Fight Night 17
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From the event’s promoter:  FIGHT NIGHT 17 Tomorrow Night! May 11, 2002 at South Plainfield Middle School In South Plainfield, New Jersey
Come join us for an action-packed night of fights May 11th – Seating begins at 6pm, fights begin at 7pm For more information call 908-352-0622 For more info please call 908-352-0622. |
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Going For the Gold: Matt Lindland Sets His Sights on the UFC Middleweight Title By Loretta Hunt Regardless of the outcome of UFC 37’s "High Impact" middleweight title bout on May 10th, competitor Matt Lindland can already be considered a champion. Having wrestled since the age of fifteen, he is one of the most highly decorated athletes to ever grace the UFC Octagon. His sixteen year wrestling career has spanned high school state placings, college championships, multiple appearances on the National, World, and Olympic Teams steadily since 1993, and has culminated with a Silver medal in Greco-Roman Wrestling at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Since his UFC debut in late 2000, Lindland has stacked up four victories on the road to the Middleweight title, yet still remains one of the lesser-known competitors of the sport. Happily married and a father of two, this reserved yet extremely focused athlete never dreamed that he would be "going for the gold" again — UFC gold that is, in the shape of the Middleweight belt. His opponent, the formidable Murilo Bustamante, will be defending the belt for the first time, yet Lindland seems more than ready for the task. As fans become more familiar with this wrestler turned fighter, it becomes clear that losing is simply not an option with Matt Lindland. Contrary to opinion, Matt Lindland is no stranger to the limelight. In his bid for a spot on the 2000 Olympic Wrestling Team, he was unwillingly propelled into it when an Olympic qualifier match was awarded to his opponent. "I had beaten Keith Sieracki nine time s in a row prior to this. The final Olympic matches with him and I were scored completely incorrectly" he recalls. Knowing he had actually won the match, Lindland went through various stages to have the verdict appealed. The case finally went to "final and binding arbitration", where it was decided that Lindland had won the match decisively. Although Sieracki appealed this decision all the way to the Supreme Court, his case was still denied. Lindland didn’t actually find out he’d be on the team till the day he left for his Olympic processing and although he went on to win an Olympic Silver Medal, he admits the ordeal was taxing. " I don’t think it helps you focus on what you’ve got to do. I was just focusing on getting on the team, when I knew I should have been there anyway." The case garnered much publicity from prominent press outlets like The Wall Street Jour nal and USA Today, and when he eventually made the crossover to MMA, his new counterparts would dub him with the nickname "The Law." Click here to continue the article |
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Goofing Around Before UFC 37 By Jim Genia  Shreveport, Louisiana — It was truly a sight to behold: former Welterweight Champ Carlos Newton, gently wrestling with a female radio broadcaster; lightweight contender Matt Serra, showing two members of Caol Uno’s entourage how to do an omoplata armlock; Phil Baroni, shadowboxing and talking trash to heavyweight Gilbert Yvel and the Russian Red Devil Team; Aaron Riley, Ivan Salaverry, Yves Edwards, Steve Berger and others, hopping around and goofing off — all of them inside the Octagon nearly 24 hours before showtime. Seeing the fighters, fresh from the weigh-ins and rules meeting, killing time in the cage as the production crew put the finishing touches on the lights and stage, was certainly something to see. Hopefully, the Ultimate Fighting Championship 37 "High Impact" show tomorrow will be as awe-inspiring. Today’s chaos aside, one would expect at least some of the fighters to be ill or to not make weight on a card as troubled as High Impact’s. Thankfully, this was not the case. The weigh-ins, held at the Centurytel Center (where the show will take place), went off without a hitch. UFC Middleweight Champion Murilo Bustamante stepped on to the scale looking healthy and confident — despite having had to deal with a finger infection that had impeded his training — and came in at 183 pounds. Challenger Matt "the Law" Lindland, equally healthy and confident, was exactly 185 pounds. As for the other middleweights on the card: Russian pretty boy Andrei Semenov weighed 184 pounds, while his opponent Ivan Salaverry — the AMC Pankration fighter — was 185. Fellow Russian Amar Suloev came in at 183.5 pounds, as his opponent Phil Baroni was his typical buff-self at 184. In the only heavyweight match-up for High Impact, veteran Tsuyoshi Kosaka weighed 222.25 pounds and Ricco "Sauve" Rodriguez was a whopping 249.75. Both men were in good spirits, due in no small part to the wisecracking of Maurice Smith on the sidelines.  For the first fight of the night in the lightweight division, Japanese superstar Caol Uno weighed 154.75 pounds, while striker Yves Edwards was 154. In the other lightweight war-waiting-to-happen, a grinning "Phenom" BJ Penn tipped the scales at 155. His opponent, Paul Creighton, was 154. Judging by their friendliness and relaxed composure, one would never guess these two would be fighting tomorrow night. In the welterweight bouts (scheduled for the preliminaries), a focused Robbie Lawler was 170 pounds exactly, as accomplished scrapper Aaron Riley was 168.5. And for the match that could be dubbed as a "battle of the nice guys", Steve Berger and Benji Radach were 168.25 and 169 pounds respectively. Also present was the usual cast of characters: trainers, such as Matt Hume, Renzo Gracie, Pat Miletich, and Ricardo Pires; training partners, such as Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, and Dennis Hallman; and champions, such as Matt Hughes and Josh Barnett (yes, he’s still the champ). The chaotic yet entertaining goofing around in the Octagon. The troubled card panning out into a stable show. The who’s who-list of trainers and fighters. Do all of these ingredients make for a good show? Time will tell. |
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From Team King of the Cage: "KING OF THE CAGE: REVOLUTION" "The World’s Best Guitarist to Perform at King of the Cage" LOS ANGELES, California — "King of the Cage" is proud to announce that guitar god Yngwie Malmsteen will perform at "King of the Cage: Revolution" on May 17th from the Silver Legacy Resort Casino. The Grammy nominated artist will be playing the National Anthem, as well as some other surprises during the course of the show. Yngwie has long been a fan of mixed martial arts, having written the "Power & Glory" theme for Japanese Wrestling Champion Nobuhiko Takada in 1994. Malmsteen’s latest release in January 2002 entered Japan’s International Billboard Charts at # 4 and Yngwie was voted "Best Guitar Player" in Burrn! Magazine’s 2001 Reader’s poll. This is your opportunity to see the best in mixed martial arts action and the world’s greatest guitar player! Yngwie Malmsteen will also be signing autographs at the conclusion of the event. Don’t forget the fights . . . "King of the Cage: Revolution" is proud to feature nine bouts in all on a stellar fight card. In the first of two main event title matches, Daniel "The Bull" Bobish defends his King of the Cage World Heavyweight Championship against bruiser Mike Kyle of the Primal Fighting Club. Then, Javier "Showtime" Vazquez puts his World Lightweight title on the line against Sean "The Peace Maker" Wilmot. Also included on the card . . . Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Akira Shoji from Pride, and Mike Rogers. MAIN EVENTS: King of the Cage World Heavyweight Championship Match King of the Cage World Lightweight Championship Match FEATURE FIGHTS: Quinton Jackson (Team Punishment) Vs. Sean Gray (Shootwrestling U.S.A.) Akira Shoji (A3 Gym) Vs. Dave Roberts (Team Punishment) Mike Rogers (Rodrigo Vhagi) Vs. Ahmad Hempstead Dave Fox Vs. Rocky Batastini PRELIMINARY MATCHES*: Phillip Miller (Williams Combat Grappling) Vs. Roberto Ramirez (Chicago Fight Team) Cal Worsham Vs. Rick Kollup (Reno Academy of Combat) Joey Villasenor Vs. Jimmy Walker "King of the Cage: Revolution" will be held on May 17, 2002 from Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nevada. Doors open at 3:30pm PST and preliminary matches begin at 4:30pm. Combining Nevada’s turn-of-the-century silver mining heritage with state-of-the-art architecture and unrivaled entertainment theming, Silver Legacy Resort Casino is northern Nevada’s most spectacular "must see" property. Silver Legacy also features the finest in gaming, with 85,000 square feet of gaming space, including the newly renovated Race & Sportsbook, two Keno lounges, 80 table games, 2,500 slot machines, and 7 night clubs. In addition, "King of the Cage: Revolution" marks the North American pay-per-view debut of the show. "KOTC" will be available to over 27 million households. The pay-per-view broadcast begins at 6:00pm PST/9:00pm EST. For more information on pay-per-view listings or availability, check your local listings. For tickets, go to www.ticketsplus.net or call 1-800-585-3737. KING OF THE CAGE . . . KNOCKING OUT THE COMPETITION! |
