• Due to all the pressure built up from the disappearance of his sister Priscila, Vitor Belfort decided to go to the USA in order to prepare more properly for his first UFC title defense against Randy Couture. According to Belfort it has been impossible to focus and train properly in Brazil, as he ends up living every day the agony of hoping for news about his missing sister, as well as suffering with the maybe even bigger agony felt by his mother and grand mother. Realizing the importance of this match up, with all the criticism and doubts created by the outcome of their last encounter, "The Phenom" will focus on nothing but fighting on the following months leading to his fight. His grappling trainer, Abu Dhabi champion Leonardo Vieira, is also going to America to help on Vitor’s training. During this preparation on Uncle Sam’s land, the UFC Light-Heavyweight champion will also minister some MMA seminars.
• Still on the Vitor Belfort subject, "The Phenom" is going to be a dad! Last week Vitor Belfort’s wife, former Brazilian Playmate and TV star Joana Prado, announced her pregnancy to the Brazilian press. Needless to say Vitor, who is on the USA training for his next fight against Randy Couture, took the news with extreme joy as it was his dream to be a parent. It’s still early in the pregnancy, therefore it’s too soon to know if it’s going to be a boy or a girl. FCF wishes the best for the couple and the new MMA fan who’s on the way, be it a girl or a boy.
• The Belfort family drama continues, as it has been more than five months since Priscila Vieira Belfort, sister of UFC champion Vitor Belfort, disappeared in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Lately the case got a new help, as some close friends of the family from the Brazilian mainstream media decided to not let it rest and a massive campaign is going on certain national TV shows, constantly searching for information on what happened to Priscila. With that, the Brazilian Police re-started to receive phone calls, and some new lines of investigation have been followed, although they are still being kept in secret for obvious reasons. While Vitor Belfort trains in the USA, his mother Jovita Belfort has been going to the tv shows every week to keep the effort alive. FCF still hopes for the best and pleads to anyone who has any valid information on what happened to Priscila Belfort, to please contact the Brazilian police.
• After the astonishing success he made at the last Meca show, the most famous Peruvian fighter ever in MMA, Tony de Souza, is back in his beloved country of Peru. "Mendigo", as Tony was nicknamed by the Brazilian fans, will stay in Peru until the end of July, where he is taking care of a Japanese visa as well as his academy and students, and de Souza never made any secret about his desire to help our sport to spread there. The biggest news though, are that Tony’s new visa for Japan will likely "debut" on a trip to fight in Pride very soon! The DSE representatives that were on hand at Meca 11 got very impressed with "Mendigo" and his ground skills, and Nova Uniao’s trainer Andre Pederneiras is handling negotiations for a possible appearance by Tony de Souza on the land of the rising sun still in 2004.

Deshaun Johnson

To meet the demand for new fighters wanting experience, False Crack Mondays was created. It hopes to give a lot of fighters an opportunity to make their debut in a smaller venue. As with many new fighters, the order of the night was wild hooks…and boy was it served up in large portions. However, the action was at a super high intensity and carried through the second round, burning out by the end of the fight. There were some interesting styles from the different fighters. One fighter fought using a French Savate style that confused his opponent for the first half of the match, but after some adjustments, his opponent came back to win the fight. There were three MMA matches scheduled, but two fighters from the same gym, who showed up for weigh-ins, did not make it to the event, leaving their opponents high and dry. The main event pitted Deshaun "3D" Johnson and Japanese fighter Edsel Fukuda. Johnson just fought in the Super Brawl 155lbs tournament three days earlier, not once, but twice that night. You would have never known it because he showed the ferocity that we have not seen in 3D for a while. Fukuda pushed to take the fight to the ground, but Johnson side stepped and landed hooks, kicks and knees, making Fukuda pay for every attempt to clinch. Fukuda started looking worse for wear, but showed his toughness by sticking to his game plan. Johnson stopped every take down attempt and threw a few punches from the guard before letting Fukuda back up to his feet. The fight ended when Johnson sprawled on a shot attempt and locked in a short guillotine on Fukuda and pushed him back into the corner, where Fukuda had no choice but to tap out. Johnson’s impressive performance won him the Punishment In Paradise Welterweight Championship title, which is a sister show to False Crack Mondays. Overall, the crowd enjoyed the action, but some of the family and friends were disappointed with the cancelled matches. Such is the plight of a promoter. Hopefully the event gains popularity because the promoter is planning to hold these events monthly and possibly weekly if there is the demand.

Exhibition: 3 Rounds – 1 Minute
Light Middleweight Kickboxing Match
3 Rounds x 1 Minute
Zane Kamaka (Freelance) vs. Alex Zarrello (Muay Thai Family Center)

Welterweight Kickboxing Match
3 Rounds X 11/2 Minutes
Dyson Domen (Team Big dog, Waianae) def. Frank Moreno (Bulls Pen)
Unanimous decision [(28-29), (28-27), (29-27)] after 3 rounds.

Super Middleweight Match
3 Rounds x 1 1/2 Minutes
Joe Palino’o (Freelance) def. Jason Yee (Freelance)
Unanimous decision [(29-28), (26-24), (30-29)] after 3 rounds.

Super Lightweight Kickboxing Match
3 Rounds x1 1/2 Minutes
Ryan Lee (Bulls Pen) def. Matthew Takata (Palolo Gym)
Unanimous decision [(26-24), (29-28), (29-27)] after 3 rounds.

Welterweight Kickboxing Match
3 Rounds x 1 1/2 Minutes
Marcus Moreno (Bulls Pen) def. Alan Villegas (Freelance)
TKO via referee stoppage in Round 2.

Ironically, Mir was one of a small minority last Saturday night who realized that something big had occurred just fifty seconds into his title bout with former champion Tim Sylvia at UFC 48. Referee Herb Dean was the first to catch the uncomfortable snap of Sylvia’s forearm under the pressure of Mir’s hold, as he rushed in mid-fight to separate the two entangled athletes. Commentator Joe Rogan was the next to identify it on the multiple replays that followed. Unfortunately for Mir, it took the estimated 10,000 in attendance far more convincing that this fight needed halting before Sylvia was subjected to further, even permanent, damage. Despite ringside physician Margaret Goodman’s simple nod towards Dean affirming his fears, the audience still hissed the abrupt stoppage, further fueled by Sylvia’s protests that he was fine and could continue.

"That kinda sucked with the confusion in the fight as far as the crowd not understanding what was going on," Mir comments of those awkward few moments. Granted, with the belt now secured around his waist following a two-and-a-half year climb up the ranks of the UFC promotion, the negative cries from an unsatisfied audience was probably not how Mir’s victorious moment had played out in his mind. But true to his easygoing nature, the 25-year old Las Vegas native has chosen to focus on the positives of his career-topping performance. "As far as how the victory happened, I’m very happy with it. I went out there and did pretty much what I said I was going to do. I was gonna go out there and every time he threw a punch I was going to kick his leg."

They know each other well, having trained together considerably over the last two and a half years. Radach trains primarily with Dennis Hallman and the Victory Athletics team, but has stepped onto the mat and into the ring with Team Quest — and Chris Leben — regularly over the last two years for friendly sparring sessions.

Benji Radach     vs.     Chris Leben

Leben denies that he began talking trash as he accumulated wins. "Benji knows me," he says. "I know him. That’s total bullshit, man. Everybody that knows me, that’s ever trained with me knows that I’m not a person to talk shit about anybody."

• Gleason’s Gym’s "Lump" Rasheen scoring three knockdowns and eventually the TKO against pro kickboxer Ricardo Lopez. If Lump commits to MMA, he could show some impressive things in the future.
• Spectator Kirt Darius stepping out of the audience to take on judo black belt Peter Storm. Not only did he have balls, but first-timer Darius had the ground skills to back it up.

Lump vs. Lopez

Results:

"Lump" Rasheen (boxing-154lbs) vs. Ricardo Lopez (kickboxing-150lbs)
Lump via ref stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 3:40.

"Puchy" Landor (judo-315lbs) vs. Rajesh Maharaj (Jeet Kune Do-250lbs)
Puchy via armlock at 1:29.

Iron Will (Tae Kwon Do-129lbs) vs. Silk (Tae Kwon Do-150lbs)
No contest due to accidental groin strike.

Silk (Tae Kwon Do-150lbs) vs. Peter Storm (judo-180lbs)
Storm via armbar at 2:48.

Juan Castillo (kickboxing-140lbs) vs. Iron Will (Tae Kwon Do-129lbs)
Castillo via headlock at 2:00.

• Main Event
  USKBA Pro New England Light Heavyweight Championship
  Mike Littlefield (Boneyard) WUDEC2 Joe Manzello (Team Santos)

• Super Fight
  Joe Lauzon (RSD) Won by Submission (1st @ :26) Kyle Sprouse (Ray Elbe)

• Featured Muay Thai Pro Fight
  Neil Legallo (Sityodtong) WUDEC3 Mike Goddard (BMY)

• Marcelo Virla (CMFC) WTKO1 (:31) Alexandar "Sash" Boriakoff (Team Elite)
• Jason Giroux (independent) WUDEC4 MIke Daley (Fightzone)
• Cesar Barros (Boneyard) WUDEC4 Will Murphy (Dragon’s Lair)
• Scott Lockhart (SSS) Won by Submission (1st @ 3:02) Dawson Walton (Bulldogs)

Promoted by Bruce Marshall, Trilogy/Black Belt Productions

Lajcik in costume.

Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson has teamed up with Emmy Award-winning writer Tom Fontana to create the episodic drama that centers on criminal cases as seen from a jury’s perspective. The cases are debated and discussed in the jury room and flashbacks of the crime are shown as the jurors consider the evidence presented to them by the prosecutor, defense lawyers and witnesses.

Tim Lajcik on the set of The Jury. Oz fans may recognize R.E. Rodgers (James Robson Prisoner #97R492). Tim is on the far left and Rodgers on the far right.

Crosby (right) in charge of the action

Also in the Last Rites episode, Battlecade, Pancrase and UFC vet Igor Zinoviev plays a prisoner and MMA promoters/ referees/judges Dan Miragliotta and Kipp Kollar play SORT Team guards in full riot gear.

Kollar (left) & Miragliotta get into riot gear.

1st Day (Saturday June 25th)

Shiji Katase def. Rhee Jeung Pil by KO in the 1st round
Matkine Seguei def. Ku Wang Mo by guillotine choke in the 1st round
Yasuhito Namekawa def. Fabiano Capoane by DQ in the 2nd round
Urita Kozo def. Jin O Kim by unanimous judges’ decision
Dan Severn def. Hidetada Irie by unanimous judges’ decision
Ikuhisa Minowa def. Tchourakov Edouard by KO in the 1st round
Jong Wang Kim def. Brad Kohler by KO in the 1st round
Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira def. Alex Stiebling by unanimous judges’
decision

The tournaments will crown Euphoria MFC Champions in the lightweight and heavyweight divisions. ‘The first round matches are determined, but the 2nd round will be decided at the event.’ states the matchmaker. ‘However the matches materialize, we are sure that when the champions are crowned at the end of the tournament series, they will have earned the Euphoria MFC World Titles. The buildup for February and April will be intense.’

Much more to come on this event. All matches are subject to approval by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission. Subject to Change:

FIRST ROUND – 8-MAN LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (146 to 155 LBS):
– Joachim Hansen (Team Scandinavia, Oslo, Norway) v. Sergei Golyaev (RED DEVIL, St Petersburg, Russia)
– Hermes Franca (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. Phil Johns (Silverbacks, VCanton, IL)
– Yves Edwards (Thugjitsu, Houston, TX) v. Naoyuki Kotani (Rodeo Style, Tokyo, Japan)
– Rich Clementi (Team EXTREME, New Orleans, LA) v. Alberto Crane (BJJ, Albuquerque, NM)

ALT BOUT:
– JAY IRELAND (Team TAP or SNAP, Detroit, MI.) v. KURT PELLEGRINO (Team Renzo Gracie, NYC, NY)

FIRST ROUND – 8-MAN HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (206 to 265 LBS):
– Sergei Kaznovski (RED DEVIL, St Petersburg, Russia) v. Travis Wiuff (Team EXTREME, Minneapolis, MN)
– Jeff Monson (ATT, Ft Lauderdale, FL) v. Brian Stromberg (Team Quest, Portland, OR)
– Ulisses Castro (Freelance, Vancouver, Canada) v. Paul Buentello (Team AKA, San Jose, CA)
– Roman Zentsov (RED DEVIL, St Petersburg, Russia) v. Antoine Joaude (Ruas VT, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

RUMORS OF A 3rd TOURNAMENT?
‘No comment’ quips the matchmaker. (laughing) ‘Actually, at 155 LBs, we are considering adding 3 matches and holding a contenders tournament. There is so much talent at 155 lbs, the frontline tournament to crown our champion is stacked. With this weight class not being emphasized by UFC and the bigger promotions, a 2nd tourney would not drop off in talent much, and it leaves a 3-0 challenger to face the champion at the end. The idea has merit, and we are exploring the idea’ reveals the matchmaker.

Euphoria MFC Tournament Series Schedule:

• December 11th, 2004 – TRUMP TAJ MAHAL Arena, Atlantic City, NJ
  FIRST ROUND (4 matches) – 8 MAN LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (186 to 205 LBS)
  SECOND ROUND (2 matches) – LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (146 to 155 LBS)
  SECOND ROUND (2 matches) – HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (206 to 265 LBS)

• February 26th, 2005 – TRUMP TAJ MAHAL Arena, Atlantic City, NJ
  SECOND ROUND (2 matches) – LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (186 to 205 LBS)
  FINALS (1 match) – LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (146 to 155 LBS)
  FINALS (1 match) – HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (206 to 265 LBS)

• April 23rd, 2005 – TRUMP TAJ MAHAL Arena, Atlantic City, NJ
  FINALS (1 match) – LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT TOURNAMENT (186 to 205 LBS)
  Plus RUSSIA versus USA II

"The Ultimate Fighter," A 13-Episode Series Goes Behind-The-Scenes of the Exciting World of UFC, To Premiere January ’05

Craig Piligian (Co-Executive Producer Survivor I, II and III) To Produce New Series

The series will be shot in Las Vegas at the UFC Training Center this summer and fall. Sixteen athletes from all around the country will be selected to participate. Craig Piligian of Pilgrim Films and Television (Survivor I, II, and III, American Chopper, American Hot Rod and American Casino) is the show’s creator and executive producer. Robert Riesenberg, (executive producer of NBC’s The Restaurant) of Full Circle Entertainment serves as executive producer as well.

"The Ultimate Fighter will reveal the passions, dedication and training it takes to break into UFCR events, and it will go behind the scenes into the business world of professional combat sports. This show will be the absolute in fighting reality TV," said Piligian.

"The dedicated, fearless athletes competing in The Ultimate Fighter will set this show apart from other reality series." said Jim Burns, Senior Vice President, Sports and Specials, Spike TV. "The behind-the-scenes look at their lifestyles and intense training regimen will resonate with our audience and fits in with our brand identity."

With new rules and regulations, the UFCR, is licensed in various states including Nevada, Florida, and New Jersey. Along with growing the business, the UFC is focused on protecting the combatants, and are proud that there has never been a serious injury or death in the history of the franchise. It is of interest to note all UFC athletes are highly-trained and many are college-educated. Sports pedigrees include the Olympics, the Pan American Games and NCAA Division I All-Americans.

Robert Riesenberg is president and CEO of Full Circle Entertainment, a New York Company. Full Circle Entertainment is an independent production company specializing in developing and producing programming that service the marketing needs of advertisers. Full Circle Entertainment is a wholly owned unit Omnicom Media Group, which is part of the Omnicom Group.

Grateful for this news, the ex-Maine native has even tried to find the lighter side of his misfortune by putting the autographed arm cast he currently dons up for auction on EBay. It will be one of three casts he will wear in the next few weeks of recovery.

Heading into his first scheduled surgery tomorrow, Sylvia says a plate and pin(s) will be put in place to keep the twice-separated ulna bone together. If healing goes as expected, it’s possible the plate will then be removed at a later time. Overall, Sylvia says the prognosis he’s received from physicians has been for a full recovery in six to eight weeks. "I’ll start training in about two weeks, just doing my road work and start working on my left hook, and kicking the bag and shit like that."

"I’m hoping October," the 6’8" giant replied when asked when he might make his return to the Octagon. "I’d like to fight Wes Sims in October. We’ve got some unfinished business to take care of. So, it seems how I just lost, I got to work my way back up in the division again. It’s a great opportunity for me to kick his ass."

JANUARY 31, 2004 The premier mixed martial arts event in the world returned Las Vegas on Super Saturday for UFC 46: Supernatural.

In the main event, Light Heavyweight Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture putd his belt on the line in a rematch against Brazil’s Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort.

The co-main event features the top lightweight, BJ Penn, moving up in weight to challenge five-time defending champion Matt Hughes for his Welterweight belt. The undercard features such UFC stars as Frank Mir, Carlos Newton, Lee Murray, Josh Thomson, Hermes Franca and Charuto Verissimo rounding out the event for a total of 8 exciting fights!

Since losing his light-heavyweight crown to Vitor Belfort at January 31st’s UFC 46, the Oregon resident has traveled the globe making various personal appearances while he awaits his warranted rematch with the Brazilian "Phenom." In Australia, the four-time Olympic wrestling alternate gave motivational speeches before the Melbourne professional rugby team and then later with the Calling Wood Australian rules football team. Touching on the finer points of visualization, were the rugged athletes familiar with the MMA icon? "Some of them knew and some of them didn’t know," says Couture, "but I kinda had their attention after the highlight video."

From the land down under to Argentina, Couture also shot three episodes of the series Wild Outdoor Adventures, to air on The Sportsman Channel, which launches on cable in the near future. An avid enthusiast since the age of five when he would accompany his father on hunts, Couture pursued the red stag, antelope, and birds on the separate shoots.

With all this positive exposure and airtime experience, could Couture be a natural choice for the UFC’s reality show currently in production? "We’re talking about it, yes," Couture vaguely answers when asked if he’s been approached by UFC owners Zuffa Sports Entertainment, although he adds that nothing has been cemented.

"I hate calling it a reality show," commented UFC president Dana White while on route to the show’s first official casting session today in Los Angeles, "because reality shows, to me, are goofy. This is going to be much, much better than a reality show."

The concept of the series, according to White, will focus around twenty finalists, to be determined in the next month from the stacks of videotapes received from hundreds of aspiring fighters in the last month. On these tapes, interested candidates were asked to provide a sample of their fights, a few minutes demonstrating their personality, and a brief bio. Those to make the cut will represent either the welterweight, middleweight, light-heavyweight, or heavyweight divisions. It remains to be determined how the twenty will be distributed between the four weight classes.

"You’re not knocking me out," replied Radach.

And then the fight played on, two friends putting their similarities aside to swing at each other for a while.

"I knew technically, he was a better fighter than me," says Leben, a hard-nosed, bullheaded Team Quest creation. It was Radach with the upper hand after two rounds, according to Leben. Late in the third, though, he could sense Radach’s lungs searching for air and finding little.

Davis finishing Sparling.

• Kickboxing
  Shawn Pallan def. Dave Pitek by unanimous decision after 3 – 2-minute rounds

• Kickboxing
  Donna Nahanee def. Suzy Prince by unanimous decision after 3 – 2-minute rounds

• Pankration
  George Heywood def. Myles Merola by unanimous decision after 3 – 3-minute rounds

• Kickboxing
  Mike Sparrow def. Aaron Miles by unanimous decision after 3 – 2-minute rounds

• Muay Thai
  Martin Kwiatkowski def. Shawn Carpenter by unanimous decision after 3 – 2-minute rounds

• Kickboxing
  Sarah Whitney def. Joey Lee by split decision after 3 – 2-minute rounds

• Pankration
  Jordan Rhods def. Jamie Hendry by split decision after 3 – 3-minute rounds

• Kickboxing
  Johnny Ceryantes def. Steven Concalves by unanimous decision after 3 – 2-minute rounds

• Muay Thai
  Nathaniel Grey def. Brian Mead by unanimous decision after 3 – 2-minute rounds

• Muay Thai
  Jo Koropcki def. Pedram Zeinaljansisan by verbal submission at 1:26 of R2

• Pankration
  Garrett Davis def. Dave Sparling by TKO referee stoppage from strikes at 4:10 of R1

The top of the card features hometown favorite Ray ‘Braddah’ Cooper v. Jake Shields for the vacant Shooto MW (167 lbs) title. Cooper is a stoic Shooto veteran having competed in the Shooto circuit since it first came to Hawaii in 1999. He has had his eye on the Shooto Championship for a long time, and has been hovering within the top 3 spots while the vacant title has waited for the ISC to mandate a title bout… As so it is. Braddah’s opponent will be the Shooto invader – Jake Shields… After a tough Shooto debut against, none other than Ray Cooper (where Shields dropped the majority decision), Jake was invited to go to Japan and give Hayato Sakurai a warm-up fight so that he could get back on track after having lost his long held title… But the Cesar Gracie student had a different plan, and soundly won a unanimous decision over the Japanese superstar. Jake hasn’t looked back since then and has faced international fare from both Brazil (where he defeated the dangerous and yet undiscovered Milton Vieira) and back in Japan where he dispatched one of Shooto’s next big things in Akira Kikuchi… Shields is ready and determined to capture the title and avenge his loss to Cooper.

"I am extremely happy with the event. The fights were great, the crowd was great.. what more can you ask for? The only thing I will change is on the next show we will have the fights playing on all the TV’s in the room as well as the jumbo screen on stage. I know some of the fans in the very back had a tough time seeing when the fights hit the ground, and using the video screens will make it a better night for everyone." said promoter Sven Bean. "As for the fights themselves.. wow! I saw a lot of new talent and made some notes. You will definitely be seeing a few of these guys on the RING OF FIRE."

Highlights of the night included:

• Veteran MMA fighter Pete Vanderhort making his muay thai debut.
• Aaron Romero showing the patience of fighter way beyond his experience.
• The tenacious battle between newcomers Andretti and Beneditto.
• The gritty war between Tom Sarah and Tim Means, both of these guys are ready for the next level.
• Mike Baldwin gains another legit title in his toughest match yet. Opponent Virgil Begay stayed so true to his game plan making this a true battle of wills. These two fought like pros.

FULL RESULTS:

• K-1 rules 145 lbs: Matt Howard def. Cruz Soltero, Jr. by KO, 0:44 of Round 1
• MMA 145 lbs: Lafayette Barela def. Ryan Farthingham by TKO, 1:06 of Round 1
• MMA 155 lbs: Rocky Johnson def. Richard Ponce by Rear Naked Choke, 2:00 of Round 1
• MMA 170 lbs: Joel Wilson def. Brad Fox by TKO (Ref Stoppage), 2:29 of Round 2
• K-1 rules 155 lbs: Pete Vanderhort def. Seth Gumenjav by KO, 1:01 of Round 2
• MMA 170 lbs: Aaron Romero def. Josh Judy by Arm Bar, 0:37 of Round 2
• MMA 170 lbs: Frank Andretti def. Mike Beneditto by TKO (Ref Stoppage), 1:01 of Round 2
• MMA 185 lbs: Sean Roddey def. Josh Vierya by TKO (Ref Stoppage), 2:02 of Round 1
• ISKA Colorado State Middleweight Championship 165 lbs: Donald Cerrone def. Billy Dixon by KO, 0:49 of Round 1
• MMA 170 lbs: Tim Means def. Tom Sarah by Unanimous Decision, 3 Rounds
• ISKA Rocky Mountain States Lt. Welterweight Championship: Mike Baldwin def. Virgil Begay by Unanimous Decision, 5 Rounds