Henderson, Ninja To Face Off In Pride 17
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Henderson, Ninja To Face Off In Pride 17 Henderson signs new contract, will participate in 2002 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix By Aaron Crecy Dream Stage Entertainment recently announced that Team Quest’s Dan Henderson will face Chute Boxe’s Murilo "Ninja" Rua in Pride 17. For Henderson, the match-up presents an opportunity to earn a measure of redemption, as he is pitted against the teammate of Vanderlei Silva — the only man to beat the American Greco Roman Olympian in mixed martial arts competition. "Ninja fought once in Pride and was very exciting," said Yukino Kanda, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Talent Relations for Dream Stage Entertainment. "We consider him one of the top middleweight fighters, and Dan has definitely proven himself as one of the top fighters in the middleweight class. We anticipate that it is going to be a very exciting match-up." Ninja made a splashy debut in September’s Pride 16, soundly defeating Daijiro Matsui via referee stoppage in the third round. In that fight, the Brazilian demonstrated sound grappling, striking and submission skills. Meanwhile, Henderson is 2 – 1 in Pride competition, having won his last two fights via knockout and technical knockout. Similarly, Henderson continues to win fans with increasingly potent standup techniques to accompany his world-class grappling skills. The fight with Ninja will be the first of a new three-fight contract for Henderson. In addition, he also agreed to compete in the 2002 Pride Middleweight Grand Prix. "Dan Henderson is one of the top middleweight fighters in the world," stated Kanda. "He has fought in Pride three times and has delivered great fights in each show, so we really wanted to sign him to a new contract." Henderson was equally pleased with the new deal. "I’m very happy to re-sign with Pride," he commented. "And I’m particularly excited about the possibility that the event might take place in Las Vegas, which is just two and a half hours from my hometown." |
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From the event’s promoter: Gladiator Challenge #7 News  Pete Sprat signs for Gladiator Challenge#7 Current Ring of Fire Champion, Pete Sprat, known for his knockout power & pinpoint accuracy will test his skills against Brian Sleeman from the Dragon’s Lair. Sleeman is coming off of a convincing victory over Lion’s Den fighter Tony Galindo, and looks to chalk up another with Sprat. Also Cruz Chacon out of Boulder Colorado & currently the Rocky Mountain Champion will face W.C.G standout, Phillip Miller. Miller is an All American Wrestler who likes to stand and bang with anyone. Miller is also udefeated & is looking to capture the 185Lbs Gladiator Challenge Title belt. Another outstanding matchup on this card is Rich Mendalson from Charles Gracie’s Academy & current Pan American BJJ Champion, he will face off against Chris Brennan’s & Next Generation’s, Buck Greer. Greer is undefeated in NHB competition & is a very well rounded fighter in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. This card will also feature Jake Shields from the Caesar Gracies camp, Robert Ferguson of Team Freedom, Charles "Crazy Horse" Bennet out of Florida, Noah Schnibel from The Animal House, and also, quickest Knockout Champion, Jeremy Edwards from Dave Velasquez’s Extreme Fighting Academy. This event sales out every time and there are less than 200 tickets left for this event so get your tickets now or be left out in the cold. You can purchase them online at: www.ticketsplus.com or or call Tickets Plus at: (800)585-3737 or purchase at Colusa Cacino at: (530)458-8844 MAIN EVENTS FEATURE FIGHTS UNDERCARD BOUTS |
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From RITC Writer/Statistician John Petrilli: RITC XXXI – The Triumphant Return Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2001 Time: Doors Open: 5:30 PM, Fight Time: 7:30 PM Location: Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona VIP Seating (first 3 rows): $25 Rage in the Cage XXXI will be hosting numerous Fight Teams from throughout the Southwest. Teams participating in RITC XXXI, at this time, include the Eddie Deluca Academy (New Mexico), Greg Jackson’s Combat Team (New Mexico), Rafael Lavato’s Vale Tudo Team (Oklahoma), Reno Academy of Combat (Nevada), Warrior Spirit Submission Fighting Team headed by Eric Walker (Safford, AZ), Bob Karmel’s Back Alley Camp (Chandler, AZ), Savage Te Dawg Pound (Glendale, AZ), Martin Escobar’s Debrazil Academy (Tucson, AZ), Brausa Combat Fighting Team (Tempe, AZ) and Brausa Fighting Systems (Phoenix, AZ). RITC has upgraded the competition level for fighters seeking a challenge. RITC also serves as a "launching pad" for fighters looking to "move up the ladder" to compete in KOTC, Pride and the UFC. Fighters such as Ricco Rodriquez, Homer Moore, Kauai Kupihea and Edwin Dewees have all competed on numerous occasions in RITC. The show is about 2 weeks away and there will be approximately 15 fights. Here are just some of the planned match-ups. Main Event: Edwin Dewees (205 lbs), Brausa Combat Fighting Team Super Fights: Rick Collup (245 lbs), Reno Academy of Combat – Nevada Justin Lyon (380 lbs), Savage Te Dawg Pound Joseph Riggs (249 lbs), Wrestling Featured Fight: Mike Berardi (180 lbs), Brausa Fighting Systems Also featured on the card will be Farrell Frisby, and two of the three Upshur brothers. Ty, returning after a long absence, and James, returning following his huge upset Main Event victory in RITC XXX where he was substituting for his injured brother Shawn. This should be an awesome show with a lot of fresh faces. The Fight Card subject to change. For both out-of-town and local fighters, weigh-ins will start at 3PM at Celebrity Theatre on November 7 (the day of the event). It’s important to check-in there no later than 5PM for your weigh-in, administrative paperwork, the rules meeting and pre-fight physicals. Tickets for RITC available at the Celebrity Theatre Box Office (602-267-1600) or at Ticketmaster (480-784-4444). For additional information, please call 480-446-8127 or visit www.rageinthecage.com |
