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The History of the family behind the Ultimate Fighting Championship

BY SCOOP MCTROLL

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.


In the January of 2001, the ailing reality fighting contest known as The Ultimate Fighting Championship, was purchased from its founder, the SEG CORPORATION by ZUFFA LLC. Three men, Frank Fertitta III, his younger brother Lorenzo Fertitta and their brother in law, the low profile but nonetheless powerful, Blake Sartini, are the owners of ZUFFA LLC.


Lorenzo (Far left) and Frank III (Far right) with a friend.

The Fertitta brothers Frank III and Lorenzo, take the limelight in this partnership and have recently become known to millions of people through the reality television show 'American Casino'. As the CEO and President respectively, of the Station Casinos Empire, they appear to be amiable and successful young businessmen. Las Vegas residents may know of Frank III through his involvement in many charities and community projects, including Catholic Charities, Opportunity Village and the Las Vegas Chapter of the I Have A Dream Foundation. They may know of Lorenzo Fertitta from his time on the board of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, or as the chairman of the Nevada Resort Association. The two millionare brothers donate hundreds of thousands of dollars per year to the Republican Party and they are an integral part of the Las Vegas A-list social scene. Many people have wondered just how they came to be so successful at such relatively young ages and where they came from. Our in depth report 'The Z-Files' will explore these issues and attempt to throw some light on the history of the family behind The Ultimate Fighting Championship. I hope you enjoy reading The Z-Files; it is the result of several months of research.

Part 1

It is 1993 in Galveston, Texas and a relative to the Fertittas, 89 year old Vic Maceo has just shown how business is done in his family. The aging alleged mobster had walked into the Galveston Post Office, pulled out a .38 calibre revolver and started firing at postal worker Pete Miller, whom Maceo believed owed him money. Maceo's aim was a little off since his hey day but he still managed to hit Miller in the right arm, shattering the bones and bringing him to the ground, wincing in pain.

When the Maceos and the Fertittas ruled the town a few decades prior, this was the way disputes were settled in Galveston, Texas. In this case Vic Maceo had sold a house to Pete Miller for $45,000 in 1968 and when Miller sold it in 1991, he sold it for $180,000. Naturally Vic felt that some of the profit should have been his. Miller had once worked as a busboy at the Maceo-Fertitta controlled illegal casino known as 'The Balinese Room' and Vic C. Mateo, who was also known as 'Little Vic' to distinguish him from his cousin Vic A. 'Gigolo' Maceo, could not cope with the fact that a busboy had seemingly gotten the better of him.

As Vic Maceo attempted to make his escape in his sports car, police apprehended him. He gave himself up willingly and when approached by the police, he said in a defiant and firm voice, "When you look a guy in the eye and tell him he owes you forty grand and he tells you, 'Let me get the file,' you know that the son of a bitch is lying." As the police slapped handcuffs on him he retorted with "You don't handcuff a gentleman in this town!" Such was the power that the Maceo and Ferttita gang once wielded in Galveston


Fertitta In-Law 'Big' Sam Maceo, The 'Barber of Galveston'

It all began in the early 20th century when two Sicilian barbers arrived in Galveston from Sicily via Louisiana. Rose and Sam Maceo were soon to build an illegal gambling empire from simple bootlegging roots and become known as Papa Rose and Big Sam. Along with their relatives the Fertitta family, they would control the black economy, the organised crime and the politics of Galveston for many years. One of their more well known illegal casinos was 'The Balinese Room' but by the mid 1930's, and the time that prohibition ended, they had built up an entire city block of illegal casinos and gambling dens in Galveston. Many people feel that they created the Vegas format before Vegas ever existed. Sam Maceo organized for all the big name singers and bands of the time to appear at his casinos, including Frank Sinatra.



The Balinese Room in Galveston Texas.

A gaming chip from the illegal casino

The Maceo-Fertitta gang was responsible for funding many things in the Galveston community and despite obvious connections to the New Orleans mob; no one dared to complain about the criminal benefactors of the town. In fact those that did complain usually ended up sleeping with the fishes, according to local legend.

The Maceo-Fertitta gang wielded great power and most of the other mobsters knew better than to tread on their turf. The Chicago crime czar Al Capone had heard about the lucrative gambling and bootleg empire that the Maceos and Fertittas had built in Galveston and he wanted some of that action. He planned to at first become a partner with them and then muscle them out of the picture once he had his hooks firmly embedded. Al Capone sent his main man Frank Nitti to Galveston to intimidate the Maceos into allowing Capone to "invest" in their businesses. The Maceos received word of Nitti's impending arrival and they decided that they would flat-out refuse any offers from Nitti on behalf of Capone to take a piece of their illegal gambling pie.

They decided to call on the skills of the most ruthless member of their family's gang, Maceo In-Law, Anthony Fertitta. Nitti arrived in town and was introduced to the Maceos and to Anthony Fertitta, Fertitta told Nitti that they needed to talk and he took Nitti for a drive in his car. The two men were gone for several hours and it is not clear what events took place during that time. All that is known is that Nitti was dropped at the city limits very late that evening, he appeared to be shaken but alive and well. No one knows what took place during the car ride but when Nitti made it back to Chicago, he told Capone that the Fertittas were no pushovers and it would require an all out war to move in on their territory. Capone never pursued it any further.

Rose Maceo was suspected of many gangland killings during the 1930's. Including his first wife and her lover, but no Maceo was ever convicted of a felony.


Al Capone came off second best when he tried to muscle in on the Fertittas.

Sam Maceo, was the brain behind the Maceo-Fertitta empire and he was directly under the control of New Orleans mob boss Carlos Marcello, who later would be linked to the assassination of JFK. Sam also helped the pioneer Vegas hotelier, Moe Dalitz to get a gaming licence for The Desert Inn Las Vegas's first casino, not very long before his death. Papa Rose and Big Sam had both passed away by the 1950's and many of the remaining Maceo's and the dealers who worked in their illegal casinos moved out to Las Vegas.



The Galveston gambling empire was under the control of mob boss Carlos Marcello, who would later be implicated in the JFK assassination.


The Fertittas, who were related to the Maceos by marriage, took control of the Galveston gaming empire, where they honed their skills in the casino and hospitality fields, a legacy that would remain lucrative to the family for generations to come. Unlike the socially more adept Maceos, who flaunted their success despite its illegality, the Fertittas did not take too kindly to publicity.


The August 1955 edition of Time Magazine that exposed the Fertittas as thugs.


In 1955, a Time magazine LIFE reporter visited one of the illegal Fertitta casinos in Galveston. In an article entitled 'Thugs vs The Press', he reported the following in the August 1955 edition of Time Magazine.

" Many a mug on the edge of the big time thinks there is a formula for dealing with newsmen: intimidate or bribe. In Galveston, Texas, where vice and crime abounds, Gambling Boss Anthony Fertitta tried that formula in an effort to prevent LIFE from getting pictures of his illegal operations. It did not work.

After LIFE Photographer Joe Scherschel and Reporter Hank Suydam took pictures (with a concealed camera) in one of Fertitta's gambling houses, the boss and two henchmen followed the LIFE men to their hotel. Photographer Scherschel took his film upstairs while Reporter Suydam encountered Fertitta and his two strong-arm men in the lobby. Fertitta demanded an explanation of what Suydam and Scherschel had been doing, suddenly smashed Suydam in the face. By the time Suydam had picked himself off the floor, Fertitta had switched tactics, tried to stuff a $20 bill into the reporter's pocket.

Last week, just before LIFE published "Wide-Open Galveston Mocks Texas Laws," Gambling Boss Fertitta was tried for simple assault in the Galveston justice court. After Fertitta pleaded "not guilty" and then refused to take the stand, Justice J. L. McKenna found Fertitta guilty, gave him the maximum punishment: a $25 fine. The conviction was much more important than the small fine. In Galveston, where gang leaders like Fertitta have long tried to pose as legitimate businessmen, the criminal conviction reported on Page One of Texas newspapers helped to expose these "legitimate businessmen" for the thugs they are."


Partially in light of the adverse publicity that they began to attract and partially due to the more conservative political climate of the mid to late 1950's, the Galveston gambling empire began to slowly crumble. Many of the Fertittas also began to migrate to Las Vegas and it all finally came to a crashing halt in Galveston in 1957 when the Attorney General Will Wilson, along with the Texas Rangers, smashed the Fertitta's illegal gambling racket. The glory days for the Maceos and Fertittas were over in Texas, for the moment at least.


With no choice but to shut up shop and leave town, a mass exodus took place. With the vast experience the owners and employees had gained in Galveston by running or working in the biggest chain of illegal casinos and live entertainment restaurants in the country, Las Vegas seemed to be the natural place to migrate. A pilgrimage from Galveston to Vegas of mobsters, card dealers, croupiers, hores and gamblers began. In those days Vegas was not as heavily regulated as it is today and offered the lure of an easy buck to such dregs of society.

In 1960, a 21-year-old man named Frank Fertitta Jr would arrive in Las Vegas and find work at a Casino as a bellboy. With him are his wife and newborn son, Frank III.

The fun for him, was just beginning.


(That was Part 1 of Scoop McTroll's new series 'The Z-Files'. Watch this page for part 2, coming to FS 24-7 soon.)


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Mark Coleman

PRIDE 29: 'Fists of Fire'
February 20th, 2005
Saitama, Japan


Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Mark Coleman
Sergei Kharinotov vs. Choi Mu Bae
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson vs. Murilo 'Ninja' Rua
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Alistair Overeem
Igor Vovchanchin vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Hiromitsu Kanehara
Fabricio Werdum vs. Tom Erikson
Mario Sperry vs. Hirotaka Yokoi
Stefan Leko vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Makmud Aliyev

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Buakaw "Por Pramuk"

K-1 World MAX 2005: 'Japan Tournament'
February 23rd 2005
Ariake Colosseum
Tokyo, Japan


K-1-rules matchups:
Albert Kraus vs. Buakaw 'Por Pramuk'
Jadamba Narantungalag vs. Farid Villaume
Akeomi Nitta vs. Ash-Ra

MMA-rules matchup:
Kaoru Uno vs. Serkan Yilmaz

K-1-rules Tournament:
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Kozo Takeda
Takehiro Murahama vs. Hayato
Tomo vs. Kojiro
Takayuki Kohiruimaki vs. Kazuya Yasuhiro

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KOTC: 'Payback'
February 25, 2005
Cleveland, OH


Michael Westbrook vs. Jarrod Bunch
Joey Villasenor vs. Brenden Seguin
Dan Severn vs. Eric 'Butterbean' Esch
George Gerzel vs. Jay Ireland
Dan Bobish vs. 'Warpath'
Thiago Alvez vs. Jeff Cox
Forrest Petz vs. Charles Bennet
Josh Hendrickson vs. Mike Buchkovich
Buddy Clinton vs. Angelo Popofski
Tony Sylvester vs. Tom Murphy
Jason Dent vs. Renato Tavares
Mike Sipos Vs. Steve Durig
Mike Boyed Vs. Adam Bass

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Euphoria MFC: 'USA vs. World'
February 26th, 2004
Trump Taj Mahal Casino
Atlantic City, NJ


Single matchups:
Jeremy Horn vs. Kazuhiro Hamanaka
Chael Sonnen vs. Bill Mahood
Ron Faircloth vs. Daniel Tabera
Ryan Schultz vs. TBA
Pat Stano vs. Warren Kikaba
Pete 'Drago' Sell vs. John Sivori
Joe Scarola vs. TBA
Eddie Alvarez vs. Seichi Ikemoto
Joey Brown vs. Brian Geraghty

Lightweight GP tournament:
Hermes Franca vs. Rich Clementi
Yves Edwards vs. Joachim Hansen

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SHOOTO Brazil 6
February 26th, 2005
Ginasio do Círculo Militar
Curitiba, Brazil


Fabio 'Tigrao' vs. Renato Matos
Josenildo 'Indio' vs. Willian Casquilha
Wanderlei Smala vs. Cristiano 'Neguinho'
Cristopher Lenhador vs. Helio Dipp
Ivonildo Cafu vs. Emerson Graxaim
Carlinhos Lima vs. Eduardo Pamplona
Julian Jaba vs. Paulo Bueno
Wagner Gavea vs. Fabio Baum
Andre Vicente vs. Mateus Andraus
Erinaldo 'Pitbull' vs. Ricardo Rodrigues
Wagner Tiburcio vs. Daniel 'Galvao'
Sergio Schiavon vs. Mario Fumagalli
Paulo Boiko vs. Rodrigo Ruiz
Christopher Led vs. Helio Deep

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Renato "Babalu" Sobral

Cage Rage 10: 'Deliverance'
February 26, 2005
London, England


Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Pierre Guilett
Curtis Stout vs. Sol Gilbert
Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos vs. Antony Rea
Jorge Rivera vs. Alex Reid
Mark Weir vs. Gabriel Santos
Jeremy Bailey vs. Sami Berik
Leigh Remedios vs. Robbie Olivier
Jean Silva vs. Chris Brennan
Andy Costello vs. Dan Burzotta
Marc Goddard vs. Robert Berry
Ricky Andrews vs. Dave Lee
Kuljit Degun vs. Mustapha Al Turk
Brad Pickett vs. Chris Freeborn

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Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Mauricio Behring, and Fabricio Werdum.

Fabricio Werdum recently spoke with Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' regarding his upcoming fight against Tom Erikson on the PRIDE 29 card on February 20th.

"We're studying what will be the best tactic for my fight. I've trained a lot of ground game, with Mirko (Filipovic) in charge of my standup training. I am feeling better each time about facing any adversary", said Werdum

Werdum's teammate, Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic, is scheduled to face Mark Coleman on the same card.

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Evan Tanner

Hello my friends, my postal connections on the west coast have sent me the following info on why Evan Tanner supposedly left Team Quest:


"Evan Tanner became by Sportsbook.com sponsered in 2004.

After a while, Matt Lindland became sponsered for his fight against David Terrell, when he was knocked out. Shortly after that, Randy Couture and Matt Lindland supposedly made a backroom deal with a represenative from Sportsbook.com, named 'Jeremy', for Team Quest to get all of the money alloted for MMA sponsership by Sportsbook.com, which was in the 6-figures area.

In this deal, which was made behind Evan Tanner's back, Couture and Lindland were left in charge of all the monetary resources, and they had to do virtually nothing to earn this money.

Part of the money supposedly went to boost the SportFight promotion that Lindland runs. And most of it supposedly went to Couture and Lindland. Evan Tanner and Dan Henderson had previous deals with Sportsbook.com.

After this was approved, Couture and Lindland still demanded a percentage of Evan Tanner's sponsership money as well. This is what caused Tanner to sever his ties with Team Quest.

Sportsbook.com officials are currently investigating this deal."

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By Jake R


Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.


In yet another exclusive for this hard hitting reporter, long term reliable sources in Iowa have informed me of the UFC's latest plans.

As of right now, Zuffa's first UFC Japan is finally going to happen. The proposed date is June 12th in Japan, and June 11th in America. In addition, I have been told that the UFC will be broadcast live in America without tape delay.

As a result, the UFC will start in Japan at an odd hour, but will only be at a slightly different time for American PPV, clearly showing the priority of Zuffa for the American PPV market.

As usual, stick to Fightsport.com and the Jake R Report for scoops that are days, weeks, and even months ahead of the other MMA news sites.



*Fightsport.com exclusive, must credit the Jake R Report when discussing this article.

This Jake R Report was filed on 2-17-05 at 9 pm.

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Dave Terrell

Dave Terrell recently spoke regarding his loss to Evan Tanner on the UFC 51 card. here's what Terrell had to say:


"To all my friends, sponsors, and supporters, I wish I was writing this to you while basking in victory. As you know, Evan Tanner, a fighter with a world of experience, cleanly defeated me last Saturday.He will make a great UFC middleweight champion. It is my goal, however, to replace him, or anyone else that defeats Evan, in the near future. I realize I made mistakes leading up to, and including the fight itself.

What is said about learning more from a loss than a victory is true. I appreciate all who helped me train, or gave me financial or moral support. This is especially true since I have not heard one discouraging word since UFC 51. My mistakes are correctable. And those mistakes will be corrected.I look foward to demonstrating my improvements very, very soon. Thanks to everyone again!

Best,
Dave Terrell"

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Bobby Southworth

Bobby Southworth recently sounded off regarding the controversy that occurred between him and Chris Leben on the fifth episode of 'The Ultimate Fighter' reality series:


"YES, I WAS IN THE WRONG!!!!

I won't use being drunk as an excuse. I don't let other people use that when they do stupid shit. I was sick of Chris, I wanted to hurt him, and I crossed the line. It was very difficult living with him. They don't show half of the shit he was pulling.

AGAIN THIS IS NO EXCUSE!!!

In life we all do things that we regret. Start casting stones if you've never f---ed up. The edit monster is in effect again. They don't show me owning up for what I did. That's all I was doing in the meeting, was saying we were in the wrong and not trying to use being drunk as an excuse. The EM is also trying to make it look like my idea, which it wasn't!!

My idea was to wet the ground around him(still wrong). I wasn't the one spraying water directly on him. Chris also didn't run right into the house and go crazy. He ranted at me for at least a minute before he realized it wasn't me who doused him. Then he went after Kos.

We all learned a lot about ourselves from the xperience of being on the show. I thought that I was more mature than that and I was wrong. I thought I was above being petty and cruel, WRONG AGAIN.

I have to live with what I did. I never thought it would escalate to the level it did.

All I can hope is that I have grown since then.

All I can do is try and become a better person.

One Final Thought: I would only change what I said to Chris. I was abandoned as a child and was lucky enough to be adopted by a loving family. So, what I said to Chris was kind of hypocritical.

Yes, that's KOS not ko's. No blows were thrown!!

I won't say I was contrite(def.?)but Kos and I both were admitting we were wrong.

Chris din't drop the N bomb.

The only thing is the timing was bad. We weren't trying to be mean. We were trying to play a prank!! That's why I was laughing the whole time.

LEBEN NEXT TIME WE DRINK TOGETHER,

DON'T PASS OUT NEAR A HOSE!!!

'CAUSE YOU WON'T BE THE RED TERROR,

YOU'LL BE "THE WET RED TERROR!!!!!!

Time to wait for the hate!!!

-B.SOUTH"

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The latest cover of Tatame magazine, showing Vitor Belfort dominating Tito Ortiz.

The latest issue of the Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' features in-depth coverage on the Vitor Belfort vs. Tito Ortiz fight, and how most, if not all, of the media around the MMA world feel Vitor really won the fight.

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Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (top)

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' recently interviewed Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos. Here's what Cyborg had to say (interview by Eduardo Ferreira, translation by Ricardo Alonso)


Tatame: Why didn't you fight in the WEC show?

Cyborg: I had problems obtaining a visa. It was all very tumultous. I was in Mato Grosso with my family, then I had to go to Curitiba, and then to Uberlandia to get a visa. In the end, I was not able to obtain it, but Chute Boxe sent another athlete, who already lived in the United States, in my place.

Tatame: How is your preparation coming along for the Cage Rage 10 show?

Cyborg: I'm feeling very good, living only for that fight. I'm training hard all day, training for everything and liking it. I'm going to be staying here the entire year and it'll be the best year, not just for me but for the whole team.

Tatame: Do you know your adversary? What do you expect from this fight?

Cyborg: I don't know much about my adversary, I've never seen any of his fights. I believe he trains with Jerome LeBanner. People only choose their women. But fights are like relatives, people can't choose them.

Tatame: How long have you been with Chute Boxe? Give us an evaluation of your time with the team.

Cyborg: I've now been here six months, and I recently fought Yuki Kondo in Pancrase. But now I'm recovering completely from the lessons, and I want to fight in all the events this year, be it Meca, Storm, or Jungle Fight. But that is not up to me, that much is clear. Regarding Chute Boxe, if I had known I was going to recieve so much attention, I would've came here a long time ago. It's given me the support I needed.

Tatame: And how is your academy in Uberlandia?

Cyborg: It's difficult, but I'm going to have to give up Uberlandia. I don't want to give up my academy because I already have many students there. But the career of a fighter is short and I have to take advantage of my moment, my opportunity.

Tatame: It is said you will face Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons in Jungle Fight. Does this possibility exist?

Cyborg: Myself, Rudimar (Fedrigo), and Rafael (Cordeiro) only know about this through a third party and the internet. Until now I have not recieved a proposal for that fight.

Tatame: In case that fight does take place, how would ot be to face an athlete as recognized as Pele? What would you expect from that fight?

Cyborg: I think it would be good, but Pele already had his era and is now on the decline. But that doesn't take away from his merits. It would be a tough fight, and a fight I think a lot of people would like to see. At least here in Curitiba everyone wants to see this fight.

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Stefan Leko

DSE/PRIDE announced the matchup of Stefan Leko vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura for their PRIDE 29 card on February 20th.

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Takehiro Murahama

Takehiro Murahama announced that he has officially left Osaka Pro Wrestling to focus on K-1.

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SHOOTO Brazil 6
February 26th, 2005
Ginasio do Círculo Militar
Curitiba, Brazil


Fabio 'Tigrao' vs. Renato Matos
Josenildo 'Indio' vs. Willian Casquilha
Wanderlei Smala vs. Cristiano 'Neguinho'
Cristopher Lenhador vs. Helio Dipp
Ivonildo Cafu vs. Emerson Graxaim
Carlinhos Lima vs. Eduardo Pamplona
Julian Jaba vs. Paulo Bueno
Wagner Gavea vs. Fabio Baum
Andre Vicente vs. Mateus Andraus
Erinaldo 'Pitbull' vs. Ricardo Rodrigues
Wagner Tiburcio vs. Daniel 'Galvao'
Sergio Schiavon vs. Mario Fumagalli
Paulo Boiko vs. Rodrigo Ruiz
Christopher Led vs. Helio Deep

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Mario Sperry

The Brazilian Top team camp arrived in Japan, and Mario Sperry talked to the media about his opponent, Hirotaka Yokoi, on the PRIDE 29 card on February 20th.

"Yokoi is an impressive guy, but my team and I are very confident, and my time away from the ring won't be a problem for me. I am not one bit nervous.", said Sperry.

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The Nogueira brothers, Rodrigo "Minotauro" and Rogerio "Minotoro".

The Brazilian Top team camp arrived in Japan, and Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira told the media he is ready for his opponent, Alistair Overeem, on the PRIDE 29 card on February 20th.

"I've studied his game, and I will trade strikes with him in order to get him on the ground and submit him. If I lose, it will only be by accident.", said Minotoro.

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The Rua brothers, Murilo "Ninja" and Mauricio "Shogun".

Chute Boxe teammates and brothers, Murilo 'Ninja' and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua, arrived in Japan, and told the media that they are ready to put on a good showing and entertain the fans on the upcoming PRIDE 29 card on February 20th.

Ninja is scheduled to face Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, and Shogun is scheduled to face Hiromitsu Kanehara on the same card.

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Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

The new gentler and kinder Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson arrived in Japan.

It's believed to be the first pictures of Jackson since his brutally devastating knockout loss to Vanderlei Silva last October. As can be seen from the picture, Jackson's nose still looks crooked from when Silva broke it badly.

Jackson is scheduled to face Silva's teammate, Murilo 'Ninja' Rua, on the PRIDE 29 card on February 20th.

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Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

The Croatian media recently talked with Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic and discussed many topics. Here are a few things Cro Cop had to say:


Cro Cop on Mark Coleman: "He is one of the most experienced fighters in PRIDE, and I have large amount of respect towards Mark. Ten years earlier I admired Coleman's fights, along with Croatian boxer Stipe Drvis. Coleman has nothing to lose, and he can gain a lot because no one really expects Coleman to win... I honestly believe I am the better fighter, and that I am going to come out as the winner of this fight."

Cro Cop on the UFC: "I have recieved an offer from the UFC to compete in their show on April 8th, but nothing is serious."

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Pedro Rizzo (right)

Pedro Rizzo confirmed what Fightsport.com first reported on February 3rd, that DSE/PRIDE wanted to match him up against Fabricio Werdum for the PRIDE 29 card on February 20th.

Rizzo went on to say that Werdum turned down the fight. Rizzo added that he will be fighting in PRIDE soon, possibly in the summer.

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Tetsuya Kawajiri

PRIDE Lightweight GP
March 21st, 2005
Japan

The word amongst insiders in the Japanese media is that PRIDE and SHOOTO may work together for the upcoming PRIDE Lightweight GP.

The GP will be an 8-man tournament, spread out over two shows.


Unofficial Lightweight GP lineup:
Takanori Gomi
Jens Pulver
Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro
Tetsuya Kawajiri
D. Mishima
Luis 'Buscape' Firminho
Yves Edwards
Marcus Aurelio


Fighters who have also been mentioned as strong possibilities:
Hermes Franca
Ralph Gracie
Joachim Hansen
Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira
Rumina Sato

Fighters who have been mentioned but will most likely not participate:
B.J. Penn
Matt Serra
Kaoru Uno
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto
Naoyuki Kotani
Yoshiro Maeda

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Royler Gracie

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' recently spoke with Royler Gracie and discussed many topics. Here are a few things Royler had to say:


Royler on the upcoming ADCC championships: "I'm training light right now, but I will go into it feeling confident and my expectations are as high as possible.

Royler on Eddie Bravo: "I won't be going to Abu Dhabi with revenge on my mind. During that match I committed an error, and it resulted in my elimination. I'm not taking any credit away from him, and we may face each other again if we both win all of our matches."

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Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' recently interviewed Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira. Here's what Pequeno had to say (interview by Alexandre Lobo):


Tatame: So we will indeed have Joao Roque against Pequeno for the SHOOTO lightweight belt?

Pequeno: That's right. I've been expecting this fight since last November, when I was in Japan. SHOOTO wanted to originally make this fight between Joao and I happen in a tournament in the United States, but this is such a big fight in the weight division that it couldn't take place outside of Japan for a small purse...

Tatame: Didn't picking Joao as your opponent surprise you? The people at Nova Uniao had no idea how the ranking would be...

Pequeno: I wasn't one bit surprised. Mainly because my opponent was going to be the winner of the fight between Hiroyuki Takaya and the American Gilbert Melendez. If Takaya had won, he would've been the challenger. Except that the Japanese lost, and Melendez couldn't be the challenger according to the rules of SHOOTO, because that was only his first fight. So it could only be Joao Roque because he was first in the rankings, and so he became the challenger.

Tatame: So this fight will happen on March 11? Andre Pederneiras wasn't sure about it because you were on vacation...

Pequeno: The sooner the better. I was already prepared to defend my belt in the first quarter of the year. So much so, that I continued training in Medina, where my mother lives. Some local champions helped me out with my training. The only thing that changed was that I returned to Rio de Janeiro right before Carnaval.

Tatame: Your team, WFC, is now called Shooto Brazil Dojo and features some members ib Curitiba, under Sergio Cunha. Is there anything new added to your training in preparation for this fight?

Pequeno: I've been training here in Rio with Marcio Cromado at RFT, and did my physical preparation with Andre Vinicius. But I also intend to go to Curitiba to sharpen my Muay Thai with Anderson Silva, Pele, and Cunha. I'll arrive in Japan prepared for this fight with a full tank.

Tatame: What will the strategy be to face a ground specialist such as Joao Roque?

Pequeno: I won't change anything from what I normally do. I will look to let loose my game and look for submissions.

Tatame: There are some rumors saying that PRIDE would be negotiating with SHOOTO to produce a super Lightweight GP. Do you know something about this? It appears as if you would be one of the stars included, along with Vitor Shaolin, Tetsuya Kawajiri, and Takanori Gomi.

Pequeno: SHOOTO has not told me anything about it, but the last time I was in Japan I heard the same story, in which my friend Hermes Franca would also be included. I hope it does happen. I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. I would like to test myself by doing three fights in one night. It would be a great opportunity to promote the lightweight division.

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The following is a first-hand account by Andy Wang of training at a Muay Thai camp in Thailand:


"I just got back from Thailand where I spent the last couple of days training at Sangtinoi Muay-Thai and it was the most unbelieveable training experience I have had in a long time! The first thing I realized when I got there was that NO muay-thai camp outside of Thailand is like what they actually do in Thailand. The ferociousness and attitude in which they train with is something you really have to see to believe.

The first day we got there I noticed right away that the camp was unlike anything I have ever seen before. There were chickens, wild dogs and everything else walking around the camp grounds that you could imagine. I actually saw a chicken jump right onto the ring and relieve his bowels and then keep on going! The fighters were pretty young, about 13-17 and they all had RIPPED bodies, like that of professional adult football players.

The training was split into two sessions a day, the morning one starting at 6:30 AM with a 10 km run. We then started hitting the heavybags for 5 minute rounds for about 3 or 4 rounds and waited for our turn to hit the Thai pads with the trainers. Hitting Thai-pads with them was totally different as there is no moving, slipping or anything like that; they come straight at you and you have to keep punching, kicking, elbowing and kneeing for the whole 5 minutes with no time to really rest or move around. After 1 round of this, you really feel great and terrible at the same time if that makes any sense.

After the hitting bags/pads over you then do 1 round of Thai neck-ties and clinching and trying to knee each other. Here's where it gets freaky. The round was 30 MINUTES straight, no stopping, and the Thai guys are so well-conditioned that they can do this no problem.

After the knees, you then do a bunch of sit-ups until it's your turn to hit the boxing mitts. The combinations they use are quite simple, mainly 1-2 combos and a few hooks thrown in, the priority for Muay-Thai of course setting up the knees and kicks.

Practice ends and then you wake up for the afternoon session at 3:30 PM and repeat the process.

It was a great experience and something all you stand up guys should do sometime in your life. It's a mental and physical challenge and you'll be amazed by the hospitality of the Thais.

Andy Wang Taiwan Jiu-Jitsu"

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The MMA journeyman known as Chris Champagne posted the following press release, claiming that the UFC may have copied his realitu show idea, and that he may take legal action against the UFC:


"PRESS RELEASE 02-10-2005

'The Ultimate Fighter' creators crooked, possible lawsuit claims

Man says he pitched a mixed martial art show in 2003 and his idea was stolen.

Contact:Chris Champagne chris_champagne29@hotmail.com

LOS ANGELES - A possible lawsuit claims the creators of "The Ultimate Fighter" stole the idea for the hit reality show. The lawsuit will be filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by Christopher Michael Champagne shortly after the shows big Pay Per View event, proving the damages for his stolen intellectual property and will seek in upwards of $10 million in damages and all profits from the show.

Dana White Vise President of Zuffa LLC. The company that owns the hit mixed martial arts events “The Ultimate Fighting Championships” and Spike TV, are named in the possible lawsuit.

Champagne claims he pitched the idea for a show based around mixed martial arts to both Dana White and Spike TV back in 2003. He wrote registered and was moving forward on making his dreams a reality and like that taken away. I wont take it laying down Mr. Champagne says its time the little guy fights back. The network wasn't interested, or at least it seemed because Mr. Champagne never heard from either of the parties mentioned above and still to this day ignore his every attempt to reach them, however if things have just been over looked Champagne says he’s still waiting for them to do the right thing and contact him ASAP.

"The Ultimate Fighter" first aired Jan 2005 and following the final episode on Spike TV there will be a PPV event featuring the WINNER of the reality series."

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A fan's humorous parody of the UFC reality show and what appears to be its percieved strategy of appealing to the upper class homosexual demographic.

Review posted by the MMA insider known as 'Better Mouse Trap':


"In this week's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter" we saw the boys (This is what Dana refers to them as) returned from a night out drinking at the Hard Rock Cafe. They went out to the the back yard and perched on some makeshift bolder. It was funny seeing a bunch of shirtless grown men jockeying for position on a small rock.

Meanwhile, Diego awoke from his drunken stupor and must have thought he was still in the womb. He was moaning and gyrating and had to be restrained.

Later, Bobby Southworth calls Leban a "fatherless bastard" and Leban cries *cue in the violas* during a touching segment.

After the drama fades, Leban camps out in the backyard under a full moon. Southworth and Koscheck, who are still up drinking, decide to douse him with some good old H2O via the backyard hose.

Leban arose like a man possessed and stormed the house like Godzilla. Doors were ripped apart as if they were Hollywood props. It was an impressive exhibition.

The next day after, after calling each fighter in and reviewing the tape, Dana and the team leaders decide to have Leban and Koscheck settle their differences in the Octagon instead of ousting them from the show.

They will fight on the next TUF."

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Storm Samurai
March 19th, 2005
Circulo Militar de Curitiba
Curitiba, Brazil


Gildo Lima vs. Aritano Barbosa
Michael Costa vs. Junior Besouro
Andre Dida vs. Luciano Azevedo
Alessandro Stefano vs. Rodrigo Riscado
Mauricio 'Veio' vs. Ricardo Bastos
Nelson Jaca vs. Geraldo Mangela
Claudio 'Popeye' vs. Franklin Jenssen
Wagner Tiburcio vs. Jair Sorriso
Marlon Mathias vs. Pablo Guermandi
Jorge Britto vs. Gustavo Treta
Edival Pedroso vs. Aloisio 'Baiano'

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SportFight 9: 'Respect'
March 26, 2005
Mt Hood Community College
Oregon

Heath Sims vs. Steve Berger
Ed Herman vs. Glover Texeira
Matt Horwich vs. Rich Gueren
Dennis Davis vs. Trevor Burnell
Dominic Rivera vs. Damion Hatch
Enouch Wilson vs. John Gunderson
Ken Barringer vs. TBA
Joel Surprant vs. Bristoi Murunda
David Brown vs. Austin Ward
J.D. Stanely vs. Ben Baxter
John Carbajal vs. Wyatt Basham

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Vanderlei Silva

The Japanese media are reporting that a Vanderlei Silva vs. Hirotaka Yokoi matchup may take place in the opening round of the PRIDE Middleweight GP on April 23rd.

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Hidehiko Yoshida

Hidehiko Yoshida announced to the Japanese media that he will most likely be recovered from his injury in time for the first round of the PRIDE Middleweight GP on April 23rd.

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A fan's humorous parody of the UFC reality show and what appears to be its percieved strategy of appealing to the upper class homosexual demographic.

Tape Lord is away on official business and will not be doing the mailbag this week.

'Tape Lord's Monday Morning Mailbag' will be back next week.

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The following message was sent in by someone at the Amherst Athletic Club:


"I am a member of Amherst Athletic Club. The man who runs mma.tv is named Kirik Jenness and he works at the club. Anyway, I was stretching out and I overheard him talking to some other guy about how much money he charged the KTFO guy for advertising space on his site. He told the other guy that he got $5,000 "up front" for six months worth of advertising KTFO.tv. He went on to say that it was the most he has ever received for six months worth of ads at his site.

I thought you might like to know that. Kirik seemed pretty pleased about it. I guess I can't blame him."

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Vitor Belfort (left) dominating Tito Ortiz (right).

Brazilian magazine Tatame recently interviewed Vitor Belfort. Here's what Belfort had to say:


Tatame: What happened in this bout against Tito Ortiz?

Vitor: My objective was to fight the way I fought in the past. I beat him down in the first two rounds, almost knocking him out and almost submitting him. I began to gas from the second round to the third, got tired, and he got the takedown and stayed inside my guard, but he didn't do much. For sure the first two rounds were mine, and he won the last one. The UFC judges are very partial. If that fight had been in Japan, for sure I would've won easily. I am back and happy with my training, and most importantly in knowing that everyone thinks I won.

Tatame: Why do you think you won the first round?

Vitor: I hit him much more, almost knocking him out, and he never had me in danger. Those elbows he threw at me at the end of the round didn't do anything to me! I defended myself normally and the judges didn't take that into consideration at all. Instead, I let loose my hands on him and he almost went to sleep, as his own people admitted after the fight. I finished with a clean face, and the Nevada Commission suspended him for six months due to a badly broken nose. You see! I came out with a clean face and he won! It's an absurdity! Everyone asked for it and I returned to being the old Vitor, with fast and accurate hands, except that those guys in the judges booth couln't see it.

Tatame: In the second round, when he was getting beat down badly, it seemed you could've finished him off with a submission. Why didn't you use your jiu-jitsu against him?

Vitor: I was in the mood to hit him in the face. I know he is scared to get hit, and during the fight I was only thinking to punish him.

Tatame: During the intermission between rounds two and three, Murilo (Bustamante) asked you not to get caught under Tito, but you ended up there. What happened?

Vitor: I was very tired and I was certain I had won the first two rounds. Because of that I fought more defensively. He only wanted to stay tied up and try some ground'n'pound, so I decided to put him in my guard and control the fight. I tell you again, those strikes didn't do anything to me. The only time he hit me flush was when he head butted me twice, for which the ref warned him.

Tatame: At the end of the fight you two shook hands. What did he tell you during that moment?

Vitor: He told he that he had never been in such tough fight. That I brought out the best in him, and that the fight could have gone to either of us. He also said that we are the two best in the weight division and that Randy (Couture) and Chuck (Liddell) were just two old guys. I stopped him right there and told him, "Leave me out of that conversation. Don't include me one bit in your battles! (laughs)

Tatame: That was the last fight of your contract with UFC. What can we expect for the future?

Vitor: I will be very honest, I prefer to fight in the ring under PRIDE-rules. I almost broke my hand because I was not allowed to use knees. But I can guarantee that I will fight where the people treat me right and pay me what I deserve. I am one of the pioneers of the sport, principally of the UFC, and I will go where I am valued. I am open to proposals and my agents will look for the best deals. As for me, I will continue to train hard and begin to compete in amateur boxing, so that I can sharpen my hands more for vale tudo.

Tatame: Will the result of this fight influence a new deal with the UFC?

Vitor: Everything will depend on value. I have no hard feeling against the UFC, but I am certain that this loss will influence my decision to fight there again. This is not the first time this has happened, and an end needs to be put to this lack of professionalism. There needs to be people who understand about vale tudo, and not just wrestling. The judges need to judge every aspect of a fight, round-per-round.

Tatame: How was this first fight since your return to BTT?

Vitor: The people at BTT were great. The sense of team the fact I am working with people who are always motivating me is only making me better. I am motivated to reach the top again.

Tatame: Tell me about the feeling of being a father?

Vitor: It's marvelous. It's the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. I've already changed diapers and it's great. His name is Davi Prado Belfort and was born on the same day I fought. When I hit the hotel, Joana (Prado) was going to the hospital to give birth. Let me tell you, he's wild and has the look of a champion. When he's hungry, he gets angry and starts to kick and punch. Joana is suffering with him (laughs)... But she is a super mother.

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Mark Coleman

PRIDE 29: 'Fists of Fire'
February 20th, 2005
Saitama, Japan


Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Mark Coleman
Sergei Kharinotov vs. Choi Mu Bae
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson vs. Murilo 'Ninja' Rua
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Alistair Overeem
Igor Vovchanchin vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Hiromitsu Kanehara
Fabricio Werdum vs. Tom Erikson
Mario Sperry vs. Hirotaka Yokoi
Kiyoshi Tamura vs. Makmud Aliyev

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Buakaw "Por Pramuk"

K-1 World MAX 2005: 'Japan Tournament'
February 23rd 2005
Ariake Colosseum
Tokyo, Japan


K-1-rules matchups:
Albert Kraus vs. Buakaw 'Por Pramuk'
Jadamba Narantungalag vs. Farid Villaume
Akeomi Nitta vs. Ash-Ra

MMA-rules matchup:
Kaoru Uno vs. Serkan Yilmaz

K-1-rules Tournament:
Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Kozo Takeda
Takehiro Murahama vs. Hayato
Tomo vs. Kojiro
Takayuki Kohiruimaki vs. Kazuya Yasuhiro

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KOTC: 'Payback'
February 25, 2005
Cleveland, OH


Michael Westbrook vs. Jarrod Bunch
Joey Villasenor vs. Brenden Seguin
Dan Severn vs. Eric 'Butterbean' Esch
George Gerzel vs. Jay Ireland
Dan Bobish vs. 'Warpath'
Thiago Alvez vs. Jeff Cox
Forrest Petz vs. Charles Bennet
Josh Hendrickson vs. Mike Buchkovich
Buddy Clinton vs. Angelo Popofski
Tony Sylvester vs. Tom Murphy
Jason Dent vs. Renato Tavares
Mike Sipos Vs. Steve Durig
Mike Boyed Vs. Adam Bass

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Euphoria MFC: 'USA vs. World'
February 26th, 2004
Trump Taj Mahal Casino
Atlantic City, NJ


Single matchups:
Jeremy Horn vs. Kazuhiro Hamanaka
Chael Sonnen vs. Bill Mahood
Ron Faircloth vs. Daniel Tabera
Ryan Schultz vs. TBA
Pat Stano vs. Warren Kikaba
Pete 'Drago' Sell vs. John Sivori
Joe Scarola vs. TBA
Eddie Alvarez vs. Seichi Ikemoto
Joey Brown vs. Brian Geraghty

Lightweight GP tournament:
Hermes Franca vs. Rich Clementi
Yves Edwards vs. Joachim Hansen

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Renato "Babalu" Sobral

Cage Rage 10: 'Deliverance'
February 26, 2005
London, England


Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Pierre Guilett
Curtis Stout vs. Sol Gilbert
Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos vs. Antony Rea
Jorge Rivera vs. Alex Reid
Mark Weir vs. Gabriel Santos
Jeremy Bailey vs. Sami Berik
Leigh Remedios vs. Robbie Olivier
Jean Silva vs. Chris Brennan
Andy Costello vs. Dan Burzotta
Marc Goddard vs. Robert Berry
Ricky Andrews vs. Dave Lee
Kuljit Degun vs. Mustapha Al Turk
Brad Pickett vs. Chris Freeborn

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Ryo Chonan (center) landing the knee after the ref controversially stood the fight back up.

Here are some quotes from MMA media and fans regarding the controversial Roan 'Jucao' Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan fight:


"In my opinion, by the third round the referee knew Chonan was going to lose unless he stood the fight up as many times as possible to give him a chance to win. Carneiro dominated the entire fight. The knee Chonan landed cut Carneiro but didn't hurt him.

This was one of the most blatant fuck jobs I have ever seen at an NHB event. DEEP should be ashamed of themselves for this one. Chonan was going to lose this fight and it was not going to even going to be close." -Josh Grossman, MMA media

"Ryo Chonan knocked BTT fighter with flying knee and cut his face. But in my opinion, it seemed that the referee consciously broke the fight when it was in Carneiro's advantage. He repeated to stand up the fight many times and it influenced the result." -Gryphon, Japanese media

"I was at the event as well. In the first round "Jucao" dominated the fight with good take downs, and even got mount once before being reversed by chonan.

In the second round "Jucao" was dominating very much with quick takedowns and doing ground'n'pound.

In the third round "Jucao" was again getting quick takedowns and ground'n'pound. The refereestood the fight up when "Jucao" and Chonan almost fell out of the ring. Then Chonan comes in with a wicked knee and damages "Jucao".

Would "Jucao" win if the referee did not stand up the fight. I guess so. Why would the referee stand up the fight so much?" -redeye2000, MMA manager/agent from Holland

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Roan "Jucao" Carneiro (top) dominating Ryo Chonan (bottom for the entire fight.

MMA journalist Josh Grossman was live ringside at the DEEP 18 show and gave the following first-hand account of the Roan 'Jucao' Carneiro vs. Ryo Chonan matchup:


"Roan Carneiro was taking Ryo Chonan down at will and punching him all night long. He was fighting a flawless fight and won the first two rounds easily.

In the third round he took Chonan down easily again and resumed his offense when the referree decided to stand the fight up immediately for no reason. Carneiro took Chonan down immediately again and the ref stood the fight up again quickly. Chonan finally landed a hard knee that cut the Brazilian but he was still ok.

The referee moved in and stopped the fight immediately giving Chonan the victory.

This was one of the most blatant fuck jobs I have ever seen at an NHB event. DEEP should be ashamed of themselves for this one. Chonan was going to lose this fight and it was not going to even be close.

The fight right before that was D. Mishima vs. Tomomi Iwama. Mishima took him down and used ground'n'pound for the ENTIRE three rounds without any standups whatsoever. Carneiro was far more effective with his ground strikes against Chonan than Mishima was against Iwama.

In my opinion, by the third round the referee knew Chonan was going to lose unless he stood the fight up as many times as possible to give him a chance to win.

It was much worse than the Vitor Belfort vs. Tito Ortiz decision. The referee's motivations were clear. I was standing behind Tetsuya Kawajiri who turned around and just shook his head in shame."

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