UFC 59 ‘Reality Check – Preview and Analysis
By Al Yu | April 11, 2006
By Al Yu
Event Date: 04.15.06
Fight Card:
Evan Tanner vs Justin Levens
Thiago Alves vs Derrick Noble
Jason Lambert vs Terry Martin
Karo Parisyan vs Nick Thompson
David Terrell vs Scott Smith
Jeff Monson vs Marcio Cruz
Nick Diaz vs Sean Sherk
Tito Ortiz vs Forrest Griffin
Andrei Arlovski vs Tim Sylvia
Evan Tanner (31-6) vs Justin Levens (7-1)
Evan Tanner is the former UFC Middleweight Champion. He claimed the vacant belt by defeating David Terrell at UFC 51. Tanner is currently on a losing streak, losing his title to Rich Franklin at UFC 53 and subsequently to David Loiseau at Ultimate Fight Night 2. Justin Levens is the replacement for Tanner’s original opponent, Jeremy Horn. At WEC 17, the Marco Ruas trained fighter stunned WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Scott Smith with a right hook and almost secured a rear naked choke before being knocked out himself. This will be Levens’ UFC debut.
Levens is a young fighter with a lot of potential. He usually fights at light heavyweight and will be cutting weight to make the middleweight limit. Tanner brings a wealth of experience with 14 fights in the UFC under his belt. I don’t think Levens is completely ready for Tanner yet as pressure from debuting in the UFC can affect him mentally. Though Levens may be the better striker of the two, Tanner brings an all-around game and has an almost uncanny ability to get a full mount on his opponents. Tanner has a lot on the line and will use his experience to potentially weather an early storm. A loss can mean the end of his UFC career but a win will put him back into the contender list. Tanner must be careful if he chooses to exchange punches as he is susceptible to cuts. The former champion will take Levens down, possibly push him up against the fence and stop him with strikes from the mount in the second round.
Prediction: Evan Tanner TKO Justin Levens RD2
Thiago Alves (7-2) vs Derrick Noble (15-6-1)
Thiago Alves is a member of American Top Team and recently stopped Ansar Chalangov at UFC 56. In his UFC debut at Ultimate Fight Night 2, Alves controlled his fight with Spencer Fisher before falling victim to a triangle choke. Derrick Noble has fought in many organizations and serves as the replacement for Alves’ original opponent, Drew Fickett. In 2003, Noble defeated Alves via rear naked choke at AFC 6. Derrick Noble is coming off a decision victory over Carlo Prater. This will be Noble’s UFC debut.
Noble is the more experienced fighter and the result of their first fight may have been indicative of that factor. A lot can change in three years and Alves has improved since his loss. Though he was submitted by Fisher, Alves did display good submission defense. Hopefully he has been polishing his ground game with friend, teammate and accomplished grappler Marcus Aurelio. Alves is looking for revenge and I believe he will redeem his loss. Thiago’s superior striking and aggressiveness will help him finish Noble in the third round.
Prediction: Thiago Alves TKO Derrick Noble RD3
Jason Lambert (20-5) vs Terry Martin (12-1)
Jason Lambert is the current WEC Light Heavyweight Champion and a veteran of many MMA organizations. He is coming off of a big KO victory over UFC veteran Travis Wiuff and also holds wins over Matt Horwich and Marvin Eastman. At UFC 58, Lambert submitted TUF2 contestant Rob MacDonald with a kimura in his debut. Terry Martin made his debut at UFC 54 where he suffered his only professional loss to James Irvin via a flying knee. Since then, he has rebounded with two victories.
Terry Martin dominantly controlled James Irvin in the first round. At the beginning of the second round, Martin ducked right into a flying knee that ended his night. Lambert is more of a well-rounded fighter than Irvin and controlling him is going to be much tougher for Martin. Though Martin is physically stronger, Lambert will use his experience, wrestling and better striking to keep Martin at bay. Look for Lambert to wear Martin down and finish him with strikes in the third round.
Prediction: Jason Lambert TKO Terry Martin RD3
Karo Parisyan (14-3) vs Nick Thompson (24-8-1)
Karo ‘The Heat’ Parisyan is a UFC veteran and a Judo practitioner. He was scheduled to face Matt Hughes until an injury forced him to withdraw. Prior to the injury, he had won three fights in a row, defeating Nick Diaz, Chris Lytle and Matt Serra. Nick ‘The Goat’ Thompson is coming off his UFC debut victory over Keith Wisniewski at UFC 56. He is currently training with Sean Sherk in preparation for this fight. Prior to his UFC debut, Thompson submitted Josh Neer at Extreme Challenge 64.
Though he may have had more fights, Thompson’s quality of opponents can’t compare to Parisyan’s. Thompson is a good all-around fighter and is well-versed in submissions. His striking is better than Parisyan’s but that’s not going stop Karo from pressuring Thompson like his past opponents. Parisyan may be an accomplished Judoka but he’s also very slick with submissions. I have never seen a fighter use submission attempts as defense against strikes (example: when Karo fought Georges St. Pierre, he turned a punch into a kimura attempt with ease). Parisyan shouldn’t stand with Thompson for too long as that’s where Thompson wants the fight stay. In order for Parisyan to win, he needs to control Thompson on the ground. Karo isn’t known as a takedown artist but he’s very good from the clinch. This fight should be very competitive and Parisyan will win a close decision, possibly even a split decision.
Prediction: Karo Parisyan decisions Nick Thompson
David Terrell (5-2) vs Scott Smith (9-1)
David Terrell is a Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu fighter. The ‘Soul Assassin’ is making a return to the UFC after being sidelined with an injury. The last time Terrell fought was at UFC 51 where he was stopped by Evan Tanner. Prior to that fight, Terrell recorded the biggest win of his career with a TKO over Matt Lindland. Scott Smith is the current WEC Light Heavyweight Champion. At WEC 17, he was victorious in a small 4-man tournament. Smith is coming off an exciting win over Justin Levens at WEC 18. This will be his UFC debut.
There’s no doubt that Smith is an exciting fighter who likes to finish his fights quickly. With his nine victories, none of the fights have gone past the first round. However, that may be about to change as Smith faces his toughest challenger to date. Not only is Terrell dangerous on the ground, but he also has a pretty solid yet underrated stand-up game. Though Terrell can throw a punch, he would be foolish to trade with Smith. Once Terrell gets a taste of Smith’s power, I foresee him taking Scott down and working his ground game. Smith may be the physically bigger guy but that won’t be an advantage he can rely on once he’s on his back. Having never fought past one round, it’s hard telling if Scott will have the discipline or stamina to make it to the later rounds. It should be an entertaining fight and I have a feeling Terrell will pull off a submission victory.
Prediction: David Terrell submits Scott Smith RD2
Jeff Monson (20-5) vs Marcio Cruz (2-0)
Jeff Monson is a UFC veteran who has fought in many organizations. ‘The Snowman’ is the 2005 ADCC Champion in the 99 kg division. Most recently, Monson made a successful comeback in the UFC, choking out Branden Lee Hinkle in the first round. Monson has won 14 fights in a row. Marcio Cruz is a six-time World Jiu-Jitsu Champion and the 2000 ADCC Champion. Cruz made his MMA debut at UFC 55 when he choked out Keigo Kunihara. At UFC 57, the Gracie Barra fighter stunned the MMA world by defeating former UFC Champion Frank Mir, spoiling his comeback.
These two fighters have a history in ADCC, each holding a win over the other with a third fight ending in controversy. In 2005, both entered the tournament but never faced each other. Monson went on to win the tournament. Cruz may be the more decorated of the two in BJJ but fighting without a gi in full MMA rules against a skilled veteran like Monson may prove to be very difficult for him. Cruz’s stand up is almost non-existent and lacks any technique. Monson isn’t known as a phenomenal striker himself but he has improved over his career, even partaking in some professional boxing matches. These two are seasoned grapplers and I can’t see one submitting the other. Monson’s advantage in striking will set the pace of this fight. I don’t think Monson is going to have a hard time taking Cruz down as Marcio will probably pull guard often (not that his takedown defense is that great anyways). Look for ‘The Snowman’ to pound out a decision and take one step close to a title shot. On a final note: Neck cranks are legal in the UFC.
Prediction: Jeff Monson decisions Marcio Cruz
Nick Diaz (11-5) vs Sean Sherk (29-2-1)
Nick Diaz is a Cesar Gracie fighter and a UFC veteran. Diaz surprised many fans when he knocked out hard hitting Robbie Lawler at UFC 47. Diaz lost a decision to Diego Sanchez at the Ultimate Fighter Season 2 finale. Most recently at UFC 57, Nick came up short against Joe Riggs. Sean Sherk has long been considered an underrated fighter and is on many fan’s pound-4-pound welterweight rankings lists. He last fought at UFC 42 and didn’t return to the octagon until UFC 56 where he faced rising star Georges St. Pierre. St. Pierre executed a perfect game plan that neutralized most of Sherk’s offense and stopped Sherk with strikes.
This is pretty much a ‘must win’ situation for Nick Diaz as he is on a two fight losing streak. As I’ve stated before, I think Diaz has the best ground game in the UFC today. In order for Diaz to win, he has to really work on his sprawl and wisely use his superior striking and reach advantage. Sherk is a much better wrestler than Diego Sanchez and I feel that Diaz won’t be able to stop Sherk’s takedowns. Though Nick is probably the most dangerous ground fighter Sherk has yet to face, I don’t see Diaz pulling off something that hasn’t been done in Sherk’s 32 career fights. Having shorter arms will also aid Sherk in avoiding Diaz’s submission attempts. Styles make fights and this is a bad match-up for Diaz. Look for Sherk to get takedown after takedown and win a workman-like decision. For Diaz, it may be the last time we see him in the octagon.
Prediction: Sean Sherk decisions Nick Diaz
Tito Ortiz (12-4) vs Forrest Griffin (12-2)
Tito Ortiz is the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and is making his long awaited return to the octagon. After a bitter contract dispute with UFC president Dana White, the two parties have finally come to terms. Forrest Griffin is the winner of the Ultimate Fighter season one. At UFC 55, Forrest stopped veteran Elvis Sinosic. Griffin holds wins over Jeff Monson, Chael Sonnen, and Stephan Bonner. This fight is a PPV goldmine. These two fighters appeal to the old school MMA crowd and the new fans who were introduced to MMA by watching the Ultimate Fighter reality show.
“The crowd is on their feet as the bell rings and round one begins. The fighters touch gloves and begin to circle around, trying to feel each other out. Tito and Forrest engage in a trade with Forrest landing the better of the strikes. Tito is smiling and acknowledging Forrest. Big high kick from Forrest misses. Ortiz goes for a takedown and Forrest sprawls. They stand up and Tito takes Forrest down from the clinch. Ortiz is now in Griffin’s guard, raining down punches and elbows. Forrest goes for a triangle choke but is unsuccessful. Ortiz takes advantage of the missed submission attempt and advances into side position. Tito is now throwing elbows and knees to the body. Forrest rolls and attempts to escape and Tito tries to get his back in hopes of securing a RNC. Forrest escapes and the two fighters are back on their feet. The crowd is going insane now. Forrest lands a combination followed by a nice kick. Tito is stunned for a moment but regains his composure. Forrest goes for another high kick but over commits himself and Ortiz gets another takedown, this time in Forrest’s half guard. Tito is landing punches and elbows while Forrest is trying to suppress the strikes. Tito manages to land a nice elbow that opens a cut over Forrest’s eye. After some more punishment, the ref brings the doctor in to check on Forrest’s cut. The crowd boos at the possibility of the fight being stopped. The doctor clears Griffin and the fight is restarted in the middle of the octagon. 30 seconds left and Forrest lands a left hook, followed by a straight right. Ortiz answers back with a nice right of his own. The bell rings and the crowd are on their feet.
The bell rings and round two begins. Forrest is showing some fatigue as the two meet in the center of the octagon. Ortiz goes for a double leg takedown and gets it. Tito is being relentless now, throwing punch after punch. Another elbow lands and the cut over Forrest’s eye has gotten bigger. The ref brings in the doctor again to check on the cut. The fight is over, the doctor calls an end to the bout. Tito is doing his ‘shoveling dirt’ impression and then calls out Ken Shamrock.â€
Prediction: Tito Ortiz TKO Forrest Griffin RD2
Andrei Arlovski (9-3) vs Tim Sylvia (20-2)
Andrei Arlovski is the current UFC Heavyweight Champion. He has not lost in the octagon since UFC 36, compiling a streak of six victories. At UFC 55, The ‘Pitbull’ dispatched of Paul Buentello in just 15 seconds. Tim Sylvia is the former UFC Heavyweight Champion. Sylvia lost his heavyweight title at UFC 48 when Frank Mir broke his forearm with an armbar. Subsequently, Sylvia would lose his next fight to Andrei Arlovski at UFC 51.
Personally, I’d rather see Arlovski fight Frank Mir but it is apparent Mir hasn’t fully recovered from his injury, mentally and physically. Sylvia doesn’t deserve a rematch so soon but then again, who is there for Arlovski to fight? The champion has defeated every opponent offered from the barren wasteland that is the UFC Heavyweight division. Look for Sylvia to come out more cautious than their last fight. Nothing has really changed from their first meeting and I can see Arlovski finishing Sylvia off with strikes this time. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say that Sylvia survives the first round. The search for a credible heavyweight opponent continues…
Prediction: Andrei Arlovski TKO Tim Sylvia RD2
Topics: Al Yu, All Topics, MMA, UFC | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Kawamata’s kamikaze attack
By Zach Arnold | April 10, 2006
By Zach Arnold
By no means is the end-all, be-all translation summary of the latest Shukan Gendai interview with Seiya Kawamata about the yakuza scandal rocking the fight industry in Japan. However, I was able to translate and gather some interesting details from the latest interview that really have people on edge.
In the latest interview, Kawamata puts the bullseye on K-1, PRIDE, various yakuza groups, and also on the Kanagawa Police (who are doing the yakuza investigation). Also mentioned throughout the interview is Miro Mijatovic, the ex-manager (power agent/attorney) of Mirko Cro Cop and Emelianenko Fedor.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Japan, K-1, Media, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Upcoming plans for HERO’s
By Zach Arnold | April 10, 2006
By Zach Arnold
If you’re a fan of the K-1-style MMA, today was a very interesting day. The promotion announced their plans for the next five months. More details to come soon.
The 5/3 Tokyo, Yoyogi National Stadium Gym I show features Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto vs. Kazuyuki Miyata and Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Katsuhiko Nagata. The show will feature an 8-man 70 kg Middleweight tournament. Some names listed: Kaoru Uno, Hideo Tokoro, Ryuki Ueyama, Hidetaka Monma, Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro, Alexandre Franca “Pequeno” Nogueira, Ivan Menjivar, Black Mamba, & Ole Laursen.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Japan, K-1, MMA, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
PRIDE on FSN TV special
By Zach Arnold | April 9, 2006
By Zach Arnold
On Sunday night, Fox Sports Net aired a PRIDE TV special centered around the Bushido 10 show. It started off with a rap-themed intro video package, with Phil Baroni saying, “This is PRIDE, welcome to the show.” They debuted a new video graphics package.
The annoying female announcer Lenny Hart did her introduction of Jay Glazer and Frank Trigg, as they walked down the Ariake Colosseum (spelled “Ariake Coliseum” on TV) rampway with the FSN logo on the TV screen behind them. Trigg made a ridiculous comparison of Fedor and Mike Tyson in his prime, doing the hard sell of Fedor. A quick video package aired to introduce people to what the PRIDE match rules are.
The Denis Kang vs. Mark Weir fight was shown. Glazer said on camera that Weir had “Floyd Mayweather hand-speed.” Kang was a relentless bulldog in the match and had no trouble beating Weir. After the fight, an interview with Kang aired.
Next was a fight between Yves Edwards (spelled Yves “Edwars” on the video screen) vs. Seichi Ikemoto. The fight is JIP (joined in progress) half-way through round one. Was there some audio-sweetening of the crowd noise here? I’m not sure if it happened here, but it did happen later in the show.
An old fight between Igor Vovchanchyn & Mirko Cro Cop was shown.
Jay Glazer compared Phil Baroni to TO (Terrell Owens) and Allen Iverson, as he gets underneath the skin of his opponents. Glazer closes out by saying, “The New York Bad Ass comes to Tokyo… Welcome to his world.” An interview package with Baroni & Mark Coleman airs, with Baroni talking about how he was labeled as finished after losing in UFC and that Coleman invited him to PRIDE.
The ring introduction of Phil Baroni is shown, and clearly you can hear the audio of the crowd being sweetened. Kondo was already show in the ring (edited). The fight between Yuki Kondo and Phil Baroni is lightning fast, as Kondo did a no-guard style approach and really left himself open. Baroni destroyed Kondo with a hard right hook. After the match, Baroni got on the house microphone and did some basic Japanese, then thanked PRIDE and his coaches (and broke down to cry afterwards).
In the backstage post-match interview, Baroni told Glazer that the Japanese brought him in as a sacrificial lamb, and that he overcame personal problems and injuries to return. “I’m back.” Baroni made the argument that he’s the best fighter at his weight class. When asked about FSN doing more prime-time PRIDE specials, Baroni said that he wanted FOX to climb aboard his back and bring the sport to new heights. Baroni also said that he told the referee not to touch his hair because he didn’t want it messed up.
Topics: All Topics, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Insider hardball
By Zach Arnold | April 9, 2006
By Zach Arnold
I just got the Shukan Gendai issue (released today) with the new yakuza article about K-1, DSE, and Kawamata. My first read of the article is that this is an important article, because it includes a flowchart (which I will try to recreate later if I can) that clearly links all the major players in the fight game and where the yakuza gangs fit into the picture.
This may go down historically (the Gendai articles) as the most revealing articles done on the current MMA boom in Japan. I’ll work on some translations and try to post a summary soon. Flowchart details down below.
Quick summary of the flowchart:
Unless I can find a good program to use to draw it out, this text summary will do the trick. It’s a 3-pronged vertical flowchart.
Column 1 – TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System) -> K-1 Dynamite!! -> 19.5% TV rating -> FEG Producer Sadaharu Tanigawa -> K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii
Column 2 – Nippon TV -> Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 (Inoki Matsuri) -> 5.1% TV rating -> K-Confidence President Seiya Kawamata -> Presenter Antonio Inoki -> PRIDE Heavyweight Champion Emelianenko Fedor -> Fedor’s manager, Miro Mijatovic
Column 3 – Fuji TV -> PRIDE Otoko Matsuri 2003 -> 12.2% TV rating -> DSE President Nobuyuki Sakakibara -> DSE Financial Backer/Owner Mr. I (Ishizaka)
Separate flowchart members: Yakuza family P, Yakuza family X
Connections in the flowchart
On the TBS column, a link is drawn from Ishii around to K-Confidence boss Seiya Kawamata, asking what their relationship was/is. Branching off of that line, the line connects over to the Fuji TV column, with a direct link to Mr. I (Ishizaka) and Yakuza group X. Yakuza group P is shown connected to Kawamata. Yakuza group P is Sakamoto and his two Yamaguchi-gumi understudies (the ones that Kawamata claims originally were on his side but turned on him when he was allegedly threatened by Sakakibara over using Fedor).
The reason there is a connection in the flowchart between I (Ishizaka) and Kawamata is due to the alleged threats.
On the Nippon TV column, a link is shown between N-TV and Kawamata (N-TV for paying Kawamata money to produce the Inoki show). A white arrow is linked from Ishii to Kawamata/Inoki (in the article, it talks about why Hiromi Amada was on the Inoki show). A straight white link is linked between Kawamata and Sakakibara, as they used to be seen together years ago (during the K-1 & PRIDE cooperation) but also now because of Kawamata claiming Sakakibara threatened him with the yakuza. A white line is shown from Mr. I (Ishizaka) to Emelienanko Fedor, with Kawamata’s claim that Ishizaka threatened him over using Fedor on the Inoki show.
Finally, a black line between Yakuza group X (linked on the flowchart as being associated with Ishizaka) is linked to Sakakibara, with the flowchart questioning what the exact relationship is.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | 2 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Pancrase 4/9 Differ Ariake results
By Zach Arnold | April 9, 2006
By Zach Arnold
Courtesy of Sports Navigator/Yahoo Japan:
- Middleweights: Ichiro Kanai defeated Moriyuki Yamada in R1 in 2 minutes, 11 seconds with a shoulder-hardening hold (similar to the one Aurelio used on Gomi at the Bushido show).
- Featherweights: Atsushi Yamamoto (KILLER BEE) defeated Takumi Murata in R2 in 1 minute, 37 seconds with a choke sleeper.
- Welterweights: Takuya Wada and Shinsuke Shoji (KILLER BEE) went to a draw after 2R (1-0 score).
- Middleweights: Yuichi Nakanishi and Kozo Urita went to a draw after 2R (1-0 score).
- Featherweights: Miki Shida defeated Damacio Page after 3R by a 3-0 judges’ decision.
- Middleweights: Yuji Hisamatsu defeated Daisuke Watanabe after 3R by a 3-0 judges’ decision.
- Heavyweight Title Tournament – B Block: Arbocius Tiger (Lithuania/Latvia Shidokan) defeated Hiromitsu Kanehara after 2R by a 3-0 judges’ decision.
- Heavyweight Title Tournament – B Block: Ryuta Noji defeated Takashi Sugiura (NOAH) in R1 in 3 minutes, 25 seconds by KO. Sugiura came into the fight at 93 kg (205 pounds), very small.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, MMA, Pancrase, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Preview: Kawamata says Ishii was threatened
By Zach Arnold | April 8, 2006
By Zach Arnold
「＜ミスターＫï¼ï¼‘＞石井館長も暴力団ã«è„…ã•ã‚Œã¦ã„ãŸï¼ã€
ケイ・コンフィデンス・å·åˆèª 矢社長　
According to a tease for the next (upcoming) edition of Shukan Gendai, promoter Seiya Kawamata is going to talk to the magazine in-depth in regards to the various threats that former K-1 President Kazuyoshi Ishii received from the yakuza. We’ll find out (at least Kawamata’s story) where those threats were specifically coming from.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Mayweather vs. Judah
By Zach Arnold | April 8, 2006
Photo credit: MSNBC web site
How about that spectacle of a fight on Saturday night? KW at FightReport.net has more details.
Topics: All Topics, Zach Arnold | 1 Comment » | Permalink | Trackback |
Cagewarriors release Strike Force 5 bouts for free download
By Mark Pickering | April 8, 2006
After a successful Strike Force 5 show last month the Cagewarriors Fighting Championships have had numerous requests from its pan-European fanbase to see the action that went on inside the Skydome Arena on March 25th.
Well thanks in part to their Production Company, Cagewarriors are proud to announce that 2 fights from Strike Force 5 will be available to download free of charge. These fights will be offered in a low-res format but will give the Cagewarriors loyal following a chance to relive the action once again, whilst giving their European fans that could not make the trip a chance to experience some exciting Cagewarriors action.
The first fight to be offered free of charge is the long awaited rematch between the perennial Cagewarriors favourite and Welterweight Champion Dan “The Outlaw†Hardy and his arch-nemesis Diego Gonzales from Sweden. This bout came about after both men went to a controversial No-Contest back at Cagewarriors Strike Force 3 in October. Will Hardy defend his Title? Or will Gonzales show the form that troubled “The Outlaw†late last year.
The other bout to be offered for free is the main event of Strike Force 5, which featured a Super-Heavyweight Title bout between 2 unbeaten behemoths. As the CWFC Super-Heavyweight Champion Antonio “Pezão” De Silva Junior from the Wolfslair Academy took on the K-1 Heros Lithuania veteran Tadas RimkeviÄius.
“Junior†was making the 1st defence of the Title he won at Cagewarriors Strike Force 4: Night of Champions and has already gained a big following due to his impressive wins over the likes of Cage Rage British Heavyweight Champion Tengiz Tedoradze, the KOTC vet Ruben “Warpath†Villarreal and UFC 8 vet Rafael Carino. So did “Junior” add another victim to his list or was the experience of RimkeviÄius too much for the British based Brazilian? Check the video out and see.
So download the videos now and see for yourself why Cagewarriors is quickly getting the reputation as one of Europe’s most fan friendly and biggest MMA events.
Main Event: CWFC Super-Heavyweight Title
Antonio “Pezao” De Silva Junior (c) vs. Tadas Rimkevicius
http://www.rcproductions.co.uk/Antonio_De_Silva_Junior_vs_Tadas_Rimkevicius.wmv
CWFC Welterweight Title
Dan Hardy (c) vs. Diego Gonzales
http://www.rcproductions.co.uk/Dan_Hardy_vs_Diego_Gonzales.wmv
For more information on Cagewarriors visit www.cagewarriors.com
Topics: All Topics, Mark Pickering, MMA, UK | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Killing a Gimmick~!
By Luke | April 7, 2006
In 2000, and in 2003 the PRIDE GP Tournaments were special. They were events that didn’t happen everyday, and because of that, the intrigue to watch was higher than for your run-of-the-mill card. Fast forward to 2006. Since 2003, we’ve now had FOUR GP Tournaments in a little less than four years, and my interest in this next upcoming GP, is at an all-time low.
Obviously, it isn’t because the calibre of the fighters has dropped, because it hasn’t. The calibre of the fighters is great. But, we don’t have to see them fight in a GP every year. Tournaments should be special because then, when you win one, or you lose in an exciting or noteworthy fashion (ie. Sakuraba in 2000), your career is elevated by it. When you hold a GP tournament every year, or GOD forbid, two or three times per year. The buzz is gone. The bloom is off the rose.
With the latest announcement of the WW GP thats supposed to start in June, its now officiallly overkill. I have zero inclination to watch this GP. The fights will be good, but their is nothing special about it, and nothing that screams “MUST SEE”. Its featuring the same core guys that fought last September, and December. And, odds are, it will be similar guys who make it to the finals. Why not hold the GP every two or three years so that you get different participants, and you crown a different winner every time, and hopefully, in the process you create a new star.
The GP Tournaments now scream “LAZY BOOKING”. A 16 man GP tournament fills three cards. Thats three of five or six main cards that DSE runs, and three of five or six Bushido shows that DSE runs. If you run a Bushido GP and a PRIDE GP, thats at least half the shows every year that are based on a GP. That, in my opinion, is far to much.
There would be nothing wrong with booking more single cards that aren’t tied into a GP, it would allow them to be more creative with their matchmaking, and even allow them to maybe establish a few more native fighters to put in the GPs when they’re held. That way, native Japanese fans, who pay to see the GPs in Japan, have a reason to be interested. There is a native fighter who they believe can win the GP. And, whether its popular or not, thats what sells tickets in Japan – the prospect of a native fighter beating the best in the world to win the tournament.
Topics: Japan, Luke Nicholson, MMA, PRIDE | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Bushido Welterweight tournament
By Zach Arnold | April 6, 2006
DSE announced a 16-man Welterweight tournament format for the Bushido series. The three Japanese top names of the tournament will be Akihiro Gono, Makoto Takimoto, & Ryo Chonan. The promotion announced the next Bushido show taking place at Saitama Super Arena on 6/4.
Dan Henderson (Welterweight champion), Murilo Bustamante, Dennis Kang, Phil Baroni, & Paulo Filho have also been booked. The 2nd round of the tournament is scheduled for 8/26 at Nagoya Aichi Rainbow Hall, and the 3rd round is scheduled for 11/5 at Yokohama Arena.
Topics: All Topics, Japan, MMA, PRIDE, Zach Arnold | 6 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
TUF3 – SEASON PREMIERE~! Review.
By Luke | April 6, 2006
The Ultimate Fighter – Season Three
SEASON PREMIERE~! Review
The show starts with Dana White introducing the coaches. OH YEAH~! Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock are introduced. Dana then recaps the seemingly life-long feud between the two. Including the fight at UFC 40, and Shamrock’s face, which was churned into ground beef during that fight by Tito elbows.
Continue reading this article here…
Topics: All Topics, Luke Nicholson, MMA, UFC | 8 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Quick media round-up
By Zach Arnold | April 6, 2006
By Zach Arnold
A very interesting article in The Hippo publication, talking about why New Hampshire is about to experience a big MMA boom because of difficulties between promoters and the Massachusetts athletic commission.
Thanks to everyone who has listened to the new FOR show. If you haven’t already, now is the time to do it. Speaking of media appearances, our very own Luke Nicholson makes an appearance on this week’s Rear Naked Choke Radio show.
Topics: All Topics, Media, MMA, Zach Arnold | No Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |