Summer 2013


Bellator's Fight Master Begins and Ultimate Fighter 18


should be a great year for the FIGHT WORLD....

photos from:cagenetwork.com

 

 

USA TODAY recently reported that: Miesha Tate replaces injured Cat Zingano as coach on 'The Ultimate Fighter'

 

photo from: mmamania.com

 

Exclusive Interview - Eddie Bravo

 

 

 

EXCLUSIVE Q & A -Eddie Bravo

 

Mixed martial artists and fans of the sport worldwide have long respected the techniques of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which eventually came to be its own art through the experimentations, practices, and adaptation from the Judo knowledge of Carlos and Helio Gracie. The brothers then passed their knowledge of what is now called Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (aka Gracie Jiu-Jitsu) onto their family. As the art continues to grow in popularity more and more individuals realize the impact of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the contributions of guru Eddie Bravo whom under the tutelage of Jean Jacques Machado created the 10 Planet Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu system a unique style of no gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu which was made to work both inside the cage and on the sporting mats.

The intentionality behind the creation was to have an unorthodox style which could keep an opponent under constant control and in the threat of danger. The main thing that separates 10th Planet Brazilian Jiu-jitsu from other styles is its innovation and constant evolution, with invented moves like the rubber guard, twister, and lock down.
I had a chance to sit down and meet with this innovator of this unorthodox style earlier this month outside of St Louis, MO.

 

READ MORE

EXCLUSIVE Q&A -Eddie Bravo Interview

read it on APOCALYPSE MMA

Article by Gwen Bartolini 

Why not women in the UFC ? A perspective from behind the cage

Since the explosion of the women’s divisions this past year . Many great female fighters have emerged and showcased their talents in 2011. Women like StrikeForce Champions Cristiane Cyborg and Miesha Tate show they have what it takes to take down their opponents and keep them down. Rising stars like Gina Carano, Marloes Coenen, Jessica Aguilar and Rhonda Rousey continue to escalate in popularity yet the UFC seems to remain uninterested.




We sit down with professional boxing trainer and noted MMA UFC Judge Richard Bertrand to get his point of view on the topic.

Gwen-"Many of us know you as UFC judge but you also have background as a boxing training and judo player can you tell us a little bit your background?"



Richard “ My uncle got me into martial arts, before I was born he visited japan and fell in love with the culture, so many aspects and martial arts. I was very fortunate, he told my mother he would pay for me to train when I was old enough. I started martial arts approximately at age 6 or 7 with judo, later kickboxing- At an early age I had some learned grappling and throws and was doing some kickboxing a few days a week."



Gwen -"Was that western style kickboxing?"



Richard –“yeah mostly America style no leg kicks –from the waist up”

Later Richard also Served as a boxing, referee and judge ( ameteur and professional)



Gwen-"We know your stand up skills are in demand and you have worked with some notable names in Boxing –I know one of the camps was the Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor camp back in 2010. Who else have you trained with?"



Richard “Well I also did a little work with Stacy Riley and a few other amateur women boxers as well.”



Gwen- "In the boxing training centers you have trained at –are the women training alongside men in the ring or do they keep them separate? "



Richard “Well, with the women’s training they don’t train certain days of the week which is different and understandable but other than that they have the same passion and desire and they put in the work to compete at the highest level. Some of these girls like Stacy, like that shes training very hard and motivated to go out there and be one of the best.”



Gwen-"Is it true that sometimes the men and women sparred with each other because sometimes there weren’t enough women sparring partners?"



Richard- “It is very difficult to get sparring partners and 90-95% of the time they spar with the men and some of the men don’t take it easy on them and they don’t want to be shown up by a girl. So when you see a girl whos standing there giving her all with these guys, you know she going to be something special. Your starting to see more like Women like Christy Martin who brought a lot to boxing-opened the door for women-she came out to fight and they are exciting -- and women like Laila Ali she is beautiful but has the skills of a fighter as well "



Gwen-"I am not an expert on injuries but I would imagine hyperextensions, mild contusions ,split lips, strains as well as sprains and black eyes may happen in the coarse of training. Given that in your experience are female fighters slowed down by these type of minor injuries? Do they react different than the guys in the gym?"

Richard -“No , women are basically the same as the men with those types of injuries, from cuts that require stitches, broken nose, black eyes the kind of injuries from combat sports….Some of the women get cut maybe in sparring and want to continue it is kind of good in a way. Maybe in sparring or something in that way hypothetical that way they can see if that is what they really want to do.-Some of the women get cut and they want to continue. Some of these women are super, super tough not only that but they are very talented as well.”







As reported from Cristiane Cyborg's facebook


“While I was preparing myself for my last fight I was having a difficult time cutting weight and used a dietary supplement that I was assured was safe and not prohibited from use in sports competition. It was never my intention to obtain an unfair advantage over Hiroko, mislead Strikeforce, the commission or my fans. I train harder than any fighter in MMA and do not need drugs to win in the cage, and I have proven this time and time again.

My only mistake is not verifying the diet aid with my doctor beforehand, and understanding that it was not approved for use in the ring. Unfortunately in the end I suffer the consequences and must accept the responsibility for my actions.”




**********


Gwen- "I understand sometimes women have more trouble making weight because of water weight retention and turn to dietary supplements or diuretics in the gym—is that sort of thing common place? -Cristiane Cyborg was recently suspended and stripped of her title because as reported , she used something she claimed she was told that was safe"







Richard “Um, In the gym I don’t see that sort of thing. I don’t work with the nutritionsists or anyting like that. The people are on strict diets and train properly....The fighters always conditioned themselves with diets properly and made sure that they didn’t need to use any of those and yes they could show up on tests. Now adays the diuretics and all that will leave a positive with the tests they are running now. Something you definateley want to stay away from- you have discipline, you train right the weight should definitely come off.”







Gwen-"I have heard that there are negative connotations with female fights. These are the same negatives we already have with female boxing, women’s hockey , female bull riding and roller derby . In your experience as a professional trainer, have you seen hindrances from having a female driven card? "



Richard-"No actually as a judge, let me tell you I’ve judged a lot of fights. Some of the womens that stand out they were showstoppers. One was Cristiane Cyborg vs Shayna Basler I judged that one-a pretty exciting fight…I think basically if you go out buy a ticket-you wanna watc h a fight you just want to be entertained-whatever male or female-they put on a good show, people will go and buy tickets."



Recently TMZ reported that The UFC has banned another substance -- estrogen -- because UFC honcho Dana White tells us he will "NEVER" allow a female fighter to step inside his octagon.



Gwen-"With women’s MMA popularity on the rise we can't help but wonder why so resistant-why do you think this is?"







Their are rumors that Zuffa may dedicate StrikeForce to women’s bouts – Do you think that is a good idea? Do you see a women’s division forming in the UFC one day ?






Richard -“I think in time it will happen. I don’t know if there are enough women fighting right now or if there is a league or something that fights all the time. Just because we don’t see them out there we don’t know how many are fighting all the time. It’s kind of like the evolution of fighters now, from one discipline to become a more complete martial artist as well. As more and more women start getting into the sport I think there’s gonna be a time that they will headline shows and maybe their own divisions and promotions that dedicate themselves to women fights. “







Gwen-On aside note
"How do you feel about instant replay for UFC Events for referees?"



Richard-“It’s something that could come along and might help the sport. At the end of the night we want to make sure we get the calls right. I’m not sure if that’s something the athletic commission could maybe put out a study and maybe see what type of percentages of fights that might be helped out. You know, maybe a decision might be changed if the information would have been available. Like I said my time has a trainer I spent a lot of time in the gym with the fighters and I understand their sacrifices and everything they are put thru want the call to be the right one at the end of the night.”











excerpt from:



http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2011/12/14/2634302/strikeforce-future-womens-mma-female-only



http://www.tmz.com/2011/01/19/dana-white-ufc-women-fighters-cris-cyborg-santos-gina-carano-mma-female/



Started training Matial Arts at the age of 7. Trained in Judo and Kickboxing.



Judged MMA as a pro in England, Ireland, Germany, Canada, and many states across the USA.



Events worked: UFC, Strikeforce, WEC, K1 Dynamite USA, Elite XC, IFL, Gladiator Challenge, Absolute Fighting Championship, Raze MMA Fight Night, Real Fighting Championships, Combat Fighting Championships, and others.



Notable fights judged:

Royce Gracie vs. Matt Hughes

Tito Ortiz vs. Rashad Evans

Chuck Liddell vs. Keith Jardine

Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Cung Le vs. Frank Shamrock (Championship Fight)

Anderson Sila vs. Nate Marquart (Championship Fight)

Frank Mir vs. Minotauro Nogueira

BJ Penn vs. Matt Hughes (Championship Fight)

Urijah Faber vs. Jens Pulver (Championship Fight)

Georges St Pierre vs Matt Hughes (Championship Fight)

Royce Gracie vs. Kazushi Sakuraba

Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida (Championship Fight)

Jamie Varner vs. Cowboy Cerrone (Championship Fight)

Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson (Championship Fight)

Gilbert Melendez vs. Shinya Aoki (Championship Fight)

Dominick Cruz vs. Demetrious Johnson (Championship Fight)

Jose Aldo vs. Rolando Perez



First UFC as a judge: UFC 60 Gracie vs. Hughes

Total Championship fights judged as a pro: 28





Wanna get involved?

http://www.facebook.com/uamma.com.women.ufc

http://www.facebook.com/WomenFighters

UFC 128 -Shogun vs Jones

Shogun  Rua vs Jon "Bones" Jones

From the beginning of Round one it seemed that Jones was setting the pace of the fight. Shogun made various attempts to damage the challenger and succeeded with minimal damage. Rua was out matched by Jones’ long  reach,which made it hard for him to get in from any angle. The fight turned ending surprisingly when Jon caught Shogun with a kick which stunned him  and put him to the mat. Next the champion then got up still walking on queer street he walked into a furry from Jones which started with a knee and  ended with a battered Shogun on the ground.


A great fight overall- but one can't help but wonder if Jones has enough of the experience to keep the belt or if Rashad wrestle it from him later this year.





Mirko Filopovic Cro Crop vs Brendan Shaub

The day was filled with anticipation at the thought of such a great card. Recently a lot of smack talked filled the airwaves from Schaub in regards to the Cro cop vs Schaub fight. So like so many others I was on the edge of my seat again anticipating another Cro Cop fight.

The first few rounds of the fight were pretty evenly scored. The two seemed to be exchanging pretty evenly. I thought it was going to have to go to the hands of the judges.However in the middle of round 3 the fight ended quickly when Mirko began to throw a left low kick and was stopped by Brendan’s overhand right which caught in him square in the temple –folding Mirko to the ground. Afterward we overheard how Brendan is such a big fan of Mirkos he even remarked to Mirko that he started in the sport because of him.

Now, again the rumors have began to circulate about Mirko retiring from the UFC or Dana dropping him since his most recent fights haven’t been Cro Cop knockouts. But I hope before they hand Mirko his UFC walking papers that they consider how many fans this legend brings to the seats and why we keep coming, because obviously this man keeps bringing his best no matter the consequences and he keeps influencing the sport. If that is the case hopefully Strikeforce will capitalize on this man’s talent and existing fanbase before bringing in another newcomer.


Strikeforce by Out

 Can you believe that Zuffa bought Strikeforce -Thanks to the real scoop from Inside MMA this past week--They claim they will keep business as usual and seperate business but I do smell Superfights in the future both here and in Japan! whoo! :)

***************

Way to guys! ~Gwen ;)

photo from :CROCOP.INFO

UFC 126



Anderson Silva vs Vitor Belfort

Anderson " The Spider" Silva lives up to his nickname

photo by: Cdn3.SBNATION.COM Silva 02/05/11

The fight began and you could see the two fighters beginning to feel eachother out. Anderson stalked Vitor sizing up his punches methodically. Anderson seemed quite comfortable in his defense as Vitor finally attempted to exchange. After only a few minutes ( 3:25 )into the first round Vitor began to get comfortable and dropped his hands and Anderson capitalized on his relaxed form and then teep kicked Vitor in true Muay Thai fashion knocking him out.

Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin

The two exchanged pretty evenly for three rounds, with Forrest winning a 29-28 decision.

John Jones vs Ryan Bader

Jones truly set the pace of the fight while still defending a few Bader submissions and ended up submitting Bader with a second round gullotine choke earning him a title shot.

Light -Heavy Weight Champion "Shogun" prepares for new contender

The bout for Light-Heavyweight Champion will take place in March with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua against John Jones since "Suga" Rashad Evans was recently injured.

VITAL STATISTICS



Name Mauricio Rua

Nick Name Shogun

Record 19 - 4 - 0 (Win - Loss - Draw)

Wins 16 (T)KOs ( 84.21 %)

1 Submissions ( 5.26 %)

2 Decisions ( 10.53 %)



Losses 1 (T)KOs ( 25 %)

2 Submissions ( 50 %)

1 Decisions ( 25 %)



Association Universidade da Luta

Weight 201lbs (92kg)

Birth Date 1981-11-25

City Curitiba

Country Brazil

Nicknamed Shogun, Rua was the winner of the PRIDE Fighting Championship's 2005 Middleweight (205 lb) Grand Prix. He received a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Nino Schembri after winning the Pride 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix, as well as being a black belt in Muay Thai.



It looks like Jones will have his work cut out for him if he wants to win over the Chute Box Academy graduate!

::Fight Byte::



Did you know?


Muay Thai is also called the science of 8 limbs


Watch for Rua vs Jones in March at UFC 128!

excerpt from: wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maur%C3%ADcio_Rua

Fighter to watch in 2011

girlswithmuscle.com."Rin Nakia"

Rin Nakai -Shooto Dojo Shikoku camp

Sengoku-  Soul of Fight Dec 30, 2010

Rin Nakai vs. Mika Harigai

Rin had an impressive quick 10TH win that went something like this-- a round of pounding, then a shoot -ending in a take down, finally finishing with a stong armed kimora!

Prior to making her MMA debut, as a freelance,  Nakai had four grappling matches on July 23, 2006 (2006-07-23) at Smackgirl Grappling Queen Tournament 2006 in the middleweight tournament. She defeated Harumi by armbar and ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship 2007 finalist Felicia Oh by points (10-4). She lost against Takayo Hashi by points (4-17) and Akiko Ninomiya by referee decision after drawing in points (0-0, advantages 2-2), and finished in fourth place

MMA RECORD

Total 10

Wins 10

By knockout 3

By submission 4

By decision 3

Losses 0


***************
Way to go Rin! ~Gwen ;)
 
excerpt from wikipedia.com
and photo by: girlswithmuscle.com

Strikeforce - Diaz vs Cyborg



photo by: http://cdn1.sbnation.com/

Nick Diaz and Evangelista Cyborg

The Welterweight Champion keeps his title.

Nick's slightly akward stand up skills met their match in Evangelista Cyborg. Although some might argue that Cyborg set the pace of the fight early on  by landing low kicks to Diaz's lead leg time and time again. The tables turned when it hit the ground and Diaz submitted Cyborg with an armbar in the second round.



Another fight that stood out from the night was "Jacare" vs Lawler

phot by: http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/

Ronaldo "Jacare"Souza

"Jacare" survived  his first title defense. Opponent  Robbie Lawler knocked him hard in the first round and the stunned "Jacare" looked shaken.“He has a hard punch, man!” said Souza of Lawler, but although initally stunned "Jacare" gained his composure and rested back on his jui jitsu strengths and won by rear naked choke.

After the fight when asked if he wanted to fight Strikeforce's own  Jason "Mayhem" Miller  "Jacare" replied stoically“You kidding me man? I beat this guy two times. No more!”

* I am thinking perhaps he will change his mind these days, since we know now so many Bully Beatdown fans would pay to see that  -me included !~Go Mahem!
Gwen ;)


photo by: http://radiobigboy.com/

Strikeforce Challengers

photo by: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/

Jan. 7 2011 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville,TN

(Brief overview of night below)



Nunes vs Budd


The women grabbed the Strikeforce spotlight again. Overall It was a great night of fights, but I especially liked the Nunes Budd fight --go figure! Nunes was like a little pitbull pouncing with her striking --knocking out Budd just 14 seconds! However I still don't think she would size up against the champion's striking power though. If they end up fighting I don't think it will go in Nunes' favor and Cyborg will overpower her.

photo by: http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/

Champion -Cristiano Cyborg -Chute Boxe Camp

Humphrey vs Ovince Saint Preux

The Abongo Humpry /OSP fight was a good one too-- I thought Abongo was going to get the win since he pretty much set the pace--but he ended up lacking on the ground.

photo by: http://farm6.static.flickr.com/

Cormier vs Cole
The Cormier/Cole fight was a great one too. Many of us were surpised by his stand up as well as his ground and pound too.
 
 

Woodley vs Saffiedine

Finally the main event Woodly  "T- Wood"  vs "Sponge" Saffiedine was impressive.Although Sponge was most active and he had a strong third round,Woodley controlled the first two rounds, and dictated the action and won the desicion.

 
 

photo by: http://www.cagetoday.com/



Strikeforce Challengers Nashville did not disappoint. The night was filled with action even a few knees!~
Gwen ;)

 

*photos courtesy of http://www.cagetoday.com/, http://www.strikeforce.com/
 http://www.sbnation.com/ , www.nhbnews.blogspot.com and http://www.sherdog.com/

 

 

Coming soon-

Jan 29th Strikeforce 

Diaz vs Cyborg

Strikefroce returns to HP Pavilion in San Jose as Welterweight Champ Nick Diaz will face Evangelista Cyborg and Middleweight Champ Jacare Souza will square off with Robbie Lawler!

http://www.strikeforce.com/

 

 

UFC 115 and Strike Force

UFC 115-- CRO COP VS BARRY and LIDDELL VS FRANKLIN

For those that missed it -it was a great night of fights! But although the card held many favorites including Chuck the "Ice Man" Liddell no fight stuck out more than Mirko Filopovic "Cro Cop" vs Pat Barry. 

UFC 115 was held in the City of Vancouver, Canada on Saturday, June 12. I have to admit I was on the edge of my seat watching the

TWO amazing strikers going at it full force. Each round becoming more and more fiercesome. While these two fighters battled all  the while you could see the respect for one another in each of their eyes. Before long Cro Cop did take the victory, but Pat Barry did not leave anything behind.

photo and excerpt courtesy of : Sherdog.com

“I never met Pat, but I definitely like the guy,” said Cro Cop. “Not because he said that I’m one of his favorite fighters; I like him because he’s very polite and I don’t like that tough attitude of fighting at the press conference. This is just a sport and I like people who act like sportsmen. Pat is definitely a sportsman, he’s a good fighter, a good striker, and that’s what I like. I prefer to stay in the standup position, Patrick will stay in the standup position, it will be a good standup war and I think the audience will be very satisfied with the fight. The second thing is that there will be many Croatian fans and flags, and what fighter could wish for more than that? A good opponent and an excellent audience, that’s all I can wish for.”

By Thomas Gerbasi

Read the entire story at: http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=82605

references: Sherdog.com

StrikeForce

Fedor "The Last Emporer" Emelianenko vs Fabricio Werdum

excerpt taken from: Bloody Elbow.com

by: Kid Nate

The biggest upset in MMA history happened tonight.Fabricio Werdum trapped Fedor Emelianenko in a triangle- arm bar and forced the tap in the first round.

The world's #1 heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko put his reputation, but no title belt, on the line against Brazilian jiu jitsu ace Fabricio Werdum at Strikeforce: Fedor vs Werdum.

Going into the bout, a great deal of controversy swirled about whether or not Fedor, riding a ten year undefeated streak, remains the undisputed beat heavyweight in the game with the UFC's Brock Lesnar, Shane Carwin, Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez rising fast.

Fedor appeared unphased by the controversy, displaying his usual preternatural calm in the cage. Big John McCarthy, another MMA legend in exile from the UFC, reffed the match.


Werdum landed first with a glancing leg kick but it wasn't long before Fedor dropped him with a hard series of punches. Fedor lept into Werdum's guard and quickly found himself trapped by the former jiu jitsu world champion. Werdum locked up a triangle and used it to get the arm bar.

Cyborg vs Finney
excerpt taken from:Fightline.com
http://www.fightline.com/fl/news/2010/0626/529543/strikeforce-fedor-vs-werdum/index.shtml by Tim Ngo

Finney lands a nice right and appears to have upset Cyborg. The champ has her clinched against the cage and lands some knees to the thigh.


Cybog lands some bombs in the center of the cage and connects with a sick Muay Thai knee to the grill that drops Finney.



Finney survives and fights on. Cyborg lands some more power shots against the cage and drops Finney again. Finney will not quit.



Cyborg putting on a striking exhibition as she drops Finney again. Cyborg lands some knees to the body and is destroying Finney.



Ref takes point away from Cyborg for hitting to the back of the head. She warned Cyborg multiple times before stopping the bout to deduct.



Cyborg picks up where she left off and lands countless shots to the grill. Finney will not quit despite the barrage.



Cyborg stands over her and is waiting for ref to stop it. Finney is hanging in on though. Fans start booing, perhaps want fight stopped.



To say it's one-sided would be an understatement. Ref needs to watch Finney carefully in the second round. 9-8 Cyborg due to point deduction.



Finney lands another nice right to start a round. Cyborg is pissed again and starts pounding away. Crowd is booing because Finney ...



drops to the ground to protect herself. Finney is game, but Cyborg is killing her with vicious power shots to the face.



Cyborg drops her with a knee and drops a few shots before the fight is stopped. Cyborg easily defends her crown.


Cung Le vs Scott Smith

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos Defeated Jan Finney via KO at 2:56 in the second round (Cyborg retains Strikeforce Women's Middleweight Title)

********************


* Overall this was a good fight to watch-- I was disappointed that Finney didn't put up more of a fight, but who could blame her she was fighting CYBORG!This woman is unstoppable!?~Gwen


Cung Le vs Scott Smith -II

Another great fight of the night!

Cung Le triumphed over Scott with his Sanshou skills.

Excerpt taken from:MMA FIGHTING by: Ben Fowlkes and photo by Jeff Chui

http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/06/26/strikeforce-live-blog-cung-le-vs-scott-smith-2-updates/

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The is the Strikeforce live blog for Cung Le vs. Scott Smith, a middleweight bout on tonight's Strikeforce and M-1 Global event from the HP Pavillion.

Le will look to avenge a painful loss to Smith last December when they meet for this rematch. Le was dominating their first encounter until a third-round knockout dealt him his first career loss.



The live blog is below.

Round 1: Smith gets after Le right away, closing the distance and forcing him into the fence. It's a partisan crowd for Le here tonight, but Smith had to be expecting that. The Vietnamese flags are out in force. Le deftly avoids a lunging punch from Smith and then tags him with a right. He's moving away from Smith's power and looking to counter, but Smith, true to his claims, is going after him and looking for the knockout. Le knocks Smith back up against the fence and Smith shoots in for a single-leg, but he's not even close to finishing it. Le softens up his body with some short punches. Smith works his way up to his feet and then nails Le with a hard hook. Le comes back with a head kick that's mostly blocked, then a two-punch combo that wobbles Smith. Smith looking for the single-leg again in the final seconds, but more as a respite from the stand-up game than legitimate strategy. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Le.

Round 2: They're right back to banging on each other in the second round, and Le unleashes another head kick that's mostly blocked, but still seems unpleasant. A spinning back kick to the gut drops Smith. Le follows him to the mat and picks his spots to punch, but Smith holds on and gets back to his feet. Another back kick to the stomach from Le and Smith is down again, clearly in a lot of pain. Le moves in carefully and lands several damaging blows. No answer from Smith, and that'll be it.

Cung Le def. Scott Smith via TKO (strikes) at 1:46 of round 2


( *Remember Cung Le left the ring to focus on his move career for a short while- watch for him in the new movie Tekken and Pandorum!)


Did you know? Cung Le's martial art's method is Sanshou
Sanshou (Chinese: 散手; pinyin: sǎnshǒu; literally "free hand") or Sanda (Chinese: 散打; pinyin: sǎndǎ; literally "free fighting") or an "unsanctioned fight" is a Chinese hand-to-hand self-defense system and combat sport.

UFC 107 -Penn vs Sanchez a night to remember!

Sherdog.com http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/UFC-107-Results-and-Live-Play-by-Play-21462
Monday, December 14, 2009

photo by: http://t1.gstatic.com/images

   Sherdog.com reports from the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn.,

with UFC 107 results and live play-by-play. In the main event,

lightweight champion B.J. Penn will put his title on the line against

challenger Diego Sanchez.

Frank Mir vs. Cheick Kongo

photo by: http://t1.gstatic.com/

Round 1

Mir floors Kongo with a left hook lead. Mir pounces and locks up a

guillotine. Mir tells referee Herb Dean that Kongo is out. Dean lifts the arm

of Kongo to verify, and it’s confirmed. Frank Mir chokes Cheick Kongo out

cold with a guillotine at 1:12 of the opening frame.



UFC Lightweight Championship

B.J. Penn vs. Diego Sanchez

Round 1

Penn is all over Sanchez from the start as he belts the challenger with a right hook. Sanchez falls face first and

Penn is peppering him with punches from both hands. Sanchez is hardly defending, but referee Herb Dean

does a tremendous job in letting the fighters work. Sanchez takes a beating but he’s still in the game. Sanchez

gets to his feet and now is fighting very tentative as he clears his head. Penn snaps Sanchez’s head back with

a jab and a right hand. Another right straight clips the chin of Sanchez. Sanchez, bleeding from the bridge of

his nose by the right eye, shoots in for a single. Penn sprawls and defends beautifully. Sanchez opens up and

is smashed by a right-hand counter. Sanchez walks to the wrong corner at the bell.



Jordan Breen scores the round 10-8 Penn

Brian Knapp scores the round 10-8 Penn

Mike Fridley scores the round 10-8 Penn

photo from: vo2ov.com

Round 2

Penn measures Sanchez off and fires a right-hand lead that falls short. The challenger shoots for a single and

swoops up Penn’s left leg. The champion’s balance is amazing. He hops on one foot and avoids the

takedown while making it look easy. Again Sanchez shoots and fails. The crowd starts to chant “B.J., B.J.”

Penn has taken control of the center of the Octagon. Sanchez is circling while Penn cuts off the cage.

Sanchez drops levels for two more takedowns and it’s clear that he can’t take Penn down early in the fight.

Sanchez throws a sloppy right hook and Penn uses head movement to avoid it, just as he has since the

opening bell. Sanchez briefly trips Penn to the floor, but the Hawaiian hops back to his feet in less than a

second. Through two rounds, Penn is both dominating and more fresh in terms of wind.



Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Penn

Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Penn

Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Penn



Round 3

Sanchez charges in for a takedown and is still unable to secure it. Penn’s balance and space is too refined.

Sanchez puts his head down and looks at the floor while throwing a one-two. The punches miss their mark

by a foot. A left-footed head kick is blocked by Penn and the fight goes back to the clinch as Diego misses

on another takedown. Penn cracks Sanchez with a standing elbow. Sanchez is displaying his best war face,

but he’s been unable to land a single significant strike or takedown. Puts stuffs another and roughs Sanchez

up with a right hook. Penn bounces on his right foot while Sanchez tries desperately to drag him to the floor.

Penn has none of it, and lands another right hand before time expires.



Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Penn

Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Penn

Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Penn



Round 4

Sanchez attempts a head kick that doesn’t come within feet of Penn. The champion connects with right hook

as Sanchez tries to clinch. Penn backs Sanchez up to the fence and hurts him with a right hand that crisply

follows a jab. Penn lands another right hand that forces Sanchez to retreat. A resilient Sanchez tries

takedown after takedown, but he just can’t execute it. The pace slows as Sanchez works for a double

against the fence. Penn defends by pushing the head down. The crowd goes restless and begins to boo. Penn

chucks Sanchez off and returns to the center of the cage. Sanchez comes forward and Penn blasts him with a

right-hand lead.



Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Penn

Brian Knapp scores the round 10-9 Penn

Mike Fridley scores the round 10-9 Penn



Round 5

Sanchez has an awful cut on his bottom lip. Cornerman Saulo Ribeiro pleas with Sanchez to take Penn down

in between rounds. Sanchez comes out and tries just that, but he has no chance. Sanchez pushes his head to

the floor and beats him up with punches and elbows. Sanchez stands and Penn lands a head kick that opens

up a three-inch cut above the left eye of Sanchez. The challenger tries for a desperation takedown that is

easily defended. Blood is pouring from the face of Sanchez and Herb Dean calls time to have the cut

examined. The cavernous gap is jagged and wide, which gives the doctor no choice but to call and end to the

fight. The official time is 2:37 or round five.

urdirt.com (photo from)

References/ Source

Excerpt /Story from Sherdog.com

photos from:
Sherdog.com
vo2ov.com
urdirt.com
pics4city.com

*******************
We had great fight seats at the fight, we were lucky enough to sit in the midst of the fighters family section so throughout the coarse of the night  we were overwhelmed with cheers, jeers and cries of the Penn/Sanchez section.

What more can I say, Memphis left a lasting impression on me--overall the weekend was filled with fun, excitement, fun with some great people, amazing BBQ (and a trolley~ -I say loved it! Gwen ;)

 Richard Bertrand judged that night of fights, he introduced us to some great people and sent us a token to remember the night!

Inspiration-These words bore into me...

These words bore into me...


A wise man once said...

   Life is full of influences, It's your application that sets you apart. That's something I wrote to myself and

completely believe in. You can't be scared to set out to do something in life because you believe it may be

similar to something, or because you don't know the clear cut path on how you're going to accomplish your

goal or dream! Just take a step towards your belief daily - fearlessly, wholeheartedly, digging and dreaming

within yourself, believing that as you push on through sacrifice, you will one day stand alone on top of a hill

that you created that now encourages and inspires others to chase their dream. Knowing that through

tenacity and patience anything can be achieved. If you simply believe.





photo by mmamixer.com

 

UFC HALL OF FAME INDUCTION

So excited to announce that Charles "Mask" Lewis Jr. was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Friday, July 10, 2009 at Mandalay Bay along with "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell.

External References /Sources
http://media.lasvegassun.com/ (photos by)
http://www.tapout.com/index.cfm?fa=AboutUs.home
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jul/11/liddell-mask-ushered-ufc-hall-fame/

"Knowing that through tenacity and patience anything can be achieved.... If you simply believe."

photo from: http://media.lasvegassun.com/

Carano Cyborg Conference

excerpt from Strikeforce.com


STRIKEFORCE.COM TO STREAM CARANO / CYBORG PRESS CONFERENCE LIVE FROM MADISON SQUARE GARDEN THIS TUESDAY!


This just in ...




"NEW YORK (July 10, 2009) –-The eagerly anticipated Gina Carano-Cris Cyborg press conference and fan meet and greet session will be streamed live in its entirety, exclusively on STRIKEFORCE’s official website, www.strikeforce.com, from New York City’s Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, July 14, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. PT.""At stake in the Carano-Cyborg showdown at San Jose, California’s HP Pavilion on Saturday, August 15 will be the newly created STRIKEFORCE Women’s 145-Pound World Title."




Saturday, August 15 will be the newly created STRIKEFORCE Women’s 145-Pound World Title.


Did you know?
Gina's dad is Glenn Carano - a former American football quarterback in the National Football League


Speaking for some many lovers of the sport ---Damn, finally a 145lb female women's STRIKEFORCE title --what can I say this is exiting!

Cyborg prepares for Carano Fight



External links

http://www.strikeforce.com/news/News.asp?story_id=184

Cristiane Justino Venancio Santos (July 9, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She currently trains at the Chute Boxe Academy . With a 7 -1 record this strong female fighter is proving herself time and again. With 5 wins by Knock out it's no wonder that Cris "Cyborg" Santos has made it to the ring to fight Gina Carano.








"Carano vs Cyborg is a match-up fans have been waiting for since the EliteXC days. This will be Gina’s first fight since last October when she beat Kelly Kobal by unanimous decision. Cyborg is coming off a win in April against the undersized Hitomi Akano at Strikeforce “Diaz vs Shamrock”. *excerpt from MMACity.com



Did you know? Chris and her husband share the same nickname

Cristiane Justino Venancio Santos (July 9, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. She currently trains at the Chute Boxe Academy alongside her husband Evangelista Santos. Both she and her husband share the nickname "Cyborg". She was born in Curitiba the city known for it's champions like Anderson Silva & Wanderlei Silva .



References/Sources
External links


http://mmacity.com/2009/06/07/gina-carano-vs-chris-cyborg-on-strikeforce-aug-15/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristiane_Santos

http://criscyborg.com/

Copyright © 2009 Insider's Information Fight News and Opinion.

Roach declared Number 1 Pound For Pound trainer

 Excerpt from: http://www.wildcardbc.com%20roach/ 
Roach declared top P4P trainer

Nov 29, 2010

The world’s best trainer Freddie Roach holds up his special five-tier trophy that was awarded to him after

he led four-time world champion pound-for-pound king Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao,General Santos,

Philippines to a devastating knockout victory over Ricky “The Hitman” Hatton, Manchester, England

Saturday night in Las Vegas. The special five foot trophy, an award for the trainer of the winning fighter, had

the inscription “No. 1 Pound for Pound Best Trainer in the World” and was a contest between Roach and

Floyd Mayweather Sr., the trainer of Hatton.

Excerpt and photo from :wildcardbc.com

In the world of mixed martial arts (MMA), Roach has trained former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei

Arlovski and was one of his primary trainers for Arlovski's victory over Ben Rothwell on July 19 at

Affliction's inaugural show.[8] He has also trained MMA fighter Dan Hardy for his fight with Marcus Davis at

UFC 99 as well as MMA greats, Tito Ortiz, Anderson Silva and BJ Penn.

Excerpt from: Fightnewsexpert.com 11/13/09 and
http://pacquiao-vs-cotto.blogspot.com/2009/11/roach-goes-from-coach-to-master.html

  There’s a reason why Manny Pacquiao calls Roach his “master.” With Roach calling the shots in Manny’s

corner, the Pac Man has amassed a record of 17-1-2 while wreaking havoc and earning titles from

featherweight to light welterweight. It’s difficult to not crown the Pac Man as the current king of boxing. It

makes it even more difficult to not call Freddie Roach the best trainer on the planet.



Bravo Freddie~ it's no secret , the general consensus is --you have more than earned it! Gwen :)

References:
Wikipedia®
http://wikipedia.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Roach_(boxing)
http://www.fightnewsextra.com/cc/2009Fights/11-trainerroach.html

UFC 103-CRO COP VS DOS SANTOS

photo by: http://www.cdn.sherdog.com/

Sunday, September 20, 2009

UFC 103-CRO COP VS DOS SANTOS


Dos Santos Wins By TKO in the third round
During the fight last night, I heard many shout that Mirko "Cro Cop" may be nearing the end of his career or that he doesn't seem to have the drive in him any more and should hang it up. Being a newer fan of the sport I wasn't sure of what I would see during this fight or if this held merit. But fortunately, being a newer fan I think it has actually helped me assess the situation more rationally. Maybe because since I have had a chance to flood my mind with MMA videos the past few months, including many Pride championship and K1 bouts that Mirko participated in.

Now, I have definately seen a difference in the way "Cro Cop" engages his opponents since his Gonzaga loss in 2007. He seems a bit timid with his body language and almost apologizes each time he throws a sloppy punch, at which time his opponents jump in ( as if they see that weakness ) and begin to pounce. I'm thinking his camp (Vos Gym training camp?) should try to enstill that shake it off attitude and remind him not to sweat the small stuff and stay agressive and maybe concentrate on not expelling so much effort on high kicks and just go for the body-- since those "Cro Cop" kicks would put them down too. ~Gwen


Mirko updates!

I was excited to read that Mirko 'Cro Cop' may return to the UFC afterall. Since the last UFC fight that featured 'Cro Cop' (UFC 99), many rumors have circled that Mirko broke some sort of promise. The rumors went on to say how Mirko went back on his pledge with Dana White (UFC president) and signed a long-term deal with the promotion; stateside reps for Japanese promotion Dream. hmmmmmmm....


MMAFIGHTING.com reported:
http://www.mmafighting.com/news/2009/07/09/mirko-cro-cop-could-be-back-with-ufc-ufc-103

http://www.sherdog.com/news/blog/cro-cop-may-settle-in-with-ufc-18431


  Flying to meet with Mirko 'Cro Cop' last week at his home in Croatia, UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta

reportedly made the striker "an offer he couldn't refuse." And it's appearing that Cro Cop has accepted.

The article went on to say that "Junior Dos Santos is telling Portal de Lutas that he has been removed from a

UFC 102 fight against Justin McCully for a match against 'Cro Cop' at UFC 103 in Dallas. It's a step up in

competition that Dos Santos is pleased with. "To me it's incredible," Dos Santos told Portal de Lutas. "When

they asked me if they could change the fight date I was a bit bothered, because I wanted to fight right away.

I've been away for some time now. But the Fertitta brothers asked me and I accepted. After that I found out

it would be against 'Cro Cop' and was overjoyed. It'll be a big opportunity in my career. Lots of good things

have happened in my life and this is one more..."

In this case, though it was Fertitta who secured the deal, it wasn't White's approach but 'Cro Cop's' desire to

fight more frequently. A fight at DREAM 10 on July 20 had already been ready for 'Cro Cop'. That fight,

against "Mighty Mo," will be scrapped if 'Cro Cop' proceeds with the UFC 103 fight. "


***************

As Mirko 'Cro Cop' fans we can cross our fingers, that he will return to the octagon in the upcoming months!
~Gwen ;)


::Fight Byte::
Did you know?

Mirko also fought several times early in his career under the nickname "Tigar" (Croatian for "tiger") and his entrance theme song is The Wild Boys by Duran Duran.

Posted by Insiders-Gwen at 5:11 PM 0 comments






External links and sources:

References:

http://www.mmafighting.com/news/2009/07/09/mirko-cro-cop-could-be-back-with-ufc-ufc-103

http://www.sherdog.com/news/blog/cro-cop-may-settle-in-with-ufc-18431

http://www.mirko-crocop.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirko_Filipovi%C4%87

Gina Carano signs new deal with Strikeforce

( archives)
Gina Carano signs new deal

photo by:http://t3.gstatic.com/

Multiple sources told MMAWeekly.com that Carano’s new deal with Strikeforce nets her six-figures per fight.She said her decision not to go with Zuffa stemmed from the long-term viability, or lack thereof, of a women’s division built solely on her. Strikeforce’s commitment to women’s MMA gives her more opponents to look forward to.“I’m really backing them 100 percent,” said Carano. “The last two cards that they put on were incredible and I’m just really happy to be part of a promotion that’s got their stuff together and are organized and is willing to put good matches on, and not just have freak shows on their cards.”On Aug. 15, she and Cyborg will become the first women to headline a major mixed martial arts card in the U.S. Future opponents like Marloes Coenen, Erin Toughill, and Tara LaRosa wait in the wings.
 *excerpt from MMAWEEKLY.com

*************************

Gina has been referred to as the "face of women's MMA". A title which she may or may not agree with but one thing is for sure this female fighter or fight girl, powerpuff or whatever you want to call her has proven the demand for female fights in mainstream media is growing.

Girl Power! Gwen ;)





Did you know?



She appeared as "Crush" on the NBC show American Gladiators.



Gina Joy Carano (born April 16, 1982) is an American mixed martial arts fighter. Carano appeared as the Gladiator "Crush" on American Gladiators. She has been referred to as the "face of women's MMA".[1] Carano starred in the cult film Ring Girls.[21] Based on true events, Ring Girls is a fast-paced story about five American women from Las Vegas who take on the ultimate challenge of fighting the best female Muay Thai fighters in the world.[22]



Along with Lisa King, Carano served as a mentor to aspiring female fighters in the Oxygen reality series Fight Girls. She appeared as "Crush" on the NBC show American Gladiators. She is also featured in the new Michael Jai White film Blood and Bone.[23]



She was profiled in a feature story for the ESPN series E:60, and was voted "Hottest Woman In America" by Big Biz Magazine in the Spring 2008 issue.[24] On May 13, 2008, "Gina Carano" was the fastest-rising search on Google and third most searched person on Yahoo!.[25]HYPERLINK \l "cite_note-FighterFirst-1"[2] She has also appeared in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 as Natasha.[26] a purchaseable hero unit, portraying the Soviet sniper/commando in various cutscenes.



She was the #5 on the "Top Ten Influential Women of 2008" on Yahoo![27]

In May 2009 it was announced that Carano was ranked #16 in Maxim's Hot 100 list.

*excerpts from wikipedia.com and ginacarano.org




External links






http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=9024&zoneid=2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gina_Carano

http://www.gina-carano.org/

http://youtube.com/

http://www.strikeforce.com/news/News.asp?story_id=169

*photo courtesy of http://www.mmaspot.net/




Copyright © 2009 Insider's Information Fight News and Opinion.

Posted by Insiders-Gwen at 9:11 PM 0 comments

Labels: female fighter, gina carano