahlem Combat Sports) vs. Nordin Asrih (Taifun Luta Livre Düsseldorf) Winner: Nordin Asrih - R.1 - 3:54 - Strikes 12.) Slava Popov (Sportschule Bankamp Lübbecke) vs. Nicolai Salchow (Masters Gym Duisburg) Winner: Nicolai Salchow - R.1 - 1:54 - Strikes 13.) Harun Kanberöglu (Freelance Düsseldorf) vs. Alex Wiebe (Fight Center Minden) Winner: Alex Wiebe - R.1 - 0:23 - Strikes 14.) Ramo Durmic (Taifun Luta Livre) vs. Volker Süllwald (Fitness Factory Enger) Winner: Ramo Durmic - R.1 - 1:18 - Armbar 15.) Cengiz Dana (Mocambo Gym Düsseldorf) vs. Jonathan Gonzales (Free Fight Academy - Paris) Winner: Cengiz Dana - R.2 - 3:00 - Opponent injured |
Sunday - November 28, 2004 |
UFCF: AX Fighting # 3 "Bring the Pain" By Mike Neva The nickname "Bring the Pain" for AX Fighting #3 could not have been more appropriate, as 6 of the 8 bouts ended before their duration. With few recognizable names on the card, this fresh batch of amateurs gave it their all in an entertaining night of Pankration, Kick Boxing, and Muay Thai. In the days leading up to the show, a rash of drop outs plagued the scheduled 13 bout card leaving only 8 matches as well as a youth submission grappling exhibition. Much to the delight of the crowd, these two youngsters put on a surprisingly technical match with both grapplers showing an array of takedowns, throws, and near submissions. The crowd enjoyed their performance so much that they gave both a standing ovation and awarded Zeke Williams with the "Fighter of the Night" award.
In the main event, Buck Bisbey stepped into the ring for the first time since losing his professional debut at last May's AFC 8 in Florida. After having his first three opponents fall through, local tough guy, Dustin Nicholson, a self proclaimed street fighting champion, stepped up to challenge Bisbey. After only 45 seconds of devastation, referee Joe Derobbio pulled Bisbey off a defenseless Nicholson who proved to be little more than fodder for the more seasoned Bisbey. Matchmaker and co-promoter Charles Pearson told FCF after the bout that the last minute dropouts made it difficult to find a suitable adversary for Bisbey, and that his next opponent would assuredly provide more of a challenge.
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Monday - November 29, 2004 |
By Joe Hall Tim Sylvia doesn't want a quick victory in his first fight back since losing his heavyweight title to Frank Mir. If he were to storm across the ring and land a thunderous right hand that ended his upcoming fight in about five seconds, he'd be very unhappy with himself. At SuperBrawl on Dec. 11 in Hawaii, Sylvia will get what he's long been wanting. He gets a fight against his smack-talking stalker Wes Sims, and the former UFC heavyweight champion plans on prolonging the punishment.
"I really want to carry (the fight) a little bit and really beat on him and ... just hurt him," Sylvia says. "I don't think he's actually been hurt in a fight. He's been knocked out and stuff like that, but he hasn't really been beat on and punished, and that's what I want to do to him." The bout marks Sylvia's return to the ring after his right forearm was snapped by Frank Mir in their June heavyweight title fight. In reflection, he admits that he lost his title and got his arm broken because he didn't respect Mir. "I really didn't respect him at all," Sylvia says. "He caught me sleeping. We went to the ground, and I really wasn't cautious ... I don't think he would've caught me like he did if I would've given him a little more respect." Even though his arm was in a cast, the dethroned champion hit the gym as soon as he returned from Vegas. He couldn't punch or train, but he found other diversions, like cardio workouts on the exercise bike and coaching the young guys on his team. The cast was off in six days, but it was three months before Sylvia could strike with his injured arm. Now, in the last two weeks, he says he's finally getting sharp again. "I've been putting it on some of my sparring partners," he says. A long break between UFC events, due to the cancelled December show in Japan, has allowed Sylvia to head to Hawaii for SuperBrawl. His history with Sims stretches back to early last year, when "The Project" found his way under the then-UFC champion's skin through persistent taunting. For whatever reason Sims badgered Sylvia—for a title shot, for attention, for fun—it worked. Sylvia hates him. "I just think he's a has-been," Sylvia says. "A wannabe fighter, a wannabe wrestler, and he's not good enough to do either one.... I don't think he realizes what he's getting himself into. He mouths off for two years and now it's time to back it up. He's not going to be able to." Asked about strategy and how he expects Sims to fight him, Sylvia snorts a hearty chuckle before saying, "The only way he knows how, and that's to just stand there and take a beating. What's he going to do to me? What can he do to me?" While Sylvia says a lack of respect is why Mir caught him, he doesn't seem concerned that an even greater lack of regard for Sims could get him beat. At this point, his confidence is indistinguishable from his eagerness. "What I'm going to do," he says, "it's going to shut him up." |
From the event's promoter: LAKEMOOR, Ill. -- Roger Huerta thought he had some time off, but an injury to Phil Johns has enabled the up-and-coming lightweight to return to the cage next weekend, facing Japanese star Naoyuki Kotani in a feature bout at XFO 4. Huerta, who replaces an injured Phil Johns, has a 13-1-1 record and was the runnerup in the Super Brawl 8-man tourney earlier this year. He is coming off a submission win over Jake Short two weeks ago in Extreme Challenge 60. Kotani is 10-3 and the reigning champion of Japan-based ZST promotion. Also, veteran Tara LaRosa has agreed to step in and fight Alisa Cantwell in the show's women's bout, replacing an injured Ryanne Dee. LaRosa, from New Jersey, is 4-1, while Cantwell, from Wisconsin, is 5-1, including a win at XFO 3. The Xtreme Fighting Organization was faced with trying to improve upon XFO 3, which was its first sellout and the most competitive event in its brief history. Not an easy task, but promoters think they accomplished the task. A few key improvements include: [] Japanese standouts Naoyuki and Hiroaki Kotani will make their first appearance in the event, and Team Tompkins of Canada returns to give the show an international touch. [] The first XFO title fight is scheduled, with Bart Palaszewski and Virgil Strzlecki battling for the lightweight crown. [] Chael Sonnen of Team Quest, an Olympic alternate in wrestling, has been brought in to face local standout Terry Martin of Combat-Do. "We've tried to make improvements... to give the fans something different each time out," said co-promoter Jeff Curran. "I think we've got some really interesting fights with some top-level competition." Besides the Kotani-Huerta fight, Hiroaki Kotani, a veteran of the famous Shooto organization, will face Alex Gasson of Canada. "Besides all the new faces, we'll also have most of the local favorites that have been regulars on the show," Curran said. "Guys like Mark Wallen, Clay and Jason Guida, Jay Estrada and Gabe Lemley will all be back for us." A bout between Josh Thompson, winner of the recent FFC 8-man tourney, and veteran Dennis Reed has also been added to the event. The card now features 11 bouts. Tickets for the show start at $25 and can be purchased by calling Curran Martial Arts at 815 356-0454. Doors open at 6 p.m. with the first bout starting at 7:30 p.m. The lineup: XFO Lightweight title Bart Palaszewski vs. Virgil Strzelecki Feature bouts Naoyuki Kotani vs. Roger Huerta Hiroki Kotani vs. Alex Gasson Terry Martin vs. Chael Sonnen Women's bout Alisa Cantwell vs. Tara LaRosa Main Card Nick Thompson vs. Dennis Reed Tyrell Roberts vs. Charles Trice Jason Guida vs. Mark Wallen Jay Estrada vs. Sonny Leong Gabe Lemley vs. Dave Budney Clay Guida vs. Vito Woods |
From the event's promoter: November 27th 2004 A night packed with action as competitors from all over the Midwest came to fight in the world famous Danger Zone cage. In the first match, Lance McDowell pulls of as some would say and upset win over Rich Wilson. Wilson came in as the fierce competitor, but McDowell was able to maneuver his opponent around and found a way to make the big man tap. In the night's four man submission grappling tournament, Rick Wymer took out both of the Purdy brothers. In a sick and "twisted" moment, Steve Purdy's arm was in a position to snap for the last full minute of the second round. Richard Wymer is now standing 4-0 in the Danger Zone Cage. "Electrifying" Ken Sparks delivered the goods as he took down his biggest opponent yet, "The Terrible" Ivan Caraballo. At the sound of the bell, Sparks came out of his corner with an overhand right rocking Caraballo. Sparks then took this match to the ground and finished Caraballo off with a creative choke while mounted on his opponents back. The Danger Zone will be back to St. Robert Missouri on February 5th to bring more Ultimate Fighting to Missouri. Danger Zone's: Tour of I-44 will continue and will please all comers. Dan "The Beast" Severn |
Tuesday - November 30, 2004 |
From Dream Stage Entertainment: ADDITIONAL MATCHES ANNOUNCED FOR PRIDE FIGHTING'S SHOCKWAVE! November 30, 2004 TOKYO, Japan – Three additional matches have been announced for PRIDE FIGHTING'S upcoming SHOCKWAVE event ... Wanderlei Silva versus Kazushi Sakuraba, Dan Henderson versus Yuki Kondo, and Takanori Gomi versus "Little Evil" Jens Pulver. Previously announced main events include the highly anticipated rematch ... for the title of undisputed heavyweight Grand Prix Champion of 2004 as well as for the title of PRIDE heavyweight champion ... Fedor Emelianenko versus Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira ... also, for the first time in mixed martial arts history and under mixed martial arts rules, it will be Olympic gold versus Olympic gold as Japan's Hidehiko Yoshida (1992 Judo Olympic gold medallist) takes on Rulon Gardner of the United States (2000 Greco Roman Wrestling Olympic gold medallist). SHOCKWAVE will take place from the Saitama Super Arena in Japan and is scheduled to debut on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, and TVN on Sunday, January 2nd, 2005 at 9:00pm EST, 6:00pm PST.
SHOCKWAVE will feature the fourth battle between Japanese hero Kazushi Sakuraba (Takada Dojo) and PRIDE FIGHTING'S reigning middleweight champion, Wanderlei Silva (Chute Boxe Academy). The two first met on March 25, 2001 at COLLISSION COURSE with Silva winning by TKO in Round 1. They met again in a rematch on November 3, 2001 at CHAMPIONSHIP CHAOS and the bout was stopped when Sakuraba sustained a shoulder injury. They met for a third time during the first round of the 2003 middleweight Grand Prix and Silva came away with a victory by KO. Silva went on to win the tournament and continue his undefeated streak in PRIDE (dating back to 2000). Sakuraba enters this match with a renewed vigor and training regime. With recent wins over Antonio "Nino" Schembri and Kevin Randleman, Sakuraba has re-dedicated himself to training and hopes that the forth time is a charm against Silva. The next announced bout features Dan "Hollywood" Henderson versus Yuki Kondo. Henderson hails from Downey, California and represents Team Quest. A former Olympic wrestler, Henderson has mastered the style of "dirty boxing" and has one of the most lethal right hands in the business. He is coming off of victories over Kazuhiro Nakamura, Murilo Bustamante, and Shungo Oyama. Yuki Kondo is one of Japan's finest middleweight fighters and represents PANCRASE. His mixed martial arts career dates back to 1996 and he boasts victories over such fighters as Guy Mezger, Semmy Schilt and Frank Shamrock. Kondo has fought twice in PRIDE: he defeated Mario Sperry by TKO (round 1) at SHOCKWAVE 2003 and then was defeated by Wanderlei Silva at FINAL CONFLICT 2004 by KO (round 1). Henderson and Kondo ... two fighters who share a take no prisoners fighting style and both known for their fighting spirit ... who will come out on top?
The third announced bout features the lightweights ... Takanori Gomi of Japan versus "Little Evil" Jens Pulver of the United States. Since the formation of the BUSHIDO series, Gomi has been dominant, racking up victories over Jadsen Costa, Fabio Mello, Ralph Gracie, and "Krazy Horse" Charles Bennett. Intent on proving that he is the best lightweight fighter in any organization, Gomi is taking on all comers and will now be matched up with one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world in Jens Pulver. Hailing from Davenport, Iowa and representing the Miletich Fighting System, "Little Evil" Jens Pulver is a former UFC lightweight champion and boasts wins over an impressive list of fighters including: B.J. Penn, John Lewis, Caol Uno, and Dennis Hallman. Though this is his PRIDE debut, Pulver's mixed martial arts career dates back to 1999. On a card filled with middleweights and heavyweights, these lightweights are looking to steal the show! SHOCKWAVE FIGHT CARD Fedor Emelianenko (Russia) vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil) (This is a double title match, for both the PRIDE FIGHTING heavyweight championship as well for the title of 2004 Grand Prix heavyweight champion) Hidehiko Yoshida (Japan) vs. Rulon Gardner (USA) Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs. Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) Dan Henderson (USA) vs. Yuki Kondo (Japan) Takanori Gomi (Japan) vs. Jens Pulver (USA) Fight card subject to change. More bouts to be announced soon. |
From the event's promoter: House of Pain Isle of Capri Casino and Resort Dec. 4th Lake Charles, LA. Reality Combat will be hosting its 25th show this Saturday, December 4th in Lake Charles, LA. There are three tournaments as well as an extra bout with fighters representing Team Voodoo, Third Column, Saul Soliz (Renegades), and Kerry Schall (Meat Truck). The 185lbs tournament will be broken into two, 4- man tournaments with the winners facing each other at a later date. Below are the competitors for each tournament as well as the extra bout. OFFICIAL CARD 170lb-185 Tournament 1 Todd Moore (TX) Neal Rowe (OH) Jason Lantrip (TX) Eric Thomson (LA.) 1701b-185 Tournament 2 Anthony Trotter (Kentucky) Frank Kirmse (TX) Keith Strickland (LA) Joe Christopher (TX) 205-265 Tournament Rod Housley (OH) Patrick Latchney (LA) Aaron Rosa (TX) Lance Ramoth (TX) Alternate- Kenny Cavalier (LA) Bonus fight 170 - Luis Reyes (TX) vs Zane Marks (LA) |
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