FIGHTSPORT 24-7

Rumble On The Rock 6
May 7th, 2004
Neal Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, HI


John Marsh defeats Wesley Correira by decision.
Matt Lindland defeats Tony Fryklund by decision.
Ronald Jhun defeats Ryan Schultz by TKO at 5:00, RD 2.
Joseph Riggs defeats Kendall Groves by TKO at 3:09, RD 1.
Jason Lambert defeats Mike Rogers by TKO at 3:29, RD 1.
Kaynan Kaku defeats Santino Defranco by decision.
Harris Sarmiento defeats Justin Mercado by decision.
Royden Demotta defeats Vance Pu by TKO at 3:26, RD 1.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

By Tape Lord

Wes "Cabbage" Correira (left)

Hello my friends, our Zuffa informant 'Coffee Guy' has sent me the following info:


"Wes 'Cabbage' Correira will be suspended by Zuffa for participating on today's ROTR 5 show in Hawaii. According to Dana White, they will not let Cabbage back into the UFC until 2005.

The suspension is supposed to be official. However, they might make it an unofficial suspension if they see this inside info get posted on Fightsport.com.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Randleman (top) after beating Cro Cop.

Brazilian magazine Tatame reports that Kevin Randleman may train with the Chute Boxe team in Curitiba, Brazil, in preparation for the second round of the PRIDE Heavyweight GP on June 20th.

Chute Boxe manager and trainer Rudimar Fedrigo says, "We actually talked before his fight, and Randleman told me that he would like to come to Brazil and train with our team. When I arrived in Curitiba, Sergio Cunha (who is the head trainer of Chute Boxe Japan) called me and told me about an interview Randleman did in Japan. He commented in the interview that his wish was to train at Chute Boxe in preparation for the second round of the GP."

In addition to this, Rudimar had already given Randleman some pre-fight advice before Randleman's fight against Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic.

"I gave him some tips about Mirko's game, such as making the distance between them shorter and other things. When he stepped inside the ring, Randleman did everything right," commented Rudimar.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Rickson Gracie

The Japanese media is reporting that Rickson Gracie vs. Akira Maeda will take place on one of the upcoming K-1 MMA 'Romanex' shows.

For those who don't know, Maeda was the founder of the now-defunct RINGS promotion.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Frank Shamrock

Sources in Hawaii are saying that the matchup of Frank Shamrock vs. Ceasar Gracie is signed for the ROTR 6 show, which is scheduled to take place in Hawaii in August.

According to those sources, ROTR 6 will also be available on pay-per-view.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Internet fighter Quincy Rice.

The Judo-based Metro Fight Club, known by most MMA fans for producing B-level fighters that make fine jobbers for small promotions, is now looking for an MMA instructor.

According to the club owner, the job comes with no salary. However, you can use the facilities for free and get a commission from any new members you bring in.

The club was formerly run by Quincy Rice, who is affectionately referred to as an 'internet fighter' and the 'Grappling Circuit Jobber' by many in the MMA and grappling community. Rice has now bailed out on the team who many refer to as the 'Bad News Bears' of MMA.

If you think you are the one to lead this rag-tag group of part-timers and no-hopers, then e-mail them at jonathon_travis@sbcglobal.net

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Rumble On The Rock 6
May 7th, 2004
Neal Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, HI

Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that have been announced for ROTR 5 on May 7th. More matchups may be announced in a few more days:


Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira vs. John Marsh
Matt Lindland vs. Tony Fryklund
Ross Ebanez vs. Steve Berger
Ronald Jhun vs. Ryan Schultz
Kawika Paaluhi vs. Mike Rogers
Kaynan Kaku vs. Santino DeFranco

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Jungle Fight 2
May 15th, 2004
Center of Conventions
Manaus, Brazil


*Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Leopoldo Montenegro
Assuerio Silva vs. Fabiano 'Pega-Leve' Scherer
Jorge 'Macaco' Patino vs. Thomas Denny
Carlos Barreto vs. Brian Sherpad
Ronaldo 'Jacare' vs. Victor Babkir
Adriano Martins vs. Boris Jonstomp
Fredson Paixao vs. Rani Yahira


*Vladimir Matyushenko might not be able to compete due to injury. If he cannot make it, then Travis Wiuff will most likely be his replacement.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

King of the Cage
May 15th, 2004
Sky City Casino
Albuquerque, NM

Open: 4:00 PM
Start: 6:00 PM


Officially announced matchups:
Alberto Crane vs. John Mahlow
Darryl Pridy vs. Jimmy Westfall
Eric McElroy vs. Benji Vasquez
Brant Gibbs vs. J. Gil

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Gilbert Yvel

'It's Showtime'
May 20th, 2004
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam, Holland


MMA matchups:
Gilbert Yvel vs. Cheick Kongo
Joop Kasteel vs. Dave Vader
Rodney Faverus vs. Melvin Manhoef
Stephan Tapilatu vs. Perry Ubeda
Dave Dalgliesh vs. Barrington Patterson
Irma Verhoeff vs. Yoko Takahashi

Muay Thai/Kickboxing matchups:
Alexey Ignashov vs. Semmy Schilt
Rayen Simson vs. Sahin Yakut
Badr Hari vs. Aziz Khattou
Fikri Tijarti vs. Chris van Venrooy
Joerie Mes vs. Pajunsuk
Gago Drago vs. Stjepan Veselic

Boxing matchups:
Lucia Rijker vs. Lisa Holewyne
Regillo Aaron vs. Francisco Mora

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Left to right: Machida, Fujita, Sapp, Greco, and Ignashov.

K-1: 'Romanex'
May 22nd, 2004
Tokyo, Japan


K-1 announced that their show on May 22nd will be a 'K-1 vs. Team Inoki' themed card with mostly MMA matchups. Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that are scheduled, as well as the probable lineups for both Team K-1 and Team Inoki

The card is expected to have 8-9 MMA matchups:


Officially announced main events (MMA rules):
Bob Sapp vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
Alexey Ignashov vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Officially announced participants:
Bob Sapp
Kazuyuki Fujita
Alexey Ignashov
Shinsuke Nakamura
Don Frye
Gary Goodridge
Sam Greco
Mark Hunt
Josh Barnett
'Lyoto' Machida
Sylvester Terkay
Yoshihiro Nakao
B.J. Penn
Duane Ludwig
Genki Sudo
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto

Possible participants:
Rickson Gracie
Royler Gracie
Jerome LeBanner
Micheal McDonald
Peter Aerts
Pedro Rizzo
B.J. Penn
Eric 'Butterbean' Esch
Tom Howard
Dolgosurem Sumbayazer
'Blue Wolf'
Masayuki Naruse
Kazunari Murakami



Probable Team K-1 lineup:
Bob Sapp
Alexey Ignashov
Jerome LeBanner
Mark Hunt
Micheal McDonald
Peter Aerts
Sam Greco
Gary Goodridge
Eric 'Butterbean' Esch
Genki Sudo
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto

Probable Team Inoki lineup:
Kazayuki Fujita
Shinsuke Nakamura
Josh Barnett
Don Frye
'Lyoto' Machida
Sylvester Terkay
Tom Howard
Dolgosurem Sumbayazer
'Blue Wolf'
Yoshihiro Nakao
Masayuki Naruse
Kazunari Murakami

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

EVT 3 : Inferno
May 22, 2004
Copenhagen, Denmark

Mario Stapel vs. Ronaldo Campos
Pierre Guillet vs. Julian Gonzalez
Thomas Hytten vs. Dennis Davis
Chris Wilson vs. Stale Nyang
Kenneth Rosfort vs. Raouf Omar
Daniel Weichel vs. Gaz Roriston
Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. John Oskar Hammer
Marc Wisniewski vs. Tim Vinther
Jose Enrique Antón Ramos vs. Anders Eriksson
Alex Wiebe vs. Sonny Malmkvist Nielsen
Gjermund Larsen vs. Tchavdar Pavlov

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

PRIDE officially announced the following matchups for their PRIDE Bushido 3 show on May 23rd. A total of eight matchups are expected to be officially announced by next week:


Single matchups:
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. TBA
Carlos Newton vs. Daiju Takase
Khallid Arab vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Tamakairiki vs. TBA

Gracies vs. Japan matchups:
Ralph Gracie vs. Takanori Gomi
Ryan Gracie vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Ricardo Almeida vs. Ryo Chonan

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Pancrase 2004 Brave Tour
Friday, May 28, 2004
Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan

Open: 5:30 PM
Start: 6:30 PM


Ron Waterman vs. Keigo Takamori
Yuki Sasaki vs. Yukiya Naito
Keiichiro Yamamiya vs. Kozo Urita
Yoshiro Maeda vs. Isamu Sugiuchi
Takuya Wada vs. Hidetaka Monma
Hidehiko Hasegawa vs. Yuichi Nakanishi
Takahito Ida vs. Takaichi Hirayama
Satoru Kitaoka vs. Takaichi Hirayama

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

B.J. Penn

Shoot Fight news in Japan reports that B.J. Penn vs. Duane Ludwig will take place on the K-1 'Romanex card on May 22nd.

The matchup will supposedly take place at 170 pounds (77 kg), and will be under MMA rules.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Extreme Challenge 57
May 6, 2004
Harrah's Casino
Council Bluffs, IA


Jeremy Horn defeats Chael Sonnen by TKO at 3:34, RD 1.
Josh Neer defeats Kyle Jensen by armbar at 1:04, RD 3.
Mike Radnov defeats Chris Geschke by keylock at 1:36, RD 1.
Justin James defeats Kendrick Johnson by TKO at 1:41, RD 1.
Andre Roberts defeats Gabe Beauperthuy by keylock at 3:34, RD 1.
John Strawn defeats Luke Caudillo by rear naked choke at 1:57, RD 2.
Victor Moreno defeats Alonzo Martinez by TKO at 4:49, RD 1.
Shannon Ritch defeats Dan Anderson by armbar at 1:50, RD 1.
Josh Raferty defeats John Owens by armbar at 0:48, RD 1.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Marcus Aurelio

ZST: 'The Battle Field 5'
May 5, 2004
Zepp Tokyo
Tokyo, Japan

Marcus Aurelio defeats Naoyuki Kotani by TKO at 3:34, RD 2.
Hideo Tokoro defeats Remigijus Morkevicius by triangle choke at 3:30, RD 1.
Masahiro Oishi defeats Takahiro Uchiyama by armbar at 4:34, RD 1.
Takefumi Hanai drew with Shinya Sato.
Darius Skliaudys defeats Takahiro Miyano by KO at 1:24, RD 1.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

PRIDE officially announced the following matchups for their PRIDE Bushido 3 show on May 23rd. A total of eight matchups are expected to be officially announced by next week:


Single matchups:
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. TBA
Carlos Newton vs. Daiju Takase
Khallid Arab vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Tamakairiki vs. TBA

Gracies vs. Japan matchups:
Ralph Gracie vs. Takanori Gomi
Ryan Gracie vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Ricardo Almeida vs. Ryo Chonan

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Carlos Newton

Todd Atkins reports from Japan the matchup of Carlos Newton vs. Daiju Takase was officially announced for PRIDE Bushido 3 card on May 23rd.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

By Tape Lord



Hello my friends, a reputable inside source who refers to himself as Mr. Capa tells me the following:


"The promoters for ROTR may decide to take Wes 'Cabbage' Correira off their ROTR 5 card on May 7th.

They supposedly contacted Paul Buentello last week, with the hopes of having him now face John Marsh. However, nothing is official yet."


Discuss this at Fightsport.com

By Jake R

Cabbage and Marsh.

Sources close to both the ROTR and Zuffa organizations are now informing me that both ROTR and Wes 'Cabbage' Correira are having second thoughts about continuing with the fight against John Marsh.

As I first reported in an exclusive, Zuffa was the only stumbling block to the Marsh and Cabbage matchup, but ROTR and Cabbage were planning on ignoring their requests as ROTR is an unsanctioned event.

However, it now appears as if ROTR and Cabbage are rethinking their position. Cabbage is still under medical suspension by the NSAC, and Zuffa has made it clear that there will be consequences if Cabbage does not abide by the suspension.

UFC president Dana White's petty behavior is well known throughout the fight community. As I have reported in all three instances with exclusives, Dana has thrown an emotional temper tantrum backstage after Chuck Liddell lost against Quinton Jackson, banned fighters such as Din Thomas and Rich Franklin from competing in the UFC again after they competed in other events, and forced Murilo Busamante's leave after Busta did not immediately take Dana's first business offer.

Dana's track record of mixing his personal emotions with business is well known. For that reason, Cabbage is now being told by Zuffa that he may not ever fight for the UFC again if he goes through with the Marsh fight.

Though it is not a 100% done deal that Cabbage will not compete, ROTR understands the situation and has been scrambling to find a potential last minute replacement for Cabbage in case he decides not to risk his UFC career with a ROTR fight.

As usual, stick to Fightsport.com and the Jake R Report to find out what you won't read anywhere else.



*Jake R exclusive, must credit the Jake R report when discussing this report.

This Jake R Report was filed on May 5th, 2004.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com

By Todd Atkins

Vladimir Matyushenko (left)

My sources tell me that Vladimir Matyushenko has been seen in the Los Angeles area with a cast on his foot.

Matyushenko is scheduled to face Leopoldo Montenegro on the Jungle Fight 2 card on May 15th. From what I am hearing, if Vladdy cannot fight, then Travis Wiuff will replace him on the card.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Ralph Gracie (right)

The Japanese media report that if Vanderlei Silva is out of the PRIDE Bushido 3 card, that the show will then concentrate on another Gracies vs. Japan theme.

Below are some of the Gracies vs. Japan matchups, both official and unofficial, that have been circulating in the Japanese media for PRIDE Bushido 3 on May 23rd:


Gracies vs. Japan matchups (official):
Ralph Gracie vs. Takanori Gomi

Gracies vs. Japan matchups (unofficial):
Renzo Gracie vs. Hayato Sakurai
Ryan Gracie vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Rodrigo Gracie vs. Shungo Oyama

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Vanderlei Silva (top)

Chute Boxe leader Rudimar Fedrigo commented to the Brazilian media regarding the injured knee of Vanderlei Silva, and said that doctors want Silva to rest the knee for 3 to 4 weeks.

Rudimar said that PRIDE has still not decided whether to keep the Silva's fight against Yuki Kondo as scheduled, or whether to have it on one of their upcoming cards in either June or July.

Rudimar added that Silva will fight as scheduled, injured knee and all, if PRIDE decides that they want the fight to still happen in PRIDE Bushido 3 on May 23rd.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Murilo "Ninja" Rua

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' recently interviewed Murilo 'Ninja' Rua after his loss to Sergei Karitonov in the PRIDE Heavyweight GP. Here's what Ninja had to say (interview by Eduardo Ferreira):


Tatame: Do you think you chose the wrong strategy by going for a standup war at the beginning of the fight? Couldn't you have attempted to take the fight to the ground first?

Ninja: I'll be honest, I never thought to take the fight to the ground. I was only thinking to fight the standup. I was fine, I even knocked the Russian down and his nose was bleeding a lot. But unfortunately, he caught me with a cross on my chin and I fell down unconscious.

Tatame: What was your impression of your move up to the heavyweight division?

Ninja: I felt fine. At this weight my hands have much more power, but my opponent's hands also have much more power. In my opinion, the difference between the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions is that power seems to be more important then stamina for the heavyweights. My stamina was real good, but I was the lightest athlete in the GP.

Tatame: You looked visibly shaken during the post-fight press conference. How will you and your team deal with this loss?

Ninja: It was my first loss by knockout. That never happened to me before, but I don't fight ugly or try to tie up the fight. I fight to win. The promoters of PRIDE love my fights. Rudimar (Fedrigo), Rafael (Cordeiro), and Cunha (Sergio) gave me a lot of support and made me raise my head, and that's what I'm doing. Nobody is invincible, I had a bad moment and I was knocked out.

Tatame: You didn't fight for a year after your loss to Randleman at Pride 24 (2002). How will be your career go from now on? Will you return to the light heavyweight division?

Ninja: I don't know how it'll be right now, but I just know that I'll continue to train hard and wait for another opportunity. I don't know if I'll return to the light heavyweight division. I'll wait to see what fight comes my way.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Helio Gracie

Helio Gracie recently spoke with the Brazilian media and said that he will not be in the corner of any of his sons's upcoming fights in Japan.

According to Helio, he feels his son Royce Gracie was robbed in his original grappling match against Hidehiko Yoshida. Helio feels it was a slap in the face to him, and declared he will never step foot in Japan again.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Jacare (pictured), a former trials winner.

The dates for ADCC Brazilian Trials were announced by promoter Paulo Zorello. The first and second place winners qualify for the final tournament in December.

Winners of the December finals will gain automatic entry to the 2005 ADCC World Submission Wrestling Championships, which will take place in Japan.


Confirmed dates for the ADCC Brazilian Trials series:

June 26th to 27th, 2004 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil
July 3rd to 4th, 2004 - Sao Paulo, Brazil
September 18th to 19th, 2004 - Curitiba, Brazil
November 27th to 28th, 2004 - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
December 4th to 5th, 2004 - Sao Paulo, Brazil

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that have been circulating in the Japanese media for PRIDE Bushido 3 on May 23rd. A total of eight matchups are expected to be officially announced for the card in the next two weeks:


Single matchups:
*Vanderlei Silva vs. Yuki Kondo
Ricardo Arona vs. Quinton Jackson
Alexander Emelianenko vs. Choi Mu Bae
Ricardo Almeida vs. Ryo Chonan
Carlos Newton vs. Daiju Takase
Tamakairiki vs. TBA
Khallid Arab vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Matt Hume vs. D. Mishima

Gracies vs. Japan matchups:
Renzo Gracie vs. Hayato Sakurai
Ralph Gracie vs. Takanori Gomi
Ryan Gracie vs. Ikuhisa Minowa

Possible participants:
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic
Rodrigo Gracie
Shungo Oyama



* Vanderlei Silva is most likely out with an injured knee. This matchup will most likely take place in either June on the PRIDE Heavyweight GP card, or in July on the PRIDE Bushido 4 card.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Royler Gracie (right)

Sources in Japan and Brazil are saying that Royler Gracie vs. Genki Sudo will most likely take place on the K-1 'Romanex' MMA show on May 22nd.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Vanderlei Silva

The Brazilian media report that PRIDE champion Vanderlei Silva will not be able to face Yuki Kondo on May 23rd as expected.

Silva had an MRI done on his injured knee and will need a few weeks before the swelling goes down.

The fight will most likely take place in either the June on the PRIDE Heavyweight GP card, or in July on the PRIDE Bushido 4 card.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

By Todd Atkins


Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.


I have learned that Jaysun 'Mayhem' Miller was arrested in Las Vegas recently, and is having to return to his home town of Atlanta, GA, to face charges on outstanding warrants.

According to sources, this may put his upcoming UFC 48 bout against Georges St-Pierre in serious jeopardy.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

SHOOTO
May 3rd, 2004
Kourakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Class-A Bouts:
Akira Kikuchi defeats Jutaro Nakao by majority decision.
Hiroyuki Takaya defeats Stephen Paling by TKO at 2:11. RD 1.
Mamoru defeats Hiroaki Yoshioka by TKO at 4:41, RD 3.
Kentaro Imaizumi defeats Jin Akimoto by unanimous decision.
Takaharu Murahama defeats Kenichiro Togashi by unanimous decision.

Class-B Bouts:
Rumina Sato defeats Erikas Petraitis by triangle choke at 2:20, RD 2.
Takeshi Yamazaki defeats Antanas Jazbutis by armbar at 4:10, RD 1.
Tomonari Kanomata defeats Takayuki Okouchi by unanimous decision.
HIRO defeats Shinichi Hanawa by unanimous decision.
Yushi Shiori defeats Kotobukimaru by unanimous decision.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Satoshi Nishino

Pancrase: Neo Blood Tournament 1st Round
Sunday, May 2, 2004
Gold's Gym South Tokyo Annex
Tokyo, Japan


The semifinals and finals of both the featherweight and lightweight tournaments will be held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan, on July 25th.


Featherweight tournament (elimination round):
Masayuki Demise defeats Tadashi Hasegawa by unanimous decision.
Naoji Fujimoto defeats Masahiro Watanabe by unanimous decision.

Lightweight tournament (elimination round):
Tomoya Miyashita defeats Masami Sakurazawa by unanimous decision.
Sotaro Yamada defeats Akira Teraoka by split decision.



Featherweight tournament (first round):
Yohei Tagami defeats Tetsu Sasaki by unanimous decision.
Daichi Fujiwara defeats Takumi Murata by unanimous decision.
Atsushi Yamamoto defeats Minoru Tsuiki by TKO at 1:57, RD 2.
Masayuki Demise defeats Naoji Fujimoto by unanimous decision.

Lightweight tournament (first round):
Nukinpo! defeats Chikara Sato by unanimous decision.
Takuo Miyata defeats Satoshi Nishino by TKO at 4:05, RD 1.
Yuji Oba defeats Naoki Yoshimura by unanimous decision.
Sotaro Yamada defeats Tomoya Miyashita by forfeit (Miyashita pulled out with a broken hand).

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

A view of the ring that will be used in the Jungle Fight show is pictured above.

The show will take place at the Center of Conventions in Manaus, Brazil, on May 15th. Below is the developing line-up card:


Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Leopoldo Montenegro
Assuerio Silva vs. Fabiano 'Pega-Leve' Scherer
Jorge 'Macaco' Patino vs. Thomas Denny
Carlos Barreto vs. Brian Sherpad
Ronaldo 'Jacare' vs. Victor Babkir
Adriano Martins vs. Boris Jonstomp
Fredson Paixao vs. Rani Yahira

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Waterman vs. Takamori

Pancrase announced that the matchup of Ron Waterman vs. Keigo Takamori will be one of the main events for their show on May 28th.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Authorities in Brazil are offering a reward of 5,000 Brazilian Reais (approximately USD$1,700) for information that could lead to finding Priscila Belfort, who is the missing sister of MMA star Vitor Belfort.

Anyone with information can contact the Brazilian police at (21) 2253-1177. Information can be given to the police without giving any personal info.

Priscila, 29 years old, has been missing since January 9th. She was last seen at her job in downtown Rio de Janeiro.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Vanderlei Silva

The Brazilian media report that PRIDE Champion Vanderlei Silva has signed a deal with Brazilian company Keiko Sports Kimonos.

The contract involves the use of Silva's image in print ads for the next six months in Brazilian magazines.

You can visit their site at Keiko Sports

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Lee Murray

Our Zuffa informant 'Coffee guy' tells us that Lee Murray vs. Curtis Stout will happen in UFC 48 on June 19th.

There was a rumor posted that Murray's opponent was going to be Ron Jhun, but Coffee guy says that Jhun will NOT be Murray's opponent.

Below is the complete UFC 48 card according to Coffee guy:


Ken Shamrock vs. Kimo Leopoldo
Tim Sylvia vs. Frank Mir (Heavyweight title fight)
Phil Baroni vs. Evan Tanner
Dennis Hallman vs. Frank Trigg
Matt Hughes vs. Renato 'Charuto' Verissimo
Lee Murray vs. Curtis Stout
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller
Ivan Menjivar vs. Matt Serra

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Schembri (top) KO's Sakuraba (bottom).

Todd Atkins reports the following from Japan:

"There is a strong possibility that Nino 'Elvis' Schembri will be the first opponent for Kazushi Sakuraba in the 'Sakuraba Retirement Road' series.

This would be the second fight between both fighters, with Schembri having won the first fight by KO.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Vanderlei Silva

Below is an excerpt from an interview that PRIDE champion Vanderlei Silva just did with the Brazilian MMA media:

Vanderlei on Chuck Liddell saying that he wants to face Silva and beat him: "Liddell wants to face me? He better hurry since he is over 30. It won't be a nice way to head into retirement."

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Absolute Fighting Championships 8
May 1, 2004
Ft. Lauderdale, FL


Jason MacDonald defeats Antony Rea by submission at 2:22, RD 1.
Edson Diniz defeats Darrell Smith by armbar at 2:08, RD 1.
Pedro Brandao drew with Marcos Avellan.
Marcel Ferreira defeats Nick Thompson by rear naked choke at 0:16, RD 2.
Jorge Masvidal defeats Justin Wisniewski by majority decision.
Renato Tavares defeats Eric O'Brien by side choke at 0:51, RD 1.
Raphael Diaz defeats Brian Gearghty by split decision.
Crafton Wallace drew with Ben Saunders.
James Berto defeats Chad Gauldin by TKO at 2:55, RD 1.
Paulo Guerreiro defeats Buck Bisbey by guillotine choke at 3:53, RD 1.
Brian Medlin defeats Scott Johnson by TKO at 3:27, RD 1.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

ICC: Trials 2
April 30, 2004
Minnesota, USA


Sean Sherk defeats Jake Short by rear naked choke, RD 1.
Krzysztof Soszynski defeats Dennis Stull by TKO, RD 1.
Brock Larson defeats Miguel Cooley by TKO, RD 1.
Sam Morgan defeats Matt Brady by armbar, RD 1.
Joseph Riggs defeats Dave Vitkay by KO, RD 1.
John Halverson defeats Dan Duke by triangle choke, RD 1.
Krzysztof Soszynski defeats Jack Burton by rear naked choke, RD 1.
Dennis Stull defeats Big C by TKO, RD 1.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Eruption
April 30, 2004
Tsongas Arena
Lowell, MA


Jorge Rivera defeats James Gabert by TKO, RD 3.
Brian Bressler drew with Jason Hathaway.
Renato Migliaccio drew with Rocky Long.
Fabio Leopoldo defeats Brendan Seguin by TKO, RD 1.
Nuri Shakir defeats Marcus Davis by rear naked choke, RD 3.
Sam Hogar defeats Chris Herring by guillotine choke, RD 1.
Matt Lee defeats Mark Colangelo by decision.
Timothy Creduer defeats Lance Everson by armbar, RD 1.
Jay Heiron defeats Fabio Holanda by decision.
Nardu Debrah defeats Ricardo Deborba by TKO, RD 1.
Joe Lauzon defeats Jerry Mosquea by submission, RD 1.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

RITC 61 - Relentless
April 30, 2004
Dodge Theater
Phoenix, AZ


Allan Sullivan defeats Shane Johnson by unanimous decision.
Homer Moore defeats Andy Montana by unanimous decision.
Rich Alten defeats Mike Rainier by TKO at 2:33, RD 1.
Jamie Varner vs. James Upshur declared a No Contest.
Bryan Pardoe defeats B.J. Gile by keylock at 1:28, RD 1.
Hans Marrero defeats Robert Rose by armbar at 1:58, RD 1.
Ed West defeats Amos Sotelo by keylock at 1:01, RD 1.
Gilbert Aldano defeats Herb Garcia by KO at 0:03, RD 1.
Carlos Ortega defeats Matt VerHalen by unanimous decision.
Troy Tolbert defeats Aaron Millican by choke at 1:37, RD 1.

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Satoshi Nishino

Pancrase: Neo Blood Tournament 1st Round
Sunday, May 2, 2004
Gold's Gym South Tokyo Annex
Tokyo, Japan

Open: 1:30 P.M.
Start: 2:00 P.M.


The semifinals and finals of both the featherweight and lightweight tournaments will be held at Korakuen Hall in Toko, Japan, on July 25th.


Featherweight tournament (elimination round):
Tadashi Hasegawa vs. Masayuki Demise
Naoji Fujimoto vs. Masahiro Watanabe

Lightweight tournament (elimination round):
Tomoya Miyashita vs. Masami Sakurazawa
Sotaro Yamada vs. Akira Teraoka



Featherweight tournament (first round):
Yohei Tagami vs. Tetsu Sasaki
Daichi Fujiwara vs. Takumi Murata
Atsushi Yamamoto vs. Minoru Tsuiki
Tadashi Hasegawa/Masayuki Demise vs. Naoji Fujimoto/Masahiro Watanabe

Lightweight tournament (first round):
Nukinpo! vs. Chikara Sato
Takuo Miyata vs. Satoshi Nishino
Yuji Oba vs. Naoki Yoshimura
Tomoya Miyashita/Masami Sakurazawa vs. Sotaro Yamada/Akira Teraoka

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

SHOOTO
May 3rd, 2004
Kourakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Class-A Bouts:
Jutaro Nakao vs. Akira Kikuchi
Stephen Paling vs. Hiroyuki Takaya
Mamoru vs. Hiroaki Yoshioka
Kentaro Imaizumi vs. Jin Akimoto
Takaharu Murahama vs. Kenichiro Togashi

Class-B Bouts:
Rumina Sato vs. Erikas Petraitis
Takeshi Yamazaki vs. Antanas Jazbutis
Takayuki Okouchi vs. Tomonari Kanomata
HIRO vs. Shinichi Hanawa
Kotobukimaru vs. Yu Shiori

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Extreme Challenge 57
May 6, 2004
Harrah's Casino
Council Bluffs, IA


Jeremy Horn vs. Curtis Stout
Josh Neer vs. Kyle Jensen
Mike Radnov vs. Chris Geschke
Andre Roberts vs. TBA
Kendrick Johnson vs. Justin James
Shannon Ritch vs. Dan Anderson
John Strawn vs. Luke Caudillo
Daren vs. Allen Williams
Jake Hutson vs. Victor Moreno
John Owens vs. TBA
Alonzo Martinez vs. TBA
Cliff Saunders vs. Chris Bott

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Rumble On The Rock 6
May 7th, 2004
Neal Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, HI

Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that have been announced for ROTR 5 on May 7th. More matchups may be announced in a few more days:


Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira vs. John Marsh
Matt Lindland vs. Tony Fryklund
Ross Ebanez vs. Steve Berger
Ronald Jhun vs. Ryan Schultz
Kawika Paaluhi vs. Mike Rogers
Kaynan Kaku vs. Santino DeFranco

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Vladimir Matyushenko (left)

Jungle Fight 2
May 15th, 2004
Manaus, Brazil


Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Leopoldo Montenegro
Assuerio Silva vs. Fabiano 'Pega-Leve' Scherer
Jorge 'Macaco' Patino vs. Thomas Denny
Carlos Barreto vs. Brian Sherpad
Ronaldo 'Jacare' vs. Victor Babkir
Adriano Martins vs. Boris Jonstomp
Fredson Paixao vs. Rani Yahira

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Gilbert Yvel

'It's Showtime'
May 20th, 2004
Amsterdam ArenA
Amsterdam, Holland


MMA matchups:
Gilbert Yvel vs. Cheick Kongo
Joop Kasteel vs. Dave Vader
Rodney Faverus vs. Melvin Manhoef
Stephan Tapilatu vs. Perry Ubeda
Dave Dalgliesh vs. Barrington Patterson
Irma Verhoeff vs. Yoko Takahashi

Muay Thai/Kickboxing matchups:
Alexey Ignashov vs. Semmy Schilt
Rayen Simson vs. Sahin Yakut
Badr Hari vs. Aziz Khattou
Fikri Tijarti vs. Chris van Venrooy
Joerie Mes vs. Pajunsuk
Gago Drago vs. Stjepan Veselic

Boxing matchups:
Lucia Rijker vs. Lisa Holewyne
Regillo Aaron vs. Francisco Mora

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Left to right: Machida, Fujita, Sapp, Greco, and Ignashov.

K-1: 'Romanex'
May 22nd, 2004
Tokyo, Japan


K-1 announced that their show on May 22nd will be a 'K-1 vs. Team Inoki' themed card with mostly MMA matchups. Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that are scheduled, as well as the probable lineups for both Team K-1 and Team Inoki

The card is expected to have 8-9 MMA matchups:


Officially announced main events (MMA rules):
Bob Sapp vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
Alexey Ignashov vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Officially announced participants:
Bob Sapp
Kazuyuki Fujita
Alexey Ignashov
Shinsuke Nakamura
Don Frye
Gary Goodridge
Sam Greco
Mark Hunt
Josh Barnett
'Lyoto' Machida
Sylvester Terkay
Yoshihiro Nakao
Genki Sudo
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto

Possible participants:
Rickson Gracie
Jerome LeBanner
Micheal McDonald
Peter Aerts
Pedro Rizzo
B.J. Penn
Eric 'Butterbean' Esch
Tom Howard
Dolgosurem Sumbayazer
'Blue Wolf'
Masayuki Naruse
Kazunari Murakami



Probable Team K-1 lineup:
Bob Sapp
Alexey Ignashov
Jerome LeBanner
Mark Hunt
Micheal McDonald
Peter Aerts
Sam Greco
Gary Goodridge
Eric 'Butterbean' Esch
Genki Sudo
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto

Probable Team Inoki lineup:
Kazayuki Fujita
Shinsuke Nakamura
Josh Barnett
Don Frye
'Lyoto' Machida
Sylvester Terkay
Tom Howard
Dolgosurem Sumbayazer
'Blue Wolf'
Yoshihiro Nakao
Masayuki Naruse
Kazunari Murakami

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that are scheduled for PRIDE Bushido 3 on May 23rd. A total of eight matchups are expected to be officially announced for the card by next month:


Vanderlei Silva vs. Yuki Kondo
Ricardo Arona vs. Quinton Jackson
Ricardo Almeida vs. Ryo Chonan
Hayato Sakurai vs. TBA
Takanori Gomi vs. TBA (possibly Ralph Gracie)
Tamakairiki vs. TBA
Matt Hume vs. TBA

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

SHOOTO
June 5th, 2004
Hammond, Indiana


Gideon Ray vs. Curtis Stout
Miguel Torres vs. Mustaffa Hussani
Stephan Bonnar vs. Moacir Oliveira
Kieth Wisniewski vs. Sam Morgan
Henry Matamoros vs. Rick Davis
Tommy Lee vs. Christian Allen
Joe Jordan vs. Mike Haltom

Discuss this at Fightsport.com