Independence Day Shake-ups
with the World Fighting Alliance
By Jim Genia

      "I worked all night until about four or five in the morning calling people," says Lewis from behind the podium. Flanked by his remaining competitors, he announces the substitutes that are on the way. For Trigg, there’s Jason Medina — a Miletich-trained fighter with a 10-2 record, a background in boxing and wrestling, and wins over the likes of Brian Dunn and Justin Ellison.

      "I trained to fight, I came to fight, so I’m going to fight whoever it is," says Trigg. "It doesn’t make a difference who gets thrown in front of me." Adds Trigg jokingly, "unless it’s John Lewis, we’ll be okay."

For Eastman, there’s Tom Sauer — another Team Extreme representative with a 10-6 record, knockout hands and newly acquired submission skills courtesy of the American Top Team, with wins over the likes of Andrei Kopylov and Valentijn Overeem. Applauded for his quick work this late in the game (and for the caliber of replacement, as Sauer has the tools and experience to give Eastman a war), Lewis is all smiles. Aside from these last minute changes, the WFA Level 2 show tomorrow night is approaching smoothly.

      The weigh-ins go off without a hitch. Lightweights Shaolin and Joe Hurley both come in at 155 pounds, middleweights Tiki and Kit Cope are 183.5 and 176 pounds respectively, and Trigg weighs 178 pounds. Medina, who is still en route from Iowa, will step on the scale tonight with representatives from both camps present — but all parties have agreed to have this bout in the middleweight division.

Light-heavyweights Eastman and Sauer are 204 and 206 pounds (the Nevada State Athletic Commission allows a one pound grace). In the heavyweight division, Overeem and Brink are 223 and 217, while Kimo and Tim Lajcik are 234 and 230. And rounding out the card, middleweight champion hopefuls Andre and Villasenor are 183.5 and 184.

FCF:   Welcome to Vegas, Tom. You took this fight on about 36 hours notice. How did this all come about?
TS:     Me and Monte [Cox] talked about coming out here a couple of months ago and we tried to match some opponents with John [Lewis]. It didn’t pan out, so I did the WEF and I won the light-heavyweight belt there. I was hoping to come out here last month, but it fell through. I was real disappointed but was training hard anyway for two other fights I have coming up this month — which I guess will now be pending since I’m fighting here. We’ll just play it by ear. But with those fights only two weeks away, I was ready to go. Monte gave me the call and I was on a plane.

FCF:   What were you doing when you got the call?
TS:     Monte caught me at about 3:30 am this morning. I was getting packed up to leave for a triathlon I was competing in at 6:30. Monte told me that "triathlons don’t pay, so you’re coming to Vegas." I jumped in the car and got to an airport.

FCF:   You’ve lost some weight since the last time I saw you. Did you drop down a weight class to light-heavy as well?
TS:     Yea, the last time I saw you at the Meadowlands for UFC 32 I was about 230 pounds. Now, I’m at 205. I’ve been doing triathlons along with my training in jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. I started training with American Top Team as well down in Florida.

FCF:   You will be facing Marvin Eastman tomorrow night. What do you know about him?
TS:     Marvin Eastman is a great opponent. We’ll match up really well. I’ve seen a bunch of his fights and I’m really excited to take him on. I’m here to win.

FCF:   Off the top of your head, what will be your plan of attack?
TS:     I know he’s a good Muay Thai guy. I’ve seen all of his King Of The Cage fights, but I haven’t seen him let go real well. He fought one of my teammates Rich Franklin before [at WFA 1], so I’m pretty familiar with Marvin Eastman. The funny thing is you watch fight tapes, and you think, "Hey, that guy could be in my weight-class someday." He likes the takedowns, but I know he likes to strike. I’m planning on mixing it up with him, maybe going to the ground and getting the submission. I know he’s real strong and sometimes he overcompensates with that.

FCF:   A submission? You have a pretty good string of knockouts.
TS:     I left off in Japan with [Hiromitsu] Kanehara where I schooled him in RINGS, but you know how weird that show is sometimes. [Sauer lost via a TKO] I took last year off with an ACL injury and now that’s 150%, but being forced to spend a year on your back makes your jiu-jitsu a lot better. I don’t like to "ground and pound" anymore. I’ve got a few submissions in the bag.

185 Franz Mendez vs Eugene Stoupine
Round 2 win to Mendez when corner threw in towel

155 Charles Bennett vs Rick Davis
Round 4 (OT) win to Davis by Unanimous Decision

170 Marcus Aurelio vs Walter McCall
Round 2 win to Aurelio by tap from triangle choke

155 Shawn Porter vs Adam Copenhaver
Round 1 win to Copenhaver by TKO at 3:14

225 Mike Shepard vs Kevin Brooks
Round 1 win to Sheppard by tap strikes at 3:50

170 Mike Nelson vs Shawn Gay
Round 1 win to Nelson by TKO at 1:21

205 Wilson Gouveia vs Ahern Davis
Round 1 win to Gouveia by KO at 0:22

205 Dustin Denes vs Rory Singer
Round 2 win to Denes by tap at 1:42

225 Jeff Monson vs Forrest Griffin
Round 4 (OT) win to Griffin by Unanimous Decision

In the Light Heavyweight division Jason Autery from Illinois will be competing against Dan Covel from New York. These two pro fights will be accompanied by an exciting under card of amateur fighters from Texas, Louisiana, and Illinois. Look for a night of getting all banged up at the SWAMP.

USMMA to Host Ring of Fury 2 Championships in Lowell, Mass on September 21, 2002

PIC: Nuri Shakir is all smiles being congratulated by fans after his victory at RING of FURY. Shakir returns for ROF 2.

The United States Mixed Martial Arts organization will be hosting the Ring of Fury 2 Championships, the largest mixed martial arts event in New England. This event will be hosted at the state of the art, 8000 seat, Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Massachusetts on Saturday September 21, 2002 at 8:30pm. Doors open at 7:30pm.

The USMMA, the first organization to bring Massachusetts closed fist fighting, is very excited about the event and promises to deliver another very exciting show.

Well-known fighters from all over the country have committed to this landmark event and include Local favorite and USMMA Light Heavyweight Champion, Jorge Rivera, as well as the very popular crowd pleaser, Nuri Shakir. Many more exciting matches will be announced.

The event is being heavily promoted by WAAF radio, one of the largest radio stations in Massachusetts. Former Boston Bruin, Lyndon Byers, who will serve as Master of Ceremonies, will host the event.