| VISIT THE REST OF OUR SITE BY CLICKING THESE LINKS | |||||
| SUBSCRIBE | FCF SHOP | HOME | PICTURES | VIDEOS | FCF TV SHOW |
Warning: all pictures on this site belong to Full Contact Fighter and are copyrighted.
They are not for use on other sites or other commercial use without the written consent of FCF
| Saturday - March 2, 2002 |
From Josh Hedges of Zuffa/UFC:
Exclusive agreements follow Sky-TV deal in U.K, Ireland earlier this month LAS VEGAS, Feb. 28, 2002...The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) continues to expand internationally. Executives today announced the world's leading mixed martial arts sports entertainment company has signed exclusive television distribution agreements with WOWOW-TV in Tokyo, Japan, and Globosat Programadora LTDA and Sportv in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to broadcast its fight shows to those networks' Japanese and Brazilian subscribers and fight fans. WOWOW-TV, the leading sports and entertainment cable network in Japan, will telecast UFC fight events on a delayed basis starting at 6 p.m., Sunday, April 14, with UFC: Worlds Collide, which will take place Friday, March 22, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. "Ultimate Fighting Championship," a one-hour show featuring championship bouts and top matches will debut in March on Brazil's Sportv, the country's leading sports channel. Globosat will offer UFC pay-per-view fights from its library and live pay-per-view events starting Friday, March 22, with UFC: Worlds Collide. That eight-fight card will feature UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture of Gresham, Ore., defending his title against top contender Josh Barnett of Seattle, Wash., in the main event. The co-feature will be Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes' (Hillsboro, Ill.) first title defense against top-ranked Japanese legend Hayato "Mach" Sakurai of Ibaraki, Japan. Also on the card, top heavyweight contender Pedro Rizzo of Rio de Janeiro, will meet Andre Arlovski of Minsk, Belarus. The WOWOW-TV, Globosat Programadora and Sportv deals follow the UFC's Feb. 5 exclusive 23-week agreement with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) to air "Ultimate Fighting Championship" at 11 p.m. each Thursday in the United Kingdom and Ireland. That schedule began Feb. 7. "Japan and Brazil are world leaders in mixed martial arts and the fans in both countries are the most knowledgeable in our sport. These agreements, just like our agreement with Sky, continue to execute our business strategy to make the UFC truly an international brand," said Dana White, UFC president. UFC: Worlds Collide tickets, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, are available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office, at all Ticket Master outlets, by calling 702-474-4000, or at www.Ticketmaster.com. It also will be available at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada pay-per-view. The suggested retail price is $29.95. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., is the world's leading mixed martial arts sports company. It is owned and operated by Zuffa LLC and has partnerships with WOWOW, Inc., in Tokyo, Japan, British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) in London, England, and Globosat Programadora and Sportv in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. |
From the event's promoter:
REALITY COMBAT FIGHTING XIVFriday - March 15, 2002 The Main Event Metairie, LA For tickets call 504-888-6451 
Pro CardBrian Dunn vs. Grady Hurley Ray Totorico vs. James Meals Drew Anderson vs. Mark Walker Amateur Card Mark Whitfield vs. Lenny Stevens Matthew Sulfsted vs. Jarret Becks David Whitney vs. Jacob Quick Shane Frakes vs. Chirs Copeland Adam Peeples vs. R.C. Stevens Robert Acosta vs. Joshua Mcdonald John McCaul vs. Gabe Barahona Brad Ingram vs. Criag Costos John Accardo vs. TBA For more fight or ticket information you can call Joey Ancona at the Main Event 504-888-6451 or GSE at 504-486-6759. See you there! |
|
From Josh Hedges of Zuffa/UFC: This weekend "The Voice of the Octagon" Bruce Buffer and middleweight contender Pat Miletich will be guests on Ring Talk Radio with Pedro Fernandez. Buffer will kick off the UFC action Saturday night, and Miletich will be the guest on Sunday night. Pedro will also have his twice weekly MMA report posted on Friday. RIng Talk Radio is available on many News/Talk Radio stations throughout the country. |
| Sunday - March 3, 2002 |
|
Set for April 20th By Eduardo Alonso The next edition of the Brazil's biggest NHB event has been scheduled. Promoters Rudimar Fedrigo and Jorge Guimaraes haven't rested since the huge success that was MECA 6. The dynamic duo are already hard at work putting together the next edition. Fresh from his trip to Japan, Chute Boxe team coach and MECA promoter Rudimar Fedrigo told FCF that MECA 7 is already confirmed for April 20th, at the Circulo Militar Gymnasium, the same arena that held all the previous MECA events. The event's card is already "in the making" and among the surprises that MECA will have in its 7th edition is the return of long time Luta-Livre fighter and UFC veteran Eugenio Tadeu. Eugenio is confirmed to be fighting at the event, and the promoters are already looking for an opponent. Also, after his great comeback fight at MECA 6, Chute Boxe rising sensation Nilson de Castro will be fighting at the event as well. In other MECA news, MECA 8 is already planned for May, at Rio das Ostras in Rio de Janeiro! MECA 8 is planned to be the first MECA outside of Curitiba, featuring Carlos Barreto's first title defense, and the long awaited Murilo Ninja vs. Jorge Navalhada match. After all the excitement brought by MECA 6, we are anxiously awaiting MECA 7 and will be keeping a close eye on all the event's developments, as FCF keeps providing the best worldwide NHB coverage. |
|
and Back in Training By Eduardo Alonso 
Chute Boxe team heavyweight Assuerio Silva underwent knee surgery at the end of 2001, to get rid of the pain that he had been long suffering in his knee. After the surgery, Assuerio came back to the North-East of Brazil to visit his family, and recover from the surgery. During this time most fight fans were left wondering what happened with the Chute Boxe fighter, since he is 2-0 in PRIDE, but his last bout was at PRIDE 16, several months ago. But there was no mystery behind Assuerio's absence; it was simply due to his recovery time, and FCF was told today that Silva is already recovered and back in training. Assuerio is reported to be hitting the weights at the gym very hard, and weighs 108kg (238.14 lbs). He is coming back to the Chute Boxe camp in the next few days to re-start his NHB training routine, and with all the recent heavyweight fights at PRIDE, Assuerio told FCF that he is already looking for his next PRIDE fight!
|
|
From Will Hendricks: PANCRASE 1st USA tour National Submission Wrestling Championship Competition begins at 9:00pm, Saturday, March 9, 2002 Broomfield High School, 1 Eagle Way, Broomfield, Colorado, USA, 80020 Entry Fee: $32 ($10 for additional divisions), Spectator Fee: $5 Weigh-ins: Fri, March 8th, 6pm - 8pm and Sat, March 9th, 6:30am - 7:30am (Weigh-in at Broomfield High School Wrestling Room) (tel): 303-410-1824 Only a short time remaining until America's first officially sanctioned PANCRASE Submission Grappling competition! This year's inaugural event is being held in conjunction with the world famous "Old Timers National Collegiate Wrestling Tourney". Event promoters report an international field of competitors from around the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Remember, it's not to late to enter. You can even sign up the day of the event and wrestle in both competitions! Pancrase Submission Tournament Wrestlers can look forward to a fair and exciting event with international recognition and press coverage. All division champions will receive Official Pancrase Plaques and the opportunity to compete for the coveted "Super Bout" award. Division finalists (2nd, 3rd, and 4th place) will be awarded custom Pancrase medals. Additional, special awards will be given to fighters who exemplify the "Pancrase Warrior's Spirit". Celebrities and V.I.P.s in attendance: 3 times King of Pancrase Mr. Nathan Marquardt K-1 Kickboxing & Ring of Fire promoter Mr. Sven Bean World Super Challenge Champ and Pride fighter Mr. Larry Parker World Sombo Champion & Event Master of Ceremonies Mr. Al Pallone |
| CORRECTION: It was originally posted in the results for February 23rd's Battle On Broadway show, that Mark Melsa was knocked out by Steve McCabe in the first Muay Thai bout of the evening. Mark Melsa did not compete that night, but was replaced by Andre Mitchell, a fellow teammate representing Kru Phil Nurse. Mitchell took the fight on only two days notice and according to Kru Phil Nurse, the outcome of the fight is now under consideration by the promoter as a possible "No Contest" pending investigation. Apparently, a knee was delivered to Mitchell's head as he went down from the right hook that supposedly KO'd him. Under regulations for the bout, knees to the head are unacceptable. Upon contacting the show's promoter Louis Neglia, he confirmed that the ruling is indeed under reconsideration pending further investigation. |
| Monday - March 4, 2002 |
FCF TV is on tomorrow (Tuesday) night on MSG & TSN at 11:30PM EST |
|
From Josh Hedges of Zuffa/UFC: Thomas out, Dullanty in Due to a knee injury suffered in training earlier this week, Din Thomas has been forced to withdraw from his fight with Matt Serra at UFC 36. Thomas' replacement will be Kelly Dullanty, from San Jose, California. Dullanty is undefeated in MMA competition, with a 4-0 record. He is known for having very good wrestling skills, but he trains in Muay Thai and loves to bang. Dullanty fights for Team Shamrock, out of the American Kickboxing Academy, where he trains with "Crazy" Bob Cook and former UFC middleweight champion Frank Shamrock. |
| Tuesday - March 5, 2002 |
|
Give Us Your Opinions...  You tell us... The results of this survey will appear on the FCF TV show Click here to take the survey |
| Wednesday - March 6, 2002 |
|
Full Contact Fighter was pre-empted from its normal time slot on MSG last night by basketball. It is scheduled to air tonight(Wednesday) at 11:30PM EST. |
| Friday - March 8, 2002 |
|
From the event's promoter: at Stars & Stripes 
Jason Medina, a member of the Miletich Fighting Systems, will try to win his 7th professional shootfighting bout on Saturday when he takes on John Rhodes of Centerville, Iowa, in the main event of the Extreme Challenge Trials.The Trials are scheduled for Stars & Stripes nightclub in Davenport, Iowa. Doors open at 1 p.m. with the first bout at 2 p.m. In addition to the Medina (6-2) vs. Rhodes (4-4) bout, there will be tournament competition in five weight divisions -- 150-under, 170-under, 190-under, 210-under and heavyweight. Fighters wishing to compete can sign up from 10 a.m. until noon at Stars & Stripes. Winners of each weight division will qualify for the 2002 U.S. Mixed Martial Arts National Championships in December. |
From Team King of the Cage: "KING OF THE CAGE" NOW AVAILABLE IN NORTH AMERICA ON PAY-PER-VIEW LOS ANGELES, California --"King of the Cage," the most popular event in the no-holds-barred genre of fighting, is proud to announce a multi-event pay-per-view deal that will bring "King of the Cage" to the domestic cable and satellite community at large. "KOTC" will make its North American pay-per-view debut with "King of the Cage 13: Revolution, " which will be held on May 17, 2002 from the Silver Legacy Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada. This North American deal marks a long line of successful pay-per-view endeavors for the event. With the popularity of "King of the Cage" having reached overseas in recent years, pay-per-view has been readily available in seven international broadcast markets. This list includes Globosat in Brazil, Multivision Sports in France, Sky Network Television in New Zealand, and JCS Sports in Israel. Now with pay-per-view available in North America, the sky is truly the limit. In addition to broadcast is the fulfillment of the home video market. Brentwood Communications International Inc., a producer and distributor of television programming, feeds the home video and DVD demand by supplying "KOTC" product both internationally and domestically. All thirteen "KOTC" titles are available in some of our nation's largest retail chains. Since its inception over two years ago, "King of the Cage" promoters Bud Brutsman and Terry Trebilcock have worked diligently, developing a successful show and a unique brand name from the ground up. Through innovations such as introducing the trends of the five-minute round and adopting a smaller octagon to gaining attention as the finest matchmakers in the business, "King of the Cage" has garnered legions of fight fans and worldwide recognition as the most entertaining show in the mixed-martial arts industry. "King of the Cage" is represented domestically by Stonecutter Media LTD in New York. KING OF THE CAGE . . . KNOCKING OUT THE COMPETITION! |
From the event's promoter:  Join us at the Hard Rock Cafe SuperBrawl 23 weigh-ins and press conference will be held at the Hard Rock Cafe in Honolulu on Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m. Both the weigh-ins and press conference are open to the public. All press credential must be picked up at this time! Meet your favorite fighters! Also at the Hard Rock on Friday from 4-6 p.m., Egan Inoue and your favorite fighters will be on hand to sign autographs and hang out with fans. This is your chance to get up-close and personal with these personalities. Don't forget your camera! Enter to win! The Hard Rock is giving away dinner for 2 and tickets to the fights! Just stop by the Hard Rock Cafe and enter to win! No Purchase necessary. The Hard Rock Cafe is located on the corner of Kapiolani Blvd. and Kalakaua Ave., across from the Hawaii Convention Center. Tickets to the event are on sale at the Blaisdell Center box office, all tickets plus outlets or online at http://www.ticketplushawaii.com/ Contact: T.Jay Thompson tj@superbrawl.tv (808) 524-6062 |
From the event's promoter: HOOKnSHOOT OVERDRIVE: Set To Rock This Weekend! March 9th, 2002 Memorial Coliseum, Evansville, Indiana 'We are more and more pumped for this card!' starts HOOKnSHOOT promoter Jeff Osborne. 'It is our biggest card ever, and we think we are presenting an international calibre card, with great matches! Now let's just see them in the ring!' continues Osborne. 'The two Champions on the card, John Renken and Ichaku Murata both have hard fights and both like it that way - that is why they are champions. Minotoro Nogueira taking on Jim Theobald is a match many want to see, as is Dan Theodore and Dustin Denes. 'The heavyweights, Roger Neff and Alejandro Aspas will be there to bang, and Alexandre Barros and Dave Strasser is a war! The rest of the card is solid as well, with Manuel Garcia of Spain dropping out to nurse a back injury. We want to keep Jason Rigsby on the card, but even if we are down to 10 matches, this show is going to rock!' Osborne describes the lineup in detail. 'Our last show 'KINGS' was a great year end show for us! That DVD is beginning to ship and is arriving and getting good reviews as well! We are improving in a lot of aspects' Osborne gets serious for a moment. 'We think HOOKnSHOOT OVERDRIVE is another step for us!' concludes Osborne. Interested in tickets? E-mail HOOKnSHOOT@aol.com. COMPLETE CARD - OFFICIAL SHOOTO (Subject to Change):
|
|
From the event's promoter: Taking on ILLINOIS' JIM THEOBALD 3 RD: A CLASS (215 lbs): Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira (BTT, Bahia, Brazil) vs. Jim Theobold (TEAM ROJAS, Chicago, IL.) The twin brother of PRIDE's Heavyweight Titleholder makes mainland USA MMA Debut March 9th in Evansville, Indiana's HOOKnSHOOT OVERDRIVE. 'Signing Rogerio Nogueira against Jim Theobald is the match that put this show over the top' starts promoter Jeff Osborne. 'We had several Brazilian Top Team guys on the card, and MINOTORO's brother, the big Minotaur, had competed here at HnS before (the world champ won the 1999 ADCC Qualifier in the 99+KG Class), so he knew who we were at HnS' continues Osborne. 'We heard rumors that Rogerio was returning for the next DEEP card in Japan in March, where he had his debut fight last year. When that fell through, we had a chance to sign Rogerio, a small window, and we got lucky' continues Osborne. 'We told him 'this is HnS, we will make the best fight we can' and he was totally game and wanted to do it! Like Minotauro, his brother, we think Rogerio is on his way to the elite of the sport -- we are really psyched to have him!' 'And Jim Theobald is the perfect guy to give him a tough fight here.' starts Osborne about the opposition. 'At HnS, we have watched what Jim has done for a long time -- he is a main event fighter in Chicago and has been looking for opportunities. He has dozens of fights under Illinois rules (no face punching on the ground), and he has fought tough guys, so he is experienced,' describes Osborne. 'What I like best is his mindset -- he is not affected by his opponent's reputation. Jim has been looking for a step up in competition, so from his perspective, he wants it badly too!'. 'Both men are motivated, both are hungry and see this as a steppingstone, a proving ground' concludes Osborne. 'Those make for the best matches too, where the talent level is high and the hunger hasn't worn off and been turned into cautiousness! We are hoping for a highlight match'. |
| Sunday - March 10, 2002 |
|
Biggest Reality Show! By Eduardo Alonso 
In a huge surprise "The Phenom," Vitor Belfort, just joined Brazilian TV's most popular reality show. Today, March 10th, Belfort joined a show called "Casa dos Artistas 2" (House of Artists 2). The show was already in progress when he joined. The concept of the program is somewhat like the "Big Brother" program that aired in the United States, but the Brazilian version comes with a twist: the housemates are all celebrities. Cast members have to live in a house for 90 days, without any communication with the world outside of the house while cameras broadcast their actions 24 hours per day over the Internet and cable television, with a prize of approximately $160,000 on the line. The TV show's cast already featured 11 artists living in the house, and today two new "competitors" were brought into the house, with Vitor being one of the two! Belfort said on national TV before entering the house that he is looking to improve the sport of NHB's image with his participation, helping the public to get to know the sport and its athletes. This will really cause an impact in the fighting world in Brazil. What impact will this have on the Belfort vs. Liddell fight that was considered set for UFC 37? Stay tuned folks.
|
|
Salaverry Dominates; Rogerio Nogueira Successful in U.S. Debut By Joe Hall 
EVANSVILLE, Indiana -- Fans packed Memorial Coliseum Saturday night as HOOKnSHOOT jumpstarted their 2002 campaign with a show promoter Jeff Osborne has called their "biggest ever."In the main event, Ivan Salaverry of AMC Pankration captured the HOOKnSHOOT middleweight championship by quickly dismantling of John Renken with a series of vicious kicks. The first one, a Thai kick that plunged into Renken's abdomen like a telephone pole, forced the champion to clutch his midsection. Salaverry felt no mercy as he launched another kick that rang throughout the coliseum as it landed. This time Renken crumbled in the corner, desperately searching for air. Salaverry, relentless in his pursuit for HOOKnSHOOT gold, followed and pounded Renken into submission less than a minute into the fight. It was a dominating statement delivered by Salaverry, who did not even need to showcase his talented grappling game. 
On the undercard, Rogerio Nogueira battled a game Jim Theobald before finally catching an armbar with just seconds to go in the first round. Nogueira, fighting at 215 lbs., took his opponent down early and pressured him from the half guard. After nearly reversing Nogueira, Theobald found the space to gain full guard. Nogueira continued to work from the top and momentarily passed to side mount. Theobald was crafty from his back, however, shrimping his hips out to regain his guard.As Nogueira went for another pass, Theobald narrowly missed a leg scissors sweep. Nogueira showed his skill by retrieving his balance and driving Theobald back to the mat. Eventually, Nogueira cleanly passed to the side and immediately began to work for an armbar. Theobald tried to defend, but Nogueira swung into a flawlessly executed straight armbar for the tap. In a non-title bantamweight bout, Hudson Rocha defeated HOOKnSHOOT Bantamweight Champion Ichaku Murata. Compared to the majority of the fights in the featherweight class, this one was a bit lackluster. In the match's most entertaining moment, Rocha surprised Murata with an armbar from the guard. Murata feverishly defended, and though Rocha didn't submit the champion, he moved to the mount where he scored points with punches. A decent exchange opened the third round, with Rocha landing a hard right hand as Murata attempted a kick. The fight closed slowly in Murata's guard. The judges voted unanimously for Hudson Rocha, who was impressive in spurts. Murata complained in the ring afterward. In welterweight action, Dave Strasser dominated the second and third rounds to win a unanimous decision over Alexandre Barros. Strasser masterfully rode Barros, landing punches from on top in the half guard, the side mount, and the knee-on-belly position. Barros frantically tried to escape from underneath, but Strasser was glued to his opponent and as the fight wore on, it only worsened for the Ruas Vale Tudo stylist. Strasser closed strong, tearing through his foe's defense with punches. 
Brazilian Top Team member Dustin Denes made quick work of HOOKnSHOOT veteran Eric Shafer in a light heavyweight match. Shafer admirably stepped up to replace an ailing Dan Theodore, only to be greeted by a sinister stare from Denes. Glaring at his opponent from the entrance ramp all the way to his corner, Denes paced with an icy focus. The fight began with Denes shooting a quick double leg. Shafer sprawled just a little late and was forced to his back. Denes efficiently passed the guard and applied a kimura shoulder lock for the win.A war of words exchanged on the Internet was settled in the ring as Jeremy Bolt violently torqued the ankle of Dan Swift in the first round of a bantamweight bout. Swift writhed on the mat after tapping while Bolt stood at his feet and watched. Both fighters touched gloves afterward, although no remorse was offered from either side. In middleweight action, "Boca" Oliveira used his superior takedown skills and ground training to win a decision over Jason Rigsby. The opening round was a seesaw affair with Oliveira scoring on the ground and Rigsby landing on the feet. Oliveira cinched the decision by mounting Rigsby in the final round. Covering up, Rigsby was able to deflect many of the punches, but Oliveira impressed the judges with his advantage on the mat. Roger Neff awed the crowd by launching fellow heavyweight Jerome Smith through the air. After securing double underhooks, Neff tossed his hefty opponent as though he was a lightweight. Before Smith could recover, Neff aggressively seized a side choke for the submission. Hermes Franca pulled guard and abruptly reversed Mike Willus to begin their lightweight fight. Franca worked to pass, but Willus competently maintained his guard. Franca, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt, applied steady pressure and attempted to control Willus' legs. Eventually, Franca slyly passed to side control and transitioned to the mount. After a few punches, Franca locked out an armbar for his second consecutive submission victory in HOOKnSHOOT. The opening fight of the evening was a middleweight match pitting Jim DeSouza against Angelo Popofski. This bout belonged to DeSouza, who threw a bevy of strikes from the opening bell to the closing seconds of the final round. Popofski seemed caught at a perfect firing range for his opponent and could do little other than back peddle and cover up. DeSouza exploited the holes in his adversary's defense with several combinations to win a unanimous decision. |
|
Super Brawl 23 Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii March 9, 2002 By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com 
It was raining in Hawaii on the night of Super Brawl 23, but the thunder was inside the Blaisdell Arena. Some up and comers were tested and bested. Many of the fighters on the card wanted to see how they would do against top notch opponents and they found out. Yuki Nakai (Paraestra) and Eddy Millis (Shark Tank) each brought two incredibly tough fighters that systematically took apart their Hawaiian opponents. Egan Inoue's fighters from Grappling Unlimited won their matches with the exception of Andy Wang, who talked about Samurai spirit before the match and showed it by staying in the fight against an incredible opponent. Wang scared the crowd by collapsing after the fight and had to get carried most of the way back to the dressing rooms. He did however, walk halfway there under his own power. Both Niko Vitale and Egan Inoue pulled off come from behind victories as their opponents were up on my unofficial scorecard until both fighters turned the fight around and pulled out victories. And of course the artist formerly known as Wesley Correira, now just known as Cabbage got to do the "Cabbage Patch" victory dance as he tired out and pummeled a game Brazilian, in Renato Bruzzi.167.6lbs 2x5-minute rounds Zack Light (Shark Tank, CA) def. Royden Demotta (Nova Uniao) Majority decision [(19-19), (20-18), (19-18)] after 2 rounds. 167.5lbs 2x5-minute rounds Kolo Koka (Grappling Unlimited) def. Nasser Lewis (808 Fight Factory) Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-19), (20-18)] after 2 rounds. Light Heavyweight 2x5-minute rounds Nick Bradley (Shark Tank, CA) def. Kaleo Padilla (Westbrook, Hilo, Hawaii) Submission via neck crank at 3:45 into round 1. 154lbs 3x5-minute rounds Hiroshi Tsuruya (Paraestra, Tokyo) def. Andy Wang (Grappling Unlimited) Unanimous Decision [(30-24), (30-25), (30-26)] after 3 rounds. 154lbs 2x5-minute rounds Abe Rodrigues (Grappling Unlimited) def. Atticus Lish (Inosanto/Paulson) Unanimous decision [(20-18), (20-18), (20-18)] after 2 rounds. 132.3lbs 3x5-minute rounds Ryota Matsune (Paraestra, Tokyo) def. Lincoln Tyler (Freelance) TKO via verbal submission after the end of Round 1. Tyler could not see out of his left eye and wisely decided not to continue. 198lbs 3x5-minute rounds Niko Vitale (Grappling Unlimited) def. Jason Drexel (Inosanto/Paulson, CA) Submission via key lock (Kimura) at 3:55 into round 1. 143.3lbs 3x5-minute rounds Eddie Yagin (Grappling Unlimited) def. Jay R. Palmer (Freelance, Waianae) Submission via rear naked choke at 3:49 into round 1. Super Heavyweight 2x5-minute rounds Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (Grappling Unlimited) def. Renato Bruzzi (Francisco Bueno, Brazil) Referee stoppage (fighter not adequately defending himself) at 4:55 into round 2. Super Brawl Middleweight Championship 3x5-minute rounds Egan Inoue (Grappling Unlimited) def. Marcos De Silva (Francisco Bueno, Brazil) TKO via verbal submission by De Silva due to exhaustion at 0:34 into round 2. |
| Monday - March 11, 2002 |
FCF TV is on tomorrow (Tuesday) night on TSN at 7:30PM EST & MSG at 11:30PM EST |
| Tuesday - March 12, 2002 |
Ask the President...Here's your chance to get the straight goods on the UFC. Submit your questions to Dana White here and he could answer them on a future edition of Full Contact Fighter TV. The results of this survey will appear on the FCF TV show Click here to submit your question |
|
Rogerio and Rodrigo Nogueira on the North American Debut of 'Minotoro' By Joe Hall 
Rogerio Nogueira, twin brother of Pride Heavyweight Champion Rodrigo Nogueira, fought on Saturday in HOOKnSHOOT. FCF caught up with the heralded grappler just hours before his second MMA bout. Special thanks to Alex Davis for translating FCF: What rank are you in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu? Rogerio Nogueira: Black belt. FCF: How did you get started in Jiu-Jitsu? RN: My brother started doing well in tournaments, and I started about a year after him. FCF: Not all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu stylists fight in MMA. Why did you decide to step into the ring? RN: In Bahia, where I come from, boxing is actually more popular than Jiu-Jitsu. So, I've done more than just Jiu-Jitsu. FCF: Do you plan on making MMA a career? RN: Yes, that's what I intend to do. FCF: Did you get along with your twin brother growing up? RN: We started training together very early (laughs). FCF: Rodrigo is a good boxer. Is your boxing near his level? RN: Yes, we're at about the same level. FCF: How does your overall style compare to Rodrigo's? RN: Rodrigo has more experience. I want to get more fights and gain more confidence. FCF: What is a normal day of training like, from waking in the morning to going to bed at night? RN: I get up in the morning at 10. I do my physical workout in the morning from 10 to 11. I'm at the school practicing at 11. Three days a week I do cardiovascular and two days a week I wrestle in the morning. At 2:30 in the afternoon, I do Jiu-Jitsu until 3:30. At 6 o'clock I do Muay Thai until 9. FCF: Does your Muay Thai training include sparring or just working the pads? RN: I do both technique and sparring. FCF: What do you know about your opponent, Jim Theobald? RN: He's a pretty good boxer. FCF: Who have you been training with for this fight? RN: Boca (Oliveira), Dustin Denes, Rodrigo, and Luis Alves for Muay Thai. FCF: Would you rather fight from your back or on top? RN: I like the guard; it's a good position for me. FCF: How do you feel before a fight? RN: Normal. I'm calm. FCF: What should fans expect to see in your North American debut? RN: They should expect a technical fight. I know my opponent has come to fight also, and I expect it to be a good fight. FCF: Who will be in your corner? RN: Rodrigo and Luis Alves. FCF: Where do you see yourself in a year? RN: Probably in Pride. FCF: Is there anyone in particular you want to fight? RN: Alex Stiebling. Because he says he is the "Brazilian Killa." I am going to get revenge. FCF also had the opportunity to catch up with Pride Heavyweight Champion, Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira. He offered his thoughts on his brother and also spoke on what's next for himself. FCF: Who is better looking, you or Rogerio? Rodrigo Nogueira: I am (laughs). FCF: What can fans expect from your brother? RN: He's improved a lot standing up and his submissions…I'm willing to bet he'll submit (Theobald). FCF: Did you expect to be on top of the MMA world this quick? RN: In the beginning, after my first four or five fights, I started to see that I could use my submission skills. I knew that was hard, and then I just managed to get on top. FCF: Which bout do you consider your toughest fight? RN: Against Heath Herring. FCF: You've recently said that you wanted to fight K-1 fighters. Why? RN: There's a lot of comments in Japan that more K-1 fighters are going to fight (MMA fighters). But they don't want to fight under Vale Tudo rules. I'm proposing they do one fight under K-1 rules, one fight under Vale Tudo rules. FCF: Are you saying that you'd be willing to fight a kickboxer under K-1 rules? RN: Yes, of course. FCF: Is there a particular K-1 fighter that you want to fight? RN: Mark Hunt (K-1 World Grand Prix 2001 winner) or Cro Cop (Mirko Filipovic). FCF: Is there a chance that you'll fight in the United States anytime soon? RN: Not before November. FCF: How would you fight Randy Couture in a hypothetical UFC-Pride heavyweight championship unification bout? RN: I would fight him anyway he wanted. I would fight him standup or on the mat; it doesn't matter. FCF: What is next for you? RN: I defend my title on the 28th of April -- against Semmy Schilt or Don Frye. FCF: Who would you rather fight? RN: Whoever. |
|
From the event's promoter: The "CHAOS IN THE CAGE" is now known as the Reality Super Fighting (RSF). This alliance is going to make a lot of noise in the MMA community starting with our show on March 15th in Newark, Ohio. In attendance at the RSF will be none other than Dan Bobish (current Super Heavy Weight KOTC Champ). Some of the teams competing include New Generation Fitness, West Virginia Fight Team, and Team Chaos. If you are an Amateur MMA fighter looking to make a name for your self in the sport or want to see some of the top amateur fighters in the region, then Reality Super Fights is where you need to be on March 15th!!! If you are interested if fighting in the RSF on March 15th, please contact one of the following: Mark Matheny / 740-349-7076 Impact@clover.net Dustin Ware / rdware@cloh.net There will also be grappling and kickboxing divisions as well. The Event will be held at The KP Hall ballroom @ 104 East Main St. Downtown Newark, Ohio |
|
From the event's promoter: Upcoming Event Schedule  April 7 Fight Night III Broadripple Place Ft. Wayne, IN. Sponsored by Amerisuites Make sure you get your application in asap for this one. All amatuer card with one pro bout.  April 13 Caged Heat 4 Bears Casino in Newton, ND. 4 Man 200 lb. Title Tournament for belt. Chael Sonnen OR., Scott Shipman Hammer House, Joe Doerkson Team Extreme, and TBA. Dan Severn in the main event fight of the night. Tyrone Roberts IA. vs. Brian Vanderwall OH Bruce Nelson ND. vs. Chris Fontaine Can. Roger Stiner ND. vs. Mitch Rosland ND. Kelly Almeida Can. vs. Mark Bear IA. Lance Cartwright Can. Matt Bear IA. Ethan Boyle ND. vs. Brian Criddle ND. Layne McDaniel MI. vs. tba Mark Swolinski Can. vs. Jason Flynn IA. Kyle Olsen ND. vs. Tim Tollefson ND. Possible 4 Man Tournament John Henderson Kyle Jenson Dedrick Westbrook Jeff Gummringer (card is subject to change)  May 25 Sudden Impact Augusta, GA. at the Belle Auditorium 4 man 175 lb Pro Tournament for title belt. Dave Strasser WI., Karl Schmidt LA. Cam McArugh GA. and Tom Schmits MN. Dan Severn vs. Kevin Brooks in the main event. 135 lb. title defense fight Georgia's own John Wehby vs. The Danger Zone Belt Holder Arkansas's Matt Hamilton. This card is being worked on right now. Make sure you contact us if you would like to fight on any of our Danger Zone fight cards. Dan Severn-Becky Levi The Danger Zone Inc. http://www.the-dangerzone.com/ |
| Wednesday - March 13, 2002 |
|
By Eduardo Alonso 
One of the world's top fight teams, the Brazilian Top Team, is about to have the team's biggest participation on a PRIDE event ever. At least three fighters from the team will be competing on the April PRIDE card, and it's very likely that a fourth member will be fighting too. PRIDE Heavyweight champion Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira will be defending his title for the first time, and his opponent is likely to be Semmy Schilt. Although the fight isn't signed yet, "Minotauro" is surely going to defend his title at the next PRIDE. Another Brazilian Top Team fighter who will be returning to the event is the "Zen Machine" Mario Sperry! Sperry last fought at PRIDE 17, beating Igor Vovchanchyn. FCF was told that Sperry will be fighting on the next card, and despite word of a fight between Ricardo Arona and Dan Henderson, the American wrestler will very likely be Mario's opponent. Sperry is already weighing in the 205lb range, and from now on he will be competing in PRIDE's middleweight division!Although Ricardo Arona's fight against Dan Henderson was considered a done deal, Arona's opponent is now likely to be Japanese star Sanae Kikuta. This fight isn't signed yet, but with Sperry vs. Dan Henderson being a very likely scenario, Arona vs. Kikuta looks probable. Regardless of the identity of his opponent, FCF was told that Ricardo Arona is going to be fighting at PRIDE 20 anyway. With "Minotauro", Sperry and Arona all fighting at PRIDE 20, this could already be considered a great participation from the BTT on the card, but the next PRIDE card is very likely to be holding one more surprise! FCF was told that is very likely that Minotauro's twin brother, Rogerio Nogueira -- Fresh from his HOOKnSHOOT win, will be making his PRIDE debut in April! Chances are very high that both brothers will be fighting on the next PRIDE card, and the Brazilian Top Team will come to the event with their biggest number of fighters in the card ever. |
|
It's News to Hendo 
FCF's Aaron Crecy caught up with Dan Henderson on his way to train with Matt Lindland and Randy Couture. When asked about being matched up against Mario Sperry at Pride 20, Dan replied, "I haven't heard a thing about it, but I'd fight him." |
|
From the event's promoter: "THE WORLD'S LARGEST SUBMISSION GRAPPLING TOURNAMENT" In Bayonne, New Jersey on April 20-21, 2002 (Saturday-Sunday), Grapplers Quest, "The World's Largest Submission Grappling Tournament," will feature The U.S. Nationals of Submission Grappling. The event will feature 72 amateur submission grappling divisions for children, women, executives, masters, and Novice, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced men, plus the prestigious 'Superfight Absolute', which is shaping up to be the best division ever assembled on U.S. Soil. Here is a quick run-down of the competitors already confirmed to participate:
Grapplers Quest 2002 U.S. Nationals of Submission Grappling DAY ONE: Saturday, April 20th: Children, Women, Executive (30-35 yrs.), Masters (36 yrs.+), Novice, Beginner, and Preliminary Rounds of Superfight Divisions DAY TWO: Sunday April 21st, 2002: Intermediate, Advanced, Semi-Final and Final Matches of Superfight Absolute Division LOCATION: Marist High School 1241 Kennedy Blvd. Bayonne, New Jersey Tickets: $15 Pre-Purchased (per day), $20 At-The-Door (per day) For more information, visit the GQ official web site at: http://www.Grapplers.com/Nationals Check out the new Men's Weight Classes: Flyweight: 139.9 lbs. and below Featherweight: 140-149.9 lbs. Lightweight: 150-159.9 lbs. Welterweight: 160-169.9 lbs. Middleweight: 170-179.9 lbs. Cruiserweight: 180-189.9 lbs. -->Light Heavyweight: 190-204.9 lbs. -->Heavyweight: 205-224.9 lbs. -->Superweight: 225 lbs. and over |
| Friday - March 15, 2002 |
|
From Josh Hedges of Zuffa/UFC: UFC 36 Weigh-in Event 
Joe Rogan, host of the hit NBC TV show "Fear Factor", will host the UFC weigh-in event on Thursday, March 21st, at Studio 54 inside the MGM Grand.The doors open to the public at 3:00 pm when the live radio remotes and interviews begin. UFC fighters will be signing autographs starting at 3:30 pm. Those fighters signing will include UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver, former UFC Welterweight Champion Carlos Newton, Ricco Rodriguez, and Gil Castillo. The beautiful UFC Ring Card Girls will be on hand as well, handing out raffle tickets and taking pictures with the fans. At 4:00 pm, the UFC: Tapout playoffs will begin. Three winners from local radio contests will battle it out on the video game in a round robin tournament. The last one standing will then take on Joe Rogan for the UFC: Tapout Championship. The grand prize package is valued at $1285 and will include two $300 tickets to UFC 36, $500 cash, dinner for two at Nob Hill, and a copy of UFC: Tapout. Second prize is a package valued at $485, including dinner for two at Neyla, and X-Box gaming system, and a copy of UFC: Tapout. The third prize package is valued at $220 and will include dinner for two at Wolfgang Puck's, a UFC merchandise package, and a copy of UFC: Tapout. Tune in to KXTE (107.5 FM), KLUC (98.5 FM), or KOMP (92.3 FM) in Las Vegas for contest information, starting Monday, March 18th. At 5:00 pm, the official UFC 36 weigh-in begins. After all fighters have weighed in, the winners of the UFC raffle will be chosen by the beautiful UFC Ring Card Girls. Don't miss the UFC 36 weigh-in event. Thursday, March 21st, at Studio 54 inside the MGM Grand. |
| Sunday - March 17, 2002 - Happy St. Patrick's Day! |
|
Ultimate Wrestling Minnesota Offers Two Nights Of MMA Events By Loretta Hunt Mixed Martial Arts continues to grow out in Minnesota thanks to UFC veteran Brad Kohler and his promotion Ultimate Wrestling Minnesota. The UWM promotion offered a doubleheader of MMA action this weekend for the Midwestern state, whose interest in the sport is prevalent and on the rise. Even a foot of snow the night before could not keep fans away from the two nights of events and Friday's show drew a crowd of around 1,000 spectators. Saturday night's show in St. Cloud had an audience of 600 and marked the first time the promotion had visited that area. Members of Mark Coleman's Hammer House, Adrian Serrano's Fighting Team, Meat Truck Inc./New Generation Fitness as well as numerous local fighters of varying skill levels stepped into the ring to test their mettle over the two nights. Most of the first night's matches went quickly, yet still managed to entertain a game crowd that fed off the production's light show and live DJ. Kohler even stepped into the ring himself on ten days notice to help fill the card. Due to a lack of competitors on Saturday night, numerous fighters agreed to fight twice and one participant, Daryl Guthmiller (a local fighter out of Dave Menne's camp), fought three times. Highlighting the evening, Guthmiller went on to headline an exciting main event that went the distance against an amply capable Indiana Integrated fighter Darrell Smith, even though Smith gave up almost twenty pounds to his competitor in the last minute card switch. For a sport that is still getting its "feet wet" in this state, all of the competitors showed a lot of heart, especially the fighters that may have lacked in training yet certainly excelled in moxie. Hopefully in time, the pool of local fighters will multiply and strengthen to match the talents of outside athletes brought in to compete, as this promotion does serve to keep the flames of MMA alive in Minnesota. Friday, March 15th - Brad Kohler's Minnesota Fight Hall 
|
For FASTEST service call in your credit card order (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 |
| Tuesday - March 19, 2002 |
FCF TV is on tonight on MSG at 11:30PM EST |
|
From Josh Hedges of Zuffa/UFC: UFC: HIGH IMPACT, MAY 10 Letter from attorney cites allergy, general weakness LAS VEGAS, March 19, 2002....Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight contender Vitor Belfort of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has bowed out of UFC: High Impact, May 10, in Bossier City, La., and will not meet top contender Chuck Liddell of San Luis Obispo, Calif., as originally planned. Belfort had signed and sent a bout agreement to UFC management in Las Vegas. But in a letter received by the UFC from his attorney, John F. McNaughton, Belfort's mother, Jovita, cites an allergy as the reason he has stopped training and will not honor the agreement. McNaughton's letter, dated March 15, states: "Jovita Belfort called me yesterday to tell me that Vitor required medical attention last Friday evening. She said he had complained that he felt weak and his blood pressure was high during his recent training periods. She was concerned because as you may not be aware, Rio de Janeiro has been undergoing an epidemic of 'dengue,' a mosquito transmitted disease similar to malaria or yellow fever which symptoms include general weakness and lassitude. He was examined by his private doctor, who, according to Jovita, stated that he was suffering from an allergy and treated him with cortisone and other medication. She also prescribed a special diet and rest. It was the doctor's opinion that Vitor was not well enough to continue training. More specifically, that he should not engage in the upcoming bout set for 10 May, since the prescribed diet and the medication would leave him physically debilitated and unfit for participation in the same. I have asked her to provide me with a medical certification of the doctor's diagnosis and recommendations which I shall forward to your and UFC's attention together with a sworn translation into English. Therefore, Jovita decided over the weekend that Vitor should not engage in the 10 May bout with Chuck Liddell and has requested that I formally notify you and UFC of the same. After he has completely recovered he will then begin to train for the Ortiz bout in September or at such time when it has been decided to be held. With regard to Vitor's participation in a popular Brazilian television show, Jovita stated that they had contacted her on Sunday in this regard, since there are occasional openings and new participants are introduced as the turnover demands. Since she decided that Vitor would not engage in the 10 May bout, she accepted for Vitor to participate in the show, provided that a doctor is on hand to treat him and his prescribed diet is followed, to which the program agreed. She personally purchased the medication here in Sao Paulo yesterday. They had previously asked Vitor to participate in the show when it went on the air last month but he declined in view of the upcoming March 22 Ortiz bout. He is looking a little bloated from the cortizone treatments, but one can observe from the aired television program that he is convalescing. I will provide you with more details as soon as they are made available." The UFC's next fight will be Friday, March 22, when Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture of Gresham, Ore., defends his title against top contender Josh Barnett of Seattle, Wash., at UFC: Worlds Collide at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Tickets, $300, $200, $100, $60 and $30, are available at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office, at all Ticket Master outlets, by calling 702-474-4000, or at www.ticketmaster.com. UFC: Worlds Collide also will be available at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada pay-per-view. The suggested retail price is $29.95. |
|
To The Octagon To Dish Out Some More By Loretta Hunt 
Native Minnesotan Sean Sherk makes his return to UFC36 this coming Friday, after a year's absence from the Octagon. A wrestler known for an aggressive "ground and pound" game that has been compared to the likes of Mark Coleman, Sherk hopes to shutdown the savvy submissions of his opponent Jutaro Nakao of Japan. In the past year, Sherk has tallied up wins in King of the Cage, Ultimate Wrestling Minnesota and Canada's UCC. He also fought to a draw with Kiuma Kinioku in Pancrase. I caught up with Sean at this weekend's UWM, where he came to lend support to a friend who was competing. Sean graciously gave me a little bit of his time to talk about his upcoming bout. FCF: Hey Sean. It's nice to see you out here supporting the local shows. SS: Thanks. I'm here to cheer on a friend of mine, Nathan Vanderveen. FCF: That's great. What about you? You had a decisive win over Team Punishment's Tiki Ghosen in UFC 30, yet we haven't seen you in the Octagon since. Was it your choice to go down to the smaller shows for your last few fights? SS: Actually, the UFC never contacted me after my fight, so I guess it was their decision. Basically, my angle was to fight almost every month and keep winning till they took notice and got me back in- which took a year. So now I'm back and I have a three-fight deal, so hopefully I'll be around for a little while. FCF: Both you and your upcoming opponent Jutaro Nakao are making your second appearances in the UFC. Do you have any specific strategy going into this fight? SS: I'm going to be real aggressive with him and use my wrestling ability to dominate the fight. My conditioning is really good right now, so I shouldn't get tired at any point. That's my plan. FCF: And his submissions? SS: He's got some good submissions but I don't think he has anything that I've never seen before. I train with some good submission guys, so I should be able to counter whatever he throws at me I hope. We've watched all the videos on Nakao and they have been trying to mimic him as much as possible. He's got a good push-thru triangle. Everybody knows that. So, I can't let him control my hands and then I should be okay. We'll see. FCF: Where have you been training and what has your training been like for this next match-up? SS: I'm training with Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. That's where I've pretty much been since 1994. I train six days a week. I train anywhere from three to four hours a day. I lift, grapple, and spar everyday. I hit the pads six days a week with muay thai and boxing. I don't have another job. I train full-time. For this specific fight I haven't done anything special in particular but I have been doing a lot more cardio, a lot more running and circuit-type training. I've been hitting the "ground and pound bag" because my goal is to go out there and basically not get tired. I want to go for fifteen minutes and not be tired at all- just go full blur the whole time. I'm gonna train real hard right up until Wednesday. Then I'll ease it down and take Thursday off. I like to keep it going right up till the fight. I feel ready. FCF: At one time you were being managed by Monte Cox and his Team Extreme. What happened with that? SS: I'm now being managed by Duane Zinken with Team Fresno. He also manages Mike Van Arsdale. I like Monte. He's good manager. He's been around for a long time, so he definitely got me into some good fights and shows. But I wanted to fight in the UFC. I didn't want to fight in the smaller venues and they have the "one fighter [per weight class], one manager" rule so that pretty much stopped me from getting in. I had to leave. That's just what it came down to. FCF: What are your predictions for the fight? SS: My prediction is that I'm going to win. Hopefully, it won't go the distance. I want to stop the fight as soon as possible because my fight's a preliminary and I want to get on the pay-per-view. I'm gonna try and wear him out, get him on the ground, and pound on him till he doesn't want to fight anymore. If he gives me a submission, then I'll take it. FCF: What are your goals in MMA? SS: I would like to win my three fights here with the UFC and possibly fight for the title as soon as possible against whoever has it- right now it's Matt Hughes. Whoever has the title, I want to fight them. FCF: Sean, thank you for your time and I'm sure I speak for a lot of people when I say I look forward to seeing you in action again. SS: Thank you. |
|
From the event's promoter: Extreme Challenge 47: Return of the Heavyweights Saturday night, McKay Events Center, Orem, Utah 8-man heavyweight tourney First round
|
From the event's promoter:
March 15 was a night to remember. Leonard Garcia became ROF's new Light Weight Champion when he armbared Steve Horton in the first round. Lil' Joe Stevenson became the new ROF Rocky Mountain Champion when he kneebared Cruz Chacon in the first round. The highlight of the night was the featured K-1 tourney. Duane "BANG!" Ludwig defeated Melvin Murray and Ole Laursen to become the first ever K-1 Middleweight North American Champion. BANG! will advance to the finals in Tokyo on May 3rd, where he will compete for $100,000 and the chance to become the first ever K-1 Middleweight Grand Prix Champion. Fight 1 - Kickboxing 150 lbs Chrisanne Roselip (CO) Defeats Valerie Anthonson (CO) by 3R Decision Fight 2 - MMA 155-170 lbs Danny Jung (CO) Defeats Sam McFarlin (CO) by 3R Decision Fight 3 - Kickboxing 205 lbs Mark Baier (CO) vs Aaron Williams (CO) by exhibition draw Fight 4 - MMA 155-170 lbs Thomas Shulte (NM) Defeats TonyKent (CO) by 1R armbar Fight 5 - MMA 185-205 lbs Bobby Johnson (OK) Defeats Mario Horta (CO) by 1R rear naked choke Fight 6 - K-1 RULES 154 lbs Duane Ludwig (USA) Defeats Melvin Murray (CAN) by 2R KO (knee) Fight 7 - K-1 RULES 154 lbs Ole Larson Defeats (USA) Jason Jillain (CAN) by 1R KO (punch) Fight 8 - MMA 170-185 lbs John Cronk (CO) Defeats Jeff Lindsey (OK) by 1R submission (punches from mount) Fight 9 - MMA 140-155 lbs Leonard Garcia (TX) Defeats Steve Horton (IL) by 1R armbar Fight 10 - MMA 170-185 lbs Joe Stevenson (CA) Defeats Cruz Chacon (CO) by 1R kneebar Fight 11 - K-1 RULES 154 lbs Duane Ludwig Defeats Ole Laurson by 4R decision For an AMAZING pictorial go here: http://ucsu.colorado.edu/~lockley/Bang.swf |
| Wednesday - March 20, 2002 |
|
Mirko "Cro Cop" at PRIDE 20! By Eduardo Alonso As the PRIDE 20 card continues to develop, the long rumored and very awaited battle between PRIDE Middleweight Champion Vanderlei Silva and K1 fighter Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is bound to headline the April's PRIDE card. Although the match hasn't been officially announced yet, chances are very high the fight will happen, as FCF was told today that the fight is already a sure headline for the event. The fight will be a non-title fight, and will have the special "K1 vs. PRIDE" rules, with 5 rounds of 3 minutes each. The weight limit for the fight will be 97KG! And it will be very interesting to see how the Axe Murderer's agressive style will match with Cro Cop's amazing striking skills. The Croatian fighter earned his NHB reputation with a TKO win over Japanese Wrestler Kazuiyuki Fujita. The fight with Silva will be the first time that he will face another striker in an NHB match. Vanderlei Silva is reported to be already preparing for the match, we will keep you posted on the latest developments on the next PRIDE card! |
|
Gekkeikan Sake Press Release: into the Octagon with Randy Couture World's best-tasting ultra-premium sake joins forces with America's No. 1 Heavyweight; Gekkeikan Girls to debut at UFC 36 
NEW YORK--In a move that is indicative of mixed martial arts' growing mainstream popularity, Horin Gekkeikan Sake (www.gekkeikan-sake.com) announced that it is sponsoring heavyweight champion Randy Couture at UFC 36. Known as the "Sake of the Samurai," Gekkeikan is proud to partner with Couture, perhaps the most celebrated warrior in MMA history."Randy Couture is a consummate champion who embodies the principles of that our company values," said Sidney Frank, chairman of the Sidney Frank Importing Company, Gekkeikan's exclusive U.S. importer. "He is an extremely gifted fighter who is renowned for his intelligence, humility, preparation and performance. Similarly, Gekkeikan is a centuries-old company that focuses on quality rather than image, and that's why it is the top-selling brand in the liquor industry worldwide." Eighty-two-year-old Sidney Frank is a legend in the liquor industry who built both the Grey Goose Vodka and Jägermeister brands. The innovator of the world famous Jägerettes, Frank will debut the Gekkeikan Girls at UFC 36, six beautiful models who will be available for photographs. Gekkeikan will distribute 1000 limited edition "Randy Couture" tee shirts and a special "Randy Couture" 8 1/2" x 11" autograph poster free of charge at the UFC 36 weigh-in and at the show. |
|
It's a long one, but he's already on his way again! By Eduardo Alonso 
Over the last four years of his career, Ruas Vale Tudo Team's own Pedro Rizzo has been thinking of only one thing: To become the UFC heavyweight champion. On his way to his supreme glory, Rizzo has found numerous obstacles, and a lot of people doubted whether he will be able to achieve his dream. However, Pedro himself never doubted his abilities or the guidance of his long time friend, and master, Marco Ruas. In his last meeting with current UFC heavyweight champ Randy Couture, Pedro suffered a convincing loss at the hands of the "the Natural." After a defeat like that, a lot of fighters would find themselves in a desperate search for answers, the uncertainty of what's coming next in their professional careers, but that's not the case with "The Rock." Rizzo's answers are in his skills and determination, and any uncertainty disappears with a lot of hard work.Rizzo is truly a man on a mission, and he won't rest until the UFC heavyweight belt is around his waist. The long road to the UFC title has already begun with the training for his fight at the next UFC. His opponent had better be ready, Pedro is focused and hungry! In this quick conversation with FCF, Pedro shares his views on the Ruas Vale Tudo Team future, his last fight against Couture, his relationship with the UFC and much more. FCF: Thank you for your time Pedro; it's a pleasure to interview you! PR: It's my pleasure. FCF: You recently attended the last MECA event, and you also worked as a referee, not only at this event, but in a previous edition of MECA as well. What's your impression of the event's evolution? PR: I believe it's the natural evolution of the event, since nowadays we have the best NHB fighters in the world here in Brazil. I believe that Brazil is in need of these types of events, and every event that you create with seriousness and respect will grow here. MECA is an example of that! Nowadays everybody knows that MECA is the biggest event, and the most respected event in Brazil. So it works like [a proving ground/stepping stone] for the bigger events abroad. MECA is bringing the upcoming Brazilian fighters to the event, but not only that... as you could see in the last event we had Anderson Silva, who's the Shooto champion! Carlos Barreto, Ximu and Macaco are also famous international fighters, and they were there, fighting at MECA. Because MECA is the biggest event in Brazil, and the consequence is this growth, and I'm sure the event will grow a lot more in the future. FCF: The Ruas Vale Tudo team had some great victories in the past, but went through some tough times recently. What happened with the team in the last events? Is it true that Marco Ruas came to Brazil recently to check on how things were? PR: Marco was here; he came to visit the team, to see how things were and to organize things with the team. We had some great victories in the past, but we went through some tough moments losing a lot of fights. But it was never because of lack of training, or because lack of technique. It was never because we're worse than anyone. Thank God nobody ever questioned the quality of the athletes from our team. It was bad moment! Nobody forgot how to fight. I went through a bad moment in November. My head was very bad, and it ended up that I fought badly. I won't even comment about May's fight, because I believe I won that fight. Well, Babalu lost to Randleman recently, but it was a game that the guy won't win, but won't let the other win either, you know? FCF: Ruas recently came back to the fighting game, and not only that but he came back winning. Can we expect to see him fighting again? PR: Marco won, and gave everybody an example! He is 41 years old! But I don't know if he will fight again. Marco was thinking if this would be his last fight or not. But we never know. Marco has also been training some international fighters... So who knows? If a good proposal appears, we may be seeing Marco kicking some ass in his 40's. He is in great shape and very well trained. He trained with us, and he still looks like a kid when he's training! I can't speak for him, if he quit fighting or not, I think this is something that is in his head. I believe he still wants to fight, and that fighting is in his spirit. And it was great for our team that he did this fight. Because it raised our confidence and it was a big incentive for everybody. Even for me! In my mind I only lost one fight this year, but Marco's comeback showed me that the only way is to train and come back strong, like he did! Since he was coming from two losses too. And I'll come back strong! The Ruas Vale Tudo team will have a great year in 2002, and we will grow a lot with all the support from Marco. FCF: You already have a fight signed for the next UFC, against Andrei Arlovsky. What are you expecting from your next fight? PR: A tough fight! For me every fight is tough and there's no easy opponent. NHB has reached a very high level. Like you see in tennis, where the #1 ranked player in the world will lose to the #99 ranked player. NHB is like that nowadays. Nowadays in NHB a new guy appears all the time, and with great abilities, good on the ground and standing up! So, I'm expecting a tough fight, but as in all of my fights, I'll go for the knockout. And for me this last fight against Couture was the first real loss in my career. In the Randleman fight I took a headbutt and it was an unusual fight; in my first fight against Couture I was robbed, and this last one I really lost! FCF: Speaking about your last fight against Couture, what happened to you in that fight? It seemed that you couldn't fight your game like you wanted to. PR: It was like that. My head wasn't right for this fight, there was a lot of pressure. I suffered a lot of pressure. It wasn't like that people were putting pressure on me to hinder my chances, but it was a pressure like "Man, go there! You already beat him once! They robbed you! You got to win now! You got to knock him out!" So, I ended up putting a lot of pressure on myself. I thought to myself, "I can't lose! I can't make any mistakes." Instead of coming into the fight thinking, "I'll win! I'll fight a good fight for me. I'll do my game." I ended up fighting for the others, fighting not to lose and not to make any mistakes. So I locked myself. Because when you don't want to make any mistakes, you don't take any risks. And when you don't take any risks you don't do anything! So, I locked myself and learned the biggest lesson of my life. For the first time I entered the fight to fight for others, and I didn't fight for me. I thought, "Man, they did all that for me. They got me the rematch," and stuff like that. But for this next fight, I don't have any pressures. The only pressure now is to get in the ring, fight and win! And that's what I've always done in my career, and thank God my career was always very successful, and with the help of God I'll get back on track now. FCF: You have a very long and good relationship with the UFC, but people always wonder if there's any chance of seeing you fighting in Japan in the future. What's your view on that right now, and do you even consider fighting for PRIDE in the future? PR: I have a very long contract with the UFC. I have five more fights to do in the UFC in my contract. But even in the beginning of my UFC career, when the event didn't have a lot of money, they always treated me well, always treated me with respect, and always paid me like a top athlete. Thank God my contract was always a high level contract with them, like all the top-level athletes from PRIDE. This created a great relationship between the UFC and myself, since I was always faithful to them. So, I'm very happy with the new UFC organization, with Zuffa, with Lorenzo Fertitta, Dana White and Frank Fertitta. I feel like home, like I'm among family there. So I really don't think about going to PRIDE. I've already received some offers, but the UFC offer is a lot bigger and a lot better for me. The UFC is doing great, and is inside Vegas now! Las Vegas is the world's show window. For you to be at the MGM, the biggest hotel in Las Vegas, where you have Julio Iglesias playing on one side, and Britney Spears playing on the other side, and you get a packed house on the same night! Man, this means that the UFC is growing a lot! So, I'm very happy with the UFC. Now the Pay-Per-View is back, and the UFC is the oldest and most traditional NHB event in the world. I believe that nowadays PRIDE is very big, but the UFC is also very big, and they are the two biggest events in the world. FCF: You mentioned how the UFC is getting bigger, and there were a lot of expectations about the fight between Tito Ortiz and Vitor Belfort. Although it will no longer take place at the upcoming UFC, what do you think would've happened in this fight? PR: I believe the two of them would find a lot of difficulties. I believe that Vitor is more talented, in terms of groundwork and better stand up. But at the same time Tito is a better wrestler, and he has been fighting more than Vitor lately. He trains very hard and he had his head very focused on that fight. He wanted that fight a lot, and Tito is a guy that grows a lot inside the ring. With Vitor we never know! If he is at his best... it would be a great fight! It would depend on who would take the fight to his gameplan! If Tito ends up on top, he is very tough to beat! He has good positioning and strikes very well from the top. And if the fight would stay standing, Vitor would have a better chance. But you never know. A fight is a fight, and anything can happen! They both had a great chance of winning. FCF: Thanks a lot for your time Pedro. PR: Thanks a lot. |
|
From Josh Hedges of Zuffa/UFC: UFC: HIGH IMPACT, MAY 10, IN BOSSIER CITY, LA. Murilo Bustamante To Defend Middleweight Crown For First Time LAS VEGAS, March 20, 2002... The Ultimate Fighting Championship today announced that tickets, $150, $100, $50 and $25 will go on sale Saturday, March 23, for UFC:High Impact, which will take place Friday, May 10, at the Centurytel Center in Bossier City, La. Tickets may be purchased at the Centurytel Center box office in Bossier City, at all Ticket Master outlets, Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone at (318) 741-9700 or at www.ticketmaster.com. Service charges may apply depending upon the point of purchase. The event also will be available in North America on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada pay-per-view and in Brazil on Globosat Programadora LTDA. UFC: High Impact will air live at 10 p.m. EST/7p.m.PST in the United States and Brazil and on a tape-delayed basis on WOWOW-TV in Japan. The suggested pay-per-view retail price in the United States will be $29.95. UFC Middleweight Champion Murilo Bustamante (10-1-1 in Mixed Martial Arts) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will defend his title for the first time against an opponent to be named. Bustamante claimed the middleweight crown Jan. 11 when he knocked out former champion Dave Menne in the second round at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Other match-ups will include a lightweight bout between Caol Uno (11-4-2) of Kanagawa, Japan, and Yves Edwards (7-4-1) of The Woodlands, Tex., and Heavyweight top contender Ricco Rodriguez (8-1-0) of Las Vegas, Nev., versus Tsyushi Kosaka (3-2-0) of Shega, Japan. Light Heavyweight contender Chuck Liddell (9-1-0) will meet an opponent to be named as will Lightweight top contender B.J. Penn (4-1-0) of Wainaku, Hilo, Hawaii. The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., is the world's leading mixed martial arts sports company. It is owned and operated by Zuffa LLC and has partnerships with WOWOW, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan, British Sky Broadcasting (BskyB) in London, England, and Globosat Programadora LTDA and Sportv in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is a sport that brings together the world's most talented mixed martial arts (MMA) athletes from disciplines such as karate, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling, sumo and others in a quest to become an ultimate fighting champion. |
|
From the event's promoter: Set To Make History! Memorial Coliseum, Evansville, Indiana Saturday, April 13th, 2002 'Here we go!' starts promoter Jeff Osborne. 'We got the idea about doing a women's show, and the women really stepped up! I am more convinced than ever that the time is right. We have a card full of professional women, athletes taking this show very seriously!' continues Osborne. 'This is the card we have - and we will have much more to come about the show as we build up over the coming month - we are pumped!' concludes Osborne. Check out tickets for the APRIL 13th EVENT at www.fightworld.com, in the HOOKnSHOOT section! Complete Card - Subject To Change:
Evansville, Indiana's Executive Inn has been chosen as the hotel for the upcoming HOOKnSHOOT 'Revolution' show. Voted the Best Hotel in Evansville, this hotel is stacked with extras! You can get a room mentioning the 'HOOKnSHOOT rate' for only $60 a night by calling (812) 424-8000. Free shuttle service to and from the airport is offered as well. The Executive Inn is conveniently located just two minutes away from the Memorial Coliseum and riverfront in downtown Evansville. To guarantee your room, give them a call today! 1-812-424-8000. |
|
From the event's promoter: Reality Combat 14 Held March 15, 2002 at The Main Event in Metairie, LA Amateur Card
|
| Thursday - March 21, 2002 |
|
By Jim Genia The weigh-ins for the Ultimate Fighting Championship 36: Worlds Collide took place at the MGM Grand today, and it was more than the usual fanfare. Studio 54 was packed -- both with mixed martial arts enthusiasts and international media. Joe Rogan, comedian and host of "Fear Factor", kept the crowd laughing. Japanese hero Hayato Sakurai, making his UFC debut, took the stage and the flashbulbs were nearly blinding. With cash, tickets, and merchandise on the line, three contestants assumed the roles of their favorite fighters and battled it out via the UFC Tapout game. And after it was all over, a couple took the plunge and got married, exchanging their vows in the Octagon. It was more than the usual weigh-in fanfare -- and it was a blast. 
Champ Randy Couture weighed in at 226 pounds, while challenger Josh Barnett was 243 pounds. Respectful and amiable, both fighters soaked up the applause that was showered upon them. Pedro Rizzo, another fan favorite, was 237 pounds. His opponent, Andrei Arlovski, tipped the scales at 242 pounds. Local Las Vegas fighter Frank Mir and Lion's Den icon Pete Williams were 250 and 225 pounds respectively. Newcomer to the lightweight division Matt "the Terror" Serra came in at 153 pounds. "Psycho Kelly" Dullanty, intense and focused, was 154 pounds. In the welterweight division, Sean Sherk weighed in at 169 pounds, while Jutaro Nakao was 170. Filling out the roster, middleweight contenders Matt "the Law" Lindland and Pat "the Croation Sensation" Miletich were 184 and 183 pounds, and light-heavyweights Elvis Sinosic and Evan Tanner were 203 and 198 pounds. 
A digital Jeremy Horn (courtesy of an X-Box plugged into a giant screen television) knocked out every opponent he faced. Lucky fan Ryan Baumgardner chose the role of Horn, and with the real light-heavyweight fighter Jeremy Horn standing behind him, Baumgardner managed to defeat Rogan and win $500. "I don't have time to play video games," quipped Rogan. "I have a hit TV show and a life!"Fans patient enough to wait in line received free autographed posters. Present for autograph signing were lightweight champ Jens Pulver and top light-heavyweight contender Chuck Liddell, as well as superstar Carlos Newton, Gil Castillo, and Ricco Rodriguez. As always, Zuffa made it worth while for those in attendance. Capping it all off, Mike Camp and Laryssa Schroeder tied the knot in the Octagon set up in the MGM Grand Arena. Two obvious UFC fanatics, they exchanged their vows while workers paused to watch. Pat Miletich - one-time trainer of Camp - was the best man. With the quintessential crucible of combat made the setting for this ceremony of holy matrimony, it was the perfect example of when "Worlds Collide." 
|
|
By Loretta Hunt 
Wednesday, March 20th -- With only two days left till UFC 36, the pace is starting to pickup on the lower floors below the MGM Grand Casino and Hotel. This is where Zuffa has set up its offices for the week and today's agenda is a full one for the small yet efficient team that will put on a show for approximately ten thousand hungry fans this Friday. Scheduled today are the usual pre-fight interviews that will be seen prior to the fighter's entrances, photo shoots, and promos being shot by In Demand and Direct TV for future advertising broadcasts. As the sixteen competitors make their way down to this area in the morning and into the early afternoon, they are juggled between the various rooms to accomplish these tasks, stopping at times in the hallway to gab with one another. Pat Miletich greets Elvis Sinosic with a handshake and a smile. Randy Couture stops to playfully jab with the two, as Andre Arlovski respectively nods to them as he passes by. The topic of conversation? Mostly small talk and catching up from the last show, yet almost all comment on the urgency to get their fights over and done with.Among the usual press figures here to cover the event, there are some welcome new faces. The ESPN Channel is here to document Randy Couture and Josh Barnett for an upcoming hour installment of its popular show "Outside The Lines" that they hope to air in June. On the heels of its broadcast deal with Zuffa, WOWWOW, the Japanese subscriber-based cable station (similar to HBO), has also made the trip over and a pack of journalists follow Hayato Sakurai's move from room to room. At one point, Couture and Barnett are whisked off for a radio appearance at local sports talk radio station KBAD. Back at Ricardo Pire's gym, local boy Frank Mir [pictured] is interviewed for a segment on News 13- Inside Las Vegas, an ABC affiliate. 
In the arena itself, the Octagon has not been erected yet, but a group of workers furiously work away on light grids and platforms. Across the hallway, Zuffa's headquarters is a buzz of phones and faxes. Dana White stands in the corner, telephone to one ear, his right arm raised to direct a worker to a floor plan hanging on the wall. With an entirely new production team in place, the anticipation reads plainly on his face. The broadcast will have a different look on Friday and he wonders how it will fair with the public.As the sun sets on the Las Vegas strip and the infamous casino lights start to appear, the fighters go off to get in their evening training sessions. Besides the equipped training rooms provided, many fighters make their way to UFC veteran John Lewis's facility, minutes away from the hotel. An impressive two-floor training complex complete with mats, a sparring area, and even a cage -- its too good an opportunity for these fighters to pass up. Matt Lindland and Pete Williams practice their clinch work in the cage while just feet away on the ground, Matt Hume rolls with Pride veteran Dan Henderson. In the cleared area used for sparring, various couples box and kick. Ricco Rodriguez, Marvin Eastman, Quentin Jackson, and Phil Baroni all take their turns with Maurice Smith, who stops them occasionally to give pointers and guidance. Randy Couture seems to be everywhere at once -- sparring in the cage and then outside of it with various opponents or even just hitting the punching bag off on his own. And in the corner, watching Randy's every move, is Josh Barnett! Josh yells across the space for Randy to try this move or that move, and one almost forgets that these two will be battling their hearts out against one another in two short days. Animosity does not exist here -- just a group of fighters willing to share and learn with little cares for who is fighting who or what camp so and so comes from. And so goes Wednesday, March 20th. Two more days before "Worlds Collide." The day has gone quickly, as it usually tends to do in the days and hours leading up to that completely unique experience known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship. |
| Saturday - March 23, 2002 |
|
By Jim Genia The Ultimate Fighting Championship 36 "Worlds Collide" show is now one for the books, and it was a resounding success. 
To the tune of 8,327 fans in attendance, a brand new production team, and a stacked card that played out into a night of action-packed fights, UFC 36 was virtually flawless. Josh "the Baby-Faced Assassin" Barnett met Randy "the Natural" Couture head on and came away victorious, becoming the new UFC Heavyweight Champ. In the welterweight division, champ Matt Hughes punished Japanese superstar Hayato "Mach" Sakurai and retained his belt. Slams. Knockouts. Slick submissions and surprising escapes. "Worlds Collide" had it all.The main card: Evan Tanner vs. Elvis Sinosic, light-heavyweight bout Tanner pushed Sinosic against the fence and got the takedown. From within Sinosic's guard, Tanner rained down elbows, opening a cut on the Aussie's forehead that ended the bout. Tanner won via ref stoppage due to cut in the first round at 2:06. Matt Lindland vs. Pat Miletich, middleweight bout Lindland dominated, taking Miletich down and holding him tight against the fence. Passing the guard and securing the mount, the "Law" kept up the pressure and unleashed a fury of strikes. Though unhurt, Miletich failed to defend himself effectively -- forcing the ref to stop the match. Lindland earned the win via ref stoppage due to strikes at 3:09 of the first round. 
Hayato Sakurai vs. Matt Hughes, welterweight championship bout Both fighters started out strong -- Hughes with jabs and takedowns, Sakurai with a spinning back-kick and good defense. But as the bout progressed, the champ turned up the intensity. Scoring with his trademark high-amplitude slams, Hughes grounded & pounded, and in the fourth round attained the full mount. From there, the flurry of punches prompted the ref to stop the match. Hughes retained his belt via ref stoppage in round four at 3:01.Pedro Rizzo vs. Andrei Arlovski, heavyweight bout Though they started off tentative, both fighters warmed up to exchange some crisp strikes on their feet. All three rounds were a kicking & punching chess match -- Arlovski showing good hand combos and Rizzo landing hard round kicks. A right cross by Rizzo ended the standup war, knocking Arlovski out in the last round. Rizzo won via KO in the third round. Josh Barnett vs. Randy Couture, heavyweight championship bout A strong Couture pushed Barnett against the fence and took the challenger down, then punished him with hard punches. A very game Barnett rallied back to his feet. The second round was a seesaw battle that saw Couture in the mount, and Barnett reversing. Barnett unloaded a storm of strikes from the top position -- forcing referee Big John McCarthy to call a halt to the match. Barnett earned the win via ref stoppage due to strikes, and became the new UFC Heavyweight Champ. The preliminaries: Sean Sherk vs. Jutaro Nakao, welterweight bout Sherk came out aggressive, going for the takedown on a defensive Nakao. All three rounds were similar, with Sherk's takedowns and ground & pound onslaught getting more and more effective. Sherk earned the unanimous decision. Kelly Dullanty vs. Matt Serra, lightweight bout Serra exerted complete grappling dominance, securing a quick takedown, then mount. Giving his back to avoid the raining strikes, Dullanty escaped a tight rear-naked choke, then armbar -- only to succumb to a triangle choke. Serra earned the win via submission in the first round at 2:58. Pete Williams vs. Frank Mir, heavyweight bout Mir, strong and aggressive with kicks, was quickly taken down by Williams. Even faster, though, was Mir's bent armlock from the guard, forcing Williams to tap out. Mir via submission in round one at :46. Mir earned the Tapout Submission of the Night Award for his performance. |
| Monday - March 25, 2002 |
For FASTEST service call in your credit card order (516)922-1081 Or Click here to order securely online with your credit card or print off the order form & mail it in with your payment |
In current issue of FCF ...|
From Josh Hedges of Zuffa/UFC: iN DEMAND Sunday, March 24, 2002, 11:00P ET (iN2) Tuesday, March 26, 2002, 10:00P ET (iN1) DIRECTV Sat, Mar 23 04:30p, 08:00p, 11:30 p ET Mon, Mar 25 06:00a, 04:30p, 08:00p, 11:30p ET Tue, Mar 26 06:00a, 04:30p, 08:00p, 11:30p ET Thu, Mar 28 06:00a, 04:30p, 08:00p, 11:30p ET Sat, Mar 30 06:00a, 09:30a, 01:00p, 4:30p ET Bell Express Vu Tuesday, March 26, 9:00 PM and 1:00 AM Viewers Choice Canada and Dish Network Check Local Listings |
|
Saturday, May 11, 2001 Doors open:5:30PM/ Fights start:6:30PM Umeda Stella Hall(Osaka,Japan) 2X5 min rounds light heavyweight match KATSUOMI INAGAKI(Pancrase Osaka) vs ICHIRO KANAI(PANCRASEism) *debut 3X5 min rounds light heavyweight match KOSEI KUBOTA(8th ranked/PANCRASEism) vs AKIHIRO GONO(9th ranked/Pancrase GRABAKA) 2X5 min rounds light heavyweight match OSAMI SHIBUYA(PANCRASEism) vs EIJI ISHIKAWA(Pancrase GRABAKA) *fight order and some other matchups will be added soon. |
|
From the event's promoter: Saturday - April 13, 2002 Alario Center 2000 Segnette Blvd. Westwego, LA 70094 For tickets call 504-349-5525 Fight Info. GSE 504-486-6759 Tickets on sale April, 1 PRO CARD LT.HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE ANTHONY "MAD DOG" MACIAS (TX) UFC VETERAN VS. CHAD COOK (AL) GSE LT.HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION DAVE BENEFIELD (LA) VS. GRADY HURLEY (MS) ANTHONY BARBIER (LA) VS. RYAN HODGES (FL) JEREMIAH O'NEAL (TX) VS. ALFREDO HERNANDEZ (LA) RICH CLEMENTI (LA) VS. TBA AMATEUR CARD JOSHUA MCDONAD (LA) VS. CHRIS COCHE (FL) GABE BARAHONA (LA) VS. JASON BRASWELL (FL) ADAM PEEPLES (LA) VS. JESSE ABREGO (TX) MATTHEW SULFSTED (LA) VS. MIKE DAVIS (FL) JOSHUA HANCOCK (GA) VS. JASON DOLDER (FL) BRIAN DWYER (LA) VS. TONY ZAMORA (CO) ADAM SUPERNOUS (LA) VS. LENNY TELERICO (FL) For more fight or ticket information you can call the Alario Centet at 504-349-5525 or GSE at 504-486-6759 The Alario Center is located only 15 min from downtown New Orleans. |
| Tuesday - March 26, 2002 |
FCF TV is on tonight on MSG at 11:30PM EST |
From the event's promoter:
Montreal (Canada) - The UNIVERSAL COMBAT CHALLENGE is set to invade Rimouski, Quebec and over 5,000 anxious UCC fans are ready to experience the drama and excitement that only a live UCC event can provide. Mixed Martial Arts fans have followed the careers of the UCC warriors from UCC 1: The New GenerationTM to the legendary UCC 7: Bad BoysTM and have supported them as they put it all on the line. On March 30th 2002 at UCC 8: Fast and FuriousTM some of the most popular and most exciting UCC fighters will up the ante once again and step up to the greatest challenges of their young careers.UCC World Middleweight champion Donald Ouimet is coming off an impressive KO victory over UFC veteran C.J. Fernandes and will make his second UCC appearance in only 3 months as he faces Jesse Jones of Omaha, Nebraska. Jones has earned a reputation as a feared fighter who is equally as dangerous on his feet and on the mat having soundly defeated UFC veterans Dave Menne and Anthony Macias. The champ has much respect for his challenger but feels confident that his vast combat experience and punching power will keep his undefeated record intact after all is said and done. Fight experts see this as the greatest test that either fighter has seen yet. David "The Crow" Loiseau was also victorious at UCC 7 as he fought his way to a judge's decision over former top-10 middleweight Joe Doerksen. Despite the severity of this challenge he is stepping into the ring at UCC 8 to face the most dangerous, most explosive, and most hungry fighter that he has ever fought. "The Crow" will go toe to toe with "Demolition Man" Claudionor Fontinelle in a fight that will guarantee to ignite the UCC Ring of Fury! Both are former title holders and are seeing each other as a stepping stone to regaining prominence in the UCC. This SUPERFIGHT is sure to blow the roof off of the Rimouski Coliseum. "Coeur de Lion" Steve Vigneault will be in action with hopes of yet another successful UCC Canadian MW title defense. Throughout his UCC career, Vigneault has earned the respect of MMA fans from coast to coast with his aggressive fighting style and huge amount of heart. UCC 8 will see the champ tackle his greatest obstacle yet by the name of J.P. Cantin. Cantin is one of the highest regarded grapplers on the Canadian scene with a reputation as a vicious brawler. These two have met long ago in an amateur grappling event that saw Cantin as the victor. Vigneault is looking to show Cantin what 5 years of intense training can do and send him back down the ranks along with the list of fighters who have tried to take his gold. The UCC Canadian Welterweight championship will also be on the line as Toronto's mat monster Justin Bruckmann returns to face "The Secret Weapon" Joel Leblanc. With wins over UCC icons David Loiseau and Phil Hughes, Justin has earned his place in UCC history. Leblanc returned to the UCC title picture by defeating North American kickboxing champion Shawn Tompkins as well as former UCC MW champion Jason St-Louis. This fight will be SUPER GRAPPLER vs. SUPER STRIKER and 100% action! Welcome to the jungle as "The Monkey" Richard Nancoo will fly back into action with his UCC Canadian SLW title belt firmly around his waist. The champ is undefeated in the UCC and has never turned down a fight. Now he has his eyes set on "The Snake" Steve Claveau. Claveau made his UCC debut at UCC 7 by defeating #1 ranked contender Yves Jabouin thus earning his shot at the gold. Expect to hear the call of the wild when these 2 elite athletes engage in primal fury for UCC gold! In other bouts, UCC and UFC Veteran C.J. Fernandes will take on newcomer Dany Laflamme. 2 times UFC Vet Tony Fryklund makes his UCC debut against local jiu-jitsu star Jonathan Goulet. The undefeated Jason Black makes his first trip to Canada to face UCC superstar Ivan Menjivar. Two of the darkest souls ever to enter the UCC will also meet eye to eye on March 30th as UCC Bad Guy PAIN PETERS takes on "The Possessed" Jeff Davis. All this plus the flair, drama, and action that only the UCC can guarantee! Tickets on sale at the Colisee de Rimouski (418-723-4444) |
| Wednesday - March 27, 2002 |
Fans of the Howard Stern show were treated to a humorous half hour early Tuesday morning as FCF's own Mouth of NHB and Derek Panza called in to discuss an upcoming boxing match. The proposed match, between Stern show regulars "Stuttering" John Melendez and "Crazy Cabby", will take place in about a month in Atlantic City, New Jersey.The Mouth and Derek [a champion kickboxer as well as trainer of champions - pictured giving Tim Lane a victory ride after Lane won the USKBA Super Lightweight World Championship belt] are training John for the match against the rotund Cabbie. FCF's dynamic duo called in to discuss John's training and his chances against his much larger opponent. While they only have a few weeks to work with John, after seeing a tape of Cabby's last fight (vs. "Angry Black" - another Stern show regular) and observing John in the gym, the pair feel confident in John's chances... so confident in fact that The Mouth offered to bet infamous bloated barrister Dominic Barbara $50,000 (Barbara was offering 3-1 odds up to that point). After some hemming and hawing, Barbara refused. Apparently losing confidence in what he felt was an easy money bet on Cabby, he even began to rethink his offer of odds on his other bets when he heard about John's training. The Mouth then asked Howard if he'd allow him in on some of his action, Stern replied that he might just let cover some of the $10,000 he'd already bet with Barbara. The Mouth and Derek may be back on the show in the near future to discuss John's progress, we'll keep you posted as things develop. |
|
From the event's promoter: Official dates Dates have been set for the next 3 editions of the Slammer:
No Mercy..........It's gonna be SICK |
|
From the event's promoter: Freestyle Fighting Championship II April 6th 2002 President Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi Doors open at 7:00 p.m. 
We got off to a great start in our first production in January, and worked very hard to make this show even better. The card is full and we feel like the fans are in for an even more excitement this time! The Main Event for the FFC Lightweight Championship, features new Team Extreme member Rich "No Love" Clementi against Rob Baer. Rob Baer is coming off of a tough loss to Din Thomas and is looking to get himself back into the thick of things in the lightweight division. He is planning on bringing his "A" game because Rich Clementi has been training with Team Extreme Members, Jens Pulver, Matt Hughes, and Pat Miletich.Also on the card, is local crowd favorite Dave Benefield. Benefield, a light heavyweight, is coming off a great performance in the Dungal Submission Fighting Championships in Houston Texas last weekend has a tough match waiting for him in Robert Waite. Other matches include: Bantamweights: Jarrett Becks vs. Dale Greene Heavyweights: Lance Clements vs. Gene Gildea Welterweights: David Whitney vs. Gynn Smith Lightweights: Nick Roscorla vs. Aaron Williams Middleweights: Billy Shelton vs. Jason Wright Middleweights: Adam Peeples vs. Mark Beacher Light Heavys: Darrell Burke vs. Bone Sayavongsa Middleweights: Warren Donely vs. Jeremiah O'Neal For more information visit our website at www.ffc.tv |
|
From Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki: K-1 Burning 2002 In Hirosima Semmy Schilt & Nilson Castro to Participate in K-1 K-1 Burning 2002 In Hirosima Date: April 21st, 2002 Open: 14:30 Start 16:00 Place: Hiroshima Sun Plaza (Hiroshima-Pref, Japan)
|
UFC 36 Pictures! Click here for more pictures Keep checking back, plenty more to follow! |
| Friday - March 29, 2002 |
From DSE USA: PRIDE Fighting Championships "Armed and Ready" First Official Match Announced DSE has announced one match for "Armed and Ready" (a.k.a. PRIDE-20) which will be held on April 28th at Yokohama Arena. As with the PRIDE-19 pay-per-view, PRIDE-20 will be same-day pay-per-view in the United States and Canada. PRIDE-20 Date: April 28th, 2002 Gate open: 3:00 PM Fights start: 5:00 PM Place: Yokohama Arena (Yokohama, Kanagawa-Pref., Japan) Pay-Per-View: Announced match:
|
Wanderlei Silva
Mirko "CroCop" Filipovic| Saturday - March 30, 2002 |
|
From the event's promoter: HitMan Fighting Productions Inc. Presents Tito Ortiz Rumble on the Reservation 
On Saturday, March 30, 2002 live from the Cahuilla Creek Casino in Anza, CA. The fight line is awesome! A 4-Man Heavyweight Tourney featuring: Jimmy "The Titan" Ambriz, Matt Frembling, Roger Neff, and Team Quest fighter Curtis Crawford with corner man UFC Heavyweight Champ Randy "The Natural" Couture.Other confirmed fighters set to battle are: Rob "Razor" McCullough, Heath Sims from Team Quest and his corner man Dan "Hollywood" Henderson, Team Punishment's Bobby "The Pit Bull" Gamboa, Mauricio Zingano from Team Ciaque and many more. Also added TIKI from Team Punishment and Brian Warren! Check out www.hitmanfightingproductions.com for more info. $40.00 General Admission - $100.00 VIP - $200 Ringsde Also available Group Ringside and VIP Limo packages! EMAIL: HBHitman@hotmail.com DIRECTIONS:
Cahuilla Creek Casino 52702 Highway 371 Anza, CA |
|
Warriors Quest 4: Genesis Held March 29, 2002 Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com 
The night started off a little slow with the first two fights being halted early due to broken noses. Strangely, the next two fights ended by way of rear-naked chokes. The outcome of the fights seemed to come in pairs. Two broken noses, two rear-naked chokes. In the next fight, the Jesus Is Lord/808 Fight Factory team has been telling me about their "new" guy Yobie for a quite while, but for one reason or another, he delayed his entrance into the ring. Tonight was the night to see Yobie in action. Yobie fought a tough fighter in T. J. Johnson, but Yobie's time in the gym showed through. Yobie controlled the action on the feet and then got a huge take down and controlled the fight on the ground on his way to a submission victory. Watch for great things to come from this kid. It has been a while, but Kawika's back!!! Kawika (pronounced Ka-vee-ka) Pa'aluhi first came out onto the Hawaii fight scene by systematically destroying his opponents in T. Jay Thompson's first two Future Brawl events, which were held in a biker bar. He proved back then that he was on a totally different level than all the local fighters. He then made an impact in Super Brawl 2 at the Blaisdell Arena in 1996, by destroying a couple more opponents and winning the tournament. His last fight was back in 1998 and tonight would be his comeback fight... and what a comeback it was.
Bobby Southworth has been in the big shows and has the experience. Kawika reminded the Hawaii fans what they were missing while he was on a hiatus from the ring, in the form of a quick 16 second knockout of Southworth. If you are not already, keep an eye out for Kawika Pa'aluhi. It was Pa'aluhi who got Ray "Bradda" Cooper into MMA. There was even a women's match on the card pitting grappling sensation Erica Montoya against Hawaii's Betta Yeung. Montoya used her superior takedown and grappling skills to control the entire fight on her way to a unanimous decision. She is cute as a button, but watch out boys, this lady can grapple! The build up to the match between King of the Cage champion, Chris Brennan and Ray "Bradda" Cooper took the necessary steps as Brennan key locked a game Crisostimo and Cooper punched his way through Dan Gilbert. This should be an incredible match seeing as Chris Brennan has never been better and Ray Cooper is out to show the world that he deserves everyone's respect and a shot at either the Shooto or UFC titles.
|
| Sunday - March 31, 2002 - Happy Easter |
ADCC Under 65kg - Royler Gracie, Martin Brown, Mitsuoki Hirai, Mike Cardoso, Joe Gilbert, Fredson Paixao, Robson Moura Fonseca, Hiroyuki Abe, Gustavo Dantas, Baret Yoshida, Jean Charollais, Naoya Uematsu, "Soca", Yoshinori Konishi, Takumi Yano, Konstantin Vrachez ADCC 66-66kg - Matt Serra destroying people! The unbelievable Serra vs. JJ Machado match. Genki Sudo, Rodrigo Gracie, Gavin Kulper, Shuji Ikeda, Peter Angerer, Marcio Feitosa Souza, Kaoru Uno, Fernando Vasconcelos, Matt Serra, Jean Jacques Machado, Leonardo Silva Dos Santos, Tetsuji Kato, Leo Viera, Morris Clifoni, Serguei Onishuk and Takanori Gomi!!! ADCC 77-87kg - Ricardo Liborio (Brazilian Top Team), Saulo Ribeiro, Egan Inoue, Akihiro Gono (Shooto), Kunihiko Obato, Kikuta Sinae, Zharkov, Kiyoshi Tamura, Chris Brown, Nino Schembri, Renzo Gracie, Evan Tanner and more highlight the 77-87 division. ADCC 88-98kg - Ricardo Arona, Ricardo Almeida, Marc Laimon, Hisashi Fujita, Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Masutatsu Yano, Chael Sonnen, Renato Babalu, Machado, Cacarico, John Olav Einemo, Rolles Gracie, Dean Lister and countless others in the 88-98 division! ADCC Over 99kg (Heavyweight Tournament) - Vitor Belfort, Ricardo Arona, Roger Neff, Ricco Rodriguez, Sean Alvarez, Mark Robinson, Jeff Monson and many others! ADCC Absolute (Open weight) - Watch Jean Jacques Machado and Ricardo Arona on a collision course of submission destruction as the two meet in the finals. Also features, Neff, Van Arsdale, Sudo, Belfort, Alvarez, Almeida and many others! ADCC Superfight/Behind the scenes - This two hour DVD features the best superfight to date, the Titan Mark Kerr vs. Ze Mario Sperry. It also goes behind the scenes with many fighters, in the lockerooms, the press conference, warming up, backstage interviews and much more. One of the wildest pieces on video... Tom Erikson tells the brutal truth about the MMA industry and the rAw Team. For FASTEST service call in your credit card order (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: April 7 Danger Fight Show The Danger Zone is back with the most action paced full contact event in the Midwest! Don't miss this night of action at Broadripple Place 4610 Parnell Ave. Ft. Wayne, IN. Tickets are $25, $20 and $15. Be sure to contact 219-483-7878 for tickets or email us severndd@cbpu.com The Beast will be on hand to sign autographs and Danger Zone merchandise will be on sale. Sponsored by: Amerisuites and Immortal Equipment Single Bouts Dave Morris vs. Robert Bridges Steve McCabe vs. Layne McDaniel Kurt Illeman vs. Kory Kildurn Dave Dillon vs. Nathan McCabe 195 lb Tournament Joel Blanton Joe Baize Aaron Miller Hwt. Tournament Chris Herring Dan Lamping TBA 155lb Tournament Mike Rooney Truc Nguyen Mike Miller Pro Bout Dan Swift Pa. vs. Josh Mason IN. (card is subject to change) |
From the event's promoter:
April 13, 2002 7 pm 4 Bears Casino Newtown, ND The Danger Zone is heading back to North Dakota for Caged Heat. This show is highlighting a 200 lb. Title Tournament for the Championship belt. Topping that division is the Hammer House Phenom Scott Shipman. Chael Sonnen an Oregon Wrestler will be in the line up along with up and coming fighters Jesse Ault 8-1 and William Jennette 6-1. UFC 26 Veteran Tyrone Roberts is getting back into action and taking on another UFC veteran in Sam Adkins at 210 lb. Dan Severn will be the main event of the night going against Battle Dome Champion Steve Sayegh out of AZ. Sayegh hosts an 8-1 MMA record and is looking at moving up in the ranks if he can take out The Beast. Don't miss the most action packed fighting event in the country! For ticket information please go to www.4bearscasino.com 
Local ND and Canadian fighters will be bringing in the fans to the new Event Center at 4 Bears Casino. Guaranteed to pack the house on this night of fighting! Bruce Nelson ND. vs. Chris Fontaine Can. Ethan Boyle ND. vs. Brian Criddle ND. Matt Bear IA. vs. Lance Cartwright Can. Kyle Olsen ND. vs. Jim Tolleffson ND. Roger Steiner ND. vs. Mitch Rosland ND. 4 Man Amateur Tournament Darrin Coe CO. - Doug Feigart ND.- Pat Russo ND.- Mark Swolinski Can The above are the fights that are set for the card. There are a few more tentative fights being lined up. |
From the event's promoter: World Freestyle Fighting Championships - Lineup Kelowna, BC Canada, April 13th, 2002 MAIN EVENTS (185 lbs) Dennis Hallman (Victory) vs Denis Kang (Marcus Soares) (175 lbs) John Alessio (Millenium) vs John DeLaO (DeLaO JJ) CANADIAN LIGHT-WEIGHT TITLE (155 lbs) Jason Towns (Toshido) vs Max Marin (Canuckles) PLUS (230 lbs) Paul Trudel (Toshido) vs Bill Mahood (Sholty JJ) (150 lbs) Bob Shabaga (Toshido) vs James Hanson (Sholty JJ) (205lbs) Shrek Julian (Victory) vs Jeremiah Kram (Northern Lights) (180 lbs) Travis Galbaith (Sholty) vs Craig Sloan (Lance Gibson Pankration) (175 lbs) Eddy Ellis (Victory) vs Dan Shenk (Sholty JJ) (155 lbs) Rob Acton (Poesener) vs Gord Cummings (Sholty JJ) (155 lbs) Chad Hanzem (Canuckles) vs Jeremy Whittingham (Franco Pankration) *** lineup subject to change*** Tickets available at all Western Canadian Ticketmasters. See ya there! |
| © All materials contained in the Full Contact Fighter web site are protected by copyright and to be used only for personal and noncommercial uses. Public display or copying for sale or public distribution of any of these materials is strictly prohibited. |