MMA News Thread

[Shogun Locc]

Vitor 'Shaolin' Ribeiro Video Interview

Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro updates us on what he’s been up to in this exclusive interview with MMAFighting.com.

A former Shooto and Cage Rage champion, Ribeiro was one of the top lightweights in the world before suffering an eye injury in a loss to Gesias “JZ Calvan” Calvancante at the HERO’s 154-lb. tournament on September 17, 2007.

With his injury healed up, Ribeiro is patiently waiting for his next K-1/DREAM fight, possibly at Dynamite!! 2008 on New Year's Eve.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ProElite Promoter’s License Suspended

Industry chatter over the past 24 hours indicated that the Promoter’s license of ProElite had been suspended by the California State Athletic Commission, but the reasoning was unclear. Some sources indicated “CSAC had suspended the promotional license of ProElite, based on the fact that ProElite had entered into unenforceable promotional agreements with its fighters by not following mandated CSAC rules and procedures.” Rumors are also indicating that ProElite is not willingly entering into the auction and may file bankruptcy to avoid the sale.

MMAPayout.com contacted the California State Athletic Commission to clear up the rumors as to the status of ProElite’s license. Armando Garcia issued the following statement to MMAPayout.com:

Pro Elite/Elite XC’s and King of the Cage’s licenses are suspended. They were suspended yesterday, when after looking into the matter carefully the exact situation was determined. However, it is not due to any type of contracts.

We do not have any Commission approved contracts for them. Any contracts that they may have with athletes are most probably personal services contracts in whatever state they were signed in. These types of contracts are not under the jurisdiction of the Commission because they were not approved by and or signed with the Commission. In fact, the Commission does not know anything about the contracts people are talking about. I would assume that to have these types of contracts declared void the party (ies) would need to file a civil lawsuit in the appropriate court.

The primary reason that Pro Elite/Elite XC’s and King of the Cage’s licenses have been placed on suspension is because of their financial states and the fact that Pro Elite, the owner of King of the Cage, has suspended operations and their tangible and intangible assets are being auctioned on November 17.

Hypothetically, if the auction goes through and one or more entities purchase either or both of these companies they would have to go through the licensing process. In other words, whatever it is that is being auctioned is not their California licenses.

We have had a great business relationship with the present owners and operators of these companies and we pray that this association continues in the future no matter what name, entity, operator, etc. will then own it.

Regards,

CALIFORNIA STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION
Armando Garcia, Executive Officer

 

[Shogun Locc]

Sonnen: 'I didn’t know what to do'

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- Chael Sonnen was dumbfounded by what he experienced inside the cage against embattled World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight champion Paulo Filho at WEC 36 on Wednesday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

After the Brazilian entered the bout five pounds overweight, he proceeded to execute a woefully passive gameplan against Sonnen (21-9-1). Much to the dismay of those in attendance, it curbed action between the two middleweights and led to restlessness inside and outside the cage.

“It threw me off,” Sonnen said. “Every time I envisioned the match and played it out through my head … the different scenarios … I never once envisioned him not fighting back. I never envisioned him just laying there. I didn’t know what to do. It was similar to being at a dance with a partner who doesn’t know how to dance.”

Filho -- whose personal problems outside the cage seem to have finally spilled into it -- mounted virtually no offense, save for a few submission attempts in the first round. He retreated repeatedly to his back in an effort to bait Sonnen into engaging him on the ground.

Sonnen outstruck Filho (16-1) when the two stood and avoided danger when the action hit the ground, as he earned a unanimous decision and handed his 30-year-old foe the first loss of his career. Still, much of the post-fight talk surrounded Filho’s disinterest and unwillingness to compete.

“I’ve never seen it,” Sonnen said. “I’ve never seen it in another fight. I’ve never had it done to me in practice or in a competition. It made me real cautious, and I regret that a little bit.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Randy Couture Wants Nothing to Do With Affliction

Affliction co-head Todd Beard lashed out against Randy Couture a few weeks ago, and said that he hoped Lesnar "f***ing kills" him. Today Steve Cofield caught up with Randy, who didn't mince words.

 

[UCDgreek]

damn Aaron Simpson got robbed by not getting ko of the night. i understand mike brown koed urijah so it was bigger but simpsons ko was fucking vicious man.

and i wish that cerrone-mccullough was broadcast instead of the rolshot fight.

 

[Shogun Locc]

damn Aaron Simpson got robbed by not getting ko of the night. i understand mike brown koed urijah so it was bigger but simpsons ko was fucking vicious man.

and i wish that cerrone-mccullough was broadcast instead of the rolshot fight.

That was a stpid move by the wec to not televise the cowboy vs razor rob lightweight number on contenders macth on verse.

 

[Shogun Locc]

FABER SAYS BROWN IS NOW #1, BUT WANTS ANOTHER SHOT

Since the purchase of World Extreme Cagefighting by Zuffa in 2006, “The California Kid” Urijah Faber had become the top star in the promotion because of his exciting style and relentless aggression, but on Wednesday night the king dropped his crown as Faber lost his 145lb title to Mike Brown.
After the fight was over, Faber made no excuses for the loss, which was on the 2nd of his career and the first loss for him since September 2005.

“Unfortunate, lost the belt tonight, got caught with a solid punch and TKO’ed first round,” Faber stated. “I’d rather go out in a blaze of glory than wither away. I’ll be back, I’ll be back for sure.”

Following his performance, Faber had a chance to review the fight tape and also stated that he hasn’t been rocked in a fight like that since the only other loss in his professional career to Tyson Griffin.

“I watched it, I basically came with a back elbow and just got caught clean with a right,” said Faber. “I came into it and he was throwing hard and we just collided and he just followed me down and came with some punches so it is what it is.”

With the WEC’s featherweight division growing at a rapid pace and more top fighters stepping in at every event, the now former champ is more than confident that the fighter who beat him is the #1 competitor at 145lbs.

“Yes, he is 100%,” Faber responded when asked if Mike Brown was the top featherweight in the world now. “We’ll see though.”

While there has been no word if there was anything such as an automatic rematch clause in the fight contract, Faber is more than open for another shot at Brown, but also understands there are other fighters out there hungry for an opportunity for the title.

“I’d love to fight him again. I got caught with a big punch, if they give me another opportunity right away, I’d love that,” Faber commented. “There’s Jose Aldo who looks really, really impressive, there’s Leonard Garcia who just took out Jens, and was very impressive so however it goes. I think I’d love another chance to fight because I feel I didn’t get to put out a full effort because the fight ended so quickly and we’ll just wait and see.”

And as far as when the former champion could compete again he closed with a laugh.

“Hopefully soon cause I’m going to need the cash now.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Filho Earns $30K in WEC Defeat

Losers from Wednesday’s WEC 36 in Hollywood, Fla. came out the biggest winners in the pay department, according to figures released Friday by the Florida State Boxing Commission.

In the most dismal performance of his career, the previously undefeated Paulo Filho netted $30,750 for three rounds of painful-to-watch non-action against Chael Sonnen, this after the Brazilian failed to make weight the day prior and forfeited 25% of his purse to the American wrestler. Sonnen took in $29,250 plus a $19,000 win bonus for his unanimous decision nod.

Former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver made $33,000 from the 1:12 upset handed him by Leonard Garcia, while the Greg Jackson-trained fighter earned $20,000 for taking his elder opponent out with a flurry of strikes along the fence.

Underdog Mike Thomas Brown seized the featherweight crown from the long-established Urijah Faber and took home $18,000 with his shiny new strap. Faber, who was clotheslined by Brown while attempting to throw a risky back elbow without looking, made $14,000 for his first defeat in three years. “The California Kid” would have grabbed an extra $24,000 if his bid against Brown had been successful.

Donald Cerrone earned every penny of his $14,000 bounty and then some for his entertaining standoff with the equally engaging “Razor” Rob McCullough. McCullough was paid $18,000 for his troubles, plus a $7,500 “fight of the night” bonus that also went to Cerrone.

Hot Arizona State University wrestling prospect Aaron Simpson netted $10,000 for a highlight reel-worthy knockout of David Avellan, who earned $3,000. Simpson finished his business in a stunning 14 seconds.

WEC 36 Pay Scale

Paulo Filho - $30,750
Chael Sonnen - $29,250 + $19,000 win bonus
Urijah Faber - $14,000
Mike Thomas Brown - $9,000 + $9,000 win bonus
Jens Pulver - $33,000
Leonard Garcia - $10,000 + $10,000 win bonus
Nissen Osterneck - $4,000
Jake Rosholt - $11,000 + $11,000 win bonus
Rob McCullough - $18,000
Donald Cerrone - $7,000 + $7,000 win bonus
Aaron Simpson - $5,000 + $5,000 win bonus
David Avellan - $3,000
Jose Aldo – $4,000 + $4,000 win bonus
Jonathan Brookins – $3,000
Carmelo Marrero – $4,000 + $4,000 win bonus
Steve Steinbeiss - $6,000
Danny Castillo - $3,000 + $3,000 win bonus
Rafael Dias - $3,000
Rani Yahya – $6,000 + $6,000 win bonus
Yoshiro Maeda - $6,000

 

[Shogun Locc]

Trainer on Garcia, Cerrone Victories
videolink: http://sherdog.com/videos/recent/Trainer-on-Garcia-Cerrone-Victories-1819
Sherdog.com’s TJ De Santis caught up with trainer Greg Jackson to discuss big wins from Donald Cerrone and Leonard Garcia at WEC 36.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ProElite mounts effort to stave off asset auction

ProElite, Inc. has fired back in the emerging tug of war with Showtime over the future of the mixed martial arts promotion.

ProElite, which cancelled its Nov. 8 show and ceased promotional operations at the end of October, is attempting to thwart Showtime's plan to sell ProElite's remaining assets at public auction.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, ProElite stated that it will try to block the sale.


"The Company plans to take all appropriate measures to prevent the sale from occurring. Such measures may include raising additional financing, filing a lawsuit enjoining the sale, filing a bankruptcy petition or negotiating a settlement with Showtime. There can be no assurances that the Company will be successful in any of these actions."


Showtime has claimed rights to ProElite's "tangible and intangible" assets after the company defaulted on two promissory notes of $4 million that it lent to the company in June and September. The premium cable company notified the public markets earlier this week of its intentions to auction off those assets, which include fighter contracts, on Nov. 17.

Last month, Showtime notified ProElite that it violated a debt agreement and failed to maintain a minimum of $550,000 of unrestricted funds in its bank account. ProElite has a debt obligation to Showtime of approximately $6.3 million, "which is secured by substantially all of the company's assets." With ProElite unable to pay back the loan, Showtime claimed that it has the right to sell ProElite's assets to recoup the loan.

The battle between ProElite and Showtime has left many fighters in a state flux, unable to seek contracts elsewhere until the matter is cleared up. ProElite is trying to hold on to as many fighters as possible by indicating to some agents that the promotion plans to hold events in 2009.

However, the company desperately needs funding to make that happen and its primary source of cash over the past six months, Showtime, has indicated it has no intentions of working with ProElite again. Showtime spokesman Chris DeBlasio has stated that the network plans to "explore other opportunities."

Showtime has not commented on the matter beyond that, and ProElite Chairman Chuck Champion has not returned messages left by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Meanwhile, ProElite has yet to proceed with a bankruptcy filing.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Three fighters issued UFC 90 medical suspensions

The Illinois State Athletic Commission recently issued medical suspensions to a total of three fighters who competed at last month's UFC 90 event, the commission confirmed with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

Among those shut down was headliner Patrick Cote, who suffered a knee injury during a third-round TKO to UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

UFC 90 took place Oct. 25 at Allstate Arena just outside Chicago.

It was the UFC's first-ever event in the state of Illinois, which only recently began regulating MMA events.

Cote, who lasted longer than any other of Silva's UFC opponents, ultimately dropped to the mat in the first minute of the third round. While lunging forward, his knee buckled, and he re-aggravated a past injury. Cote has been suspended 45 days and can have no contact for 30 days, though he could be sidelined longer depending on the nature of his injury.

Additionally, heavyweight Fabricio Werdum was suspended 60 days (no contact for 45 days) following his stunning first-round TKO loss to UFC newcomer Junior de Santos on the night's televised main card.

Finally, preliminary-card fighter and late replacement Drew McFedries was suspended 30 days following his first-round submission loss to Thales Leites. McFedries tapped out from a rear-naked choke 78 seconds into the fight.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Gomi-Kitaoka and Santiago-Misaki title fights headline Sengoku 7

Despite his loss to Sergey Golyaev earlier this month, prized World Victory Road lightweight Takanori Gomi (29-4) will meet the organization's grand prix winner, Satoru Kitaoka (23-8-9), at Sengoku 7 for the WVR lightweight title.

Additionally, middleweight grand prix winner Jorge Santiago (20-7), who's quietly amassed as eight-fight win streak, will meet stand-out Kazuo Misaki (21-8-2) for the organization's first-ever middleweight championship.

The Japanese-based organization will host the Jan. 4 event at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

At the Nov. 1 Sengoku 6 event, Gomi got a fight that many predicted would be an easy victory. However, Golyaev, a former M-1 fighter who trains with the famed Red Devil Fight Club, kept the fight competitive and pulled off a close and fairly controversial split-decision victory over Gomi.

Once considered the world's top-ranked lightweight, Gomi has now suffered two losses in his past four fights (though the submission loss to Nick Diaz at PRIDE 33 was eventually oveturned after Diaz tested positive for marijuana).

The 30-year-old will now meet Kitaoka, whose run at Sengoku 6 culminated with the lightweight grand prix title. Kitaoka defeated both Eiji Mitsuoka (first-round submission) and Kazunori Yokota (unanimous decision) to win the tournament. The eight-year Pancrase veteran has now won his past four fights and nine of his past 10.

The Gomi vs. Kitaoka winner will be WVR's first lightweight champion.

Santiago, meanwhile, defeated Siyar Bahadurzada (first-round TKO) and Kazuhiro Nakamura (third-round TKO) to win WVR's middleweight grand prix earlier this month. It was his second tournament victory in a year; in November 2007, he defeated Sean Salmon and Trevor Prangley to win Strikeforce's first-ever four-man middleweight tournament. Santiago has now won 12 of his past 14 fights, and remarkably, hasn't taken a fight to a decision in four-and-a-half years.

He'll now meet Misaki, a marquee signing for WVR who also inked a deal with Strikeforce following the collapse of PRIDE. Since losing five fights in a 10-fight span, Misaki has won three consecutive bouts, which included a second-round TKO of Joe Riggs in his most recent fight at Strikeforce at the Mansion II in September.

Also announced as an event participant is Japanese Olympic Judo gold medalist Hidehiko Yoshida (8-6). The PRIDE veteran is 1-1 since signing with WVR and submitted former UFC heavuweight champion Maurice Smith back in June.

No opponent for Yoshida has been named.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Dokonjonosuke Mishima to fight on Dec. 22

DEEP featherweight champion Dokonjonosuke Mishima will return at "DEEP Protect Impact" on December 22 at the Shinjuke Face in Tokyo, Japan.
Mishida's (18-6-2) opponent will be Toshiaki Kitada (7-3-2) in a non-title bout.

After a failed stint with the UFC, where he suffered losses to Joe Stevenson and Kenny Florian, Mishida returned to Japan in May at DEEP 25th Impact as a featherweight and defeated Masakazu Imanari by unanimous decision for the belt.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Semtex Hopes To Drop Bombs In December

British welterweight Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley is hopeful that he will avoid being bogged down in the bankruptcy proceedings that have come in the wake of EliteXC’s meltdown.

The promotion shut down in October and parent company Showtime has ordered that its assets be sold at auction on November 17th.

With fighter contracts forming part of those assets, some athletes are likely to be tied up for a while, but Daley hopes to sidestep such difficulties.

“The EliteXC fog is clearing,” he said. “I'm possibly going to fight in Canada in December, and then in the USA or Japan in January.”

“As far as a long term contract I have no offers, but I am being patient. I just want to fight regularly and to be the best – that’s not too much to ask!”

With his Rough House teammate Dan Hardy recently being signed by the UFC and another colleague, ‘Judo’ Jimmy Wallhead, rumoured to be joining him, some have suggested Daley may soon be fighting in the Octagon.

“I still don’t think the time is right for me in the UFC,” says Daley, who has turned down an offer from the US promotion in the past.

“But who knows? Maybe at the end of 2009.”

Rumours have also circulated recently that Daley is being lined up to face Nick Diaz at Sengoku 7, but Daley says it is news to him.

He said: “That rumour is not true, I’ve not even had the offer – but I’d take it!”

 

[Shogun Locc]

SWANSON RETURNS AGAINST TAKAYA AT WEC 37

Cub Swanson will make his World Extreme Cagefighting return at WEC 37 in Las Vegas to face off with Shooto veteran Hiroyuki Takaya. MMAWeekly has confirmed the bout with sources close to the fight.

Both fighters suffered losses when they last saw action in the WEC and will look to get back into the winning column. Swanson comes off a submission victory over Donnie Walker at International Fighting & Boxing League: Fight Night 11. His last action in the WEC was a quick submission loss to former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver at WEC 31. In his last outing, Takaya suffered a stoppage loss to Leonard Garcia at WEC 32.

These two were originally scheduled to meet at WEC 35 but an injury to Swanson forced both fighters off the card, as a suitable replacement couldn’t be found to fight Takaya.

Now Swanson is healthy and these two fighters will finally clash in the cage. A loss for either fighter could be bleak for their WEC future, especially in the competitive featherweight division.

 

[Shogun Locc]

ULTIMATE FIGHTER SADOLLAH READY TO EMERGE

Amir Sadollah is set to return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 91 in Las Vegas, after a close to a five-month layoff. This fight will be his first since winning The Ultimate Fighter finale over CB Dollaway.

Sadollah came into The Ultimate Fighter an unknown. He was a fairly green fighter after having only a 4-0 amateur record prior to getting on the show. Sadollah quickly impressed Forrest Griffin, his assigned coach, during the show submitting Steve Bynes, TKOing Gerald Harris and submitting highly regarded Matt Brown.

Many thought that his next fight against Dollaway would be a quick and easy win for his competitor, but out of nowhere, Sadollah locked on an armbar. Now, an almost “Rocky” underdog, he was going into the finals against Jesse Taylor. However, Taylor got into some antics after the show wrapped, which forced UFC president Dana White to take him out of the finale. Dollaway came back to fight in the finale against Sadollah and get his redemption. However, Sadollah had other plans as he again submitted Dollaway via armbar.

Not fighting for five months affects some fighters, but Sadollah feels it was good to get some time off.

“Actually, I think the timing worked out pretty well for me,” said Sadollah recently to MMAWeekly Radio. “After the show, I definitely needed a little bit of downtime just from training and fighting. Just getting things in order. It worked out well for me. It was a little bit longer than I wanted, but now that I look back, it definitely gave me enough time for training and adjusting.”

While on the Ultimate Fighter, Sadollah enjoyed training with Forrest Griffin. In fact, he even moved to Las Vegas to train out of Xtreme Couture permanently. Even with the distractions that Sin City provides, Sadollah believes that he can control himself and not get too distracted. “This is my camp out here now. I like it. It's definitely easy to get sucked into. I feel good about it and I can stay out of trouble, especially when there's a fight coming up.”

Moving to Xtreme Couture seemed like a logical progression for Sadollah after getting along so well with Griffin and his trainers during the show. Having a vast sundry of training partners didn't hurt his decision either.

“It was just an indication when I went on the show,” he explained. “I just had no problems with the guys I worked with and I liked them a lot. They have good gameplans and good coaching. The talent level of fighters that are out here like Forrest, Randy (Couture), Wanderlei Silva, Mike Pyle, Jay Hieron, Tyson Griffin, Gray Maynard. The list goes on and on.”

Sadollah's first fight back in the Octagon will be against Ring of Combat veteran Nick Catone. Catone is a perfect 5-0 in his short tenure in mixed martial arts and is a good opponent for Sadollah to test himself with. The 28-year-old doesn't know too much about Catone, but he found out a little about his opponent prior to this fight. “I think I have a good idea. From what I can tell, he's a good wrestler. He has good jiu-jitsu. He's a strong guy. I don't get too hung up on watching tape. I just think I can handle the fight wherever it goes. I like to have a general idea of what he's good at and things to look for. Nobody fights the same guy twice.”

This fight will take place at middleweight, but there has already been a lot of speculation of Sadollah dropping down to welterweight. The Brooklyn born fighter doesn't deny the fact that he's thinking about it.

“It's something I'm definitely considering,” he stated. “I think it's kind of the next step for me. There's definitely pros and cons in it for me. I was just a little cautious changing too many things after the show. I'm on the fence about it.”

Before he can make any future plans, he has a large task at hand in Nick Catone at UFC 91. He has an idea of how he wants to fight his opponent, including dictating the pace of the fight. But he also realizes that he might have to play some of it by ear. “It definitely a mixture of imposing my will and figuring out what's going on in the fight that night.”

 

[Shogun Locc]

Undefeated Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone not guaranteed WEC title shot

While initial reports indicated that undefeated lightweight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (9-0 MMA, 2-0 WEC) would be next in line for a WEC title shot with current champ Jamie Varner, the 25-year-old today said the bout is not a guarantee.

"That's what [WEC officials are] talking," Cerrone told TAGG Radio (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "But I've got to let my left hand [expletive] heal up. I think I broke it in the first round. It's killing me. I look like I have a Mickey Mouse hand right now."

Cerrone was awarded a "Fight of the Night" bonus for his win over former champ "Razor" Rob McCullough at WEC 36. But his injury and unclear direction from the WEC have left the Varner vs. Cerrone bout's status uncertain.

"I feel definitely in line, but if they want me to fight somebody else, I'm game, too," Cerrone said. "It doesn't matter."

Cerrone won a hard-fought unanimous decision victory on the preliminary card of "WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown" to keep his unblemished record in tact. Many MMA fans have questioned why the bout wasn't included on the Versus broadcast, and Cerrone is among those who was confused by the decision.

"I was more hurt than anything," Cerrone said about being left off the main card. "I talked with (WEC officials) Reed (Harris) and Scott (Adams), and they were like, 'Man, you kind of write your own fate. You go in there, you put on a good show, you win, I promise you we're going to put this on air.'

After the fight they both came to me and they were like, 'Yeah, you're on the live show for sure.' And then it didn't get aired. It felt like I put all of mine on the line, you know what I mean, and I didn't get any return. I discussed that with Scott last night, and he was like, 'I'm sorry, dude. It was supposed to be aired. It just didn't go right.'"

Despite the snub, Cerrone did receive a $7,500 bonus for his efforts.

Regardless of any additional monies paid, Cerrone believes the performance was reward enough.

"It's OK," Cerrone said of not appearing on the broadcast. "It doesn't matter. The fight went the way that I wanted it to go, and I can't ask for anything else."

Cerrone also shared his thoughts on why he enjoyed facing the "old 'Razor' Rob," his role in an upcoming Cage Rage card, and where he intends to hone his striking. To hear the full interview, download Friday's edition of TAGG Radio, available for free in the TAGG Radio archives.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Comprido brushes up Lesnar's ground game

Two-time absolute Jiu-Jitsu world champion (99/00) Rodrigo Comprido has worked on polishing up Brock Lesnar’s ground game before, in preparing the giant for his bout with Heath Herring at UFC 87, as reported by GRACIEMAG.com in June of this year.

Now that the juggernaut will have a true test ahead of him at UFC 91, this coming Saturday November 8th, against veteran Randy Couture, the Brazilian was brought back into action.

In the following interview, Comprido commented on the fact Couture has Robert Drysdale working with him on his grappling and how he is drumming up a strategy to surprise the MMA icon.

GRACIEMAG.com: How is Brock Lesnar’s training for the Couture fight?

COMPRIDO: Brock has a new training center. He still has the same training partners he had in Minneapolis: Greg Nelson and Marty Morgan, but now he lives in Alexandria. He invited me for the second time to help him with his ground game. The fact that my academy is located in Chicago helps a lot because its pretty close to him

GRACIEMAG.com: Isn’t that change bad for him?

COMPRIDO: I believe it's the other way around. He is even more focused now and training is very tough, Chris Toucherer ,Kirk Klosowsky , Neil Cooke, Cole Konrad ...just to name a few of the guys that are working with us.

GRACIEMAG.com: Isn’t Cole Konard a 2-time National champion and 3-time All-American?

COMPRIDO: That is what I’m saying, the training is great, Marty Morgan is one of the best wrestling coaches in the country. I have also been learning a lot with those guys.

GRACIEMAG.com: Robert Drysdale is training Couture ,does that make your job harder?

COMPRIDO: Drysdale is a great teacher and I know him well because we are both from Brasa. The fact that a guy like him is helping Couture makes him more dangerous, for sure, but on the other hand, I know Robert very well and can imagine what he is correcting in his game and can prepare a counter attack. I know Couture is a very strategic fighter, but I believe Brock will take this fight in the first round.

GRACIEMAG.com: Is it true that Brock injured his leg and even thought about canceling the fight?

COMPRIDO: Brock’s leg is great, there is no reason to worry.

GRACIEMAG.com: If Brock wins this fight, he will be up for a title challenge against Minotauro or Frank Mir, right?

COMPRIDO: Yes, he fights Couture for the original title while Minotauro and Mir fight for the current one, then the two winners fight to unify the title.

GRACIEMAG.com: What inspired a famous guy like him to pursue a career in MMA?

COMPRIDO: Brock doesn’t fight for fame or money, He does it because he likes to compete and challenge himself. He wants to face the best in the world. I believe that is the reason he dedicates himself so much to it. That also makes him more dangerous

GRACIEMAG.com: What is it like to train with someone so heavy and strong?

COMPRIDO: If he were only strong and heavy it would not be a problem, but he has technique too. Now I know how Felipe Costa must feel when he trains with me, LOL

GRACIEMAG.com: What are your plans for the future?

COMPRIDO: I’m still training and teaching BJJ, but now here in Chicago. At FLO MMA we have a beginners group but all are very dedicate and we plan to prepare them for competition. We have a group of amateur MMA fighters that are already doing good and some others are more experienced, such as Mike Russow, Terry Martim, Shoni Carter, Achour Echour…We also still have the BrazilianBlackBelt camp in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Besides this we want to make BRASA grow with seminars all over the country. Traven, , Esfiha, Botti, Lapela, Jonatas, Robert, Michele , Felipe Costa, Jonatas, Ratinho, Vitor Viana, Demian Maia are some of the guys who always help to make this Sport grow.

The easiest way to contact me is [email protected] or www.compridobjj.com (personal site) or www.flomma.com (academy’s site)

 

[Shogun Locc]

A distinct view of Xande Ribeiro's MMA debut

Current absolute Jiu-Jitsu world champion Xande Ribeiro made his ring debut September 29th, in Japan. GRACIEMAG tagged along and, in the November issue, brings all the behind-the-scenes action from the event. We set aside this never-before-seen excerpt from the report by Joao Pedro Santos (unpublished in the magazine) for GRACIEMAG.com:


In making his MMA debut at Sengoku 5, Xande Ribeiro didn't face it as "just" a different type of sporting dispute. Unlike the world of Jiu-Jitsu, where there is camaraderie among athletes and where Xande is a well-known and respected figure, in the modern MMA arena with its big-money purses the air is thick with tension. Add to that the fact the Brazilian was making his professional debut amid great expectations, in a mega event on the other side of the world, against a local fighter and headlining the event on top of it all.

In the days leading up to the fight, Xande showed himself to be quite relaxed and well adapted to the climate in Japan. He was surrounded by great friends and a tightly-knit team that included the high-charged Ronaldo Jacare, another Jiu-Jitsu phenomenon who fought days earlier at DREAM, also in Tokyo. On Saturday morning, one day before the event, the official weigh-ins and a brief press conference with the fighters took place. Having to shed but a single kilo to make weight at 93 kg, Xande went the whole morning without eating or drinking anything, while his teammates filled up at the Starbucks by the hotel, amusing themselves by rattling off curious stories.

The weigh-in represented the first moment of tension, as all the athletes meet in the same room with their teams, making a sizing-up mood inevitable. While Xande carried himself with an air of calm and respect, the other fighter making his debut, wrestler Muhammad "King Mo" Lawal, trotted to the scale sporting a hat and white cape, carrying a bikini-clad Japanese model, who held an umbrella over the athlete's head. It served to cut through the tension, the room broke out in laughter. Unlike Jiu-Jitsu, MMA – especially in Japan – is show business, and now and again an eccentric character pops up to spice up the tv broadcast.

At the press conference that followed there was yet another surprise in store for the two-time absolute world champion: his opponent, Takashi Sugiura, revealed how on that very night he would be making a pro-wrestling appearance in Nagoya, and the next morning would return to Tokyo to face Xande. Sugiura explained that pro-wrestling is his main occupation and that the engagement had been scheduled well before, but he didn't think it would affect his performance on Sunday, at Sengoku. With the interviews having come to a close, a visibly bothered Xande spilled his feelings to his team: "That's a lack of respect to me. If I'd known he had this appearance to make the day before our fight, I'd have faced another of the adversaries the event offered me. I have nothing against Sugiura, as I understand it's his job, he has a family and bills to pay like I do."

Called upon to participate in the final fight of the evening, Xande spent nearly five hours in his dressing room at Yoyogi National Stadium. Physical conditioning coach Alvaro Romano had a keen understanding of the difficulties that brings: "It's complicated, since we don't know for sure when he'll be called on to fight. Warming up and cooling down again wears you out, not just physically but mentally. We have to watch out for the kid." In the third bout of the night, a shocking occurrence took place catching everyone by surprise: Brazilian fighter Evangelista Cyborg fell on his own arm and dislocated his elbow in a brutal way. The images, broadcast real time in the dressing rooms, were reminders of how risky fighting MMA is. It's serious business.

As readers already know, Xande passed his first test in grand style, proving to be a versatile and conscious fighter. It's hard to measure how all this pressure affected him, in the end he came off as being cool headed throughout the bout and knew how to achieve victory in surprising fashion, when all signs pointed to him winning by judges' decision. "All eyes were on me, right?" Destiny put me here for a reason. I believe I have a mission on earth, in Jiu-Jitsu, grappling and now MMA. Shoot, it feels great to be here. What sucks is getting tired! But that feeling that you gave it 100% is really wonderful," he concluded.

 

[Shogun Locc]

Fully healed, Kevin Randleman ready for return to prior form

After a stretch of just two wins in nine bouts from 2003 to 2006, Kevin Randleman (17-12) appeared to be at the end of his career.

But while "The Monster" was a recent guest of "The Lights Out Show" on the TAGG Radio Network (www.taggradio.com), the official radio partner of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), Randleman said he's ready for a revitalization.

"I just finally got me an overhaul of this freaking Corvette," Randleman said. "And I'm ready to run this thing until my career is over."

A former collegiate wrestling standout, Randleman made his MMA debut in 1996. Randleman has fought all over the world in his 12-year career, and holds notable wins over Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic, Murilo "Ninja" Rua, Renato "Babalu" Sobral, Pedro Rizzo, Pete Williams and Maurice Smith among others. Randleman held the UFC heavyweight title from 1999 to 2000.

Now 37 years old, time has taken it's toll on Randleman's muscular frame.

"The last three-and-a-half years has been every time that I get healthy enough to start training hard, I train too hard," Randleman said. "And the part of my body that was getting atrophied would snap or pop. I'm a 37-year-old man now. The college wrestling and everything has taken its toll."

Randleman went a span of 17 months without a fight after a 2006 loss to Mauricio "Shogun" Rua at PRIDE 32. He returned to action in May with a unanimous decision win over Ryo Kawamura at World Victory Road's "Sengoku: Second Battle."

While the victory was nice, the bout again took its toll on Randleman's ailing body.

"The Ryo Kawamura fight, I tore my my labrum and my rotator cuff like a month before that fight," Randleman said. "There's no excuses. If I would have lost the fight, I would have lost the fight because I lost to a better man. I never make any excuse when I get my ass kicked. And I'm not going to accept anyone making excuses when I whip their ass.

"But the Kawamura fight, I tore my labrum. The first left hook that I hit him with in the fight ripped my shoulder completely. So the rest of the fight, I only had the use of my right shoulder, my right arm. So I was really happy with the outcome of the fight. Of course I wasn't happy of how the fight went, because the whole time I just wanted to make it out of that fight and not tear my shoulder more."

Randleman said the bout helped him learn more about himself as a fighter. And now that the injury is fully healed, Randleman can't wait to return to action.

"Sometimes when you put yourself in that situation -- man, I learned so much [expletive] about myself," Randleman said. "I'm good. I don't even use half the weapons I have. I felt good about the fight, and I'm just excited to get back into this.

"Over the last few months since that fight I've been healing. I had my shoulder redone. So I've been kind of just plugging away, doing what I can until I can get back in the ring and start training again for a fight."

In addition to healing his battered frame, Randleman has also chosen to branch out from his Hammer House roots.

"I've relocated to Las Vegas," Randleman said. "I changed up my training and my training partners and stuff because I was getting stagnant. (Mark) Coleman comes out here and trains, and I go back and train, but pretty much now it's like -- we haven't split, because we're always going to be friends and he's always going to help me manage my career -- it's just hard to train with someone when you're so far away from them."

Randleman said the difficulties he's faced in recent times have prepared him for a renaissance.

"I've never really taken some time to slow down and look at what my life is, what my life was, and what my life can be," Randleman said. "I've had three years to sit back on my butt and just watch people do the things that I love and took for granted. So I ain't going to take it for granted. I'm going to be in shape every day."

Considering Randleman has fought just three times in the last three tears, his proposed schedule going forward may surprise you.

"I'm not fighting for (just) one company," Randleman said. "I'm fighting for an American company. I'm fighting for a Japanese company. If that's how my career goes out, that's how my career is going to go out. But I want to fight at least six times a year."

For a man that appeared on the verge of fading away from the MMA landscape, the plan is certainly aggressive. But Randleman said he'll know when the time is right to walk away.

"I'm going to know when my clock says I'm ready."