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Bob Sapp

K-1 USA did the following interview with Bob Sapp:


K-1: So, how have things been going lately?

Sapp: Pretty good. Just a little bit tired, you know. But, I’m making it work.

K-1: How do you feel about this fight with Kimo?

Sapp: I’m looking forward to, not only, debuting in the United States, but also to going against a great fighter and a great legend like Kimo. He’s definitely well-known in the United States for his superior fighting as well as for his tenacity in the ring. So, it’s an opportunity to go into the United States with, not only some flair that you often see in Las Vegas, but also an opportunity to present some flair and tenacity while going against Kimo.

K-1: Have you seen any of his fights?

Sapp: Yea, I’ve seen him on tape. I don’t know really how his stand-up’s gonna be, but I think it’s gonna be close to boxer’s style and I know that he’s got a pretty hard kick too.

K-1: How do you feel you will match up with him?

Sapp: I think we’ll match up pretty evenly. But, I think once my pressure overwhelms him that you’ll see me be able to squeak out a victory.

K-1: How do you feel about finally debuting here in the United States?

Sapp: Oh, man. There’s a lot of pressure on me. There are a lot of friends of mine who are going to be watching the fight. And of course, it’s in the United States and I’m basically the ambassador for K-1. K-1 has shown why, in fact, it’s the number one sport in the world internationally. They’re trying to make it number one in the United States now. So, there’s a lot of pressure on me. But, this pressure cooker can have a tight lid.

K-1: You’ve carried the sport a long way since you began fighting by bringing massive media attention to it. How far do you feel you can bring its popularity here in the United States?

Sapp: Well, I think what I can actually do is make it to be one of the number one contenders along with boxing and make it surpass boxing as the number one fighting sport. That’s because K-1 – not only is it exciting, but if you look at the knockout ratio, which is what many people tend to watch the fights for, K-1 is definitely over 80 percent most times. Some of it is also punch-kick, punch-punch-block-block-kick-block – that kind of thing. If we can get out of that kind of thing, I think you’ll be able to see a huge following from the American public to K-1 and maybe to other fighting sports as well – but I think K-1 will lead the fighting sports. Its simple, it’s easy to watch, and it’s exciting.

K-1: What do you personally find so thrilling about the sport?

Sapp: Well, I think one of the things that really turned me on to K-1 is that, not only do you have to worry about getting knocked out from punches, but you have to worry about getting knocked out from kicks as well. So, it really expands your mind because if you look at someone – when they get knocked out by a low kick, you’re like ‘How does somebody get knocked out by getting kicked in the legs.’ Having experienced it, I can tell you ‘Wow!’ (laughs)

K-1: I understand you have been doing a lot of formal martial arts training lately. Can you tell me about it?

Sapp: Yes, now I’m studying Karate at Seidokaikan (The Seidokaikan Karate school in Japan) and so I’ve basically just brought it back down to the basics and started off with utilizing the basic fundamental skills of kicking and punching that are incorporated into Karate and putting them into my style and showing that I can fight with them. I’ve actually been running on the beach and working with 200 or 300 Karate students and it’s great. I haven’t completed the black belt. From what I understand, that takes two or three years to complete. But, I am interested in pursuing that.

K-1: What attracted you to Seidokaikan?

Sapp: I think that Seido is a good start because it’s basic. They hit below the neck and that’s where a lot of my pain has had a tendency to come from. I can get punched and kicked in the head pretty much and take it. But, when it’s come down to me getting punched in the abdominal region, I’ve had some problems dealing with that and Seido is a perfect way to turn those weaknesses that I’ve had into strengths.

K-1: How important is it to you to bring your skill level up to that of some of the established fighters in K-1 who have been doing this for years?

Sapp: It’s very important, which is why I’ve started off with Seidokaikan. It’s very important that I develop into a more complete fighter. Because I happened to beat the world champion (four-time K-1 World Grand Prix champion, Ernesto Hoost), that doesn’t mean that I’ve surpassed all the fundamental rules and that my style at that particular time was better than other styles. In order for me to get better, I must train and practice and go through the same hard things that everyone has always gone through. What happened with me is (the process) has just been fast forwarded (laughs).

K-1: What is life like for you in Japan in terms of the way the public treats you?

Sapp: Really, it’s a unique situation. Basically, I pretty much just stay in my hotel room at all times at this particular point in time because I really can’t do anything without having a large group of people come by and surround me at the restaurant where I’m eating or during any type of leisure activity that I choose to do. But, occasionally they can rent out arcade rooms for me so that I can go in there when no one’s in there and play all the video games. So, I do get perks on the job, if you will. I recently went to Universal Studios in Osaka, Japan and I didn’t have to wait on any lines at all and I got to go on as many rides as I wanted to. It was awesome!

K-1: A lot of people here have been curious about your new rap video. Can you tell me about your venture into the music world?

Sapp: Oh, man (laughs). “Sapp Time” was just a CD that I recorded. It was kind of meant to be like a fun, party kind of CD to say things to the fans and to show everyone that I’m having a great time doing entertainment and the fighting. I had a great time doing it. It did alright over here. It was the first time I’ve ever recorded any kind of music at all. But, having had some success with it, I’m beginning to get used to it (laughs).

K-1: I know you’ve been extremely busy in Japan with all kinds of projects in the arena of entertainment. What kind of impact are you looking to have in the entertainment world here in the United States?

Sapp: I’ve been entertaining several movie scripts from Hollywood so look to see me doing some Hollywood movies. I have several offers and several bonafied movie scripts in hand. They’re interviewing me for several characters. I’m starting with some big-name actors and doing some big-name titles. There’s gonna be some great ones ahead.

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YAMAMOTO DISCUSSES NEW MMA PROMOTION

Hideki Yamamoto talked with the Wrestling Observer about a new MMA promotion affiliated with PRIDE that will debut in America:

"The new group we told you about last week is beginning to form plans to run their first card. They are looking at Florida as a possible location. The matches they would like to have for their debut (and remember, we are talking anywhere from six to twelve months away and none of these guys have even contacted and things change so much) are Guy Mezger vs. a Gracie, Aaron Riley vs. Shonie Carter, and if they can work out a deal for one fight with K-1, which I don't know if it is an option or not, Bob Sapp vs. a handpicked super heavyweight."


MOMOSE TO ADDRESS PRIDE CROWD AT GP

Hiromichi Momose said in a recent interview that he will enter the PRIDE ring to address the crowd. This is the first ever public PRIDE appearance by Momose. Momose calls himself PRIDE's "strategic planner", but most people feel he is currently, and always has been the President of the PRIDE organization. Momose is the second son of a Japanese mob boss, who did a seven year stint in a Japanase prison before eventually getting into the sports industry of Japan. He also provided the 50 million yen loan that started PRIDE towards it's first show.

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Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten.

The following is brought to you by the Wrestling Observer:

According to Hideki Yamamoto of PRIDE on the replacing of Stephen Quadros...

"The reason Quadros was replaced is because he has not changed since the year 2000. He has been claiming himself as 'the best.' He feels he does not need to improve himself anymore. The problems around him came only from the way he thinks himself. Our reason is very simple. We need to improve our production quality no matter how the current production is balanced.

People told me that Bas and Steven were the best team. But I am wondering if people remembered how bad their commentary was in the beginning, which was May 2000. Their team was developed during 20 PPV productions. I will give opportunities to the new guy and Bas to develop their teamwork as we had given to Steve. I recognize Bas still has potential which has not been realized, but Steven does not. I am so sick about how he is still insisting 'because anyone with half a brain knows I'm the best, maybe in the whole world.'"

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Jens Pulver has released his autobiography entitled 'Little Evil: One Ultimate Fighter’s Rise to the Top, which deals with the early troubles and adversity in his life stemming mainly from child abuse. The book was written in cooperation with friend, Erich Krauss, who also wrote 'BRAWL: A Behind-The-Scenes Look At Mixed Martial Arts Competition' in October 2002.

You can pre-order 'Little Evil' through Amazon.com

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Vanderlei Silva and Murilo "Ninja" Rua.

Meca 9 is now in the books and it turned out to be quite a show. The fight of the night, and possibly of the year, was between Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua and Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos. Both fighters came out throwing bombs, knees, and kicks with Cyborg dropping Shogun to his knees. Shogun would recover and take Cyborg down to the ground where he almost got Cyborg in a multitude of submissions. The tough Cyborg escaped them all and the fight got back to standing. Another vicious striking exchange took place before Shogun took Cyborg down again, eventually getting mount and getting the TKo stoppge from strikes.

Chute Boxe heavyweight Assuerio Silva made his return to MMA by taking on Fabiano Pega-Leve of BTT. Assuerio started the fight with some good strikes before taking Pega down and then punishing him with kicks to his thighs. The fight was eventually re-started back to the standup, only to see an attempoted takedown by Pega land both fighters outside the ring. Assuerio got back into the ring but Pega could not continue and the fight was declared a no-contest.

In other action, Gabriel Napao submitted Hammer House fighter Brandon Lee Hinkle was by a triangle choke in the first round.

Below are the complete results:

Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua defeats Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos by TKO

Assuerio Silva vs. Fabiano Pega-Leve declared a no-contest.

Gabriel Napao defeats Brandon Lee Hinkle by triangle choke at 3:54, RD 1.

Marcelo Grilo defeats Claudio das Dores by KO at 4:29, 2 RD.

Daniel Acacio defeats Delson 'Pe-de-Chumbo' by TKO.

Ivan 'Batman' defeats Rafael 'Capoeira' by judges decision.

Roan Jucao defeats Adriano 'Bad Boy' by a guillotine choke at 1:11, 1 RD.

Alessio Sakara defeats Rafael Tatu by TKO at 4:18, RD 2.

Petterson Mello defeats Marcelao by a katagatami at 7:39, RD 1.

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Jorge "Macaco" Patino (left)

MMA is in full swing in Brazil right now, and on September 19th a new promotion called Brazil Super Fight will take place in the Brazilian southern city of Porto Alegre. The main event will feature Brazilian vale tudo and UFC veteran Jorge 'Macaco' Patino against Japanese Pancrase star Ikuhisa Minowa. Also on the card will be Australian fighter Luke 'The Duke' Piclum facing off against Brazilian Eduardo Simoes, Canadian fighter Brand takes on BTT-trained Fabiano Capoane. A total of seven MMA matches and one Muay Thai match will be on the card.

COMPLETE CARD (subject to change):

MMA

Jorge 'Macaco' Patino vs. Ikuhisa Minowa

Marcelo Alfaia vs. Jose Ricardo Dragao

Luke Piclum vs. Eduardo Simoes

Haroldo 'Cabelinho' Bunn vs. Fabricio Morango

Eric Tavares vs. Mau

Helio Dipp vs. Luis Beicao

Roan Jucao Carneiro vs. Luis Azeredo

Fabiano Capoane vs. Brand


MUAY THAI

Gerson Silva vs. Eduardo Verissimo

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Alex Gong

Tragedy hit the Muay Thai community yesterday as kickboxing champion Alex Gong was shot to death while engaged in a traffic argument.

Gong, who is also the CEO of Fairtex USA, was training at the Fairtex gym in San Francisco around 4:30 P.M., when he saw his parked Jeep Cherokee get hit by another Jeep Cherokee that was driving by. The driver took off and Gong ran after him, eventually catching up to the driver at a stop light.

An argument ensued and as the traffic light turned green, the driver took out a gun and shot Gong at point blank range, wounding him just above the heart. Fairtex instructor Brian Lam and a motorcycle officer arrived to help resuscitate Gong, but it was not enough to save him and he passed away not long after being shot.

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HEAT FC: Genesis is now in the books and turned out to be a success by all accounts. 6,000 people showed up to watch the event, which took place in Brazil's beautiful northeastern city of Natal.

Carlos Barreto was the fighter of the night according to most people in attendance, knocking Ben Rothwell down with a great kick and getting the victory. UFC and RINGS veteran Renato 'Babalu' Sobral won a tough fight against BJJ black belt Marcelo Uirapuru by judges decision. Uirapuru constantly attempted for the takedown but Babalu's game was just too polished. American Forrest Griffin didn't have much problems in beating PRIDE and K-1 veteran Ebenezzer Braga. Griffin was efficient and controlled the stand-up and then the ground game, winning by rear naked choke in the first round.

To see more pictures of HEAT FC, click here

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HEAT Fighting Championship 1: Genesis
July 31st, 2003
Machadinho Arena
Natal, Brazil

Carlos Barreto defeats Ben Rothwell by KO.

Forrest Griffin defeats Ebenezzer Braga by rear naked choke, RD 1.

Renato Babalu defeats Marcelo Uirapuru by judges decision.

Angelo Araujo defeats Edson Paredao by TKO, RD 2.

Silmar defeats 'Chocolate' Nogueira by judges decision.

Alexandre Baixinho def Josenildo Rodrigues by judges decision.

Eduardo Simoes defeats Carlos Indio by footlock.

Fabio Bolinho defeats Charles Andrade by judges decision.

Magnus Decio defeats Paulo Guerreiro by judges decision.

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Chris Brennan (bottom) in his epic battle with Gil Castillo.

The staff at Fightsport 24-7 would like to issue a correction to a piece published earlier this week:

The latest bi-monthly appeal to get UFC veteran Chris Brennan back in the UFC has just been started on the Underground forum at MMA.tv. Individuals who missed all previous threads should instead now post on the thread 'Brennan for ufc!'.

The staff at Fightsport 24-7 would like to remind our readers that posting on the appeal, like all previous appeals, is not limited to posts by just Chris Brennan, his relatives, and students. So start posting now, you make a difference!

The Fightsport 24-7 staff would also like to appeal directly to UFC president Dana White, or 'Big D' as he likes to be called, to give Chris Brennan a shot. Like his students, we would also like to believe that Brennan would be equally dominant in either the 155 or 170 pound weight classes.

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MFC-trained fighter Dave Gardner (bottom) getting dominated in his loss to Javier Vazquez.

Seizing on the opportunity created by the closure of the Gomez Academy, former internet fighter Quincy Rice posting under the alias 'MitsuyoMaeda' has said they are looking for a Jiu-Jitsu instructor for their new Ann Arbour location. Whether they will be able to find a suitable instructor given their constant belittling of the art will remain to be seen.

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OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE ISKA MMA CONCERNING PAYMENT OF FIGHTERS PARTICIPATING IN THE JULY 19TH MMA EVENT PROMOTED BY EDWARD KIM:

The ISKA MMA was the sanctioning body of the event promoted by Edward Kim on July 19th in Chicago. The sanctioning of this event came only after several months of effort by the ISKA MMA and the promoter of the event to even have MMA allowed in the State of Illinois again. Prior to the event the ISKA MMA exercised due diligence and was assured that Mr. Kim had the resources to fund such an event and to pay every fighter no matter what the size of the eventual event audience. The ISKA MMA remains assured that this is the case.

Due to the confusion caused by a financially disastrous event, the inexperience of the promoter, and the even greater confusion caused by those who chose to involve themselves unnecessarily in the event's fighters business it has been difficult to ascertain the facts of who is owed what without direct contact with all of the parties actually involved. Unfortunately, this takes a few days. ISKA MMA Director Paul Smith has now been in contact with every fighter (or their management) who did participate in this event and has found out the amounts still owing each. The ISKA MMA now has the facts and has been assured that payment in the proper amounts will be issued shortly.

The ISKA MMA is very aware that the participants of this event have worked very hard and deserve their purse. Without their willingness to put there bodies on the mat there would be no sport. While the ISKA MMA continues its efforts to get the fighters paid their proper purses, the patience of those who are not directly involved in this unfortunate but well-intentioned event would be greatly appreciated.

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UFC heavyweight star Frank Mir is on the cover of the September issue of Muscle & Fitness magazine. Check out the Muscle & Fitness website by clicking here

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Official bouts already announced for Pancrase's August event:

Pancrase 2003 Hybrid Tour
August 31, 2003
-10th Anniversary -
Ryogoku Kokugikan
Tokyo, Japan

Open: 3:00PM
Start: 4:00PM


Pancrase rules:
Josh Barnett vs. Yuki Kondo
Nilson de Castro vs. Akihiro Gono
Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos vs. Yuki Sasaki
Crosley Gracie vs. Kiuma Kunioku
Ricardo Almeida vs. Kazuo Misaki
Osami Shibuya vs. Tohru Yano

Catch wrestling rules:
Minoru Suzuki vs. Takashi Iizuka

Card Subject To Change

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Giant Ochiai

The wrestling observer is reporting that Takayuki Okada, who is better known as Giant Ochiai, who was in the WJ training camp is currently in a coma in ICU Japan after being knocked out in a training accident on Monday. Ochiai, who has done both worked pro wrestling with Battlarts as well as shoot matches with Pride and Deep, is best known for his big hair and loss to Ricco Rodriguez at Pride 10

Fightsport.com would like to wish Giant Ochiai a complete recovery.

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Naoyuki Kotani

Todd Atkins reports from Japan that Monte Cox will manage Japanese fighter Naoyuki Kotani in the US. Many insiders feel Kotani is Japan's best kept secret in the lightweight division.

Kotani will be fighting in ZST's lightweight GP and his first round opponent will be UFC veteran Matt Serra of the US. Kotani and his brother recently tapped out Jeff Curran and Rich Clementi in a tag team MMA match in Japan.

Monte Cox says, "ZST asked me to help Kotani in the U.S. I agreed because I think he is very good... and because I have a good relationship with ZST and want it to continue."

You can check out ZST's english-language website by clicking here

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PRESS RELEASE:

RITC 51 - Invasion from the North
Saturday, Aug 2, 2003
Celebrity Theatre
Phoenix, Arizona

Doors Open: 5:30 PM
Fight Time: 7:30 PM

It will be Canada vs. Arizona, when former UFC Welterweight Champion and Pride veteran, Carlos Newton brings two of his top fighters from Canada to face Arizona's elite in Rage in the Cage 51 on Saturday Aug 2nd. Carlos Newton will be bringing two of his top "Warrior MMA" fighters: Wojtek 'Voitek the Destroyer' Kaszowski and Carlos Bizier ( who replaces Tim Gyarmati who suffered a training injury ).

Below is the complete card (Fighter's weight is in brackets):

Homer Moore ( 205 ) vs Wojtek Kaszowski ( 215 - Canada )
Vince Lucero ( 275 ) vs Mike Proctor ( 250 - San Diego )
Andy Montana ( 245 ) vs Melville Calabaca ( 245 )
Rich Moss ( 190 ) vs Roger Mejia ( 205 )

Gabe Casillas ( 170 ) vs Carlos Bizier ( 170 - Canada )
Jamie Varner ( 160 ) vs Rylan Sandoval ( 160 - New Mexico )
Justin Lyon ( 360 ) vs Herb Garcia ( 300 )
Chappo Montijo ( 200 ) vs John Linder ( 210 - San Diego )
Ed West ( 135 ) vs Nike Knight ( 135 )

Ray Elbe ( 175 ) vs Joe Frainee ( 180 - California )
Michelle 'GrappleGirl' Farrow ( 150 ) vs TBA
Jed Hunt ( 275 ) vs Robert Beraum ( 250 )
Justin Nauling ( 170 ) vs Allen Branson ( 175 )

Fight Card subject to change.

Ticket Prices:
$20 ( rows 14-25 )
$30 ( rows 4-13 )
$50 ( rows 1-3 )
Call 602-267-1600 to order tickets ( can pick up at will-call on fight night ).



Post-Fight Party at:

FLICKA's Baja Cantina
2003 N.Scottsdale Rd
No cover Charge
$2.00 Corona's all night long

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Anthony Mundine (Photograph Copyright Getty Images)

Australian pro boxer and middleweight contender Anthony Mundine will be on Eddie Goldman's "Knockout Radio" show.

Mundine is once again in the media spotlight with the biggest fight of his professional career coming up next week. On August 6, at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia, Mundine (18-1, 14 KOs) fights for the vacant WBA super middleweight title against the tough American, Antwun Echols (29-4-1, 26 KOs). Many insiders are predicting an Echols victory, while both men are predicting victories for themselves.

'Knockout Radio' is pre-recorded, and hosted by Eddie Goldman on http://maxboxing.com

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PRESS RELEASE:

TKO, MAJOR LEAGUE MMA has launch it's all new webpage: TKOZone.tv.

As many MMA fans remember, TKO used to be known as UCC. UCC/TKO president Stephane Patry had run into trouble paying the fighters on his UCC 12 card when a sponsor supposedly backed out without notice. In trying to change the negative stigma that whole incident produced, Patry has stated by the changing of the promotion's name to TKO gives it a fresh start.

Anyone still owed money or wanting to contact Stephane Patry can contact him at:

Stephane Patry, President/CEO
TKO Communications Inc.
Tel: (450) 445-8886
visit us at: TKOZone.tv

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American Top Team makes its KOTC debut with Marcos Aurelio and George Santiago participating on the August 10th card at Soboba Casino.

Marcos Aurelio has been making a name for himself in his last three fights on the east coast MMA circuit, picking up the HOOKnSHOOT northeast and southeast 155 titles, as well as a dominating armbar win over Dave Gardner. His jiu-jitsu is outstanding and he has beaten all his opponents by submission.

George Santiago is an up-and-coming 170 pounder whose most recent fight was a triangle choke victory over Justin Wieman at AFC 4.

KOTC's August 10th show will also feature a heavyweight title fight between Bobby Hoffman and Paul Buentello.

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Below are the Alexa.com rankings for the top 10 MMA websites as of July 31st, 2003.

Fightsport.com and MMAWeekly.com have been the two fastest-growing MMA websites the last few months. Sherdog.com and Sherdog.net had occupied the top two spots for a few months, but MMA.tv has moved back into the number two spot as of last week and has knocked Sherdog.net down a spot to number three.

Official sites of the UFC and PRIDE have remained steady for the last few months. Defend.net and Adcombat.com have been flip-flopping between number eight and nine for the last few weeks. MaxFighting.com, which has gradually fallen to the last spot, is struggling to survive there and dropped a few more ratings points this week.



MMA RANKINGS:

1.) Sherdog.com - Traffic Rank for sherdog.com: 9,686

2.) MMA.tv - Traffic Rank for mma.tv: 14,196

3.) Sherdog.net - Traffic Rank for sherdog.net: 15,818

4.) UFC.tv - Traffic Rank for ufc.tv: 30,046

5.) Fightsport.com - Traffic Rank for fightsport.com: 38,155

6.) Pridefc.com - Traffic Rank for pridefc.com: 42,391

7.) MMAWeekly.com - Traffic Rank for mmaweekly.com: 45,276

8.) Adcombat.com - Traffic Rank for adcombat.com: 66,430

9.) Defend.net - Traffic Rank for defend.net: 70,891

10.) Maxfighting.com - Traffic Rank for maxfighting.com: 85,446





Alexa.com tracks the internet ratings with the use of the Alexa toolbar, which is used by no less then 10 million people. Almost all of the Alexa toolbar users also use Amazon.com and Google, making the Alexa.com rankings very important with advertisers. Alexa.com is arguably the most respected internet ratings system in the business.

How to read the Alexa.com rankings: The traffic rank indicates the website's ranking amongst english-language websites. As the number goes lower, it indicates that the website is ranked higher.

For example:

a website with a traffic rank of '1', means that it is the number one visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.

a website with a traffic rank of '10,221', means that it is the 10,221st most visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.

a website with a traffic rank or '90,594', means that it is the 90,594th most visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.

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SHOOTO has announced that top ranked featherweights Joao Roque and Hiroyuki Abe will face off on the September 21st card in Nagoya, Japan. Two more fighters set to participate on the card (but not against each other) are Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie and Kentaro Imaizumi.

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Ricardo Arona was recently interviewed by Brazilian magazine Tatame. Below are the main quotes of the interview in which he discusses the PRIDE GP, his opponent Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, Vanderlei Silva, and a few other things:

Tatame: This is your first Grand Prix. What do you think about facing Jackson in your first fight?

Arona: Yes, it is my first Grand Prix. I don't see too much trouble in getting Quinton in the first fight, because I've never had an easy fight. Jackson is a guy who has lots of victories, and in my opinion he is a complete fighter and has a good chance to be in the finals. I hope things work out for me and I can pass through him.

Tatame: What do you think about the Pride organization matching you up against Jackson in the first fight?

Arona: They want to test me. I think the winner of this fight will be the tournament champion. That's the reason they put me in this situation.

Tatame: Who would you like to face in the final?

Arona: I really want to fight Vanderlei, but I think that it wouldn't be as good now, because I want his belt and it's not available in this tournament. I think Vanderlei shouldn't even fight in this GP because he is the Pride Middleweight champion.

Tatame: If you get to face Vanderlei, what would be your strategy to beat him?

Arona: My strategy is step inside the ring well-prepared psychologically. It's like Murilo Ninja's fight at Pride 23, because during that day I suffered all kinds of psychological pressure. Against Vanderlei, I think it's important to punch standing and bring the fight to the ground also.

Tatame: How is your training?

Arona: I don't know who I'll face after Jackson, so I have to be prepared to face anyone else. At the moment, I just have Quinton Jackson and his movements in focus. I am watching all his fights on video.

Tatame: What about specific training?

Arona: I am training four times a week with my physical technician, Marcelo Seroldi. We work out together, doing some strength training and explosion. I do my MMA training with the BTT guys, doing some take downs, blocks, and ground training. I train Muay Thai with Toniko Junior. Besides, I continue with my own natural exercises like hiking mountains and facing the waves in the ocean. This is good for my adrenaline.

Tatame: What do you think about Pride organization adding another Japanese fighter instead of a Gracie as they promised?

Arona: I think they want to see a Japanese fighter in the final. They are coming with three guys (Sakuraba, Tamura and Yoshida) into the GP. It's a political thing.

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Ian Freeman (left) putting up a valiant effort before getting knocked out by Andrei Orlovski.

Ian 'The Machine' Freeman has announced that his doctors recommend some time off, six weeks off to be exact.

The "official" word is that the 36-year-old Freeman has been suffering from an unknown virus for months, has undergone blood tests on at least two occasions, and was ordered to take time out from training and fighting. Freeman was also under doctor’s care before his fight with Vernon 'Tiger' White at UFC 43 in June 2003. Freeman also became ill when he was scheduled to fight Valentijn Overeem. Freeman’s doctor simply stated his body is telling him to rest before it gives up.

Now, what we have heard through our sources in England and Las Vegas is the following:

It is indeed true that Freeman's body needs a rest and has been breaking down, but not to the point where it will eventually "give up". What we do know is that Freeman has a very noticeable and bad case of gynocemastia, or 'bitch tits' as it's otherwise known. It is when the male mammary glands under the nipples begin to take on a swelled up appearance, usually due to long-term anabolic steroid use.

Freeman's case of gynocemastia is so bad that Zuffa had even complained to Freeman and his management about it. They did not want to risk having him too much on televised fights until he gets it fixed.

Getting gynocemastia fixed is a procedure in which the doctor scrapes off the excess fatty tissue that has formed under the nipples. It is a minor procedure and a recovery period of 3 weeks is normal. At 6 weeks, one would be back at full strength. Many professional athletes and pro-wrestlers have had the procedure done as it would be bad for their marketability to have a chiseled body with the nipples of a fat kid with tits hanging off their chest. If Freeman has indeed chosen to fix this serious appearance problem, then we congratulate him in his effort to further re-new his marketability and wish him a speedy recovery.

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Ebenezzer Braga and Forrest Griffin set to do battle tomorrow.

The HEAT Fighting Championships takes place tomorrow in Natal, Brazil. Promoters Eduardo Alonso, Marcelo Tetel and Miguel are promising the start of a new era in Brazilian MMA with HEAT F.C.

Below is the complete card:

HEAT Fighting Championship 1: Genesis
July 31st, 2003
Machadinho Arena
Natal, Brazil

MAIN EVENTS:

Ebenezer Fontes Braga (Budokan/Ruas Vale Tudo Team) vs. Forrest Griffin (Hardcore Gym)
Carlos 'Carlao' Barreto (Brazilian Top Team) vs. Ben Rothwell (Kenosha Freestyle Academy)


UNDERCARD:

Fabio Bolinho (Kimura/Nova Uniao) vs. Charles Andrade (Mario Sucata Team)
Lucas Lopes (Kimura/Nova Uniao) vs. Josao 'Zeca Doido' (Key Jiu Jitsu Team)
Angelo Araujo (Brazilian Top Team) vs. Edson Paredao (Campina Grande/PB)
Alexandre 'Baixinho' Barros (Ruas Vale Tudo Team) vs. Josenildo Tigre (Buda Team)
Haroldo 'Cabelinho' Bunn (Brazilian Top Team) vs. Gleidson Tibau (Kimura/Nova Uniao)
Silmar Rodrigo vs. TBA


* Card Subject to change.

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Chris Brennan (bottom) in his epic battle with Takanori Gomi.

Following Chris Brennan's return to winning form with a victory in a recent
Canadien MMA match, his online support base has started a poll urging UFC
promoters to get Chris back in the UFC.

If you would like to Join the petition to get Chris another chance in the
UFC goto the thread "make it happen: C.BRENNAN IN UFC!" on the
UnderGround forum at MMA.tv

If you would like to help the wishes of underpriveliged children come true
goto the Make a Wish Foundation website at wish.org

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Francisco Bueno

According to Tatame, former PRIDE veteran Francisco Bueno will be flying to the US to fight Kelly McGee in a Nevada sanctioned boxing match.

Most fans of MMA probably remember the vicious KO Francisco Bueno suffered at the hands of Igor Vovchanchyn in PRIDE. Well since that time Bueno has dedicated himself to becoming a much better striker and all-around fighter. In doing so, he has been training his standup with a French boxer called Julian and has also built up a record of 8-0 with 8 KOs. One can only imagine that his opponents were complete tomato cans, but nonetheless it is a good start.

Bueno also intends to return to MMA one day and states, "I continue to train and I'm just waiting for the call'.

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Kimo Leopoldo will take on Bob Sapp in the K-1 USA event taking place in Vegas on August 15th. Micheal Aframowitz did the following interview with Kimo for the K-1 USA website:


K-1: How do you feel about your upcoming fight with Bob?

Kimo: I just think this is a good opportunity to show a part of me that no one's really seen in a while. I've been working stand-up for a while and I'm the kind of guy - usually, I have to be forced to do something to bring the best out of me. Pressure brings the best out of me.

K-1: As far as your improvement in stand-up fighting, I know you recently started training with Eddy Millis of The Shark Tank. How is that going?

Kimo: It's going good because, first of all, for me to train with somebody I have to have enough respect for him to humble myself to let them instill their philosophy. Fighting is philosophy, more than actual technique because you have to believe in something. He's pulling that out of me - the confidence to believe in what I'm doing.

K-1: How do you feel training with Eddy has improved your stand-up fighting game?

Kimo: We'll see on August 15th. It's gotten me to the point that I'm gonna fight a K-1 fight.

K-1: From what you've seen of Bob, how do you feel you will match up with him?

Kimo: I feel I have a very good chance against Bob. He has some weaknesses and I have some too, so we're gonna see what happens. But, I feel that I'm gonna come out on top.

K-1: What kind of strengths, as a fighter, do you feel you bring to the sport of K-1?

Kimo: I bring that question mark in there where you don't know what's gonna happen. That excitement. I bring in charisma. I bring in my beliefs and I bring in a look.

As far as my fighting technique, I really don't want to talk too much about it because I don't want to give up what I'm gonna do in this fight. But, I have some strengths in my stand-up that are just natural abilities that I haven't used yet.

K-1: A lot of fans on the internet have been talking about the fight and have been questioning or even doubting your ability to succeed in a fight that involves all striking from a stand-up position. How would you respond to this criticism?

Kimo: I'm steppin' in there to show them what's up. I'm steppin' in there, not necessarily for their questions to be answered, but I'm steppin' in there for me to complete myself. I welcome the doubters because those are the people paying money to see me. They want to see their doubts come true. I like that because that's bringing them to the fight.

K-1: At this point, are you looking to stay with K-1 for the long-run?

Kimo: We've signed a six-fight deal with them so they're looking out for me. They're not just trying to take advantage of me with one fight. They're trying to build something around me, so I feel positive with that organization or else I wouldn't have just taken a chance like this.

The Tank (Abbott) fight (on June 6th) was a one fight deal for me. And that was a chance that I took because I knew that all kinds of things would happen from that. I knew I was gonna be able to win the fight and show myself. I feel good with my stand-up to the point where I feel I could make a career out of it.

K-1: What excites you about this sport?

Kimo: I'm starting to have fun doing kickboxing. I'm liking it and I'm pretty good at it, even though I haven't shown anyone yet. In the training room, I'm pretty good and I have certain combinations that I play off of that just came naturally to me.

If I could just go into the ring and pull the trigger when it's time to pull the trigger by throwing those combinations how I do in practice, everything should come out good. I don't want to say stand-up is new to me because I've been doing stand-up pretty much all through my MMA career, but I hadn't focused on it like I am right now. And now that I'm focused on it, it's like when I first learned Jiu-Jitsu. It's like a sponge - I'm soaking it all up. And the more you learn, the more exciting it gets. I'm learning a bunch.

K-1: A big part of fighting is mental. How would you say your experiences during your younger years made you the fighter that you are today?

Kimo: From my very first fight, it was all about mental because I didn't train and I didn't know what to expect. I just went in there with the faith of God, believing God would take care of everything. My belief in him is what got me into the ring to have the guts to step to the level where I would perform against professional athletes.

From there, I just carried it over by learning. When in the actual ring, you learn. I didn't have prior experience at all. All the experience that I got was actual fighting experience so I learned what works and what doesn't work and I learned that everyone's basically the same physically. One person may have a better right hand, one person may have a better left hand, one person may have a chin. But, a human is a human. The difference is what you said - the mental. So when you step into the ring, there can't be doubts or questions. You're there on a job and bring it on.

K-1: Back in 1995, you actually fought in a K-1 rules fight in Japan against Masaaki Satake.

Kimo: That was nothing about nothing. That was the first time I put gloves on. I never even trained with gloves prior to that fight. I had signed a four-fight deal with K-1. The first fight was (against) Patrick Smith (Leopoldo was victorious by way of submission under MMA rules on December 10, 1994) and the second fight they threw gloves on me. Joe Son was my manager and he didn't prepare me for that fight. That was basically my last fight with Joe Son as my manager because he put me into a situation where I had no clue of what was going on. Prior to that fight, I didn't even know it was a kickboxing match until I stepped into the locker room and they put gloves on me and I was like "What are these things (laughs)?" If you've never put gloves on, it's like having big pillows on your hands. You don't even really know how to punch with them on.

K-1: Is there anything else you would like to tell people?

Kimo: Yea, there is one thing. I beat Sakuraba (at the S-Cup in Japan). Everyone thinks it was a fake fight. No one has given me the credit for that. It's not even that I want credit for the win, I just want to know what's up with these organizations that won't even step up to the plate and give that win to me. Whoever prints up my record, none of them credit me with a win over Sakuraba. Sakuraba was a good victory for me because, even though when I fought him it was his first fight, I didn't know the potential he had.

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Jefferson "Tank" Silva

Jefferson 'Tank' Silva, the K-1 Brazil champion, is confirmed as one of the eight participants of the K-1 World GP 2003 qualifying tournament in Las Vegas, on August 15th. His last fight was a KO loss to Ernesto Hoost at the Saitama Grand Prix 2003 on March 30th.

The tournament already includes former KOTC champion Vernon 'Tiger' White. The main event will feature Bob 'The Beast' Sapp vs. Kimo Leopoldo.

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Ryuki Ueyama and Masanori Suda

The Japanese MMA promotion DEEP has announced the following fights for their September 15th show in Ohtaku, Japan:

Hayato Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonen
Dos Caros Jr. vs. Brad Kohler
Ryuki Ueyama vs. Masanori Suda

Hayato Sakurai and Ryo Chonen have both agreed to fight at a weight limit of 172.4 pounds (78kg). The between Ryuki Ueyama and Masanori Suda will be for the DEEP middleweight title.

You can visit the official site of DEEP by clicking here

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Shonie Carter

MMAWeekly reports that Shonie Carter has signed to fight in the WEC. Carter last fought in the WEC a few months ago against Jeremy Jackson and lost a tough split decision. An opponent for Carter has not been decided yet.

This card is starting to shape up very well with established veterans such as Ron Waterman, Gil Castillo and Shonie Carter all on the card. The card will also feature the debut of heavyweight fighter Anthony Arria, whose biggest claim to fame so far is being the guy who choked out pro boxing star Fernando Vargas at a party.


WEC 7: This Time... It's Personal
Saturday, August 9, 2003
The Palace Indian Gaming Center
Lemoore, CA

Tickets are on sale right now at at 866-4-PALACE. The Palace Casino is located just outside Fresno, California.

Damien Riccio

Below is Damien Riccio's official last word on the subject of his feud with Robin and Royce Gracie:

First of all, Robin how do you feel after having a knock down this time????

You see first time I beat you in 11 minutes but second time you hit me first by surprise while I was sitting and shaking your hand and after i put you down on single left hook and that why your brother and students put me down and TRY to beat me up. I think you see now that street fight and closed fights are different. The only problem for you is that I am a better street fighter than you and your brothers. I did it all my life while you were giving seminar and living in cool place.

The night of the brawl you have been very clever to go back in spain very quickly because you were hunted by a lot guys who wanted to teach you what is honor. So like Wallid did to your cousin I show that you are really poor streetfighters (even if you 9 guys to try to beat me).

Royce I tryed to contact you to come back like a man and not like a bitch. The only problem in this whole story is the fact that you hit my bro . So I sue you (and not robin) for this because he is a child and cannot do it. The boss of the bar will have a explaination with you too and he sued all of 9 guys including you too. Witnesses have been all at the police station and Right now they all mentionned the fact of you hit my little bro while he was trying to escape when the chair broke and I fell on him.

I really understand Sakuraba playing with you like a puppet.

My little bro who has been very shocked after this (especially when I was down and you all kicked me )and was under a car on the parking after you hit him . He just want one thing is that I explode your coward face. So I learnt that in brazil you use to act in this way. But i am sure this is the first time you got back so quickly and your brother took a KO. Me I will never act like this because I know who I am and I have honnor. BUT I promise you that now you will pay. Things are going in a very bad way since last week and right now I cannot control all the guys who want to make you pay this cowardly act.

Other thing : I am planning a big surprise for you and not only in Canada... You decided to play in a different way while I asked to you to contact me to solve this fucking story like a man. Right now I know what kind of people you are and I do not try to solve this in a professional way. I prefered to have this on a parking or in a closed door. as you see i m not trying to make publicity for a big event with you because you are too bad fighter and pride or other have such very good fighters whom deserve more respect than you.

I am planning something too for robin and students in Spain.

Last thing, when robin called me after the brawl he was just saying don't talk about my family and immediatly cut when I asked him to come back. But nothing on the knock down he took. So now you can invent what you want but just make one thing: go in front of a mirror and say I act with honnor in this story...

You will keep all your life your cowardly acts and i think this is the best lose of your life.


-Damien Riccio


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Kazushi Sakuraba

Kazushi Sakuraba, most widely remembered for his fights against much lighter Gracies, has complained about the weigh ins for the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. The weigh ins will take place 2 days before the actual event, giving his opponent Vanderlei Silva time to regain 3 or perhaps even 4 pounds.

MMA Fans will also remember that Sakuraba is the first fighter in the history of Pride to demand a weight limit, which was for his match against Brazilian Fighter Vitor Belfort. It is not yet known if Sakuraba will demand any special rules for himself in this tournament.

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Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic recently did an interview for the Japanese media and stated that he will concentrate solely on MMA and competing in PRIDE this year. He said that he has no plans for K-1 this year and is only thinking of taking the PRIDE heavyweight belt away from Fedor Emelianenko.

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Yuki Kondo and Josh Barnett

Official bouts already announced for Pancrase's August event:

Pancrase 2003 Hybrid Tour
August 31, 2003
-10th Anniversary -
Ryogoku Kokugikan
Tokyo, Japan

Open: 3:00PM
Start: 4:00PM


Pancrase rules:
Yuki Kondo vs. Josh Barnett
Akihiro Gono vs. Nilson de Castro
Kiuma Kunioku vs. Crosley Gracie

Catch wrestling rules:
-Minoru Suzuki vs. Takashi Iizuka

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Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos

Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos and Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua are two of the biggest rising stars to come out of the Brazilian fight scene this year, and they will be facing off in Meca 9 on August 1st.

Many insiders and fans alike are saying that Evanglista 'Cyborg' Santos may be the next coming of Vanderlei Silva. Not just because he resembles Silva in both appearance and size, but Cyborg's fighting style and striking are very much like a young Silva from the IVC days.

Ironically, Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua is Vanderlei Silva's teammate as well as being a Chute Boxe prodigy and the younger brother of Murilo 'Ninja' Rua. Shogun's fighting style is in the typical ferocious Chute Boxe style.

Both fighters are predicting KO victories, but whatever happens, this fight is sure to be one of the best of the night. The complete Meca 9 card is listed below:


Meca World Vale Tudo 9

Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos
Assuerio Silva vs. Fabiano Pega-Leve
Fabricio Morango vs. Marcelo Nigue
Brandon Lee Hinkle vs. Gabriel Napao
Adriano Bad Boy vs. Roan Jucao
Leopoldo Serao vs. Marcelo Grosso
Delson Pe de Chumbo vs. Daniel Acacio
Peterson Mello vs. Marcelao
Rafael Capoeira vs. Ivan Batman
Claudinho das Dores vs. Marcelo Grilo

Meca archived and updated pictures can be viewed at Surfway.com.br

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Below are the Alexa.com rankings for the top 10 MMA websites as of July 28th, 2003.

Fightsport.com and MMAWeekly.com have been the two fastest-growing MMA websites the last few months. Fightsport.com just broke into the top 30-40,000 bracket for the first time, and MMAWeekly.com just broke into the top 40-50,000 bracket for the first time. Sherdog.com and Sherdog.net had occupied the top two spots for a few months, but MMA.tv has moved back into the number two spot as of last week and has knocked Sherdog.net down a spot to number three.

Official sites of the UFC and PRIDE have remained steady for the last few months. Defend.net and Adcombat.com have been flip-flopping between number eight and nine for the last few weeks. MaxFighting.com, which has gradually fallen to the last spot, is struggling to survive there and dropped a few more ratings points this week.



MMA RANKINGS:

1.) Sherdog.com - Traffic Rank for sherdog.com: 9,819

2.) MMA.tv - Traffic Rank for mma.tv: 14,640

3.) Sherdog.net - Traffic Rank for sherdog.net: 15,889

4.) UFC.tv - Traffic Rank for ufc.tv: 29,734

5.) Fightsport.com - Traffic Rank for fightsport.com: 39,068

6.) Pridefc.com - Traffic Rank for pridefc.com: 43,487

7.) MMAWeekly.com - Traffic Rank for mmaweekly.com: 47,973

8.) Defend.net - Traffic Rank for defend.net: 68,075

9.) Adcombat.com - Traffic Rank for adcombat.com: 68,508

10.) Maxfighting.com - Traffic Rank for maxfighting.com: 84,204





Alexa.com tracks the internet ratings with the use of the Alexa toolbar, which is used by no less then 10 million people. Almost all of the Alexa toolbar users also use Amazon.com and Google, making the Alexa.com rankings very important with advertisers. Alexa.com is arguably the most respected internet ratings system in the business.

How to read the Alexa.com rankings: The traffic rank indicates the website's ranking amongst english-language websites. As the number goes lower, it indicates that the website is ranked higher.

For example:

a website with a traffic rank of '1', means that it is the number one visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.

a website with a traffic rank of '10,221', means that it is the 10,221st most visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.

a website with a traffic rank or '90,594', means that it is the 90,594th most visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.

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Kei Yamamiya vs. Nathan Marquardt

World famous photographer Susumu Nagao now has pictures up of the Pancrase Neo Blood day and night tournament that just took place this past weekend. Click here to visit Susumu's page.

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Jens Pulver

MMAWeekly announced that Jens Pulver is moving down a weight class to 145 pounds (66kg).

MMA journalist Ken Pishna spoke with Pulver's manager, Monte Cox, and he confirmed that Pulver is indeed making the move to 145 pounds in his next fight. "We're still going to consider fights at 155, but it just makes sense for Jens right now," said Cox.

Pulver's first fight at 145 will be against handpicked opponent Joe Jordan of Kentucky on August 15th. The two will square off in Rock Island, Illinois as part of Monte Cox's Extreme Challenge: Bar Wars.

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Shimura Funaki reports the following from Japan:

Japanese ticket outlets have reported that the PRIDE GP event next month is virtually sold out as of last week. Ticket sales for the GP have reached a staggering USD$5.5 million dollars! Total ticket sales, including walkup sales, are expected to reach close to USD$6 million dollars. Merchandise is also expected to surpass USD$2 million in sales.

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Ticiane Pinheiro

GRACIE magazine issue #78 features the beautiful Ticiane Pinheiro as the Gracie girl of the month. Pinheiro also happens to be the daughter of the original "Girl from Ipanema", from the song made famous decades ago.

If you can read Portuguese and want to see more of GRACIE magazine, then click here


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Alexander Karelin

Hello my friends, my postal connections in both Russia and Japan have confirmed to me the following:

Alexander Karelin is contemplating a comeback to wrestling in the hopes of winning a gold medal in the 2004 Olympics taking place in Athens, Greece. According to sources close to Karelin's camp, Karelin is very big on classical history. To compete in an Olympiad which is taking place in Greece, the birthplace of the Olympics, is something that appeals greatly to Karelin.

How my Japanese sources figure into this is that PRIDE, K-1, and New Japan pro-wrestling all have a great interest in signing Karelin to appear in their organizations in the future. The worked RINGS match between Alexander Karelin and Akira Maeda that took place on February 21, 1999 still holds the Japaense and world record for a live gate at just over USD$10.2 million dollars. Of course signing Karelin is considered almost close to impossible and he is very well off and Russia and involved in politics now, and not motivated by money made from MMA or pro-wrestling.

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Genki Sudo

Shimura Funaki reports out of Japan that Genki Sudo is recovering very well from the wound he recieved from a crazed knife-weilding attacker last week, and K-1 has announced on its website that Sudo has even resumed training! Sudo's cut was a little over an inch, but not severe enough to warrant any surgery.

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The Japanese fight promotion known as ZST has announced a major 16-man lightweight GP Grand Prix, with the first round tentatively scheduled for November 23th. The GP would conclude with a second show in January of 2004.

Rumors among the Japanese press are that a few American fighters may be involved in the show. The most notable names being mentioned right now are Jens Pulver, Duane Ludwig, Matt Serra, Din Thomas, and Yves Edwards.

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Cyborg (left) vs. Gladiador.

The inaugural 'Knock' MMA and Muay Thai promotion took place at the Hebraica club gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 2,000 people packed into the gymnasium to see the first MMA show hosted in Rio in more then 5 years. Apart from BTT's Edson Drago pulling out of his Muay Thai fight with Assuerio Silva at the last minute due to illness, the rest of the card was action-packed with many exciting fights and a few knockouts.

The standout of the show was the man who many are calling the next Vanderlei Silva (and not just because he looks like Silva)...Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos. Cyborg was taking on Gabriel 'Gladiador', who is a Muay Thai fighter and teammate of Vitor Belfort. Cyborg went on to win in the first round by KO, courtesy of a vicious knee and follow-up kick.

Top MMA fighters in attendance included Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira, Royler Gracie, Vitor Belfort, ADCC 2003 champion Dean Lister, Ebenezer Braga, Pedro Rizzo, Murilo Bustamante, Mario Sperry, Eugenio Tadeu and a few others. Lights, music, and two big screens showing the fights added a professional touch of spectacle to the event.

Below are the complete results for both the MMA and Muay Thai portions of the card:

RESULTS:

MMA matches

Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos defeats Gabriel Gladiador by KO, RD 1.
Haroldo 'Cabelinho' vs. Rodrigo Ruas declared a no contest.
Claudionor Fontinele defeats Aluisio 'Dado' Barros by KO, RD 1.
Paulo Boiko defeats Sandro Bala by unanimous decision.
Angelo Sergio defeats Ricardo Petruccio by unanimous decision.
Johnny Eduardo defeats Marcio Cobra by unanimous decision.


Muay Thai matches

Rodrigo 'Aladim' das Neves defeats Clovis Mileu by unanimous decision.
Pedro Manuel defeats Fabio Indio by unanimous decision.
Lamar da Silva defeats Edson Goncalves by unanimous decision.
Diego Braga defeats Emerson Nunes by unanimous decision.
Eduardo 'Morfeu' Maiorino defeats Everton Gigante by KO, RD 2. no segundo round


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PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR
Neo Blood Tournament 2003
Heavyweight King of Pancrase title defense

Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan
Sunday, July 27th, 2003 Day Event
Doors open 12:30 PM, First fight 1:00 PM

Pancrase ran their day & night shows on July 27th at Korakuen Hall for the 2003 Neo Blood tournament. The results are as follows:

Featherweight Tournament
Semifinals:
Miki Shida defeats Reiji by unanimous decision.
Yoshiro Maeda defeats Takahiro Sanehara by TKO, RD 2.

Welterweight Tournament
Semifinals:
Takahito Iida defeats Kenji Arai by submission, RD 1.
Naoki Saki defeats Daisuke Hanazawa by unanimous decision.

Middleweight Tournament
Semifinals:
Masakatsu Okuda defeats Sen Nakad by KO, Overtime.
Yuichi Nakanishi defeats Ichiro Kanai by unanimous decision.

KOP Heavyweight Title Match:
Yoshiki Takahashi defeats Tsuyoshi Ozawa by TKO, RD 2.




PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR
Neo Blood Tournament 2003 Final

Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan
Sunday, July 27th, 2003 Night Event
Doors open 5:30 PM, First fight 6:00 PM

Minoru Ozawa drew with Manao Kumagai

Osami Shibuya defeats Shunichi Akimoto by unanimous decision.

Eiji Ishikawa defeats Hidetaka Monma by unanimous decision.

Kei'ichiro Yamamiya defeats Nathan Marquardt by unanimous decision.

Featherweight Tournament Final:
Yoshiro Maeda defeats Miki Shida by unanimous decision.

Welterweight Tournament Final:
Naoki Saki defeats Takahito Iida by unanimous decision.

Middleweight Tournament Final:
Yuichi Nakanishi defeats Masakatsu Okuda bu submission, RD 2.

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Yuki Kondo and Josh Barnett

Sammy Presents PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR AUGUST 31 , 2003
-10th Anniversary -
Place: Ryogoku Kokugikan (Tokyo, JAPAN)
Open: 3:00PM
Start: 4:00PM

Last week fightsport.com reported that Josh Barnett vs. Yuki Kondo would happen in Pancrase.

Today it was officially announced by Pancrase that former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett will indeed fight Yuki Kondo in the Pancrase NEO BLOOD TOURNAMENT 2003, scheduled for August 31st at Korakuen Hall. Both fighters made appearances in the ring during a press conference for the fans. Barnett will fight as the representive of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Barnett, who weighs around 240 pounds (110 kg), will outweigh Kondo by a good 40 pounds (18 kg).

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Tito Ortiz holding up Fernando Vargas while trying to get himself in the spotlight as well.

Never one to miss an opportunity in the spotlight, Tito Ortiz was seen on HBO Boxing last night cornering Fernando Vargas in Vargas's comeback fight against Fitzroy Vanderpool. Vargas went on to win by 6th round TKO.

Vargas gave a mention to Ortiz during the post-fight interview, at which point Ortiz then tried to get his face in front of the camera, but was promptly cut off by the interviewer Larry Merchant and the cameramen, who switched the picture over to something else.

The celebrity packed audience there to see the fight included Sylvester Stallone, James Caan, Jennifer Tilly, Mario Lopez and tennis legend John McEnroe. All of which must have made Tito Ortiz very happy, as he is a movie star now himself.

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Chris Brennan holding a generic trophy.

Last night in the small Canadian MMA promotion known as 'Adrenaline F.C.', UFC veteran Chris Brennan defeated Jason St. Louis by Armbar in 3:50 of the first round. Chris and his students logged onto the Internet to celebrate his victory immediately after the fight and Chris credited his recent grappling training under Gereld Strebent for his win.

The staff at FightSport 24-7 would like to congratulate Chris on his return to winning form and hope to see him in any of the bigger Canadian MMA shows soon.

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The K1 World Cup Gp is being held tonight in Melbourne, Australia at the Melbourne Town Hall.
With the success of Japanese fighters in the recent K1 Max show, K1 is sending two Japanese fighters to compete in the Australian show tonight. TSUYOSHI NAKASAKO has been announced as a late replacement for LEKO in the 8 man tourney and the Japanese k1 superstar Mushasi will fight tough Australian Chris Chrisopoulidis in a support match.

The card is listed as "subject to change" but the most up to date card we could get for the show is listed below. Some boxing enthusiasts may recognise the name James Thunder, Thunder attained moderate success in the USA as a Heavyweight Boxer and was known for recording the fastest knockout in the history of the sport. Many of us will watch his debut into K1 with interest.

1. Peter Graham
2. Jason Suttie
3. Paul Slowinski
4. Tsuyoshi Nakasako
5. Josip Brodrozic
6. Auckland Aumitagi
7. Mitch O'Hello
8. James Thunder

For more information about tonights show please visit Tarik Solak K1


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