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  Monday - June 3, 2002

WFA banner

From Mike "The Shooter's Shooter" McNeil:
2002 TORONTO SHOWDOWN GRAPPLING OPEN

ATTENTION: SUBMISSION GRAPPLERS

ANNOUNCING THE
2002 TORONTO SHOWDOWN GRAPPLING OPEN

It is with great pleasure that the Toronto Showdown Committee announces the inaugural Toronto Showdown Grappling Open. Thanks to the sanctioning of the Canadian Jiu-Jitsu Association, the Toronto Showdown is a legitimate martial arts sporting event in the Province of Ontario. We have secured the services of Centennial College to host this great event, which is sure to be the largest grappling event to ever hit the Toronto Market.

On June 8th, 2002, the 2002 Toronto Showdown Grappling Open will host divisions in 'gi' and 'no-gi' submission grappling serving over 14 weight classes. This is the first event of it's kind in Ontario to fully adopt the rules set forth by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation and the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Championships.

Straight from Brazil our confirmed Guest Referees for this years Toronto Showdown include Professor Sylvio Behring (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu 5th Degree Black Belt), Jose Mario "Esfiha" (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and Abu Dhabi Veteran), Rodrigo Munduruca (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt) and Pedro Albuquerque (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brown Belt and Instructor). These gentlemen have dedicated their lives to the martial arts and their experience can only help the competitors, event organizers, and the growth of the sport in Canada.

The Toronto Showdown "Superfights" will feature both established, and up and coming athletes, facing off with a unique 'Ontario Versus Quebec' theme. In addition, representatives of the Universal Combat Challenge (Canada's premiere Mixed Martial Arts event) will be on hand with the hopes of discovering future Mixed Martial Arts stars.

Competitors visiting from out of town can stay at the Centennial Residence & Conference Centre conveniently located at Markham Road and Highway 401, just minutes away from the Toronto Showdown venue.

For further information, please visit the official Toronto Showdown web site at www.torontoshowdown.com.

The Toronto Showdown is dedicated to the recognition of submission grappling in Canada; be it Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, Judo, or any submission arts. Our goal is to help grappling martial art's athletes by giving them an arena in which to perform, compete, and learn from their experiences.

For more information, please e-mail toronto@showdown.ca

From Natalie Salzman of Bender/Helper Impact:
PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS DELIVERS THE NEXT-GENERATION OF SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT
PRIDE Fighting Championships Bring Cutting Edge Full-Contact MMA Competition to the U.S.

Los Angeles, CA - June 3, 2002 -PRIDE Fighting will rock U.S. audiences with PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS: DEMOLITION, the definitive next-generation sporting event coming to Pay-Per View on June 30, 2002* from Dream Stage Entertainment Inc. Already a colossal success in Asia and Europe, PRIDE Fighting is growing exponentially in North America as a sports-entertainment experience, drawing in not only massive pay-per-view audiences, but a large body of American athletes as well. The leading international mixed martial arts (MMA) competition, PRIDE Fighting brings an explosive combination of boxing, kickboxing, judo, Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling and other martial arts to audiences craving cutting-edge sports entertainment.

"The U.S. audience for PRIDE Fighting Championships is growing with every event and we're thrilled with the worldwide enjoyment of our sport," said Yukino Kanda, Dream stage Entertainment's Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Talent Relations. "PRIDE Fighting Championships: Demolition will feature many of the greatest talents in the sport, including several American fighters who may represent the United States at the 2004 debut of Pancration, origin of MMA, as an Olympic sport."

Taking place at Saitama Super-Arena outside of Tokyo, Japan, the exciting line-up of matches will include the highly anticipated re-match between Don "The Predator" Frye vs. Mark "The Hammer" Coleman and a clash of jiu-jitsu styles when champion Renzo Gracie battles Shungo Oyama. Other fighters that will compete include Semmy Schilt from Holland and Canadian competitor Gary Goodridge.

"PRIDE continues to raise the bar for sports entertainment by bringing together the world's greatest fighters in a sport that combines karate, judo, Jiu-Jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling and more in one ring under one set of rules," added Kanda. "Our goal is to expose audiences to the most exciting competitions featuring the most highly skilled international athletes."

For more information on PRIDE FC visit www.pridefc.com

*Pay-Per-View Networks include: DIRECTV, DishNetwork, TVN, Bell Express Vu and Viewer's Choice Canada * The actual event will take place on June 23, 2002 - the start time is 4:00 pm Japan time

ABOUT PRIDE FC
Originating in Japan, PRIDE Fighting Championships combine the most highly skilled MMA competitions with a 21st Century entertainment philosophy to create the next generation in cutting edge sports entertainment. PRIDE competitions include athletes from across the globe, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Europe, Russia and many other countries. PRIDE allows techniques from a myriad of martial arts and combat sports, solidifying its place as an authentic and unique fighting style that is built on tension and excitement, appealing to the growing audience of 21st Century entertainment fans.

  Thursday - June 6, 2002

THE HAMMER SIDELINED
WITH NECK INJURY

Mark Coleman post-fight at PRIDE 14 Mark Coleman, wrestler turned MMA star best known for his victories in the early days of the UFC and more recently in Pride, gave all a scare in a training session just yesterday as he prepared for an upcoming bout in Pride 21, against Don Frye. Coleman, training with long time friend Kevin Randleman, was dropped on his head in an accident that left the fighter motionless, with no feeling in his body. After being rushed to the hospital, feeling is returning to the MMA star's body. No exact injury has been determined, but Coleman is not out of the woods as of yet. After talking with his family, they are waiting for MRI results to determine the severity of the injury.

We will bring you more news tomorrow on the progress of Mark Coleman.

We here at FCF wish a speedy recovery to a long time friend and fighter -- our prayers are with you.

By Eduardo Alonso
Arona Injured,
Minotauro and Sperry
Recovering Well!

      DSE seems to be having all sorts of problems in putting the fight card together for the PRIDE 21 show. With only a couple of weeks until the event another fighter who was considered to compete at the event is injured and won't be able to fight in the upcoming PRIDE. FCF found out yesterday that Brazilian sensation Ricardo Arona, who is coming off a very important win against Dan Henderson at PRIDE 20, injured his leg in his last fight and won't be able to compete at the next PRIDE show. Arona threw lots of kicks to Henderson in their fight, and apparently the kicks cause a small damage to a bone in Ricardo's leg, forcing him to stop training for a while until everything is recovered. Arona is supposed to get back to training soon, however won't be able to compete for a while. Also, despite some rumors published on the Internet, Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira is still injured and won't be able to fight at PRIDE 21 by any means, as FCF first reported around a month ago. "Minotauro" is doing lots of stretching to recover from his back injury, but so far hasn't been able to resume full training yet and couldn't even think of preparing properly for a fight at the next PRIDE, therefore he is out of the event. "Minotauro's" brother, Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira, who just won his PRIDE debut at the last event, is still waiting for a possible appearance at PRIDE 21. It's not certain that he will fight, but there's still a good chance of it happening.
      On the good side of news for the Brazilian Top Team members, "The Zen Machine" Mario Sperry is recovering well from the knee surgery he took after his fight with Murilo Ninja Rua at PRIDE 20. Sperry injured his knee in the first round of the fight and was forced undergo surgery around three weeks ago. The doctors are impressed with Sperry's fast recovery, and he is already running and training some Muay Thai. Sperry told FCF this week he still feels some minor pain in his knee, and he believes in around 10 days or so he will be able to start to increase the pace of his training, and resume some serious ground-fighting training once again. As always FCF will continue to keep a close look at both Sperry, Arona and Minotauro's recovery.

From Josh Hedges/Zuffa:
Joe Rogan to Commentate at UFC at Bellagio

Joe Rogan Joe Rogan, host of the hit NBC reality show "Fear Factor" will join the UFC telecast team to commentate the UFC event on June 22nd at the Bellagio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

The comedian was once the backstage interviewer at UFC events and has been a major supporter of the new UFC and the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.

"Joe Rogan is one of the best people you can meet," says UFC President Dana White. "Every time we take another step towards making this sport mainstream - whether it be TV deals, moving into new countries, or something as simple as MC'ing our weigh-ins - Joe is always happy to help and support us and whatever it takes to help the sport of MMA. You don't come across many people like that in life, especially in Hollywood. Thank you Joe Rogan."

Rogan is an accomplished martial artist who will bring hilarious and insightful commentary to the broadcast. Joe started training Tae Kwon Do as a teenager and went on to win the US Open Championships at the age of 19. He currently trains Brazilian Jiu Jitsu with the Machado Brothers when his schedule allows.

Prior to his work on "Fear Factor", Rogan was a cast member of "News Radio for five years. Joe has a comedy album currently in stores, and when he's not filming "Fear Factor", he tours around the country playing to packed comedy clubs. For more information on Joe's tour dates and album, check out www.JoeRogan.net.

Thank you to all the UFC fans for your continued support. Get ready for Liddell vs. Belfort. Come be a part of history on June 22nd at the Bellagio Resort and Casino.
Station Casinos offers reduced rate for UFC Fans

UFC President Dana White has put together a special deal so that UFC fans can be a part of the historic card and super fight between top light heavyweight contenders Chuck Liddell and Vitor Belfort at the Bellagio Resort and Casino on June 22nd in Las Vegas.

The Liddell vs. Belfort bout is a must-see fight. The winner of this contest will be the number-one contender for the UFC light heavyweight championship. Liddell is 9-1-0 in MMA and is currently ranked third in the world. UFC legend Belfort is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and 10-2-0 in MMA.

For the week of June 18th through 22nd, UFC fans can get a special hotel rate at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino, located at 2411 W Sahara Ave, just off the Las Vegas strip. The deal on room rates is for $45 weekdays (Sunday through Thursday) and $75 weekends (Friday and Saturday).

Palace Station will be the official UFC hotel where all the UFC fighters and staff will be staying. In addition, the official UFC weigh-ins will be held in the Main Ballroom at Palace Station on Friday afternoon, followed by an autograph session at Jack's Irish Pub on the casino floor.

To take advantage of this special rate, just call Station Casinos Reservations at 1-800-634-3101 and ask for OPERATOR M37.

Palace Station also provides shuttle buses to and from the Las Vegas Strip

From DSE USA/PRIDE:
PRIDE FC "DEMOLITION" (a.k.a. PRIDE 21)
Additional Three Match-Ups Announced.

Pride FC Logo
PRIDE FC "DEMOLITION"
Date: June 23rd, 2002
Gate open: 2:00 PM
Fights start: 4:00 PM
Place: Saitama SuperArena (Ohmiya, Saitama-Pref., Japan)

Pay-Per-View:
  • SkyPerfecTV (JAPAN, June 23rd Live PPV)
  • DIRECTV, DishNetwork, TVN (June 30th, Tape-Delay PPV)
  • Bell Express Vu, Viewer's Choice Canada (June 30th, Tape-Delay PPV)

    In addition to the previously announced
    Mark Coleman vs. Don Frye
    &
    Renzo Gracie vs. Shungo Ohyama
    matches, three additional matches have been announced:

    Semmy Schilt vs. Emelianenko Fedor
    Gary Goodridge vs. Labazanov Arhmed
    Takashi Sugiura vs. Daniel Gracie


  • Semmy Schilt Semmy Schilt
    ENTRY in PRIDE: 15, 17 & 18
    HOMETOWN: Holland
    DOB: 10/27/1973
    WEIGHT: 245 lbs.
    HEIGHT: 6'11"
    TITLES or AWARDS:
  • 9th King of The Pancrasists
  • UFC Veteran

  • Emelianenko Fedor Emelianenko Fedor
    ENTRY in PRIDE: First time in PRIDE
    HOMETOWN: Russia
    DOB: 9/28/1976
    WEIGHT: 227 lbs.
    HEIGHT: 6'1"
    TITLES or AWARDS:
  • '02 RINGS 2002 "World Title Series" Absolute Weight Class Champion
  • '01 RINGS 2001 "World Title Series" Heavy Weight Class Champion
  • '96 Russian National Judo Championship Winner

  • Gary Goodridge Gary "Big Daddy" Goodridge
    ENTRY PRIDE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, GP, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15 & 16
    HOMETOWN: Trinidad and Tobago
    DOB: 1/17/1966
    WEIGHT: 263 lbs.
    HEIGHT: 6'?"
    TITLES or AWARDS:
  • '97 1st IVC Heavyweight Tournament Champion
  • '96 UFC VIII Heavyweight Tournament Finalist

  • Labazanov Arhmed Labazanov Arhmed
    ENTRY PRIDE: First time in PRIDE
    HOMETOWN: Russia
    DOB: 4/24/1978
    WEIGHT: 232 lbs.
    HEIGHT: 6'4"
    FIGHTING HISTORY:
  • '00 RINGS King of Kings 2000 Veteran

  • Takashi Sugiura Takashi Sugiura
    ENTRY PRIDE: First time in PRIDE
    HOMETOWN: Japan
    DOB: 5/31/1970
    WEIGHT: 225 lbs.
    HEIGHT: 5'11"
    FIGHTING HISTORY:
  • '95 All Japan Free Style Wrestling Championship Winner

  • Daniel Gracie Daniel Gracie
    ENTRY PRIDE: First time in PRIDE
    HOMETOWN: Brazil
    DOB: 6/28/1972
    WEIGHT: 225 lbs.
    HEIGHT: 6'2"

    *Card subject to change

    From the event's promoter:
    Danger Zone Fight Night IV Results

    181-195 lb. Tournament
    C-Morre (Dustin Pino) IN. vs. Kyle Olsen ND. Winner Olsen 1:48 Ref stoppage
    Leroy Harjo OK. vs. Kyle Olsen Winner Olsen 30 sec Tap to strikes
    Joel Blanton vs. Jason Hathaway Winner Blanton 3:24 Ref stoppage

    Final
    Joel Blanton vs. Kyle Olsen Winner Blanton 3:54 Tap to strikes

    196-210 lb. Tournament
    Mike Aref vs. Ryan Porter Winner Porter KO 2:32
    Red Cloud vs. Ryan Porter Porter 2:18 in Round 2 TKO

    Single Bouts
    Hwt. Buddy Butler vs. Dan Lamping Winner Lamping 1:45 Tap to armlock
    180 lb. Kurt Illeman vs. Richard Nattas Winner Nattsas Decision
    Marcelo Salinos vs. David Baily Winner Salinos 49 second TKO
    175 lb. Kyle Watson vs. Nathan McCabe Winner Watson Triangle Choke 3:39 of 2nd round.

    Main Event
    Hwt. Jody Poff vs. Scott Hawkins Winner Poff 35 seconds Tap

      Friday - June 7, 2002

    FCF Survey

    Give Us Your Thoughts...

    Chuck Liddell vs. Vitor Belfort
    UFC 37.5: Chuck Liddell vs. Vitor Belfort

    The battle for the UFC #1 light-heavyweight contender spot... Will Chuck stand and trade with the Phenom? Will Vitor let his hands go? How do you see this fight going? Who will win and why? Tell us your thoughts.

    Some of the commentary we receive may appear in the June 2002 issue of FCF


    Click here to take the survey
     

    Warriors Quest 5:
    New Blood Fight Card

    Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
    June 7, 2002 - Starts at 7:30pm
    By Mike Onzuka

    Jon Weidler vs. Dave Yueng Everyone made weight comfortably and only one fighter was not present for the pictures and press conference. This is the first official Shooto sanctioned event for Warriors Quest so the veteran referee and probably the best referee in the business, Suzuki-San, is here in Hawaii to ref and officiate. Bozo Palling who is known as the hardest puncher in his division is going to face Mike Haltom, a relative unknown to Hawaii fight fans. Mike has told the promoter, Brennan Kamaka, that he will stand up and trade with Bozo. If he does, this fight will have the fans on their feet. Dave Yueng looked relaxed as usual as he faces a fit Jon Weidler.

    Maloka Sasa vs. Malcolm Ahlo Aiea Academy student and resident big man, Malcolm Ahlo, picked up a meal before coming to the weigh-ins since it did not matter what he weighed in at. He faces Haru Shimanishi and HMC's Maloka Sasa. Both of these big boys are ready for war. Malcolm has been training like a madman and should have a lot of supporters backing him. Of course I'm biased for Malcolm, but he is an incredible athlete. Don't let the belly fool you. It is very hard! He can do walking hand stands, has great balance, and incredible endurance for a man of his size (he weighed in at a slim trim 320 lbs). His ground game is solid and is comfortable in all positions. Chris and I will be cornering him for his first official pro fight and I know the fans will not be disappointed. Thre rest of the card has solid local fighters like Bob-O Ostovich from Jesus is Lord, Abe Rodrigues and Kolo Koka from Grappling Unlimited, and David Padilla from Gamebred facing a mix of local and mainland fighters. If you don't have your tickets, get them now! Results and fight descriptions will follow in the next issue of Full Contact Fighter.

    Fight Card
    Main Event

    Stephen Palling vs. Mike Haltom Lightweight 65.0kg Class A
    Stephen "Bozo" Palling (Jesus Is Lord) 64.45 kg
    Warriors Quest Champion
    Vs.
    Mike Haltom (Team Meyers) 64.45 kg 20-2 18 KOs

    Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    Dave Yueng (HMC) 69.60 kg
    Warriors Quest #2 Rank
    Vs.
    Jon Weidler (Team Hybrid) 69.75 5-1

    Super Heavyweight Class B
    Malcolm Ahlo (Performance Training Center) 145.5 kg
    Vs.
    Maloka Sasa (HMC) 111.5 kg

    Light Heavyweight 83.0kg Class B
    Bob Ostovich (Jesus Is Lord) 81.65 kg
    Vs.
    Mark Mareno (Bulls Pin) 79.4 kg
    Hawaii 3x Golden Glove Champion

    Roland Fabre vs. Abe Rodrigues Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    Abe Rodriques (Grappling Unlimited) 69.9 kg 5-1
    Vs.
    Roland Fabre (Team Renzo) 69.5 kg

    Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    Ed Newalu (KodenKan) 69.3 kg
    Vs.
    David Padilla (Gamebred) 69.2 kg 1-1

    Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    Jacob Vela (Koden Kan) Not present
    Vs.
    Robert Ilae (Performance Training Center) 69.65 kg

    Light Heavyweight 83.0kg Class B
    Aki Tago (Team Assassin) 77.55 kg
    Vs.
    Kolo Koka (Grappling Unlimited) 76.55 kg

    Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    Jim Kikuchi (808 Fight Factory) 69.4 kg
    Vs.
    Justin Mercado (Grappling Unlimited) 67.85 kg

      Sunday - June 9, 2002

    Coleman Speaks on the Scare, Future in MMA
    By Joe Hall

    Mark Coleman:  He WILL be back soon FCF:   First off, are you OK?
    MC:     Yeah, I think everything is going to be fine here in the end. Pretty scary moment for me -- total paralysis for about ten minutes or so. I have almost all my feeling back now. I still have some numbness in my hands. There's still a lot of soreness, stiffness in the neck. As we do this interview right now, I'm still on painkillers.

    FCF:   What exactly happened?
    MC:     I've had a bad neck for quite some time. Actually, it had been going very well for me for a long time. It was sort of a freakish incident where me and my partner Kevin Randleman were going about three-quarters-go, and he had gotten me up in the air using a wrestling throw. His feet kind of slipped out from underneath him, and I pretty much absorbed his weight and mine right on the top of my head. [The fall] snapped my neck back, and I lost feeling in my body.

    FCF:   Obviously, that was a frightening moment. What thoughts were going through your head at that time?
    MC:     I was laying there mostly thinking about my two kids. Who was going to take care of my children? After a while, I even got a little bit selfish, and I was wondering who was going to take care of me.

    FCF:   I imagine someone called 911?
    MC:     Yeah, they had to call the paramedics in. The ambulance came in, and I got carted away on a stretcher -- that's the first time that's ever happened to me in my life. [It's] just not a good feeling being driven away to the hospital and the uncertainty of what exactly was wrong. They took initial x-rays, and they showed a couple fractures on the neck. That was a scary situation, but when I got the MRI, there were no fractures. I do have some bone spurs in the neck.

    FCF:   So, there wasn't much question that the fight against Don Frye would have to be cancelled?
    MC:     I would have to say it was over right from the get-go. I was just hoping to be able to get the feeling back, be able to walk, and be able to take care of my children.

    FCF:   How many days were you in the hospital?
    MC:     I spent three days in the hospital.

    FCF:   You mentioned the doctors told you that you had a few bone spurs. What else did they say? And how has your future in fighting been affected?
    MC:     I have some bone spurs. I have a little bulge in there. Surgery is an option, but I've already talked to some neurologists who have told me it's not necessary. I do plan on avoiding [surgery] and just really strengthening the area and being more careful. I feel like it was a freakish incident, something I can avoid in a real fight.

    I have to think about my kids and consider if I want to risk this. As we talk, my answer is definitely. This is what I do. I'm not going to deny it; there is a lot of fear involved. But as every day passes, I'm confident the fear will leave. I'm just going to work hard, and I still plan on coming back. I feel absolutely horrible to the Pride organization, the fans out there and Don Frye himself. He really deserved this rematch, and I was really looking forward to putting on a good show. I feel like I've let a lot of people down. But I've been down before, and I'm not the type of person that stays down.

    FCF:   How long do you estimate it will be before you can get back to training or even step back into the ring?
    MC:     I hope to be back as soon as possible. I'm letting things heal up here a little bit. It feels better daily. My range of motion is pretty well all the way back. I've been seeing a chiropractor who's assured me that I can live to fight another day. It's really up to me. At this point, I owe way too many people another fight. Especially the Pride organization, who have been so good to me. I really hope they'll give me the opportunity to fight again. If they don't, well, I don't blame them, but if they don't, I'll be back in the UFC. I have to fight again.

    FCF:   Is there anything else you'd like to say?
    MC:     If this was the stock market, I could see a lot of people selling off [my] stock, but I can promise those who hold onto the stock, the value is going to go way back up. I am going to rise back to the top, and I will be on the champion platform again. I guarantee that.

    Warriors Quest 5: New Blood
    Held June 7, 2002
    at the Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii
    By Chris Onzuka - Chris@Onzuka.com

    Jon Weidler vs. Dave Yueng As with a lot of events that feature new or upcoming fighters, someimes you get a night of action-packed fights and sometimes the fights are duds. This night had a mix of both. Some of the notable matches including the impressive KO from new comer, Mark Moreno, the 44-second submission by Malcolm Ahlo and Bozo Paling's inspiring performance of being knocked out on his feet (or on his back in this case), surviving the last 10 seconds of round 1 and coming back and arm locking a tough Mike Haltom.

    Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    Jim Kikuchi (808 Fight Factory, 5'7", 69.4kg)
    Def.
    Justin "Mercs" Mercado (Grappling Unlimited, 5'7", 67.85kg)
    Majority decision after 2 rounds [(20-18), (19-19), (20-19)].

    Light Heavyweight 83.0kg Class B
    Kolo Koka (Grappling Unlimited, Kaneohe, 5'7", 76.55kg)
    Def.
    Aki Tago (Team Assassin, 5'7", 77.55kg)
    Submission via rear naked choke at 1:19 into round 1.

    Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    Jacob Vela (Koden Kan, Kaneohe)
    Def.
    Robert "The Piranha" Ilae (Professional Training Center, Waianae, 69.65kg)
    Submission via guillotine neck crank at 55 seconds into round 1.

    Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    David Padilla (Gamebred, Waipahu, 5'6", 69.2kg, 1-1)
    Def.
    Ed Newalu (Koden Kan, Kaneohe, 69.3kg)
    Unanimous decision after 2 rounds.

    Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    Abe Rodriques (Grappling Unlimited, Honolulu, 5'8", 69.9kg, 5-1)
    Def.
    Roland Fabre (Team Renzo, Long Island, New York, originally from France, 69.5kg)
    Unanimous decision after 2 rounds.

    Light Heavyweight 83.0kg Class B
    Mark Moreno (Bulls Pen, Waipahu, 5'10", 79.4kg, Hawaii 3x Golden Glove Champion)
    Def.
    Bob Ostovich (Jesus Is Lord, Nanakuli, 5'10", 81.65kg)
    KO at 2:14 into round 1.

    Super Heavyweight Class B
    Malcolm Ahlo vs. Maloka Sasa
    Malcolm Ahlo (Professional Training Center, Ewa Beach, 5'9", 145.5kg)
    Def.
    Maloka Sasa (HMC, Kalihi, 5'9", 111.5kg)
    Submission via Americana key lock at 44 seconds into round 1.

    Welterweight 70.0kg Class B
    Jon Weidler (Team Hybrid, New York, 5'7", 69.75 kg, 5-1)
    Def.
    Dave Yueng (HMC, Honolulu, 5'7", 69.60 kg, Warriors Quest #2 Rank)
    Unanimous decision after 2 rounds.

    Main Event
    Lightweight 65.0kg Class A
    Stephen "Bozo" Paling (Jesus Is Lord, Nanakuli, 5'5", 64.45 kg, Warriors Quest Champion)
    Def.
    Mike Haltom (Team Meyers, Indiana, 5'6", 64.45 kg, 20-2, 18 K.O.'s)
    Submission via arm lock at 1:00 into round 2.

    From the event's promoter:
    Pro Lineup Set for Extreme Challenge 48

          TAMA, Iowa -- The lineup for the professional portion of Extreme Challenge 48 has been finalized and there's no shortage of heavyweights.
          The pro/amateur event is scheduled for July 27 at the Meskwaki Casino * Hotel in Tama, Iowa.
          Tim Sylvia, 6-foot-8 and 260 pounds, returns to the ring fresh off his victory at the "Return of the Heavyweights" 16-man tourney in Hawaii. He will face former bodybuilder and hard-hitting Jeff Gerlick, 6-3 and 285, of Charleston, Ill., in the main event.
          Also, three-time Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Andre "The Chief" Roberts returns to the sport after taking more than a year off to try pro boxing. Roberts, 6-2 and 335, was 5-1 in boxing and sports an 11-1 record in mixed martial arts. He'll face heavy-handed undefeated (9-0) Nathan Sanches, 6-1 and 310, of Houma, La.
          Tyrone Roberts, also a UFC veteran, will compete in a heavyweight bout. The younger Roberts, 5-11 and 220, sports a 17-1-1 record and will face newcomer William Hill, 6-2, 240, of Aurora, Ill.
          In another pro bout, Vern Jefferson will face Kurt McKinnon.
          Besides the professional bouts, an Extreme Trials amateur competition will be held. Fighters can compete in five weight divisions -- 150-under, 170-under, 190-under, 210-under and heavyweight -- with the winners earning a berth into the 2002 MMA Nationals at the end of the year.
          For more information, contact Monte Cox at 563 332-2075 or email at Fiteiowa@aol.com.

    The lineup:

    Tim Sylvia (14-0)
    6-8, 260
    Bettendorf, Iowa
          vs. Jeff Gerlick (1-0)
    6-3, 285
    Charleston, Ill.

    Andre Roberts (10-1)
    6-2, 335
    Tama, Iowa
          vs.
    Nathan Sanchez (9-0)
    6-1, 310
    Houma, Louisiana

    Tyrone Roberts (17-1-1)
    5-11, 220
    Tama, Iowa
          vs.
    William Hill (0-1)
    6-2, 240
    Aurora, Illinois

    Vern Jefferson (0-3)
    5-7, 170
    Tama, Iowa
          vs.
    Kurt McKinnon (1-0)
    5-9, 170
    Winnipeg, Manitoba

      Tuesday - June 11, 2002

    From the event's promoter:
    UCC banner
    THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!

    Montreal (Canada) - There is only a few days left until the most star studded MMA event in Canadian history becomes reality. UCC 10TM has created a huge media buzz on both sides of the Quebec/Ontario border which has prompted fight fans from all parts of Canada to anxiously cross the days off their calendars as the time creeps closer and closer.

    UCC 10: BATTLE FOR THE BELTS 2002 will feature a double World Championship main event! Renzo Gracie's disciple, Pride and ADCC veteran SEAN ALVAREZ will go toe to toe with the newest member of Team Extreme, 6'4" - 290 pounds wrestler MIKE RADNOV. This fight will see the first time in UCC history that two athletes of such great size have faced each other... can the UCC "Ring of Fury" handle over 540 pounds of aggression? In the second main-event, UCC fight fans will have the chance to witness a first in MMA history as two Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belts will go to war with the UCC World Super Lightweight championship up for grabs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion WAGNNEY FABIANO worked his stand-up for the past two years and feels more than ready to go to war with the Challenger. BARET "THE FINISHER" YOSHIDA is currently ranked #5 in the world and guarantees he will not miss this great opportunity of becoming a world champion. This bout has captured the imagination of the entire fight community as well as the global grappling community.

    Scheduled to fight in the main event, UCC World Middleweight champion JESSE JONES will unfortunately not be able to defend his title as he has torn his triceps during training. Jones was preparing for his first defense against UCC superstar, DAVID "THE CROW" LOISEAU. Loiseau says he will train harder this summer and be even more dangerous for this fight now scheduled for September.

    The main events keep coming as UCC Canadian Light Heavyweight champion JEROMIE SILLS returns to defend his title against none other than UCC Canadian Middleweight champion STEVE "LION HEART" VIGNEAULT. These two fighters have a combined 8 knockouts in their UCC careers and are known from coast to coast as explosive striking machines. On June 15th, the bombs will fly as these two great champions meet in the ring. It will be champion vs. champion!

    UCC Canadian Welterweight champion JUSTIN "LOAF" BRUCKMANN will be in action to face up and coming star, GEORGES ST-PIERRE with the title on the line. St-Pierre is one of the top young guns in the UCC roster with his superb conditioning, massive strikes, and solid ground game but will all that be enough to overcome the proven devastation and experience of the champion?

    RICHARD "MONKEY" NANCOO swings back into action once again as he is looking for his third straight defense of the UCC Canadian Super Lightweight title. Standing in his way is Team Tompkins member, North American Kickboxing champion, and Canadian Pankration champion MARK "THE MACHINE" HOMINICK. Mark has developed quite a name for himself outside of the UCC and now is his chance to prove that he is ready to hang with the big boys of MMA.

    UCC and UFC veteran C.J. FERNANDES is back after a devastating 35 second KO win at UCC 8. He will go head to head with none other then PAIN PETERS. After investigating on some of the facts that happened between Pain Peters and a journalist of a local Ottawa newspaper, UCC President Stephane Patry decided to lift Pain's suspension and the "Bad Guy" will be able to compete and face the toughest challenge of his career. Pain has left a path of destruction behind his UCC journey and promises to bring the hurting onto Fernandes and show the fans in Hull what he's all about.

    Also in action will be the former UCC World Welterweight champion SEAN "PIMP DADDY" PIERSON as he is set to get it on with Renzo Gracie student MARK COLANGELO. Ottawa's flamboyant warrior ANDY SOCIAL will make his UCC debut when he faces golden glove boxer FREDERIC POIRIER.

    Don't miss your chance to see first hand why the UCC is the hottest ticket in Canada! Claim your spot in MMA history and claim your seats today!!!! TICKETS AVAILABLE ON TICKET MASTER (1-613-755-1111) OR AT THE ROBERT GUERTIN ARENA

    COMPLETE FIGHT CARD

    WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP - VACANT TITLE
    MIKE RADNOV (Dallas, Texas) vs. SEAN ALVAREZ (New York, New York)

    WORLD SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP - CHAMPION: W. FABIANO
    BARET YOSHIDA (Honolulu, Hawaii) vs. WAGNNEY FABIANO (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

    CANADIAN LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP - CHAMPION: J. SILLS
    STEVE VIGNEAULT (Îles de la Madeleine, PQ) vs. JEROMIE SILLS (Niagara Falls, ON)

    CANADIAN WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP - CHAMPION: J. BRUCKMANN
    GEORGES ST-PIERRE (Montreal, PQ) vs. JUSTIN BRUCKMANN (Toronto, ON)

    CANADIAN SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP - CHAMPION: R. NANCOO
    MARK HOMINICK (London, ON) vs. RICHARD NANCOO (Toronto, ON)

    WELTERWEIGHT CHALLENGE
    C.J. FERNANDES (St-Louis, Missouri) vs. PAIN PETERS (Brampton, ON)

    WELTERWEIGHT CHALLENGE
    MARK COLANGELO (New York, New York) vs. SEAN PIERSON (Toronto, ON)

    LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHALLENGE
    RICH FRANKLIN (Cincinnati, Ohio) vs. YAN PELLERIN (Sherbrooke, PQ)

    MIDDLEWEIGHT CHALLENGE
    DREW MCFEDRIEF (Moline, Illinois) vs. CLAUDE PATRICK (Toronto, ON)

    LIGHTWEIGHT CHALLENGE
    JEFF CURRAN (Moline, Illinois) vs. IVAN MENJIVAR (Montreal, PQ)

    LIGHTWEIGHT CHALLENGE
    FREDERIC POIRIER (Québec, PQ) vs. ANDY SOCIAL (Ottawa, ON)

    LIGHTWEIGHT CHALLENGE
    PHILLIPE SIMONEAU (Victoriaville, PQ) vs. STéPHANE VIGNEAULT (Îles de la Madeleine, PQ)

    By Eduardo Alonso
    MECA
    World Vale Tudo 7
    is Shaping Up

          After several problems and uncertainties, the biggest NHB event in Brazil is finally shaping up for its seventh edition. Initially scheduled for May, the promoters were forced to postpone the event on behalf of the event's main sponsor. SPORTV, the biggest sports cable network in Brazil, and part of the biggest communication group in the country, is the event's main sponsor and provides most of MECA's budget. The executives at SPORTV didn't want MECA to clash dates with the Soccer World Cup that is currently happening in Japan and Korea, because the Soccer World Cup is a huge happening in Brazil and most of the network's pay-per-view slots are being used by special broadcasts from the World Cup. This decision by SPORTV left the promoters full of uncertainties, but now things are clearing up and the event is tentatively scheduled for the first or second week of August, after the Soccer World Cup competition has ended.
          MECA promoter Rudimar Fedrigo shared some of the plans for the event's seventh edition with FCF. Although the 10,000-seat Taruma Gymnasium was initially being looked at to host the event, now it's almost certain that the event will return to the Circulo Militar's "Palacio de Cristal" gymnasium, the same place all the previous editions of MECA were held. The card is also taking shape. MECA veteran Katel Kubis, who won a fight against Marcelo Bocao from the Brazilian Top Team at MECA 5, was originally set to face Haroldo "Cabelinho," but Katel has a serious knee injury in his and the promoters are already looking for a replacement to face "Cabelinho." The fight between Ryan Gracie's student Marcelo Giudice and Luta Livre legend Eugenio Tadeu is confirmed for the card. This next edition of MECA will also see, for the second time in its history, the presence of an American fighter on the card, giving the event an international flavor. HOOKnSHOOT veteran Dave Phillips, who is already training in Brazil preparing for the event, is going to compete against a yet to be named opponent. Rudimar also went on to say that there's a good chance of Nilson de Castro returning to MECA after his impressive K-1 debut. Royler Gracie black belt Cristiano Marcelo, who lost his MECA debut to Luis Azeredo, will also be making his return to MECA. Cristiano has been training hard with the Chute Boxe team and is reported to be showing a lot of improvement lately.
          Out of all the MECA news Fedrigo shared with FCF, the two most important and intriguing items are without a doubt the NHB debut of Murilo Ninja's brother Mauricio and the presence of Pele on the card! Mauricio is said to be extremely talented, and, like his brother, he never gets tired. His opponent will probably be a Jiu-Jitsu fighter from professor Draculino. The highlight of the card will be the return of none other than Pele Landi to MECA! Landi hasn't fought since his exciting PRIDE match against Carlos Newton, where he lost to the crafty Canadian. Pele is already training hard to headline the event and, although the promoters can't mention any names as of yet, they assured FCF that the fans will have a huge surprise once they are able to announce his opponent.
          In other MECA news, the event is about to close a deal with a major Japanese pay-per-view channel and already closed a deal with a Hong Kong channel to broadcast the events. With all this good news, MECA 7 is shaping up as very interesting event and FCF will keep following the developments of the event's plans.

    From Josh Hedges/Zuffa:
    UFC banner
    ULTIMATE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP TO PRESENT
    ULTIMATE ROYCE GRACIE ON CABLE TV PAY-PER-VIEW, JUNE 16

          LAS VEGAS, JUNE 11, 2002...Just in time for Fathers Day, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will debut Ultimate Royce Gracie, a one-hour television special from its Legends of the Octagon series, at 9 p.m., EDT/ 6 p.m., PDT, Sunday, June 16, on iN DEMAND, DirecTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada pay-per-view television. The suggested retail price will be $9.95.
          Ultimate Royce Gracie will feature the first UFC, three-time tournament champion's best fights against Mixed Martial Arts legends such as Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Art Jimmerson, Gerard Gordeau and Jason Delucia. Re-plays will air throughout June and the schedule includes: iN DEMAND, June 17, 11:30 p.m. EDT/8:30 p.m. PDT, Channel iN2; June 18, 12:30 a.m. EDT/9:30 p.m. PDT, Channel iN1; June 19, 11:00 p.m. EDT/8:00 p.m. PDT, Channel iN1; June 20, 9:00 p.m. EDT/6:00 p.m. PDT, Channel iN1; 1:00 a.m. EDT/10:00 p.m. PDT, Channel iN2, and June 22, 5:00 p.m. EDT/2:00 p.m. PDT, Channel iN2.
          On DirecTV, the re-play schedule includes all-day tickets June 17-20, June 24, June 28 and June 30. On the Dish Network, re-plays are scheduled for June 16, 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT; and all-day tickets starting at 5 a.m. EDT/2 a.m. PDT on June 17, June 19, June 21, June 23, June 25 and June 28.
          The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., is the world's leading mixed martial arts sports event. It is owned and operated by Zuffa LLC and has partnerships with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) in London, England; WOWOW, Inc., in Tokyo, Japan, and Globosat Programmadora LTDA in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It also has a partnership with Crave Entertainment, which creates and markets UFC video games on PlayStation, PlayStation2, Xbox and GameCube in retail outlets and on www.ufcvideogame.com. The Ultimate Fighting Championship brings together the world's most talented mixed martial arts athletes from disciplines such as karate, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, wrestling, boxing, sumo and others in a quest to become an ultimate fighting champion. For more information, see the web site at www.ufc.tv.
    Royce will be interviewed on WTAN Radio in Tampa, FL at 1:15 pm EDT on Friday, and on MOJO Radio in Toronto, Canada at 7:15 pm EDT on Friday. If you're in those areas, be sure to tune in.

      Wednesday - June 12, 2002

    From Josh Hedges/Zuffa:
    Dana White vs. Frank Warren - Round 2

    As many of you know, British boxing promoter Frank Warren disrespected MMA and its fighters a couple weeks ago in an interview. In response to that interview, UFC President Dana White offered a $50,000 bet out of his own pocket, challenging any of Warren's fighters to take on any UFC fighter of Warren's choice.

    This Saturday, Dana White and Frank Warren will be special guests on TalkSport Radio in London. TalkSport is going to settle this dispute this Saturday on their show at 9:00 pm London time (1:00 pm on the West Coast).

    Will Mr. Warren change his tune, or will he put his money where his mouth is?

    We will update you all this weekend after the show!

    From the event's promoter:
    WFA logo

    WFA CHAMPIONS LEVEL 2 TICKET INFORMATION ON JULY 5TH, THE HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO IN LAS VEGAS IS WHERE THE FIGHT CLUB MEETS THE NIGHT CLUB!

          (Las Vegas, June 11, 2002) Promising a night of sights, pulsating sounds, and climactic thrills inside the cage, the World Fighting Alliance returns to the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on July 5th. Whether you come to see the scantily clad WFA ladies or for the hot DJ spinning your mind into submission, you will be sure to witness the next level of intense mixed martial arts fighting today. The WFA Championships: Level 2 show will provide all of the usual fanfare associated with promoter extraordinaire & MMA superstar John Lewis and the "King of the Club" John Huntington...and then some!
          At the top of the Playas list is striker Jermaine "Bamm-Bamm" Andre facing off against brawler Joey "Poncho" Villasenor for WFA's first Middleweight Championship Title bout. In the heavyweight division, MMA legend Kimo returns to action - this time to do battle with wrestling and boxing specialist Tim "the Bohemian" Lajcik. Athletes from as far away as England, Holland, and Brazil will come to provide explosive action at WFA: Level 2's, 4th of July show!
          Don't miss out on the action! Ticket prices range from $35 for standing room only (at the back bars - where some of the fighters will be mingling), with seating at $60, $80, $100, $150 and $200. Click here for a very detailed seating map. Though the highly coveted VIP couches in the mezzanine are sold out, fans will have the opportunity to enjoy the show from above via the $1000 VIP tables still available along the balcony (5 seats each, with waitress service and a direct view down at the cage). To purchase tickets, contact the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino box office at (702) 693-5000, go to any Ticket Master location, or visit www.TicketMaster.com.
          For those in need of an available place to stay, as the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is sold out, click here for some choices.
          Visit the WFA's official web site for exclusive interviews and bio information on the Playas (www.wfa.tv). For more event info, please contact Paula Romero, WFA Event Coordinator, at WFA Press@aol.com.

    From the event's promoter:
    Sept. 15
    Fight Night V The Evolution

    The Danger Zone will be taking the summer off, but will return Sept. 15 to Ft. Wayne, IN. Broadripple Place is the venue where some of the top amateur fighters across the United States and Canada come to square off.

    There will be 7 amateur tournaments, single amateur fights and one pro bout to top of the evening. Look for some top pro fighters to be on hand to sign autographs and meet the fans close up.

    This is the place to come and showcase your skills and to prepare yourself for your pro career in the sport of the decade!

    Please go to www.the-dangerzone.com and fill out a fighter application if you would like to compete in this show. You may also email Becky Levi at dzmatchmaker@yahoo.com if you have any questions concerning the event.

    Don't miss this opportunity!

    Amerisuites is the hotel and sponsor for this event.

    From the event's promoter:
    Results from
    World Extreme Cagefighting's
    "The All or Nothing Tour"

    held June 7th
    Palace Indian Gaming Center
    Lemoore, California

    Preliminary Fights
    Mike "The Hammer" Castillo def. Tim "Bad Boy" Dominguez Submission (Strikes) 1:54 R1
    Anthony Hamlett def. Caleb Mitchell Submission (Strikes) 3:45 R3

    Feature Fights
    Jason "Bigfoot" Pratt def. Jack Cardenas Submission (Strikes) 3:20 R1
    Pat "The Puppet" Minihan def. Eddie Ellis Unanimous decision after 3 rounds
    Shrek Julian def. Shannon "The Cannon" Ritch Submission (Strikes - verbal tap) 1:57 R1
    Richard "Cleat" Crunkilton def. Cruz Gomez Referee Stoppage 3:04 R1
    Cole "Apache" Escovedo def. Paul "The Apostle" Morris Submission (Triangle Choke) 0:29 R1
    Tony "The Tribal Warrior" def. Jesse Heck Submission (Strikes) 0:14 R1
    Eric Schwartz def. Glover Teixeira Submission (Strikes) 3:33 R2

    Title Fight
    Jimmy "The Wolverine" Terrell def. Travis "Praying Mantis" Doegre Submission (Strikes) 3:37 R1
    Main Event
    Aaron Brink def. Zane "Nasty" Frazier Submission (Strikes) 0:59 R1

    From Koichi "Booker K" Kawasaki:
    Additional PRIDE.21 Matches announced

    Today DSE/PRIDE announced three more matchups for PRIDE.21 on June 23rd as follows:
    • Kiyoshi Tamura (U-File Camp) vs. Bob Sapp(Maurice Smith's Kickboxing Center)
    • Gilbert Yvel (Golden Glory) vs. Jeremy Horn(Miletich Fighting Systems)
    • Anderson Silva (Chute Boxe Academy) vs. Paulo Filho(Brasilian Top Team)
    Mark Coleman is out of fight due to injury.

    Previously announced Official Line Up:
    • Don Frye vs. TBA
    • Renzo Gracie vs. Shungo Oyama
    • Semmy Schilt (Golden Glory) vs. Emelianenko Fedor(Russian Top Team)
    • Gary Goodridge vs. Labazanov Arhmed (Russian Top Team)
    • Takashi Sugiura (Prowrestling NOAH) vs. Daniel Gracie(Renzo Gracie Competition Team)
    PRIDE FC "DEMOLITION"
    Date: June 23rd, 2002
    Gate open: 2:00 PM
    Fights start: 4:00 PM
    Place: Saitama SuperArena (Ohmiya, Saitama-Pref., Japan)


      Thursday - June 13, 2002

    Flunky Vs. Junkie Boxing Match
    To Replay on E! Network Tonight
    Postfight at Flunky vs. Junky
    Front row (L-R): "Stuttering" John, Steve Weinberger, "Beetle King", Derek Panza, Don King
    Back row: "Crazy Cabbie", hot chicks, some guy, Zab Judah, hot chick

          After a couple months of hype, trash talk and training, the "Stuttering" John vs. "Crazy Cabbie" boxing match finally came to blows on May 31st at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Since John had absolutely no previous pugilistic training, he approached FCF's illustrious Mouth of NHB seeking help. He got a hold of kickboxing champion Derek Panza and Steve Weinberger (owner of Bev Francis Gold's Gym) and the trio set about making a fighter out of the beer-guzzling radio personality.
          A scant two and a half months later, John stepped into the ring at the Taj a changed man. The Mouth's bullying and badgering, Derek's boxing drills, Steve's conditioning routines, and hours of punishing sparring had paid off. John won a unanimous decision over his opponent -- who had an almost 100lb. weight advantage -- after 5 rounds. Constantly scoring with the overhand right to the grill, John impressed the judges, the fans and even his ever-critical boss Howard Stern. The event was broadcast live on Stern's morning drive time radio show and aired later that evening on his E! Channel syndicated television show.
          MMA Middleweight contender Phil Baroni joined the team the day of the fight to lend a hand in John's corner. The "New York BadAss" turned out to be quite instrumental in inspiring John in between rounds.
          Due in part to their success in training John, Derek & The Mouth have partnered up and will be opening a gym in Syosset New York in the coming months. The new facility will be geared towards private training. Many high-profile clients -- including rap stars and radio & TV personalities -- have already signed on.
          The fight is scheduled to be rerun tonight on the Howard Stern show on the E! Channel at 11:00PM & 2AM EST (check your local listings).

      Saturday - June 15, 2002

    Best of ADCC Vol. 2 DVD
    Best of ADCC Vol. 2 DVD
    More matches, more submissions, more unbelievable submission wrestling showdowns than ever!

    Witness matches from 1999 that have never been released to the public until now!

    - 1998 Carlos Newton Vs. Rodrigo Gracie
    - 1999 Ricco Rodriguez Vs. Murilo Bustamante
    - 1999 Royler Gracie shows why he is the champion!
    - 1999 Caol Uno Vs. John Lewis. who gets choked out in this one....find out!
    - 2000 Carlos Machado scores a beautiful triangle victory
    - 2000 Tito Ortiz Vs. Ricardo Arona
    - 2001 Antonio "Nino" Schembri lands one of the most brutal omaplata submissions in the history of grappling.
    - 2001 Jean-Jacques Machado Vs. T.K. Kosaka in an unbelievably, fast-paced showdown!
    - 1999 Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira makes his world debut in the U.S. Trials and faces David Dodd.
    - 2000 Matt Serra Vs. Dan Gilbert in a match from the U.S. Trials
    For FASTEST service call in your credit card order
    (516)676-0033
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    or print off the order form & mail it in with your payment

    RINGS USA Final installment
    RINGS USA Video
    The final installment of the RINGS USA series... featuring seven UFC veterans, including welterweight champion Matt Hughes and Pride standout Jeremy Horn... Muscular Jermaine Andre has a war with Japan's Masaya Kojima... and LaVerne Clark slugs it out with up-and-coming Chatt Lavender... this tape has a little of everything, from brawler Bobby Hoffman to ironman Travis Fulton... future stars Rich Franklin, Joe Doerksen and Kerry "Meat Truck" Schall are also featured.

    Lineup:

    Scott Ventimiglia vs. Joe Doerksen
    Rich Franklin vs. Travis Fulton
    Curtis Brigham vs. Naoyuki Kotani
    Zane Frazier vs. Bobby Hoffman
    Brett Al-Azzawi vs. Matt Hughes
    Chatt Lavender vs. LaVerne Clark
    Kerry Schall vs. John Dixson
    Jermaine Andre vs. Masaya Kojima
    Griffen Reynaud vs. Jeremy Horn

    Held March 17, 2001 at Harveys Casino, Council Bluffs, Iowa
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    or print off the order form & mail it in with your payment

      Monday - June 17, 2002

    Paulo Filho Out of Pride 21
    By Eduardo Alonso

          Paulo Filho has been looking forward to his PRIDE debut, unfortunately his entry to Japan's premier MMA event will have to be temporarily put on hold. The Brazilian Top Team fighter injured his knee during his last training session before leaving to Japan. Paulo says that he will take some time to heal and promises to be back in training in 3 weeks. He will most likely make his PRIDE debut as soon as he is recovered.

    Eduardo did an interview with Paulao shortly before his unfortunate injury, even though he is out of this event, you may still find it intersting....

    By Eduardo Alonso
    Heating up for PRIDE 21:
    Paulo Filho Finally Getting his Chance!

    Coming from the Brazilian Top Team and with wins over the likes of Yuki Kondo and Ikuhisa Minowa, Paulo Filho finally comes to PRIDE with some very good credentials, despite being only 23 years old. With very explosive takedowns and a dominant "Ground and Pound" game, Filho has also been training a lot of standing up fighting to improve his style and mark his name among PRIDE's top competitors. Paulao, like he is known by his teammates, knows the meaning of this opportunity for his career, and between him and his goal to establish himself in PRIDE's Middleweight division is non-other than Chute Boxe rising start Anderson Silva. The Brazilian Top Team member knows how dangerous Anderson can be, and if you add to the mix the currently well-commented Chute Boxe vs. Brazilian Top Team rivalry, you won't have to wonder a lot why many are considering this the best match on the PRIDE 21 card! On a quick conversation just two days before leaving for Japan, Paulo Filho shared with FCF his views on this fight and much more. Keep checking our news page to see what Anderson Silva has to say about the fight in the next couple of days, as FCF looks to heat us all up for PRIDE 21!

    FCF:   You have been standing out for a long time, but only now you finally got your shot at PRIDE. Were you anxious for this chance?
    PF:     PRIDE is a mega-event, and it's the biggest NHB event in the world in my opinion, so I believe it's every fighter's dream to participate at a PRIDE event, fighting with the stars of the event. This opportunity appeared and I have to confess that I'm enjoying it a lot, and I'll do everything I can to stay in the event, winning, and become one of PRIDE's great names as well.

    FCF:   Coming from the Brazilian Top Team, you get to PRIDE with some great credentials. Besides that, you already beat some top Japanese fighters, like Ikuhisa Minowa and Yuki Kondo. How do you think the Japanese public is going to react towards you?
    PF:     I'm already well known in Japan because I fought against some famous fighters from Japan, and I think that depending on my next fight things can improve or get worst for me there! (Laughs) Every time I fought in Japan, even beating Japanese fighters, I always got a good reception from the public, always talked to everybody, took pictures with the fans and stuff like that. So I think that my relation with the Japanese public is good, we don't have any problems, besides the Brazilian Top Team is very liked there, as is the Chute Boxe team too! The people in Japan are fans of the Chute Boxe team, so I think the public won't take sides on this fight and the result of the fight will be more important.

    FCF:   You have been considered by the NHB press one of the best in your weight division for a considerable amount of time. Do you think about moving up in weight a bit to pursuit the Middleweight title in PRIDE?
    PF:     My regular weight is 90 kg! And my division goes till 93kg!

    FCF:   But you used to fight with less than 90kg...
    PF: Yeah, I already fought at 85kg. This was the lightest weight I manage to fight under. But it was tough! My ideal weight is around 89 or 90kg. I'll be weighing 90kg for this fight!

    FCF:   Since you're weighing 90kg, and I know it's a bit too early to say, but how are you going to handle a title pursuit in PRIDE, with your friends Ricardo Arona and Rogerio Nogueira also fighting in the same division?
    PF:     Ricardo is a very good friend of mine, but we're professionals. I would never fight him, he is a close friend, but I think we should handle it in the best possible way. But I don't have any intentions to fight him, Rogerio, anyone from the Brazilian Top Team or even anyone from Jiu Jitsu for that matter. I don't have this sort of problems. We will sit and talk, and if the opportunity appears the title will stay with the one who deserves it more! Apart from any belts, I think this is a personal issue and I have character, so I won't ever hinder my friends in any situations like this.

    FCF:   By the way, is there anyone in special you would like to face in the future?
    PF:     I have to tell you that I respect a lot the Chute Boxe team, they are all great professionals and great athletes, but I think they could be a bit more humble. I think that they became, with time and due to all the wins, a bit arrogant. So I think that facing any fighter from the Chute Boxe team fighter is a great challenge and a great incentive for me. No matter who it is, like Vanderlei Silva, Ninja or even Anderson Silva for instance. Whatever comes my way I think it's great.

    FCF:   What about a fight against Sakuraba? You two are close in weight, and he beat a lot of Jiu Jitsu fighters in the past. Would you like to face him?
    PF:     Without a doubt! I respect Sakuraba a lot! He is the best Japanese fighter in my opinion, and he is a very courageous guy, very respected! He would be a very tough fight for any fighter, and despite the fact that I'm explosive or strong, I believe it would be a great fight! Not only against me, but against any top level fighter, because Sakuraba is among the very best in the game! So it would be a great honor for me to face him!

    Click here to continue the interview

      Tuesday - June 18, 2002

    UFC 35 Video
    UFC 35 video
    Throwdown
    Held January 11, 2002 at the Mohegan Sun, CT

    For the Lightweight Championship Title
    Jens Pulver(Champion) vs BJ Penn(Challenger)

    For the Middleweight Championship Title
    Dave Menne (Champion) vs Murilo Bustamante(Challenger)

    Heavyweight Bout
    Ricco Rodriguez vs Jeff Monson

    Light Heavyweight Bout
    Chuck Liddell vs Amar Suloev

    Middleweight Bout
    Ricardo Almeida vs Andrei Semenov

    Be sure to check out the HUGE $avings
    on UFC video packages

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    From Josh Hedges/Zuffa:
    UFC TO DEBUT ON NETWORK TELEVISION JUNE 25 ON FSN'S
    BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD 'ALL-STAR SUMMER' CELEBRATION

    Exclusive Fight Card to Introduce Ultimate Fighting to American Sports Fans

          LAS VEGAS, June 17, 2002…The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world's leading ultimate fighting sports event, will make its debut on basic cable television Tuesday, June 25, on the Fox Sports Network's Best Damned Sports Show Period "All-Star Summer" Celebration. The BDSSP's All-Star Summer will be filled with big-name guests from the worlds of sports and entertainment from June 24 to July 19. The two-hour show airs nightly at 8:00 p.m. and/or 11:00 p.m. local time on most Fox Sports Net regional sports networks, and at 10:00 p.m. and midnight on FSN Bay Area, Chicago, Florida, New England, New York and Ohio.
          BDSSP's feature match, a welterweight battle between undefeated up-and-comer Robbie Lawler (5-0-0) of Davenport, Iowa, and veteran Steve Berger (15-7-3) of St. Louis, Mo., and highlights from four other bouts will round out the coverage. The telecast marks the first time that cable audiences can see a UFC fight without a pay-per-view charge, so ultimate fighting is almost certain to have its largest audience ever.
          The fights will be videotaped at an exclusive six-fight show starting at 1 p.m., Saturday, June 22, at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. The main event will be a light heavyweight elimination bout between top contenders Chuck Liddell (9-1-0) from San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Vitor Belfort (10-2-0) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The winner will meet UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz for his title later this year. Liddell and Belfort are two of the world's top-ranked ultimate fighters. Their fight will not be aired on BDSSP or the Fox Sports Network June 25. It will air on a UFC pay-per-view television show in August.
          "Ultimate fighting is a real sport and our fighters are world-class athletes. Sports fans will now have the opportunity to see that our brand of fighting is as real as it gets," said Dana White, UFC president.
          The public can purchase tickets for the event, $150, $100, $50 and $25, at the Bellagio box office or by calling 702-693-7722 or 1-888-488-7111. Good seats are available in all price ranges. The other fights, two welterweight bouts, a middleweight fight and a lightweight match, will be a showcase of UFC talent of the future.
          Lawler made his UFC debut May 10 at UFC: High Impact in Bossier City, La., with a unanimous decision over Aaron Riley of Seattle, Wash., in a fight that most experts are calling one of the best in UFC history. Berger will be a real test for Lawler. He has the most experience of anyone on the card with 25 professional bouts. In another welterweight match, Benji Radach (11-0-0) of Olympia, Wash., will return to the Octagon to face Nick Serra (5-0-0) of Long Island, N.Y., who will make his UFC debut. He is the younger brother of lightweight contender Matt Serra. The third welterweight bout will feature two newcomers, Pete Spratt (10-4-0) of Sherman, Tex., versus Zach Light (11-1-1) of Corona, Calif., who is a member of Ortiz' Team Punishment. In the lightweight fight, newcomer Joao Pierini (5-0-0) of Redwood City, Calif., meets veteran Yves Edwards (8-5-1) of The Woodlands, Tex. Tony Fryklund (6-1-0) of Davenport, Iowa, and UFC newcomer Rodrigo Ruas (1-0-1) of Rio de Janeiro, the nephew of legendary UFC champion Marco Ruas, will meet in the middleweight division.
          The Ultimate Fighting Championship, headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., is the world's leading ultimate fighting sports event. It is owned and operated by Zuffa LLC and has partnerships with British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB) in London, England; WOWOW, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan, and Globosat Programmadora LTDA in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It also has a partnership with Crave Entertainment, which creates and markets UFC video games in PlayStation, PlayStation2, Xbox and GameCube in retail outlets and on www.ufcvideogame.com. The Ultimate Fighting Championship brings together the world's most talented ultimate fighting athletes from disciplines such as jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, boxing, wrestling and others in a quest to become an ultimate fighting champion. For more information, see the web site at www.ufc.tv.

    From UCC promoter Stephane Patry:
    Results from
    UCC 10: BATTLE FOR THE BELTS 2002

    Stephane Vigneault def. Phillipe Simoneau by Decision (Unanimous) (10:00)

    Frederic Poirier def. Andy Social by TKO (R1 - 3:11)

    Drew McFedries def. Claude Patrick by Decision (Unanimous) (10:00)

    Ivan Menjivar def. Jeff Curran by Decision (Unanimous) (15:00)

    Rich Franklin def. Yan Pelletin by Submission (armbar) (R1 - 3:12)

    Sean Pierson def. Mark Colangelo by Submission (armbar) (R1 - 4:48)

    Pain Peters def. C.J. Fernandes by Disqualification (Illegal Knee) (R1 - 2:40)

    Mark Hominick def. Richard Nancoo by KO (R3 - 2:34) and becomes the NEW UCC CANADIAN SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION - AND THE YOUNGEST CHAMPION IN UCC HISTORY!

    Georges St-Pierre def. Justin Bruckmann by Submission (armbar) (R1 - 3:53) and becomes the NEW UCC CANADIAN WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION

    Steve Vigneault def. Jeromie Sills by KO (R2 - 2:20) and becomes the NEW UCC CANADIAN LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION - FIRST ATHLETE IN MMA TO HOLD 2 TITLES IN 2 DIFFERENT WEIGHT CLASSES

    Sean Alvarez def. Mike Radnov by Submission (rear naked choke) (R2 - 3:26) and becomes the FIRST UCC WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION!

    See you at UCC 11!

      Wednesday - June 19, 2002

    From Josh Hedges/Zuffa:
    Louisiana Commission Declares
    Radach vs. Berger No-Contest

    On June 13, 2002, the Louisiana State Boxing and Wrestling Commission voted 7-0 ruling the UFC 37 welterweight bout between Benji Radach and Steve Berger to be a no-contest. The bout took place in Bossier City, Louisiana on May 10. Radach was originally declared the winner of the bout by referee stoppage due to strikes. The Berger camp filed an official protest with the commission after the fight citing that Radach used illegal techniques to win the fight.

    "After reviewing the tape of the fight, it was very clear that Mr. Radach used illegal punches to gain the decision," said Louisiana commissioner Al Topham.

    "No disrespect to Benji Radach he is a great warrior. Hopefully someday he and Steve will do it again," said Berger's manager and father, Steve Berger Sr.
    UFC Pre-Fight Events

    Just a reminder that there are several pre-fight events going on before the UFC on Saturday at the Bellagio.
    • Thursday, 5:30 pm - Las Vegas Combat Club (5880 S Valley View, just south of Russell) will be hosting an autograph session featuring Vitor Belfort, Frank Mir, Phil Baroni, Matt Hughes, and more. Check them out at http://www.lvcombatclub.com/ for more information.
    • Friday, 12:30 pm - The official UFC weigh-ins at the Laugh Trax Theater inside Palace Station.
    • Friday, 4:00 pm - UFC autograph session at Jack's Irish Pub inside Palace Station. Come meet all the fighters before this history making show. Crave Entertainment is holding a UFC videogame contest where the winner will battle Tito Ortiz on the UFC Throwdown game.

    From DSE USA/PRIDE:
    Pride FC Logo
    ALEX STIEBLING TO FIGHT
    IN PRIDE 21: DEMOLITION

    Stiebling To Replace Paulo Filho In Match Against Anderson Silva

    Los Angeles, Calif. - June 19, 2002 - PRIDE Fighting Championships announced today that Paulo Filho will be unable to fight in PRIDE: 21 DEMOLITION due to a knee injury he suffered earlier this week. Fighting in his place against Anderson Silva, is none other than Alex "Brazilian Killer" Stiebling. For more information on PRIDE FC visit www.pridefc.com
    Alex Stiebling Alex Stiebling
    ENTRY in PRIDE: 18 & 19
    HOMETOWN: Indiana, USA
    DOB: 12/26/1976
    WEIGHT: 198 lbs.
    HEIGHT: 6'1"
    FIGHTING HISTORY:
  • '01 PRIDE-18 def. Allan Goes
  • '01 PRIDE-19 def. Wallid Ismail

  • Event Information:

    PRIDE FC "DEMOLITION"
    Date: June 23rd, 2002
    Gate open: 2:00 PM
    Fights start: 4:00 PM
    Place: Saitama SuperArena (Ohmiya, Saitama-Pref., Japan)

    Pay-Per-View:
  • DIRECTV, DishNetwork, TVN (USA, June 30th Tape-Delay PPV)
  • Bell Express Vu, Viewer's Choice Canada (Canada, June 30th Tape-Delay PPV)
  • SkyPerfecTV (JAPAN, June 23rd Live PPV)

    ABOUT PRIDE FC
    Originating in Japan, Pride Fighting Championships combine the most highly skilled MMA competitions with a 21st Century entertainment philosophy to create the next generation in cutting edge sports entertainment. Pride competitions include athletes from across the globe, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Holland, and many other countries. Pride allows techniques from a myriad of martial arts and combat sports, solidifying its place as an authentic and unique fighting style that is built on tension and excitement, appealing to the growing audience of 21st Century entertainment fans.

  •   Thursday - June 20, 2002

    By Eduardo Alonso
    Heating up for PRIDE 21:
    It's party time for Renzo

          Respected by everyone in the fight game, Renzo Gracie is truly one of the nicest people you will ever meet in your life, both as a person and as a fighter. Known for not picking opponents, Renzo truly loves what he does and his passion for fighting translates into his behavior, his fighting-style and even his students. After testing himself against some of the best fighters in the world, and suffering some bumps in the road -- like against Sakuraba and Dan Henderson -- Gracie has not looked back, he continues to improve and train harder and harder to compete again, just for the sake of competing and fighting!
    Renzo Gracie       How many fighters in Renzo's position would be testing themselves so often against some of the best, even though he is out-weighed by most, if not all, of his opponents? Probably not many, but he simply doesn't care about reputations or living off of past accomplishments. Renzo Gracie just wants to be himself and do what he loves the most, and finally after several months waiting he will be back in the ring in Japan! On June 23rd, it will be party time for Renzo, as he will face Japanese fighter, KOTC and PRIDE veteran Shungo Oyama. In a conversation just two days before he left for Japan, Renzo stopped his class in New York to speak with us about his next fight, his training and his views on the fight game as FCF is feeling the heat for PRIDE 21!

    FCF:   You were always one of the most active fighters, not only from the Gracie family, but from Jiu-Jitsu in NHB as well. You're finally returning to fight in PRIDE for the first time since PRIDE 17. How was it for you to wait all this time to fight again?
    Renzo:   It sucked! I have been preparing to fight in the last three PRIDE events, since PRIDE 17. But it goes this way; maybe it was even good for me to wait a little more because I had the chance to train even more. I'm in one of the best shapes of my life, I managed to put on some weight in a lean way, with little fat, and so in the end this entire wait was satisfactory.

    FCF:   In the past you had some problems gaining weight because of your tough schedule! You train, teach classes, take care of your family and your students. How do you manage to reconcile the life of a professional fighter with all those other responsibilities?
    Renzo:   I have to do it all! I'm a father of three kids! So it's the wife, the kids, the dogs, everything. [Laughs] And I also have to train and teach classes, because I'm the main professor here. I think the major factor that drives me to do all of this is the passion I have for what I do. This makes me never feel tired, so as tired as I may get, I'm always standing up and doing what I have to do! There's no other way brother, it has to be done so we'll do it.

    FCF:   You are known for not picking opponents and always wanting to face top-level competition, like Maurice Smith, Dan Henderson, Sakuraba and Kikuta, among others. Do you get somehow frustrated when the event opts to put you against a supposedly less competitive athlete?
    Renzo:   Without a doubt I don't like it very much. Because I think that this type of fighting [NHB]... it's a chance you have to measure your skills against another competitive fighter. So, when they start to bring less expressive fighters... even though Oyama, this guy I'm going to face now, is a very tough guy! People have a bit of a wrong notion about him because they only watched the two PRIDEs he fought in. He was still very nervous there, and didn't know how to control things. But I had the chance to watch him fighting some submission wrestling against some good Japanese fighters and he gave quite a show in terms of grappling skills, some good takedowns and beautiful submissions. But unfortunately, he not only had bad luck in PRIDE but he also wasn't prepared to face an event of that size, with fighters of that importance, back then. But he is a tough guy, I have to be very careful, he strikes very hard! But without a doubt I would prefer to fight against other fighters. If I could chose, I would chose other opponents, but if the event thinks it needs to be one of those guys, I can't do anything about it.

    FCF:   Do you think that because of the name you established in NHB, and because you're a Gracie, you now will have to face almost only Japanese fighters in PRIDE?
    Renzo:   I think they try to do a show for the Japanese public. I believe when we're facing Japanese fighters, it creates bigger ticket sales. Now they're running out of options, I already went at it against almost everyone there brother. [Laughs] But they do the show for Japan, I even think this is one of the factors that when Rickson fights, he always fights against a Japanese fighter, because this is what is marketable for Japan.

    Click here to continue the interview

    From Josh Hedges/Zuffa:
    A Message to the Fans
    from UFC President Dana White

    Hey everyone,

    I want to thank all of you for your patience and support while we put this FOX show together. I know there are a million questions why we did this and why we did that. For me to explain the law BS and the politics of television would take forever. What is important right now is we are here!!! The sport will be on free TV for the first time!!

    In the last year we have got back on PPV, legal in Nevada and many other key states, played Mandalay Bay and MGM, on TV in many other countries, getting mainstream newspapers and news play and now free TV. Our sport is coming out. Over the last year my team and I have killed ourselves (literally) and worked very hard to get the UFC where it is now, and you the fans have been huge in helping!!!! Selling out Mandalay Bay two weeks after Sept 11th, coming back a month later and selling 8500 seats at MGM, selling out 10,000 seats at Mohegan, etc, etc.

    But right now is a critical time for the sport. We need to show these TV people just how many fans there are. I need all of you that read this forum every day to go to FOX's website reader board and post about how happy you are that we are on free TV!! Even if you can't get the BDSSP at your home, still let them know you're pumped that the sport is getting its dues. Then, everyone needs to tune in the day of the show and tell all your buddies to watch. This is it guys, what we have all been waiting for!!!

    Thanks for your support. See you Saturday.

    Dana White

    Links to Fox websites:
    Fox Sports

    Fox.com

      Saturday - June 22, 2002

    UFC 37.5 Results are in!

    Click here for the results and fight summaries

    By Eduardo Alonso
    Heating up for PRIDE 21:
    Another Silva on his way to PRIDE glory!

          After almost a year waiting for a chance, due to some contractual issues, Chute Boxe rising star and the guy who took away Japanese hero Hayato Sakurai his Shooto Belt is finally coming to PRIDE. Anderson Silva is the latest Chute Boxe team product to take Japan's biggest NHB event by assault and he plans to stay there for a good while. With a last name already made famous in Japan by his teammate Vanderlei Silva, Anderson is considered by many the most technical fighter in the "brawler's factory" that is known worldwide as the Chute Boxe academy. With a great jab, a very big reach and a patient, yet aggressive, and technical style of fighting he has the tools to make a name for himself in the land of the rising sun, as his teammates did before him. First scheduled to face Brazilian Top Team member Paulo Filho, the always quiet, and almost shy, Anderson Silva stopped a training section to speak with Full Contact Fighter only two days before leaving for Japan, when he still had no idea he would end up facing "The Brazilian Killa" Alex Steibling for his PRIDE debut. In this quick interview Silva spoke about his training, his dream of fighting K-1, PRIDE and much more, as FCF gets more heated than ever for what may be the best fight in PRIDE 21's card!

    FCF:   You had to wait a long time for this opportunity to fight in PRIDE. Was all this time waiting for this opportunity to finally fight in the event since PRIDE 16, due to the problems involving a contract with the UFC, leaving you impatient?
    Anderson:   No, in fact there was no such thing as getting impatient. It's a question of work and patience. We were waiting, but I was always very tranquil. I was always tranquil about it because Master [Rudimar Fedrigo] always told me that my opportunity at PRIDE would come. So the time has come and I will try to continue with my work and take my chance!

    FCF:   Even now for PRIDE 21 your fight was only confirmed a few days before the event. Did you get afraid you could end up not fighting again?
    Anderson:   I was a bit worried but thank God Master Rudimar was able to solve all the problems and issues that were making difficult my entrance at PRIDE, and the important thing is that now everything is right and we're going there to win!

    FCF:   Is it tougher to prepare without knowing for sure if you're going to fight or not? Or does your training routine doesn't change very much?
    Anderson:   My training never changes! It's getting even more intensified as my career goes on.

    FCF:   You fought in Japan before, winning twice in Shooto. Besides that you went with the Chute Boxe team for PRIDE several times. What are you expecting from the Japanese public reaction towards you?
    Anderson:   I expect the Japanese public to receive me there with a lot of joy. We already have a good relationship with the Japanese public, and my last name is also Silva! So I expect the Japanese public to receive me very well in PRIDE.

    FCF:   Another Silva is coming to PRIDE? (Laughs)
    Anderson:   For sure! (Laughs)

    FCF:   Do you feel comfortable fighting in Japan?
    Anderson:   I feel good fighting in Japan! I feel very tranquil, relaxed. I also don't have any problems with the time-zone thing. We try to get there with a good amount of time to prepare, to train there, so we get in good shape in the event. I don't have any problems at all.
    Click here to continue the interview

    By Eduardo Alonso
    "The Phenom" is Back!

    After a year's absence from the fight game, several injuries and personal problems, Vitor Belfort is finally coming back to the event where he first rose to stardom in the NHB world, the UFC! Belfort's opponent for his comeback is tough one, and "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell surely has his own plans to "welcome" Vitor. Winning or losing the Brazilian fighter plans to answer a lot of critics in this fight and show he still has the fire in his eyes when it comes to fighting. "The Phenom" is so serious about his fight that he moved to Sao Paulo and is living in a house with his trainers, literally thinking, eating and breathing fighting all day long, every day of the week. FCF had the opportunity to spend a day with Belfort and follow his training for the fight, and one thing is for sure, he is back by all means! In this conversation Vitor talked honestly about his views on the fight game, his career and the challenges he is welcoming from now on.

    FCF:   You trained a lot to face Tito Ortiz; in fact you were supposed to face him twice. What changed in your preparation now that your opponent is Chuck Liddell?
    Vitor:   Chuck is a fighter that likes to trade standing up more than Tito, so the strategy will be a bit different. I'll have to study the game a bit more and I won't have to worry that much about the double-leg takedown attempts. So I'll have to worry more about the stand up part, because I believe he is going to want to strike with punches, like crosses and hooks. I believe he will want to use those sorts of strikes more. I believe he is going to want to strike with me.

    FCF:   Tito Ortiz has been saying on the Internet how he is going to beat you, crush you and things like that once he is recovered. What do you think of those statements by him?
    Vitor:   Well, if your mouth would win the fight for you brother, whoever had the biggest mouth would win, and that's not the case. It's all about who trains more and has a better condition. I think he has a good condition, but his mouth speaks more than his acts sometimes. I think it's okay, it's his style so let him do what he wants. I have another style, I'm an athlete and I see it as a sport. I don't see it as a form of promotion or as an opportunity to please my ego. I don't have this need for self-promotion.

    FCF:   Because of all those statements from him, or even because of the fact that he is the UFC champion, do you still want to fight him after the fight was postponed twice?
    Vitor:   Man, I'll tell you something, I don't even want to talk about Tito Ortiz because he is not the one who is in-line now. I want to talk about Chuck Liddell. So, here at my training camp, my trainers like to pick fight by fight. So Tito Ortiz isn't even on my mind right now. For me he is on the "waiting-list" and Chuck Liddell is what matters right now. So we have to face Chuck Liddell, who is a great athlete, a great fighter and maybe has an even bigger potential than Tito Ortiz.
    Click here to continue the interview

    From DSE USA/Pride:
    PRIDE Licensed in Nevada

    Dear All,

    I just came back from Las Vegas. DSE got a license from Nevada State Athletic Commission. It has been almost 16 months since we applied for the license. This is the first case that a foreign company was licensed in the USA. We were very honored that it was a unanimous vote. We are going to release an official announcement through our PR firm Bender/Helper on Monday.

    Regards,
    Hideki Yamamoto

      Monday - June 23, 2002

    PRIDE 21 Results are in!

    Click here for the results

      Tuesday - June 25, 2002

    UFC/BDSSP ad

    UFC 36 Video
    UFC 36 video
    Worlds Collide
    Held March 22, 2002 at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada

    Heavyweight Championship
    Randy Couture (Champion) vs. Josh Barnett (Challenger)

    Welterweight Championship Title
    Matt Hughes (Champion) vs. Hayato Sakurai(Challenger)

    Heavyweight Bout
    Pedro Rizzo vs. Andrei Arlovski

    Light Heavyweight Bout
    Evan Tanner vs Elvis Sinosic

    Middleweight Bout
    Pat Miletich vs. Matt Lindland

    Heavyweight Preliminary Bout
    Pete Williams vs. Frank Mir

    Be sure to check out the HUGE $avings
    on UFC video packages

    For FASTEST service call in your credit card order
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    Or
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    or print off the order form & mail it in with your payment

    From Natalie Salzman at Bender/Helper Impact:
    (DSE/Pride representative)

    PRIDE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS
    SECURES NEVADA LICENSE

    Los Angeles, Calif. - June 25, 2002 - Dream Stage Entertainment today confirms that PRIDE Fighting Championships has officially been granted a license by the Nevada Athletic Commission. The first event is yet to be scheduled and will abide by all Nevada Athletic Commission guidelines.

    Details for the first official PRIDE FC event in Nevada will be announced at a later date.

    ABOUT PRIDE FC
    Originating in Japan, PRIDE Fighting Championships combine the most highly skilled MMA competitions with a 21st Century entertainment philosophy to create the next generation in cutting edge sports entertainment. PRIDE competitions include athletes from across the globe, including the United States, Japan, Brazil, Europe, Russia and many other countries. PRIDE allows techniques from a myriad of martial arts and combat sports, solidifying its place as an authentic and unique fighting style that is built on tension and excitement, appealing to the growing audience of 21st Century entertainment fans.

    The June 2002 issue of FCF is here!

    FCF New Issue In this issue...

    Rising stars shine at UFC 37: High Impact.

    An Event Grows in Vegas: Jim Genia previews UFC 37.5.

    Phil Baroni talks the talk, and, as Amar Suloev can attest, he also walks the walk. Get a taste of what the NY BadAss has to say in this month's issue.

    UFC 38: The Brawl at the Hall: As the UFC's freshman journey to Great Britain fast approaches, Jim Burman takes a look at the fight talent from "the other side of the pond."

    Oleg Taktarov has been making a splash on the silver screen, find out what the NHB pioneer has been up to in this interview by Loretta Hunt.

    The Phenom is Back, and UFC's got him. Eduardo Alonso speaks with Vitor Belfort about his impending fight with Chuck Liddell, his stint on a Brazilian reality television program and much more.

    Many thought that the Elvis Sinosic / Evan Tanner stoppage was unjustified. Find out what went through the ring doctor's mind from the doctor herself as Dr. Margaret Goodman speaks out on MMA in Vegas and her decision to stop that fight in particular.

    It's a Night of Champions in the Cage at WEF XII in Steubenville, Ohio.

    HOOKnSHOOT: Relentless becomes a submission exhibition as both Lutter and Shaolin dominate.

    The Fight Club / Night Club concept is back as WFA: Level 2 returns to Vegas. Get a preview of the action in this month's issue.

    International Coliseum Championship: underground NHB tournament action from Paranagua in Brazil.

    King Of The Cage: Revolution.

    Ring of Fury showcases closed-fist MMA matches in Massachusetts.

    In this month's SHOOTO Report, highlights some of the fights from two events held in Japan..

    Knocking out the competition: FCF's Aaron Crecy steps out from behind the computer keyboard and into the ring... not only does he live to tell about it, but he KO's his opponent.

    Tiger Schulmann's Karate: Traditional karate evolves.

    In the third part of his article on Periodization, Former AMC Pankration strength & conditioning coach Mark Ginther discusses Maximal Strength.

    Chuck Liddell BioFile: learn all about "The Iceman", everything from his most painful fighting moment (his loss to Jeremy Horn) to his childhood dream of becoming a baseball player

    Fight fans give their thoughts on the potential outcome of the Belfort vs. Liddell fight.

    In our monthly columns...
    In Matt Hume's techniques, Josh Barnett and Shannon Hooper demonstrate Knee through guard pass fake to leg catch; and in the Punchers Corner, champion kickboxer Derek Panza discusses Dropping your height.

    Every issue of Full Contact Fighter is jam-packed with fight news from the U.S. to Brazil to Japan. FCF travels the globe to bring the fights to you. Get yours today! Available at Tower Records stores around the world or by subscription...


    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
     

      Wednesday - June 26, 2002

    From Josh Hedges/Zuffa:
    U.K.'S REMEDIOS, ZIKIC COMPLETE FIGHT CARD FOR UFC: BRAWL AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL, JULY 13, IN LONDON
    4 British Fighters Now On 8-Fight Card For UFC's First European Show

          LAS VEGAS, June 26, 2002… Leigh Remedios, the United Kingdom's top lightweight Mixed Martial Arts fighter, and James Zikic, a light heavyweight contender from Watford in London, will add a decidedly British flavor to the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Brawl At Royal Albert Hall eight-fight card at 7 p.m. BST, Saturday, July 13, at Royal Albert Hall in London.
          Remedios (11-2-1 in MMA) of Ashford, Kent, England, will meet Genki Sudo (3-1-1) of Tokyo, Japan, who is one of his country's top lightweight fighters. Zikic (16-2-0) will fight undefeated Phillip Miller (13-0-0) of Hesperia, Calif. Zikic, a stand-up specialist previously trained with UFC legend Frank Shamrock in Northern California. Miller just won an eight-man World Vale Tudo tournament in Runaway Bay, Jamaica.
          UFC veterans complete the London card with top welterweight contender Gil Castillo (17-1-0) of Concord, Calif., taking on Tony DeSouza (5-1-0) of Lima, Peru, and light heavyweight Evan Tanner (7-1-0) of Gresham, Ore., meeting Vladimir Matyshenko (11-2-0) of Los Angeles, Calif.
          Undefeated British middleweight Mark Weir of Gloucester, England, will put his 16-0-0 record on the line when he meets Eugene "The Wolf" Jackson (11-4-0) of East Palo Alto, Calif. A heavyweight showdown will be between undefeated Frank Mir (4-0-0) of Las Vegas, Nev., and top-ranked British heavyweight Ian Freeman (12-5-0) of Sunderland, England. Light heavyweight Elvis Sinosic (4-5-1) of Syndney, Australia, will meet Renato "Babalu" Sobral de Cunha (9-1-0) of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in another feature match.
          The main event will be the long-awaited re-match for the UFC welterweight championship. Champion Matt Hughes (26-3-0) of Hillsboro, Ill., will defend his belt against former champion Carlos Newton (10-5-0) of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Hughes captured the welterweight crown Nov. 2, 2001, at UFC 34: High Voltage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with a controversial knockout of Newton. Hughes picked him up as he was attempting a triangle choke and slammed him to the mat. The force knocked out Newton just as Hughes went unconscious from the choke. Referee John McCarthy separated the fighters and awarded the victory to Hughes. Many thought Newton won.
          Hughes defended his title March 22 at UFC 36: Worlds Collide at the MGM Grand Garden Arena with a fourth round technical knockout of legendary Japanese fighter Hyato Sakurai. Newton last fought on February 24 in Japan where he defeated highly ranked Brazilian striker Jose "Pele" Landi-Jones by arm bar submission.
          Tickets for Brawl At Royal Albert Hall, 100 pounds sterling, 75 pounds sterling and 50 pounds sterling, are now on sale at the Royal Albert Hall box office in London, at all Ticket Master outlets in the United Kingdom, by calling Ticket Master at 011-44-020-7316-4709, or on the internet at www.ticketmaster.com.
          Brawl At Royal Albert Hall also will be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America and Brazil on Sky Box Office, iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu, Viewers Choice Canada and Globosat Programmadora LTDA pay-per-view television. It also will be televised on WOWOW-TV in Japan. The fight will be televised live at 7 p.m. BST on Sky Box Office in the U.K. and Ireland and on tape delay at 10 p.m. EDT /7 p.m. PDT on iN DEMAND and 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PDT on DIRECTV in North America. The suggested retail price in North America is $29.95, and in the U.K., 14 pounds sterling. U.K. fight fans also can view "Ultimate Fighting Championship," a weekly, two-hour show that airs at 10 p.m. each Thursday on British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB).
    LIDDELL DEFEATS BELFORT
    BY UNANIMOUS DECISION;
    TO MEET ORTIZ FOR
    UFC LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE

    Lawler Stops Berger In Co-Main Event
    For Fox Net's Best Damned Sports Period

          LAS VEGAS, June 26, 2002….Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight Chuck Liddell became the top contender for Champion Tito Ortiz' title with a unanimous decision over Vitor Belfort last Saturday, June 22, before a sellout crowd of 3,779 at Bellagio. Both fighters were cautious the first two rounds before Liddell caught Belfort with a hard right hand at 3:45 of the third round and knocked him down. Judges Abe Belardo and Cecil Peoples favored Liddell, 30-27, while Marcos Rosales had it 29-28 for Liddell.
          "I knew I could catch him sooner or later, and I did. Tito is a good friend, but at fight time, it will be different," Liddell said.
          Ortiz said the same thing in a post-fight interview.
          "Chuck and I used to train together. But, the Octagon is mine and I will protect it," he said.
          Liddell of San Luis Obispo, Calif., ran his Mixed Martial Arts record to 10-1-0 while Belfort is now 10-3-0. The Liddell-Belfort elimination bout was the main event of a six-fight card that was produced for the FOX Sports Network's Best Damned Sports Show Period All-Star Summer Celebration. Four of the fights, excluding Liddell-Belfort, aired yesterday on the cable network show, the first time a UFC event has ever been on basic cable television. The Liddell-Belfort fight will air in its entirety on a UFC pay-per-view show in August.
          In the main event for BDSSP, powerful, Welterweight puncher Robbie Lawler (6-0-0) of Davenport, Iowa, hit veteran Steve Berger (15-7-3) of St. Louis, Mo., with a wicked right followed by a devastating left at :27 of the second round for a TKO to remain undefeated. Lawler has won both of his fights in the UFC in a little over a month. On May 10, he defeated Aaron Riley by unanimous decision in Bossier City, La.

          In other fights that were highlighted on BDSSP:
          Welterweight Pete Spratt (11-4-0) of Sherman, Tex., defeated Zach Light (11-2-1) of Corona, Calif., at 2:25 of the first round due to tapout by an armbar.
          Welterweights Benji Radach (12-0-0) of Olympia, Wash., and UFC newcomer Nick Serra (5-1-0) of Long Island, N.Y., went the distance before Radach won a three-round, unanimous decision.
          Middleweight Tony Frycklund (7-1-0) of Davenport, Iowa, defeated UFC newcomer Rodrigo Ruas (1-1-0) of Rio de Janeiro by referee's decision at 3:34 of the second round. Frycklund dominated the fight, got in Ruas' guard and ended it with a flurry of punches.
          In the opener, veteran Yves Edwards (9-5-1) of the Woodlands, Tex., welcomed Joao "Pierini" Marcos (5-1-0) of Redwood City, Calif., to the UFC with a headkick at 1:19 of the first round. The kick knocked Marcos down and he couldn't recover. The referee stopped the fight when Marcos couldn't defend himself. Edwards won by TKO.
          The next UFC fight event will be the Brawl At Royal Albert Hall Saturday, July 13, at Royal Albert Hall in London, England. In the main event, Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes (26-3-0 in Mixed Martial Arts) of Hillsboro, Ill., will defend his title in the long-awaited re-match with former champion Carlos Newton (10-5-0) of Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. Tickets for the eight-fight card, 100 pounds sterling, 75 pounds sterling and 50 pounds sterling, are on sale now at the Royal Albert Hall box office in London, at all Ticket Master outlets in the United Kingdom, by calling Ticket Master at 011-44-020-7316-4709, or on the internet at www.tcketmaster.co.uk.
          Brawl At Royal Albert Hall also will be available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America and Brazil on British Sky Broadcasting (BskyB), iN DEMAND, DirecTv, Dish Network, Bell ExpressVu, Viewers Choice Canada and Globosat Programmadora LTDA pay-per-view television. It also will be televised on WOWOW-TV in Japan. The fight will be televised at 7 p.m. (BST) on BskyB in the U.K. and Ireland and on a tape-delayed basis in the other countries. Viewing times will be announced. The suggested retail price in North America is $29.95 and in the U.K., 14 pounds sterling.

    From Susumu's Gallery:
    Susumu's Gallery Update

    Susumu's photo

    Hello,

    We have added 29 photo images from Pride 21 held on June 23rd.

    Please enjoy!

    Susumu's Gallery:
    http://come.to/susumu

    From the event's promoter
    Mohr Sports   WFA logo


    WFA CHAMPIONSHIPS: LEVEL 2
    ATTRACTING TOP CABLE SPORTS CHANNEL

    JAY MOHR OF ESPN's "MOHR SPORTS" TO ATTEND JULY 5th SHOW

          Las Vegas, NV (June 25, 2002)- For the first time ever, ESPN will feature a professional mixed-martial arts production on prime time. Final preparations are underway for the WFA's highly-anticipated second installment, to be held at the magnificent Hard Rock Hotel and Casino over America's most patriotic holiday weekend. Continuing to take the sport to the next level & attracting the attention of the world, this WFA event will be covered by ESPN's own Jay Mohr. Mohr, the host of Mohr Sports, will be on hand with his television cameras in tow to observe and participate in what is sure to be an electrifying night of mixed martial arts action. (air date to be announced soon) And with seven scheduled bouts touting the sport's hottest talent from around the world, Mohr will not leave disappointed.

          In the main event, sparks will fly in the WFA's first-ever middleweight championship as Thai/kick-boxer supreme Jermaine "Bamm-Bamm" Andre locks horns with New Mexican scrapper Joey "Pancho" Villaseñor. Coming in fresh from two back-to-back wins at the King of the Cage, will Andre be able to bring "Pancho Villa's" winning streak to a screeching halt?

          In the co-main event, the legendary heavyweight brawler Kimo makes his return to the cage after a four-year hiatus. Facing him will be the always-tough Tim Lajcik. Will the "Bohemian's" wrestling and boxing prowess be too much for the Hawaiian behemoth?

          Jay Mohr, an accomplished film and television actor/comedian, might be remembered best for his uncanny performance as a sleazy sports agent opposite Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire as well as for co-starring as a diligent reporter tracking the path of a good-deed-epidemic in Pay It Forward with Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt. He often guest hosts on premiere radio's Jim Rome Show and is a regular guest on the nationally syndicated Opie & Anthony Show out of New York, and on L.A.'s number one and also nationally syndicated morning show, KROQ's Kevin & Bean. Most recently, Mohr starred in the highly acclaimed television show Action, before heading into the field of sports journalism. Mohr Sports, which airs weekly for the sports channel juggernaut (check your local listings for air times), will have its cameras rolling for an upcoming segment focused on America's most promising new sport. Mohr will capture all the fervor of this burgeoning sport and its fighters, and production plans include him getting in on the action himself! In order to give a better view into the world of WFA mixed-martial arts fighting, Jay has asked to be part of a fighter's camp. (fighter yet to be determined) He will train along with the fighter during fight week, accompany the fighter in his dressing room for warm-up and ultimately be in the fighter's corner. The World Fighting Alliance warmly welcomes Mohr and his crew to "where the fight club meets the night club!"

          July 5th is almost upon us! Don't miss out on the next level in MMA competition. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased through the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino's box office (702-693-5000) and through all Ticketmaster locations (www.ticketmaster.com). Ticket prices range from $35 to $200, with VIP 5-Seat table seating for $1000. Visit the WFA's official web site for ticket breakdowns, seating chart, and exclusive interviews and bio information on the entire card (www.wfa.tv).

          For more event information, please contact Paula Romero, WFA Marketing & Promotions at WFA Press@aol.com.

      Thursday - June 27, 2002

    From the event's promoter:
    Extreme Trials Set for
    Ohio Event in July

    Extreme Trials poster       The Extreme Trials, one of the nation's longest-running amateur MMA events, will return to Ohio on July 20 with a show near Cincinnati.
          Featuring tournament competition in five weight divisions, the Extreme Trials will take place at Spears Boxing School in Mt. Healthy, Ohio.
          "This is the third time we've held the Trials in Ohio and all of the events have produced solid talent," said promoter Monte Cox.
          Winners in each division -- 150-under, 170-under, 190-under, 210-under and heavyweight -- will earn berths to the MMA Nationals at the end of the year. Winners of the Nationals earn pro contracts to fight for Extreme Challenge and Super Brawl. So far, five fighters who have competed in the Trials have advanced to the UFC, the latest being Robbie Lawler.
          Tickets for the event, which will start at 7:30 p.m., are available at New Generation Fitness in Middletown, Ohio... call 513 727-8089 or 513 205-2762 for more information.

    From the event's promoter:
    KING OF THE CAGE:
    DOUBLE CROSS!

    Be there on August 2nd as "King of the Cage" returns to the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, California for "King of the Cage: Double Cross."

    Main Events:

    KOTC Light-Heavyweight World Title Match
    Vernon "Tiger" White (Champion)
    Vs.
    Mike Rogers (#1 Contender)

    KOTC Lightweight World Title Match
    Javier "Showtime" Vazquez (Champion)
    Vs.
    TBA

    KOTC Middleweight World Title match
    Dean "The Machine" Lister (#1 Contender)
    Vs.
    Brendon Seguin (#2 Contender)

    More matches to be announced soon!

    See it Live! For tickets contact: TicketMaster

    "King of the Cage: Double Cross" will be available on Pay Per View via TVN & the Dish Network


    Check Your Local Listings.

    * Fight Card Subject to Change

    From the event's promoter:
    CAGE FIGHTS ARE COMING TO ATLANTA!!!
    BRING IT ON!
    World Extreme Fighting Championship

    Cobb County Civic Center (Hudgin's Hall)
    Saturday, June 29
    7:30 pm (Doors open at 6:30 pm)

    Cage Fights To Rock Atlanta

    Bring It On! World Extreme Fighting Championship I will rock Atlanta on June 29 at the Cobb County Civic Center. This no-holds-barred event will feature top-level competition inside a 30-foot steel cage.

    The style of contest is known as "mixed martial arts", or no-holds-barred fighting. Contestants can use boxing, kickboxing, juijitsu and wrestling moves to win their matches.

    Ten fights* are slated for the evening. The ISCF Lightweight Champion, Cam McHargue from Macon, GA, will enter the cage against Miami's Patrick Assalone for the World Extreme Fighting Championship Lightweight (170 lbs.) Title. Both fighters are well versed in all aspects of reality fighting, but McHargue favors muay tai kickboxing while Assalone has been studying shoot fighting under international champion Eric Paulson.

    Jeff Monson will make his comeback after a tough fight in the UFC (Ultimate Fight Championships). He will fight against Athens' Forrest Griffin in the Heavyweight division (225 lbs.). Monson has changed training camps to Ft. Lauderdale's American Top Team in hopes that the elite juijitsu training, which is ATT's trademark, will pay off in the "Win" column of his record. Griffin is quickly making a name for himself. Griffin went the distance against the legend Dan "The Beast" Severn. That is the only loss on his fight record.

    Area fighters on the card include Walter "PeeWee" McCall, Shaun Gay, Mike Nelson, and Rory Singer. Fighters are coming from as far away as Brazil to take part in this competition.

    This event is sanctioned by the ISCF (International Sport Combat Federation.)

    *Fight card is subject to change. ###

    Ticket Info
    NO SURCHARGES ON ADVANCE TICKET PURCHASES!
    Tickets on sale now.
    Advance purchased tickets may be picked up at the venue June 28 or 29 (starting at noon both days). Tickets will not be mailed. Credit card used for the purchase and a valid ID are necessary to pick up tickets.

    1-800-345-5047 EVENT ACCESS CODE 06

    At the venue June 28 and 29 (Sales start at noon)

    $20 General Admission; $35 Lower stands; $45 Ringside; $100 VIP

    Sanctioning
    This event is sanctioned by the ISCF.

    Cobb County Civic Center (Hudgin's Hall)
    548 S. Marietta Parkway
    Marietta, GA

      Saturday - June 29, 2002

    Ultimate Wrestling Jens poster
    Jens Returns to the Ring Tonight!

    Minnesota Fighting Championships
    Saturday, June 29, 2002 -- Doors open at 6:30pm
    First fight is at 8pm
    Spikers Bar & Beach Club
    7651 NW Hwy 65
    763-717-4190

    UFC Lightweight Champion
    Jens Pulver
    - VS -
    Robert Emerson
    (Marco Ruas Vale Tudo)

    - Also Local Fighters -
    • Travis Wiuff
    • Jamie Schell
    • Andy Kemp
    • Daryl Guthmiller
    • Jeremy Larson
    • Amy Pitan
    • John Alexander
    • Sgt. Steve Freidrichs
    • Jeff Rol
    • Salvador Ortega
    • Bill Tesdale
    • Debbi Purcell (from Marco Ruas School)
    AND MUCH MORE! 16 BOUTS IN ALL!

    Jens will fight Robert Emerson (5-0 record) who trains under Marco Ruas. Also on the card right now is Travis Wiuff vs Kevin Jordan from Superbrawl Debbi Purcell is fighting Amy Pitan Andy kemp will be making his 1st appearence since Feb. when he ko'ed his opponent in 3 seconds with a high kick to the mouth.

    Other fighters appearing on the card will be Jamie Schell, Daryl Guthmiller (Dave Menne's camp), Jeremy Larson, John Alexander and many more!

    Doors open at 6:30, Fights start at 8:00 p.m.

    Tickets available through TicketMaster call 651-989-5151

    For Ticket Information Call 763-576-3089

    Good seats going fast! Call now!!

    An official IFC Press Release:
    U.S. HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT
    ADDED TO IFC WARRIORS CHALLENGE XVII

    Warriors Challenge 17 poster Paul Buentello vs. Racky Batastini will be fighting for the vacant U.S. Heavyweight Championship at the IFC's Warriors Challenge XVII card on July 12th. The show is taking place at Eagle Mountain Casino just outside Porterville, CA.

    Tickets can be purchased at the casino or by calling (800) 903-3353.

    IFC United States Heavyweight Championship Fight

    Paul Buentello
    Amarillo, TX
    240lbs/6'2"
    American Kickboxing Academy
    Former IFC U.S. Super HeavyweightChampion

    vs.

    Rocky Batastini
    Reno, NV
    264lbs / 6'2"
    Wrestling/Karate

    Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 14 Results
    By Loretta Hunt

    In front of a feverish, capacity crowd, Louis Neglia and Ray Longo's popular Long Island fight show quickly unfolded last night in Plainview -- and a solid evening of action it was. Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 14 boasted a myriad of local tri-state area talent -- competitors came from as far away as Pennsylvania to get their shot in the ring. The stacked line-up included three kickboxing and five Muay Thai bouts, including one jolting female match-up. Although there were two last minute fight cancellations, three freestyle mixed martial arts exhibitions still rounded out the card -- a great representation for a show that touts itself mainly as a kickboxing show. With an estimated 800 or so hungry fans attending, the "fight scene" grows leaps and bounds thanks to reputable shows like this one. Here are the results:

    Pro USKBA Lightweight World Championship
    Tim Lane def. Tommy Rodriguez- Split Decision (10 Rounds)

    Pro Middleweight Bout
    Chris "the Cannon" Wagner def. Michael Corleone- Unanimous Decision (5 Rounds)

    Freestyle Mixed Martial Arts Exhibition
    Jose Rodriguez def. Kaream Ellington- TKO (Referee stoppage due to strikes) 1:00 Rd 1

    Pro Muay Thai Bout
    Shennon Maceo def. Ali Davis- TKO (Verbal Submission) :55 Rd 1

    Freestyle Mixed Martial Arts Exhibition
    Pete "Drago" Sell def. Rob Biegley- Decision (10 minute time limit)

    Muay Thai Bout
    Dave Tirelli def. Judah Ciervo- Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds)

    Freestyle Mixed Martial Arts Exhibition
    Nardu Debrah def. Themi Papadimitriou- Decision (10 minute time limit)

    Muay Thai Bout
    William Hamilton def. Derrick Riddick- Split Decision (3 Rounds)

    NYS Muay Thai Championship
    Steve Berkolayko def. Ed Nobrega- Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds)

    Women's Muay Thai Bout
    Mai Munah Holland def. Khara Clendenon- TKO (Referee stoppage due to strikes) :58 Rd 3

    Battle of the Middleweights
    Michael Saracino def. Michael Giordano- Unanimous Decision (3 Rounds)

    Muay Thai Bout
    Jose Montez def. Jeff Ciervo- Majority Decision (3 Rounds)

    Full coverage in the upcoming issue of FCF.

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