UFC 60 Royce Gracie Vs Matt Hughes Video
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Great fight, if you missed the show your in for a treat.
What is Cage Rage? - TV interview and Growls
I love that Growl that Dave and Andy does.
PRIDE in Jeopardy? Whats going to happen after they lose Fuji TV Support
The PRIDE Fighting Championship has been the scene of many memorable battles since the promotion’s first show in 1997. But now the Japanese mixed martial arts organization is in the middle of one fight where knees, punches, stomps or submissions aren’t the weapons of choice.
Instead a fierce backstage battle with legal ramifications — not only for PRIDE promoter Dream Stage Entertainment but also for MMA — is unfolding in Japan as we speak.
June 5 was a busy evening for the promotion. After opening its first official Dojo in Tokyo, good news quickly turned into shocking news when hours later Fuji TV, one of the most important supporters of PRIDE over the past few years, publicly announced it had cancelled its contract with PRIDE and that the participation of fighters or people associated with DSE/PRIDE for future Fuji TV shows was prohibited.
Seiya Kawamata, the president of K-Confidence, which promoted the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2003 event broadcast by Nippon TV, alleged that three years ago he was threatened by members of the Yamaguchi-Gumi Yakuza family when they attempted to extort 200 million yen for the right to use current PRIDE heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko (Pictures).
This was brought into the public eye when Kawamata, fleeing Japan with money taken from Nippon TV that was designated to pay fighters and personnel involved in the production of the show, filed a criminal complaint with the Kanagawa police accusing a member of the Yamaguchi-Gumi family of trying to extort him for the right to use Fedor, Mirko Filipovic, Hidehiko Yoshida and Naoya Ogawa (Pictures), each of whom pulled out last minute.
Shukan Gendai
Kodansha Limited is the biggest publisher of literature and manga in Japan. Among their countless weekly publications is the tabloid known in Japan as Shukan Gendai.
The third or fourth largest weekly magazine in Japan, Shukan Gendai is well known for running sensationalist articles, covering such topics as political scandals, sports, celebrity gossip, and daily life in Japan.
Currently, Shukan Gendai is running a series of articles featuring exclusive interviews with Kawamata in which he alleges a major connection between the top fight promotional players in Japan — K-1 and PRIDE — and the Japanese mafia.
Also, Fuji TV has been a heavy target of allegations because, according to Shukan Gendai, Fuji TV knew of Yakuza involvement within the fight business in Japan, especially as it pertained to PRIDE. Despite being aware of this, Fuji TV continued to support PRIDE events.
Tokyo Broadcasting System, a major competitor of Fuji TV and the network that produces of K-1 and HERO’s events, could be the biggest beneficiary if PRIDE was forced out of the Japanese TV marketplace.
In terms of popularity, the New Year’s Eve network wars between K-1 “Dynamite� and PRIDE “Otoko Matsuri� (Shockwave) feature significant amounts of money, due largely to sponsors and television networks looking for big ratings.
Also, it’s rumored that TBS, which has a business relationship with Kodansha Limited, wants to focus this year’s New Year’s festival around the Kameda brothers, boxers who have developed a major fan base in Japan, especially after pulling a 40-percent rating earlier this year on a card they headlined for TBS.
This could leave K-1 off TBS for the upcoming New Year’s Eve extravaganza, so the perennial kickboxing promotion is rumored to be trying to jump ship from TBS to Fuji TV.
But in order to do this, PRIDE needs to be out of the picture.
What Lies Ahead?
On Thursday, 54 fighters and DSE employees along with over 600 hundred fans showed up at the Tokyo Prince Hotel for an emergency press conference headlined by PRIDE president Nobuyuki Sakakibara, who addressed the Fuji TV problem and announced the promotion’s future plans, including second-round matches for the Open-Weight Grand Prix.
Sakakibara emphasized that there weren’t any ties between himself or DSE with Yakuza families, and that all allegations made by Shukan Gendai, were only a negative campaign without any grounds or evidence.
Sakakibara also explained that the move made by Fuji TV caught him and the promotion “off-guard� and they were not expecting such a move from the network. DSE is now trying to work a deal with Nippon TV, but that may prove difficult considering the network carries K-1 Max broadcasts.
It’s interesting to note that Fuji TV was present at Saitama Super Arena last Sunday for the taping of Bushido 11, which was scheduled to air a week later for free on Fuji TV. Also the network was present early Monday when DSE opened “Dreamers,� the new PRIDE gym. However, just for a few hours later DSE received a notification from the network canceling their three-year broadcast contract, which was set to expire in September, and cutting all ties with DSE including employees and fighters.
Sakakibara announced that the promotion’s scheduled events, including the Open-Weight tournament, Bushido tournament, Las Vegas event and Hustle pro-wrestling shows, would continue despite losing Fuji TV’s support. The promotion, Sakakibara said, hopes to receive support from the fans to keep the promotion alive.
What’s Really Going On
This situation between PRIDE and Shukan Gendai, has put the MMA community in Japan in a not so favorable light.
While it’s not a big surprise for the average Japanese citizen to see the mafia involved with the fight industry in Japan — local pro-wrestling has a long history of this — it’s quite shocking to see how far these allegations have extended, including all the big players in Japan and how business, shielded from the public eye, is run.
Local authorities have not confirmed the allegations published by Shukan Gendai, though the Kanagawa police continue extensive investigations to track down any possible mafia involvement within the fight industry.
These actions from Fuji TV are mostly a result of the fact that DSE, due in large part to Shukan Gendai, is getting a lot of bad press in Japan. Top this with Fuji TV’s involvement in a public war against Internet provider Livedoor for control of Nippon Broadcasting System and it seems that Fuji TV is trying to distance the network from another media scandal, especially one with allegations of a possible relationship between DSE/PRIDE and the Yakuza community.
Despite promises from Sakakibara that PRIDE will survive and continue to promote events, with or without Fuji TV support, this move from the network will likely take a significant toll.
Without Fuji TV’s financial support, DSE could be in danger of being unable to pay fighters the sort of salaries they’ve become accustomed to. And booking big stadiums in Saitama, Tokyo or Nagoya could be a serious problem when revenue will be based on gates sales, not sponsors.
The Ultimate Fighter - Start to finish episode guide
Episode 1: Fresh Meat
* Ken Shamrock and Tito Ortiz are introduced as the coaches.
* Team Shamrock wins the coin-toss to gain control of the first match-up.
* Kalib Starnes of Team Shamrock defeats Mike Stine in Round 1 by TKO (referee stoppage).
Epsiode 2: The Basketball
* Noah Inofer of Team Ortiz defeats Jesse Forbes in Round 1 by Armbar Submission.
* Team Ortiz gains control of the match-ups.
Episode 3: Team Dagger
* Kendall Grove of Team Ortiz defeats Ross Pointon in Round 1 by Rear Naked Choke.
* Team Ortiz retains control of the match-ups.
Episode 4: Introduction: Hitting it Hard
* Michael Bisping of Team Ortiz defeats Kristian Rothaermel in Round 1 by TKO (referee stoppage).
* Team Ortiz retains control of the match-ups.
Episode 5: The Truce Is Over
* Rory Singer of Team Ortiz defeats Solomon Hutcherson in Round 2 by TKO (referee stoppage).
* Team Ortiz retains control of the match-ups.
Episode 6: The Letter
* There is no fight in the episode, although Team Ortiz selects Josh Haynes to fight Tait Fletcher.
* Noah Inhofer decides to quit the show and return to Yankton, South Dakota after receiving a letter informing him that his girlfriend back home believes he has cheated on her.
* A previously eliminated fighter returns to take Inhofer’s place, but it is not disclosed during the episode who this fighter is.
Episode 7: Mohawk
* Jesse Forbes returns to Team Shamrock and takes Noah Inhofer’s spot in the semi-finals.
* Josh Haynes of Team Ortiz defeats Tait Fletcher by split decision after 2 rounds.
* Officially, Team Ortiz retains control of the match-ups. However, as only two middleweights who have not yet fought remain, the next match will be Danny Abaddi (Team Ortiz) vs. Ed Herman (Team Shamrock).
Epsiode 8: The Fuse Is Lit
* Ed Herman of Team Shamrock defeats Danny Abaddi in Round 1 by Armbar Submission.
* Officially, Team Shamrock gains control of the match-ups. However, as only two heavyweights who have not yet fought remain, the final first-round match will be Matt Hamill (Team Ortiz) vs. Mike Nickels (Team Shamrock).
Episode 9 :The Golden Boy
* Matt Hamill of Team Ortiz defeats Mike Nickels by unanimous decision after 2 rounds.
* Matt Hamill is sent to the hospital after his victory.
* Semi-final matches begin next episode.
* The way match-ups are determined appears to be changing, although it is not revealed exactly how.
Episode 10: Full House
* Most of the first-round losers are brought back to live in the house and help train the semi-finalists.
* Dana White proposes coaches Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock play eight ball billiards (best 2 out of 3 games) for a US$10,000 prize, which Shamrock wins.
* Despite winning the last match, Matt Hamill is declared out of the competition due to injury. Due to a broken nose sustained in the same fight, Mike Nickels is not an option to replace Hamill.
* To the surprise of Dana White and both coaches, both Tait Fletcher and Kristian Rothaermel turn down offers to replace Hamill in the semi-finals.
* Ross Pointon agrees to replace Hamill and fight in the higher 205-pound light heavyweight class despite originally entering the competition as a middleweight.
* The semi-final match-ups are decided by Dana White and the two coaches. Fighters on the same team are now eligible to face one another.
* The middleweight semi-final match-ups are Kendall Grove vs. Kalib Starnes and Ed Herman vs. Rory Singer.
* The light heavyweight semi-final match-ups are Jesse Forbes vs. Josh Haynes and Michael Bisping vs. Ross Pointon.
* All semi-final matches will be three 5-minute rounds.
* Kendall Grove defeats Kalib Starnes in Round 3 by Verbal Submission (rib injury). Grove advances to the Middleweight Finals.
* The next semi-final match will be Ed Herman vs. Rory Singer.
Episode 11: The Jungle
* Kalib Starnes returns from the hospital and reveals his ribs were dislocated during the previous fight.
* Rory Singer finds his property defaced and blames Ed Herman and Jesse Forbes. Singer defaces their boxing gloves and lockers and rubs Herman’s gloves against his naked buttocks.
* In retaliation, Herman hides Singer’s boxing gloves and leg guards around the gym and urinates on his headgear.
* Singer finds his gear missing and goes outside to confront Herman. They get into an arguement and Herman and Forbes reveal that it was Kendall Grove who had been defacing his gear.
* Matt Hamill returns and is surprised to find out that he is out of the competition due to medical suspension.
* Ed Herman defeats Rory Singer in Round 2 by Rear Naked Choke. Herman advances to the Middleweight Finals.
Episode 12: Bangin
* Josh Haynes defeats Jesse Forbes in Round 2 by Guillotine Choke. Haynes advances to the Light Heavyweight Finals.
* The fighters (excluding Bisping and Pointon) party wildly before the last semi-final fight and the UFC house is trashed.
* Michael Bisping defeats Ross Pointon in Round 1 by Striking Submission. Bisping advances to the Light Heavyweight Finals.
Finale
* Undercard
o Middleweight Bout: Ross Pointon vs. Rory Singer
o Middleweight Bout: Danny Abaddi vs. Kalib Starnes
o Middleweight Bout: Luigi Fioravanti vs. Solomon Hutcherson
o Light Heavyweight Bout: Jesse Forbes vs. Matt Hamill
o Light Heavyweight Bout: Wes Combs vs. Mike Nickels
* Main card
o Light Heavyweight Bout: Wilson Gouveia vs. Keith Jardine
o Middleweight Final: Kendall Grove vs. Ed Herman
o Light Heavyweight Final: Michael Bisping vs. Josh Haynes
o Main Event - Lightweight Bout: Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout
Xiaolin’s fight PREVIEW- Ultimate Finale LIVE- June 24
This is my preview for the 24th. Enjoy my predictions… if they come true, you owe me a cookie Smiley
Ed “Short-Fuse” Herman vs. Kendall Grove
I see this fight could go either way, but I expect two rounds of Ed raining punches from the sky then a third round TKO by Ed.
Then, conversely, I can see Kendall keep it standing and using his reach advantage to work out a descision.
Either way, I wanna see a two round fight, minimum. I can’t see this as a back-and-forth type fight, I think when one fighter starts dominating, that’ll be that.
Mike Bisping vs. Josh Haynes
I can’t see Josh having a chance against Mike B., no offense to Josh, but… Bisping has him outclassed, period. I see one or maby two rounds before we see Bisping KO Haynes… basically, Mike wins.
***MAIN EVENT***
Kenny “Kenflo” Florian vs. Sam Stout
Well, we see KenFlo at his natural 155 against a good lightweight fighter in Sam Stout. I can see Kenny wining one of two ways: Either using those nasty elbows of his and opening a nice cut or a descision. Sam may be able to get a decision or a sub/KO.
This should be an interesting fight, either way… this one could be a back & forth, possible nail-biter if you’re a KenFlo or Sam fan.
No Joke Tito Ortiz vs Dana White
We all know who would come out on top if Tito and Dana ever decided to get it on. I imagine it would be the most watched fight in UFC history. Of course, that is fantasy land where money grows on trees and maxim girls fall from the sky.
Getting back to reality, Ortiz and the UFC president White are going to spar boxing for three three-minute rounds, as part of a special clause in Tito’s contract. Jose Rodriguez of the Calgary Sun wrote a great article about Tito and Dana’s relationship and the clause titled “Beating up on his boss” which can be found here.
Pride FC’s Deadliest KOs Video
Man they make it look easy!
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 Finale Predictions
Here is a breakdown of my picks for TUF3 finale, which takes place Saturday, June 24th at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. You can catch all the action live on Spike TV from 9pm to 12am (EST).
Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout
My pick: Stout
First let me say that I am bias towards all Canadian fighters. But Sam Stout is one tough kid (more on Stout in my post here). He’s a natural lightweight, where as Kenny was competing at 185 lbs on TUF1 before dropping down to welterweight, and now this will be his first pro bout at 155 lbs. Sam hits like a Mack truck, and I don’t think Kenny’s chin can withstand that kind of power. Look for Sam to finish Kenny off in the second round either by KO or referee stoppage due to strikes.
Michael Bisping vs. Josh Haynes
My pick: Bisping
I don’t think many fans give Josh a chance in this one, and I have to agree with them. Bisping is a ferocious striker with a ton of heart. He’ll make an excellent addition to the UFC light heavyweight division, if he decides to stay there. He could drop down to middleweight, but the competition down there is fierce. I give Josh all the credit in the world for getting this far, but I think he’s up against a much superior opponent. I say Bisping wins by referee stoppage due to strikes in the opening round.
Kendall Grove vs. Ed “Short Fuse” Hurman
My pick: Herman
This should make for an exciting fight. Kendall has the clear advantage on the feet and especially in the clinch. Look for Kendall to try and test Ed’s chin early on. However, Kendall’s takedown defense was sub-par vs. Kalib Starnes in the semifinals. I expect him to gas just enough to let Ed impose him will on him in the later rounds. I’ll give the first round to Grove with rounds two and three going to the winner by unanimous decision: Ed “Short Fuse” Herman.
Keith Jardine vs. Wilson Gouveia
My pick: Jardine
On paper, Jardine holds a distinct advantage in most categories. Gouveia has shown to have a weak chin in the past, and if Jardine can keep the fight standing he shouldn’t have a problem winning by (T)KO in the second round.
The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 Finale Fight Card
Here is the unofficial fight card for The Ultimate Fighter Season 3 Finale, which takes place Saturday, June 24th at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main fight card will air live on Spike TV beginning at 9pm (EST).
Light Heavyweights - over 185 - 205 lbs
Michael Bisping 10-0-0 vs. Josh Haynes 7-4-0
Keith Jardine 10-2-1 vs. Wilson Gouveia 6-3-0
Jesse Forbes 1-0-0 vs. Matt Hamill 0-0-0
Wes Combs 12-0-0 vs. Mike Nickels 3-1-0
Middleweights - over 170 to 185 lbs
Ed “Short Fuse” Herman 10-3-0 vs. Kendall Grove 5-3-0
Ross Pointon 4-6-0 vs. Rory Singer 8-5-0
Danny Abaddi 0-0-0 vs. Kalib Starnes 6-0-1
Luigi Fioravanti 7-1-0 vs. Solomon Hutcherson 6-2-0
Lightweights - over 145 to 155 lbs
Sam Stout 9-1-1 vs. Kenny Florian 3-2-0
Talk about the fights in the forums
Monson VS Perosh Set for UFC 61
Heavyweight contender Jeff ‘The Snowman’ Monson, who has won two UFC bouts in a row since his return to the organization after a four year absence, will look to continue on his road to a title shot on July 8th when he faces Australian jiu-jitsu ace Anthony Perosh at UFC 61, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada
