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Dana White

Below is the complete transcript of the UFC president Dana White vs. ICC presidents Dan Deese and Mike Reilly debate that took place on MMAWeekly Radio just a few days ago. Ryan Bennett is the radio host.

The transcript was done by MMA fan 'dragontail' from Japan. Much thanks to dragontail and to our friends at MMAWeekly Radio for this great piece of radio.

First, here is the quote that got Dana White upset:

"I don't even know if theyre on the same page as us. I mean the UFC has been going for what 10 years straight with their new management or close to 6 years or something, and they really haven't taken a lot of steps forward. I don't know that they have a long range plan. Maybe they do I don't know I just can't to seem to see which direction they're headed with it.

Maybe that's just me missing it, maybe they just don't have it, who knows? But I don't really see them being in the same category. I mean I know that they're right now bigger then where we're at, that's obvious, but with their structure and the way they do things. I mean just last week or two weeks ago I saw that event where Dana White bet a quarter of a million dollars on a fighter he ain't never paid more then 60 grand to before that. And I kind of would have my feelings hurt a little bit. But I don't think that if he spent that kind of money on that, that his management is as good as it could be to his fighters, because they all see that and know what it means. It means he's making a lot of money, enough to throw away a quarter of a million dollars, and they're not. So I'm not sure that they understand how to decide on whether that kind of action on a business level works to the best of their ability, you know?" -Dan Deese



Here is the complete transcript of the conversation that took place afterward when Dana White called in to the show. It involves Dana White, Dan Deese, Mike Reilly and Ryan Bennett:

Dana: Yeah, my staff here was telling, they listen to the show everyday, and told me that the ICC president was bashing the UFC, and me personally and I just wanted to call them out on it.

Deese: I'm sorry, I didn't think I was bashing. I was just making observations. I apologize, I'm not trying to pick a fight or nothing. I mean anytime you'd want to talk about what I think would help your business, the better, I'd be glad to do it for nothing. I mean I see some things that if I were running your business I'd do them a little differently. But I mean...

Dana: Well you have that opportunity now. You're running your own business so now you can run it however you want to. So you don't think that the UFC has done anything in the last three years to further this sport?

Deese: It's still about the same...

Dana: It's the same?? (obviously agitated) Mixed martial arts is the same now as it was when we bought this company?

Deese: I don't know, how much have your buys (pay-per-view) been up month to month? Pay-per-views...

Dana: (nervous laugh) I can tell you this, the first UFC show we went down to down in uh, down in uh...New Orleans had probably 500 to 600 people there. Now we get 12 to 13 thousand people at our live gates. It's sanctioned. It's back on pay-per-view. How many buys are we doing? We're doing A LOT more buys then they were doing when we bought the company because it wasn't on pay-per-view. (sounded like a bitch with his last two sentences) We've gotten more mainstream media in the past two years...it's just...that's absurd.

Deese: Hey Dana I think you're doing a good job. Like I said I think that there's some things I'd do different. I mean we're all entitled to our opinions. I'm not trying to bash you, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you...

Dana: I know, I'm not trying to pick a fight with you either. They told me and I just wanted to call you on it. And you said that Chuck Liddell should be insulted that I bet 250 thousand dollars on him?

Deese: well you know, how much have you paid him?

Dana: How much have I paid him!? Why don't you go ask Chuck Liddell how much money he's made since in the last 4 years since I've met him! (Sounds very angry)

Deese: Dana why are you getting hostile?

Dana: I'm not getting hostile at all (sounds defensive). I'm just, I'm just..uh..you made some statements and I just wanted to call you on them.

Deese: Ok well I still think you betting a quarter of a million dollars on a fighter you've never paid a quarter of a million dollars to, for my personal point of view I wouldn't do that to any of my fighters.

Dana: Really? Chuck Liddell just bought a house that's almost a million dollars in San Luis Obispo...

Deese: And that's good, and he deserves it...

Dana: Really? Deserves..so what..so...I don't understand, so how is Chuck Liddell not making money?

Reilly: I think you're REALLY trying to find offense here, when you probably shouldn't.

Dana: I'm not offended at all, I'm, I'm, I'm just calling you guys..I'm asking...these guys just told me that you guys were..uh..saying some stuff, and I'm calling you out on it.

Bennett: Let me jump in here, and guys, I think...and just so Dana understands...I think the guys from the ICC what they are saying is the past ten years they've seen what the UFC has done. And basically the ICC's perspective is they feel now that..uh..after ten years, that they feel basically that the sport should be evolved even further more than it has in the past ten years.

Deese: But not yet, there's a difference...


Dana: Definitely...

Deese: I think that you're on the edge...

Dana: Yeah, absolutely, I couldn't agree with you more. Where are you guys doing your shows?

Deese: I'm sorry? (did not hear the question)

Dana: Where are you guys based out of, where are you gonna be doing your shows?

Deese: You'll see...

Reilly: Obviously you're hostile towards us...

Dana: Hostile towards you?

Bennett: Guys..ICC guys, this is all Dana's saying...He just wants to know, I mean there was some statements made on this show and I think that's all he was doing, was asking...

Dana: I'm just calling ya...I'd do this with anybody that had something to say, I'd call and ask them about it.

Reilly: Probably the same place as you do your shows.

Dana: In Las Vegas? In Nevada?

Reilly: Well there's other places. We happen to want to go around the country.

Dana: And did you guys say you guys were gonna be managers and promoters?

Deese: We're not just gonna put them in casinos or places for adults. We're gonna put them in places were kids and families can go and feel comfortable about going. A lot of families I think would have a hard time bringing their kids to a casino for the weekend and watching a fight. But if it was in, you know...

Dana: Most of the casinos out here are theme parks for kids...

Deese: I understand, but there's a lot of parents that wouldn't bring their kids to a casino.

Bennett: Hey Dana, real quick, what do you think about Don King jumping into the MMA business?

Dana: I'm just curious, are you guys...did you guys say on the show that you guys are gonna manage and promote fighters and..uh..and that..uh..you wouldn't take a fighter you weren't able to manage?

Reilly: No, no...

Deese: No, we didn't say that.

Dana: Oh, ok.

Deese: We'd be glad to talk fighters if you wanna do that. I'd rather work with you then work against you...

Dana: I hear ya. So who do you guys have fighting with you?

Deese: It'd probably be good for both of us you know? If anything we could help each other out. I mean if we're gonna have content on a weekly T.V. show, I mean get your stuff on there. I know we're not gonna be able to fill it right away.

Dana: Who are some of your fighters? (sounds somewhat miffed)

Deese: What's that? (did not hear the question)

Dana: Who are some of your fighters?

Deese: Well we've had a lot of fighters you've used before.

Dana: Who are some of your fighters that you have under contract now that you'd like to swap and trade with me?

Deese: Well we'll talk about that when we're ready.

Reilly: Yeah that's a face-to-face conversation. That's not really...

Deese: Yeah, that's not a radio conversation...

Dana: Ok. Well hey...(Ryan Bennett giggles in the background)

Bennett: Well guys I appreciate it man. There's..uh..you know...Dana wanted to ask you a few questions. I think you did that. ICC guys, you want to mention anything else?

Dana: One more, is Don King co-promoting with you guys? He's your co-promoter?

Reilly: Co-promoter? I think we'd do well to let him do all the promoting...

Dana: So Don King is your promoter? He's the promoter of the ICC?

Reilly: Well actually Dan's (Deese) the promoter of the ICC. Don, he's gonna do the marketing...you see you're getting into legal terms now...

Dana: I'm not getting into legal...I'm just asking questions...I don't know, like an interviewer would. Are you guys licensing his name?

Reilly: Are we licensing his name? No, I think he has that. We're gonna leave it, we're gonna leave it ICC, it's not changing to Don King anything.

Dana: Right. So what, his affiliation is he's just gonna do the marketing for you guys? You guys are gonna pay him to be your marketing director?

Deese: No, no, no...he's financing everything. How do you like that?

Dana: Huh? (sounds shocked, as if his jaw dropped to the ground)

Deese: Ha Ha Ha (both Deese and Reilly laughing) Exactly!

Dana: He's financing your entire show? (sounds genuinely shocked)

Deese: We're partners. He's a full partner.

Dana: Interesting.

Reilly: Yeah, Don's a full partner in the show. I think...you know we...as Dan said, there a lot of room for...

Deese: We'd rather work with you, you know?

Reilly: There's room for a lot more dogs on this field.

Dana: Nah...I'm not here to work against you. I didn't even know about it until Don King got involved. I never even knew about the ICC.

Deese: And hey, it's just the difference between me and you about that bet thing. I just don't believe in gambling on my fighters. You know that's your choice, it's not illegal, it's up to you, you know? Personally, I just don't think it sends the right message to them.

Dana: But you just said..you just said that..uh..that Chuck Liddell..uh..that I'm betting more money then he's possibly made, which is...

Deese: No I didn't say then he's "possibly made". I just said then any of his "purses" have been.

Dana: Then any of his purses have been? Do you know what he's making over in...

Deese: I have a credit check...

Dana: Do you know what he's making in Japan right now?

Deese: No, what is 'PRIDE' paying him?! (Reilly laughs in the background)

Dana: Right. Exactly, you don't know. You don't know what he's making over in Japan right now. (Dana doesn't realize he inadvertently proved Deese's point about Liddell's biggest UFC purse not being more the Dana's 250k bet. Reilly laughs some more in the background)

Deese: Yeah, what is PRIDE' paying him??

Dana: They're paying him well. (Dana still doesn't realize he just proved Deese's argument for him. More laughter in the background from both Deese and Reilly due to Dana not realizing this)

Deese: That's a good thing! (obvious sarcasm at Dana not realizing he's was proven wrong).

Dana: Yeah... (Dana still doesn't realize)

Reilly: Yeah, you see that'd be another face-to-face relation. I think that there's..uh..I think that there's a lot of room for us to work together here once we start growing Dana...

Deese: No hard feelings here man.

Dana: None here either. I heard you guys were saying stuff, I called you on it...

Reilly: Well part of the point that we're trying to fill Dana is that on a good year you're gonna have 49 fights, and utilizing about how many fighters...25, 30 fighters?

Deese: We're looking to get more exposure for more guys...

Reilly: Yeah, there needs to be...

Dana: You guys are gonna do 49 fights a year? Is that what you're saying? (Dana not following the conversation again)

Reilly: No, I'm saying...I'm saying you have, on a good year Dana you have 49 bouts...

Dana: Ok, right, right, ok... (Dana starting to understand this time)

Reilly: But utilizing about 30 fighters...

Dana: Right...

Reilly: So...That's a pretty small hole to get in. My personal feeling is that there's an awful lot of fighters out there who can help build this sport that need exposure.

Dana: Absolutely, I totally agree. The more shows that open up, the merrier. The more..uh..the more fighters that get work, the more fighters that are built up for us to use. Absolutely, I'm all about more shows. That's awesome.

Deese: That's pretty possible.

Reilly: There's a way that we can work together to really make that happen too...

Deese: Drop me an e-mail and I...drop me an e-mail and we'll swap information and maybe we can exchange ideas.

Dana: Cool. Alright guys, good luck.

Deese: Take care man.

Reilly: Alright.

Bennett: Hey..uh...Dan Deese and Mike Reilly, thank you so much for listening to Dana. Dana, always good to call in...we're gonna hear from you Monday, is that correct?

Dana: Yeah I'll talk to you Monday.

Bennett: Alright guys, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Deese: Alright.

Reilly: Bet.

Bennett: Thanks a lot.

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Mike Tyson

It appears that the American mainstream sports media will be taking a condecending stance towards Mike Tyson's participation in K-1 and possibly MMA. Although at this point in time one can make a case for any publicity being good publicity for MMA, especially with Mike Tyson aboard. Below is an just one excerpt from an article by respected Las Vegas Sun columnist Dean Juipe, who mainly covers boxing.

Taken from the Las Vegas Sun:

"Meanwhile, Tyson, who is 50-4, has no fights scheduled and is amusing himself by threatening to take a fling with the mixed-martial-arts sport K-1.

Last Friday at a K-1 card at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Tyson and K-1 star Bob Sapp participated in a confrontation that was almost certainly staged. Tyson attended the card and jumped into the ring following Sapp's victory against Kimo Leopoldo.

Tyson then challenged Sapp, saying, "I'll do it right here. Get me a pair of shorts and I'll fight him tonight."

Sapp responded by saying, "I'll do it. Sign the contract."

Within hours, K-1 publicists had a press release on the episode distributed to the media and wire services."

The article can be seen by clicking here

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By Todd Atkins

Don King

Some major players are getting into MMA/NHB. As we have all heard with Don King getting in his money, connections and power could really effect how this sport changes the next few years.

Many don't know it but the backer for the IFC is one of the Maloof brothers (who is one of the owners of the NBA's Sacramento Kings). It seems he is backing the IFC to see if he is interested in becoming a big player in NHB for the long haul.

In my opinion this is good and bad. If these people with major money get into the sport heavy. I predict you will see bigger paydays for the cream of the crop and top stars and lesser paydays for the undercard or up and comers.

Zuffa has some money (nothing like others getting in) but they are a big strong headed and think no one else can be a threat to them. They are convinced Pride will fail in the US.

The advantage guys like King and Maloof have is that they understand sports contracts and sports business. Zuffa had no idea really and has gotten themselves in binds because of the way their contracts have read. They just dont have the expertise or the people working for them that can really handle this job.

Plus they take things very personal and that doesnt help. I guess we will have to stay tuned.

Zuffa is convinced Tito Ortiz will walk all over Randy Couture, and Lorenzo Fertitta then wants a Tito Ortiz vs. Vitor Belfort matchup. The problem is that if Belfort fights Franklin it is the last fight of a 3 fight deal for Vitor and we all know how Zuffa handles negotiations, poorly.

Stay tuned to the Atkins Insider for more developments.

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Bob Sapp (left) against Kiyoshi Tamura.

As was reported on Fightsport.com yesterday, Bob Sapp has made it known to K-1 that the only way he will face Mike Tyson is under MMA rules.

Our sources in the Matt Hume camp as well as in Japan are telling us that this is a ploy by Sapp's team to get a huge payday in the area of USD$10,000,000 in the event Sapp was to fight Tyson under boxing rules. Under MMA rules, Sapp will compete for the money he is already signed for. That contract consists of only MMA, K-1, and pro-wrestling matches.

In a somewhat unrelated (yet relevant) note, our sources in the boxing world tell us that they feel the 'real' reason that legendary boxing promoter Don King has all of a sudden gotten so interested in MMA is so that he can follow the Tyson soup wagon and milk it for yet some more money. Don King is now affiliated with the MMA promotion known as the ICC, and it remains to be seen just how King will try to get his hands around a possible Tyson MMA career.

More news to come on this in the next few days.

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K-1 video game


SAPP ADDED TO K-1 GAME

K-1 just released another episode in their PlayStation series. New fighters added to the game are Bob Sapp and Remy Bonjansky.


CAPCOM TO MAKE PRIDE GP GAME

Japanese video game publisher Capcom is moving forward with another PlayStation 2 game based on the 2003 PRIDE Grand Prix that is set to conclude at the Tokyo Dome on November 11. The release of for the new game is set for Japan in October according to Famitsu Weekly.

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Below are some of the matchups that have been announced for two upcoming SHOOTO cards in September:

September 5th
Luiz 'Buscape' Firmino vs. Kohei Yasumi
Masato Shiozawa vs. Akira Komatsu
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto vs. Caleb Mitchell


September 21st
Joao Roque vs. Hiroyuki Abe
Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie vs. David Padilla
Kentaro Imaizumi vs. Marco Louro

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Brazil soccer womens' national team

Shimura Funaki has sent us these nude pics of the Brazil soccer womens' national team. The picture itself is not very MMA related but Shimura explains that he felt some pre-celebration was in order to start off the Jungle Fight MMA event that is being staged on the Brazilian Amazon river by Wallid Ismael and Antonio Inoki. Ismael and Inoki have stated that they hope to raise awareness for the deforestation of the Amazon by staging their show on a riverboat on the river.

To view more nude pictures of the Brazil soccer womens' national team, click here

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K-1 and MMA have become big business in Japan over the last decade.

In another sign of the growing power of MMA as a mainstream sport in Japan, one of the major Japanese TV networks known as Nippon TV announced that they want to use the September 21st K-1 show as a launching pad for MMA programming by the end of 2004, according to the network producer Kazushige Yasuzawa

Yasuzawa said that he was interested in getting K-1 to expand their schedule and run more Japanese-oriented shows and also to have shows on Nippon TV of K-1, Pancrase, and Antonio Inoki involved together. This is the reason that Pancrase had their May 18th Yokohama Bunka Gym show on Nippon TV, and will have their tenth anniversary August 31st show on the network as well. Yasuzawa also said that the two-show contract he had with Antonio Inoki from 2002 was still up in the air for the the second show.

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Mike Tyson

Fightsport.com reported earlier today that Mike Tyson and K-1 have come to terms on an agreement for Tyson to fight. Here are the complete details:

On Wednesday, K-1 matchmaker Sadaharu Tanigawa announced to the Japanese media from Narita airport that K-1 and Mike Tyson have come to terms, after having had five different negotiating sessions with Mike Tyson's camp.

Tanigawa said, 'an agreement was reached on a lawyer-level.'

Tanigawa said that dates and opponents have not been determined for Mike Tyson, but that Tyson would most likely debut at the end of the year, as the year-end shows make the most money. Tanigawa said that Tyson himself has interest in appearing on the K-1's September 21st show at the Yokohama arena, or on the October 11th Osaka Dome show.

Tanigawa also said that the reason K-1 did not make their Tyson negotiations public is that they were afraid of a third party interfering and trying to disrupt their business dealings. Many insiders are saying that this is meant to say they didn't want Antonio Inoki trying to interfere.

The main concern amongst K-1 staff is Tyson's current court case in New York regarding the fight he had with two men in a hotel, and whether the trial might prevent Tyson from leaving the country.

Bob Sapp has reportedly told K-1 officials that he will only fight Mike Tyson under MMA rules.

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Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira

Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira, the twin brother of former PRIDE heavyweight champ Minotauro, says he has been training his Muay Thai very seriously and will trade strikes with legendary UFC veteran Kimo, when both men face off in the inaugural KO King Fighting Championship scheduled for Novemeber in South Korea.

Three more BTT members will be on the card as well: Angelo Araujo, Fabiano Capoane, and Ikuhisa Minowa. They will face Jeremy Horn, Yasuhito Namekawa, and Dan Severn respectively.

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Murilo Bustamante

Brazilian magazine Tatame recently interviewed Murilo Bustamante after the PRIDE GP. Interview by Andre Araujo:

Tatame: How did it come about that you were picked as Ricardo Arona's replacement at the last minute?

Bustamante: On Friday morning, Mario (Sperry) called me and explained that Arona got injured and wouldn't be able to fight. On Monday he called me and informed me that he would need someone from Brazilian Top Team, and that he couldn't fight since he just had surgery on his fractured hand, so he mentioned my name. I honored BTT's commitments to PRIDE and took the opportunity that God gave me. I had been wanting to fight in PRIDE for a long time.

Tatame: How was it for you to face a tough fighter like Quinton Jackson without being prepared?

Bustamante: It was a coincidence of destiny. When the card came out a month before the tournament, I didn't see any possibility for me to fight. So I dedicated my time to training the athletes of Brazilian Top Team such as Minotauro, Arona, and a few others who were fighting in Meca and Heat F.C. Due those training sessions, including a good boxing session I had with with Minotauro, I was conditioned enough to face Jackson. In all honesty, I didn't want to fight without being prepared. I was too relaxed. I have been at the beach checking out the black belt surfing tournament and drank beers with my friends. I drank wine after Meca and ate a lot too. I just had four days to get ready and I thought my head was going to explode. This fight was without a doubt one of the major challenges of my career.

Tatame: Why did the negotiations with PRIDE take so long? You guys spent a whole day in meetings...

Bustamante: It was all about the money I was asking for. I also proposed another fight or two for myself in PRIDE after Jackson. When you ask for three fights, they pay you half. But it was really all about the money. The truth is I didn't want to fight, but I ended up giving a great fight. Now I want a chance to return to PRIDE with the proper preparation time.

Tatame: How are the things between BTT and Pride now?

Bustamante: I believe things are as good as they can be. We showed that we are a serious team that honors are commitments. As a trainer and a manager, I did what I had to do. I replaced Arona with another BTT athlete, and in this case it was me!

Tatame: UFC president Dana White said that yyou are still the UFC middleweight champion. What was his position in that whole situation?

Bustamante: I was in touch with him during my negotiations with PRIDE. Dana was in Japan and gave me a lot of support. I felt like he wanted me to fight and win. However I am no longer with the UFC, the middleweight title is vacant.

Tatame: Give us your analysis of your fight with Quinton Jackson...

Bustamante: During the first round I was able to impose my game. In the second round I got tired, and in the third round I was very gassed. Many people thought that I had won. What makes me happy is that I wanted to give a good fight and I did that. I did my job in adverse conditions. I am already a winner by just being there.

Tatame: Is it true that Jackson said he does not want to give you a rematch?

Bustamante: He was repeating that every time he saw me, but he was just kidding around. He is a very professional fighter and he deserves respect. I want to fight him again, but I want to be prepared.

Tatame: Is there a possibility that you will compete in the new PRIDE Bushido event for middleweight fighters?

Bustamante: If the weigh-in is one day before the fight. My normal weight is 193 pounds (88kg). Right now I'm a little fat at 199 pounds (90.5kg). The possibility is there, but I will probably return to PRIDE's light heavyweight division where Vanderlei (Silva) is the champion. I have one fight left in PRIDE, and I think they appreciated that I fought without being prepared.

Tatame: What did you think of Minotauro's fight?

Bustamante: I think that Minotauro fought well. He tried many submissions such as a triangle choke, guillotine, and the keylock. Ricco only attacked with the ground'n'pound and was just trying to hold up the fight. If he had opened up more then the fight would have been better, but it would have also been easier for Minotauro.

Tatame: You hadn't fought for one year and three months before your fight with Jackson. You are now 37 years old. How do you see your career at this point?

Bustamante: I still feel young and don't have any plans to stop just yet. Even at 37 years of age, I am still as good as the younger athletes. I fought Jackson and he is much younger then me. I attribute that to my good technique and ring experience.

Tatame: Why did you go a year and three months without fighting?

Bustamante: It was because of my UFC contract. Unfortunately the negotiations didn't work out. I ended up not fighting for over a year. When my time finally came to fight, it happened overnight. I feel God helped me out with that.

Tatame: After having competed in the opening round, who do you think will win the PRIDE GP?

Bustamante: I think the PRIDE GP title will be won by either Vanderlei Silva, Chuck Liddell, or Quinton Jackson. Whoever uses the most intelligence and strategy will win.

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Pre-promotional poster for Bob Sapp vs. Warren Sapp.

According to Japanese media, K-1 and PRIDE wanted to stage a confrontation between Bob Sapp and NFL all-pro devensive lineman Warren Sapp (no relation), at the halftime show of the August 8th NFL pre-season game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders that was played in Tokyo, Japan. K-1 and Pride representatives were hosts of the half-time show and wanted to stage the confrontation so that it could eventually lead to a fixed prowrestling bout. The plan did not go through as Warren Sapp was not allowed by the Buccaneers to participate in such a risky activity with the start of the NFL season right around the corner.

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Bob Sapp (pictured, left)

The word out of Japan is that K-1 and Mike Tyson have come to an agreement, according to K-1 matchmaker Sadaharu Tanigawa when he addressed the Japanese media on Wednesday. Tyson may even fight Bob Sapp as early as the K-1 September 21st show from the Yokohama arena. More news to come on this later in the day.

Below is the tentative card for the September 21st show:

K-1 JAPAN SERIES
K-1 SURVIVAL 2003 JAPAN GP FINAL
Sunday, September 21, 2003
Yokohama Arena
Yokohama, Japan

Super Fights:

Bob Sapp vs. Mike Tyson or TOA (Samoan Beast) or a rematch with Kimo
Mike Bernardo vs. 'Butterbean'
Manabu Nakanishi vs. TBA
Katsuyori Shibata vs. TBA


Japan GP Tournament:

Musashi vs. TBA
Tatsufumi Tomihira vs. Hiraku Hori
Yusuke Fujimoto vs. Nobu Hayashi
Tsuyoshi Nakasako vs. Hiromi Amada

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Hidehiko Yoshida

Former world and Olympic Judo champion Hidehiko Yoshida has apparently recovered from his left knee injury he sustained in his fight with Kiyoshi Tamura in the PRIDE GP opening round on August 10th. Yoshida even held a judo lesson for a TV show and is already practicing at his school for the upcoming GP Finals in November.

"It's OK! My knee was locked in the fight, but the swelling is now gone and not a big deal anymore", says Yoshida.

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Josh Barnett

Wallid Ismael has announced nine of the twelve matchups that are scheduled for the Jungle Fight card he is co-promoting with Antonio Inoki. The card is very interesting on many levels as it will feature the debut of Rico Chiaparelli, former UFC champ Josh Barnett taking on Gary Goodridge, the return of former Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz, Carlson Gracie American student Tom Dradley taking on former Carlson student Carlos Barreto, and many Brazilian and Japanese star veterans. The fights will take place on a river boat on the Amazon river in Brazil.


Card subject to change:

Josh Barnett (USA) vs. Gary Goodridge (Canada)
Kazunari Murakami (Japan) vs. Lee 'Young Gun' (Korea)
Tom Dradley (USA) vs. Carlos Barreto (Brazil)
Ricardo Moraes (Brazil) vs. Jan 'The Giant' Nortje (South Africa)
Lioto Matida (USA) vs. Stephan Bonnar (USA)
Shinsuke Nakamura (Japan) vs. Shane (USA)
Dario Amorim (Brazil) vs. Justin McCulley (USA)
Mark Schultz (USA) vs. Leopoldo Montenegro (Brazil)
Rico Chiaparelli (USA) vs. Luis Pantera (Brazil)
Ronaldo 'Jacare' (Brazil) vs. TBA
Marcelo Tigre (Brazil) vs. TBA
Ebenezer Braga (Brazil) vs. TBA

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Murilo Bustamante

Brazilian magazine Tatame is reporting that Murilo Bustamante may be competing in the new PRIDE Bushido event for middleweight fighters. Bustamante will also compete as a light heavyweight in PRIDE.

Bustamante says, "I want to fight again in Pride, having the right time to prepare...it could be at middleweight in PRIDE Bushido, or at light heavyweight in PRIDE."

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Combate Extremo
August 30th, 2003
Arena Siglo XXI
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico


Featured Fights:

Aaron Riley vs. Cedric Marks

Helio Moreira 'Soneca' vs. Carlos Ortega

Rick Mathis vs. Vince Lucero

Jonathan Ivey vs. Ben Brown

for more info visit Combateextremo.com

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Mike Tyson

K-1 matchmaker Sadaharu Tanigawa met with Mike Tyson's camp for two hours in Las Vegas on Monday. It was the fifth time K-1 matchmakers have been in negotiations with Tyson's people.

K-1 desparately wants to put together a Mike Tyson vs. Bob Sapp matchup, but Tyson has told K-1 that he is more interested in fights against Ernesto Hoost and Jerome Le Banner. The inside word is also that Tyson would want USD$15,000,000 just to show and then a percentage of the pay-per-view sales.

K-1 has given Tyson invitations to show up at either their September 21st show at the Yokohama Arena, or the October 11th show at the Osaka Dome.

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CRO COP VS. FEDOR

Our sources in PRIDE are reporting that negotiations are at a very advanced stage for putting together Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Fedor Emelianenko for their November 9th Tokyo Dome show.



PRIDE SCHEDULE

DSE announced their PRIDE schedule for the first quarter of next year:

PRIDE 27 - January 2004

PRIDE Heavyweight GP (Opening Round) - February 2004

PRIDE Las Vegas, USA - March 2004

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Todd Atkins exclusively reports:

- Sept 20th. Egan Inoue vs. Jason Miller (Team Oyama, 10-3....1-0 in Super Brawl)

- T. J. Thompson is working on a November rematch for Egan Inoue against Masanori Suda, but negotiations are going really slow.

- Falaniko Vitale pulled out of the IFC tournament because his girlfriend just gave birth, and was ill afterward, so he will be staying home with her. He will fight Justin Ellison in Super Brawl.

- Super Brawl 'For Love and Glory' is being produced as we speak. A 10 week reality TV series following 5 fighters as they prepare for a SB fight!!!! On board is a 3-time Emmy winning producer. More to come on this. T Jay is very excited about this first of it's kind project.

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Ricco Chiaparelli

Jungle Fight has announced that Rico Chiaparelli will face Luis 'Pantera' instead of Magno Pena. Luis Pantera is a student of De La Riva.

Jungle Fight is an MMA event that will take place on a riverboat in the Amazon jungle of Brazil. It is being promoted by Wallid Ismael and Antonio Inoki. The complete card should be announced by next wekk.

The line-up so far:

Ricco Chiaparelli vs. Luis 'Pantera'
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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Wallid Ismail officially announced the formation of Brazil Dojo, a new MMA team based out of Brazil which will represent Inoki Dojo in Brazil. The team is managed by Wallid Ismael and Antonio Inoki.

Brazil Dojo consists of several famous Brazilian fighters such as Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos, Ebenezer Fontes Braga, Ricardo Moraes, Marcelo Tigre, Sakada, Magno Penha, Luis Pantera Manaus, and Leopoldo.

The team will be trained by Luis Alves and Artur Mariano for Muay Thai, Darrel Gholar for wrestling, Paulo Caruso for physical training, and De La Riva teaching ground skills. Some of them get financial support amd a place to stay as well.

Marcelo Tigre proclaims, "We are like missiles. Each one of our fighters is pointed at a top fighter. My goal is Chute Boxe. It can be Ninja, Shogun, or Assuerio. I want any one of them."

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By Eddie Goldstein


Dennis Hallman (top) armbarring Matt Hughes. Hallman has lost his UFC spot due to a recent loss in another promotion.

I have noticed a rather interesting trend taking place the last few months with the UFC lower weight divisions, and that is that fighters are knowingly risking their place in the UFC by fighting, and many times losing, in supposedly smaller promotions. The names of Jeremy Jackson and Dennis Hallman come to mind as the most recent cases of fighters having a guaranteed spot on an upcoming UFC card, only to lose that spot due to losing in a another promotion first.

At first glance, this may look rather foolish on the part of the fighter and their management to risk a spot in the supposed 'big show' by taking a fight in a smaller organization. But after researching some of the reasons involved, it may not seem so foolish as first thought. A fighter I had talks with told me the following, anonymously,:

'In all honesty, the smaller shows will pay more guaranteed money to a lower weight fighter then the UFC does if you have a good name. I have bills and training expenses to pay and I can't afford to turn down such good offers. You gotta take a chance. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes you lose. That's the way it is'

A manager told me the following, anonymously,:

'Most of the time, the UFC will not pay a welterweight or lightweight fighter with a name as good as other promotions. Plus the UFC can cut you after one loss so there's no stability. Unfortunately most welterweights don't have the kind of contract that someone like Matt Hughes has. 98% of all fighters have real world bills and expenses to pay and fighting on one or two UFC shows a year for $3,000 to show and $3,000 to win isn't going to cut it, especially if you can be cut after one loss. The UFC also makes most fighters pay for their own mandatory medical, which can cost almost $1,000. There's no stability or job security there. Taking a fight in another show that's not as famous, but pays you more, is a calculated risk.

Finally, another fighter told me the following, anonymously,:

'I understand why guys might take a fight before their UFC shot. The truth is that the UFC doesn't pay well to lower weight fighters now. What if the fighter just takes the UFC fight, then loses, and gets cut? Then he missed out on other paydays he turned down and also gets forgotten. The UFC is filled with such cases'

So there you have it. Looking at the situation again, I can fully understand why fighters might need to take such a chance. Many pundits will argue that just being in the UFC once will bring up your value, but I disagree. What ever happened to lower weight fighters such as Keith Rockel, Kelly Dullanty, Paul Creighton, Aaron Riley, Joao Marcos Pierini, Rodrigo Ruas, Zach Light, Nick Serra, Leigh Remedios, Rich Clementi, Romie Aram, and Eddie Ruiz? Last I checked, none of them were making double-digit figures due to their appearances in the Zuffa-owned UFC, which consisted of one loss and then being cut.

And what of the middleweight to heavyweight fighters who made one appearance, lost, and then were cut? Fighters like Sean Alvarez, Chris Haseman, and James Zikic. Are these fighters starring in Hollywood movies or making over $100,000 a fight from their UFC appearance?

The answer to all these questions is 'NO'. At the end of the day, one has to wonder who is right and who is wrong...

The fighter who realizes he needs to maximize his income during his short career, which means he sometimes has to risk fighting outside of the 'big show' for more money? or The fighter who just wants to say he fought in the UFC and pays for his own mandatory athletic commission medical and accepts close to nothing for his services?

As is most often the case, there is a little bit of right and wrong in everything. Only time tells whether a risky decision was the right one.




Eddie Goldstein is a legendary underground journalist of boxing, pro-wrestling, and now MMA. His contributions to MMA can be found here exclusively at Fightsport.com from now on.

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Frank Shamrock's ShootBox
Saturday, August 8th, 2003
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando Florida


Main Events
Jason Delucia vs. Matt Rodgers
Mike Swick vs. Butch Bacon

Feature Bouts
Jeff Ford vs. Jerome Smith
Dave Velazquez vs. Daniel Wade

Under Card
Bobby Southworth vs. TBA
Alex Kababian vs. TBA
Dan Puder vs. John Merswa
Chraston Wallace vs. Shannon Ritch
Erik Wray vs. James Meals
Mike Lee vs. Scott Johnson

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Mike Van Arsdale

The IFC: 'Golbal Domination' card was hit with injury once again as Mike Van Arsdale has pulled out of the card's light heavyweight tournament due to upcoming knee surgery. Van Arsdale will be replaced by Team Quest fighter Chael Sonnen.

The tournament brackets now look like this:

Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Trevor Prangley
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Paulo Filho
Jeremy Horn vs. Michail Avetisyan
Forrest Griffin vs. Chael Sonnon

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Anderson Silva

Chute Boxe star and PRIDE veteran Anderson Silva will be fighting in the newly formed PRIDE Bushido show according to Chute Boxe manager Rudimar Fredrigo. Rudimar told Brazilian magazine Tatame that Anderson had been training to gain weight to compete in K-1, but changed his plans when PRIDE announced it would be forming a new show for middleweight fighters called PRIDE Bushido. "With this new weight category, we decided to change our plans. This is his natural weight", explained Fedrigo.

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Kimo

The new South Korean MMA promotion known as KO King Fighting Championship announced for that the main event for thier November 11th show will be Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Kimo Leopoldo. The show will be held at the Olympic Fencing Stadium, which seats just over 10,000 people.

KO King Fighting Championship is billing themselves as the South Korean version of PRIDE. They are not affiliated with the smaller Spirit MC MMA promotion. Also, Saeki, who is the president of DEEP and will start working for PRIDE's office soon, is connected with the show, meaning that KO King Fighting Championship may end up helping supply fighters to PRIDE in the future.

Here is the card so far:

Rogerio 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Kimo

Brad Kohler vs. Kim Jong Wang

Dan Severn vs. Ikuhisa Minowa

Jeremy Horn vs. Brazilian Top Team member TBA

Yasuhito Namekawa vs. Brazilian Top Team member TBA

The rest of the undercard is filled out with young South Korean fighters facing young Japanese fighters.

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Kazushi Sakuraba (bottom) in the first of his three losses to Vanderlei Silva.

After Nobuhiko Takada announced that Kazushi Sakuraba wouldn't fight again until 2004, Sakuraba came out and said that he would continue to fight on as many PRIDE shows as possible until he finally beats Vanderlei Silva. Sakuraba went on to say that he will compete in PRIDE's November 9th Tokyo Dome show.

Sakuraba also said that he not just fight middleweights, but that he would have no problem competing in the PRIDE Heavyweight GP tournament that's scheduled for February 2004. The Japanese media is reporting that Takada is worried about Sakuraba's decisions right now, although at this point it is not fully known whether they're working an angle to salvage Sakuraba's diminishing status, or whether Sakuraba has really lost his senses from being punch drunk.

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Rickson Gracie (center) while in Tokyo yesterday.

The word out of Japan and Brazil is that Rickson Gracie may be fighting on the 'Jungle Fight' card that's being promoted by Antonio Inoki and Wallid Ismael next month in the Brazilian Amazon.

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You can watch the return of Frank Shamrock this friday night as the WEC: 'The Return of a Legend' show that took place back in March finally makes its Pay-Per-View debut. Friday Night, August 22, 2003 is the date of the PPV. Check your local listings for details.

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Jeremy Jackson (bottom) against Shonie Carter.

Coffee Guy over at Zuffa is telling us that Dennis Hallman is now out of UFC 44 and that Jeremy Jackson is back in, and will face Nick Diaz for a third time.

In a comical display of musical chairs that UFC management always seems to enjoy, Jeremy Jackson was originally scheduled to face Dennis Hallman. When Jackson lost to Nick Diaz in the WEC promotion a few weeks back, the UFC then decided to replace Jackson with Diaz. Then Dennis Hallman went out and lost a few days ago in the KOTC promotion. Rather then bring in a new fighter, the UFC then decided to bring back Jeremy Jackson to fight Nick Diaz. They have fought twice before with each fighter winning once.

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By Eddie Goldstein


Minotauro (left) in action against Ricco Rodriguez.

As I watched the PRIDE Grand Prix event last week, I was thinking to myself how almost all of the fights more then lived up to their top billing. But one fight in particular stood out to me as very significant. Funny enough, it just so happened to be the most boring fight of the night...Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Ricco Rodriguez.

In a night full of four KO/TKOs and one submission, only two fights went the distance. Both fights involved two Brazilian Top Team members against two "former" Team Punishment members. In the case of Murilo Bustamante vs. Quinton Jackson, both fighters do have a history of going for the finish, which made for an exciting fight until both fighters seemed to tire. But in the case of Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Ricco Rodriguez, only Minotauro had a history for an exciting style.

Ricco Rodriguez being more a product of the American MMA mentality that you can win a fight based on positioning alone, came out with a gameplan of staying inside Minotauro's very dangerous guard, throwing the occasional strike to score points, and then riding it out for a judges decision. Of course this strategy would work in the currently watered down UFC, whose style of fighting have turned off viewers in droves since Zuffa took over the promotion.

The fight itself played out with Minotauro constantly going for submissions. Ricco would stay in Minotauro's guard and did not even attempt a submission or guard pass the entire fight. This happened for the first round. The second round followed the same script except for some standup striking, which was even for the most part as neither fighter was able to hurt each other in this department.

The third round saw Ricco holding on for his life inside of Minotauro's guard, staying content to throw some occasional strikes, all of which were easily blocked or smothered. Minotauro on the other hand went after submissions at a furious pace. During the fight he had Ricco in many dangerous situations. Ricco even needed to illegally use the ropes to escape one such submission.

In the eyes of Ricco Rodriguez, Dana White, and every other fan of the 'new' UFC, Ricco should have won the judges decision. In my eyes however, as well as in the eyes of PRIDE fans and fans of real fights, it is Minotauro who should win the judges decision. So you can imagine the disbelief in the eyes of the UFC people when Minotauro was announced the winner. A rightful precedent was set and a paradigm shift had already begun to take place.

I applaude PRIDE for trying to set a new standard that boring fighters who only go for a 'stall' victory will not be rewarded in the most lucrative MMA promotion in the world. The facts are that Minotauro attempted to go for the finish the entire fight and was never in any danger. Ricco only hung on and attempted to just try and nullify what Minotauro was doing, while trying to collect some percieved points with ineffective strikes while on the ground.

Ricco did nothing to win that fight whereas Minotauro did everything to try and win, even getting some submission holds that Ricco barely escaped from. What Ricco did was the equivalent of a boxer holding on to his oppnent everytime his opponent goes for some serious combinations that could win the fight, then doing nothing except for the occasional weak punch that doesn't connect squarely or do any damage. It is no different then what 'Bonecrusher' Smith did against Mike Tyson almost two decades ago. Imagine if Smith had been rewarded with the win for such tactics?

I'll say it again, PRIDE is 110% correct in setting this new standard. It can only improve the evolving product that is MMA, and we can only hope that more promotions follow suit with this kind of improved judging standard that is more in tune with real fighting.



Eddie Goldstein is a legendary underground journalist of boxing, pro-wrestling, and now MMA. His contributions to MMA can be found here exclusively at Fightsport.com from now on.

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


There has been considerable talk coming out from reputable sources in Japan that a possible Mike Tyson vs. Bob Sapp matchup will either take place in the K-1 Osaka Dome show on October 11th, or on the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye show on December 31st.

The inside word is that the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye show would have the inside track for such a matchup due to the 13.5% overall rating that the K-1 Vegas show did on Fuji TV, the highest quarter-hour rating being an 18.4% for the Mike Tyson/Bob Sapp confrontation. Fuji TV will also be airing the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye show on December 31st.

Stay tuned for more news on this in the next few weeks.

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Don King

The following is an announcement made by the American MMA promotion known as the ICC:

International Cage Combat is proud to announce our new partnership with Don King productions. We are very excited to be bringing Mr. King's 40 plus years of promotional skills to the world of Mixed Martial Arts. From the Rumble in the Jungle to the Rise of Iron Mike. King has been the driving force behind the biggest shows, the largest PPVs and every major headline in the boxing world. We feel that this partnership will finally propel Mixed Martial Arts into the mainstream and give the sport the kick it needs to make it to the next level.

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Royce Gracie

Hello my friends, as I reported many weeks ago here on Fightsport.com, the UFC is set to finally announce that they have signed Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes for UFC 45 in November.

Coffee Guy, our inside source over at Zuffa, tells me that Dana White will announce the matchup sometime in the next two weeks.

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By Eddie Goldstein


Dana White from his days as a Boxercise instructor.

I was listening to MMAWeekly Radio's Friday show, which featured UFC president Dana White, and was noticing how worked up White got from some simple comments Bob Sapp had made at the K-1 Vegas press conference, in which Sapp described the UFC as the 'Ultimate Fake Championship'

White went on a little tirade about Sapp, which ended with Whte describing Sapp as 'not a real fighter'. Mind you, Bob Sapp has twice beaten 4-time K-1 champion Ernesto Hoost, as well as beating the hell out of then-PRIDE heavyweight champ (as well everyone's number one heavyweight) Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira, before gassing out and succumbing to an armbar. It's also noteworthy that Sapp did more damage to Minotauro then the former UFC heavyweight champ Ricco Rodriguez could do. Yet in the eyes of Dana White, Bob Sapp is 'not a real fighter'.

I disagree, and think that Dana White's description is just misguided. Anyone who can TKO a 4-time K-1 champ twice and almost destroy everyone's number one MMA heavyweight, is a 'real fighter' in my opinion. The misconception lies in the fact that Sapp is not yet a 'polished' or 'very experienced' fighter. Dana White would have been more accurate to describe Sapp as a 'developing fighter', but make no mistake, Sapp is a 'real fighter'.

Everyone has to start out somewhere. It's just that not many people get to start off taking on the world's best, such as Bob Sapp has done. And that is where a fight fan with less experience can make the mistake of thinking Bob Sapp is 'not a real fighter'.

Eddie Goldstein is a legendary underground journalist of boxing, pro-wrestling, and now MMA. His contributions to MMA can be found here exclusively at Fightsport.com from now on.

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Dana White

UFC president Dana White was on MMAWeekly Radio yesterday and confirmed many rumors which Fightsport.com first reported a few weeks ago. They are:

1. Frank Mir will most likely fight for the heavyweight tile next, against the winner of the Tim Sylvia vs. Gan McGee title fight.

2. 'Tank' Abott vs. Wes 'Cabbage' Correira will happen in UFC 45.

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By Eddie Goldstein


Mike Tyson calling out Bob Sapp at the K-1 Vegas.

For the fans who have been following K-1, it is apparent that ESPN was heavily involved in promoting, sponsoring, and producing the K-1 pay-per-view in Las Vegas. The reality is that K-1 has been building a relationship with ESPN on PPV, a move which many insiders feel is a very sound one on the part of K-1. For K-1, the move makes sense on many levels as they would like to expand into the U.S. market.

For ESPN, K-1 will be part of a long-term pay-per-view plan by the network called 'The Martial Arts Series'. With Bob Sapp vs. Mike Tyson, ESPN's involvement with K-1 will no doubt increase because they now have a financial stake in what happens.

The dilemma ESPN had been facing on PPV before Sapp vs. Tyson talks was if they should continue to produce low-cost action-packed boxing events or enter the field of promoting pro-wrestling in 2004, because that's where the money is at nowadays. With Sapp vs. Tyson, ESPN may have just found a way to make big PPV money from money they've already tied into PPV. The Sapp vs. Tyson move may also work towards eliminating ESPN's interest in dealing with the production of pro-wrestling PPVs in 2004, as it is said by insiders that ESPN is said to not be too enthusiastic about dealing with any of the other big players on the national pro-wrestling scene at the moment.

Eddie Goldstein is a legendary underground journalist of boxing, pro-wrestling, and now MMA. His contributions to MMA can be found here exclusively at Fightsport.com from now on.

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M-1 Russia vs. The World 6
11th October 2003
Sports Hall Lujniki
Moscow, Russia


Left to right: Salaverry and Semenov will have a rematch.

Gilbert Yvel vs. Daniel Tabeira

Bob Scheiber vs. Roman Zentsov

Bjornat Brathen vs. Mikhail Bogdanov

Vesa Vuori vs. Sergei Kaznovski

Martin Malkhasyan vs. Steinar Ruud

Arman Gambaryan vs. Fabricio Moura

Amar Suloev vs. Steve Vigneault

Andrei Semenov vs. Ivan Slaverry

Tulio Costa vs. Dennis Komkin

Islam Karimov vs. TBA

Georges St.Pierre vs. Musail Alaudinov

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By Eddie Goldstein


Shad Smith (center) against Duane Ludwig.

Most MMA fans remember Shad Smith only due to his MMA fight against Duane 'Bang' Ludwig in KOTC 4, a fight in which Ludwig put on a striking clinic right before doing doing a mock Karate Kid crane kick pose and TKO'ing Smith. What most people don't know is that Shad Smith represents a very hidden, but just as large, underground culture that is growing in MMA...the homeless fighter.

It is a segment of MMA society that lives from show to show, exploited by low budget promotions, and living from small paycheck to continually diminishing paycheck. In many ways it has been compared to the bodybuilding underground culture that flourished during the late '80s to early 90's, and which still exists today. That was a culture of the poor aspiring bodybuilder living out his car, doing all sorts of odd jobs ranging from prostituion to drug dealing. Except that in the case of MMA, it is odd jobs ranging from fixed fights to one-on-one private grappling workouts with wealthy gay men. The root of the problem exists on many levels, from the crooked promoters looking to use fighters and throw them out when finished, to the hanger-ons and never-weres who contract such fighters for close to nothing, even getting a small minority to throw the occasional fights to pad up someone else's record.

The solution to the problem is even more difficult, but what has also started to transpire is that the mainstream media is now using this angle to further tarnish the reputation of MMA with the general public. Even more so now that the UFC and stars such as Bob Sapp are getting more and more exposure on mainstream media outlets. Take for instance an article written by Rodrigo Pena regarding the aforementioned Shad Smith. In his article, which appeared in the San Bernadino (California) County Sun newspaper on Saturday June 14, 200, Pena starts to write about a homeless man named Shad Smith (age 30) who lives from one friends' house to the next. Smith participates in amateur MMA in cage fighting (KOTC, and it is not amateur). After briefly profiling Smith, Pena immediately links amateur MMA to UFC with the following statement:

'And millions are watching this often-illegal trial by ordeal think cockfighting with human roosters in arenas, on tribal reservations, in Las Vegas casinos and on pay-per-view TV.'

Nowhere in Pena's article does he talk about the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Pena does address the issue of MMA and the athletic commission in California by stating the following:

'The state Athletic Commission is working to sanction a version of mixed martial arts, but rules for lawful bouts are not yet in place. So fights in this state must be staged on Indian reservations, which are sovereign.'

So there you have it, this is what makes MMA very difficult to succeed in the United States. Many promotions in MMA, both amateur and professional, don't give a damn what happens to the fighters in general, which then leads to the current MMA underground culture. And the main players in the media have absolutely no interest in the sport. Because they have no interest in the sport, they aren't going to make an attempt to watch it, understand it, or try to portray it correctly to the general public. Many MMA people will argue that these media people must be educated, but the fact is that these mainstream media journalists don't want to be educated on the subject of MMA. Another hard fact is that the perception of America's top sports journalists is most often the perception of the genral public. Can it change? Only time will tell.


Rodrigo Pena's article in the San Bernadino County Sun can be found here

Eddie Goldstein is a legendary underground journalist of boxing, pro-wrestling, and now MMA. His contributions to MMA can be found here exclusively at Fightsport.com from now on.

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Joachim Hansen (left) vs. Takanori Gomi.

World famous MMA photographer Susumu Nagao now has pictures up of the SHOOTO event that just took place on August 10th. To check out the pictures on Susumu's site, click here

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Ricardo Arona

Brazilian magazine Tatame recently interviewed Ricardo Arona a day after he arrived back in Brazil from the PRIDE GP. Interview was done by Alexandre Lobo:

Tatame: How was your arrival in Japan recieved after PRIDE promoters knew you wouldn't be able to fight?

Ricardo Arona: As soon as we arrived, Motoko (Brazilian Top Team representative in Japan) told me that PRIDE president Sakakibara wanted to banish me from Pride. It was a delicate situation, because I also had also missed a previously proposed matchup with Alistair Overeem due to the flu. Fortunately, we were able to talk, I showed that I was really injured, apologized, and now everything is well.

Tatame: Everything turned out ok, really? After all, you were drafted to face one of the toughest fighters in the tournament...

Ricardo Arona: Everything turned out ok. It was just a question of apologizing personally to everyone involved in PRIDE. In the end, they felt better about the situation and wished me a speedy recovery so that I can return to PRIDE as soon as possible. In all honesty, I don't believe I was drafted juts for the purpose of beating Jackson. They put on the fights that will have the most interest. They put two Japanese fighters against each other so that they would be sure of having Japanese fighter in the November finals and they matched me against Jackson because they knew it would be a great fight.

Tatame: You were examined by a team of PRIDE doctors in Japan to see whether you'd be able to fight or not. What was the final conclusion of their exams?

Ricardo Arona: As soon as I arrived in Japan, I was examinied by four doctors. I underwent a magnetic resonance and the Pride doctor firmly said that I couldn't fight. They verified that I had a fractured heel and one of the major ligaments was 80% torn. The doctor went on to say that if I tried to fight that I would surely finish tearing the ligament off and that I would need surgery to repair it. He came to me and said: 'You're very young, it isn't worth it to do that now".

Tatame: PRIDE promoters must not have been too happy with the situation. How did your talks with them go?

Ricardo Arona: They were pretty adamant that they wanted to have a Brazilian Top Team fighter in the event. It was the PRIDE GP and not just an ordinary show. Ze Mario (Sperry) had just underwent surgery on his broken hand and Rogerio Minotoro just had surgery in his arm. We offered Paulo (Filho), but they didn't want him. The only solution was Murilo (Bustamamnte). We told Murilo, but he had went to Japan not believing he would fight. He was just going to check out the situation and to be in the corners of Minotauro and I. But he ended up fighting and even had to use my shorts.

Tatame: What did you think of the fight between Murilo and Quinton Jackson?

Ricardo Arona: In all honesty, I thought that Murilo won the fight. He fought better, exchanged strikes very well with Jackson, and looked to finish the fight on the ground. The only thing is that he got tired towards the end of the fight. After all, he didn't have any preparation time for that fight.

Tatame: If you had been able to fight, do you think you would have won?

Ricardo Arona: I have no doubts that I would have won. The way I was training and based on the form that Quinton Jackson displayed against Murilo, I'm sure I would have beaten him. I was doing great in my standup, exchanging strikes well, and doing some real good kicks. My takedowns were also better then ever.

Tatame: Hidehiko Yoshida got hurt after his fight with Tamura, and it looks like he won;t be able to fight in November. Is there any chance that you may replace him for the November finals?

Ricardo Arona: I don't think so. If Yoshida doesn;t fight, then they will probably invite Tamura to replace him.

Tatame: When will you be back to the ring?

Ricardo Arona: My contract with PRIDE finished before the Grand Prix and we had made a special arrangement just for the Grand Prix. Right now, I will work hard to recover from my injury. I will return to PRIDE after that, probably in the beginning of next year.

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Ikuhisa Minowa (right)

BRAZIL SUPER FIGHT
September 19th, 2003
Tesourinha
Porto Alegre, Brazil

*card subject to change

MMA Fights:

Jorge 'Macaco' Patino vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Fabiano Capoane vs. Brand
Roan 'Jucao' Carneiro vs. Luis Azeredo
Helio Dipp vs. Luis 'Beicao' Ramos
Eric Tavares vs. Mau
Haroldo 'Cabelinho' Bunn vs. Fabricio 'Morango' Camoes
Luke 'The Duke' Piclum vs. Eduardo Simoes
Marcelo 'Grilo' Alfaia vs. Jose Ricardo 'Dragao'


Muay Thai Fight:

Gerson Silva vs. Eduardo Verissimo

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Murilo "Ninja" Rua

Meca co-promoter Jorge Guimaraes has stated that he would like to match up Murilo 'Ninja' Rua against Renato 'Babalu' Sobral at the next show, Meca 10, scheduled for December 19th. The show's location has not yet been decided, but will be held at either in Brazilian southern city of Porto Alegre, or in the capital city of Sao Paulo.

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Left to right: Murilo Bustamante, Ikuhisa Minowa, and Mario Sperry.

Pancrase star Ikuhisa Minowa is now an official member of the Brazilian Top Team. Minowa had broke up with Pancrasism and had been training in Brazil since July. He was without a team in Japan and was introduced to Mario Sperry, due to the fact Minowa since he is friends with Ms. Motoko, who is also the person who handles BTT in Japan.

BTT's leaders had a meeting with Minowa and accepted him as BTT's newest member. Minowa is training hard, with a gi and without, and is scheduled to debut under the BTT flag next September 19th in Brazil. Minowa will be taking on Brazilian veteraN Jorge 'Macaco' Patino in the Brazilian promotion called Super Fight.

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Peter Aerts

The word out of Japan and Holland is that 3-time K-1 champion Peter Aerts has been training seriously for a career in MMA, in addition to his kickboxing career in K-1. Aerts trains frequently with Pedro Rizzo. He will spend some training time with Marco Ruas in preparation for a possible debut MMA fight in PRIDE Bushido.

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Mark Coleman

South Korean promoters will stage Neofight, scheduled for August 30th in Seoul, South Korea. The Neofight organizers have also invited some big names to compete such as Mark Coleman and Dan Severn. Also scheduled to be on the card is South Korean MMA fighter Lee Myun-joo.

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KOTC 28
Sunday, August 16, 2003 , 2003
Reno, NV

Benji Radach defeats Gustavo Machado by KO at 1:31, RD 1.
Drew Fickett defeats Dennis Hallman by split decision.
Joey Villasenor defeats James Fanshier by rear naked choke at 2:26, RD 2.
Art Santore defeats Sean Gray by TKO at 0:54, RD 3.
Jason Cornado defeats Rocky Batastini by rear naked choke at 3:24, RD 1.
Bo Cantrall defeats Rick Collup by choke at 0:13, RD 2.
Casey Balkenbush defeats Steve Renaud by KO at 0:51, RD 1.
Khomkrit Niimi defeats Danny Mann by TKO at 3:04, RD 2.

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