Spot On!
 Spot On! UFC 38 Serves Up A Mixed Bag Of Thrills, Chills, and Surprises British-Style By Loretta Hunt It came. It saw. It conquered. The Ultimate Fighting Championship had a winner on its hands tonight as UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall brought America’s premiere mixed martial arts event to great London, England. Traveling to a foreign land where it was not quite guaranteed the show would be embraced was a risk Zuffa Sports Entertainment was bravely willing to take. As a diverse crowd of young and old entered the 140-year old historical Royal Albert Hall, it became increasingly clear that this would be one of the most educated and respectful audiences ever to lay eyes on the sport. With one fight canceled due to fighter’s illness (Gil Castillo was not healthy enough to square off against welterweight opponent Tony DeSouza) and two preliminary bouts that might have been deemed lackluster in the eyes of lesser observers, UFC 38 could have quickly become a mediocre evening of fights. But, an exceptionally knowledgeable and patient crowd of 4,657 let the show find its pace and happily jumped onboard for a roller coaster ride of astonishing developments. With four local fighters on the card going two and two this evening, England got its chance to show it can hang with the "big boys" and the MMA inches forward in its quest to become the world’s number one combat sport. Looking tough and resolute, light-heavyweight Evan Tanner squared off against last-minute replacement Chris Haseman in the first preliminary bout of the evening. Haseman seemed game earlier on, landing a penetrating right kick that left a noticeable welt on Tanner’s thigh. Escaping a standing guillotine, Tanner took the reigns and proceeded to bring the game down to his playing field, where Haseman’s conditioning quickly came into question. Although the feisty Australian displayed ample amounts of heart by hanging in there, Tanner’s start to finish ground domination clearly earned him the unanimous decision. Light-heavyweight Elvis Sinosic came in tonight to reverse a two-fight losing streak, but the cards were stacked against him. Ruas Vale Tudo pupil Renato "Babalu" Sobral was too strong, too fast, and too aggressive for the Aussie looking to get the submission from his back. Although Sinosic exhibited his most offensive UFC fight to date, the Brazilian’s barrage of left-right "machine gun" strikes downward took its toll on "the King". With both his eyes swelling shut and blood flowing freely from a cut on his forehead, McCarthy called the doctors in with approximately 30 seconds left in the final round. Approved to finish the match, Sinosic made one final attempt to takedown his opponent, only to have Babalu reverse position and get the takedown himself. Babalu was awarded the unanimous decision win. The pace of the evening really started to cook when newcomers Phillip Miller and James Zikic squared off in the third bout. In a seesaw battle for domination, Miller showed an aptitude for "ground and pound" warfare while former amateur boxer Zikic got off some impressive punches as he fought "tooth and nail" to keep the match standing. However, Miller imposed his will frequently on the Londoner, gaining crucial points in the first and second rounds. By the third round, the two men were duking it out on "empty," having depleted all reserves from their body. Miller was awarded the unanimous decision. They say "you only get one chance to make a first impression" and these are words that Genki Sudo apparently lives by. Gazing up to the peak of the fighter’s ramp, fans feasted their eyes on the Japanese showman, draped in traditional kimono and wicker hat angled low over his face. Gazing up to meet stunned onlookers, Sudo completed his wardrobe with a flashy red and white kabuki mask and matching theatrical dance down the ramp that sent the crowd into a frenzy. Once into the ring, Sudo’s confident stance and fancy footwork, proved too much for already- edgy opponent Leigh Remedios. The UK’s top lightweight contender managed to stave off an array of attacks ranging from arm bar to flying triangle choke in the first round, but was never able to mount an offensive. Remedios came out more aggressive in the second round, but "the Neo Warrior" expertly put the match to bed with a powerful lateral drop to the fastest rear-naked choke this side of the equator. Remedios tapped out at 1:38 into round two. In the blink of an eye, Gloucester local Mark Weir etched himself a slot in the middleweight division with a devastating ten second knockout of six-time UFC veteran Eugene Jackson. At the sound of the bell, the Tae Kwon Do black belt threw a hook kick that baited "the Wolf" in. Throwing his signature gargantuan right hook, Jackson lunged head-on into a short right that sent him directly to the canvas. It took Jackson over a minute to recover from the hit, as the crowd went bananas for their hometown hero. In one of the most shocking match-ups of the evening, British underdog Ian Freeman quickly and methodically dispatched heavyweight rising star, Frank Mir. With a foolproof strategy, Freeman utilized an arsenal of punches, knees, and elbows to shakeup the 23-year old both on his feet and on his back. Placing his stock in his submission savvy, an unprotected Mir took heaping portions of unnecessary punishment from the Brit on the ground. McCarthy halted the match late in round one to access the damage, and in seconds it became all too clear that Mir was in no state to continue. Unable to stand freely, falling against the cage and then to his knees, Mir was practically unconscious on his feet. "The Machine" was awarded the TKO victory, upping his UFC record to 3-1.
The Results: Matt Hughes def. Carlos Newton – Tap out via verbal submission 3:37 Rd 4 |
|
From Josh Hedges/Zuffa: PAY-PER-VIEW RE-PLAYS OF UFC: BRAWL AT ROYAL ALBERT HALL TO AIR JULY 14-AUG. 1 ON CABLE NETS IN U.K., NORTH AMERICA LONDON, ENGLAND, July 14 ,2002….Pay-per-view re-plays of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) first European fight, Brawl At Royal Albert Hall in London, will air after the premiere at 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT, and 9:30 p.m. EDT/6:30 p.m. PDT, Saturday, July 13, on iN DEMAND, the Dish Network and DIRECTV in North America, and Sky Box Office in the United Kingdom. The suggested retail price in North America is $29.95 and 14 pounds sterling in the U.K. A re-play will start immediately after the conclusion of the live telecast on iN DEMAND’s Channel iN1 and the first Dish Network re-play will be at 1 a.m. EDT, July 14/10 p.m. PDT, July 13. Additional iN DEMAND re-plays will be at 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m. PDT, July 16, on Channel iN1 and at 11:30 p.m. EDT/8:30 p.m PDT on July 18 on Channel iN2. Dish Network re-plays will air at 10 p.m. EDT/7 p.m.PDT on July 14 and starting at 5 a.m. EDT/2 a.m. PDT on its All Day Direct Ticket on July 17, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30 and August 1. DIRECTV customers should check their online guide. Repeats on Sky Box Office will air every three hours each day starting at 9 a.m. Sunday, July 14 through Saturday, July 20. The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the world’s leading mixed martial arts sports event. It is owned and operated by Zuffa LLC, which is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev. The UFC also has partnership agreements with British Sky Broadcasting (BskyB) in London; WOWOW, Inc. in Tokyo, Japan, and Globosat Programmadora LTDA in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. |
|
From the event’s promoter:  The World Fighting Alliance on ESPN’s Mohr Sports Tuesday, July 16th  July 13th, 2002, Las Vegas, NV: Character and Class is what Jay Mohr of ESPN’s "Mohr Sports" represented at the WFA on July 5th, 2002. As the world stood in horror following the shooting deaths at Los Angeles Airport brought on by a depressed gunman the week prior to the show, Mohr had a decision to make. He could either stay home therefore postponing taping segments for the show or he could do what one with heart and conviction would do, and that was drive himself to the show. "Mohr Sports" was on hand to tape interview segments with many of the fighters and showcased why the World Fighting Alliance is the Dominant force in Mixed Martial Arts Competition bringing cutting edge entertainment along with Top Production Value. Prior to cornering and entering the ring with Frank Trigg, this bigger than life superstar (he would never call himself that… He even insisted on carrying his own luggage) said: "It is an absolute honor to be able to walk into the cage with Frank (Trigg). I respect what he’s (Trigg) here to do and that’s no B.S.". After the show, Mohr spoke about how this was by far the best field piece he had done on his show. Air Date: Tuesday, July 16th Watch this Tuesday, July 16th on ESPN as the World Fighting Alliance comes to Primetime on the "Mohr Sports" Show. Check your local listings. Questions? For WFA Contact: For P.R. / Media Contact: |
 Results from Revolution Fighting Championships By Aaron Crecy Revolution Fighting Championships Held July 13, 2002 Stardust Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, NV
Fight Two-Light Heavyweight Bout Fight Three-Middleweight Bout Fight Four-Welterweight Bout Fight Five-Light Heavyweight Fight Fight Six-Lightweight Bout Fight Seven-Heavyweight Bout Fight Eight Fight Nine |
 Super Brawl XXV Results Held July 13, 2002 Blaisdell Arena, Honolulu, Hawaii By Chris Onzuka – Chris@Onzuka.com  Super Brawl 25 was a heavily weighted card and thus started about thirty minutes earlier than usual in order to make sure that the event ended at a decent hour. Half the fight card was a number of young fighters with less than three fights on their records. The fighters had nothing to lose and everything to gain and it showed in their performance. Almost every fighter in every match went out to fight and take it to their opponent. Even the fights that went the distance were exciting. Normally they are often due to matching up too evenly skilled opponents and the fighters seem to counter act each other. Instead both fighters went toe to toe or stayed aggressive throughout their fights. This event was a little more special than the rest due to the fact that this would be Egan Inoue’s farewell match. Inoue officially retired after KO’ing Martijn de Jong in impressive fashion. Baret Yoshida showed the Hawaii crowd why he is called “The Finisher.” And Eddie Yagin had an absolute war with Jin Kazeta. Kazeta hurt Yagin with knees, while Yagin hurt Kazeta with punches. That was another exciting match from start to finish. Justin Mercado 141.8 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 1-1 Lyndon Talanoa 251 (Grappling Unlimited) 2-0 Nick Bradley 197.4 lbs (Shark Tank) SuperBrawl #5 Ranked Deshaun Johnson 164.4 lbs (HMC Pankration) 3-2 Will Hagerty 134.4 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) 0-0 Ian Nelms 167.2 lbs (Shark Tank) 1-0 Jay R. Palmer 150 lbs. (Freelance) 21-17 Baret Yoshida 142 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) SuperBrawl #5 Ranked 5-3-1 Eddie Yagin 141.2 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) SuperBrawl #3 Ranked 7-0 Kimikito Nonaka 131.8 lbs (Purebred Omiya, Japan) Shonie Carter 166.6 lbs Egan Inoue 181.0 lbs (Grappling Unlimited) Super Brawl Champion 14-3 |
|
Non-Stop Surprises at IFC 7/12 By Keith Mills 
It was a surprise to no one that Team Caesar Gracie went 4-0 but the rest of this night was full of surprises, from Dennis Hallman’s team going 0-5 to K-1 contender Carter Williams winning his Super Heavyweight bout by armbar. Female 135 lb title contender Debi Purcell had to cancel her originally scheduled fight against Canadian Chinese Boxing stand-out Melanie Dumont when Purcell reportedly broke her ribs in training. Dennis Hallman came through with Michelle Ford on short notice, but Michelle was making her debut with 2 days notice and trains around 125 lbs. Melanie’s reach, experience, and striking power were just too much for the game young Ford. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was Team Caesar Gracie student KC Stern even willing to fight Team Royce Gracie student Tosh Cook.
This was the first show at Eagle Mountain Casino in the heart of the mountains outside Porterville, CA. Beautiful scenery and an outdoor ring made this a venue well worth returning to. IFC will hold an amateur show later this month before returning to the East Coast for a show at the Mohegan Sun in CT in August. |
|
From Koichi "Booker K" ;Kawasaki: K-1 WORLD GP 2002 in Fukuoka Quick Results K-1 WORLD GP2002 in Fukuoka DATE: July 14th, 2002 START 15:00 PM PLACE: Marine Messe Fukuoka (Fukuoka pref, JAPAN) 6th Match: 5th Match: 4th Match: 3rd Match: 2nd Match: 1st Match: Preliminary fights 2nd Match: 1st Match: |
