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DSE/PRIDE announced that it will be holding an autograph session featuring some of their star fighters on Saturday, September 3rd from 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. at the Best Buy in West Hollywood, California.

The list of fighters that will be appearing has not been announced yet, and fighter appearances are subject to change. The autograph session is being done in conjunction with BCI Eclipse and Best Buy.

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By Tape Lord

Sergei Kharitonov

Hello my friends, my postal connections in Japan are telling me that the K-1 organization is trying to sign Sergei Kharitonov.

Kharitonov supposedly turned down a possible matchup against Mark Hunt on the upcoming PRIDE GP card so that he could fight on today's RINGS Lithuania card, which is associated with Akira Maeda, who is being funded mainly by K-1 now.

More news to come in the next two weeks.

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SHOOTO
August 20th, 2005
Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium
Kanagwa, Japan


Gilbert Melendez defeats Rumina Sato by TKO at 1:32, RD 1.
Hayato Sakurai defeats Shinya Aoki by unanimous decision.
Joachim Hansen defeats Kenichiro Togashi by unanimous decision.
Antonio Carvalho defeats 'Lion' Takeshi by majority decision.
Mitsuhiro Ishida defeats Takashi Nakakura by TKO at 1:31, RD 3.
Masashi Yozen defeats Ryuhei Sato by majority decision.
Hiroshi Nishioka defeats Kyotaro Nakao by unanimous decision.

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Bas Rutten

The following was sent in by Fightsport.com correspondent Zach Arnoldo:


"Bas Rutten made an appearance on Fox Sports Net's 'Best Damn Sports Show Period' on Friday night. Hosts Chris Rose, John Salley, Rob Dibble, and Rodney Peete, were all on the show. Before Rutten was introduced to the crowd, we saw Rutten with a PRIDE FC black shirt on, along with his Pancrase title belt.

The host, Chris Rose, had trouble pronouncing Rutten's first name. Rose introduced Rutten as one of the nastiest fighters in MMA and the 3-time King of Pancrase champion, whose heroes are Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and Oscar de la Hoya.

Rose asks Rutten to explain what "PRIDE fighting" is, and Bas tries to define PRIDE. Rutten says that MMA fighters have complete skills and are well-rounded, whereas boxers are just boxers (one-dimensional).

Rob Dibble asks Bas what the difference is between PRIDE and Mixed Martial Arts. Bas replies that PRIDE is fought in the ring and that they are the biggest organization in the world. Rutten even got bleeped during the segment for saying a bad word.

Rodney Peete brought up the name of Mirko "Cro Cop" and said how tough Mirko is. They spent a lot of time airing video of Cro Cop's left high kick KO of Alexander Emelianenko, and John Salley asked for a TV replay of the KO. Rutten said that he likes Mirko because he started out in MMA as a striker and now has takedown defense. Bas uses this opportunity to promote the Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic title fight on August 28th.

Chris Rose reads an e-mail from a viewer, named Stephen, asking Bas which fighter he thinks is the best in PRIDE. Bas mentions the name of Kazushi Sakuraba as the man who built PRIDE up to the level it is today, and then mentioned Vanderlei Silva as the toughest. Highlights of Silva beating up on Quinton "Rampage" Jackson are shown.

To end the segment, Bas Rutten demonstrated the choke sleeper hold on Chris Rose. The hosts promote the upcoming PRIDE preview show on Fox Sports Net this Sunday at 9 PM. The hosts and the crowd are completely amazed with Bas, resulting in the crowd chanting "Bas! Bas! Bas!"

All in all, it was a great showing for the charismatic Bas Rutten. He did not over-act and came off as very professional, while at the same time promoting the PRIDE organization very well."

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Murilo "Ninja" Rua

Chute Boxe fighter and PRIDE veteran, Murilo 'Ninja' Rua, will be holding a seminar in Tokyo, Japan, on August 27th.

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Kazushi Sakuraba (bottom right), shown getting beat down by Vanderlei Silva, will now get the chance to get further beaten down by Silva in sparring sessions when Sakuraba spends a few weeks training with the Chute Boxe academy in Brazil.

The Japanese media reports that Kazushi Sakuraba departed Japan on August 18th, and is on his way to Curitiba, Brazil, to train with the Chute Boxe academy.

"I am going to engage in intense sparring with Vanderlei Silva and those guys there", Sakuraba told the Japanese media at a press conference at Narita International Airport.

Sakuraba also joked that he wants to come back to Japan looking very muscular and in shape, and added that he will most likely be returning to the PRIDE ring on the December 31st card.

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Rich Franklin

Rich Franklin was recently interviewed by Shoyoroll.com. Here's what Franklin had to say (interview by Bear Quitugua):


Interviewer: How is everything going at your gym and the Meat Truck fight team? The saying is "you're only as good as the guys you train with", you have a great team right now but would you ever want to go and train at some other gyms? If so what gyms and why?

Franklin: We have not been called Meat Truck fight team for awhile, although we are still associated with each other. I am blessed to have the training partners that I do. My team has taken me to a world title and I have no intentions of leaving.

Interviewer: You are now the UFC champion; does this put any extra pressure on you and when you train or do you feel the same or more confident about your game since you won the UFC belt?

Franklin: It is all the same, except I will always fight the #1 contender from now on.

Interviewer: How are you feeling since the Tanner Fight? Rumor has it that you were out for a short time but you just fought through it, Any truth to that? Details?

Franklin: Watch the fight... you will hear me ask my corner what round it was after the 3rd round.

Interviewer: You have some very tough guys in your weight class in the UFC. What do you think of the following fighters? Give us a quick breakdown if you will (strengths and weaknesses)... Phil Baroni...

Franklin: Tough.

Interviewer: Robbie Lawler...

Franklin: Tough.

Interviewer: Matt Lindland...

Franklin: Tough.

Interviewer: Diego Sanchez...

Franklin: Tough.

Interviewer: Ivan Salaverry...

Franklin: Tough.

Interviewer: David Terrell...

Franklin: Tough.

Interviewer: Do you know whom and when you will be fighting in the next UFC? If so what are your thoughts on your opponent? If you don't have anybody that you are matched up to fight in the next UFC, are there any guys out there you want to punch in the face (challenges to anybody)?

Franklin: I am not sure who I will be fighting next. If Matt Lindland beats Joe Doerkson, I assume I will be fighting him... the UFC promised him a title match. If Matt loses, then I have no clue. My next fight is not locked in yet, but I assume they will put me on the December card.

Interviewer: B.J. Penn has had success in the UFC and in other big shows. He is in your weight class, if he jumps back into the UFC at Middleweight would you like to fight him? Why?

Franklin: I will fight whoever I need to, in order to keep the belt. I let my manager agree to my match-ups... and I just show up to fight.

Interviewer: If you continue to do well in your weight class, do you ever think you will jump up to the light heavyweight bracket to face guys like Liddell, Horn, Sobral, or Courture? Why or Why Not?

Franklin: Before I begin thinking of jumping a weight class (not that it is even an option), I need to establish myself as a dominant middleweight champion.

Interviewer: What did you learn most from your loss to Machida?

Franklin: That I can lose!

Interviewer: You are the coach for the UFC show Ultimate Fighter Season 2. Are there great or dramatic fighters on the show this year? If so who?

Franklin: I should forego answering this question due to contractual obligations.

Interviewer: If this sport only allowed you to learn one martial art to learn before you jumped into the ring/cage what would you pick? Why?

Franklin: That is the beauty of this sport, it does not make you choose only one martial art. Those sports already exist... boxing, kickboxing, judo, etc.

Interviewer: You are a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, how important is it to you to get your black belt and how often do you train w/the Gi?

Franklin: I never train with a Gi... The first two years of my jiu-jitsu training was all gi, and it is a great way to build a base. I do not compete in a gi, so there is no reason to practice with one. For that same reason, I am not sure if I will ever earn a black belt. When I compare my jiu-jitsu knowledge to that of my training partner Jorge Gurgel, I am not sure if I am close to deserving one.

Interviewer: How much money did you get paid as a fighter when you first started and how much did you get paid now (last fight)? Does all the money go to you, or does it get split between your manager and trainers?

Franklin: I made $200 for my first professional fight... obviously I make a little more than that now. Of course, I have to give my manager a percentage. I have things worked out with the people who train me... some of them I pay and others we trade.

Interviewer: You picked MMA as your career now and put teaching on hold, do you think that was a good choice and do you recommend others do the same that are in similar situations?

Franklin: I would always advise anyone to give their dreams a chance... just have a good back-up plan.

Interviewer: What are your weaknesses as well as your strengths as a fighter? If you could turn back time in your MMA career, what would you do that different? Why?

Franklin: It is easy for someone to say they would take back the loss in their career, but I would take nothing back... everything happens for a reason (God has a plan) and those things have made me the fighter that I am. My strongest asset is my faith. I guess my weakness is that I am a sucker for a straight cross!

Interviewer: What are your thoughts on MMA legends (Ken Shamrock, Randy Couture, Rickson Gracie, Royce Gracie, Etc..) still putting it on the line? Do you think they still have what it takes to be in the ring with the new generation of fighters?

Franklin: Every fighter is different, and since you included Etc. in the the question, I will assume you are talking about a class of fighter and not these gentlemen in particular. Look at each one individually and determine what kind of success they have had recently.

Interviewer: Thanks for your time Rich and we look forward to your next fight.

Franklin: God Bless.

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MFC 5: 'USA vs. Japan'
November 5th, 2005
Taj Mahal
Atlantic City, NJ

MMA matchups:
Chael Sonnen vs. TBA
Eddie Alvarez vs. Daisuke '13' Hanazawa
Kurt Pellegrino vs. TBA
Joe Lauzon vs. Hiroyuki Abe
Wilson Gouviea vs. Yusuke Masuda
Chris Mac Grath vs. 'BJ'
Alex Roberts vs. TBA

Kickboxing matchups:
Steven Berkolayko vs. TBA

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Rumina Sato and Gilbert Melendez (right), face off on today's SHOOTO card.

Gilbert Melendez was recently interviewed by American journalist Keith Mills. Here's what Melendez had to say:


Interviewer: This weekend is your fight in SHOOTO. Where are you in training?

Melendez: I'm actually peaking about the right time, settling down now before it is time to make weight. Resting my body but besides that in great shape, probably my best shape ever.

Interviewer: How much weight are you going to be cutting?

Melendez: I'm about 160 but waking up about eleven or twelve pounds over.

Interviewer: This one is about 145?

Melendez: 143.5.

Interviewer: I've only seen you fight at the US version of Lightweight, 155. Can you tell me how your career at SHOOTO's version of Lightweight has been going?

Melendez: It has been going great. The reason I'm fighting at 143 is it was my opportunity to get into Shooto. I kind of just stuck there. I don't plan on being 143 too long. I plan on taking the #1 spot there and then hopefully going to 155.

Interviewer: You have had two in SHOOTO at 143.5?

Melendez: Yeah.

Interviewer: The only commercially available video on you I think is Rumble On the Rock. That one was 155 about two years ago.

Melendez: Yeah, I fought Bozo Palling. That was my first big shot.

Interviewer: How has your style and training changed since then?

Melendez: I dedicated my whole life to the sport. Back then I was working and going to school. I improved my standup a lot at Fairtex and have guys like Jake Shields beating me up every day. I improved in all aspects.

Interviewer: You have been with Jake for what, three years?

Melendez: I think 2001. Ever since then he just took me under his wing and showed me everything he knows.

Interviewer: All my photos of you are from WEC. You were briefly the 155 champion and fought, I think, once on TV. How do you look back at that experience?

Melendez: That was a big win for me. I knew I could beat Olaf, and he had a big name at the time. Another opportunity to take advantage of. I moved on to bigger things. I wouldn't say bigger and better, I went to Hawaii to fight in ROTR and gave up my title.

Interviewer: I was joking that you started out in California, then moved on to Hawaii, and now are fighting in Japan. What is next, Russia? You just keep going west.

Melendez: Wherever I can go. Maybe in Brazil or something.

Interviewer: Speaking of Brazil, the current SHOOTO Champion is Nogueira. What do you think of him?

Melendez: I think he is a great fighter too. He has been on top a long time, and I think it is my time. I think I'm the guy to beat him. Don't get me wrong, I'm not jumping past Sato.

Interviewer: Sato is your next opponent this weekend. What do you think of fighting him?

Melendez: I used to download his highlight videos. I admire him. I think he has some holes in his game and I'm a tough guy. I'm going to try to avoid submissions with him because he is so slick. Hopefully I can keep it on my feet and if I have to take it to the ground I'll take it to the ground as well.

Interviewer: Nogueira is the champion, you are #1 ranked contender, and Sato is #3 ranked contender. How do you feel about fighting somebody you have a lot of respect for but technically is 'below' you, instead of the champion?

Melendez: I've been wondering that for a while. I admire the way Chuck Liddell stepped up and beat everyone and earned his spot at #1 and feel I'm going down that road right now. I'd like to beat all the competitors at that weight.

Interviewer: I thought watching the ROTR video was amusing because they said your background was BJJ and watch out for the submissions, but looking at your record, all your wins are by TKO with one decision. You can't be pigeonholed. How do you feel about all your wins but one being by TKO?

Melendez: That is what I like to do. I use my jiu-jitsu to get into positions to strike, not positions to submit. I think of myself as a jiu-jitsu guy and a wrestler, so I like to be on top. That is my style. I like to throw punches and be aggressive.

Interviewer: If somebody were to refer to you as a 'ground and pound stylist', would you think that was limiting or insulting?

Melendez: No, not at all. I think the sport has evolved and we're evolving in the ground and pound style as well. We are moving a lot more in the guard then just staying in there and pounding. We are moving a lot more and getting better positions. I'm not insulted at all about being called that.

Interviewer: You are undefeated in MMA. What do you think about that?

Melendez: I'm never scared to lose and am happy to win. I'm just trying to get my respect here and keep proving myself in the game.

Interviewer: Training with Jake. He is heavier than you. What is training with him like?

Melendez: Tough as hell. It is definitely an advantage. I have one of the best grapplers in the world grappling me and throwing me in submissions and pressuring me constantly. When the fight comes I just have to fight fifteen minutes with a guy my weight, it is almost rewarding because I get beat up every day with fifteen minutes goes with Jake. It makes me better.

Interviewer: What do you think of your Abu Dhabi experience, your peformace in ADCC '05?

Melendez: It was great. Next time I'll be a little more prepared for it. Experience and strategy played against me, but if I get a chance to compete again I'll have my head on a little straighter and do a lot better. Beating Ushido was awesome.

Interviewer: Any sponsors to thank?

Melendez: No Gi, Fairtex, and betzeus.net. Also Jake and Cesar Gracie.

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Dan Henderson

DSE/PRIDE announced the line-up for their 8-man 185-pound Grand Prix tournament. The first round of the tournament will take place on September 25th:


185-pound GP first round:
Dan Henderson vs. Ryo Chonan
Murilo Bustamante vs. Masanori Suda
Phil Baroni vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
Daniel Acacio vs. Akihiro Gono

Reserve matchup:
Paulo Filho vs. Ryuta Sakurai

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Bas Rutten

PRIDE color commentator and former MMA champion, Bas Rutten, will be appearing on the 'Best Damn Sports Show Period' on FSN on Friday, August 19th at 10:30 P.M. Local Time.

Rutten will be discussing FSN’s upcoming program 'The PRIDE Fighting Championships', which debuts on Sunday, August 21st, as well as the sport of MMA.

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Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira

Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira recently spoke with the Brazilian media regarding the upcoming PRIDE GP finals. Here's what Minotoro had to say:


Rogerio 'Minotoro' on the upcoming Vanderlei Silva vs. Ricardo Arona matchup: "This is going to be a very tough fight. It seems to me that Arona is a more complete fighter, but we all know that Vanderlei is very dangerous. I think they will both be very careful at the beginning of the fight, but when they start to exchange punches it will be very crazy and intense."

Rogerio 'Minotoro' on the upcoming Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Alistair Overeem matchup: "I think that bout may be decided on the ground, and because of that I think Shogun has a little advantage. I don't think Overeem will be able to submit Shogun with his famous guillotine since Shogun never goes for the legs, he prefers to clinch for the waist."

Rogerio 'Minotoro' on his next fight: "PRIDE President Nobuyuki Sakakibara liked my fight against Mauricio Shogun a lo,t and told me to keep working hard, that I would be back soon. A rematch against Shogun would be great."

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Kazushi Sakuraba after getting beaten by Ricardo Arona.

DSE/PRIDE president Nobuyuki Sakakibara spoke with the Japanese media, and gave his opinion of the Ricardo Arona vs. Kazushi Sakuraba fight, and how he thinks it only helped to raise Sakuraba's marketability.

Here's what Sakakibara said:


"His (Sakuraba's) face was on the spread of FRIDAY (popular Japanese magazine). I think most people would turn away from looking at it. But, I think that if you are going to get beat, you should be beaten thoroughly.

Actually, I think it was good that he fought that far, his face being destroyed that way. I think that Saku letting his face be damaged so much will be an asset for him in the future. To PRIDE, that battle showed that it is clearly more than just a sport. It does have that kind of barbaric aspect, and I think it proved that there is a line separating PRIDE and other rings."

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Below are some official and unoffical matchups that are scheduled for the UFC 55 card on October 7th. A total of eight matchups is expected to take place on the card:


Andrei Arlovsky vs. Paul Buentello
Forrest Griffin vs. Ian Freeman
Matt Hughes vs. Karo Parisyan
Elvis Sinosic vs. Alessio Sakara
Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Chael Sonnen
Evan Tanner vs. David Loiseau
Keigo Kunihara vs. TBA

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Rafiel Torre (left) with MMA groupie Shiloh McIver.

Courtesy of the 'Daily Bulletin':


Man convicted of murdering friend for insurance money
By Rod Leveque, Staff Writer

RANCHO CUCAMONGA - A former cage fighter was convicted of murder Thursday for strangling his friend so he could live with the man's widow and her $1 million life insurance payout.

After two days of heated debate, jurors convicted Rafiel Torre of the first-degree murder of Bryan Richards and found he committed the murder for financial gain. The charges practically guarantee Torre a sentence of life in prison with no chance for parole.

Richards' family gasped, burst into tears and dove into each others' arms at the announcement of the verdict Thursday afternoon in West Valley Superior Court.

They waited four years for this day and said afterward they sometimes questioned whether justice would ever come.

"Bryan never did anything to deserve this,' his brother Keith said. "It was just senseless. It didn't have to happen.'

Richards, 32, was found strangled in the bed of his pickup truck outside a Rancho Cucamonga supermarket on Dec. 22, 2001.

The Rancho Cucamonga father was killed several months after his wife and Torre met at a nightclub and started a torrid love affair.

Torre, 40, fought professionally before his arrest and was known in the martial arts community for his work as a journalist in the bloody sport of cage fighting.

Prosecutors claimed he used an inescapable jujitsu chokehold called the "mata leon,' or "lion killer,' to strangle Richards so he could have Richards' wife to himself. The two would then live luxuriously off the life insurance money.

Torre, dressed in a gray suit, stood and swept his hand across his chest in the sign of the cross on Thursday seconds before his jury was led into court.

He bowed his head and closed his eyes as the court clerk read the guilty verdict.
His head hung low as he heard his fate.

Torre testified during his trial he had nothing to do with the murder.

Rather, he blamed it on Richards' widow, saying the woman hired a hit man and asked him to come forward and claim he killed Richards in self-defense if police ever tried to arrest her.
Prosecutors, however, ripped holes through that story and exposed Torre as a lifetime liar.
They also described for jurors the love affair between Torre and the woman, showed jurors Torre had the martial arts skill to apply the fatal chokehold and called as witnesses two other professional fighters who claim Torre solicited them to kill Richards months before the man turned up dead.

Members of the 11-woman, 1-man jury said Thursday they struggled to reach a verdict during their two days of deliberations.

Two jurors initially refused to convict Torre because they were concerned the case against him was almost entirely circumstantial.

The divide sparked bitter, angry arguments, they said.

"It was blood, sweat and tears,' juror Melinda Kirk said. "It was very stressful.'
Major crimes prosecutor Kent Williams said Thursday his evidence against Torre was among the most solid he's ever had in a case.

He nonetheless said he understood why the jury struggled.
"I don't think that normal, healthy people are wired to understand this kind of reprehensible conduct,' Williams said.

Torre's attorney, Anthony Robusto, said after the verdict that he believed Torre got a fair trial.
Members of Richards' family suspect that Richards' widow also might have had a hand in the murder.

They said they hope Torre, now convicted, would tell the truth about her role. If he did so, several of Richards' relatives said, they would speak on his behalf at sentencing.
Williams said detectives continue to investigate other suspects in the case.

Judge Barry Plotkin is set to sentence Torre on Sept. 29.

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WEC 16: 'Clash of the Titans II'
August 18th, 2005
The Palace Indian Gaming Center
Lemoore, CA


Ron Waterman defeats Ricco Rodriguez by unanimous decision.
Alex Serdyukov defeats Victor Parfenov by TKO at 2:20, RD 1.
Tosh Cook defeats Troy Miller by rear naked choke at 1:45, RD 1.
Chris Sanford defeats Josh Green by guillotine choke at 2:30, RD 1.
Rafael Del Real vs. Jody Poff decalred a no contest.
Steve Ramirez defeats Jason Biswell by TKO at 2:01, RD 1.
Casey Olsen defeats Rolland Parli by KO at 4:58, RD 1.
Kenny Ento defeats Chris Botelho by armbar at 4:33, RD 1.
Ernie Tiscareno defeats Van Palacio by keylock at 2:48, RD 3.
Allan Weickert defeats Rocky Batastini by armbar at 2:50, RD 1.
Dan Marks defeats Albert Rios by armbar at 2:22, RD 2.

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Vanderlei Silva

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' recently interviewed Vanderlei Silva. Here's what Vanderlei had to say (interview by Marcelo Alonso, translation by Ricardo Alonso):


Tatame: How are you feeling a week before facing Arona?

Vanderlei: I feel way better than in my other GP fights. I am finally recovered from all my injuries. In the fight against Yoshida, I went into that fight with both my knees injured and I couldn't run. Against Nakamura, I had my worst injury and couldn't even train Jiu-Jitsu for that fight.

Tatame: How are the training sessions with Ulisses Pereira, the trainer of Acelino "Popo" Freitas (brazilian boxing world champion)?

Vanderlei: The guy trains Popo, and he's the best boxing coach in Brazil and he's been proving that here. He's not just a great trainer, he's also a great teacher. He has a teaching style that is very similar to our team's style, always going for the victory. He's been a great aquisition for our team.

Tatame: Do you agree that Arona is the only representative of jiu-jitsu in the GP finals?

Vanderlei: Well... with that stand-up of his, what else could he represent? I adore Jiu-Jitsu, I train Jiu-Jitsu, but I came from Muay Thai.

Tatame: Why don't you like Arona?

Vanderlei: I don't like his attitude. He's very arrogant, it attracts a negative energy. But the way I see it is like pro-wrestling, there has to be a bad guy and a good guy. This is his character and this motivates me even more. I'm training all day long, I eat and sleep only thinking about this fight. Every great fighter needs great challenges. The bigger the challenge, the bigger the victory. I'm going for the knockout every time he goes for the takedown. I know that's his only chance. He always says about how much he wants to fight me. Talking is easy. Now that he has his chance, I want to see if he's going to be so brave inside of the ring on the 28th.

Tatame: And what about that incident that happened in the hotel, when you were having breakfast?

Vanderlei: Here at Chute Boxe, we stand up for each other very much. When master Rudimar told me that the BTT guys were training the Japanese guy that would face Assuerio (Silva), I was furious. A few minutes later, Arona came to talk to me. At that time, I percieved his attitude as a challenge. To tell you the truth, today I realize that I was wrong then. But I don't regret it. In reality, everyone there wants to kick each other's asses, and when I don't like someone I don't know how to pretend, I just say it. I knew that, sooner or later, we would be rivals. I just wanted make the rivalry very clear.

Tatame: Is there a possibility that the fight starts in the hotel this time?

Vanderlei: No... the feeling is more professional now. In fact, he's even complimented me since then. There was even a funny incident the other day... I entered the airplane to go to Japan, and I saw his seat was next to mine! That was just too much... I asked the filght attendant to change my seat.

Tatame: What did you think about the fight between Mauricio Shogun and Overeem?

Vanderlei: Shogun has already defeated the two toughest guys in this tournament: Quinton Jackson and Rogerio Minotoro. In reality, I consider the fight between Shogun and Minotoro as the best fight of 2005. They both were winners.

Tatame: Shogun and you already made a bet. What will you two bet if you both advance to the final?

Vanderlei: Shogun has a dog named Chacal, and it's like a son to him. I told him that if I knock him out, Chacal is mine. If he knocks me out, I'll return the dog... (laughs)

Tatame: What's the knock-down score between you and him in training?

Vanderlei: It's tied at 1-1. We're going to do the decider in front of the Japanese fans.

Tatame: In the last PRIDE show, you said that Shogun will be your successor. Are you already thinking about retiring?

Vanderlei: No way... When a guy retires, he starts to tell stories about having 400 fights, street fights, and ends up becoming a legend. I'm a real fighter. A real champion is made by titles and results. I keep saying that I'm in the middle of my carreer, I have 35 fights and I want to have 70. Today, thank God, I don't need to fight for money anymore. I fight because I like it and I want to get to 70 fights.

Tatame: The challenge you made to Rickson on Tatame TV was big news. Will it happen?

Vanderlei: The promoters will put up the money, but the guy (Rickson) will want to ask for 5 million US dollars... It won't be able to take place like that. He wants to make almost the same money as me (being sarcastic), the champion... To tell you the truth, I made the challange, but I know it won't happen. Mainly because he's at an advanced age. My only thing is with the comments he made. If he wanted, he could use his fame to help propel the sport, have an event, or maybe help promote the sport around the world. But instead he defames the athletes who are actually fighting, saying that the level of fighter is low and that Minotauro has no guard. That's absurd! Minotauro is part of vale-tudo history. The fight he had against Bob Sapp... what was that??? So, I feel that Rickson is living in a fantasy world, like Star Wars. The things he said left me upset, and I will always challenge anyone who talks bad about my sport.

Tatame: Give us a final message for your fans.

Vanderlei: I want to send out a special hug to the internet readers of Tatame. I read the site every day and I thank all those who praise me and all those who give me constructive criticism. I accept all the critiques. Many of them are legit and I'm always training hard to become better. I know I still have a lot of room to improve. You can all be certain you will still see me fighting a lot. Big hug, and root for me.

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Elvis Sinosic

The Brazilian media reports that the matchup of Elvis Sinosic vs. Alessio Sakara will take place on the UFC 55 card on October 7th.

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WEC 16: 'Clash of the Titans II'
August 18th, 2005
The Palace Indian Gaming Center
Lemoore, CA


Ricco Rodriguez vs. Ron Waterman
Alex Serdyukov vs. Victor Parfenov
Tosh Cook vs. Troy Miller
Chris Sanford vs. Josh Green
Allan Weickert vs. TBA
Steve Ramirez vs. Jason Biswell
Rafael Del Real vs. Jody Poff
Kenny Ento vs. Chris Botelho
Van Palacio vs. Ernie Tiscareno
Rolland Parli vs. Casey Olsen
Albert Rios vs. Dan Marks

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Randy Couture

UFC 54: 'Boiling Point'
August 20th, 2005
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, NV


Chuck Liddell vs. Jeremy Horn
Randy Couture vs. Mike Van Arsdale
Tim Sylvia vs. Tra Telligman
Matt Lindland vs. Joe Riggs
Diego Sanchez vs. Brian Gassaway
Frank Trigg vs. Georges St-Pierre
Travis Lutter vs. Trevor Prangley
James Irvin vs. Terry Martin

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Sergei Kharitonov

RINGS Lithuania
August 20th, 2005
Lithuania


Sergei Kharitonov vs. Peter Mulder
Bazigit 'Volk' Atajev vs. Beneilton Pereira Da Silva
Youri Kochkin vs. Milco Voorn
Tsuyoshi Kohsaka vs. David Shvelidze
Hiromitsu Kanehara vs. Youri Bekishev
Andre Fyeet vs. Egidijus Valavicius
Evert Fyeet vs. Khan Pashi
Konstantin Uriyadov vs. Donald Richard
Yanko Petrov Kolev vs. Michael Ilijukhin

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SHOOTO
August 20th, 2005
Yokohama Cultural Gymnasium
Kanagwa, Japan


Hayato Sakurai vs. Shinya Aoki
Gilbert Melendez vs. Rumina Sato
Joachim Hansen vs. Kenichiro Togashi
Mitsuhiro Ishida vs. Takashi Nakakura
Antonio Carvalho vs. 'Lion' Takeshi
Kyotaro Nakao vs. Hiroshi Nishioka

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Kaoklai Kaennorsing (left)

'Titans'
August 22nd, 2005
Yoyogi National Stadium Gym II
Tokyo, Japan

Below is the developing line-up for the 'Titans' kickboxing card on August 22nd:


John Wayne Parr vs. Kozo Takeda
Kaoklai Kaennorsing vs. Tsuyoshi Nakasako
Noboru Uchida vs. Nathan Corbett

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Daijiro Matsui

Pancrase 2005 Spiral Tour
August 27th, 2005
Tokyo, Japan


Takuya Wada vs. Masakazu Kuramochi
Moriyuki Yamada vs. Kozo Urita
Koji Oishi vs. Nathan Diaz
Daijiro Matsui vs. Daisuke Watanabe
Yuichi Nakanishi vs. Yuji Hisamatsu
Manabu Inoue vs. Masaki Yanagisawa
Sotaro Yamada vs. Minoru Chujo
Asaki Honda vs. Shinsuke Shoji

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PRIDE: 'Final Conflict 2005'
August 28th, 2005
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama, Japan


PRIDE middleweight GP semifinals (official):
Vanderlei Silva vs. Ricardo Arona
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Alistair Overeem

Single matchups (official):
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic
'Tank' Abbott vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Igor Vovchanchyn vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Vitor Belfort vs. TBA (possibly Yuki Kondo)
Fabricio Werdum vs. Roman Zentsov

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Ricco Rodriguez (left)

The matchup of Ricco Rodriguez vs. Ron Waterman has been announced for the WEC 16 card on August 18th. The matchup will be for the WEC heavyweight title.

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Din Thomas

The DEEP promotion announced the matchup of Din Thomas vs. Tyrone Glover for their next card on September 3rd.

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Vanderlei Silva (bottom right) training his jiu-jitsu.

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that Vanderlei Silva has been training like a man possessed, as usual, for the upcoming PRIDE GP finals on August 28th.

His mornings are spent training in jiu-jistu with Christiano Marcelo. The second half of his day is spent striking and sparring, until the last man leaves at night time.

"That's the difference between Vanderlei and others. He's the first to arrive and the last to leave. He's also always willing to help out and offer advice to everyone at the academy," says Chute Boxe head trainer Rudimar Fedrigo.

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DSE/PRIDE has a gallery of training pics of Fedor Emelianenko, and the rest of the Red Devil team, training in the mountains of Russia. Here are a few of the pics:







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"Tank" Abbott

'Tank' Abbott was recently interviewed by the PRIDE website. Here's what Tank had to say:


PRIDE: What were you saying when you were hitting the sand bag earlier? It sounded like you were saying, "kill" each time you hit it.

Tank: (laughing) No, you misheard me. My breathing probably just sounded like that to you.

PRIDE: What was your strategy?

Tank: Not to get arm barred. That's a joke but I would have been okay no matter what. I'm confident standing and on the ground.

PRIDE: Okay, I see. (laughing) Getting right to the point, have you seen any PRIDE fights?

Tank: Of course. I think that PRIDE is a great place where the world's best fighters fight. I think it's the closest to real fighting among all the organizations. The rules are strict in other places, right? And there are a lot of weight classes. Some of (the weight classes) look like they are adjusted just to create stars. PRIDE's not like that. That's why I wanted to fight.

PRIDE: How do you feel about fighting in PRIDE, considering that you've been a UFC fighter until now?

Tank: I'm really looking forward to it because PRIDE is a new place to fight for me. I fought in UFC-J in Japan once before. You can expect a lot from me because I was waiting after that for a long time for the next chance.

PRIDE: Mark Coleman, a legendary fighter who also came from the UFC, hasn't done well in PRIDE recently. It seems like the current situation, not limited to Coleman, is that the American fighters aren't winning.

Tank: Honestly, whether the Americans are winning or losing doesn't have anything to do with me. If I'm in shape, I'm confident I can beat any top fighter in the world. I'm going to be in top shape when I climb into the PRIDE ring. That's all I think about.

PRIDE: Even so, Kevin Randleman, Josh Barnett and the current Champion, Chuck Liddell, all originally UFC fighters, haven't been able to win in PRIDE recently. What do you think the problem is?

Tank: Hmm, I don't know. Maybe it's just a simple lack of preparation.

PRIDE: Do you think there is any difference, in terms of the level of fighting, between the UFC and PRIDE?

Tank: I don't know for certain. In PRIDE, though, there are a lot of opportunities to fight opponents that have as much skill as yourself, or maybe even more. That's probably the difference.

PRIDE: I see. You are often called a "brawler." Tell us something about your experience as a brawler."

Tank: I've been fighting all my life. As far as I can remember, I started my life as a brawler when I was around 9 years old. My life as a brawler will last at least another 30 years. I've been boxing for 20 years. When I get bored of the gym though, it's fun to go to a bar and beat someone that has an attitude. So, when I'm in a bad mood, sometimes I go to the bar to find that kind of guy. (laughing)

PRIDE: What?!

Tank: I've kicked a lot of guys' asses. It doesn't have to be a bar. Whether it's on the side of the road or a gas station, I don't care where we are. Fighting is fun. (smiling)

PRIDE: If you like fighting so much, why did you leave the UFC for a time and start pro-wrestling (WCW)?

Tank: I love fighting. I thought that my time for making a living in martial arts, including the UFC, was over at one point. It wasn't broadcast on TV and the money wasn't good. I can't make a living that way. That's when I was approached by WCW. Over time, though, WCW probably realized that they couldn't use all of my craziness. I wasn't satisfied with in the UFC because of my roots as a fighter and that's why I chose PRIDE this time.

PRIDE: How do you plan on fighting in PRIDE?

Tank: I think of myself as a wrestler that has two powerful arms. I don't like getting hit, of course, but I'm not scared of getting hit and I'm going to keep pounding with these two powerful arms. I think they are my best weapons.

PRIDE: So, you attach a lot of importance to your punches.

Tank: Of course. I've been training at this Mexican-style gym for a long time because hitting hard will be the focus of my fight. That's the only thing I concentrate on when I'm training.

PRIDE: Exactly what kind of training are you doing now?

Tank: Boxing, grappling, cardio and weight training. I spend about the same amount of time on each of them.

PRIDE: You're going to fight Hidehiko Yoshida on August 28th. Honestly, what did you think when you heard his name?

Tank: When I heard Yoshida's name? I was excited, of course. Then, I remembered his fight with Royce Gracie. I think he's a tough guy. I don't like fighting easy opponents in the first place. Tough opponents are the best.

PRIDE: What do you have to watch out for with Yoshida?

Tank: I'll be watching out for everything. He's good on the ground and grabbing. He's got a lot of strong techniques for using his judo gi to bring the fight to the ground.

PRIDE: Are you doing any specific training for Yoshida?

Tank: I get asked that a lot. If I prepare myself, I don't think there's any need to train for a specific opponent. I'd say that is my specific training. (laughing). This isn't a joke. If I in shape, there's nobody in this world that can beat me. If my mind and my body are prepared, there is nothing to fear.

PRIDE: How do you think the fight will play out?

Tank: No idea. (laughing) I honestly don't know. I've never tried to imagine how a fight would go.

PRIDE: Really?

Tank: Of course! Who do you think I am?! I can't even imagine it. The real question is whether Yoshida can keep up with me. That's what I'm looking forward to the most.

PRIDE: You want to KO him with punches though, right?

Tank: I don't know. There are a lot of patterns in a fight. It may be a fight that ends with a KO or it may primarily be a grappling match. I may even submit him. (laughing) That's why I can't imagine what will happen.

PRIDE: PRIDE is broadcast all over the world, including the US. What do you want to show everyone that will be sitting in front of their televisions?

Tank: That's simple. The guys that watch my fight want to see my type of win. They want to see me beat my opponent down.

PRIDE: Is there anything that you want to say to Yoshida?

Tank: Yoshida! Do you know what's going to happen to you? I am going to beat you down! That's all.

PRIDE: Is there anyone that you want to fight in PRIDE after Yoshida?

Tank: Not really? Why? Because I will fight anybody. I didn't think I'd be fighting at this age either but I'm addicted to fighting. (laughing)

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By Coffee Guy

Renato "Babalu" Sobral

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.

The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant called 'Coffee Guy':


The matchup of Renato 'Babalu' Sobral vs. Chael Sonnen is almsot signed for the UFC 55 card in October. Babalu is signed, but all that's left id for Sonnen to sign.

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Hoger vs. Bonnar (pictured) was one of the fights on the UFC: "Ultimate Fight Night" card. The show flopped at the gate, as well as with the fans.

The official live gate numbers were far below expectations for the UFC: 'Ultimate Fight Night' card, which took place on August 6th at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

Ultimate Fight Night sold just 929 paid tickets, while 1,541 free tickets were given out by PR people. That adds up to a total of 2,470 people in attendance in a building that holds 2,950, as the UFC sectioned off several hundred seats at this event and still didn't sell out the allocated number of tickets.

It was the second consecutive UFC event at the Cox Pavilion that failed to draw 1,000 paid tickets.

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Hidehiko Yoshida

DSE/PRIDE announced that Hidehiko Yoshida will be competing as a heavyweight from now on.

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Fabricio Werdum

DSE/PRIDE announced the matchup of Fabricio Werdum vs. Roman Zentsov for their PRIDE GP card on August 28th.

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April 25th, 2003 - MMA LLC, and its owners Kirik Jenness and Gabe Smallman, commenced legal action with the federal courts system in Boston, Massachusetts against The Grapplers Company, Inc. and its owner Brian Cimins for a supposed "misappropriation of proprietary information".

After two years, this is the result handed out by the judge residing over the case:


"THIS CASE HAS BEEN DISMISSED WITH PREJUDICE!!!"

"MMA, LLC's inexcusable conduct and intentional abuse of the discovery process"

"The behavior of the plaintiff's counsel (MMA) was inconsiderate and unfair in taxing unnecessary costs to the defendant. It is all the more inexplicable in that it was the plaintiff (MMA) who chose to bring suit against Mr. Cimins and his firm.

While the court is accustomed to delaying tactics on the part of the defendant striving to avoid their day in court, plaintiffs, for the most part are eager to hasten the vindication of their claims. From MMA, LLC's (www.MMA.tv) dilatory prosecution of its own case, the court draws the inference that the suit was INSTIGATED AND MAINTAINED PRIMARILY FOR THE REASONS OF HARASSMENT.

That, and the plaintiff's failure to comply in good faith with the court's order, are sufficient reasons to grant the relief requested."

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Josh Barnett holding up the New Japan flag in happier days.

Fightsport.com first reported yesterday that New Japan pro-wrestling was considering firing Josh Barnett after a controversial interview he did, in which he attacked the New Japan organization and many of its pro-wrestlers.

Today, it was reported in the Japanese media that Barnett may jump to the rival DSE/PRIDE organization, and more people in the Japanese pro-wrestling industry have already come out and said they already know his future is indeed in doubt with New Japan.

Regarding the biased site that was proven wrong, almost immediately after Fightsport.com reported yesterday that Barnett may be fired, the biased pro-Josh Barnett website run by Zach Arnold, who has ties to Barnett and always tries to promote him, alleged that Fightsport.com was making the whole thing up, because as Arnold put it:

"The reality is that no one has talked to Josh Barnett since the Gong interview came out and there has been zero word from New Japan's office about the matter."

What Zach Arnold and his biased site doesn't realize is that our sources know what is going on in the board rooms of these organizations. New Japan is not going to let Barnett know what they are discussing in their meetings, and will not let him know he has been released from his contract until after they have decided it.

They didn't even tell Barnett they had decided to leave him out of their G-1 tournament until after the matter, so what makes this biased site think they will let him know they are going to fire him?

Think about that before you try to spin the news, Zach Arnold.

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Josh Barnett (top) getting submitted by Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

DSE/PRIDE president Sakakibara announced that Josh Barnett may be participating on the PRIDE 30 card that is scheduled for October.

According to Sakakibara, Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic will be Barnett's opponent if Cro Cop wins his fight against Fedor Emelianenko.

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K-1 announced the following 2005 World GP opening round matchups for their card on September 23rd:


Bob Sapp vs. Choi Hong-Man
Jerome Le Banner vs. Gary Goodridge
Francois Botha vs. Musashi
Ray Sefo vs. Kaoklai Kaennorsing

Other fighters scheduled to participate:
Remy Bonjasky
Ernesto Hoost
Peter Aerts
'Mighty' Mo Siligia
Semmy Schilt
Glaube Feitosa
Ruslan Karaev
Fighter selected by K-1 (possibly Yusuke Fujimoto)

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Nathan Marquardt

The Nevada State Athletic Commission reports that Nathan Marquardt has tested positive for the anabolic steroid called Nandrolone.

Under Nevada law, Marquardt's fight against Ivan Salaverry will still count as a win for Marquardt, despite the positive test result.

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Matt Hughes (bottom) getting choked out by B.J. Penn.

Matt Hughes appeared on an internet radio show and stated that he is not at all impressed with judo, and is not the least bit worried about getting into a battle of takedowns with judo expert Karo Parisyan when they meet in the octagon in the upcoming UFC 55 card.

For MMA fans who have followed Hughes's career, it is interesting to note that before his fight against B.J. Penn, Hughes was also very dismissive about Penn and his Brazilain jiu-jitsu expertise. Hughes then went on to get choked out by Penn and losing his welterweight belt in the process.

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Jake Shields (center)

The camp of Jake Shields announced that he has recovered from the arm injury he sustained in the ADCC championships, and is now is back in training and ready to fight.

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Leigh Remedios


Leigh Remedios (left) getting choked out by Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belt Genki Sudo.

Leigh Remedios was recently interviewed by an internet site. Here's what Remedios had to say (interview by John O'Brien):


Interviewer: Hi Leigh. I recently had the pleasure of training with you and was thoroughly impressed with your level of ability. How long have you been training and what got you interested in MMA?

Remedios: Thank you. I've been training as far back as I can remember and I only ever did martial arts to become a better fighter, so when MMA came along it seemed like the perfect outlet for me

Interviewer: You've been fighting for nearly a decade now. Not many fighters have been active for that long. What keeps you going back to the gym, day in and day out to train?

Remedios: Ha ha, I don't know. I just love the fight game and always have. I don't think I'll ever want to stop, so I'm not looking forward to the day I'm too old

Interviewer: Describe for those who are not familiar with the amount of training required before a fight - What do you put into your training and how long preperation do you need before a fight?

Remedios: I train full time at Quannum, which averages between 4-6 hours a day. In the morning I do my conditioning, which is strength and stamina, and in the evenings I do sparring and technique. I train for 9 weeks for a fight - first 3 weeks is basic cardio but mainly strength work and sparring. the next 5 weeks is intense stamina and the last week is adjusting my weight

Interviewer: You've fought some top names in the 145 and 155 pound divisions. From the Mike Brown to Genki Sudo in UFC and most recently, drawing with Cage Rage champion Jean Silva - What has been your most memorable fight and also, who has been your toughest opponent?

Remedios: I've had loads of tough opponents. Generally, any fight where I'm under-prepared is very hard. I'm still looking for exciting and memorable fights, so I don't want to say until I finally retire

Interviewer: Fighters today are spacing themselves further and further from the sport aspect of jiu-jitsu.. How important of a role does jiu-jitsu play in today's MMA scene and what's your opinion on gi training for MMA?

Remedios: I think it has it's place in MMA but not a very big one. I think wrestling is the biggest factor in MMA because the better wrestler determines where the fight goes. I think the gi is useful for teaching guys who always use strength to slow down and use leverage but i don't think it offers anything to the MMAist from a technical point of view

Interviewer: What does the future hold for Leigh Remedios and will we see you fight soon?

Remedios: Probably not - I still have a lot to work on and I'd like to have some time off to compete in Judo, wrestling and kickboxing matches, finances permitting

Interviewer: Thanks for the interview Leigh - Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Remedios: Yeah, can I thank my sponsors? Oh, I don't have any. Nevermind then.

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Better fighters, better rules, and more exciting fights are just some of the reasons most MMA fans feel PRIDE is better then the UFC.

Commentary by Akira Yamazaki


Hey everyone, I decided I'm going to list my top ten reasons why I enjoy watching PRIDE FC over the UFC. I just want to share my opinion about the old age question - what organization is better. Well, I think it's PRIDE FC. Keep in mind, I still like the UFC, it's my second favorite MMA organization, I just think PRIDE is a little better.


1. Talent - PRIDE just has better talent. They have 3 out of 4 of the best HW's in the world. The LHW division is stacked and Bushido has 4 out of 5 (except for Shaolin)

2. Ring - I enjoy watching fighters in the ring more than a cage. The cage can be used as a weapon for a good wrestler, allowing the striker to lose. It's hard to view sometimes and the ring just has a more professional feeling to it.

3. Audiences - Let's face it, a lot of the UFC audience is toothless rednecks who want to see blood. They boo at good fighters and grappling cuz they dont understand it. UFC targets this audience too because it can't be mainstream with just the UG members. Pride has the best audience and targets everybody.

4. Rules - No knees to the head, etc. are UFC rules that I wish were changed. The fights would be more exciting, imo.

5. Consistant - Pride is consistant with all it's shows and you know to expect a great event. UFC has great cards on some months, and terrible ones other times.

6. No B.S. Celebrities - I hate when UFC tries to promote themselves by showing "who's in the audience". It's lame to interview them. I would much rather hear from someone like sherdog from ringside seats, not a dumb celeb who knows jack sh*t about MMA. It's so retarded to hear who Vin Diesel thinks is going to win, when the average UG'er knows he doesn't know sh*t.

7. Match Making - This could fall into the talent catagory, but Pride does incredible match making. Also, they let the fans decide the matches (although its the japanese fans, it's still considerate). Pride could of staged Arona x Shogun / Silva x Overeem, so SIlva gets the easier opponent to the final, but thanks to Pride's incredible match making, we get a fresh Silva vs. a fresh Arona!!

8. Money - This isn't UFC's fault, but Pride has the green to buy whoever they want. Since Pride has a bigger budget, we get to see olympic champions, top notch fighters from all around the world. UFC is mainly Americans, not that its bad or their fault, IMO, i just enjoy watching fighters from all around the world.

9. More Events - UFC holds 5-7 shows a year, since the birth of Bushido, Pride holds more shows. And it's not like they "save" their good fights, they have awesome cards on each one of their shows.

10. Tournaments - I'm a big fan of the tournaments, thats how i got into MMA, the old school tournaments. UFC cant do tournaments because of money. And their last HORRIBLE tournament where Uno and BJ met in the finals to a lackluster draw was it. Pride has the best MW and HW in the world compete. It's not UFC fault, it's just another reason why i like Pride better.

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Milton Bahia (top)

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that vale tudo veteran Milton Bahia, who made a name for himself in the IVC promotion in the late 90's, will return to MMA competition.

Bahia had been retired from fighting and spent ther last two years in the United States working as an MMA trainer and carpenter. Bahia is now back in Brazil and plans to compete in the 185-pound division.

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By Tape Lord

Josh Barnett (top) getting submitted by Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic.

Hello my friends, my postal connections in Japan are telling me that Josh Barnett may soon be released from his current pro-wrestling contract with New Japan. According to these sources, New Japan management is not very happy with an interview Barnett recently did, in which he blasted the New Japan organizaton and many of its pro-wrestlers.

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Tito Ortiz

Fallen UFC champion turned journeyman Tito Ortiz made the following statement on the UG forum:


"You people dont understand! Pride said if iam not a UFC fighter I cant fight for them. Dana black balled me! I have better things in the works!And yes I did get rid of my agent." -Tito Ortiz

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Frank Mir

The following statement was released by the manager of Frank Mir:


"I want to clear few things: Frank wanted to fight Arlovski, l am the one that did not let him fight, he wouldn't be ready in october, l wanted to get him in his best shape to take Arlovski, so after warning Frank about the risk of the UFC do what they did, l called Joe Silva and told him about my decision and asked him to postpone Frank's return to December.

Joe was not happy and said that would not be possible. I understand the UFC position but l also want them to understand that we are not happy with that. Medical clearance was never the issue, Frank is recovered, their decision is for some other reason. Frank will be ready in december and we hope the UFC will have someone to fight him at that time.

Thank you all!

Ricardo Pires"

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K-1: 'Mayhem At The Mirage'
August 13th, 2005
The Mirage,
Las Vegas, NV


Single fights:
'Mighty' Mo Siligia defeats Francois Botha by TKO at 1:20, RD 1.
Imani Lee defeats Jan 'The Giant' Nortje by unanimous decision.
Remy Bonnel defeats Duane 'Bang' Ludwig by unanimous decision.


North American GP tournament quarterfinals:
Azem Maksutaj defeats Michael McDonald by unanimous decision.
Ruslan Karaev defeats Freddy Kemayo by KO at 1:39, RD 1.
Chalid Arrab defeats Hiraku Hori by unanimous decision.
Scott Lighty defeats Tatsufumi Tomihira by KO at 1:23, RD 1.

Semifinals:
Ruslan Karaev defeats Azem Maksutaj by unanimous decision.
Scott Lighty defeats Chalid Arrab by unanimous decision.

Final:
Ruslan Karaev defeats Scott Lighty by unanimous decision.

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The media reports that the wildly successful boxing reality show, 'The Contender', will be back for a second season.

ESPN has signed a deal with producer Mark Burnett, and will air the second season of The Contender early next year.

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Robbie Lawler

The management of Robbie Lawler confirmed what Fightsport.com first reported on August 4th, that DSE/PRIDE is in fact close to signing Lawler to a contract.

They also announced that Lawler will be headlining the main event of the KOTC card on September 16th.

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Ricco Rodriguez (left)

Ricco Rodriguez has been added to the WEC 16 card on August 18th. He will be facing Allan Weickart.

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