Ufc 38 Hops The Pond
 UFC 38 Hops The Pond Successful Weigh-ins Kick off London, England Show By Loretta Hunt Welcome to London, England, home of… Narrow streets. Cars from every direction. The (non-air conditioned) Tube. Rude natives. Jet lag. Questionable food. These maladies are but a small price to pay for those lucky enough to be a part of history tomorrow night, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship makes its European debut at the equally monumental Royal Albert Hall. However, it is evident that this final preparatory week leading up to the show has been especially taxing for all involved. With signs of jet lag running rampant among the fighters, their entourages, Zuffa’s staff (the parent company to the UFC) and even with the press sent over to cover the event, never has sleep been such a precious commodity. Also scarce among all the action of this last week is Internet access, leading to delays for Zuffa and slowed media coverage back to the States. However, with an impressive sense of organization, Zuffa seems to have been able to overcome each hurdle placed in its way (and the press is learning to share one working cable modem). Oddities aside, the official UFC weigh-ins are always a pleasure to observe, as it is the first time that the entire card is assembled in one room. Opponents are finally brought together, some for the very first time, before they will square off in the famed Octagon. This weigh-in session being no different and with local organization BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) overseeing the proceedings, personnel worked feverishly to get all sixteen athletes’ medical and weight requirements fulfilled. With the weights being announced in the native measurement of kilograms, the standing room only audience waited anxiously as stage-side officials made the quick conversions to pounds. First to make their way to the stage were Carlos Newton and Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes, who will battle it out for a second time for the title. Peppy and outspoken as usual, Newton weighed in at 168 pounds. Next, Hughes mounted the scale only to be informed that he was over by .6 kilograms or approximately 2 pounds. This being a title fight, and under BAMMA’s recommendation, Hughes would have a second chance to make the requirement. With four hours to shed the "extra" weight, he left the room noticeably assured (if not slightly annoyed) that he would be able to make the adjustment. The heavyweights were next. Las Vegas native and rising star for the UFC organization, 6’2" Frank Mir tipped the scales at 237 pounds. With a little extra verbal support from the local crowd, three-time UFC veteran Ian Freeman weighed in at 220 pounds.
Welterweight Tony DeSouza, whose last UFC fight was at UFC 33 back in September, made his return today at 170.5 pounds. Meanwhile, opponent Gil Castillo, calculated out to 172 pounds, and both men were slightly over the required number. However, this being a non-title fight and with both competitors’ consent, the match-up was approved a "go."
Six-time UFC veteran Eugene "The Wolf" Jackson hopped onto the scales at 184.5 pounds, while first-time participant and top UK middleweight contender Mark Weir logged in at 181.5 pounds. Posing together afterwards for the press, the 6’2" Weir had a considerable height distinction over the 5’9" Jackson. However, Jackson seemed undaunted and even opted to hug and pose with his taller opponent following their "stare-down." Next, Team Quest member Evan Tanner stepped onto the scale at a perfect 205 pounds. Australian Chris Haseman, a last-minute replacement for the injured Vladimir Matyushenko, came in at 203 pounds to make this light-heavyweight bout official.
Matt Hughes took his second trip to the scale that day to make his requirement missed earlier. Confidently quipping to the swarming press that there was "no news here — he’d make weight" Hughes was again scrutinized by the awkward white contraption and the officials. With some confusion in converting the English measurement to pounds, Hughes elected to shed his "skivvies," and with a satisfactory 169.4 pounds recorded in the books, the main event was on.
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From the event’s promoter: Mr. International makes for a Last Minute Addition to SuperBrawl XXV Shonie Carter Vs. Kolo Koka Mr. International, Shonie Carter, will make his return to the SuperBrawl ring this weekend to face off against Grappling Unlimited’s Kolo Koka. Koka has stopped everyone that has been put in front of him, but he’s never seen the caliber of the self-proclaimed ‘Playa with a Passport.’ Carter has fought in the Pancrase organization in Japan, is a 4-time UFC veteran and has wins over former UFC middleweight champ Dave Menne and UFC lightweight contender Matt Serra. While Koka has been getting his knocks in on a regular basis, Carter hasn’t made an MMA appearance since a loss to Pat Militech in June of 2001. Will ‘ring rust’ be a factor for Shonie or will he put this young gun in his place? |
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From the event’s promoter: SuperBrawl XXV Card Finalized Ten total fights! SuperBrawl XXV goes down Saturday, July 13 at the Blaisdell Arena. Tickets for SuperBrawl 25 are on sale now at the Blaisdell Center box office, all Tickets Plus outlets or online. Martijn de Jong 182.6lbs vs. Egan Inoue 182.6lbs Hometown favorite and Shooto 7th Ranked Egan Inoue will square off against Shooto 4th Ranked Martijn de Jong from Holland. De Jong, a.k.a. The Specialist, fights out of Amsterdam’s prestigious Golden Glory gym and boasts a 14-4-2 Mixed Martial Arts record, with all 14 wins coming by KO or submission. Kimikito Nonaka 132lbs vs. Jose Lopez 132lbs Nonaka is an aggressive fighter coming down in weight for this fight. He has had mixed success at 143lbs and looks to use his strength at this lighter weight. "The Outlaw" may have something to say about it. Lopez, with perhaps the best hands in the business, and a KO victory over Lincoln Tyler, will look to punch his way to the top of the lightweight SuperBrawl rankings. Nonaka 3-2, favorite. Jin Kazeta 143lbs vs. Eddie Yagin 143lbs What else can you expect from a Japanese shooter than and ultra-exciting well-rounded game? In addition, Kazeta is also a former Kickboxing champion. Yagin has shown punching and kicking talent himself. He is on a seemingly unstoppable roll. Will he be the first local fighter to notch up a win against a Japanese shooter in quite some time? Pick-em, Even Odds Jason Bress 143lbs vs. Baret Yoshida 143lbs Bress is a quality opponent who favors the striking game (4-0 in Kickboxing). Yoshida is world renowned for his submission game. The few who have had success against Yoshida, strike from inside guard while avoiding his lethal submissions. Yoshida 3-2 favorite Brennan Kamaka 160lbs vs. Jay R. Palmer 160lbs. This will be fun! Two game fighters who have not seen a ‘W’ in quite some time. Brennan is a former State Champion wrestler with good hands and Jay R. is an unorthodox brawler. Neither fighter is big on submissions. This fight will be won or lost with striking. Pick-em, Even Odds. Ian Nelms 167.5lbs vs. Brandon Wolff 167.5lbs This is a Great match-up of young talent. Nelms, a Division I wrestler and as with all Shark Tank fighters, will arrive in great shape and be well rounded. Wolf may have a slight advantage in striking but Nelms will try to negate that with his strong grappling skills. Pick-em, Even Odds Nick Bradley 198lbs Kaipo Miller 198lbs Bradley is coming off an impressive victory in SuperBrawl 23. A collegiate level wrestler who likes to push the action. Miller will try to weather the storm and find a submission from the bottom. Bradley 3-2 Favorite. Joey Jordan 143lbs vs. Justin Mercado 143lbs Look for an aggressive fight from both these young fighters. Mercado is coming of a tough, decision loss to Jordan’s teammate and will look for revenge. Pick-em, Even Odds. William Armstrong 135lbs vs. Will Hagerty 135lbs Two young lightweights with wrestling backgrounds. Armstrong may have the edge in striking while Hagerty will have the edge in submissions. Pick-em, Even Odds. Deshaun Johnson 167.5lbs vs. Justin Karr 167.5lbs Johnson is a tough as nails striker who is working diligently on his ground game. Karr is ultra-aggressive and will keep coming forward. Should be interesting to see who breaks first. Pick-em Even Odds SuperBrawl XXV goes down Saturday, July 13 at the Blaisdell Arena. Tickets for SuperBrawl 25 are on sale now at the Blaisdell Center box office, all Tickets Plus outlets or online. |
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From Koichi "Booker K" ;Kawasaki: K-1 WORLD GP2002 in Fukuoka July 14th K-1 announced all match up of "K-1 World GP 2002 in Fukuoka" on June 14th as follows. Tra Telligman out, Martin Holm in. DATE: July 14th, 2002 (Sunday) 6th Match: 5th Match: 4th Match: 3rd Match: 2nd Match: 1st Match: Opening fight 2nd Match: 1st Match: |
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From Koichi "Booker K" ;Kawasaki: G.C.M THE CONTENDERS-7 NEXT Result 2002.07.07 sun Yokohama Akarenga OPEN 15:30 START 17:00 CONTENDERS 5 min 2 rounds rule 1st Match-65 kg 2nd Match-77 kg 3rd Match-68 kg 4th Match-70 kg 5th Match-90 kg 6th Match-68 kg CONTENDERS DOUBLES (15min a match in which the two to submitted is the winner) 7th Match This fight was draw |
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From Koichi "Booker K" ;Kawasaki: Additional Match Announced for "MMA THE BEST Vol.2" DSE has announced additional match up of "MMA THE BEST Vol.2" on July 20th as follows. Takahiro Oba (AO/DC) vs Fatih "Turkish Terror" Kocamis (Golden Already announced Official Line Up: Daiju Takase (Wa-jyutsu Keishu-kai) vs Nino "Elvis" Schembri (Gracie Barra) Koh Soukun (Wa-jyutsu Keishu-kai) vs Bob "Terrible" Schreiber Giant Ochiai (Monster Kingdom) vs Tomohiko Hashimoto(DDT pro wrestling) |
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From Koichi "Booker K" ;Kawasaki: SHOOT BOXING "S-cup" Results July 7th 2002 , Yokohama Culture Gymnasium (Kanagawa, Japan) open: 3:00PM; fights start: 4:00PM [OPENING MATCH MIXED RULE ( WOMAN) ,5min 3R ] 1st Match: Satoko Shinashi(AACC) vs. Kinue Yoshizumi(GGG) Result: draw 1-0 (20-19,20-20,20,20) [SHOOT BOXING PRO-OFFICIAL EXPERT CLASS RULE ,3min 5R] 2nd Match: YU IKEDA(Shonan GYM) vs. Nathan Corbett(Australia) Result: Corbett def IKEDA 2R 1’07 KO [SHOOT BOXING WORLD TOURNAMENT S-CUP 2002 ,3min 3R]
3rd Match: Daniel Dawson (Team ISS,Austria) vs. Ryuji Goto Result: Dawson def Goto 2R 1’07 KO 4th Match: Jhon Igo (Chainese U-shu Assosiation,Chaina) vs. Yuriy Result: Igo def Gudyma 2R 1’08 TKO (referee stop) 5th Match: Manoer Fonceca (Chute Boxe,Brazil) vs. Andy Souwer Result: Souwer def Fonceca 2R 2’58 KO (2 knock down)
6th Match: Hiroyuki Doi(Caesar GYM) vs. Tarik Benfkih (Club Haute Result: Doi def Benfkih Extra R decision 3-0 (10-9,10-8,10-8) [SHOOT BOXING PRO-OFFICIAL EXPERT CLASS RULE ,3min 5R] 7th Match: Ryan Bow(Free) vs. Masaru Abe(Cross Point) Result: Abe def Bow Decision 3-0 (29-28,29-28,29-28) 8th Match: Hiroki Shishido(Caesar GYM) vs. Ronald Wolfs(Ling-Ho Result: Shishido def Wolfs 1R 2’24 TKO (3 knock down ) [S-CUP 2002 TOURNAMENT SEMI FINAL ,3min 3R] X 2 MATCH
9th Match : 10th Match: [RINGS KOK RULE ,5min 3R]
11th Match: Volk Atajev (RINGS RUSSIA) vs. Chris Franco(Studio Result: Atajev def Franco 1R 2’31 Front Choke
12th Match: Kenichi Ogata (Caesar GYM) vs. Narkou Spain(Australia) [S-CUP 2002 TOURNAMENT FINAL ,3min 3R] X 2 MATCH 13th Match: |
