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Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that Brazilian vale tudo legend and ex-Chute Boxe member Jose 'Pele' Landi-Jons sends the following message to his fellow Brazilians competing on the PIRDE: 'Final Conflict' card tomorrow:

'Pele' on Vanderlei Silva and the PRIDE GP: "Vanderlei is my friend and of course I want him to win. I wish him luck. We used to dream about these type of things together, and now he's there and having a lot of success. I'm not going to speak about the fight against Yoshida. I want the final to be Vanderlei against Chuck Liddell. I admire Vanderlei because his thoughts are pure and clear, and he will never let anything change that."

'Pele' on 'Minotauro' vs. 'Cro Cop': Minotauro will be fighting a great striker for the first time in his career. But Minotauro is talented. Either Cro Cop will knock out Minotauro, or Minotauro will take him to the ground and submit him. It's going to be a very good fight."

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The Japanese newssites have some good PRIDE GP pre-fight pics up on their sites. The following picture is courtesy of SportsNavi.co.jp. To view the complete gallery, click here

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By Jake R

Dana White

As it has already been reported, the Frank Mir vs. Pat Smith fight has been in danger of being cancelled. The Nevada State Athletic Commission once again has reared its powerful head and expressed displeasure with Pat for past violations. The fight probably will not take place, but it has not been cancelled outright yet. At this point, Smith needs to pass his NSAC drug tests for the matchup with Mir to even be a possibility and still continue.

Also, as multiple sources in Las Vegas explained to me, UFC president Dana White wanted another fight signed in case the Mir/Smith bout didn't happen, so he signed two relatively unknown and (most importantly) very cheap fighters to the event. Despite what may be claimed in the mma media, this was not a move done to bring fresh new talent into the organization.

As my sources explained, this was clearly a move Dana made just to say he had signed another fight, while basically finding the cheapest possible talent possible. No effort was made to equal the previous Mir/Sims or even Mir/Smith matchup. No effort was made to find up and coming talent looking for UFC experience. Instead, the entire process was predicated upon finding the cheapest possible fighters, even down to the issue of travel expense! Apparently, the only fighters who Dana believes are worthy of big paydays are those who he has managed in the past.

Keep reading the page that drives up Dana White's blood pressure, and we'll continue to deliver the uncensored truth.

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Rickson Gracie

The Japanese media is reporting that Antonio Inoki is ready to offer Rickson Gracie up to USD$5 million in order to get him on his New Year's Eve show that will be broadcast on Nippon TV.

Rickson Gracie's opponent would be Kazuyuki Fujita.

Inoki is under a lot of pressure from Nippon TV to put on a card to combat the two other New Year's Eve shows: K-1 on TBS, and PRIDE on Fuji TV. Media observers are predicting that K-1's main event of Bob Sapp vs. Akebono will soundly beat everyone else in the ratings.

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Ron Waterman vs. Jun Iishi

World famous MMA photographer Susumu Nagao now has pictures up of the Pancrase event that just took place on October 31st. To check out the pictures on Susumu's site, click here

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By Jake R

Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (left)

This cyber reporting stud can reveal in a Fightsport.com exclusive that 'Cabbage' is severely underestimating 'Tank' for UFC 45 on November 21st. Sources inside the Zuffa organization have informed me that Cabbage has yet to start training! Cabbage is reported as saying that he has no reason to train because Tank will be a "walk in the park" for him.

After watching the last two Tank fights, Cabbage agrees with the conventional wisdom popular on the internet and among the establishment mma media that Tank is washed up and done. In fact, Cabbage does not plan on even starting training for the fight until next week!

As my source explained, Cabbage is very fat and out of shape at the moment. Certainly, Cabbage is in no shape to fight as he believes he does not need to be.

However, another source inside the Zuffa organization has informed me that the reports of Tank Abbott training hard and being in shape are indeed true. Tank is said to finally be training hard for the first time under his Zuffa contract. One source has even stated after recently watching Tank train that "he has not looked this good in training in five years and I predict cabbage is going to turn into a grappler really quick after he gets tagged by Tank a couple times."

My source believes Tank was not in the mental state to compete after his mother died; he even asked zuffa if he could opt out of the fight, but Dana White refused the request. Furthermore, my source confirmed Zuffa has expressed interest in Tank after his contract runs out. Despite internet reports to the contrary, Zuffa plans on resigning Tank if he can defeat Cabbage, albeit to a smaller salary. I have also been made aware of the main opponent Zuffa is interested in Tank fighting, but will reveal that in a future Jake R report.

While nothing is certain about the outcome, Cabbage's lazy training habits have greatly enhanced the possibility of an upset and a Tank 'comeback' at UFC 45.

Keep reading the Jake R report and fightsport.com, and we'll continue to report the news that other sites will not.

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Naoyuki Kotani

The opening round of ZST's 16-man lightweight GP takes place on November 23rd, 2003. The semifinals and finals will take place on January 11th 2004.


Opening Round:
Naoyuki Kotani vs. Mindaugas Smirnovas
Masahiro Ohishi vs. Hideo Tokoro
Jason Maxwell vs. Taisho
Jorge Gurgel vs. Masakazu Imanari
Marcos Aurelio vs. Takumi Nakayama
Rich Clementi vs. Aloisio Barros
Igor Isaikin vs. Takumi Yano
Remigijus Morkevicius vs. Menno Dijkstra



The prize money is as follows:

Champion - 5,000,000 yen (approximately USD$42,000)
2nd place - 1,500,000 yen (approximately USD$12,500)
3rd place - 700,000 yen (approximately USD$6,000)

Prize money for first submission or KO - 100,000 yen (approximately USD$850)
Prize money for second submission or KO - 200,000 yen (approximately USD$1,700)
Prize money for third submission or KO - 300,000 yen (approximately USD$2,550)
Prize money for fourth submission or KO - 400,000 yen (approximately USD$3,350)

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

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Bob Sapp

Japanese media member Hiroshi reports the following on the MMA ratings war scheduled for December 31st on Japanese TV:

K-1, PRIDE, and Antonio Inoki's Year End Show will all be going against each other for ratings on December 31st. Here is the break-down of each event:

K-1 (Tokyo Broadcasting System): The name of this event will be called "Dynamite!!" It will be staged at the Nagoya Dome, with Bob Sapp vs. Akebono in either a K-1 rules or MMA fight as the main event. Ray Sefo and Francisco Filho will be helping out Akebono in training. Expect to see a card mixed with established K-1 stars and some of the giant fighters and boxers they have signed.

PRIDE (Fuji TV): This show will be staged at the Saitama Super Arena in Omiya, and don't be surprised to see both Vanderlei Silva and Kazushi Sakuraba on the card. Outside of that, it hasn;t been made known yet who else they are planning to have on the card.

Antonio Inoki's Year End Show (Nippon TV): This show will be staged Wing Stadium in Kobe, with Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic headlining the card against possibly Josh Barnett. Also expect to see Kazuyuki Fujita, Paulo filho, Evangelista 'Santos' Santos on the card, as well as some more 'Brazil Dojo' fighters and a heavy emphasis on Japanese fighters.

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K-1 MMA: 'New Stars'
November 27th, 2003
Circulo Militar Gymnasium
Curitiba, Brazil

K-1 MMA director Sergio Batarelli announced that he will be producing the first K-1 MMA-only show in Curitiba, Brazil.

The rules of the event are the same as in Japan. A fight will be stood up by the ref if there is no action on the ground the same as in Japan, but fighters on the ground that get too near too the ropes will also be stood back up instead of being brought back to the same position in the middle of the ring by the ref.

COMPLETE CARD (subject to change):

Eduardo Maiorino vs. Claudinei Kozan 'Gladiador'
Antoine Jaoude vs. Jeferson 'Tank' Silva
Christopher Led vs. Daniel Paula
Emerson Graxaim vs. Andre Cruz
Rivanildo Riva vs. Vitor Vitinho
Carlso Santos vs. Magno Penha
Marcelo Dalke vs. Julio Cesar

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Vanderlei Silva

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' recentky spoke with two of Brazil's best world class Judokas, Flavio Canto and Sebastian Pereira, regarding the Vanderlei Silva's upcoming MMA fight against former world and Olympic Judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida in the PRIDE GP. Here's what Canto and Pereira had to say:

Flavio Canto: According to Canto, the fact that Vanderlei is fighting without a gi will be a problem for Yoshida, because Yoshida's best move is his uchi-mata (take down using the hip and holding the opponent's gi). "He is one of the best Judo fighters that I have ever seen, but his style classical Judo, and that presents a problem for him in MMA. I hope Vanderlei finishes the fight quickly on the feet", says Canto.

Sebastian Pereira: Pereira has the same opinion, and adds, "Vanderlei can't let Yoshida come close to him, because even without a gi he can do an uchi-mata holding Silva's neck, like the koshi-guruma (take down using the hip and holding the opponent's neck). Regardless of all the controversy between Royce and Yoshida in the past, we also know that Yoshida isn't a fool on the ground. He can use his gi as a weapon." Periera also said that he hopes Vanderlei Silva knocks Yoshida out quickly.

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Naoyuki Kotani

The opening round of ZST's 16-man lightweight GP takes place on November 23rd, 2003. The semifinals and finals will take place on January 11th 2004.

Eleven of the sizteen fighters have been announced for the opening round. The final five fighters will be announced within two weeks:

Confirmed matchup:
Masahiro Ohishi vs. Hideo Tokoro

Confirmed participants (opening round):
Remigijus Morkevicius
Igor Isaikin
Jorge Gurgel
Marcus Aurelio
Jason Maxwell
Naoyuki Kotani
Masakazu Imanari
Takumi Yano
Taisho


The prize money is as follows:

Champion - 5,000,000 yen (approximately USD$42,000)
2nd place - 1,500,000 yen (approximately USD$12,500)
3rd place - 700,000 yen (approximately USD$6,000)

Prize money for first submission or KO - 100,000 yen (approximately USD$850)
Prize money for second submission or KO - 200,000 yen (approximately USD$1,700)
Prize money for third submission or KO - 300,000 yen (approximately USD$2,550)
Prize money for fourth submission or KO - 400,000 yen (approximately USD$3,350)

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

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SuperBrawl 32
December 5th, 2003
Honolulu, Hawaii


Masanori Suda vs. Shannon Ritch
Egan Inoue vs. Jason Miller
Ray 'King Kong Seraile vs. Tyler Lecky
Stephen Palling vs. Harvey Nakamura
Brian Pardoe vs. Riki
Mike Labuanon vs. Anthony Torres
Mike Bauer vs. Brandon Keene
David Yeung vs. Justin Mercado
Ryan Lee vs. Will Hagerty

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DSE announced that it is releasing its North American DVD version of PRIDE FC: 'Bad Blood' (otherwise known as PRIDE 19) in mid-November. It will be a special 2-disc compilation.

In fact, according to inside sources, expect PRIDE's North American DVDs to be like this from now on. DSE wants to make their North American DVDs to be as full of extra features and as attractive as their main market Japanese version DVDs. PRIDE also wanted to offer a DVD that is as attractive as the new UFC DVDs that have hit the North American market, which cater to the North American fan the way PRIDE's Japanese DVDs cater to the Japanese fan.

Disc 1: Features the entire PRIDE 19 event, culminating in Don Frye vs. Ken Shamrock.

Disc 2: Loaded with special features including interviews, behind the scenes footage, outtakes, fighter bios, easter eggs and more.

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TANK ABBOTT photo from Sherdog.com

The Law - Pro Wrestling site made the following short review of Tank Abbott's appearance on The Jimmy Kimmel Show

*I caught Tank Abbott on "Jimmy Kimmel" last night. First off they kept referring to him as the "Ultimate Fighting Champion", something he is not and likely never will be. Abbott claimed how there are so many rules now because of what he did in the early days. He never mentioned he was facing Wes "Cabbage" Correira at the next show. What show you ask? Well you were probably one of the people who saw this interview where Abbott forgot to mention there was a PPV on November 21st. Abbott also said he could beat Mike Tyson, as could anyone from the UFC. After the interview, Andy Dick, who was Kimmel's co-host, jumped on his back and Abbott flung him right over his head.

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Scoop McTroll reports the following



AKEBONO

AKEBONO TO FIGHT SAPP, TYSON

Within hours of Todd Atkins reporting the proposed signing of Sumo star 'Akebono' to K-1 the following report was put out on the AP news wire.

"Associated Press

Nov. 6, 2003 10:16 p.m.

TOKYO (AP) -
Former sumo grand champion Akebono said Thursday he has formally quit the sumo world and will launch a new career in Japan's K-1, a brutal sport that combines elements of karate, kickboxing and taekwondo.
Akebono, a Hawaii native and the first foreigner ever to reach sumo's highest rank, had retired from the ring in 2001 but remained a senior member of the association.

The soft-spoken 34-year-old tendered his resignation to sumo's governing body on Wednesday. He said he decided to come out of retirement for his three children, who were too young to witness his peak as a dominant "yokozuna," or grand champion.

"My kids probably don't remember seeing their father in sumo. I wanted them to see their father fight," he told a press conference televised live by several broadcasters. "I couldn't suppress my feeling of wanting to return to fight."

Akebono said he would take on former NFL lineman Bob Sapp, nicknamed "The Beast," in his debut K-1 match on Dec. 31.

Under an agreement with the K-1 organization that promotes fights for eight matches in Japan, Akebono might also face ex-heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, said K-1 producer Sadaharu Tanigaki. Tyson signed a K-1 contract in August.

Akebono, born Chad George Rowan, was 18 when he arrived in Japan to become a sumo wrestler in 1988. He changed his name to Taro Akebono after switching his American citizenship to Japanese.

Forced to retire from sumo due to persistent knee problems, the 203 centimeter, 220 kilogram (6-foot-9, 484 pound) Akebono had overcome considerable concerns about whether a foreigner should be allowed to hold the coveted title of yokozuna.

Five years after his debut in the professional ranks, Akebono was promoted to yokozuna in 1993. The title is more than a sports achievement - it is considered a mark of honor, and the behavior of its holders are held up to very high standards.

But he proved himself more than worthy, winning 11 career titles. Two other foreign-born wrestlers have since made the highest rank - Hawaii's Musashimaru, and Asashoryu, of Mongolia.

Akebono sought to downplay speculation that he might be hobbled by his weight and possible injuries in K-1, as he was at the twilight of his sumo career.

"When I retired from sumo my body was in bad shape. I have been recovering, slowly but surely," he said.

K-1 is wildly popular in Japan, where bouts are regularly staged before crowds of up to 70,000. The sport has held events in the United States and is seeking expansion there."

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Fedor Emelianenko

Below are some of the picks that PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko gave for the upcoming PRIDE GP Finals on November 9th. However, Fedor added that predictions mean nothing, and anything can happen in a fight based on the unpredictability of combat:


Gary Goodridge vs. Dan Bobish: Fedor said he can't make a prediction on this fight since he's not familiar with Bobish, and doesn't know anything about his style or what kind of shape he's in.

Quinton Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell: Fedor thinks Jackson will win.

Vanderlei Silva vs. Hidehiko Yoshida: Fedor thinks Silva will win.

PRIDE GP Champion: Fedor thinks Vanderlei Silva will win the GP tournament.

Dan Henderson vs. Murilo Bustamante: Fedor thinks this fight will most likely end up as a draw.

Heath Herring vs. Norihisa Yamamoto: Fedor doesn't know how HGerring's form is after losing a few fights in a row, but he still thinks Herring will win this fight.

Kevin Randleman vs. Kazushi Sakuraba: Fedor thinks Randleman will win.

Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic: Fedor thinks Minotauro will win by submission. But Fedor added that if Minotauro isn't able to get the fight to the ground, the he will lose by KO.

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Akebono

Todd Atkins reports the following from Japan:

K-1 will be holding a press conference in Tokyo tonight. The main topic will be the sigining of Hawaiian and former Yokozuna (Sumo Grand Champion) Chad Rowan, otherwise known as 'Akebono'.

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By Jake R


In another in the long line of fightsport exclusives, this cyber reporting stud recently learned from a well placed source in the Zuffa organization about Zuffa's plans to have Matt Hughes and B.J. Penn fight for the 170 pound title.

As I first reported in the summer, Zuffa desperately wanted to match up Royce Gracie and Matt Hughes for a main event, but was unable to come to a deal with Royce.

As my source explained, Dana White has been very disappointed with the drawing power of Hughes and does not believe he has the drawing power of a main event figher as Dana had previously thought. Dana has decided that Hughes is a great fighter but a failure business wise for Zuffa. In fact, my source familiar with the day-to-day inner workings at Zuffa informed me that Dana himself is beginning to feel the pressure for not getting results with each dismal UFC ppv buy rate.

To put it simply, Dana's job may be in jeopardy if there is not drastic improvement soon. The staff at Zuffa is fully aware of this, and as I was told the general mood and atmosphere is very tense and anxious over the added pressure from above.

The UFC President believed a fight with martial arts legend Royce Gracie could possibly turn Hughes into a star; at least result in a good ppv buy rate given his name recognition, and temporarily end the pressure he was facing for not getting results as UFC 40 did.

However, since the Gracie idea did not work out, Dana has decided to do the next best thing and ask BJ Penn to move up to 170 pounds. If he does, Penn has been promised an immediate title shot against Hughes in his first 170 pound fight.

Dana is convinced that Penn has more potential to be a 'fan friendly' fighter given his past exciting fights and was extremely impressed with Penn finishing Takanori Gomi recently.

Finally, expect Zuffa to heavily market Penn if he manages to defeat Hughes. Dana believes Penn can be a star and I was told will be 'given the Tito treatment' if he becomes the new champ. Penn is being tapped as a potential star because White thinks none of the other current UFC fighters besides Tito and Ken are marketable, and both of their futures with the organization are in doubt.

Stay tuned to Fightsport.com to read the reporting you won't read anywhere else.

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Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic (left)

Antonio Inoki announced to the Japanese media that the annual Inoki 'Bom-Ba-Ye' will change its name due to legal reasons with TBS (Tokyo Broadcasting System).

The Japanese media reports that Inoki has agreed to a huge money contract with Nippon TV to broadcast his annual New Year's Eve show for the next three years. This year's show will most likeky be staged at the 50,000-seat Kobe Wing Stadium in Hyogo, Japan.

Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic and Kazuyuki Fujita are scheduled to be on the card, with Josh Barnett being a possibility. The rest of the card will have a heavy emphasis on Japanese fighters, as well as some fighters from the newly formed 'Brazil Dojo', such as Paulo Filho and Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos.

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Kazuyuki Fujita

Fightsport.com first reported almost three months ago that DSE was wanting to make Heath Herring vs. Kazuyuki Fujita for their November 9th PRIDE: 'Final Conflict' card.

DSE has now reported to the Japanese media that this was indeed true. Fujita turned down the fight because he is training hard for a different fight in the Inoki 'Bom-Ba-Ye' show on December 31st.

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Renato 'Babalu' Sobral

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' just interviewed Renato 'Babalu' Sobral, after the news came out that he had left the Ruas Vale-Tudo Team and joined the newly formed Gracie Barra Team. Here's what Babalu had to say (interview by Andre Araujo):

Tatame: Why did you switch from the Ruas Vale-Tudo Team to the Gracie Barra Combat Team?

Babalu: Man, I just have one thing to say about that: I changed teams and that's it.

Tatame: How is your relationship with your old Ruas VT teammates?

Babalu: I am still friends with everyone there. I consider all of them as brothers.

Tatame: You have been seen training at Gracie Barra before...how will your training change now?

Babalu: I will continue to train as hard as I always have. I think the training at Barra is more globalized. Everyone there is training the same things. Either way, I'm a vale tudo fighter, and I will improve myself however I can at my new home. No matter where I am training, I will always be the same Babalu.

Tatame: What about your plans to try and qualify for the Olympics?

Babalu: Everything will depend on my training, and if I'm able to financially maintain that endeavor. I don't know if it will be possible however. I'm a wrestler and that's I like to do most, but MMA is where I earn my living.

Tatame: Now that you are part of the new Gracie Barra Combat Team, have you had any proposal to participate in the event that they are promoting in January?

Babalu: I haven't heard anything about anything. But if they pay me well, I will fight.

Tatame: You hurt your right hand and had to cancel your fight on the HEAT card. What happened?

You got your hand hurt and had to cancel with Heat. What has really happen?

Babalu: Man, I got injured during training and my hand got very swollen. Unfortunately, I couldn't confirm my participation on the HEAT FC card. But my injury isn't anything serious. I was feeling much worse before, but it's just a training bruise.

Tatame: How is your situation now with the Heat organizers?

Babalu: My relationship with them is strictly professional. Unfortunately, I will not be able to fight at that event, but I am open to offers from them, and to other events as well.

Tatame: Some people has saying that your injured hand was just an excuse for you not to fight at Heat, so you could get out of a contract tying you to Ruas Vale-Tudo. What do you think about that?

Babalu: No man, I really got injured during a training. The rumor is not true. I even visited a doctor today, with the Gracie Barra promoter Carlo Malta. I took some X-Rays of the hand. Fortunately, it wasn't anything serious and I am feeling fine.

Tatame: Is Ruas Vale-Tudo coming to an end?

Babalu: No. I don't know anything that. They continue to be a strong team, the same as they've always been. I left, but they have a lot of good people there.

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Randy Couture (pictured) to defend his belt at UFC 46.

Our Zuffa informant 'Coffee Guy' tells us of the complete card that is trying to be put together for UFC 46:

Confirmed:
Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort (UFC light heavyweight title)
Tim Sylvia vs. Frank Mir* (UFC heavyweight title)
Lee Murray vs. Jorge Rivera

Unofficially confirmed:
Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz**
Josh Thomson vs. Hermes Franca
B.J. Penn vs. Duane Ludwig*** (UFC lightweight title)

Strong possibility:
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Phil Baroni
Kazuyuki Fujita vs. winner of Tank/Cabbage


* Providing that Frank Mir beats Pat Smith at UFC 45.
** Ortiz has so far refused the fight, claiming his hand hurts.
*** Providing Ludwig beats Sudo in K-1 Max this month.

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Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueria recently spoke to Japanese newssite 'SportsNavi' regarding his upcoming fight against Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic on the November 9th PRIDE: 'Final Conflict' card.

'Minotauro' said that he feels confident in being able to strike with 'Cro Cop'. Minotauro went on to say that he has trained for eight hours a day at BTT, added a special striking training for three hours a day, and that his timing is just right.

Minotauro on striking with Cro Cop: "Mirko is a world-class fighter for sure, and everyone knows how dangerous his left high kick is. But I have done the right kind of standup training. I sparred with various professional strikers and MMA fighters. I trained boxing. I have confidence."

Minotauro on Cro Cop's prediction that he can knock Mino out with his left cross: "If it becomes like boxing, I will be able to take him down in the clinch. My timing and distance is perfect right now."

Minotauro on predicting how the fight will play out: "He is a striker, and I am a grappler. If I can draw him to ground, I will win. He was taken down by Sakuraba and Fujita. I can take him down too. I will be able to take him down with a body tackle. I hope I can submit him in the first round, but I think the fight will be long. It is more likely that I will be able to submit one of his limbs after we are well into the fight and he is tired."

Minotauro on a possible rematch with Fedor: "Right now I am only concentrating on Mirko. If the fight with Fedor is happens, then I will train hard and fight."

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Fedor Emelianenko

The following is an interview that Japanese magazine 'Kami no Puroresu' did with PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko. after he beat Gary Goodridge in the PRIDE GP opening round show back in August. Translated by Akira S.:


Kami no Puroresu: You defeated Gary Goodridge last night. How do you feel today?

Fedor: About yesterday's fight, I strongly believed that the victory would come to me if I was focused and fought the way I was supposed to fight. I feel fine, and I am totally satisfied with the result because it was exactly what I expected from my image in training.

Kami no Puroresu: I personally believed you would win, but the thing that surprised me was that you knocked him out with only strikes in around one minute, despite the fact that Gary is a powerful K-1 caliber striker.

Fedor: There was no doubt that Gary's striking is pretty dangerous, but as far as I saw from videos of his fights, we noticed that my striking is better than his. I discussed it with my coach, then we decided to go for striking.

Kami no Puroresu: So you fought with him last night. Have you changed your impression about him?

Fedor: Not really. I still see him as a great fighter, and my impression has not changed. The right fighting strategy lead to my quick victory this time I suppose.

Kami no Puroresu: What did you think about Mirko's fight?

Fedor: Well, every time I see him, I feel that he has the same fight philosophy as mine.

Kami no Puroresu: Same philosophy?

Fedor: I understand that he trains very hard, researches his opponents thoroughly, and gets well prepared for fights. He finishes his opponents with brutal strikes, without fail. I think all those things are something we have in common.

Kami no Puroresu: What do you think about his striking skill?

Fedor: Well, as everybody already knows, his striking skill is just outstanding. His striking skill is currently second to none.

Kami no Puroresu: Did it surprise you that he knocked out Vovchanchyn, or did you expect it?

Fedor: I never thought he would lose, because I was on his side and believed he would win. Mirko is not a pleasant opponent for me. I do know his striking skill is brutally dangerous. He may even be a more dangerous fighter than Nogueira. However, my aim is to defeat an opponent like him. I will be well prepared and in perfect condition for my upcoming fight with Mirko.

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TKO 14: Road Warriors
November 29th, 2003
Colisee Des Boisfrancs
Victoriaville, Quebec

Matchups that have been officially announced thus far:

Steve Vigneault vs. Patrick Cote
Georges St-Pierre vs. Pete Spratt
Dave Goulet vs. Donald Ouimet
Richard Nancoo vs. Stephane Vigneault


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
TKOZone.tv

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AFC 6
Saturday, December 6th, 2003
War Memorial Coliseum
Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Open: 6:30 pm
Start: 7:30 pm

Card Subject To Change:


Dustin Denes vs. Adrian Serrano
Leigh Remedios vs. Mike Brown (AFC lightweight title)
Jeff Monson vs. Ron Faircloth
Jorge Santiago vs. Keith Wisniewski
Efrain Ruiz vs. Jason Veach
Julian Ortega vs. Jorge Masvidal
Thiago 'Pitbull' Alves vs. Derrick Noble
Davion Peterson vs. Anthony Rea
Charles McCarthy vs. Pat O'Malley
Robert Bailey vs. Michael Quinlan

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SHOOTO
November 2nd, 2003
Klub 'Faraon'
Ryga, Latvia


Class-B Bouts:
Romas Klimavicius defeats Evgeni Andrieev by judges decision.
Erikas Petraitis defeats Jurij Boreiko by armlock, RD 2.
Nerijus Valiukevicius defeats Aleksandr Deludnikov by leglock, RD 1.
Juoko Vladimir defeats Regimantas Bakas by decision.
Pavel Dolgov defeats Saulius Kieras by decision.
Tadas Rinkevicius defeats Egidijus Petruokevicius by choke, RD 1.

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Randy Couture

UFC president Dana White announced today that Randy Couture will defend his light heavyweight belt against Vitor Belfort in UFC 46 on January 31st, 2004.

White also officially announced Lee Murray vs. Jorge Rivera for UFC 46.

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Vanderlei Silva

PRIDE light heavyweight champion Vanderlei Silva spoke with Brazilian journalist Gleidson Venga before embarking for his trip to Japan to compete in the PRIDE GP Finals on November 9th. Here's what Silva had to say:

Vanderlei on his fighting shape: "I'm in the best shape of my career. The training has been clicking and going very well."

Vanderlei on his first round opponent Hidehiko Yoshida: "I consider it a good advantage for me that Hidehiko Yoshida will wear a gi. This will help me out because I feel that the fighter who is not wearing the gi has the advantage - I will be able to hold him, use many positions, and strike (smiles). These points give me an advantage."

Vanderlei on Quinton Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell: "I don't choose my opponents, and I will fight Chuck for sure if he is there. I just want to see Jackson win, because Quinton Jackson is going to get hit really HARD in the final! I want to hit him real hard. I am going crazy wanting to hit that guy. I want to face him in the final. I will break him down slowly."

Vanderlei on Randy Couture's dominating victory over Tito Ortiz: "The result was what everyone wanted. Tito Ortiz is a very cocky guy. He attracts very negative attention, and creates a negative atmosphere around himself with that 'I don't give a shit' attitude of his. If you ask ten people who they were supporting, all ten might answer that they were supporting Couture, because he's a serious guy, more reserved and classy. The fighter's behavior and control are what the serious fans appreciate. The fighter captivates his fans or he simply drives them away. That is why Couture's victory was good for the sport."

Vanderlei on his success in PRIDE: "I owe my success to my team. They prepare me very well for all my matches."

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Rudimar is confident of Vanderlei Silva's (pictured, left) chances of winning the PRIDE GP.

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' asked Chute Boxe manager Rudimar Fedrigo what his predictions are for the November 9th PRIDE GP. Below are Rudimar's picks:

Vanderlei Silva and the PRIDE GP Finals: Rudimar is very confident about Vanderlei Silva's chances to win the GP. The Chute Boxe leader says that his athlete is well prepared and that he intends to try and finish his fights quickly. "Vanderlei trained Muay Thai a lot, and when we arrive in Japan we will continue training in our Chute Boxe Japan gym. But you can be sure that Vanderlei will maintain his usual game, trying to knock his opponents out", says Rudimar. Rudimar also thinks that the fight against Yoshida will finish by a KO or TKO.

Quinton Jackson vs. Chuck Liddell: Rudimar agrees with Mario Sperry. According to them, both athletes have quite the same game and anyone can win. "This fight will probably go the distance, but we aren't worried about that. Vanderlei is prepared to face anyone", says Fedrigo.

Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic: Vanderlei already fought Cro Cop to a draw in PRIDE 20, so Rudimar already has experience in preparing against Cro Cop's game. With that in mind, Rudimar had the following advice for Minotauro: "Close the distance and try to do your best. Take the fight to the ground".

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Mario Sperry

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' asked PRIDE veteran and Brazilian Top Team manager Mario Sperry what his predictions are for the November 9th PRIDE GP. Below are Sperry's picks:

Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic: Sperry said he feels confident about Minotauro's ability against Cro Cop, who is arguably the best striker in MMA. "We believe in our fight strategy and Minotauro will go in striking, surprising everybody. Mirko won't have an easy fight, and I'm sure that Minotauro will hit him in the face with good punches everytime Mirko defends the takedown. We are confident that Minotauro will be victorious", says Sperry.

Murilo Bustamante vs. Dan Henderson: Sperry said he feels confident that Bustamante will be victorious in the PRIDE GP reserve matchup against Dan Henderson. "This will be the real Murilo's debut in PRIDE. He'll let Henderson set the pace of the fight, and will fight off of his mistakes. I believe this will be a very active fight, but Murilo is a complete fighter and he will win", states Sperry.

PRIDE GP Finals: Sperry said he doesn't know who will face Vanderlei Silva in the final bout, but he has one certainty: "Vanderlei will knock everybody out!", says Sperry, and wishes Vanderlei luck.

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SHOOTO
December 14th, 2003
Tokyo Bay N.K. Hall
Chiba, Japan

Below is the developing card for SHOOTO's big year-end show on December 14th:

SHOOTO lightweight title:
Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira vs. Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto

SHOOTO welterweight title:
Joachim Hansen vs. Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro

SHOOTO bantamweight title:
Yasuhiro Urushitani vs. Mamoru

Feature Fights:
Rumina Sato vs. Bao Quach
Ryan Bow vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Robson Moura vs. Masatoshi Abe

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Bob Sapp (right)

K-1/NEW JAPAN: Yokohama Dead Out
November 3, 2003
Yokohama, Japan

K-1 and New Japn pro-wrestling promoted a show today that was half pro-wrestling, and half K-1 matches. The theme was K-1 vs. New Japan. Below are the K-1 results:

Tomo defeats Jadamba Naratungalag by KO, RD 2.
Jan 'The Giant' Nortje defeats Ivan Rudan by KO at 0:19, RD 1.
Hiromi Amada defeats Katsuyori Shibata by TKO, RD 2.


The pro-wrestling portion of the card:
Bob Sapp's tag team wins their match.
'Montanha' Silva defeats Yutaka Yoshie by swanton bomb.
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeats TOA 'The Samoan Beast' by dragon sleeper hold.

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Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that Cuban wrestling star Alejandro Murales is currently in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, discussing an offer by the newly formed Gracie Barra Combat Team to coach their team in wrestling. If all goes well, Murales will return in January to become the new wrestling coach of the MMA team.

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Renato 'Babalu' Sobral

The manager of current IFC lightheavyweight tourney champ Renato 'Babalu' Sobral announced today that Babalu has left the Ruas Vale Tudo Team, and has now joined the newly formed Gracie Barra Combat Team in Brazil.

Babalu's manager also announced that the real reason Babalu won't be competing on the Heat FC 2 was due to an impasse in contract negotiations, and not a broken hand as was first reported by the Brazilian media.

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SHOOTO: WANNA SHOOTO 2003
November 3, 2003
Kourakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Class-A Bouts:
Naoya Uematsu defeats Katsuya Toida by leglock at 4:06, RD 1.
Tetsuo Katsuta drew with Makoto Ishikawa.

Class-B Bouts:
John Olav Einemo defeats Mindaugas Kulikaukas by armbar at 0:47, RD 1.
Shuichiro Katsumura defeats Eugenji Konkov by rear naked choke at 2:48, RD 1.
Hiroyuki Takaya defeats Seigi Fujioka by unanimous decision.
Akitoshi Tamura defeats Yohei Nanbu by unanimous decision.
Kenji Osawa defeats Augusto Frota by triangle choke at 4:24, RD 2.
Shigetoshi Iwase defeats Nico Nasieri by majority decision.

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Bob Sapp

K-1 matchmaker Sadaharu Tanigawa told the Japanese media that he expected a full-out war between all the MMA companies on December 31st. Tanigawa said that he expects both Nippon TV (with the Inoki 'Bom-Ba-Ye' show) and Fuji TV (perhaps with a K-1 show) to have New Year's Eve mega-shows that would be competiting against each other.

The word from sources in the Japanese media is that the Inoki 'Bom-Ba-Ye' show will feature Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic, Kazuyuki Fujita, and possibly Josh Barnett.

The K-1 show will feature Bob Sapp in an MMA fight, plus some high profile K-1 fights.

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Josh Barnett

The Japanese media report that Josh Barnett wants to face Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic at the December 31st Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye event.

Inoki has already announced that Filipovic will be involved in the Bob-Ba-Ye show. With Barnett's affiliation to New Japan, this Barnett vs. Filipovic definitely has a possibility of taking place if Inoki really wants to make this matchup.

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KOTC: 'The Pinnacle'
November 2nd, 2003
Pala Casino Resort Spa
California

Paul Buentello defeats Bobby Hoffman by TKO, RD 2. (KOTC heavyweight title)
Joe Stevenson defeats Thomas Shulte by KO, RD 1. (KOTC lightweight title)
Thomas Denny defeats Richard Solis by submssion, RD 2.
Jeff Newton defeats Joe Crilly by KO, RD 1.
Tony Bonello defeats Mansure Hedari by triangle, RD 1.
Ray Elbe defeats Paul Silva by judges decision.
Joey Villasenor defeats Art Santore by TKO, RD 1.
Wade Shipp defeats Kengo Watanabe by TKO, RD 1.
Keigo Kunihara defeats Mike Bourke by judges decision.

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Ian Freeman (right)

Cage Warriors 5
November 2, 2003
England

Ian Freeman defeats Keith Dace by TKO at 0:47, RD 1.
Abdul Mohamed defeats Andy Cooper by decision.
Emmanuel Fernandes defeats Pete Tiarks by triangle choke at 2:58, RD 1.
Robert Mitchell defeats Ross Pettifer by triangle choke at 3:57, RD 1.
David Butlin defeats Brian Blewitt by KO at 0:30, RD 1.
Adam Edwards defeats Ozzy Hallock by submission at 1:57, RD 2.
Andy Costello defeats Steve Mathews by TKO at 0:35, RD 1.
John da Silva defeats Dave Elliot by TKO at 2:20, RD 1.
John Nicholson defeats Sandy Geddes by majority decision.
Andy Cooper defeats Paul Jenkins by TKO at 5:00, RD 2.
Marvin Li defeats Brian Sugden by armbar at 1:01, RD 1.

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Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira

Japanese magazine 'Gong Kakutogi' interviewed SHOOTO lightweight champion Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira after defending his belt with a draw against Stephen Palling on August 10th. Here's what "Pequeno" had to say (Translation by Akira S.):

Pequeno: Hey, Civic! How are you? It's been a long time since we last spoke.

Gong: Civic? Me?

Pequeno: Your name is Honda isn't it? Honda Civic is very popular in Brazil.

Gong: Oh really! So you call me Civic from now on. I am glad you have given me a nickname.

Pequeno: I'm going to get lunch now. Do you want to eat with me?

Gong: Thank you very much. Can I ask you about the fight you had with Stephen Palling yesterday?

Pequeno: O.K. I wanted to finish him with my guillotine choke, but it didn't work out.

Gong: How come you didn't try to take him down earlier?

Pequeno: Because I caught him with a few shots in the first round that made a cut on his face. Palling's punches were only hitting only my defense. In the second round his low kicks worked well, but I only got one punch to my face. If I would have gotten hit more, my face would be swollen. It was a lot of "Boom-boom-boom" sounds but I didn't really get hit. You can see what I am saying by watching the video. But it's true that I couldn't get inside on him easily because of his knees.

Gong: Did he improve compare to the last time you guys fought?

Pequeno: I think his ground technique is much better, and his conditioning was also very good. It looks like he is still improving even even at 36 years of age.

Gong: But you were still able to defend your Shooto belt or the fifth time. That is a new record.

Pequeno: I am really happy that I was able to defend it again. I'm going to defend this belt every single time. I also want to fight more in Japan. This year I had to wait too long between each fight, that made me become more concerned about my opponent (with a smile). It made it difficult to keep concentration solely on fighting.

Gong: You said, "I am going to finish it soon with my ground technique".

Pequeno: May be it was, "I didn't fight long enough".

Gong: So, what do you think about the result being a draw, and not a win or a loss?

Pequeno: It was a hard fight. The decision was a draw, but that's the result. I can't do nothing about it anymore.

Gong: You looked very good when the fight went to the ground.

Pequeno: I tried a different type of guillotine twice. It didn't work, but I also tried a straight armbar. I think I fought aggressively. I want to say one thing, I hurt my foot because one camera was too close to the ring. It didn't do that much harm, but it could have been dangerous.

Gong: Nobody has defended the SHOOTO belt like you have. And when you lost, you then came back to beat that opponent. This is great!

Pequeno: Thank you!(with a smile) My motivation went up when I lost, and I wanted to get quick victories. I think this is due to that result.

Gong: Who's the next opponent you'd like to fight? For example, how about Joao Roque?

Pequeno: I'd like to fight an opponent that is chosen by SHOOTO. Roque is a really hard opponent for me, but the Japanese audience want to see it right?

Gong: I heard you want to fight Rumina Sato who recently moved lightweight?

Pequeno: Yes. I want to fight him badly. He is famous in Shooto. I am also interested in fighting Uematsu, "Kid" Yamamoto, and "Yano"...

Gong: Oh really!

Pequeno: Yes, "Yano" is not a Shootfighter, but his style is interesting. Also, do you remember Joe Gilbert who fought against Uematsu? I lost against him in Abu Dhabi, but I didn't like the decision. He had tapped out, then I let him go, but the referee didn't see the tap (he smiles with sarcasm). So I haven't fought in Abu Dhabi since that incident.

Gong: What do you think about the Gracie clan losing in Abu Dhabi?

Pequeno: I think they took it too easy. All new up-and-coming fighters are very hungry and determined.

Gong: Why there are so many good athletes from Brazil in many different sports?

Pequeno: Because Brazilians eat great Brazilian food (with a smile). There is a food called "Feijon" and "Feijoada". These foods are very tasty and have a good nutritional value too. Food is most important.

Gong: If you were not a fighter, what do you think will you would be doing now?

Pequeno: Hmmm...(he looks as if to say "what kind of question is this?) I like scuba diving as well, so maybe I would be selling octopus (with a smile).

Gong: That answer sounds like you. In Brazil, SHOOTO is standup and push the action. You defended your belt once again. Good thing isn't it?

Pequeno: Yes, I thank Jesus for giving me the ability to defend my belt again. I really appreciate what I have.

Gong: Are you going to church as well?

Pequeno: Yes. I go to church twice in week. My neighborhood has many troubles, such as robbers and traffic accidents. Church removes those kind of bad things, so I can defend my belt and my family against these kind of things. I believe I should keep doing it.

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"Jacare" in action against Sato.

1st DESAFIO Pro Jiu-Jitsu: Japan vs Brazil'
November 1st 2003
Velfarre, Japan

Ronaldo 'Jacare' defeats Hironobu Sato by choke at 4:55
Demian Maia defeats Baba Hiroki by kneebar at 3:07
Mario Reis defeats Takashi Watanabe by armbar at 7:23
Bibiano Fernandez defeats Agnaldo Taba by triangle at 0:24
Hiroshi Tsuruya defeats Peter Been by a score of 4-0.
Fabio Leopoldo defeats Cristiano Kaminishi by armbar at 8:07.
Kazuhiro Kusayanagi defeats Mario Sergio Yokoyama by a score of 4-0.
Edmundo Cavalcante defeats Mitsuteru Tomioka by a score of 12-5.
Tatsuya Onose defeats Hiroyuki Abe by a score of 2-0.

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Australian Machado black belt John Will reports the following:

"I am both proud and honored to have been able to present Anthony Lange with the rank of Black belt this weekend past. Anthony is an extremely dedicated and loyal martial artist - one whose passion for training is as evident today as it was some 12 years ago when I first met him. He has a commitment to teaching that stands him well apart from the crowd - and if one can be judged by the respect and love of ones students, then he is an exemplary man indeed. The fact that he just recently won the World title in the masters division in Brazil only reflects his maturity as a martial artist and a man of action. I congratulate you Anthony - and am proud to call you a friend."

John B Will - November 2003

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Alexa.com just updated their internet ratings for this week. Below are the Alexa.com rankings for the top 10 MMA websites as of November 2nd, 2003.

Fightsport.com has been the fastest-growing MMA website the last few months and have taken over the number 3 spot this past month, pushing Sherdog.net down to number 4. MMA.tv moved into the number one spot almost two months ago, knocking Sherdog.com down to number 2. MMAWeekly.com remains steady at number 5, while Subfighter.com has moved up to the number 6 spot.

The official site of the UFC fell down to number 7. Adcombat.com has moved into number 8, dropping the official site of PRIDE to number 9. MaxFighting.com survived by a thread to hang on to the number 10 spot.



MMA RANKINGS:

1.) MMA.tv - Traffic Rank for mma.tv: 4,330

2.) Sherdog.com - Traffic Rank for sherdog.com: 7,103

3.) Fightsport.com - Traffic Rank for fightsport.com: 9,398

4.) Sherdog.net - Traffic Rank for sherdog.net: 10,383

5.) MMAWeekly.com - Traffic Rank for mmaweekly.com: 12,189

6.) Subfighter.com - Traffic Rank for subfighter.com: 18,027

7.) UFC.tv - Traffic Rank for ufc.tv: 21,422

8.) Adcombat.com - Traffic Rank for adcombat.com: 29,622

9.) Pridefc.com - Traffic Rank for pridefc.com: 30,321

10.) Maxfighting.com - Traffic Rank for maxfighting.com: 50,823






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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Alexander Otsuka

Weekly Pro Magazine reports that PRIDE veteran Alexander Otsuka has announced his retirement from MMA and pro-wrestling after suffering ligament damage in his left leg. Otsuka will now spend his time training MMA fighters & pro-wrestlers.

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Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

The Japanese media is reporting that Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic, Bob Sapp, and Kazuyuki Fujita will all be involved in high profile fights on the Inoki 'Bom-Ba-Ye' show scheduled for December 31st.

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Ron Waterman (left)

After Ron Waterman easily disposed of Jun Ishii at this past weekend's Pancrase event, he then called out current open-weight KOP Josh Barnett. Nothing is signed yet, but the Japanese media is reporting that this matchup may be taking place in the near future.

The Japanese media also reported that Waterman has signed a new 2-fight deal with PRIDE.

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Bob Sapp as "Santa Clause".

The latest publicity outing for Bob Sapp saw him dress up as 'Santa Clause', with his own Christmas tree, singing Gospel Songs in in front of 5,000 people in Chiba, Japan.

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K-1 announced that the K-1 World Grand Prix Finals, scheduled for December 6th, will be available on North American Pay-Per-View television.

The card will air on Saturday, December 6th at 10 PM Eastern Standard Time (7 PM Pacific Standard Time) on DirecTV, Dish Network, InDemand, and Dish Network Pay-Per-View television outlets.

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SHOOTO
October 31st, 2003
Kitazawa Town Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Class-A Bouts:
Junji Ikoma defeats Takeyasu Hirono by unanimous decision.

Class-B Bouts:
Nobuhiro Obiya defeats Tomonari Kanomata by TKO at 0:11, RD 1.
Tiger Ishii defeats Issei Tsurumi by unanimous decision.
Lion Takeshi defeats Masanori 'Gatch' Sugatani by TKO at 3:04, RD 1.
Ganjo Tentsuku defeats Koji Takeuchi by unanimous decision.
So Tazawa defeats Takahiro Hosoi by armlock at 0:58, RD 1.
Junichi Sase defeats B.J. by unanimous decision.

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Kevin Randleman (left)

Tony Caiazzo of InsideFighting.com recently interviewed former UFC champ and PRIDE veteran Kevin Randleman. Here's what Randleman had to say:


IF: Did you do anything different to get ready for Sakuraba?

Randleman: Well, all I can say is this. Remember when I fought Ninja?

IF: Yep

Randleman: Was I in shape?

IF: I'm not going to tell you that you weren't! (both laugh)

Randleman: I thought I was in great shape! I trained with Sal, and you saw what I did to Ninja. I went back down to Texas and I trained with Sal again. Sal told me I'm in way better shape than I was when I fought Ninja. My hands are good, my conditioning is good and I'm stronger than ever.

IF: That's excellent. Do you feel like you have any additional pressure on you? Like this is a "must win" fight considering your fight with Rampage didn't go the way you had wanted it to?

Randleman: No. And I'm gonna put this on the line right now. I'm GONNA beat Rampage the next time we fight. I'm gonna beat Chuck Liddell the next time we fight. I'm gonna beat Wanderlei Silva. I'm the low man on the totem pole because I fucked up and didn't take Rampage seriously. But I can guarantee you this, on my word and on my honor there is not one 205-pounder in this fuckin business that would not be scared to fight me. They know that I hit hard and they know it's hard to hit me. People get lucky and beat me and I beat myself. So no, I don't believe this is a must win situation, and believe me. I'm gonna crush Sakuraba.

IF: All right!

Randleman: There's no doubt in my mind, and the minds of all those sitting around me that Sakuraba is nothing. I mean, I love him and he's a good guy and all, but I have a totally different attitude. I don't have any friends in this sport. This time when I go to Japan, I'm not shaking any hands, I'm not kissing any babies. I'm kickin ass and that's it. This is my job, and I take my job very seriously. Before I was having fun, everyone knew that I liked to go out and have fun. I talked to everyone and I might have been a little Repunky, but I'm more mature now and I can't stand Repunky. I've grown up. I almost died a few months ago. I've re-evaluated things, I'm more mature. This is my livelihood, and it's different.

IF: After you fight Sakuraba, what are your plans?

Randleman: I plan on fighting the loser between Rampage Jackson and Chuck Liddell.

IF: And who do you think is going to win the Grand Prix?

Randleman: Rampage Jackson or Chuck Liddell.

IF: Alright. Now where did the name "The Monster" come from?

Randleman: Believe it or not, I was called The Monster when I was a kid. They'd call the house and say "Your son is just a Monster Mrs. Randleman." (Both laugh) I've had many names, they called me Rambro, and many names. But the name just stuck. I think I was in the UFC and I took my clothes off and they said "Geez, this guy looks like a fuckin monster." Then it just stuck.

IF: I read about that car accident that you had, and about how long ago did that happen?

Randleman: It was about two and a half months ago.

IF: Oh wow! That's it?

Randleman: Yup.

IF: You didn't suffer any long term injuries from that?

Randleman: No no, I had no broken bones, and it's actually an amazing story. My engine got thrown on me. I had a seizure. I had just gotten done with a wrestling tour in Japan, and when I was there I lost 23 pounds because of the humidity. I didn't realize how tired I was. I was still on Japanese time, I got home I ate and I was driving down the highway. Ended up going 120 mph and ended up under a semi. It tore my SUV up, tore the hood of my car off and hit me in the head. It tore the side of my head off. My skull was exposed I got 190 stitches in the right side of my head. My engine was on top of my chest, I had to push my engine off of me and move out of the back cause it ripped my car apart. And you know how big SUV's are.

IF: What kind of SUV was it?

Randleman: I had a Lex.

IF: So you had a pretty good sized engine on you then.

Randleman: Yes, and when I was pushing that off me, I didn't realize that the metal was cutting right through my right arm. This is why I'm a totally different person. And I'm going on record right now to say that there is not one motherfuckin 205-fighter that can beat me. And yes, I got beat by Chuck Liddell, I got beat by Rampage, I got beat by Randy Couture. You see that fight with Randy Couture?

IF: Of course

Randleman: I loved watching him fight Tito. I fought Randy Couture WAY better than Tito did! I was just an out of shape sonofabitch. My head was on wrong. I was so full of myself, I thought I was the man, and I realized I wasn't the man. You know, you bein involved with Mixed Martial Arts, you understand that your head can get ahead of you. My head got ahead of me, got all swollen and I thought I was the man. Then I got beat. I had problems at home, had all kinds of stuff. Different stuff. But right now? Where I am in my life is just such a perfect place. I train with the greatest trainers in Sal and Marc Coleman. Sal is one of the greatest trainers, I'm down there training with Ricco Rodriguez, I'm training with Sam Adkins, I'm training with Tim Crainer (sp?) I'm training with kickboxers, I'm learning kicking. In the (video) game I kick good. In real life, I kick just as good now.

IF: Working all areas?

Randleman: Yeah. I'm a totally different person now. That was as close to death as I've ever come. I've been shot, stabbed, but never this close. I had that engine on top of me, I woke up and I was just like, "Fuck, not like this!" And all I could think was that if I could get out of that engine I would change my life, and I did. I don't drink. I used to be one of them party animals. I used to go out and have fun. I don't go out anymore. I say my rosaries every morning when I wake up and before I go to sleep. I've rededicated myself to being a champion again, because I am a champion.

IF: That sounds like a great mindset to have.

Randleman: Yeah, and I'm going on the record to say right now that anyone that beat me in the last year, they're done. I'm gonna knock Sakuraba out. I'm gonna knock him out in 8 minutes. It's not going the full ten minutes, and I guarantee you that. I will split Sakuraba somewhere on his face, and I will cut him open. I hit too hard, and I'm a mean son-of-a-gun, and I have a new lease on life because I came so close to death.

IF: Yeah and if you took a Lexus hood to the head, I don't think Sakuraba is going to be able to do anything like that to you.

Randleman: Exactly. I'm training with boxers. I respect all the fighters in this, but I want my respect back. I let people take my respect from me. Rampage didn't beat me. I beat myself. I was stupid. I went there thinking I could lose weight like I did college. And when I got to Japan I weighed 226 pounds. I had to cut down to 205, and I cut down to 205 in twenty hours. The day I fought Quinton Jackson I was up to 231. That's why I looked so slow and sluggish. But I don't do that no more. My weight is 215 and that's where it stays. And it's no problem for me to get down to 205 and put that weight back on and stay healthy.

IF: Yeah, cutting 10 pounds is different than cutting 26 pounds.

Randleman: AND putting back on thirty. That was stupid of me. I'm tired of giving people credit. I'm tired of it. I'm not giving anyone credit anymore. I beat myself. Yeah these guys beat me but I guarantee you that the next time I fight it's done. My hands are better than everyone I've fought. I fought Randy and stunned him with the hands. I fought Quinton and you saw that I stunned him with my hands too. But I was trying to get him down and I was so tired I was just fatigued. I'm not takin nothin away from none of them, but I'm a totally different motherfucker now than I was then. My mind is different. I train different. Mark's just had his neck surgery and we're training like animals again. Instead of sitting in my hometown, lettin my friends and family get under my skin, I'm in Texas gettin under other people's skin. (both laugh)

IF: That's the way it should be. (both laugh)

Randleman: And I guarantee you, Sakuraba isn't going to last the first fuckin round.

IF: Now I heard something about you filming a movie? What's that?

Randleman: It's called Soldiers of Rome. Me and the guys that I fought, choreograped our fights so that I wouldn't get hurt and stuff. So I hear online that everyone is saying my fight in it was a real fight and how stupid I was for that. But me and the guy Seth, who's a great guy and a good friend of mine, we choreographed it. We're professionals ya know? We fight in the ring. So it was easy for us to choreograph a kick to the thigh, a punch to the chest, you know. Nothin major. But Bob Reznik (sp?) who was the director wants to make a spin off of the movie for television. A syndicated show that is a tournament. 64 guys fight and the winner gets a million dollars. It's one of those things that is in the works, but overall the whole thing was incredible. Overall it was great. The other fight scenes in there are real, but mine was choreographed because I didn't want to risk anything.

IF: What other business ventures do you have going on now? No one can fight forever.

Randleman: The only thing I want to do now is open a gym. It would be everything - boxing, wrestling. Because we don't have a big gym. Where we live in the midwest we don't have one and we need to have one. Where we live, there're 2.5 million people in Columbus, Ohio. All we would need is 500 of those people to join our gym and I'll be set for the rest of my life. I wanna train kids, and I wanna train athletes that wanna become somthing. I like to motivate people. I don't like to sit on my ass and watch the grass grow. I have custody of my 15 year old son now. My whole entire focus right now is to win, make some money and buy a house that is in the right school system for him and open up a gym and alway guarantee that we'll have a home and an address that people can come visit and see. At the same time I've got a very intriguing life and I'm working with some friends about putting my life on paper. Putting my life down in a book so people can kind of see what makes Kevin Randleman tick.

IF: Now what kind of gym is that going to be? Is that going to be just for fighters or is that going to be like a fitness club?

Randleman: It's gonna be mainly a gym for fighters but at the same time it will be a fitness club. I mean, women think that it's not for them but women need to know self defense as well. We want a part for boxing, a part for cardio, a part for weight training. We're gonna have everything in there. I don't wanna say a fitness gym per say, it's gonna be a boxing gym. You come in there and you're coming in to work. It's not like one of those gyms that you come in and try to watch some girl's titties on the treadmill. It's not gonna be that kind of gym. We'll have everything though. We'll have a daycare so that parents can bring their kids, we'll have something for everybody. We've got one of the greatest police forces in the country, state troopers and you know, they'd love to come and train with us. So many guys like Renzo Gracie who could come for seminars and help me and help other people.

IF: Alright Kevin, the last part is the name association. I'm just going to say some names to you and I want you to tell me the first thing to come to mind.

Randleman: Ok.

IF: Vanderlei Silva

Randleman: Great fighter

IF: Vitor Belfort

Randleman: Incredible puncher

IF: Chuck Liddell

Randleman: All around good fighter

IF: Rampage

Randleman: Little Brother

IF: Tito Ortiz

Randleman: Humbled

IF: Sakuraba

Randleman: Good Friend. And you forgot to say Randy Couture.

IF: I'll say Randy Couture.

Randleman: He is the consumate champion. He is the epitomy of what hard work can do for you. I take my hat off to him and I respect him. I'd like to say also, that whatever people think. I don't have no bad feelings or no ill feelings towards any fighters. And whatever hype people want to make of Tito and I, you know, I love Tito. I love his wife, you know we've known each other for a long time and I know his baby is beautiful. You know, we're fighters and we're all trying to be number one. And we can be friends and stuff, but when we get in that ring it's about me kickin your ass or you kickin mine. I think Tito's gonna come back and I'm just glad that Tito's down with us guppies. He's with the pirhannas now. There's no one guy that's 'The Man.' Randy knows he's gotta work hard to keep his belt cause he knows that he can get beat. Now Tito knows that he can get beat. I know I'm not the man, Rampage knows he's not the man, Chuck, we're all fighting to get the belt. And everybody better take notice cause it's gonna be great to watch my condition unfold. I'm not gonna retire til I own one of these fuckin belts. And I will own one of these belts cause I'm one of the best fighters in the world. I beat myself by not dedicating myself and training right. I beat myself by puttin up with bullshit. Instead of worrying about the grass growing, I should be worried about running on that grass and getting in better shape. Know what I mean?

IF: I gotcha.

Randleman: No distractions.

IF: Well alright Kevin! Thanks a bunch for your time, and you know, best of luck fighting Sakuraba. And I look forward to meeting you down the line.

Randleman: Thank you very much, I appreciate it. And I'll tell you what. Gimme a call next Tuesday and I'll give you another interview.

IF: No problem. Thanks again. I'll talk to you later.

Randleman: Bye.

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By Todd Atkins

Tito Ortiz (left) getting dominated by Randy Couture.

Just when UFC/Zuffa thinks things are going well with Tito Ortiz, Tito shakes things up again!

It wasn't that long ago that UFC president Dana White was saying in public, and on internet message boards, that Tito had not turned down any fight, and that the UFC and Tito were getting along great. Now Dana has been informed by Tito's management that his hand is hurt again. He supposedly can't train properly. Dana White is furious with Ortiz! Tito could not even call Dana himself. He had his management call and also fax information regarding his injury.

The bottom line really is that Tito holds them hostage to a certain degree. The UFC has spent so much time and energy building him up as really their only star, and now they really are in a bind. I don't think Tito ever had any intention of signing a bout agreement to fight Chuck Liddell until after the PRIDE GP. He wants to fight for the title again, as it is believed that his contract may allow him. If Chuck gets beat, Tito may just wait and see what happens between Randy Couture and Vitor Belfort. Then why fight Chuck when he can fight for the title again? I am unclear how the immediate rematch clause was worked out, or maybe it wasn't. But I am clear that Tito has once again upstaged ZUFFA. The only problem with that is that he may get Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta to the point where they fuck Tito. Forget about the fact that he is marketable. Just pay him his money and send him down the road.

However in the end I bet the next time Tito fights, it will be for the title yet again. This would be in typical Zuffa promotional fashion. Wouldn't it be ironic if Tito was in 'Rampage' Jackson's corner at the PRIDE GP?

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