Inoki returns
By Zach Arnold | June 26, 2006
Sports Nippon reports that there will be a special show on 9/1 at Nippon Budokan in Tokyo to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Antonio Inoki vs. Muhammad Ali fight that took place on June 26, 1976. Sankei Sports notes that the 9/1 Budokan show will be a “new kakutougi (MMA) event” for Inoki, the first show since the infamous Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 show at Kobe Wing Stadium. The events that surrounded the Inoki 2003 show have led to the chaos that we are seeing unfolding right now in Japan.
A week after the 9/1 Budokan show, Inoki will lead his team in the IFL versus Matt Lindlan’s team at the IFL’s event in Portland, Oregon.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Lee Murray captured?
By Zach Arnold | June 26, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Arrests in Morocco in connection to the $90 million USD robbery from last February.
Update: The Guardian reports that Lee Murray was, in fact, arrested. The BBC and The London Times also confirm this report.
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 4 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Match order for PRIDE 7/1 show
By Zach Arnold | June 25, 2006
- Pawel Nastula vs. Edson Drago
- Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Lee Eun-Su
- Yoshiki Takahashi vs. Vitor Belfort
- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Alistair Overeem
- Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Evangelista Cyborg
- Open-Weight GP 2nd Round: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fabricio Werdum
- Open-Weight GP 2nd Round: Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Vanderlei Silva
- Open-Weight GP 2nd Round: Josh Barnett vs. Mark Hunt
- Open-Weight GP 2nd Round: Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Mirko Cro Cop
Intermission
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Ultimate Fighter 3 Finale show
By Zach Arnold | June 24, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Results/recaps: Sherdog | Observer | MMA Toronto | MMA Snark | Fight Report
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Diet Master
By Zach Arnold | June 22, 2006
In a press release on Friday, the Japan Diet Academy issued a statement talking about their newest and most high-profile client, Akebono. The PR starts out by stating that Akebono was advised to join the Diet Academy by Kazuyoshi Ishii, and that the goal is for Akebono to lose 50 kg (105-110 pounds). Before Akebono joined the Diet Academy, he was 192-193 kg and has lost 20 kg so far, with the hopes of losing 10 more kg before his upcoming MMA fight on August 5th in the HERO’s ring.
The rest of the PR goes on to talk about the damage being caused by bad dieting techniques, and also promotion for their “Diet Master” program.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, K-1, Media, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
HERO’s 8/5 Ariake Colosseum notes
By Zach Arnold | June 22, 2006
The promotion held a press conference today to announce the participation of Kazushi Sakuraba, Yoshihiro Akiyama, Rodrigo Gracie, Carlos Newton, Melvin Manhoef, Shungo Oyama, and Kestutis Smirnovas (RINGS Lithuania) in the HERO’s 2006 Middleweight & Light Heavyweight tournaments. Akira Maeda mentioned at the press conference that negotiations with BJ Penn were being finalized and that Penn vs. Sakuraba is a match that he wants to see take place. The Middleweight tournament will feature: Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, Kaoru Uno, Ivan Menjivar, JZ Calvancanti, Black Mamba, Rani Yahira, Alexandre Franca Nogueira, Hideo Tokoro, & Hiroyuki Takaya.
Kim Min-Soo vs. Don Frye will also apparently happen in a “super fight.”
Topics: All Topics, HERO's, Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Full PRIDE 7/1 Saitama card line-up
By Zach Arnold | June 21, 2006
- Pawel Nastula vs. Edson Drago
- Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Lee Eun-Su (South Korea)
- Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
- Kazuhiro Nakamura vs. Evangelista Cyborg
- Yoshiki Takahashi vs. Vitor Belfort
- Josh Barnett vs. Mark Hunt
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Fabricio Werdum
- Kazuyuki Fujita vs. Vanderlei Silva
- Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Mirko Cro Cop
Open-Weight GP 2nd Round
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Bill O’Reilly on MMA
By Zach Arnold | June 21, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Bill O’Reilly on the Fox News Channel had a 6-minute segment called “Ultimate Brutality” (in the “Back of the Book” segment block) during his O’Reilly Factor program on Wednesday night, in which O’Reilly focused on MMA. There were two teases for this segment during the show. The first: “They call it ultimate fighting, but is it really uncontrolled violence for profit, and should it be banned?” The second: “Brutal fighting for profit, should this kind of a display be outlawed?” Footage of the Tito Ortiz/Forrest Griffin was shown during the second tease. UFC President Dana White (in Las Vegas) and Rich Franklin (in Salt Lake City) were interviewed.
O’Reilly started the segment off by stating that “believe it or not, the states of New Jersey and Nevada license this kind of display,” and he pointed out how New York banned it. O’Reilly’s whole theme throughout the segment was to try to tie MMA in with Muhammad Ali getting Parkinson’s Disease because of the punishment he took throughout his boxing career. Dana White argued with O’Reilly that MMA is safer than boxing, which O’Reilly got angry about and disputed. White emphasized that there has never been a serious injury or death in the history of UFC. O’Reilly’s main “evidence” against MMA was the much-talked British medical study which claimed that MMA is three times as dangerous as prize fighting, with 48 concussions per 1,000 MMA fighters (versus 16 for boxing). Dana challenged O’Reilly on saying that boxing caused Ali’s condition with Parkinson’s Disease. O’Reilly closed out his show by asking Rich Franklin why he would continue to fight, and Franklin noted that he would rather do MMA than work in a chemical plant all day-long and get cancer by breathing in toxic fumes.
It was interesting to watch O’Reilly doing this segment on Fox News, considering that one of the lead Fox News Channel morning anchors (Brian Kilmeade) was a TV commentator for the early UFC PPVs when the promotion was under the SEG banner.
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 18 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
K-1 7/30 Sapporo line-up
By Zach Arnold | June 20, 2006
The event is taking place at the Makomanai Ice Arena. Card line-up:
- Glaube Feitosa vs. Musashi
- Peter Aerts vs. Gary “Big Daddy” Goodridge
- Poul Slowinski vs. Tatsufumi Tomihira
- Bjorn Bregy vs. Tsuyoshi Nakasako
- Yusuke Fujimoto vs. Yuki Niimura
- Freddy Kemayo vs. Hiromi Amada
Topics: All Topics, Japan, K-1, Media, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
K-1 mythology continues
By Zach Arnold | June 20, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Sankei Sports continues to push hard the claimed number by K-1 that the UFC 60 PPV with Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes did 800,000 buys and $32 million dollars, despite reports that contradict this. The Sankei article I linked to is a puff piece about HERO’s now having a show air on US PPV, therefore creating a “HERO’s Kakutougi (MMA) boom.”
Topics: All Topics, Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
WFA 7/22 Los Angeles card line-up
By Zach Arnold | June 20, 2006
- Jason “Mayhem” Miller vs. Lodune Sincaid
- Rob McCullough vs. Harris Sarmiento
- Jorge Oliviera (Chute Boxe) vs. Marvin “The Beastman” Eastman
- Jose “Pele” Landi-Jons vs. TBA
- Bas Rutten vs. Kimo
- Ryoto Machida vs. Vernon “Tiger” White
- Ricco Rodriguez vs. Ron “H20” Waterman
- Ivan Salaverry vs. Art Santore
- Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Matt Lindland
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, WFA, Zach Arnold | 3 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Mike Barton gets his revenge
By Zach Arnold | June 18, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Long-time pro-wrestling fans remember Bart Gunn (who worked under the ring name of Mike Barton in All Japan & New Japan) getting destroyed by Eric “Butterbean” Esch in the infamous “Brawl For All” shoot tournament that the WWF ran. Butterbean faced Gunn (the tournament winner) at WrestleMania XV, with Esch destroying his opponent.
On Saturday night, Mike Barton got partial revenge by gaining a victory over Cabbage Correira in Hawaii in an MMA fight. He won the fight by referee/doctor stoppage in R1.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 5 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
DVD Review – Heroes of World Class
By Sheldon Goldberg | June 18, 2006
“Heroes of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs & The Rise & Fall of World Class Championship Wrestling”
Perhaps the most compelling story in the modern history of pro wrestling is the story of the Von Erich family and the Dallas-based World Class Championship Wrestling promotion.
In the early 80’s, there was nothing hotter than World Class. Before Vincent Kennedy McMahon set out to conquer the wrestling world by taking the World Wrestling Federation national, it had already been done by Fritz Von Erich’s World Class promotion.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Media, Pro-Wrestling, Sheldon Goldberg, TNA, WWE | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |