FIGHTSPORT 24-7

By Jake R

Tra Telligman (right)

Reliable sources inside the Zuffa organization and familiar with happenings in Vegas have just informed me that Tra Telligman is strongly rumored to be replacing an injured Shannon Briggs on the upcoming K-1 card. Though it has not been signed as of yet, it is for the most part a done deal.

K-1 would like to see Tra as the last minute replacement to fight Gary Goodridge on short notice, since he is at least well known to the hardcore American MMA fans, and has put on some exciting bouts lately. K-1 views this as the best possible last minute choice.

As usual, stick to Fightsport.com and the Jake R Report for exclusives that generate jealousy among the rest of the MMA Media.



*Must credit the Jake R Report when discussing this story*

This Jake R report was filed April 23, 2004.

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Pancrase 2004 Brave Tour
Friday, April 23, 2004
Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Sanae Kikuta defeats Keith Rockel by majority decision.
Izuru Takeuchi defeats Kiuma Kunioku by majority decision.
Kengo drew with Tadahiro Hosaka.
Koji Oishi drew with Yuji Hoshino.
Daisuke Watanabe defeats Yoshinori Momose by TKO at 4:53, RD 1.
Takafumi Ito defeats Minoru Ozawa by unanimous decision.
Kenji Arai defeats Naoki Seki by unanimous decision.
Katsuya Inoue defeats Ichiro Kanai by majority decision.
Hidenobu Koike defeats Ryota Nishimura by armbar.

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Gladiator Challenge 25
April 20, 2004
Porterville, CA


Bobby Hoffman defeats Mike Wolmack by KO at 1:00, RD 1.
Jason von Flue drew with Mac Danzig.
Joe Crilly defeats Chad Neal by rear naked choke at 2:26, RD 1.
Dusty Arden defeats Brian Sleeman by decision.
Cody Grimes defeats Josh Gardner by decision.
Jeff Dowman defeats Eddie Bates by choke at 1:05, RD 1.
Bobby Suggs defeats Mike Ford by TKO at 0:38, RD 2.
Paul Ward drew with Paul Karsky.
Richard Goodman defeats Mike Cordeiro by KO at 0:39, RD 1.
Josh Gaston defeats Ramiro Hernandez by decision.
John Bishop defeats Joe Saucedo by TKO at 1:23, RD 1.
Tony Llamas defeats James Rhodes by KO at 0:17, RD 1.
Tony Ramirez defeats Danny Sanders by choke at 1:47, RD 1.
Paul Mince defeats Sean Liddell by TKO at 5:00, RD 1.
Mike Seal defeats Ron Cushen by KO at 0:39, RD 1.
Neil Peyron defeats Jacob Goodwin by decision.
Aaron Franco defeats Jack Wiseman by TKO at 1:55, RD 2.
Lewis Steele defeats Hector Celaya by TKO at 1:25, RD 1.

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Bas Rutten appeared on the Puroresu Power Hour internet radio show and gave his thoughts on the upcoming PRIDE Heavyweight GP and MMA in general.

To listen to the interview, click here

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PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix
April 25th, 2004 (opening round)
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama, Japan


16-man GP:
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Hirotaka Yokoi
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Kevin Randleman
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mark Coleman
Murilo 'Ninja' Rua vs. Sergei Kharitonov
Heath Herring vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
Naoya Ogawa vs Stefan Leko
Semmy Schilt vs. Gan McGee
'Giant' Silva vs. Sentoryu.
.
Alternate fighter:
Ron Waterman

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K-1: 'Battle At The Bellagio II'
Friday, April 30th, 2004
Bellagio Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, NV


Shannon Briggs, who was supposed to face Gary Goodridge, is out with injury. The event will be available live on pay-per-view:

Superfights:
Bob Sapp vs. Tommy Glanville
Gary Goodridge vs. TBA

8-man tournament:
Carter Williams vs. Mighty Mo
Michael McDonald vs. Marvin Eastman
Dewey Cooper vs. Nobu Hayashi
Kelly Leo vs. Tatsufumi Tomihira


Fighters that may also be on the card:
Francois Botha
Stephan Gamlin
Aziz Khattou
Cung Le

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HEAT FC 3
April 30th, 2004
Natal, Brazil

Heat FC announced the following matchups for their April 16th show. The full card is expected to have around eight matchups:

Ebenezer Braga vs. Keith Jardine
Carlos Barreto vs. Dan Christiansen
Roan 'Jucao' Carneiro vs. Leonardo Souza
Erick Tavares vs. Diego Sanches
Lucas Lopes vs. Fabiano Capoane
Fredson 'Paixao' vs. Rani Yahya
Sergio Junior vs. Rivanio 'Aranha'
Jalmir Ferreira vs. Luis Alberto
Sanderson Dantas vs. Carlos 'Indio'
Milton Vieira vs. Delosman Paiva

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Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (top)

Meca co-promoter Rudimar Fedrigo announced the following matchups for the Meca Vale Tudo 11 card, which is tentatively scheduled for sometime in April:


Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos vs. Edson Drago
Daniel Acacio vs. Carlos Baruck
Luiz Azeredo vs. Roan Jucao
Jadyson Costa vs. TBA

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

Vladimir Matyushenko (left)

The Brazilian media report that UFC veteran Vladimir Matyushenko will be participating on the Jungle Fight 2 card on may 15th.

According to other sources, Matyushenko may also be close to signing a deal with K-1 MMA.

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PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix
April 25th, 2004 (opening round)
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama, Japan


16-man GP:
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Hirotaka Yokoi
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Kevin Randleman
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mark Coleman
Murilo 'Ninja' Rua vs. Sergei Kharitonov
Heath Herring vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
Naoya Ogawa vs Stefan Leko
Semmy Schilt vs. Gan McGee
'Giant' Silva vs. Sentoryu.
.
Alternate fighter:
Ron Waterman

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Semmy Schilt

The Japanese media report that a Semmy Schilt vs. Gan McGee matchup will take place in the PRIDE Heavyweight GP on April 25th.

It has not been announced whether this matchup will be part of the first-round of the GP or an alternate fight, but the inside word is that it will be announced as a GP first-round matchup by tomorrow.

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Jose "Pele" Landi-Jons now a heavyweight.

The Brazilian media report that former Chute Boxe star Jose 'Pele' Landi-Jons is currently weighing close to 100 kg (220 pounds), and plans on competing in the heavyweight division very soon.

Pele told the media he is signed to compete in a big event, but did not reveal which promotion as he is still sorting out some final contract details.

However, our inside sources in Brazil tell us that Pele and his newly founded team will most likely be signing on with K-1 and its new MMA promotion.

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By Jake R

Shannon Briggs (left)

Reliable sources associated with the Zuffa organization have informed me that Shannon Briggs has sustained an injury and is now out of the upcoming K-1 Vegas show on April 30th.

As usual, stick to Fightsport.com and the Jake R report to get inside scoops you won't read anywhere else.



This Jake R report was filed April 21st, 2004.

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Sapp vs. Fujita in "Romanex".

K-1 announced that their MMA show on May 22nd will be called 'Romanex'.

K-1 supposedly came up with the title by combining the words 'Roman' and 'Extra'. K-1 also added that all their future MMA shows will be called Romanex.

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Left to right: Machida, Fujita, Sapp, Greco, and Ignashov.

K-1: 'Dynamite'
May 22nd,, 2004
Japan


K-1 announced that their show on May 22nd will be a 'K-1 vs. Team Inoki' themed card with mostly MMA matchups. Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that are scheduled, as well as the probable lineups for both Team K-1 and Team Inoki

The card is expected to have 8-9 MMA matchups:


Officially announced main events (MMA rules):
Bob Sapp vs. Kazuyuki Fujita
Alexey Ignashov vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Officially announced participants:
Bob Sapp
Kazuyuki Fujita
Alexey Ignashov
Shinsuke Nakamura
Don Frye
Gary Goodridge
Sam Greco
Mark Hunt
Josh Barnett
'Lyoto' Machida
Sylvester Terkay
Yoshihiro Nakao
Genki Sudo
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto

Possible participants:
Rickson Gracie
Jerome LeBanner
Micheal McDonald
Peter Aerts
Pedro Rizzo
B.J. Penn
Eric 'Butterbean' Esch
Tom Howard
Dolgosurem Sumbayazer
'Blue Wolf'
Masayuki Naruse
Kazunari Murakami



Probable Team K-1 lineup:
Bob Sapp
Alexey Ignashov
Jerome LeBanner
Mark Hunt
Micheal McDonald
Peter Aerts
Sam Greco
Gary Goodridge
Eric 'Butterbean' Esch
Genki Sudo
Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto

Probable Team Inoki lineup:
Kazayuki Fujita
Shinsuke Nakamura
Josh Barnett
Don Frye
'Lyoto' Machida
Sylvester Terkay
Tom Howard
Dolgosurem Sumbayazer
'Blue Wolf'
Yoshihiro Nakao
Masayuki Naruse
Kazunari Murakami

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Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that are scheduled for PRIDE Bushido 3 on May 23rd. A total of eight matchups are expected to be officially announced for the card by next month:


Vanderlei Silva vs. Yuki Kondo
Quinton Jackson vs. Ricardo Arona
Hayato Sakurai vs. TBA
Takanori Gomi vs. TBA
Tamakairiki vs. TBA
Matt Hume vs. TBA

Possible participants:
Ralph Gracie

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Vanderlei Silva

The Japanese media report that the upcoming Vanderlei Silva vs. Yuki Kondo matchup will be a non-title fight.

If Kondo were to win, then the two fighters would have a rematch in the summer for Silva's PRIDE light heavyweight title.

But if Kondo loses their upcoming fight, then Silva will defend his title against the winner of a likely Ricardo Arona vs. Quinton Jackson matchup.

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Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira held an open sparring session for the Japanese media on Monday and stated that he would like to face Naoya Ogawa in the second round of the PRIDE Heavyweight GP, granted they both get past their first round opponents. According to Minotauro, it would be a great matchup of Jiu-jitsu vs. Judo.

Minotauro also mentioned that he plans on continuing his boxing training and would like to represent Brazil in boxing in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

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Ron Waterman (left)

It was first reported that Ron Waterman would be competing in the first round of the PRIDE Heavyweight GP.

Waterman was then cut off of the GP first round, and was set to fight Gan McGee in an alternate fight instead.

Plans have changed again as it is now being reported in Japan that Waterman will most likely be in the first round of the PRIDE Heavyweight GP. His opponent has not been named yet.

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Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

The Brazilian media reports that Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Fabricio Werdum, who is now based out of Spain, has been in talks with Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic about possibly forming an MMA team that would be known as European Top Team.

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Peter Aerts

The Brazilian media reports that 3-time K-1 champion Peter Aerts is down in Brazil helping long-time friend Pedro Rizzo prepare for an upcoming fight.

Rizzo did not say for what organization he would be fighting in, but it is believed Rizzo will be participating on the K-1 MMA card on May 22nd. Aerts is also scheduled to make his MMA debut soon, possibly on the same card as Rizzo.

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Tim Sylvia

According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia is still under suspension for testing positive for anabolic steroids after his title defense in UFC 44 on September 26, 2003.

"He may have received a satisfactory result, but I have not received it in my office", said Marc Ratner, Executive Director of the NSAC.

Sylvia was required to receive a negative test result, indicating an absence of performance enhancing drugs in his system, in order to be licensed again by the NSAC.

According to the UFC, Sylvia's most recent test came back negative on April 2nd.

Even though he is still technically supended, Sylvia is scheduled to face Frank Mir for the vacant UFC heavyweight title in UFC 48 on Saturday, June 19, 2004.

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UFC 48
June 19th, 2004
Las Vegas, NV


Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that are scheduled for UFC 48 on June 19th. A total of eight matchups are expected to be officially announced for the card by next month:

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimo Leopoldo
Tim Sylvia vs. Frank Mir (Heavyweight title fight)
Phil Baroni vs. Evan Tanner
Dennis Hallman vs. Frank Trigg
Matt Hughes vs. Renato 'Charuto' Verissimo
Lee Murray vs. TBA (possibly Tito Ortiz)
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller
Ivan Menjivar vs. Matt Serra

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Wallid Ismael and Antonio Inoki.

It was announced that the second edition of the 'Jungle Fight' show is scheduled for May 15th in Manaus, Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon River.

Naoya Ogawa is scheduled to appear on the card, and the event be shown live on Brazilian PPV on the Canal Combat NET/Sky.

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Jose Sulaiman

The growing fame and power of MMA and K-1 in the US has made the boxing establishment notice. The latest example is World Boxing Council (WBC) president Jose Sulaiman firing some defensive shots at K-1 and its signing of Mike Tyson.

Here's what Sulaiman had to say:


"The most astonishing thing is to see how a country of such elevated culture such as Japan, is adopting this criminal practice that literally takes society back to the cave era," a shocked Sulaiman said.

"The fact that such a brilliant boxer who at age 20 conquered a world heavyweight title with a brilliant victory over Trevor Berbick on November 22, 1986, becoming the youngest world champion in boxing history and holding the enviable record of 24 first-round KOs, close to Jack Dempsey's 25 first-round KOs amazing record, can not be thinking of blemishing such extraordinary career by stooping so low to participate in the denigrating legalized savagery of K-1."

"We wholeheartedly hope that Tyson forgets his recent past and comes back to the noble sport of boxing that opened the doors of greatness to him, to regain his status of world professional champion…simply because K-1 is for those who have nothing left at all…or for amateurs or cheap street fighters" -Jose Sulaiman

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The PRIDE Heavyweight GP will air live in the US on In Demand Pay-Per-View this Sunday, April 25th.

For more information, click here

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Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

Brazilian magazine Tatame recently interviewed Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira. Here's what Minotauro had to say (interview by Marcelo Alonso):


Tatame: What have you been training differently in preparation for Mirko and Fedor? Who will be your hardest adversaries?

Minotauro: Mirko, Fedor, Josh Barnett, and Heath Herring. I am sure I will enter with more confidence in the standup, my movement will be better in the ring. Last time Fedor made the distance between him and I shorter, and it made it difficult to move myself in the ring. I got too preoccupied with submitting him, and he is an expert in that area. Every time I tried a submission, he would punch me and pull his arm free. Obviously, it would be ideal for me to be on top, because he is very tough when he is on top. He knows how to tie up the position from the top. About Mirko... my movement in the standup is much better now. I feel I can trade with him better, and feel more comfortable about getting him down.

Tatame: Do you think Mirko's ground training these last few months will be enough to give you a hard time on the ground?

Minotauro: His chance of him doing well against me on the ground is the same as me knocking him out with a kick to the head. The time he's had since our last fight is not enough to learn so much.

Tatame: You are facing Japanese fighter Hirotaka Yokoi, but who would you prefer to face in first round?

Minotauro: I would have preferred to face Fedor first, because he beat me and I would like to fight him again. I am certain that I could put on a better showing then my last fight against him. The result would not be important, although I think I would win. The guy hurt me in the beginning of our fight, and I fell with my head between the ropes. When I was able to sweep him, the time finished. I am sure that a rematch would be much different then the first fight.

Tatame: You were training in Cuba with the Cuban and Brazilian national boxing teams. Has it improved your standup?

Minotauro: Yes, it improved my movement in the ring. My footwork, timing, and ring awareness is much better now, and I don't spend too much time on the ropes. I am now conscious of the fact the ropes are behind me. My distance is better, and my hands have gotten much faster. My stamina is better, and I am not carrying around dead weight anymore. My weight is down to 102 kg (224 pounds).

Tatame: How was it training with the national boxing team?

Minotauro: Very tough. Those guys throw a lot of hard strikes, and it makes you faster. The training is tough, you wake up early, and there is no set time when training ends. When you think that training is over, there are two more hours. The warm-up is half an hour without stopping or rest. All 20 fighters are treated in the same way. I had to run to reach their level in terms of physical preparation. Those guys have been training for over an year and a half for the Olympics, and I arrived in their final preparations so that I could try to reach their level in terms of fitness and boxing. The result is that my physical conditioning improved a lot.

Tatame: Did people in Cuba recognize you as a champion of vale tudo?

Minotauro: Very few. Vale tudo is prohibited. Professional sport is not televised there, not even profesional boxing. But some trainers who have pirated satellite dishes knew me, and began to tell people who I was. So when I was done with my training, some judo and wrestling people came over to roll with me.

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Storm Samurai
April 18th, 2004
Taruma Gymnasium
Curituba, Brazil


MMA matchups:
Mauricio 'Veio' defeats Joao Paulo by decision.
Fabio 'Tigrao' defeats Ademar by KO at 1:47, RD 2.
Michael Costa defeats Jefferson by decision.
Claudinei defeats Cristian Tide by KO at 2:25, RD 2.
Wagner Tiburcio defeats Ismael Mota by KO at 2:10, RD 3.
Fabio Silva defeats Emerson Graxaim by KO at 0:45, RD 2.
Giliard 'Parana' defeats Jeferson 'Cascao' by KO at 1:43, RD 1.
Rogelson Ba defeats Johnathan Carvalho by KO at 0:43, RD 1.

Muay Thai Matchups:
Paulao Matos defeats Ednei by decision.
Rafael Monteiro defeats Rodrigo Silva by decision.
Luciano Monge defeats Jean by decision.
Luis Sorriso defeats Cosmo Alexandre by KO at 0:50, RD 3.
Alexandre da Costa defeats Eduardo Rolha KO at 1:15, RD 1.
Andre Duda defeats Bruno Sanchez by KO at 1:30, RD 2.

Jiu-jitsu matchup:
Ocimar Costa defeats Sebastian Lalli by a score of 12-2.

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2nd TNT of Vale-Tudo
April 17, 2004
Ginasio de Campinas
Goias, Brazil


Heavyweight tournament:
Semifinals:
Leandro 'Batata' defeats Daniel Russo by TKO.
Demitrio defeats Sergio Augusto 'Monstro' by KO.

Final:
Demitrio defeats Leandro 'Batata' by TKO.



Lightweight tournament:
Quarterfinals:
Rany Yahrya defeats Shon by submission.
Luciano Santos 'Cabecinha' defeats Cabuloso by decision.
Muzila defeats Elder by submission.
Jorge Lee defeats 'Pitbul' by decision.

Semifinals:
Rany Yahrya defeats Muzila by submission.
Luciano Santos 'Cabecinha' defeats Jorge Lee by submission.

Final:
Rany Yahrya defeats Luciano Santos 'Cabecinha' by submission.



Muay Thai matchups:
Emerson Nunes defeats Ronildo by decision.
Laura Ramos defeats Roseane de Barros by decision.

Boxing matchup:
Marcos Roberto defeats Moicano by TKO.

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Pancrase 2004 Brave Tour
Friday, April 23, 2004
Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan

Open: 5:30 PM
Start: 6:30 PM


Sanae Kikuta vs. Keith Rockel
Izuru Takeuchi vs. Kiuma Kunioku
Kengo vs. Tadahiro Hosaka
Koji Oishi vs. Yuji Hoshino
Daisuke Watanabe vs. Yoshinori Momose
Takafumi Ito vs. Minoru Ozawa
Naoki Seki vs. Kenji Arai
Katsuya Inoue vs. Ichiro Kanai
Hidenobu Koike vs. Ryota Nishimura

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PRIDE Heavyweight Grand Prix
April 25th, 2004 (opening round)
Saitama Super Arena
Saitama, Japan


One more matchup for the first round of the GP is expected to be announced this week:

16-man GP:
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Hirotaka Yokoi
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Kevin Randleman
Fedor Emelianenko vs. Mark Coleman
Murilo 'Ninja' Rua vs. Sergei Kharitonov
Heath Herring vs. Yoshiki Takahashi
Naoya Ogawa vs Stefan Leko
'Giant' Silva vs. Sentoryu.
.
Alternate bout:
Gan McGee vs. Ron Waterman

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K-1: 'Battle At The Bellagio II'
Friday, April 30th, 2004
Bellagio Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, NV

K-1 announced that Shannon Briggs will face Gary Goodridge in a 3-round K-1 rules superfight on the K-1 Vegas card, scheduled for April 30th. The event will be available live on pay-per-view.

Below is the developing card:


Superfights:
Shannon Briggs vs. Gary Goodridge
Bob Sapp vs. Tommy Glanville

8-man tournament:
Carter Williams vs. Mighty Mo
Michael McDonald vs. Marvin Eastman
Dewey Cooper vs. Nobu Hayashi
Kelly Leo vs. Tatsufumi Tomihira


Fighters that may also be on the card:
Francois Botha
Stephan Gamlin
Aziz Khattou
Cung Le

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HEAT FC 3
April 30th, 2004
Natal, Brazil

Heat FC announced the following matchups for their April 16th show. The full card is expected to have around eight matchups:

Ebenezer Braga vs. Keith Jardine
Carlos Barreto vs. Dan Christiansen
Roan 'Jucao' Carneiro vs. Leonardo Souza
Erick Tavares vs. Diego Sanches
Lucas Lopes vs. Fabiano Capoane
Fredson 'Paixao' vs. Rani Yahya
Sergio Junior vs. Rivanio 'Aranha'
Jalmir Ferreira vs. Luis Alberto
Sanderson Dantas vs. Carlos 'Indio'
Milton Vieira vs. Delosman Paiva

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Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos (top)

Meca co-promoter Rudimar Fedrigo announced the following matchups for the Meca Vale Tudo 11 card, which is tentatively scheduled for sometime in April:


Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos vs. Edson Drago
Daniel Acacio vs. Carlos Baruck
Luiz Azeredo vs. Roan Jucao
Jadyson Costa vs. TBA

Discuss this at Fightsport.com

By Jake R

Tito Ortiz

In yet another in a long line of Jake R exclusives for Fightsport.com, this cyber reporter has just learned of Zuffa's latest attempt to find Tito Ortiz's next opponent. As a regular and reliable source within the Zuffa organization has informed me, Zuffa recently approached Guy Mezger in an effort to make a third matchup between the two fighters.

However, as my source went on to explain, the offer was not taken seriously by Mezger and immediately rejected. As I was informed by my source, Mezger was offered a guaranteed paycheck to show that was 15 times lower than what Tito makes. Mezger was both insulted and surprised by such a lowball offer, indicating that UFC president Dana White would have to offer more money for the offer to even be considered.

But as my source explained, Dana seems determined to get fighters as cheaply as possible these days, with the cost of each fighter being the main priority.

As usual, stick to Fightsport.com and the Jake R report for the inside scoop on Zuffa's activities that you won't read anywhere else.



*Fightsport.com and Jake R exclusive, must credit Fightsport.com and The Jake R Report when discussing this story.*

This Jake R report was filed on April 18th, 2004.

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Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira arrived in Japan on April 15th. Minotauro will be enter a special camp from the 16th to adjust himself to the time-zone difference in preparation for his fight in opening round of the PRIDE Heavyweight on April 25th.

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Murilo "Ninja" Rua (top)

The PRIDE website provides the following picture of Chute Boxe fighter Murilo 'Ninja' Rua in training for the PRIDE Heavyweight GP. Ninja moved up to the heavyweight division for the GP and is reportedly weighing around 222 pounds.

Ninja's first round opponent will be Russian samabo stylist Sergei Karitonov.

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Kazushi Sakuraba

The Japanese media report that Kazushi Sakuraba will return to action on the PRIDE Heavyweight GP show, scheduled for June 22nd at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Sakuraba's fight will be a regular single fight matchup, and not part of the GP.

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Josh Barnett (left)

The Japanese media report that Josh Barnett turned down an offer to face Fedor Emelianenko in the first round of the upcoming PRIDE Heavyweight GP.

According to the Japanese media, Barnett's contract and affiliation to Antonio Inoki, New Japan, and K-1 MMA, were all factors in turning down the offer.

According to some Japanese sources, Barnett's stock in the pro-wrestling world is also very high right now and he did not want to risk a loss in the first round of the GP.

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DEEP: '14th Impact'
April 18, 2004
Osaka, Japan


D. Mishima defeats Robert Emerson by unanimous decision.
Yoshiro Maeda defeats Hiroshi Umemura by TKO at 2:26, RD 1.
Seichi Ikemoto defeats Hiroki Nagaoka by unanimous decision.
Kazuki Okubo defeats Koji Okuyama by armbar at 4:08, RD 1.
Tomoyuki Fukami defeats Atsuhiro Tsuboi by unanimous decision.
Daisuke Hanazawa 13 defeats Takeshi Hamamura by unanimous decision.
Isamu Sugiuchi defeats Isao Tenada by KO at 4:08, RD 1.

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Mike Tyson

K-1 matchmaker Nobuaki Kakuda spoke with the Japanese media and mentioned that he will be negotiating with the Japanese government and prime minister Junichiro Koizumi to allow Mike Tyson to enter the country of Japan for a fight on July 31st.

Under current Japanese law, convicted felons cannot enter Japan without a special pardon.

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Vanderlei Silva

Brazilian magazine Tatame recently interviewed PRIDE champion Vanderlei Silva. Here's what Silva had to say (interview by Gleidson Venga):


Tatame: Tell us a little about your fight with Minowa.

Vanderlei: This was a very anticipated fight in Japan. Minowa is a tough guy who lasted almost 15 minutes fighting with Quinton Jackson. I had to train very hard because I didn't know what he could do. So despite the fight being so fast, the training and preparation were very hard.

Tatame: The fight ended faster than you expected?

Vanderlei: It was definitely faster than I expected! I thought that it would be long fight, but he tried to shoot at my legs, placed me in his guard, and from there I threw two punches. One of them caught him in the chin, it seemed he went out like Sakuraba, only that he was on the ground. It caught his chin flush and he went unconscious, because the punch was very strong. I think that it is my first knock-out from inside the guard.

Tatame: What did you think of the performances of your teammates, Jadyson and Shogun?

Vanderlei: Jadyson is an excellent athlete. I think this time his performance was not as it could be, but he is a new athlete, and new chances will appear. He will have better preparation for the next one. I think that a great deal of it is experience. If the guy has already stepped out there, he has gone through all that, and it makes him grow. And 'Shogun' surprised everyone, not only because of the victory! I was certain that he was going to be successful, since he is a very good athlete and he is getting the experience. He surprised with the stand up technique. He was kicking very confidently, with intensity, and when it caught the guy he felt it. That was a spectacular fight. I was very happy for him - he is 22 years old and we are predicting a shining future for him and for Ninja.

Tatame: So Chute Boxe won their challenge against Japan...

Vanderlei: Yes that's it! It was 1-1 and I had that go there to decide the winner! This was the most important event for our school, to show how our school's system works in the biggest event in the world. The first Bushido was with the Gracie family, because of the tradition, and the second invited school was Chute Boxe. It shows how we are there! The Master has very good contact with the promoters, and we are going to take other athletes who have still not fought there, such as Daniel Acacio, Macaco, Azeredo, we want to take them to fight in PRIDE.

Tatame: Will Murilo Ninja really be the representative of the team in the Heavyweight GP?

Vanderlei: We are in negotiations, but he will probably be, he is not totally confirmed but we decided that he will be our representative there. We are already training him and he is working for it. I think that he will be a surprise, because Ninja is a very hard athlete. As I said to Kawasaki asking for the fight, 'Have you ever seen a bad fight from him?' The guy never fought badly and he does not fear anybody, he is a very brave athlete, very courageous and he has incredible gas.

Tatame: Talk about the movie where you made your acting debut in Japan?

Vanderlei: It was a very cool thing, the name of my character was 'Morte' (which to translates to 'Death' in Portuguese). The Japanese didn't know what this meant! I did a fight scene with one guy that is an actor and fighter, a Japanese guy who weighs 60kg (132 pounds). The staff was very impressed with my performance. I told him to punch wide, to do his kicks, that I would not have a problem, that I am experienced with blows. He came straight up to me and gave a string of blows, and he started to connect with the punches, he gave me one right on my mouth. The guy was terrified! I told to them to be calm, but we made a really realistic scene!

Tatame: So it means that Vanderlei Silva is the new Van Damme of the movies?

Vanderlei: (laughs) No, Van Damme is different. But really the director said that he liked it very much and that probably this year I'll make another one.

Tatame: How was this Valentine's Day promotion in Japan?

Vanderlei: This was another very cool promotion! A promotion on the internet had chosen about 100 girls who had signed up to give a gift to me, and they had chosen 10. They gave their gifts to me, they gave me chocolate! Now when I come back I'll take gifts to the girls. I will repay them, I am a gentleman. (laughs)

Tatame: When will be your next fight?

Vanderlei: The next one will probably be in June, because in April will be the Heavyweight GP. I think that I will be there only to corner Ninja. I entered in contact with the biggest marketing company in Japan, they will assist me there, and I think that I will have good media exposure there. I already have a good name, but I, as other athletes, want to appear in commercials. I am going to see this side of the business during these months and I'm preparing to fight in June.

Tatame: And the challenge that you made to Yuki Kondo?

Vanderlei: He challenged me! They must do this fight and I will be there. I accepted his challenge and I will headline this event in June. The guy defeated Ze Mario, who is a top fighter, so he's a good Japanese fighter, the way we like it.

Tatame: Talk a bit about the new acquisition of Chute Boxe, Nino 'Elvis' Schembri ...

Vanderlei: We've been happy since! He is considered one of the top fighters in Jiu-Jitsu and that's true, he's very technical. I'm sure that he and Cristiano will add a lot to the jiu-jitsu of our team. We will help him too, since he's going to learn a lot about the stand up game. Wait in the near future for a new Nino. Nino is now Chute Boxe, we've adopted this kid.

Tatame: Some months have gone by, what comes to your mind when you think back to your PRIDE GP?

Vanderlei: What comes to the mind is that it was a long time between matches for me. After the first fight, and it was a hard fight, I was in the dressing room with Mestre Rudimar, Rafael, Cristiano, and I was having circulation problems in my legs. My two hands were hurting - I could not close my hand due to the pain, and my body ached and I still had to fight Rampage. What I remember is them preparing me, massaging my body and telling me about confidence, that I was there to win. The Master was working on my psychological state 'You will enter, will win, stay calm '. One of the best memories that I have is of him supporting me, telling me that everything is gonna be ok. I was a bit nervous, with much pain and then I entered the ring and won. Another great memory is after the referee separated us, I went up on the ropes and looked out at the public, and everybody was standing up applauding and crying out, the confetti was falling, and I thought 'wow, I knocked him out!' That night was fate in my favor, I truly believe that. I asked God for help, I prayed, and for the final to end like that, like a postcard, in the biggest fight of my life, surely I was graced that day.

Tatame: Final messages?

Vanderlei: 2004 is only starting, and what is passed, is passed. I want to fight, I am not the type to rest on his laurels. I think that all fighters have a dream and mine was not to be champion, it was to have many fights. I want to fight so that after my career I will be able to support my family. I never choose my adversaries. I want to pass all the difficulties and when I arrive at the end of my career, I want to have the certainty that I did everything for the sport. That MMA grew and that other people gained when I won. This year I will continue representing Brazil well and giving joy to the fans. Check out my website at www.wanderleisilva.com.br.

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By Scoop McTroll

Ricco Rodriguez (left)

I attended last night's IFC event in Redding, California, in which the talk of the event was former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez making a huge spectacle of himself.

Not many people knew that the event was taking place, and it featured three tournaments at middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.

Former Team Punishment member Jerry Vrbanovic won the heavyweight tournament when he defeated 'Big Country Nelson in a very close decision. It appeared that Ricco was not happy with the decision, and at that point started freaking out. Ricco then threw a chair that almost hit a woman affiliated with fighter Tim McKenzie.

McKenzie said afterwards that he planned to file charges against Ricco. The police then took Ricco to the poliuce station for questioning. I'm not sure if an arrest was made after that.

The rest of the show saw Drew Fickett win the middleweight tournament with wins over Carlo Prader and Sean Beckett.

Team Quest member Chael Sonnen won the light heavyweight tournament.

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Matt Lindland (left)

UFC 49
August, 2004


Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that are scheduled for UFC 49 in August. A total of eight matchups are expected to be announced for the card:

Matt Lindland vs. Dave Terrell
Yves Edwards vs. Josh Thompson (Lightweight title fight)

Possible participants:
Tito Ortiz
Ricco Rodriguez

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UFC 48
June 19th, 2004
Las Vegas, NV


Below are some of the matchups, both official and unofficial, that are scheduled for UFC 48 on June 19th. A total of eight matchups are expected to be officially announced for the card by next month:

Ken Shamrock vs. Kimo Leopoldo
Tim Sylvia vs. Frank Mir (Heavyweight title fight)
Phil Baroni vs. Evan Tanner
Dennis Hallman vs. Frank Trigg
Matt Hughes vs. Renato 'Charuto' Verissimo
Lee Murray vs. TBA (possibly Tito Ortiz)
Georges St. Pierre vs. Jason Miller
Ivan Menjivar vs. Matt Serra

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By Scoop McTroll

Yves Edwards (left)

I met with the managers of Josh Thompson last week, and they said that Thompson has signed to fight Yves Edwards for the vacant UFC lightweight title in title in August.

I checked in with sources close to Edwards, and they confirmed that Edwards is all but signed as well and preparing for this matchup.

Fightsport.com first reported this possible matchup last month, and now it is basically all but official.

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