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Saturday, November 22, 2003
SHOOTO CARD
Ironheart Crown 6: 'Inferno'
November 22nd, 2003
Hammond Civic Center
Indiana, USAClass-A Bouts:
Stephan Bonnar vs.
Brad Lynde Dan Gilbert vs.
Derrick Noble Tommy Lee vs.
Christian Allen Miguel Torres vs.
Ryan Ackerman Class-B Bouts:
Jamil Willis vs.
Eddie WinelandBart Palaszewski vs.
Jason BenderJay Estrada vs.
Monte SkinnerJason Guida vs.
Jason VeachBill Hill vs.
Joe BillupsSteve Dau vs.
Roberto Ramirez
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ZST LIGHTWEIGHT GP CARD

Naoyuki Kotani
ZST Lightweight GP
November 23rd, 2003
Tokyo, JapanThe opening round of
ZST's 16-man lightweight GP takes place on November 23rd, 2003. The semifinals and finals will take place on January 11th 2004.
Opening Round:
Naoyuki Kotani vs.
Mindaugas SmirnovasMasahiro Ohishi vs.
Hideo TokoroJason Maxwell vs.
TaishoJorge Gurgel vs.
Masakazu Imanari Marcos Aurelio vs.
Takumi NakayamaRich Clementi vs.
Aloisio Barros Igor Isaikin vs.
Takumi Yano Remigijus Morkevicius vs.
Menno Dijkstra The prize money is as follows:
Champion -
5,000,000 yen (approximately
USD$42,000)
2nd place -
1,500,000 yen (approximately
USD$12,500)
3rd place -
700,000 yen (approximately
USD$6,000)
Prize money for first submission or KO -
100,000 yen (approximately
USD$850)
Prize money for second submission or KO -
200,000 yen (approximately
USD$1,700)
Prize money for third submission or KO -
300,000 yen (approximately
USD$2,550)
Prize money for fourth submission or KO -
400,000 yen (approximately
USD$3,350)
You can check out ZST's english-language website by clicking
here
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TKO 14 CARD
TKO 14: Road Warriors
November 29th, 2003
Colisee Des Boisfrancs
Victoriaville, QuebecGeorge St. Pierre vs.
Pete Spratt Steve Vigneault vs.
Patrick Cote David Goulet vs.
Shawn DavidsonRyan Diaz vs.
Steve Claveau 'Pain' Peters vs.
Stephan Laliberte Cameron Brown vs.
Yan Pellerin Jeff Joslin vs.
Jonathan Goulet Kajan Johnson vs.
Thierry Quenneville Kyle Sandford vs.
Michael Lachance Stephane Vigneault vs.
John FraserAny fighters still owed money by TKO president
Stephane Patry, can contact him at:
Stephane Patry, President/CEO
TKO Communications Inc.
Tel: (450) 445-8886 TKOZone.tv
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CRO COP TO BECOME 'SPORTS MINISTER' IN CROATIA

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
Puroresu Power reports the following:
Daily Sports has an article in Saturday's newspaper regarding
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic's political plans for running to become a member of the
Croatian congress in Zagreb, Croatia. Filipovic wants to get involved in politics to 'tackle poverty and drug problems amongst children.'
Filipovic made his decision to become a political candidate overnight and asked for consent from his family. The political seat that Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic is expected to end up in the Croatian elections in Zagreb is that of being the equivalent of a
'sports minister'.
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TAKADA ADMITS 'WORKS'

Nobuhiko Takada
'I knew the fight's result. This was fake...' The following quote is from
Nobuhiko Takada's book, which was offically released in Japan. Sales of the book are expected to do very well, but the Japanese media report that the book is meeting mixed reviews amongst the Japanese pro-wrestling world and its fans.
Many are strongly against Takada revealing that the "shoot" style of UWF was worked, and many pro-wrestling people are strongly lashing out at Takada for the comments. According to media and pro-wrestling followers, at the height of his career,
Nobuhiku Takada was the Japanese equivelant to
Hulk Hogan in the U.S.
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UFC 45 RESULTS
UFC 45: Revolution
November 21st, 2003
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, ConnecticutMatt Hughes defeats
Frank Trigg by rear naked choke at 3:54, RD 1.
Matt Lindland defeats
Falaniko Vitale by TKO at 4:23, RD 3.
'Cabbage' Correira defeats
'Tank' Abbott by TKO at 2:14, RD 1.
Evan Tanner defeats
Phil Baroni by TKO at 4:42, RD 1.
Robbie Lawler defeats
Chris Lytle by unanimous decision.
Pedro Rizzo defeats
Ricco Rodriguez by unanimous decision.
Keith Rockel defeats
Chris Ligouri by guillotine choke at 3:29, RD 1.
Yves Edwards defeats
Nick Agallar by TKO at 2:14, RD 2.
You can read the
play-by-play of every fight (televised and non-televised) by clicking
here
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
Friday, November 21, 2003
VANDERLEI ENJOYING MOMENT IN BRAZILIAN SPOTLIGHT
InsideFighting.com reports the following:

Silva (left) with Brazilian soccer star Rivaldo.
Brazilian
Vanderlei Silva, the champion of the
Pride Grand Prix, is currently enjoying a wave of popularity in Brazil.
Vanderlei was recently seen in public, and he was in superstar form! Silva recently attended a football (Soccer) match in his hometown of Curitiba, Brazil, as the Brazilian national team passed through his hometown in a World Cup Qualifier match against South American rival Uruguay.
It turns out, the GP champ has made some fans among the Brazilian Soccer Team! Aside from meeting the team, Vanderlei was also mobbed by the fans, who pestered him for pictures and had him signing autographs throughout the entire match. Vanderlei is enjoying the attention, as the smile never left his face!
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BARNETT VS. SCHILT

Josh Barnett
Antonio Inoki officially announced the following matchups for his December 31st show:
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs.
Yoshihiro TakayamaJosh Barnett vs.
Semmy SchiltKazuyuki Fujita vs.
TBAIt was already announced that
Yuki Kondo and
Sanae Kikuta will also be on the card as well.
The Japanese media reported there is a possibility that
Naoya Ogawa may also be on the card.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
UFC 45 TONIGHT
UFC 45: Revolution
November 21st, 2003
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, ConnecticutThe UFC tenth anniversary show, which has arrived with very little fanfare, takes place tonight on Pay-Per-View. Here is the complete card:
Matt Hughes vs.
Frank Trigg (middleweight title fight)
'Tank' Abbott vs.
Wesley 'Cabbage' CorreiraPedro Rizzo vs.
Ricco RodriguezPhil Baroni vs.
Evan TannerFalaniko Vitale vs.
Matt LindlandRobbie Lawler vs.
Chris LytleNick Agallar vs.
Yves Edwards Keith Rockel vs.
Chris Ligouri
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
RIZZO SPEAKS

Pedro Rizzo (right)
Brazilian magazine
'Tatame' recently interviewed
Pedro Rizzo before his fight tonight against
Ricco Rodriguez in
UFC 45. Here's what Rizzo had to say (interview by
Marcelo Alonso):
Tatame: Why did you decide to go to the US to spend the last two weeks with Marco Ruas?
Rizzo: Marco knows how I think, how I am before the fights. I prefer training with him here, I feel more secure.
Tatame:What do you expect from your fight with Ricco?
Rizzo: I expect a hard fight. He beat Couture when Couture was the UFC champion he was the UFC champion, he lost to Tim Sylvia in a situation where anyone could have lost (punch to the chin), and he lost to Minotauro in a hard fight. He's a dangerous guy, even more so in the octagon, where you can use elbows and the fence.
Tatame: Comment a little bit on his style.
Rizzo: He is a guy who weighs a lot. He's very heavy and difficult to be sweep. He has good cardio, and a good team. He's one of the better heavyweights in the world, and facing a top heavyweight is always going to be a hard fight.
Tatame: How many fights are left in your UFC contract?
Rizzo: This is the last fight, and another reason to finish out with a victory.
Tatame: Is it true that you helped Minotauro to face Cro Cop?
Rizzo: Man, Minotauro called me...You know how he is...He called me on Wednesday, and he was traveling on Sunday! I told him, "why don't you call me on Saturday, it would be easier (laughing). But, when a friend calls, you have to help. He just wanted to go over basic stuff. Minotauro already has his Muay Thai trainer, Luis Alves, but he likes to listen to various fighters, and he wanted my point-of-view.
Tatame: What did you think of his fight?
Rizzo: I loved it. Mirko was very full of himself, and now Minotauro is there, on top again.
Tatame: Everybody says that you are a better fighter in the ring than in the octagon. Are there any negotiations going on between you and Pride?
Rizzo: I want to leave the UFC with a victory, so that I can have more marketability. Professionally, I prefer to face different fighters. The UFC let Chuck Liddell fight in PRIDE, if they send me too, I would stay there. If not, then I prefer to find new challenges.
Tatame: At the moment, there are three big organizations in Japan. Do you have any preference?
Rizzo: I don't have anything official yet, but I particularly like K-1. They have a Brazilian, Sergio Batarelli, who is representing them, so it is easier to have talks with them. Besides also having my good friend Peter Aerts, they are also going to start a K-1 MMA show.
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TAPE LORD'S UFC 45 PICKS
By Tape Lord

Tape Lord thinks that "Cabbage" (pictured, left) will outlast "Tank".
Matt Hughes vs. Frank TriggI've never been a big fan of Trigg's striking, and his MMA wrestling is not better then Hughes's. This will be a tough fight, but I see Hughes punishing Trigg with his G'n'P and winning by unanimous decision.
Tape Lord picks Matt Hughes by unanimous decision.Tank Abbott vs. 'Cabbage' Correira Tank looks in better shape then before, whereas Cabbage looks to be in worse shape then his previous fights. That being said, Cabbage's cardio is still better then Tank's IMHO, and he also has youth on his side. Tank hits with more power, but I don't see him being able to knock the granite-chinned Cabbage out. Cabbage's hands are much faster, but with not enough power to knock Tank out. Those factors make me think this fight will go the distance, with Cabbage's cardio and better submissions game giving him the edge.
Tape Lord picks 'Cabbage' Correira by split decision. Phil Baroni vs. Evan TannerI think that size-wise, Evan Tanner is a bad matchup for Phil Baroni. Baroni is the better and more powerful striker, but Tanner's biggest advantage is that he trains with Team Quest. I think he will be able to take Baroni down and finish him off with elbows from side control.
Tape Lord picks Evan Tanner by TKO, RD 3.Pedro Rizzo vs. Ricco Rodriguez I think Rizzo goes out with a bang for the last fight of his UFC contract, and tees off on Ricco's glass jaw late in the fight.
Tape Lord picks Pedro Rizzo by KO, RD 3.Matt Lindland vs. Falaniko VitaleI was impressed with the Vitlae in his first fight with Lindland. Lindland can make all the excuses he wants about why he KO'ed himself, but the truth of the matter is that Vitale's incredible athleticism, balance, and skill were what made Lindland put himself in an awkward position in the first place. I think Vitale wins this fight by submission late in the fight.
Tape Lord picks Falaniko Vitale by armbar, RD 3.Robbie Lawler vs. Chris LytleI think Lytle's advantages of experience and a better overall game will give him the edge against Lawler.
Tape Lord picks Chris Lytle by by split decision.Yves Edwards vs. Nick Agallar This will be a boring fight IMO, with Edwards oulling out the decision.
Tape Lord picks Yves Edwards by unanimous decision.Keith Rockel vs. Chris LigouriRockel is a B-level stiff out of Amherst, Massachussetts, and Ligouri is a .500 fighter. IMO this fight doesn't even deserve to be on the undercard of the old Ultimate Athlete show, let alone the UFC. That being said, I think Rockel can pull out a decision if he doesn't choke.
Tape Lord picks Keith Rockel by unanimous decision.
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SCOOP MC TROLL'S UFC 45 PICKS
By Scoop McTroll

Scoop picks Tanner (pictured, left) to beat Baroni.
Frank Trigg vs. Matt Hughes Personally I dont care much about this fight. As the header fight for the 10th anniversary show I think it's average at best but I digress. I think Hughes wrestling will be too good for Trigg and Hughes will win by decision after controlling the fight with G&P tactics.
Scoop McTroll picks Hughes by decision.'Tank' Abbott vs. 'Cabbage' CorreiraHow many times in the past have we heard that Tank is in the best shape of his career and he is going to kick some butt? He does look to be in better shape for this fight but I feel that Cabbage will have too much for Tank and after a couple of rounds Tank will tire and may even quit late in the fight due to exhaustion.
Scoop McTroll picks 'Cabbage' by verbal submission.Phil Baroni vs. Evan TannerIf Tanner has his head screwed on right for this fight he will easily beat Baroni. If the Tanner that fought Rich Franklin steps in to the Octgagon then Baroni will KO him inside round 1. Tanner looked great at the weigh in and the recent successes of his Team Quest teamates will have inspired him to train harder. I think this fight will be similar to the two Lindland-Baroni fights and Tanner will control the fight from the ground. If BJM doesn't step in to help Baroni like he has in the past then I see Tanner winning by decision.
Scoop mcTroll picks Tanner by decision.Pedro Rizzo vs. Ricco RodriguezIf Ricco still boxes like he did against Sylvia, then Rizzo can knock him out if he gets the chance. I see Ricco taking this fight to the ground immediately and laying on Rizzo and preventing him from striking. I think this will be how the fight pans out unless Rizzo can connect with a solid punch during the brief stand up periods.
Scoop McTroll picks Ricco by boring lay and pray decision.Matt Lindland vs. Falaniko VitaleI see this being a war in the clinch and on the ground. I think Lindland will survive Vitale's submission attempts and that the fight will go the distance with Lindland in side mount for much of the fight.
Scoop McTroll picks Lindland by decision.Robbie Lawler vs. Chris LytleI havent seen any of Lytles fights so I'm not really able to judge on this one. I'll go out on a limb and pick Lawler by KO.
Scoop McTroll picks Robbie Lawler by KOYves Edwards vs. Nick Agallar If they show this fight just prior to the Hughes-Trigg fight it will be a boring hour of television in my opinion. If I was there live I'd probably go and play some blackjack while this fight was on. I predict this fight will go the distance (like the little guy fights always do) and Edwards will win by decision.
Scoop McTroll picks Yves Edwards by decisionKeith Rockel vs. Chris LigouriWho are these guys? I pick Rockel because his name sounds cooler.
Scoop McTroll picks Keith Rockel because his name sounds cooler.
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JAKE R'S UFC 45 PICKS
By Jake R

Jake R picks Matt Hughes.
Matt Hughes vs. Frank TriggI am going with Hughes over Trigg by ground and pound decision. Trigg might get in a sneaky takedown or two throughout the fight, but Matt will overpower him and hold him down for a win similar to the sherk fight. they are about even standing, so it will all come down to wrestling where hughes seems to be better as far as applying it to MMA.
Jake R picks Matt Hughes. Tank Abbott vs. 'Cabbage' Correira Tank over Cabbage by KO. Cabbage came in out of shape and overconfident just as I reported he would do weeks ago, and Tank looks good by his standards. Tank is finally focused for the first time since fighting for zuffa, and will outslug Cabbage in an entertaining bout. Tank hits much harder than Cabbage and their chins are about equal, so he should eventually get the TKO or clean KO. Don't be surprised if Cabbage shoots in to try and take the fight to the ground after tasting a clean Tank punch.
Jake R picks 'Tank' Abbott. Phil Baroni vs. Evan TannerBaroni over Tanner by ref stoppage/TKO. Baroni's style is bad for Tanner at this point, that is until Tanner improves his boxing a great deal. Tanner's only hope is to finish the fight on the ground after a takedown, but I think Baroni can survive that and pin Tanner against the fence for the ref stoppage.
Jake R picks Phil Baroni. Ricco Rodriguez vs. Pedro Rizzo Ricco over Rizzo by ref stoppage/cut/TKO. I predict a pretty boring and tentative fight, with both feeling one another out until someone makes a mistake. I expect Ricco to rush Rizzo after a kick and to take him to the mat, hold him down, and throw elbows for a cut stoppage.
Jake R picks Ricco Rodriguez. Matt Lindland vs. Falaniko VitaleLindland over Vitale by decision. Typical Lindland fight, with him getting the takedown and holding his opponent there for three rounds.
Jake R picks Matt Lindland. Robbie Lawler vs. Chris LytleLawler by TKO. I think Lawler will have to use his wrestling in this fight, and would not be surprised if he has to shoot in after taking some shots standing, but I do see him getting the TKO.
Jake R picks Robbie Lawler.Yves Edwards vs. Nick Agallar Yves by decision over a last minute replacement.
Jake R picks Yves Edwards. Keith Rockel vs. Chris LigouriI don't know anything about the last two fighters, so I abstain.
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TODD ATKINS'S UFC 45 PICKS
By Todd Atkins

Atkins upset pick: Frank Trigg
WELTERWEIGHT MAIN EVENT:
Matt Hughes: 170 vs. Frank Trigg: 169A lot of people think that this match up will end up very much like Sherk vs. Hughes. On paper these people may be correct. But I feel Frank Trigg poses a much different opponent. Trigg in my opinion has a much more diverse GNP game, especially with elbows added to the rules. Trigg is also good off his back both at defending and attacking. Standing up he is also much better than Sherk. Trigg's one glaring problem has been taking shots. Hughes' one big advantage could be that he has stayed busy fighting, while Trigg has been fairly inactive. The way I see this fight is that Hughes could knock Trigg out at any time. But if he is unable to do so, I think Hughes will lose his title via decision or late stoppage due to ground strikes. Wrestling will play a bigger part in this due to the fact that Trigg poses a much bigger threat when he gains top position. Hughes needs to stay off the bottom in order to win this fight.
Atkins Pick: Upset - Trigg via TKO late.HEAVYWEIGHTS:
Dave 'Tank' Abbott: 253 vs. Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira: 265 I saw that Tank still looks to be fairly fat and out of shape. I see Cabbage scoring a ref stoppage over Tank early or late in the fight. Basically whenever the opportunity presents itself. I see Tank Abbott as a has been fighter who is in poorly matched bouts by ZUFFA. Cabbage will end the Tank hype machine in devastating fashion.
Atkins Pick: Cabbage via ref stoppageRicco Rodriguez: 246 vs. Pedro 'The Rock' Rizzo: 243.5 This is Ricco's fight to lose. He has the better wrestling and ground skills by far. He should be able to control this bout and win it via decision. I do not think the UFC will provide Rizzo with the early stand-ups he needs to win this fight via KO. Rizzo cannot hang with Ricco on the ground pure and simple. And Ricco cannot hang with Rizzo standing. These kind of striker vs. grappler matchups usually make for exciting fights. But I do not see this as being one of those times.
Atkins Pick: Ricco by decisionMIDDLEWEIGHTS:
Matt Lindland: 185 vs. Niko Vitale: 184.5 I feel the same way about this fight as I did the first time. Vitale is just too good for a fighter like Matt Lindland. Niko poses a big threat from both the top and bottom positions on the ground. And he is good enough standing to make Lindland want to take him down. Lindland has the wrestling advantage, but that is where it ends. Vitale is an amazing athlete who I think is championship caliber.
Atkins Pick: Vitale via submissionEvan Tanner: 185 vs. Phil Baroni: 185 I was not impressed with Tanner last time I saw him fight. He looked very much like a fighter at the end of his career. I think Baroni could possibly hurt Tanner. Tanner may be able to wrestle Baroni a bit early with the extra weight. But I think the aspect of cutting down in class will not benefit him much. Baroni just has too much power.
Atkins Pick: Baroni via ref stoppageKeith Rockel: 185 vs. Chris Liguori: 183 I hate to say this, but who are these guys? I have neither heard of either one of them.
Atkins Pick: Someone will win, and someone will lose.WELTERWEIGHTS:
Robbie Lawler: 169 vs.Chris Lytle: 169.5 We all know about Robbie Lawler and what kind of fight he brings to the table. Lytle is a very good up and comer. But having Lawler in his first UFC fight is a tad much.
Atkins Pick: Lawler via ref stoppageLIGHTWEIGHTS:
Nick Agallar: 155 vs. Yves Edwards: 154.5Once again the UFC brings in a relative unknown. I do not know much about about Agallar. So in fairness I will not pick a winner in this fight.
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'SKELBOY'S' UFC 45 PICKS
By Steven 'skelboy' Smith

Lee Murray (right) is skelboy's pick as the true champ.
Keith Rockel vs. Chris LigouriI in't heard o'either o'these blokes, mate, but me cousin Billy reckons Rockel is that wrestler bloke. He in't though, 'cos that wrestler bloke is half-darkie an' Rockel is white an' looks like that twat from that movie "The Transporter". I dunno who Liguori is either, does I, but his name sounds a bit like that green knob what hung around w'that fat Nintendo bloke, so he'll probably lose n'all. I reckon Rockel wins this one easy, mate, 'specially if the octagon is full o'engine oil an' he has bike pedals on his feet.
Skelboy picks Keith Rockel. Nick Agallar vs. Yves Edwards Yves, in't he that perfume bloke? Ooo-err mate, that's a bit soft, innit? I dunno who these blokes are either (nice one Dana), but I heard Yves were a darkie an' "Agallar" sounds like one o'them Mexican dictator cunts. Nobody cares fuck all about this fight, mate, so I reckon Yves is gonna put on too much aftershave an' hallucinate that twat-boy from SeaQuest DSV what hanged himself is tryin' t'bite his bollocks off, causin' him t'lose a borin' decision.
Skelboy picks Nick Agallar.
Robbie Lawler vs. Chris LytleRobbie's that twat from Take That what can't box or knock anyone out, mate. After he fights an' doesn't knock the other bloke out them twats on the underground (they're like them midget blokes w'big eyes from the future what come out o'the ground and eat the rich poofters what like art an' bein' nice t'each other, in't they?) get all excited an' say "ROBBIE DIDN'T KNOCK HIM OUT BECAUSE HE HAS A CHIN OF IRON". No mate, Robbie didn't knock the other bloke out 'cos he in't got no punchin' power an' he can't box good. That's Ockham's razor, mate, Mach 3 for a closer fuckin' shave.
Skelboy picks Chris Lytle. Falaniko Vitale vs. Matt LindlandI dunno who Falaniko is, mate, in't that the bird from Dynasty what went t'space in a rocket 'cos she were a bit mental? I'd shag her an' eat that special space icecream them astronaut twats get. I wanted t'go in space until I found out that y'had t'be some sort of fuckin' science an' maths twat. Oi, NASA, if I can drive me mam's Corsa I can fly a fuckin' space shuttle, an' I don't need no fuckin' maths degree or calculator for that, does I? Anyway mate, in't Lindland that bald bloke what all them Billy No Mates types from the underground always say looks like that twat from that film w'that bird what gets her hair spunked on? He don't look like him at all, knobs, he looks like me GCSE history teacher what had a lazy eye, Mr. Morrison. He'd beat that bint from Dynasty easy mate, she'd be scared t'look up incase he thought she was starin' at his lazy eye, an' he'd use his knowledge o'history t'make some sort o'catapult or somethin' an' he'd use it t'chuck bricks at her house until she surrendered or called the rozzers. Same thing's gonna happen here, mate.
Skelboy picks Matt Lindland. Phil Baroni vs. Evan TannerEvan Tanner's reminds me o'that one twat everyone knew in primary school what bought a Spectrum but didn't play games on it or nothin' an' just used it t'type in a bunch o'fuckin' numbers that made colors appear and all that other bollocks. That's only slightly better than Baroni, what's that arse bandit what lives in the Empire State building, in't he? Osama mate, next time steer a plane towards the knob cuttin' the fuckin' legs off his jeans, get me? Hold on, in't "Baroni" what that Crow bloke from Dangermouse used t'call that fat frog bastard? Don't matte mate, I pick the arse bandit t'win this by some sort o'fisting, whether it's t'the face or elsewhere. Evan mate, check me program an' see if it works:
10 PRINT "MY BUM'S SORE"
20 GOTO 10
Skelboy picks Phil Baroni. Pedro Rizzo vs. Ricco RodriguezRicco's that fat bloke what cries 'cos he can't fight good an' 'cos no birds want t'shag him 'cos he looks like that twat from Grange Hill what got his girlfriend preggers 'cos he were scared t'wear a johnny, in't he? Only in the UFC could this knob get a belt for free, he has t'pay extra an' get all his other ones custom made, mate. I heard he wears them stretch jeans like old blokes what realize their lives is empty an' try t'make up for it by buyin' big stereo speakers an' wankin' over Destiny's Child albums. He were complainin' 'cos he's only gettin' $30,000 t'show up an' get KOed again - what's wrong mate, can't y'buy enough pies w'that much? The UFC can't afford anymore mate, Dana White's a grippy bastard an' y'cost him that much in crane maintenance fees alone. After he loses this Rizzo fight maybe he can get KOed by that rat bloke from The Muppets as well, that'd be a right laugh.
Skelboy picks Pedro Rizzo.'Tank' Abbott vs. Wesley 'Cabbage' CorreiraThis fight reminds me o'the time the fattest boy in me primary school class got in a fight with an even fatter older bloke what were hangin' around outside the school in his car takin' pictures when we was playin' football at break time. The old bloke got arrested an' the fat kid from me class got t'stand up at assembly an' given a remote controlled car an' a medal, mate. That in't gonna happen hear mate - Cabbage is gonna start growing weird bumps an' tumors an' then he's gonna grow t'like a hundred feet high like that nerdy twat from that cartoon that has the bloke w'a picture o'drugs on the back o'his jacket. Hawaii? No mate, that's Sellafield y'can thank for Cabbage. Tank wins by forfeit due to uncontrollable mutation - y'heard it hear first, y'fucker.
Skelboy picks 'Tank' Abbott. Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg (middleweight title fight)
Trigg's that knob what thinks he looks like that Fast and Furious Curious George bloke, in't he? Newsflash mate, y'look more like that guy from Fine Young Cannibals, an' y'fight about as good.
Hughes: KOed by Pele, Pele KOed by Lee Murray.
Trigg: KOed by Sakurai, Sakurai TKOed by Hughes, Hughes KOed by Pele, Pele Koed by Lee Murray.
Lee Murray's the real champ, an' that's all that matters mate. But if y'must know, I pick Hughes by "darkie drag" behind one o'them cars what's got the trailer bit stuck on the back that cowboys have.
Skelboy picks Matt Hughes.
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Thursday, November 20, 2003
UFC WEIGH-IN RESULTS

Trigg vs. Hughes
UFC 45: Revolution
November 21st, 2003
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, ConnecticutBelow are the official weigh-in results for
UFC 45:
Yves Edwards: 154 pounds (70 kg)
Nick Agallar: 155 pounds (70.5 kg)
Robbie Lawler: 169 pounds (76.8 kg)
Chris Lytle: 169 pounds (76.8 kg)
Phil Baroni: 185 pounds (84.1 kg)
Evan Tanner: 185 pounds (84.1 kg)
Falaniko Vitale: 184.5 pounds (83.9 kg)
Matt Lindland: 185 pounds (84.1 kg)
Tank Abbott: 253 pounds (115 kg)
Wesley Correira: 265 pounds (120.5 kg)
Ricco Rodriguez: 246 pounds (111.8 kg)
Pedro Rizzo: 243.5 pounds (110.7 kg)
Keith Rockel: 185 pounds (84.1 kg)
Chris Ligouri: 183 pounds (83.2 kg)
Matt Hughes: 170 pounds (77.3 kg)
Frank Trigg: 169 pounds (76.8 kg)
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ALEXA.COM INTERNET RATINGS: TOP 10 ENGLISH-LANGUAGE MMA SITES
Alexa.com just updated their internet ratings for this week. Below are the
Alexa.com rankings for the top 10 MMA websites as of November 19th, 2003.
Fightsport.com has been the fastest-growing MMA website the last few months and have taken over the number 3 spot this past month, pushing
Sherdog.net down to number 4.
MMA.tv moved into the number one spot almost two months ago, knocking
Sherdog.com down to number 2.
MMAWeekly.com remains steady at number 5, while
Subfighter.com has moved up to the number 6 spot.
The official site of the
UFC fell down to number 7.
Adcombat.com moved back into number 8, dropping the official site of
PRIDE to number 9. MaxFighting.com survived by a thread to hang on to the number 10 spot.
MMA RANKINGS: 1.) MMA.tv - Traffic Rank for mma.tv: 4,044
2.) Sherdog.com - Traffic Rank for sherdog.com: 6,994
3.) Fightsport.com - Traffic Rank for fightsport.com: 8,413
4.) Sherdog.net - Traffic Rank for sherdog.net: 9,837
5.) MMAWeekly.com - Traffic Rank for mmaweekly.com: 11,896
6.) Subfighter.com - Traffic Rank for subfighter.com: 17,122
7.) UFC.tv - Traffic Rank for ufc.tv: 21,765
8.) Adcombat.com - Traffic Rank for adcombat.com: 28,509
9.) Pridefc.com - Traffic Rank for pridefc.com: 28,709
10.) Maxfighting.com - Traffic Rank for maxfighting.com: 49,561
Alexa.com tracks the internet ratings with the use of the Alexa toolbar, which is used by no less then 10 million people. Almost all of the Alexa toolbar users also use
Amazon.com and
Google, making the
Alexa.com rankings very important with advertisers.
Alexa.com is arguably the most respected internet ratings system in the business.
How to read the
Alexa.com rankings: The traffic rank indicates the website's ranking amongst english-language websites. As the number goes lower, it indicates that the website is ranked higher.
For example: a website with a
traffic rank of '1', means that it is the
number one visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.
a website with a
traffic rank of '10,221', means that it is the
10,221st most visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.
a website with a
traffic rank or '90,594', means that it is the
90,594th most visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
'CRO COP' VS. TAKAYAMA

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic
The Japanese media reports that
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic's opponent for the December 31st Antonio Inoki show will most likely be
Yoshihiro Takayama.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
'PEQUENO' VS. SATO

Alexandre "Pequeno" Nogueira
Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira confirmed to the Brazilian media that he will defend his SHOOTO lightweight belt against
Rumina Sato on December 14th.
Pequeno's original opponent was
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto, but Yamamoto had to pull out of the fight due to a broken finger.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
RIZZO READY FOR UFC 45

Marco Ruas (left) instructing Pedro Rizzo (right).
Pedro Rizzo told the Brazilian media that he is ready for his upcoming fight against
Ricco Rodriguez at
UFC 45 tomorrow night. This will be the last fight on Rizzo's UFC contract, and he may be ready to move on to other challenges whether he wins or loses his last fight.
Rizzo said that he feels his style is more suited to a ring then to the octagon. Rizzo states, "I want to show that I'm still number one, and then I will see what I do after that."
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
VANDERLEI TO RECIEVE BJJ BLACK BELT

Vanderlei Silva (top)
Brazilian magazine
'Tatame' reports that after conquering the PRIDE GP title,
Vanderlei Silva will be awarded his
black belt in Brazilian Jiu-jitsu by the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Confederation's (CBJJ) president
Carlinhos Gracie.
"I am very happy. This is an old dream come true for me, and I think that after almost submitting Yoshida and Quinton Jackson in the same night, that I proved that I am ready to recieve this belt", said
Silva.
Carlinhos Gracie added, "He is a fighter of great value. Three years ago he was a purple belt under Sonequinha, then got his brown belt from Cristiano Marcelo, and now he has shown he deserves his black belt. He will recieve his black belt from his instructor. What I will give him is the CBJJ certificate of black belt".
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
BRAZILIAN TOP TEAM BARBEQUE

The Nogueira brothers being interviewed at Minotauro's new home.
Brazilian magazine
'Tatame' reports that the
Brazilian Top Team celebrated
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira's victory at the PRIDE GP with a barbeque at Minotauro's new house in front of the sea, in the upscale neighborhood of Joa, in Rio de Janeiro.
Brazilian TV channel 'Globo Network' were also present and filming at the barbeque. Globo Network is producing a 40-minute interview with Minotauro and his twin brother Rogerio, talking about their lives and the fight with
Mirko 'CroCop' Filipovic.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
Wednesday, November 19, 2003
BRAZIL SUPER FIGHT POSTPONED UNTIL APRIL

Mario Sperry
Brazilian magazine
'Tatame' reports that the second of edition of
'Brazil Super Fight' has been postponed until April of 2004. The second edition was originally scheduled for this December, but promoter
Mario Sperry stated that they could not get any locations reserved due to the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
AKEBOBO SPEAKS

Akebono (right)
Former Sumo Grand Champion
Akebono was recently answered some questions for the
K-1 website regarding his upcoming fight against
Bob Sapp. Here's what Akebono had to say (interviewed by
Monty Di Pietro):
Interviewer: Are you training everyday?
Akebono: Almost every day now, we have Wednesdays and Sundays off.
Interviewer: Can you describe your training day?
Akebono: In the morning, it's running and weights, and in the afternoon I work on the bags and do some sparring.
Interviewer: How do you feel at the end of the day?
Akebono: Well, I feel a lot lighter! (Akebono has lost more than 10kg in training and now weighs just over 200kg. Kalakoda hopes to have him near 180kg for the fight)
Interviewer: What has been the most difficult part of your training?
Akebono: In Sumo, pushing at your opponent, there are a lot of muscles that you don't use very much. It is a challenge to make the adjustment, to get those different new muscles working.
Interviewer: How about kicks, are you worried about them?
Akebono: I'm new to K-1, and so I'm worried a bit about everything. In Sumo, we have a chance to train with and watch the other fighters before a tournament, but in K-1 the fighters are separate, so I don't know what Bob is working on. I don't know what to expect.
Interviewer: Do you think your knee is strong enough to take kicks?
Akebono: Well, I've already made the decision to fight, so even if my knees were bad, I'd tell you they were good! (laughs)
Interviewer: Do you have any previous boxing experience?
Akebono: When I was 11 years old, I boxed for two and a half weeks. I was KO'd by my coach, so I quit.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
SUSUMU'S PRIDE GP PICS

Vanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Jackson
World famous MMA photographer
Susumu Nagao now has pictures up of the
PRIDE: 'Final Conflict' event that just took place on
November 9th. To check out the pictures on Susumu's site, click
here
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
PANCRASE CARD
PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR
Sunday, November 30st, 2003
Ryogoku Kokugikan
Tokyo, Japan
Open: 15:00
Start: 16:00
Sanae Kikuta vs.
Yuki Kondo (light heavyweight KOP title)
Nathan Marquardt vs.
Ricardo Almeida (middleweight KOP title)
Kiuma Kunioku vs.
Ken'ichi Serizawa (welterweight KOP title)
Nilson Castro vs.
Akihiro Gono Ron Waterman vs.
Jimmy AmbrizJake Shields vs.
Kazuo MisakiBarrett Yoshida vs.
Yoshiro Maeda
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
UFC 45 CARD
UFC 45: Revolution
November 21st, 2003
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Connecticut
Matt Hughes vs.
Frank Trigg (middleweight title fight)
'Tank' Abbott vs.
Wesley 'Cabbage' CorreiraPedro Rizzo vs.
Ricco RodriguezPhil Baroni vs.
Evan TannerFalaniko Vitale vs.
Matt LindlandRobbie Lawler vs.
Chris LytleNick Agallar vs.
Yves Edwards Keith Rockel vs.
Chris Ligouri
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
'CABBAGE' SPEAKS

Wesley "Cabbage" Correira (left)
Andre Courtemanche of
UFCFightNews.com just interviewed
Wesley 'Cabbage' Correira, who takes on
'Tank' Abbott this weekend at
UFC 45. Here's some of what "Cabbage" had to say:
'Cabbage' on his future and Frank Mir: "Kimo is next on my hit list. If he wants to talk smack, let's see how far it gets him. Frank Mir is good, but in my eyes, he has no heart. The Wes Sims fight told me everything I need to know about him. If I was in his position and somebody would stomp my face and they asked me if I could continue, I'd be pissed right off and f*** him up. I wouldn't take the easy way out and say I can't continue. My motto is 'Til the Death.' "
'Cabbage' on 'Tank' Abbott: "Tank Abbott is a veteran and he's been around for while. My job here is to not make him, but to break him. I don't make legends, I break them. I feel like I really am there among the top heavyweight contenders in the UFC. And I think after I demolish Tank I should be up for a title shot and I should be able to get one."
'Cabbage' on how he thinks his fight with 'Tank' Abbott will go: "I'll just stand there and start swinging and beat him at his own game. How long it lasts all depends on what kind of shape Tank is in. If he's in shape, I'll knock him out in the second. If not, I'll finish him in the first. I just hope he doesn't tap out."
'Cabbage' on the UFC heavyweight belt and a possible rematch with Tim Sylvia: "Honestly, if I get a title shot in my next fight and I win the title, I won;t consider myself the true champion until I beat Tim Sylvia. Other then that, I'll be the champ that got the belt the easy way. Holding the belt would mean a lot to me, but I want to beat Tim Sylvia. After I beat him, I'll feel like I've earned the title. Tim beat me and the only way I would feel good is if he challenged me for the belt and I beat him."
'Cabbage' on what he would do different for a second fight with Tim Sylvia: "I've beem working on my cardio a lot more. I've been doing sprints, long distance running, everything to give me more wind."
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
JAKE R. SCOOP ON HUGHES VS. PENN CONFIRMED BY THEGREEK.COM

Matt Hughes
Fightsport.com's
Jake R first broke the news a few weeks back that UFC president
Dana White was planning to make a
Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn welterweight title fight for the future.
TheGreek.com has now posted odds for a
Hughes vs. Penn matchup up on their site, which effectively confirms Jake R's original scoop. It also demonstrates that Dana White is assuming Hughes will beat Frank Trigg at UFC 45 first.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
TANK HAS MORE TO SAY ABOUT TITO

"Tank" Abbott
The following excerpt is from a 3-part interview that
Boxing Insider did with
'Tank' Abbott. Tank expressed that
Tito Ortiz is not an upfront guy in the first part of the interview, and continued in the last part with the following:
Boxinginsider.com: I mean, if people want to book you for seminars or autograph sessions or stuff of that nature? Even indie wrestling? Do you do any of that stuff?
Tank Abbott: I'm not against it, but I really haven't done it. That means I really don't want to do it. It's like you've got these people that want to be rock stars -- for all the wrong reasons -- they want to be famous, so they want whatever comes their way. And then you've got other people that play music because they love to play music -- and then there's a fraction of those people that get over. I'm like one of those people. I love to fight and that's why I do it. I don't do it to be famous or to do anything else. They had a local thing here, it was a Monday night football... afterwards they did like a local football thing. Tito was on it and he was going (high voice): "I'm not going to be fighting when I'm forty. I'm using fighting for another vehicle" -- like he's going to be an actor or something. Well, what the hell are you even fighting for? I'll be fighting when I'm seventy if I can. If I'm still alive. I'll go down fighting all the other whippersnappers, they can kick my ass. I'll get my digs in, though.
Boxinginsider.com: Finally, what is the biggest misconception the public has with the Ultimate Fighting Championship?
Tank Abbott: That Tito is tough. (Laughs)
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
WATERMAN VS. AMBRIZ

Ron Waterman (left)
PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR
Friday, November 30st, 2003
Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan
Open: 15:00
Start: 16:00
Pancrase announced that they have added the matchup of
Ron Waterman vs. Jimmy Ambriz to their card on
November 30th.
The line-up so far is:
Sanae Kikuta vs.
Yuki Kondo (light heavyweight KOP title)
Nathan Marquardt vs.
Ricardo Almeida (middleweight KOP title)
Kiuma Kunioku vs.
Ken'ichi Serizawa (welterweight KOP title)
Ron Waterman vs.
Jimmy ambrizNilson Castro vs.
Akihiro Gono Barrett Yoshida vs.
Yoshiro Maeda
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
YOSHIDA CONFIRMS FIGHTSPORT.COM SCOOP

Hidehiko Yoshida
Fightsport.com first reported last week that
Hidehiko Yoshida would be competing in the
PRIDE Heavyweight GP, scheduled for May of 2004. Yoshida confirmed to the Japanese media yesterday that this is indeed true.
Yoshida also said that his chances of competing in one of the
New Year's Eve shows is 50% right now due to an undisclosed injury that is still healing. The injury is believed to be to his right eye.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
K-1 MAX RESULTS

Phillips vs. Masato
K-1 MAX 2003
November 18, 2003
Nippon Budokan
Tokyo, Japan
Masato defeats
Vince Phillips by KO at 0:15, RD 2.
Albert Kraus defeats
Genki Sudo by unanimous decision.
Daniel Lawson defeats
Kojiro by majority decision.
Duane Ludwig defeats
Toshio Matsumoto by TKO, RD 2.
Andy Souwer defeats
Takehiro Murahama by majority decision.
Kohiruikaki Takayuki defeats
Tony Valente by KO, RD 3.
Marfio Canoletti defeats
Hiroyuki Doi by unanimous decision.
Yaduhiro Kazuya defeats
Serkan Yilmaz by unanimous decision.
Shin Nopadetsorn defeats
Ohno Takashi by decision.
Magunamu Sakai defeats
Arslan Magomedov by KO, RD 3.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
A FAN'S VIEW OF DANA WHITE

Dana White
The following post was made by a concerned MMA fan on an internet forum. Whether you agree with it or not, the message makes some valid points:
"Even the best sometimes need a change when they are unable to fulfill the companies or teams expectations. Look at Joe Paterno - he did excellent for so many years, but circumstances change and stepping down would be the best for his program at this point in time. One should not let individual pride and arrogance supercede the best interest of the whole company or team.
That said, the UFC under Dana White has slowly swirled around and around the toilet bowl for the past several years, going deeper every time. The window of opportunity to introduce MMA in the US as a mainstream sport was not seized due to an inability to market and represent it effectively. Contacts and alliences with the media were never established i.e. ESPN. Production quality of the shows have never been great, but show no promise of improving. Unexciting cards have been repeatedly used. Rules changes regarding matches and divisions have created a lack of uniformity, confusion, and a feeling of favoritism. Lack of recognition in the past for legends like Royce Gracie undermines the integrity of the organization.
Finally, the presentation of Dana White himself is negative. He does not present himself as an educated, sophisticated, credible individual. He is more along the lines of the drunk frat boy who is arrogant, immature and self-serving. The events leading up to Pride GP and his commentary exemplify these charaterizations.
I am not saying that Dana White did not do a lot of good for the UFC and MMA. He did, and as MMA fans we should be grateful. However, MMA and the UFC could do even better with a positive change - its time for new leadership."
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
Monday, November 17, 2003
ZST LIGHTWEIGHT GP CARD

Naoyuki Kotani
ZST Lightweight GP
November 23rd, 2003
Tokyo, JapanThe opening round of
ZST's 16-man lightweight GP takes place on November 23rd, 2003. The semifinals and finals will take place on January 11th 2004.
Opening Round:
Naoyuki Kotani vs.
Mindaugas SmirnovasMasahiro Ohishi vs.
Hideo TokoroJason Maxwell vs.
TaishoJorge Gurgel vs.
Masakazu Imanari Marcos Aurelio vs.
Takumi NakayamaRich Clementi vs.
Aloisio Barros Igor Isaikin vs.
Takumi Yano Remigijus Morkevicius vs.
Menno Dijkstra The prize money is as follows:
Champion -
5,000,000 yen (approximately
USD$42,000)
2nd place -
1,500,000 yen (approximately
USD$12,500)
3rd place -
700,000 yen (approximately
USD$6,000)
Prize money for first submission or KO -
100,000 yen (approximately
USD$850)
Prize money for second submission or KO -
200,000 yen (approximately
USD$1,700)
Prize money for third submission or KO -
300,000 yen (approximately
USD$2,550)
Prize money for fourth submission or KO -
400,000 yen (approximately
USD$3,350)
You can check out ZST's english-language website by clicking
here
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
HEAT FC 2 CARD

Carlos Barreto
Heat FC 2: 'Evolution'
November 27th, 2003
Natal, BrazilCard Subject To Change:
Carlos Barreto vs.
Travis WiuffAlan Goes vs.
Gustavo 'Ximu' MachadoAkira Shoji vs.
Marcelo 'Uirapuru' AzevedoForrest Griffin vs.
Edson 'Paredao'Ebenezer Fontes Braga vs.
Eric Wanderlei Vinicius 'Draculinho' vs.
Kleber GaldinoFabio Bolinho vs.
Sergio 'Junior'Roman Roytberg vs.
Alexandre 'Vaca'
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
K-1 NEWS

Shannon Briggs
Puroresu Power reports the following:
K-1 matchmaker
Sadaharu Tanigawa floated the names of
Shannon Briggs and
Genki Sudo for his December 31st Nagoya Dome show. Tanigawa admitted that he is very interested in getting
Musashimaru as a K-1 participant. Tanigawa also said that the K-1 office has made an offer for
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic to appear at their December 6th Tokyo Dome show.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
POSTAL CONNECTIONS: PRIDE CLOSE TO SIGNING AMERICAN TV DEAL
By Tape Lord

TV executives impressed with PRIDE GP.
Hello my friends, my postal connections in the
DSE organization has relayed to me that DSE is currently in negotiations to get
PRIDE shown on a regular basis on American cable television.
K-1 is currently shown on
ESPN and their
'Martial Arts Series' programming. Both
ESPN and
FOX Sports are looking to expand their viewer selection in this area, and that's where the interest in
PRIDE comes in. Inside sources reveal that network executives were very impressed with the
PRIDE: 'Final Conflict' show, and that it has sped up negotiations somewhat.
More news to come on this in the next two weeks.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
PRIDE GP GETS MAINSTREAM COVERAGE IN BRAZIL

Vanderlei Silva (second from right) being interviewed for TV show.
The
PRIDE: 'Final Conflict' show recently got five minutes of coverage on the Brazilian TV show
'Fantastico', which is the highest rated Sunday night show on Brazilian television. The segment explained the rules of MMA, showed some quick fight highlights, and focused on
Vanderlei Silva,
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira, and
Murilo Bustamante.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
TAPE LORD'S MONDAY MORNING MAILBAG

Liddell vs. Jackson at the PRIDE GP.
Hello my friends! Welcome to
Tape Lord's "Monday Morning Mailbag'. Below are some of the more interesting e-mails I recieved as one of the editors of this newspage. Enjoy...
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PRIDE GP Kicked Ass. Can The UFC Compete?The PRIDE GP has to be one of the best, if not the best, MMA event of all time. Their budget is huge and the ratings and fans they pull in are just phenomenal. What can the UFC do to be like that, or is it even possible?
-Phil
Vancouver, Canada
Tape Lord's reply: In my humble opinion, for the UFC to be that successful, they would need to change ownership. PRIDE has demonstrated what can happen when you have a big budget and do the following: Tap into a huge market that already existed (pro-wrestling fans), make exciting fights and fighters that the fans remember and want to see, roll with the snowball effect and watch it grow to where it's at today.
The current management of the UFC (Dana White) has no clue on how to do this. In the opinion of many insiders he is not even junior executive material. The owners of the UFC (The Fertittas) also do not like to spend their money on what needs to be spent on. Bottom line: The UFC under the present ownership has gone as far as they can. The time is now right for someone with the real know-how to come in and take it to the next level.
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Randlemans ground game??were rooftop fights with randleman real not the sakuraba fight? I had no way of knoweing and i got a bet for 100 with somene over this. Now he wants me to pay for a plane trip or half a plane trip which costs more than the 100 bet. Pleayse help.
-Daren Roth
Huntington, New York
Tape Lord's reply: No Daren, the rooftop fights were not real. Randleman said in a recent interview that the fights were fixed and filmed for some cable TV show that will be airing soon.
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COUTURE VS. BELFORTThis is going to be one great fight! Who do you pick to win?
-John Summers
Queens, NY
Tape Lord's reply: This is a very tough fight to call, but in my opinion this will be Couture's toughest fight since his first fight with Rizzo. Belfort finally has the maturity and stability in his life to fulfill his potential, and he's still only 26 years old. The best of Belfort is yet to come IMO.
That being said, I don't think Belfort will be able to out-wrestle or out-box Couture. Belfort's advantages over Couture are his submissions and his explosiveness. He's going to need to find a way to utilize those two advantages to win, or to open up other opportunities to win. I'm not making an official prediction until before UFC 46, but I think that if this fight goes the distance that Couture will get the decision. If the fight ends before that, then it will be because Belfort submits Couture, or knocks him out with a vicious knee.
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UFC 45 Tenth Anniversary Card SUCKS!Just what the hell is up with the GARBAGE card Zuffa is putting on for the UFC tenth anniversary show?? There's not one old school fighter on that card outside of Tank Abbott. Why the dropped ball on this one?
- UFC SUCKS
Boston, MA
Tape Lord's reply: UFC SUCKS, this is what happens when ineptitude meets economics. Because Dana White has made blunder after blunder for the past three years as UFC president (costing the company millions), his bosses are no longer giving him the budget he would need to put on a star-studded show. So what we are left with is the less-then-stellar anniversary card for UFC 45.
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Keep up the great workDana was real upset after you guys exposed his backstage rant at PRIDE. Keep up the great work reporting the truth. Dana's so paranoid that he's got Josh Hedges and a few others trying to find out who Jake R is LOL
cguy@zuffa
Las Vegas, NV
Tape Lord's reply: Thank you Coffee Guy my good friend. In my honest opinion, Dana White should spend more time taking some business management courses rather then trying to find out who an internet reporter is.
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Discuss this at Fightsport.com
DANA WHITE CAUGHT IN BLATANT LIE

Dana White from his days as a Boxercise instructor.
Picture taken by Phelston Jones (c) 1999
It has been well documented that UFC president
Dana White used to make his living as a
Boxercize instructor. However, it seems that Dana White has attempted to hide this fact by
blatantly lying to the UFC fanbase. Here is is a quote
Dana White made on the UG forum on
November 14th, which proves he is lying about his past as a
Boxercize instructor.
"opinions are cool, they don't bother me at all but fake stories? so far i have heard that i died, freaked out back stage at pride, live in my car, a failed boxing promoter, was in the mob, currently in the mob,
boxaerobics instructor, etc,etc."
- Dana WhiteNot only is the above quote a
blatant lie by
Dana White, but the picture posted with this article is an athentic picture of him from his days as a
Boxercize instructor. The picture was taken by
Phelston Jones, and has appeared in more then one article in Las Vegas periodicals. Click
here (and then scroll down) to view an article about
Dana White the Boxercize instructor that appeared in
Vegas Life.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
Sunday, November 16, 2003
ALEXA.COM INTERNET RATINGS: TOP 10 ENGLISH-LANGUAGE MMA SITES
Alexa.com just updated their internet ratings for this week. Below are the
Alexa.com rankings for the top 10 MMA websites as of November 14th, 2003.
Fightsport.com has been the fastest-growing MMA website the last few months and have taken over the number 3 spot this past month, pushing
Sherdog.net down to number 4.
MMA.tv moved into the number one spot almost two months ago, knocking
Sherdog.com down to number 2.
MMAWeekly.com remains steady at number 5, while
Subfighter.com has moved up to the number 6 spot.
The official site of the
UFC fell down to number 7. The official site of
PRIDE moved back into number 8, dropping
Adcombat.com to number 9. MaxFighting.com survived by a thread to hang on to the number 10 spot.
MMA RANKINGS: 1.) MMA.tv - Traffic Rank for mma.tv: 4,074
2.) Sherdog.com - Traffic Rank for sherdog.com: 6,971
3.) Fightsport.com - Traffic Rank for fightsport.com: 8,478
4.) Sherdog.net - Traffic Rank for sherdog.net: 9,911
5.) MMAWeekly.com - Traffic Rank for mmaweekly.com: 11,876
6.) Subfighter.com - Traffic Rank for subfighter.com: 17,158
7.) UFC.tv - Traffic Rank for ufc.tv: 21,827
8.) Pridefc.com - Traffic Rank for pridefc.com: 28,579
9.) Adcombat.com - Traffic Rank for adcombat.com: 28,661
10.) Maxfighting.com - Traffic Rank for maxfighting.com: 49,193
Alexa.com tracks the internet ratings with the use of the Alexa toolbar, which is used by no less then 10 million people. Almost all of the Alexa toolbar users also use
Amazon.com and
Google, making the
Alexa.com rankings very important with advertisers.
Alexa.com is arguably the most respected internet ratings system in the business.
How to read the
Alexa.com rankings: The traffic rank indicates the website's ranking amongst english-language websites. As the number goes lower, it indicates that the website is ranked higher.
For example: a website with a
traffic rank of '1', means that it is the
number one visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.
a website with a
traffic rank of '10,221', means that it is the
10,221st most visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.
a website with a
traffic rank or '90,594', means that it is the
90,594th most visited english-language website on the internet, according to Alexa.com's 10 million users.
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
UFC 45 CARD
UFC 45: Revolution
November 21st, 2003
Mohegan Sun Arena
Uncasville, Connecticut
Frank Mir vs.
Pat SmithMatt Hughes vs.
Frank Trigg (middleweight title fight)
'Tank' Abbott vs.
Wesley 'Cabbage' CorreiraPedro Rizzo vs.
Ricco RodriguezPhil Baroni vs.
Evan TannerFalaniko Vitale vs.
Matt LindlandRobbie Lawler vs.
Chris LytleDin Thomas vs.
Yves Edwards Keith Rockel vs.
Chris Ligouri
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
K-1 MAX COMPLETE CARD

Duane Ludwig (right)
K-1 World Max 2003
Tuesday, November 18, 2003
Nippon Budokan
Tokyo, Japan(card subject to change):
Masato vs.
Vince PhillipsGenki Sudo vs.
Albert KrausDaniel Dawson vs.
Kojiro Duane Ludwig vs.
Toshio Matsumoto Andy Souwer vs.
Takehiro MurahamaTony Valente vs.
Takayuki Kohiruimaki Marfio Canoletti vs.
Hiroyuki DoiKazuya Yasuhiro vs.
Serkan YilmazTakashi Ohno vs. Shin Nopadetsorn
Magunamu Sakai vs.
Arslan Magomedov
Discuss this at Fightsport.com
PANCRASE CARD
PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR
Friday, November 30st, 2003
Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan
Open: 15:00
Start: 16:00
Below are the matchups that have been announced so far for the
Pancrase card on
November 30th:
Sanae Kikuta vs.
Yuki Kondo (light heavyweight KOP title)
Nathan Marquardt vs.
Ricardo Almeida (middleweight KOP title)
Kiuma Kunioku vs.
Ken'ichi Serizawa (welterweight KOP title)
Nilson Castro vs.
Akihiro Gono Barrett Yoshida vs.
Yoshiro Maeda
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SUPERBRAWL CARD
SuperBrawl 32
December 5th, 2003
Honolulu, Hawaii
Masanori Suda vs.
Shannon Ritch Egan Inoue vs.
Jason Miller Ray 'King Kong Seraile vs.
Tyler Lecky Stephen Palling vs.
Harvey Nakamura Brian Pardoe vs.
Riki Mike Labuanon vs.
Anthony Torres Mike Bauer vs.
Brandon Keene David Yeung vs.
Justin Mercado Ryan Lee vs.
Will Hagerty
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AFC 6 CARD
AFC 6
Saturday, December 6th, 2003
War Memorial Coliseum
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Open: 6:30 pm
Start: 7:30 pm
Card Subject To Change:
Dustin Denes vs.
Adrian Serrano Leigh Remedios vs.
Mike Brown (AFC lightweight title)
Jeff Monson vs.
Ron Faircloth Jorge Santiago vs.
Keith Wisniewski Efrain Ruiz vs.
Jason Veach Julian Ortega vs.
Jorge Masvidal Thiago 'Pitbull' Alves vs.
Derrick Noble Davion Peterson vs.
Anthony Rea Charles McCarthy vs.
Pat O'Malley Robert Bailey vs.
Michael Quinlan
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BATTLE OF THE BAY 2 RESULTS
Battle of the BAY 2
November 17th, 2003
South Africa
Ricco Hatting defeats
Weihahn Leshe by kneebar, RD 1. (SA Superheavyweight Title)
Chris Bright defeats
Leon Mynard by KO, RD 1.
Jack O 'Connell defeats
Ryan Hassan by armlock, RD 1.
Jose Mata defeats
Henk Van Wyk by armlock, RD 1.
Julio Greco defeats
Riaan Verster by TKO, RD 1.
Kevin Thomas defeats
Syprian Helberg by rear naked choke, RD 1.
Dieter Heinemann defeats
Blanche Cronje by rear naked choke, RD 1.
Jason Hendricks defeats
Joe Geldenhuis by TKO, RD 3.
Rudy Quanson defeats
Eric Neethling by KO, RD 1.
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RITC RESULTS

Homer Moore
RITC 55: 'Super Heavyweight Showdown'
November 15, 2003
Casa Grande, Arizona
Homer Moore defeats
Thomas Gil by keylock at 2:51, RD 3.
Andy Montana defeats
Lemuel Vincent by TKO at 1:35, RD 1.
Hans Marrero vs.
Robert Maldonado declared a no-contest.
Israel Juarez defeats
David Canvas by armbar at 1:19, RD 1.
Carlos Ortega defeats
Steve McDonald by split decision.
Darren Wren defeats
Kenyon Barnes by choke at 0:33, RD 1.
Michael Perales defeats
Mike McIntyre by TKO at 0:41, RD 2.
Daniel Betzold defeats
Gabe Rivas by majority decision.
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SHOOTO RESULTS
SHOOTO: Bushido 'Karalius'
November 14th, 2003
Vilnius Ice Palace
Vilnius, Lithuania
Bazigit 'Volk' Atajev defeats
Mindaugas Kulikauskas by armbar, RD 1.
Rafles la Rose defeats
Ramunas Komas by choke, RD 1.
Petras Morkevicius defeats
Tomoki Kanuka by choke, RD 1.
Valdas Pocevicius defeats
Mike Pyle by guilltine choke, RD 1.
Tadeushas Chilodinskis drew with
Gzhegozh Jakubovski.
Grazhuydas Smailis defeats
Regimantas Bakas by armbar, RD 1.
Egidijus Valavicius defeats
Gela Getsadze by guillotine choke, RD 1.
Kestutis Smirnovas defeats
Roman Sukoterin by split decision.
Darius Skliaudys drew with
Takayuki Ohkouchi.
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