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Ricardo Arona

Ricardo Arona recently told Brazilian magazine Tatame that he guarantees that if he had not gotten injured, he would have beaten Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson in the PRIDE GP. Resting at his home in Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro, Arona will not be able to resume training until the end of this month. Arona went on to say that he will probably return to fighting in the beginning of 2004. Arona also thought that teammate Murilo Bustamante really won the fight against Quinton Jackson.

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Quinton "Rampage" Jackson

Mario Sperry recently told Brazilian magazine Tatame that he thought Murilo Bustamante did enough to win his fight against Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson in the PRIDE GP. According to Jackson, Bustamante is the toughest opponent he's ever fought.

Sperry went on to that Jackson came up to them after the show and said there wouldn't be a rematch. "He came to us saying that it was enough...that they have fought once and it wasn't necessary to fight again", recalls Sperry, laughing.

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Mike Tyson and Bob Sapp have words at K-1 Vegas.

Bob Sapp and Kimo put on a good show for the fans last night in the K-1 Vegas show at the Bellagio hotel. The game Kimo came out with some new striking techniques he'd been working on, landing some effective leg kicks and then knocking Sapp down with a hard right. Sapp was saved by the bell and then controversy followed as he was given extra time to get a cut tended to.

The second round would begin and Sapp came out and knocked Kimo down with a right hand to the head. Kimo recovered, but was smothered by Sapp's wild strikes. Kimo turned his back and Sapp chopped him down with a hammer punch to the back of the neck. The blow put Kimo flat on his back and left him unable to beat the 10 count.

A wild celebration by Sapp and his corner ended when the big man spotted Mike Tyson in the audience and began to taunt him. Tyson, who had been present in Las Vegas with his management during the week to negotiate a possible fight deal with K-1, responded to Sapp by storming the ring. A brief melee broke out inside the ropes and force was used to separate the two fighters.

Sapp and Tyson then started exchanging words that resulted in Tyson issuing a challenge to Sapp, telling to "Sign the contract Big Boy". Sapp accepted and added that he would put Tyson "through the ground." It all appeared to be very staged, but the crowd was really into it. Time will tell if this fight comes off, but it seems that it is headed towards that direction.

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Jens Pulver

Jens Pulver defeats Joe Jordon by KO at 3:12, RD 2.
Jason Medina defeats Karima Bennett by TKO at 1:48, RD 1.
Travis Fulton defeats Jason Miller by rear naked choke at 0:45, RD 1.
Mark Long defeats Jordan Anderson by unanimous decision.
Davy Conger defeats Ryan Sickler by rear naked choke at 1:01, RD 1.
Nate Schroeder/Kory Markham defeat Josh Rafferty/Chris Lynd by 2 subs to 1 (tagteam submission match)
Nate Mohr defeats Kain Rizzo by TKO at 2:15, RD 2.
Derek Mason defeats B.J. Mahon by TKO at 2:09, RD 1.
Frank Young defeats Kaushik Sinn by unanimous decision.
Chris Griffen defeats Brandon Adamson by armbar at 2:58, RD 1.

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K-1 WORLD GP 2003: Las Vegas
Friday, August 15, 2003
Bellagio Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada


Remy Bonjasky

Super Fights:

Bob Sapp defeats Kimo by KO in 1:11, RD 2.
Carter Williams defeats Dewey Cooper by unanimous decision.
Cung Lee defeats Phil Petit by unanimous decision.



Tournament:

Quarterfinals:
Micheal McDonald defeats Jefferson 'Tank' Silva by TKO at 2:22, RD 2.
Aziz Khattou defeats Raul Romero by majority decision.
Remy Bonjasky defeats Vernon 'Tiger' White by KO at 1:55, RD 1.
Rick Roufus defeats Jeff Ford by unanimous decision.

Semifinals:
Michael Mcdonald defeats George Randolph* by KO at 0:55, RD 1.
Remy Bonjasky defeats Jeff Ford** by TKO at 1:28, RD 1.

Final:
Remy Bonjasky defeats Michael Mcdonald by split decision.


*Aziz Khattou was injured
**Rick Roufus was injured

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Bob Sapp (left) and Kimo.

The above picture is of Bob Sapp and Kimo getting into a tussle during the K-1 USA press conference.

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Frank Shamrock's ShootBox
August 8th, 2003
Orlando Florida

Tickets to the inaugural Shootbox are now on sale. For more information, check out the promotion's website at Shootbox.com

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Tito Ortiz

In an effort by Tito Ortiz and his management to repair his damaged reputation, Ortiz has announced that he will be holding an open work-out for the media on August 19th as he prepares for his title fight with Randy Couture, which is scheduled for UFC 44 on September 26th.

For anyone wishing to go, the open work-out will take place on Tuesday, August 19th, from 12 to 2 P.M. The location will be at Fernando Vargas Gym on 42485 Moonridge Road in Big Bear, CA.

Contacts:

Beth Rosenberg, UFC: 702-221-4792; cell: 702-379-0724
Jack Taylor, UFC: 702-221-4790; cell: 702-349-0176
Josh Hedges, UFC: 702-221-4791; cell: 702-581-8235

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Royler Gracie

The hot rumor out of Japan is that D. Mishima vs. Royler Gracie will take place on the inaugural PRIDE Bushido card scheduled for October 5th.

Below are some of the matchups we have heard DSE is strongly considering:

Royler Gracie vs. D. Mishima

Nino Schembri vs. Hayato Sakurai

Kazuhiro Hamanaka vs. Ryan Gracie or Rodrigo Gracie

Daiju Takase vs. Ryan Gracie


DSE is also in discussions with the Pancrase organization to possibly bring in Ikuhisa Minowa to compete on the inaugural card or in a future PRIDE Bushido card.

Carlos Newton may also feature on the inaugural card or a future card.

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Relson Gracie

In a FightSport 24/7 exclusive, we have been informed that Relson Gracie, who recently returned from Brazil with girlfriend Kelly Rodriguez, is not undefeated. Our sources in Brazil informed us that Relson was actually submitted in competition to an armlock by Tuninho Campos.

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Kazushi Sakuraba

Nobuhiko Takada announced that Kazushi Sakuraba wants to take the rest of 2003 off from fighting. Sakuraba may possibly return on their January card.

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Kazuhiro Hamanaka

PRIDE announced today that Kazuhiro Hamanaka will be on their inaugural PRIDE Bushido show scheduled for October 5th. Other fighters already scheduled to be on the card are Hayato Sakurai and D. Mishima.

PRIDE Bushido is PRIDE's new promotion that is geared for middleweight and lightweight fighters. More news to come in the next few days.

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TKO 13: ULTIMATE RUSH
September 6th, 2003
Pierre-Charbonneau center
Montreal, Canada

Card Subject To Change:

Georges St-Pierre vs. Pete Spratt

Steve Vigneault vs. Sean Pierson (TKO Canadian middleweight title)

Ivan Menjivar vs. Ryan Diaz (TKO world lightweight title)

Dave Goulet vs. TBA (original opponent Kultar Gill is out with injury)

Mark Hominick vs. Shawn Davidson (TKO Canadian superlightweight title)

Denis Kang vs. Stephan Potvin

Kristof Midoux vs. Cameron Brown

Yan Pellerin vs. Patrick Cote

Donald Ouimet vs. Blake Frederickson

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Forrest Griffin

ADCC reports that Forrest Griffin is being heavily considered to fill in for Falaniko Vitale in the IFC light heavyweight tournament scheduled for September 6th. Griffin recently had a great showing in the Brazilian promotion called HEAT last month, in which he convicingly beat and choked out Brazilian MMA veteran Ebenezer Fontes Braga.

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Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Regardless of the recent problems between Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic and K-1, there is no denying that Cro Cop is a hot ticket in Japan right now after having successfully KO'ed Bob Sapp, Heath Herring, and Igor Vovchanchyn in brutal fashion. This fact hasn't been lost on K-1 matchmaker Sadaharu Tanigawa, who told the press on Wednesday in Las Vegas that he has made an offer to Filipovic to work K-1's 10/11 Osaka Dome show. Sadaharu went on to say that the offer sheet to Filipovic is for a fight against Francisco Filho. Tanigawa said that despite Mirko's problems with K-1, he would like to see him fight in a K-1 ring.

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Bob Sapp

Below is a transcript of the ESPN chat with Bob Sapp from Wednesday:

Bob Sapp: I'll see you in a few weeks. Send in those questions now. To order K-1 Battle at the Bellagio, please contact DIRECTV at 1-800-DIRECTV, Dish Network at 1-800-333-DISH, or your local cable provider.

Bob Sapp: I am here and ready to go!

Brandon, Louisville, KY: Bob, What do you like better? K1 or Pride? Which do you think gives you the best chance to show your skills?

Bob Sapp: As my record stands, I'm basically equal in both. It really depends on my opponent and that's pretty much how I answer that question. Of course, I love it when I'm going against a kickboxer or wrestler. But when it comes down to kickboxing, I'd rather not be going against the big time pro kickboxers! But I have basically equal leverage in both. It's really too early to have a favorite.

ny, ny: How have you had to change your training since starting K-1? Which is harder, NFL training camp or your current training?

Bob Sapp: Current training is harder. It requires more conditioning and I'm getting hit without pads!!

Aaron Burns: What is something many fans don't know about you?

Bob Sapp: Good question .. most people don't know that I am a true animal lover. When I retire I'm going to open an animal sanctuary. I'm working on getting a Puma shipped over to the U.S. and given to a sanctuary right now. Most people also don't know that I gave all the money from my Nike contract to Youth in Fitness for Seattle youth. I took them all shopping. Because of that, I only got a pair of shorts for my entire Nike contract while in the NFL.

Canada: Hi Bob, I want to known something. Sometime I read in the magazine or web site that your height is 6'3", sometime 6'7" and now in this web site 6'4". Can you tell us what is your real measure? Thanks and good luck for your next fight.

Bob Sapp: I'm really 6'4". Or 6'.334" actually. My wing span or reach is as long as someone who is 7' tall. My wing span is 212. So it throws people off when they talk about my height.

zoey, ny: do you have a girlfriend or are you married?

Bob Sapp: No girlfriend. I'm single. You got any pictures?

Bob Sapp: With a nickname like The Beast, I guess it's not too surprising ..

Erik, Seattle, WA: Do you still follow the Huskies? What did you think of the Neuheisal debacle?

Bob Sapp: I follow them a little bit and that whole story is junk. He should not have been fired. The college should have stood behind him.

Daniel, Palm Coast, FL.: What are your friends and familys thoughts on you fighting, and being a huge celebrity in Japan?

Bob Sapp: Most of my friends stand behind me. Because of the money and celebrity, it has divided my family and friends. Some of them feel they are entitled to the money. My world has gone from real to surreal. Mo money Mo problems.

Eman NYC, NY: Any plans on Acting in your future? TV, the Movies or Broadway? :)

Bob Sapp: Yes. Hollywood has contacted me and I have several scrips and several offers on the table. They are all big-time directors and projects, in both the U.S. and Japan. But mostly the U.S.

shelly, pgh: do you ever fear you'll get injured?

Bob Sapp: I've already been injured in my right eye. Now the injuries will probably come from myself kicking or punching an opponent, moreso that the injury coming from my opponent.

Greenwood,IN: What are some things you use to motivate yourself during training and before fights?

Bob Sapp: I am a great visualizer. Sometimes it even gets me in trouble. I'll be on my way to the ring, three days before I fight!! I get so deep into the visualization.

Rob (Canton, OH): I know you get asked this alot, but when are you gonna get into a wrestling ring? You are the most massive man ive ever seen and i think you could hurt alot of those poor wrestlers!!!!

Bob Sapp: I did the pro wrestling and was voted the first foreign MVP wrestler in Japan. My first even sold out, 60,000 people, for my first pro wrestling event.

Scott, Mt. View, CA: Walk us through a typical day of eating for Bob Sapp.

Bob Sapp: 3am is a cup of noodles or whatever I have left over from dinner. A snack. 8am is breakfast. Usually eggs, fruit plate and pineapple juice. Then lunch, usually chicken or beef curry. Then a snack, cheeseburgers or tuna sandwich. Then dinner, a big steak or any kind of Japanese dish. Then one more meal, a big protein shake and a sandwich. Then go to sleep and eat again at 3am. I eat about 6 times a day.

Yes, having a bathroom is essential on all my sets.

Steve Calgary, Alberta, Canada: how much can you bench?

Bob Sapp: At my peak I got up to 585 or 595 on a close-grip bench with no shirt one. I do more stuff with reps now.

Rickson, NY: What do you think about doping in Pride?

Bob Sapp: Unfortunately you will find athletes will always take something. But the majority of Pride fighters do not do this. They shave, do pushups and oil up. The TV makes you look bigger than you really are. They know this and live by it. When you see them in person, you surely know it is very doubtful they are taking steroids. You can NEVER look at someone and know for sure if they are doping. The TV just plays so many tricks on you. You've seen how people misinterpret my height and weight. Don't' believe everything you read, and on TV, don't believe everything you see. Jurassic Park dinosaurs aren't real .. even though they look real!

Matt (Wellston, OH): Is it true that you might fight Mike Tyson under K-1 rules?

Bob Sapp: OK, right now that is just a rumor. We are talking to him and other pro boxers as well. Right now, it's just too premature to go either direction.

Brett Zaccardi (Boston, MA): Bob, I am wondering what we can do to see you in action more often? Is payperview the only chance we have or will there be other chances to see you compete on television? Perhaps a webcast is possible??

Bob Sapp: Right now Pay Per View is the only option I know of. Unless you have a satellite that picks up Japanese TV. I'm seen across the world on many international channels. As for clips and newsreels, I've done BET, ABC World News, Jay Leno. Today Show, and made the cover of Wall Street Journal. I don't have a website, all those ones you see are from fans. There are about 3,000 of them .. so I wouldn't believe much that you read.

Allan Detroit, Michigan: Any plans for a rematch against Mirko Crocop. Was it a legit hit or a thumb on purpose. The video didn't show me what really happened

Bob Sapp: It was a legit clip in the eyeball. He didn't mean to hit me directly. It was what you might call a lucky shot. It gave me enough pain or injury to go down. We will probably fight again, maybe at the Grand Prix Tournament.

Minneapolis: Do you keep in touch with any of your NFL buddies?

Bob Sapp: Yes. John Wellborn of the Eagles, Tony Parrish of the 49ers, Duane Rudd from the Bucs. Jerome Pathon also. Warren Sapp thinks I stole his last name to make myself popular. I have never met him or shook his hand. HE IS NOT MY BROTHER OR ANY RELATION TO ME. It's a myth made up on the interent and by my followers.

Don Lucki Jr, Chicago: Who, in your mind would be your 'utlimate' opponent?

Bob Sapp: Great question. At this time, probably Jerome LeBanner.

Soul_JJ: It seems that you would take less damage in Pride than in K1. Why is it that you seem to have chosen K1 over Pride. Does K1 pay more? Is it more recognition? Will you ever be returning to the Pride ring?

Bob Sapp: I will be returning. To answer your question, I am under management and owned by K1! Both own a piece of me so I fight in all of them. Guess who is the No. 1 draw in both of them?

brady crytzer pennsylvania: hey good luck on friday, i was just wondering what you are doing to improve on some of the weaknesses that cro cop exploited, because im sure every fighter is studying tapes of that fights, thanks

Bob Sapp: Yes, they do study tapes. I'm training with a pro boxer to learn to block with my hands instead of my eyeball. I am adding kicks that I will use in my arsenal of punch attacks.

Olesh (Michigan): Where do you see yourself in five years in the world of combative martial arts?

Bob Sapp: I see myself at least becoming a champion and producing the events or still fighting.

Steven Dobirstein, Andrew, Alberta, Canada: Hey Beast! I've seen most all of your work with K-1 and also your loss to Noguera in PRIDE (don't hang your head, you took him to the limit!). I just wanted to know where do you come up with all the funny stuff you do? For instance you did an interview in K-1 once where you attacked and ate action figures of Jerome Le Banner, Peter Aerts, and Ernesto Hoost - and it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Do you plan out the character for being "The Beast" or do you just go in with no real clue what you're going to do and say next? Good luck on your return to the ring!

Bob Sapp: I just go in with no real clue! That's why I do the Beast. The Beast is just me playing around. If I went in as just me, they would probably have had me committed by now. I have no idea what I'm going to do. I just go in and do it.

Terry: Do you feel that this sport would explode over here if a network like ESPN produced it?

Bob Sapp: Yes. They are helping out a little bit.

Jin (Portland, Oregon): In Japan, did you have fun on the smapxsmap Christmas special?

Bob Sapp: Yes! It was great. The Hilton daughters are extremely beautiful! But I think I scared them when I ripped the Christmas tree up. I didn't get to say hello really.

Andy (NYC): Bob, is there anyone outside of the professional fighting circuit who you'd love to fight? like a pro athlete, actor or politician?

Bob Sapp: (Laughing) Gary Coleman! Just kidding. How about Michael Clark Duncan? Celebrity boxing!

TJ, Honolulu, HI: Do you think other X-NFL'rs may try to follow your path in the future?

Bob Sapp: I would love for them to. I've written to the players union about it. I'd love for anyone to participate. I haven't heard back from the NFL in regards to working with them. I have no clue why they won't write me back.

david, pgh: who is your idol?

Bob Sapp: Matt Hume for MMA and Ernesto Hoost and Peter Artes for K1.

Dan Cleveland: What do you think about Crocops comments saying at the end of the day your just a football player and he is a fighter? That your more novice than anything?

Bob Sapp: I never knew he said that. I'm fighting, not playing football.

Top Record Producer, Chicago: Will we see another Rap album ...?

Bob Sapp: (Laughing) There are talks about another one .. but I'm no Snoop Dogg or 50 Cent. My next album will probably go triple plastic.

Tonya (Tacoma, WA): Hi! I was wondering how you were doing. Give me a call or email me sometime.

Bob Sapp: Hello Tonya.. I don't have your email or phone number anymore but I'm doing well. Sasha is coming to the fight.

Jason (Fairbanks): Do you plan on sending Kimo a get well card at the hospital after he takes the beating he is about to get, you might want to get him a gift basket too, something with food you cna eat through a straw.

Bob Sapp: (Laughing) Yes, and I'll make sure to put some pineapple and tropical fruit in there. If he knocks me out, I'll just imagine that I dreamed I sent him all this stuff.

lil kid who thinks youre cool, anytown ;): can you really crush an apple with your bare hands//

Bob Sapp: Yes.

ernie(WA): How does it feel to have lost to the refrigerator perry, and have to pay the judges off to give you the win?

Bob Sapp: I guess I know what it feels like to be a loser? Fortunately, it ignited his career .. he went on to do the Wheel of Fortune and make Kentucky Fried Chicken commercials. Good job for Refrigerator Perry. By the way, we are great friends.

Sam: Bob, do you have any plans for a rematch with Nogueira

Bob Sapp: Possibly but right now we are both contenders going for that belt.

Allan (Detroit, MI): Good luck friday. Was it hard for you to get used to living in Japan? Do you speak Japanese? Also, if we are crazy enough to come watch your fight in Japan do we need to speak a lot or a little.

Bob Sapp: Great question.. the answer is, no it's not difficult to live here. They have many many many beautiful women here. The majority of them, like over 90 percent, are single. To go to the event, you don't need to speak too much of the language.. any taxi can get you there by saying "K1". You will be sitting alongside 40-100,000 people .. did I say, there are many many many beautiful women. The fights are like going to a nightclub. It's huge. Everyone is there, Americans, Canadiens, even porno stars. It's great.

Thanks for all the questions. Ladies, remember, I am still single, but with a name like The Beast, we know why.

I look forward to talking to all of you again sometime.. thanks for watching me and following my career .. my big fight, the Battle at the Bellagio, is this Friday, August 15 on Pay Per View!

Take care!

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AFC 5
September 5, 2003
War Memorial Auditorium
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Doors open at 6pm
Show starts at 7pm

Card Subject To Change:

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

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

Dustin Denes vs. TBA

Pedro Brandao vs. Phil Johns

Efrain Ruiz vs. John Kolosci

Pedro Morales vs. Matt Hamilton

Marcel Ferreira vs. TBA

Jorge Masvidal vs. Roli Delgado

Thiago 'Pitbull' Alves vs. Derrick Noble

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Mario Sperry (middle) and Murilo Bustamante (right).

Most people don't know, but Sperry was the first choice of PRIDE to replace the injured Ricardo Arona. If not for the surgery Sperry recently got for his badly broken hand, then he would have been the one facing Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson instead of teammate Murilo Bustamante.

Sperry explains, "I had my hand operated not too long ago after I broke it against Minotauro in training. The Japanese weren't too happy because they needed to have a Brazilian Top Team fighter on the card. So I recommended Murilo and they accepted."

"Murilo woke up that day ready to go to the beach and surf. Within the hour he recieved word that he would be in the PRIDE GP. He woke up to surf that day but ended up in the middle of a war! On top of that, he did great...Murilo is my hero!", exclaimed Sperry.

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Marcio "Cromado" Barbosa (left)

MMA and Luta-Livre fighters Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira, Marcio Cromado, and Daniel Didane are working towards forming a modern world Luta-Livre federation.

According to Cromado, "the problem with Luta-Livre is that it's too de-centralized. What we need is an organization to know how many athletes we have world-wide so that we can organize tournaments on a larger and more improved scale." According to Cromado, noone knows the status of the existing Luta-Livre federation or whether it still operates. That federation was founded by Hugo Duarte a few years back. Cromado adds that the rules of the existing federation's biggest event, the Copa Cyclone, gives too much advantage towards the jiu-jitsu grappler rather then the Luta-Livre grappler.

Mario Miglioli, who was the president of Duarte's Luta-Livre federation, agrees that a new and improved federation is needed, but doubts that the new federation will be able to unite the different factions in the Luta-Livre community the way Duarte was able to unite them. "In the beginning we staged three big events. After that it started to grow, so I handed the job over to Hugo and moved on. Today I promote just my event, the Copa Cyclone." says Miglioli.

Duarte confrimed to Brazilian magazine Tatame that his federation still exists and that two to three events are planned for each year, including the Copa Cyclone. When asked about the new federation that is being formed by Pequeno, Cromado, and Didane, Duarte said, "They just want to be seen. That new generation never did anything for Luta-Livre. They live off the space that we created."

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Falaniko Vitale

IFC president Paul Smith announced that Falaniko Vitale has dropped out of the IFC light heavyweight tournament due to a family medical emergency. The tournament is scheduled for September 6th.

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UFC 44: UNDISPUTED
September 26th, 2003
Mandalay Bay
Las Vegas, NV

PRESS RELEASE:

LAS VEGAS, August 11, 20...It's rare when two fighters from the same country fight each other half way around the world. But, that will be the case Friday, September 26, when Heavyweights Andre Arlovski and Vladimir Matyushenko meet LIVE on pay-per-view in the 'Battle of Belarus' at Ultimate Fighting Championship 44: Undisputed at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. In two additional featured fights, undefeated Light Heavyweight Rich Franklin of Cincinnati, Ohio, will take on Edwin Dewees of Phoenix, Ariz., and in a middleweight bout, Jorge Rivera of Framingham, Mass., will tangle with David Loiseau of Montreal, Canada.

In the main event it will be 'Champion vs. Champion' as Light Heavyweight title holder Tito Ortiz makes his long-awaited return to the Octagon to defend his belt against interim Light Heavyweight Champ Randy Couture after Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia defends his title for the first time in a 'Battle of Giants' against Gan McGee.


Tickets, $350, $250, $150, $75 and $35, are on sale now at the Mandalay Bay box office in Las Vegas, 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. The UFC is returning to Mandalay Bay, the site of its first event in Nevada in September 2001 from where UFC 44: Undisputed 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.

The UFC’s next live PPV event will be UFC 44: Undisputed at 10 p.m. EDT on Friday, September 26, from Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev. Locate the UFC on the internet at UFC.tv

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

The IFC will be staging their 205-pound (93kg) 8-man tournament, featuring some of the top light heavyweights in MMA. The event will be take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, on September 6th.

Fightsport.com reported the full tournament card two days ago, and it was confirmed today by the IFC. The full card is as follows:

Light Heavyweight Tournament:

Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Trevor Prangley
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Paulo Filho
Jeremy Horn vs. Michail Avetisyan
Falaniko Vitale vs. Mike Van Arsdale

Semifinals:
Sobral-Prangley Winner vs. Rua-Filho Winner
Horn-Avetisyan Winner vs. Vitale-Van Arsdale Winner

Final:
Semi-Final Fight 1 Winner vs. Semi-Final Fight 2 Winner


Light Heavyweight Tournament Alternate Fights

Ahmad vs. Eric Escobedo
Tom Sauer vs. Sean Gray

Alternate Fight Final
Ahmad-Escobedo Winner vs. Sauer-Gray Winner


Single Fights:
Ron Waterman vs. Joe Briggs
Nathan Marquardt vs. Steve Gomm
Brad Gumm vs. Doug Evans
Jody Poff vs. Chilo Gonzales


IFC Women's Middleweight Championship Fight
Amanda Buckner vs. Ginele Marquez

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Canadian rising star Kultar Gill has pulled out of the TKO (the event formerly known as the UCC) event scheduled for September 6th, 2003 at the Pierre-Charbonneau Center in Montreal. Gill has a back injury that has still not healed properly. Hopefully TKO won't have to face any more set-backs for their inaugural event under their new name.

Any fighters still owed money by TKO president 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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Bob Sapp

Following his guest appearances on The Tonight Show' and 'The Best Damn Sports Show, Period', K-1 star Bob Sapp will take one hour out of his busy schedule to respond to fans' questions and comments during an online chat on ESPN.com on Wednesday, August 13th. The live chat session will be held from 3-4 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Between now and 3 PM on Wednesday, August 13th, fans are encouraged to participate in the pre-chat by posting their questions and comments on ESPN.com's Bob Sapp chat homepage located here

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K-1 U.S.A. 'Battle at the Bellagio'
Friday, August 15, 2003
Bellagio Hotel
Las Vegas, NV

17:00 open
17:30 start(opening fight) / 19:00(tournament)

Only two more days until K-1 comes to Vegas again, this time with the fighting debut of Bob Sapp on American soil. Below is the complete card:

Super Fights:

Bob Sapp vs. Kimo
Carter Williams vs. Dewey Cooper
Cung Lee vs. Phil Phetit

Tournament:

Michael Mcdonald vs. Jefferson 'Tank' Silva
Raul Romero vs. Aziz Khattou
Remy Bonjasky vs. Vernon 'Tiger' White
Rick Roufus vs. Gary Turner

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Shimura Funaki reports that the Japanese MMA promotion known as DEEP 2001 wil be no more after their next show scheduled for September 15th. Deep's president, Shigeru Saeki will be joining DSE and will become the new assistant director of their new promotion called PRIDE Bushido, which will be focusing on fighters 184 pounds (83kg) and under. The first PRIDE Bushido show will be in October.

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THE ULTIMATE SUBMISSION SHOWDOWN
October 11, 2003
James Armstrong Theater Torrance,
California USA

PRESS RELEASE:

When the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was developed, the idea was to create a venue where the effectiveness of different martial arts styles could be measured. It became clear that the advantage of the grappler was tremendous. Eventually, everyone started focusing on the importance of ground fighting and so the original concept of comparing styles became obsolete. Now, in the current NHB arena, everyone trains in some form of grappling as well as striking. It's become a comparison of athletes more than a comparison of styles.

Event coordinators, now, in their determination to keep their audiences entertained, try to keep the rounds shorter and the fighters off the ground. As a result, more often than not, you have events consisting of overgrown athletes relying on punches and kicks to pummel their way through victory. Fans today will rarely see a match end with a classic submission move. History has shown us, however, that in a true no-holds-barred scenario, the knowledge of submissions is what determines who the best fighter truly is.

From the creator of the UFC, Rorion Gracie, now comes THE ULTIMATE SUBMISSION SHOWDOWN

This event is not for everyone. Only eight of the top grapplers in the world will be invited to participate in this best-of-the-best confrontation. There is no time limit. Competitors can choose to wear whatever outfit they want.

Wrestling singlets, a Jiu Jitsu/Judo Gi, or fight shorts. All grappling styles are welcome, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, judo, sambo, shoot-fighting, submission-fighting, etc.

In addition, all finishing moves will be permitted whether it's chokes, neck-cranks, arm-locks, knee-locks, ankle-locks, foot-locks, takedowns, etc...

It's time to put up or shut up!

For more info go to IGJJF.com

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Paulo Filho

Two of the matchups for the IFC light heavyweight tournament coming up in September have been made public:

Paulo Filho vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua
Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Trevor Prangley


The two other matchups for the first round of the tourney haven't been announced yet, but according to our sources they are heavily rumored to be:

Jeremy Horn vs. Michail Avetisyan
Falaniko Vitale vs. Mike Van Arsdale

Odds for the IFC tourney can be found at TheGreek.com

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Hidehiko Yoshida (bottom) in action against Kiyoshi Tamura.

Posted below are the views of famous pro-wrestling insider Dave Meltzer on the fight between Hidehiko Yoshida and Kiyoshi Tamura that just took place in the PRIDE GP:

"I've seen some of the posts about it being a work. None of these "experts" have clue one about business. The big theory was Yoshida would win, then fake an injury and pull out. How come nobody brings up that if the promotion does a work, it's to make money, not to tank a show. With Yoshida out, nobody in Japan gives a rats ass about the final four (Americans just don't understand Japan and MMA fans don't understand pro wrestling, and if you don't understand pro wrestling, you don't understand the business of MMA).

They have 53,000 seats to fill. What's the deal, are they trying to tank a show on purpose, for what? Doesn't help Yoshida either because Japanese would rather their guys are warriors then if they win or lose, and backing out makes him not look like a warrior. And then they bring up the Frye thing like they know it and it's common knowledge. In 30 years of pro wrestling, I've never heard of anyone getting a dislocated elbow and torn out shoulder from a fake armbar. Quite frankly, if you watch it as a wrestling fan, the matches that look like worked shoots are Quinton's and Ricco's. Neither were, but if Tamura-Yoshida went that way, those people would say it proves it was a work because neither guy hurt the other with hard punches.

Tamura did everything to expose the match not being a work by trying, time after time, to knock the guy out he was "working with." Besides, did you notice hte crowd reactions. They were all cheering for Tamura, not Yoshida. If they wanted to work the finish, they should have had Tamura win as it would have sold more tickets than Yoshida. And quite frankly, if selling tickets is their concern, the guy they needed to protect was Sakuraba, and instead they put him in with maybe the toughest guy of all."

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World famous MMA photographer Susumu Nagao now has pictures up of the PRIDE middleweight GP that just took place this past weekend. To check out the pictures on Susumu's site, click here

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Minotauro (left) in action against Ricco Rodriguez.

Brazilian magazine Tatame interviewed Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira following his victory over Ricco Rodriguez. Here's what Minotauro had to say:

Tatame: There are a lot of people on the internet saying that Ricco Rodriguez was robbed. What do you want to say to the people about your victory over Ricco Rodriguez?

Minotauro: In the beginning of the fight, I went all out to get on top of him. We clinched and I had a guillotine on him, but he got out of it and managed to fall over me. Then I tried to finish the fight with many different submissions. I had a triangle, but he stood up and I had to change my position. Ricco was 264 pounds (120kg), very strong, yet I still got two omoplatas and an armbar, but he was able to escape. He didn't want to fight me on the ground. He didn't even want to go to half guard. When I would pull him into half guard, he would return to my full guard and stayed there, trying to tie up the fight. His strikes from inside my guard were easily blocked.

Tatame: The second round seemed to have more action.

Minotauro: The second round did seem to be the round with the most standup exchanges and I managed to throw some good strikes, hitting him many times. I also managed to do some good kicks. When the fight went back to the ground, the fight became just like the first round again.

Tatame: It seemed that Ricco did not want to trade strikes with you in the third round...

Minotauro: That is exactly what happened. In the third round, the fight took place mostly on the ground because Ricco didn't want to stand up with me. I was having a good time striking with him in the standup. On the ground, Ricco was limiting himself by just defending so that he would not be submitted, rather then trying to win the fight, which was already mine.

Tatame: When will your next fight in PRIDE be?

Minotauro: Everything is set for November, I'll be facing Josh Barnett. Mirko 'Cro Cop' will also be fighting Fedor Emelianenko for the heavyweight belt. Then I will challenge the winner of that fight to try and win back my belt.

Tatame: What did you think about Murilo Bustamante's fight against Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson?

Minotauro: I assisted him in that fight, which took place right before mine, and I thought that Murilo was superior for the most part of the fight, even in the standup. It didn't surprise me because I train with him and I know he can strike very well. In the end, the judges decision was not what I was expecting. But he did fantastic for someone who was just called in to fight only four days before the show. I am pretty sure that PRIDE liked his performance and it seems like they like he might be called back to fight on the November card.

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By Tape Lord


Igor Vovchanchyn

Hello my friends, my postal connections inside DSE have told me that keeping in tune with PRIDE's decision to start upgrading every phase of their show, Igor Vovchanchyn may now be on the bubble after his current string of losses culminating in his KO loss to Cro Cop. Igor still has two fights left on his current PRIDE contract. What PRIDE is thinking of doing with him is the following:

- Igor will not be on the November card, but he will be the first fighter called in if a late replacement is needed.

- Igor will have a chance to redeem himself on the January card, which will act as a sort of pre-lims for the PRIDE heavyweight GP that is scheduled for the spring of 2004.

- PRIDE is considering either having Igor headline one of their PRIDE Best show, or maybe to send him for one fight in the UFC as part of the PRIDE-UFC exchange.

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ROF 9 - Eruption
August 9, 2003
Baraboo, Wisconsin

Travis Wiuff defeats Greg Wikan by unanimous decision.
Kelly Kobald defeats Jessica Kresa by armbar, RD 1.
Christian Allen defeats Tim Panicucci by guillotine choke, RD 3.
Fabian Acuna defeats Brian Szohr by TKO, RD 1.
Sam Morgan defeats Alex Gasson by TKO, RD 2.
John Friedland defeats Max Forester by triangle choke, RD 3.
Mike Napralla defeats James Warfield by rear naked choke, RD 2.
Dave Vitkay defeats Doug Sauer by TKO, RD 2.

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By Tape Lord


Stephen Quadros and Bas Rutten (right).

Hello my friends, my postal connections inside the DSE organization are telling me that Bas Rutten may lose his job next if he doesn't start to gradually improve his performance. One of the issues DSE feels is not up to professional standards is Rutten's constant use of phrases that are not suitable in the American mainstream, such as his referals to 'Jesus Christ' for example.

The word is that Rutten will most likely get another two to three shows to improve in the eyes of DSE executives. If they decide to replace him, the guy DSE is heavily rumored to want to bring into the booth would be Gary Goodridge.

More news to come in the next few weeks.

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Minotauro

Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira told Brazilian magazine Tatame the following regarding Murilo Bustamante's loss this past weekend to Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson at the PRIDE GP:

"Murilo only had four days to prepare for this fight, yet he did better then Jackson in the standup and he also went for more finishes the entire fight. I was really surprised with the judges decision. Murilo deserved to win."

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Ricco Chiaparelli

Ricco Chiaparelli will be making his long-awaited MMA debut in the Jungle Fight Championship, which is being promoted in the Brazilian Amazon by Antonio Inoki and Wallid Ismael. Chiaparelli's opponent will be IVC 7 runner-up Magno Pena, who has spent the last three years battling leukemia. Pena survived two comas and leukemia, and is making his first return to MMA since IVC 7.

The event will be staged on a riverboat on the Amazon. The card will also feature the return of Ricardo Morais as well as participation by Brazilian MMA and BJJ stars such as Carlos Barreto, Ebenezer Braga, Ronaldo 'Jacare', and Fabricio Werdun. It is rumored that Josh Barnett may possibly be on the card.

The line-up so far:

Ricco Chiaparelli vs. Magno Pena
Ricardo Moraes vs. Jan Nortje
Carlos Barreto vs. TBA (possibly Josh Barnett)
Ivan Ludwig vs. Edward Marchal
Ronaldo 'Jacare' vs. TBA
Fabricio Werdun vs. TBA
Ebenezer Braga vs. TBA
Marcelo 'Tigre' vs. TBA

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KOTC 27
Sunday, August 10th, 2003
Soboba, CA

Bobby Hoffman defeats Paul Buentello by split decision.
Joe Stevenson defeats Kiko by TKO in 4:29, RD 1.
Jerry Vrbanovic defeats Paki by KO in 1:32, RD 1.
Antonio McKee defeats Marcos Aurelio by split decision.
Keigo Kunihara defeats Timothy Mendoza by TKO in 1:07, RD 1.
Manvel Gamberyian defeats Jorge Santiago by KO in 0:31, RD 1.
David Rivas defeats Steve Hallock by unanimous decision.
Shawn Ramage defeats Kevin Alliva by rear naked choke in 0:58, RD 1.
Wes Combs defeats Jonah Broad by TKO in 0:41, RD 1.
Andy Murrad defeats Saldana Clemente Jr. by TKO in 1:25, RD 1.
Matt McPherson defeats Orion Gallagher by rear naked choke in 1:07, RD 1.
Frankie Bohlinger defeats Robert Breslin by armbar in 3:58, RD 1.

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"Olaf" on the far right.

One of the biggest revelations from Saturday night's WEC 7 show was the emergence of an unknown fighter only known as 'Olaf', who went on to defeat the highly touted, but overrated, Randy Spence by TKO.

Spence's original opponent had pulled out of the event. In came Olaf, who the promoters recruited out of Mexico. Olaf didn't give his last name and didn't announce any sort of MMA record.

What Olaf did do was take the fight to Spence from start to finish. Both fighters landed good strikes from the stansup and ground positions, while also going aggressively for submission attempts. With less than a minute to go before the end of the second round, Olaf had the full mount on Spence and was pounding away. The exhausted Spence could do nothing and Olaf won by TKO at 4:34 of the second round. The crowd was caught somewhat off-guard by the big upset and no one seemed to have any idea just who this wily 'Olaf' was. One thing was certain, he definitely made a name for himself.

Fightsport.com's Shimura Funaki was live at the event and stated that Olaf's performance was very similar to when Kimo first appeared on the scene out of nowhere and almost beat Royce Gracie, except that Olaf was victorious and more polished, but no less aggressive. We at Fightsport.com hope to see more of this Olaf character.

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By Tape Lord


Vanderlei Silva

Hello my friends, my postal connections in the DSE organization are telling me that PRIDE is planning to now match up Vanderlei Silva against Hidehiko Yoshida for the second round of the PRIDE GP scheduled for November. The second round draw will look like this:

Vanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell

Other fights that PRIDE wants to put together for the November card are:

Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic (heavyweight title bout)
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Josh Barnett
Heath Herring vs. Kazuyuki Fujita

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Fedor Emelianenko

PRIDE has announced that they now plan on having Fedor Emelianenko defend his heavyweight belt against Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic. The title fight is tentatively scheduled for the November show, which will also have the GP finals.

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Below are the Alexa.com rankings for the top 10 MMA websites as of August 11th, 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 month 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: 9,940

2.) MMA.tv - Traffic Rank for mma.tv: 11,791

3.) Sherdog.net - Traffic Rank for sherdog.net: 15,421

4.) UFC.tv - Traffic Rank for ufc.tv: 29,169

5.) Fightsport.com - Traffic Rank for fightsport.com: 33,733

6.) MMAWeekly.com - Traffic Rank for mmaweekly.com: 35,896

7.) Pridefc.com - Traffic Rank for pridefc.com: 40,364

8.) Adcombat.com - Traffic Rank for adcombat.com: 60,777

9.) Defend.net - Traffic Rank for defend.net: 77,120

10.) Maxfighting.com - Traffic Rank for maxfighting.com: 87,510





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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Pancrase has announced the complete card for their August 31st tenth anniversary show. Just as Fightsport.com reported last week, the matchup of Elvis Sinosic vs. Sanae Kikuta was made official to complete the card:

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
Elvis Sinosic vs. Sanae Kikuta
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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WEC 7: This Time... It's Personal
August 9, 2003
The Palace Indian Gaming Center
Lemoore, CA

Ron Waterman defeats James Nevarez by TKO at 2:31, RD 3.
Tony Alanis defeats Don Rugebreght by TKO at 1:54, RD 1.
Wander Braga defeats Nick Ertl by unanimous decision.
Shonie Carter defeats Dax Bruce by rear naked choke at 2:28, RD 1.
Boyd Ballard drew with Abraham Baxter
Olaf defeats Randy Spence by TKO at 4:34, RD 2.
J.T. Taylor defeats Ryan Schultz by KO at 1:56, RD 2.
Jason von Flue defeats Nick Galardi by choke at 2:46, RD 1.
Anthony Arria defeats Levi Thornbrue by KO at 1:29, RD 1.
Poppis Martinez defeats Johnny Fadella by guillotine choke at 0:51, RD 1.
George Evangelista defeats Gary Quan by TKO at 4:26, RD 1.
Gabe Ruediger defeats Carlos Cordero by TKO at 2:57, RD 1.
Mike Brown defeats John Letters by rear naked choke at 0:54, RD 1.

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SHOOTO
August 10th, 2003
Yokohama Culture Gymnasium
Yokohama, Japan

Joachim Hansen defeats Takanori Gomi by majority decision. (Hansen is new welterweight champion)
Alexandre Nogueira drew with Stephen Paling
Ryota Matsune defeats Masahiro Oishi by majority decision.
Jake Shields defeats Akira Kikuchi by unanimous decision.
Tatsuya Kawajiri defeats Yves Edwards by unanimous decision.
Junji Ikoma defeats Hiroaki Yoshioka by rear naked choke, RD 2.
Masatoshi Abe defeats Daiji Takahashi by unanimous decision.

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From Scoop McTroll in Japan
Fedor vs Goodridge


Fedor defeated Goodridge early in round one. Fedor came out throwing bombs and connecting with Goodridge while Goodridge covered up. Then Fedor went to the ground in Goodridges gaurd, he then stood up and landed seven or eight unanswered blows to Goodridges face and then began kicking him. Fedor wins by Ref Stoppage second minute of round 1.

Liddelll vs Overeem:

Liddell came out with John Lewis in tow. Liddell looked very relaxed and confident as he stepped into the ring. Overeem came in carrying a foam rubber hammer as did his entire corner. Overeem also looked relaxed and confident, looking somewhat like HW Boxer David Matua with his Don King style hairdo. Liddell was 203lbs and Overeem weighed 198lbs.
The fight starts with Overeem throwing big knees, dropping Liddell with one. Liddell recovers and the two men clinch whilst throwing strikes. Liddell takes Overeem down and a struggle ensues. Liddell knees Overeems face, big knee to top of Overeems head and continues to throw knees. Overeem tried to cover up but Liddell was dominating. The fight went back to standing and they teed off on each other in the centre of the ring. Liddell started to lose energy and Overeem started to look stronger but Liddell came back with some good knees. Liddell connects with a big punch, Liddell kept punching. Overeem collapses, fight over. Liddell by TKO.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs Murillo Bustamante:

Rampage came out with Colin Oyama in his corner. In what may have been a tribute to the late WWF Wrestler "Junkyard Dog" or possibly his former team mate and WWE Tough Enough Star DanTheWolfman, he started howling like a dog and had a big chain around his neck. The crowd enjoyed the theatrics. Rampage weighed 203lbs.
Bustamante looked very solemn as he entered the ring and very serious. He weighed 198lbs.
Fight began with fighters circling and throwing jabs. Jackson closed the distance and tried to pull guard but Jackson held him in a standing gaurd. Jackson carried Bustamante around the ring like this.

Bustamante got an armlock and then a triangle on Jackson and Jackson had to work hard to escape, it was very close.
As the fight went on, Bustamante looked to gain composure and Jackson looked to tire and go on the defensive. Jackson then went into Bustas gaurd but picked him up and tried to slam him, Busta has a triangle while Jackson carries him. Jackson then landed some big knees and Busta fell down. Then the fight returned to the centre with the fighters circling again and throwing jabs. Bustamante landed the better shots during any exchanges.

Jackson resisted any take down attempts from Busta. It was clear that Busta was dominating on the ground so Jackson was being very defensive. In the last 30 seconds of round one Jackson took Busta down again and ended up in his gaurd. It looked like he wanted to ride the round out that way. End of Round One.

Round 2 Fighters circle each other to start with. Light jabs were being thrown. Fight goes to the ground but was slow paced, Jackson attempted a neck crank but Busta easily escaped. They stood up and Jackson landed some big knees on Bustamantes chest which seemed to rock him. The fight continued with Busta becoming more aggressive with his punches, Jackson continued to land low kicks and they started to take a toll on Bustamante. These low kicks were Jacksons most effective weapon against Bustamante and he began to use them more and more. Fighters continued to box each other and Jackson landed another big knee. With seconds to go in Round 2 Bustamante pulled Jackson into his gaurd, Jackson stands up and fighters face off for the last few seconds. End of round 2

Round 3 Both fighters looked tired but began with their circling of each other and throwing light kicks and jabs. Jackson landed a big knee and Busta tried to entice Jackson to the ground but Jackson backed away. It was clear he wanted no part of Bustas ground game. The pace had slowed a lot by this round and both fighters looked tired.
Jackson continued with his low kicks while Busta continued with light punches. Bustamante took Jackson to the ground and
attempted another armlock but Jackson escaped, punching Busta in the face in the process. The fight continued its slow pace with Jackson laying in Bustas open guard. Jackson threw a few rabbit punches but with little effect. In the last few seconds Jackson threw a few elbows but nothing serious. Rampage Jackson wins by split decision


Ricco Rodrigouez vs Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Noguiera

Ricco came into the ring looking very beefy. He was sweating and looked nervous as he faced the huge crowd of over 35,000 fight fans. His physique was not typical of a man who had been training hard at Big Bear but maybe he was looking for strength over agility in this match up.

Minotauro strode down the walk into the ring like a true champion. He looked fit and very focused.
Ricco jumped at Mino in an attempt to throw a knee but Mino took him down and landed in Riccos gaurd.
Mino attempted a choke on Ricco but Ricco managed to escape and ended up in Minos gaurd. Mino attempted several submissions but Ricco managed to avoid them and stay in the fight. Ricco looked defensive from this point on, Mino continued to make submission attempts but was unable to secure any. At one point Mino gave Ricco his back but Ricco did nothing and Mino turned around to keep Ricco in his closed gaurd. Ricco was on his knees throughout this which is a position he seems familiar with. His strategy appeared to be to lay his generous girth onto Mino and force Mino to use energy from bearing such weight. Ricco then threw one of his trademark flying knees at Mino which virtually bounced off with no effect. He then took Mino down to be in his open gaurd with seconds remaing, Mino attempted a quick triangle but it failed. End of Round 1

Round 2 began with little action. Both figthers just circled and threw light strikes. Ricco then took Mino down but Mino obtained full gaurd and the fight returned to the way it looked for most of round 1. It was a slow and uneventual round, very similar to the first round. End of Round 2

Round 3 Mino got Ricco in a very tight armbar early in the round It looked like Ricco was gone but he somehow managed to escape it. Mino then attempted a triangle but again was unable to secure it. Mino then attempted yet another submission but the round ended. Noguiera wins easily by Unanimous Decision.



CroCop vs Igor Vovchanchin


CroCop destroyed Igor at the 1.30 second of the first round with two straight lefts followed by an incredibly strong high kick that knocked Igor out cold. Awesome, simply awesome. Winner: CroCop by brutal KO



Yoshida vs Tamura


As expected, Yoshida won this quickly by a choke Winner: Yoshida by choke



Silva vs Sakuraba
The fight started with both men going toe to toe. Both men landed effective knees and punches but Silva seemed to have the edge. It wasnt long before Sakurabas nose was bleeding. Sakuraba fought with great heart and tried to take the fight to Silva, Silva welcomed this and was not phased at all. Then suddenly Silva unleashed with a big one two combination and KO'd Sakuraba out cold. Silva wins by brutal KO

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