Pride Final Conflict Poster
The posters for PRIDE FINAL CONFLICT, the final round of the 2006 open weight grand prix to be held at Saitama Super Arena on September 10th, has finally been completed.
On July 13th, approximately 500 fans gathered at the PRIDE Dreamers dojo to have their faces photographed. Those photographs were then used to create the faces of four competitors in the September 10th PRIDE FINAL CONFLICT posters: Mirko Filipovic, Wanderlei Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Josh Barnett. Fans that participated in the photo session are sure to find their faces somewhere on the posters.
In addition to the event’s venue, Saitama Super Arena, the posters have also been put on display in many other parts of the city. The faces of both the fighters and the fans will become promote the event as they come together to become the “face” of the 2006 open weight grand prix final round, PRIDE FINAL CONFLICT.
Sakakibara Wants Pride to take over UFC
Pride DSE president Sakakibara is gunning for the UFC in a big way according to Tokyo Sports newspaper in Japan. Sakakibara’s goal is to bring his show and fighters to America and takeover the UFC. This takeover plan involves his aim to take all the UFC belts and a supershow or an MMA superbowl of sorts.
The first part of this takeover plan that was disclosed to Tokyo Sports is to happen in November at UFC 65 when Wanderlei Silva fights the UFC’s Chuck Liddell. And as Pres. Sakakibara puts it his fighters will “devour� all the UFC athletes.
On July 8th Sakakibara and Wanderlei Silva attended UFC 61 and the Pride president was impressed with the MMA fervor. But, he said that he wasn’t going to stand idly by as the sport grows in America. He is going to put on a MMA superbowl next summer with plans to hold it in a football stadium. He said that whichever stadium they use it will have a capacity of over 60,000, and if they seat fans on the field it will be over 100,000. Sakakibara is confident with the MMA zeal in America that the stadium will be packed to capacity and that it will even surpass the attendance of the 2002 Dynamite show that was jointly promoted by Pride and K-1.
Not only does Sakakibara plan on using a stadium to host his supershow but he mentioned the possibility of using a ring and a cage in the same event. Using the ring for round one, the cage for round two, and the ring for round three. Or vice versa. That way the Pride or UFC fighters can’t have an excuse about what they fought in.
But Sakakibara realizes that “ it will be a fierce battle between the promoters.� And, he even expects that the UFC may storm the Pride show in Las Vegas on October 21st. But, his plan is to take all of the UFC belts, as Sakakibara said,� not just Silva alone, but Fedor, Yoshida, Fujita, and Gomi. I’m going to send these guys into the octagon to devour them first.� Starting this Fall, Sakakibara said Pride will start sending fighters to take the UFC titles, and then deliver the finishing blow at the MMA superbowl. Sakakibara stated, “If we take the titles, the UFC will have nowhere to run.�
UFC Visit Iraq
Taken from www.ufc.com
UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture and middleweight champion Rich Franklin are more than used to the desert and the searing heat that it brings. They have to be, because it’s in Las Vegas where they made their names as two of the best mixed martial artists in the world.
But Iraq is no Las Vegas – the sun is hotter, the desert drier, and there are no neon lights to lead you to a night of just getting away from it all. In cities like Kirkuk, Mosul, and Tal Afar, every day is the same, with the monotony only broken by the terror that comes along with the war still raging around this Middle Eastern country.
But like Couture and Franklin, the men and women of the US military serving the United States in Iraq are the best in the world at what they do, and over the course of a ten day trip from late-July to early-August, the best got to meet the best, and for both sides, it was an unforgettable experience.
“I have been a supporter of mixed martial arts since 1993,� said Sgt. Bart A. Murphy of the United States Army. “Therefore, it was a great personal honor for me to have the opportunity to have these Octagon warriors travel to Iraq to visit my fellow troops.�
For Couture, an Army veteran who made the trip to Iraq with Franklin, Octagon Girl Rachelle Leah and UFC PR ace Loren Mack, visiting the troops was something he had wanted to do for a while.
“Last fall I went to the Army and Navy hospitals in Washington, DC and met a bunch of guys that were coming back,� said Couture, who retired from competition in February after a storied career that saw him win the UFC light heavyweight title and become the first man to win the UFC heavyweight title twice. “I was inspired by them and their attitudes under the circumstances they were in, and I thought it would be something really special to be able to go to Afghanistan or Iraq and meet the guys that were still over there and on the front lines, putting it out every day.�
A trip of this magnitude isn’t something that’s accomplished by simply buying a plane ticket though, especially with a war still going on. It took months of paperwork, phone calls, and approvals, even down to the smallest details of what to pack before the final green light was given.
“I spoke to a representative in Iraq twice a day for close to three months,� said Mack, who also had to consult with the escorting 101st Airborne Division over logistical issues, activities for the troops with the UFC guests, and other key points. In fact, the easiest part of the planning for the entire trip was getting Couture, Franklin, and Leah to agree to go.
“I really admire the fact that we’ve got people who are protecting our country and who have put their lives on hold and in extreme danger to take care of us,� said Leah. “It’s one of those things where if I can put a smile on someone’s face who is keeping us safe, it felt good to do that.�
Leaving Las Vegas on July 25 at 12:20pm, the UFC crew didn’t arrive in Kuwait until 10:30pm on July 26. The immediate first impression was the heat, which was estimated at around 135 degrees. Yes, 135.
“It was brutal heat,� said Leah. “And these guys are wearing long sleeve camos with helmets and body armor. And they’ve got boots on. It’s literally hell over there. Seeing what these guys are going through over there really is a humbling experience. When I got home, I said I will never complain about the heat in Vegas again.�
For Franklin, life in the Middle East wasn’t exactly what he expected it to be, but it was far from an ideal situation for those serving in the military.
“I actually thought that the conditions for the soldiers, as far as their living quarters and stuff, would be much worse,� he said. “You’re in Iraq, so naturally you’re in a very hot environment, you’re away from your family, and you have those kind of factors to deal with, but you’re on a military base, and the military bases aren’t really that much different from the ones here at home. You’re fed well, and they sleep in air conditioned facilities, although the facilities they sleep in aren’t very big.�
And there’s little time for sleep, as Franklin quickly found out.
“These guys that are working over there are putting in 15-20 hour days sometimes,� he explained, “and oftentimes their schedules are thrown off, and they go hours on end without eating because of work.�
As expected though, once the soldiers got a glimpse of Couture, Franklin, and Leah, the thoughts of 20 hour work days quickly turned to thoughts of meeting some famous folks from back home.
“Most of the guys couldn’t believe that they were actually meeting Rich and I in person,� said Couture. “They had seen us on TV, they show the UFC over there quite frequently on the Armed Forces network, and I don’t know how many guys told us that all they do to pass the time when they have down time is watch the DVDs. They work 12 hour shifts and they’re stuck on these little FOBs (Forward Operation Bases) where there’s a gym and there’s food, but outside of that, there’s not a whole lot else to do.�
“They were ecstatic to see us,� adds Franklin. “All the troops were UFC fans, and even the ones that may not be UFC fans knew somebody that was, so we had a lot of soldiers coming up and saying their cousin or husband or so and so was a huge fan and could they get our autographs.�
And while the troops were thrilled to meet this UFC trio, these special visitors were just as happy to be giving something back to the people serving this country. Leah recalls one of the soldiers being happy just to see someone in “regular clothes�.
“It’s like that out there, and it’s an honor to hear somebody say that I made their day just by going out there and being myself,� she said.
After Kuwait, the tour would hit the Iraqi cities of Tikrit, Tal Afar, Kirkuk, and Mosul. Each day’s activities would vary, but staples of each city’s visit would be Q&A and autograph sessions, as well as meet and greets with the soldiers.
“We did Q&As, we went to different battalion headquarters at each base, and ate lunch with the troops,� said Franklin. “I would purposely sit down in an open space so that there were chairs around me where people could come sit down and sometimes I would sit down in a group of guys and try to have lunch with the troops as much as possible.�
Couture, Franklin, and Leah also got to shoot guns, sit in helicopter cockpits, and see what daily life is like for the soldiers. Franklin, the only active fighter of the group, wanted to take things one step further.
“Call me an adrenaline junkie or whatever you will, but I tried talking the military into letting me going out on patrols with them and stuff like that,� he admits. “Of course, the answer was definitely no.�
That’s obviously for good reason, and though the mood was light during the trip, there were constant reminders that there was still a war going on, as Rachelle recalls entering a base that had just been fired upon.
“One of the places we flew into had just been attacked,� she said. “Some guys will just stand outside the bases and shoot missiles in. I told the soldier that that’s freaky, and he said, “It is, but they don’t have good aim. They just free fire.�
He then proceeded to show her the spot where the missile had hit just hours before they landed.
“That made you realize just how real this war is.�
That fact hit home to Mack during the sixth day of the trip in Mosul. Viewing the Iraqi skyline in the morning with two soldiers, Mack saw a cloud of black smoke in the city and then heard gunshots followed by sirens. 35 minutes later, another cloud of smoke became visible, followed by the appearance of two Black Hawk helicopters looming over the city. This wasn’t your typical PR appearance, to say the least. That didn’t matter to Couture though.
“They recognized that we’re willing to put our butts on a plane and take time out to fly over there and meet them where they’re working, see what they do, listen to what they have to say, and put forth that effort, outside of the typical celebrity that’s either speaking out against the war or says they support the troops, but wouldn’t get on a plane and go to a warzone,� said Couture. “And the comment was made to us on several occasions that ‘we can’t believe you guys actually came over here. Thank you so much, you made my year.’ Most of those guys are over there for 12 month deployments away from their families and their children. So I had the feeling that they were very excited that we went over and it gave them something to talk about and something to think about other than the day to day grind.�
And perhaps more than anyone else who made the trip, Couture was affected by what he saw and who he met because as an Army veteran, he is more than aware that it could have been him on the front lines.
“Absolutely,� said Couture, who served from 1982 to 1988 and was even a member (for two years) of the 101st Airborne Division that escorted the UFC team. “There’s a certain part of you that gets ingrained with the military frame of mind, and from knowing the rank structure and the acronyms and the lingo that many of the guys speak, you go right back to being in the service. It absolutely felt like this could have been me in one of these units, doing my thing.�
Intent on becoming a pilot, Couture’s first duty station was Germany, but within six months he had won a wrestling championship in Europe and caught the eye of the Army wrestling coach, who asked him to try out for the All-Army team. The rest, as all mixed martial arts fans know, is history.
“From that point on, I pretty much just wrestled and the whole flight thing went out the window,� he laughs.
But that’s all right, because aviation’s loss became MMA’s gain, and there were no complaints from the soldiers that attended Couture and Franklin’s on-base clinics that he was teaching them armbars and not flight techniques. In fact, the clinics may have been the most popular part of the trip for the soldiers.
“We had so many people that wanted to attend those clinics that they had to cap off both of them that we were scheduled to do on the last day because there was such a large number of people there that wanted to see us,� said Franklin.
The clinics weren’t just held for entertainment purposes though, as the combatives program is a key part of the Army’s training program.
“The reason I initially contacted the Ultimate Fighting Championship was that it seemed to be the perfect type of tour that would cater to the troops,� said Sgt. Murphy. “The US military utilizes combatives in training, so I thought it would be appropriate for the troops to visit with some of the UFC icons that they look up to.�
“They started in the services and especially in the Army, a combatives program a few years ago that I think was spawned out of the Gracies’ work with Delta Force and some of those agencies back in the earlier days of the UFC,� explained Couture. “That kind of rolled into this new service-wide combatives program. It’s a very fundamental program in groundfighting, and all of the soldiers are required to take it. There are four levels in their combatives program, and some of the guys go further and actually want to compete. So most of the people we talked to were fairly well educated in what was going on technically. And the few guys we rolled with seemed to have a sense of what they were doing – they knew the positions and knew what was going on as well. They asked a lot of great questions.�
Couture may have even discovered a future fighter in Spc. Sheila Pereira, who was one of the UFC crew’s escorts while in Iraq.
“She comes from a Judo family,� said Couture. “Her parents run a judo school and she’s a pretty high ranking judo player. She’s very interested in getting involved in mixed martial arts and competing at some level. She just had a great attitude and work ethic. She did a great job with Rachelle and she rolled with Rich a bit at one of the seminars.�
It’s obvious from talking to Couture, Franklin, and Leah that this wasn’t your typical trip. This was something a lot more important.
“Randy, Rich and Rachelle took time to visit as many troops as possible,� said Sgt. Murphy. “I saw their patriotism and support for the troops as they were very reluctant to leave a location without greeting all the soldiers.�
And though all three deserve kudos for putting actions before words and making the trek across the world, you won’t see any of them patting themselves on the back.
“The way I look at it is, there are men and women from this country that go to Iraq and serve nine and 12 month tours,� said Franklin. “The least I can do is give up a week or two of my time to go see them if that helps boost their morale. These people work very hard over there, and they see the news, they see CNN, and they see the protesting that’s going on and the anti-war stuff over here, and I think for some of those guys, it makes them feel that what they’re doing is not regarded in high value. So it’s nice to go there and say, ‘hey, I really appreciate what you guys are doing over here.’ Whether I politically agree with the war or not, I can still appreciate the fact that somebody’s willing to give up nine months or 12 months of their life to go over and do a tour in Iraq.�
That’s what’s missing sometimes in all the political rhetoric that gets bandied about regarding the war in Iraq. At the heart of everything, this is a human story, and the men and women who are serving the United States are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, and daughters – not politicians.
“These guys have the freewill to sign up for the military; they don’t have the freewill to decide where they’re going,� said Leah, whose first order of business when she got back to the States was to hug her parents, who e-mailed her religiously while she was in Iraq. “These guys are away from their wives, their kids, their husbands, their parents, some have been over there for a year and a half, and some have been working there for over three years. I am so grateful to them and I wish them all a quick and safe return home.�
The UFC team is back in the States after a trip that can only be described as a complete success. Yet even though this ten day trip is history, the reminders of it are present every day.
“One of my best friends’ husbands is being deployed to Iraq as we speak,� said Leah. “He’s leaving in about a week and he’s got four kids – three little babies and one teenage son. These soldiers are out there doing everything for us.�
So what can you do? You write letters, send care packages, and remember those who are serving this country. It may be a thankless job, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be the one who says ‘thank you.’ Just ask the man affectionately dubbed ‘Captain America’ by MMA fans.
“Regardless of your politics, you should be proud of the fact that we’ve got top-notch people over there in a bad situation representing our country, doing the right thing, and getting the job done in spectacular fashion,� said Couture. “And it’s not an easy job. But without a doubt, every person I met over there, it was a pleasure to meet them. They were great.�
Drug Testing Cost’s UFC
The Nevada State Athletic Commission’s drug test results for the past three UFC events have all come back clean.
While main event fighters are normally drug tested whether they’re in a title fight or not, the fighters in two of the past three main event fights were not drug tested. However, there was a slightly higher level of random testing.
When asked about the actual costs of drug testing each fighter, the Nevada State Athletic Commission told MMAWeekly that the steroid test for any given fighter costs $154.50, the drug screen (which also tests for recreational drugs) costs $78.90, and the stimulant test costs $45.00. The total cost of drug testing one fighter is $278.40.
The fighters who were drug tested on the June 24th “Ultimate Finale” event were Ultimate Fighter 3 finalists Michael Bisping, Josh Haynes, Kendall Grove, and Ed Herman. All four of those fighters passed their drug tests.
Though Kenny Florian and Sam Stout fought in the main event of the evening, neither fighter was drug tested. The total amount spent on drug testing for the evening $1,113.60.
On the June 28th “Ultimate Fight Night” card, the main event fight was Anderson Silva vs. Chris Leben, but once again the main event fighters were not drug tested.
Instead, the NSAC chose to test two random fighters out of the 18 who competed on the card. The two fighters who were randomly selected were Jorge Gurgel and Jason Lambert, both of whom passed their drug tests. The total amount spent on drug testing for the evening was $556.80.
At the UFC 61 card on July 8th, Tim Sylvia and Andrei Arlovski were still drug tested because it remains mandatory that all title fighters must be drug tested. Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock were not drug tested because they were not in a title fight.
The NSAC chose to test one random fighter out of the 16 non-title fighters who competed on the card, and the fighter who was randomly selected was Jeff Monson. Sylvia, Arlovski, and Monson all passed their drug tests. The total amount spent on drug testing for UFC 61 was $835.20.
In total on the three aforementioned events, there were nine fighters who were drug tested and 45 fighters who were not drug tested. The total amount spent on drug testing for the three events was $2,505.60.
MMAWeekly contacted Keith Kizer, the Executive Director of the NSAC, and asked why the NSAC doesn’t drug test all fighters, given the fact that the NSAC’s cut of the UFC’s event revenue would easily cover the cost of drug testing for the UFC and for any other MMA promotion that runs events in Nevada.
Kizer said, “We do not drug test all contestants because of the cost. Plus, I like having the element of surprise. You will see the Commission testing a lot more fighters in the future than you have in the past.”
You can now buy Cage Rage Tickets online
Have a look at:
http://www.cagerage.tv/tickets/
You can now buy your tickets online if you are having problems with the hotline. You can select your blocks but not rows, hurry as most of the tickets have been sold and there is only a few good tickets left.
Ultimate Fight Night 5 on tv tonight on Bravo (UK)
Ok, I have already seen this but brits have to wait to see this great event that happen. See Stephan Bonnar vs Rashad Evans, Anderson Silva vs Chris Leben and Jonathan Goulet vs Luke Cummo battle it out.
Set your watches to 10pm on Bravo (sky 124).
MacDonald to Face Schafer at UFC 62
TUF 2 alumnus Rob MacDonald will look to follow-up his June win over Kristian Rothaermel with another victory when he takes on UFC newcomer Eric Schafer in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 62, which will be held on August 26 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“He’s got a pretty good name, he’s an up and comer, and this is a must win situation for me, the way I look at it,� said Toronto’s MacDonald, who submitted Rothaermel with an armbar in the first round of their bout on June 28th.
In Schafer, ‘Maximus’ will be facing a jiu-jitsu brown belt from Milwaukee, Wisconsin who has won three fights in a row, all by submission, and who is eager to make his Octagon debut.
“The UFC is the premier MMA show in the USA,� said the 28-year-old Schafer. “Every fighter wants to fight in the UFC, just like every football player wants to play in the NFL.�
Source: UFC
Leben 2.0 – The Comeback
You can probably tell more about a fighter after a defeat than after a victory. When everything’s going well, it’s easy to put on a smiling face, answer all the interview questions, and do all the things that a successful pro athlete does.
But when the shoe’s on the other foot, when you’re the one staring up at the lights and forced to deal with being the ‘other’ guy, that’s when true character is revealed.
Chris Leben had a pretty impressive run since entering the UFC in 2005. Five wins without a loss had started to turn the heads of even the harshest critics, and many believed that if ‘The Crippler’ could defeat world-class middleweight Anderson Silva on June 28th that he would be a shoo-in for a shot at UFC champ Rich Franklin.
Things didn’t go the way Leben planned though, and after just 49 seconds, Silva’s precision striking had left the 26-year-old with his first defeat since a 2004 decision loss to Joe Doerksen, and his first ever loss by knockout.
“I got a little overzealous, tried to swing too hard and tried to look for the knockout right off the bat,� said Leben of the Silva fight. “I left myself heavy on my feet. His footwork was real good and he moved very well, he cut an angle and landed some good shots right on the chin, and that opened me up. It was my fault, I made some key mistakes, and at that level, if you make a mistake for just a split second, your opponent’s able to capitalize on it and that’s it. Just like when Randy (Couture) slipped a little bit with Chuck (Liddell). Chuck capitalized on that one small opening and that’s that.�
As far as losses go, it was a bad one, one that could cripple (pardon the pun) the career of a lesser fighter. Leben remembers little of that night.
“He rung my bell pretty good,� he recalls. “I do remember the first time he knocked me down, going ‘Okay, I’m going to get up.’ But I knew that after I got up I was gonna be so punch drunk I wasn’t going to have any sort of way to defend myself, but I figured, he caught me clean, he deserves a clean knockout, so I stood up for him and let him hit me a few more times. (Laughs) That’s the only thing I remember of the fight.�
Frankly, some just don’t come back from a night like that. But Chris Leben took two weeks off and went right back to the gym. And on August 17, he’ll be back in the Octagon to take on Jorge Santiago at UFC Fight Night at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas.
“When you fall off the horse you’ve got to get right back up there,� said Leben. “The way it goes with me is that I hate to be on the losing side of things, so I want to get back in there as soon as possible, get a win under my belt and enjoy the rest of my summer.�
No whining, no complaining, no extended vacations to reassess life and his career. Leben’s a fighter, and this is what he does – he fights. And as far as he’s concerned, the feeling of losing is best eradicated by winning.
“You practice hard, you train hard, and when you get in the cage you put it all on the line,� he said. “And as much as I put into this sport and as much as I believe I could have won that fight, when I go in there and have a lackluster performance, especially one as bad as mine was, you just don’t want to leave that hanging and you don’t want people to view you as that person. It’s hard to hold your head up high when you know people are going, ‘yeah, he got his ass kicked.’ You want to go, ‘remember, I am a winner.’ It seems like some of the fans kinda forget instantly about all the other things you’ve accomplished in the sport, so you’ve got to get back in there and go, I am a winner, I am a competitor, and sometimes even the best lose – Randy, Chuck, you name it. You’ve got to get back in there and remind them that you deserve to be there and that you’re one of the best people out there. I just want to show the world that I’m a winner, I’m a competitor, and I belong in the UFC.�
Leben has proven to be all of the above over the course of a six-year pro MMA career that has seen him compile a 15-2 record. But despite his success, sometimes you need a little outside encouragement after a defeat, and the Oregon native got some from a legend, UFC hall of famer Randy Couture.
“He actually calmed me down a little bit,� said Leben of Couture. “I talked to him right after the fight and he had some really good things to say. He’s a friend and a mentor and he’s always been an important part of my life as far as MMA goes. He sat down and talked to me and pretty much told me what I’m telling you – s**t happens.�
The middleweight contender laughs, and it’s actually encouraging that he has taken this loss, put it on the shelf and moved on. And for him, moving on means getting back to the business of securing a middleweight title shot and bringing a 185-pound world title back to Portland.
“Things happen for a reason,� he said. “I’m young and maybe it wasn’t my time to fight for a title. Maybe it’s time to step back and have a couple more fights before I fight for the title. Losing sucks, but you have to look at it from the best point of view, and now I get some time to go back and fight a few more guys, train, practice, and I’ll be that much better when I do fight for the title.�
It’s the best possible attitude to have, and for a fighter who thought he “was invincible� before the Silva fight, now it’s time to shore up his defense, keep his chin down, and fight. And while Chris Leben admits that he doesn’t know too much about his next opponent, he is sure of one thing when it comes to Jorge Santiago.
“Whoever I fight on the 17th is in trouble,� he chuckles. “I’ve got some pent-up frustration that I need to get rid of.�
Source: UFC
Belcher Replaces Terrell against Okami at UFC 62
With middleweight contender David Terrell forced to withdraw from his UFC 62 bout on August 26th due to a sinus infection and bronchitis, Mississippi’s Alan Belcher has stepped up to the plate to face off against UFC newcomer Yushin Okami at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Fighting since the age of 15, Belcher has worked tirelessly to make it to the UFC, compiling an 8-1 record in the process. So when the call came to replace Terrell against Okami, the decision was a no-brainer for the 22-year-old Biloxi middleweight.
“I really worked hard to get here,� said Belcher. “I started fighting a long time ago in small shows, and I’m one of the people who actually earned their spot here. I’m here because I’m supposed to be, and it feels so much more rewarding to earn your way.�
Source: UFC
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