Shooto Hawaii 2
Shooto Hawaii 2 Held March 26, 2004 Campbell High School Gym, Ewa Beach, Hawaii By Chris Onzuka
This was the second event for the fledgling Shooto Hawaii organization, whose primarily goal is to host an amateur event. The first one was held in Maui and was headlined by Ray Cooper and Stephen "Bozo" Palling. This event, held on Oahu this time, had garnered a lot of interest due to the rules. The rules allowed for striking while standing, however, when the fighters went to the ground, it was submission grappling only. This is a great way for fighters who are one-dimensional or have not competed before to gain experience in a safer manner. The fighters were evenly matched up and the event accomplished exactly what it aimed to. Some of the highlights were Rick Wallace and Steven Fernandez’ punching exchanges, but unfortunately either lack of training or adrenaline got the best of Wallace as he punched Fernandez while on the ground when Fernandez almost finished Wallace with a triangle. Wallace was disqualified after a blatant second infraction. Both fighters look to have a lot to offer in future bouts. The Kuahine-Poipoi match was also exciting as Kuahine started off the fight with a fury of knees, with Poipoi surviving the onslaught and starting his own offense via some straight punches. The fight would end just when it looked like Poipoi was turning the fight in his favor, he got caught in an armbar from the guard. The interesting scoring method confused some fans as seen in the Lista-Sequeira fight. From outward appearances, it looked like Sequeira controlled the match or at least most of it. However, Lista racked up points for positions while ground grappling, which earned him the decision. This event is the perfect first step for an athlete looking to try his hand at the sport we all love mixed martial arts. From the initial interest, this event looks like it will grow by leaps and bounds.
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From the event’s promoter: Gurgel Steals the Show at Extreme Challenge 56 MEDINA, Minn. — Jorge Gurgel has a simple strategy. "I want to stand and bang," said the Brazilian-born BJJ black belt from Cincinnati. And, by bang, he means with his fists, as well as his feet. Gurgel used some powerful leg kicks to the legs and body of Joe Jordan Friday night to set up his submission victory that gave him the 155-pound tournament title at Extreme Challenge 56. It was a memorable performance that included a submission win over local favorite Gene Minajevs (after 7 minutes of slugging it out) in the opening round of the tourney. "I’m really happy with my performance… those were two very tough guys," Gurgel said. "I just want to keep going… keep improving. I hope to do just as well in the Super Brawl tournament." By virtue of his tourney victory, Gurgel assured himself of a spot in the 8-man 155-pound Super Brawl/Extreme Challenge tournament, scheduled June 18 in Honolulu, Hawaii. "Of course, as a qualifier, the winner of this tourney earned a spot in the Hawaii event," said EC promoter Monte Cox. "But, Joe Jordan and Roger Huerta put on such an amazing show in their first-round fight, that I spoke with Super Brawl promoter T.Jay Thompson and we decided to bring all three of them out for the event." Jordan advanced to the final when his bout with Huerta was scored a draw. The judges were then asked to judge the entire 9 minutes as a whole and choose a winner … and Jordan was picked 2-1. While the tourney was a huge bright spot, it wasn’t the only one a near sellout crowd witnessed at the Medina Entertainment Center.
OFFICIAL RESULTS: Karl Knothe def. Chris Geschke, unanimous dec. 9:00 155-pound tourney Kyle Jensen def. Derick Perez, triangle choke 1:36 Rd. 3 (7:36) Main event |