FIGHTSPORT 24-7

AFC 14
December 10th, 2005
Location War Memorial,
Ft. Lauderdale, FL


Rich Clementi defeats Ryan Schultz by armbar, RD 1.
Fabiano Capoani defeats Aaron Stark by armbar, RD 1.
Denis Kang defeats Ron Fields by rear naked choke, RD 1.
Diego Saravia drew with Ryan Healy.
Crafton Wallace defeats Diego Vitosky by triangle choke, RD 1.
Ben Saunders defeats Ariel Pena by triangle choke, RD 1.
Mario Rinaldi defeats Eric Swiger by TKO, RD 1.
Mike Bruno defeats Scott Johnson by TKO, RD 1.
Matt Lee defeats Gino Astudillo by TKO, RD 1.

Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons

The Cage Rage promotion announced the matchup of Jose 'Pele' Landi-Jons vs. Travis Lutter for their Cage Rage 15 card early next year.

Vanderlei Silva

Below are some of the official and unoffical matchups are that scheduled for the PRIDE card on December 31st. A total of 10-12 matchups is expected to be announced:


Officially announced matchups:
Vanderli Silva vs. Ricardo Arona
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Mark Hunt
Fedor Emelianenko vs. 'Zuluzinho'
Hidehiko Yoshida vs. Naoya Ogawa
Dan Henderson vs. Murilo Bustamante
Yuki Kondo vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Sanae Kikuta vs. Takimoto
Takanori Gomi vs. Hayato Sakurai
Ken Kaneko vs. TBA

Unofficially announced matchups:
Alexander Emelianenko vs. Fabricio Werdum
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua or Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson
Murilo 'Ninja' Rua vs. Paulo Filho

Other fighters possible scheduled to participate on the card:
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira
Anderson Silva
Alistair Overeem

The image above was sent in by the MMA insider known as 'Theaxemurderer'. The image clearly shows that Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic was intentionally using a police style submission attempt on the arm of Josh Barnett in their first fight against each other. Cro Cop went on to win that fight by submitting Barnett.

Dan Henderson

Dan Henderson recently did a Q&A on an internet website between him and his fans. Here is the entire Q&A:


Henderson: It's been a while since I've been on so I thought I would update everyone on my training. Mayhem's been a great training partner. He's got no quit in him. Rampage came in last week and will hopefully be here for a day or two next week. He's huge but a fun to train with. Ryo Chonen came into town on Wednesday. He's got a fight Jan 5th. He's good pretty good ankle locks. Dean Lister gave me a few pointers. Great submissions. The rest of the guys are still around. Brian Foster, Art Santore, Heath Sims and Ryan is cleaning up my diet. The Law will be here this week fresh of a victory in England. I'll be ready NYE. If you have questions I'll stick around for a little bit.

Question: Do you no longer train with Randy Couture?

Henderson: I trained with him in Portland a few weeks ago. Other than that we haven't trained for quite a while.

Question: How do you see the fight with Bustamante playing out? Do you anticipate another quick KO victory?

Henderson: I always anticipate a quick fight and hope for a quick KO.

Question: What happened in your fight with Rogerio Minotoro? After seeing your amazing submission defense against Rodrigo Minotauro, and in other fights during your career, I was shocked to see you submitted in the first round.

Henderson: I got armbarred. It wasn't my night. No excuses.

Question: Do you (and other TQ guys) ever train with the gi?

Henderson: We don't train with the gi.

Question: How long before the fight do you arrive in Japan, and what do you do to get used to the time zone?

Henderson: We arrive in Japan 5 days prior to the fight. I sleep a lot to get used to the time zone. I only really leave the hotel room to eat and train.

Question: Dan are you good at fighting?

Henderson: According to some gay ass website MMA Weakly, they think I'm pretty good.

Question: What is your conditioning routine like? How far out from the fight do you start training hard?

Henderson: The hard training starts 6-8 weeks. Most of my conditioning is done on the mat with a little weight training.

Question: Have you been working more BJJ then you have in the past?

Henderson: I've been working a little more BJJ.

Question: Do you think Minotoro needs botox?

Henderson: I don't look at other men like that. I could care less if he has wrinkles.

Question: Is it true that the sparring at the team quest camp is really light? I heard you spar really hard, and so does Randy. So, I was just wondering if that might be one of the reason people are leaving the camp?

Henderson: I've been know to spar hard but it all depends on what we're doing and what type of practice it is. I don't know who's leaving camp.

Question: Who do you want to fight next?

Henderson: I want to fight Bustamante next to get my first belt.

Question: Is Randy the next LHW Champ of the UFC?

Henderson: I would bet on it.

Question: I heard Randy left team quest, and so did Chris. Did I hear wrong? Anyway, thank you for taking the time to come on here and answer questions!

Henderson: I really don't know. We're out of the loop down here. He is living in Vegas now so he can't workout at the gym in Portland. I don't know about Chris. I think they still fight with Team Quest.

Question: Were you there when B.J. Penn came to train with Team Quest? Is he really as talented as people say, and do you think he'll beat Hughes again in the rematch?

Henderson: I haven't trained with B.J., but I have heard good things.

Question: Your grappling, is your goal to make room for striking or stay open for the submission or the KO?

Henderson: I like to knock people out.

Question: Do you still sell that PRIDE trip package on E-bay to come along with you?

Henderson: We've thought about it for this show but haven't decided yet. It's been a great experience for everybody each of the three times. We've been lucky to get cool people.

Question: Who do you think will win in the Silva vs. Arona rematch?

Henderson: I'll go with Vanderlei.

Question: Is there anyone in the 185-pound division that you wouldn't want to stand with?

Henderson: No.

Question: Your thoughts on Nate Quarry's performance?

Henderson: I didn't see the fight, but he will learn and improve from this.

Question: Your thoughts on the UFC's 185 pounders?

Henderson: Franklin? The Crow? Leben? Lutter? Prangley? Swick? They seem pretty tough, but they need to be matched up with Lindland to see where they stand. I think he would beat them all.

Question: Also, why do you think most American fighters aren't successful in interntional MMA promotions as you are?

Henderson: I don't know if I agree with that.

Question: Have you ever trained with Frank Shamrock?

Henderson: I haven't trained with Frank.

Question: How do you hide a horseshoe in your right glove, doesn't a pride official check?

Henderson: I don't really hit that hard. I have to headbutt people first.

Question: Do you have a boxing coach? Do you consider Robert Follis your boxing coach? Do you get to box with real boxers?

Henderson: I box with my teammates. I rarely train with Robert, maybe once a year. I've trained with Melchor Menor and a Muay Thai coach you've never heard of (Lorenzo).

Question: Would you have KO'ed Phil Baroni?

Henderson: Who knows. I probably would of taken him down and skull fucked him than try to KO him.

Question: Have Bustamante's recent comments about your character fueled you for your upcoming fight with him?

Henderson: I could care less what Bustamante says. I was planning on kicking his ass before he said that. He's been bitching for 2 years now.

Question: How about a fight vs. Rampage?

Henderson: Rampage is my friend and there are other people I like to fight but we would do it for the $$$.

Question: Do you eat Japanese food in Japan or american?

Henderson: I eat both types of food.

Question: You are obviously an amazing wrestler, which is why it has surprised me to see you taken down at times in fights against much lesser wrestlers. Does this occur because you are thinking about/standing differently for striking and as such are quite vulnerable to being taken down?

Henderson: The harder you throw a punch the easier it is to get taken down. This isn't a wrestling match.

Question: Do people on the streets of Japan ever recognize you?

Henderson: Yes, I get recognized on the street in Japan.

Question: Who is the best fighter you have ever faced?

Henderson: Vanderlei or Nogueira.

Question: What is your general sense of how many fights are "worked" in PRIDE, UFC or elsewhere?

Henderson: PRIDE and the UFC do not have worked fights to my knowledge.

Question: I read somehwere that you commented that Yuki Kondo does not hit very hard. Is this true?

Henderson: I told my corner between rounds he hits like a girl.

Question: Dan got his KO power at The Pit (Chuck Liddell's training center)...

Henderson: OK, but I havn't mastered the eye poke yet.

Question: Which loss would you rather avenge: Silva or Frank?

Henderson: I'd like to fight Vanderlei again, and I don't think it would do much for my career to beat Frank.

Question: How hard does Rampage hit in comparison to other guys you have either fought or trained with like Silva, Liddell, Couture, Arona, Minotoro, Kondo, etc?

Henderson: Quinton hits very hard. Training is always different than a fight.

Question: A few of us have been arguing latly about Matt Lindland having a boring fighting style. His Inability to strike standing and on the ground. Since you work out with him, has his striking got alot better as of late or is his style still pretty much, get you on the ground, move for better postion, and slowly maul you into a ref stoppage or a decision victory? I know he is your friend, but I would MUCH rather watch you fight than him, and I am not saying he isn't a good fighter, but rather his style is boring. What is your take on that?

Henderson: Matt's stand-up has been improving over the last year or two. He does actually hit hard. I remember when my nickname was decision Dan, the most boring fighter in the game. Matt finishes most of his fights. Not many people can say that.

Question: Who do you think will win the lw title, gomi or mach?

Henderson: I think Mach will win and will kick the shit out of Gomi's legs.

Question: Is it true you trained Jeff Newton in his recent UFC fight against Sam Hogar?

Henderson: Jeff Newton hasn't trained with us in a year. Great guy, very unorthodox, tough fighter.

Question: Who that you've trained with has the best submissions?

Henderson: Dean Lister.

Question: Do you think Rampage is back to the fighter he was pre-Silva knee to the nose? How do you think he stacks up versus the rest of the LHW fighters in MMA?

Henderson: Quinton will be better. He didn't have the best training environment. Now he does.

Question: Does Rulon Gardner plan on fighting again?

Henderson: Rulon will not fight again. We are actually finishing a documentary about the whole experience. It goes from the time he agreed to fight until NYE. It was a crazy day. Most people don't know how little he actually trained.

Question: Who do you believe is the top fighter in the HW, LHW, MW, WW, and LW divisions?

Henderson: Rickson.

Question: Is it true that you are planning on going back to fighting at 93 kg (205 pounds) weight class after you win the belt?

Henderson: Not sure, but I have unfinished business at that weight class.

Question: Who are your favorite fighters to watch?

Henderson: Too many to list.

Question: What is the best MMA fight you have ever seen?

Henderson: There we're a few on the last Bushido.

Question: I like Busta but he has whined waayyyy too much about your first bout.

Henderson: He does whine a lot.

Question: Do you use Light Force Green?

Henderson: I've been using Light Force for the last few years. It's actually one of the few things I take.

Question: Are there any chance you would fight in the UFC again? Have they approached you since you left?

Henderson: I don't think I'll be back in the UFC. PRIDE pays well and is home for now, but you never know.

Question: What is your opinion of Rich Franlin as a fighter? Do you think that he has any weaknesses that you can exploit, and do you want to fight him someday?

Henderson: Rich is a great fighter. I heard he has a weak chin so I guess I would test it. He's in the UFC so I don't really think about fighting him.

Question: Do you think rugby's a real sport?

Henderson: Rugby is a real sport. Ryan and Randy sat on the bench at a professional Rugby game in Australia and said it was crazy.

Question: Are you training out of a gym in Cali curently, if so which one?

Henderson: I'm training in Temecula. We're in the process of opening a Team Quest gym Temecula. We'll be ready in the beginning of Jan. 2500 sq/ft of mat space, 24 X 24 ring, bags...

Question: What is your ethnic background?

Henderson: English, French & Indian plus some other shit.

Question: Do you still wrestle when you're not training MMA?

Henderson: No.

Question:In terms of lifting, you said you lift some weights and primarily your conditioning comes from mat time. When you do weights is it primarily circuit type stuff as opposed to maximal weight?

Henderson: I'm doing 100 rep set circuit training now.

Question: What kind of mental work do you do before a fight, because you seem very aggressive yet calm, or is it simply your competetive background helping out?

Henderson: I control my focus by focusing on what I am going to do, not what my opponent is going to do. I've been competing since I was five so that helps.

Question: Who was the tougher fight, Minotauro or Vanderlei?

Henderson: Hard to say. I was very out of shape with Vanderlei plus we didn't know who he was. To us he was some Brazilian that Tito beat.

Question: From watching the "Smashing Machine", the girls in Japan were going crazy over mma fighters. How good are your groupies? Who pulls down the best?

Henderson: Groupies are there but there's not a whole lot of time for them. Plus I'm married.

Question: How is Chonan as a training partner?

Henderson: Chonan's great guy. He's only been training since 2000 with no wrestling, judo or boxing background. I respect him.

Question: Have there every been any pro fighters that you have trained with that you have been underimpressed with?

Henderson: No.

Question: Do you ever lurk on the forums?

Henderson: I do occasionally, to look for results.

Question: Did you always know you had such a heavy right hand?

Henderson: I found out pretty quick once I started fighting. I have only been in three street fights; one in high school and I don't remember the other two very well.

Question: Were you about to laugh in the staredown with Silva? It kind of looks like that.

Henderson: I thought it was funny.

Question: Any interesting things that you can tell us from behind the scenes at PRIDE?

Henderson: There's a few but there's a reason why they are behind the scenes. I only tell my secrets.

Question: Anything interesting that you CAN tell us?

Henderson: When I won my last fight I went to tap Bas in the face but I lost my balance and caught myself on his forehead. It was a little harder than I intended. True story.

Ken Kaneko (center)

DSE/PRIDE announced that Japanese actor Ken Kaneko will participate on their PRIDE card on December 31st. Kaneko is being trained by the Takada Dojo for his fight.

The Japanese media reports that DSE/PRIDE is spending over USD$1 million on the production of their title belts for their December 31st card, encrusting each belt with diamonds and sapphires.

Rumored she-male admirer Joe Rogan (left) may be facing Wesley Snipes (right), who once played a she-male in one of his movies.

Courtesy of the 'Wrestling Observer':


"And on more craziness, here is an update on Wesley Snipes vs. Joe Rogan. If this fight happens, the main promoters would not be the UFC, but Campbell McLaren and David Isaacs of Zilo, Inc. McLaren and Isaacs ran the UFC for most of the period when it was under the auspices of Bob Meyrowitz's Semaphore Entertainment Group.

They believe both will be finalizing a date soon. Snipes, although not at the level of U.S. star that he was at his peak, still has a full movie schedule, and has said he would need six weeks of intense training before doing it.

They are hopeful of a March PPV date but it won't happen sooner than that. There would likely be some form of UFC involvement in the project, because they would need to have an undercard to go with that match."

By Coffee Guy

A fan's humorous parody of the UFC reality show and what appears to be its percieved strategy of appealing to the upper class homosexual demographic.

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 try-outs for 'The Ultimate Fighter' season 3 are well underway, but it seems that Zuffa is already planning for season 4 as well.

According to my sources, Dana White may be planning to include UFC veterans in season 4, and having them compete for a UFC contract."

KOTC: 'Conquest'
December 3rd, 2005
Stampede Corral
Calgary, Canada


Ryan Diaz defeats Thierry Quenneville by triangle choke at 3:12, RD 3.
Bill Mahood defeats Shane Lightle by TKO at 1:56, RD 1.
Ben Rothwell defeats Don Richard by TKO at 3:32, RD 1.
Blake Fredrickson drew with Jake Short.
Mike Ciesnolevicz defeats Chris Peak by unanimous decision.
Joe Martin defeats Victor Hernandez by triangle choke at 1:25, RD 1.
Kevin Manderson defeats David Scholten by rear naked choke at 1:37, RD 2.
Ben Greer defeats Bob Shabaga TKO at 1:43, RD 2.
Chris Wilson defeats Cruz Chacon by triangle choke at 2:43, RD 2.
Jason Day defeats Greg Rogalsky by guillotine choke at 2:22, RD 1.
Jason Tatlow defeats Tim Thurston by split decision.
Tyler Jackson defeats David Mah TKO at 3:39, RD 1.
Gary Wright defeats Adam Thomas by unanimous decision.
Daryl Bonar defeats Kyle Cheyne by guillotine choke at 0:35, RD 1.

RITC 77: 'In Your Face... Again'
December 3rd, 2005
Casa Grande, AZ

Carlos Ortega defeats Eddie Castro by unanimous decision.
Mike Ashford defeats Rich Alten by armbar at 2:58, RD 1.
Alex Femino defeats Rocco DeAngelo by choke at 2:49, RD 1.
Rosco McClellan defeats Severiano Moreno by choke at 2:03, RD 1.
Josh Donahue defeats Austin Pascucci by choke at 0:56, RD 1.
Nick Hedrick defeats Sonny Hornbeck by choke at 1:28, RD 1.

Mark Hunt

The Japanese media is reporting that the matchup of Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Mark Hunt will most likely take place on the PRIDE card on December 31st.

Dan Henderson

The following was an exchange that took place on an internet forum between Dan Henderson and the John 'Pit Master' Hackelman, who is the trainer of Chuck Liddell:


Hackelman: Dan (Henderson) got his KO power at The Pit.......

Dan Henderson: OK, but I haven't mastered the eye poke yet.

Hackelman: The Hawaiian Kempo Eye Poke....

Dan Henderson: At least your honest about it. Thanks for clearing that up.

Nobuaki Kakuda (left) posing with a cut-out picture of Sylvester Terkay.

K-1 announced the matchup of Sylvester Terkay vs. Nobuaki Kakuda for their card on December 31st. The bout will be a K-1 rules matchup.

Lou DiBella

After the second lackluster boxing match between Jermaine Taylor and Bernard Hopkins, boxing promoter Lou DiBella stated the following:


"Any majesty the sport has is gone. It's just above Ultimate Fighting." -Lou DiBella

The Rua brothers, Murilo "Ninja" and Mauricio "Shogun".

The Rua brothers, Mauricio 'Shogun' and Murilo 'Ninja', and one of their trainers since childhood, Zitto, were all recently interviewed together by the PRIDE website. Here's what Shogun, Ninja, and Zitto had to say:


Interviewer: Shogun, what did you think of your brother's fight in PRIDE 30?

Shogun: Everyone at Chute Boxe believes in Ninja's potential, and Ninja trained as hard as he could, so I knew that he would do well. I think that Ninja proved with this fight that he is the greatest fighter in the middleweight division.

Interviewer: Before the fight, Ninja said this would be a very important match. Was there any special mood during training?

Shogun: Yes... (yells) (At this point, bees attack both Rua brothers)

Ninja: (after collecting himself) Yes, there was some pressure because I had to win this match in particular, and I was a little nervous on the day of the fight. However, I trained very hard in striking and on the ground, so I was confident that I would win by KO or submission. I'm happy that I actually won by submission.

Shogun: I think Ninja's power was different than before. He hasn't fought in a while, but during that time he devoted himself to getting stronger. In terms of strength, this fight is the strongest he has ever been.

Interviewer: Let me ask you about your mother. I've heard that she is a famous track athlete in Brazil.

Shogun: Yes, our mother always places high in events. She's currently a marathon runner. She runs every day. I think that we are good fighters today because of our mother's support.

Interviewer: Did she make you run with her when you were children?

Ninja: No, nothing like that.

Shogun: Ninja and I compete with her in short races but in the end, she always run laps around us. (laughing) Mama always places in the top positions but we are always in the back. It's tough because people always say to us, "Your mother is faster than you even though she is in her 50's and you're in your 20s."

Interviewer: Do both of you run marathons?

Shogun: Sometimes we all run in 10 km races.

Interviewer: What were your mother's punishments like?

Shogun: Her discipline wasn't tough. Actually, it was the reverse. Both of our parents are very kind to us. They played soccer and swam with us since we were children and we've never been needy. We were able to eat what we wanted, and I think all of these things had an affect on the kind of fighters that we are today.

Interviewer: Ninja, have you ever thought that Shogun was spoiled?

Ninja: No. It was our other brother, Shaolin, who was spoiled. (laughing)

Shogun: Ninja and Shaolin are always fighting. I always have to get between them and work it out. (laughing)

Ninja: Is that how it is? (laughing)

Interviewer: Do you give Shaolin an allowance from your fight money?

Shogun: We're always giving money to him. Shaolin will become rich some day. He gets money from me, from Ninja, and from our parents.

Interviewer: Is your father talented at sports?

Shogun: I think he was good. It was just a hobby for him but we used to play soccer together. He's a super businessman now, flying all around the world.

Interviewer: You've been with Professor Zitto (Chute Boxe Japan instructor), who is here with you today, since you were children, right?

Shogun: Ninja and I have always trained at Zitto's place. We have churrascaria (Brazilian BBQ) parties before our fights but Zitto is cheap and won't buy much meat for us. That's why all of our fighters are hungry when they fight. (laughing)

Zitto: I'm not cheap! (laughing) These guys eat too much so (no matter how much I buy) it's never enough. It's better not to eat much meat before a fight, right? These guys eat a lot. I used to operate a store selling sandwiches and candies and Ninja came to work part-time for me. Ninja ate too much though, and I went out of business!

Interviewer: Is that true?

Zitto: Of course it's true!

Ninja: I can't help it. I love chocolate and candy. (laughing)

Interviewer: What are your hobbies, besides martial arts?

Ninja: I like to watch soccer matches but I don't really have any special hobbies. I like to spend time around my house, watching videos and eating with my family.

Shogun: I always train with Ninja and we spend most of our weekends together, too. We go to watch soccer and movies together, and we walk our dogs together.

Interviewer: You really have a good relationship. Finally, Shogun, you said in a recent interview that you want to fight Yoshida.

Shogun: I think Mr. Yoshida is a really excellent fighter and if we fight, it would definitely be a good match. I want to show the fans good fights, so I hope to fight Yoshida some day.

Interviewer: Ninja, is there anyone that you want to fight?

Ninja: I don't choose my opponents, so anyone is fine. If PRIDE makes me an offer, I could drop down to 83 kg (183 pounds) and fight in the Welterweight Grand Prix. If so, I'd like to fight Gono again and finally see who is better. (Note: Ninja and Akihiro Gono's fight in Pro SHOOTO on May 1st, 2001, ended in a draw.)

By Coffee Guy

Randy Couture (pictured) right after getting poked in his eye by a Chuck Liddell strike, which eventually led to his KO defeat in their second fight.

"(An early) poke in the eye changed my composure," Couture says, "and I chased him around instead of cutting him off. By going straight at him -- I had hit him with a good shot and stood him up, then threw a left hook and overcommitted -- I allowed him to step to the right and gave him the angle where I was out of position." -Randy Couture



Courtesy of the 'Portland Tribune':

Couture trains with redemption in mind
Fighter has something to prove as he gets ready for rematch

By Jason Vondersmith
Friday, Dec 2nd, 2005


Of sound mind and healthy body, Randy Couture looks forward to his rubber match with Chuck Liddell. Part of him wants to prove wrong those who suggest he has lost his edge.

"I'm very excited. I can't wait until it gets here," says Couture, the Ultimate Fighting Championship star with roots in Oregon.

Couture suffered his first knockout April 16th, when Liddell caught him with an awesome right hand and took his UFC light heavyweight belt.

"UFC 57: Liddell vs. Couture 3" will be Feb. 4 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Couture will make a flat $225,000 for the fight.

"Training has been going fantastic," says Couture, who moved to Vegas earlier this year and has been sparring, lifting, running and doing plyometrics. "I'm confident I'll be ready to go."

Couture, 42, admits that he was dealing with "a lot of stress," before his April defeat while going through a divorce. He boasted at the time of not having to cut much weight - he was carrying about 203 pounds - but it was the stress that kept his weight low.

"I just didn't feel as strong and explosive," he says.

Today, he's at about 216 and will take his time cutting weight for the fight. He has thought long and hard about how he "allowed" Liddell, a stand-up kickboxer, to get his knockout punch. Couture, who relies on wrestling strategy, says he doesn't want to put himself in the same situation against the younger Liddell, who will be 36 on Dec. 17.

"(An early) poke in the eye changed my composure," Couture says, "and I chased him around instead of cutting him off. By going straight at him — I had hit him with a good shot and stood him up, then threw a left hook and overcommitted — I allowed him to step to the right and gave him the angle where I was out of position."

Couture, who helped found Team Quest Fight Club of Gresham, will be in Oregon this weekend for the 15th Sportfight event on Saturday at Mt. Hood Community College. But it won't distract from his training.

"I've always tended to respond better being the underdog and challenger," says Couture, who whipped Mike Van Arsdale in August.

What if he beats Liddell - would he retire on top?

"I don't know. We'll see," he says. "I'm taking it one fight at a time, and I'll make an honest evaluation after the fight."

Cnspiracy theory radio show host, Alex Jones, who is also a friend of Joe Rogan, seems to have attacked the sport of MMA. Here's what the MMA insider known as 'Redneck' sent in to us:


"I was just listening to the Alex Jones radio show and he savagely attacked the sport of Mixed Martial arts, specifically "Ultimate Fighting".

He said when you walk into any restaurant in Texas that "Ultimate Fighting is playing on the TV and they show guys fighting in cages with no rules, often beating each other to death."

He was using it to show how crazy it is that schools have banned Dodgeball while society watches men being beaten to death on TV, whilst the viewer eats a meal.

I call for a boycott on this guy! Or an email campaign!

Here's the radio station's website: GCN Live

-Redneck"

Rickson Gracie (top) striking Zulu.


Zulu (bottom) taking Rickson for a ride.


Heli0 Gracie (far left) and Rolles Gracie look on at a victorious Rickson.

The following article is courtesy of Gracie Magazine:


Birth of a Samurai

Images of the historical fight between Rickson and Rei Zulu, and Rickson Gracie's MMA debut
Photos by Joaquim Firmino/Correio Braziliense


In the eighties, Canal 100 exhibited in Rio de Janeiro's theaters the confrontation between Rickson and Rei Zulu that took place in Maracanazinho, RJ, before 20 thousand people. Afterwards the scenes were used as an ending to the film Gracie in Action, commercialized by Rorion Gracie in the USA. With all that, even though many people haven't watched them, these 20-year-old images pervade the collective uncouscious of the fight milieu.

Until now, however, History had forgotten the fact that Rickson and Zulu fought for the first time in a gymnasium with little public in Brasilia, on April 25th 1980. On that day, chicken-body, as Zulu called Gracie, had never fought as a pro and wasn't the family's champion yet. But, even so, he was about to face the greatest challenge in his career.

Seen close to the ring as an 11-year-old, brother Royler recollects, "I remember my old man (Helio Gracie) wanted Rolls to fight, and Rolls telling him to give the kid (Rickson) a chance. 'If Zulu wins I'll get him later, but he won't go through Rickson.' It was after this fight that Rickson's name arose to the world. Before that he was unknown."

Zulu's size, who at 6'4 and 180 pounds was a true giant of his time, was a big subject on that day's news. But Rickson, incredibly daring for a 20-year-old kid, couldn't be more confident. "If size mattered, the elephant would be the king of the jungle," wrote the Correio Braziliense.

At the beginning of the battle, Zulu went for his opponent's waist, and Rickson let fly a knee strike that took two teeth from the maranhense's mouth. The King wasn't even affected. He shook his head, tossed about, and went back towards the boy. The fight was predicted to last at most three ten-minute rounds but, before being submitted, Zulu would escape several strikes and throw the blackbelt out of the ring three times, despite his mouth bleeding from the first strike, which did not stop. A rear-naked-choke ended the fight at two minutes of the second round.

More than Zulu's resume, agility and size; more than the backstage bets and the fights outside the rings; more than the encounter between Helio Gracie and Waldemar Santana, who lived in Brasilia and promoted the event; more than the mark this duel would represent in fighting history; more than any of this, what marked the occasion was the fight itself, as the witnesses say, the images prove, and Rickson states, almost a quarter-century later:

"It was the toughest experience in my career. My father and Rolls were in my corner and were very important to my victory. When the fight was over Zulu came up to me and said: 'Yeah, kid, congratulations, but you've got all that help and I'm a self-made fighter.' He was right. Thinking of these words, I realized how special a fighter Zulu was and how much I have to thank my family and God for.

Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

Gracie Magazine reports that the following matchups have been confirmed by the Brazilian Top Team and Mauricio Behring, who manage Rodrigo 'Minotauro' and Fabricio Werdum, respectively.

The matchups will take place on the PRIDE card on December 31st:


Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. 'Zuluzinho'
Fabricio Werdum vs. Aleksander Emelianenko

Vanderlei Silva (left) against Ricardo Arona.

Vanderlei Silva was recently interviewed by Gracie Magazine. Here's what Silva had to say:


Interviewer: What was your tactical mistake in the PRIDE GP semifinal fight against Arona? Why didn't you fight aggressively from the start?

Vanderlei: I used a completely wrong strategy. I was waiting for him to attack, which he didn't; I remained in this dilemma and got the worst of it. When we hit the floor I should have also played a little more Jiu-Jitsu. But I'm not here to whine; when it comes to me, it's "you win, you win," or "you lose, you lose." There's no crying over losses. There is also no saying, after losing, that it was due to hitting my head against the ground.

Interviewer: Do you agree with those who say, as he did himself, that Arona beat you both standing and on the ground?

Vanderlei: Except he didn't fight much either, it was an awful match. Of the two takedowns he applied, on one I slipped and on the other he just ran in my direction and I ended up falling. As far as standing, I got a few kicks right, but that was pretty much it. Actually it was a bad fight, we both fought poorly.

Interviewer: What went through your mind in the first few moments after the fight?

Vanderlei: At the time I was upset. When I got out of the ring my only desire was to leave the place, but the boss (Rudimar Fedrigo) talked to me and calmed me down. He is a tremendous coach, a perfect leader. He knows just what to say at the exact time. I soon calmed down and went on to support Shogun, which was the right thing to do at the time. The moment he was stepping into the ring, I yelled, "Finish that guy," and we all know he did just what I requested (laughs).

Interviewer: After the loss, were you disappointed at yourself?

Vanderlei: I was disappointed in my performance. After all, the fight was ugly and boring, quite unlike the way I like to fight. I've watched it twice at home, and I decided I'm never watching it again. Not because of having lost, as I've stated, but because of my attitude. However, this loss made me reconsider a couple of deficiencies. Losing is always a bitch, but I've drawn a few conclusions from it. I've also realized that this year I had a tough routine, with a bunch of injuries, which did hinder me a bit. I was well prepared, but a little tired from all the fighting and injuries.

Interviewer: Soon after the match you declared not to be all that interested in fighting Arona again. What happened?

Vanderlei: I said that because I had just been beaten. But I have already asked the boss to schedule the December 31st fight with Arona as soon as possible, and now with the title at stake. I think about this rematch all the time – earlier today I was beating the bag thinking of Arona. And I know he'll accept to fight me because he thinks he did a terrific fight, when what actually happened was that we both fought terribly.

Interviewer: Despite the disappointment, you had something to celebrate with your teammate's win. How do you evaluate Mauricio Rua's showing throughout the Grand Prix?

Vanderlei: His victory was undisputed, there was no doubt he was the best this year. He beat the toughest guys and displayed his talent without flaw. After he defeated Quinton Jackson he went on to show the finest fighting skills. He took part in the fight of the year against Rogerio Minotouro, and if he keeps it up he'll remain at the top for a long time. There's something very positive about him, and he takes on anyone he is put up against and lets loose his game. In spite of being newer than me at the academy, he's got a lot to teach me.

Interviewer: What did you feel as you returned home? Was it any different?

Vanderlei: I saw that that some things happen for us to realize we have friends beside us. Both my family and my co-workers gave me a lot of support. After coming back from Japan, I arrived at Chute Boxe thinking people were going to treat me differently, but it was just the opposite, and that was really moving. Everyone there applauded me and I realised they are on my side for the bad moments as well. This reception in Curitiba was very comforting and gave me a lot more will to show my potential, which stimulates me to train even more.

Interviewer: Do you consider this moment as dramatic to your career as your loss to Belfort? Can you trace a parallel between these two fights?

Vanderlei: They're both different moments, but they were both really hard. The loss to Vitor was quite complicated, but the lesson I learned from the loss to Arona was knowing that I'm a much better fighter than I showed there. This time I was truly disappointed at my Jiu-Jitsu. When the fight ended I was sure I had lost. I'm really hard on myself, I can't accept such an showing. I can hardly wait to fight again.

Interviewer: Were you disappointed at the criticism from the fans? What would you like to tell your critics?

Vanderlei: I'm never shaken by criticism. I've been competing for a long time now and I take it as normal. I doesn't happen only to me, you know, but with many athletes in all sports. And some of the criticism is good – as well as sincere when it comes from my friends and fans. What I want is to apologize to the fans, not for having lost, but for having fought that way. I'd like to tell them that now I'm going to show them all my potential and do what they all expect from me, that is, to put on a show.

Interviewer: Next year is the PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix. Are you really thinking about taking part in it, and how do you see your prospects?

Vanderlei: My contract with PRIDE ends at the end of the year and I'll see what they offer, and negotiate from there. It will be a lot easier if I win on December 31st. If it's a good offer, I'm in. I want to take on those guys next year. And they might actually match me up against Cro Cop, whom I've already fought. But there are plenty of new guys coming up who can make good fights against me.

Interviewer: During your stay in France you played ball with Ronaldinho (Brazilian soccer star) before Barcelona's game against St. Ettiene. Is he a fan of yours?

Vanderlei: (laughs) Ronaldinho is a nice guy. He told me he watches my fights and likes MMA. I played some ball with him, tried to pull something out, but felt that football (soccer) isn't really my calling. It's hard for me to get a kick right when I'm on the field.

Din Thomas

Below is the latest reply by Din Thomas to Matt Serra, regarding the MMA fight they had back in 2003:


"Perhaps he couldn't see me, diving at my legs with his eyes closed. How's that one? Erkel strikes again." -Din Thomas

Pancrase 2005 Spiral Tour
December 4th, 2005
Differ Ariake
Tokyo, Japan


MMA matchups:
Takafumi Ito defeats Andy Wang by split decision.
Hikaru Sato drew with Kyosuke Sasaki.
Ichiro Kanai defeats Shunichi Akimoto by TKO at 4:32, RD 2.
Windy Tomomi defeats Sayaka by TKO at 2:14, RD 1.
Ryo Kawamura defeats Sumio Koyano by unanimous decision.
Yukito defeats Minoru Tsuiki by armbar at 0:15, RD 1.
Kenji Shimada defeats Masaki Yanagisawa by KO at 2:42, RD 2.

Grappling matchup:
Yuki Kondo drew with Takumi Yano.

Anderson Silva

Cage Rage 14: 'Punishment'
December 3rd, 2005
Wembley Conference Centre
London, England


Anderson Silva defeats Curtis Stout by KO at 4:59, RD 1.
Vitor Belfort defeats Antony Rea KO at 1:30, RD 2.
Mark Weir defeats Akira Shoji by KO at 0:17, RD 1.
Daijiro Matsui drew with Alex Reid.
Matt Lindland defeats Antonio Schembri by TKO at 3:33, RD 3.
Mark Epstein defeats Brian Adams by KO at 0:19, RD 1.
Robert Berry defeats Marc Goddard by guillotine choke at 1:01, RD 1.
Sol Gilbert defeats Xavier Foupa-Pokam by DQ at 1:10, RD 1.
Alan Murdock defeats Dave Legeno by armbar at 4:07, RD 1.
Robbie Oliver defeats Chris Freeborn by unanimous decision.
Nigel Whitear defeats Dean Bray by armbar at 3:56, RD 1.
Ross Mason defeats Darren Guisha by TKO, RD 2.
Gesias Calvancanti defeats Michihiro Omigawa by KO at 0:49, RD 1.
Paul Daley defeats Joey Van Wanrooij by unanimous decision.
Ryan White defeats Mark Buchanan by TKO at 3:07, RD 1.

SHOOTO Brazil 9
December 3rd, 2005
Ney Braga Gym
Sao Jose dos Pinhais, Brazil


Class-A bouts:
Aloisio Dado defeats Leo Nogueira by decision.
Fabricio Bicudo defeats Gilmar Manaus by decision.
Tiago Minu defeats Edval 'Tico' by guillotine choke at 0:24, RD 2.
Felipe Arineli defeats Eduardo Verissimo by rear naked choke at 4:50, RD 1.

Class-B bouts:
Eneas 'Gringo' defeats Cristopher 'Predador' by TKO at 0:45, RD 1.
Vinicius 'Magoo' defeats Gustavo Wurlitzer by submission at 2:14, RD 1.
Emerson Graxaim defeats Roberto Senzala by decision.
Cristian Tide defeats Ozeias by decision.
Luciano 'Macarrao' defeats Felipe Fortes by decision.


MMA matchups:
Cristiano Neguinho defeats Rodrigo Ruiz by rear naked choke at 1:15, RD 3.
Thiago Silva defeats Rodrigo Riscado by TKO at 1:14, RD 2.

Muay-Thai:
Ricardo 'Dragao' defeats Ronaldo Oscar by KO at 2:42, RD 1.

KOTC: 'Final Conflict'
December 2nd, 2005
Soboba Casino,
San Jacinto, CA


Anthony Mendez defeats Robert Zunner by TKO at 0:56, RD 1.
Lucas Taber defeats Robert Driml by heel hook at 0:41, RD 1.
Joey Alvarado defeats Jason Wheat by armbar at 0:19, RD 1.
Keith Berry defeats Johnny Vazquez by TKO, RD 1.
Aaron Wetherspoon defeats Val Leedy by KO at 1:52, RD 1.
Billy Bearman defeats Betto Cornica by rear naked choke at 1:27, RD 1.
Nam Phan defeats Albert Hill by armbar at 0:12, RD 1.
Thomas Denny defeats James Fanshier by TKO at 0:18, RD 2.
Fernando Gonzalez defeats Ray Lazama by unanimous decision.
Manny Tapia defeats Ed Newalu by unanimous decision.
Rob McCullough defeats Gabe Rivas by TKO at 3:11, RD 2.
Cub Swanson defeats Fernando Arreola by submission at 3:21, RD 1.
Mike Bourke defeats Alan Zunner by forearm choke at 1:04, RD 1.
Tom Kenney defeats Shawn Bias by choke at 0:23, RD 2.
Brian Warren defeats Rubin Tagle by TKO at 1:13, RD 1.
Dave Rivas defeats Kaleo Kwon by unanimous decision.
Buckley Acosta defeats Aaron Brink by KO at 0:10, RD 1.
Mike Guymon defeats Ken Cadoy by guillotine choke, RD 1.
Lawrence Grant defeats Pat White by rear naked choke, RD 1.