MMA News Thread
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
The quarter and semi final rounds need to be 10 rounds instead of five cuz there were fighters that would take there opponent down and do very little since it was five rounds. I think if fighters had trained in the yamma cage they might be able to adapt new techniques. The fighters just seemed akward fighting in the yamma.
HOW DREAM BECAME A REALITY
From the ashes of Pride FC a new organization has risen called Dream, a partnership with FEG, the primary group behind K-1, and the former employees of Pride. Recently, FEG executive Sadaharu Tanigawa spoke to MMAWeekly.com about how the organization was founded and why they decided to work with the Pride staff.
K-1 Hero’s and Pride were two of the major players for mixed martial arts in Japan and Tanigawa explains why they didn’t simply incorporate the Pride staff into the Hero’s brand, but instead changed the name to Dream.
“In order to (attract) the Pride fans, we have to bring something new,” said Tanigawa. “Because the Pride fans, they don’t really come to the Hero’s events. In order to have them in our events … not only the fans of Pride, but the former Pride staff they were kind of intimidated working together with us as the Hero’s front, so that’s why we have to have something (new).”
This new organization has roots in both K-1 Hero’s and Pride of course, and the promotion started to breathe life around the same time the former Pride staff helped to organize the year end Yarennoka! event that closed 2007.
“Maybe a week after New Year’s we started thinking about working together,” Tanigawa stated. “Already in Japan, we had discussed working together with the Yarennoka event, then we started discussing new names and then we went with one of those new names and we finally decided on the event name, Dream.”
Another organization, World Victory Road (also known as Sengoku), also started around the same time in Japan and recently put on its first show as well. Tanigawa explained why the former Pride staff, once released from their positions, decided to work with FEG instead of the new World Victory Road promotion.
“The owner of the Sengoku event did not really have a fighting background,” commented Tanigawa. “Actually the former Pride people they could not visualize which direction they would go with them, but working with us, FEG, because we already have TV and broadcasting, and we have many fighters, it’s easier to visualize working with us.”
The addition of the Pride staff is seen as a huge positive for the new Dream brand, and Tanigawa said he is hopeful to build Dream into the same fan base that Pride had, but understands it may take a year or two.
With the first event for Dream already in the books and a second event set for April 29 featuring the start of the Middleweight Grand Prix, the FEG executive is looking for big things out of Dream and promises they will be sticking around.
“For certain we will be continuing to be proud of the Dream event,” Tanigawa stated. “Of course our main part will be to let the former Pride people handle (the promotion), but there’s still the matchmaking, and making final decisions will be made by FEG.”
The success of Dream could be vital to the overall success of MMA in Japan over the coming years with many top fighters signed to the organization, much is expected out of the upstart promotion from fans and critics alike.
From the ashes of Pride FC a new organization has risen called Dream, a partnership with FEG, the primary group behind K-1, and the former employees of Pride. Recently, FEG executive Sadaharu Tanigawa spoke to MMAWeekly.com about how the organization was founded and why they decided to work with the Pride staff.
K-1 Hero’s and Pride were two of the major players for mixed martial arts in Japan and Tanigawa explains why they didn’t simply incorporate the Pride staff into the Hero’s brand, but instead changed the name to Dream.
“In order to (attract) the Pride fans, we have to bring something new,” said Tanigawa. “Because the Pride fans, they don’t really come to the Hero’s events. In order to have them in our events … not only the fans of Pride, but the former Pride staff they were kind of intimidated working together with us as the Hero’s front, so that’s why we have to have something (new).”
This new organization has roots in both K-1 Hero’s and Pride of course, and the promotion started to breathe life around the same time the former Pride staff helped to organize the year end Yarennoka! event that closed 2007.
“Maybe a week after New Year’s we started thinking about working together,” Tanigawa stated. “Already in Japan, we had discussed working together with the Yarennoka event, then we started discussing new names and then we went with one of those new names and we finally decided on the event name, Dream.”
Another organization, World Victory Road (also known as Sengoku), also started around the same time in Japan and recently put on its first show as well. Tanigawa explained why the former Pride staff, once released from their positions, decided to work with FEG instead of the new World Victory Road promotion.
“The owner of the Sengoku event did not really have a fighting background,” commented Tanigawa. “Actually the former Pride people they could not visualize which direction they would go with them, but working with us, FEG, because we already have TV and broadcasting, and we have many fighters, it’s easier to visualize working with us.”
The addition of the Pride staff is seen as a huge positive for the new Dream brand, and Tanigawa said he is hopeful to build Dream into the same fan base that Pride had, but understands it may take a year or two.
With the first event for Dream already in the books and a second event set for April 29 featuring the start of the Middleweight Grand Prix, the FEG executive is looking for big things out of Dream and promises they will be sticking around.
“For certain we will be continuing to be proud of the Dream event,” Tanigawa stated. “Of course our main part will be to let the former Pride people handle (the promotion), but there’s still the matchmaking, and making final decisions will be made by FEG.”
The success of Dream could be vital to the overall success of MMA in Japan over the coming years with many top fighters signed to the organization, much is expected out of the upstart promotion from fans and critics alike.
Diaz eager to settle score with Gamburyan
After posting his fourth straight submission victory in the UFC at UFC Fight Night 13, lightweight Nate Diaz (9-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has been mentioned as a possible opponent for many of the division's top contenders. Diaz, however, is only interested in one of them: former cast mate Manny Gamburyan (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
Diaz discussed his explosive victory over Kurt Pellegrino (11-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC), as well as his desire to fight "The Ultimate Fighter 5" runner-up Gamburyan, while a guest on Wednesday's edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), a content partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
"The UFC decides that for me," Diaz said regarding his next opponent. "Manny (Gamburyan) wants to fight me. But you know what? I want to fight him too just as much."
Diaz and Gamburyan met once before, in a highly anticipated bout for the "The Ultimate Fighter 5" title. Bad blood developed over the course of the season between Diaz and Gamburyan, as well with Diaz and Gamburyan's cousin and training partner, Karo Parisyan. The feud looked as if it would be settled in the octagon at the show's June 2007 live finale, but Gamburyan suffered a dislocated shoulder, and the fight was halted just 20 seconds into the second round.
Although the taping of the reality show was almost a year ago, time has not lessened the animosity Diaz holds for Gamburyan and Parisyan.
"I don't like them," Diaz said bluntly. "I don't mean nothing bad to anyone else in the sport. Everybody's just trying to make their money and fight their fights and do their thing, just like I am. But those guys? F*** them. They're cocky, they talk s***, and they want to act tough. But when they're by themselves, they try to say 'What's up,' you know... I'm like, 'We're not friends, dude.'"
Although Gamburyan clearly won the first round of their previous encounter before bowing out shortly into the second, Diaz said he was unimpressed with the effort of his opponent.
"[Gamburyan] already did everything he was going to do in that first round," the 22-year-old Diaz said. "I felt better in the second round. I didn't feel like he was doing anything from the top anyway. Pellegrino was doing good from the top. He was trying to pass the guard do his thing. Manny was just trying to sit in the guard the whole time."
Diaz also insisted his conditioning would have led to an eventual victory anyway, regardless of Gamburyan's injury.
"The thing is with a lot of guys is they can go hard from go, you know, from the start, and they slow down as time goes by," Diaz explained. "I feel like I go hard from start, too, but I feel like I get better as time goes by. Some people slow down. They give everything at the beginning. So I feel like sometimes, not with all people, but with some people, that it's going to get better for me in the later rounds… I was just 'If he did anything good, the best thing he was going to do, he already did.'"
With Diaz moving quickly up the ranks of the UFC's talent-rich lightweight division, there is no limit to new opponents for the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu fighter. But Diaz would be willing to try to settle unfinished business from the past before moving forward.
"I don't give a s***," Diaz said. "If they want to do it, I'm ready for that."
To hear the full interview, download Wednesday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio Network archives.
After posting his fourth straight submission victory in the UFC at UFC Fight Night 13, lightweight Nate Diaz (9-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) has been mentioned as a possible opponent for many of the division's top contenders. Diaz, however, is only interested in one of them: former cast mate Manny Gamburyan (8-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC).
Diaz discussed his explosive victory over Kurt Pellegrino (11-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC), as well as his desire to fight "The Ultimate Fighter 5" runner-up Gamburyan, while a guest on Wednesday's edition of TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), a content partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).
"The UFC decides that for me," Diaz said regarding his next opponent. "Manny (Gamburyan) wants to fight me. But you know what? I want to fight him too just as much."
Diaz and Gamburyan met once before, in a highly anticipated bout for the "The Ultimate Fighter 5" title. Bad blood developed over the course of the season between Diaz and Gamburyan, as well with Diaz and Gamburyan's cousin and training partner, Karo Parisyan. The feud looked as if it would be settled in the octagon at the show's June 2007 live finale, but Gamburyan suffered a dislocated shoulder, and the fight was halted just 20 seconds into the second round.
Although the taping of the reality show was almost a year ago, time has not lessened the animosity Diaz holds for Gamburyan and Parisyan.
"I don't like them," Diaz said bluntly. "I don't mean nothing bad to anyone else in the sport. Everybody's just trying to make their money and fight their fights and do their thing, just like I am. But those guys? F*** them. They're cocky, they talk s***, and they want to act tough. But when they're by themselves, they try to say 'What's up,' you know... I'm like, 'We're not friends, dude.'"
Although Gamburyan clearly won the first round of their previous encounter before bowing out shortly into the second, Diaz said he was unimpressed with the effort of his opponent.
"[Gamburyan] already did everything he was going to do in that first round," the 22-year-old Diaz said. "I felt better in the second round. I didn't feel like he was doing anything from the top anyway. Pellegrino was doing good from the top. He was trying to pass the guard do his thing. Manny was just trying to sit in the guard the whole time."
Diaz also insisted his conditioning would have led to an eventual victory anyway, regardless of Gamburyan's injury.
"The thing is with a lot of guys is they can go hard from go, you know, from the start, and they slow down as time goes by," Diaz explained. "I feel like I go hard from start, too, but I feel like I get better as time goes by. Some people slow down. They give everything at the beginning. So I feel like sometimes, not with all people, but with some people, that it's going to get better for me in the later rounds… I was just 'If he did anything good, the best thing he was going to do, he already did.'"
With Diaz moving quickly up the ranks of the UFC's talent-rich lightweight division, there is no limit to new opponents for the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu fighter. But Diaz would be willing to try to settle unfinished business from the past before moving forward.
"I don't give a s***," Diaz said. "If they want to do it, I'm ready for that."
To hear the full interview, download Wednesday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio Network archives.
Lutter gets chance for redemption
Anderson Silva has run a gauntlet through some of the best middleweight mixed martial arts in the world in the past 23 months.
He obliterated the iron-chinned Chris Leben. He twice pulverized the marvelously well-rounded Rich Franklin. He overwhelmed Nate Marquardt, a man many believed had the style to defeat him.
And he found a way to submit the dangerous Dan Henderson, the former Pride double champion.
"Anderson Silva," UFC president Dana White says excitedly, "is (an expletive) monster."
Silva was a monster who looked decidedly human – and beatable – against a low-key and unassuming guy on Feb. 3, 2007. But no matter how beatable Silva looked against Travis Lutter on that night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, he wouldn't lose his middleweight championship.
Lutter somehow failed to make weight for what would be the fight of his life. A guy who had been renowned in the industry for his professionalism and reliability, he never even came close.
The Texan weighed 187 pounds on his first attempt, which came after he spent hours on a treadmill and in the sauna early in the day. After another stint in the sauna, he only lost a half-pound.
And so, the title shot that he had earned by winning "The Ultimate Fighter 4" evaporated as the pounds would not. He'd have to fight Silva in a non-title fight and, worse, earn the scorn of thousands of MMA fans around the world who were incensed by his inability to make 185 pounds.
"Just a bad miscalculation on my part," Lutter says simply. "I thought I could pull the weight, but it turns out I was wrong."
Lutter will return to the octagon for the first time since that nightmare of a weekend when he faces Franklin at UFC 83 in Montreal on April 19.
It will have be more than 14 months since Lutter has had a fight – he had to pull out of a planned bout against Ryan Jensen at UFC 74 last August because of a neck injury – and Lutter wants to give the fans something to remember him by other than the scales.
"It's nothing to be proud of," Lutter said. "But if you had told me the day before that this would have happened, I would have said you are crazy."
Burt Watson, though, had some kind of an intuition. Watson doesn't have to step on a scale. He doesn't have to make weight. He can eat whatever he wants and only his doctor may nag him about it.
But Watson, the UFC's site coordinator with the infectious smile and bubbly personality, is all but obsessed with making certain fighters on the cards he's working make the weight.
There has been a trend in boxing in recent years, notably led by former lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, for the fighters to miss weight.
By and large, it hasn't been a problem in the UFC, though. Much of it is due to the professionalism of the athletes, no doubt, but don't discount the role that Watson plays.
"My fighters," he says, authoritatively, "make weight."
In part, they do it because of Watson's insistence at getting them on a scale as quickly as possible upon their arrival at the site of the card.
Four days before the fight, Watson's eyes widened when he ordered Lutter to the scale and saw the number 208 flash in the display. Watson sensed trouble but Lutter insisted he was fine. He had made the cut from 204 successfully before and had just completed a solid training camp.
He believed he would make weight without an issue and was excited because he felt he had the style that could beat Silva.
"I still think I could beat him," Lutter said of Silva, who submitted him with strikes in the second round of what became a non-title bout. "We match up wrong for each other. I don't think he's the best 185-pounder in the world other than me. Other guys would give him big problems. Matt Lindland, I think, kills him. Anderson is an incredible standup fighter. He looks like Superman on his feet. But his takedown defense is not that good and … "
Lutter's voice trailed off. He's been kicking around MMA for years, operating with a decidedly lower profile than guys such as Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Matt Hughes. He got his opportunity to face Silva after winning the middleweight division on The Ultimate Fighter season four.
Lutter is like a guy who found a winning lottery ticket only to lose it as he was headed out to cash it.
It's a painful subject for him to discuss, but it's one that will be brought up almost non-stop until he does something so dramatic that it renders the episode at the scales moot.
He has a great chance in Montreal against Franklin, who has looked like Superman himself against pretty much everyone but Silva.
A win over a guy the caliber of Franklin would go a long way toward erasing the stigma associated with the Silva fight.
"I don't want to be perceived as a bad guy," said Lutter, who said he's received a significant amount of virulent email in the aftermath of his failure at the scales. "I'm not a bad guy. I worked hard for that fight, but I made a miscalculation. But judging from some of the email some of these guys have sent me, you'd think I'd raped their sister and killed their mother.
"I realize the fans are fickle. That's the way it is. Look at Rich. At one point, he was the greatest thing ever, then after the fights with Anderson, these same guys are saying he sucks. The great thing for me is, I have the opportunity now to do something about what they say. Rich is a great opponent and if you beat a guy like that, it's going to make people notice."
Lutter knows that many of the fans who jam the weigh-in the day before UFC 83 will hold their breaths as he walks to the scales.
This time, though, Lutter said he's leaving nothing to chance. On April 8, 11 days before the fight, he was already down to 198 pounds.
"Given what's happened, this is a huge fight for me," Lutter said. "It's been a while since I fought, and I'm ready to get in there and do it. I guess I owe the people a good show. That's really my goal, to get in there and give them what they came to see."
Anderson Silva has run a gauntlet through some of the best middleweight mixed martial arts in the world in the past 23 months.
He obliterated the iron-chinned Chris Leben. He twice pulverized the marvelously well-rounded Rich Franklin. He overwhelmed Nate Marquardt, a man many believed had the style to defeat him.
And he found a way to submit the dangerous Dan Henderson, the former Pride double champion.
"Anderson Silva," UFC president Dana White says excitedly, "is (an expletive) monster."
Silva was a monster who looked decidedly human – and beatable – against a low-key and unassuming guy on Feb. 3, 2007. But no matter how beatable Silva looked against Travis Lutter on that night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, he wouldn't lose his middleweight championship.
Lutter somehow failed to make weight for what would be the fight of his life. A guy who had been renowned in the industry for his professionalism and reliability, he never even came close.
The Texan weighed 187 pounds on his first attempt, which came after he spent hours on a treadmill and in the sauna early in the day. After another stint in the sauna, he only lost a half-pound.
And so, the title shot that he had earned by winning "The Ultimate Fighter 4" evaporated as the pounds would not. He'd have to fight Silva in a non-title fight and, worse, earn the scorn of thousands of MMA fans around the world who were incensed by his inability to make 185 pounds.
"Just a bad miscalculation on my part," Lutter says simply. "I thought I could pull the weight, but it turns out I was wrong."
Lutter will return to the octagon for the first time since that nightmare of a weekend when he faces Franklin at UFC 83 in Montreal on April 19.
It will have be more than 14 months since Lutter has had a fight – he had to pull out of a planned bout against Ryan Jensen at UFC 74 last August because of a neck injury – and Lutter wants to give the fans something to remember him by other than the scales.
"It's nothing to be proud of," Lutter said. "But if you had told me the day before that this would have happened, I would have said you are crazy."
Burt Watson, though, had some kind of an intuition. Watson doesn't have to step on a scale. He doesn't have to make weight. He can eat whatever he wants and only his doctor may nag him about it.
But Watson, the UFC's site coordinator with the infectious smile and bubbly personality, is all but obsessed with making certain fighters on the cards he's working make the weight.
There has been a trend in boxing in recent years, notably led by former lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo, for the fighters to miss weight.
By and large, it hasn't been a problem in the UFC, though. Much of it is due to the professionalism of the athletes, no doubt, but don't discount the role that Watson plays.
"My fighters," he says, authoritatively, "make weight."
In part, they do it because of Watson's insistence at getting them on a scale as quickly as possible upon their arrival at the site of the card.
Four days before the fight, Watson's eyes widened when he ordered Lutter to the scale and saw the number 208 flash in the display. Watson sensed trouble but Lutter insisted he was fine. He had made the cut from 204 successfully before and had just completed a solid training camp.
He believed he would make weight without an issue and was excited because he felt he had the style that could beat Silva.
"I still think I could beat him," Lutter said of Silva, who submitted him with strikes in the second round of what became a non-title bout. "We match up wrong for each other. I don't think he's the best 185-pounder in the world other than me. Other guys would give him big problems. Matt Lindland, I think, kills him. Anderson is an incredible standup fighter. He looks like Superman on his feet. But his takedown defense is not that good and … "
Lutter's voice trailed off. He's been kicking around MMA for years, operating with a decidedly lower profile than guys such as Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture and Matt Hughes. He got his opportunity to face Silva after winning the middleweight division on The Ultimate Fighter season four.
Lutter is like a guy who found a winning lottery ticket only to lose it as he was headed out to cash it.
It's a painful subject for him to discuss, but it's one that will be brought up almost non-stop until he does something so dramatic that it renders the episode at the scales moot.
He has a great chance in Montreal against Franklin, who has looked like Superman himself against pretty much everyone but Silva.
A win over a guy the caliber of Franklin would go a long way toward erasing the stigma associated with the Silva fight.
"I don't want to be perceived as a bad guy," said Lutter, who said he's received a significant amount of virulent email in the aftermath of his failure at the scales. "I'm not a bad guy. I worked hard for that fight, but I made a miscalculation. But judging from some of the email some of these guys have sent me, you'd think I'd raped their sister and killed their mother.
"I realize the fans are fickle. That's the way it is. Look at Rich. At one point, he was the greatest thing ever, then after the fights with Anderson, these same guys are saying he sucks. The great thing for me is, I have the opportunity now to do something about what they say. Rich is a great opponent and if you beat a guy like that, it's going to make people notice."
Lutter knows that many of the fans who jam the weigh-in the day before UFC 83 will hold their breaths as he walks to the scales.
This time, though, Lutter said he's leaving nothing to chance. On April 8, 11 days before the fight, he was already down to 198 pounds.
"Given what's happened, this is a huge fight for me," Lutter said. "It's been a while since I fought, and I'm ready to get in there and do it. I guess I owe the people a good show. That's really my goal, to get in there and give them what they came to see."
Randy Couture: ‘We should hear something this month’ about where we stand (Video)
http://mmamania.com/2008/04/11/rand...ething-this-month-about-where-we-stand-video/
http://mmamania.com/2008/04/11/rand...ething-this-month-about-where-we-stand-video/
Francisco Filho confident on Ewerton Teixeira
Legend of Karate Kyokushin and biggest Brazilian fighter at K-1, Francisco Filho is confident at a good victory of his pupil Ewerton Teixeira at K-1. “Ewerton was the second non-Japanese on the history to win the absolute title at Kyokushin World Championship and is well trained. I came these days from , when I was training with him and I believe he’ll get a good result against the Japanese”, said Francisco Filho, that said that Ewerton is emphasizing the Boxing training for the fight. Ewerton will do his debut on the event at April 13th against Yusuke Fujimoto, in one of the main fights of K-1 World GP.
COMPLETE CARD (subject changing)
K-1 World GP
Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japão
Sunday, April 13th of 2008
Super Heavyweight title fight:
- Semmy Schilt (champion) vs. Mark Hunt;
Main fights:
- Yusuke Fujimoto (Monster Factory) vs. Ewerton Teixeira (KyokushinKaikan);
- Badr Hari (Show Time) vs. Ray Sefo (Ray Sefo Fight Academy);
- “Mighty Mo” Siligia vs. Keijiro Maeda (Team Dragon);
Fighters that may participate:
- Hong Man Choi;
- Glaube Feitosa (KyokushinKaikan);
- Young Hyun Kim (ThaiyuKaikan);
- Musashi (SeidoKaikan);
- Junichi Sawayashiki (Team Dragon);
- Takashi Tachikawa (Tryout).
Legend of Karate Kyokushin and biggest Brazilian fighter at K-1, Francisco Filho is confident at a good victory of his pupil Ewerton Teixeira at K-1. “Ewerton was the second non-Japanese on the history to win the absolute title at Kyokushin World Championship and is well trained. I came these days from , when I was training with him and I believe he’ll get a good result against the Japanese”, said Francisco Filho, that said that Ewerton is emphasizing the Boxing training for the fight. Ewerton will do his debut on the event at April 13th against Yusuke Fujimoto, in one of the main fights of K-1 World GP.
COMPLETE CARD (subject changing)
K-1 World GP
Yokohama Arena, Yokohama, Japão
Sunday, April 13th of 2008
Super Heavyweight title fight:
- Semmy Schilt (champion) vs. Mark Hunt;
Main fights:
- Yusuke Fujimoto (Monster Factory) vs. Ewerton Teixeira (KyokushinKaikan);
- Badr Hari (Show Time) vs. Ray Sefo (Ray Sefo Fight Academy);
- “Mighty Mo” Siligia vs. Keijiro Maeda (Team Dragon);
Fighters that may participate:
- Hong Man Choi;
- Glaube Feitosa (KyokushinKaikan);
- Young Hyun Kim (ThaiyuKaikan);
- Musashi (SeidoKaikan);
- Junichi Sawayashiki (Team Dragon);
- Takashi Tachikawa (Tryout).
Scouting! SENGOKU And DREAM Are Searching All Over The World
Jon Olav Einemo To DREAM?
Norwegian Jon Olav Einemo was interviewed by asgardmma.com as part of their Superior Challenge report. Einemo says:
And Japanese DREAM has contacted me. I have also received other offers from M1 and Holland. But I am interested to fight in Japan again. I like Japanese MMA fans and it is always exciting to fight in Japan.
SENGOKU Signs Chute Boxe Fighters
The official Chute Boxe website reports that Chute Boxe fighters Michael Costa and Fabio Silva have signed with SENGOKU.
Jon Olav Einemo To DREAM?
Norwegian Jon Olav Einemo was interviewed by asgardmma.com as part of their Superior Challenge report. Einemo says:
And Japanese DREAM has contacted me. I have also received other offers from M1 and Holland. But I am interested to fight in Japan again. I like Japanese MMA fans and it is always exciting to fight in Japan.
SENGOKU Signs Chute Boxe Fighters
The official Chute Boxe website reports that Chute Boxe fighters Michael Costa and Fabio Silva have signed with SENGOKU.
IMANARI TO DEFEND AT DEEP 35
DEEP has announced several matches for its next event, DEEP 35, on May 19 at Korakuen Hall. The feature attraction will be the semi-final and final matches for its middleweight tournament to crown a new DEEP middleweight champion, which was vacated by former champion Ryo Chonan when he signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The match-ups for the semi-finals won’t be determined until the day of the event, but all four participants earned their spots by winning their first round match-ups on Feb. 22 at DEEP 34.
Riki Fukuda won a decision victory over former DEEP middleweight champion Ryuta Sakurai, while Daijiro Matsui won a decision over Korean fighter Young “Ryo” Choi. Yuichi Nakanishi won a close split decision over Pancrase veteran Eiji Ishikawa. And Yuya Shirai won a decision over Sojiro Orui.
DEEP featherweight champion Masakazu Imanari will defend his title against UFC veteran Dokonjonosuke Mishima. Imanari comes off a submission victory over Jean Silva at Cage Rage 25, while Mishima dropped two straight fights in the UFC, most recently being submitted by Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 9.
Kazunori Yokota will make the first defense of his lightweight championship when he faces Korean fighter Pang Sung Hwan. Yokota comes off a submission victory over Minoru Tavares at DEEP 31, while Hwan won a decision over Luiz Luiz at a recent Club DEEP event.
Also scheduled to participate are DEEP welterweight champion Hidehiko Hasegawa and women’s flyweight champion Satoko Shinashi. Pride veterans Jutaro Nakao and Seichi Ikemoto have also been tabbed to participate at the event.
DEEP Featherweight Championship Bout:
-Masakazu Imanari vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima
DEEP Lightweight Championship Bout:
-Kazunori Yokota vs. Pang Sung Hwan
DEEP Middleweight Tournament:
-Yuya Shirai
-Daijiro Matsui
-Yuichi Nakanishi
-Riki Fukuda
DEEP Middleweight Tournament Reserve Fight:
-Ryuta Sakurai vs. Young Choi
Individual Bouts:
-Hidehiko Hasegawa vs. Hiroki Nagaoka
-Koichiro Matsumoto vs. Yuki Ito
-Katsunori Kikuno vs. Seigo Inoue
Scheduled to Participate:
-Jutaro Nakao
-Seichi Ikemoto
-Satoko Shinashi
DEEP has announced several matches for its next event, DEEP 35, on May 19 at Korakuen Hall. The feature attraction will be the semi-final and final matches for its middleweight tournament to crown a new DEEP middleweight champion, which was vacated by former champion Ryo Chonan when he signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The match-ups for the semi-finals won’t be determined until the day of the event, but all four participants earned their spots by winning their first round match-ups on Feb. 22 at DEEP 34.
Riki Fukuda won a decision victory over former DEEP middleweight champion Ryuta Sakurai, while Daijiro Matsui won a decision over Korean fighter Young “Ryo” Choi. Yuichi Nakanishi won a close split decision over Pancrase veteran Eiji Ishikawa. And Yuya Shirai won a decision over Sojiro Orui.
DEEP featherweight champion Masakazu Imanari will defend his title against UFC veteran Dokonjonosuke Mishima. Imanari comes off a submission victory over Jean Silva at Cage Rage 25, while Mishima dropped two straight fights in the UFC, most recently being submitted by Kenny Florian at UFC Fight Night 9.
Kazunori Yokota will make the first defense of his lightweight championship when he faces Korean fighter Pang Sung Hwan. Yokota comes off a submission victory over Minoru Tavares at DEEP 31, while Hwan won a decision over Luiz Luiz at a recent Club DEEP event.
Also scheduled to participate are DEEP welterweight champion Hidehiko Hasegawa and women’s flyweight champion Satoko Shinashi. Pride veterans Jutaro Nakao and Seichi Ikemoto have also been tabbed to participate at the event.
DEEP Featherweight Championship Bout:
-Masakazu Imanari vs. Dokonjonosuke Mishima
DEEP Lightweight Championship Bout:
-Kazunori Yokota vs. Pang Sung Hwan
DEEP Middleweight Tournament:
-Yuya Shirai
-Daijiro Matsui
-Yuichi Nakanishi
-Riki Fukuda
DEEP Middleweight Tournament Reserve Fight:
-Ryuta Sakurai vs. Young Choi
Individual Bouts:
-Hidehiko Hasegawa vs. Hiroki Nagaoka
-Koichiro Matsumoto vs. Yuki Ito
-Katsunori Kikuno vs. Seigo Inoue
Scheduled to Participate:
-Jutaro Nakao
-Seichi Ikemoto
-Satoko Shinashi
MMA Documentary: "Caged of Life"
click videolnk: http://www.proelite.com/home
This weekend's Beverly Hills Film Festival features an MMA documentary.
Bombo Sports & Entertainment presents Caged for Life, an MMA film that "takes you inside the world of Mixed Martial Arts, going beyond the cage and into the lives of a legendary promoter and four unique talents as they prepare themselves for battle in EliteXC."
Gary Shaw, Gina Carano, Paul "Semtex" Daley, Joey Villasenor, and Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett are profiled.
video previews for:
- Gina Photoshoot
- Daley's Training Schedule
- Villasenor Sand Dune Training
- Krazy Horse Intro
- Gary Shaw Conference Call
click videolnk: http://www.proelite.com/home
This weekend's Beverly Hills Film Festival features an MMA documentary.
Bombo Sports & Entertainment presents Caged for Life, an MMA film that "takes you inside the world of Mixed Martial Arts, going beyond the cage and into the lives of a legendary promoter and four unique talents as they prepare themselves for battle in EliteXC."
Gary Shaw, Gina Carano, Paul "Semtex" Daley, Joey Villasenor, and Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett are profiled.
video previews for:
- Gina Photoshoot
- Daley's Training Schedule
- Villasenor Sand Dune Training
- Krazy Horse Intro
- Gary Shaw Conference Call
Jake O'Brien dropped from UFC, ready to sign with PFC
Jake O'Brien (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), a 23-year-old heavyweight who suffered his first professional loss to Andrei Arlovski in March, has been released from the UFC and has agreed to a two-fight deal with the Palace Fighting Championship.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the turn of events with Ken Pavia, O'Brien's manager.
Needless to say, Pavia was a bit surprised by the UFC's decision to sever ties with O'Brien, a former Purdue University wrestler who had finished eight of his 10 professional victories via knockout -- seven of which came in the first round.
According to Pavia, O'Brien had recently signed a new contract with the UFC and had two fights remaining on the deal.
"Yes, you could say we were surprised by the UFC's decision," Pavia said.
With an upset victory over veteran fighter Heath Herring in January 2007, O'Brien pushed his UFC record to 4-0. However, a few months after the fight, he underwent surgery because of "stingers," a painful nerve injury that originates in the spine. O'Brien went under the knife, and doctors entered through his neck to implant a medal rod and cadaver discs in his spine. At first, doctors feared the injury might be career-ending.
However, O'Brien underwent physical therapy and returned from a 14-month layoff to fight Arlovski, a former UFC title-holder and one of the world's top-ranked heavyweight fighters.
"Jake really wanted that fight at UFC 82," Pavia said. "However, had we known that his tenure with the organization was at risk when we were presented with the Arlovski fight, we may have approached it differently."
O'Brien is the latest known victim in the UFC's recent purge of talent. Rumor has it that the UFC simply had too many fighters under contract, and a couple dozen of them were dropped from the organization in recent weeks.
Pavia says he's regretful that fight fans didn't get to see everything O'Brien had to offer before the decision was made.
"I don't think they've seen the true Jake," he said. "He's still a kid, and he's still learning. He has an identical twin brother who's a Golden Gloves champion, and Jake handles him. However, when he's fighting and when you put him in a high-pressure situation with a big-name opponent, like most fighters, he goes back to what's comfortable for him. His element is wrestling."
The decision to drop O'Brien will probably come as a bit of surprise to fight fans who have seen the UFC recently cut ties with a number of heavyweight fighters. By mid-2007 the UFC's heavyweight division was deeper than ever. Since then, though, current champ Randy Couture has resigned from the organization. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic was given permission to leave his UFC contract to fight in Japan. Former champ Tim Sylvia was also allowed to walk, and former title-holder Arlovski could be right behind him.
"Jake's goal was always to become the UFC's heavyweight champion, and maybe this is the best route for that happen," said Pavia, who hasn't ruled out O'Brien's possible return to the UFC.
O'Brien has agreed in principle to a deal with the PFC. He's expected to sign his contract in the the next few days, and he's scheduled to make his debut with the organization at the July 19 "PFC 9" show in Lemoore, Calif.
"Getting Jake was a great opportunity for us," PFC President Christian Printup told MMAjunkie.com. "We get to work with one of the most promising young athletes today. We've had the pleasure of working with him in the past... He's very personable and talented, and he's good for the sport."
The California-based PFC is one of the country's best-drawing regional promotions and can be seen in approximately six million homes through Comcast, DIRECTV and the DISH Network.
Jake O'Brien (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), a 23-year-old heavyweight who suffered his first professional loss to Andrei Arlovski in March, has been released from the UFC and has agreed to a two-fight deal with the Palace Fighting Championship.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the turn of events with Ken Pavia, O'Brien's manager.
Needless to say, Pavia was a bit surprised by the UFC's decision to sever ties with O'Brien, a former Purdue University wrestler who had finished eight of his 10 professional victories via knockout -- seven of which came in the first round.
According to Pavia, O'Brien had recently signed a new contract with the UFC and had two fights remaining on the deal.
"Yes, you could say we were surprised by the UFC's decision," Pavia said.
With an upset victory over veteran fighter Heath Herring in January 2007, O'Brien pushed his UFC record to 4-0. However, a few months after the fight, he underwent surgery because of "stingers," a painful nerve injury that originates in the spine. O'Brien went under the knife, and doctors entered through his neck to implant a medal rod and cadaver discs in his spine. At first, doctors feared the injury might be career-ending.
However, O'Brien underwent physical therapy and returned from a 14-month layoff to fight Arlovski, a former UFC title-holder and one of the world's top-ranked heavyweight fighters.
"Jake really wanted that fight at UFC 82," Pavia said. "However, had we known that his tenure with the organization was at risk when we were presented with the Arlovski fight, we may have approached it differently."
O'Brien is the latest known victim in the UFC's recent purge of talent. Rumor has it that the UFC simply had too many fighters under contract, and a couple dozen of them were dropped from the organization in recent weeks.
Pavia says he's regretful that fight fans didn't get to see everything O'Brien had to offer before the decision was made.
"I don't think they've seen the true Jake," he said. "He's still a kid, and he's still learning. He has an identical twin brother who's a Golden Gloves champion, and Jake handles him. However, when he's fighting and when you put him in a high-pressure situation with a big-name opponent, like most fighters, he goes back to what's comfortable for him. His element is wrestling."
The decision to drop O'Brien will probably come as a bit of surprise to fight fans who have seen the UFC recently cut ties with a number of heavyweight fighters. By mid-2007 the UFC's heavyweight division was deeper than ever. Since then, though, current champ Randy Couture has resigned from the organization. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic was given permission to leave his UFC contract to fight in Japan. Former champ Tim Sylvia was also allowed to walk, and former title-holder Arlovski could be right behind him.
"Jake's goal was always to become the UFC's heavyweight champion, and maybe this is the best route for that happen," said Pavia, who hasn't ruled out O'Brien's possible return to the UFC.
O'Brien has agreed in principle to a deal with the PFC. He's expected to sign his contract in the the next few days, and he's scheduled to make his debut with the organization at the July 19 "PFC 9" show in Lemoore, Calif.
"Getting Jake was a great opportunity for us," PFC President Christian Printup told MMAjunkie.com. "We get to work with one of the most promising young athletes today. We've had the pleasure of working with him in the past... He's very personable and talented, and he's good for the sport."
The California-based PFC is one of the country's best-drawing regional promotions and can be seen in approximately six million homes through Comcast, DIRECTV and the DISH Network.
BET’s "Iron Ring" a surprise hit
A few years ago, nearly everyone in television was afraid to air the sport of mixed martial arts.
But with hundreds of stations needing product to fill air time in the cable and satellite generation, MMA is now on television to the point where even the most ardent fan couldn't watch it all.
With so much product, the events have gotten less special. Ratings are generally down, and with the exception of the UFC, nobody has been able to maintain a substantial audience.
Three weeks ago, Black Entertainment Television debuted "Iron Ring." If it had followed the same concept as everyone else, it would have become another MMA show lost in the shuffle. But with hip-hop stars like Ludacris and Nelly and others like boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. making frequent appearances, "Iron Ring" has developed a following amid all the clutter.
After one of the highest rated premieres in the history of the network, "Iron Ring," which airs on Tuesday nights at 10:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, has become one of the highest rated shows on the network, drawing ratings in the 0.76 to 0.87 range and averaging about 900,000 viewers. Its cumulative weekly ratings are second to only "College Hill" on the station.
The numbers aren't that much lower than many episodes of the sixth season of Ultimate Fighter, and there are more viewers than any other MMA programming has had to date.
The first thing you notice when you watch the show is that it doesn't feel like an MMA show. There are MMA fights, some edited, with far more of an emphasis on striking than ground technique, by design. It has a decidedly brutal edge to the way it's presented, avoiding things like tale of the tape and a graphic listing the unified rules and ways to win.
It's a show filled with quick cutaways, featuring some major celebrities, particularly in the hip-hop culture. The show is based on conflict, personalities, blood and sweat, and each show has some fights, complete with amplified sound effects when the blows connect. Scoop, a well-known D.J., is the voice of the promotion as the show's narrator.
The fights are simply a part of the big story, not the story itself. It's got an underground fight-club feel, producing a product that looks as far from glamorous as possible.
The show's stars are "team owners" like Ludacris, T.I., Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Lil John, Nelly and Floyd Mayweather Jr. The celebrity owners range from those making cameo appearances to the hands-on perfectionist personality of Ludacris.
The show also draws a very different audience than any other MMA programming.
UFC usually draws about a 71-percent male audience. It is consistently strong with men between 25-34, and big fights can beat any sport but the NFL in that age group on any given night. To a lesser extent, it draws from the 18-24 and 35-49 audience.
UFC draws few children and not all that many teenagers, and has a hard time catching on to the older generation that has yet to accept MMA as a legitimate sport. If you attend a UFC event, it's impossible not to notice the audience is predominately white and very trendy.
"Iron Ring" draws 52 percent women, and half the television audience on the debut shows that aired from 11 p.m. to midnight was younger than 24. The fighters are not all African-American, but there is little doubt that is the prime fan base they are trying to reach.
They are clearly aiming at a demographic that has not yet been captured by UFC, and thus far are successful at getting a new audience to watch their show, but for a different reason than why fans watch other MMA organizations.
Their target audience is one who already knows about conflicts with Ludacris and T.I. and can see their different philosophies on the screen when it comes to tryouts and picking fighters, which the early episodes have been based on. Whether they can turn those viewers into paying consumers, creating their own unique sustaining fan base, is the ultimate question.
It's funny, because the people who are behind this very different version of an old product -- David Isaacs and Campbell McLaren of Zilo Live -- actually have more experience running what everyone else is doing than almost anyone else in today's MMA industry. McLaren, and later Isaacs, ran the UFC for its original owner, Bob Meyrowitz's Semaphore Entertainment Group.
They were there when UFC started from scratch, and they were behind the meteoric rise on pay per view from late 1993-96, when people such as Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, Tank Abbott, Don Frye and Dan Severn became stars. The original UFC was an amazing success story for a promotion that had no free television to build its shows. McLaren and Isaacs also were there through its spectacular politically induced fall to oblivion from 1997 to 2000. When UFC was in its original growing phase, people would talk with McLaren about how he was on the ground floor of creating a new sport.
His response was always that the worst thing that could happen to UFC was for it to be a sport.
Isaacs noted the concept with "Iron Ring" is more WWE-oriented. They hope to create their own new fighting stars with the Kimbo-Slice-streetfighter aura and progress to live pay-per-view events, official soundtracks and merchandising built around the celebrity coaches.
While virtually every MMA promoter will privately say they look at the WWE as the goal as far as building an organization, they are quiet to say it publicly for fear their fan base considers wrestling a dirty word.
Isaacs said they have no interest in being just another company getting into bidding wars for perceived top-10 fighters.
"You want to get into bidding wars with Dana White and the Fertitta brothers, well, good luck," he said.
From the MMA standpoint, with the exception of team coaches Jermaine Andre and Shonie Carter (who got into a heated conflict with Mayweather on an early episode) -- both former colorful mid-level UFC fighters -- virtually nobody on the show would be familiar to anyone but the most ardent MMA fan.
The show's producers recognize the show hasn't been embraced by the hardcore MMA community but are hopeful that as their own fighters gain more familiarity, they'll cross over to that group.
"For us, this is a long process," said Isaacs. "We were trying to find things that are different. We're not trying to replace UFC or compete with UFC."
Isaacs noted that Jones has even talked about wanting to fight another rapper.
The entire season, which builds to a final episode in early June, has been finished with most of the fights taped in February in New Orleans as part of the NBA All-Star weekend.
A few years ago, nearly everyone in television was afraid to air the sport of mixed martial arts.
But with hundreds of stations needing product to fill air time in the cable and satellite generation, MMA is now on television to the point where even the most ardent fan couldn't watch it all.
With so much product, the events have gotten less special. Ratings are generally down, and with the exception of the UFC, nobody has been able to maintain a substantial audience.
Three weeks ago, Black Entertainment Television debuted "Iron Ring." If it had followed the same concept as everyone else, it would have become another MMA show lost in the shuffle. But with hip-hop stars like Ludacris and Nelly and others like boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. making frequent appearances, "Iron Ring" has developed a following amid all the clutter.
After one of the highest rated premieres in the history of the network, "Iron Ring," which airs on Tuesday nights at 10:30 p.m. Eastern and Pacific, has become one of the highest rated shows on the network, drawing ratings in the 0.76 to 0.87 range and averaging about 900,000 viewers. Its cumulative weekly ratings are second to only "College Hill" on the station.
The numbers aren't that much lower than many episodes of the sixth season of Ultimate Fighter, and there are more viewers than any other MMA programming has had to date.
The first thing you notice when you watch the show is that it doesn't feel like an MMA show. There are MMA fights, some edited, with far more of an emphasis on striking than ground technique, by design. It has a decidedly brutal edge to the way it's presented, avoiding things like tale of the tape and a graphic listing the unified rules and ways to win.
It's a show filled with quick cutaways, featuring some major celebrities, particularly in the hip-hop culture. The show is based on conflict, personalities, blood and sweat, and each show has some fights, complete with amplified sound effects when the blows connect. Scoop, a well-known D.J., is the voice of the promotion as the show's narrator.
The fights are simply a part of the big story, not the story itself. It's got an underground fight-club feel, producing a product that looks as far from glamorous as possible.
The show's stars are "team owners" like Ludacris, T.I., Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Lil John, Nelly and Floyd Mayweather Jr. The celebrity owners range from those making cameo appearances to the hands-on perfectionist personality of Ludacris.
The show also draws a very different audience than any other MMA programming.
UFC usually draws about a 71-percent male audience. It is consistently strong with men between 25-34, and big fights can beat any sport but the NFL in that age group on any given night. To a lesser extent, it draws from the 18-24 and 35-49 audience.
UFC draws few children and not all that many teenagers, and has a hard time catching on to the older generation that has yet to accept MMA as a legitimate sport. If you attend a UFC event, it's impossible not to notice the audience is predominately white and very trendy.
"Iron Ring" draws 52 percent women, and half the television audience on the debut shows that aired from 11 p.m. to midnight was younger than 24. The fighters are not all African-American, but there is little doubt that is the prime fan base they are trying to reach.
They are clearly aiming at a demographic that has not yet been captured by UFC, and thus far are successful at getting a new audience to watch their show, but for a different reason than why fans watch other MMA organizations.
Their target audience is one who already knows about conflicts with Ludacris and T.I. and can see their different philosophies on the screen when it comes to tryouts and picking fighters, which the early episodes have been based on. Whether they can turn those viewers into paying consumers, creating their own unique sustaining fan base, is the ultimate question.
It's funny, because the people who are behind this very different version of an old product -- David Isaacs and Campbell McLaren of Zilo Live -- actually have more experience running what everyone else is doing than almost anyone else in today's MMA industry. McLaren, and later Isaacs, ran the UFC for its original owner, Bob Meyrowitz's Semaphore Entertainment Group.
They were there when UFC started from scratch, and they were behind the meteoric rise on pay per view from late 1993-96, when people such as Ken Shamrock, Royce Gracie, Tank Abbott, Don Frye and Dan Severn became stars. The original UFC was an amazing success story for a promotion that had no free television to build its shows. McLaren and Isaacs also were there through its spectacular politically induced fall to oblivion from 1997 to 2000. When UFC was in its original growing phase, people would talk with McLaren about how he was on the ground floor of creating a new sport.
His response was always that the worst thing that could happen to UFC was for it to be a sport.
Isaacs noted the concept with "Iron Ring" is more WWE-oriented. They hope to create their own new fighting stars with the Kimbo-Slice-streetfighter aura and progress to live pay-per-view events, official soundtracks and merchandising built around the celebrity coaches.
While virtually every MMA promoter will privately say they look at the WWE as the goal as far as building an organization, they are quiet to say it publicly for fear their fan base considers wrestling a dirty word.
Isaacs said they have no interest in being just another company getting into bidding wars for perceived top-10 fighters.
"You want to get into bidding wars with Dana White and the Fertitta brothers, well, good luck," he said.
From the MMA standpoint, with the exception of team coaches Jermaine Andre and Shonie Carter (who got into a heated conflict with Mayweather on an early episode) -- both former colorful mid-level UFC fighters -- virtually nobody on the show would be familiar to anyone but the most ardent MMA fan.
The show's producers recognize the show hasn't been embraced by the hardcore MMA community but are hopeful that as their own fighters gain more familiarity, they'll cross over to that group.
"For us, this is a long process," said Isaacs. "We were trying to find things that are different. We're not trying to replace UFC or compete with UFC."
Isaacs noted that Jones has even talked about wanting to fight another rapper.
The entire season, which builds to a final episode in early June, has been finished with most of the fights taped in February in New Orleans as part of the NBA All-Star weekend.
"Strikeforce on NBC" makes solid debut, but questions remain
The optimism and intrigue created by Strikeforce's initial announcement of a deal with NBC was immediately followed by skepticism. Sure, mixed martial arts would appear on major U.S. network television for the first time, but the details left a little to be desired.
With just 28 minutes of airtime crammed into a very-late-night 2 a.m. broadcast slot, "Strikeforce on NBC" didn't appear to be the network blockbuster MMA fans have long anticipated.
However, today's series premiere should put at least some doubts and fears to rest. It also showed how a little network influence can spiff up an image and lend some legitimacy.
Today's show, which aired in high-definition, had a slick and expensive look. Gone were the blood splatters and barbed wire, and the tattoos and the gratuitous ring girl T&A. "Strikeforce on NBC" looked like a network TV program.
When I first heard the details of the show, I couldn't help but think it would look and feel very much like an informercial. I figured NBC would care no more about the presentation of the show than as it does for half-hour spots on Direct Buy or the Magic Bullet. But again, to the new or casual fan, Strikeforce definitely appeared "big league," especially with slick-looking interviews and Lon McEachern's stand-ups with a packed crowd behind him.
However, while the show looked good, there are some real and obvious concerns over the program's content.
The debut featured two very solid fights from the Strikeforce archives: Cung Le vs. Brian Warren, and Duane Ludwig and Tony Fryklund. However, Strikeforce has hosted or co-hosted just 11 events -- and 122 fights in total -- since the launch of its MMA division in 2006. That's going to make it difficult to roll out two solid fights per week -- even if Strikeforce continues to host a new event once a month.
They're going to have the same problem when it comes to weekly fighter profiles. Le was the obvious choice for the first show, and though Strikeforce has one of the better rosters outside of the UFC, there are still only so many fighters you can spotlight.
With a 52-week committment made to NBC, Strikeforce is going to have to determine some new outlets for content -- or pick up the pace for new events.
Future content issues aside, though, "Strikeforce on NBC" was an entertaining show, one that showed MMA in a positive light and one that is sure to convert some new fans -- so long as they're up late. It was good enough to earn a spot in my DVR.
For those of you who didn't stay up late, the first episode of "Strikeforce on NBC" is now available in its entirity online at NBCSports.com.
The optimism and intrigue created by Strikeforce's initial announcement of a deal with NBC was immediately followed by skepticism. Sure, mixed martial arts would appear on major U.S. network television for the first time, but the details left a little to be desired.
With just 28 minutes of airtime crammed into a very-late-night 2 a.m. broadcast slot, "Strikeforce on NBC" didn't appear to be the network blockbuster MMA fans have long anticipated.
However, today's series premiere should put at least some doubts and fears to rest. It also showed how a little network influence can spiff up an image and lend some legitimacy.
Today's show, which aired in high-definition, had a slick and expensive look. Gone were the blood splatters and barbed wire, and the tattoos and the gratuitous ring girl T&A. "Strikeforce on NBC" looked like a network TV program.
When I first heard the details of the show, I couldn't help but think it would look and feel very much like an informercial. I figured NBC would care no more about the presentation of the show than as it does for half-hour spots on Direct Buy or the Magic Bullet. But again, to the new or casual fan, Strikeforce definitely appeared "big league," especially with slick-looking interviews and Lon McEachern's stand-ups with a packed crowd behind him.
However, while the show looked good, there are some real and obvious concerns over the program's content.
The debut featured two very solid fights from the Strikeforce archives: Cung Le vs. Brian Warren, and Duane Ludwig and Tony Fryklund. However, Strikeforce has hosted or co-hosted just 11 events -- and 122 fights in total -- since the launch of its MMA division in 2006. That's going to make it difficult to roll out two solid fights per week -- even if Strikeforce continues to host a new event once a month.
They're going to have the same problem when it comes to weekly fighter profiles. Le was the obvious choice for the first show, and though Strikeforce has one of the better rosters outside of the UFC, there are still only so many fighters you can spotlight.
With a 52-week committment made to NBC, Strikeforce is going to have to determine some new outlets for content -- or pick up the pace for new events.
Future content issues aside, though, "Strikeforce on NBC" was an entertaining show, one that showed MMA in a positive light and one that is sure to convert some new fans -- so long as they're up late. It was good enough to earn a spot in my DVR.
For those of you who didn't stay up late, the first episode of "Strikeforce on NBC" is now available in its entirity online at NBCSports.com.
Baroni wants rematch with Kolohe
Our good friend from MMARated.com, Ariel Helwani, conducted a very entertaining interview with Phil Baroni that I recommend you check out.
Ariel had to take a little verbal abuse, but the end result were some good quotes:
Ariel Helwani: Were you happy with your performance against Hose?
Phil Baroni: What the f— do you think? Was I happy with my performance against Hose? What are you retarded?
Ariel Helwani: There has been talk of a rematch in the works…does that interest you?
Phil Baroni: Fuck yeah it does. I’ll fight anybody anytime, especially that guy. No hard feelings, Kala (Hose) is a nice kid. But I owe him an ass-kicking. And that Icon belt ain’t too shabby. F—, I love Hawaii…sign me up. Ariel Helwani: You’re next fight is against Murilo Ninja Rua on CBS. Did you ever think, when you started out in this sport, that you would get a chance to fight on a network like CBS?
Phil Baroni: No, nobody did. Not the fighters anyway. Back then you weren’t fighting to become rich or famous. You did it because you loved it. You wanted to compete (and) prove yourself.
Our good friend from MMARated.com, Ariel Helwani, conducted a very entertaining interview with Phil Baroni that I recommend you check out.
Ariel had to take a little verbal abuse, but the end result were some good quotes:
Ariel Helwani: Were you happy with your performance against Hose?
Phil Baroni: What the f— do you think? Was I happy with my performance against Hose? What are you retarded?
Ariel Helwani: There has been talk of a rematch in the works…does that interest you?
Phil Baroni: Fuck yeah it does. I’ll fight anybody anytime, especially that guy. No hard feelings, Kala (Hose) is a nice kid. But I owe him an ass-kicking. And that Icon belt ain’t too shabby. F—, I love Hawaii…sign me up. Ariel Helwani: You’re next fight is against Murilo Ninja Rua on CBS. Did you ever think, when you started out in this sport, that you would get a chance to fight on a network like CBS?
Phil Baroni: No, nobody did. Not the fighters anyway. Back then you weren’t fighting to become rich or famous. You did it because you loved it. You wanted to compete (and) prove yourself.
Cacareco may fight for IFL belt
Zé Mario Sperry’s team is with well at International Fight League (IFL). After beating Randy Couture’s team by 2x1, with submissions by Rafael Dias and Alexandre Cacareco, the brazilian fighters will do to the ring again at May 16th, this time to face Team Bombsqad. “All three athletes were well on their fights. Cacareco was great and impressed a lot, after fight he’ll fight for the belt. We received the proposal and already accepted that”, said the team leader, revealing that the confront can happen at July’s edition of the event. Check below the fights already confirmed for next IFL event.
IFL
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Friday, May 16th of 2008
Zé Mario ( World Class Fight Center ) x Team Bombsquad
- Marcello Salazar vs. John Howard;
- Danillo Villefort vs. Mike Massenzio.
Zé Mario Sperry’s team is with well at International Fight League (IFL). After beating Randy Couture’s team by 2x1, with submissions by Rafael Dias and Alexandre Cacareco, the brazilian fighters will do to the ring again at May 16th, this time to face Team Bombsqad. “All three athletes were well on their fights. Cacareco was great and impressed a lot, after fight he’ll fight for the belt. We received the proposal and already accepted that”, said the team leader, revealing that the confront can happen at July’s edition of the event. Check below the fights already confirmed for next IFL event.
IFL
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut
Friday, May 16th of 2008
Zé Mario ( World Class Fight Center ) x Team Bombsquad
- Marcello Salazar vs. John Howard;
- Danillo Villefort vs. Mike Massenzio.
SEMMY SCHILT DEFEATS MARK HUNT IN YOKOHAMA
YOKOHAMA, Japan – Moroccan Muay Thai dynamo and defending K-1 heavyweight champion Badr Hari, 23, scored three quick first-round downs to defeat Ray Sefo at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Yokohama. In the evening's main event, defending K-1 World Grand Prix champion Semmy Schilt defeated challenger Mark Hunt.
It had been more than six years since Mark Hunt's incredible 2001 World GP Tokyo Dome Final performance, when the New Zealand boxer dispatched K-1 stars Francisco Filho, Stefan Leko and Jerome LeBanner to become the first non-European K-1 World GP Champion. Hunt wanted very much to score another upset against the juggernaut that is Semmy Schilt.
Schilt towers a full 33cm/13" taller than Hunt, but from the bell the scrappy Kiwi undertook valiant attempts to overcome this disadvantage – leaping forward to throw the right overhand punch to the delight of the crowd. Hunt also strived to control the distance with low kicks. Alas, Schilt threw low kicks as well, and unfortunately for Hunt and for underdog fans everywhere, Schilt's kicks were a heck of a lot harder, and there were a heck of a lot more of them. By midway through the first round, Hunt's left leg had been brutalized.
To make matters worse, Hunt also received a hard left knee to the chops late in the round. As the seconds clicked down, Schilt went all-out, and at the clapper delivered a spinning back kick smack into his opponent's midsection. Hunt fell in a heap and lay there with pain tattooed on his face. A most convincing KO win for Schilt.
"We practiced the spinning back kick in training," smiled Schilt in his post flight interview, "but I didn't know it would work out so well. I'm glad I won because he was also a GP Champion, so now I have beaten all the active K-1 champs!"
Asked what advice he could offer anyone contemplating fighting him, Schilt simply smiled, "I'd tell them not to take the fight!"
"I felt like I'd been kicked by a horse," said a distressed Hunt. "I think anybody who got caught with that kick, even Ernesto Hoost, would have been out. I only started getting my air back when I heard the ring announcer call the number 'eight'."
Ray Sefo versus Badr Hari, meanwhile, was a highly anticipated matchup, the civil New Zealand veteran facing the volatile Moroccan rising star.
Despite some trash talk in pre-fight interviews, there were smiles on both fighters' faces as they met center-ring for the referee's instructions. Then it was straight to business. An explosive start – both fighters attacking aggressively, Sefo firing in a right that put his opponent off balance, Hari responding with a number of knees then a devastating left cross to score a down. After resumption, Hari went right after Sefo, who was forced to the ropes, closed up in defense. Sefo has a great chin, but Hari brought up a hard knee then added a right straight to score another down.
Hari showed no mercy, firing one punch after another, and again bringing the knee up on the doubled-over Sefo. The crowd watched nervously, well aware that Sefo had many times before taken a beating only to rebound and return the favor. But on this night, "Sugarfoot" could not sustain a counterattack. As Hari's fists flew, the referee stepped in and waved his arms, signaling a sensational first-round KO victory for Badr Hari.
"Before the fight, I said I'd get a KO, and I delivered!" said Hari afterward. "In the ring, you can't miss anything, but Ray blinked and I landed the blow, and that was that."
"I was feeling okay," said Sefo, "and then I got caught by the knee and it all went down from there. Badr was the better fighter, that's all."
The card comprised nine bouts, all fought under regular K-1 Rules.
The penultimate contest featured a couple of superbly conditioned combatants – Kyokushin stylist Ewerton Teixeira of Brazil and Japanese karate fighter Yusuke Fujimoto. Teixeira entered the ring with but one K-1 bout to his name – a 2004 win against Petar Majstorovic. Fujimoto, meanwhile, is the K-1 '07 Asia GP Champion and has honed his skills at the respected Mejiro Gym in Holland.
Teixeira missed with a high kick and a spinning back kick early on, but then answered Fujimoto's hard low kicks in kind. A Teixeira right set Fujimoto stumbling, but Fujimoto also got some good punches through in the first. In the second, both fighters closed frequently and fearlessly, leading with the fists and making good contact. This was shaping up to be one heck of a battle.
In the third there was more aggressive punching, Teixeira missing with a number of his ambitious kicks, Fujimoto repeatedly closing with the right but absorbing punishment from Teixeira's quick counters. A spirited round, in which Teixeira's left straight punch would have put many fighters down – Fujimoto showing a good chain to stay on his feet and answering deftly with a spinning back punch that made partial contact. Judges saw a draw and called for a tiebreaker round.
Teixeira landed a dandy left straight punch here, Fujimoto was also good with body blows, moving forward but now beginning to either slip and fall to the canvas or grab hold of his opponent to stay on his feet, suggesting possible damage to his left leg.
When the round ended, the judges once again pronounced a draw, sending the fighters to a second and final tiebreaker.
Here Teixeira's superior stamina proved the difference, as he kept on coming while Fujimoto began falling apart. It was a left straight on a counter that scored Teixeira his first down, followed by a left hook for a second down just 20 seconds later. Fujimoto was now awfully wobbly, and Teixeira's right straight punch was the coup de grace, dropping the Japanese fighter for the third time and giving the Brazilian the KO win.
At 35 years of age, Seidokaikan veteran Musashi is Japan's most accomplished K-1 fighter. He faced a challenge from compatriot Junichi Sawayashiki, a 23-year-old kickboxer. His stunning upset win over Jerome LeBanner last year established Sawayashiki as one of Japan's most promising youngsters.
The fighters exchanged jabs and low kicks through the early going, Musashi getting a good middle kick through, Sawayashiki making partial contact with a high kick in the first round. In the second, Musashi worked the body blows before getting a left kick up and on target to score a down. After resumption, Musashi put his opponent on the ropes and laid in with the fists, and soon a left uppercut had dropped Sawayashiki a second time. The poor kid beat the count, rising to his feet only be sent back down by Musashi's decisive left straight. An impressive win, Musashi sending the message that he still has a lot of fight left in him.
The Brazilian with the magic legs, Kyokushin fighter Glaube Feitosa, met low-kick specialist Arex Roberts, a kujyuken fighter from the United Kingdom making his K-1 debut.
Roberts started with a couple of low kicks and a knee to the midsection, but these did not at all rattle Feitosa, who remained characteristically cool. A number of technical exchanges followed, and by the end of the round although neither fighter had dominated, Feitosa had the edge, and Roberts' nose was bloodied.
If Roberts the rookie was beginning to believe he was holding his own against one of the world's best, that thought flew out of his mind the minute Feitosa's left foot connected with the right side of his head. The British fighter collapsed to the canvas ingloriously, and Feitosa had yet another clip for his Kyokushin high-kick highlight reel.
The Squat Samoan with the herculean right hook, Mighty Mo, stepped in against cocky Japanese kickboxer Keijiro Maeda.
Maeda cycled at the far perimeter, occasionally tossing in a kick, while Mo tracked him from the center of the ring. Mo did catch the Japanese fighter on several occasions and Maeda did go to the canvas, but these were ruled slips. Apart from endlessly circling, Maeda's unusual strategy involved diving into the clinch or darting away when it looked like he might get punched. In the second, Mo answered one of Maeda's dive-and-hug maneuvers with a knee, but otherwise had a difficult time tagging his wily opponent.
Maeda continued with the kick-and-run strategy in the third, a number of low kicks making good contact, a number of them also hitting Mo below the belt. Mo now attempted his own low kicks, but these were woefully inadequate. You had to give Maeda credit – he had put Mo off his game. It wasn't pretty, but it forced a tiebreaker round.
Here, Mo was again kicked below the belt, prompting an extended time stop and recovery period. At the age of 34, Mo is 13 years older than Maeda, and stamina now came into play. An increasingly exhausted and frustrated Mo could not find his distance, while the evasive Maeda scored enough with this kicks to take a unanimous decision.
Veteran kickboxer Petr Vondracek of the Czech Republic, who had lost his last four K-1 bouts, hoped to turn things around here against Japanese karate stylist Mitsugu Noda.
But that was not to be. Too much clinching in the early going, until Noda unloaded a barrage of punches on the cornered and closed-up Vondracek, prompting the referee to call a standing count. A repeat performance in the second, Noda putting Vondracek on the ropes and pummeling him for a good while before finally earning another standing count. The Czech made a bit of a rally, coming in with a series of hooks, but Noda weathered these and was soon on the offensive again, literally chasing Vondracek round the ring to get a referee stop and the victory.
A hard-hitting German, Chalid "Die Faust" hails from the champion-producing Golden Glory gym in Holland. Here he met the technically-advanced Russian Kyokushin karate fighter Aleksandr Pichkunov.
Die Faust had lost his last K-1 contest after eating a knee served up by Glaube Feitosa, another Kyokushin fighter. So this was something of a chance for payback. Pichkunov the kicker was also coming off a loss, having been out-punched by Doug Viney.
A tentative start here, both men testing with low kicks and the occasional jab. The pace picked up midway through the first, Pichkunov moving forward with punches and sailing a spinning back kick just high. But Die Faust answered the challenge, coming back with a punching attack to end the round.
In the second Die Faust hunkered forward with straight punches and stepped inside to throw the uppercut, but Pichkunov's defense was sound, although Die Faust did clock him soundly with a right. In the third Pichkunov strived to score with low kicks, while Die Faust, leaning forward, made the most of his upper body strength, pumping in body blows and tight hooks. The judges saw a draw and called for a tiebreaker round.
Here, Pichkunov repeatedly jabbed and threw low kicks at the ever-approaching Die Faust, until, in the final seconds, the exhausted pair simply slugged it out from in close. Once again, judges could not pick a winner, and a final tiebreaker was prescribed. This time Pichkunov stayed with the low kicks, stinging his opponent; while Die Faust attempted combinations – but neither fighter got through to do serious damage. A tough one to call, the split decision giving Pichkunov the win by the narrowest possible margin.
The nine-bout card started with a couple of Japanese fighters, Takashi Tachikawa, who came out of the K-1 Tryout series and is known for his low kicks; and Hiroyuki Enokida, a Seidokaikan stylist improbably making his K-1 debut at age 37. This was a bizarre fight. Four seconds after the bell, Tachikawa deposited his rotund opponent with a punch. Enokida beat the count, only to be laid out again immediately after resumption. This was looking like a laughably one-sided affair, when suddenly Enokida smacked through a right hook that KO'd Tachikawa. Three downs in 40 seconds!
In undercard action, Tsuyoshi Nakasako of Japan beat compatriot Takumi Sato by decision; and Tsutomu Takahagi of Japan KO'd Kyoung Suk Kim of South Korea.
The K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Yokohama attracted a crowd of 10,629 to the Yokohama Arena. It was broadcast live across Japan on the Fuji TV network, and will be shown on a delayed-basis in a total of 135 countries around the world.
YOKOHAMA, Japan – Moroccan Muay Thai dynamo and defending K-1 heavyweight champion Badr Hari, 23, scored three quick first-round downs to defeat Ray Sefo at the K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Yokohama. In the evening's main event, defending K-1 World Grand Prix champion Semmy Schilt defeated challenger Mark Hunt.
It had been more than six years since Mark Hunt's incredible 2001 World GP Tokyo Dome Final performance, when the New Zealand boxer dispatched K-1 stars Francisco Filho, Stefan Leko and Jerome LeBanner to become the first non-European K-1 World GP Champion. Hunt wanted very much to score another upset against the juggernaut that is Semmy Schilt.
Schilt towers a full 33cm/13" taller than Hunt, but from the bell the scrappy Kiwi undertook valiant attempts to overcome this disadvantage – leaping forward to throw the right overhand punch to the delight of the crowd. Hunt also strived to control the distance with low kicks. Alas, Schilt threw low kicks as well, and unfortunately for Hunt and for underdog fans everywhere, Schilt's kicks were a heck of a lot harder, and there were a heck of a lot more of them. By midway through the first round, Hunt's left leg had been brutalized.
To make matters worse, Hunt also received a hard left knee to the chops late in the round. As the seconds clicked down, Schilt went all-out, and at the clapper delivered a spinning back kick smack into his opponent's midsection. Hunt fell in a heap and lay there with pain tattooed on his face. A most convincing KO win for Schilt.
"We practiced the spinning back kick in training," smiled Schilt in his post flight interview, "but I didn't know it would work out so well. I'm glad I won because he was also a GP Champion, so now I have beaten all the active K-1 champs!"
Asked what advice he could offer anyone contemplating fighting him, Schilt simply smiled, "I'd tell them not to take the fight!"
"I felt like I'd been kicked by a horse," said a distressed Hunt. "I think anybody who got caught with that kick, even Ernesto Hoost, would have been out. I only started getting my air back when I heard the ring announcer call the number 'eight'."
Ray Sefo versus Badr Hari, meanwhile, was a highly anticipated matchup, the civil New Zealand veteran facing the volatile Moroccan rising star.
Despite some trash talk in pre-fight interviews, there were smiles on both fighters' faces as they met center-ring for the referee's instructions. Then it was straight to business. An explosive start – both fighters attacking aggressively, Sefo firing in a right that put his opponent off balance, Hari responding with a number of knees then a devastating left cross to score a down. After resumption, Hari went right after Sefo, who was forced to the ropes, closed up in defense. Sefo has a great chin, but Hari brought up a hard knee then added a right straight to score another down.
Hari showed no mercy, firing one punch after another, and again bringing the knee up on the doubled-over Sefo. The crowd watched nervously, well aware that Sefo had many times before taken a beating only to rebound and return the favor. But on this night, "Sugarfoot" could not sustain a counterattack. As Hari's fists flew, the referee stepped in and waved his arms, signaling a sensational first-round KO victory for Badr Hari.
"Before the fight, I said I'd get a KO, and I delivered!" said Hari afterward. "In the ring, you can't miss anything, but Ray blinked and I landed the blow, and that was that."
"I was feeling okay," said Sefo, "and then I got caught by the knee and it all went down from there. Badr was the better fighter, that's all."
The card comprised nine bouts, all fought under regular K-1 Rules.
The penultimate contest featured a couple of superbly conditioned combatants – Kyokushin stylist Ewerton Teixeira of Brazil and Japanese karate fighter Yusuke Fujimoto. Teixeira entered the ring with but one K-1 bout to his name – a 2004 win against Petar Majstorovic. Fujimoto, meanwhile, is the K-1 '07 Asia GP Champion and has honed his skills at the respected Mejiro Gym in Holland.
Teixeira missed with a high kick and a spinning back kick early on, but then answered Fujimoto's hard low kicks in kind. A Teixeira right set Fujimoto stumbling, but Fujimoto also got some good punches through in the first. In the second, both fighters closed frequently and fearlessly, leading with the fists and making good contact. This was shaping up to be one heck of a battle.
In the third there was more aggressive punching, Teixeira missing with a number of his ambitious kicks, Fujimoto repeatedly closing with the right but absorbing punishment from Teixeira's quick counters. A spirited round, in which Teixeira's left straight punch would have put many fighters down – Fujimoto showing a good chain to stay on his feet and answering deftly with a spinning back punch that made partial contact. Judges saw a draw and called for a tiebreaker round.
Teixeira landed a dandy left straight punch here, Fujimoto was also good with body blows, moving forward but now beginning to either slip and fall to the canvas or grab hold of his opponent to stay on his feet, suggesting possible damage to his left leg.
When the round ended, the judges once again pronounced a draw, sending the fighters to a second and final tiebreaker.
Here Teixeira's superior stamina proved the difference, as he kept on coming while Fujimoto began falling apart. It was a left straight on a counter that scored Teixeira his first down, followed by a left hook for a second down just 20 seconds later. Fujimoto was now awfully wobbly, and Teixeira's right straight punch was the coup de grace, dropping the Japanese fighter for the third time and giving the Brazilian the KO win.
At 35 years of age, Seidokaikan veteran Musashi is Japan's most accomplished K-1 fighter. He faced a challenge from compatriot Junichi Sawayashiki, a 23-year-old kickboxer. His stunning upset win over Jerome LeBanner last year established Sawayashiki as one of Japan's most promising youngsters.
The fighters exchanged jabs and low kicks through the early going, Musashi getting a good middle kick through, Sawayashiki making partial contact with a high kick in the first round. In the second, Musashi worked the body blows before getting a left kick up and on target to score a down. After resumption, Musashi put his opponent on the ropes and laid in with the fists, and soon a left uppercut had dropped Sawayashiki a second time. The poor kid beat the count, rising to his feet only be sent back down by Musashi's decisive left straight. An impressive win, Musashi sending the message that he still has a lot of fight left in him.
The Brazilian with the magic legs, Kyokushin fighter Glaube Feitosa, met low-kick specialist Arex Roberts, a kujyuken fighter from the United Kingdom making his K-1 debut.
Roberts started with a couple of low kicks and a knee to the midsection, but these did not at all rattle Feitosa, who remained characteristically cool. A number of technical exchanges followed, and by the end of the round although neither fighter had dominated, Feitosa had the edge, and Roberts' nose was bloodied.
If Roberts the rookie was beginning to believe he was holding his own against one of the world's best, that thought flew out of his mind the minute Feitosa's left foot connected with the right side of his head. The British fighter collapsed to the canvas ingloriously, and Feitosa had yet another clip for his Kyokushin high-kick highlight reel.
The Squat Samoan with the herculean right hook, Mighty Mo, stepped in against cocky Japanese kickboxer Keijiro Maeda.
Maeda cycled at the far perimeter, occasionally tossing in a kick, while Mo tracked him from the center of the ring. Mo did catch the Japanese fighter on several occasions and Maeda did go to the canvas, but these were ruled slips. Apart from endlessly circling, Maeda's unusual strategy involved diving into the clinch or darting away when it looked like he might get punched. In the second, Mo answered one of Maeda's dive-and-hug maneuvers with a knee, but otherwise had a difficult time tagging his wily opponent.
Maeda continued with the kick-and-run strategy in the third, a number of low kicks making good contact, a number of them also hitting Mo below the belt. Mo now attempted his own low kicks, but these were woefully inadequate. You had to give Maeda credit – he had put Mo off his game. It wasn't pretty, but it forced a tiebreaker round.
Here, Mo was again kicked below the belt, prompting an extended time stop and recovery period. At the age of 34, Mo is 13 years older than Maeda, and stamina now came into play. An increasingly exhausted and frustrated Mo could not find his distance, while the evasive Maeda scored enough with this kicks to take a unanimous decision.
Veteran kickboxer Petr Vondracek of the Czech Republic, who had lost his last four K-1 bouts, hoped to turn things around here against Japanese karate stylist Mitsugu Noda.
But that was not to be. Too much clinching in the early going, until Noda unloaded a barrage of punches on the cornered and closed-up Vondracek, prompting the referee to call a standing count. A repeat performance in the second, Noda putting Vondracek on the ropes and pummeling him for a good while before finally earning another standing count. The Czech made a bit of a rally, coming in with a series of hooks, but Noda weathered these and was soon on the offensive again, literally chasing Vondracek round the ring to get a referee stop and the victory.
A hard-hitting German, Chalid "Die Faust" hails from the champion-producing Golden Glory gym in Holland. Here he met the technically-advanced Russian Kyokushin karate fighter Aleksandr Pichkunov.
Die Faust had lost his last K-1 contest after eating a knee served up by Glaube Feitosa, another Kyokushin fighter. So this was something of a chance for payback. Pichkunov the kicker was also coming off a loss, having been out-punched by Doug Viney.
A tentative start here, both men testing with low kicks and the occasional jab. The pace picked up midway through the first, Pichkunov moving forward with punches and sailing a spinning back kick just high. But Die Faust answered the challenge, coming back with a punching attack to end the round.
In the second Die Faust hunkered forward with straight punches and stepped inside to throw the uppercut, but Pichkunov's defense was sound, although Die Faust did clock him soundly with a right. In the third Pichkunov strived to score with low kicks, while Die Faust, leaning forward, made the most of his upper body strength, pumping in body blows and tight hooks. The judges saw a draw and called for a tiebreaker round.
Here, Pichkunov repeatedly jabbed and threw low kicks at the ever-approaching Die Faust, until, in the final seconds, the exhausted pair simply slugged it out from in close. Once again, judges could not pick a winner, and a final tiebreaker was prescribed. This time Pichkunov stayed with the low kicks, stinging his opponent; while Die Faust attempted combinations – but neither fighter got through to do serious damage. A tough one to call, the split decision giving Pichkunov the win by the narrowest possible margin.
The nine-bout card started with a couple of Japanese fighters, Takashi Tachikawa, who came out of the K-1 Tryout series and is known for his low kicks; and Hiroyuki Enokida, a Seidokaikan stylist improbably making his K-1 debut at age 37. This was a bizarre fight. Four seconds after the bell, Tachikawa deposited his rotund opponent with a punch. Enokida beat the count, only to be laid out again immediately after resumption. This was looking like a laughably one-sided affair, when suddenly Enokida smacked through a right hook that KO'd Tachikawa. Three downs in 40 seconds!
In undercard action, Tsuyoshi Nakasako of Japan beat compatriot Takumi Sato by decision; and Tsutomu Takahagi of Japan KO'd Kyoung Suk Kim of South Korea.
The K-1 World Grand Prix 2008 in Yokohama attracted a crowd of 10,629 to the Yokohama Arena. It was broadcast live across Japan on the Fuji TV network, and will be shown on a delayed-basis in a total of 135 countries around the world.
