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IFL: 'Championship 2006'
June 3rd, 2006
Trump Taj Mahal
Atlantic City, NJ


Devin Cole defeats Travis Wiuff by unanimous decision.
Reese Andy defeats Mike Ciesnolevicz by split decision.
Ryan McGivern defeats Dennis Hallman by unanimous decision.
Rory Markham defeats Brad Blackburn by KO at 0:23, RD 2.
Bart Palaszewski defeats Steve Bruno by KO at 1:48, RD 1.
Daniel Gracie defeats Wes Sims by rear naked choke at 2:42, RD 1.
Jamal Patterson defeats Alex Schoenauer by guillotine choke at 2:32, RD 1.
Jay Hieron defeats Jake Ellenberger by unanimous decision.
Chris Horodecki defeats Erik Owings by KO at 4:00, RD 1.
Ben Uker defeats Travis Doerge by keylock at 2:10, RD 1.

MFC 7: 'USA vs Russia 3'
June 3rd, 2006
Location Boardwalk Hall
Atlantic City, NJ


Eddie Alvarez defeats Derrick Noble by KO at 1:01, RD 1.
Sergey Kaznovsky defeats Jerome Smith by TKO at 3:25, RD 1.
Chris Liguori defeats Erik Oganov by TKO at 2:14, RD 3.
Matt Lee defeats Vladimir Zenin by TKO at 1:32, RD 2.
Vadim Kulchitskiy defeats Joey Brown by unanimous decision.
Stephen Haigh defeats Toraji by unanimous decision.
Tara Larosa defeats Hitomi Akano by unanimous decision.
Amanda Buckner defeats Shayna Baszler by TKO at 3:03, RD 3.
Kaream Ellington defeats Kenichi Yamamoto by TKO at 4:51, RD 1.
Michael Patt defeats Yusuke Masuda by TKO at 0:20, RD 1.

A victorious Ray Sefo (far right) raises his hand.

K-1 World GP 2006 in Seoul
June 3rd, 2006
Olympic Gymnasium-1
Seoul Korea


Single matchups:
Hong Man Choi defeats Semmy Schilt by split decision.
Ray Sefo defeats Ruslan Karaev by KO at 1:42, RD 1.
Peter Aerts defeats Hiraku Hori by KO at 1:23, RD 2.
Myeon-Ju Lee defeats Kai Li by KO at 2:45, RD 2.
Rikijyo defeats Yong Soo Park by KO at 2:27, RD 1.



K-1 2006 Asia GP quarterfinals:
Min Soo Kim defeats Kyoung Suk Kim by unanimous decision.
Mourad Bouzidi defeats Mehdi Mirdavoudi by unanimous decision.
Tsuyoshi Nakasako defeats Kaoklai Kaennorsing by unanimous decision.
Yusuke Fujimoto defeats Dong Wook Kim by unanimous decision.

Semifinals:
Min Soo Kim defeats Mourad Bouzidi by unanimous decision, OT.
Yusuke Fujimoto defeats Tsuyoshi Nakasako by majority decision.

Final:
Yusuke Fujimoto defeats Min Soo Kim by KO at 0:23, RD 2.

SHOOTO: 'GIG West 5'
June 3rd, 2006
Azeria Taisho Hall
Osaka, Japan

Koetsu Okazaki defeats Hiroyuki Tanaka by majority decision.
Masashi Yozen drew with Jun Kitagawa.
Yuki Konishi drew with Toshihiko Sugimoto.
Masakazu Ueda defeats Nobuhiro Hayakawa by unanimous decision.
Hiroyuki Ikeda drew with Tomohiko Yoshida.

Murilo "Ninja" Rua

Murilo 'Ninja' Rua was recently interviewed by Brazilian magazine 'Tatame'. Here's what Ninja had to say (interview by Andre Araujo, translation by Ricardo Alonso):


Tatame: What do you think of this year's PRIDE 183-pound GP?

Ninja: I think that this year's GP is much harder. Overall, the athletes are much stronger then the ones who participated last year. There's Dan Henderson, Denis Kang... But I'm very well prepared, I have the entire team always helping me. I will look for the victory.

Tatame: What did you learn from your loss to Paulo Filho? Will you do anything different from now on?

Ninja: I think I wasn't able to do my game in that fight, but I hope to be able to face him again. I will do everything to try and keep winning, so that we can meet again in the GP.

Tatame: What is your thoughts about your first round fight against Denis Kang?

Ninja: I watched his previous fight to see how his game is, and I will go forward looking for the victory. I want to arrive to the fight in good form.

Tatame: Did you train anything specific for this fight?

Ninja: I will do a fight to try and win. I didn't do anything specific to fight against him, I trained the way I always do. I trained more ground game and a lot of Muay Thai. I feel that we always have to train as much as we can in all areas.

Tatame: There are rumors on the internet that Dan Henderson is out of the GP, and that your teammate Daniel Acacio might take his place. What do you think about this? Do you know anything about it?

Ninja: I don't know anything about it. But if he was to enter the tournament, that would be great. It would be one more from the team in there, and it would also be good to balance out BTT's two participants in the GP.

Tatame: Who do you feel is the toughest opponent in this GP?

Ninja: Dan Henderson... Paulo Filho, too. Filho has a very strategic game... There are many good fighters in the GP. There are a lot of good Japanese fighters, too.

Tatame: You participated in the awards ceremony for Tatame magazine in Brasilia. In your opinion, how important is the "Na luta pela Paz" campaign against street violence that is being organized?

Ninja: I think it's sensational. I think it has helped everyone out a lot, and it's helping to curb the violence in our cities. We have to see everything like a sport. A lot of people have now seen that Vale Tudo is a sport.

Tatame: What is your perspective about the sport of Vale Tudo in Brazil?

Ninja: I think that Vale Tudo is already big in the United States, and it is now growing in Brazil with the help of big companies and famous people. In Japan, it is what it is. Here in Brazil, the only sport that gets any attention is soccer, and in other countries other sports are given more importance. But I think we are slowly growing. We are on the right path.

Tatame: In your opinion, what was the best fight from the first round of the PRIDE Open Weight GP?

Ninja: Well, I didn't get to see the fight between Fabricio Werdum and Alistair Overeem, but they said it was real good. But I thought Josh Barnett's fight was real good. He surprised people and he's very tough. Mark Hunt's fight was also very good. The first round had many good fights but I didn't get to see them all.

Tatame: Do you think there is a favorite to win the Open Weight GP?

Ninja: It's difficult to say. There are many surprises during a fight. There's Rodrigo Minotauro, who I feel has a very good game. He's one of the best on the ground. There's Werdum, who's also very good.

Tatame: What about Vanderlei's entry into the Open Weight GP? What do you think of his chances?

Ninja: In my opinion, he is very well trained and he has a great chance to be the champion, too. If he is very well prepared, then he definitely has a great chance.

Marcio "Pe de Pano" Cruz

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that the matchup of Marcio 'Pe De Pano' Cruz vs. John Marsh will take place on the Cage Rage card in London, England, on July 1st.

The IFL confirmed what Fightsport.com first reported on May 26th, that the matchup of Renzo Gracie vs. Pat Miletich will take place on their August card.

The IFL also announced the addition of Matt Lindland, Carlos Newton, and Mark Coleman to their roster of MMA head coaches. Below is the complete IFL coaches roster:


Bas Rutten
Renzo Gracie
Carlos Newton
Maurice Smith
Matt Lindland
Mark Coleman
Pat Miletich
Antonio Inoki

Joey Villasenor

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


Interviewer: How long have you been fighting, and how have you grown since you first began your career?

Villasenor: I've been fighting since 1998, over seven years ago and I think every fight is a new experience. I am real fortunate to be where I am at now, and I think that experience will help me out a lot now.

Interviewer: Tell me about the first time you fought in Japan; how was the experience?

Villasenor: I didn't get out to Japan in time and didn't get acclimated and got there a day before the fight and it was a total learning experience. Cutting weight was difficult to as well. I was pretty much fighting at 3 or 4 am in the morning our time and battling an injury. But of course I took the fight. Although I beat him in all areas, it was a lack luster performance for me. This time I'll be out four or five days before schedule.

Interviewer: What made you begins to start fighting?

Villasenor: I've always been an athlete whether it was football, baseball, or track. To me it's another sport, and basically I got to take jiu-jitsu and self-defense classes back when I was 20, for fun. I realized that I was good at it and wanted to get competitive with it. So basically it began as a sport and then it blossomed into where it is right now.

Interviewer: What have you learned about fighting since you began years ago?

Villasenor: I have learned that it is a very tough living and a tough job. A lot of people really want to have the glory of being a champion or make lots of money, but they don't realize that in this sport it is extremely tough to make it, and to get it to where I'm at right now. Also it has given me a lot of pride and respect, and turned me into a man.

Interviewer: What's your fighting style?

Villasenor: Submission fighting. I believe that I'm very well rounded. There might be somebody who is better at jiu-jitsu; somebody who is a better kick boxer, but I look at myself as an all around MMA guy and feel I'm pretty well rounded.

Interviewer: Why are you called the "dream-smasher"?

Villasenor: Because everybody in this sport has dreams and aspirations, and so do I, but if you match up with me then I just might be that one person who smashes your dreams and sends you into retirement. It's either him or me and just why I've been given my nickname.

Interviewer: You don't cripple your opponents or anything do you?

Villasenor: No, I believe totally in clean fighting, but my aggressive style has given me that nickname.

Interviewer: How does it feel to debut in PRIDE'S 16-man welterweight tournament?

Villasenor: It feels great! I'm training very hard for it. I'm very motivated right now and feel that I'm coming in at the right time. This being my 25th fight, all those fight jitters are not new to me but at this level I'm still pretty excited, and it means the world to me that I have the invite to this tournament.

Interviewer: What's your record?

Villasenor: 21-3.

Interviewer: That is quite an impressive record. So, how long you have been waiting for this opportunity?

Villasenor: About one and half to two years. I wouldn't say waiting, because I've been active and honing my skills. I think the timing is just right; I've been waiting about a year for this. It came at a great time, but the last couple of fights challenged what I've been learning lately.

Interviewer: How will training for PRIDE rules be different than KOTC, and will the new rules help or hurt you?

Villasenor: I can practice new things such as knees to the head and foot stomps. As an athlete I have to follow rules and watch out for accidentally throwing elbows. Throwing elbows can end a fight in a dispute without a clear winner, and I appreciate PRIDE's rules because they give an athlete the chance to finish their opponent.

Interviewer: What is your strategy against Chonan?

Villasenor: I want to test his chin. I feel that my power is pretty good and his chin is pretty exposed, so why not go for something that has been exposed in the past. I'd like it to be an exciting match, not a grappling match, and that's where my strategy lies. I would love to finish the fight via KO or TKO, that's what PRIDE is all about. They give you the option to finish the fight with stomps to the head or however you want.

Interviewer: How do you usually finish your opponents?

Villasenor: Usually by TKO or KO. If I get a submission, somebody would roll over and give me their back. I've had 21 fights and finished 19 of them.

Interviewer: Who do you like to watch in PRIDE?

Villasenor: Of course Vanderlei Silva. I'm a decent friend with Dan Henderson, and Fedor is an amazing ground and pounder. And though he got beat, Gomi shows the heart of a lion.

Interviewer: How do you keep yourself busy when you're not fighting?

Villasenor: I love movies, going to rock concerts, and fly fishing. I listen to heavy metal, I'm a born again Rage Against the Machine fan, Korn, Manson, NIN, and bands like so. I've been doing fly-fishing for about 10 years and it takes my mind away from everyday life; the sounds of the river running, the wildlife and twelve hours of pure relaxation. I love camping and fishing, and I get out there whenever I can.

Interviewer: Anything in common between the two?

Villasenor: With fighting I can get my family's name out there, but there's only so much pride you can get from fishing. With PRIDE, you can be champion and have your name go down in history, and it is big for your family and friends. But fly fishing and fighting definitely take skill to do well.

Interviewer: How do you mentally prepare for a fight?

Villasenor: Lots of visualization and knowing that the hard work, pain, and suffering will pay off. All the tribulations I've encountered make the fight easier. My camp is really big on suffering. The team motto is that who ever can suffer the longest wins. We push ourselves mentally and physically, and that mentally prepares me for my fights.

Interviewer: Anything you'd like to say to your fans?

Villasenor: I'd definitely like to say thank you for the support, and there have been some great supporters of mine waiting for this opportunity. Now that I got there, they get there too. I want to show everybody what I am made of and justify the champion that I am. We will see how much credibility I will get after this fight.

Bob Sapp

Bob Sapp recently spoke with American journalist to talk about his side of the story about why he left the Amsterdam arena before his scheduled K-1 fight against Ernesto Hoost in Amsterdam, Holland, on May 13th.

According to Sapp, he had already completed a 20-fight contract with K-1. His agreement with K-1 was to re-negotiate a new contract on his 21st fight, with the promise of a substantial bonus, and the promise a new contract would be in place by his 22nd fight. The fight with Hoost would've been his 22nd fight for the K-1 organization and an agreement on a new contract was expected by Sapp.

According to Sapp, one week before the Hoost fight was to take place, K-1 and the promoter of the K-1 Holland event, Simon Rutz, contacted Sapp and promised him in good faith that a new contract had been drawn up by the K-1 counsel and would be available for his review in Amsterdam. According to Sapp, also stated that the money for the new contract would supposedly be in the USD$500,000 range and that it would be deposited into his account or in escrow before his arrival to Amsterdam.

According to Sapp, no money had been deposited yet when he arrived in Amsterdam four days prior to the event. A day before the fight was to take place, Sapp contacted K-1 attorney, Toru, who supposedly displayed an irritable attitude towards Sapp and brushed him off.

After more attempts to contact K-1 management, it became clear to Sapp they would not engage him, at which point Sapp went to K-1 Holland promoter Rutz and offered to fight Hoost for free if K-1 agreed to release him completely from all current and future obligations, or that he be presented with the promised contract, signed by K-1 matchmaker Sadaharu Tanigawa, that they were in severe breech of.

Sapp's demands were then conveyed to Tanigawa, and he was then told that he would have his contract signed on the morning of the event. Sapp had his own contract drafted just to cover his bases.

The day of the event, Less than four hours from the start of the event, there was still no contract. At that point, Sapp would not go to the arena and took a firm position that he would not participate in the event unless he had a valid contract of some nature.

Two hours before the event was to commence Sapp got a call from Rutz, supposedly begging Sapp to come to the arena, and was once again assured that everything would be in order. Sapp then went to the arena, and when he got there he was met by both Tanigawa and Toru and directed to go to his dressing room to get ready and taped, and that they would be there with the documents containing within them a new contract.

Sapp then got ready for the fight but Tanigawa and Toru never came to the dressing room with a new contract. Numerous attempts to contact them by cell phone were unsuccessful. Sapp then went outside to look for them and found them, at which point he demanded that they sign the contract he had drafted up. They refused, and insisted they needed an American to interpret the contract first.

Sapp then declared that he would not fight, at which point arguments broke out between all parties involved. According to Sapp, he was then told by both Toru and K-1 representative Dieasuke Karaguchi that if he did not fight, his physical well being, as well as the physical well being of those who were with him, would be compromised.

At that point, Sapp and his entourage immediately returned to his hotel room and made a phone call to a well known billionaire friend who immediately arranged for eight bodyguards to see him and his team safely out of harms way.

Sapp and his team were led from the hotel with eight security personnel to an undisclosed location in Amsterdam where they spent the night and then caught a plane back to the United States. The aftermath of what happened is something that is almost beyond belief in what it reveals about K-1, its personalities, its athletes, and the industry as a whole.

According to Sapp, he's since been speaking with all MMA organizations in North America and is actively pursuing an MMA career with these organizations. According to Sapp, K-1 is doing everything in its power to legally recieve compensation if Sapp signs with another MMA promotion in North America.

However, if Sapp has indeed completed his K-1 contract, then it would appear they have no case. Sapp just laughs it off and says, "Let them make their move, they got no game over here, they're delusional."

Dhira "The Candyman" Yesufu

Number one ranked Nigerian MMA middleweight Dhira 'The Candyman' Yesufu was recently involved in a street altercation on May 30th. The Candyman came out the victor and no charges were pressed.

The Candyman supposedly ended the fight in the typical showman manner that have earned him a huge legion of fans over the years. Here's what the enigmatic Candyman had to say about the incident:


"I just beat a 'streetfighter' who thought he could fight me in a parking lot yesterday.....

Small penis = small ego. The best streetfighters dont have to fight... unless they are left no choice. -Dhira 'The Candyman' Yesufu

Murilo Bustamante

Murilo Bustamante was recently interviewed by Japanese journalist Takimoto. Here's what Bustamante had to say:


Interviewer: Your loss to Dan Henderson was a tough fight to decide and the judges gave the nod to Henderson. What is your view?

Bustamante: Sure I got upset that I didn't win the belt, but I was satisfied with my performance. I think I fought very well; I chased Henderson the entire time during that fight. We had a clean fight without any accidents, and the fight was balanced. The judges gave Henderson the victory but I did think I won, and a lot of fans have the same opinion that I do. I think that fight made a great tournament final and I am sure the fans liked the fight. Both fighters deserved to be the PRIDE Bushido Welterweight Champion, but only one could be. I keep fighting, I do what I like to do. I want the belt and I will fight for it. I feel well and my body is ok, so I'm going to try for the belt again.

Interviewer: When the second round finished, did you think you had won?

Bustamante: Honestly speaking, I did think I had won, but the judges have their criteria and they scored Henderson as the winner. I knew my performance was good. My corner instructed me to pace myself and get the result, but my intention was to finish the fight, so I kept chasing Henderson.

Interviewer: Did you feel overconfident in the fight?

Bustamante: I was confident, I had opened a cut on his face and I was good in both rounds. I went ahead and tried to finish the fight, and then I ate a counter-punch. Maybe if I had stayed back and dictated a more moderate pace over the second round, I could be the winner. I paid for my impulse and Henderson got things tied up with that knee. However, I do not think that was enough to make him the winner, but these things happen.

Interviewer: You connected with a soccer kick to the face in the second round. Could that have been the finishing strike if it landed differently?

Bustamante: It should have connected with the upper part of my foot and not with the down part. I wanted to kick his face (laughs). It connected and startled him.

Interviewer: How do you see this year's Grand Prix?

Bustamante: Nowadays, for me, I have to fight in my own category. I am 40-years old and I have a huge problem with nagging old injuries. To fight against a heavier fighter can lead to new injuries, and this is not what I am looking for. I have 30 years of fights and I never took steroids, so I have to have extra discipline to keep in good shape.

Interviewer: How do you compare this year's Welterweight Grand Prix to last year's?

Bustamante: I think this GP is tougher than last year's. We have Paulo Filho, Amar Suloev, Denis Kang, and Murilo "Ninja" Rua. But this GP has an unusual characteristic; the strongest fighters are facing each other in the first round. In my opinion, four of the favorites are going to battle in first round. They are Kang vs. Ninja, and Suloev vs. myself. I do not see other tough matches like these two. These two matchups will eliminate two favorites from the game.

Interviewer: What about your opponent, Amar Suloev?

Bustamante: I've watched his fights several times. He is good technically, mainly on the feet. I'll look to create a good strategy and use my strengths to neutralize him.

Interviewer: People are saying good things about Cuban fighter Hector Lombard. What do you know about him?

Bustamante: I've never seen Hector fight. I've heard he is skilled in Boxing and Judo. Let's see him inside a PRIDE ring and see how he is.

Interviewer: This time the GP will be contested with a different formula from last year's GP, right?

Bustamante: We are going to fight once now, and then once again on August 26th, and then twice in November.

Interviewer: Do you prefer it this way?

Bustamante: It does not matter. You have to fight twice in same day. I think if you had to fight twice in first round, that this would ordinarily be the easiest fights. But this time you are fighting once and the first fight is already a tough match. You know, everything is hypothetical. Maybe you face a lesser opponent in the semifinal or quarterfinal than the one you faced in the first round. But again, it is all hypothetical...

Interviewer: There is a chance of facing your teammate Paulo Filho. Would this happen only in the final?

Bustamante: Only in the final. This is a complicated situation because Filho is like a younger brother to me. So this will be a strange and tough situation, if we reach the final. We know we are professional fighters, and we know what to do, but we will be glad because we would have reached the final and BTT will place 1st and 2nd place in this important tournament.

By Scoop McTroll



Lorenzo Fertitta in serious training for his UFC debut. Brother "Frankie Three Sticks" can be seen in the background cluelessly staring at a floor to ceiling ball.


It has been revealed to me by sources close to the Fertitta family that UFC Owner Lorenzo Fertitta is in training to fight in a UFC event sometime in 2007.

According to the source, Lorenzo first discovered that he had fast hands and good footwork during his days training in gruelling lunchtime boxercise sessions at the Dana White Gym in the late 1990's. Former Boxercise instructor turned UFC President, Dana White, once described Lorenzo as "an animal in the board room and in the boxercise class". Since purchasing the UFC he has been training regularly in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay-Thai and Wrestling and is now at a level where he feels that he can be a "serious threat to any professional MMA fighter."

"He has already had two full contact sparring sessions with fighters from Pat Miletich's school and has performed very impressively", the source said.

Lorenzo hopes to fight in the welter weight division and has mentioned potential opponents such as UFC veteran Phil Johns, Shannon 'The Cannon' Ritch and Matt Wiman.


Discuss this at Fightsport

Maurice Smith

Maurice Smith was recently interviewed by American journalist Brett Atchley. Here's what Smith had to say:


Interviewer: How did this opportunity come your way?

Smith: It’s been in the planning stage for sometime. They initially offered the position to Randy (Couture) but he was under contract with the Zuffa and couldn’t do it so they offered to me and here we are.

Interviewer: Is Ivan Salaverry going to be on the team?

Smith: No, there has been more than a little bit of confusion over that. Initially MMA Weekly, I think, posted that Ivan was on the team roster. Ivan saw that, called me and wanted to know what the hell was going on. Realize that we were only negotiating at that time so Ivan thought I assumed that he was going to agree. I did nothing of the kind; I don’t know where they got that. All in all, the IFL offered Ivan a very lucrative offer. He passed on it. He has a child on the way and is opening his new gym and those are the reasons why he couldn’t accept the offer. Ivan is a good friend of mine and I did my best to persuade him but he is not signed with the team. I don’t understand it.

Interviewer: Not long ago Zuffa wanted him back to fight Evan Tanner. Evan posted that on a blog on My Space right after he had spoken to Joe Silva.

Smith: That may have been what Zuffa says or Evan says but in any event it wasn’t for that reason. I told Ivan that I didn’t care who he fought for as long as he was getting paid to do it and Zuffa screwed him as they do with all of the fighters when they don’t put on the show they want. Ivan signed a contract for three fights and after he fought Nathan (Marquardt) they dumped him. That was bullshit. Everybody has bad fights, Randy, Chuck, Tito etc. Get where I’m going?

Interviewer: No, where are you going?

Smith: Ivan had great fights with Riggs and Frykland, but since he wasn’t a poster boy or a favored son they just tossed him. Dana tossed him.

Interviewer: How are the Tigersharks shaping up?

Smith: Things are coming along pretty well. I primarily have a team with a collegiate wresting base. So right now we are working on conditioning; conditioning first and some basic boxing and stand up skills. I’m attempting to determine where their strengths and weaknesses lie. I’ve got Dennis Hallman who is the most experienced athlete on the team.

Interviewer: How is that working out for you?

Smith: How is what working out?

Interviewer: How is Dennis working out?

Smith: Honestly, I thought he was going to be a real pain in the butt, but that has not been the case at all. He has been real supportive and very helpful. He does all of my scouting which has proven to be a real asset. Very happy with him. I think he will have to take on the leadership role with the team.

Interviewer: In terms of compensation and benefits for the fighters how does it meter out?

Smith: This is what makes this so good for all of us as employees, that’s what we are. The fighters get a set amount for the first fight and they get a bonus for a KO, TKO, or submission. If the team wins, they get an additional bonus and they get an amount for training that has an annual cap on it. It all comes out to about $5,000 not including the training money. They receive health insurance which is huge as you can imagine. The money for fighting increases as the IFL grows.

Interviewer: Do you mean that the IFL has to show a period of growth before the athlete is paid more that what you just shared?

Smith: No, there are promises in place that ensure that the pay will increase in the next event and on from there. The IFL is putting out a sizable amount of start up money for just the fighters. That should tell you where their priorities are. They are focused and determined to take care of the athletes so that they don’t have to struggle to make ends meet. The money for them now isn’t great but it’s more than what Zuffa is offering some of “their” experienced fighters and they are not getting any insurance. The potential financial security for the athletes in this organization is very good.

Interviewer: The coaches are being well taken care of?

Smith: Yes, I mean it’s not huge money but I’m very happy with the arrangements.

Interviewer: Do the coaches have ownership in the IFL?

Smith: We are compensated with stock options as part of our salary. The base salary is ok.

Interviewer: Do any other organizations offer this sort of package?

Smith: None that I’m aware of, but that doesn’t mean anything. I’ve been out of the know for sometime.

Interviewer: What do you mean?

Smith: Listen, before all of this came about I had made my mind up that I was out of this industry. I was just disgusted with it. People would ask me if I saw that fight or knew this person and I didn’t care or didn’t want to know. These fighters that are up and comers now? I don’t know any of them.

Interviewer: So you don’t know who Forrest Griffin is?

Smith: Forrest who?

Interviewer: He’s fighting Tito Ortiz in the next UFC.

Smith: No, I don’t know him, never heard of him and don’t care unless one of my guys has to fight him, which is highly unlikely.

Interviewer: Why were you disgusted with the industry?

Smith: I was involved with SEG and K-1. I fucking hate Zuffa and I fucking hate K-1. I never considered myself a Zuffa champion, I was a SEG champion. Zuffa never gave any of us that respect. I shouldn’t have to call and ask for tickets to an event. I shouldn’t have to negotiate the best deal for a trip. I’ll bet Michael Jordan doesn’t or John Elway. That’s what I mean; I am a former UFC heavyweight champion and a former K-1 champion. Do I get treated like one? Fuck no. These guys fighting in those organizations now have to sell their souls. One paycheck to the next. They don’t care about these guys. All they care about is how much money they can make off of these athlete’s blood and injury. I’m not saying I want Zuffa to fail because they have done a lot for the sport, but without these athletes they wouldn’t be making all that money. They are not letting most of the fighters see any of it.

Interviewer: They have signed a deal with FSN, what are your thoughts on that?

Smith: The t.v. deal is huge. It will be instant exposure. How long did Pride and Zuffa work on getting a t.v. deal? Ya, well I would think by how this whole thing is coming together that the IFL is putting to rest any talk of whether they are serious or not.

Interviewer: I think so. Are they going to increase the number of teams in the IFL?

Smith: Yes, they are working on that on an international level already. When that happens then you have a valid world championship title.

Interviewer: As opposed to a Pride championship belt or UFC, K-1 etc.?

Smith: Yes, I mean just because you’re a UFC champion, what does that really mean? Nothing. It only means that you are the champion in that organization. There is no world title validity. I think that Pride is a more valid belt because they draw fighters form all over the world. They will not ever unify those belts because someone is going to have to give up a large piece of their pie. Too much money at stake, fuck what’s best for the fighter or the sport.

Interviewer: Can you divulge any prospects on future coaches?

Smith: I think Don Frye would be a great coach.

Interviewer: Are you saying they are talking to Don?

Smith: No, I said I thought he would be a good coach.

Interviewer: Hmmm, he is in the US fighting this week. A coincidence.

Smith: Maybe, I don’t know.

Interviewer: How about Frank Shamrock?

Smith: No, he’s busy with other things.

Interviewer: What does Frank think about the IFL?

Smith: We didn’t talk about it much, why don’t you ask him?

Interviewer: Well maybe I will. Frank was quoted as stating that the people at Zuffa are stupid, did he share his opinions further with you?

Smith: If he said that than I would think that pretty much explains it…..don’t you?

Interviewer: You have named Roman Roytberg as an assistant coach.

Smith: Yes, he’s a good friend and he has had success in the industry on a lesser level. He knows his way around and I trust him.

Interviewer: What about his dental practice?

Smith: He’s giving that up to be a thespian.

Interviewer: What is he thinking?

Smith: I don’t know, but he’s serious and if that is what he wants to do then fine.

Interviewer: Geeeeeez, I gotta talk to him.

Smith: Ya, maybe someone else can talk some sense into him.

Interviewer: You said earlier that you were done with the fight game. What changed?

Smith: When I was down in Australia with Pete (Spratt) one day something happened. I don’t know what to call it, but I don’t want to say it was spiritual or anything. More psychic. All I know is I came back a different man both internally and on the outside. Male menopause or something. I’m just more emotional and things; people mean more to me now in different ways than they used to. I mean I had my emotional episodes when I won K-1 and I have them now over the most insignificant reasons. Parts of movies, kids, you know stuff like that. I care about these guys I’m coaching and care about their well being. The IFL cares about them too and that is something that I believe in. If they were anyplace else trying to do what they are doing they would just get used, broken up and thrown on the street when their services were no longer valued or needed. I’m confident that won’t happen here. There aren’t a lot of egos around here. It’s a team effort.

Interviewer: That’s probably an appropriate note to conclude this interview on.

Smith: Yes, it would be.

Interviewer: Thanks for talking with me Mo’and glad your back.

Smith: Anytime, and good luck

Bas Rutten

The WFA announced the matchup of Bas Rutten vs. Kimo Leopoldo for their card on July 22nd.

B.J. Penn

K-1 producer Sadahuru Tanikawa spoke with the Japanese media and commented that Kazushi Sakuraba will face either B.J. Penn or Melvin Manhoef in the first round of the HERO's 187-pound GP.

Phil Baroni

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


Interviewer: Hi Phil! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. So, what have you been up to since your recent victory over Yuki Kondo?

Baroni: Training, I was back in the gym the next day.

Interviewer: You doing anything for fun?

Baroni: Right now, nothing, just no time for fun. Time to win the Grand Prix. I'm not doing anything fun right now. And when I do win the GP, then I'll go on vacation, go to the beach and chill out. But right now I'm on a mission, I have something to accomplish.

Interviewer: We all have our own talents and want to be the best at something. Why was your calling MMA?

Baroni: I felt I've always been a fighter. You see, there are different ways people express themselves, writers write stories, painters paint pictures, musicians play music, I'm a fighter and that's how I express myself. I don't know if you want to call it an art form, but that's what I am and that's what I do. I don't know if I decided to become a fighter or was born a fighter, but there nothing else harder and nothing else feels better. Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to box. I was shadowboxing Mike Tyson and always wanted to be a fighter. That was my dream.

Interviewer: Tell me about your fighting background? Wrestling boxing?

Baroni: I wrestled in high school and college and did some boxing and kickboxing. I think MMA is the way to put them together. The best boxer isn't necessarily the best fighter in the world. MMA finds out who the best fighter is.

Interviewer: What are some mottos that you live by?

Baroni: My main motto is to never give up, set goals and to accomplish them and never give up. Just don't give up and believe in yourself.

Interviewer: How'd you get the name, NYBA? And do you miss New York?

Baroni: I was doing some boxing, kickboxing, and I knocked out this champion and they gave me this nickname.

Interviewer: How long have you been with Hammer House and how are they treating you?

Baroni: Good, it's a life long fraternity. Blood in, blood out.

Interviewer: You guys seem like a very close-knit family.

Baroni: We're tight.

Interviewer: What's going through your mind when you're standing in the ring, looking over at your opponent, hearing your name being introduced to all the fans in attendance, about to get the fight started?

Baroni: I'm thinking about all the hard work and sacrifices that are coming together. It takes a lot of discipline to get here and now it's just time to perform and to fight my fight and leave it up to God. Don't hold back, just keep on pushing no matter how bad I'm hurt, I have to hit harder, not to give up due to the pain or the frustration and just to keep going and fight through it and make him feel what ever you feel.

Interviewer: Tell us about your hardcore battle against Minowa?

Baroni: It was a great fight. I was dealing with a lot of personal demons and for a couple years I was down about myself and when I got to Japan I only wanted to fight my ass off and with every last bit of strength I had. I want to look in the mirror and say I did my best; I trained hard, and made many sacrifices. I trained by myself for that fight so it was a hard fight. From that fight I learned that i could beat anybody at anytime and that I have what it takes to be a champion.

Interviewer: What did you learn and what would happen if you guys went at it a third time?

Baroni: I'd win a third time. We would pick up where we left off and it would end in a KO. I know what to expect from him.

Interviewer: What can we expect to see from you in this tournament that we haven't seen thus far?

Baroni: I'm a well-rounded fighter, I'm gonna fight the way I always fight, and hopefully I'll get to show how well rounded my game is. I've trained for a long time, I can fight on the ground and fight standing up. I'm a great wrestler, that's my background. I've won countless grappling tournaments and well versed on the ground and if they make me show it, they're gonna be surprised.

Interviewer: What do you expect from your opponent Kazuo Misaki? Last time, he lasted 2 rounds with the welterweight champ Dan Henderson.

Baroni: He's tough. I think he's a good opponent. I hope he has the courage because we're gonna go to war. Be a man and let's see who the better fighter is. He's not going the distance with me like he did with Dan Henderson. He will try to survive. We'll see who the man is. He's a good fighter, he likes to fight and it'll be a good fight.

Interviewer: Is there anything special about your training routine that sets you apart from other fighters?

Baroni: I train harder, smarter, longer, make more sacrifices, and watch my diet. I take supplements and take gamma o. I don't cheat and do all my training and hard sparing, and don't cut corners. Every time I step in there I know I did everything right and deserve to win. I know I don't cheat here or there and give myself the best opportunity to win when I step in the ring.

Interviewer: You sound like a guy who loves to fight, loves the competition, and basically just wants to go to war.

Baroni: I love to fight. I'm not fighting because I want to be rich or be a movie star or because I'm a troubled guy. I'm fighting because it's my passion and I'll fight anybody, anywhere! It's what I was born to.

Interviewer: You've only fought three opponents so far in PRIDE, if you could, who would you like to KO next?

Baroni: I want to fight the guy with the belt and be the best fighter in my weight class.

Interviewer: Anything you want to say to Kazuo Misaki?

Baroni: Hands up, chin down! Because I'm coming for you bro and I'm throwing bombs. Let's just fight and see who the man is and make it a dogfight and see who the bigger dog is. Let's go and put on a show!

Interviewer: Do you have a moment in your career that you are most proud of?

Baroni: Beating Minowa while coming back from an injury.

Interviewer: How does it feel to knock out a MMA veteran like Kondo in 24 seconds?

Baroni: Feels great. I'm proud of that, he's a tough guy, he's never been knocked out but I beat him with standup at his own game.

Interviewer: How do you like fighting in Japan as opposed to the USA.

Baroni: I love it! It doesn't matter where I fight. I love Japan and the fans have accepted me and taken me in. I appreciate all the support and love fighting for them. I think they are the greatest fans in the world and show much respect for fighters, and believe me, it's appreciated because I haven't always had that. When I get lots of applause and it motivates me to fight harder and gives me a great feeling when I win.

Interviewer: What's your opinion of the sport today with PRIDE coming to the US and MMA getting more popular each day?

Baroni: I'm excited about PRIDE coming to the US and I'm happy that PRIDE has given me the opportunity and very happy fighting for them, the biggest fight organization in the world.

Interviewer: We're glad you're with us too! Thanks for your time Phil. It was awesome talking to you. Anything you want to tell the fans in the US?

Baroni: PRIDE's coming home, don't forget about me, catch me on ppv's, on FSN. The best fighters in the world are in PRIDE and we're international. If you want to see the best, and see what real fighting is, watch PRIDE. And to the fans, its a trip! People want to shake my hand and get my autograph. I love it and realize that this is my passion and I'd like to thank the fans for giving me the opportunity to perform for them.

HEAVYWEIGHT


1.) Fedor Emelianenko Russia
2.) Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira Brazil
3.) Mark Hunt New Zealand
4.) Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic Croatia
5.) Fabricio Werdum Brazil
6.) Sergei Kharitonov Russia
7.) Josh Barnett USA
8.) Alexander Emelianenko Russia
9.) Tim Sylvia USA
10.) Kazuyuki Fujita Japan


LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT


1.) Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua Brazil
2.) Vanderlei Silva Brazil
3.) Ricardo Arona Brazil
4.) Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson USA
5.) Chuck Liddell USA
6.) Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira Brazil
7.) Alistair Overeem Holland
8.) Renato 'Babalu' Sobral Brazil
9.) Randy Couture USA
10.) Vitor Belfort Brazil


MIDDLEWEIGHT


1.) Dan Henderson USA
2.) Murilo Bustamante Brazil
3.) Kazushi Sakuraba Japan
4.) Paulo Filho Brazil
5.) Rich Franklin USA
6.) Matt Lindland USA
7.) Frank Shamrock USA
8.) Anderson Silva Brazil
9.) Phil Baroni USA
10.) Yuki Kondo Japan


WELTERWEIGHT


1.) Georges St-Pierre Canada
2.) B.J. Penn USA
3.) Matt Hughes USA
4.) Karo Parisyan USA
5.) Daniel Acacio Brazil
6.) Sean Sherk USA
7.) Jake Shields USA
8.) Carlos Condit USA
9.) Frank Trigg USA
10.) Diego Sanchez USA


LIGHTWEIGHT


1.) Marcus Aurelio Brazil
2.) Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro Brazil
3.) Takanori Gomi Japan
4.) Hayato Sakurai Japan
5.) Joachim Hansen Norway
6.) Tatsuya Kawajiri Japan
7.) Kaoru Uno Japan
8.) Genki Sudo Japan
9.) Yves Edwards USA
10.) Koutetsu Boku Japan


FEATHERWEIGHT


1.) Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto Japan
2.) Gilbert Melendez USA
3.) Jens Pulver USA
4.) Hideo Tokoro Japan
5.) Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira Brazil
6.) Joao Roque Brazil
7.) Ivan Menjivar El Salvador
8.) Jeff Curran USA
9.) Hatsu Hioki Japan
10.) Takeshi Inoue Japan


AFP fighter rankings can be viewed at AFP TOP 10

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

"MMA Weakly" incorrectly reported that Ivan Salaverry (pictured) had signed with the IFL.

The website known as MMA Weekly, which is affectionately called 'MMA Weakly' by most MMA fans because of the site's habit of reporting incorrect news scoops, has gotten yet another news scoop wrong again.

Former UFC champion and K-1 veteran Maurice Smith is the one who proves MMA Weakly wrong this time:


"No, there has been more than a little bit of confusion over that. Initially MMA Weekly, I think, posted that Ivan was on the team roster. Ivan saw that, called me and wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Realize that we were only negotiating at that time so Ivan thought I assumed that he was going to agree. I did nothing of the kind; I don't know where they got that. All in all, the IFL offered Ivan a very lucrative offer. He passed on it.

He has a child on the way and is opening his new gym and those are the reasons why he couldn't accept the offer. Ivan is a good friend of mine and I did my best to persuade him but he is not signed with the team. I don't understand it." -Maurice Smith

The IFL announced that its championship final will be televised on FOX Sports Net on Sunday, June 4th, at 6:00 P.M. local time.

Lee Murray

The following article is courtesy of 'The Sun':


HEIST: THREE WOMEN HELD

By Richard White, Mike Sullivan, and Tony Bonnici


THREE women have been arrested over the 53 million pounds Tonbridge heist, it was revealed last night.

It is believed a mother and her two daughters were held in raids at two houses.

One of them is said to be a friend of cage fighter Lee Murray, who is on the run.

The women are being held in connection with money laundering and handling stolen property.

Cops swooped at 1am yesterday in Thamesmead, near Woolwich, South East London.

One house was empty but a woman was arrested five hours later as she arrived home.

A neighbour said: "There must have been at least ten cops.

"There was a lot of noise as they smashed down the door and windows."

A Kent Police spokesman said last night: "Officers investigating the Tonbridge Securitas robbery arrested three women in London for money laundering and handling stolen property."

Forensic teams spent yesterday searching one of the houses before boarding it up.

Kickboxer Murray, 28, rented the car salvage yard in Welling, Kent, where 7 million pounds from the record robbery was found. He and a business pal were first thought to have fled to South America.

But Murray - who was stabbed in a bloody fight after a celebrity-filled West End party last year - is now thought to have returned to Europe.

Cops have arrested 21 people so far and charged five.

They are still looking for 33 million pounds.

Vanderlei Silva

Below is the PRIDE Open Weight GP card that the Japanese media is reporting will most likely take place on July 1st:


PRIDE Open Weight GP matchups:
Vanderlei Silva vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Fabricio Werdum
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Mark Hunt vs. Josh Barnett

Single matchups:
Sergei Kharitonov vs. Mark Coleman
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos
Roman Zentsov vs. Edson Draggo
Pawel Nastula vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura

Hayato Sakurai

Hayato Sakurai made headlines in the mainstream Japanese media, but not for his career as an MMA star. Instead, he made the news because police arrested 33-year old construction worker Kenichi Sakayori on suspicion of assault, stemming from an altercation he had with Sakurai last month, in which he fractured Sakurai's left cheek bone.

According to police, the incident occurred at 1:00 A.M. on April 9th. Sakayori was driving his car slowly on a street in Ibaraki, when Sakurai, who was walking on the same street with three other friends, accidentally bumped the car with his right knee. An argument ensued, resulting in the altercation.

The Ibaraki Prefectural Police stated they suspect Sakayori was under the influence of alcohol. Sakayori told the police that he did not know that Sakurai was a martial artist. It was not made clear whether Sakayori has any martial arts background.

The following collage of former-Boxercize-instructor-turned-UFC-president Dana White appearing to stare at the crotches and asses of MMA fighters, was sent in to us by Phil from Bayside, New York:



Dana White appearing to be looking directly at Robbie Lawler's crotch.


Dana White (far right) appearing to stare at the crotch of the naked Melvin Guillard.


Dana White (second from right) appearing to stare at the crotch of Diego Sanchez.


UFC president Dana White, who was once a boxercize aerobics instructor, appearing to be staring at the ass of UFC fighter David Loiseau.


UFC president Dana White, who was once a boxercize aerobics instructor, appearing to be staring at the ass of another UFC fighter.


UFC president Dana White, who was once a boxercize aerobics instructor, appearing to be staring at the ass of Mexican-American MMA fighter Paul Buentello.

Former-Boxercize-instructor-turned-UFC-president, Dana White (pictured), inexplicably scheduled the UFC 60 card on Memorial Day Weekend.

According to 'The Wrestling Observer', the UFC 60 card at the Staples Center in Los Angeles could only manage to draw a paltry 7,800 in paid attendance. The Staples Center has a capacity of just over 19,000 seats.

It is interesting to note that a large portion of the tickets were sold a huge discounts. Many tickets were also given away for free, in order to fill up the Staples Center.

According to industry sources, one of the major reasons for the poor attendance could be because the UFC 60 card was inexplicably scheduled on Memorial Day Weekend, when most people in the UFC age demographic in Los Angeles are away on holidays.

Another reason could be because of the extremely high ticket prices, which were later forced to be sold at huge discounts in order to stimulate ticket sales.

Matt Wiman (bottom) getting knocked out by Spencer Fisher's flying knee.

This month's 'Hall of Shame' entry goes to Matt Wiman for getting knocked out while showboating against his opponent, Spencer Fisher.

It all unfolded when Wiman got hit by a left-right from Fisher. As the already-wobbly Wiman waves his hand to say that it didn't hurt him, Fisher literally flies in with a flying knee and knocks him out cold.

Better luck next time, Matt ;)

SHOOTO
May 28th, 2006
Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Yusei Shimokawa defeats Takeyasu Hirono by unanimous decision.
Yuki Shoujou defeats Mamoru Ohkouchi by unanimous decision.
Hiroshi Nakamura defeats Hirotaka Tomiyama by armbar at 3:24, RD 1.
Akihiro Yamazaki defeats Takuya Sato by rear naked choke at 1:26, RD 1.
Yoshihiro Koyama defeats Shinobu Miura by majority decision.
Atsushi Asano defeats Satoshi Yamashita by TKO at 4:40, RD 1.
Ayumu Shioda defeats Hiroharu Matsufuji by majority decision.

UFC 60: 'Hughes vs. Gracie'
May 27th, 2006
Staples Center
Los Angeles, CA


Matt Hughes defeats Royce Gracie by TKO at 4:39, RD 1.
Dean Lister defeats Alessio Sakara by triangle choke at 2:20, RD 1.
Diego Sanchez defeats John Alessio by unanimous decision.
Brandon Vera defeats Assuerio Silva by guillotine choke at 2:39, RD 1.
Mike Swick defeats Joe Riggs by guillotine choke at 2:19, RD 1.
Jeremy Horn defeats Chael Sonnen by armbar at 1:17, RD 2.
Spencer Fisher defeats Matt Wiman by KO at 1:43, RD 2.
Gabriel Gonzaga defeats Fabiano Scherner by TKO at 0:24, RD 2.
Melvin Guillard defeats Rick Davis by KO at 1:37, RD 1.