Thursday, April 30, 2009
Demian Maia vs Nate Marquardt UFC 102 fight set for Aug. 29
Middleweight standouts, Nate Marquardt (28-8-2) and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Demian Maia (10-0), are set to collide at UFC 102 from The Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, on August 29, according to Maia’s official site.
Marquardt is coming off a big win over Wilson Gouveia (12-5) at UFC 95, finishing the bout in the third round via technical knockout with a thrilling combination that looked like it had been lifted from a video game.
It was impressive to say the least.
Before that he demolished Martin Kampmann, beating him at his own game (the stand up) and forcing the Dane to rethink his career at 185 pounds and make the drop to welterweight.
Maia has been impressive in his own right as of late, too.
He has remained undefeated throughout his professional mixed martial arts career, winning five straight bouts inside the Octagon and earning four “submission of the night” bonuses during that span. His list of victims includes submission victories over the likes of Chael Sonnen (21-10-1), Nate Quarry (11-3) and Jason McDonald (21-12), among others.
It’s safe to say Marquardt will do best to avoid going to the ground if possible against Maia.
With a win here both fighters would have a good case to argue for a title shot against 185-pound kingpin Anderson Silva (24-4). However, they may have to get in line and wait behind the winner of Dan Henderson (24-7) vs. Michal Bisping (18-1) — the two coaches from The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) are set to square off at UFC 100 on July 11.
UFC 102 is expected to feature a main event between Randy “The Natural” Couture locking horns with Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in a dream match-up that most fans expected to see before Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir played spoiler roles in the opening round of the mini heavyweight tournament created in late 2008 to crown an undisputed division champion.
Also slated for the main card is perennial light heavyweight contender Keith Jardine (14-5-1) who has been tapped to replace Forrest Griffin in a 205-pound slugfest against hard-hitting Brazilian import Thiago Silva (13-1).
Jose Canseco vs. Hong Man Choi At DREAM 9
Jose must really need money to step into the ring with a 7 foot guy that can fight.
Does Jose Canseco remember his fight vs Vai Sikahema? Canseco got his ass handed to him. This is the same guy that fought to a draw with former child actor Danny Bonaduce. Bonaduce walked up to the ring smoking a cigarette.
I like a good freak show fight from time to time but Hong Man Choi is a fair quality fighter and should make quick work of Jose Canseco.
This fight will be part of Japanese-based DREAM organization’s open-weight tournament that features, among others, UFC veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, K-1 star Bob Sapp and the Minowaman himself.
DREAM 9, which also features the second round of the organization’s featherweight grand prix and a middleweight title fight between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Jason “Mayhem” Miller, takes place May 26th at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan
Does Jose Canseco remember his fight vs Vai Sikahema? Canseco got his ass handed to him. This is the same guy that fought to a draw with former child actor Danny Bonaduce. Bonaduce walked up to the ring smoking a cigarette.
I like a good freak show fight from time to time but Hong Man Choi is a fair quality fighter and should make quick work of Jose Canseco.
This fight will be part of Japanese-based DREAM organization’s open-weight tournament that features, among others, UFC veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, K-1 star Bob Sapp and the Minowaman himself.
DREAM 9, which also features the second round of the organization’s featherweight grand prix and a middleweight title fight between Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Jason “Mayhem” Miller, takes place May 26th at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan
X1 in Kona
Main Event
135lbs Pro World Title Match
KANA HYATT vs VAN OSCAR PENOVAROFF
Co Main Event
160lbs Pro MMA Match
ALEKA RINCON vs DOMINIC AHNEE
145lbs Pro MMA Match
DIRTY DAVE MORENO vs JUSTIN MERCADO
SHW Pro MMA Match
PAT FUGA vs MARK "DA BEAR" SMITH
145lbs Kick Boxing Title Match
SPENCER HIGA vs PENI TAUFAAO
155lbs Amateur MMA Match
KEVIN SOONG vs IKAIKA MOORE
155lbs Amateur MMA Match
TYLER KAHIHIKOLO vs WYATT LEONG
155lbs Amateur MMA Match
JAVIN SANTOS vs ROHAN NANTON
135lbs Amateur MMA Match
TIMOTHY MEEKS vs NICK GERSABA
145lbs Amateur MMA Match
LEVI AGCALON vs TBA
XMA Match
KAEO MYER vs MALU
145lbs Amateur MMA Match
DANIEL FRIEND vs KILEY TANIOKO
145lbs Match Exhabition
SANG VAN vs ROBERT MIDEL
Kick Boxing Amateur Match
NICOLAI WASSMAN vs NAINOA DUNG
MMAHAWAII
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Kit Cope Faces Andy Wang At War Gods 5
UFC and Pride FC vet Vernon “Tiger” White will now face Canadian ECC Lightweight Champion Lew Polley at Wargods “Five” at the Viejas Casino in Alpine, California. Lew Polley (IFL) fights for Team Quest. Polley is looking to establish himself as a top contender for Wargods’ vacant Light Heavyweight belt. However, before he can do that he must get past “Tiger” White.
The televised card will start with a four man elimination tournament that will finish up June 20th back at Viejas Casino crowning Wargods’ First Lightweight Champion. In the first bracket, Kit Cope will face once TUF house member, Andy Wang. Skilled vet, David Gardner, to take on San Diego favorite, Joe Duarte; featured on Spike TV’s Ultimate Fighter reality show.
WarGods V
Date: May 30, 2009
Location: Alpine, CA
Main Event
Vernon “Tiger” White 26-32-2 vs Lew Polley 9-2-0
(Polley replaces injured Josh Haynes )
WarGods 4-Man Lightweight Tournament - 1st Round
Kit Cope 2-4-0 vs Andy Wang 6-7-0
David Gardner 11-6-0 vs Joe Duarte 4-1-0
Lightweight Tournament Alternate Bout
Bryan Travers 11-1-0 vs Tom Belt 6-2-0
Tarec Saffiedine 4-0-0 vs Ashe Bowman 9-6-0
Mike Moreno 5-2-0 vs Derek Thornton 4-10-0
Salah Zabian 1-2-0 vs Tony Johnson 3-1-0
Bailey Byne 0-0 vs Joey Gibran Alvarez 0-0
Ryan Shamrock 1-1-0 vs TBA
MMATKO
Nick Diaz vs Scott Smith added to June 6 Strikeforce card
Strikeforce announced today that former Elite XC fighters and new Strikeforce acquisitions Nick Diaz (19-7) and Scott Smith (15-5) are confirmed for a special 180-pound showdown during the live Showtime telecast of Strikeforce: “Lawler vs. Shields” from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis , Mo., on June 6.
Diaz (19-7) is coming off perhaps the biggest win of his career on April 11. The former UFC welterweight stopped promotion pillar Frank Shamrock via second round TKO in the main event of “Shamrock vs. Diaz” in the first Strikeforce event since putting its new Pro Elite acquisitions to work.
From Diaz:
“I think this is a great fight for me, but I really hate that (Smith) brings his kids to every one of his fights because now I’m going to be made out to be the bad guy or some sort of villain after I beat him up. At the end of the day, I’m going to do what I have to do though and take him out.”
“Hands of Steel” lived up to his nickname earlier this month by knocking out the hard hitting Benji Radach with a little over a minute remaining in their three round slugfest. Smith was battered and bloodied, but refused to back down and stunned “Razor” — and the rest of the crowd with his thrilling come-from-behind win.
Now the two biggest winners from April 11 will meet on June 6 for a chance to crown themselves the King of St. Louis — and perhaps San Jose — now that Strikeforce elder statesman Frank Shamrock has dropped two straight.
mmamania
Diaz (19-7) is coming off perhaps the biggest win of his career on April 11. The former UFC welterweight stopped promotion pillar Frank Shamrock via second round TKO in the main event of “Shamrock vs. Diaz” in the first Strikeforce event since putting its new Pro Elite acquisitions to work.
From Diaz:
“I think this is a great fight for me, but I really hate that (Smith) brings his kids to every one of his fights because now I’m going to be made out to be the bad guy or some sort of villain after I beat him up. At the end of the day, I’m going to do what I have to do though and take him out.”
“Hands of Steel” lived up to his nickname earlier this month by knocking out the hard hitting Benji Radach with a little over a minute remaining in their three round slugfest. Smith was battered and bloodied, but refused to back down and stunned “Razor” — and the rest of the crowd with his thrilling come-from-behind win.
Now the two biggest winners from April 11 will meet on June 6 for a chance to crown themselves the King of St. Louis — and perhaps San Jose — now that Strikeforce elder statesman Frank Shamrock has dropped two straight.
mmamania
‘Minotauro’ Nogueira healthy and ready for Randy Couture at UFC 102
Quoteworthy:
“I wasn’t getting to take the fight to the floor. I had an injury two weeks before the fight when I went to USA. I had my knee hurt and tore my meniscus and it messed up my standing training and takedowns. My knee displaced many times during the fight. I wasn’t well at all. I wasn’t 100%. Now it’s time to train harder and face Randy.”
Staph infection wasn’t the only malady the plagued former UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira during his losing title defense against Frank Mir at UFC 92: “The Ultimate 2008” back in December. The Brazilian indicates that he was also nursing a knee injury, which required surgery to repair after the lopsided beating. He was apparently seriously messed up, which might help better explain his most recent outing — he was finished for the first time ever in his illustrious career via technical knockout in the second round. It was a feat that Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Mirko Cro Cop and even “The Beast” Bob Sapp have been unable to accomplish. Perhaps most surprising is that Mir — a Brazilian jiu-jitsu blackbelt — schooled Nogueira in the stand up — an aspect that Nogueria appeared to have the advantage heading into the fight. That was certainly not the case. Now healthy, Nogueira is set to face another former champion and legend of the sport, Randy Couture, at UFC 102 on August 28. With his health issues seemingly resolved, can he climb back to the top of the division heap or have his brutal days in PRIDE taken their toll on his body and career?
ANDERSON SILVA VS FORREST GRIFFIN AT UFC 101
UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has been heavily criticized for his most recent performances, lackluster affairs against Patrick Cote and Thales Leites. He and his camp have become vocal about wanting bigger challenges.
It appears that his boss has been listening. UFC president Dana White on Tuesday informed Yahoo! Sports that the champion will take part in the co-main event of UFC 101 when the promotion lands in Philadelphia on Aug. 2. His opponent will be inaugural Ultimate Fighter winner and former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.
“Forrest loved the idea and said he’d do it right away, and Anderson told me he would fight anyone I wanted him to fight, no matter who it is,” White told Yahoo! Sports. “So we got the deal.”
The fight fits right in with desires of Silva and his camp.
"I just think Anderson wants to be involved with the biggest fights possible and the biggest fights that the UFC can put together. If it's at 205, 185 or if it's at some catchweight, it doesn't make a difference," Silva's manager Ed Soares told MMAWeekly.com recently. "He's got four fights left on his contract and he wants to make them the biggest fights possible. He wants to leave a legacy behind."
With the recent criticism of Silva putting a damper on his draw as a headliner, the bout with Griffin will give him a chance to win back fans and headline pay-per-view fight cards. UFC 101, however, will be headlined by lightweight champion B.J. Penn's title defense against No. 1 contender Kenny Florian.
Griffin had initially expected to face Thiago Silva at UFC 101, but the bout with Anderson Silva is obviously a higher profile opportunity. It is unclear what will happen with Thiago Silva at this point, as he has recently been training for the Griffin bout.
Was Silva's postfight interview lost in translation?
A few weeks ago, as I interviewed Takeya Mizugaki through a translator, I thought about how the translator was truly the person in power. Since his translator is also the manager, if he didn't like what Mizugaki was saying, he could easily change it. Not knowing Japanese, I wouldn't have a clue if he did, and neither would Mizugaki, who doesn't speak English.
According to Fight Network, that is exactly what Ed Soares, Anderson Silva's translator and manager, did on Saturday after Silva's uninspiring win over Thales Leites:
Silva goes on to say that he believes it was a good fight and that he can not always make the fans happy. His tone shifts as he says, "not everyone (referencing the crowd) understands what they are watching." He continues by telling the people in attendance that they can boo if they want, they can do whatever they want, since it is they (the fans) who pay his salary ... If you recall the translation Ed Soares gives, he says that Anderson Silva apologizes for his performance, this is not true, Silva did not apologize. In fact Silva goes back for a second question and declares that he did his job in the octagon ... Silva reasserts that he did what was expected of him, then says to the crowd, "I'm not here to show I'm better or worse than anyone, I did my job, unfortunately we can't always do what you want, that's all there is to it."
I've always been wary of fighters providing their own translators, because with ignorance of Portugese, Japanese or any other language spoken in the cage, the fighters, fans and media are at the mercy of the translator. If what the Fight Network says is true, Soares was looking out for Silva's business interests in the cage, but not truly communicating what Silva thought of his own performance. This is not fair to Silva, or the people who just spent the time and money to watch him fight.
The problem with this is that after this fight, many people were asking why Silva performed as he did, including Dana White. Silva gave us the answer in his postfight interview, but Soares chose not to share it.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Rich Franklin reportedly training with Anderson Silva for UFC 99 bout against Wanderlei Silva
Nothing personal, just business.
Former UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin is calling on the man who dethroned him, current 185-pound deity Anderson Silva, to help prepare him for Wanderlei Silva at UFC 99 according to the Journal-News.com.
Franklin (24-4) is coming off a split decision loss to Dan Henderson at UFC 93 in a monster 205-pound showdown from the O2 Arena in Dublin, Ireland, back on January 17.
Prior to being edged out by Hendo, “Ace” was perfect inside the Octagon, save for two crushing defeats at the hands of “The Spider” at UFC 77: “Hostile Territory” back in 2007 and UFC 64: “Unstoppable” a year before that.
Franklin may be a gifted striker and former UFC champ, but he’s not taking any chances against “The Axe Murderer” come June 13 — even if it means putting an end to the recent happy-talk between him and Wanderlei.
Despite their upcoming throwdown, the two enjoyed the typical schmaltzy love-fest that some fighters employ to show how much they respect their opponent, including praise of their skills, etc. Franklin even had plans to train at Wandy’s gym in Las Vegas following their fight.
If this report is accurate, Wanderlei may soon renege on that invitation.
Wandy was critical of Anderson Silva’s most recent performance against Thales Leites at UFC 97, and prior to that declared war on the “cocky” champ after Anderson said Wandy was “pretentious” for moving down to middleweight for a possible piece of the 185-pound pie.
I also heard that Ed Soares was spreading rumors about him during study hall.
Anyway, Anderson and Wanderlei have been slinging mud lately, and now Ace wants to jump in and get his hands dirty.
Perhaps it’s to play mind games with he who murders with Axe? Or maybe Jorge Gurgel’s right-hand man simply wants the inside scoop from Wandy’s old Chute Boxe training partner?
I have a feeling this isn’t the last we’ve heard from any of these guys.
G4'S BLAIR HERTER TALKS UFC 2009 UNDISPUTED
The marriage of sports and video games has not only been profitable for both sides, but has helped create a cultural phenomenon.
The success of Electronic Arts’ John Madden NFL series has far deeper impacted the pop culture landscape than anyone could have foreseen. So it’s understandable that numerous companies are hoping to catch that lightning in a bottle for themselves.
Such is the hope for UFC 2009 Undisputed, the video game product of the union between gaming giant THQ and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Shedding light onto whether the first UFC related game in five years can live up to its lofty expectations is long time MMA fan Blair Herter, correspondent for G4’s “X-Play” series, currently the most watched video game show on television.
“I feel that it could be,” said Herter of whether or not he felt UFC 2009 Undisputed could do for MMA what EA’s Madden series did for pro football.
“The Madden series took years to kind of get to where it is today, but they didn’t have the level of involvement that THQ has right off the bat with the UFC. I think it is something that could stand to blow up pretty quickly.”
While the UFC game may not reach the instant sales figures that Madden has recently, namely selling 4.5 million copies within its first month of release, Herter feels the success of Undisputed should be measured in more than just numbers.
“I think something that’s really going to be important for UFC 2009 Undisputed, more so than the initial sales figures, for this to be a success is for the fans to really appreciate and really get into how the game presents the sport,” stated Herter.
“For now, I see it being kind of important that THQ takes as much care with the property as they can. With the previous UFC games, they kind of left a bad taste in people’s mouths, and this is kind of their chance at redemption.”
While many industries have felt the crunch of the current recession, for the most part the video game industry – despite some studio closings and game cancellations – has stayed strong, as has the UFC’s business.
Herter sees THQ’s future involvement with the UFC license continuing, almost regardless of how it does financially.
“I think that THQ has a real strong relationship with the WWE and have aligned themselves with creative properties, and I know this game needs to be a success for THQ as they put a lot of time, money and effort into it, but I think as a company they’ve got the WWE thing,” he commented.
“MMA is only going to get bigger; as long as this (game) doesn’t bomb completely, I think they’re okay as far as being able to move forward with this particular franchise.”
Early indications by Herter has Undisputed being a top-quality product that will appeal to both MMA fans and non alike.
“Here at ‘X-Play’, and me specifically, I’ve been kind of privileged to kind of see this game evolve for over a year now, and it looked great a year ago and I can’t describe how awesome it looks now,” he exclaimed.
“They needed to make the controls so that people who are fans of MMA can really appreciate what they’re doing and the control they have over the situation, and also be accessible (to casual gamers). Having played with the controls myself, I think it will please both groups of people.”
Herter should know, not only being deeply involved with the gaming scene, but having been a fan of MMA for much of his life.
“I’ve just been a fan forever, and the past five or six years it’s just exploded,” he said. “I never miss a pay-per-view; I have a massive barbeque and Blair Butler, Kevin Pereira and all the guys from G4 come over and we watch the PPVs together and stuff.”
The speculation to the impact of THQ’s UFC 2009 Undisputed will be founded when the game releases for the Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 on May 19 in North America and May 22 in Europe.
“Watch the show, and as a network as a whole, I know we’re trying to cover MMA more, so keep an eye out,” concluded Herter. “Check out our coverage on X-Play and G4TV.com for more details of what I’m talking about here.
“For the game, I think UFC fans are really going to appreciate being able to play as their favorite fighters, and I can’t even begin to describe to you how accurate they’ve made it. Even people who aren’t a fan of the UFC and MMA should also give it a try, because it’s a really fun game.”
The success of Electronic Arts’ John Madden NFL series has far deeper impacted the pop culture landscape than anyone could have foreseen. So it’s understandable that numerous companies are hoping to catch that lightning in a bottle for themselves.
Such is the hope for UFC 2009 Undisputed, the video game product of the union between gaming giant THQ and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Shedding light onto whether the first UFC related game in five years can live up to its lofty expectations is long time MMA fan Blair Herter, correspondent for G4’s “X-Play” series, currently the most watched video game show on television.
“I feel that it could be,” said Herter of whether or not he felt UFC 2009 Undisputed could do for MMA what EA’s Madden series did for pro football.
“The Madden series took years to kind of get to where it is today, but they didn’t have the level of involvement that THQ has right off the bat with the UFC. I think it is something that could stand to blow up pretty quickly.”
While the UFC game may not reach the instant sales figures that Madden has recently, namely selling 4.5 million copies within its first month of release, Herter feels the success of Undisputed should be measured in more than just numbers.
“I think something that’s really going to be important for UFC 2009 Undisputed, more so than the initial sales figures, for this to be a success is for the fans to really appreciate and really get into how the game presents the sport,” stated Herter.
“For now, I see it being kind of important that THQ takes as much care with the property as they can. With the previous UFC games, they kind of left a bad taste in people’s mouths, and this is kind of their chance at redemption.”
While many industries have felt the crunch of the current recession, for the most part the video game industry – despite some studio closings and game cancellations – has stayed strong, as has the UFC’s business.
Herter sees THQ’s future involvement with the UFC license continuing, almost regardless of how it does financially.
“I think that THQ has a real strong relationship with the WWE and have aligned themselves with creative properties, and I know this game needs to be a success for THQ as they put a lot of time, money and effort into it, but I think as a company they’ve got the WWE thing,” he commented.
“MMA is only going to get bigger; as long as this (game) doesn’t bomb completely, I think they’re okay as far as being able to move forward with this particular franchise.”
Early indications by Herter has Undisputed being a top-quality product that will appeal to both MMA fans and non alike.
“Here at ‘X-Play’, and me specifically, I’ve been kind of privileged to kind of see this game evolve for over a year now, and it looked great a year ago and I can’t describe how awesome it looks now,” he exclaimed.
“They needed to make the controls so that people who are fans of MMA can really appreciate what they’re doing and the control they have over the situation, and also be accessible (to casual gamers). Having played with the controls myself, I think it will please both groups of people.”
Herter should know, not only being deeply involved with the gaming scene, but having been a fan of MMA for much of his life.
“I’ve just been a fan forever, and the past five or six years it’s just exploded,” he said. “I never miss a pay-per-view; I have a massive barbeque and Blair Butler, Kevin Pereira and all the guys from G4 come over and we watch the PPVs together and stuff.”
The speculation to the impact of THQ’s UFC 2009 Undisputed will be founded when the game releases for the Sony Playstation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 on May 19 in North America and May 22 in Europe.
“Watch the show, and as a network as a whole, I know we’re trying to cover MMA more, so keep an eye out,” concluded Herter. “Check out our coverage on X-Play and G4TV.com for more details of what I’m talking about here.
“For the game, I think UFC fans are really going to appreciate being able to play as their favorite fighters, and I can’t even begin to describe to you how accurate they’ve made it. Even people who aren’t a fan of the UFC and MMA should also give it a try, because it’s a really fun game.”
COULD LYOTO VS. RASHAD BE ONE FOR THE AGES?
There are very few times in mixed martial arts today where fights are truly groundbreaking and affect the history of the sport as we know it.
Anderson Silva has cemented his own legacy, setting a new precedent with his last bout at UFC 97, breaking the all time UFC record of consecutive wins, now standing at a total of nine, and tying the record of successful title defenses with five, alongside Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz. However, one fight in particular has flown under the radar and undeservedly so.
How often in our sport can we see two fighters in their prime, both undefeated, challenging for the UFC's most coveted title? “I don’t think well ever witness this sort of fight again,” said Ed Soares regarding the main event of UFC 98, headlined by challenger Lyoto Machida and light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.
Though neither Evans nor Machida have garnered the sort of star power of a Chuck Liddell or Randy Couture, Soares feels as though this is a bout that will impact the sport's history in a way that will possibly never be seen again on the big stage. “I think this may the first and only time we see something of this magnitude in the type of show that the UFC is. Yeah, you might see two people undefeated in the smaller shows, but for a UFC light heavyweight title, an undefeated champion versus an undefeated challenger, when are we ever going to see that again?”
Some would look towards past performances from the two and analyze this bout to be expectedly lackluster. As both Evans and Machida's first few fights went to decision within the UFC, people should look at they’re last commanding performances to be an indication of big things on the horizon and an inevitably exciting fight. “People are saying it’s going to be a boring fight. I don’t think this fight is going to go the distance. Its not going to go the distance, someone is going to lose before the end of the bell. I guarantee it because neither one of these guys are going to want to come and just squeak out a win.”
Both fighters having earned a larger fan base with their most recent performances and the marketing machine that is the UFC, this fight will be one that is heavily emphasized as a fight that may very well be once in a lifetime. Evans having garnered the role as underdog for nearly his entire UFC career against big name opposition will have his sternest test to date, trying to prove the critics wrong yet again, and having the unenviable task of finding a chink in the otherwise unblemished armor of “The Dragon.” Undefeated records, the title, and pride, all at stake to create a night of magic.
“I don’t think it’s going to go to a decision; I don’t think it's going to go to the score cards," proclaims Soares. "I think this is one of those specialty fights that people should get interested in because this fight, technically, should be one of the biggest fights ever in UFC history.”
Sunday, April 26, 2009
BJ Penn documentary offers candid look at MMA fighter
The public persona of a professional fighter is the face of relentless bravado. Even during the most charming of moments, a boast or a scowl are never far away.
Advertisement
Fighters are combustible and opinionated because that gets the job done.
But that posed a dilemma for Honolulu filmmaker James Sereno when fighter BJ Penn asked him to tell his story in the weeks before a historic bout with Canadian Georges St-Pierre.
Sereno knew there was a softer side to Penn, the darling son of Hilo, Hawai'i, and one of the most popular fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. After months of almost unlimited access, Sereno discovered a Penn rarely seen in public; the result is the filmmaker's first documentary, "BJ Penn 90 Days."
"Everybody thinks of BJ Penn the fighter," Sereno said. "I wanted them to know BJ Penn the man and his philosophy, his philosophy of life and how he trains and how he lives, what he believes in."
Sereno is known primarily for his work in local TV commercials and the short productions he made through Kinetic Films. He first met Penn while making a commercial.
A graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema/Television, Sereno's creative projects have always been fictional narratives that explored Hawai'i through the lens of culture. They were never about athletes; the 43-year-old filmmaker wasn't even a fan of mixed martial arts.
"I consider myself a local filmmaker and I like to tell local stories," said Sereno, who grew up in the Kaimuki-Kapahulu area. "I call it filmmaking from the inside out."
But Sereno knew Penn had a huge following — and he knew what made for a good story. This was a chance to set Penn's life story against the backdrop of a welterweight title fight. It was also a chance for Sereno to grow as a filmmaker.
"When you are doing a narrative or a commercial, you are manipulating all the action," he said. "In a documentary, you can't do that. It is unfolding. A documentary allows the truth to unfold. That was something I had to get used to."
Before Sereno would agree to do the project, he told the 30-year-old fighter that he had to be candid about his life. From his failings to his triumphs — from his fall to his resurrection, Sereno said — Penn had to be honest.
"I said you have to allow me to dig in and tell it all," Sereno said. "We are not going to sugarcoat it."
Penn wholeheartedly agreed.
Sereno started production 90 days before the title bout in January in Las Vegas. His crews followed Penn as he lived and trained in Hilo. It was a behind-the-scenes look: They were invited not only to workouts but also to live with family members — much of the Penn clan lives in the same neighborhood. Often, they began their day at the breakfast table.
Over the course of the 75-minute documentary, Sereno tells the story of how Penn grew up wanting to fight everyone and how his early and dramatic success in the ring led to cockiness, poor training and losses.
Sereno also found a man who learned from his mistakes and refused to give up. He said that Penn's honesty in front of the camera was surprising.
"There was a period when he had lost a couple of fights and he was not sure where to go next and what to do next," Sereno said. "He was very candid about where his mind was at, and I thought that was pretty incredible. And then he explained how he as a person sort of turned it around and how he was able to find that spark and that excitement."
Fans of mixed martial arts won't be disappointed, Sereno said. The documentary includes numerous fight scenes from Penn's career, including footage from one of his breakthrough victories — the Brazilian World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
The bout with St-Pierre did not provide a storybook ending for Sereno. The Canadian battered Penn so fiercely that the fight was called after four rounds. But the documentary was never about about winning or losing, Sereno said.
"BJ's life is about facing challenges, attacking the challenges and moving forward and trying to rise above them," Sereno said. "He has won and he has lost. He has constantly moved and grown."
True to his word, Penn summoned Sereno to Hilo three days after his defeat in Vegas. Penn's face was still purple and swollen, but he faced the camera and talked about what happened.
He didn't make excuses. It was a side of the fighter Sereno always knew he would find.
Advertisement
Fighters are combustible and opinionated because that gets the job done.
But that posed a dilemma for Honolulu filmmaker James Sereno when fighter BJ Penn asked him to tell his story in the weeks before a historic bout with Canadian Georges St-Pierre.
Sereno knew there was a softer side to Penn, the darling son of Hilo, Hawai'i, and one of the most popular fighters in the history of mixed martial arts. After months of almost unlimited access, Sereno discovered a Penn rarely seen in public; the result is the filmmaker's first documentary, "BJ Penn 90 Days."
"Everybody thinks of BJ Penn the fighter," Sereno said. "I wanted them to know BJ Penn the man and his philosophy, his philosophy of life and how he trains and how he lives, what he believes in."
Sereno is known primarily for his work in local TV commercials and the short productions he made through Kinetic Films. He first met Penn while making a commercial.
A graduate of the University of Southern California School of Cinema/Television, Sereno's creative projects have always been fictional narratives that explored Hawai'i through the lens of culture. They were never about athletes; the 43-year-old filmmaker wasn't even a fan of mixed martial arts.
"I consider myself a local filmmaker and I like to tell local stories," said Sereno, who grew up in the Kaimuki-Kapahulu area. "I call it filmmaking from the inside out."
But Sereno knew Penn had a huge following — and he knew what made for a good story. This was a chance to set Penn's life story against the backdrop of a welterweight title fight. It was also a chance for Sereno to grow as a filmmaker.
"When you are doing a narrative or a commercial, you are manipulating all the action," he said. "In a documentary, you can't do that. It is unfolding. A documentary allows the truth to unfold. That was something I had to get used to."
Before Sereno would agree to do the project, he told the 30-year-old fighter that he had to be candid about his life. From his failings to his triumphs — from his fall to his resurrection, Sereno said — Penn had to be honest.
"I said you have to allow me to dig in and tell it all," Sereno said. "We are not going to sugarcoat it."
Penn wholeheartedly agreed.
Sereno started production 90 days before the title bout in January in Las Vegas. His crews followed Penn as he lived and trained in Hilo. It was a behind-the-scenes look: They were invited not only to workouts but also to live with family members — much of the Penn clan lives in the same neighborhood. Often, they began their day at the breakfast table.
Over the course of the 75-minute documentary, Sereno tells the story of how Penn grew up wanting to fight everyone and how his early and dramatic success in the ring led to cockiness, poor training and losses.
Sereno also found a man who learned from his mistakes and refused to give up. He said that Penn's honesty in front of the camera was surprising.
"There was a period when he had lost a couple of fights and he was not sure where to go next and what to do next," Sereno said. "He was very candid about where his mind was at, and I thought that was pretty incredible. And then he explained how he as a person sort of turned it around and how he was able to find that spark and that excitement."
Fans of mixed martial arts won't be disappointed, Sereno said. The documentary includes numerous fight scenes from Penn's career, including footage from one of his breakthrough victories — the Brazilian World Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
The bout with St-Pierre did not provide a storybook ending for Sereno. The Canadian battered Penn so fiercely that the fight was called after four rounds. But the documentary was never about about winning or losing, Sereno said.
"BJ's life is about facing challenges, attacking the challenges and moving forward and trying to rise above them," Sereno said. "He has won and he has lost. He has constantly moved and grown."
True to his word, Penn summoned Sereno to Hilo three days after his defeat in Vegas. Penn's face was still purple and swollen, but he faced the camera and talked about what happened.
He didn't make excuses. It was a side of the fighter Sereno always knew he would find.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Fedor to grapple Aoki!
Two champions from the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (WAMMA) will collide at M-1 Challenge on April 29 in Tokyo, Japan — despite being separated by four weight classes.
WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko will square off against WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki in a special-rules exhibition grappling match with a proposed time limit of five minutes — designed as more of a crowd pleaser than actual competition.
First reported by MMAFighting.com, Aoki confirmed the bout during a press conference earlier this morning.
Emelianenko and Aoki are both considered to be two of mixed martial arts finest grapplers, irrespective of weight class.
“The Last Emperor” earned a bronze medal in the Russian Judo Championship and has won gold in the Russian Combat Sambo Championship and placed first in the World Combat Sambo Championship in the heavyweight division and open-weight division.
“The Tobikan Judan” (master of flying submissions) is a black belt in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo and owns two All Japan Jiu-Jitsu championships, a Japan Open Jiu-Jitsu championship, a Budo Open championship, and an ADCC Japan championship.
While the idea of them actually fighting is silly, the exhibition grappling match should be seen for what it is: A chance to have two of Japan’s more popular stars roll around on the mat exchanging sub attempts.
Subtitled “Third Edition,” the April 29 M-1 Challenge event will feature a total of 30 fighters representing six countries in three head-to-head matchups resulting in a total of 15 fights. In addition to host country Japan facing the debuting Team England, the event will also feature Team USA West battling Team South Korea for supremacy in Group B along with a Group A matchup featuring Team France and Team Spain.
Continue reading ‘Rotten grapple: Fedor Emelianenko to tussle with Shinya Aoki at M-1 Challenge (Updated)’
WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko will square off against WAMMA lightweight champion Shinya Aoki in a special-rules exhibition grappling match with a proposed time limit of five minutes — designed as more of a crowd pleaser than actual competition.
First reported by MMAFighting.com, Aoki confirmed the bout during a press conference earlier this morning.
Emelianenko and Aoki are both considered to be two of mixed martial arts finest grapplers, irrespective of weight class.
“The Last Emperor” earned a bronze medal in the Russian Judo Championship and has won gold in the Russian Combat Sambo Championship and placed first in the World Combat Sambo Championship in the heavyweight division and open-weight division.
“The Tobikan Judan” (master of flying submissions) is a black belt in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo and owns two All Japan Jiu-Jitsu championships, a Japan Open Jiu-Jitsu championship, a Budo Open championship, and an ADCC Japan championship.
While the idea of them actually fighting is silly, the exhibition grappling match should be seen for what it is: A chance to have two of Japan’s more popular stars roll around on the mat exchanging sub attempts.
Subtitled “Third Edition,” the April 29 M-1 Challenge event will feature a total of 30 fighters representing six countries in three head-to-head matchups resulting in a total of 15 fights. In addition to host country Japan facing the debuting Team England, the event will also feature Team USA West battling Team South Korea for supremacy in Group B along with a Group A matchup featuring Team France and Team Spain.
Continue reading ‘Rotten grapple: Fedor Emelianenko to tussle with Shinya Aoki at M-1 Challenge (Updated)’
UFC Quick Quote: Frank Mir getting buff for Brock Lesnar rematch
By: MMAmania
“If you train all the time, it’s easy to peak out and get strong. But if you just try to be a weekend warrior at this sport, it ain’t gonna happen…. After the Brandon Vera fight I just really changed everything up and decided that that’s not how I wanted to go out in my career… Our biggest argument right now is they keep trying to get me out of the gym. They’re saying right now I’m doing too many rounds, my conditioning’s at too high of a level for this far out of the fight. And now they’re starting to panic that I’m going to burn out…. My body fat percentage is pretty obvious if you look at me right now.”
– UFC interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir apparently now boasts “barn-door shoulders” and “powerful piston-like legs,” according to the Edmonton Sun, as he prepares for his rematch against Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 on July 11. Mir — fresh off minor knee surgery — was at one point in his career assailed for his lack of dedication in the training room, opting to train just eight weeks out from each fight. Now, it appears that his trainers have to force him out of the gym. And the results have been evident — he is on a three-fight win streak, which includes huge victories over Lesnar and a stoppage of the legendary Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueria. His confidence and conditioning appear to be at record levels, which combined with his solid ground game and ever-improving striking arsenal, could keep the 29-year-old fighter atop the division for years to come. What say you?
“If you train all the time, it’s easy to peak out and get strong. But if you just try to be a weekend warrior at this sport, it ain’t gonna happen…. After the Brandon Vera fight I just really changed everything up and decided that that’s not how I wanted to go out in my career… Our biggest argument right now is they keep trying to get me out of the gym. They’re saying right now I’m doing too many rounds, my conditioning’s at too high of a level for this far out of the fight. And now they’re starting to panic that I’m going to burn out…. My body fat percentage is pretty obvious if you look at me right now.”
– UFC interim heavyweight champion Frank Mir apparently now boasts “barn-door shoulders” and “powerful piston-like legs,” according to the Edmonton Sun, as he prepares for his rematch against Brock Lesnar at UFC 100 on July 11. Mir — fresh off minor knee surgery — was at one point in his career assailed for his lack of dedication in the training room, opting to train just eight weeks out from each fight. Now, it appears that his trainers have to force him out of the gym. And the results have been evident — he is on a three-fight win streak, which includes huge victories over Lesnar and a stoppage of the legendary Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueria. His confidence and conditioning appear to be at record levels, which combined with his solid ground game and ever-improving striking arsenal, could keep the 29-year-old fighter atop the division for years to come. What say you?
UFC 2009 Undisputed Demo Now Available
Want to re-live Shogun Rua's stirring UFC 97 win over Chuck Liddell or turn the tables and lead "The Iceman" to victory? Now's your chance, as the long-awaited demo of UFC 2009 Undisputed is now available for immediate download on XBox Live and coming later on Thursday to the Playstation store. This is your first chance to check out the amazing graphics and gameplay and get your Octagon skills ready for the game's release in May.
Also, visit UFCundisputed.com for all-new videos, including a Clinch tutorial, and new fighter pages featuring Cain Velasquez, Roger Huerta, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, Jason MacDonald, Thales Leites, and Mike Swick.
JZ VS KAWAJIRI, MAYHEM VS JACARE AT DREAM 9
MMAWeekly.com
JZKawajiri.jpg
The Dream promotion in Japan in the past couple of days has announced a pair of significant fights for its May 26, Dream 9 fight card; a title bout and a top lightweight contenders fight.
Announced on Friday, No. 4 ranked lightweight Tatsuya Kawajiri and No. 6 ranked Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante will square off at Dream 9 to determine a future title challenger for the promotion. Kawajiri enters the fight having defeated Ross Ebanez at Dream 7 in March, while JZ hasn't competed since a decision loss to Shinya Aoki at Dream 2 in April 2008.
Dream event producer Keiichi Sasahara, at a press conference on Friday, stated that current Dream Lightweight Grand Prix winner Joachim Hansen would face current No. 1 ranked lightweight Shinya Aoki at Dream 10 to determine the Dream champion, according to a report by Nightmare Of Battle. The winner of that bout would then face the winner of JZ vs. Kawajiri at the promotion's year-end extravaganza on New Year's Eve in his first title defense.
Also announced for Dream 9 is a Dream middleweight championship bout between MTV's "Bully Beatdowns" host Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. The bout is a rematch of their Dream 4 bout, in which Jacare scored a unanimous decision victory.
JZKawajiri.jpg
The Dream promotion in Japan in the past couple of days has announced a pair of significant fights for its May 26, Dream 9 fight card; a title bout and a top lightweight contenders fight.
Announced on Friday, No. 4 ranked lightweight Tatsuya Kawajiri and No. 6 ranked Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante will square off at Dream 9 to determine a future title challenger for the promotion. Kawajiri enters the fight having defeated Ross Ebanez at Dream 7 in March, while JZ hasn't competed since a decision loss to Shinya Aoki at Dream 2 in April 2008.
Dream event producer Keiichi Sasahara, at a press conference on Friday, stated that current Dream Lightweight Grand Prix winner Joachim Hansen would face current No. 1 ranked lightweight Shinya Aoki at Dream 10 to determine the Dream champion, according to a report by Nightmare Of Battle. The winner of that bout would then face the winner of JZ vs. Kawajiri at the promotion's year-end extravaganza on New Year's Eve in his first title defense.
Also announced for Dream 9 is a Dream middleweight championship bout between MTV's "Bully Beatdowns" host Jason "Mayhem" Miller and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. The bout is a rematch of their Dream 4 bout, in which Jacare scored a unanimous decision victory.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
AJ Mendoza's triple crown matches
This guy won the blue belt division at the triple crown. Kauai grapplers, send me your videos if you have any.
2009 Hawaii Triple Crown results (Kauai)
SUPER SUPER HEAVY White
1ST -Moku Kahawai Longman Jiu-Jitsu Kona
MEN'S GI BLUE BELT SUPER FEATHER/ FEATHER
3RD -Buuby Greff Longman Jiu-Jitsu Kauai
HEAVY Blue belt Gi
1ST - LeBeau Lagmay Redemption Fighters
MEN'S GI PURPLE BELT FEATHER
2ND - Nick Arnold LongMan Jiu-Jitsu Kauai
MEN'S NO-GI NOVICE Heavy
2ND - Michael Koa-Texeira Kendall Goo Jiu-Jitsu
MEN'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE Middle
1ST -Kaula Watson LongMan Jiu-Jitsu Kauai
MEN'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE Middle Heavy
2ND - Kimo Aipia Longman Jiu-Jitsu Kona
MEN'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE Heavy
3RD - LeBeau Lagmay Redemption Fighters
Click here for the full results
1ST -Moku Kahawai Longman Jiu-Jitsu Kona
MEN'S GI BLUE BELT SUPER FEATHER/ FEATHER
3RD -Buuby Greff Longman Jiu-Jitsu Kauai
HEAVY Blue belt Gi
1ST - LeBeau Lagmay Redemption Fighters
MEN'S GI PURPLE BELT FEATHER
2ND - Nick Arnold LongMan Jiu-Jitsu Kauai
MEN'S NO-GI NOVICE Heavy
2ND - Michael Koa-Texeira Kendall Goo Jiu-Jitsu
MEN'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE Middle
1ST -Kaula Watson LongMan Jiu-Jitsu Kauai
MEN'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE Middle Heavy
2ND - Kimo Aipia Longman Jiu-Jitsu Kona
MEN'S NO-GI INTERMEDIATE Heavy
3RD - LeBeau Lagmay Redemption Fighters
Click here for the full results
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Kingdom results
MMANEWS.COM
The following are quick match results for last night's Kingdom MMA from Hawaii. The main event featured Jason "Mayhem" Miller coming out of a very short retired to defeat Kala Hose:
185: Jason Miller def. Kala Hose by Rear naked choke, 2:23 of the first round
155: Ricky Wallace def. Brandon Piepper by rear naked choke, 0:44 into first round.
Pro Sub Grappling: Rylan Lizares def. Ronald Jhun by ankle lock at 4:01
Heavyweight: Tasi Edwards def. Ata Tivao by unanimous decision.
185: Sale Sproat def. Gino Venti by rear naked choke, 1:12 into first round.
170: Andrew Cohea def. L. John Borges by unanimous decision.
155: Dejuan Hathaway def. Tommy Tuiloma by unanimous decision.
155: Angel Garza def. Elijah Manners by split decision.
135: Paul Lopez def. Rob Anduha by rear naked choke, 1:39 into first round.
170: Nate Haring def. Bernard Baradi by TKO (strikes), 2:01 into third round.
The following are quick match results for last night's Kingdom MMA from Hawaii. The main event featured Jason "Mayhem" Miller coming out of a very short retired to defeat Kala Hose:
185: Jason Miller def. Kala Hose by Rear naked choke, 2:23 of the first round
155: Ricky Wallace def. Brandon Piepper by rear naked choke, 0:44 into first round.
Pro Sub Grappling: Rylan Lizares def. Ronald Jhun by ankle lock at 4:01
Heavyweight: Tasi Edwards def. Ata Tivao by unanimous decision.
185: Sale Sproat def. Gino Venti by rear naked choke, 1:12 into first round.
170: Andrew Cohea def. L. John Borges by unanimous decision.
155: Dejuan Hathaway def. Tommy Tuiloma by unanimous decision.
155: Angel Garza def. Elijah Manners by split decision.
135: Paul Lopez def. Rob Anduha by rear naked choke, 1:39 into first round.
170: Nate Haring def. Bernard Baradi by TKO (strikes), 2:01 into third round.
UFC 97 LIVE RESULTS AND PLAY-BY-PLAY
mmaweekly
Saturday night in Montreal, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva makes the latest the defense of his title, as he tries to fend off fellow Brazilian Thales Leites. In the co-main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and former Pride champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua battle for their spot in the Octagon.
UFC 97 airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Saturday night. MMAWeekly.com is in Montreal to bring you live coverage of the entire fight card. The first preliminary bout is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
Be sure to refresh you browser frequently for all the latest results, play-by-play and photos from the event...
UFC 97 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
-ANDERSON SILVA VS. THALES LEITES
R1 – Nothing but dancing for the first three minutes, then Leites throws a head kick that Silva blocks. Then back to the dance, neither wanting to commit, for the next minute. Silva kicks Leites' ankle out and Leites goes to the ground. Leites goes for a leg, but Silva stays out of the submission and Leites gets back to his feet and they clinch on the cage. The round probably goes to Silva by default for the leg sweep and a shot to the body.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Silva.
R2 – The dance begins again, but then Silva misses with a rapid kick and Leites shoots in, taking Silva to the mat, landing in Silva's half-guard. Silva does a good job locking Leites up and works to put on a body triangle on Leites from the bottom. Leites starts to ground and pound, but Silva fires up with point of elbow strikes. Leites stands and Silva up-kicks. Leites tries to dive pass, but Silva doing a good job defending, then scrambles up as Leites falls, but he lets Leites up. Silva switches back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stance. They begin the dance again, but just under a minute left and Silva starts exploring with his punches. Leites lands a body kick. Silva lands a lightning fast low kick again, but has his high kick blocked.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Leites.
R3 – Leites lands kick, tries the takedown, but Silva sprawls out. Back on the feet, Leites tries the overhand right. Leites appears to have gotten poked in the eye when rushing in, but the referee appeared out of position to notice. Leites trying to take Silva down is defended again. Silva lands a solid kick to the leg of Leites, and again. Silva putting the pressure on with kicks and Leites falls to the mat. Silva lets him up. Silva throws side kicks to the thigh of Leites then a jumping round kick that lands. Silva upping the pace, throwing more and more strikes, mixes the punches and leg kicks now. Leites again falling to his back, trying to get Silva to come down, but Silva just walks away.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Silva.
R4 – Silva uses the side kick to the thigh again, several in fact. Leites trying to shake it off, visibly effected. Silva doing a little Jackie Chan – Drunken Master faking out Leites. He lands the head kick and then goes back to driving that side kick into Leites' thigh. Leites shoots, but Silva sprawls out again. Silva now is playing with Leites, a la Muhammad Ali, using superior head movement to dodge Leites' punches. Leites shoots, misses, and again falls to his back. He appears to have nothing for Silva at this point.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Silva.
R5 – Leites starts with a renewed sense of urgency, but is still having a difficult time landing anything of note. Leites shoots in for a leglock, but Silva quickly pulls the leg out. Leites shoots again, but Silva punishes him with strikes. Back to their feet and Silva lands a spinning side kick. Leites goes to the mat and Silva again throws a few punches, then backs off and forces Leites to stand. They dance for a bit and Silva starts the side kicks to the thigh again, and then the dance continues. Leites tries a body kick, but Silva catches it and tosses him to the ground. Leites gets back up and they dance the round out.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 and the fight 49-46 for Silva.
Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-46), R5
-MATT WIMAN VS. SAM STOUT
(Moved up from Preliminary Card due to time constraints.)
R1 – Wiman comes out slugging, but Stout remains composed. Wiman lands a couple big looping right hands and then shoots the double on Stout, getting him to the mat. Stout backs to the cage and eventually works back to the feet. Wiman looping punches, but Stout is going straight up the pike, landing some hard, crisp punches. But Wiman lands the Superman punch. Stout crisp again, but two right hooks by Wiman. Wiman dives in with left hand, takes Stout down, then nearly gets the guillotine, but Stout slips out and starts working from Wiman's guard. They stand up and start trading blows, and Wiman lands the Superman again, then Stout returns the favor. Stout lands skipping knee to the body, but Wiman fires back with left hook. Wiman lands left hook to body, then head, and shoots in and takes Stout down, but Stout reverses position into half-guard.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Wiman.
R2 – Stout starts with a stiff jab, but Wiman fires with a couple hard left hooks. Stout throws the kick and Wiman counters with the Superman punch again. Good body kick by Stout, then follows with low left leg kick. They stumble to the ground and Wiman gets Stout's back, trying to secure an arm. Stout slips into Wiman's guard and starts ground and pound with a couple hard forearms, then gets out and back to the feet. Wiman nice body shot and leg kick. Wiman charges in, but eats a right hook from Stout. The pace slows and off of a flurry, Stout lands a left kick to the head. Left hook to the body drops Wiman and Stout follows him down, trying to finish with strikes. Wiman snags an arm in desperation, but Stout escapes the armbar attempt. Back standing, Wiman takes more punishment to the body, looking shaky. Wiman looks up at the clock, trying to survive the round. Wiman shoots; Stout shoves him down and then drives a hard right hand as Wiman stands. Another kick to the body rocks Wiman as the round comes to a close shortly thereafter.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-8 for Stout.
R3 – Stout opens with another hard left kick to the body. Wiman shoots, but Stout defends well. Wiman is tenacious though, gets Stout down and takes his back again, this time with a body triangle. Wiman softens him up with punches to the head. Stout breaks free of the triangle and turns in to Wiman in guard. Stout starts laying down elbows and hammerfists. They go back up to their feet, but Wiman catches a kick and takes Stout down again, landing in the Canadian's guard. Wiman tries to get some ground and pound going, but Stout is utilizing his butterfly guard to keep Wiman out of position to do much damage. Stout tries to get up, but Wiman takes him down again. They do finally get up and Wiman lands a couple good hard shots upon standing.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Wiman; the fight even at 28-28.
Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), R3
-MAURICIO "SHOGUN" RUA VS. CHUCK LIDDELL
R1 – (Liddell goes back to his roots, entering to Slayer's "Reign in Blood.") Shogun throws a couple of exploratory kicks. Liddell moves in, but Shogun counters with a strong overhand right. Liddell lands a clean combo, but Shogun fires right back, on target. Shogun lands overhand right and follows with leg kick. Liddell moving in with punches, but Shogun has a good range and counters each time. He takes Liddell to the ground, Liddell stands and Shogun goes for the knee bar. Liddell gets out and Shogun gets the body lock and lands a couple good knees to the leg. They separate and take center cage. Shogun goes for the takedown, but eats an uppercut and gets shucked off. Liddell then shoots in and takes Shogun down, but he lets him back up. Shogun charges in and floors Liddell with a thundering left hand, follows him down and hammerfists him into a referee stoppage.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell by TKO (Strikes) at 4:28, R1
-BRIAN STANN VS. KRZYSZTOF SOSZYNSKI
R1 – They start with a few quick flurries, neither gaining an upper hand right away. They clinch, Soszynski using the uppercut, Stann driving knees to the thigh. They separate and shortly after Soszynski shoots the double-leg and takes Stann to the mat and quickly passes to mount. Stann was able to get out and up without any damage, but Soszynski takes him down again and starts working the Kimura from half-guard, loses it, then passes to side control and locks in the Kimura for the tapout.
-Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann by Submission (Kimura) at 3:53, R1
-CHEICK KONGO VS. ANTONI HARDONK
R1 – They exchange hard low kicks, followed by a couple brief exchanges. Hardonk is patient, stalking, lands a hard right leg kick followed by another to the body. Kongo clinches and pushes Hardonk to the cage and throws a couple knees to the legs before the ref separates them. Kongo catches a kick from Hardonk, and puts him on his back on the mat, then starts kicking his legs. Ref stands the fight up again. They exchange leg kicks again. Kongo lands hard punch combination, then clinches up against the fence and knees the legs again. Kongo scores the takedown and starts ground and pound from full guard, Hardonk trapped against the cage.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Kongo.
R2 – Hardonk kicks and Kongo rushes him to the mat. Kongo lands in guard landing a hard right to the face, but Hardonk quickly pulls him into full guard. Kongo trying to ground and pound, working body-head. Kongo lands a couple hard hammerfists to the head, mixing in elbows and punches, starting to work over Hardonk. Kongo stands and starts throwing down hammerfists, Hardonk curles up and the ref stops the fight.
Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk by TKO (Strikes) at 2:29, R2
-LUIZ CANE VS. STEVE CANTWELL
R1 – Former WEC champ Cantwell throws a couple searching leg kicks, but Cane is the aggressor pushing forward and throwing strong punch combinations. Cane lands a couple hard rights in combinations, hurting Cantwell. Cane grabs the Thai clinch and lands a couple hard knees to the body. Cane's jab is sharp, snapping Cantwell's head. Cantwell is throwing, but most of it is being blocked or just doesn't have the same power as Cane's strikes. Cane's pace slows significantly. In the last minute, he's still landing hard, but Cantwell is as well, with a little more sense of urgency and power than earlier.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Cane.
R2 – Cantwell lands a sharp right hand, but Cane immediately fires back with a hard straight left. Cane not pressing forward as much now, but holding center cage, firing hard shots as Cantwell moves in. Cane picking away at Cantwell with sparse combinations. Cantwell with a couple solid combinations midway through the round, stinging Cane. Cane lands a left kick to the head of Cane, follows with a knee to the face, then lands another hard kick. Cane takes the punishment and fires back, but is really slowing his offense now. Another head kick landed by Cantwell. Cane pawing with his jab, but Cantwell is in a good flow now.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Cantwell.
R3 – Cane lands a nice boxing combination and mixes in a kick to the body, then opens a flurry of hands, rocking Cantwell a bit. Cantwell takes center ring, but it is Cane landing the heavier shots. A couple flurries, then Cane lands some good knees to the body. Cantwell comes back with a couple good combinations, but Cane fires back right away. Cantwell throws head kicks from the right and then the left. Cane works the jab, follows with a knee to the body, and then finishes with a hard boxing combination. Cantwell trying to fire back, but Cane sneaks the knee in to the body again. Thirty seconds left, Cantwell throws a jump round kick, but doesn't do much with it. Ten seconds left, Cane lands a couple glancing blows as the round comes to an end.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Cane.
Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-DENIS KANG VS. XAVIER FOUKA-POKUM
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Prof X is riding a seven-fight win streak and enters sporting a Kill It shirt with Dan Henderson in his corner. Kang enters to French rap, a la GSP. The BJJ black belt has Firaz in his corner. Phillipe Cartier is the ref. Prof X is in a southpaw stance to start. The fighters circle and the first punch is not thrown until 25 seconds in. Prof X lands a left and knee to the body before Kang scores a takedown. Kang is on top and works his way to half-guard. Kang tries an arm triangle, but is unsuccessful. On the feet now and both fighters throw some wild punches and kicks. Nothing really lands for either. As the round comes to an end, Kang tries to throw an armbar, but Prof X slips away. Not too much was landed that round, but Kang got the better of it.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Kang.
R2 – Nearly 45 seconds of non-action before X lands a left. Against the cage the fighters exchange with X landing a knee and Kang a right. Kang gets the takedown after a brief exchange, and works his way to the side from X's half-guard. X clamps down on Kang and Kang is unable to land any big blows. At the 1:30 mark, Kang lands some short elbows that appear to frustrate X more than hurt him. At 45-seconds, the fight makes it back standing. X lands a knee and then a kick to the body. X bends over and it's difficult to tell if he's taunting or just tired. Kang lands three punches to the head as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Kang.
R3 – The round starts much the same with 30 seconds of circling. The crowd is now frustrated and starts to boo. Finally a small exchange at the four-minute mark with X landing a weak kick to the body and Kang a glancing right to the forehead. Kang gets a takedown and is working on X's left arm from the side. Kang drops a few short elbows and then X rolls over and is on top for a few seconds before Kang reverses. 1:30 left in the round and Kang is on top, as he has been nearly all fight. Steady diet of short elbows with the occasional punch. The fighters climb to their feet with 25 seconds left and Kang holds a body lock until the horn blows.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Kang.
Denis Kang def. Xavier Fouka-Pokum by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-NATHAN QUARRY VS. JASON MACDONALD
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Like all the Canadians tonight, McDonald gets a big ovation as he enters the arena... to Metallica's version of Turn the Page. McDonald has a 7-1/2 inch reach advantage. Mario Yamasaki gets the action going. Quarry throws a big right that is blocked by McDonald and they end up in the clinch. Pressed against the cage, McDonald nearly secures a takedown, but it's reversed by Quarry and he actually ends up on top. In the guard, Quarry drops a couple of elbows that do little damage... however, one does draw blood. Quarry then begins to land those elbows and McDonald begins to bleed very badly. One after the other, McDonald loses the ability to defend and Yamasaki calls and end to the match.
Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald by TKO (Strikes) at 2:27, R1
-DAVID LOISEAU VS. ED HERMAN
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Crowd is excited for the Crow's return to the UFC and goes nuts as he enters the Octagon. Loiseau lands a spinning back kick to the body to get things moving. Crowd goes crazy! Herman moves in, clinches and scores the takedown; he lands dozens of blows over the next minute with no answer. They work back to the feet momentarily, but Herman again gets Loiseau to the mat, landing knees and punches to the body. Loiseau turtles up and weathers the storm. They make it back to the feet as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Herman.
R2 – They immediately go to the ground with Herman in control. Loiseau doesn't seem to have an answer for Herman's takedowns and ground and pound. Herman gets a leg free and drops a shoulder punch. Herman is totally dominating, landing knees and punches in quick succession. He gets to Loiseau's back and mixes punches to the ribs and head. They scramble to their feet with about 1:20 left, and the action slows. Loiseau throws a wild right and ends up on the ground as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Herman.
R3 – Loiseau comes out ultra-aggressive and lands a left followed by a knee. Herman clinches and pins Loiseau to the fence. They separate at the halfway point and Herman again takes Loiseau down. Herman peppers Loiseau with soft shots from half-guard as the clock reaches 1:00. They're back on their feet with 45 seconds left. Loiseau tries a kick, but Herman catches it and pins Loiseau to the cage again, the fight ending in the clinch.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Herman.
Ed Herman def. David Loiseau by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-MARK BOCEK VS. DAVID BIELKHEDEN
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Again, the Canadian, Bocek, gets a huge pop from his home country. The fighters clinch and Bielkheden stops Bocek's takedown attempt. Bocek doesn't give up and eventually scores a single-leg takedown. Bocek gets to side control to land a few blows, gets put back in guard, then works his way back to side control. Bocek lands some elbows and lefts to the head. He then gains full mount and begins pummeling Bielkheden. Bocek goes for the rear naked choke at the 10 second mark and sinks it for the tap.
Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:57, R1
-T.J. GRANT VS. RYO CHONAN
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Chonan has Dan Henderson in his corner. Grant, being a Canadian, receives a tremendous response from the crowd. Chonan stalks, but Grant lands a blind shot to Chonan's head. The fight goes to the ground with Chonan on top. Grant attempts a couple of submissions to no avail. Chonan isn't being too effective, only landing a couple of glancing blows. The crowd starts chanting, "TJ, TJ" and the fight gets back to the feet with one minute left. Grant scores a takedown with about 35 seconds left, but their right back to their feet. The round ends in an exchange of blows.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Chonan.
R2 – Chonan starts things off throwing a head kick, but eats a Superman punch for his efforts. Chonan grabs hold and gets the takedown. On the mat for bit, the referee warns for lack of action and the fighters pop back up to their feet. Grant scores a double-leg takedown and nearly gets Chonan's back, but Chonan spins out and ends up on top. The pace against slows with about 1:30 left in the round. They scramble and Grant momentarily moves to top position, but Chonan reverses and regains position. Close round, but Grant landed the more effective strikes.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Grant.
R3 – The fighters exchange kicks then Grant scores a takedown. He ends up on the bottom, however, and attempts a triangle choke with no success. They struggle for position. Grant lands some shots on the ground and then they fire away as the round closes.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Grant.
T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28), R3
-ELIOT MARSHALL VS. VINNY MAGALHAES
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Marshall enters with Greg Jackson in his corner; Magalhaes enters with Shawn Tompkins. They tap gloves and throw a few stray punches. Vinny misses a head kick. Marshall lands the fight's first combo and follows with a kick to the body; then the action slows through the middle of the round, crowd booing. Marshall lands a small flurry followed by a leg kick. With about 1:30 left in the round, chants of GSP start up. Magalhaes lands his first kick at the 55-second mark. Marshall ends the round landing a hard right hand.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Marshall.
R2 – Marshall gets the round started with an inside leg kick, then fends off a takedown attempt. Magalhaes fires back with several kicks, landing a kick to the body that throws Marshall off balance. The action slows again. Magalhaes eats a quick right from Marshall, but gets him to the ground. Magalhaes in side control lands several punches and elbows. Marshall is able to escape and get back to his feet before round two comes to a close.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Magalhaes.
R3 – Marshall again gets the action started with a hard right to the body. The action then stalls again, and the crowd again lets them hear their displeasure. Magalhaes appears to be the more tired of the two. Magalhaes' nose starts bleeding as Marshall is landing pawing shots to the head. Marshall then lands a hard right to the chin before dodging an attempted head kick. Thirty seconds left and Magalhaes gets the fight to the ground and gets mount. He lands several blows from the top as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Marshall.
Eliot Marshall def. Vinny Magalhaes by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), R3
UFC 97 LIVE RESULTS:
Main Card Bouts (live on pay-per-view):
-Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-46), R5
-Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), R3
-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell by TKO (Strikes) at 4:28, R1
-Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann by Submission (Kimura) at 3:53, R1
-Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk by TKO (Strikes) at 2:29, R2
-Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), R3
Preliminary Card Bouts:
-Denis Kang def. Xavier Fouka-Pokum by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald by TKO (Strikes) at 2:27, R1
-Ed Herman def. David Loiseau by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:57, R1
-T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28), R3
-Eliot Marshall def. Vinny Magalhaes by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), R3
Saturday night in Montreal, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva makes the latest the defense of his title, as he tries to fend off fellow Brazilian Thales Leites. In the co-main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell and former Pride champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua battle for their spot in the Octagon.
UFC 97 airs live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Saturday night. MMAWeekly.com is in Montreal to bring you live coverage of the entire fight card. The first preliminary bout is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
Be sure to refresh you browser frequently for all the latest results, play-by-play and photos from the event...
UFC 97 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
-ANDERSON SILVA VS. THALES LEITES
R1 – Nothing but dancing for the first three minutes, then Leites throws a head kick that Silva blocks. Then back to the dance, neither wanting to commit, for the next minute. Silva kicks Leites' ankle out and Leites goes to the ground. Leites goes for a leg, but Silva stays out of the submission and Leites gets back to his feet and they clinch on the cage. The round probably goes to Silva by default for the leg sweep and a shot to the body.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Silva.
R2 – The dance begins again, but then Silva misses with a rapid kick and Leites shoots in, taking Silva to the mat, landing in Silva's half-guard. Silva does a good job locking Leites up and works to put on a body triangle on Leites from the bottom. Leites starts to ground and pound, but Silva fires up with point of elbow strikes. Leites stands and Silva up-kicks. Leites tries to dive pass, but Silva doing a good job defending, then scrambles up as Leites falls, but he lets Leites up. Silva switches back and forth between orthodox and southpaw stance. They begin the dance again, but just under a minute left and Silva starts exploring with his punches. Leites lands a body kick. Silva lands a lightning fast low kick again, but has his high kick blocked.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Leites.
R3 – Leites lands kick, tries the takedown, but Silva sprawls out. Back on the feet, Leites tries the overhand right. Leites appears to have gotten poked in the eye when rushing in, but the referee appeared out of position to notice. Leites trying to take Silva down is defended again. Silva lands a solid kick to the leg of Leites, and again. Silva putting the pressure on with kicks and Leites falls to the mat. Silva lets him up. Silva throws side kicks to the thigh of Leites then a jumping round kick that lands. Silva upping the pace, throwing more and more strikes, mixes the punches and leg kicks now. Leites again falling to his back, trying to get Silva to come down, but Silva just walks away.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Silva.
R4 – Silva uses the side kick to the thigh again, several in fact. Leites trying to shake it off, visibly effected. Silva doing a little Jackie Chan – Drunken Master faking out Leites. He lands the head kick and then goes back to driving that side kick into Leites' thigh. Leites shoots, but Silva sprawls out again. Silva now is playing with Leites, a la Muhammad Ali, using superior head movement to dodge Leites' punches. Leites shoots, misses, and again falls to his back. He appears to have nothing for Silva at this point.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Silva.
R5 – Leites starts with a renewed sense of urgency, but is still having a difficult time landing anything of note. Leites shoots in for a leglock, but Silva quickly pulls the leg out. Leites shoots again, but Silva punishes him with strikes. Back to their feet and Silva lands a spinning side kick. Leites goes to the mat and Silva again throws a few punches, then backs off and forces Leites to stand. They dance for a bit and Silva starts the side kicks to the thigh again, and then the dance continues. Leites tries a body kick, but Silva catches it and tosses him to the ground. Leites gets back up and they dance the round out.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 and the fight 49-46 for Silva.
Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-46), R5
-MATT WIMAN VS. SAM STOUT
(Moved up from Preliminary Card due to time constraints.)
R1 – Wiman comes out slugging, but Stout remains composed. Wiman lands a couple big looping right hands and then shoots the double on Stout, getting him to the mat. Stout backs to the cage and eventually works back to the feet. Wiman looping punches, but Stout is going straight up the pike, landing some hard, crisp punches. But Wiman lands the Superman punch. Stout crisp again, but two right hooks by Wiman. Wiman dives in with left hand, takes Stout down, then nearly gets the guillotine, but Stout slips out and starts working from Wiman's guard. They stand up and start trading blows, and Wiman lands the Superman again, then Stout returns the favor. Stout lands skipping knee to the body, but Wiman fires back with left hook. Wiman lands left hook to body, then head, and shoots in and takes Stout down, but Stout reverses position into half-guard.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Wiman.
R2 – Stout starts with a stiff jab, but Wiman fires with a couple hard left hooks. Stout throws the kick and Wiman counters with the Superman punch again. Good body kick by Stout, then follows with low left leg kick. They stumble to the ground and Wiman gets Stout's back, trying to secure an arm. Stout slips into Wiman's guard and starts ground and pound with a couple hard forearms, then gets out and back to the feet. Wiman nice body shot and leg kick. Wiman charges in, but eats a right hook from Stout. The pace slows and off of a flurry, Stout lands a left kick to the head. Left hook to the body drops Wiman and Stout follows him down, trying to finish with strikes. Wiman snags an arm in desperation, but Stout escapes the armbar attempt. Back standing, Wiman takes more punishment to the body, looking shaky. Wiman looks up at the clock, trying to survive the round. Wiman shoots; Stout shoves him down and then drives a hard right hand as Wiman stands. Another kick to the body rocks Wiman as the round comes to a close shortly thereafter.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-8 for Stout.
R3 – Stout opens with another hard left kick to the body. Wiman shoots, but Stout defends well. Wiman is tenacious though, gets Stout down and takes his back again, this time with a body triangle. Wiman softens him up with punches to the head. Stout breaks free of the triangle and turns in to Wiman in guard. Stout starts laying down elbows and hammerfists. They go back up to their feet, but Wiman catches a kick and takes Stout down again, landing in the Canadian's guard. Wiman tries to get some ground and pound going, but Stout is utilizing his butterfly guard to keep Wiman out of position to do much damage. Stout tries to get up, but Wiman takes him down again. They do finally get up and Wiman lands a couple good hard shots upon standing.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Wiman; the fight even at 28-28.
Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), R3
-MAURICIO "SHOGUN" RUA VS. CHUCK LIDDELL
R1 – (Liddell goes back to his roots, entering to Slayer's "Reign in Blood.") Shogun throws a couple of exploratory kicks. Liddell moves in, but Shogun counters with a strong overhand right. Liddell lands a clean combo, but Shogun fires right back, on target. Shogun lands overhand right and follows with leg kick. Liddell moving in with punches, but Shogun has a good range and counters each time. He takes Liddell to the ground, Liddell stands and Shogun goes for the knee bar. Liddell gets out and Shogun gets the body lock and lands a couple good knees to the leg. They separate and take center cage. Shogun goes for the takedown, but eats an uppercut and gets shucked off. Liddell then shoots in and takes Shogun down, but he lets him back up. Shogun charges in and floors Liddell with a thundering left hand, follows him down and hammerfists him into a referee stoppage.
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell by TKO (Strikes) at 4:28, R1
-BRIAN STANN VS. KRZYSZTOF SOSZYNSKI
R1 – They start with a few quick flurries, neither gaining an upper hand right away. They clinch, Soszynski using the uppercut, Stann driving knees to the thigh. They separate and shortly after Soszynski shoots the double-leg and takes Stann to the mat and quickly passes to mount. Stann was able to get out and up without any damage, but Soszynski takes him down again and starts working the Kimura from half-guard, loses it, then passes to side control and locks in the Kimura for the tapout.
-Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann by Submission (Kimura) at 3:53, R1
-CHEICK KONGO VS. ANTONI HARDONK
R1 – They exchange hard low kicks, followed by a couple brief exchanges. Hardonk is patient, stalking, lands a hard right leg kick followed by another to the body. Kongo clinches and pushes Hardonk to the cage and throws a couple knees to the legs before the ref separates them. Kongo catches a kick from Hardonk, and puts him on his back on the mat, then starts kicking his legs. Ref stands the fight up again. They exchange leg kicks again. Kongo lands hard punch combination, then clinches up against the fence and knees the legs again. Kongo scores the takedown and starts ground and pound from full guard, Hardonk trapped against the cage.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Kongo.
R2 – Hardonk kicks and Kongo rushes him to the mat. Kongo lands in guard landing a hard right to the face, but Hardonk quickly pulls him into full guard. Kongo trying to ground and pound, working body-head. Kongo lands a couple hard hammerfists to the head, mixing in elbows and punches, starting to work over Hardonk. Kongo stands and starts throwing down hammerfists, Hardonk curles up and the ref stops the fight.
Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk by TKO (Strikes) at 2:29, R2
-LUIZ CANE VS. STEVE CANTWELL
R1 – Former WEC champ Cantwell throws a couple searching leg kicks, but Cane is the aggressor pushing forward and throwing strong punch combinations. Cane lands a couple hard rights in combinations, hurting Cantwell. Cane grabs the Thai clinch and lands a couple hard knees to the body. Cane's jab is sharp, snapping Cantwell's head. Cantwell is throwing, but most of it is being blocked or just doesn't have the same power as Cane's strikes. Cane's pace slows significantly. In the last minute, he's still landing hard, but Cantwell is as well, with a little more sense of urgency and power than earlier.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Cane.
R2 – Cantwell lands a sharp right hand, but Cane immediately fires back with a hard straight left. Cane not pressing forward as much now, but holding center cage, firing hard shots as Cantwell moves in. Cane picking away at Cantwell with sparse combinations. Cantwell with a couple solid combinations midway through the round, stinging Cane. Cane lands a left kick to the head of Cane, follows with a knee to the face, then lands another hard kick. Cane takes the punishment and fires back, but is really slowing his offense now. Another head kick landed by Cantwell. Cane pawing with his jab, but Cantwell is in a good flow now.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 for Cantwell.
R3 – Cane lands a nice boxing combination and mixes in a kick to the body, then opens a flurry of hands, rocking Cantwell a bit. Cantwell takes center ring, but it is Cane landing the heavier shots. A couple flurries, then Cane lands some good knees to the body. Cantwell comes back with a couple good combinations, but Cane fires back right away. Cantwell throws head kicks from the right and then the left. Cane works the jab, follows with a knee to the body, and then finishes with a hard boxing combination. Cantwell trying to fire back, but Cane sneaks the knee in to the body again. Thirty seconds left, Cantwell throws a jump round kick, but doesn't do much with it. Ten seconds left, Cane lands a couple glancing blows as the round comes to an end.
MMAWeekly scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Cane.
Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-DENIS KANG VS. XAVIER FOUKA-POKUM
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Prof X is riding a seven-fight win streak and enters sporting a Kill It shirt with Dan Henderson in his corner. Kang enters to French rap, a la GSP. The BJJ black belt has Firaz in his corner. Phillipe Cartier is the ref. Prof X is in a southpaw stance to start. The fighters circle and the first punch is not thrown until 25 seconds in. Prof X lands a left and knee to the body before Kang scores a takedown. Kang is on top and works his way to half-guard. Kang tries an arm triangle, but is unsuccessful. On the feet now and both fighters throw some wild punches and kicks. Nothing really lands for either. As the round comes to an end, Kang tries to throw an armbar, but Prof X slips away. Not too much was landed that round, but Kang got the better of it.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Kang.
R2 – Nearly 45 seconds of non-action before X lands a left. Against the cage the fighters exchange with X landing a knee and Kang a right. Kang gets the takedown after a brief exchange, and works his way to the side from X's half-guard. X clamps down on Kang and Kang is unable to land any big blows. At the 1:30 mark, Kang lands some short elbows that appear to frustrate X more than hurt him. At 45-seconds, the fight makes it back standing. X lands a knee and then a kick to the body. X bends over and it's difficult to tell if he's taunting or just tired. Kang lands three punches to the head as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Kang.
R3 – The round starts much the same with 30 seconds of circling. The crowd is now frustrated and starts to boo. Finally a small exchange at the four-minute mark with X landing a weak kick to the body and Kang a glancing right to the forehead. Kang gets a takedown and is working on X's left arm from the side. Kang drops a few short elbows and then X rolls over and is on top for a few seconds before Kang reverses. 1:30 left in the round and Kang is on top, as he has been nearly all fight. Steady diet of short elbows with the occasional punch. The fighters climb to their feet with 25 seconds left and Kang holds a body lock until the horn blows.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Kang.
Denis Kang def. Xavier Fouka-Pokum by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-NATHAN QUARRY VS. JASON MACDONALD
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Like all the Canadians tonight, McDonald gets a big ovation as he enters the arena... to Metallica's version of Turn the Page. McDonald has a 7-1/2 inch reach advantage. Mario Yamasaki gets the action going. Quarry throws a big right that is blocked by McDonald and they end up in the clinch. Pressed against the cage, McDonald nearly secures a takedown, but it's reversed by Quarry and he actually ends up on top. In the guard, Quarry drops a couple of elbows that do little damage... however, one does draw blood. Quarry then begins to land those elbows and McDonald begins to bleed very badly. One after the other, McDonald loses the ability to defend and Yamasaki calls and end to the match.
Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald by TKO (Strikes) at 2:27, R1
-DAVID LOISEAU VS. ED HERMAN
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Crowd is excited for the Crow's return to the UFC and goes nuts as he enters the Octagon. Loiseau lands a spinning back kick to the body to get things moving. Crowd goes crazy! Herman moves in, clinches and scores the takedown; he lands dozens of blows over the next minute with no answer. They work back to the feet momentarily, but Herman again gets Loiseau to the mat, landing knees and punches to the body. Loiseau turtles up and weathers the storm. They make it back to the feet as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Herman.
R2 – They immediately go to the ground with Herman in control. Loiseau doesn't seem to have an answer for Herman's takedowns and ground and pound. Herman gets a leg free and drops a shoulder punch. Herman is totally dominating, landing knees and punches in quick succession. He gets to Loiseau's back and mixes punches to the ribs and head. They scramble to their feet with about 1:20 left, and the action slows. Loiseau throws a wild right and ends up on the ground as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Herman.
R3 – Loiseau comes out ultra-aggressive and lands a left followed by a knee. Herman clinches and pins Loiseau to the fence. They separate at the halfway point and Herman again takes Loiseau down. Herman peppers Loiseau with soft shots from half-guard as the clock reaches 1:00. They're back on their feet with 45 seconds left. Loiseau tries a kick, but Herman catches it and pins Loiseau to the cage again, the fight ending in the clinch.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 for Herman.
Ed Herman def. David Loiseau by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-MARK BOCEK VS. DAVID BIELKHEDEN
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Again, the Canadian, Bocek, gets a huge pop from his home country. The fighters clinch and Bielkheden stops Bocek's takedown attempt. Bocek doesn't give up and eventually scores a single-leg takedown. Bocek gets to side control to land a few blows, gets put back in guard, then works his way back to side control. Bocek lands some elbows and lefts to the head. He then gains full mount and begins pummeling Bielkheden. Bocek goes for the rear naked choke at the 10 second mark and sinks it for the tap.
Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:57, R1
-T.J. GRANT VS. RYO CHONAN
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Chonan has Dan Henderson in his corner. Grant, being a Canadian, receives a tremendous response from the crowd. Chonan stalks, but Grant lands a blind shot to Chonan's head. The fight goes to the ground with Chonan on top. Grant attempts a couple of submissions to no avail. Chonan isn't being too effective, only landing a couple of glancing blows. The crowd starts chanting, "TJ, TJ" and the fight gets back to the feet with one minute left. Grant scores a takedown with about 35 seconds left, but their right back to their feet. The round ends in an exchange of blows.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Chonan.
R2 – Chonan starts things off throwing a head kick, but eats a Superman punch for his efforts. Chonan grabs hold and gets the takedown. On the mat for bit, the referee warns for lack of action and the fighters pop back up to their feet. Grant scores a double-leg takedown and nearly gets Chonan's back, but Chonan spins out and ends up on top. The pace against slows with about 1:30 left in the round. They scramble and Grant momentarily moves to top position, but Chonan reverses and regains position. Close round, but Grant landed the more effective strikes.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Grant.
R3 – The fighters exchange kicks then Grant scores a takedown. He ends up on the bottom, however, and attempts a triangle choke with no success. They struggle for position. Grant lands some shots on the ground and then they fire away as the round closes.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Grant.
T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28), R3
-ELIOT MARSHALL VS. VINNY MAGALHAES
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, FightMagazine.com)
R1 – Marshall enters with Greg Jackson in his corner; Magalhaes enters with Shawn Tompkins. They tap gloves and throw a few stray punches. Vinny misses a head kick. Marshall lands the fight's first combo and follows with a kick to the body; then the action slows through the middle of the round, crowd booing. Marshall lands a small flurry followed by a leg kick. With about 1:30 left in the round, chants of GSP start up. Magalhaes lands his first kick at the 55-second mark. Marshall ends the round landing a hard right hand.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Marshall.
R2 – Marshall gets the round started with an inside leg kick, then fends off a takedown attempt. Magalhaes fires back with several kicks, landing a kick to the body that throws Marshall off balance. The action slows again. Magalhaes eats a quick right from Marshall, but gets him to the ground. Magalhaes in side control lands several punches and elbows. Marshall is able to escape and get back to his feet before round two comes to a close.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 for Magalhaes.
R3 – Marshall again gets the action started with a hard right to the body. The action then stalls again, and the crowd again lets them hear their displeasure. Magalhaes appears to be the more tired of the two. Magalhaes' nose starts bleeding as Marshall is landing pawing shots to the head. Marshall then lands a hard right to the chin before dodging an attempted head kick. Thirty seconds left and Magalhaes gets the fight to the ground and gets mount. He lands several blows from the top as the round ends.
MMAWeekly/Fight Magazine scores the round 10-9 and the fight 29-28 for Marshall.
Eliot Marshall def. Vinny Magalhaes by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), R3
UFC 97 LIVE RESULTS:
Main Card Bouts (live on pay-per-view):
-Anderson Silva def. Thales Leites by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-47, 50-46), R5
-Sam Stout def. Matt Wiman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), R3
-Mauricio "Shogun" Rua def. Chuck Liddell by TKO (Strikes) at 4:28, R1
-Krzysztof Soszynski def. Brian Stann by Submission (Kimura) at 3:53, R1
-Cheick Kongo def. Antoni Hardonk by TKO (Strikes) at 2:29, R2
-Luiz Cane def. Steve Cantwell by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), R3
Preliminary Card Bouts:
-Denis Kang def. Xavier Fouka-Pokum by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-Nate Quarry def. Jason MacDonald by TKO (Strikes) at 2:27, R1
-Ed Herman def. David Loiseau by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27), R3
-Mark Bocek def. David Bielkheden by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:57, R1
-T.J. Grant def. Ryo Chonan by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28), R3
-Eliot Marshall def. Vinny Magalhaes by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), R3
Ronald Jhun (808 Fight Factory) vs. Rylan Lizares
This was a submission wrestling match at Kingdom. I would love to see Rylan fight MMA.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
UFC 97 Betting Odds and Predictions
http://ufcbetting.blogspot.com/
Desert Dog back tips and “Smart Bets” for UFC97: “Redemption” this Saturday, April 18, at the The Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
It's a great card and the stadium will be packed with tens of thousnads of jacked up Canooks. These guys are awesome fans and know how to keep the energy levels up up up. There are several promising betting opportunities and some matchups I've been wanting to see for a long time.
Here are the “Smart Bets” for UFC 97:
(Note: + = Underdog; - = Favorite)
Main card picks:
Anderson Silva -600 (Bet $1200 to win $200) BetUS
Shogun Rua +160 (Bet $100 to win $160) Bodog
Cheick Kongo -300 (No Bet) BetUS
Luiz Cane -275 (No Bet) BetUS
Krzysztof Soszynski -150 (Bet $150 to win $100) SportsBook
Undercard Picks:
Xavier Foupa-Pokam +250 (Bet $50 to win $125) Bodog
David Loiseau -125 (Bet $125 to win $80) BetUS
Anderson Silva (-600 BetUS) vs. Thales Leites (+500 SportsBook)
Middleweight titleholder Anderson "The Spider" Silva (23-4 MMA, 8-0 UFC) looks to defend his crown for the fifth straight time when he takes on Brazilian Thales Leites (14-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC
Silva needs little introduction; he's perhaps the most dominant UFC fighter of the modern era, a Muay Thai specialist holder of a little jiu-jitsu black belt under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. His opponent is primarily a grappler, holding a BJJ black belt himself under Welton Ribeiro.
Well I suppose if you just took a quick glance at this fight on paper and saw Leites sitting at +500 you might same damn that looks worth the risk! If you say that you'll be dead money. Silva has value up to -800.
Although the one nick in Silva's armor has been strong grapplers taking him down and controlling him on the ground (it's yet to last more than one round), Leites is not the one to do it. He's out classed in strength, leverage, and on even ground in terms of BJJ. If Hendo and Marquart couldn't maintain control on the ground, Thales even less likely. Anywhere else this fight goes Leites will be on the losing end it.
Prediction: Silva TKO
Bet: 16 units to win 2
Chuck Liddell (-185 SportsBook) vs. Mauricio Rua (+160 Bodog)
39-year-old Chuck Liddell (21-6 MMA, 17-5 UFC) is now 1-3 in his past four fights. The down turn has been hard for everyone to watch and has left questions in everyones mind. This fight has to answer that question. Although Rua's age and is different, his current status as a top level fighter now trying to avoid the end of this career is the same. Once regarded a top light heavyweight in the world, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (17-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has a lot to prove after two knee surgeries, and poor performances agianst Forrest Griffin and Mark Coleman.
Matchup wise it's the classic chute-boxing agrressive style of Shogun vs the powerful counter punching of the Ice Man. Typically, this is a great setup for Liddell, but if his speed is dropping off he may be focusing more on being an attacking fighter. This won't be a comfortable style for Chuck and could leave him very vunerable to Rua's speed and clinch work. A full training session for Rua should allow him to show up and display his true talent and athletasism. Unfortunately a full training camp for Liddell has likely left him questioning his natural style and won't bring back his fading speed.
Liddell is always dangerous, but at this point in the careers of these two Rua is the one most likely to move forward in the ranks. Sorry Chuck, I hope you prove me wrong, but my money is on the slight dog Shogun.
Prediction: Shogun Rua via Decision
Bet: 1 unit to win 1.6
Cheick Kongo (-300 BetUS) vs. Antoni Hardonk (+275 Bodog)
French fighter Cheick Kongo (13-4-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Dutch fighter Antoni Hardonk (8-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) are two of the most explosive kickboxers in the division and if we get treated to a kickboxing match it should be fight of the night. However, this is not K1. and Hardonk has shown he's a complete turd on the ground despite holding a BJJ blue belt. Kongo is no wiz on the ground either but he can successfully take the fight to the mat and keep opponents there and punish them.
The current odds don't offer a great deal for this fight so this ones not making it onto my betting card. I do think it could be an exciting addition to the show.
Prediction: Kongo via decision
Bet: None
Steve Cantwell (+260 Bodog) vs. Luiz Cane (-275 BetUS)
Steve Cantwell (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a veteran of the WEC and formerly held the organization's light-heavyweight title. Cantwell holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu under Sergio Pehna and has a background in amateur kickboxing.Luiz "Banha" Cane (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is a prototypical Brazilian fighter with a background in Muay Thai and a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Cane should hold the edge in physical strength and in toughness. He is primarily a brawler who is happy to take punishment in order to give it. Cantwell is a well-rounded fighter but has not demonstrated an ability to handle fighters that press the pace effectively. Cane traditionally does exactly that; look for a rugged brawl here with a lot of back and forth early before Cane's ability to absorb and dish overwhelms Cantwell in the second round.
Prediction: Cane via TKO
Krzysztof Soszynski (-150 SportsBook) vs. Brian Stann (+125 Bodog)
Krzysztof Soszynski (16-8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) fights out of Team Quest is a veteran of the IFL. who is currently riding a four-fight win streak, which was capped off by a submission victory over Shane Primm in his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale. Soszynski was a contestant on the eighth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," where he lost in the semifinals to eventual show runner-up Vinicius Magalhaes.
Brian Stann (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a former WEC fighter – and former WEC champion – who is making his UFC debut. Stann won his first five fights in the WEC, all by TKO or KO, before being badly exposed by Steve Cantwell at WEC 35.
Both these guys are wild, undisciplined strikers and if they decide to stand toe to toe it will be very entertaining. However, if Soszynski listens to his coaches and takes Stann to the ground this fight will be over in round one by submission.
Prediction: Soszynski via submission
Bet: 1.55 units to win 1
Undercard:
Denis Kang (-325 Bodog) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (+250 Bodog)
Denis is great athelete and very talented but he's coming in against a larger, faster, and more athletic striker in Pokam. Kang is the favorite for a reason, but Xavier is very undervalued in this fight and worth a small dog bet. Let's hope this one ends up on the show.
Prediction: Foupa-Pokam via KO
Bet: .5 units to win 1.25
Jason MacDonald (-110 BetUS) vs. Nate Quarry (-105 Bodog)
A solid tight matchup, Quarry's strength and grappling should keep him out of trouble on the ground and MacDonalds subpar standup will likely be the deciding factor in this fight.
Prediction: Quarry via decision
Bet: None
David Loiseau (-125 BetUS) vs. Ed Herman (+110 Sportsbook)
The Crow returns to the UFC in a matchup that's a little reminicent of his fight with McCarthy. Again the fighter with the strength and standup edge and solid defensive ground skills should find his hand raised. Spinning back kicks are back.
Desert Dog back tips and “Smart Bets” for UFC97: “Redemption” this Saturday, April 18, at the The Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
It's a great card and the stadium will be packed with tens of thousnads of jacked up Canooks. These guys are awesome fans and know how to keep the energy levels up up up. There are several promising betting opportunities and some matchups I've been wanting to see for a long time.
Here are the “Smart Bets” for UFC 97:
(Note: + = Underdog; - = Favorite)
Main card picks:
Anderson Silva -600 (Bet $1200 to win $200) BetUS
Shogun Rua +160 (Bet $100 to win $160) Bodog
Cheick Kongo -300 (No Bet) BetUS
Luiz Cane -275 (No Bet) BetUS
Krzysztof Soszynski -150 (Bet $150 to win $100) SportsBook
Undercard Picks:
Xavier Foupa-Pokam +250 (Bet $50 to win $125) Bodog
David Loiseau -125 (Bet $125 to win $80) BetUS
Anderson Silva (-600 BetUS) vs. Thales Leites (+500 SportsBook)
Middleweight titleholder Anderson "The Spider" Silva (23-4 MMA, 8-0 UFC) looks to defend his crown for the fifth straight time when he takes on Brazilian Thales Leites (14-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC
Silva needs little introduction; he's perhaps the most dominant UFC fighter of the modern era, a Muay Thai specialist holder of a little jiu-jitsu black belt under Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. His opponent is primarily a grappler, holding a BJJ black belt himself under Welton Ribeiro.
Well I suppose if you just took a quick glance at this fight on paper and saw Leites sitting at +500 you might same damn that looks worth the risk! If you say that you'll be dead money. Silva has value up to -800.
Although the one nick in Silva's armor has been strong grapplers taking him down and controlling him on the ground (it's yet to last more than one round), Leites is not the one to do it. He's out classed in strength, leverage, and on even ground in terms of BJJ. If Hendo and Marquart couldn't maintain control on the ground, Thales even less likely. Anywhere else this fight goes Leites will be on the losing end it.
Prediction: Silva TKO
Bet: 16 units to win 2
Chuck Liddell (-185 SportsBook) vs. Mauricio Rua (+160 Bodog)
39-year-old Chuck Liddell (21-6 MMA, 17-5 UFC) is now 1-3 in his past four fights. The down turn has been hard for everyone to watch and has left questions in everyones mind. This fight has to answer that question. Although Rua's age and is different, his current status as a top level fighter now trying to avoid the end of this career is the same. Once regarded a top light heavyweight in the world, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (17-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has a lot to prove after two knee surgeries, and poor performances agianst Forrest Griffin and Mark Coleman.
Matchup wise it's the classic chute-boxing agrressive style of Shogun vs the powerful counter punching of the Ice Man. Typically, this is a great setup for Liddell, but if his speed is dropping off he may be focusing more on being an attacking fighter. This won't be a comfortable style for Chuck and could leave him very vunerable to Rua's speed and clinch work. A full training session for Rua should allow him to show up and display his true talent and athletasism. Unfortunately a full training camp for Liddell has likely left him questioning his natural style and won't bring back his fading speed.
Liddell is always dangerous, but at this point in the careers of these two Rua is the one most likely to move forward in the ranks. Sorry Chuck, I hope you prove me wrong, but my money is on the slight dog Shogun.
Prediction: Shogun Rua via Decision
Bet: 1 unit to win 1.6
Cheick Kongo (-300 BetUS) vs. Antoni Hardonk (+275 Bodog)
French fighter Cheick Kongo (13-4-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) and Dutch fighter Antoni Hardonk (8-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) are two of the most explosive kickboxers in the division and if we get treated to a kickboxing match it should be fight of the night. However, this is not K1. and Hardonk has shown he's a complete turd on the ground despite holding a BJJ blue belt. Kongo is no wiz on the ground either but he can successfully take the fight to the mat and keep opponents there and punish them.
The current odds don't offer a great deal for this fight so this ones not making it onto my betting card. I do think it could be an exciting addition to the show.
Prediction: Kongo via decision
Bet: None
Steve Cantwell (+260 Bodog) vs. Luiz Cane (-275 BetUS)
Steve Cantwell (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) is a veteran of the WEC and formerly held the organization's light-heavyweight title. Cantwell holds a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu under Sergio Pehna and has a background in amateur kickboxing.Luiz "Banha" Cane (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is a prototypical Brazilian fighter with a background in Muay Thai and a brown belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. Cane should hold the edge in physical strength and in toughness. He is primarily a brawler who is happy to take punishment in order to give it. Cantwell is a well-rounded fighter but has not demonstrated an ability to handle fighters that press the pace effectively. Cane traditionally does exactly that; look for a rugged brawl here with a lot of back and forth early before Cane's ability to absorb and dish overwhelms Cantwell in the second round.
Prediction: Cane via TKO
Krzysztof Soszynski (-150 SportsBook) vs. Brian Stann (+125 Bodog)
Krzysztof Soszynski (16-8-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) fights out of Team Quest is a veteran of the IFL. who is currently riding a four-fight win streak, which was capped off by a submission victory over Shane Primm in his UFC debut at The Ultimate Fighter 8 Finale. Soszynski was a contestant on the eighth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," where he lost in the semifinals to eventual show runner-up Vinicius Magalhaes.
Brian Stann (6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is a former WEC fighter – and former WEC champion – who is making his UFC debut. Stann won his first five fights in the WEC, all by TKO or KO, before being badly exposed by Steve Cantwell at WEC 35.
Both these guys are wild, undisciplined strikers and if they decide to stand toe to toe it will be very entertaining. However, if Soszynski listens to his coaches and takes Stann to the ground this fight will be over in round one by submission.
Prediction: Soszynski via submission
Bet: 1.55 units to win 1
Undercard:
Denis Kang (-325 Bodog) vs. Xavier Foupa-Pokam (+250 Bodog)
Denis is great athelete and very talented but he's coming in against a larger, faster, and more athletic striker in Pokam. Kang is the favorite for a reason, but Xavier is very undervalued in this fight and worth a small dog bet. Let's hope this one ends up on the show.
Prediction: Foupa-Pokam via KO
Bet: .5 units to win 1.25
Jason MacDonald (-110 BetUS) vs. Nate Quarry (-105 Bodog)
A solid tight matchup, Quarry's strength and grappling should keep him out of trouble on the ground and MacDonalds subpar standup will likely be the deciding factor in this fight.
Prediction: Quarry via decision
Bet: None
David Loiseau (-125 BetUS) vs. Ed Herman (+110 Sportsbook)
The Crow returns to the UFC in a matchup that's a little reminicent of his fight with McCarthy. Again the fighter with the strength and standup edge and solid defensive ground skills should find his hand raised. Spinning back kicks are back.
Photos from the Kingdom MMA press conference / FIGHT CARD
uproarhawaii.com
Nearly a dozen news organizations showed up for Kingdom MMA’s press conference on Wednesday, April 15 at Oceans 808 in Restaurant Row. T. Jay Thompson’s inaugural fight event will take place Saturday, April 18 at the Neal Blaisdell Arena at 7:30 p.m. Hawaii fans are gearing up for an exciting match up between MTV’s “Bully Beatdown” host Jason “Mayhem” Miller and the current ICON Middleweight Champion Kala Kolohe Hose. The two fighters shared their thoughts about the anticipated fight at the press conference.
Hose, who is the underdog in this fight, said he wants to “avoid the ground as much as possible” against Miller and thanked the people who helped him train for this fight. Miller addressed the hype about his new #1 rated show on MTV by saying, “I’m a fighter first…I’ve never fought because of money or the cameras. I fought this whole time to test myself. And I’m pretty good at getting punched in the head. There aren’t many jobs that offer this kind of opportunity.”
Weigh-ins will take place at Oceans 808 at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 17. According to Thompson, the next Kingdom MMA event is slated for Aug. 29 at the Blaisdell Arena.
For more information log on to: kingdommma.com
KINGDOM MMA FIGHT CARD
Main Event
185lb Kala “Kalohe” Hose (Bad Intentions) vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (Team Kingdom of Mayhem)
155lb Brandon Pieper (808 Fight Factory ) vs. Ricky “Hoku” Wallace (ICON)
Professional Submission Grappling
Ronald Jhun (808 Fight Factory) vs. Rylan Lizares
215lb Pisa “Ata” Tivao (94 Block) vs. Tasi Edwards (ICON)
185lb Gino Venti (808 Fight Factory ) vs. Sale Sproat (Molokai)
155lb L. John Borges (808 Fight Factory) vs. Andrew Cohea (Chris Leben’s UFS)
155lb Tommy Tuiloma (Team Auryte) vs. Reno Remigio (HMC)
155lb Elijah Manners (Nakoa/Universal Combat) vs. Trey Corrales (TEAM CAT)
135lb Paul Lopez (808 Fight Factory) vs. Rob Anduha (North Shore MMA)
170lb Shane Todani (808 Fight Factory) vs. Nathan Haring (Team CAT)
Click here for pictures
Nearly a dozen news organizations showed up for Kingdom MMA’s press conference on Wednesday, April 15 at Oceans 808 in Restaurant Row. T. Jay Thompson’s inaugural fight event will take place Saturday, April 18 at the Neal Blaisdell Arena at 7:30 p.m. Hawaii fans are gearing up for an exciting match up between MTV’s “Bully Beatdown” host Jason “Mayhem” Miller and the current ICON Middleweight Champion Kala Kolohe Hose. The two fighters shared their thoughts about the anticipated fight at the press conference.
Hose, who is the underdog in this fight, said he wants to “avoid the ground as much as possible” against Miller and thanked the people who helped him train for this fight. Miller addressed the hype about his new #1 rated show on MTV by saying, “I’m a fighter first…I’ve never fought because of money or the cameras. I fought this whole time to test myself. And I’m pretty good at getting punched in the head. There aren’t many jobs that offer this kind of opportunity.”
Weigh-ins will take place at Oceans 808 at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 17. According to Thompson, the next Kingdom MMA event is slated for Aug. 29 at the Blaisdell Arena.
For more information log on to: kingdommma.com
KINGDOM MMA FIGHT CARD
Main Event
185lb Kala “Kalohe” Hose (Bad Intentions) vs. Jason “Mayhem” Miller (Team Kingdom of Mayhem)
155lb Brandon Pieper (808 Fight Factory ) vs. Ricky “Hoku” Wallace (ICON)
Professional Submission Grappling
Ronald Jhun (808 Fight Factory) vs. Rylan Lizares
215lb Pisa “Ata” Tivao (94 Block) vs. Tasi Edwards (ICON)
185lb Gino Venti (808 Fight Factory ) vs. Sale Sproat (Molokai)
155lb L. John Borges (808 Fight Factory) vs. Andrew Cohea (Chris Leben’s UFS)
155lb Tommy Tuiloma (Team Auryte) vs. Reno Remigio (HMC)
155lb Elijah Manners (Nakoa/Universal Combat) vs. Trey Corrales (TEAM CAT)
135lb Paul Lopez (808 Fight Factory) vs. Rob Anduha (North Shore MMA)
170lb Shane Todani (808 Fight Factory) vs. Nathan Haring (Team CAT)
Click here for pictures
Kingdom MMA Live Video Stream from Hawaii on MMAHawaii.com
Saturday, April 18, 2009 MMA Hawaii will stream the undercard of Kingdom MMA live from the Blaisdell arena at 7pm.
Special Thanks to T Jay Thompson for making this possible.
Live Video Stream Kingdom MMA from Hawaii
Special Thanks to T Jay Thompson for making this possible.
Live Video Stream Kingdom MMA from Hawaii
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
UFC Undisputed 2009 playable demo for Xbox and PS3 drops April 23
UFC Undisputed 2009 is expected to flood the market on May 19 to the pleasure of fans and gamers worldwide. It’s the first video game for the promotion since Ultimate Fighting Championship: “Sudden Impact” back in 2004 — five very long years.
While the game is still over a month away, a playable demo will be available for Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network next Thursday, April 23, according to the official UFC Undisputed Web Site.
“UFC Undisputed 2009″ will feature 80 current and former UFC fighters, including Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, as well as extra downloadable fighters such as Ryan Bader and Efrain Escudero if the purchase is made from Gamestop.
The only very notable exception from the amazingly deep roster is Randy Couture, but with at least two more UFC games in the works, it’s possible that “The Natural” could appear in a future game if we don’t see him first included as downloadable content on Xbox Live Market Place or the Playstation Store.
It seems that with three UFC games planned for release, publisher THQ is looking for the UFC video game franchise to eventually attain the success of games based on the WWE or even Madden.
For more on “UFC Undisputed 2009″ and other video game-related news click here.
While the game is still over a month away, a playable demo will be available for Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network next Thursday, April 23, according to the official UFC Undisputed Web Site.
“UFC Undisputed 2009″ will feature 80 current and former UFC fighters, including Anderson Silva, Georges St. Pierre, B.J. Penn and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, as well as extra downloadable fighters such as Ryan Bader and Efrain Escudero if the purchase is made from Gamestop.
The only very notable exception from the amazingly deep roster is Randy Couture, but with at least two more UFC games in the works, it’s possible that “The Natural” could appear in a future game if we don’t see him first included as downloadable content on Xbox Live Market Place or the Playstation Store.
It seems that with three UFC games planned for release, publisher THQ is looking for the UFC video game franchise to eventually attain the success of games based on the WWE or even Madden.
For more on “UFC Undisputed 2009″ and other video game-related news click here.
Mayhem vows big show for Hawaiians
FURTHER REVIEW
Mayhem vows big show for fellow 'Hawaiians'
POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Apr 16, 2009
(Single Page View) | Return to Paginated View
It's got everything.
Trash-talk galore. Ring girls. Money. Comedy. Justice and vengeance.
And, of course, fighting.
Saturday's mixed martial arts card?
Yeah, we'll probably see some of that at the Blaisdell.
But what I'm talking about is "Bully Beatdown," the MTV show hosted by Jason Miller -- yes, the same "Mayhem" who used to dominate MMA in Hawaii. And Mayhem is back, headlining Saturday against Kala Hose.
In his TV show, bullies get their payback with lickings from a pro fighter. I haven't even seen it yet, but it's primed to replace "Family Guy" as my favorite program just by its premise and the fact that Mayhem's involved.
Shouldn't surprise anyone that Mayhem's entertaining personality landed him in Hollywood. He insists he's still a fighter at heart, and plans on Saturday to add Hose to the long list of local tough guys he has crushed.
But he says it's not his top priority.
"Job number one is putting on a show," Mayhem says. "Job number two is beating the hell out of Kala Hose."
The not-so-subtle implication is Mayhem believes himself so superior to Hose in every phase that he'll have to toy with him to give the fans their money's worth.
It's hard not to laugh at Miller, he's so naturally funny and so cleverly over the top. Is his eye twitch a wink, or a nervous reaction from too many blows to the head?
A combination, I think.
He's a promoter's dream, but he's the real deal in the ring, too. That misshapen nose and cauliflower ear tell you all you need to know in the authenticity department. He's famous for his iron jaw.
"I'm pretty good at getting punched in the head. And not many jobs out there give me that opportunity," he says.
And he has to talk for two to pump up this fight. Reporters held a pool yesterday on how many words Hose would utter at the press conference. He hit a career high with 69 in response to seven questions.
Hose seemed as amused by Mayhem's act as anyone, grinning and trying to keep from cracking up.
"I'm getting so angry I'm getting acid reflux," Mayhem shouts at one point, congruous to who knows what.
Promoter T. Jay Thompson is banking on Mayhem-Hose to draw the crowd. The rest of the card is amateurs.
"I think MMA is going to make a comeback in Hawaii," says Thompson, the guy who brought us SuperBrawl in the '90s, riding ahead of the wave.
Mayhem, who considers himself Hawaiian at heart, says the sport's here to stay.
"Hawaii, to me, is the leader in MMA. It's at the grassroots level. Fighting's in the blood."
It's not hard to figure out its popularity here.
Our ethnic melting pot not only makes for wondrous potlucks and physically beautiful people. It also creates a combat sports smorgasbord.
History shows boxing thrives in tough economic times. Will this fight pull MMA out of its local doldrums?
"We'll always see peaks and valleys," Thompson says. "Everything's cyclical. I've decided to ignore the recession. I won't participate. Call this my bailout, my stimulus package."
Reach Star-Bulletin sports columnist Dave Reardon at dreardon@starbulletin.com, his "Quick Reads" blog at starbulletin.com, and twitter.com/davereardon.
It's got everything.
Trash-talk galore. Ring girls. Money. Comedy. Justice and vengeance.
And, of course, fighting.
Saturday's mixed martial arts card?
Yeah, we'll probably see some of that at the Blaisdell.
But what I'm talking about is "Bully Beatdown," the MTV show hosted by Jason Miller -- yes, the same "Mayhem" who used to dominate MMA in Hawaii. And Mayhem is back, headlining Saturday against Kala Hose.
In his TV show, bullies get their payback with lickings from a pro fighter. I haven't even seen it yet, but it's primed to replace "Family Guy" as my favorite program just by its premise and the fact that Mayhem's involved.
Shouldn't surprise anyone that Mayhem's entertaining personality landed him in Hollywood. He insists he's still a fighter at heart, and plans on Saturday to add Hose to the long list of local tough guys he has crushed.
But he says it's not his top priority.
"Job number one is putting on a show," Mayhem says. "Job number two is beating the hell out of Kala Hose."
The not-so-subtle implication is Mayhem believes himself so superior to Hose in every phase that he'll have to toy with him to give the fans their money's worth.
It's hard not to laugh at Miller, he's so naturally funny and so cleverly over the top. Is his eye twitch a wink, or a nervous reaction from too many blows to the head?
A combination, I think.
He's a promoter's dream, but he's the real deal in the ring, too. That misshapen nose and cauliflower ear tell you all you need to know in the authenticity department. He's famous for his iron jaw.
"I'm pretty good at getting punched in the head. And not many jobs out there give me that opportunity," he says.
And he has to talk for two to pump up this fight. Reporters held a pool yesterday on how many words Hose would utter at the press conference. He hit a career high with 69 in response to seven questions.
Hose seemed as amused by Mayhem's act as anyone, grinning and trying to keep from cracking up.
"I'm getting so angry I'm getting acid reflux," Mayhem shouts at one point, congruous to who knows what.
Promoter T. Jay Thompson is banking on Mayhem-Hose to draw the crowd. The rest of the card is amateurs.
"I think MMA is going to make a comeback in Hawaii," says Thompson, the guy who brought us SuperBrawl in the '90s, riding ahead of the wave.
Mayhem, who considers himself Hawaiian at heart, says the sport's here to stay.
"Hawaii, to me, is the leader in MMA. It's at the grassroots level. Fighting's in the blood."
It's not hard to figure out its popularity here.
Our ethnic melting pot not only makes for wondrous potlucks and physically beautiful people. It also creates a combat sports smorgasbord.
History shows boxing thrives in tough economic times. Will this fight pull MMA out of its local doldrums?
"We'll always see peaks and valleys," Thompson says. "Everything's cyclical. I've decided to ignore the recession. I won't participate. Call this my bailout, my stimulus package."
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Report: "Jacare" vs. "Mayhem" in works for DREAM.9, title on line
Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (10-2) and the always-entertaining Jason "Mayhem" Miller (21-6) may soon meet in a rematch of their June 2008 DREAM middleweight grand prix bout.
In a report from Tatame.com, Souza's coach, Josuel Distak, said "Jacare" will fight for the newly vacated DREAM middleweight title at DREAM.9 on May 26.
While Miller's participation wasn't guaranteed, Distak said he believes the "Bully Beatdown" host will be Souza's opponent.
Immediate attempts by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) to confirm the matchup with sources close to the bout were unsuccessful.
Souza defeated Miller by unanimous decision in June 2008 in the quarterfinals of the DREAM middleweight grand prix. Souza went on to defeat Zelg Galesic to earn a spot in the finals, but he was knocked out by Gegard Mousasi in the championship bout. The loss was Souza's first since a 2003 knockout loss to Jorge Patino in his professional debut.
With Mousasi now moving up to light heavyweight, Souza will get another crack at the belt.
Miller hasn't fought since the match with Souza, though he will meet the hard-hitting Kala "Kolohe" Hose (7-2) in the main event of Saturday's Kingdom MMA card from Hawaii.
The loss to Souza snapped a streak of four-straight wins for the UFC and WEC veteran.
In a report from Tatame.com, Souza's coach, Josuel Distak, said "Jacare" will fight for the newly vacated DREAM middleweight title at DREAM.9 on May 26.
While Miller's participation wasn't guaranteed, Distak said he believes the "Bully Beatdown" host will be Souza's opponent.
Immediate attempts by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) to confirm the matchup with sources close to the bout were unsuccessful.
Souza defeated Miller by unanimous decision in June 2008 in the quarterfinals of the DREAM middleweight grand prix. Souza went on to defeat Zelg Galesic to earn a spot in the finals, but he was knocked out by Gegard Mousasi in the championship bout. The loss was Souza's first since a 2003 knockout loss to Jorge Patino in his professional debut.
With Mousasi now moving up to light heavyweight, Souza will get another crack at the belt.
Miller hasn't fought since the match with Souza, though he will meet the hard-hitting Kala "Kolohe" Hose (7-2) in the main event of Saturday's Kingdom MMA card from Hawaii.
The loss to Souza snapped a streak of four-straight wins for the UFC and WEC veteran.
UFC 94 replay a ratings success for Spike TV on April 11
UFC 94: “St. Pierre vs. Penn 2,” which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 31, “pummeled the competition on both broadcast and cable” when it re-aired for free this weekend on Spike TV.
According to a recent press release from the network, UFC 94 was the number one program among men aged 18 to 34 “in all of television (cable and broadcast) during its time period (9 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET) on Saturday, April 11, 2009, scoring an overall 1.4 household rating and drawing an average audience of 1.9 million viewers.
In fact, it was the highest-rated telecast among men (aged 18 to 49) on cable for the entire day, which means that it likely attracted way more viewers than Strikeforce did with its “Shamrock vs. Diaz” mixed martial arts special on Showtime.
Whether or not the UFC was able to steal a huge chunk of fans away from watching the Strikeforce show, which it apparently was trying to do with its latest counter programming effort, remains to be seen. Regardless, the rebroadcast of UFC 94 was a ratings success.
And that’s shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, considering all the brouhaha before, during and after the “fight of a lifetime” between the two champions in their primes.
UFC 94 sold 13,622 tickets for an official live gate $4,290,020, according to The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Complimentary tickets to the tune of 1,263 pushed attendance near the 15,000 mark, which would place it third all-time for the promotion behind UFC 83: “St. Pierre vs. Serra 2” back in April 2008 (21,390) and UFC 68: “The Uprising” in March 2007 (19,079).
In terms of revenue at the turn stiles, UFC 94 placed sixth — UFC 66, UFC 83, UFC 79, UFC 91 and UFC 71 all fared better at their respective gates.
Georges St. Pierre defeated BJ Penn via fourth round technical knockout to retain his 170-pound crown in the UFC 94 main event. Machida took one giant step toward earning his 205-pound title shot next month at UFC 98, blasting the previously undefeated Thiago Silva with a thundering first round knockout punch.
UFC dished out $1.1 million in fighter salaries for the pay-per-view (PPV) event and another $325,000 in additional bonus money for five participants who delivered outstanding performances.
X1 results
PALOLO HONGWANJI
April 11, 2009
BLUE CORNER RED CORNER
Main Event
KOLA KOKA Exabition MMA Match MICHAEL BRIGHTMON
MMAD 2/3 Min Rounds
Co Main Event
DAIVD"BABA"KAHANUI Exabition MMA Match KONA KE
DA HUI 2/3 Min Rounds Gods Army
JULIO MORENO Exabition MMA Match JARED IHA
Bulls Pen 2/3 Min Rounds No Remorse
STEVE ALBANESE Exabition MMA Match COLIN MACKENZIE
M.C.O.A. 2/3 Min Rounds Gods Army
CORDEL KNAPP 155lbs MMA Match ANGEL GARZA
558 MP Amateur 2/3 Min Rounds Chris Leban
ROHAN NANTON 155lbs MMA Match BEN SANTIAGO
Freelance Exabition 2/3 Min Rounds Gods Army
KEOKI SILVA 170lbs MMA Match ROBIN CLARK
Freelance Amateur 2/3 Min Rounds Hells Fire
205lbs MMA Match ASHTON VISORIA
Amateur 2/3 Min Rounds Team Devastation
HWlbs Kick Boxing Match DALE SOPI
Amateur 3/2 Min Rounds Hells Fire
April 11, 2009
BLUE CORNER RED CORNER
Main Event
KOLA KOKA Exabition MMA Match MICHAEL BRIGHTMON
MMAD 2/3 Min Rounds
Co Main Event
DAIVD"BABA"KAHANUI Exabition MMA Match KONA KE
DA HUI 2/3 Min Rounds Gods Army
JULIO MORENO Exabition MMA Match JARED IHA
Bulls Pen 2/3 Min Rounds No Remorse
STEVE ALBANESE Exabition MMA Match COLIN MACKENZIE
M.C.O.A. 2/3 Min Rounds Gods Army
CORDEL KNAPP 155lbs MMA Match ANGEL GARZA
558 MP Amateur 2/3 Min Rounds Chris Leban
ROHAN NANTON 155lbs MMA Match BEN SANTIAGO
Freelance Exabition 2/3 Min Rounds Gods Army
KEOKI SILVA 170lbs MMA Match ROBIN CLARK
Freelance Amateur 2/3 Min Rounds Hells Fire
205lbs MMA Match ASHTON VISORIA
Amateur 2/3 Min Rounds Team Devastation
HWlbs Kick Boxing Match DALE SOPI
Amateur 3/2 Min Rounds Hells Fire
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Send me your school's Triple Crown results
I haven't received the full results from the Triple Crown yet but I am interested in seeing how all the Kauai competitors did. Please step up and send me the results from your school if you have them.
Rylan Lizares vs Jair Muniz
2009 Hawaii Triple Crown super fight. What a dominating performance by Ryan. That was smooth!
Benji Radach vs. Scott Smith: Fight of the year IMO
You cannot call yourself a MMA fan if you haven't seen the Scott Smith vs. Benji Radach fight. I wish I was half as tough as these guys. You can watch the fight on MMATKO.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Scrappler Fest BJJ/Submission Grappling Tournament Saturday-May 16th
Weigh ins@Scrappa LifeStylez MMA store in Hanamaulu Town, next to the post office. 5pm-8pm
Weigh ins also will be held@the gym until 9am.
Preregistered Competitors before Wednesday May 13th
Kids $35
Women $40
Adults $55
Register@wiegh ins-Friday May 15th
Kids $35
Women $40
Adult $60
Register@Gym-Saturday May 16th
Kids $40
Women $45
Adults $65
All Entry Fees cover both Gi/No Gi Divisions
Mens White, Blue, Beginner No Gi Weight Divisions
131-below
132-145
146-159
160-173
174-187
188-201
202-215
216-Above
*Mens Purple & Above, No Gi 2 1/2 years Above(or 2 stripe blue+up)
159-Below
160-180
181-201
202-Above
*These divisions are Cash, plus possible Prizes, w/medals
*202-Above, may be joined w/181-201, depending on amount of Heavier Competititors.
Womens Gi, No Gi Weight Divisions
125-below
126-140
141-Above
Kids we will make weight divisions as we have more info on competitors. But Age divisions will be every 2 years. We will try to make thse divisions aas fir as possible, so the kids don't get discouraged.
6-7yrs
8-9yrs
10-11yrs
12-13yrs
14-15yrs
16-17yrs
Mens Time Limits
White-5
Blue-6
Purple & Above-7
No Gi Beginner-5
No Gi Advanced-7
Womens Time Limits
White-5
Blue-6
Purple & Above-7
GENERAL RULES/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Illegal Techniques – All Belts and all Levels
No Neck Cranks (Cervical without chokes)
No Leg Locks or Toe Holds (Exception: Purple Belt and above/Advanced No-Gi) Straight Ankle allowed for all Belts & Levels.
No Heel Hooks
No Wrist, Bicep, or Calf Locks (Exception: Purple Belt and above/Advanced No-Gi)
No Attacks to Windpipe, Eyes, Small joints or Groin. No Fish Hooks, Hair Pulling, or Biting.
No Hands, Elbows, Knees on Face
No Scissors Takedown
No Striking of any kind
No Slamming your opponent to the mat
Any intentional use of an illegal technique, abuse of an official or show of poor sportsmanship will result in immediate disqualification or ejection of the competitor, coach, or spectator.
Refereeing is a subjective task, and as such, is prone to personal interpretation, judgment, and human error. Any dispute of match or calls must be made before the next match commences. In the name of fairness, Referee will make all attempts to resolve disputes and disagreements, but REFEREES possess the FINAL authority on all decisions and designations of winners.
All Competitors are required to attend their designated rules clinic. Competitors will be allowed to address questions and concerns surrounding competition rules and match point scoring system during the rules clinic.
The Kimono must be washed and dried with no unpleasant odors. The kimono must be free of tears and of proper length. The jacket is to be of sufficient length down to the thighs, sleeves must reach the wrist with arms extended in front of the body.
Competitors who fail to appear when their name is called will forfeit their match.
In case of victory the athlete must remain at the designated mat until the next match.
We are expecting to run 5 mats consistantly through out the day, to make the tournament run smoothly.
This is looking to be a really good turn out for the tournament.
Any Questions Please call me@634-8735 or e-mail ktirelson_gracie@hotmail.com
Thanks
Aloha Pono Pananganan-Relson Gracie KTI Jiu-Jitsu
Weigh ins also will be held@the gym until 9am.
Preregistered Competitors before Wednesday May 13th
Kids $35
Women $40
Adults $55
Register@wiegh ins-Friday May 15th
Kids $35
Women $40
Adult $60
Register@Gym-Saturday May 16th
Kids $40
Women $45
Adults $65
All Entry Fees cover both Gi/No Gi Divisions
Mens White, Blue, Beginner No Gi Weight Divisions
131-below
132-145
146-159
160-173
174-187
188-201
202-215
216-Above
*Mens Purple & Above, No Gi 2 1/2 years Above(or 2 stripe blue+up)
159-Below
160-180
181-201
202-Above
*These divisions are Cash, plus possible Prizes, w/medals
*202-Above, may be joined w/181-201, depending on amount of Heavier Competititors.
Womens Gi, No Gi Weight Divisions
125-below
126-140
141-Above
Kids we will make weight divisions as we have more info on competitors. But Age divisions will be every 2 years. We will try to make thse divisions aas fir as possible, so the kids don't get discouraged.
6-7yrs
8-9yrs
10-11yrs
12-13yrs
14-15yrs
16-17yrs
Mens Time Limits
White-5
Blue-6
Purple & Above-7
No Gi Beginner-5
No Gi Advanced-7
Womens Time Limits
White-5
Blue-6
Purple & Above-7
| MATCH POINTS | TAKE DOWNS – 2 POINTS | SWEEPS – 2 POINTS |
| KNEE RIDE – 2 POINTS | GUARD PASS – 3 POINTS | |
| MOUNT – 4 POINTS | BACK HOOKS – 4 POINTS |
Illegal Techniques – All Belts and all Levels
No Neck Cranks (Cervical without chokes)
No Leg Locks or Toe Holds (Exception: Purple Belt and above/Advanced No-Gi) Straight Ankle allowed for all Belts & Levels.
No Heel Hooks
No Wrist, Bicep, or Calf Locks (Exception: Purple Belt and above/Advanced No-Gi)
No Attacks to Windpipe, Eyes, Small joints or Groin. No Fish Hooks, Hair Pulling, or Biting.
No Hands, Elbows, Knees on Face
No Scissors Takedown
No Striking of any kind
No Slamming your opponent to the mat
Any intentional use of an illegal technique, abuse of an official or show of poor sportsmanship will result in immediate disqualification or ejection of the competitor, coach, or spectator.
Refereeing is a subjective task, and as such, is prone to personal interpretation, judgment, and human error. Any dispute of match or calls must be made before the next match commences. In the name of fairness, Referee will make all attempts to resolve disputes and disagreements, but REFEREES possess the FINAL authority on all decisions and designations of winners.
All Competitors are required to attend their designated rules clinic. Competitors will be allowed to address questions and concerns surrounding competition rules and match point scoring system during the rules clinic.
The Kimono must be washed and dried with no unpleasant odors. The kimono must be free of tears and of proper length. The jacket is to be of sufficient length down to the thighs, sleeves must reach the wrist with arms extended in front of the body.
Competitors who fail to appear when their name is called will forfeit their match.
In case of victory the athlete must remain at the designated mat until the next match.
We are expecting to run 5 mats consistantly through out the day, to make the tournament run smoothly.
This is looking to be a really good turn out for the tournament.
Any Questions Please call me@634-8735 or e-mail ktirelson_gracie@hotmail.com
Thanks
Aloha Pono Pananganan-Relson Gracie KTI Jiu-Jitsu
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