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Thursday, Nov 01, 2001

Pre-fight At Ufc 34



Pre-fight at UFC 34
By Jim Genia

      Take a stroll through the lobby of the MGM Grand right now and you’ll run into a veritable beehive of fans and fighters. Welterweight champ Carlos Newton can’t walk more than a dozen feet without being approached for an autograph. Randy Couture and Matt Lindland look calm and relaxed, shaking the occasional hand. UFC veteran Brad Kohler mingles with fans from the Internet. Rookie Frank Mir is more serious, although no less friendly. Joe Silva, Zuffa’s matchmaker, is all smiles.
      Is there any anxiousness? Any pressure on the people behind the action to make this show better than the last?
      "Look for a good stand-up fight," says Carlos, promising to deliver. "Tell the fans to be ready." Opponent Matt Hughes assures the same — a stand-up war — and with 25 people here from his hometown, including his father, brother, and two sisters, Matt has every reason to give it his all.
Joe Silva
      "Everything’s very smooth," says Joe, when asked about the UFC’s state of affairs a few short hours before show time. "Everything’s looking good. I’m feeling very positive." With a grin he adds: "Nobody’s gone through a window. Nobody’s fallen off the top of the MGM." Everyone has taken their fight seriously, as evidenced by their overall conditioning at the weigh-in, and Joe is thankful for that. He describes the rules meeting and how the fighters seemed "pumped." If you were to come up to him after the last show, you would’ve clearly seen his disappointment. Today, however, his outlook has vastly improved. His faith in his fighters keeps him optimistic.
      And while the matchmaker may have much at stake tonight, no one has more to lose than the fans. Do they seem wary, in light of a previous show riddled with overly-cautious competitors taking the matches to decisions? That’s hard to say. As they flock to the fighters, pens and UFC posters in hand, they seem too preoccupied to care.


Eddie Goldman NHB News Special

Eddie Goldman returns to the airwaves with a "no holds barred news" special on WBAI’s "Lightshow" late Friday/early Saturday Nov. 3.

He will preview the Tszyu-Judah fight that will be held Saturday night and review UFC 34 held Friday night.

"Lightshow" airs weekly late Friday night/early Saturday morning, 3-5 AM Eastern Time. The special "No Holds Barred News" segment will go on at approximately 3:15 AM and run to 3:45 AM EST, early Saturday morning, November 3. WBAI broadcasts in New York on 99.5 FM.

For those not in the New York area, WBAI can also be heard live on the Internet. There are two sites that stream the signal: http://www.wbai.org/ and http://www.2600.com/wbai.


Click here to order UFC 34 tickets
UFC 34: High Voltage
Tickets available from:
Ticket Master: 702-474-4000
&

MGM Grand: 877-880-0880

LINE-UP:*
Main card:

  • Randy Couture vs. Pedro Rizzo
  • Carlos Newton vs. Matt Hughes
  • B.J. Penn vs. Caol Uno
  • Josh Barnett vs. Bobby Hoffman
  • Ricco Rodriguez vs. Pete Williams
  • Evan Tanner vs. Homer Moore

    Prelims:

  • Roberto Traven vs. Frank Mir
  • Phil Baroni vs. Matt Lindland

    *Card subject to change




  • A Family Man
    Renzo Gracie explains how defending his wife and children led to legal woes
    By Aaron Crecy

    Renzo Gracie before Pride 17
    In recent weeks, the mixed martial arts community has been awash with rumors about Renzo Gracie’s brush with the law. One of the most well-respected fighters in the business, Gracie was arrested and charged with simple assault when he struck a gas station owner who had cursed at his wife and child. In Tokyo for Pride 17, where he will face Japanese pro wrestler Michiyoshi Ohara, Renzo was eager to set the record straight and explain the series of events that led to his arrest.

    FCF:   I’d like to talk to you talk to you about two things — first, the situation that happened before you came here, and secondly, about your upcoming fight.
    RG:     Right. The situation back home — you’d like to talk about me being arrested.

    FCF:   Well, there have been a lot of rumors going around and I would like to get the real story.
    RG:     What happened was, my wife was taking the kids out with my nanny and the light on the dashboard went on for gasoline. She pulled over at the first gas station that she saw, which was at an intersection that has three gas stations. She was going up and she turned right into the first gas station that she saw. When she went in, she realized that the tank was on the other side, so she actually pulled up on the wrong side. As she tried to back up, some other cars pulled up on the other side and she would have had to wait. So what she did was turn around and go across the street to another gas station. After she pulled over at the next gas station and got out of the car to take the seat belt off my kid, this guy come screaming at her, cursing at her — this was a big guy — and she could not even understand why he was doing that. It was actually the owner of the other gas station that she drove through. He crossed the street and he started cursing at her and being very aggressive.

    FCF:   For driving through his station?
    RG:     For driving through his station. He was very nasty and insulting, so she right away locked herself in the car and called me. I was on my way to New York on the train, and could hear him screaming at her the whole time. He was cursing and screaming and threatening her. He took her license plate number and being very aggressive. I told her to just hang up the phone and call the police. But she said, "No, it seems like he’s going to leave." So I waited a little bit on the phone with her until the guy took off and went back to his gas station. I told her not to worry, that I would go and talk to him the next day to see what happened and what he was so angry about.

    FCF:   Did he take her license plate to try to get her a ticket for cutting through his station?
    RG:     Yeah, I believe he said, "I’m going to write you a fucking ticket." That’s what he said.

    FCF:   But basically, nothing ever happened with the ticket.
    RG:     I didn’t give him time, I believed, that’s what happened. Because the next day I went there six times but I couldn’t find him. So, on the following day I was on the way to work out at the gym and stopped by there first to see if I could find him. So I went to the gas station and did the same thing as my wife — I drove through to look for him and he was already giving me nasty looks when he saw me pulling over the car without putting gas in. So he was acting the same way toward me. So I stepped out of the car and I was very polite to hem. I started to ask him, "I believe my wife had a problem here two days back. She was driving a black car and she drove through this gas station. When she went across the street, someone was yelling and cursing at her in a threatening manner. Do you know anything about that?" And I knew it was him by the description that she gave me. Then he started to be very nasty to me and started insulting me a lot. And I said, "Look, there’s no reason for you to scream. I’m right next to you and I can hear you well." And he goes, "I’ll talk to you the fuck way that I want." At that moment, he pushed my chest and made a motion like he was going to throw me a right hand. So I hit him with a left slap and a right slap. From the moment that I slapped him, he fell and when he fell he started screaming for help. "Help. Help, police!" So I just placed my hands in my pockets and I was looking at him and I said, "Help? So my wife comes here with my kid and you were screaming at her and being nasty to her. And when a man comes here to talk to you, you throw yourself on the floor and start screaming for help and call the police?" Then three people came out of the gas station with chairs, a flashlight and tools. I just told them, "Look guys, you don’t want to get the beating that this guy deserves. So just keep yourselves away from me, otherwise you’re going to get the beating that this motherfucker should be taking." And they did that — they stayed away. So then the cops arrived, and since it was me that drove to his gas station, they took me to the police station. I believe the guy filed a simple assault complaint and we have a court date on November 30th. Everything is going to be fine.

    FCF:   But you also filed a simple assault charge, didn’t you?
    RG:     Yes, I filed a simple assault complaint since he pushed me and tried to swing at me. We’re going to go to court and see what the judges say. If they give me community service or something like that, I may be seen cleaning the streets on the road crew dressed in orange.

    FCF:   Does he have a court date, too?
    RG:     Yes, the same date. We both have the same date.

    FCF:   So basically, you’re going to testify against each other.
    RG:     Yes.

    FCF:   So then it was really no problem coming to Pride.
    RG:     No. I didn’t hurt him and it was no problem at all.

    FCF:   It seems as if it was more of a matter of defending yourself and your family.
    RG:     Yes, especially because I don’t even raise my voice in front of my kids, so how could I allow this stranger to do that?

    FCF:   You’re known as one of the classiest fighters in MMA, so this is a situation that a lot of people were curious about.
    RG:     Actually, when I went there, I was looking to have him apologize to my wife in front of my kids. I was just going to tell him that I would bring my wife over with the kids so he could apologize to her. But he didn’t seem to be thinking of things the same way. He was thinking differently. He probably had some personal problems that he tried to take out on his customers.

    Renzo Gracie and Michiyoshi Ohara
    FCF:   On to a more positive topic — you’re back in Pride.
    RG:     Hell yeah!

    FCF:   And you seem pretty excited about it.
    RG:     Very happy, I can’t wait. I’m in very good shape now and I’m 100% sure that this will reflect in my fight, so I really cannot wait to fight — I wish it was yesterday.

    FCF:   Your opponent comes from New Japan Professional Wrestling?
    RG:     I believe he is a judo wrestler, a big guy. He is supposed to weigh about 110 kilos, which is about 245 pounds or something like that.

    FCF:   You’re never afraid to take on bigger guys.
    RG:     Like I told you before, I actually outweigh him by 50 pounds — I have balls of steel and they’re pretty heavy! So, I’m a little bit over his weight, actually.

    FCF:   You seem as though you have put on a little muscle since your last appearance in Pride.
    RG:     I’ve been constantly lifting and training a lot at Parisi’s school in North Jersey. I’ve been seeing a lot of good results — I’ve been able to improve my weight. I’ve gained a few pounds and I’m feeling much stronger and much faster, so I’m curious to see how I’m going to perform in this next fight.

    FCF:   In addition to practicing your striking against dudes at gas stations, have you been working on your standup?
    RG:     I’ve been working a little bit. I have a very good trainer who comes to my academy. His name is Edgar. He’s a very good boxer and he helps me a lot.

    FCF:   Thank you for sitting down to talk with me.
    RG:     It’s my pleasure, always. I’ll see you after the fight, when we’ve had a chance to see if my new cross-training strategies work or not.



    WFA Pre-fight Look
    By Abel Pulver

    WFA logo
          John Lewis makes his debut as a promoter when, on November third, his WFA takes over The Hard Rock Cafe for an evening of MMA at it’s finest. For the freshman promoter, things just couldn’t be better. " I have a pretty good understanding of match ups," admits Lewis. "I thought about who could fight who and it just fell into place from there. I feel very lucky because I was able to acquire all of my first choices and they are all ‘A’ level fighters." When asked if this is what fans should expect from his future show in February, Lewis responded, "I am open to all camps everywhere. I will take chances with both up and coming fighters and established ones as well. I want to be helpful to fighters because I want the sport to move ahead. I’ve been in the game a long time, and with the respect I’ve earned I can now give something back." And on paper this is sure one great debut.
          Ask Marvin Eastman what to expect against Rich Franklin on Saturday night and he’ll tell you, "I am a more complete fighter who is ready to go 100% full boar the entire fight. My greatest asset is my ability to adapt to situations and not let adversity throw me off. The way I see it is that I didn’t get into this to lose. However, whatever I have to do to get my W, I will. If an opening comes for a knockout I’ll take it, but I’m ready to go all three rounds and dominate every one of them."
          In the 155-pound class, Brazilian, Joao Roque fills in for Alfonso Alcarez, against Stephen Paling. Roque took the fight on short notice and admits, "this isn’t ideal for me because I didn’t have as much time as I would’ve liked. But I’m ready, I’ve improved my stand up skills a lot and I wouldn’t fight if I wasn’t going in to win. It should be an aggressive fight that I for sure should win."
          Ronald Jhun makes his mainland debut against the physical specimen Jermaine "Bam Bam" Andre. "I’m ready," said Jhun. "I’ve gone over everything not only physically but mentally and spiritually as well. He (Andre) looks like a good striker who keeps it coming so this should be a good test. I’m very motivated for this fight because it is a huge step up for me and a great chance to showcase my ability."
          In a match up that puts together a strong wrestler versus a good boxer, Frank Trigg and LaVerne Clark will take center stage. Trigg says, "I’m just excited to be back home in my back yard. I haven’t fought here in two years so I hope to put on a good show for John Lewis and hopefully be invited back. I’m not going to make predictions but I will say that I only fight to be victorious."
          For Clark it is much the same. "I’ve worked very hard for this fight," said Clark, "I’ve been at M.F.S. a lot more than usual working on my wrestling defense and sharpening up my punches. Some say he [Trigg] has a suspect chin, so I’m gonna test him. If we’re on our feet, I’m going to test him. When we hit the ground I’m going to test him as well. Whoever controls the position and where the fight takes place will win."
          It may be a night after the UFC but this show and the caliber of fighters there within takes second seat to no one. For Lewis it is a culmination of years of hard work. For us, the fans, it is another great show to watch and keep an eye out for in the future.


    Super Brawl XXII "United We Stand!"
    Press Conference/Weigh-In

    November 1, 2001
    By Michael Onzuka – Mike@onzuka.com



    The weigh-in was held at its normal home, 24 Hour Fitness, at 11:00 am today. The card stayed intact and we have not heard of any last minute changes — which is a change in itself in the fight game. Everyone seems to be happy, healthy, and ready to put on a good show for the Hawaii fans. MMA veterans Lance Gibson was present to support Ryan Diaz and Enson Inoue was there to support his older brother Egan. Also in attendance was Shark Tank leader, Eddie Millis to corner his pocket dynamite, Jose Lopez who is facing local fighter Lincoln Tyler. For three of the fighters, this will be their debut fight and leaves the fight fans guessing as to what they will bring to the ring tomorrow night at Neil Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.
    Of these three fighters, the one that has been generating the most talk by far is the monster from Ewa (pronounced Eva) Beach and semi-main event fighter, Miles Tynanes. Tynanes is known as a heavy hitter by the locals in a tough area of Oahu. He trains out of Marcelo Tigre’s gym so his animal instincts are probably being well encouraged and enhanced. During the interview session of the press conference, Tynanes did not seem to respect Cabbage Correira’s punching power, nor his grappling ability. He claims to be comfortable in all positions, both on the ground and standing. Cabbage is a man of hard left hooks, but little words and just encouraged everyone to be there to see two big guys throwing some big punches and to watch a great fight.
    With the expansion of mixed martial arts, it is only a matter of time before we see more women competing. This card includes a special rematch of local fighter, Betta Yeung trained by HMC instructor Haru Shimanishi trying to avenge her debut loss against Shimanishi’s partner Matt Hume’s (of AMC) Sarah "The Finisher" Finaseth. The fans are in for a treat because both women look fit and mean (kind of the same face I get when I deny shopping to my wife and believe me, that’s mean!).
    Local favorite and University of Hawaii football standout, Falaniko Vitale returns to the ring at a lighter weight of 190 lbs against the veteran, John "The Saint" Renken. The fight was originally set at 185 lbs, but both fighters exceeded the weight limit and a newly constructed weight was agreed upon. Vitale looks ready for the big time and Renken may just be a stepping stone until Vitale gets his hands on a ranked opponent. "The Saint" will utilize his experience and try to upset the local fighter and show him that he is not ready for huge fights, not just yet.
    Hawaii’s Egan Inoue has his eyes set for a birth in the UFC, but he first has to beat some ranked fighters to prove to Zuffa that he is UFC material. Canada’s Joe Doerkson brings a 19-2 record, most if not all by submission, to Hawaii to try to push Egan aside and enter the Octagon himself. This could be a make or break fight for both fighters. Super Brawl has a very extensive history of catapulting fighters to the highest level of competition such as Vitor Belfort, Heath Herring, Rico Rodriguez, Josh Barnet, Bobby Hoffman, to name a few and these two could be the next. With Inoue being a two-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion and submission grappling medalist, Doerkson’s submission based fight game will be put to the test, but they don’t hand out number 10 rankings if he cannot handle himself. This fight looks to be a technical ground battle, but it may be determined by the fighter that dominates the stand up part of the game.
    A couple high intensity and fast paced light weight matches featuring some exciting fighters will lead the way to the four fights previewed above. The card looks solid enough to pull fans away from pay-per-view and the UFC on the same night to see some live action. With the fighters weighed in and the cards confirmed, each fighter will try to steal the limelight of the fight hungry Hawaii fans. The fans here are getting educated about MMA extremely fast and will see a good mix of good old fashion brawling and a lot of technique. With the recent addition of local television replays of the event, Super Brawl is expected to grow in attendance and spread MMA to a wider fan base.

    Super Brawl XXII
    "United We Stand!"
    November 2, 2001
    Neil Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii

    1. 155lbs 2×5 minute rounds
    Kaika Tiger NP v Jay R. Palmer 153.2 lbs
    (Team Tiger ) 0-0 (Freelance) 20-12

    2. 170lbs 2×5 minute rounds
    Deshaun Johnson 164.5 lbs v Kolo Koka NP
    (HMC) 0-0 (Grappling Unlimited) 1-1

    3. 145lbs 3×5 minute rounds
    Ryan Diaz 144 lbs v Eddie Yagin 143.8 lbs
    (Gibson Pankration/AMC, Seattle) 8-3 (Grappling Unlimited) 3-0

    4. 135lbs 3×5 minute rounds
    Jose Lopez 132.4 lbs v Lincoln Tyler 135.6 lbs
    (Shark Tank) 2-0-1 (Freelance) 5-1

    5. Special Female Match 120lbs 2×5 minute rounds
    Sarah "The Finisher" Finaseth 120.6 lbs v Beta Yeung 118.5 lbs
    (AMC) Seattle 4-0 (HMC) 0-1

    6. 185lbs 3×5 minute rounds
    John "The Saint" Renken 190 lbs v Falaniko Vitale 190 lbs
    (Nashville, TN) 16-7-3 (Grappling Unlimited) 8-1

    7. 265lbs+ 3×5 minute rounds
    Miles Tynanes 263 lbs v Wes "Cabbage" Correira 285.8 lbs
    (Team Tiger) 0-0 (Grappling Unlimited) 7-3

    8. Super Brawl Middleweight Championship 3×5 minute rounds
    Joe Doerksen 184.4 lbs v Egan Inoue 183.2 lbs
    (Team Extreme) 19-2 (Grappling Unlimited) 11-3



    From the event’s promoter:



    Return of "Meat Truck" highlights Extreme Fights in Cincinnati

    Extreme Fights poster
          After taking a few months off to nurse an injured knee, Kerry "Meat Truck" Schall will make a return to the ring in his hometown of Cincinnati.
          Schall, a veteran of Extreme Challenge, WEF, Rings USA and Rings Japan, will take on Len Walker in the heavyweight main event of Extreme Fights on Nov. 10 at the Electra nightclub.
          Tickets for the event start at $20 and are available at Excaliber Fitness and at Electra. Doors open at 4 p.m. with the first bout at 5 p.m.
          Approximately 10 fights are scheduled with some of the top amateurs in the Cincinnati area scheduled to compete.
          The 6-foot-3 Schall has trimmed to 265 pounds (down from 300) as the result of some strict training. Walker, who has previous bouts against Dan Severn and Greg Wikan, is 5-10 and 240.
          For more information, contact promoter Monte Cox at 563 332-2075 or by email at Fiteiowa@aol.com.

    From the event’s promoter:



    KFIVE Announces Additional
    Super Brawl 21 Air Dates


    "PANCRASE 2001 PROOF TOUR"
    Tuesday, October 30, 2001
    Korakuen Hall(Tokyo, Japan)
    doors open: 5:30PM/ fights start: 6:30PM
    live gate: 2,300 sold out

    • fight#1(2X5 min rounds middleweight match)
      Koji Oishi(Pancrase Yokohama) def. Mick Green(Pancrase Australia) by 2-0-1 majority judges’ decision at full time limit.

    • fight#2(2X5 min rounds middleweight match)
      Hideaki Iwasaki(Strapple) def. Hikaru Sato(Pancrase Yokohama) by punch KO at 2R 4:20.

    • fight#3(3X5 min rounds middleweight match/ Tokyo & Yokohama vs GRABAKA 5
      on 5 team challenge)

      Kazuo Misaki(Pancrase GRABAKA) def. Takaku Fuke(Pancrase Tokyo) by punch KO at 1R 8 sec.

    • fight#4(3X5 min rounds light heavyweight match/ Tokyo & Yokohama vs
      GRABAKA 5 on 5 team challenge)

      Kosei Kubota(light heavyweight 7th ranked/Pancrase Yokohama) def. Eiji Ishikawa(Pancrase GRABAKA) by knee strike KO at 2R 56 sec.

    • fight#5(3X5 min rounds light heavyweight match/ Tokyo & Yokohama vs
      GRABAKA 5 on 5 team challenge)

      Daisuke Watanabe(Pancrase Yokohama) drew Mitsuyoshi Sato(light heavyweight 4th ranked/Pancrase GRABAKA) by 1-1-1 judges decision at full time limit.

    • fight#6(3X5 min rounds light heavyweight match/ Tokyo &Yokohama vs
      GRABAKA 5 on 5 team challenge)

      Yuki Sasaki(light heavyweight 9th ranked/Pancrase GRABAKA) def. Daisuke Ishii(light heavyweight 8th ranked/Pancrase Tokyo) by arm bar at 1R 3:01.

    • fight#7(3X5 min rounds light heavyweight match/ Tokyo & Yokohama vs GRABAKA 5 on 5 team challenge)
      Akihiro Gono(Pancrase GRABAKA) def. KEI Yamamiya(Pancrase Tokyo) by 3-0-0 unanimous judges’ decision at full time limit.
      *GRABAKA won by 3 wins 1 loss 1 draw.

    • main event(3X5 min rounds middleweight King of Pancrase title match)
      Nathan Marquardt(1st middleweight K.O.P./U.S.A./Colorado Stars) def. Yuji Hoshino(middleweight 4th ranked/RJW/CENTRAL) by triangle choke at 3R 2:13.
      *Marquardt retained the title.

    posted by Full Contact Fighter @ 8:00 pm
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