FIGHTSPORT 24-7

Fightsport 24-7 reported a few days back that PRIDE would be forming a new promotion called PRIDE Bushido, which would be for the lighter weight fighters between 165-190 pounds (75-86kg). Japanese newssite Sportsnavi now reports that PRIDE has confirmed it. No card has been given yet but Hayato Sakurai, Genki Sudo, and Kaoru Uno are all rumored to be on the card. The first PRIDE Bushido event is scheduled to take place on October 5th.

More news to come regarding this event will be posted in the next few days.

Discuss this at Fightsport

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (right)

Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic is the latest MMA fighter to throw his name into the Mike Tyson publicity mix. Filipovic went on record as saying that he'd like to fight Mike Tyson one day, whether it be in MMA, K-1, or even boxing. Filipovic went on to say that there are some promoters in Japan who are looking into making this happen. The 6'2 (1.89m) 227-pound (103kg) Filipovic is said to have an amateur boxing record of 40-5 (31 KOs), and a professional boxing record of 12-5 (KO stat unavailable).

The tried and tested way of proclaiming to have a fight in the works with a top heavyweight boxer seems to be the way for a fighter to always make more publicity for themselves. Just the other day Bob Sapp confirmed his Mike Tyson rumor as being true, although that only meant that his camp had communicated with Tyson's camp and nothing more. K-1 even tried to match Jerome LeBanner against Tyson, back when LeBanner's popularity was at an all-time high in Japan. Promoters even went so far as to get LeBanner onto Don King's boxing stable. LeBanner went 5-0 (5 KOs) in pro boxing before politics got in the way and he decided to stick to K-1 (and MMA eventually).

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Micheal McDonald (right)

K-1 USA
Aug 7, 2003
Las Vegas, Nevada

Tournament Bracket A:

1st Match:
Michael McDonald vs. Jefferson 'Tank' Da Silva

2nd Match:
Raul Romero vs. Aziz 'Boom Boom' Khattou


Tournament Bracket B:

3rd Match:
Remy Bonjasky vs. Vernon 'Tiger' White

4th Match:
Rick 'The Jet' Roufus vs. Gary 'Smiler' Turner

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Scoop McTroll reports from Japan

The Press Conference for the Pride Middleweight Grand Prix was held yesterday at the luxurious cherry tree garden.
Pride President Takada announced to the press that this was an historical moment in MMA, to have representatives from so many respected MMA Organizations all fighting in the one tournament. He announced that the show was a sellout and that it has received more attention from the public than any previous Pride event. Below are some exclusive pictures taken inside the press conference.











Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Scheduled for September 6th in the UK, this MMA event will see the introduction of the Ultimate Combat World Titles, as Pierre Guillet faces off against Lars "Bad Boy" Besand to determine who will wear the crown of Ultimate Combat Light-Heavyweight WORLD CHAMPION!

As well as this, Ultimate Combat 7 will also see the introduction of a 8-man elimination for the World Lightweight Title, as well as a 4-man elimination for the World Welterweight Title. These eliminations include World-Class competitors from various countries, all battling it out for the biggest Titles in UK Mixed-Martial Arts.

For more information, email: info@combatsportspromotions.com


Discuss this at Fightsport

Giant Ochiai (left)

Takayuki Okada, 30, who is better known as Giant Ochiai, passed away yesterday while in a coma. Ochiai who was 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

Discuss this at Fightsport

Frank Mir

Rainbowthief reports his sources in Vegas say that Frank Mir will face the winner of the upcoming Tim Sylvia vs. Gan McGee fight at the November UFC. We have checked with Coffee Guy over at Zuffa and this scoop is indeed true.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Bob Sapp

Bob Sapp was on MMA Weekly radio yesterday and confirmed that his camp has been talking with Mike Tyson's camp in the hopes of matching up Sapp against Tyson in an MMA match. Sapp stated that at this time the talks were just preliminary but that Tyson's camp have been receptive. Sapp concluded by saying that nothing has been agreed to at this point, and that either something will come of this or that the talks will just dissipate.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Vanderlei Silva (top)

Vanderlei Silva was recently interviewed by Alexandre Lobo for Brazilian magazine Tatame. Below are the main quotes of the interview:

Tatame: Why did you, the Pride middleweight champion, decide to participate in the Pride GP? Aren't you concerned that people might start to put your title in doubt if you lose?

Silva: I decided to compete because that's what my fans want, they always want to see the best out of their favorite fighter. I'm a real fighter and I want to show to everybody that I'm not a legend. I'm for real and I don't choose my opponents. I want to show the world that it's my time. I know that if I win, I'll become greater. I want to be recognized for what I do as an MMA fighter.

Tatame: Does being the Pride middleweight champion put more pressure on you to win the GP.

Silva: Sure, the pressure is greater, but it also makes me more confident. In all honesty, all the fighters in the GP have the skills to win the tournament. Everyone in the GP are great fighters.

Tatame: What will your strategy be for winning the GP?

Silva: I'm working very hard in my training and I will beat down all my opponents. It'll be the Chute Boxe style with a lot of aggression. You can be sure that whoever faces me will be more cautious. To win a tournament like this, the thing is to not hurt yourself too much in the first bout. That being said, you must be well prepared and have a little bit of luck. However, I won't be cautious or try to save myself for the next fight when I'm in the ring, I'll be going for the knock-out. My right cross is much better then it was before too.

Tatame: What do you think about fighting Sakuraba for a third time?

Silva: People in Japan think that I had luck in my two victories over Sakuraba. What can I do? Just fight again! I respect Sakuraba a lot, he is a great fighter and I'm sure that we will put on a great fight.

Tatame: You've been away from the ring for six months due to your knee surgery after PRIDE 23 when you beat Kanehara. How are you now?

Silva: I'm completely recovered even though I'm still doing some physiotherapy. I had a great recovery after surgery, I was only out one month from training and I have my competition rhythm back again.

Tatame: How did your training go for the GP?

Silva: All my teammates helped me. I had some great Muay Thai training with Anderson Silva, we went all out for the full time and I almost broke my nose! (laughs). I trained MMA with Murilo Ninja and Shogun, as well as a lot of tough guys on the team. I trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with Cristiano Marcelo (Carlos Gracie Jr black belt).

Tatame: Besides yourself, who else do you think will pass on to the second round of the GP?

Silva: I think Liddell will beat Overeem and Yoshida will submit Tamura. However, anything can happen in Quinton Jackson's fight...he has very heavy hands!

Tatame: After the altercation between you and Jackson in Pride 23, and after hearing you now...I think that you can't wait to fight him.

Silva: If I get to fight him, no problem. I would really like to kick his ass.

Tatame: Putting the PRIDE GP aside for a second...any chance he gets, UFC president Dana White always says that his dream is match up the UFC 205-pound champion with the Pride 205-pound champion. Would you like to do this fight?

Silva: I think that would be great. I'm a fighter and a bout like that is always interesting. I want to fight!

Tatame: What would you like to say to your fans?

Silva: I'd like them to support me, because I need all their good vibrations in the ring. In Japan, I'll be fighting for Brazil!

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

The Pridecast crew, Left to right:
The Zany Spike, Osaka Wilson, Hody (H-man), Big Steve and J-rod.

Pride Total Elimination 2003 will be broadcast live on Paltalk Chat on August 10th from 3.00pm Japan time. Just go to PALTALK to download the chat software first. Then you will find the PRIDECAST under the sports and recreation section of Paltalk. Be sure to select the Adult Rooms option as PRIDECAST does allow adult themes and language. To view a countdown clock for Total Elimination check out the Pridecast WEBPAGE

Discuss this at FIGHTSPORT

The California Athletic Commission will meet on August 14th to discuss MMA. The hearing will take place in Irvine, California, at 1 Civic Center Plaza, from 9-5 PM. This is supposed to be the public feedback hearing where concerns for and against the sanctioning of MMA in CA are formally given to the Commission.

For further information or hotel reservations please contact: Jessica Finch at (916) 263-2195 or check out the Athletic Commission's website at www.dca.ca.gov/csac/

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

From left to the right: Sylvio Behring, BJJ World Champion Fabricio Werdun, Mauricao, Wandao, Rickson Gracie with his son Kron and Renato Brotoeja, from Hunter surfwear

Last Saturday, Brazilian BJJ black belts from all over gathered at the Barra da Tijuca beach, in Rio de Janeiro, for the second Black Belt of Surfing. The first edition took place in in Sunset, Hawaii.

There were 43 surfists, divided into 12 sets, with some top fighters including Rickson Gracie, Royler Gracie, Sylvio Behring, Gordo, and Mauricao. The grand champion was Ricardo Guerra from Brazilian Top Team.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Kazushi Sakuraba

Kazushi Sakuraba was recently interviewed by Japanese magazine Gong Kakutogi. Below are the main quotes of the interview, translated by Akira:

Gong: How is your condition since your last fight in PRIDE?

Sakuraba: It's really good.

Gong: I heard you did some hard training in the Kansai region (countryside of Japan).

Sakuraba: Actually, I rode up hills with a bicycle and did a lot of sprinting.

Gong: You trained in a natural environement this time, that's not something you usually do?

Sakuraba: Yes, that's because Tokyo doesn't have a place like this. In Tokyo I only ran on stone steps near the Takada Dojo in Ikegami.

Gong: You look bigger than before . How much do you weigh now?

Sakuraba: About 198 pounds (90kg).

Gong: 198 pounds (90kg)!

Sakuraba: I would like to add 2-5 pounds (1-2kg) if I can.

Gong: You weighed around 180-183 pounds (82-83kg) in your early fights in PRIDE and you always said that you had a hard time gaining weight, so I'm surprised.

Sakuraba: I wasn't able to do any sparring after I got injured. Instead I did only weight training, which helped me to gain weight.

Gong: Did you eat more ?

Sakuraba: I didn't purposely change my way of eating, it just happened that way. When you gain weight it makes you stronger.

Gong: I saw how your fight went against Nino. Are you going try to improve your striking style?

Sakuraba: No. I was too confident during that fight, just playing (smiles). His striking is very weak so I...

Gong: Did you get headbutted during that fight?

Sakuraba: Yes, then I got the knee to my face. But I blacked out during the headbutt. That's totally my fault, I was too confident.

Gong: After that, your student Hamanaka beat him. Do you feel good about that?

Sakuraba: He was supposed to win that fight. I spar with Hamanaka and I also fought with Nino. Hamanaka is better than him, so I knew he was going win.

Gong: Nino's fight was disappointing result. Do you want fight Nino again?

Sakuraba: No, I don't want to fight Nino again.

Gong: So, who are you interested in fighting with?

Sakuraba: Silva.

Gong: You are a grappler and Silva is a striker. Silva will only defend against your ground techniques. I think you guys are really different fighters.

Sakuraba: Silva is going fight aggressive. This is interesting.

Gong: You said few months ago that you want fight Silva for the first match of the GP.

Sakuraba: I'd have to fight three times to win Pride GP, correct? At first, the the draw was supposed to be done by a lottery. I was hoping to fight Silva in this tournament, but I don't want Silva to lose before he fights me. After that, the draw was to be decided by the organizers, so I told them that I wanted Silva. I already lost to Silva twice and he is the champion now, so justifying a third single fight with him would be difficult. But since this is a tournament, I think it makes sense that I can fight him again.

Gong: Do you think Silva is a hard guy to deal with in real life?

Sakuraba: No, I don't. I think he is most interesting for fighting.

Gong: Do you think the rules change (knees to a downed opponent) was a factor in your first loss to him?

Sakuraba: Everybody said so, but maybe it was not.

Gong: What was it then?

Sakuraba: I went straight at him. I thought that was exciting though.

Gong: But you got finished by a knee to the face, which was approved in the rules change.

Sakuraba: I don't think I lost because of the knees. I lost from the time I got in the turtle position.

Gong: It happened twice when you fought him.

Sakuraba: I was in really good shape when I fought, but he had an 18-pound (8kg) weight advantage the second time I fought him. I made a mistake...

Gong: Mistake?

Sakuraba: I hooked my legs with a guillotine choke to switch to triangle choke. Then I got dropped but still kept my legs hooked in that position. That made an angle for the dislocation of my shoulder.

Gong: You are able to analyse how you lost. So now are you able to beat him ?

Sakuraba: Yes, I think so. He is strong, but he also has weak points. For instance, he lost against Tito Ortiz by being held down.

Gong: You are a wrestler too, so I think you can do the same too.

Sakuraba: It wouldn't be interesting or too long of a fight if I did that. I don't want to work that much (smiles). I'm going make him tap if I get the chance.

Gong: That's all I want you to say! I can't wait for this fight.

Sakuraba: After I beat Silva, I won't fight the next 2 guys(smiles).

Gong: But only the first match of the tournament is scheduled for August 10th. If you win, you'll have to fight in November in the Tokyo Dome. I think it's not a problem.

Sakuraba: I am not interested in tournaments.

Gong: You better participate if you win. I think people will be very disappointed if you pull out of the tournament.

Sakuraba: There is Mr.Tamura and Mr.Yoshida. I think either guy will be fine for dominating this tournament.

Gong: How sad that you will not be there (smiles).

Sakuraba: I am not interested in tournaments or belts. I want to get money from Silva's bank first. I think this is the more important.

Gong: Silva's bank! It's going to be big with interest, because he's gotten money in the bank twice from you.

Sakuraba: I think the interest is already at 100%, so I'm going to take back all my money!

Gong: Many fans have big expectations about you possibly facing Yoshida or Tamura in the GP.

Sakuraba: I don't really care about this.

Gong: The championship prize money is 20 million yen(USD$165,000)!

Sakuraba: I am interested in that a little bit (smiles), but I am more interested in Silva's bank.

Gong: I understand you only have Silva on your mind but I have to ask you about Yoshida and Tamura for the fans.

Sakuraba: O.K. Go ahead.

Gong: First, what do you think about Yoshida as an MMA fighter?

Sakuraba: All his fights were too short so I can't say too much.

Gong: Alright, so what about Tamura. Originaly, he is your senior and he also fought Silva.

Sakuraba: I didn't see the entire match.

Gong: What about Takada vs. Tamura? I think a fight between Japanese fighters is emotionally exciting for the Japanese fans. Don't you want to fight with a Japanese fighter?

Sakuraba: I might be, but I honestly think it's awkward.

Gong: Awkward?

Sakuraba: I don't care about standup striking, but I like punching on the ground.

Gong: So, how about punching Silva on the ground?

Sakuraba: No problem.

Gong: So do it when you fight please (smiles). And what do you think about "Rampage" Jackson?

Sakuraba: I think he is good and always fighting very offensively, but I am more interested in the fight between Alistair vs. Liddell. That fight is going to be very interesting.

Gong: Lastly, please tell people what is your goal.

Sakuraba: I'm not going to play too much this time.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Rickson Gracie

Brazilian magazine Tatame recently talked with Rickson Gracie, who is currently in Rio competing in a surfing tournament for BJJ black belts. Rickson told Tatame that he is far away from retirement and that he will have a big surprise for his fans next year. Rickson went on to say that he is currently in negotiations to fight next year, but would not elaborate on who he'd be fighting or in which event.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Tape Lord upset pick: None for this round. However, Ricco Rodriguez (pictured, bottom) will make an unsuccessful return to Japan.

Fightsport 24-7 will be posting the expert picks on the PRIDE GP by four of the most respected underground journalists in MMA: Tape Lord, Scoop McTroll, Jake R, and Todd Atkins.

Below are picks by TAPE LORD. Tape Lord writes:

Vanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba - I think this fight will go a lot like the second Silva/Sakuraba fight, except Sakuraba will be even more cautious this time around and may only look to go on the attack if the opportunity is there, which it most likely won't be too often. Going the distance with Silva may even be a type of moral victory for Sakuraba and his fans, but I think Silva catches him with a knee late in the third round and wins by TKO.
Prediction - Silva by TKO


Chuck Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem - If Liddell comes out just trying to strike with Overeem, then I think Liddell will get KO'ed. But I don't see Liddell doing this strategy for this fight. Overeem has the reach, size, and power to brutally KO Liddell, and Liddell and his trainers know this all too well. I think Liddell's strategy will be the opposite of what everyone expects of him and that he will come out exchanging some strikes only so that he can get the takedown, then control the fight with a G'n'P attack and earn a safe judges decision. I think Overeem can catch Liddell with some knees in the clinch or a submission while on the ground, and he may even come close to doing both, but in the end I see Liddell's experience giving him the edge this time.
Prediction: Liddell by unanimous decision


Murilo Bustamante vs. Quinton Jackson - This is an interesting matchup in that Bustamante has the potential to survive on his feet with Jackson, and also pull off a submission on the ground. I think Bustamante will be tough as usual and go the distance with Jackson by standing with him just enough to get in on him and pull him to the ground. Once on the ground Bustamante will try to work aggressively for submissions, but overall, I think Jackson's strength, improved standup, and experience with powering out of submissions will give him the slight edge to win this fight.
Prediction: Jackson by unanimous decision.


Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura - Whether this fight is a work or not, I will pick Yoshida to get past Tamura's striking range and get him on the ground with his world class Judo takedowns. Once on the ground, he will eventually submit Tamura.
Prediction - Yoshida by armbar


Heavyweight Matchups

Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Noguiera vs. Ricco Rodriguez - I think both fighters will be motivated to bounce back after their last losses, but I think Minotauro will be the winner. Minotauro is 100% at full strength and will come out like a man on a mission to not only put behind him his loss to Fedor, but to also avenge his Abu Dhabi loss in which an injured Minotauro got kneebarred by Ricco. Ricco on the other hand has had short time to prepare for this fight and whether he can go at full speed for an entire fight is not known. I see Minotauro coming out and dictating this fight, outstriking Ricco the same way he did to Coleman. Ricco may eventually get a takedown, but he will not be able to effectively G'n'P or submit Minotauro and he will also be under constant pressure from Minotauro's submission attempts. I see this fight being fast-paced going back and forth from the standup to the ground game with Minotauro dictating the fight, much like Minotauro's fight with Heath Herring.
Prediction Minotauro by unanimous decision

Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic vs. Igor Vovchanchyn - I think both fighters will come out looking to strike. Igor has the power in his hands to KO CroCop, but the challenge will be to see if he can get inside on CroCop. I don't think he will be able to do this and that CroCop will chop him down with some powerful kicks and precision striking. Any takedown attempts by Igor will also be futile against CroCop as well IMO.
Prediction - Cro Cop by TKO


Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge - Goodridge has a puncher's chance just like Fujita had against Fedor, but I don't see Fedor keeping the fight standing for too long. I think Fedor will come out throwing some strikes and then take Goodridge down early in the first round. Once Goodridge is on his back, I think Fedor will keep him there and G'n'P him into a bloody mess.
Prediction - Fedor by TKO

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Scoop McTroll upset pick: Murilo Bustamante (pictured, left) over Quinton Jackson.

Fightsport 24-7 will be posting the expert picks on the PRIDE GP by four of the most respected underground journalists in MMA: Tape Lord, Scoop McTroll, Jake R, and Todd Atkins.

Below are picks by SCOOP MCTROLL. Scoop McTroll writes:

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge - Fedor will beat Goodridge by brutal KO like all good fighters do.
Prediction: Fedor over Goodridge by KO


Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Ricco Rodriguez - Despite Suave's victory over him at ADCC I see Minotauro dominating this fight and hopefully winning by brutal ground and pound, ending Suave's career.
Prediction: Minotauro over Rodriguez by TKO


Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic vs. Igor Vovchanchyn - CroCop will win this anyway he chooses to. I see Igor trying to stand toe-to-toe with CroCop, but when this fails he will try to take it to the ground with little success.
Prediction: CroCop by KO


Chuck Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem - I think Chuck Liddell will be determined to put on a good show after his recent loss to Couture. I expect Alistair Overeem to put up a good fight but see Chuck as being too strong and too hungry for the win.
Prediction: Liddell over Overeem by KO


Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson vs. Murillio Bustamante - Jackson is a very physically strong fighter, his strength and size will definitely help him against Bustamante. This fight should be a great battle to watch but I see Busta as being too experienced for Jackson and beating him with a submission.
Prediction: Bustamante over Jackson by submission


Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura - I have no doubt that the much heavier Yoshida will hardly work up a sweat in defeating Tamura with a submission.
Prediction: Yoshida over Tamura by submission


Vanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba - I think Sakuraba will put up a better fight against Silva this time, he might even look like he's winning for a moment. This will be short lived and Silva will kick his ass once again.
Prediction: Silva over Sakuraba by TKO

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Jake R upset pick: Kazushi Sakuraba (pictured, bottom) over Vanderlei Silva.

Fightsport 24-7 will be posting the expert picks on the PRIDE GP by four of the most respected underground journalists in MMA: Tape Lord, Scoop McTroll, Jake R, and Todd Atkins.

Below are picks by JAKE R. Jake R writes:

Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura - Yoshida will control where the fight takes place with his world class Judo skills, taking Tamura down and either passing guard or landing in side mount. Eventually Tamura will be submitted via arm lock in the second round.
Prediction: Yoshida by arm lock


Chuck Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem - Chuck is the superior wrestler and striking is around equal. Chuck has the ability to take the fight to the ground if he gets into trouble standing, which is a strong possibility. Overeem has to win from a standing position, as he cannot take chuck down.
Prediction: Liddell by decision


Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Vanderlei Silva - Sakuraba will shock the world with an upset of Silva by coming out and taking Silva down repeatedly, as he did in the second fight. This time, Sak will finish Silva with a choke in the second round.
Prediction: Sakuraba by choke


Murilo Bustamante vs. Quinton Jackson - Had Quinton fought Arona, I would have picked Quinton by TKO. Against Busta, Quinton will overpower Busta standing and on the ground and win by TKO. Busta may come close to tapping Quinton, but Jackson has enough sub knowledge and strength to defend and punish Busta standing and on the ground.
Prediction: Jackson by 2nd round TKO


Heavyweight Matchups

Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic vs. Igor Vovchanchyn - I think CroCop will keep the fight standing and punish Igor with kicks. Igor might take the fight down to the ground once or twice, but cro crop will dominate and eventually TKO Igor.
Prediction - Cro Cop by TKO


Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Noguiera vs. Ricco Rodriguez - Mino will dominate Ricco standing with straight explosive punching combos, and force Ricco to take shoots without setting them up. This will result in Mino having favorable position, and ultimately submitting Ricco late in the second round.
Prediction Minotauro by submission


Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge - Goodridge will attempt to come out brawling with Fedor, who will probably throw his big overhand right and rush for the takedown on Gary. from there, Fedor will pound Gary and quickly submit him.
Prediction - Fedor by first round submission


Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Atkins upset pick: Ricco Rodriguez (pictured, top) over Minotauro.

Fightsport 24-7 will be posting the expert picks on the PRIDE GP by four of the most respected underground journalists in MMA: Tape Lord, Scoop McTroll, Jake R, and Todd Atkins.

We will start off with picks by TODD ATKINS. Todd Atkins writes:

Chuck Liddell vs. Alistair Overeem - In this fight you have two primary strikers. Liddell likes to play the role of counter striker more often than leading. Overeem is the exact opposite, as he likes to take it to his opponent from start to finish. What I am looking at mainly is whether or not Overeem has the chin to withstand a tactical striking match with Chuck. I feel this match will be a standup chess game. I do not see either fighter trying to take the other down. Overeem is tall for the weight and has a long reach on top of it. This could pose problems for Liddell in his attempts to counter. In the clinch I see Overeem having the edge. On the ground I would also give Overeem the edge in submissions. If Overeem can handle Liddell's power, I think he will eventually take Liddell out with strikes late.
My prediction: Overeem by TKO


Murilo Bustamante vs. Quinton Jackson - Obviously a lot of new factors come in with Bustamante. How will the lay off affect him? How will he handle Jackson's power? What kind of cardio does he have? I think Jackson's biggest obvious weakness is submissions. He has just not faced people good enough to exploit it. Bustamante definately qualifies as someone who could. If Bustamante is in top form, I think he could win this fight. I am going to lean slightly toward Jackson winning by stoppage. But I would not be surprised if Murillo found a way to beat him.
My prediction: Jackson by TKO


Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Vanderlei Silva - Act III in this triology of fights. The first two could not have been any more different. In the first fight we saw Silva come out and aggressive, and Sakuraba playing into his hands by trying to trade punches. The second match saw Sakuraba waiting patiently for the tackle and getting it. What I think Sakuraba needs to do here is work aggressively for the pass. In the last fight he seemed to be tentative, and only worked to punch from inside Silva's guard. Sakuraba needs to get the side and try to work his kimura finish. The key here is not letting Silva escape the bottom in the process. Having said all of this, I still feel Silva will come out victorious through his sheer will and ferocity. But I expect the fight to be more like the second fight, than the first. I do not expect Silva to do too much differently than the norm.
My prediction - Silva by TKO


Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura - I know alot of speculation is flying around about this match, but I expect it to be legit in all honesty. Tamura is a hard guy to submit, and his submissions are underated as well. Tamura is the smaller guy in this matchup and that may be the determining factor. Standing up Tamura has the advantage. His strikes on the ground are solid as well. Yoshida has to get him down and find his submission. I expect Tamura to be tentative with his left roundhouse to the body and legs. Yoshida has no interest in striking and will looking to take the fight down immediately. How Tamura handles Yoshida's ground skills will dictate the fight. Tamura has alot more experience, and has fought some of the best fighters this sport has ever had. But he is the smaller man here, and he has not fought someone of Yoshida's pure skill level on the ground.
My prediction - Yoshida by submission


Heavyweight Matchups

Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Noguiera vs. Ricco Rodriguez - The Japanese love the revenge match. And here is another chance for Noguiera to beat someone who has defeated him in competition. He already did a revenge match in PRIDE with Dan Henderson. And they are sure to play up Rodriguez's win in Abu Dhabi over Noguiera by submission to the fans. Both of these guys come into this match off big losses of their respective titles. Both guys should be heavily motivated to fight. But this is MMA and not NHB. I do not see either guy scoring a submission in this fight. On the ground Ricco likes to play the top, and Noguiera likes to play the bottom. I look for Ricco to try and take the fight down and GNP. Noguiera's reach will nullify any striking Rodriguez tries to implement. Strikes are not Ricco's strongpoint. I look for this to be a technical groundfight, with Ricco trying to brawl more on the ground while Noguiera looks for the submission from guard. Noguiera will need to take the top position in order to win this fight IMO. His submissions from the guard will not catch Rodriguez.
My prediction Rodriguez by decision


Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge - Fedor is too strong a wrestler for Gary. And Gary's bottom game is not strong enough to withstand Fedor's GNP assault. Look for this to be over early.
My prediction - Fedor by GNP KO


Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic vs. Igor Vovchanchyn - Mirko and Igor always make for great fights. And I expect this to be no different. I expect Igor to trade some, but ultimately I look for him to try and take Mirko to the ground. I think he will successful and this is where it will get interesting. Igor has a stronger GNP game than any fighter Mirko has faced. I want to see Mirko tested while on the bottom trying to defend himself. If Igor cannot get him down, I look for Mirko to end the fight as normal. I am hoping Igor can take the fight down and make it interesting. Standing up you have a nice matchup between Igor's bombs and Mirko's precision kicks and fast movement. I think Igor has a better chance of making Mirko work on the bottom than anyone else he has faced. Mirko's size will not as big a factor with Vovchanchyn.
My prediction - Cro Cop by TKO.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (top) standing over a fallen Osami Shibuya.

Brazilian magazine Tatame reports that Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos' has just confirmed that he will still be participating on the Pancrase 10th anniversary show against Yuki Sasaki.

A few days ago Cyborg had declared he would not be fighting on the Pancrase 10th anniversary show on August 31st. After his loss to Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua in last week's Meca 9 event, Cyborg decided to change teams and management and left the Budokan Team and Sergio Batarelli in favor of the Antonio Inoki, Wallid Ismael, and their newly formed Inoki Army.

The confusion occurred because Cyborg claimed he could not fight for both teams and pulled out of the Pancrase card, which ex-manager Batarelli had signed him up for. This made Pancrase very upset as they had a signed deal with Cyborg to compete and he was in one of the main event matchups on the card.

Talks between Pancrase president Ozaki, Wallid Ismael and Inoki's brother ensued and an agreement was reached. According to Wallid Ismael, Cyborg's shoulder was injured in his fight with Shogun and he wanted to pull out of the Pancrase fight for that reason. He will recieve treatment next week in Rio from Dr. Micheal Simoni, one of the best sports doctors in Brazil. Furthermore, the Inoki Army want to keep a good relationship with Pancrase and all the Japanese organizations. Wallid mentoned that everything is good between Cyborg and Pancrase now and that he even got Cyborg signed to compete in Pancrase's next show as well.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

World Light Heavyweight Champion Tony Bonello

Tony "The Gun" Bonello, will be dropping to Middlewight to fight an international opponent at Australia's Xtreme Fighting Championship later this month (August 30th). The 3 time Light Heavyweight MMA World Champion (WEF,ISKA,KOTC) is said by many to be Australia's most accomplished MMA fighter. The MMA world will be watching to see if he can dominate the Middleweight division the way he has dominated the Light Heavyweight division. The XFC website had the following to say about the upcoming match.

BONELLO is delighted to have the opportunity to participate within the XFC and fight under the same rules as seen in the UFC. For those who have not seen Tony fight, a word of warning DON'T BLINK!

His primary training in Australia has been under Jeff FENECH (Boxing) and Paulo GUIMARAES (BJJ). Tony's training has also seen him train with the likes of Mario SPERRY, Ernesto HOOST, Roberto DURAN and Al STANKY to name a few.

Stay tuned to Fightsport 24-7 for an announcement regarding Tony's opponent for August 30 or check " The XFC for updates on the show.

Discuss this at FIGHTSPORT.COM

Murilo Bustamante (top) applying an armbar on Matt Lindland.

It has already been confirmed that Murilo Bustamante will replace Ricardo Arona in the PRIDE GP, but Brazilian magazine Tatame reports the following on the specifics of Bustamante's deal with PRIDE:

- Bustamante will replace Arona in the first round of the PRIDE GP.

- If Bustamante beats his first round opponent, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, then he will return in November to compete in the conclusion of the PRIDE GP.

- Bustamante will be invited back to compete in future editions of PRIDE and will compete in the 205-pound weight class.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Frank Shamrock

The word out of California is that Frank Shamrock is set to take on Ceasar Gracie in the November edition of Shamrock's new show called 'Shootbox'. The show will be in Las Vegas and will be MMA rules sanctioned under the NSAC. There is an agreement between both fighters to fight but no official contract has been written up as of yet.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Genki Sudo

The Japan Times reports that Tokyo police have arrested 30-year old Masayuki Kanbara, who is suspected of injuring UFC and K-1 veteran Genki Sudo and four other men in a random stabbing spree in Tokyo's Shibuya district last month. The attacks were carried out with a utility knife in a residential area of Shibuya on the evening of July 24 before fleeing on a scooter, police said. All victims suffered only minor injuries.

Kanbara, who is unemployed and has no fixed address, said he had attacked his victims because he felt frustrated, police said, adding that they will interrogate him further to determine his motive. Kanbara was found to be in possession of a stimulant drug when he was arrested Wednesday evening.

According to police investigations, Kanbara attacked five people over a period of five minutes around 10:40 p.m. His image was captured by a security camera at a convenience store where he attacked one of his victims. Police had been trying to identify the assailant from the video image.

Kanbara was arrested on a different allegation of violence earlier Wednesday, and later admitted to slashing the five in the July 24 incident, police said.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Zuffa has announced that it has released the DVD of UFC 41: Onslaught.

The DVD contains:

- Tim Sylvia's brutal KO and ultimate destruction of Ricco Rodriguez.

- Tank Abbott's humiliating comeback loss, in which he tapped out to Frank Mir in 46 seconds.

- The boring 5-round controversial draw between B.J. Penn and Kaoru Uno.

- Matt Lindland and Phil Baroni doing battle for a second time.

- The complete card of fights plus many extra behind-scenes-features such as Tito Ortiz climbing a stairmaster and Chuck Liddell hitting the focus mitts for a minute.

The DVD can be bought in most video stores or on the internet.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Dana White

In a recent interview, PRIDE president Sakakibara proposed that if PRIDE and the UFC were to ever do a cross-promotion to unify their world titles, that the best way to do it would be to have the title fight in PRIDE under PRIDE rules, and then have the same title fight in the UFC under UFC rules.

We at Fightsport.com think this is an excellent idea and would also answer many debates that fans have as to whether certain fighters are better under PRIDE rules or UFC rules. Imagine a title fight in PRIDE between Vanderlei Silva and Tito Ortiz. PRIDE and Silva have stated they would be all for it, but the question remains if Dana White would agree to it, knowing full well that his reluctant light heavyweight "champion" might be exposed. The bigger question would be if Tito Ortiz would even step up to the plate for such a fight, as he is on record saying that he "only wants to take the fights that make him feel comfortable".

The potential for great matchups and a lot of cynergy is there with such a cross-promotion. But if history is anything to go by, Dana White will probably drop the ball on this one. Let's just hope that history doesn't repeat itself this time.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Murilo Bustamante

Reports out of Japan are saying that yesterday's meeting between PRIDE and Murilo Bustamante was successful, and that they have reached an agreement with Bustamante for him to compete in the PRIDE GP this coming Sunday.

Bustamante will serve as a replacement for his teammate Ricardo Arona, who fractured his heel in practice last week. Bustamante's opponent will be Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

PRIDE is set to announce in the near future that they will be starting a new promotion in the spirit of K-1 Max called 'PRIDE Bushido'.

PRIDE Bushido will be for fighters mainly in the 165-190 pound (75-86kg) group. Fighters that PRIDE are rumored to be interested in signing to this new promotion are Hayato Sakurai, Rumina Sato, Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira, Genki Sudo, Duane Ludwig, Jens Pulver, Takanori Gomi, Ryan Bow, and Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto just to name a few.

PRIDE Bushido would be PRIDE's third promotion, in addition to the big show PRIDE and their B-level show PRIDE Best.

More info on this new show will be available in the coming weeks.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

SHOOTO
September 5th, 2003
Kourakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan

Below is the line-up for the September 5th SHOOTO card promoted by Paraestra Tokyo (line-up is incomplete and matchups subject to change):

Class-A bouts:

Luiz 'Buscape' Firmino vs. Kohei Yasumi

Class-B bouts:

Takahisa Toyoshima vs. Tiger Ishii
Kazuo Tsurumi vs. Takehiro Harusaki
Akihiko Adachi vs. Yohei 'MD' Mikami
Yoichi Fukumoto vs. Shinobu Ito
Yohei Mikami vs. Kenji Osawa

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Murilo Bustamante

Murilo Bustamante was in a meeting today with PRIDE producers, negotiating his participation in the PRIDE GP this coming Sunday. PRIDE wants Bustamante to replace his teammate Ricardo Arona, who is out of the GP with a fractured heel. More news on whether Bustamante and PRIDE reached an agreement will be announced very soon, but the inside word is unofficially that Bustamante has signed and will be in the PRIDE GP.

We at Fightsport.com only hope Bustamante and his manager don't drop the ball on this one the way they did with the UFC.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Royler Gracie

Multiple times ADCC and BJJ world champion Royler Gracie is on his way to the U.S. to do some seminars. He will be doing seminars around the East Cost in New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Philadelphia. After that, he intends to do the same on the West Cost.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos

Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos's sudden move from the Budokan Team to the Inoki Army is still producing many after effects. In announcing his move to Brazilian magazine Tatame, Cyborg also stated that he would be dropping his current manager, Sergio Batarelli, in favor of new managers Antonio Inoki and Wallid Ismael. Thus he would not be competing on Pancrase's August 31st show, which was signed by former manager Batarelli.

The Pancrase organization still maintains he will be on their August 31st card and still have him up as one of the main events on their website. Sergio Batarelli and Pancrase are said to be furious at Cyborg's decision to pull out of the fight.

Batarelli says, "I spoke with the president of the Pancrase organization and he said that if Cyborg does not honor his contract, then he will speak with Inoki, and Cyborg will never fight in Japan again."

More news on this will be coming in the next few days.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

AFC 5
Friday, September 5th, 2003
War Memorial
Ft Lauderdale, Florida

The AFC 5 card is developing well. Below are most of the matchups scheduled for the card (card subject to change):

MMA matchups:

Edson Diniz vs. Nick Agallar (AFC lightweight world title fight)

Chris Lytle vs. Chatt Lavender (AFC welterweight world title fight)

Dustin Denes vs. TBA

Pedro Brandao vs. Phil Johns

Efrain Ruiz vs. John Kolosci

Pedro Guerrero vs. Matt Hamilton

Marcel Ferreira vs. TBA

Jorge Masvidal vs. Roli Delgado

Thiago 'Pitbull' Alves vs. Derrick Noble


BOXING MATCHUPS:

Jorge 'Caballo' vs. TBA

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

ShootBox's revolutionary new ring

PRESS RELEASE:

Frank Juarez Shamrock has teamed up with NAPMA, one of the world's largest professional martial arts associations, to launch a new event called ShootBox.

The premier ShootBox event will take place at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) on Saturday, August 23, 2003. Some thirteen mixed martial arts fights are scheduled to take place in what is being referred to as "the box." In addition, a variety of top caliber martial arts demonstrations and celebrity guests will also be featured at the event. The fights will take place inside of a new type of ring without walls or ropes. The sight of vision is open and gives unparalleled view to the audience as well as camera access for television and film.

According to Shamrock, "We selected the National Association of Professional Martial Artists (NAPMA) as our initial marketing partner. ShootBox will present its inaugural event on August 23rd in Orlando Florida. This partnership, in conjunction with the NAPMA World Conference, will assure a sell out crowd and launch ShootBox on its United States tour." NAPMA President Rob Colasanti adds, "It's truly an honor to be working with the legendary Frank Shamrock to launch ShootBox at the 2003 World Conference. All of our guests will receive a complimentary ticket to this historical event, which will take place directly next door to our convention site. Our guests can simply walk right over and it won't cost them a penny."

For more info avalable at Shootbox.com

For media questions, contact Vikki VanHoosen at Shootboxmedia.com

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Ricardo Arona

Results have come back from Ricardo Arona's MRI on his injury and it appears he will be out of the PRIDE GP with a fractured heel and some ligament damage in his foot.

At this point PRIDE is looking at a few options to replace the injured fighter: Murilo Bustamante, a Gracie, or a local Japanese fighter.

PRIDE's preference is to replace Arona with Bustamante though, as they they think this would satisfy their sold out audience the most and means that there would still be a Brazilian Top Team member on the card. It is said that Bustamamte is in great shape and has been having talks with PRIDE all day yesterday. According to a Top Team member who will remain anonymous, "It's all up to Murilo now and it also depends on what type of offer PRIDE makes him."

We at Fightsport.com just hope Bustamante's management doesn't drop the ball again and gets him into the GP.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Renzo Gracie

Brothers Renzo and Ryan Gracie are both in Japan for the PRIDE GP and speculation high that either one of them may fill in as the replacement for Ricardo Arona in the GP. Royler Gracie told Tatame magazine the following, "they're in Japan right now and anything is possible".

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Below are the Alexa.com rankings for the top 10 MMA websites as of August 6th, 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: 9,808

2.) MMA.tv - Traffic Rank for mma.tv: 13,339

3.) Sherdog.net - Traffic Rank for sherdog.net: 15,531

4.) UFC.tv - Traffic Rank for ufc.tv: 30,082

5.) Fightsport.com - Traffic Rank for fightsport.com: 36,736

6.) Pridefc.com - Traffic Rank for pridefc.com: 41,691

7.) MMAWeekly.com - Traffic Rank for mmaweekly.com: 42,084

8.) Adcombat.com - Traffic Rank for adcombat.com: 63,951

9.) Defend.net - Traffic Rank for defend.net: 71,043

10.) Maxfighting.com - Traffic Rank for maxfighting.com: 86,674





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.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Elvis Sinosic (bottom) against Jeremy Horn.

Sources in Japan report that Pancrase will add the matchup of Elvis Sinosic vs. Sanae Kikuta to their August 31st tenth anniversary card. The matchup will probably be officially announced early next week.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

TheGreek.com has opened the odds to win the entire IFC Tournament:

IFC Global Domination
September 6, 2003
Pepsi Center, Denver, CO

Odds to win Entire IFC Tournament Event

101 Mike Van Arsdale +450

102 Renato Babalu Sobral +475

103 Jeremy Horn +275

104 Trevor Prangley +900

105 Shogun +450

106 Michail Avetisyan +750

107 Paulo Filho +325

108 Falaniko Vitale +600

109 Field (Includes any Fighters not listed above) +1750

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (left) vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.

Brazilian magazine Tatame reports that Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos has moved on from the Budokan Team and has now joined the Inoki Army, which is an MMA team run by Antonio Inoki and Wallid Ismael.

After being defeated by Chute Boxe's Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua in the Meca 9 event, Cyborg decided that he needed to move on and seek out some top-level training. The deal to join the Inoki Army was sealed yesterday. Wallid Ismael just left for Japan and will set up some new fights for Cyborg while he is there. Cyborg may even be on the Jungle Fight event that Antonio Inoki and Wallid Ismael are promoting in the Amazon Jungle of Brazil in September.

Due to his departure from the Budokan Team, Cyborg will be pulling out of his Pancrase fight with Yuki Sasake scheduled for August 31st. The fight in Pancrase was originally made by Budokan Team head trainer Joao Ricardo. Cyborg explains, "I can't represent both teams and I have to do what's best for my career. With Inoki, I'll have a better structure that includes trainers such as Paulo Caruso, Artur Mariano, Darrel Gholar, and De La Riva. I'll have financial support, supplements, and most importantly I'll be fighting more often".

About his loss to 'Shogun', Cyborg says he gassed during the fight but that Shogun deserved to win and isn't taking anything away from Shogun's win. "My arm had some bruising before the fight from having taken anti-inflammatories for a month, but that is not an excuse. Since I was not at full strength, I decided to try and end the fight early, but Shogun was very tough and took everything I hit him with. I gassed out and he kept on going. He then changed strategies and took me down after I was already gassed, and I had no chance after that" says Cyborg. "I'll prove in my next fights that my ground game is good. I'll keep moving forward with my head raised high and I've learned from my mistakes", guarantees Cyborg.

Team Budokan head trainer Joao Ricardo stated that he was surprised and that he still has not heard from anyone about Cyborg leaving the team.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Murilo Bustamante

According to sources in both the BTT and Team Oyama camp, Ricardo Arona has suffered a serious ankle sprain just days before his fight against Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson in the PRIDE middleweight GP.

Arona, who is already in Japan, is set to undergo tests today in a Tokyo-area hospital to determine whether or not he is fit to fight. If Arona is not cleared to fight, then sources within in PRIDE are unofficially saying that Arona's teammate and UFC middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante may be his replacement.

PRIDE has not officially announded any news regarding Arona's injury or possible replacement. More news to come on this in the next 2 days.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Coming off the success of the inaugural Heat F.C. show that just took place on July 30th, Heat F.C. announced its next show will be tentatively scheduled for November. Marcelo Tetel, who is one of Heat's promoters, said the second edition will also take place in the Brazilian northeast, most likely in the city of Machadinho.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

Brazilian Top Team is already in Japan for the PRIDE GP this weekend. Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Mario Sperry, and Bebeo have been in Japan since last Saturday. Murilo Bustamante is scheduled to depart to Japan today.

Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira is scheduled to take on Ricco Rodriguez, and Ricardo Arona is scheduled to take on Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. According to BTT's P.R. man Fernando Flores, "Arona has big expectations for his fight with Qinton Jackson. He said it would be the biggest challenge of his career and he plans to win".

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

PRESS RELEASE:

WEC 7: This Time... It's Personal
Saturday
August 9, 2003
7:00pm
The Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, CA

WEC 7 takes place this Saturday from the Palace Casino in Lemoore, California. There are plenty of big names on this card including Ron Waterman, Gil Castillo, 'Mr. International' Shonie Carter, and Brazilian fighter Wander Braga.

The main matchups are:

Ron Waterman vs. James Navarez
Gil Castillo vs. Ryan Schultz
Shonie Carter vs. Dax Bruce
Wander Braga vs. Nick Ertle

Includeing the four matchups above, there will be a total of 17 matchups on the card.

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

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Claiming to have a virus, outspoken Australian Boxer Anthony Mundine last night pulled out of his WBA Super MiddleWeight World Title fight with number 1 ranked big punching American Antwun Echols. The announcement was made just two days before the fight was scheduled to be shown around the world. Echols has won 26 of his 29 fights by knockout and experts considered that he was a class above Mundine. Most had predicted Mundine would be savagely knocked out. Echols had also stated he would punish Mundine, a practicing Muslim, for controversial comments he made about the 9/11 attack. Mundine stated on live television that America had brought 9/11 upon themselves due to their activity in the Middle East, he then desperately tried to retract the comments when it created a huge controversy and clamed he was quoted out of context.

A former Rugby champion and son of an Australian Boxing champion, Mundine began boxing 3 years ago. With some great potential and lightning speed he quickly clocked up a series of victories over washed up ex champions and hand picked opponents, he looked like a world beater. He was given a shot against Sven Ottke for a world title but Ottke who is not known for his punching power, knocked Mundine out cold. Mundine claimed he went into a title fight too early in his career and that he would contend again. This fight withEcholswas to be his second shot at a World Title.

Mundine has shown little of the brash confidence seen in the lead up to his previous fights. In a recent appearance on an Australian sports show he appeared nervous about the fight and reluctant to say anything negative about Echols. He said that he would not have chosen to fight a tough boxer like Echols but the WBA had told him he had to. It appeared that Echols had already won the pyschological war weeks before the fight.

Mundine wants to reschedule the fight for 4 weeks time, Echols lawyer says they will apply to the WBA for another opponent and are disgusted that Echols flew to Australia for this bout only to have Mundine pull out with a case of the sniffles.


An Internet caricature of Mundine after his 9/11 comments.

Discuss this at FIGHTSPORT

Vanderlei Silva

Vanderlei Silva departed from Brazil today for the PRIDE GP on August 10th in Japan. The rest of his team that will be cornering him are already on their way as well. According to Chute Boxe head trainer Rudimar Fedrigo, "Vanderlei is ready to beat Sakuraba for a third time. He will give him one more beating". Assuerio Silva, Rafael, and Chute Boxe jiu-jitsu instructor Cristiano Marcelo will all be part of Silva's corner for his fight at the GP.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

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

In a revealing post at JiuJitsuGear.com, Chris 'Fuck Mexico' Brennan lamented over a number of his top students leaving his Next Generation fight team. Brennan (who is an ex-Gracie student, ex-Jacare student, and then ex-Marco Ruas student) criticized the lack of loyalty of his former students.

One of his top former students, Bao Quach, is now training under Juliano Prado at Team Punishment offshoot Team Oyama. According to Brennan, Quach left in a shocking display of disloyalty when Brennan (a self-claimed millionaire) started charging Quach $50 a month for Quach to teach for him. Two other former students, Jeremy Williams and Rami Boukai, are teaching for Sean McCaully at L.A. Boxing.

It is not clear at this stage how the thinning ranks at Next Generation will affect Brennan's dreams of one day fighting in the UFC again. Meanwhile, on the latest re-appeal thread on MMA.tv to get Chris Brennan back in the UFC, Brennan himself has again posted, declaring he is most definitely an A-class fighter based on in his own words “A very close fight with Takanori Gomi”.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Bob Sapp

Bob Sapp continues to draw more attention in the U.S. and will be appearing on the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno early next week, most likely the Tuesday night edition of the show.

Sapp was also on hand at the Tokyo Dome for the NFL American Bowl between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets. One interesting note from the football game was when All-Pro defensive lineman Warren Sapp drew a huge ovation from the Japanese fans when being introduced, only to be outdone greatly by Bob Sapp, who was shown on the Jumbotron screen during the game at which point the fans went completely wild.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

PRIDE GRANDPRIX 2003
Date: August 10th, 2003
Place: Saitama Super Arena

Open: 13:00
Start: 15:00

On Monday (Tokyo time), DSE announced the fight order for the PRIDE GP coming up next weekend.

1st Match: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Gary Goodridge

2nd Match: Alistair Overeem vs. Chuck Liddell

3rd Match: Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona

4th Match: Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Ricco Rodriguez

5th Match: Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Igor Vovchanchyn

6th Match: Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Kiyoshi Tamura

7th Match: Vanderlei Silva vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

*Card subject to change

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

PRESS RELEASE:

Tickets went on sale this past weekend for the UFC's long anticipated UFC 44 - UNDISPUTED event. With this UFC, ZUFFA returns to the Mandalay Bay, the site of their inaugural Vegas event.

Live event tickets, $350, $250, $150, $75 and $35 are on sale at 10 a.m. as of this Saturday, July 26, at the Mandalay Bay box office, at all Ticketmaster locations, at Ticketmaster.com and Mandalaybay.com.

Tickets also may be ordered by telephone at 1-877-632-7800 or 1-702-474-4000. Ticket purchases are subject to transaction fees. UFC 44: Undisputed also will be available live on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EDT on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Echostar, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. The suggested retail price is $29.95.

For the event, the UFC is planning to offer 9 bouts, 1 up from the 8 normally produced.


MAIN EVENTS

Tito Ortiz vs. Randy Couture (light heavyweight championship)
Tim Sylvia vs. Gan McGee (heavyweight championship)

UNDERCARD

Wesley 'Cabbage Correira vs. Andrei Arlovski
Dennis Hallman vs. Nick Diaz
Hermes Franca vs. Kaoru Uno
Jorge Rivera vs. David Louiseau
Rich Franklin vs. Edwin Dewees
Gerald Strebendt vs. Josh Thompson
Dave Strasser vs. Karo Parisyian

*Card subject to change

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Gideon Ray defeats Jason Medina by TKO, RD 2.
Jeremy Horn defeats William Hill by rear naked choke, RD 1.
Mark Hughes defeats Leo Sylvest by armbar, RD 1.
Bart Palaszewski defeats Tom 'Captain' Kirk by judges decision.
Tommy Lee defeats Mark Hominick by KO, RD 1.
Mustafa Hussani defeats Ed Wineland by armbar, RD 2.
Drew McFedries defeats Steve Dau by TKO, RD 2.
Terry Martin defeats Ron Fields by rear naked choke, RD 1.
Rafael Santoyo defeats Jake Jetter by choke, RD 1.
Jay Estrada defeats Jason West by TKO, RD 3.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

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


Homer Moore defeats Wojtek Kaszowski by unanimous decision.

Andy Montana defeats Melville Calabaca by keylock in 1:38, RD 2.

Vince Lucero defeats Mike Proctor choke in 2:28, RD 1.

Roger Mejia defeats Rich Moss by TKO in 1:46, RD 1.

Joe Frainee defeats Ray Elbe by TKO, 2:00, RD 1.

Herb Garcia defeats Justin Lyon by choke in :20, RD 1.

Justin Nauling defeats Allen Branson by unanimous decision.

Jack Austin defeats Wayland Berry by choke in 1:29, RD 1.

Michelle 'GrappleGirl' Farrow defeats Nicole Maldonado by armbar in 1:19, RD 1.

Robert Beraum defeats Jed Hunt by TKO in :53, RD 1.

Victor Cruz defeats Carlos Ortega by split decision.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Mike Tyson

The AP has reported that former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson has filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court, claiming his finances are in disarray. The former heavyweight champion has squandered nearly $300 million in ring earnings through lavish spending and bad advice. Tyson's handlers said in a news release on Friday that Tyson has taken control of himself and wants to resolve his financial problems.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Alistair Overeem

The Dutch MMA promotion 2 HOT 2 HANDLE is planning a few good shows and matchups in the upcoming months.

First, they will do a cross-promotion with the Russian MMA promotion M-1. 2H2H fighters will be on the M-1 card in Russia, first in Moscow in October, and then in St. Petersburg in November.

The Moscow and St. Petersburg shows will feature Russian fighters and UFC veterans Andrei Semenov and Amar Suloev. Dutch fighter and Pride veteran Gilbert Yvel is also scheduled to fight on at least one of these cards, possibly both. Several other Golden Glory fighters from Holland are also scheduled to appear on the cards. Some high profile American fighters from the Pacific Northwest may also be on the card although nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

2H2H will then hold a card in Rotterdam, Holland, in January. A matchup between Alistair Overeem and Jeremy Horn is tentaively scheduled. The 2H2H website is currently under construction.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Sources have confirmed to that Shooto may begin to be shown on U.S. Pay-Per-View this winter. Select satellite companies may be carrying it. InDemand might be on board as well. Stay tuned for more info about this in the upcoming month.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com