Littledragon
Above The Law
Post anything about Mixed Martial Arts/ No Holds Barred Here!
The Mixed Martial Arts Thread.
- Thread starter Littledragon
- Start date
Littledragon
Above The Law
Mark Coleman Seminar:9-1-04.
Mark Coleman held a wrestling seminar at Takada Dojo, in Tokyo, Japan, on August 28. The seminar was sold-out despite heavy rain and the 80 participants were able to get first-hand experience with a world-class wrestler.
The menu for the day was basic wrestling: double leg takedowns, single leg takedowns and how to handle a standing opponent. Coleman's teaching method was hands-on, demonstrating techniques on Takada Dojo fighter, Daijiro Matsui.
Coleman was very precise in teaching techniques such as how to clutch your arms when doing a single leg takedown, how to move your hips when doing a takedown and elbow positioning. The majority of techniques he taught were beneficial to everyone, even the more experienced participants.
Coleman also showed his father-side when he wrestled with the children, telling them to "Hustle. Hustle." Toward the end of the seminar, he also showed techniques that are more MMA oriented and his ground-and-pound techniques.
There were no flashy techniques and Coleman made everyone repeat the same moves, over and over. All of the participants listened and trained earnestly. "It's important to always train the basics," Coleman explained. "You have to train harder that your opponent if you want to beat him.
Mark Coleman held a wrestling seminar at Takada Dojo, in Tokyo, Japan, on August 28. The seminar was sold-out despite heavy rain and the 80 participants were able to get first-hand experience with a world-class wrestler.
The menu for the day was basic wrestling: double leg takedowns, single leg takedowns and how to handle a standing opponent. Coleman's teaching method was hands-on, demonstrating techniques on Takada Dojo fighter, Daijiro Matsui.
Coleman was very precise in teaching techniques such as how to clutch your arms when doing a single leg takedown, how to move your hips when doing a takedown and elbow positioning. The majority of techniques he taught were beneficial to everyone, even the more experienced participants.
Coleman also showed his father-side when he wrestled with the children, telling them to "Hustle. Hustle." Toward the end of the seminar, he also showed techniques that are more MMA oriented and his ground-and-pound techniques.
There were no flashy techniques and Coleman made everyone repeat the same moves, over and over. All of the participants listened and trained earnestly. "It's important to always train the basics," Coleman explained. "You have to train harder that your opponent if you want to beat him.
Littledragon
Above The Law
UFC® RETURNS TO MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS FOR UFC 54: Boiling Point!
UFC® RETURNS TO MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS FOR UFC 54: Boiling Point;
TICKETS GO ON SALE MONDAY, JUNE 6
Las Vegas, NV, June 2, 2005 ... The long, hot summer will get even hotter this August 20 when UFC® 54: Boiling Point takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.
Tickets priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50, for the all-star, eight-fight card go on sale at 10 a.m. PT, Monday, June 6, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.mgmgrand.com and by telephone at 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777. Ticket purchases are subject to transaction fees.
UFC 54: Boiling Point also will be available LIVE on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EDT on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Echostar, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. The suggested retail price is $34.95.
UFC® RETURNS TO MGM GRAND IN LAS VEGAS FOR UFC 54: Boiling Point;
TICKETS GO ON SALE MONDAY, JUNE 6
Las Vegas, NV, June 2, 2005 ... The long, hot summer will get even hotter this August 20 when UFC® 54: Boiling Point takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 10 p.m. EST/7 p.m. PST.
Tickets priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50, for the all-star, eight-fight card go on sale at 10 a.m. PT, Monday, June 6, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.mgmgrand.com and by telephone at 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777. Ticket purchases are subject to transaction fees.
UFC 54: Boiling Point also will be available LIVE on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EDT on iNDemand, DirecTV, Dish Network, TVN, Echostar, Bell ExpressVu and Viewers Choice Canada. The suggested retail price is $34.95.
Littledragon
Above The Law
The Heavy Hitters Weigh-In.
The Heavy Hitters Weigh-In
By Jim Genia
Andrei Arlovski
(Friday, June 3rd, Atlantic City, New Jersey) The non-stop rain lashing against the shores of Atlantic City could do nothing to dampen the spirits here at the Trump Plaza Theater, as hundreds gathered to watch the heavy hitters of UFC 53 weigh in. There were no angry staredowns, insults nor bad blood. But for the card stacked with knockout punchers and KO artists, there was a ton of anticipation, and the fans made that anticipation known.
With the air of a champion, UFC Heavyweight Interim-Title holder Andrei Arlovski took to the scales and came in at a trim 241 pounds. A clear fan favorite, the powerful Belarusian striker appeared none too intimidated by underdog opponent Justin Eilers, who himself tipped the scales at 228 pounds. However, weight difference and experience notwithstanding, few can deny the Miletich-trained Eilers' chances at dethroning the interim king -- namely, the chances any knockout puncher has against another with fists just as deadly. As the two posed for the cameras, many cheered for the slugfest these two will surely have tomorrow night.
Sharing in the championship spotlight, middleweight title contender Rich Franklin took the scales to a round of applause. Coming in at 185 pounds, he too seemed confident in the presence of champ Evan Tanner -- probably due in no small fact to his TKO victory over Tanner at UFC 42. But what happened at light-heavyweight won't happen at middleweight. That is, if the 186-pound Texan has anything to say about it.
"Ultimate Fighter" light-heavyweight Forrest Griffin was all smiles as he weighed in at 204 pounds, and kept that smile even as he squared off against the 204-pound Canadian Bill Mahood. One-hundred seventy-pound Long Island-native Matt Serra was all business, though, as the welterweight jiu-jitsu stud stood across from 169-pound judo ace Karo Parisyan. And in what's scheduled to be the opening bout of the pay-per-view broadcast, the heavy-handed Paul Buentello came in at 250 pounds -- a heft advantage over 228-pound newcomer Kevin Jordan.
In the preliminary match-ups, Caesar Gracie-student Nick Diaz weighed in at 171 pounds, nine pounds heavier than 161-pound Pancrase welterweight rep Koji Oishi. Still flashy after all these years, veteran Shonie Carter sported a pair of sunglasses as he stepped on the scale. Coming in at 182 pounds, he's sure to have his hands full against the 185-pound Team Quest standout Nate Quarry. Rounding out the card, Canadian David Loiseau was 185 compared to rookie Charles McCarthy's 186.
With all the fighters making weight, UFC 53 is officially a go. Hopefully tomorrow we'll see some knockouts!
The Heavy Hitters Weigh-In
By Jim Genia
Andrei Arlovski
(Friday, June 3rd, Atlantic City, New Jersey) The non-stop rain lashing against the shores of Atlantic City could do nothing to dampen the spirits here at the Trump Plaza Theater, as hundreds gathered to watch the heavy hitters of UFC 53 weigh in. There were no angry staredowns, insults nor bad blood. But for the card stacked with knockout punchers and KO artists, there was a ton of anticipation, and the fans made that anticipation known.
With the air of a champion, UFC Heavyweight Interim-Title holder Andrei Arlovski took to the scales and came in at a trim 241 pounds. A clear fan favorite, the powerful Belarusian striker appeared none too intimidated by underdog opponent Justin Eilers, who himself tipped the scales at 228 pounds. However, weight difference and experience notwithstanding, few can deny the Miletich-trained Eilers' chances at dethroning the interim king -- namely, the chances any knockout puncher has against another with fists just as deadly. As the two posed for the cameras, many cheered for the slugfest these two will surely have tomorrow night.
Sharing in the championship spotlight, middleweight title contender Rich Franklin took the scales to a round of applause. Coming in at 185 pounds, he too seemed confident in the presence of champ Evan Tanner -- probably due in no small fact to his TKO victory over Tanner at UFC 42. But what happened at light-heavyweight won't happen at middleweight. That is, if the 186-pound Texan has anything to say about it.
"Ultimate Fighter" light-heavyweight Forrest Griffin was all smiles as he weighed in at 204 pounds, and kept that smile even as he squared off against the 204-pound Canadian Bill Mahood. One-hundred seventy-pound Long Island-native Matt Serra was all business, though, as the welterweight jiu-jitsu stud stood across from 169-pound judo ace Karo Parisyan. And in what's scheduled to be the opening bout of the pay-per-view broadcast, the heavy-handed Paul Buentello came in at 250 pounds -- a heft advantage over 228-pound newcomer Kevin Jordan.
In the preliminary match-ups, Caesar Gracie-student Nick Diaz weighed in at 171 pounds, nine pounds heavier than 161-pound Pancrase welterweight rep Koji Oishi. Still flashy after all these years, veteran Shonie Carter sported a pair of sunglasses as he stepped on the scale. Coming in at 182 pounds, he's sure to have his hands full against the 185-pound Team Quest standout Nate Quarry. Rounding out the card, Canadian David Loiseau was 185 compared to rookie Charles McCarthy's 186.
With all the fighters making weight, UFC 53 is officially a go. Hopefully tomorrow we'll see some knockouts!
Littledragon
Above The Law
UFC Announces Coaches for Season 2 of TUF.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Matt Hughes has been selected to be one of the coaches for the second season of Spike TV’s hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter, while the second coaching spot will be decided Saturday inside the Octagon at UFC 53: Heavy Hitters, UFC President Dana White announced today.
Not only will the middleweight belt be on the line between Evan Tanner and Rich Franklin at UFC 53, but the winner will also become the coach opposite Hughes on The Ultimate Fighter.
“Matt Hughes is a great champion of the UFC and will be an outstanding coach on The Ultimate Fighter,” said White, who also is featured on the series. “There’s even more at stake now in the Tanner-Franklin fight. I’m excited to find out who will emerge as the new middleweight champion and as our second coach on the show.”
The Ultimate Fighter’s second season is scheduled to tape this summer in Las Vegas and will premiere on August 22, 2005 on Spike TV.
Find out who will be the coach by ordering the pay-per-view on Saturday at 10 p.m. EDT, on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $34.95.
Season No. 1 (13 weeks) of The Ultimate FighterTM averaged a 1.7 household rating (1.5 million) with a 2.0 (1,015,000) among males18-49 a 2.4 (604,000) in M18-34 and an average audience of 2.1 million viewers. The coaches for the first season were light heavyweights Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Forrest Griffin (light heavyweight) and Diego Sanchez (middleweight) were The Ultimate Fighter champions for the premiere season and each received a six-figure deal with the UFC® organization.
Stephan Bonnar was also awarded a contract after his epic battle in the Finals versus Griffin. The audience peaked during the Bonnar/Griffin fight with 3.3 million viewers. Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White of Zuffa, LLC are the show’s executive producers.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Matt Hughes has been selected to be one of the coaches for the second season of Spike TV’s hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter, while the second coaching spot will be decided Saturday inside the Octagon at UFC 53: Heavy Hitters, UFC President Dana White announced today.
Not only will the middleweight belt be on the line between Evan Tanner and Rich Franklin at UFC 53, but the winner will also become the coach opposite Hughes on The Ultimate Fighter.
“Matt Hughes is a great champion of the UFC and will be an outstanding coach on The Ultimate Fighter,” said White, who also is featured on the series. “There’s even more at stake now in the Tanner-Franklin fight. I’m excited to find out who will emerge as the new middleweight champion and as our second coach on the show.”
The Ultimate Fighter’s second season is scheduled to tape this summer in Las Vegas and will premiere on August 22, 2005 on Spike TV.
Find out who will be the coach by ordering the pay-per-view on Saturday at 10 p.m. EDT, on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $34.95.
Season No. 1 (13 weeks) of The Ultimate FighterTM averaged a 1.7 household rating (1.5 million) with a 2.0 (1,015,000) among males18-49 a 2.4 (604,000) in M18-34 and an average audience of 2.1 million viewers. The coaches for the first season were light heavyweights Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell. Forrest Griffin (light heavyweight) and Diego Sanchez (middleweight) were The Ultimate Fighter champions for the premiere season and each received a six-figure deal with the UFC® organization.
Stephan Bonnar was also awarded a contract after his epic battle in the Finals versus Griffin. The audience peaked during the Bonnar/Griffin fight with 3.3 million viewers. Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television, Frank Fertitta III, Lorenzo Fertitta and Dana White of Zuffa, LLC are the show’s executive producers.
Littledragon
Above The Law
The Savage Truth: Boom or Bust.
June 4, 2005
by Greg Savage (Greg@sherdog.com)
ATLANTIC CITY, June 3 — So I found out about two weeks ago that I am going to be a daddy. That’s right, my wife is with child. The first thing I said to myself was, How in the hell am I going to pay for this on my Sherdog.com salary?
Then I thought, Hey, Zuffa has put a big time dog in the main event of UFC 53 and there is no way they think he is going to win. You all know what that means. Justin Eilers is going to beat Andrei Arlovski come Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City — and probably in a convincing manner.
So there I was perusing the betting sites, soaking in my good fortune as I observed my sure thing sitting pretty at +250, a healthy return for my eventual investment. My only obstacle was my wife. I had no idea how she would react when I asked her if it was OK for me to bet everything on this ex-college football player turned pugilist.
In classic fashion, she put her foot down and told me I was crazy and that there was no way in hell she would let me leverage our financial future by betting on a fight. I tried to explain that it was a sure thing and that our little Savage would be set up with an Ivy League education by the time another Zuffa poster boy was prone on the canvas.
She wouldn’t budge even as I explained the abysmal record of the Zuffa brass in their attempts to orchestrate scenarios that would end up with their guy capturing the title. I told her about B.J. Penn losing to Jens Pulver and drawing with Caol Uno; Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz losing to Randy Couture; Ricco Rodriguez losing to Tim Sylvia; Matt Hughes losing to BJ Penn; Tim Sylvia losing to Frank Mir; and Frank Mir losing to a motorcycle accident.
She was not impressed and refused to give her consent. So there I was, on my own, contemplating how to pull off my sure thing. How could I not? Given the Zuffa track record I had to get this done. So I went into stealth mode and started pilfering cash out of our savings account, maxed out the credit cards, sold my old baseball cards, called in every marker I could and put it all on Justin Eilers to win.
Once it was done I started to think about how I had become what I have enjoyed ridiculing for the past four years. I actually rested everything on one person winning a fight in which anything could happen. A cut, a broken hand, a Hail Mary haymaker, or a freak injury — any of these things could throw a giant monkey wrench into mine or Zuffa’s plans.
I don’t know who would be worse off, me and my marriage or the already sad state of the UFC titles, if Arlovski can not get past a guy who is coming off a knockout loss to a Paul Buentello, a fighter who is competing on the under card of this event?
That’s a tough question.
The saving grace for Joe Silva and the rest of the folks at Zuffa is the exposure they have generated from the immensely popular “The Ultimate Fighter” should enable them to expand the number of fights they promote per year, thus giving them the ability to build the depth of their divisions and hopefully avoid this type of situation in the future.
I can’t say the same for me. If Justin Eilers forgot to bring his giant monkey wrench then I am going to be sleeping on the couch for an eternity.
After picking all eight fights at UFC 52 I am hoping to extend my streak with another perfect showing at UFC 53. While I don’t see too many upsets on this card I do see the two main events going to the betting dogs. Although Evan Tanner is not as big a dog as Eilers, he is still an underdog against Rich Franklin, the last man to beat him.
Tanner will have a few more answers this time for the talented Franklin and, like in his fight with David Terrell, his experience will show through as he guts out a tough decision. Look for Tanner to be making his television debut as the coach opposite Matt Hughes in the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Karo Parisyan is next in line for a crack at Matt Hughes’ welterweight strap and the only thing standing in his way is a blown up lightweight in Matt Serra. Parisyan and Nick Diaz put on a great grappling display when they fought at UFC 49 and I see this fight taking a similar track with both fighters showing off some flashy ground work before Parisyan takes control and earns his title shot with a decision victory.
Forrest Griffin should have his way with Canadian Bill Mahood, who lost his last fight via knockout to Patrick Cote. Griffin has fought slightly better competition and fared better than Mahood thus earning him the nod in my opinion.
Paul Buentello will be looking to solidify himself in the UFC heavyweight picture against a relatively unknown opponent in Kevin Jordan. If Buentello has taken this fight serious he will roll through Jordan and cement himself as one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division.
Shonie Carter has been around the block a few times in a career that has spanned nearly 100 professional fights. Nate Quarry is a tough kid out of the prestigious Team Quest camp. In this evenly matched fight I am going with the wily veteran Mr. International in a decision, once again thwarting the Zuffa blueprint.
David Loiseau, looking to get back into the mix in the middleweight division and coming off a dominating win over Gideon Ray at UFC 51, will be facing Charles McCarthy in an under card match. McCarthy may be known as “The Chainsaw” but “The Crow” may have the sharpest elbows in the world of MMA. If Loiseau can keep this fight standing, as I believe he will, it will be a tough night for McCarthy. This is the lock of the night with David Loiseau winning stoppage in the second round.
Nick Diaz might as well be fighting a lightweight this Saturday night since his opponent, Koji Oishi from Pancrase, weighed in at 162 pounds for their welterweight bout. The talented youngster out of the Cesar Gracie camp rebounded from his loss to Karo Parisyan with a win over Drew Fickett at UFC 51 and should keep up his winning ways with a TKO win over his much smaller foe.
June 4, 2005
by Greg Savage (Greg@sherdog.com)
ATLANTIC CITY, June 3 — So I found out about two weeks ago that I am going to be a daddy. That’s right, my wife is with child. The first thing I said to myself was, How in the hell am I going to pay for this on my Sherdog.com salary?
Then I thought, Hey, Zuffa has put a big time dog in the main event of UFC 53 and there is no way they think he is going to win. You all know what that means. Justin Eilers is going to beat Andrei Arlovski come Saturday night at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City — and probably in a convincing manner.
So there I was perusing the betting sites, soaking in my good fortune as I observed my sure thing sitting pretty at +250, a healthy return for my eventual investment. My only obstacle was my wife. I had no idea how she would react when I asked her if it was OK for me to bet everything on this ex-college football player turned pugilist.
In classic fashion, she put her foot down and told me I was crazy and that there was no way in hell she would let me leverage our financial future by betting on a fight. I tried to explain that it was a sure thing and that our little Savage would be set up with an Ivy League education by the time another Zuffa poster boy was prone on the canvas.
She wouldn’t budge even as I explained the abysmal record of the Zuffa brass in their attempts to orchestrate scenarios that would end up with their guy capturing the title. I told her about B.J. Penn losing to Jens Pulver and drawing with Caol Uno; Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz losing to Randy Couture; Ricco Rodriguez losing to Tim Sylvia; Matt Hughes losing to BJ Penn; Tim Sylvia losing to Frank Mir; and Frank Mir losing to a motorcycle accident.
She was not impressed and refused to give her consent. So there I was, on my own, contemplating how to pull off my sure thing. How could I not? Given the Zuffa track record I had to get this done. So I went into stealth mode and started pilfering cash out of our savings account, maxed out the credit cards, sold my old baseball cards, called in every marker I could and put it all on Justin Eilers to win.
Once it was done I started to think about how I had become what I have enjoyed ridiculing for the past four years. I actually rested everything on one person winning a fight in which anything could happen. A cut, a broken hand, a Hail Mary haymaker, or a freak injury — any of these things could throw a giant monkey wrench into mine or Zuffa’s plans.
I don’t know who would be worse off, me and my marriage or the already sad state of the UFC titles, if Arlovski can not get past a guy who is coming off a knockout loss to a Paul Buentello, a fighter who is competing on the under card of this event?
That’s a tough question.
The saving grace for Joe Silva and the rest of the folks at Zuffa is the exposure they have generated from the immensely popular “The Ultimate Fighter” should enable them to expand the number of fights they promote per year, thus giving them the ability to build the depth of their divisions and hopefully avoid this type of situation in the future.
I can’t say the same for me. If Justin Eilers forgot to bring his giant monkey wrench then I am going to be sleeping on the couch for an eternity.
After picking all eight fights at UFC 52 I am hoping to extend my streak with another perfect showing at UFC 53. While I don’t see too many upsets on this card I do see the two main events going to the betting dogs. Although Evan Tanner is not as big a dog as Eilers, he is still an underdog against Rich Franklin, the last man to beat him.
Tanner will have a few more answers this time for the talented Franklin and, like in his fight with David Terrell, his experience will show through as he guts out a tough decision. Look for Tanner to be making his television debut as the coach opposite Matt Hughes in the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
Karo Parisyan is next in line for a crack at Matt Hughes’ welterweight strap and the only thing standing in his way is a blown up lightweight in Matt Serra. Parisyan and Nick Diaz put on a great grappling display when they fought at UFC 49 and I see this fight taking a similar track with both fighters showing off some flashy ground work before Parisyan takes control and earns his title shot with a decision victory.
Forrest Griffin should have his way with Canadian Bill Mahood, who lost his last fight via knockout to Patrick Cote. Griffin has fought slightly better competition and fared better than Mahood thus earning him the nod in my opinion.
Paul Buentello will be looking to solidify himself in the UFC heavyweight picture against a relatively unknown opponent in Kevin Jordan. If Buentello has taken this fight serious he will roll through Jordan and cement himself as one of the best strikers in the heavyweight division.
Shonie Carter has been around the block a few times in a career that has spanned nearly 100 professional fights. Nate Quarry is a tough kid out of the prestigious Team Quest camp. In this evenly matched fight I am going with the wily veteran Mr. International in a decision, once again thwarting the Zuffa blueprint.
David Loiseau, looking to get back into the mix in the middleweight division and coming off a dominating win over Gideon Ray at UFC 51, will be facing Charles McCarthy in an under card match. McCarthy may be known as “The Chainsaw” but “The Crow” may have the sharpest elbows in the world of MMA. If Loiseau can keep this fight standing, as I believe he will, it will be a tough night for McCarthy. This is the lock of the night with David Loiseau winning stoppage in the second round.
Nick Diaz might as well be fighting a lightweight this Saturday night since his opponent, Koji Oishi from Pancrase, weighed in at 162 pounds for their welterweight bout. The talented youngster out of the Cesar Gracie camp rebounded from his loss to Karo Parisyan with a win over Drew Fickett at UFC 51 and should keep up his winning ways with a TKO win over his much smaller foe.
Littledragon
Above The Law
Joachim Hansen Joins Bushido!
This is pridefc.com's exclusive interview with Joachim Hansen, who has entered into PRIDE BUSHIDO SONOHATCHI which will occur on July 17th, 2005 at Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Aichi.
---Your entry into PRIDE is official, what kind of state of mind are you in now?
I'm very excited. Until now, PRIDE only had middleweight and heavyweight classes, so I didn’t have a chance to fight, but now that BUSHIDO was created, my chance to fight has come. It's a dream come true.
---Have you always been watching PRIDE?
Yeah. I’ve been a huge fan since the beginning. My favorite fighter is Wanderlei Silva. The truth is, I’ve liked Wanderlei so much that I was watching his matches even before he was in PRIDE. I also like Fedor Emelianenko.
---Why did you decide to enter BUSHIDO?
First of all, since PRIDE created BUSHIDO, it created a weight class that I could fight in, and the opponents that I wanted to fight are in this ring. Second, Shooto and BUSHIDO have a really close connection. I am also planning to continue fighting in Shooto matches as well. I want to show my best abilities in both events. Of course I am also planning to enter the BUSHIDO Grand Prix next fall.
---Recently, a fighter by the name of Takanori Gomi has been flourishing in BUSHIDO. What kind of impression do you have of him?
He is a very good and tough fighter. After he lost to me by judge's decision, he then lost to BJ Penn. Even though he went through such hardship, he has been able to climb to the position that he is in today. He has incredible mental strength.
---Still, you beat Gomi.
PRIDE fighters can think what they want, think of me as a threat (laughter).
---Do you have the confidence to stand at the top of PRIDE?
Yeah. I used to fight in FinFight (Finland’s mixed martial arts event) where headbutts are allowed. Being allowed to stomp or kick your opponent in PRIDE, that suits my style. PRIDE's rules will help me utilize my dangerous fighting style even more, and now I can show my complete skills.
This is pridefc.com's exclusive interview with Joachim Hansen, who has entered into PRIDE BUSHIDO SONOHATCHI which will occur on July 17th, 2005 at Nagoya Rainbow Hall in Aichi.
---Your entry into PRIDE is official, what kind of state of mind are you in now?
I'm very excited. Until now, PRIDE only had middleweight and heavyweight classes, so I didn’t have a chance to fight, but now that BUSHIDO was created, my chance to fight has come. It's a dream come true.
---Have you always been watching PRIDE?
Yeah. I’ve been a huge fan since the beginning. My favorite fighter is Wanderlei Silva. The truth is, I’ve liked Wanderlei so much that I was watching his matches even before he was in PRIDE. I also like Fedor Emelianenko.
---Why did you decide to enter BUSHIDO?
First of all, since PRIDE created BUSHIDO, it created a weight class that I could fight in, and the opponents that I wanted to fight are in this ring. Second, Shooto and BUSHIDO have a really close connection. I am also planning to continue fighting in Shooto matches as well. I want to show my best abilities in both events. Of course I am also planning to enter the BUSHIDO Grand Prix next fall.
---Recently, a fighter by the name of Takanori Gomi has been flourishing in BUSHIDO. What kind of impression do you have of him?
He is a very good and tough fighter. After he lost to me by judge's decision, he then lost to BJ Penn. Even though he went through such hardship, he has been able to climb to the position that he is in today. He has incredible mental strength.
---Still, you beat Gomi.
PRIDE fighters can think what they want, think of me as a threat (laughter).
---Do you have the confidence to stand at the top of PRIDE?
Yeah. I used to fight in FinFight (Finland’s mixed martial arts event) where headbutts are allowed. Being allowed to stomp or kick your opponent in PRIDE, that suits my style. PRIDE's rules will help me utilize my dangerous fighting style even more, and now I can show my complete skills.
Littledragon
Above The Law
Additional Matches Announced For Pride Fighting’s Critical Countdown 2005!
Two non-tournament bouts have been announced for PRIDE FIGHTING’S next event, CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005. In the first, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira of the Brazilian Top Team will take on Poland’s 1996 Judo Olympic gold-medallist, Pawel Nastula. In the second bout Russia’s Sergei Kharitonov takes on veteran heavyweight, Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo of Brazil.
PRIDE’s former heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira is a fighter who needs no introduction. A finalist in the 2004 heavyweight Grand Prix, “Minotauro” is the total package, coupling outstanding Jiu Jitsu skills with a solid boxing background. Nogueira has been in legendary matches with the likes of Bob Sapp, Fedor Emelianenko, Heath Herring, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. His opponent will be the legendary Judoka, Pawel Nastula. The 1995 and 1997 Judo World Champion and 1996 gold medallist at the Olympic games in Atlanta, Nastula brings his legendary Judo skills to the PRIDE ring to compete against the world’s elite mixed martial artists.
In the second bout, Russia’s Sergei Kharitonov will take on UFC veteran, Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo. Kharitonov is one of PRIDE’s toughest heavyweights, boasting wins over Choi Mu Bae, Semmy Schilt, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua. Kharitonov reached the semi-finals of the 2004 heavyweight grand Prix. Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo will be making his PRIDE debut, but he is no stranger to mixed martial arts. This Brazilian striker trains under Marco Ruas and has career wins over Ricco Rodriguez, Tra Telligman, Andrei Arlovski, and Mark Coleman. Kharitonov versus Rizzo … which of these heavy-hitting strikers will be left standing?
In addition to these matches, there is the second round of the Grand Prix tournament. Defending tournament champion, Wanderlei Silva, reached the second round of the tournament after a hard-fought split decision victory over Hidehiko Yoshida. Yoshida’s protégé, Kazuhiro Nakamura, considered an underdog by many in the first round, advanced by defeating American Kevin Randleman by unanimous decision. Japanese fighter, Kazushi Sakuraba, advanced via a thirty-eight second first round KO of Korean judoka Yoon Dong Sik. Ricardo Arona advanced after winning a unanimous decision over Dean Lister. Chute Boxe’s rising star, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, reached the second round by knocking out 2003 tournament finalist, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, in the first round. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira of the Brazilian Top Team advanced by submitting Team Quest’s Dan Henderson via armbar. Igor Vovchanchyn advanced by winning a unanimous decision over Japanese Yuki Kondo. Golden Glory fighter Alistair Overeem advanced by submitting UFC tournament representative Vitor Belfort via guillotine.
PRIDE FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament spans three events … TOTAL ELIMINATION (opening round), CRITICAL COUNTDOWN (Second Round) and FINAL CONFLICT (Semi-Finals and Finals). The date for FINAL CONFLICT will be announced soon.
Tournament Matches:
Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (Brazil) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Brazil)
Igor Vovchanchyn (Ukraine) vs. Alistair Overeem (Holland)
Additional Matches (Non-Tournament):
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil) vs. Pawel Nastula (Poland)
Sergei Kharitonov (Russia) vs. Pedro Rizzo (Brazil)
Additional match ups to be announced soon.
(Participants and Matches Subject to Change)
CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005 premieres on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s Choice Canada on July 1st at 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PST (including a countdown show at 9:30pm EST, 6:30pm PST). For additional replay times, please contact your pay per view provider or pridefc.com.
For more information on PRIDE FC, visit pridefc.com!
Two non-tournament bouts have been announced for PRIDE FIGHTING’S next event, CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005. In the first, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira of the Brazilian Top Team will take on Poland’s 1996 Judo Olympic gold-medallist, Pawel Nastula. In the second bout Russia’s Sergei Kharitonov takes on veteran heavyweight, Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo of Brazil.
PRIDE’s former heavyweight champion, Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira is a fighter who needs no introduction. A finalist in the 2004 heavyweight Grand Prix, “Minotauro” is the total package, coupling outstanding Jiu Jitsu skills with a solid boxing background. Nogueira has been in legendary matches with the likes of Bob Sapp, Fedor Emelianenko, Heath Herring, and Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic. His opponent will be the legendary Judoka, Pawel Nastula. The 1995 and 1997 Judo World Champion and 1996 gold medallist at the Olympic games in Atlanta, Nastula brings his legendary Judo skills to the PRIDE ring to compete against the world’s elite mixed martial artists.
In the second bout, Russia’s Sergei Kharitonov will take on UFC veteran, Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo. Kharitonov is one of PRIDE’s toughest heavyweights, boasting wins over Choi Mu Bae, Semmy Schilt, and Murilo “Ninja” Rua. Kharitonov reached the semi-finals of the 2004 heavyweight grand Prix. Pedro “The Rock” Rizzo will be making his PRIDE debut, but he is no stranger to mixed martial arts. This Brazilian striker trains under Marco Ruas and has career wins over Ricco Rodriguez, Tra Telligman, Andrei Arlovski, and Mark Coleman. Kharitonov versus Rizzo … which of these heavy-hitting strikers will be left standing?
In addition to these matches, there is the second round of the Grand Prix tournament. Defending tournament champion, Wanderlei Silva, reached the second round of the tournament after a hard-fought split decision victory over Hidehiko Yoshida. Yoshida’s protégé, Kazuhiro Nakamura, considered an underdog by many in the first round, advanced by defeating American Kevin Randleman by unanimous decision. Japanese fighter, Kazushi Sakuraba, advanced via a thirty-eight second first round KO of Korean judoka Yoon Dong Sik. Ricardo Arona advanced after winning a unanimous decision over Dean Lister. Chute Boxe’s rising star, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, reached the second round by knocking out 2003 tournament finalist, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, in the first round. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira of the Brazilian Top Team advanced by submitting Team Quest’s Dan Henderson via armbar. Igor Vovchanchyn advanced by winning a unanimous decision over Japanese Yuki Kondo. Golden Glory fighter Alistair Overeem advanced by submitting UFC tournament representative Vitor Belfort via guillotine.
PRIDE FIGHTING’S 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Tournament spans three events … TOTAL ELIMINATION (opening round), CRITICAL COUNTDOWN (Second Round) and FINAL CONFLICT (Semi-Finals and Finals). The date for FINAL CONFLICT will be announced soon.
Tournament Matches:
Wanderlei Silva (Brazil) vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura (Japan)
Kazushi Sakuraba (Japan) vs. Ricardo Arona (Brazil)
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (Brazil) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (Brazil)
Igor Vovchanchyn (Ukraine) vs. Alistair Overeem (Holland)
Additional Matches (Non-Tournament):
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Brazil) vs. Pawel Nastula (Poland)
Sergei Kharitonov (Russia) vs. Pedro Rizzo (Brazil)
Additional match ups to be announced soon.
(Participants and Matches Subject to Change)
CRITICAL COUNTDOWN 2005 premieres on North American pay per view via iNDEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH NETWORK, UrbanXtra, TVN1, VU!, and Viewer’s Choice Canada on July 1st at 10:00pm EST, 7:00pm PST (including a countdown show at 9:30pm EST, 6:30pm PST). For additional replay times, please contact your pay per view provider or pridefc.com.
For more information on PRIDE FC, visit pridefc.com!
Littledragon
Above The Law
UFC 53 Prelims: Quarry Debut a Success; Loiseau and Diaz Shine.
June 4, 2005
by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey, June 4 — Never before has a UFC rookie received the kind of ovation Nathan Quarry, the first member of the Ultimate Fighter cast to participate in an official UFC fight, enjoyed from the welcoming crowd inside this city’s historic Boardwalk Hall.
Two minutes 37 seconds after the opening bell, the warm cheers had transformed into a roar when Quarry stopped veteran Shonie Carter.
Surviving an early test to his chin after Carter dropped a right hand to the chin, Quarry clipped a left hand off the veteran’s experienced whiskers.
Carter, whose lengthy career holds nearly 100 bouts compared to his middleweight challenger’s seven, reacted badly, jelly-legging his way back to the cage fencing. Quarry raced in and launched a push-kick that met the 33-year-old Carter’s midsection.
A barrage of power punches followed and though Carter’s spirit remained his legs did not. Disengaging the attack, Quarry, also 33, took several steps back. In his attempt to move forward Carter appeared to be walking down a flight of stairs before ending up face first on the canvas.
Referee Mario Yamasaki had seen enough and jumped in to halt the fight. Carter, still wobbly, stood and walked to the media-side of the cage, where he rested his head and mouthed “I tripped — I f___king tripped.”
The crowd’s reaction grew exponentially when Quarry, standing dead center in the Octagon, raised his hands in victory. “I feel like my family is here watching me now,” Quarry said afterwards, thanking the East Coast crowd for its reaction to him.
The next time you dismiss the effectiveness of spinning kicks in a mixed martial arts bout, think of David Loiseau.
The 25-year-old from Montreal, Quebec slammed the heel of his right foot into the ribcage of Miami, Florida’s Charles McCarthy’s, freezing the UFC rookie in his tracks near the two-minute mark of the second round. A flying knee followed, putting McCarthy to the canvas and out of the fight 2:10 of round two.
McCarthy (7-3-0) held the early upper hand, planting the striker on his back before neatly taking the mount close to his corner along the fence. Loiseau, who with the win upped his record to 11-2-0, turned his back, allowing McCarthy to control the fight from that position for nearly two minutes.
Loiseau remained calm as McCarthy worked to finish the fight with rear-naked chokes. But the submission never materialized and after Loiseau escaped a McCarthy’ armbar attempt, he bombarded the middleweight with his most dangerous weapon — elbows.
As the fight moved into the second period it was Loiseau that dominated on the canvas, pummeling McCarthy’s face, which was smashed into the gray mat, with more chopping elbows and ripping punches.
With the fight back on its feet, Loiseau fired power shots at McCarthy, who could do little but cover up at this point. The stunning end came on Loiseau’s third attempted spinning-kick of the fight.
“I’m a black belt in tae kwon do,” said Loiseau “I’ve been doing that all my life.”
If Nick Diaz’ victory in 1:24 of the first round over Japanese welterweight Koji Oishi isn’t enough to get him a main-draw fight in his next UFC appearance, nothing will. The Californian southpaw, who came into the Octagon with a strong jiu-jitsu, wrestling and boxing pedigree, used a stiff jab and jolting left straight to batter the undersized Oishi around the Octagon.
A solid left caught Oishi flush on the nose, stumbling the Pancrase fighter, in his second-career UFC appearance, backwards to the cage fencing. Diaz followed with a three-step sidekick that connected solidly to the body before connecting with a series of jab-left straights.
The end came when Diaz (11-3-0) walked undeterred into Oishi, who by this time could only cover and absorb shots coming from the lanky 21-year-old. The left straight mingled neatly with the right hook and Oishi (11-4-3) fell to the canvas. Referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to save Oishi.
The win, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva said after the fight to media at ringside, puts Diaz next in line to earn a UFC title shot.
June 4, 2005
by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey, June 4 — Never before has a UFC rookie received the kind of ovation Nathan Quarry, the first member of the Ultimate Fighter cast to participate in an official UFC fight, enjoyed from the welcoming crowd inside this city’s historic Boardwalk Hall.
Two minutes 37 seconds after the opening bell, the warm cheers had transformed into a roar when Quarry stopped veteran Shonie Carter.
Surviving an early test to his chin after Carter dropped a right hand to the chin, Quarry clipped a left hand off the veteran’s experienced whiskers.
Carter, whose lengthy career holds nearly 100 bouts compared to his middleweight challenger’s seven, reacted badly, jelly-legging his way back to the cage fencing. Quarry raced in and launched a push-kick that met the 33-year-old Carter’s midsection.
A barrage of power punches followed and though Carter’s spirit remained his legs did not. Disengaging the attack, Quarry, also 33, took several steps back. In his attempt to move forward Carter appeared to be walking down a flight of stairs before ending up face first on the canvas.
Referee Mario Yamasaki had seen enough and jumped in to halt the fight. Carter, still wobbly, stood and walked to the media-side of the cage, where he rested his head and mouthed “I tripped — I f___king tripped.”
The crowd’s reaction grew exponentially when Quarry, standing dead center in the Octagon, raised his hands in victory. “I feel like my family is here watching me now,” Quarry said afterwards, thanking the East Coast crowd for its reaction to him.
The next time you dismiss the effectiveness of spinning kicks in a mixed martial arts bout, think of David Loiseau.
The 25-year-old from Montreal, Quebec slammed the heel of his right foot into the ribcage of Miami, Florida’s Charles McCarthy’s, freezing the UFC rookie in his tracks near the two-minute mark of the second round. A flying knee followed, putting McCarthy to the canvas and out of the fight 2:10 of round two.
McCarthy (7-3-0) held the early upper hand, planting the striker on his back before neatly taking the mount close to his corner along the fence. Loiseau, who with the win upped his record to 11-2-0, turned his back, allowing McCarthy to control the fight from that position for nearly two minutes.
Loiseau remained calm as McCarthy worked to finish the fight with rear-naked chokes. But the submission never materialized and after Loiseau escaped a McCarthy’ armbar attempt, he bombarded the middleweight with his most dangerous weapon — elbows.
As the fight moved into the second period it was Loiseau that dominated on the canvas, pummeling McCarthy’s face, which was smashed into the gray mat, with more chopping elbows and ripping punches.
With the fight back on its feet, Loiseau fired power shots at McCarthy, who could do little but cover up at this point. The stunning end came on Loiseau’s third attempted spinning-kick of the fight.
“I’m a black belt in tae kwon do,” said Loiseau “I’ve been doing that all my life.”
If Nick Diaz’ victory in 1:24 of the first round over Japanese welterweight Koji Oishi isn’t enough to get him a main-draw fight in his next UFC appearance, nothing will. The Californian southpaw, who came into the Octagon with a strong jiu-jitsu, wrestling and boxing pedigree, used a stiff jab and jolting left straight to batter the undersized Oishi around the Octagon.
A solid left caught Oishi flush on the nose, stumbling the Pancrase fighter, in his second-career UFC appearance, backwards to the cage fencing. Diaz followed with a three-step sidekick that connected solidly to the body before connecting with a series of jab-left straights.
The end came when Diaz (11-3-0) walked undeterred into Oishi, who by this time could only cover and absorb shots coming from the lanky 21-year-old. The left straight mingled neatly with the right hook and Oishi (11-4-3) fell to the canvas. Referee Mario Yamasaki stepped in to save Oishi.
The win, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva said after the fight to media at ringside, puts Diaz next in line to earn a UFC title shot.
Littledragon
Above The Law
Liddell to Take on Horn at UFC 54: Boiling Point.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Las Vegas, NV--Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell will look to avenge the first loss of his career and defend his UFC light heavyweight crown in the process when he takes on challenger Jeremy Horn at UFC 54: Boiling Point this August 20th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Also on the card is a huge matchup between Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture and Mike Van Arsdale. Six additional bouts will complete the eight-fight card, which will be available LIVE on pay-per-view at 10 p.m.
EST/7 p.m. PST, on iN Demand, DIRECTV, Dish Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $34.95.
Liddell (16-3-0) is fresh off his big win over previous light heavyweight champ Couture at UFC 52, but he’ll have one thing on his mind when facing Horn: revenge. That’s because Liddell’s first career loss (March 5, 1999, at UFC 19) came when Horn, a longtime veteran of mixed martial arts with a record of 85-13-5, executed a first-round arm triangle choke on the future champion. So UFC 54 provides a chance for Liddell to wipe the slate clean against his old nemesis. But Horn’s well-rounded skills and versatility will present a tough challenge for the champ in what should be a match for the ages.
Couture (13-7-0)--the only man to win UFC titles in two separate weight classes-- is looking to climb his way back into title contention in the light heavyweight division. ‘The Natural’ is one of the most popular figures fighting in the UFC today. He’ll have his hands full with Van Arsdale (8-1-0), a world-class wrestler and athlete who hasn’t lost in almost seven years
Tickets priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50, for the all-star, eight-fight card go on sale at 10 a.m. PT, Monday, June 6, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.mgmgrand.com and by telephone at 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777. Ticket purchases are subject to transaction fees.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Las Vegas, NV--Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell will look to avenge the first loss of his career and defend his UFC light heavyweight crown in the process when he takes on challenger Jeremy Horn at UFC 54: Boiling Point this August 20th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Also on the card is a huge matchup between Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture and Mike Van Arsdale. Six additional bouts will complete the eight-fight card, which will be available LIVE on pay-per-view at 10 p.m.
EST/7 p.m. PST, on iN Demand, DIRECTV, Dish Network, TVN, Bell ExpressVu and Viewer’s Choice Canada for a suggested retail price of $34.95.
Liddell (16-3-0) is fresh off his big win over previous light heavyweight champ Couture at UFC 52, but he’ll have one thing on his mind when facing Horn: revenge. That’s because Liddell’s first career loss (March 5, 1999, at UFC 19) came when Horn, a longtime veteran of mixed martial arts with a record of 85-13-5, executed a first-round arm triangle choke on the future champion. So UFC 54 provides a chance for Liddell to wipe the slate clean against his old nemesis. But Horn’s well-rounded skills and versatility will present a tough challenge for the champ in what should be a match for the ages.
Couture (13-7-0)--the only man to win UFC titles in two separate weight classes-- is looking to climb his way back into title contention in the light heavyweight division. ‘The Natural’ is one of the most popular figures fighting in the UFC today. He’ll have his hands full with Van Arsdale (8-1-0), a world-class wrestler and athlete who hasn’t lost in almost seven years
Tickets priced at $400, $300, $200, $100 and $50, for the all-star, eight-fight card go on sale at 10 a.m. PT, Monday, June 6, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com, www.mgmgrand.com and by telephone at 800-929-1111 or 702-891-7777. Ticket purchases are subject to transaction fees.
Littledragon
Above The Law
Mir. VS. Arlovski
June 5, 2005
by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey, June 4 — It may not have been the sort of finish that’s been his recent trademark, but UFC interim heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (10-3-0) will take it.
The 26-year-old Belarusian champion, who trains and fights by way of Chicago, Ill., earned his first defense with a doctor’s stoppage over challenger Justin Eilers (9-4-1) Saturday night when the former Iowa St. University linebacker fell to the canvas after injuring his right knee 4:10 into the opening round.
Eilers, who earned a title shot tonight despite being knocked out by Paul Buentello in his last contest, left the Iowa gym of Pat Miletich to train with teammate Jeremy Horn in Utah. The extra work paid off with improved footwork and a calm demeanor in the ring, but it didn’t take long for Arlovski’s power and accuracy to take hold.
A series of kicks to the inside of Eilers’ lead leg opened the upstairs for Arlovski. “Inside kick, low kick — I like that,” Arlovski said after the fight. The interim champ took advantage, peppering Eilers’ face with jabs and straight rights that left a wide swath of blood from the challenger’s nose to chin.
With a near capacity crowd of 10,000 watching inside the Boardwalk Hall (the UFC would not give an official attendance number), Arlovski stalked Eilers around the Octagon. The two met head on several times, but Eilers failed to land the solid right hand he needed to have a chance against the heavily favored Arlovski.
Three feet from the cage fencing, Eilers planted hard on his right leg as he prepared to unleash a power shot. Instead, he immediately grabbed behind his right knee and collapsed to the canvas.
It took a moment for referee John McCarthy to decipher what happened, giving Arlovski a brief chance to again hit Eilers.
When asked if he was disappointed by the way in which the fight ended, Arlovski said he was not. “Justin promised me that our fight continues for five rounds,” he said. “I trained hard for the five rounds. It happened in the first round, the last minute of the first round. I’m very glad. I saved my energy for next fight.”
The victory sets up an October showdown between Arlovski and UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who’s been out of action for a year a motorcycle accident shelved him with a career threatening broken leg.
“It’s up to the UFC,” Arlovski said. “If the UFC gives me fight against Frank Mir in October I’m ready with my pleasure. I want a fight with Frank Mir.”
The night’s sudden and disappointing finish should only give more fuel to those who argued against the main event worthiness of Arlovski-Eilers. That honor, many felt, should have belonged to the evening’s other title fight, which featured two of the most experienced fighters ever to vie for a UFC crown — middleweight champion Evan Tanner and his challenger Rich Franklin.
Making his first title defense after winning the vacated 185-pound title versus David Terrell in February, Tanner was tasked with not only becoming the first UFC middleweight to defend his belt since Murilo Bustamante submitted Matt Lindland three years ago but also defeat the last man to stop him.
Fresh off a nationally televised destruction of Ken Shamrock, Franklin returned to fight at 185 with some questions about whether he was better off at light heavyweight (where he beat Shamrock) or middleweight, where he struggled against Jorge Rivera.
Following tonight, Franklin doubters don’t have anything to complain about. The 30-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio used excellent footwork and speed to dance circles around the champion, peppering his face with just about every weapon in his bag, before the ringside doctor stopped the contest 3:25 of round four.
“I don’t feel I [lost any power],” Franklin said of moving to 185. “There are going to be people out there say Franklin took out Shamrock in the first round and it took him to the fourth round to take out Tanner and he’s not strong in that weight class. But I feel good. I feel good in the clinch. The opponents don’t wear me down as quickly. Yeah, I feel fine there.”
The new middleweight champion (20-1-0) fought beautifully, expanding on a career that should be the model for all young fighters.
Tanner’s downfall came in large part from his inability to do anything more than throw a right hand straight against the southpaw. There was little else in the way of offense from Tanner, who wore down as Franklin landed shot after shot to his badly swollen face.
The opening round featured Tanner’s only good moment. After a good portion of the round where Franklin scored to the head and legs, Tanner reared back and launched a crushing counter right straight as period reach it’s final 30 seconds.
Franklin’s legs gave way and he crumbled to the canvas. Thirty-four-year-old Tanner (33-5-0) chased Franklin to the floor and the two smartly grappled in the fight’s best exchange on the ground.
“There are going to be parts of this fight that are forever not going to be a part of my permanent memory,” Franklin said of the punch that put him to the canvas.
That’s a shame, since past that point Franklin fought perfectly. Controlling the second round, Franklin opened the first of several cuts on the Tanner’s face, which by fight’s end looked like it had been put through meat grinder.
Tanner stayed on the outside, never making an attempt to put the new champion on his back for an extended period of time. It was a surprising game plan from a man that had first-hand knowledge of Franklin’s ability to hurt opponents with strikes.
“He said that’s what he was going to and, yeah, it kind of surprised me,” the new champion said of Tanner. “I’m glad he did.”
As action moved into the third period, Franklin really came on strong, using excellent footwork, speed and combinations to trump Tanner’s plodding right straights.
Heading into the fourth, Tanner’s right eye had virtually shut and blood streamed from multiple places on his increasingly swollen face.
More than halfway through what turned out to be the fight’s final round, Tanner was in serious trouble. Referee Herb Dean realized this and called time so the physician at ringside could look at the carnage on the champion’s face.
“I knew that fight was going to run in that direction,” Franklin said. “Tanner the first time said he didn’t know I was a southpaw. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. I don’t know. But, he wasn’t as prepared the first time and I knew that he was going to come in this time and be prepared. I figured in my head the fight was going to go roughly the same way, it was just going to be a tougher fight for me. And that’s exactly what happened.”
Franklin will enjoy a respite of several from the Octagon, as he starts filming the second season of the Ultimate Fighter this week in Las Vegas. With this win and April’s impressive effort versus Shamrock, Franklin has become one of the UFC’s biggest stars.
June 5, 2005
by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey, June 4 — It may not have been the sort of finish that’s been his recent trademark, but UFC interim heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski (10-3-0) will take it.
The 26-year-old Belarusian champion, who trains and fights by way of Chicago, Ill., earned his first defense with a doctor’s stoppage over challenger Justin Eilers (9-4-1) Saturday night when the former Iowa St. University linebacker fell to the canvas after injuring his right knee 4:10 into the opening round.
Eilers, who earned a title shot tonight despite being knocked out by Paul Buentello in his last contest, left the Iowa gym of Pat Miletich to train with teammate Jeremy Horn in Utah. The extra work paid off with improved footwork and a calm demeanor in the ring, but it didn’t take long for Arlovski’s power and accuracy to take hold.
A series of kicks to the inside of Eilers’ lead leg opened the upstairs for Arlovski. “Inside kick, low kick — I like that,” Arlovski said after the fight. The interim champ took advantage, peppering Eilers’ face with jabs and straight rights that left a wide swath of blood from the challenger’s nose to chin.
With a near capacity crowd of 10,000 watching inside the Boardwalk Hall (the UFC would not give an official attendance number), Arlovski stalked Eilers around the Octagon. The two met head on several times, but Eilers failed to land the solid right hand he needed to have a chance against the heavily favored Arlovski.
Three feet from the cage fencing, Eilers planted hard on his right leg as he prepared to unleash a power shot. Instead, he immediately grabbed behind his right knee and collapsed to the canvas.
It took a moment for referee John McCarthy to decipher what happened, giving Arlovski a brief chance to again hit Eilers.
When asked if he was disappointed by the way in which the fight ended, Arlovski said he was not. “Justin promised me that our fight continues for five rounds,” he said. “I trained hard for the five rounds. It happened in the first round, the last minute of the first round. I’m very glad. I saved my energy for next fight.”
The victory sets up an October showdown between Arlovski and UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who’s been out of action for a year a motorcycle accident shelved him with a career threatening broken leg.
“It’s up to the UFC,” Arlovski said. “If the UFC gives me fight against Frank Mir in October I’m ready with my pleasure. I want a fight with Frank Mir.”
The night’s sudden and disappointing finish should only give more fuel to those who argued against the main event worthiness of Arlovski-Eilers. That honor, many felt, should have belonged to the evening’s other title fight, which featured two of the most experienced fighters ever to vie for a UFC crown — middleweight champion Evan Tanner and his challenger Rich Franklin.
Making his first title defense after winning the vacated 185-pound title versus David Terrell in February, Tanner was tasked with not only becoming the first UFC middleweight to defend his belt since Murilo Bustamante submitted Matt Lindland three years ago but also defeat the last man to stop him.
Fresh off a nationally televised destruction of Ken Shamrock, Franklin returned to fight at 185 with some questions about whether he was better off at light heavyweight (where he beat Shamrock) or middleweight, where he struggled against Jorge Rivera.
Following tonight, Franklin doubters don’t have anything to complain about. The 30-year-old from Cincinnati, Ohio used excellent footwork and speed to dance circles around the champion, peppering his face with just about every weapon in his bag, before the ringside doctor stopped the contest 3:25 of round four.
“I don’t feel I [lost any power],” Franklin said of moving to 185. “There are going to be people out there say Franklin took out Shamrock in the first round and it took him to the fourth round to take out Tanner and he’s not strong in that weight class. But I feel good. I feel good in the clinch. The opponents don’t wear me down as quickly. Yeah, I feel fine there.”
The new middleweight champion (20-1-0) fought beautifully, expanding on a career that should be the model for all young fighters.
Tanner’s downfall came in large part from his inability to do anything more than throw a right hand straight against the southpaw. There was little else in the way of offense from Tanner, who wore down as Franklin landed shot after shot to his badly swollen face.
The opening round featured Tanner’s only good moment. After a good portion of the round where Franklin scored to the head and legs, Tanner reared back and launched a crushing counter right straight as period reach it’s final 30 seconds.
Franklin’s legs gave way and he crumbled to the canvas. Thirty-four-year-old Tanner (33-5-0) chased Franklin to the floor and the two smartly grappled in the fight’s best exchange on the ground.
“There are going to be parts of this fight that are forever not going to be a part of my permanent memory,” Franklin said of the punch that put him to the canvas.
That’s a shame, since past that point Franklin fought perfectly. Controlling the second round, Franklin opened the first of several cuts on the Tanner’s face, which by fight’s end looked like it had been put through meat grinder.
Tanner stayed on the outside, never making an attempt to put the new champion on his back for an extended period of time. It was a surprising game plan from a man that had first-hand knowledge of Franklin’s ability to hurt opponents with strikes.
“He said that’s what he was going to and, yeah, it kind of surprised me,” the new champion said of Tanner. “I’m glad he did.”
As action moved into the third period, Franklin really came on strong, using excellent footwork, speed and combinations to trump Tanner’s plodding right straights.
Heading into the fourth, Tanner’s right eye had virtually shut and blood streamed from multiple places on his increasingly swollen face.
More than halfway through what turned out to be the fight’s final round, Tanner was in serious trouble. Referee Herb Dean realized this and called time so the physician at ringside could look at the carnage on the champion’s face.
“I knew that fight was going to run in that direction,” Franklin said. “Tanner the first time said he didn’t know I was a southpaw. Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t. I don’t know. But, he wasn’t as prepared the first time and I knew that he was going to come in this time and be prepared. I figured in my head the fight was going to go roughly the same way, it was just going to be a tougher fight for me. And that’s exactly what happened.”
Franklin will enjoy a respite of several from the Octagon, as he starts filming the second season of the Ultimate Fighter this week in Las Vegas. With this win and April’s impressive effort versus Shamrock, Franklin has become one of the UFC’s biggest stars.
Littledragon
Above The Law
TUF Season 2 Coaches Announced.
Date: 6/4/2005
Article Type: TV Live
Summary:
UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes has been selected to be one of the coaches for the second season of Spike TV’s hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter™, while the second coaching spot will be decided Saturday inside the Octagon™ at UFC 53: Heavy Hitters, UFC President Dana White announced today.
Not only will the middleweight belt be on the line between Evan Tanner and Rich Franklin at UFC 53, but the winner will also become the coach opposite Hughes on The Ultimate Fighter.
“Matt Hughes is a great champion of the UFC and will be an outstanding coach on The Ultimate Fighter,” said White, who also is featured on the series. “There’s even more at stake now in the Tanner-Franklin fight. I’m excited to find out who will emerge as the new middleweight champion and as our second coach on the show.”
The Ultimate Fighter’s second season is scheduled to tape this summer in Las Vegas and will premiere on August 22, 2005 on Spike TV.
Date: 6/4/2005
Article Type: TV Live
Summary:
UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes has been selected to be one of the coaches for the second season of Spike TV’s hit reality series The Ultimate Fighter™, while the second coaching spot will be decided Saturday inside the Octagon™ at UFC 53: Heavy Hitters, UFC President Dana White announced today.
Not only will the middleweight belt be on the line between Evan Tanner and Rich Franklin at UFC 53, but the winner will also become the coach opposite Hughes on The Ultimate Fighter.
“Matt Hughes is a great champion of the UFC and will be an outstanding coach on The Ultimate Fighter,” said White, who also is featured on the series. “There’s even more at stake now in the Tanner-Franklin fight. I’m excited to find out who will emerge as the new middleweight champion and as our second coach on the show.”
The Ultimate Fighter’s second season is scheduled to tape this summer in Las Vegas and will premiere on August 22, 2005 on Spike TV.
Littledragon
Above The Law
Cage Rage 12 Lineup Changes.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Cage Rage announced today that PRIDE veteran Kyosuke Sasaki will take on UFC vet "Lightning" Lee Murray.
Also added to the card, chute-boxer Nilson de Castro will make his Cage Rage debut against Curtis Stout.
Wembley Conference Centre, London, UK Saturday 2nd July
Lee Murray vs. Kyosuke Sasaki
Sol Gilbert vs. Mark Weir
Antonio Silva Junior vs. Rafal Carino
Gerald Strebendt vs. Vitor Ribeiro
Nilson de Castro vs. Curtis Stout
Travis Lutter vs. Matt Ewin
Mark Epstein vs. Mathias Riccio
Herb Dean vs. Tom Blackledge
Alex Reid vs. Hassan Muridi
Brad Pickett vs. Steven Milward
Phil Norman vs. Darren Guisha
Cyrille Diabate vs. Fabio Piamonte
Rick Andrews vs. Tony Thompson
Dave Lee vs. Jason Barret
Monday, June 06, 2005
Cage Rage announced today that PRIDE veteran Kyosuke Sasaki will take on UFC vet "Lightning" Lee Murray.
Also added to the card, chute-boxer Nilson de Castro will make his Cage Rage debut against Curtis Stout.
Wembley Conference Centre, London, UK Saturday 2nd July
Lee Murray vs. Kyosuke Sasaki
Sol Gilbert vs. Mark Weir
Antonio Silva Junior vs. Rafal Carino
Gerald Strebendt vs. Vitor Ribeiro
Nilson de Castro vs. Curtis Stout
Travis Lutter vs. Matt Ewin
Mark Epstein vs. Mathias Riccio
Herb Dean vs. Tom Blackledge
Alex Reid vs. Hassan Muridi
Brad Pickett vs. Steven Milward
Phil Norman vs. Darren Guisha
Cyrille Diabate vs. Fabio Piamonte
Rick Andrews vs. Tony Thompson
Dave Lee vs. Jason Barret
Littledragon
Above The Law
Strikeforce Fighting Championship Results.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Strikeforce Fighting Championship
Saturday, June 4, 2005
HP Pavilion – San Jose, California
Official Results:
Cung Le defeated Brian Ebersole via 5 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (185 lb. limit San Shou rules) Le retains ISKA North American San Shou Professional Championship
Brian Schwartz defeated Peter “F16” Kaljevic via 8 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (172 lb. limit Full Contact Kickboxing rules)
Gary Owens defeated Morong May via 3rd Round TKO (scheduled for 4 x 2 min rounds) (May could not answer the bell for the fourth and final scheduled round) (147 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Jandel David defeated Jose Palacios via 3 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (154 lb. limit International Kickboxing rules)
Lynda Loyce defeated Rebecca Donnelly via 5 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision.(125 lb. limit Muay Thai rules) Loyce wins vacant ISKA World Bantamweight Muay Thai Amateur Championship
Chris Cariaso defeated Mike Baldwin via 4 x 2 min rounds Split Decision (137 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Josh “The Punk” Thomson defeated Toshiyuki Nakagawa via 1st Round KO (54 seconds) (scheduled for 4 x 2 min rounds) (154 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Jon Ellcessor defeated Ryan Roy via 5 x 3 min rounds Split Decision (154 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Travis Johnson defeated Laurence Baker via 4 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (185 lb. limit International Kickboxing rules)
Rudi Ott defeated Carlo Predur via 4 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (166 lb. limit San Shou rules)
Ra’Karma Young defeated William Syrapai via 4 x 3 min rounds Unanimous Decision (148 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Monday, June 06, 2005
Strikeforce Fighting Championship
Saturday, June 4, 2005
HP Pavilion – San Jose, California
Official Results:
Cung Le defeated Brian Ebersole via 5 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (185 lb. limit San Shou rules) Le retains ISKA North American San Shou Professional Championship
Brian Schwartz defeated Peter “F16” Kaljevic via 8 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (172 lb. limit Full Contact Kickboxing rules)
Gary Owens defeated Morong May via 3rd Round TKO (scheduled for 4 x 2 min rounds) (May could not answer the bell for the fourth and final scheduled round) (147 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Jandel David defeated Jose Palacios via 3 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (154 lb. limit International Kickboxing rules)
Lynda Loyce defeated Rebecca Donnelly via 5 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision.(125 lb. limit Muay Thai rules) Loyce wins vacant ISKA World Bantamweight Muay Thai Amateur Championship
Chris Cariaso defeated Mike Baldwin via 4 x 2 min rounds Split Decision (137 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Josh “The Punk” Thomson defeated Toshiyuki Nakagawa via 1st Round KO (54 seconds) (scheduled for 4 x 2 min rounds) (154 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Jon Ellcessor defeated Ryan Roy via 5 x 3 min rounds Split Decision (154 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Travis Johnson defeated Laurence Baker via 4 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (185 lb. limit International Kickboxing rules)
Rudi Ott defeated Carlo Predur via 4 x 2 min rounds Unanimous Decision (166 lb. limit San Shou rules)
Ra’Karma Young defeated William Syrapai via 4 x 3 min rounds Unanimous Decision (148 lb. limit Muay Thai rules)
Littledragon
Above The Law
Nathan Marquardt vs Ivan Salaverry Announced for UFC's Ultimate Fight Night.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Pancrase champ Nathan Marquardt has just signed a multi-fight agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As might be expected, the 7-times King of Pancrase is very happy to be fighting on his home turf for the first time in many years. Marquardt has long hoped to show American fans what has made him a superstar in Japan.
At just 26 years old, Marquardt has been training and fighting in Japan since 1999. During that period, Marquardt has been consistently ranked among the top-ten middleweight fighters in the world. Following in the footsteps of former Pancrase greats Bas Rutten and Ken Shamrock, he eventually went on to surpass their formidable accomplishments by doing the impossible, winning the King of Pancrase title seven times. Even more impressive, all of Marquardt's Pancrase fights were under the closed fist, UFC-like rules, adopted by Pancrase in 1999.
Marquardt's UFC debut takes place on "Ultimate Fight Night", a Spike TV network special program, shown live on August 6, 2005, from Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be a main event, middleweight bout against AMC Pankration fighter Ivan Salaverry (11-3).
Monday, June 06, 2005
Pancrase champ Nathan Marquardt has just signed a multi-fight agreement with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As might be expected, the 7-times King of Pancrase is very happy to be fighting on his home turf for the first time in many years. Marquardt has long hoped to show American fans what has made him a superstar in Japan.
At just 26 years old, Marquardt has been training and fighting in Japan since 1999. During that period, Marquardt has been consistently ranked among the top-ten middleweight fighters in the world. Following in the footsteps of former Pancrase greats Bas Rutten and Ken Shamrock, he eventually went on to surpass their formidable accomplishments by doing the impossible, winning the King of Pancrase title seven times. Even more impressive, all of Marquardt's Pancrase fights were under the closed fist, UFC-like rules, adopted by Pancrase in 1999.
Marquardt's UFC debut takes place on "Ultimate Fight Night", a Spike TV network special program, shown live on August 6, 2005, from Las Vegas, Nevada. The fight will be a main event, middleweight bout against AMC Pankration fighter Ivan Salaverry (11-3).
Littledragon
Above The Law
UFC 53 Injury Update: Eilers and Tanner.
Monday, June 06, 2005
by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)
Following Justin Eilers first-round loss to UFC interim heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski Saturday night in Atlantic City, Eilers' manager Monte Cox informed Sherdog.com that his fighter's injuries are far more serious than initially reported.
In addition to the shredded right knee that forced an end to the bout, Cox said Eilers suffered a badly broken nose, a fracture to his right hand and complete shattering of his left. Bandages protected both his hands and a large splint encircled Eilers' right knee as the fighter, walking on crutches, returned to the Trump Plaza early Sunday morning.
Evan Tanner, who lost his middleweight belt to Rich Franklin, stayed the night at a local Atlantic City hospital. Tanner will remain on the Jersey shore until Tuesday, when he'll travel back to his Oregon home.
Monday, June 06, 2005
by Josh Gross (joshg@sherdog.com)
Following Justin Eilers first-round loss to UFC interim heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski Saturday night in Atlantic City, Eilers' manager Monte Cox informed Sherdog.com that his fighter's injuries are far more serious than initially reported.
In addition to the shredded right knee that forced an end to the bout, Cox said Eilers suffered a badly broken nose, a fracture to his right hand and complete shattering of his left. Bandages protected both his hands and a large splint encircled Eilers' right knee as the fighter, walking on crutches, returned to the Trump Plaza early Sunday morning.
Evan Tanner, who lost his middleweight belt to Rich Franklin, stayed the night at a local Atlantic City hospital. Tanner will remain on the Jersey shore until Tuesday, when he'll travel back to his Oregon home.
Littledragon
Above The Law
Interview With New UFC Middle Wight Champ: Rich Franklin.
June 7, 2005
by Steven Curtis (stevesola1@yahoo.com)
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey, June 5 — “As of right now, there’s not much that I can do,” Rich Franklin told Sherdog.com after winning the UFC 185-pound title Saturday night. “My hands are messed up. I can’t hit a bag. I’m having a hard time even doing things like opening water bottles.”
As fans, fighters and media rushed to congratulate him with handshakes, Franklin joked, “Don’t squeeze too hard.”
One can only imagine how Evan Tanner must feel after being picked apart by the new champion. After dropping his challenger with a straight right midway through round one, the Oregonian couldn’t close the deal. Franklin hung on, quickly seized control again and never let go.
Like a UFC version of Jake LaMotta, Tanner endured a varied, relentless punishment ranging from fast combinations to roundhouse kicks to the head. While he never lost his ability to defend or even damage, there were no cries of “premature stoppage” from his camp this time.
Both eyes swollen, left cheek swollen, bleeding from the left eye, Tanner was, to put it mildly, a wreck. His post-fight interview with Joe Rogan was mercifully short, and soon afterwards it was off to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Franklin — the self-proclaimed “guy from a small town in Ohio who couldn’t start on his high school football team” — put off his own treatment for a moment to talk to the Sherdog team.
Judging by how levelheaded he was about reaching the pinnacle of MMA, we got the impression that there would be no Shonie Carter-style pimp juice parties tonight. No, we’d bet that if he could, Franklin would pick up right where he left off, and get back to work.
Sherdog.com: You mentioned what a long haul it’s been for you — your nine-month absence from the UFC and your doubts about ever getting back to the Octagon. How does it feel now?
Rich Franklin: The same thing was asked of me after I beat Ken Shamrock. Now I’m the middleweight champion and as far as I’m concerned, it’s just another fight. I’ll be fighting again in probably four or five months; it’s another stepping-stone in my career.
Sherdog.com: Having already knocked Tanner out early the last time, your approach seemed to be a little more methodical this time around. Almost like you wanted to take him into deep water and drown him, which is what happened. Was that the plan going in?
Franklin: The strategy from my perspective was the same — only I got clipped, so some things about the fight are foggy for me. If you look at the way I fought Evan Tanner the first time, I was methodical about the combinations I picked, the counterpunching that I did, it’s just that from his end he wasn’t prepared to handle me as a southpaw. So it looked a lot easier. I clipped him nice in the first round and just capitalized on it. Basically, I tried to do the same thing tonight; it just took longer because he was doing a better job on his end.
Sherdog.com: He seemed like he couldn’t handle your speed.
Franklin: It’s not necessarily the speed or the reflexes — it’s just that his stand-up is just not as refined as mine.
Sherdog.com: At what point did you feel like, “I’ve got him?”
Franklin: To me, I honestly thought I was doing a good job of being in control in the first round, and then I got dropped. So I didn’t know, really, at what point I’d taken over the fight until I cut his eye open. When I put the cut over his left eye, I knew at that point he was in deep trouble.
Sherdog.com: So now you’re a coach as well as a champion. What’s your game plan for TUF II?
Franklin: While I’ll definitely miss my team, I know I’m gonna have a great time. After I heal up over the next week or two I can hopefully start training with the guys when I’m out there.
Sherdog.com: You mentioned earlier that winning the middleweight title was just another steppingstone in your career. But now you’re at the top. So what’s the next mountain for you to climb?
Franklin: Great fighters defend titles. Good ones get it. Great ones defend it.
June 7, 2005
by Steven Curtis (stevesola1@yahoo.com)
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey, June 5 — “As of right now, there’s not much that I can do,” Rich Franklin told Sherdog.com after winning the UFC 185-pound title Saturday night. “My hands are messed up. I can’t hit a bag. I’m having a hard time even doing things like opening water bottles.”
As fans, fighters and media rushed to congratulate him with handshakes, Franklin joked, “Don’t squeeze too hard.”
One can only imagine how Evan Tanner must feel after being picked apart by the new champion. After dropping his challenger with a straight right midway through round one, the Oregonian couldn’t close the deal. Franklin hung on, quickly seized control again and never let go.
Like a UFC version of Jake LaMotta, Tanner endured a varied, relentless punishment ranging from fast combinations to roundhouse kicks to the head. While he never lost his ability to defend or even damage, there were no cries of “premature stoppage” from his camp this time.
Both eyes swollen, left cheek swollen, bleeding from the left eye, Tanner was, to put it mildly, a wreck. His post-fight interview with Joe Rogan was mercifully short, and soon afterwards it was off to the hospital.
Meanwhile, Franklin — the self-proclaimed “guy from a small town in Ohio who couldn’t start on his high school football team” — put off his own treatment for a moment to talk to the Sherdog team.
Judging by how levelheaded he was about reaching the pinnacle of MMA, we got the impression that there would be no Shonie Carter-style pimp juice parties tonight. No, we’d bet that if he could, Franklin would pick up right where he left off, and get back to work.
Sherdog.com: You mentioned what a long haul it’s been for you — your nine-month absence from the UFC and your doubts about ever getting back to the Octagon. How does it feel now?
Rich Franklin: The same thing was asked of me after I beat Ken Shamrock. Now I’m the middleweight champion and as far as I’m concerned, it’s just another fight. I’ll be fighting again in probably four or five months; it’s another stepping-stone in my career.
Sherdog.com: Having already knocked Tanner out early the last time, your approach seemed to be a little more methodical this time around. Almost like you wanted to take him into deep water and drown him, which is what happened. Was that the plan going in?
Franklin: The strategy from my perspective was the same — only I got clipped, so some things about the fight are foggy for me. If you look at the way I fought Evan Tanner the first time, I was methodical about the combinations I picked, the counterpunching that I did, it’s just that from his end he wasn’t prepared to handle me as a southpaw. So it looked a lot easier. I clipped him nice in the first round and just capitalized on it. Basically, I tried to do the same thing tonight; it just took longer because he was doing a better job on his end.
Sherdog.com: He seemed like he couldn’t handle your speed.
Franklin: It’s not necessarily the speed or the reflexes — it’s just that his stand-up is just not as refined as mine.
Sherdog.com: At what point did you feel like, “I’ve got him?”
Franklin: To me, I honestly thought I was doing a good job of being in control in the first round, and then I got dropped. So I didn’t know, really, at what point I’d taken over the fight until I cut his eye open. When I put the cut over his left eye, I knew at that point he was in deep trouble.
Sherdog.com: So now you’re a coach as well as a champion. What’s your game plan for TUF II?
Franklin: While I’ll definitely miss my team, I know I’m gonna have a great time. After I heal up over the next week or two I can hopefully start training with the guys when I’m out there.
Sherdog.com: You mentioned earlier that winning the middleweight title was just another steppingstone in your career. But now you’re at the top. So what’s the next mountain for you to climb?
Franklin: Great fighters defend titles. Good ones get it. Great ones defend it.
Littledragon
Above The Law
Pershing said:
I still have not seen the FULL version of the Royce Gracie vs. Sakuraba fight. Do you happen to have it?
Littledragon
Above The Law
Arona Talks Grand Prix, Silva and Fighting Teammates.
June 22, 2005
by Portal do Vale Tudo
Ricardo Arona is one of four Brazilian fighters that advanced to the second round of the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix. The Brazilian Top Team fighter will face Japan’s Kazushi Sakuraba and to satisfy his hunger to capture the title, he’ll need to get past the legendary fighter.
In this exclusive interview, Arona talks about Sunday’s fight, the chance to meet Wanderlei Silva and what he thinks about the chances of fighting teammate Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Sherdog.com: What do you think about the choice of Sakuraba as your opponent for this next round of the GP?
Ricardo Arona: I think it’s perfect because I wanted to fight him for many years. He won against various Brazilians, such as the Gracies and Vitor Belfort; in that time he was in the pique of his career. I wanted to fight against him a lot of times, but they didn’t put him to fight myself. So I think its great because I have this desire to fight him and I also want to defend jiu-jitsu because he won against a lot of BJJ fighters.
Sherdog.com: And how is your preparation for the fight?
Arona: The preparation is perfect, I’m working hard to go there and win because he is the great Japanese idol. Everybody will want him to go to the finals, so I will have to win clearly to not depend of the judges’ decision.
Sherdog.com: The fact that he is fighting with all the audience rooting for him worries you?
Arona: It doesn’t worry me too much because I sort of isolate myself from the exterior world. What really worries me is the judge, to not receive any kind of penalty because they will want him to go to the finals. I’m worried to finish this bout, submit or KO — don’t leave any doubt.
Sherdog.com: And are you worried at all about the good record that Sakuraba has against grapplers?
Arona: It doesn’t worry me. But he worries me in a general way: for his experience, for the fights he has under his belt. The fighter he is worries me, not the fact that he has already won against jiu-jitsu fighters, because my fight style is different from the ones he has fought.
Sherdog.com: Winning against Sakuraba, your chances to fight against Wanderlei increases a lot.
Arona: It’s a fight that I really want, from a lot of years too. I hope it happens now, in the semifinals, so I will have the chance to fight against Wanderlei.
Sherdog.com: Is this will to fight against Wanderlei something personal or is just because he is the champion in your weight class?
Arona: I want to fight him for two reasons. The first one is because he is the champion and the owner of the belt and I want the belt. So everybody who wants to be the champion will have to face him. The second reason is personal in a certain way because there is a long time that I want to face him; this is an opportunity to fight against him and it’s a thing that I have inside myself, to want to face him. So I have two motives, one which is a personal side, to want to face him and the other which is professional, to catch the belt.
Sherdog.com: What do you think about the fight between Rogério “Minotoro” and Shogun?
Arona: I think it’s an important fight for Rogério, because if he passes Shogun he can feel as the champion of the event, because he will have a very tough match. Passing through Shogun I think he will be in the final of the event, this I want to say. Shogun is very balanced, is very tough, so, if he passes through Shogun he will achieve the vision of the final.
Sherdog.com: So you are thinking about a final between you and Rogério?
Arona: It would be great, me and him in the final. It doesn’t matter who loses, because the title will be at home, between brothers.
Sherdog.com: But would you and him fight for real?
Arona: At the beginning I said that I didn’t want to face him because I was caught in surprise by the question. But I talked to him, we passed a lot of days talking about this, and we came to the conclusion that we would fight in a professional way and that’s what we do, because we would not spoil a PRIDE GP final.
Sherdog.com: This GP is full of great fighters. Maybe it’s the most difficult in history, don’t you think?
Arona: This GP is hotter, and I’m very happy to be in it because is the toughest one. So it’s an honor fight this really tough event. But this is the best thing, because the most difficult is the victory, the better it will be.
Sherdog.com: Tell us a little about your fight against Dean Lister, in the first round of the GP?
Arona: It was a fight that I felt very comfortable. Even though he had given me that leglock on the ground there is no position that I would not feel well; on the ground I’m very comfortable. So I was comfortable because I had the certain that I would win.
Sherdog.com: Did he surprise you in the fight or was it more or less what you expected?
Arona: I already knew that his good position was that, the leglock. But what confused me was the shorts, because if I was wearing a lycra one, I would have left from that leglock, but the shorts troubled me a lot.
Sherdog.com: Final comments?
Arona: I would like to say that I’m a guy who fights for all my nation, for all Brazil. I carry this inside my heart. I will fight till my death if I have to. I want everybody to root for me, for all the Brazilian athletes, but especially for me. I want to always answer my fans; I fight for me and my fans. The spectacle is for all, I want always to win and do what I do better each day. I’m very grateful and this is the emotion that moves me. Thank you all.
June 22, 2005
by Portal do Vale Tudo
Ricardo Arona is one of four Brazilian fighters that advanced to the second round of the PRIDE Middleweight Grand Prix. The Brazilian Top Team fighter will face Japan’s Kazushi Sakuraba and to satisfy his hunger to capture the title, he’ll need to get past the legendary fighter.
In this exclusive interview, Arona talks about Sunday’s fight, the chance to meet Wanderlei Silva and what he thinks about the chances of fighting teammate Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.
Sherdog.com: What do you think about the choice of Sakuraba as your opponent for this next round of the GP?
Ricardo Arona: I think it’s perfect because I wanted to fight him for many years. He won against various Brazilians, such as the Gracies and Vitor Belfort; in that time he was in the pique of his career. I wanted to fight against him a lot of times, but they didn’t put him to fight myself. So I think its great because I have this desire to fight him and I also want to defend jiu-jitsu because he won against a lot of BJJ fighters.
Sherdog.com: And how is your preparation for the fight?
Arona: The preparation is perfect, I’m working hard to go there and win because he is the great Japanese idol. Everybody will want him to go to the finals, so I will have to win clearly to not depend of the judges’ decision.
Sherdog.com: The fact that he is fighting with all the audience rooting for him worries you?
Arona: It doesn’t worry me too much because I sort of isolate myself from the exterior world. What really worries me is the judge, to not receive any kind of penalty because they will want him to go to the finals. I’m worried to finish this bout, submit or KO — don’t leave any doubt.
Sherdog.com: And are you worried at all about the good record that Sakuraba has against grapplers?
Arona: It doesn’t worry me. But he worries me in a general way: for his experience, for the fights he has under his belt. The fighter he is worries me, not the fact that he has already won against jiu-jitsu fighters, because my fight style is different from the ones he has fought.
Sherdog.com: Winning against Sakuraba, your chances to fight against Wanderlei increases a lot.
Arona: It’s a fight that I really want, from a lot of years too. I hope it happens now, in the semifinals, so I will have the chance to fight against Wanderlei.
Sherdog.com: Is this will to fight against Wanderlei something personal or is just because he is the champion in your weight class?
Arona: I want to fight him for two reasons. The first one is because he is the champion and the owner of the belt and I want the belt. So everybody who wants to be the champion will have to face him. The second reason is personal in a certain way because there is a long time that I want to face him; this is an opportunity to fight against him and it’s a thing that I have inside myself, to want to face him. So I have two motives, one which is a personal side, to want to face him and the other which is professional, to catch the belt.
Sherdog.com: What do you think about the fight between Rogério “Minotoro” and Shogun?
Arona: I think it’s an important fight for Rogério, because if he passes Shogun he can feel as the champion of the event, because he will have a very tough match. Passing through Shogun I think he will be in the final of the event, this I want to say. Shogun is very balanced, is very tough, so, if he passes through Shogun he will achieve the vision of the final.
Sherdog.com: So you are thinking about a final between you and Rogério?
Arona: It would be great, me and him in the final. It doesn’t matter who loses, because the title will be at home, between brothers.
Sherdog.com: But would you and him fight for real?
Arona: At the beginning I said that I didn’t want to face him because I was caught in surprise by the question. But I talked to him, we passed a lot of days talking about this, and we came to the conclusion that we would fight in a professional way and that’s what we do, because we would not spoil a PRIDE GP final.
Sherdog.com: This GP is full of great fighters. Maybe it’s the most difficult in history, don’t you think?
Arona: This GP is hotter, and I’m very happy to be in it because is the toughest one. So it’s an honor fight this really tough event. But this is the best thing, because the most difficult is the victory, the better it will be.
Sherdog.com: Tell us a little about your fight against Dean Lister, in the first round of the GP?
Arona: It was a fight that I felt very comfortable. Even though he had given me that leglock on the ground there is no position that I would not feel well; on the ground I’m very comfortable. So I was comfortable because I had the certain that I would win.
Sherdog.com: Did he surprise you in the fight or was it more or less what you expected?
Arona: I already knew that his good position was that, the leglock. But what confused me was the shorts, because if I was wearing a lycra one, I would have left from that leglock, but the shorts troubled me a lot.
Sherdog.com: Final comments?
Arona: I would like to say that I’m a guy who fights for all my nation, for all Brazil. I carry this inside my heart. I will fight till my death if I have to. I want everybody to root for me, for all the Brazilian athletes, but especially for me. I want to always answer my fans; I fight for me and my fans. The spectacle is for all, I want always to win and do what I do better each day. I’m very grateful and this is the emotion that moves me. Thank you all.