Kauai and Hawaii Jiu-Jitsu, MMA and Martial Arts

Morning classes at New Breed Kauai

2012-11-20T13:16:00.000-08:00

If you want to train Jiu-Jitsu and submission grappling, but are unable to train during the evening check out New Breed's morning class. Class starts 8:30AM twice a week. The schedule changes so email me if you are interested in checking the class out. The class is a great way to get more mat time, more individualized training, all in a friendly and stress free environment.

You are free to do all, or any combination of the 3 arts that you like. Light MMA is also an option once the main teachers (Kaleo and Kaeo Lopez) give their permission.

Check out the New Breed Facebook for some pictures and more info. I'll post more pictures of the facility later.

For December morning classes will be Mondays and December:2, 7, 9,16, 20, 27, 29 (these dates are tentative, get in touch with me before coming.

Journal of a BJJ Player - Episode 5 -

2012-01-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

ProElite: Da Spyder vs Minowaman January 21st

2012-01-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

KJ Noons vs Josh Thomson on tap for Strikeforce: Barnett vs Cormier

2012-01-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

A pivotal lightweight match is likely headed to a yet-unannounced Strikeforce event planned for March.

Sources close to the event today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that K.J. Noons (11-4 MMA, 3-2 SF) and Josh Thomson (18-4 MMA, 9-2 SF) have verbally agreed to meet.

As MMAjunkie.com first reported, "Strikeforce Grand Prix Final: Barnett vs. Cormier" takes place March 3 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The event airs live on Showtime with prelims on Showtime Extreme.

Noons rebounded from a two-fight skid with a decision victory over Billy Evangelista this past month at "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal." The win put him one step closer to a coveted title shot against current champ Gilbert Melendez, who outpointed Jorge Masvidal in the event's headliner.

Masvidal spoiled Noons' return to lightweight this past June after his unsuccessful bid for then-welterweight champion Nick Diaz's title eight months prior.

American Kickboxing Academy product Thomson hasn't fought since he lost a decision to Tatsuya Kawajiri at DREAM "Dynamite!! 2010," which snapped a two-fight win streak. He was expected to return this past September at "Strikeforce Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov" to face World Victory Road/Sengoku veteran Maximo Blanco, but he was forced to withdraw due to a foot injury.

The setbacks further delayed what many believe to be an inevitable rubber match with Melendez, whom he bested in June 2008 to win the Strikeforce lightweight title and lost to 18 months months later in a hotly contested rematch.

However, the winner of the lightweight bout, which is expected to be part of the event's main card, could very well move into a No. 1 contender position.
mmajunkie

Why BJ Penn no longer respects Nick Diaz

2012-01-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Allow me to introduce myself, My name is Scott Hernandez and I manage the BJPENN.COM website as well as BJ Penn’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. I work closely with BJ on a daily basis and because of this I have a strong emotional attachment to all things relating to our team and BJ’s life and career.

I went on BJ’s Facebook today to try and informally educate some of his detractors as to why BJ came out on Twitter two days ago and attacked Nick Diaz. For me, it was to the point where after reading several responses and comments I thought it important to put out some flames and explain what is going on.

I was merely trying to educate some of the people who don’t understand where BJ is coming from. But I probably shouldn’t have done it in that manner because it still left glaring questions unanswered and maybe put some words in BJ’s mouth that shouldn’t have been there.

So here I sit, using the BJPENN.COM platform to go into more detail and instead of name calling and calling people disgraceful I would like to run over some items and explain why BJ feels the way he does about Nick following their UFC 137 fight.

First and foremost, BJ and Nick are no longer friends. I understand the media may have painted a picture following the fight that things where cool. But they were not. The one photo of the two together post-fight was taken by Cesar and BJ and Nick did no socializing amongst each other after the fight. This was just a picture painted by the media, but it was never all flowers and butterflies.

Behind closed doors and far from the public’s view, the two have not been friendly and these recent comments are a result of that.

What I offer you now is some media in various forms and an explanation as to why BJ lost respect for Nick.

While many may focus on the pre-fight chatter between the two and how both parties where respectful, Nick caught BJ off guard and the relationship started to fall apart at the weigh-ins when Nick tried to strike BJ.

Check it out:

The shoulder check was disrespectful, unwarranted and unnecessary, but I’ll move on.

The third item of my list of four that I wish to highlight is the post-fight antics of Nick. He took to Jason Parillo, BJ’s boxing coach, with a verbal out lash and again, strained the relationship between himself and BJ further.

Here it is:

The last item on the list is this clip from HDNet. Nick calls BJ bitter for the loss and seems to have more to say about the fight and BJ.

Diaz talks at the two minute mark:

That is all I wanted to express to you guys. Understand it or not, these are the items, these are the actions that changed BJ’s opinion of Nick Diaz and what tarnished their friendship.

I can’t speak on why it took BJ three month’s to finally come out and say it bothered him, but what’s done is done. I know his supporters will and always do understand, but I hope this helps clear up what’s going on with the ones who don’t get it and maybe you can see, from our side, where we are coming from.

These actions are not of friends; these are actions of people who do not like each other. Nick crossed the line with BJ on more than one occasion and that was all she wrote.

For BJ’s part, he’s not losing any sleep over this stuff, but for me, I wanted to try and educate and merely answer some of these questions we have been receiving from the fans.

Thanks for listening guys and thank you for all your love and support throughout the years. Hope this helped clear some things up!

- Scott

BJPenn.com

Tiago Camilo (judo) e Demian Maia (bjj) Treino dia 2 de janeiro de 2012

2012-01-04T12:32:00.000-08:00

Yamasaki: The regulation of MMA in Brazil is a no man's land

2012-01-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

Mixed martial arts is the world's fastest growing sport, and UFC President Dana White is the architect. A central element of that success is the regulation of the sport by government bodies. As White succinctly says "We've run toward regulation."

MMA has exploded in popularity in the USA and Canada. UFC 129 for example was the largest live gate in Canadian history, exceeding the Stanley Cup, every major rock act, and the Olympics. The US and Canada provide strict government regulation of the sport.

Japan provides a tragic example of the dangers of MMA without regulation.

When Mark Coleman became the first Pride open weight Grand Prix champion, he was widely hailed as the best fighter on Earth. 'The Hammer' recalls the splendor of the Tokyo Hilton hotel, with its stunning design, service, and food.

“Then the boss hung himself in a room there,” Coleman said blunty, “and that was the end of that.”

The Jan. 9, 2003 suicide of Pride chairman Naoto Morishita was the beginning of the end.

“That’s believed to be the point in which Pride was taken over by organized crime,” explains the Japan-based crime reporter Jake Adelstein. “There’s a lot of speculation that he was killed and it was a staged suicide. And that’s when the Yakuza decided to move in.”

The ties between organized crime and the larger society in Japan are difficult for Westerners to fathom. When President John F. Kennedy visited Japan, an insufficient number of government officials were available to line the route, so Yakuza members and officials stood side by side.

However, to save face, Yakuza involvement has to be unmentioned.

"There’s the public reputation or image, which has to be preserved," Adelstein relates. "And then there’s the reality. While everyone was quite aware there was an organized crime connection, once that’s revealed, Japan’s sense of propriety demands you do something.”

That Pride-Yakuza connection was revealed in 2005, when published accounts quoted industry heavyweight Seiya Kawamata as saying that the Yakuza had a controlling interest in Pride. Further stories alleged that Kawamata himself was a member of the Yamaguchi-Gumi crime family.

Although Kawamata later denied the reports, and sued the journalist, it was over. In late 2006 FujiTV network ended its network deal with Pride, and without television, Pride died.

In early 2007 Zuffa acquired Pride for a reported $63,000,000, but for reasons that have never been revealed, never ran a single show under their banner.

Although it is not an issue with mixed martial arts, boxing had entrenched ties with organized crime, but through governement regulation, those ties were minimized, and boxing flourished for decades. Countless other potential punji sticks including death and injury, inconsistent rules, works, and much more are all minimized by government regulation.

The next major hotbed of growth for MMA apears to be in Brazil, and in an interview with MMA Junkie Radio, leading referee Mario Yamasaki discussed steps he is taking to further MMA regulation in the country of his birth.

"Brazil is no man's land," Yamasaki explains. "Anybody can do anything, and I'm trying to make it the same as the Unified Rules for the whole country."

"I go to a lot of events where they don't even have doctors or inspectors."

The problems are hardly limited to lack of medical care, but extend to officials as well. Several months ago Yamasaki reffed Royler Gracie's final bout, a losing effort vs. Japanese fighter Masakatsu Ueda at Amazon Forest Combat 1, in Manaus, Brazil.

"Royler lost the three rounds, and one of the judges gave it to Royler," Yamasaki said. "After the fight, I said, 'What are you thinking? Why did you give it to Royler?' (He said,) 'Oh, it's his last fight. He did so much for jiu-jitsu.' I said, 'C'mon, man.'

"I'm helping them start a commission and just doing my MMA courses. If somebody dies or gets hurt in Brazil, it's going to be bad for the name of the sport and for Brazil. I'm trying to make it so everybody's the same, so everybody thinks the same."

mmajunkie

UFC to start agreement/2012 with 24 hours of content on FuelTV

2011-12-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

To start of the New Year, and to introduce it's fans to the UFC, Fuel TV will be airing 24 straights hour of UFC programming, including a fair amount of new content.

January 1st, 2012 marks the official start of the agreement between the Ultimate Fighting Championship and FOX networks, which will feature live events and programming on three networks owned by the company: FOX, FX, and FuelTV. The popular reality show the Ultimate Fighter will now air on FX.

The 24-hour marathon programming will begin at midnight and some new content includes the Best Knockouts of 2011, a documentary about the bad blood between Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz, and roundtable discussion with several former UFC champions.

by Chris Palmquist

Johny Hendricks vs Jon Fitch fight review and analysis

2011-12-31T14:58:00.001-08:00

With Georges St. Pierre sidelined with a horrible knee injury and an interim title being fought for, it was Jon Fitch's moment to shine last night (December 30, 2011) on the UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem main card against Johny Hendricks.

There were no more excuses if Fitch could put on a dominant performance, but after 10 months away from the cage and after dealing with shoulder surgery, Fitch came out a bit slow.

And he paid for it.

Instead of potentially earning a shot at the interim title in 2012, Fitch found himself staring at the ceiling and looking to grapple with referee Steve Mazzagatti.

So how did Johny Hendricks pull out one of 2011's biggest upsets? And where do both men go from here?

There isn't much to dissect in a 12 second fight, but Jon Fitch made a huge mistake. After closing the distance and throwing a few strikes, he backed away straight with his lands low. This made his face a huge target for Hendricks' fist and he made sure to make Fitch pay.

Hendricks stepped forward and crushed Fitch with a beautiful lead left hook which sent him reeling to the canvas. As Fitch began to stand up, another huge diving left hook again temporarily put his lights out and the referee had seen enough, diving between both men to put a halt to the action. After nine straight fights having gone to a decision in the UFC, it was all over in just 12 seconds.

For Jon Fitch, this was an absolute disaster. You can't fault him for not shooting for a takedown inside the first 10 seconds but backing away straight with his hands low was not the type of move a seasoned professional like him should ever be making and it cost him dearly. With his already unpopular status with both the UFC brass and the fans, he's set himself back light years in the welterweight division unless he can somehow turn himself into a finishing machine before his next fight.

In all honesty, there aren't many options for him as a next opponent because he's faced most of the top 10 already and it's unlikely the UFC wants to throw him in against any top welterweight prospects. Perhaps they could throw him against Brian Ebersole in the UFC. Call me crazy, but I think it would actually make sense for him to jump ship to Strikeforce. He could instantly be in the mix for the vacant welterweight title there and would no longer have any conflicts of interests with his AKA teammates.

For Johny Hendricks, to say this was the biggest victory of his career is an understatement. He slayed a giant, a man who had previously only been defeated by Georges St. Pierre in the UFC and it had taken 25 full minutes to do so. "Big Rig" trucked Fitch, and just like Jake Ellenberger's recent quick stoppage of Jake Shields, this should instantly vault him into the welterweight contender discussion. He displayed tremendous power in his left hand and fans are definitely hoping to see him again soon.

I think the best plan of attack would be to have him face Josh Koscheck if "Kos" defeats Mike Pierce at UFC 143. Other options include the winner of Jake Ellenberger vs. Diego Sanchez or, depending on the outcome of both of those two fights, they could even give him a shot at the winner of the interim title between Nate Diaz and Carlos Condit. It should be an interesting couple months for Hendricks as this all gets sorted out.

So what did you think, Maniacs?

Were you as surprised as most when Hendricks blasted Fitch so quickly? Or did you smell an upset brewing due to the long layoff and the shoulder injury?

MMAMANIA

Junior dos Santos vs Alistair Overeem odds

2011-12-31T14:55:00.000-08:00

According to noted oddsmaker Nick Kalikas of BetOnFighting.com, it's none other than UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos. "Cigano" opens as a -240 favorite headed into his first title defense against Alistair Overeem, which is scheduled for sometime in 2012, possibly the summer.

"The Reem" comes in as the underdog at +190.

Anyone jumping on this line with wallets wide open? Or do you expect a dramatic shift as we get closer and closer to fight night?

Overeem has been crushing the competition for years now, compiling 11 wins in 12 fights (one no contest) since 2007. He made a successful debut with the UFC last night (Fri., Dec. 30, 2011) by stopping Brock Lesnar in the first round by way of technical knockout using his vaunted K-1 level striking.

Apparently the oddsmakers think the heavyweight champ's boxing is better.

Dos Santos, no different than Overeem, has been absolutely destroying his competition. In fact, just like "Demolition Man," he hasn't lost a fight since 2007, the lone defeat of his career.

However, unlike "The Reem," the Brazilian bomber has been running through top competition inside the Octagon. He's 8-0 under the UFC banner with five knockouts, including his 64-second destruction of Cain Velasquez that earned him the heavyweight strap.

It's no wonder he's favored. But will the deadly Dutchman prove once and for all that he's the best striker in the world, at heavyweight at least?

We're still a ways away from fight time, Maniacs, but who do you like for your money and who ya' got straight up?

To see the "Dos Santos vs. Overeem" odds and betting lines plus all the action for upcoming UFC and Strikeforce events click here.

MMAMANIA

Nate Diaz sets CompuStrike striking record for three round MMA fight in win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 141

2011-12-31T14:53:00.001-08:00

Nate Diaz put on quite possibly the best performance of his career last night (Dec. 30, 2011) at UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem, defeating Donald Cerrone via unanimous decision after three rounds thanks to relentless, laser-like striking.

How precise? Accurate enough to set a CompuStrike record for a three round mixed martial arts (MMA) fight.

Diaz landed an astounding 82 percent of his strikes, connecting on 258 out of 314 punches. After plenty of pre-fight trash talk from both competitors, the fight, unsurprisingly, never hit the ground for the entire 15 minutes. On the contrary, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu brown belt under Cesar Gracie -- who displayed improved boxing in his submission victory over Takanori Gomi at UFC 135 -- took his striking to a whole new level in his dominant UFC 141 win over "Cowboy."

He can likely thank striking coach Richard Perez, who is responsible for sharpening Nate's, along with the rest of the Cesar Gracie fight team's boxing skills, which also includes Nick Diaz, Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields. Often criticized for not possessing knockout power, the Diaz brothers have proved once again that their "peppering" style of striking is more than enough to get the job done.

By contrast, Cerrone -- who is one of the better strikers in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight division and who possesses a kickboxing record of 28-0-1 -- only landed 33 percent of his strikes as he landed only 66 out of 200 attempted strikes.

Alistair Overeem Talks After Sending Brock Lesnar into Retirement

2011-12-31T14:50:00.000-08:00

Wife of celeb chef Tony Bourdain taps out man

2011-12-26T13:55:00.000-08:00

Doug Quint, owner of the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop in the East Village had a grappling match in his shop vs Ottavia Bourdain, wife of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. The event was in celebration of Festivus, and to raise money for New York Cares.

Bourdain is admittedly obsessed with MMA, and studies BJJ at Muay Thai at Renzo Gracie's in Manhattan. She insisted her husband get UFC 132 tickets "close enough for blood spray" as he put it, and then threatening divorce if he bet on Cruz over Faber. When Faber lost, she consoled herself with a large meal.

mixedmartialarts.com

Vote on Kauai Martial Artist of the year award

2011-12-26T11:42:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I got nothing to give this year unless I get someone to sponsor an award.

Vote on who you think should be the martial artist of the year based on their performance in competition, and what they do to help promote martial arts on Kauai.

If you feel that someone else should be on the ballot please leave a comment here and give a reason why.

Don't turn this into a popularity contest, don't cheat and try and vote twice.

I added Tyson and Nalu because Tyson has been active in MMA gainst some pretty good competition. Nalu has won some of the toughest divisions in Jiu-Jitsu. Jake and Luke are perennial candidates for the award because they put it on the line in competitions.
Shane deserves consideration for his performances in Jiu Jitsu tournaments where he won the Absolute No GI on Kauai.

Best Knockout Ever in MMA - Tornado Kick

2011-12-24T21:47:00.000-08:00

Hawaii's Travis Browne to fight Chad Griggs

2011-12-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

Former Strikeforce standout Chad Griggs will make his Octagon debut at UFC 145 in March against undefeated Travis Browne in Montreal. UFC officials on Saturday announced that the promotion had verbal agreements from both parties.

MMAWeekly.com reported Griggs’ signing with the UFC earlier this week, but now he has the first opponent in the Octagon.

Griggs (11-1) originally came to Strikeforce as an opponent for highly touted prospect Bobby Lashley. Most expected that he was brought in as a sacrificial lamb for Lashley. He turned out to be anything but, taking out Lashley after two rounds, then returning with finishes of both Gian Villante and Valentijn Overeem.

He’s got no easy draw in his Octagon debut against Browne, however. The Hawaiian has been on his own impressive streak, having never lost a fight in 13 starts. He is 3-0-1 in the UFC, his only stumble a draw with Cheick Kongo. He enters the bout with Griggs coming off of a win over Rob Broughton at UFC 135 in Denver.

MMAWEEKLY

'Mayhem' Miller on Performance Against Michael Bisping: 'Dana White Was Right'

2011-12-23T09:09:00.001-08:00

By Ariel Helwani
Jason "Mayhem" Miller has opened up for the first time since his loss to Michael Bisping at the The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale.

In a blog post on his Web site entitled "Push Positive," Miller agreed with UFC president Dana White's critical assessment of his performance against Bisping and vowed to focus on the positives that came out of the loss.

"Dana White was right," Miller wrote. "He made some disparaging comments about my performance, and I agree with him. I displayed the worst of everything that night in the octagon. I was tense in round one and I locked up after that. I didn't perform to my potential, and I take full responsibility for it. That wasn't a UFC caliber performance, and I'm not happy about it- I won't, however, write a worthless diatribe on myself, because that is not constructive. I elect instead to take this misstep and make something positive out of it."

Miller's blog post is an honest and refreshing read. I suggest taking some time out to read it.

The UFC has yet to announce when the 30-year-old Miller, who's currently in Holland training with Team Golden Glory, will fight again.

K.J. Noons Thinking About His Future, but Not Considering Quitting

2011-12-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

By Michael David Smith

There was some talk before K.J. Noons fought Billy Evangelista on Saturday night that he might be contemplating quitting MMA. But with his victory over Evangelista in hand, Noons said people misunderstood his comments about retiring.

Noons said on The MMA Hour that he is thinking about retirement -- but only in the sense that he has to be smart enough to know that he won't make enough money in MMA to live on for the rest of his life, and that future planning is important. That doesn't mean he's currently considering quitting MMA.

"I love my job, fighting. But there is a life after fighting. I'm still young, I still want to fight, don't get me wrong on that," Noons said. "There's a life after fighting. It just made me think when I got married -- it's hard to make a living on fighting, and some guys in their young 30s, their knees are busted up, they have all these surgeries, they've got bulging discs, they've had all these injuries and they can't even do normal stuff in their mid-30s. That's all I was thinking of, I need to build something because I can't retire off MMA purses, at least not the purses I make."

Cain Velasquez knows he "blew it" against Junior dos Santos

2011-12-23T09:05:00.002-08:00

Originally posted by Joey Santosus

Cain knows he blew it, that he stopped before (dos Santos), but he's confident that he’ll have the chance to fight for the championship again. Possibly in two or three fights from now. He first has to prove he deserves that chance, so he'll have to defeat his two next opponents, or at least one in a convincing way so that Zuffa says, 'Ok, you deserve another shot.' When Zuffa offer us that fight, we'll work on it." - For more from Javier Mendez, visit Tatame.com

Cain Velasquez blew it - and he knows it.

That's according to the famed American Kickboxing Academy trainer, Javier Mendez, who says that the recently dethroned champ acknowledges the miscalculation that led to his 64-second knockout loss to Junior dos Santos.

Despite returning from an extended, injury-induced layoff, Velasquez's background as a two-time All-American wrestler made him a favorite amongst many to defeat the Brazilian battering machine. Instead, however, the AKA fighter found himself on the business end of a heavy right-hand after electing to exchange punches with dos Santos in the opening round. Though Velasquez makes no excuses for the loss, Mendez says the former title holder is confident that, with a couple of wins, he'll get another crack at reclaiming the gold. But, what do you think LowKick'ers? With the influx of Heavyweight talent coming over from Strikeforce, is Velasquez still the second best in the division? And if so, with the over-under set at two, how many wins will it take for him to get another title shot?

Carlos Condit Opens as Favorite Over Nick Diaz at UFC 143

2011-12-23T09:05:00.001-08:00

By Mike Chiappetta
Dec 22nd 2011 6:30PM
As if Nick Diaz needs a reason to motivate himself for his upcoming UFC 143 main event matchup with Carlos Condit -- a bout that will determine a UFC interim welterweight champion -- Diaz can turn to the oddsmakers for some fuel.

Diaz has voiced a displeasure at a perceived lack of respect for his achievements, and despite winning 11 fights in a row and vacating the Strikeforce welterweight belt to fight in the UFC, that apparently wasn't quite enough for linesmakers, who installed Condit as the favorite at UFC 143.

Karo Parisyan fighting at 16 years old

2011-12-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

Police investigating death of Chicago man after sparring matches at Vancouver home

2011-12-23T07:28:00.000-08:00

Investigators are looking into the death of a Chicago man who died after a two-day series of sparring matches with a Vancouver man he met in an online chat room.

Salvador Flamenco, 38, came to Vancouver on Dec. 15 after arranging the fights with the unidentified Vancouver resident through a website, www.allfighters.com, said Sgt. Scott Creager of the Vancouver Police Department. The pair decided to spar at the Vancouver man's home.

The two men fought that day and the next, but after the second day of boxing, Flamenco started complaining of dizziness and nausea, Creager said. The symptoms became more severe and by the time paramedics arrived, Flamenco had begun losing consciousness.

"He rapidly deteriorated," Creager said.

Flamenco was taken to an area hospital, where he later died.

After an autopsy, the Clark County Medical Examiner's Office said Flamenco died of blunt-force injuries and ruled the death a homicide, prompting an investigation by police.

Washington state law defines homicide as "the killing of a human being by the act, procurement, or omission of another."

Detectives have interviewed the Vancouver man involved, who is "being very cooperative," Creager said.

-- Kate Mather

Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem Weigh In on Pre-Fight Woes...Sort Of

2011-12-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

MMAfighting

For both participants in the UFC 141 main event, life outside the cage has been even more hectic than the limited time spent inside it of late. Maybe that's why neither is terribly thrilled about the prospect of talking about it at length.

With former UFC heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar getting back into action for the first time since having twelve inches of his colon removed, and Alistair Overeem in the midst of a battle with the Nevada State Athletic Commission over licensing issues -- all while also trying to see to his ailing mother back home in the Netherlands -- the year-end pay-per-view could have easily been dubbed UFC 141: Outside Distractions.

But with the two men set to square off in Las Vegas on December 30, at least they can relate to one another's struggles on some level. Take, for instance, Lesnar's response to Overeem's drug-testing woes on Monday's UFC 141 media call.

Though the former champion said he's remained blissfully ignorant of most of Overeem's issues with the NSAC, thanks in part to his isolated training camp and general disdain of the internet, Lesnar said he knows what it's like to have people peppering him with questions about drug tests and suspicious muscle mass.

More Coverage: UFC 141 Fight Card | UFC 141 Results

"I've been dealing with the same accusations my whole life," Lesnar said, calling it "part of the lifestyle...I've been used to it for many years now."

Overeem, too, seems to have become numb to the questions and whispers about his weight gain and almost cartoonish physique, even if he's known to be a little more congenial about those questions than Lesnar.

"Everybody has a right to ask whatever they want, and I have a right to respond or to ignore," said Overeem. "The thing is, I'm very busy with my career. It's not only just training, it's a lot of other stuff on top of it, which is assembling the team, PR, doing all these interviews, so I'm very occupied with that. I simply don't have the time to get into all these allegations. Usually they're done over [the] internet, people I don't even know and have never even met."

Both men also seem to have to their own unique no-go lists when it comes to pre-fight questions from media. For Lesnar, it's the repetitive questions about his health, his surgery, and his comeback from diverticulitis that he only has so much patience for these days. He played along for a little while on Monday's call, admitting that there was "nothing easy" about his recent struggles, but when asked to expand on those issues he quickly found his breaking point.

"I've answered a million questions about my health here," he snapped at one reporter. "That's the best you can come up with today? I feel great. I feel very, very good."

Overeem, on the other hand, continued to guard any and all information about his life inside the gym as if it were a matter of national security. The Dutch heavyweight instantly shut down any question about who he was training with or how he'd adjusted to moving his camp from Vegas to Holland in order to be closer to his mother, who is still recovering from cancer treatments.

It got to the point where UFC PR man Dave Sholler essentially asked reporters to stop wasting their own time by asking Lesnar about his health or Overeem about his preparation. Too bad those still seem like the most interesting topics less than two weeks out from the fight.

But if you're keeping score of outside distractions in the lead-up to this bout, it would seem to be Overeem who's far ahead. Lesnar's health issues might be more serious than some wrangling with the NSAC, but he's also had more time to deal with them. Overeem's had to move his training camp, deal with the emotional drain of a sick mother, and jump from one doctor's office to the next just to get the commission a drug test that it will accept.

Through it all he's kept a remarkably calm public appearance, maybe because he's used to the chaos after such a tumultuous career in both Japan and North America.

"I've been through a lot in my career," he said. "I have like, I don't know, I think like 65 or 70 fights, so you learn how to deal with distractions, setbacks. I mean, I'm a three-time champion, and I've been through a lot. It's all about adaptation. I'm pretty good at that, I think."

Lesnar also touched on the challenge of "trying to live a somewhat normal life" while also competing as a world-famous UFC heavyweight, but in the end there might be only one thing they agree on, and it's that neither is expecting to have to put in 25 minutes of work on fight night.

"I don't see it really going past the second round," said Overeem. "First or second round, maximum."

Lesnar concurred, saying, "I feel the same. This is a heavyweight fight that, you know, we're both going in to finish this fight. I don't foresee it going five rounds."

Whether that's more of a prediction or a hope, we'll have to wait and see.

Herb Dean hoped Nogueira would submit before break

2011-12-20T08:57:00.001-08:00

Referee Herb Dean knew Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira was in serious trouble.

Frank Mir had locked up a deep kimura during their bout Saturday at UFC 140, but Nogueira would not submit. Mir kept cranking, and Nogueira’s arm began to climb up his own back.

“In my mind, I was hoping that he would tap,” Dean told the Sherdog Radio Network’s “It’s Time!” show with Bruce Buffer. “Like, ‘Please, please make this easy for me. That looks like it’s on.’ I definitely [had a] heightened awareness at that time. I was really focused on that arm. But that’s how Antonio became who he is -- he didn’t get there by giving up. That guy’s done things that everyone thought was impossible time and time again because he never gives up.”

Technically Nogueira did tap, but that was after his humerus had already snapped.

“I stopped it because I saw the arm break,” Dean said. “The tap came after. I don’t stop it when I believe it’s locked on or even if I believe the guy’s in jeopardy because I don’t know what that person can take. I don’t know what their limits are, but if I see an injury that is too dangerous for the fight to continue, that’s when I’m going to stop the fight. Or if I see the fighter tap.”

It can be a tough situation for a referee when a fighter’s caught in a submission like Nogueira was. Dean explained that with professionals, it’s not his job to intervene when he thinks something could break. In amateur fights, though, the game is a little different.

“In amateurs we talk about stopping it before, and I’m not even sure how I feel about that exactly,” he said. “In amateurs we do stop them a little bit before we believe it’s totally locked out. At the end of the day, I don’t know when it’s going to break. I don’t know what that guy can take. So for a professional fight, that’s part of being a professional fighter is knowing how to look after yourself and knowing what you can and can’t take and knowing when it’s time to tap.”

Sometimes fighters submit too late, though. Dean has seen his share of injuries, and not everyone handles it like Nogueira did. He was in the cage once with a fighter who kept screaming in agony after having his arm dislocated, but Nogueira did the opposite.

“He was very calm,” Dean said. “He’s an exceptional person. Even during that, with coordinating with the physicians and him getting out of there, at some point he started taking an active role. ‘OK, Herb, I want you to help me up.’ He was pretty calm through it.”

Sherdog

Does Fedor deserve a pass into the UFC?

2011-12-19T08:26:00.000-08:00

Fedor "The Last Emperor" Emelianenko is one of the greatest fighters of the mixed martial arts era and for that he deserves an MMA pass into the UFC. Even if it's for one night only, he deserves that much.

In some quarters, there's a general consensus that Fedor (32-4-1NC) has by far seen better days; he's failed to evolve with the sport; he can't compete with the upper-echelon heavyweights, especially those residing in the UFC and so on and so forth.

At 35 years old, he's still young in a sport that has seen some of his contemporaries continue to contend at the highest level—Anderson "The Spider" Silva (36), Dan "H-Bomb" Henderson (41) and Randy "The Natural" Couture (even though retired, he won the UFC heavyweight title at 43) to name a few.

To be forthright, Fedor in essence has fallen short with regards to his advancement with the soon-to-be prototype MMA fighter.

It can only be surmised that his fall from grace has been largely down to complacency on his part and the cliché, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

Also, notwithstanding his sitting atop the heavyweight stratosphere for 10 years and with hardly a blemish in sight, that age-old combat adage of "You're only as good as your last fight" nevertheless applies to Fedor.

To suggest, however, that his recent losses to Fabricio Werdum, Antonio Silva and "Hendo" now constitute his ineligibility into the UFC's Octagon or that his credibility as a fighter be brought into question is asinine at best.

There have been and still are lesser fighters who continue to showcase their dwindling skills and/or their one-dimensionality in the UFC.

Case in point, Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy. He has four losses on the trot and if not for his British pay-per-view appeal, he would've most definitely been bounced from the organization.

Truth be told, Fedor's skill set mightn't be the necessary requisite for throwing down with the elite of the UFC's heavyweight assemblage, but one thing to take on board is that his inclusion in the Zuffa-based firm will generate a generous amount of pay-per-view sales, not to mention the live gate and attendance figures.

And let's not forget his fanbase—20,000-plus turned out for his most recent outing against Jeff "The Snowman" Monson (Russia mightn't be America, but it's still a healthy turnout).

And that, per se, should be enough to entice Dana White and Co. to acquire his services—a maximum of three fights at best should suffice.

Or better yet, sign him to a pay-as-you-win contract—the once baddest dude on the planet is not in the driving seat anymore, and I'm sure he'll be willing to make concessions.

With that said, the company should have carte blanche to do away with his services if he flounders beyond expectation.

Their attempts at signing him have in the past proven unsuccessful, due in no small part to his association with M1-Global and his manager Vadim Finkelstein.

Be that as it may, Fedor has to shoulder some of the blame as well, because the last time I looked, he was over 21 years of age and thus is and was in position to make his own play.

That, however, is history—it's the here and now that counts.

Whether Fedor wins or loses in the Octagon, I believe the UFC will be in a win-win situation. If that's not enough to persuade the Fedor pessimists, how about the reasons for his naysayers and fans alike tuning in or watching live?

It's that simple—to watch him rise once again or witness another disastrous fall.

To close this argument in favour of Fedor's worthiness of an MMA pass into the UFC, inconsequential though it might sound, the measure of his greatness can be summed up by the reaction of those who can empathize with what it entails to contest in the realm of mixed martial arts.

The reactions of "Vai Cavalo," "Bigfoot" and Hendo following their upending of The Last Emperor were synonymous with the idiom, "A picture is worth a thousand words."

By Nedu Obi

Carano: Guys I date usually want to test my strength

2011-12-19T08:21:00.001-08:00

bloodyelbow.com

Should Zuffa send BJ Penn to Strikeforce?

2011-12-19T08:17:00.000-08:00

(Interesting article by Mike Chiappetta but I doubt BJ would agree to fight in Strikeforce, even against El Nino).

If Dana White won't bring Gilbert Melendez to the UFC, he should bring the UFC to Melendez. Or at least, someone for him to fight. After beating Jorge Masvidal at last night's Strikeforce event in San Diego, what more is there for him to do? Who else is there for him to beat? What matchup are fans clamoring to see? The answers are nothing, no one and none.

Melendez is a top five fighter with nothing left to prove in the division as it stands right now. He's beaten Masvidal, Shinya Aoki and Josh Thomson, three of the best lightweights outside of the UFC, but there's no signed fighter in the division who has truly earned the right to face one of the best. Sure there are fighters like KJ Noons and Gesias "JZ" Cavalcante with some name value, but both of those guys have won exactly one fight in a row.

Solution: Bring someone over from the UFC to fight him. It doesn't have to be the champion. Bring one of the many quality guys over to challenge him. I have just the guy. He's a big name, he can bring attention to the promotion, and he offers the instant credibility that only a former UFC champion can provide. Bring over BJ Penn to fight Melendez.

Right now, Penn is on a break from fighting. He's home in Hilo, Hawaii spending time with his family after his hard-fought loss to Nick Diaz in October. But Penn does plan to fight again, and he even said that he'd be willing to rematch Diaz.

That's not going to happen, as Diaz has moved on to preparing for a big interim UFC welterweight title fight with Carlos Condit. So we need to find something that excites Penn, something that motivates him. Regardless of the skeptics who still refuse to believe that Melendez is for real, Penn knows the truth, that Melendez is for real and has a set of skills that would provide a challenge. Because of that, a bout with Melendez might interest him. As an added bonus, Melendez comes from the same Team Cesar Gracie as Diaz, making the marketing of the fight simple. BJ Penn comes looking for revenge against Diaz's teammate.

Penn loves fighting for belts, and as long as Frankie Edgar is the lightweight champ, Penn is stuck. He isn't going to get another shot against Edgar after losing to him twice. The same holds true for his chances of getting a welterweight title fight. He's already lost to Georges St-Pierre twice and Diaz once, so his chances of earning his way back for another title bout anytime soon are slim. So where does that leave him? He's in a legend-at-large role, looking for interesting matchups wherever they might appear. And is there really anything in the UFC that is so much more interesting than Penn-Melendez?

Let's face it, Penn would be one of the biggest stars ever to fight in the Strikeforce hexagon, with only Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko able to rival his popularity. He's a former two-division champ in the UFC, every MMA fan knows him, and his presence would certainly bring attention to the promotion. Just as importantly, it would illustrate that Zuffa is serious about Strikeforce.

Just last week, White promised that Strikeforce wouldn't be a B-league, or a feeder system for the UFC. They would go after top talent, he said. They would find a way to make Strikeforce's best fighters happy, he said. That would mean leaving Melendez where he is, and bringing talent to him. This match would prove that White meant what he said.

The biggest hurdle in this plan would be making it worth Penn's while. Because Strikeforce is on Showtime and not pay-per-view, the pay scale is different, and White would have to dig into his his pocket to make him whole.

That investment would be worth it for Zuffa, to show that they are truly committed to Strikeforce as its own promotion. It's one thing for White to say it on a conference call, it's another entirely for him to send over a UFC legend. That's a statement. That's a promise kept.

BJ Penn would be just the fighter to satisfy White's promise, fan interest and Melendez's ambitions. Melendez doesn't just need a legitimate challenge, he deserves one.

Nogueira gets 16 screws, titanium plate

2011-12-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

In his December 10th bout with Frank Mirk, Antonio Nogueira sufferd a broken humerus bone after refusing to submit to a kimura. The injury was one of the worst seen in the octagon, but days after Nogueira had stated he would be able to forego surgery, but that doesn't seem to be the case. The UFC heavyweight went under the knife this weekend in Vail, Colorado:

Big Nog, who received a 60-day medical suspension last Tuesday, had 16 screws inserted into his arm when he underwent surgery on Saturday.

"Mr. Nogueira suffered a complex fracture to his humerus," Dr. Tom R. Hackett wrote on the Nogueira brothers' blog (Nogueirabrothers.com.br). "The fracture began in the middle of the bone and extended to the elbow region. Unfortunately, the radial nerve [one of the main nerves lending a feeling of power to the hands] was damaged. The nerve is located in the area of the fracture, and the bone compressed it. Before the operation, he had very little strength in his hand and no strength whatsoever in his thumb.

"The operation involved an incision behind the arm. The nerve was removed from the location of the fracture and treated. The fracture was fixed with a plate and 16 screws, and now, less than 12 hours post-op, his hand functions are returning and the bone is mending.

"If all goes well, he'll be back to full training in the coming months and should be 100% to fight in six months or less. We foresee him making a complete and full recovery."

source: nogueirabrothers.com.br

Best Knockout ever in MMA

2011-12-19T08:13:00.000-08:00

Ray vs Jorge rematch

2011-12-17T15:49:00.001-08:00

jorge masvidal vs ray

2011-12-17T15:49:00.000-08:00

Strikeforce Main Event Breakdown: Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal

2011-12-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

By Mike Chiappetta

During a recent interview with the press, Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez voiced his displeasure with some of the people who discounted his next challenger, Jorge Masvidal.

"A lot of people have been talking nonsense; that Jorge, like he's no good. That you're going to run by him," Melendez said. "And that talk kind of bothers me because some people are ignorant. They don't really follow the game that much. If you don't fight in the UFC, they think you're no good."

Like most fighters, Melendez is much more attuned to the subtleties of an opponents' fight style and skills than most observers, and he understands he's truly in for a fight in Saturday night's Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal main event. And he probably understands he's in a no-win situation as well.

If he does emerge victorious, that's exactly what he was supposed to do, and if he loses, detractors will say his consensus No. 2 lightweight ranking was never quite deserved.

Masvidal (22-6) is a crafty fighter with a style Melendez hasn't really experienced in the cage. He keys his offense off a long jab that lengthens his reach and moves his opponent backward, an important strategy that plays into his preference for counter-fighting. Overall, though, he's a very complete fighter.

Despite having no real base in wrestling, he's proven his excellence in that department through the most recent part of his career. For example, his last fight was against KJ Noons, who loves to strike and uses his wrestling to keep the fight upright where he thinks he has an advantage. That has largely been a successful strategy for him. According to FightMetric, Noons has successfully defended 71 percent of takedown tries against him, but Masvidal took him down on seven of nine attempts en route to a dominant win.

So that's one thing for Melendez (19-2) to be concerned about. The other is Masvidal's striking. As mentioned, Noons has a reputation as a striker but Masvidal had a field day against him on the feet, knocking him down once and out-landing him 73-38 in signature strikes. That's a fairly common outcome for Masvidal, who has one pro boxing fight under his belt and prides himself on his offensive skills and defensive movement.

Masvidal lands about 50 percent of his strikes while his opponents land less than 30, according to FightMetric. In addition to his jab as a favored weapon, he is one of few fighters who takes advantage of criminally underused body punching, occasionally firing off left hook liver shots. His easy motion and comfort level in his standup often lull his opponents into a false confidence, and then he can use his speed to strike or shoot in for the takedown. But other times, he himself might slow things down, too. That's good in some matchups, but it's not the best idea for this one.

Melendez's style is much more well known than Masvidal's. Melendez has refined his boxing over the last few years, adding power along the way (four of his last six wins are by KO or TKO). Coupled with an effective wrestling game and ability to create a grinding match, he often forces opponents into a fight that favors his skills. Melendez is also one of those fighters who can take his foe's best weapon away and turn the bout into his favor that way.

But really, Melendez's most important single trait is his conditioning, a quality that allows him to push the fight in any direction he wants with little fear of running out of gas. Particularly in five-round bouts, many fighters will pace themselves early, aware that they might need reserve fuel in case they still find themselves fighting 20 minutes or so later. Melendez doesn't have to think about that.

He's also trained for five-round title fights multiple times. This will be his seventh straight time preparing for the 25-minute distance, while Masvidal is doing it for the first time.

From a pure skill level, Masvidal is certainly capable of the upset, but it's hard to overlook some of his past uneven performances. In a fight against Paul Daley that took place in Sept. 2010, for example, the win was there for the taking in round three after the two split the first two rounds, and Masvidal never showed a sense of urgency to seal the deal, allowing Daley to steal it on the scorecards. Given Melendez's aggression, any kind of passivity may be Melendez's undoing.

Masvidal has to be more offensive than usual and push forward, but that's not really not his style, and it's not likely he'll change that overnight. If he sits backs and waits to counter, Melendez's more straightforward style will make a bigger impact with the judges. Masvidal has the chin and boxing skills to bring this fight into the late rounds, but Melendez's stamina will be the edge to get him to the finish line first. Expect this one to be closer than the wide odds indicate, but Melendez holds on to the belt with a decision win.

Don't forget Strikeforce Melendez vs. Masvidal tonight

2011-12-17T15:40:00.000-08:00

8:30 tonight on Showtime for those who have it.

Gilbert Melendez, who sits atop the Strikeforce heap as its lightweight champion, will attempt to extend his current winning streak to six in a title defense against Jorge Masvidal at Saturday night’s Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.

He and Masvidal, along with the rest of the fight card, must first weigh in Friday afternoon to make the nine-bout roster official.

Other bouts highlighting the main card include Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos making her return to the cage after more than a year off. She will put her belt on the line against Hiroko Yamanaka, one of the top female featherweights out of Japan. Gegard Mousasi makes his first Strikeforce appearance since spring to try and halt a streaking Ovince St. Preux, while former title contender K.J. Noons faces rising talent Billy Evangelista.

The Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal weigh-ins take place Friday at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.

Main Bouts (on Showtime):
-Gilbert Melendez (155) vs. Jorge Masvidal (155)
-Cris “Cyborg” Santos (145) vs. Hiroko Yamanaka (145)
-Gegard Mousasi (206) vs. Ovince St-Preux (206)
-K.J. Noons (156) vs. Billy Evangelista (156)

Preliminary Bouts (non-televised):
-Justin Wilcox (156) vs. Caros Fodor (156)
-Jerron Peoples (180.5) vs. Roger Bowling (170)*
-Devin Cole (248) vs. Gabriel Salinas-Jones (265)
-Fernando Gonzalez (186) vs. Eddie Mendez (186)
-Herman Terrado (170.5) vs. Chris Brown (170)

*Catchweight bout
MMAWEEKLY

K.J. Noons Just Fighting His Way Back Into Contention

2011-12-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

Jorge Masvidal Has No Use for Title, Saying Win Over Gilbert Melendez Means More

2011-12-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

For most fighters, winning a major championship is an ultimate career goal. Few, however, will ever get the chance to compete for one, let alone have a shiny, gold belt strapped around their waist.

Jorge Masvidal gets that chance on Saturday, yet for him, that material possession comes secondary to the personal satisfaction that would come from defeating current Strikeforce lightweight titleholder Gilbert Melendez.

"He's the No. 1 or No. 2 in most peoples' opinion," he told MMA Fighting during a recent teleconference. "That's what really matters to me. The belt, I could really care less for it."

Melendez is currently ranked second, behind only UFC champ Frankie Edgar in most lightweight rankings, and the prospect of knocking off his highest-ranked opponent means more to Masvidal than anything else.

The 27-year-old has won both of his Strikeforce fights since re-signing with the company in 2011 (he had also gone 2-0 in a previous run in 2007-08).

While Masvidal has yet to crack a top 10 on his own, he has been considered a talented but sometimes inconsistent fighter with the ability to do so. In recent years, he has led a bit of a nomadic existence, fighting in promotions including Bellator, Bodog Fight, Sengoku and Shark Fights before settling back in Strikeforce's hexagon. Essentially, he's chased the best available fights, which is no different than his current focus.

"To me it doesn't really matter what people say about him or anything," he said of Melendez's reputation. "I just want to fight him. I know he's a solid fighter and that's all that matters to me. And that's it, really. To me it's just another fight. Train hard and that's it. Train long because it's five rounds. That's the only difference. And that's it. Go in and do my job."

For his part, Melendez said that just because Masvidal has gone under the radar of some, he shouldn't be counted among that group. In fact, it's a fight that he has been anticipating for some time, and he expects Masvidal to be just as game as he says is.

"You get motivated when you're the underdog or you get motivated when there's a lot of hype," he said. "A lot of people have been talking nonsense; that Jorge, like he's no good. That you're going to run by him. And that talk kind of bothers me because some people are ignorant. They don't really follow the game that much. If you don't fight in the UFC, they think you're no good."

Melendez goes into Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal as a sizable favorite, but many observers believe that when Masvidal is at his best, he's a legitimate threat to anyone. And that means he's a legitimate threat to win a belt, even if it's one he says he doesn't particularly care about.

"When I say 'just another fight,' it's not like I'm dissing my opponent skill-wise or anything," he said. "I'm just saying that it doesn't mean anything that it's a title and it's a main event on Showtime or nothing like that. It's just at the end of the day no matter what's at stake, it's just a fight. It's not like Gil has a gun and I'm going in there empty-handed. It's just another fight. That's exactly what I mean."

Mike Chiappetta

Strikeforce, Showtime Announce Extension to TV Deal

2011-12-15T14:12:00.000-08:00

Executives from Strikeforce and Showtime have announced a new contract that will keep the two sides partnered up in the television broadcasting business for at least the next year. Their original deal had been set to expire in early 2012. The new pact will see Showtime broadcast up to eight Strikeforce shows per year. Undercard fights will also air live on Showtime Extreme.

The announcement ends lengthy speculation about the future of the relationship, which seemed unsalvageable as recently as October.

In a joint teleconference including the two sides, UFC president Dana White, who has had an active role in negotiations since mid-October, said the tide turned after a regime change at Showtime.

Asked if a deal could have been struck without the regime change, White said probably not.

More Coverage: Strikeforce to Eliminate Heavyweight Division in 2012

"I dont know," he said. "Obviously, it didn't go well [previously]. It probably wouldn't have. Listen, let's cut the b-------. Me and [former Showtime sports boss] Ken Herschman aren't fans of each other. He's not a fan of mine, I'm not a fan of his. He's not there anymore. I flew out there, I liked these guys, and we did a deal, period, end of story."

Stephen Espinoza, who now runs the division as executive vice president & general manager of Showtime sports, would not divulge the length of the agreement between the sides, but promised to continue the long relationship between the brands in presenting Strikeforce as a first-tier product.

White echoed that, saying that Strikeforce would look to sign top available talent, and that fans shouldn't expect it to be run as a "B-league" or feeder system for the UFC, as some had feared.

"Let's be real clear: Strikeforce is not a secondary brand," Espinoza said. "Luke Rockhold is not a secondary fighter, Cris Cyborg is not a secondary fighter, GIna [Carano] is not a secondary fighter, Gilbert [Melendez] is not a secondary fighter. This is a top-tier organization. It was a top-tier organization as a brand when Scott [Coker] was running it independently of Zuffa, and it will continue to be now that they're in partnership with Zuffa."

Among the few changes announced is the eventual abandoning of the heavyweight division. World Grand Prix finalists Daniel Cormier and Josh Barnett will meet in the final -- which is likely to take place before the end of the first quarter of 2012, according to Coker -- and then the winner will fight one more time in Strikeforce before the weight class is discontinued.

The reason? Lack of depth, according to White, who said the promotion will focus on all of its other existing divisions. He also reaffirmed that Strikeforce will continue to promote both the women's 135- and 145-pound classes.

For the first time, Showtime will also have a stake in the event preliminaries, as undercard fights will be aired live on Showtime Extreme.

The first event on 2012's Showtime-Strikeforce calendar will be on January 7, with an event from The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and featuring Rockhold defending his newly won middleweight title against Keith Jardine. The event presentation will look similar to past offerings, with White promising a few tweaks. The announcing team is likely to stay intact, Espinoza added.

The extra events will bring Zuffa's 2012 total to over 40 live shows, making White's schedule a nightmare. "People don't even think it's going to be humanly possible, but I disagree," he said of the travel that will be required of him. But that doesn't mean he's not excited for the potential of Strikeforce, and he plans to offer the UFC's sister promotion as much of himself as is possible in the coming months.

"This is what I love to do," White said. "This is the s--- that gets me out of bed in the morning. The Showtime guys and Scott Coker, everyone will laugh but it's business as usual for these guys. They've had this relationship for a long time. I'm getting involved in this thing and I'm excited about it. I'm going to get behind it 100 percent. Like I said, we're going to get in, we're going to do some fun stuff, make some tweaks and see how big we can make this thing."

Mike Chiappetta

MMA - the best and the sickest submission ever

2011-12-14T00:12:00.000-08:00

The Champ Visits SportsCenter

2011-12-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

Brittney Palmer Gets March 2012 Cover of Playboy

2011-12-13T15:32:00.001-08:00

Brittney Palmer returned to Octagon girl duties over the weekend at UFC 140, and she’ll soon join Arianny Celeste and Rachelle Leah in another honor shared by UFC Octagon girls.

Palmer will grace the cover of the March issue of Playboy magazine, hitting the stands in early 2012.

The former WEC ring girl took a brief hiatus from her duties around the Octagon to concentrate on going to art school in California.

There was quite an outpouring from fans who missed seeing her at events, and so UFC President Dana White brought her back, starting with last weekend’s UFC 140 event in Toronto.

“It’s so flattering. At the end of the day, I’m an Octagon girl, I hold the card and that’s what I thought. Then everyone kind of reached out and didn’t want me to go, and it was such a big reaction, it’s flattering,” Palmer told MMAWeekly prior to UFC 140.

Nogueira Avoids Surgery for Broken Arm

2011-12-13T15:29:00.001-08:00

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira suffered a broken arm at UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida in Toronto on Saturday night after waiting until the last possible second – a second too late – to tapout to a Frank Mir Kimura (shoulder lock).

The UFC tweeted out the x-ray of Nogueira’s arm, clearly showing a break of the humerus.

The initial prognosis in Toronto was a trip to Los Angeles for surgery. But it now appears that surgery won’t be necessary.

“Doctor’s report: surgery not necessary for Big Nog,” the UFC tweeted on Monday after Nogueira visited Dr. John Itamura.

Dr. Itamura believes a less invasive course of action will work for Nogueira.

“He’ll have adjustable plastic brace using an ultrasound device 2x/day for 20 mins,” read the UFC’s message on Twitter.

Apparently, according to the doctor, Nogueira could return to the Octagon “in no more than nine months.”

At 35 years of age, having fought through some punishing battles throughout his career, whether or not Nogueira returns to the Octagon at all remains to be seen. At least, UFC president Dana White seems to question Nogueira continuing his fight career.

“You got to look at a guys career, not just how it’s ending. Big Nog has been through wars. I was at the Pride fight when he fought Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop was just blasting him with kicks to the body and shots to the head, and then he ends up pulling off that submission win in the second round. But he’s had a career where he’s been through some wars,” said White following the UFC 140 post-fight press conference when asked if it was time for Nogueira to consider retirement.

Nogueira is 4-3 since moving to the UFC in 2007, two of his losses coming by way of knockout, the other being Mir’s arm-breaking submission.

“Big Nog is a nice guy and a guy whom I respect.

I know he’s gonna get pissed off at me, but again, it doesn’t matter. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I’m the one that makes those decisions,” White continued, clearly indicating that he thought Nogueira has to take a long hard look at whether he should continue or not.

“So, I’m gonna have to sit down and talk to him. I don’t want to see him get hurt or anybody.”

MMAWeekly Radio Tuesday: Greg Jackson and KJ Noons | MMAWeekly.com

2011-12-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

MMAWeekly Radio Tuesday: Greg Jackson and KJ Noons | MMAWeekly.com: "MMAWeekly Radio Tuesday: Greg Jackson and KJ Noons"

'via Blog this'

Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva Named TUF Brazil Coaches

2011-12-13T15:27:00.001-08:00

A rivalry will finally be settled during the first ever Ultimate Fighter: Brazil as Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort square off as coaches.

UFC president Dana White made the announcement on Tuesday at a press conference in Brazil.

Silva and Belfort are no strangers to each other. The legendary Brazilians first faced off at UFC 17.5, also known as Ultimate Brazil.

Belfort blitzed Silva with punches in the early going of the fight, finishing off his fellow Brazilian in just 44 seconds in 1998.

Now, more than a decade later, the two will meet face to face again in their home country of Brazil as coaches for The Ultimate Fighter.

The format for the show will run similar to the early seasons of TUF in the United States, with the fighters living and training in the house for six weeks before squaring off in a finale.

“The premiere is going to be March 25. It’s going to be every Sunday night on Globo. The finale will be in June, but we don’t know where that’s going to be yet,” said White.

This will mark the first season of The Ultimate Fighter to not take place in the United States. The UFC has long planned to expand internationally, and now they have roots in Brazil starting with this newest edition of TUF.

White, along with several UFC officials, traveled to Brazil for the open tryouts on Monday. Cast selection will be announced at a later date.

The Ultimate Fighter Brazil will also air in some fashion in the United States, and as of last week the rumors were for it to show on Fuel TV, although nothing has been announced yet.

UFC 140 results: Lyoto Machida had a gameplan and Jon Jones was falling for it

2011-12-12T16:21:00.001-08:00

Then Jon Jones was just falling ... right on top of Lyoto Machida with a violent elbow.

One that happened to split "The Dragon" in two and bring about the beginning of the end, which was unfortunate considering how well the opening round played out in their UFC 140 headliner last Saturday night (Dec. 10, 2011) at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Machida explains to Tatame.com the "disturbing" moment that changed the outcome of their fight:

"We set a game plan that, from where I’m standing, until a certain moment, was working, but he landed that elbow and I got dizzy, I couldn’t see things straight anymore and it disturbed me because I couldn’t see. And on that moment I thought, 'I gotta do my best here and now.' I felt him lose a little on the first round, but I was focused on not making it a big deal, because each round was a different one and I had to win them all. I did my game and he was falling for it. He took me down, launching an elbow on me, and that surprised me a little, because I thought he would take me down but I would have a little time to think it straight. It was very fast and I had my head close to the fence, he hit me with an elbow, I couldn’t see and I tried to stand up and he hit me even more. I stood up and the judge interrupted, but we started fighting again and I didn’t have enough time to recover from that."

Following the conclusion of the first round, two cageside judges had it scored in favor of the champion; however, an argument can be made the challenger took the opening frame or at the very least, had it dead even.

From the MMAmania.com play-by-play:

Round one: Jones comes out crawling again then stands up traditional style. Leg kick from Jones. Side kick to the thigh from Jones. Spinning back kick from Jones misses. Leg kick from Machida. Hard leg kick from Jones. Good leg kick from Jones then he blocks a right from Machida. Kick to the thigh from Jones. Powerful leg kick from Jones and Machida counter with a right that barely misses. Jones is the faster man. Left from Machida lands. Good body kick and left from Machida. High kick from Jones misses. Good counter right from Machida. Machida again lands a stiff left that backs up Jones! Body kick from Machida he is finding holes now and he stunned Jones with that left. Good high kick from Jones glances the head of Machida. That is the bell and a close round but I think Machida landing the more significant blows in that round. 10-9 Machida.

While no one wants to break out the party hats every time a fighter (possibly) takes a close round on points, it's significant simply because we've yet to see anyone stay competitive against Jones since his unparalleled run through the UFC light heavyweight division.

Did Machida lay the foundation for breaking "Bones?" Or did he simply take advantage of a patient champion who made the necessary adjustments in the second stanza?

Fedor Emelianenko vs Satoshi Ishii announced for New Year's Eve fight in DREAM

2011-12-12T16:15:00.001-08:00

Fedor Emelianenko is about to do something he hasn't done in nearly seven years.

"The Last Emperor," who slammed the brakes on a three-fight losing streak with a unanimous decision victory over Jeff Monson last month in Moscow, Russia, will compete for the fourth time this calendar year by taking on Olympic Judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii on DREAM's upcoming New Year's Eve fight card on Dec. 31, 2011, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

M-1 officials today confirmed the long-rumored booking, which we first reported back on Nov. 20.

"M-1 Global in cooperation with Dream is very pleased to announce the bout which will bring the world's attention to Japan on December 31. Fedor has been in great shape, and is ready for what we think will be a hard and competitive fight."

Can Fedor finish his 2011 fight campaign at an even 2-2? Or will Ishii finish the Russian's storied career where it began, in "The Land of the Rising Sun?"

Here is the current FieLDS 'Genki Desu Ka!!' fight card and line-up:

DREAM Bantamweight Grand Prix:

135 lbs.: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Rodolfo Marques
135 lbs.: Masakazu Imanari vs. Antonio Banuelos
135 lbs.: Winner of Fernandes-Marques vs. Winner of Imanari-Banuelos

Main Card:

265 lbs.: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Satoshi Ishii
155 lbs.: Shinya Aoki vs. Satoru Kitaoka
170 lbs.: Hayato Sakurai vs. Ryo Chonan
145 lbs.: Hiroyuki Takaya vs. Takeshi Inoue
155 lbs.: Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kazuyuki Miyata
115 lbs.: Karla Benitez vs. Megumi Fujii
265 lbs.: Brett Rogers vs. Tim Sylvia
MMAMANIA

Frank Mir feels bad Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira requires medical attention, but not for submitting him at UFC 140

2011-12-12T16:13:00.001-08:00

Frank Mir is one of the most dangerous submission fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, with nine out of his 16 professional wins coming via tap, nap or snap.

Even though the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt takes prides in his stand up abilities, at UFC 140 on Toronto, Ontario, Canada, this past weekend (Dec.10, 2011,) Mir reminded the MMA world just how efficient he can be once the fight hits the floor.

After getting caught with a perfectly placed right hand to the back of his ear, Mir went into survival mode by trying to shoot in on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Once the fight hit the ground, Nogueir -- who is widely considered to be the best heavyweight submission artist on the planet -- attempted a guillotine.

And that's when the tide turned.

Mir was able to escape and, in the process, trap "Minotauro" in the kimura seen around the world. With a strong inclination that Noguiera -- the proud and accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt -- wouldn't tap, Mir had no choice but to add a little bit more torque to secure the win.

Mir got the win, but only after Nogueira's arm snapped like a twig and Herb Dean stepped in to stop the fight.

After the bout, at the UFC 140 press conference, Mir wouldn't go too much into detail about the incident; however, speaking to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Mir explained that he was just trying to earn the win. And even though it's a shame Noguiera has to get his arm repaired, he does not feel bad for what happened:

"I just locked it up and I wanted to make sure he didn't get out. I'm locking up a submission, and in my mind I want to keep applying force and don't lose it. By the time he tapped the injury had already occurred. I understand the mentality; you're trying to wait for the last second but once I pulled the arm back he could have tapped. But this is Nogueira, a great ground fighter, he's been in that move in practice and gotten out, so he hesitated I'm sure. I'm not going to let go of a hold until the referee tells me to break the hold. I would never do anything dirty or purposely hurt you. I just want to win the fight, the fact that you have to get medical treatment afterwards that sucks. He's another martial artist I hope he can go back to the gym Monday like everyone else.I feel bad that he has to go get it repaired, but I don't feel bad it happened. It would be like a quarterback apologizing for scoring a touchdown. If me and Nogueira ever rolled again, I could easily be the one on the receiving end of the kimura."

This isn't the first time that Mir has caused serious bodily harm to another opponent using his highly decorated submission skills. At UFC 48 in 2004, Mir became the UFC heavyweight champion by submitting Tim Sylvia with an armbar that also broke the champion's forearm just 50 seconds into the fight.

With his impressive win over Noguiera, Mir has now won three straight and is knocking on the door of a title shot. He, of course, has to play the waiting game to see the outcome of the monster number one contender eliminator fight between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem, which is scheduled for UFC 141 on Dec. 30, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Unless Cain Velasquez and the promotion is up for his recent challenge.

UFC 140: Preview & Predictions

2011-12-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

JON JONES vs. LYOTO MACHIDA

Jon Jones could wrap the single greatest year in UFC history tonight, but he’s facing one of the more intriguing tests he’ll ever face as light heavyweight champion. Lyoto Machida represents a style unlike any Jones has faced thus far.

In reality, he’s very much like Jon Jones. Both fighters are predicated on playing defense and avoiding punishment, and both fighters are exceedingly good at creating distance and using range to strike opponents who swing and miss more often than not. Back before he started losing fights on a regularly basis, Machida very rarely looked human, and that’s something Jones can identify with these days.

Jones is a heavy favorite in this fight, as he should be. Machida can win, much the same way that anybody can really win an MMA fight. But Machida was less the definer of a new era than a placeholder for what the Jones era will become, and he’s not going to finish Jones’ or his reign as champion any time soon.

FRANK MIR vs. ANTONIO RODRIGO NOGUEIRA

Frank Mir’s pretty bitter about the way the bigger Nogueira dismissed his dominating win three years ago. He has every right to be. Staph infection or no, Nogueira looked decidedly unlike the champion who, along with Fedor Emelianenko and Mirko Cro Cop, defined an entire generation of heavyweight fighters in Japan.

Mir has a chip on his shoulder. He feels disrespected, and rightly so. But that has nothing to do with 2011 or the second meeting between the pair. The fact remains that Nogueira, while not “shot” in the traditional sense, certainly is not the fighter he used to be. Not even close. Don’t pay attention to his win over Brendan Schaub, because that was an outlier brought on by Schaub’s careless overlooking of the Brazilian. It was disrespect, plain and simple, and Schaub paid a very dear price for it.

Mir is too big, too strong and too good. He’s not going to fall into the trap of disrespecting Nogueira, no matter how often he pretends to do so otherwise in public settings. There will be no zombie comebacks for Nogueira in this fight.

TITO ORTIZ vs. ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA

Tito Ortiz thinks he might retire soon. He’s had a nice career, after all, and he’s getting a little tired of putting in the kind of work that goes into being a slightly-less-than-medicore light heavyweight in the year 2011. You can’t blame him. He’s had a nice run.

This won’t be the fight that retires him, however. The venerable Ortiz will indeed live to fight another day, but it’s not because he’s great shakes as a fighter these days, but rather because Nogueira just isn’t that good. He’s never been all that good, and those of you who believe he was one of the best light heavyweights in the world are deluding yourself and buying into the haze from a bygone era.

Ortiz will beat Nogueira, and he’ll do it the same way the tiniest Nog’s other opponents did: by taking him to the ground and keeping him there. It won’t be exciting and it won’t be all that fun to watch, but it will be a victory for the newly-dubbed People’s Champ.

BRIAN EBERSOLE vs. CLAUDE PATRICK

Ebersole’s gradual ascendance from “wacky humor guy” to “possible welterweight contender/aging veteran” starts with this bout.

He’s one of the smartest guys in the business, and obviously one of the funniest. Witness his epic appearances on MiddleEasy.com for proof on both accounts, but take my word on this: Ebersole is no joke. The fight with Rory MacDonald would have been a tough one, but Claude Patrick is no Rory MacDonald and Ebersole should have a field day here.

Expect a slow, grinding fight, with Ebersole pretty much having his way on top and controlling the fight. It won’t be pretty, but it doesn’t have to be.

MARK HOMINICK vs. CHAN SUNG JUNG

This is a mismatch, pure and simple. Jung takes a ton of punishment and the fight seems designed to get him to take as much punishment as possible, to see how many punches he can absorb before falling over into a coma.

Hominick is too accurate and too technical for Jung to overcome. This one could be ugly.

Jeremy Botter

Kendall Grove vs. Ikuhisa Minowa Headlines Next ProElite Fight Card

2011-12-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

ProElite on Friday announced that its next event will take place on Jan. 21 at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu. UFC veteran Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove will face Pride veteran Ikuhisa “The Punk” Minowa in the main event with the semifinal round of the ProElite Heavyweight Grand Prix also featured on the card.

ProElite: Da Spyder vs. The Punk will be televised live on HDNet at 10 p.m. ET.

Grove (13-9) enters the fight coming off of a 59-second guillotine submission win over Joe Riggs at ProElite’s last Hawaiian card on Aug. 27. Minowa (51-32-8) is on a four-fight winning streak. Despite a career that spans 15 years, the fight with Grove marks Minowa’s North American debut.

The Honolulu fight card also features the first semifinal match of the Heavyweight Grand Prix, and showcases the very tough Ryan Martinez (6-1) taking on headhunter Cody Griffin (5-2).

The opposite bracket features the heavy hitting Jake Heun (2-1) against the biggest physical competitor in the tournament at 6-foot-5, Richard Odoms (6-0).

MMAWeekly.com Staff

UFC 140 complete odds: Jones, Hominick huge favorites

2011-12-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

Jon Jones -444
Lyoto Machida +425

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira +225
Frank Mir -240

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira -200
Tito Ortiz +185

Brian Ebersole -115
Claude Patrick +115

Chan Sung Jung +390
Mark Hominick -435

Igor Pokrajac +233
Krzysztof Soszynski -250

Mark Bocek -149
Nik Lentz +148

John Cholish -320
Mitch Clarke +325

Walel Watson +160
Yves Jabouin -172

Costantinos Philippou +210
Jared Hamman-216

Dennis Hallman +147
John Makdessi-152

Jake Hecht +207
Rich Attonito -220

bestfightodds.com

UFC 140 preview and predictions for ION Television 'Prelims' on Dec. 10

2011-12-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

Kauai Oceanic air times:
2:00-3:00PM Preliminaries Channel 27
4:00-7:00PM UFC 140 Channel 701

Take off to the "Great White North" for UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida."

Dana White and co. are making their way to the Air Canada Centre tomorrow night (Dec. 10, 2011) in Toronto with Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones, former champ Lyoto Machida, and oodles of fantastic fights in tow.

In addition to the titular fighters, former PRIDE Heavyweight Champion and UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira will look to parlay his momentum into revenge over the first man to ever stop him: Frank Mir.

His brother, "Little Nog," will also be in action, taking on Tito Ortiz in an intriguing throwback fight.

And that's not even mentioning the excellent prelims coming your way.

Earlier this week, we examined three bouts set to be shown on the UFC's Facebook page. Join us after the jump for a closer look at the four bouts making up the ION Television portion of the broadcast.

205 lbs.: Krzysztof "The Polish Experiment" Soszynski (26-11-1) vs. Igor "The Duke" Pokrajac (23-8)

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 8 veteran and unintentional nemesis of closed-captioners everywhere, Krzysztof Soszynski, has made a name for himself as one of the most entertaining fighters in the UFC, with 23 of his wins coming inside the distance. "K-Sos" had one of the more entertaining 2010s in the UFC, splitting a pair of fantastic fights with Stephan Bonnar and defeating vaunted Croatian striker Goran Reljic. The Polish bruiser has won two straight, and with his dedication to providing outstanding fights, will definitely be one to watch this Sautrday.

Pokrajac has not had the smoothest ride during his time in the UFC. The well-rounded Croatian has gone 2-3 under the ZUFFA banner, defeating James Irvin and Todd Brown while falling to Stephan Bonnar, James Te-Huna, and the resurgent Vladimir Matyushenko. The man they call "The Duke," while consistently entertaining, could very well be on thin ice, and he’ll need a dramatic victory over "K-Sos" if he doesn’t want to go the way of fellow Croats Mirko Filipovic and Goran Reljic.

I’ve seen several of Pokrajac’s fights and, for the life of me, I still can’t find anything he’s really good at. He’s decent across the board, but he doesn’t seem to have the skill in any one particular area to overcome Soszynski. "K-Sos" is a limited fighter in his own right and is, by his own admission, nowhere near technical, but he’s still got heavy hands and one of the most wicked kimuras in the game. Further, only managing to beat Todd Brown, who really shouldn’t have been in the UFC in the first place, and a broken James Irvin doesn’t speak volumes about Igor’s skills. It always pains me to pick against a Croat, but I just don’t see an avenue of victory here. This one should be good while it lasts, but Soszynski will land something solid before too long and pick up his first legitimate (T)KO since flattening Gusmao back in ’09.

Prediction: Soszynski via second-round TKO

185 lbs.: Jared "The Messenger" Hamman (13-3) vs. Constantinos Philippou (8-2, 1 NC)

Heavy-handed striker Jared Hamman looked to be just another also-ran at light-heavyweight, going 1-2 in admittedly-entertaining bouts. Everything changed, however, when he dropped down to middleweight and was paired up with C.B. Dollaway in a bout most (including me) expected him to be dominated in. Impressively, Hamman survived an ugly first round to absolutely batter Dollaway in the second, securing a TKO win and a second wind for his career. With 12 finishes to his credit, Hamman has proven an extremely entertaining fighter and will look to prove he belongs with the best of the division against the Matt Serra-trained Philippou.

Fighting out of Serra-Longo alongside top prospect Chris Weidman, Philippou, who was defeated in the elimination round of TUF 11, immediately entered into the UFC’s good graces by replacing Dan Miller (who himself was replacing Yoshihiro Akiyama) against Nick Catone at UFC 128 in a 195-pound catchweight bout. While Philippou found himself unable to overcome his foe’s wrestling prowess, his sophomore effort was far superior, as he managed to outstrike and outgrapple veteran Jorge Rivera en route to a unanimous decision. Certainly unwilling to be overshadowed by his red-hot teammate, Philippou will be out to establish himself as a legitimate middleweight contender at the Air Canada Centre.

While I’ve still got concerns about Hamman’s ability to stay on his feet against wrestlers with cardio, he’s shown enough for me to pick him over Philippou. His strikes are clean and he’s definitely got some pop behind them, and while Philippou did some good work against Rivera, the latter came back strong in the late rounds. Hamman is completely capable of lasting long enough to where, even if Philippou manages to bring him down in the early going, he’ll be able to take control of the fight. Look for Constantinos to find some success in the takedown game early, but eventually wilt from Hamman’s punching power and drop the latter two rounds.

Prediction: Hamman via unanimous decision

155 lbs.: John "The Bull" Makdessi (9-0) vs. Dennis "Superman" Hallman (50-14-2, 1 NC)

GSP training partner and kickboxer extraordinaire, John Makdessi, first turned heads in his UFC debut, showing an impressive arsenal of kicks and pulling out a dominant decision. He entered into "must watch" territory at UFC 129 when, after soundly controlling the match, he wiped out Kyle Watson with a beautiful spinning backfist. Makdessi was supposed to face English striker Paul Taylor on the UFC’s penultimate Versus card, but injury forced him to delay his return until now. Makdessi will look to cement his place as one of the finest prospects in the division in his home country this Saturday against his well-travelled foe.

Things were going so great for Dennis Hallman until his poor fashion sense reared its ugly head. Hallman, legendary for submitting Matt Hughes twice in a combined time of thirty-seven seconds, rode into UFC 133 having won 7.99 of his previous eight bouts, having been five seconds away from winning a decision over John Howard. He also rode into UFC 133 with some shorts that were to regular shorts what thongs are to sweatpants. Brian Ebersole took this fashion affront personally and, after spinning his way out of back control, blasted "Superman" with elbows for a first-round stoppage, earning the UFC’s first ever "Getting Those Shorts off of TV" bonus in UFC history. There is a whole lot of that fight we want to forget, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that Hallman will need something special to override our memories of that incident.

The thing that consistently bugs me about Makdessi is that he’s far too passive; he’s got a very impressive arsenal of kicks and some real power behind them, but even when it’s clear that he has a major advantage standing, he just doesn’t commit as much as he should. In addition, he’s fairly undersized for 155.

Good for him, then, that Hallman isn’t the man to expose those liabilities.

This reeks of a desperation cut for Hallman, who hasn’t been at 155 in ten years. He’s still a dangerous opponent, but I expect Makdessi’s takedown defense to hold up and make this as standup affair, where "The Bull" has a major advantage. Finishing a washed-up Karo Parisyan isn’t enough to convince me that he has the tools to beat his younger foe, and Hallman should find himself kept at bay on the feet before eating one too many left hooks sometime in the late going and adding another trophy to Makdessi’s wall.

Prediction: Makdessi via third-round TKO

135 lbs.: Yves "Tiger" Jabouin (16-7) vs. Walel "The Gazelle" Watson (9-2)

Yves Jabouin is one of those people who just always finds himself on the highlight reel in one way or another. The Tristar-based striker, in his second WEC battle, put on one of the finest fights of 2010, slugging it out spectacularly with Mark Hominick for two rounds before succumbing to the Canadian’s vicious body attack. After beating Brandon Visher at WEC 52, he made his UFC debut against Pablo Garza, and despite controlling the early going with vicious leg kicks, was caught in a flying triangle, setting the stage for one of the most entertaining events in UFC history. After upsetting Loveland in his bantamweight debut, Jabouin is out to score his first knockout since 2008 against his lanky opponent.

The appropriately-nicknamed Walel Watson, who stands at a ridiculous 5’11" also made his mark in his UFC debut, clipping fellow newcomer Joseph Sandoval with a beauty of a head kick before finishing the fight with punches. Watson, primarily a submissions specialist, has never been out of the second round, and has secured six of his nine victories in the first round. Boasting a three-inch height advantage, he’ll be eager to prove his win was anything but a fluke by getting his wiry limbs around Jabouin’s neck.

Early stoppage or no, Watson looked pretty damn slick against Sandoval.

Unfortunately for him, however, that bout was a bit of an anomaly, as he has historically proven awkward on his feet and with a tendency to back straight up after getting hit. That, in addition the thinness of his legs and the massive leg kicks Jabouin was inflicting on the similarly-built Pablo Garza, have me rather worried for "The Gazelle." While Watson has demonstrated solid submissions skills, Jabouin looked very impressive stuffing the takedowns of Ian Loveland, who is a good wrestler in his own right. As such, I doubt Watson will get the chance to put those skills to use, and despite his height and reach advantage, I expect Yves to have his way with him standing. Neither Garza nor Hominick, both of similar stature to Walel, could keep Yves off of them, and considering Watson’s lesser striking skills, things just aren’t looking good for him. "Tiger" eats up "The Gazelle" in geographically-inaccurate fashion.

Prediction: Jabouin via first-round knockout

Ainofea "Mayhem at the Mansion" Justin Barit Isaac vs Worth DVD.wmv

2011-12-08T15:15:00.000-08:00

Kauai Knockout Championship "Dave Kealoha"

2011-12-08T15:13:00.000-08:00

UFC on FOX 2: Ticket On-Sale Presser

2011-12-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

Carlos Condit: First Nick Diaz Then GSP

2011-12-08T15:06:00.001-08:00

by Damon Martin

First he wasn’t in a title fight, and then a bizarre incident occurred and he got a title shot. Then the champion got injured and he was asked to wait, but ultimately got bumped out of the title shot.

Now with champion Georges St-Pierre sidelined for the next 10 months after tearing his ACL in training, Carlso Condit will fight for the UFC interim welterweight title against Nick Diaz at UFC 143.

It’s certainly been an up and down past few months for the former WEC champion, but Condit continues to roll with the punches and now he gets another new opponent with a belt on the line.

“Another change of opponents, it’s been kind of a crazy ride the last couple of months, but you just kind of got to roll with it,” Condit said on Tuesday.

“The good thing is I’ve been training, I’ve been focusing on what I need to be doing to win the fight no matter who they put in front of me.”

Over the past several months Condit has gone from B.J. Penn, to Georges St-Pierre, to Josh Koscheck and now finally Nick Diaz.

Ultimately, Condit is happy with the choice of fighters because facing Nick Diaz is something that’s been on his radar for quite some time.

“I’m really excited, I’ve been wanting to step inside the Octgon with Nick Diaz for a really long time. Great fighter, great skill set, and I really think we’re going to put on a good show for the fans,” Condit stated.

Unless something else crazy happens, which at this point Carlos Condit has to be accustomed to, the New Mexico native will face Nick Diaz for the 170lb UFC title in February.

Condit hopes to snatch that title first, and then wait for St-Pierre’s knee to heal so he can take that belt as well.

“I will be the UFC interim champion and then when Georges (St-Pierre) gets better, I will be the undisputed UFC champion,” Condit said with confidence.

Condit will first try to go through Nick Diaz on Super Bowl weekend to claim the UFC interim welterweight title to add to his collection.

Is the UFC Running Down the NFL and NBA?

2011-12-08T15:05:00.002-08:00

by Jeff Cain

UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones
The Ultimate Fighting Championship and the sport of mixed martial arts has risen from the roots of a fringe sport into the mainstream spotlight in recent years, but is it running down other mainstream sports in America?

UFC light heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones thinks so.

“It’s become much more of a mainstream thing,” Jones said recently on a UFC 140 media conference call. “We’re really starting to catch up to the NBA and to the NFL.”

The sport landing on the Fox network is a tremendous step forward in recognition and acceptance. Jones understands where the sport is, where it’s been, and where it could be going. New markets are being reached and new advertising dollars are pouring in.

“We’re right there,” said Jones. “We’re looking up fast and I think when these major companies come looking at us, I want them to know that you can trust investing into UFC because we’re quality guys. Just as much of athletes and professionals as any other club sport.”

With the Fox deal, mixed martial arts finds itself having to re-educate the public about the sport, its athletes and its rules. It’s about packaging the sport the right way to the millions of more eyes that are tuning in now that may have misconceptions.

“I think mainstream America has a lot of learning to do about us. Being in the position that I am, I just want mainstream America to know that we’re solid guys, that we’re class acts, capable of being mainstream individuals,” said Jones.

“These people, they won’t know how much training and how much education goes into each bout,” he added. “I kind of do small things like media training and always try to make sure that I have a suit on and just try to portray us for the positive light.

“Let mainstream people get to know that we’re college educated guys and that we are intelligent athletes and not just guys who show up and beat each other up in the cage,” said the 205-pound champion.

Strikeforce Reborn! New Showtime Deal On Tap

2011-12-08T15:05:00.001-08:00

MMAWeekly.com Staff

It appears the ringing of the death knell for Strikeforce has been a little bit premature.

UFC president Dana White on Thursday, following the UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida press conference, confirmed that Strikeforce is not going away.

“That deal should be wrapped up any day now and then I’ll make the decisions on who goes where and what’s gonna happen,” White said during the press conference, alluding to a pending deal for Strikeforce to remain on Showtime. “We should no, hopefully, by Monday.”

He later said that the deal is mostly complete, but they do need to finalize the details of the agreement with Showtime.

As for what that means for the future of Strikeforce, White was more elusive, saying only that Strikeforce would survive and be operated as a separate promotion from the UFC. He indicated that there could be some format changes in how the promotion operates, but that those details weren’t yet ready for public consumption.

White’s assurances of the future of Strikeforce comes on the same day that the promotion announced a Jan. 7 event pitting middleweight champion Luke Rockhold against UFC veteran Keith Jardine in the main event at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Strikeforce: Rockhold vs. Jardine will air live on Showtime and also features popular Strikeforce fighters Robbie Lawler and Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal in separate bouts.

Hilo fighter charged with manslaughter following barfight

2011-12-08T10:29:00.000-08:00

By JOHN BURNETT

Tribune-Herald staff writer

A 21-year-old amateur mixed martial arts fighter has been charged with manslaughter for the death of a 44-year-old man after a fight outside a Hilo sports bar.

Bail for Waylen Keone Carenio of Hilo has been set at $50,000, according to Lt. Greg Esteban of the police Criminal Investigations Section.

Carenio is being held in the police cellblock pending his initial court appearance this afternoon in Hilo District Court.

The victim was identified by police as 44-year-old Roy Joseph Williams Jr. of Mountain View. Williams was found unconscious in the roadway shortly after 3 a.m. Saturday outside Karma Hawaii sports bar on Makaala Street in the Kanoelehua Industrial Area.

Witnesses told police that Williams had been in a fight with another man, later identified as Carenio, and that Williams had fallen and struck his head on the pavement.

Esteban said an autopsy performed Tuesday indicated the cause of death was "intracranial injury due to blunt force trauma to the head." Asked if the trauma was caused by Williams' head hitting the pavement, Esteban replied: "That's consistent with that."

Karma Hawaii owner Summer Mochida told the Tribune-Herald Monday that the fight didn't happen on the bar's grounds. Esteban said there is "no information to support" that the altercation started inside the drinking establishment.

Carenio turned himself in Monday morning at the Waimea police station. He was initially booked on suspicion of first-degree assault, according to a police log, but the investigation turned to suspicion of second-degree murder later in the day.

The charge of manslaughter, a felony which carries a possible 20-year prison term, was lodged at 3:55 p.m. Tuesday.

"It has to do with state of mind," Esteban said, noting the charge was filed after conferring with prosecutors. The manslaughter charge indicates that authorities believe the killing was reckless rather than intentional.

According to court records, Carenio was on probation for domestic abuse when the incident occurred. On Feb. 16, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced by Family Court Judge Lloyd Van De Car to 30 days in jail, with all but two days stayed, and two years probation.

Carenio has fought on Just Scrap, X-1 and Destiny MMA fight cards. He also has competed as an amateur surfer and, according to a page devoted to him on Hilo Surfboard Company's website, he won the Pohoiki Paka event in 2008. The page stated his goal was "to become the first Surf/MMA competitor from Hawaii consistently winning in both sports."

According to court records, Williams was arrested by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration in December 2005 for possession with intent to distribute 500 or more grams of cocaine. On Sept. 25, 2006, he was sentenced to five years in prison.

World's 8th richest man sponsoring Nog brothers

2011-12-06T14:28:00.000-08:00

Tatame

One of the richest man on the planet, Eike Batista, Brazilian entrepreneur and president of the EBX Group, announced today he’ll sponsor the twin brothers Rodrigo ‘Minotauro’ Nogueira and Rogerio ‘Minotouro’ Nogueira in their upcoming fights at UFC 140, against Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz.

Ranked 8th on Forbes’ list, Batista explained the choice on a press release, in his website.

“We increased our support on the national sport with the sponsorship of the brothers Rodrigo Minotauro and Rogerio Minotouro, MMA fighters, who’ll do their last fight of the year at UFC 140, when they’ll fight the heavyweight Frank Mir and light-heavyweight Tito Ortiz”, said the note.

On the side note, he also revealed his company will create a volleyball team, RJX, and support F1 driver Bruno Senna, among other athletes.

One-Armed MMA Fighter shows amazing battle

2011-12-06T14:19:00.000-08:00

Dan Barrera loses to Eric Cannon

2011-12-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Dirty Dan Barrera loses again.

Bruno"Longman"Ewald finaliza rapido

2011-12-06T14:07:00.000-08:00

Bruno in the Mundials

Poncho Lopez Longman 2008 147 blue belt 2nd match

2011-12-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

Poncho has a very strong triangle and he takes on an up and comer.

TUF 14 Finale Video: Diego Brandao's Winnings Keep His Mom From Cleaning...

2011-12-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Frankie Edgar Wants Quick Win at UFC Japan

2011-12-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

UFC lightweight titleholder Frankie Edgar hasn’t had a quick win since becoming the champion by defeating B.J. Penn at UFC 112 in April of 2010, but he hopes to change that in his UFC: Japan (UFC 144) main event bout with Benson Henderson.

“I’d like it to be a quick fight, but that doesn’t seem how it goes for me,” Edgar said at a press conference promoting the event on Monday.

In his four UFC title fights, Edgar has gone the distance three times.

He defeated Penn twice by unanimous decision. He then came back after nearly being finished in the first round in a rematch with Gray Maynard at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day 2011 to retain the title by salvaging a draw. Edgar retained the belt, but still hadn’t defeated Maynard. Maynard handed the champion the lone loss on his resume back in April of 2008.

The two would go to battle a third time at UFC 136 on Oct. 8. Eerily similar to their UFC 125 bout, Maynard battered Edgar in the first round and was on the verge of winning, but Edgar survived, again, and rallied back to finish his nemesis late in the fourth round by knockout.

“I’m not trying to make a habit of it, taking the punishment I’ve been taking in the last couple of fights,” he said. “It’s like a cat has nine lives and I don’t know how many lives I have to get out of that first round if that happens again.

“Usually my fights are exciting. Past two fights I took some damage and been able to come back, so it makes it exciting for the fans. I know it will be a good one (with Henderson). He’s a good fighter. I’ll do everything I can do in there to win,” added Edgar.

While training and preparing every day to avoid taking punishment and having to comeback in fights after flirting with the fine line that separates whether a referee stops the fight or not, Edgar looks back on his last two fights with a slight grin.

“It does make for exciting TV, and it’s definitely building my legend,” said the lightweight champion. “As long as I come out the victor, I’ll get beat up for four or five rounds. As long as I come out the winner, I’ll do it every time.”

Jeff Cain

Scott Coker ‘Optimistic’ About Strikeforce’s Future

2011-12-06T13:39:00.000-08:00

Just about everyone has been wondering what the future holds for Strikeforce after 2011, and it appears things are bright on that horizon.

While no deal has been finalized, all signs have indicated that Strikeforce and Showtime would reach an agreement to see the promotion stay on the network beyond the current deal, thus extending the life of the promotion purchased by Zuffa earlier in 2011.

Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker couldn’t release any details during a media conference call on Tuesday, but sounded like things were headed in the direction of a new deal.

“There’s nothing to announce, but I’m optimistic at this point,” Coker said on Tuesday.

A timeline hasn’t been discussed in regards to when a new deal could be announced, but sources have indicated that the current Strikeforce deal with Showtime runs through the first few months of 2012.

“That’s something that we’ll just have to wait and see, but I think things are going well, and I think we’ll have something to announce shortly. Right now, I have nothing official to announce,” said Coker

One interesting point to note is the conversation about the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, which is still pending the finale between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier.

According to Coker, plans are still for the fight to take place in the first part of 2012, with most signs pointing towards the end of March. If that date holds steady, it would likely mean Strikeforce has struck a new deal with Showtime to keep the promotion and the network working together.

“I still predict that it will happen in the late part of the first quarter. We’d like to get this fight done before the end of the first quarter,” Coker said.

“(March is) kind of the month we’re shooting for. We’re monitoring Daniel Cormier’s recovery. Daniel’s going back to the doctor I think sometime within a week. See how the hand’s feeling.”

by Damon Martin

Brock Lesnar vs Alistair Overeem - Official Promo

2011-12-04T14:10:00.000-08:00

Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 results recap: John Dodson vs TJ Dillashaw fight review and analysis

2011-12-04T14:07:00.001-08:00

For the first time ever, a fighter had the opportunity to earn a contract with the UFC the The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) as a bantamweight at the finale of TUF season 14 last night (December 3, 2011) where John Dodson took on T.J. Dillashaw.

The diminutive Dodson held an experience edge, but would that be enough to make up for a significant lack in size against a tough undefeated prospect out of Team Alpha Male?

You bet.

Just like in his incredible semifinal against Johnny Bedford, Dodson connected hard and put the 25 year old wrestler away with a hard series of strikes.

So what fatal flaw was the cause for Dillashaw's early exit? And where do both young warriors go from here?

T.J. Dillashaw came out looking to trade strikes, throwing repeated kicks with his range advantage but he should have got the memo that standing with Dodson was a bad idea when he got clipped with a heavy left hand just 15 seconds into the bout.

Dillashaw had a unique form of striking defense, keeping his hands low and only bringing them up when he felt a strike coming. This may work against most bantamweights, but Dodson was so quick and agile that he could get inside and land big strikes before Dillashaw could even bring his hands up to protect his face.

Despite Joe Rogan wondering aloud when Dillashaw would shoot in for a takedown, it never came.

Instead, he sloppily charged in and at a huge left hand from Dodson which stunned him and then a follow-up left hand put him on the canvas.

Herb Dean, perhaps having nightmares about the 10 hammerfists in two seconds that Dodson dropped on Johnny Bedford and sent him back to Ohio, jumped in quickly to put a halt to the action.

It may have been slightly early, but with how Dodson pounces on his opponents, he likely saved Dillashaw from some severe punishment that he would have absorbed in the next few seconds.

For T.J. Dillashaw, he's going to have several months to rethink his atrocious gameplan. Try as he might, he's not a striker, at least not yet. He was four fights into his UFC career and he was taking on someone who was faster, more agile and more powerful than him. He only should have stood with him long enough to set up a takedown. Instead, he never even attempted one. I don't know whether it was overconfidence in his striking or simply poor gameplanning, but he should have known from the first 15 seconds of the fight that standing with Dodson was a bad idea.

He's got talent, but he still has a long way to go before he's an elite bantamweight. The good news is that he trains with two of the best bantamweights on the planet and he's got a plethora of great sparring partners at Team Alpha Male. Dillashaw needs to be brought up slowly. I'd like to see him against someone like Alex Soto next, perhaps Byron Bloodworth or Joseph Sandoval. It's definitely time to put the breaks on his ascent and let him develop properly.

For John Dodson, that was a picture perfect performance. His stand-up was crisp, he was able to be the aggressor and he was able to counter beautifully. It doesn't matter that he's undersized, he makes up for it with incredible speed, terrific timing and some serious power in his hands.

This kid is ready for the big time right now. He trains at a great gym with Greg Jackson and he's squared off against tough UFC level competition before. I'd love to see how he does in a fight with someone like Chris Cariaso, Jeff Hougland or Ken Stone next, although in all honesty, I think he's good enough to take on someone along the lines of Takeya Mizugaki if they think he's ready. This kid has a very bright future ahead of him.

by Brian Hemminger

Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 results recap: Diego Brandao vs Dennis Bermudez fight review and analysis

2011-12-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

After a full season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and several extra months to prepare for their featherweight finale, both Diego Brandao and Dennis Bermudez came out swinging fearlessly last night (December 3, 2011) on The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale from the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas.

Brandao had built a reputation on the show as a complete monster, laying waste to everyone in his path, but Bermudez was not intimidated with him for a second, willing to stand toe-to-toe with him and trade big strikes.

The result?

One of the best fights of 2011, and certainly one of the best rounds you'll ever see.

Despite being known for his tremendous knockout power, it was Brandao's Brazilian jiu-jitsu that saved the day, and boy was it dramatic.

So how did he pull it off to become the next "Ultimate Fighter?" And where do both talented 24 year olds go from here?

Bermudez showed no fear whatsoever early on, getting in Brandao's face with punches and kicks, even throwing a flying knee for good measure and that was just in the first 30 seconds.

When Brandao attempted to respond, Bermudez caught his kick, took him down briefly and dropped some big punches before attempting a guillotine as the Brazilian tried to get to his feet.

Just when it appeared that "The Menace" had gained full control of the first round, Brandao showed exactly how dangerous he truly was.

Watch how quickly he was able to close the distance on Bermudez, launching forward with a perfectly thrown overhand right.

Bermudez also made a big mistake in backing up straight instead of using angles to avoid the blow. It completely caught him off guard. Fortunately for him, he has an incredible ability to recover and he popped to his feet almost immediately.

With the momentum now on his side, Brandao took the initiative, landing big leg kicks, powerful counters and even slamming the Long Island MMA fighter to the canvas with a big takedown, but he couldn't keep the wrestler down for long.

In typical Brandao fashion, he charged in recklessly looking for the knockout with a minute left in the round but this time Bermudez was ready for him.

He backed up just enough to avoid the lead left hook and countered perfectly with a short straight right of his own which, while it didn't have his full body behind it, still landed right on the button.

Bermudez also did a great job of planting on his back foot to put a little extra "oomph" into the blow and Brandao went down hard. His follow-up short left hook could have put a hurting on Brandao as well.

From here on out, it was a race to the finish as Bermudez looked to finish Brandao with ground and pound while the Brazilian tried to remain calm on his back and throw up submissions. A heel hook attempt was quickly shrugged off and "The Menace" was smelling blood.

While Bermudez was looking for the finish, he got a little careless, leaving his left hand ripe for the picking while dropping big right bombs on the ground.

Watch how quickly the Brazilian latched onto his left arm, put his right leg up over Bermudez's face and then rolled him over into one of the slickest armbars you'll ever see.

It's even difficult to keep up with in slow motion and Bermudez is instantly forced to tap out, although his arm may have been broken regardless. This was picture perfect technique by Brandao.

Despite the fight lasting just 4:51, both young men were awarded the $40,000 "Fight of the Night" bonus with Brandao also taking home "Submission of the Night." It looks like he'll have no problem buying a new home for his mom back in Brazil now.

For Dennis Bermudez, he shouldn't be disappointed with his performance one bit. He avoided getting off to a slow start and really took the fight to Brandao unlike anyone had done on the show. By forcing the Brazilian to move backwards, he gained an early upper hand and he even nearly finished Brandao after landing that beautiful straight right counter. Hopefully his arm isn't too severely damaged and we get to see him in the Octagon soon. This kid has some serious talent.

When he's feeling better, I'd love to see him against someone like Jason Young, Eddie Yagin or if they feel he's up for the challenge, perhaps someone along the lines of Tyson Griffin. He's definitely got potential.

For Diego Brandao, that was a tremendous showcase of his ability to perform under the most intense pressure he's ever been under. Despite nearly being finished, he was looking to end the fight from bottom and he pulled off one of the most dramatic armbars in UFC history. Training out of Greg Jackson's camp in Albuquerque, I have a feeling that this kid is going to be a force in the division for a long time, as long as he can keep that reckless attacking style slightly in check.

Potential opponents for Brandao could be someone along the lines of Darren Elkins, Ricardo Lamas or potentially Javier Vazquez if he's ready for a major step up in competition. Either way, Brandao should be a welcome addition to the UFC featherweight division.

So what did you think, Maniacs?

Was this one of the most exciting back-and-forth battles of 2011? What did you think of Brandao's miracle armbar thrown up from the brink of defeat?

by Brian Hemminger

Eternal submissions 2011 Kaula and Eric

2011-12-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

Ralek Gracie Jiu Jitsu Seminar on Kauai, Hawaii - December 4th, 2011

2011-12-02T16:50:00.000-08:00

Eternal submissions 2011 advanced adult round 1

2011-12-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

Interview with Eben Kaneshiro

2011-12-02T16:00:00.001-08:00

Interview with Eben Kaneshiro 12/2011

Eben Kanesiro, a Kauai native is one of the island’s and Hawaii’s premiere fighters. He was one of the first Kauai fighters to make the jump to MMA and has fought all over the world. Eben has had some epic match ups with some fighters that went on to fight in the UFC like; Nam Pham, Urijah Faber, Rani Yahya, and Evan Dunham. Eben presently teaches Jiu-Jitsu at New Breed Oregon.

KMA-So Eben, you have been pretty active since I last talked to you. Can you tell us about your school in Oregon and what life is like living there?

Eben- We have lots of families where the parents and kids train. We have a great kids program and competition team. Most of my adult students are 30 and over. So we have a great ego free, family oriented environment to train in.

KMA- You have had some wars with some very good fighters. Out of all your fights who was your toughest opponent and why?

Eben-Its hard to say who my toughest opponent was but I can say that Evan Dunham probably gave me the worst beating. I had to get 13 stitches after that fight. That was the first time in my life that I needed stitches. Super glue wasn't going to fix that one.

KMA- You have always been a highly technical fighter that favors technique and skill over power. How would you compare MMA in America opposed to MMA in Asian countries like Japan, do you have have a preference in fighting in certain countries or organizations?

Eben-I think MMA as a sport has gotten a lot more technical over the years. MMA is still very young and every day fighters are evolving and learning new techniques no matter what country they are from.

I love to travel so any organization that pays me to travel is a plus for me.

KMA- The UFC has added the feather weight and bantam weight divisions. Would you be interested in fighting in the UFC and if so what weight would be suit you?

Eben-I'm definitely interested in fighting for the UFC. 145 would be the ideal weight class for me but I could drop to 135 or even move up to 155 if I got the opportunity.

KMA-Have you ever thought about going on the Ultimate Fighter reality show? If so what would you bring to the table?

Eben-I've actually tried out for the show a few times. I've made it through the try outs and to the interviews twice. But both times I wasn't picked for whatever reason. I guess I need to act like a douche to get their attention.

KMA- What are some other goals that you have in martial arts?

Eben-I dont really have many goals. I just love the competition. I guess my main goal is to stay healthy and keep competing as long as I can. Another goal would be to pass on the knowledge that has been passed down to me to my students and see them be successful.

KMA- I have been training off and on for many years and I have noticed a lot of changes in grappling. For me the game has evolved and people seem to be more well rounded. What are your feelings on Hawaii’s grappling evolution?

KMA- What are your predictions on the future of grappling and MMA in Hawaii?

Eben- Just like MMA, grappling has definitely evolved a lot. Hawaii has always been known for producing top level grapplers and fighters and nothing has changed. There are more grapplers and fighters in Hawaii now then there ever was and the sport will only keep getting bigger and better.

KMA- You have a lot of fans world wide but you never forgot your roots here on Kauai. What advice do you have for young men looking to follow in your foot steps being either a MMA fighter, a Jiu-Jitsu black belt/instructor/competitor?

Eben-Stick with it and train hard. Dont be afraid to take a chance, try something new, step outside the box. If you put in the time good things will come.

KMA- Any last words for the fans on Kauai and world wide?

Eben- I'd like to thank my family, friends and fans for all the love and support. If it were not for all of you I would not be able to do what I love. Aloha.

WTF Karate

2011-12-01T17:29:00.001-08:00

11 year old Honolulu Jiu-jitsu student thwarts carjacking

2011-12-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

Jay Yano didn't have the day after Thanksgiving off, so he planned to take his two young children to work with him. As his kids loaded into his truck, parked right outside their McCully home, Yano left the vehicle running as he quickly walked to the truck's rear.

“That’s when I noticed the guy walking from across the street, coming over,” said Jay Yano.

Yano said within a split second, his truck began to pull forward, with his 9-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son inside. He ran to the driver's side door.

“(When) I opened the car (door), I saw my son holding the guy down with his left hand,” said Yano.

“I just grabbed his shoulder and started punching his face, telling him to get out of the truck,” said Jonah Yano.

Jonah Yano said he wasn't scared -- his younger sister was in trouble and he needed to help her. Despite being much smaller than the 35-year-old man, Jonah gave his father enough time to pull the suspect out of the truck.

“If my son didn't jump in, he would have just taken off with her down the street,” said Jonah Yano.

Jay Yano said that after ensuring the children were safe with a neighbor, he ran after the man who had fled. He caught up with him a couple blocks away, and he held him down until police arrived

Brooklyn Yano said that she knows she'll always have a big brother looking out for her. Jonah joked little sis owes him.

“I thanked him and I hugged him,” said Brooklyn.

Jonah Yano's parents said their son's years of jiu-jitsu practice came in handy but beyond that, it was a brotherly love, which can't be taught.

“I’m proud of him,” said Jay Yano.

Video
KITV

TUF 14 Finale: Jason "Mayhem" Miller Pre-Fight Interview

2011-12-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

FCTV Intv Luke Hacker

2011-12-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

Old interview but cool none the less, we're all glad to have Luke home.

Polynesia International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament

2011-12-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

Some people from New Breed might be going to this. I don't know much about it.

2011 World MMA Awards results: Jon Jones gets the nod for 'Fighter of the Year'

2011-12-01T09:51:00.001-08:00

2011 has been a fantastic and dynamic year for the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). Championship belts have changed hands. Epic bouts have occurred that left fans wondering if they'd just seen the best fight of the year -- if not of all time.

Last night (Nov. 30, 2011), the MMA community came together in "Sin City" to celebrate the highlights and, specifically, the fighters.

The event, which was hosted by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight Chael Sonnen and CBS Sports' Molly Qerim, did not air live from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, but will be re-broadcasted on the FOX Sports Network on Dec. 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET.

One of SBNation's newest additions, Ariel Helwani of MMAfighting.com, was honored as "MMA Journalist of the Year."

After the jump, MMAmania.com has the list of winners and full results from the 2011 World MMA Awards:

Notably, there were several categories of awards where the UFC (or someone within the promotion) was matched up against other organizations, such as: BAMMA, Bellator Fighting Championships, Strikeforce and DREAM.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the UFC won in a clean sweep of the "competition."

It's good to be king.

Without further ado, here are the complete results:

"INTERNATIONAL FIGHTER OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Michael Bisping, Alexander Gustafsson, Joachim Hansen, Alistair Overeem and Dennis Siver
Winner: Alistair Overeem

"GYM OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Alliance MMA, Black House, Jackson's MMA, Roufusport and Xtreme Couture
Winner: Black House

"REFEREE OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Herb Dean, "Big" John McCarthy, Dan Miragliotta, Josh Rosenthal and Mario Yamasaki
Winner: Herb Dean

"COMEBACK OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Marloes Coenen vs. Liz Carmouche at Strikeforce: "Feijao vs. Henderson," Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC on Versus 4, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (career), Tito Ortiz (career) and Joe Warren vs. Joe Soto at Bellator 27
Winner: Cheick Kongo

"BEST TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT"

Nominees: Bad Boy, Everlast, Hayabusa, Rival and Venum
Winner: Everlast

"MMA JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: John Morgan, Gareth A. Davies, Josh Gross, Ariel Helwani and Ben Fowlkes
Winner: Ariel Helwani

"COACH OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Rafael Cordeiro, Eric Del Fierro, Cesar Gracie, Greg Jackson and Shawn Tompkins
Winner: Greg Jackson

"BEST LIFESTYLE CLOTHING"

Nominees: Affliction, Bad Boy, Form Athletics, RVCA and TapouT
Winner: TapouT

"PROMOTION OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: BAMMA, Bellator Fighting Championships, DREAM, Strikeforce and UFC
Winner: UFC

"MEDIA SOURCE OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: "Inside MMA" on HDNet, MMAFighting.com, "MMA Live" on ESPN, MMAjunkie.com and Sherdog.com
Winner: MMAjunkie.com

"BEST TECHNICAL CLOTHING"

Nominees: Bad Boy, Hayabusa, Jaco, Sprawl and Venum
Winner: Bad Boy

"MMA PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Bruce Buffer, Jacob "Stitch" Duran, Joe Rogan, Bas Rutten and Burt Watson
Winner: Joe Rogan

"FEMALE FIGHTER OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Marloes Coenen, Zoila Gurgel, Sarah Kaufman, Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate
Winner: Miesha Tate

"RING ENTRANCE OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133, Vitor Belfort at UFC 133, Dave Herman at UFC 131, Mark Hominick at UFC 129 and Jason Miller at DREAM.16
Winner: Jason "Mayhem" Miller

"BREAKTHROUGH FIGHTER OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Donald Cerrone, Daniel Cormier, Phil Davis, Demetrious Johnson and Brian Stann
Winner: Donald Cerrone

"SUBMISSION OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24, Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin at UFC 129, Richard Hale vs. Nik Fekete at Bellator 38, Vinny Magalhaes vs. Viktor Nemkov at M-1 Challenge 25, and Tito Ortiz vs. Ryan Bader at UFC 132
Winner: Chan Sung Jung vs. Leonard Garcia at UFC Fight Night 24

"RING GIRL OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Arianny Celeste, Kelli Hutcherson, Brittney Palmer, Chandella Powell and Mercedes Terrell
Winner: Arianny Celeste

"LEADING MAN OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Scott Coker, Lorenzo Fertitta, Marc Ratner, Bjorn Rebney and Dana White
Winner: Dana White

"KNOCKOUT OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Patricky Freire vs. Toby Imada at Bellator 39, Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry at UFC Live 5, John Makdessi vs. Kyle Watson at UFC 129, Lyoto Machida vs. Randy Couture at UFC 129, and Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126
Winner: Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfort at UFC 126

"FIGHT OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Jose Aldo vs. Mark Hominick at UFC 129, Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber at UFC 132, Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125, Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley at "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," and Diego Sanchez vs. Martin Kampmann at UFC Live 3
Winner: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard at UFC 125

"CHARLES 'MASK' LEWIS FIGHTER OF THE YEAR"

Nominees: Dominick Cruz, Nick Diaz, Dan Henderson, Jon Jones and Anderson Silva
Winner: Jon Jones

Minowa Vs. Kendall Grove to fight in Hawaii in January

2011-12-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

A middleweight bout pitting Japanese fan-favorite Ikuhisa Minowa against UFC veteran Kendall Grove is in the works for ProElite 3 on Jan. 21, Sherdog.com confirmed with a source close to the fight on Tuesday.

No bouts have been officially announced for the event, though the show is expected to emanate from the Neil S. Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. MMAFighting.com first reported the Minowa-Grove matchup on Tuesday afternoon.

Minowa, 35, is a veteran of Pancrase, Pride, Deep and Dream competition. The submission specialist from Gifu, Japan, made his MMA debut in 1996 and has since racked up more than 90 professional contests. “Minowaman” rides a four-fight winning streak into his showdown with Grove, most recently submitting Young Woo Yu via kimura on Oct. 30.

The middleweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 3, Grove fought 13 times for the world’s largest promotion before receiving his walking papers on the heels of back-to-back losses. The Hawaiian made his ProElite debut on Aug. 27, submitting fellow UFC vet Joe Riggs with a guillotine choke in just 59 seconds.

The former parent company of the now-defunct EliteXC organization, ProElite reappeared on the MMA landscape earlier this year and streamed its first event on Sherdog.com in August. Owned by Stratus Media Group, the company aired its sophomore November show live on HDNet.

Sherdog

BJ Penn’s Latest B/R Blog: Hawaii Five-O

2011-12-01T09:38:00.001-08:00

It’s a new week and with that comes my latest blog post. A lot has happened since I last checked in here at Bleacher Report.

To start things off, my part in Hawaii Five-0 that we filmed last week was good. I played just a random no-name guy. I guess you would call him like a surf punk type of person. The cool thing is they can expand on that character if they want, and I can come back and do other small appearances on the show.

Kala, one of the guys involved with the series, said I was holding my own in the acting department, so that was pretty awesome. He made me feel good!

Like I told you guys last week, we filmed the show out in Oahu While I was out there, I spent time with the president of RVCA, Pat Tenore.

We didn’t get a chance to get that surfing competition in, though. I mean, the waves were good and everything, but we just got busy. I guess Pat will have to take his beating another day.

This week the UFC has me out here in Manila, Philippines on a media tour.

Read the rest of BJ Penn’s latest blog post at MMAWeekly.com content partner site Bleacher Report…

Chris Leben Tested Positive – Suspended For One Year

2011-11-29T22:27:00.000-08:00

Zuffa, LLC, owner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, today released information stating that middleweight fighter Chris Leben tested positive for Oxycodone and Oxymorphone following his Nov. 5 loss to Mark Munoz in the main event of UFC 138 in Birmingham, England.

“I would like to make it known that I fully accept this suspension and apologize for embarrassing the UFC, my friends and family, and sport of mixed martial arts,” Leben said. “I’m learning that I’m my own worst enemy sometimes. I can’t succeed in the Octagon or in life behaving this way. I’ve got to make some real changes over the next year and I’m going to focus on getting my life and career back on track. Again, I’m sorry to the UFC and fans that’ve supported me since my days on The Ultimate Fighter.”

MMATKO

"Dirty" Dan Barrera vs Pono

2011-11-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

"Dirty" isn't Dan's nick name but it should.

UFC & MMA Brutal Knockouts

2011-11-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I miss the old school UFC and Pride.

Eben Kaneshiro spinning backfist knockout

2011-11-29T15:44:00.000-08:00

That was up there on the Shonie Carter scale.

KJ Noons to fight Billy Evangelista

2011-11-29T15:36:00.000-08:00

Strikeforce is close to putting the finishing touches on its upcoming Showtime-televised fight card from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif., on Sat., Dec. 17, 2011.

"Melendez vs. Masvidal" will feature lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez putting his 155-pound belt on the line against a very dangerous, and hungry, Jorge Masvidal in the main event of the evening.

In addition, former Strikeforce light heavyweight and 2008 DREAM middleweight grand prix champion, Gegard Mousasi, will look to get back in the promotion's win column in more than one year when he takes on former University of Tennessess defensive standout Ovince St. Preux.

That's not all.

Check out the current Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal" fight card and line up:

Main Event:

155 lbs.: Gilbert Melendez vs. Jorge Masvidal

Main Card (Showtime):

145 lbs.: Cristiane Santos vs. Hiroko Yamanaka
205 lbs.: Gegard Mousasi vs. Ovince St. Preux
155 lbs.: Billy Evangelista vs. K.J. Noons

Preliminary Card (May not be televised):

155 lbs.: Caros Fodor vs. Justin Wilcox
265 lbs.: Devin Cole vs. Gabriel Salinas-Jones
205 lbs.: Keith Jardine vs. TBA

MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of Strikeforce: "Melendez vs. Masvidal," beginning with the Showtime telecast at 10 p.m. ET on Dec. 17. In addition, we will deliver up-to-the-minute quick results of all the under card action much earlier on fight night.

We're still a few weeks away from fight night; therefore, feel free to share your thoughts and predictions for "Melendez vs. Masvidal" in the comments section below. And remember that MMAmania.com will be the spot for the latest news and event-related highlights before, during and after the event.

To get up to speed on all the Strikeforce news and notes check out our extensive event archive right here.

Mayhem to Bisping: ‘I’m Going to Break Your Face

2011-11-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

Jason “Mayhem” Miller won’t just be fighting on Dec. 3 at The Ultimate Fighter Finale. He’ll be doing a public service.

The always outspoken former host of MTV’s Bully Beatdown is very much looking forward to facing Michael Bisping this weekend, and he’s going to beat him up not just for himself, but for everyone that wishes they could do it, too.

“It’s one of those glorious things that few will get to do, but I will do it for all of you,” Miller told MMAWeekly Radio about the fight with Bisping.

As he got the call from the UFC to offer him the job as coach on the 14th installment of TUF, Miller didn’t really know much about Michael Bisping.

As far as his personality goes, Miller never really kept up with any of the drama surrounding Bisping or his love/hate relationship with the fans. He did, however, keep a close eye on his fight career.

“I didn’t have an opinion. I didn’t formulate one. I didn’t care. I never really paid attention to the guy,” Miller stated. “I thought as far as a fighter, I thought oh I can beat this guy. I’ve thought that for years. I was like why is this guy getting all this attention? I can whip his ass.”

Once Miller spent six weeks with Bisping though, his opinion formulated quickly. The rivals verbally sparred on more than one occasion as their teams of bantamweights and featherweights battled it out during the taping of the reality show.

After it was over, Miller didn’t just believe he could beat Bisping, he really, really wanted to beat him.

“I fell in line with everyone else’s opinion that he’s a giant douche or a turd sandwich. One or the other. I can’t wait to kick his ass on Dec. 3,” Miller stated.

Throughout his career, Miller has faced a lot of different styles and kinds of opponents. He’s faced legends like Kazushi Sakuraba, the strong silent type like Robbie Lawler, and even legitimate American heroes like Tim Kennedy.

In this fight though, Miller is facing someone he’s grown to genuinely dislike and that’s a different kind of motivation heading into his first fight in the UFC in more than six years.

“There’s a lot more motivation to get in the training room and really train hard for a fight like this. I don’t care one way or the other, I’m here to do my job,” said Miller. “I’m going to stay cool, calm, and collected and beat his ass with the utmost technical precision.

“I’m not going to let it get me all fired up. When I was younger, I made the mistake of getting so fired up. I’d go out there all crazy and not be able to do my moves properly. This one I’m not even going to let anything he does get me stressed out. I’m going to go out and do my job.”

Since the show ended, Miller has been in constant training mode alongside his teammates at the Reign Training Center in California. Mayhem has set aside anything else that was on his plate to solely concentrate on one thing and one thing only.

Beating Michael Bisping.

“I’ve thought about nothing but beating up Michael Bisping since we filmed that show. That’s all I’ve thought about the entire time,” said Miller.

“He’s super overrated. They put him up in there with guys he gets to have an easy little kickboxing match with, and he gets to dictate the pace by throwing his jab out there and his right hand. He’s not going to be able to do that to me. He bit off more than he can chew. He’s going to feel bad about the day he agreed to fight me.”

With the fight now looming overhead just a few days away, Miller is done talking and he’s ready to put The Ultimate Fighter season to bed by beating his fellow coach.

He does, however, have a special message to send to Bisping.

“I’d like to give a shout out to Michael Bisping,” Miller stated. “I’m going to break your face.”

The Pugilist: Nick Diaz, Daniel Mendoza, and the Sweet Science of Bruising - Head Kick Legend

2011-11-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

The Pugilist: Nick Diaz, Daniel Mendoza, and the Sweet Science of Bruising - Head Kick Legend:

'via Blog this'

I just glazed over this article but it is very interesting. Check it out if you have the time.

Bellator 59 Highlights

2011-11-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

Mole-hem: Jason Miller says the Michael Bisping camp is feeding him secrets - MMAmania.com

2011-11-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

Mole-hem: Jason Miller says the Michael Bisping camp is feeding him secrets - MMAmania.com:

'via Blog this'

They say what goes around, comes around (no word on who "they" are yet).

Jason Miller, and later his opponent, Michael Bisping, are learning that very fact right now. That's because "Mayhem" says he must have some good karma thanks to John Dodson's rampant insubordination during The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 14 this year.

Dodson, you see, was selling secrets to the other side, popping off at the mouth to Team Bisping about what Team Miller was doing in training.

Now, it seems, the tables have turned.

That's according to Miller, who writes in his blog that he's got buddies feeding him information on his upcoming opponent at the TUF 14 Finale on Dec. 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In ironic twist news- I'm totally getting reimbursed for John Dodson's insubordination. I'm not even asking about Michael's training, but for some reason all the friends that I've had for years that are working with him seem to be inclined to tell me about his camp and what he's doing. I don't want or need this info, I'm going to beat him regardless, just found it interesting. Pretty karmic.

Karmic, indeed.

The question is whether or not it will matter. "Mayhem" doesn't think so, as he's saying he's going to win the bout regardless and move on to bigger and better 185-pound things.

For his part, Bisping has been annoyed with Miller since day one and promises to "kick his ass" on Dec. 3 at the Palms Casino Resort in "Sin City."

But if he's got a mole in his camp, will he actually be able to?

We shall see next Saturday night, Maniacs.
MMAMANIA

Marius Zaromskis Vs Bruno Carvalho "Sick CartWheel kick KO" - Rumble of ...

2011-11-27T13:12:00.000-08:00

Jason Vigil (brown belt) vs Eben Kaneshiro (black belt)

2011-11-26T10:25:00.000-08:00

Mark Munoz 'handled' Chael Sonnen in college wrestling despite attempts to cheat

2011-11-26T10:03:00.001-08:00

Round two.

Chael Sonnen and Mark Munoz are penciled in to headline the upcoming UFC on Fox 2 event, which is sheduled to take place at the United Center in Chicago, Ill., on Jan. 28, 2012. The winner of the middleweight showdown will likely have the inside track to get the opportunity to dethrone UFC middleweight champion and the consensus pound-for-pound best fighter in the world, Anderson Silva.

However, when the two wrestling powerhouses collide in the "Windy City," it won't be the first time the two have locked horns. In fact, the two decorated grapplers first squared off on the mat when Sonnen's University of Oregon squad took on Munoz's Oklahoma State University in a wrestling meet.

And according to the "The Filipino Wrecking Machine," he "handled" Sonnen, who was getting beat so bad he resorted to cheating.

Speaking to CSNWashington.com, Munoz recounts the duel and how Sonnen reached into his bag of Brazilian jiu-jitsu tricks to unsuccessful rip a victory from the clutches of defeat:

"(Chael Sonnen and I) competed in college together. He wrestled at Oregon; I wrestled at Oklahoma State. We end up dueling, which is just a one-team duel, a one-team competition between two schools. I end up matching up with him at 184 pounds. We end up going at it and I end up beating him pretty handily...but in that fight he tried to submit me in a knee bar and then changed it into a heel hook. Not a legal move in wrestling. He tried doing that to me and I felt my ankle pop and was like 'aaaahhh' and I knew that he did it so that he could try to come back. I was actually beating him pretty handily and got upset during that match and was just ruthless in that fight afterwards. But after -- years later -- we end up having dinner together with my wife seated with us at the table. She was pretty upset saying 'What's Chael Sonnen doing here? I hate that guy; he tried to hurt my husband.' All of the sudden, out of the blue, she said 'So, can you tell me why you did that?' He pretty much explained himself. "He's a good guy, man. He said 'Can you blame me? I was getting beat!' So I guess...I guess...if you ain't cheating, you ain't trying."

Sounds like Munoz took it all in stride and actually has good feelings toward his upcoming opponent.

Things have certainly changed since their initial encounter. So, too, have the rules of the game. While Munoz got the better of him during their wrestling days, those knee bars and heel hooks that Sonnen attempted back then are now going to be very legal when the two meet in "Chi-Town."

In addition, this time the stakes will be much higher as both try to earn a chance to be the first to hand "The Spider" his first loss inside the Octagon and walk away with the 185-pound world title.

Munoz recently called out his former training partner, Silva, after he defeated Chris Leben at UFC 138 in London, England, stating that he feels it's his time to step up and challenge "The Spider." Sonnen, meanwhile, has been calling out Silva (along with just about ever other Brazilian MMA fighter) since he fell short against him at UFC 117 back on Aug. 7, 2010.

Both men clearly want the same thing. And the only way to get it is to go through each other.

Now that their college days are behind them and the two UFC middleweights are likely to meet inside the world famous Octagon, who do you think has the most complete MMA game to out-duel the other on FOX?

MMAMANIA

Frankie Edgar excited to showcase 'fighting spirit' in front of Japanese MMA fans

2011-11-26T09:56:00.001-08:00

"I'm excited to go over there just because the Japanese fan base is going to be pretty cool. Pride was huge over there, MMA's huge – it's the birthplace of martial arts. So what better place to defend your title than there?... I think they really appreciate the fighting spirit. I bring it every time I fight, so I think they'll appreciate that.... It's really tough to predict how he's going to approach it and what he's thinking. I think Clay kind of drew him into that fast pace, anyway. Maybe he'll come in and be more technical, or maybe he'll be the one who wants to push the pace. That's the kind of guessing game we'll be thinking about these next couple of months."

-- It's been more than one decade since Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) staged an event in the Far East. And when it finally returns with UFC 144 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Feb. 25, 2012, it is bringing along one of its most durable, and exciting, assets, lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. "The Answer" has earned a reputation as one of the toughest fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) today, absorbing insane amounts of punishment and roaring back to dash the title aspirations of Gray Maynard on two separate occasions. And it's not going to get any easier when he takes on number one division contender, Ben Henderson, in the main event of the evening. Edgar tells Heavy MMA that he isn't really sure what to expect from "Smooth," a well-rounded and dynamic fighter who has also demonstrated remarkable resilience in past performances, on fight night. One thing that Edgar does know, however, is that he's going to let it all hang out for the Japanese fans in attendance to quietly marvel at for five rounds ... if it lasts that long.

MMAMANIA

Hawaii's Next Olympians - Teshya and Teniya Alo

2011-11-25T17:58:00.000-08:00

I have watched these girls before and I have never seen them lose, even when challenging boys much bigger than them. I hope to see them in the olympics.

UFC 140 Machida vs. Jones : Extended Preview

2011-11-25T17:35:00.000-08:00

Brock Lesnar Honored to ‘Kick Overeem’s Ass’

2011-11-25T15:27:00.000-08:00

UFC on Fox is behind us. Junior dos Santos is the new heavyweight champion of the world. But there’s another monster heavyweight match-up just around the corner that decides the No. 1 contender in the division.

Former titleholder Brock Lesnar and former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem face off at UFC 141 on Dec. 30 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena to decide who will face dos Santos next.

It’s Overeem’s Octagon debut and the return of Lesnar, who has been sidelined following surgery to repair the damage caused by diverticulitis, an intestinal disorder.

Lesnar said it took about six hours for him to feel like his old self after surgery.

“I’m back and I feel good,” proclaimed the former champion.

The decision to undergo surgery wasn’t an easy one for the 34-year-old. When first diagnosed with diverticulitis in 2009, Lesnar opted for therapy.

“I avoided the surgery as long as I could. It was just a major decision. When you’ve got to go under the knife and have some of your intestines removed, it’s a pretty big deal,” he said.

Healed, healthy, and back weighing 278 pounds, Lesnar is focused on winning the UFC heavyweight belt again, but the only fighter in combat sports history to hold world titles simultaneously in kickboxing and mixed martial arts stands in his way, Alistair Overeem.

“I’m just trying to build my confidence in my stand-up and be a well-rounded fighter. To come back and win this fight and to win the UFC heavyweight championship back, that’s my dream,” Lesnar said during a press conference promoting the event.

Lesnar doesn’t’ have the experience of Overeem, but facing a more experienced opponent has been the case in every fight Lesnar’s had in his mixed martial arts career.

“Alistair’s done a lot of good things overseas, and I think he’s got a lot of fights. It’s an honor for me to get in the Octagon to kick his ass,” Lesnar declared when asked about Overeem’s more decorated resume.

Since signing with the UFC, Overeem has left Holland and Team Golden Glory to train in the U.S. at the Xtreme Couture Gym in Las Vegas. Lesnar briefly trained with Xtreme Couture founder Randy Couture after defeating the UFC Hall of Famer to win the title at UFC 91 in November of 2008.

“It’s a free country,” said Lesnar about Overeem’s training with Couture. ” He can train where he wants. It ain’t going to really matter I don’t think.”

MMAWEEKLY

UFC on Fox: Happy Thanksgiving Dana White | MMAWeekly.com

2011-11-24T09:32:00.000-08:00

UFC on Fox: Happy Thanksgiving Dana White | MMAWeekly.com:

'via Blog this'

What is UFC president Dana White thankful for this Thanksgiving day?

That’s a pretty easy one this year. Marking a milestone in the company’s history, White is definitely thankful for the UFC’s new television deal with Fox… and he’s made no secret of it.

“This is the deal that I’ve always wanted; we got exactly what we wanted,” White told MMAWeekly.com’s Erik Fontanez back in August when the deal went down, the UFC exec’s infamous Cheshire grin stretching from ear to ear.

“Take the UFC out of it and all the other stuff. Now these athletes that you know, I know, and everybody watching knows deserves to be up there on this platform up there with the NFL, Major League Baseball, and the list goes on and on, now the rest of the world knows.”

That was, of course, well before the Nov. 12 UFC on Fox when challenger Junior dos Santos knocked then-champion Cain Velasquez out a little more than a minute into what was the only fight of the UFC’s coming out party on Fox.

White did come off a little perturbed in the post-fight commentary on the telecast, but rumors of him being disappointed with the broadcast are highly exaggerated. In fact, his reaction was quite the opposite, especially when the TV ratings came back indicating that the UFC on Fox 1 telecast peaked at 8.8 million viewers.

“I hear all kinds of rumors about ‘oh, I hear he was flipping out after the fight.’ No, I wasn’t flipping out,” he said when asked about his post-fight reaction to UFC on Fox 1. “(But) yes, I did jump on a table and send everybody home. It’s true. I was pretty excited.”

White was ecstatic with the success of UFC on Fox 1, but not surprised. He expected they would draw a large audience, and believes the number could have been much, much bigger if the fight would have been something more akin to Saturday night’s UFC 139 main event.

“I thought we could pull a big number. The tough part with the whole thing is, you never know how long the fight is gonna go. What worried me was, the thing never had time to peak, and get where it could have,” White said, explaining his initial trepidation about how the fight might fare.

“If you could have a Shogun/Henderson type fight on TV, imagine what that number would get to.”

Still, you can bet that White is giving thanks for UFC on Fox this Thanksgiving.

“I wouldn’t change a thing; it was perfect. It was a great looking sporting event. The show came off professional like a Fox Sports show.

“I’m pretty happy.”

BJ Penn Back in Hawaii Living Life Without MMA

2011-11-24T09:25:00.000-08:00

“I’ve got a daughter, another daughter on the way, I don’t want to go home looking like this. I’m done.”

Those were the words of former two-division UFC champion BJ Penn following his loss to Nick Diaz in the main event of UFC 137 in October.

He softened his stance, somewhat, a few days later, telling HDNet’s Inside MMA, “I kinda think this is something that I should have did after the first Frankie Edgar fight… step away from the sport, take some time off.”

Now, a month later, Penn has started a weekly blog with MMAWeekly.com content partner Bleacher Report to give readers some insight into the real life of a mixed martial artist. He hasn’t tipped his hand any further at whether or not he intends to retract his statement about being “done” with fighting.

Penn has taken some time since the Diaz fight to be with family and friends, but has done little by way of athletic endeavors.

“I haven’t been doing much as far as athletics go,” he wrote. “This is partly because I think I sprained my finger or something, so because of that I have just been kind of laying low and enjoying life.”

Whether he has mentally or not, Penn’s body appears to be going through withdrawals. The Hawaiian says his “body started to get achy” from the inactivity, so he started running again.

“I still haven’t gotten into the gym and done any type of martial arts training yet, but the runs are definitely fun and, like I said, they make my body feel better.”

Is this the precursor to Penn eventually deciding that he needs MMA in his life? Could be, but it’s still too soon to tell. Yes, it has been a month, but by the same token, it’s only been a month. Whether or not to fight again is a life decision for Penn and one month is a drop in the bucket of deciding.

For now, he’s reconnecting with his family after all the time spent training and traveling for fights. He’s spending time working on his charitable foundation, the “Penn Hawaii Youth Foundation,” which helps at-risk youth through martial arts. He’s also making a guest appearance on the hit TV series Hawaii Five-O and challenging the owner of his longtime sponsor, RVCA, to a surfing contest.

In short, BJ Penn is enjoying life, whether or not that life’s future includes a return to the Octagon.

MMAWEEKLY

Congratulations on all the Kauai NAGA comeptitors!

2011-11-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

I skimmed through tournament results and I used the search function to see how the Kauai competitors did. I was impressed that the Kauai grapplers represented our island well.

All the competitors worked really hard and the results speak for themselves.

If you see someone on this list take the time to congratulate them for their accomplishments.

I hope to get the tournament results from the Eternal Submissions soon and I will post them ASAP.

NAGA Hawaii 2011 Jiu Jitsu/grappling tournament kids

2011-11-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

Kids NO-GI Novice 49.9 lbs. and Under 5 year olds
1st Place Donovan Reis Grappling Unlimited 50
2nd Place Kainalu Chinen-Zablan Trilogy JJ 30
3rd Place Shayzen Lloyd MJJ Central 20
Kids NO-GI Novice 49.9 lbs. and Under 6 year olds
1st Place Donovan Reis Grappling Unlimited 50
2nd Place Legend Lincoln Mad Tiger 30
Kids GI Novice 49.9 lbs & under

1st Place Donovan Reis Grappling Unlimited 50
2nd Place Davis Tomita Grappling Unlimited 30
3rd Place Kainalu Chinen-Zablan Trilogy JJ 20
Kids GI Novice 49.9 lbs & under 6 & 7 yr olds

1st Place Treson Israel Relson Gracie 50
2nd Place Dominic Naber Mad Tiger 30
3rd Place Legend Lincoln Mad Tiger 20
Kids GI Novice 49.9 lbs & under 6 to 8 yr olds

1st Place Baba Wailehua Alliance 50
2nd Place Aleah Kaonohi Maui JJ 30
Girls NO-GI Novice

1st Place Crara Francisco Alliance 50
2nd Place Shayzen Lloyd MJJ Central 30
3rd Place Jalyssa Miguel Maui JJ 20
Girls GI Novice

1st Place Jalyssa Miguel Maui JJ 50
2nd Place Tahnie Lentz Nova Uniao 30
3rd Place Ciara Francisco Alliance 20
Girls GI Novice

1st Place

50
2nd Place Kira Watase United MMA 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 49.9 lbs. & Under no/subs 4 & 5 yr olds
1st Place Adrian Lee United MMA 70
2nd Place Keegan Gueas Nova Uniao 50
Kids NO-GI Beginner 49.9 lbs. & Under 4 & 5 yr olds
1st Place Adrian Lee United MMA 70
2nd Place

50
Kids NO-GI Beginner 49.9 lbs. & Under no/subs 6 yrs old
1st Place Ty Clark Gracie Waikiki 70
2nd Place Danny Boy Tauyan Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 50
3rd Place Happy Nitahara Maui JJ 30
Kids GI Beginner 49.9 lbs. & Under 8 & 9 yr olds

1st Place Jeice Paranada Homestead Academy 70
2nd Place Bradford Chaves Maui JJ 50
3rd Place Dylan Ramos Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 30
Kids GI Beginner 49.9 lbs & under 4 & 5 yr olds

1st Place Joey Castle Power House 70
2nd Place Keegan Gueas Nova Uniao 50
Kids GI Beginner 49.9 lbs & under 6 yrs old

1st Place Ty Clark Gracie Waikiki 70
2nd Place Danny Bay Tauyan Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 50
3rd Place Baba Wailehua Alliance 30
Kids GI Beginner 49.9 lbs & under 5 & 6 yrs old

1st Place Crystin-Dion Treu Carlson Gracie 70
2nd Place Sarah Chun Mad Tiger 50
Kids GI Beginner 49.9 lbs & under 7 yrs old

1st Place Khansith Chanthabouasith Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Hezekiah Gamayo KP Academy/Nova Uniao 50
3rd Place Darius Nelson North Shore JJ 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 49.9 lbs & under 8 & 9 yr olds
1st Place Bradford Chaves Maui Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Bradin Nitahara Maui Jiu Jitsu 50
3rd Place Eamon Jimenez Relson Gracie 30
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 49.9 lbs & under 7 & 8 yrs old
1st Place Ethan Johnston Gracie Waikiki 90
2nd Place Raine Yoshida Alliance 70
3rd Place Tobey Ravida MGA 50
Kids GI Intermediate 49.9 lbs & under 7 & 8 yrs old
1st Place Ethan Johnston Gracie Waikiki 90
2nd Place Raine Yoshida Alliance 70
3rd Place Tobey Ravida MGA 50
Kids NO-GI Novice 50 to 59.9 lbs. 6 yrs old

1st Place Treson Israel Relson Gracie 50
2nd Place Jerry McCoy United MMA 30
Kids NO-GI Novice 50 to 59.9 lbs 7 yrs old

1st Place Po'okela Chinen-Zablan Trilogy JJ 50
2nd Place Elijah Mederios Nova Uniao 30
3rd Place Nicholas Onishi Grappling Unlimited 20
Kids NO-GI Novice 50 to 59.9 lbs 8 yrs old

1st Place Benjamin Kuhaulua Gracie Barra 50
2nd Place Joe-Xiah Rapoza O2 30
3rd Place Dylan Tomita Grappling Unlimited 20
Kids GI Novice 50 to 59.9 lbs. 7 & 8 yr olds

1st Place Elijah Mederios Nova Uniao 50
2nd Place Po'okela Chinen-Zablan Trilogy JJ 30
3rd Place Nicholas Onishi Grappling Unlimited 20
Kids NO-GI Beginner 50 to 59.9 lbs 11 & 12 yr olds
1st Place Chelsey Chaves Maui Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Deja Nakamura Homestead Academy 50
3rd Place Kylin Sukehira Longman 30
Kids GI Beginner 50 to 59.9 lbs. 7 yrs old

1st Place Dawson Nolasco Maui Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Aydan Nguyen Relson Gracie 50
3rd Place Kaynan Kaku, Jr. Nova Uniao 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 50 to 59.9 lbs. no subs 9 & 10 yr olds
1st Place Hunter Jardin Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place Nikolai Nelson Sunset Beach 50
3rd Place Lee Matsuzaki Relson Gracie 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 50 to 59.9 lbs. 7 yrs old

1st Place Dawson Nolasco Maui Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Jaysten Pimental Longman 50
3rd Place Kaynan Kaku, Jr. Nova Uniao 30
Kids GI Beginner 50 to 59.9 lbs. no subs 8 yrs old

1st Place Titan Rodrigues North Shore JJ 50
2nd Place Joe Xiah O2 30
3rd Place Benjamin Kuhaulua Nova Uniao 20
Kids GI Beginner 50 to 59.9 lbs. 9 & 10 yr olds

1st Place Lee Matsuzaki Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place Hunter Jardin Relson Gracie 50
3rd Place McKenna Cameron Sunset Beach 30
Kids GI Intermediate 50 to 59.9 lbs.

1st Place Kamaha'o Kang Homestead Academy 90
2nd Place Channing Chrisso Mad Tiger 70
3rd Place Lansen Nitahara Maui JJ 50
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 50 to 59.9 lbs. 9 yrs old

1st Place Kamaha'o Kang Homestead Academy 90
2nd Place Lansen Nitahara Maui JJ 70
3rd Place Channing Chrisso Mad Tiger 50
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 50 to 59.9 lbs. 7 yrs old

1st Place Stone Jessee Gracie Barra 90
2nd Place Matthew Ho Relson Gracie 70
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 50 to 59.9 lbs. 7 yrs old

1st Place Karter Nitahara Relson Gracie 90
2nd Place Curran Lizares Gracie Waikiki 70
Kids GI Intermediate 50 to 59.9 lbs.

1st Place Matthew Ho Relson Gracie 90
2nd Place Karter Nitahara Relson Gracie 70
3rd Place Stone Jessee Gracie Barra 50
Kids NO-GI Expert 50 to 59.9 lbs.

1st Place Alyssa Wilson A-Team Jiu Jitsu 120
2nd Place Jordan Medeiros Carlson gracie 90
Kids GI Expert 50 to 59.9 lbs.

1st Place Alyssa Wilson A-Team Jiu Jitsu 120
2nd Place Keanu Gonzales-Simao Gracie Barra 90
3rd Place Jordan Medeiros Carlson gracie 70
Girls NO GI Beginner 5 & 6 yr olds

1st Place Crystin-Dion Treu Carlson Gracie 70
2nd Place Sarah Chun Mad Tiger 50
Girls NO GI Beginner 10 yrs old

1st Place Kaimana Newman United MMA 70
2nd Place Jayda Nelson
50
Kids NO GI Expert Girls

1st Place Ariel Goo
120
2nd Place Anjelynn Baron Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 90
Kids NO GI Novice 60 to 69.9 lbs. 7 yrs old

1st Place Micah Rapez United MMA 50
2nd Place Nicholas Pang Relson Gracie 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 60 to 69.9 lbs. 7 yrs old

1st Place Dan Tauyan, Jr. Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Nicholas Pang Relson Gracie 50
Kids NO-GI Beginner 60 to 69.9 lbs. 7 yrs old

1st Place Coby Logan Ravida MGA 70
2nd Place Luke Antiporta
50
3rd Place Gabe Speecz Sunset Beach 30
GI NO-Beginner 60 to 69.9 lbs. 8 yrs old

1st Place Kanoa Starwood Maui Grappling Academy 70
2nd Place Kyler Sukehira 50
3rd Place Kyle Heim Gracie Kailua 30
GI NO-Beginner 60 to 69.9 lbs. 10 yrs old

1st Place Kea Rodrigues Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Cyrus Francisco Alliance 50
3rd Place Aukahi Kalama KTI 30
GI Beginner 60 to 69.9 lbs. 10 yrs old

1st Place Kea Rodrigues Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Cyrus Francisco Alliance 50
3rd Place Aukahi Kalama KTI 30
GI Beginner 60 to 69.9 lbs. 7 & 8 yr olds

1st Place Kanoa Starwood Maui Grappling Academy 70
2nd Place Kyler Sukehira Longman 50
3rd Place Dan Tauyan, Jr. Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 30
GI Beginner 60 to 69.9 lbs. 9 yrs old

1st Place Coby Logan Ravida MGA 70
2nd Place Greyson Lee Leandro Nyza/Nova Uniao 50
3rd Place Luke Antiporta
30
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 60 to 69.9 lbs. 8 yrs

1st Place Reyvin Yacapin Mad Tiger 90
2nd Place Billy Victorino, Jr. Power House 70
Kids GI Intermediate 60 to 69.9 lbs. 8 & 9 yr olds

1st Place Billy Victorino, Jr. Power House 90
2nd Place Reyvin Yacapin Mad Tiger 70
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 60 to 69.9 lbs.11 yrs

1st Place Christian Tavares, Jr. 90
2nd Place Kolby Inouye Maui Grappling Academy 70
3rd Place Taevan Lee Kaha Homestead Academy 50
Kids GI Intermediate 60 to 69.9 lbs. 10 & 11 yr olds
1st Place Kolby Inouye Maui Grappling Academy 90
2nd Place Osiris Kelly Gracie Barra 70
3rd Place Chai Capili Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 50
Kids NO-GI Expert 60 to 69.9 lbs 11 & 12 yr olds

1st Place Casey Nitta Relson Gracie 120
2nd Place Alec Ralph Cleber Jiu Jitsu 90
3rd Place Colby Hanley, Jr.
70
Kids NO-GI Expert 60 to 69.9 lbs 8 & 9 yr olds

1st Place Kade Ruotolo A-Team Jiu Jitsu 120
2nd Place Zachary Kokubun O2 90
Kids GI Expert 60 to 69.9 lbs 8 & 9 yr olds

1st Place Tye Ruotolo A-Team Jiu Jitsu 120
2nd Place Zachary Kokubun O2 90
3rd Place Erickson K. Manuel Alliance 70
Kids GI Expert 60 to 69.9 lbs 11 & 12 yr olds

1st Place Colby Hanley, Jr. 120
2nd Place Casey Nitta Relson Gracie 90
3rd Place Alec Ralph Cleber Jiu Jitsu 70
Kids NO-GI Expert 62 to 69 lbs 8 to 10 yr olds

1st Place Tye Ruotolo A-Team Jiu Jitsu 120
2nd Place Jake Hare Drysdale BJJ 90
3rd Place Ryder Hirata Carlson gracie 70
Kids GI Expert 62 to 69 lbs 8 to 10 yr olds

1st Place Kade Ruotolo A-Team Jiu Jitsu 120
2nd Place Jake Hare Drysdale BJJ 90
3rd Place Ryder Hirata Carlson gracie 70
Girls NO-GI Beginner 70 to 79.9 lbs

1st Place Jahena Miguel Maui JJ 70
2nd Place Kyrah Kuratani O2 MA Academy 50
Girls GI Beginner 70 to 79.9 lbs

1st Place Jahnea Miguel Maui JJ 70
2nd Place Jake Hare Drysdale BJJ 50
Kids GI Novice 70 to 79.9 lbs

1st Place Rocky Jose-Afwi Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 50
2nd Place Cody Jeffries Sunset Beach 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 70 to 79.9 lbs 8 & 9 yrs old

1st Place Nanealoa Perlman Gracie JJ Kailua 70
2nd Place Cody Jeffries Sunset Beach 50
3rd Place Bryan Ahu United MMA 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 70 to 79.9 lbs 7 & 8 yr olds

1st Place Kaeo Kekumano United MMA 70
2nd Place Rocky Jose-afuvai Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 50
3rd Place Johnny Kress North Shore JJ 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 70 to 79.9 lbs 9 & 10 yr olds

1st Place Nakela Snyder O2 Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place Micah Jaena O2 Martial Arts 50
3rd Place Ty Kaneshiro O2 Relson Gracie 30
Kids GI Beginner No Subs

1st Place Dan Tauyan, Jr. Gracie Central 50
2nd Place Ka'moa Starwood Maui JJ 30
Kids GI Beginner 70 to 79.9 lbs 10 yrs old

1st Place Nakela Snyder O2 Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place GianLuca Battles
50
3rd Place Ty Kaneshiro O2 Relson Gracie 30
Kids GI Beginner 70 to 79.9 lbs 8 & 9 yr olds

1st Place Rocky Jose-afuvai Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Micah Jaena O2 MA Academy 50
Kids GI Intermediate 70 to 79.9 lbs

1st Place Cameron Golis-Bautista Alliance 90
2nd Place Classy C Tavares 8Sixxx BJJ 70
Kids GI Intermediate 70 to 79.9 lbs 8 & 9 yr olds

1st Place Luciano Vinci Relson Gracie 90
2nd Place Triston Baron Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 70
3rd Place Asher Radona Relson Gracie 50
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 70 to 79.9 lbs 8 & 9 yr olds
1st Place Triston Baron Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 90
2nd Place Luciano Vinci Relson Gracie 70
3rd Place Asher Radona Relson Gracie 50
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 70 to 79.9 lbs 10 & 11 yr olds
1st Place Raimana Vinci Relson Gracie 90
2nd Place Devin Lee Agatol
70
3rd Place Aukai Vista
50
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 70 to 79.9 lbs 12 & 13 yr olds
1st Place Makana Copperfield Tsuglashi Do JJ 90
2nd Place Aleczander Taylor Tsuglashi Do JJ 70
3rd Place Classyc Tavares 8Sixxx BJJ 50
Kids NO-GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs 13 yrs old

1st Place Chadelle Gregory Alliance 70
2nd Place Naomi Paaluhi Mad Tiger 50
Girls GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs.

1st Place Naomi Paaluhi Mad Tiger 70
2nd Place Laynee Pasion Papakolea 50
3rd Place Zena Ciaro Relson Gracie 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs 12 & 13 yr olds
1st Place Rawelo Alcos Gracie Humaita/Central Oahu 70
2nd Place Jasper Cantorna O2 MA Academy 50
3rd Place Tyler Cieskowski Gracie Jiu Jitsu 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs 12 & 13 yr olds
1st Place Tyler Cieskowski Gracie Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Kimberley Ralph Cleber Jiu Jitsu 50
Kids NO-GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs 10 & 11 yr olds
1st Place Samuel Fisher O2 MA Academy 70
2nd Place Chazton Luangrath O2 MA Academy 50
3rd Place Rowdy Grover North Shore JJ 30
Kids GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs 10 & 11 yr olds

1st Place Chazton Luangrath O2 MA Academy 70
2nd Place Saje Nelson Sunset Beach 50
3rd Place Rowdy Grover North Shore JJ 30
Kids GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs 12 & 13 yr olds

1st Place Lawelo Alcos Gracie Humaita/Central Oahu 70
2nd Place Jasper Cantorna O2 MA Academy 50
3rd Place Dillon Wong Papakolea 30
Kids GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs 11 yrs old

1st Place Ralph Edades Gracie Technics 70
2nd Place Samuel Fisher O2 MA Academy 50
Kids GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs 10 to 12 yr olds

1st Place Rowdy Grover North Shore JJ 70
2nd Place Dillon Wong Papakolea 50
Kids GI Beginner 90 to 99.9 lbs 13 yrs old

1st Place Tyler Cieskowski Gracie Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Kairey Bermoy Power House 50
Girls NO-GI Beginner 80 to 89.9 lbs

1st Place Shayna Kamaka Homestead Academy 70
2nd Place Melia Bonofiglio Goshin Tsugiashi Do 50
Girls GI Beginner

1st Place Madyson Pena Gracie Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Shyla Kuratani O2 MA Academy 50
Girls NO-GI Beginner 7 & 8 yr olds

1st Place Victoria Lee United MMA 70
2nd Place Sashlynn Lloyd
50
3rd Place Aleah Kaonohi Mai Jiu Jitsu 30
Girls NO-GI Beginner 90 to 99.9 lbs

1st Place

70
2nd Place Victoria Chun Mad Tiger 50
Girls GI Beginner 90 to 99.9 lbs

1st Place Barley Lum Longman 70
2nd Place Victoria Chun Mad Tiger 50
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 90 to 99.9 lbs. 13 yrs old

1st Place Kyri Paranada Homestead Academy 120
2nd Place Vincent Starn Grappling Unlimited 90
3rd Place Dylan Bonofiglio Goshin Tsugiashi Do 70
Kids GI Intermediate 90 to 99.9 lbs. 13 yrs old

1st Place Kyri Paranada Homestead Academy 120
2nd Place Vincent Starn Grappling Unlimited 90
3rd Place Tanner Fernandez Relson Gracie 70
Kids NO-GI Expert 90 to 99.9 lbs. 12 to 13 yr olds

1st Place Shaedon Quenvado BJ Penn/Nova Uniao 120
2nd Place Madison Leanio Power House 90
3rd Place Joshua DeCambra Brazilian Freestyle JJ 70
Kids GI Expert 90 to 99.9 lbs. 12 to 13 yr olds

1st Place Chaden Morisato Gracie Barra 120
2nd Place Albert Enos Relson Gracie 90
3rd Place Madison Leanio Power House 70
Girls NO-GI Beginner

1st Place Bailey Lum Longman 70
2nd Place Christine Andres O2 MA Academy 50
3rd Place Tehani K.M. Mata DJJ 30
Girls NO-GI Intermediate 8 & 9 yr olds

1st Place Tayzia Kuikahi Mad Tiger 90
2nd Place Anjelynn Baron Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 70
3rd Place Malia Mason Relson Gracie 50
Girls NO-GI Intermediate 11 yrs old

1st Place Sofa Lizares Gracie Waikiki 90
2nd Place Shyla Kuratani O2 MA Academy 70
Kids NO-GI Beginner 100 to 114.9 lbs no subs

1st Place Jyrus Malicki KP Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Keinan Nakamura Homestead Academy 50
Kids NO-GI Beginner 100 to 114.9 lbs 12 to 14 yr olds
1st Place Colton Weathers Gracie JJ Kailua 70
2nd Place Nicolas Sharrock Mad Tiger 50
Kids GI Beginner 100 to 114.9 lbs 12 to 14 yr olds

1st Place Jyrus Malicki KP Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Keinan Nakamura Homestead Academy 50
3rd Place Daten-Jon Valdez Alliance 30
Kids GI Beginner 100 to 114.9 lbs 11 & 12 yr olds

1st Place Colton Weathers Gracie JJ Kailua 70
2nd Place Chad Dilay Alliance 50
3rd Place Nicolas Sharrock Mad Tiger 30
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 100 to 114.9 lbs 13 yrs old
1st Place Race Masashilam Leandro Nyza/Nova Uniao 90
2nd Place Ezekiel Bagano Power House 70
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 100 to 114.9 lbs 12 yrs old
1st Place Dominic Boland Gracie Kailua 90
2nd Place Brad Johnston Gracie Waikiki 70
3rd Place Kyle Selundo Tsugiashi Do JJ 50
Kids GI Intermediate 100 to 114.9 lbs 12 & 13 yr olds
1st Place Race Masashilam Leandro Nyza/Nova Uniao 90
2nd Place Dominic Boland Gracie Kailua 70
3rd Place Brad Johnston Gracie Waikiki 50
Kids NO-Expert 100 to 114.9 lbs 12 & 13 yr olds

1st Place Aukahi Joy Tsugiashi Do JJ 120
2nd Place Kayleb Medeiros Nova Uniao 90
3rd Place Donavyn Futa Relson Gracie 70
Kids NO-GI Expert 100 to 114.9 lbs. 12 yrs old

1st Place La'akea Joy Goshin Tsugiashi Do 120
2nd Place Mykah Kuratani O2 M.A. Academy/Relson Gracie 90
Kids GI Expert 100 to 114.9 lbs. 12 to 13 yr olds

1st Place Draten Morisato Gracie Barra 120
2nd Place Kaeokai Lizama Gracie Barra 90
3rd Place Kayleb Medeiros Nova Uniao 70
Kids NO-GI Novice 115 to 129.9 lbs 10 & 11 yr olds
1st Place Ty Bates Carlson Gracie 50
2nd Place Xavier Wildy O2 MA Academy 30
Kids NO-GI Beginner 115 to 129.9 lbs 10 & 11 yr olds
1st Place Ka'aha Maiele United MMA 70
2nd Place Ty Bates Carlson Gracie
50
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 115 to 129.9 lbs 13 yrs old
1st Place Kona Oliveira Sunset Beach 70
2nd Place Rusty Kama Trilogy JJ 50
Kids NO-GI Beginner 115 to 129.9 lbs 13 yrs old

1st Place River Jeffries Sunset Beach 70
2nd Place Panfi Talamantes United MMA 50
Kids NO-GI Intermediate 115 to 129.9 lbs 10 to 12 yr olds
1st Place Kenzy Kobayashi Grappling Unlimited 90
2nd Place Armani Treu Carlson Grace 70
Girls GI Intermediate

1st Place Makani Adric Sunset Beach 70
2nd Place Nicole Wong 50
Girls GI Intermediate 11 yrs old

1st Place Sopia Lizares Gracie Waikiki 70
2nd Place Synphany Peskin Sunset Beach 50
Girls GI Intermediate 8 & 9 yr olds

1st Place Shayna Kamaka Homestead Academy 90
2nd Place Anjelynn Baron Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 70
Girls GI Intermediate 115 to 129.9 lb

1st Place Shyla Kuratani 02 MA Academy 90
2nd Place Nami Daugherty Sunset Beach 70
Kids NO-GI Expert 115 to 129.9 lbs 13 yrs old

1st Place Christian Lee United MMA 120
2nd Place Liam Corbelt Out Laws 90
Kids GI Expert 115 to 129.9 lbs 11 to 13 yr olds

1st Place Ka'ehu Keawe Gracie Barra 120
2nd Place Mykah Kuratani O2 M.A. Academy/Relson Gracie 90
Kids GI Beginner 130 to 149.9 lbs

1st Place Kenzy Kobayashi Grappling Unlimited 90
2nd Place Armani Treu Carlson gracie 70
Kids GI Intermediate 130 to 149.9 lbs

1st Place Kona Oliveira Sunset Beach 90
2nd Place Rusty Kama Trilogy JJ 70
Kids GI Intermediate 130 to 149.9 lbs

1st Place Kona Oliveira Sunset Beach 90
2nd Place Kainoa Bardon Relson Gracie 70
Kids GI Beginner 140 to 150 lbs

1st Place River Jeffries Sunset Beach 70
2nd Place Christian Taipin North Shore JJ 50
Kids NO-GI Beginner 150 to 179.9 lbs

1st Place Kainoa Bardon Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place Quincy Nieto K-Team Kane'ohe 50
Kids GI Beginner 150 to 179.9 lbs

1st Place Ty Bantes Carlson gracie 70
2nd Place Xavier Wildy O2 MA Academy 50
Kids GI Beginner Girls 10 yrs old

1st Place Chadelle Gregory Alliance 70
2nd Place Jayda Nelson Sunset Beach 50
Kids GI Beginner Girls 11 & 12 yr olds

1st Place Domique Battles Sunset Beach 70
2nd Place Jaya Belyeu Sunset Beach 50
3rd Place Christine Andres O2 M.A. Academy/Relson Gracie 30
Kids GI Beginner Girls 11 & 12 yr olds

1st Place Chelsey Chaves Maui Jiu Jitsu 70
2nd Place Deja Nakamura Homestead Academy 50
3rd Place Kylin Sukehira Longman 30
Teens NO-GI Novice Bantam Weight 15 & 16 yr olds
1st Place Noah Asada Gracie Barra 50
2nd Place Jon Cruz United MMA 30
Teens NO-GI Novice Bantam Weight 15 to 17 yr olds
1st Place Noah Asada Gracie Barra 50
2nd Place Jonathan Ahuna 30
Teens NO-GI Beginner Featherweight 15 & 16 yr olds
1st Place Alexander Var Charles Gracie BJJ 70
2nd Place Jarren Higaki 50
3rd Place Landen Avita RSA 30
Teens GI Beginner Featherweight 14 to 16 yr olds
1st Place Alexander Var Charles Gracie BJJ 70
2nd Place Michah K Madrid Kailua Gracie 50
3rd Place Landen Avita RSA 30
Teens GI Intermediate Featherweight 14 & 15 yr olds
1st Place Keale Lemos Sunset Beach 70
2nd Place Kyle Asato
50
Teen NO-GI Beginner Light Weight 14 to 16 yr olds
1st Place Kanoa Ano 8Sixxx BJJ 70
2nd Place Kealakai Ignacio 8Sixxx BJJ 50
Teen NO-GI Beginner Light Weight 17 yrs old

1st Place Geremy Martyn Sunset Beach 70
2nd Place Clarence Reyes United MMA 50
3rd Place Bryson Tokoro Jeet Kunedo Unlimited 30
Teen GI Beginner Light Weight 14 to 16 yr olds

1st Place Robin Bihm
70
2nd Place Kealakai Ignacio
50
Teen GI Beginner Light Weight 14 & 15 yr olds

1st Place Geremy Martyn Sunset Beach 70
2nd Place Kanda Ano
50
Teen NO-GI Expert Light Weight 14 & 15 yr olds

1st Place Canann Kawaihae Gracie Kailua 120
2nd Place Bobby Castle Power House 90
3rd Place Keinan Inouye Maui Grappling Academy 70
Teen GI Expert Light Weight 14 & 15 yr olds

1st Place Bobby Castle Power House 120
2nd Place Reinton Kawamae HMC 90
3rd Place Keinan Inouye Maui Grappling Academy 70
Teen NO-GI Expert Light Weight 16 & 17 year olds
1st Place Kolby Chow O2 M.A. Academy/Relson Gracie 120
2nd Place Reinton Kawamae HMC 90
Teen GI Expert Light Weight 16 & 17 year olds

1st Place Kolby Chow O2 M.A. Academy/Relson Gracie 120
2nd Place Reinton Kawamae HMC 90
Teen GI Novice Welter Weight 14 yrs old

1st Place Conner Kaneshiro Alliance 50
2nd Place Blaze Umiamaka Gracie Barra 30
Teen GI Novice Welter Weight 14 yrs old

1st Place Mark Hyashi Uptown 50
2nd Place

30
Teen NO-GI Intermediate Welter Weight 15 yrs old
1st Place Jayden Cenal 90
2nd Place Kyle Asato 70
Teen NO-GI Intermediate Welter Weight 14 & 17 year olds
1st Place Kekipi Gamiao Fight for Life Maui 90
2nd Place Bryston Watase United MMA 70
3rd Place Bryan Greenman Rams Wrestling 50
Teen NO-GI Novice Middle Weight 14 & 15 yr olds
1st Place Colby Schoniwitz United MMA 50
2nd Place Eugene Chung Nova Uniao 30
3rd Place Micah Solis Booyaa 20
Teen NO-GI Novice Middle Weight 16 & 17 yr olds
1st Place Clifford Yu Relson Gracie 50
2nd Place Josh Thompson 30
Teen GI Novice Middle Weight 14 to 16 yr olds

1st Place Jahdi Stamer Sunset Beach 50
2nd Place Eugene Chung Nova Uniao 30
3rd Place Joshua Aranaydo Papakolea 20
Teen NO-GI Beginner Middle Weight 14 to 16 yr olds
1st Place Denzel Johnson United MMA 70
2nd Place Joshua Lundberg Goshin Tsugiashi Do 50
3rd Place Dayten Belos BJJ 30
Teen NO-GI Intermediate Middle Weight 16 & 17 yr olds
1st Place Christian Kaneshiro Alliance 90
2nd Place Clayton Laim Leandro Nyza/Nova Uniao 70
Teen NO-GI Expert Middle Weight

1st Place Kaimana Carney Gracie Barra 120
2nd Place Pololu Nakanelua Maui JJ 90
Teen GI Expert Middle Weight 15 & 16 yr olds

1st Place Kaimana Carney Gracie Barra 120
2nd Place Pololu Nakanelua Maui JJ 90
Teen NO-GI Novice Light Heavy Weight

1st Place Dylan Cabral Mad Tiger 50
2nd Place Brandon Bell Gracie Barra 30
Teen GI Beginner Light Heavy Weight 14 to 16 yr olds
1st Place Dylan Cabral Maui JJ 70
2nd Place Brandon Bell Gracie Barra 50
3rd Place Isaac Kong Alliance 30
Teen GI Intermediate Light Heavy Weight 16 & 17 year olds
1st Place Christian Kaneshiro Alliance 90
2nd Place Clayton Laim Leandro Nyza/Nova Uniao 70
Teen GI Expert Light Heavy Weight 15 & 16 year olds
1st Place Brandon Saiki Alliance 120
2nd Place Gianni Crivello KP Jiu Jitsu 90
3rd Place Blake Cremer Power House 70
Teen NO-GI Expert Light Heavy Weight 14 to 16 yr olds
1st Place Brandon Saiki Alliance 120
2nd Place Justin Laughlin Gracie Barra 90
3rd Place Blake Cremer Power House 70
Teen GI Intermediate Welter Weight 16 & 17 year olds
1st Place Kekipi Gamiao Fight for Life Maui 90
2nd Place Chanson Auwae Relson Gracie 70
3rd Place Chase Yosunaga Mad Tiger 50
Teen NO-GI Expert Welter Weight 14 to 16 yrs old
1st Place Christian Lee United MMA 120
2nd Place Jacey Ferreira East Kanc 90
Teen NO-GI Novice Cruiser Weight 14 & 15 yr olds
1st Place Hugh McCarthy Mad Tiger 50
2nd Place Gabriel Meyer HMC 30
3rd Place Kekoa Keanaaina United MMA 20
Teen GI Novice Cruiser Weight 16 & 17 yr olds

1st Place Tracy Poch Nova Uniao 50
2nd Place Brittany Treu Carlson Gracie 30
3rd Place Katie Tolman Maui Martial Arts 20
Teen GI Novice Cruiser Weight 16 & 17 yr olds

1st Place Tracy Poch Nova Uniao 70
2nd Place Brittany Treu Carlson Gracie 50
Teen GI Beginner Cruiser Weight 16 & 17 yr olds

1st Place Hugh McCarthy Mad Tiger 70
2nd Place Gabriel Meyer HMC 50
3rd Place Kekoa Keanaaina United MMA 30
Teen GI Expert Cruiser Weight 16 yrs old

1st Place Brandon Saiki Alliance 120
2nd Place Justin Laughlin Gracie Barra 90
Teen NO-GI Expert Heavy Weight 14 to 16 year olds
1st Place Matthew Paccaro-Onouye Gracie Technics 120
2nd Place Mathias Davis Gracie Barra 90
Teen NO-GI Novice Heavy Weight 16 yrs old

1st Place Nainoa Fujimura You Tube 50
2nd Place Peter Camara-Dilwith United MMA 30
Teen GI Beginner Super Heavy Weight 14 to 16 yr olds
1st Place Blaine Rein Sunset Beach 70
2nd Place Hugh McCarthy Mad Tiger 50
3rd Place Brandon Higa Alliance 30
Teen NO-GI Expert Super Heavy Weight 15 to 17 yr olds
1st Place Bo Bates Carlson Gracie 120
2nd Place Mathias Davis Gracie Barra 90
Teen GI Expert Super Heavy Weight 15 to 17 yr olds
1st Place Bo Bates Carlson Gracie 120
2nd Place Mathias Davis Gracie Barra 90
Teen NO-GI Intermediate Girls

1st Place Makani Adric Sunset Beach 90
2nd Place Nicole Wong 8Sixxx BJJ 70
Teen GI Intermediate Girls

1st Place Anjelynn Baron Central Oahu Jiu Jitsu 90
2nd Place Tayzia Kuikahi Mad Tiger 70
3rd Place Malia Mason Relson Gracie 50
Teen GI Expert Girls

1st Place

120
2nd Place Angela Lee United MMA 90
Teen GI Expert Girls

1st Place Ariel Goo Mad Tiger 120
2nd Place Angela Enos Relson Gracie 90
Teen GI Expert Girls

1st Place Harmony Pecheco O2 Martial Arts 120
2nd Place Angela Enos Relson Gracie 90

NAGA 2011 Gi results

2011-11-23T12:48:00.000-08:00

Mens GI White Belt Fly Weight

1st Place Ross Mixasato, Jr. Relson Gracie 50
2nd Place Garrett Koli Hughes Nova Uniao 30
3rd Place Russell Coyamin, Jr. Power House 20
Mens GI White Belt Bantam Weight

1st Place Ikaika Silva Mad Tiger 50
2nd Place Daniel Ham Magrinho 30
3rd Place Kevin Natividad Nova Uniao 20
Mens GI White Belt Light Weight

1st Place Nick Mitsumori 8 Sixxx Bjj 50
2nd Place Ryan Kam Grappling Unlimited 30
3rd Place Brandon Martyn Brazillian Freestyle 20
Mens Gi White Belt Feather Weight

1st Place Alexis Fonseca
50
2nd Place Kaimi Bermoy Power House 30
3rd Place Joshua Peacott-Ricardos Kapolei BJJ/Relson Gracie 20
Mens GI White Belt Welter Weight

1st Place Tenzin Pasang Maui Grappling Academy 50
2nd Place Edward Ayala, Jr. Gracie Technics 30
3rd Place John Rojas Relson Gracie 20
Mens GI White Belt Middle Weight

1st Place Chasetin Guzman Magrinho 50
2nd Place Neil Sullivan Gracie Kaneke 30
3rd Place Steven Yurl Mad Tiger 20
Mens GI White Belt Light Heavy Weight

1st Place Elliot Sirca-Hanson 02 Gracie 50
2nd Place Shaun Henderson Mad Tiger 30
3rd Place Jacob Medeiros Maui Grappling Academy 20
Mens GI White Belt Cruiser Weight

1st Place Travis Smith New Breed Kawai 50
2nd Place Dom Joavannicueva Relson Gracie 30
3rd Place Brandon Laflin Independent 20
Mens GI White Belt Heavy Weight

1st Place Andy Starn Grappling Ltd. 50
2nd Place Jordan Arakawa Carlson Gracie Maui 30
3rd Place Duke Kaulia Nova Uniao 20
Mens GI White Belt Super Heavy Weight

1st Place Keneke Timoteo Gracie Technics MMAD 50
2nd Place Randall Hayes Carlson Gracie Maui 30
3rd Place Conrad Fenton 02 M.A. Academy 20
Mens GI Blue Belt Bantam Weight

1st Place Bobby Castle Power House 70
2nd Place Michael Ishibashi Relson Gracie 50
3rd Place Matthew Domingo New Breed Kawai 30
Mens GI Blue Belt Feather Weight

1st Place Zach Close Sunset Bjj 70
2nd Place Kajiware Todd Nova Union 50
3rd Place Jayson Kira Gracie Technics 30
Mens GI Blue Belt Light Weight

1st Place Clinton Dela Cruz Gracie Barra 70
2nd Place Kristopher Sakuma Relson Gracie 02 MA Acad 50
3rd Place Rodney Asentista Relson Gracie 02 MA Acad 30
Mens GI Blue Belt Welter Weight

1st Place Daniel Ige Sunset Beach JJ 70
2nd Place Kainui Meyers Nova Uniao/BJ Penn 50
3rd Place Washington Luis Gracie Barra 30
Mens GI Blue Belt Middle Weight

1st Place Jeremy Nitta Mad Tiger 70
2nd Place Cody Young Longman 50
3rd Place Michael Dorman Kapolei BJJ/Relson Gracie 30
Mens GI Blue Belt Cruiser Weight

1st Place Somphane Kasombath Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place Dustin Aguilar New Breed Kawai 50
3rd Place Travis Rodrigues Alliance 30
Mens GI Blue Belt Heavy Weight

1st Place Ryan Buffet Mad Tiger 70
2nd Place Anthony Jnek Pure Jiu-Jitsu 50
Mens GI Blue Belt Light Heavy Weight

1st Place Erik Bydairki Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place Taylor Kuhia Gracie Kailua 50
3rd Place Adrian Ayan Longman South 30
Mens GI Blue Belt Super Heavy Weight

1st Place Justin Moniz Fight For Life 70
2nd Place James Kauila Gracie Barra 50
3rd Place Kawika Yoneda Charles Gracie Big Isl. 30
Mens GI Purple Belt Light Weight

1st Place Travis Talbo New Breed Academy 90
2nd Place Lance Fujioka Gracie Technics 70
3rd Place AJ Mendoza Relson Gracie 50
Mens GI Purple Belt Middle Weight

1st Place Kainalu Hawela New Breed 90
2nd Place Javier Mirelz Gracie Kailua Humaita 70
3rd Place Eric Cannon New Breed 50
Mens GI Purple Belt Super Heavy Weight

1st Place Stuart Kam
90
2nd Place Sean Starn
70
Mens GI Brown Belt Cruiser Weight

1st Place Keanen Mihyasato Nova Uniao 120
2nd Place James M Fupanu Nova Uniao 90
Mens GI Brown & Black Belt Light Weight

1st Place Noa Moke Long Man 120
2nd Place Desmond Thain Relson Gracie 90
Mens GI Brown & Black Belt Middle Weight

1st Place Samuel Nims Maui Jiu- Jitsu 120
2nd Place Daniel Espinosa Gracie Jiu-Jitsu 90
3rd Place Lennon Labrador Nova Uniao 70
Mens GI Masters White Belt Bantam Weight

1st Place Davin Kazama Relson Gracie 50
2nd Place Ikaika Villa Gracie Kailua/Island JJ 30
Mens GI Masters White Belt Light Weight

1st Place Roy Simao Gracie Barra/Power House 50
2nd Place Mory Fernandez Gracie Baja 30
3rd Place Waylon Salazar KP Academy/Nova Uniao 20
Mens GI Masters White Belt Light Weight

1st Place Lance Owings Charles Gracie Big Isl. 50
2nd Place Klaylan Burchett Charles Gracie Big Isl. 30
3rd Place Erik Snyder 02 Relson Gracie 20
Mens GI Masters White Belt Light Heavy Weight
1st Place Anthony Knight Kailua Gracies 50
2nd Place Keenan Eckel 02 M.A. Academy-Relson 30
3rd Place Sean Hona 02 M.A. Academy 20
Mens GI Masters White Belt Cruiser Weight

1st Place Stallyn Gooch Gracie Barra 50
2nd Place John Chinen-Zablan Trilogy JJ 30
3rd Place Ryno Irwin Gracie Barra 20
Mens GI Masters White Belt Heavy White

1st Place Frank Bailey Grappling Unlimited 50
2nd Place Jason Takaki Bjixxxbj / Nova Uniao 30
3rd Place

20
Mens GI Masters Blue Belt Bantam Weight

1st Place Rick Imamoto Gracie Technics 70
2nd Place Doug Bautista Alliance 50
3rd Place Abraham Panes Gracie Baja 30
Mens GI Masters Blue Belt Feather Weight

1st Place Keone Desilva Penn Training Fitness 70
2nd Place Lance Lizares Gracie Technics 50
3rd Place

30
Mens GI Masters Blue Belt Middle Weight

1st Place Chris Templo Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place Rommel Salamat O2 50
3rd Place Nicholas Lee Relson Gracie 30
Mens GI Masters Blue Belt Welter Weight

1st Place Jeremy Niwa Alliance 70
2nd Place Ruben (Duby) Texeira Power House 50
3rd Place Bronson Tandal Gracie Barra 30
Mens GI Masters Blue Belt Heavy Weight

1st Place Justin Nihel Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place James Sunday Gracie Technics 50
3rd Place Ryan Kauanui Central Oahu BJJ Academy 30
Mens GI Masters Blue Belt Super Heavy Weight
1st Place Terrence Williford Team HI 70
2nd Place Toyin Ajose Alliance 50
3rd Place Augie Padekin Nova Uniao 30
GI Masters Purple & Above Light Weight

1st Place Kawika Bennet Alliance 90
2nd Place Douglas Nakata KP Nova Uniao 70
3rd Place Randy Rivera Nova Uniao 50
GI Masters Brown/Black Light Weight

1st Place Eben Kaneshiro New Breed Kawai 120
2nd Place Kevin Chang New Breed Kawai 90
3rd Place Jason Vigil Gracie Kailua/Island JJ 70
GI Masters Expert Middle Weight

1st Place Michael Tanaka Alliance BJJ Hawaii 120
2nd Place Scott Kawai Relson Gracie JJ Uptown 90
3rd Place Marcelo Rias New Union 70
GI Masters Expert Cruiser Weight

1st Place Mitchell Johnson Relson RSA 120
2nd Place Mike Chun Alliance Hawaii 90
3rd Place Eric Pajdak New Breed 70
Mens GI Directors White Belt Light Weight

1st Place Mike Chu Gracie Barra University 50
2nd Place Devin Higashi Alliance 30
Mens GI Directors White Belt Welter Weight

1st Place Pomai Rosete Central Oahu BJJ Academy 50
2nd Place Lance Lee Leandro Nyza J.J. 30
3rd Place Wade Oganeku Alliance 20
Mens GI Directors White Belt Middle Weight

1st Place Justin Labrador BJJ 50
2nd Place Keith Nakamura Homestead Academy 30
3rd Place Richard Stover Brazillian Freestyle 20
Mens GI Directors White Belt Heavy Weight

1st Place Michael Bates Carlson Gracie Maui 50
2nd Place Roy Onomura Relson Gracie 30
3rd Place Andres Sepulveda Relson Gracie 20
Mens GI Directors Intermediate Light Weight

1st Place Dan Lathrop Gracie Kailua 70
2nd Place John Brennan
50
3rd Place Matthew Gambone No.Shore Jiu-Jitsu 30
Mens GI Directors Blue Belt Welter Weight

1st Place Brent Hamasaki Relson Gracie 70
2nd Place Mark Egdamin Alliance 50
Mens GI Directors Expert Middle Weight

1st Place Lyle Huleso Gracie Kailua 120
2nd Place Matt Teho Relson Gracie 90
Mens GI Directors Expert Cruiser Weight

1st Place Ira Daughtery A-Team 120
2nd Place Ermin Fergerstroun Maui Martial Arts 90
Mens GI Directors Expert 163 lb- 195 lb

1st Place Eric Pajdak New Breed 120
2nd Place Kelvin Wong Kapolei BJJ/Relson Gracie 90
3rd Place Alden Simbahan Combat So / Nova Uniao 70
Mens GI Directors Expert Heavy Weight

1st Place Sean Starn Grappling Ltd. 120
2nd Place Kai Li United MMA 90
Womens GI White Belt Fly Weight

1st Place Kananaikahaku Kuhaulua Gracie Barra/Power House 50
2nd Place Erin Lau Uptown 30
3rd Place Jessica Serrano Relson Gracie 20
Womens GI White Belt Light Heavy Weight

1st Place Vicky Fautanu Gracie Barra 50
2nd Place E. Uilani Nahoolewa Goshin Tsugiashi 30
Womens GI Blue Belt Light Weight

1st Place Valerie Aspaas Grappling Unlimited 70
2nd Place Priscilla Chandler Carlson Gracie Maui 50
3rd Place Ariel Gaoiran Maui Grappling Academy 30
Womens GI Intermediate

1st Place Bryanna Fissori South Oahu MMA 70
2nd Place Tammy Chang Gracie Kailua/Island JJ 50
3rd Place Denise Bodor Gracie Barra 30
Womens GI Intermediate 101 to 117 lbs

1st Place Sheena Nakata KP Nova Uniao 70
2nd Place Leilani Michael Gracie Barra 50
3rd Place Angela Iaea Gracie Barra 30
Womens GI Blue Belt Middle Weight

1st Place Shelsea Manuel Alliance 70
2nd Place Emmic Quentulic Gracie Barra 50
3rd Place Sabrina Dyda Gracie Barra 30
Womens Gi Expert Middle Weight

1st Place Tracey Goodell North Shore JJ 120
2nd Place Kanani Ragass Ka-Mole Jiu Jitsu 90