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Gilbert Yvel

Reports from Holland are that MMA veteran Gilbert Yvel attacked a referee during his fight against Atte Backman in the Fight Festival 2 show.

According to the report, both fighters were on the ground and about to fall out of the ring, when referee Petteri Maunu temporarily stopped the action and ordered both fighters to move to the center of the ring and maintaining the same position, as is done in PRIDE shows. Yvel then lost his composure at the request and knocked out Maunu with one punch, and then kicked him while he was on the ground.

Security then rushed the ring and escorted Yvel back to the dressing room.

According to Dutch MMA insiders who were at the show, not only is referee Petteri Maunu also the promoter of the Fight Festival show, but he is also the owner of the gym that Yvel's opponent Atte Backman trains out of.

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Rogerio "Minotoro" Nogueira

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira has been training with the same Cuban boxing coach that his brother Rodrigo 'Minotauro' has also been training under.

The coach, whose name is Joan Francisco 'Paco' Garcia, told Tatame that Rogerio Minotoro's boxing is not at the level of his brother Rodrigo yet, but that he is on track to become just as good.

Garcia also added that he believes PRIDE co-champion Rodrigo Minotauro is currently the best boxer in MMA, and that he could even box professionally if he chose to do so.

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Duarte, Bustamante, Belfort, and Sperry.

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that Vitor Belfort has started his training at the academy this week, in preparation for his upcoming fight in UFC 51.

BTT official 'Bebeo' Duarte told Tatame that their goal is to make Belfort the premier light heavyweight in the world.

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Fabricio Werdum

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that not only is BJJ champion Fabricio Werdum in Croatia training Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic on his ground game, but that he is now teaching ground techniques to Croatian police as well.

In return, they are teaching Werdum how to parachute, as well as some other things.

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Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic

Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic did the following interview for the Japanese media. Here's what Cro Cop had to say:


Japanese media: Who is better Fedor or Minotauro?

Cro Cop: They are both top fighters, with their own values. I can handle Minotauro on the ground now. My Brazilian friend Werdum helped me to perfect my ground game.

Japanese media: What are Fabricio's thoughts of Croatia?

Cro Cop: He likes it very much. He is even thinking about moving to Zagreb from Madrid.

Japanese media: What happened in the fight with Barnett? How did you end up on the ground so fast?

Cro Cop: I slipped, the floor was wet. In the later phase of the fight I showed him what I can do on the ground. He tried to pull his arm out, but I didn't allow him so his shoulder got hurt.

Japanese media: When is your rematch with Randleman?

Cro Cop: I don't know, it's PRIDE's call. I am ready.

Japanese media: Are you afraid of a rematch with Randleman?

Cro Cop: Absouletly not. In our next fight Randleman hasn't got a chance!

Japanese media: What do you have planned next?

Cro Cop: For now, the fight with Mark Hunt is sure thing, and then a match with Fedor or Minotauro in January.

Japanese media: How was the fight with Barnett?

Cro Cop: OK. Only that it lasted too short. It came about that the guy's tongue was tougher than his shoulder.

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B.J. Penn (pictured) will face Rodrigo Gracie in the ROTR main event.

The ROTR 6 event will be on Japanese pay-per-view, but the word now is that it might be on North American pay-per-view as well.

ROTR and K-1 are in serious negotiations with North American PPV providers, and should have more new on this development by next week.

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Wes Sims

MMA oddsmaker Odessa has confirmed what Fightsport.com first reported yesterday, that the matchup of Tim Sylvia vs. Wes Sims has supposedly been signed for the SuperBrawl card on December 11th.

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Heath Herring

The Japanese media is reporting that Heath Herring is now a free agent. Herring's PRIDE contract finished with his last fight in PRIDE 28, and is now negotiating with DSE/PRIDE on a new deal.

Speculation amongst the Japanese media is that K-1 might make a play to sign Herring for their December 31st show.

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SHOOTO: 'WANNA SHOOTO 2004'
November 12th, 2004
Kourakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Ryota Matsune defeats Kentaro Imaizumi by split decision.
Mitsuhiro Ishida defeats Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie by unanimous decision.
Justin Bruckman defeats Yoichi Fukumoto by unanimous decision.
Jani Lax defeats Kohei Yasumi by guillotine choke at 3:25, RD 2.
Danilo Sherman defeats Takeshi Yamazaki by unanimous decision.
Daiji Takahashi defeats Hiroyasu Kodera by unanimous decision.
Kenji Osawa defeats Seiji Otsuka by unanimous decision.
Takeshi Inoue defeats Hayate Usui by TKO at 4:58, RD 2.
Yusuke Endo defeats Seiki Uchimura by TKO at 1:42, RD 1.
Toshimichi Akagi drew with Shinichi Kojima.

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Dave Menne

Extreme Challenge 60
November 12, 2004
Medina Entertainment Center
Medina, MN


Dave Menne defeats Trevor Garrett by split decision.
Roger Huerta defeats Jake Short by rear naked choke at 0:37, RD 3.
Sean Sherk defeats Lee King by triangle choke at 2:20, RD 1.
Daryl Guthmiller vs. Tyrone Roberts by unanimous decision.
Clayton Guida defeats Randy Hauer by TKO at 2:25, RD 1.
Joe Jordan defeats Vern Jefferson by TKO at 2:40, RD 1.
Ron Fields defeats Chris Fontaine by triangle choke, RD 1.
Ryan Antle defeats Cliff Saunders by TKO, RD 2.
Reed Wismer defeats Mike Belker by TKO at 1:30, RD 2.

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By The Predator

Infamous MMA groupie Annabelle with D-level slapfighter Jason "piggle" Turnage (right).

The Cagefighter's Code

In the world of NHB, MMA, and grappling, one universal rule is observed by virtually everyone: the Cagefighter's Code. It basically comes down to making sure that what happens in practice stays private, no matter what. To professional cagefighters such as myself, no vow is more sacred or honored.

Unfortunately however, with the advent of internet discussion forums, anyone capable of operating a computer can reveal exactly what went on in a particular training session. In recent years, numerous low level aspiring internet fighters have exploited the gentlemen's agreement in order to further their careers. The most recent example of this occurred yesterday on the fightsport discussion forum with notorious D-level slapfighter Jason 'Piggle' Turnage.

In an obvious attempt to improve his dubious internet reputation, Jason Turnage, a BJJ White Belt, announced that during a practice session he had tapped out Andreh Anderson, a BJJ Brown Belt. Turnage had done the unthinkable, he had broken the unspoken golden rule. In the opinion of many, Turnage had done this because he was in the desperate position of advancing his pathetic fighting career, dealing publicly with infamous MMA fighter groupie Annabelle's humiliating treatment and eventual breakup with him, and the frustration of living in poverty while being unemployed and on welfare.

However, speaking as a professional fighter who has overcome numerous personal obstacles as well, it is never acceptable to talk about training in public! For that reason, I call upon every fellow cagefighter, grappler, and promoter involved in the sport to boycott Jason 'Piggle' Turnage and all that he stands for.

Unless this sort of behavior is stopped, low-level internet fighters will only continue to shred the Cagefighter's Code on an increasing basis. If 'Piggling' is allowed to continue, the Cagefighter's Code is not all that hangs in the balance, but more importantly, the existence of cagefighting itself does as well.

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Jason "piggle" Turnage

In a complete show of disregard and classlessness, D-class fighter Jason 'piggle' Turnage broke the honored training rule of 'what happens in the gym stays in the gym' by making the following post on the FS forum:


"decent at bjj doesnt get you a brown belt.. when I rolled with him (Andreh Anderson) I did catch him once with an ankle lock.. and I am a white belt.. what does that mean?" -Jason 'piggle' Turnage

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LukeBeston.net supplies us with the following banners of former comic book reviewer/MMA internet journalist/known gambler Jake Rossen, who still refuses to pay the USD$3,000 he owes to respected MMA insider Shiloh McIver.

For those who aren't familiar with the Rossen scandal/story, scroll down to our news on February 7th to read the article.

Download your favorite banner, and 'support the sport' by helping to bring the liars and phonies of MMA to justice:









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By Josh Grossman

Jens Pulver

Fightsport.com correspondent Josh Grossman reports that the matchup of Jens Pulver vs. Hiroki Takaya is now signed for the SHOOTO year end show on December 14th.

The winner of this matchup will face champion Alexandre 'Pequeno' Noguiera in his next title defense.

This is Pulver's last fight on his SHOOTO contract, so he is a free agent regardless of if he wins or loses. Takaya is 4-0-1 in SHOOTO His most notable win was a devastating high kick KO of Stephen Paling. He also had a draw with Joao Roque.

As usual, Insidefighting's report of Jens Pulver facing Takanori Gomi in the PRIDE year end show is completely false.

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By Coffee Guy

Fallen UFC Champion turned Journeyman, Tito Ortiz (left) with a friend.

Before reading any further, please read our disclaimer first.

The following exclusive report was sent to us by our Zuffa informant called 'Coffee Guy':


Tito Ortiz has finally signed to face Vitor Belfort in UFC 51.

As you know, Tito did not want to face Belfort when the UFC planned to have this fight in December. In fact, there were some worries that Tito might try to completely duck this fight, but it appears he had no choice but to sign.

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Gan McGee

The Wrestling Observer is reporting that MMA veteran Gan McGee was gouged in both of his eyes last night while working as security for Mother's Tavern in San Luis Obispo, California.

It is not certain whether McGee suffered any further injury to his eyes, but reports are that he will be fine. McGee is trained by Karate grandmaster John Hackelman.

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Travis Lutter (left)

Jiu-jitsu website Austinbjj.com recently interviewed Travis Lutter. Here's what Lutter had to say (interview by Xena):


Xena: Welcome Travis. Real quick, can you give a brief bio of your career in BJJ and when you opened your academy?

Lutter: I started training BJJ when I am moved here in August of 1997. I went to the world's in 1998 as a blue belt, and took 2nd. In 2000, I went to the worlds again as a purple belt and placed 3rd. I also won the American qualifier to go to ADCC where I lost my first match Comprido. I won the American qualifier again in 2001 and lost another first round match to Saulo Riberio. Since then I have been focusing more on NHB. I won the USS that Rorian Gracie put on. I also won my first fight in the UFC against Marvin Eastman.

Xena: Let me get right to a certain subject first. You dominated the Ultimate Submission Showdown. Rorion had contacted you to set up a super fight/rematch with his son Ryron Gracie. The match fell through, and you were not well. There are many threads on the internet that are still wondering what happened. Can you state your illness, and knowing you as a fighter Travis, I know you didn't want to drop out. When did you finally decide?

Lutter: I dropped out about 11:00 AM after talking to Carlos (Machado) . He advised me that I shouldn't compete because I was very sick with an upper repertory infection. I wanted to (fight) but there was just no way I would have competed anywhere close to the top of my game.

Xena: At the first USS, there were some good grapplers. Munson and Avellan are two good grapplers. You defeated Lance Campbell by submission, Avellan 15 x1, and Ryron Gracie 13 x 0. It seemed easy, but you and I know it never is. Was there any specific training you did, or just the usual training with more mat time?

Lutter: We didn't have that much time to prepare for that tournament because of the late notice. To get ready, I trained with Kenny, Paul, Buddy and the rest of the guys at my school. I also have Carlos tweaking my game constantly.

Xena: You are known for your no gi game. I know you have talents both ways, but do you train more gi or no gi?

Lutter: I definitely train more with the gi . The only time I train more no gi is when I have an NHB fight or a Submission Grappling match coming up.

Xena: Back to knocking out Marvin Eastman in the UFC 50. Eastman is known for striking skills as opposed to grappling, yet you were able to strike and beat him at his own game. Does this show the MMA community a glimpse of Travis" fighting skills? Well rounded?

Lutter: I have been working on my striking for the last couple of years so I was very happy with the result of the fight.

Xena: I was talking to some people last weekend and the subject of your striking came up. Who do you practice your striking skills under or with?

Lutter: The first person that I boxed with was Phil Sawyer and as of lately I have been training with Brock Groom.

Xena: I think the UFC may have plans for you. Did you come in at your best weight and prep? It was kind of a last minute notice.

Lutter: I think I will be fighting in the 185 lb. division so I guess that no it wasn't the best weight for me.

Xena: Back to your career. You surprised the grappling community when you and Comprido fought in Abu Dhabi. You went for more attacks than he did, and in the end he was given an advantage. I believe you were just a purple belt back then. Does Travis plan to go back to the Abu Dhabi sometime in the future?

Lutter: Only if they invite me. I don't plan on doing any of the qualifiers because of a disagreement we had in the past.

Xena: What was the disagreement?

Lutter: I don't want to talk about that one.

Xena: The Jiu-Jitsu game has evolved. A decade ago, people were doing locked guards a majority of the time, then the open guard transcended. Now we have more half guard assaults in BJJ. Is there a particular type of guard you prefer?

Lutter: I think I am pretty well rounded but I probably do more open half guard now than closed.

Xena: Travis, your primary instructor in BJJ is Carlos Machado. You train with Carlos, but you also teach out of your own academy. What sort of training regiment do you have involving your grappling, and do you have a few of your top students you use as training partners?

Lutter: I train with Brad, Kenny, Buddy, Paul and all of the other top guys at my school. We do a lot of timed training and they are all really good at breaking everything down when we have a problem. I train 5 to 7 days a week and the process is always changing trying to find the right balance.

Xena: At your academy, you also have a competition team that does well in the Dallas state championships. Do you have any up and coming students who you feel may be someone to look out for in the future? (Names, brief description)

Lutter: You never know how people are going to do, sometimes you have somebody you think is going to be great and he quits after only training for a year or so. Then you will have somebody who just out works everybody else and ends up becoming really good.

Xena: Travis, in our BJJ community, it seems to be who is the best on that particular day. Some of our top people like PeDePano, Jacare, Margarita and Roger Gracie are four names I ask opinions about in interviews. Can you give me a brief opinion on each one, and who do you think will be on top for the future? PeDePano has dominated after Margarita was injured, but Roger and Jacare are there too.

Lutter: No comment, I don't worry as much about what other people are doing but more about how I am doing and how I will match up against everybody.

Xena: Travis, you sponsor a few tournaments in your area to promote BJJ and get more people involved. This also improves our BJJ community relations, and expose more kids. You happen to know about being a Dad yourself. Do you involve your own children in BJJ or wait to see if there is an interest on their own?

Lutter: We have a kids class that my son has asked to go to. But I am not doing anything special with him, as he gets older if he expresses interest in it I will start to push him more.

Xena: Do you feel BJJ should be done slowly with kids? How do we expose kids to this unique martial art which can be very intimidating when watched?

Lutter: I have not made certain exactly how I think kids should be taught. I think every kid is different and has to be dealt with differently.

Xena: Going back to the USS, the point system is different than in BJJ. When you score a certain amount of points, the match is stopped due to the dominant point margin. Did you like this system? Or do you prefer Abu Dhabi rules in a no gi tournament?

Lutter: I think that both systems have advantages and disadvantages. I think the USS rules probably are better for my particular game.

Xena: Your no gi record stands for itself. You have won two ADCC qualifiers at the Hook 'n' shoot, competed very close matches against Comprido and Saulo Ribeirio, and have won the 2003 USS tournament promoted by Rorion Gracie. In the USS, it showed that Rorion had organized a legitimate grappling tournament, and it showed that his rules were not meant to help his sons win. Both sons lost to you and Avellan, and then of course Avellan lost to you. What is next for Travis Lutter in no gi tournaments? NHB? BJJ?

Lutter: The problem with NHB is that you wait so long to in order to fight in the different organizations. Unless I get a good offer from somebody in the near future I am planning on competing in this years Pan Americans.

Xena: I discussed the UFC earlier. Do you have an interest in Pride? Although you respect all fighters, is there someone in Pride you would enjoy testing your skills against?

Lutter: I am at the point in my career that if they called and said will you fight Vanderlai or Tito or anybody else I would say no problem. My main concern is getting a decent fight in a respectable organization.

Xena: While on on the subject, anyone in your weight division you would look at in the UFC?

Lutter: Anybody, I really am not picky I would just like to fight.

Xena: Speaking of Pride, Vanderlai seems to be on top of the scene. Recently Randy Couture defeated Vitor Belfort. Randy suggested to Vanderlai at that UFC to unify the UFC and Pride belts. Tough match, I would like to see it happen. It's a tough pick, but if you had to pick one, who would you lean towards and why?

Lutter: Randy because I don't think anybody can deal with him in that weight class right now because of his dominate positioning.

Xena: Travis, you have been teaching for a while. What do you enjoy most about teaching?

Lutter: Seeing people improve over the years and figuring out how to help and deal with all the different games.

Xena: Travis, for contact information, how can people get a hold of you for class times, privates and seminars?

Lutter: Team Lutter BJJ, 1732 E Square, Fort Worth TX 76120. 817-781-4243 nextgenbjj.com

Xena: Thanks for the interview Travis. Hope to see you soon. Any advice to newcomers in BJJ on their training?

Lutter: In order to get better, you have to show up to train. Thank you.

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Wes Sims

Sources out of Hawaii are saying that the matchup of Tim Sylvia vs. Wes Sims has supposedly been signed for the SuperBrawl card on December 11th.

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Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' recently interviewed Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira. Here's what Minotauro had to say:


Tatame: How do you see Vitor Belfort's return to BTT? Rumors are that Jefferson "Tank" might come along with him as well...

Minotauro: That would be great. It's very good for our team. To tell you the truth, I didn't even know he was returning to BTT, but this is very good news indeed. It means more training for us, and Vitor is just great. We always help each other before fights. He helped me a lot when I faced Cro Cop, and he is a great friend. Unfortunately I didn;t get to assist him in his fight against Couture in the UFC because of my fight against Fedor, but I'm certain that he'll return to be the champion again.

Tatame: Your fight in PRIDE has been confirmed against Fedor... Does it mean that you are no longer fighting in K-1?

Minotauro: In all honesty, I've was never in K-1. Even when I hadn't signed my contract with PRIDE, I still wouldn't have been able to fight in K-1 until two months after PRIDE. We are very excited for this next fight in PRIDE. It'll be the biggest show of the year!

Tatame: You just returned from your vacation. Have you started your training for December 31st yet?

Minotauro: I am training, but not at full steam yet. After PRIDE I stayed one and a half months outside of Brazil. I was with Luiz Doria, and I even though I was on vacation I was still training. Then I went to Miami. I stayed with the people at American Top team, with Jason, Raymond, and I stayed almost a month there. I also ended up getting restless and trained with Amaury Bitetti... But as of today I will begin to train hard. During my vacation I relaxed and took advantage of having some time off. I spent time traveling and just relaxing.

Tatame: But as you said, you also did some training...

Minotauro: Yes. And it went very well. For example, with Amaury I trained many diverse positions, and he knows a lot about jiu-jitsu. He helped me a lot, and corrected some things too... We worked a lot on the guard and ground'n'pound. Without getting too much into it, I really enjoyed training with him. In fact, Amaury was taking some time off at the time, but he is now back in full force. He is now giving a lot of help to Hermes Franca.

Tatame: You were in the audience at PRIDE 28. What did you think of the event?

Minotauro: I think it was a good event. I thought it was funny that Cro Cop said Barnett talked too much... But then the fight itself was not so heated. Another fight which looked promosing was between Dan Henderson and Nakamura, but it did not turn out so great. But Vanderlei's fight was the fight of the night. Vanderlei was giving him a beating and I saw that Quinton Jackson is not competent. Vanderlei showed more gas. He was more concentrated and he dominated. He showed that his ground game is better then before, and he is more complete with each fight he has. It was a beautiful knockout! Arona surprised as well. He did a good fight, and a nice one too. He took a tough guy to the ground and applied some excellent jiu-jitsu. He fought like I have never seen him fight. He only used half of the jiu-jitsu that he knows. When he shows all of his technique, he'll take PRIDE by storm.

Tatame: Getting back to your vaction, why weren't you able to show up at the seminar for the SHOOTO card in Switzerland?

Minotauro: What happened is that Frota did not give me a flight ticket. I was going to give the seminar for free, but I was not going to pay for the flight out of my own pocket. Just to give you an idea, I participated in a seminar for an academy in England and I recieved $5,000. Unfortunately, the seminar in Switzerland was not going to cover my purse.

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Vitor Belfort

The Brazilian media is reporting that the return of Vitor Belfort to the Brazilian Top Team is now official.

According to BTT manager Mario Sperry, Belfort will begin training with the team sometime next week, and begin his preparations for his upcoming fight in UFC 51.

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Brazilian vale tudo magazine 'Tatame' celebrates its tenth anniversary with a special issue, featuring Vanderlei Silva's most recent brutal knockout of Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson.

Many special features will be featured in the anniversary issue. If you read Portuguese and would like to know more about this magazine, go to Tatame.com.br

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Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira

Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' reports that Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira spent some vacation time in the US, also training time with the American Top team while he was there.

Minotauro is now back in Brazil and has begun his training program for his upcoming fight against Fedor Emelianenko on December 31st.

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American Top Team announced the opening of their west coast branch in Olympia, Washington.

The academy will be run by UFC and ADCC veteran Jeff Monson, with help from Dennis Hallman, Travis Doerge, and Fabiano Scherner.

For more info, call (360) 754-8501.

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Some of the announced participants for the PRIDE show on December 31st.

Below is the possible line-up that the Japanese media is saying is most likely to take place for the PRIDE show on December 31st. The final card is scheuled to have a total of ten matchups:


Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Fedor Emelianenko
Rulon Gardner vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Vanderlei Silva vs. TBA (possibly an Olympic Judoka)
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic vs. Mark Hunt
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Kiyoshi Tamura
Takanori Gomi vs. Luis 'Buscape' Firminho
'Giant' Silva vs. Takashi Sugiura
Henry 'Sentoryu' Miller vs. Noaya Ogawa
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Dan Henderson
Jens Pulver vs. D. Mishima

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Akebono and Sapp in last year's ratings blockbuster.

The Japanese media is reporting that the following news for the K-1 show on December 31st:


Possible MMA rules matchups:
Bob Sapp vs. Akebono
Royce Gracie vs. TBA
B.J. Penn vs. Kaoru Uno

Officially announced K-1 rules matchups:
Masato vs. Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto

Other fighters to possibly be on the card:
Bob Sapp
Kazuyuki Fujita
Don Frye
Gary Goodridge
Tom Erikson
Tsuyoshi Kohsaka
Yoshihiro Akiyama
Wakanohana

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Jason "Mayhem" Miller doing a Pee Wee Herman impersonation.

European MMA journalist Andreas Marco Bryant recently did an exclusive interview with Jason 'Mayhem' Miller. Here's what Miller had to say:


AMB: Naturally I would first off like to thank you for your time and ask how you are doing this fine day Mr. Mayhem?

Miller: First off, I would like to say that I don't think you are a real person, but a construct that only exists in the matrix. But to answer your question, I'm doing good as hell. I'm fat and happy and hungry to train hard, and get another fight ASAP.

AMB: For those who do not know much about you, allow us some insight to Jason "Mayhem" Miller and his current MMA situation.

Miller: I just beat Ronald Jhun in the third round by a head and arm choke for the SuperBrawl title, and I've go my eyes set to improving my game and beating the top competition. I had some legal problems before, but I'm staying out of trouble and can't wait for the world to see my honkey ass do some damage on Pay-Per-View.

AMB: I understand that you have been a dominating force in SuperBrawl and were even given a nickname by some spiteful islanders. Could you explain this a bit?

Miller: Uh, I think you're talking about "haole"... it's not really a nickname, it's more like calling someone a cracker, which I think is pretty damn hilarious, so I put it on my shirts.

AMB: I was informed you have some of the American "Bling". Do people fear your Platinum chompers? Is this some sort of a hip hop thing that a bloke from London may not understand?

Miller: Ha ha, BLOKE! Don't worry, no one in America understands either. I'm just a wierd dude. I used to try and not to be, but I just started embracing it. I don't know if they fear them, but I'm sure they're at least confused. It's hip hop to the fullest.

AMB: I gather that SuperBrawl has been great to you, but obviously every fighter's goal is either PRIDE or the UFC. If given the option, which would you prefer and why?

Miller: Eh.. I don't know if I have a preference. I love the UFC, and it's always been my dream, but PRIDE may be a very good option for me. Right now, I'm just focusing on improving, and we'll see what opens up for me. The best thing I can do is keep focused on fighting, and let the management do their thang.

AMB: What fighters do you admire most (past or present)?

Miller: Rampage, Vanderlei, Hughes, Penn, too many to name, so many guys do so many good things that I could go on all day.

AMB: What fighters do you least admire (past and present)?

Miller: I usually respect any fighter that can get into an event that I actually hear about, besides that guy Manny Reyes, even though I don't think he counts as a fighter. I actually feel kinda bad for the guy, I think he has worse mental problems than I do.

AMB: Who was your toughest MMA challenge to date?

Miller: You know, I've fought some tough guys, but the Extreme Challenge I fought in was pretty extreme, and not extreme in the deodorant way, extreme in the get kneed in the head-piece one hundred times. I lost a decision in the semis to the guy who won the whole tournament, but I had two good matches, and learned alot about myself as a fighter.

AMB: If you could magically be granted any fight of your choice, allow your "Mayhem Maniacs" to know whom it would be?

Miller: Calling people who like me "Mayhem Maniacs" is kinda gay. I'd rather them be called heathens, space monkeys or squirrel necks, but whatever..... Of course everyone at 170 wants a piece of B.J. Penn... but if I rubbed a bottle and Kimbo popped out looking like a genie and asked "Who you wanna get your bread from?" I would say, "Lets do it for the belt, Hughes." But I know I gotta work my way up that long, hard road.

AMB: I saw a nifty T-shirt of yours. Where can your merchandise be purchased?

Miller: Hit my email, MayhemMiller@yahoo.com and I'll personally send you a T-Shirt. For an extra 5 bucks I'll teabag it for you...

AMB: Thanks for your time Mr. Mayhem, your are a shining star in the MMA universe, and I hope to talk to you again soon. Thanks again for your time and feel free to allow your Platinum Teeth to give any necessary shout outs before you go! Cheers. - Andreas "Marco" Bryant

Miller: Hell Yea Velocity Kickboxing, MMA Gold.com TAPOUT TYCRecords, and Marc Laimon's Cobra Kai that's makin sure the ground game is TIGHT!

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Josh Barnett (top) getting submitted by Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. The submission caused the shoulder injury.

Josh Barnett has just confirmed what Fightsport.com first reported last week, that he will need reconstrcutive surgery on his injured shoulder.

Furthermore, Barnett underwent the surgery this week, and will be out of action for around six months.

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Fedor Emelianenko keychain

The Japanese media is reporting that DSE/PRIDE and 7-11 convenient stores in Japan have a deal in which 7-11 customers recieve a PRIDE fighter keychain when certain beverages are purchased.

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Some of the announced participants for the PRIDE show on December 31st.

DSE/PRIDE announced some official matchups and participants for their show on December 31st. PRIDE president Sakakibara also announced that they will sign a supposedly even bigger sporting name then Rulon Gardner for the show.

The final card will have a total of ten matchups:


Offically announced matchups:
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira vs. Fedor Emelianenko
Rulon Gardner vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Vanderlei Silva vs. TBA (possibly Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic)
Mark Hunt vs. TBA (possibly Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic)
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. TBA (possibly Kiyoshi Tamura)
Takanori Gomi vs. TBA (possibly Luis 'Buscape' Firminho)
'Giant' Silva vs. TBA (possibly Takashi Sugiura)
Henry 'Sentoryu' Miller vs. TBA

Possible matchups:
Rogerio 'Minotoro' Nogueira vs. Dan Henderson
Jens Pulver vs. D. Mishima



Offically announced participants:
Rodrigo 'Minotauro' Nogueira
Fedor Emelianenko
Vanderlei Silva
Mirko 'Cro Cop' Filipovic
Mark Hunt
Kazushi Sakuraba
Hidehiko Yoshida
Rulon Gardner
'Giant' Silva
Henry 'Sentoryu' Miller
Takanori Gomi

Possible participants:
Mark Coleman
Kevin Randleman
Heath Herring
Luis 'Buscape' Firminho
Kiyoshi Tamura
Ikuhisa Minowa
Yuki Kondo
Tsuyoshi Kohsaka
Sanae Kikuta
Yoshiki Takahashi
Takashi Sugiura

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Yuki Kondo

The Japanese media is reporting that DSE/PRIDE has made offers to Pancrase stars Yuki Kondo, Sanae Kikuta, Yoshiki Takahashi, and Tsuyshi Kohsaka to participate on their December 31st show.

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Jens Pulver

The Japanese media is reporting that Jens Pulver may face D. Mishima on the PRIDE card on December 31st.

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Akebono and Sapp in last year's ratings blockbuster.

The Japanese media is reporting that a Bob Sapp vs. Akebono matchup is becoming more and more likely for the K-1 card on December 31st.

Sapp already beat Akebono in last year's December 31st show, in a fight that drew huge ratings in Japan.

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Jerome LeBanner

Sources in Russia are saying that K-1 star Jerome Le Banner may be heading to Russia in December to train with the Emelianenko brothers, Fedor and Alexander.

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Enson Inoue

The Japanese media is reporting that MMA veteran Enson Inoue and former women's wrestling world champion Miyu Yamamoto have made their divorce public. The divorce took place in late August.

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Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira

SHOOTO announced that the matchup of Alexandre 'Pequeno' Nogueira vs. Hideji Kadowaki will take place on their year end show on December 14th.

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Vanderlei Silva after successfully defending his PRIDE belt by brutally knocking out Quinton Jackson for a second time in his career.

Brazilian MMA website PortalDoValeTudo.com.br recently interviewed PRIDE champion Vanderlei Silva. Here's what Silva had to say (interview by Gleidson Venga):


Portal do Vale Tudo: Tell me about your fight against Quinton Jackson.

Vanderlei: It was a very important victory as I was with the belt in line and he was a really good opponent. I was fighting under a lot of pressure, there were many people saying this time Quinton would win and it was a hard fight. I started the bout with a good pace, punching him, then he stalled and succeeded in taking me down. Actually the only moment I was in danger was in the end of the first round when he scored a knockdown. He stayed on top, but I could recover and enter between his legs putting back the guard. I tried a triangle and he passed (the guard) and delivered some shots. When the round ended I went straight ahead to the corner breathing, to recover myself, cause I did not know how long the fight would last. The second round started in this pace, we had some exchanging and we went to the ground. Suddenly the women announces "3 minutes", there were still 3 minutes, plenty of time. I recovered my breathing, we were stood up and I could hit him with two right hard punches, I gave him one knee and tried two more that didn't connect. Then I delivered one knee that hit him really strong, I could feel the impact of his face in my knee, in that moment I knew it was over. After that just happiness.

PDVT: It could be seen in your last fight, that you are kind of comfortable in the ground, trying submissions several times. Tell me about this.

Vanderlei: I knew the fight would be in this position with guard and so, I kind of imagined how the fight would turn. I trained a lot with Cristiano and the guys, fighting from my back, so I got used with this situation. That's why I could give a good performance there.

PDVT: When you were entering the ring, what have you thought seeing Quinton Jackson talking in the phone, as he wasn't worried with the fight?

Vanderlei: He tried to psyche me emotionally or make a mind game with me, but I was decided and very focused in the fight, really determined, and nothing would get the goal out of my mind. I mean "the victory".

PDVT: What did you tell him at the end of the fight? Was it a "Finish", like the last time?

Vanderlei: This time, as he became a Christian, he was more polite. Not much, as he was a little bit crook, but he is "learning". He stood up and came to congratulate with all the politeness possible, then I could just tell him that was just our job and we would see each other soon. I am pretty sure that another one will happen, this fight is already a classic one, next year there will be another!

PDVT: And how about Ricardo Arona? After the victory in the event, is he in the line again?

Vanderlei: Arona will have to fight some more bouts to be able to face me soon. Maybe he can face me in next year's middleweight GP; if he wins one fight in the tournament, then probably we will face each other. It would be a pleasure for me to fight him.

PDVT: Are you going to enter the GP again?

Vanderlei: To tell you the truth, yes, I want to. I want to enter because it's a huge show and I don't want to stay just viewing. I want to be in the ring, fighting. If God makes the path for this to happen, it would be my pleasure to go.

PDVT: It has been rumored about you may be facing Mirko "Cro Cop" on December 31st, but now he has his opponent set for sure. Who's going to be left for you to face in the December on 31st?

Vanderlei: Shit, the three guys I was thinking are already compromised. They have to sort it out who's going to be left for me.

PDVT: Maybe it's Randy Couture

Vanderlei: Wow, if it's him, then Santa Claus is saying "Ho ho ho" for me (laughs). That would be my Christmas gift! It would be awesome, because I'm feeling pretty good, and the last fight stimulated me. I haven't fought a long bout since the fight against Yoshida, and I felt happy for being tested. My limits, thank God, are increasing even more. I am absorbing more punches, my physical condition is great, and in this ring I can face anyone!

PDVT: In the end of the year, PRIDE will have great matches, like Minotauro against Fedor, Yoshida against Rulon Gardner. Are you going to steal the spotlight again?

Vanderlei: I always try fight good, but the most important thing is to put a good show. I was seeing a Jiu-jitsu match, the guy passes the guard, scores some points, and lay and pray there waiting for the victory. For me winning is not just the victory… Winning is to put on a great show for the fans. Make the crowd vibrate, that's what I think is worthy! In my last fight I left with the victory. I was happy, but fighting great is what matters. I don't give a shit, winning is just a detail.

PDVT: What's your secret formula to sustain this winning streak for more than 4 years?

Vanderlei: First, it's the God's protection. He is blessing me more everyday. As I told my wife, God is taking care of me, just good things are happening in my life. Business is doing great, in the gym, we lost some fighters that used to train with us, but now we got some guys who are even better. These guys are really determined to train, giving their "face to punched". I see these guys with 20, 22 years old… There is Shogun, Ninja, Cyborg and everybody, and then I realize how important this team is. The team training me, Cristiano, Rafael and Master Rudimar, all the technical staff. They are working really hard, you could see how everybody is putting on great shows. Next year Chute Boxe will be head and shoulders above. We are going to conquer many titles in several tournaments.

PDVT: Band (Brazilian TV channel) showed a special last week with you on Otavio's Mesquita Show. Tell us about it.

Vanderlei: That was awesome! The guy is pretty cool and treated me well. He came and did a really nice interview. This is good publicity for Vale-Tudo, as it's growing nowadays and reaching new levels, like Minotauro was in the Ratinho Show (another TV show one day before). The Brazilians are getting familiar with Vale-Tudo. As I said before, Vale-Tudo is fashion now. Everybody is seeing it and liking it. Last Saturday I went to Storm Samurai and the crowd was highly selected, with beautiful people, lots of women in the event, couples, even with children. Vale-Tudo is really blowing up in Brazil. We're successful outside the country and producing each time more big names. I think it won't stop anymore. The thing I want most is that many people will get to have the opportunity to get everything I conquered as a fighter (coming from a humble family). Nowadays, I have an structured life with dignity, and with many efforts I can live only off of my fighting work. Literally giving my sweat and blood, but it's worth it!

PDVT: And how about the fans here in Brazil, what message would you like to send?

Vanderlei: Man, I spent many hours in the airport, and all the time I tried to run to log on to the "Portal" (Portal do Vale-Tudo). I read Portal, Tatame and the Gracie website, because when I enter the internet I read just those three. I want to to send a hug to the guy that made homage for me in the Portal. He had to work a lot, made a cool message, put all my fighter history in details, that was pretty cool. And the guys that send messages to me, I am always reading and knowing you are my public. I am honored for representing Brazil and giving this happiness to you that like my work. We all know what it is being addicted to Vale-Tudo. I am addicted! I love seeing fights and read what the guys talk about it. The Portal is standing out, because in Brazil I can not see another page that is leading or more informed. To tell you the truth, it's not you who makes the page, it's everybody. Every guy that enters the Forum and creates a topic, he is making it happen. Indeed I have to congratulate all of you. I was in Japan and saw many pictures; there were some guys that took pictures of the TV screen and it's pretty cool to see all this effort and support of all of you. I want to thank again everybody that is rooting for me on December 31st, sending positive messages. I woke up early and spent the evening watching the fight on the computer, having all this work just to watch and root for me fighting. So, deep from my heart, thank you very much, and I hope God blesses me fighting in the end of the year again. So I want to ask all your support again. I hope everybody keeps supporting this new age of fighters that is arising, criticizing when there is need.

Also, post a topic in the forum "Say NO to the Lay&Pray, we want show!!!" Because if everybody puts on good shows, everybody wins. Winning or losing, it doesn't matter, we want to see a show.

I want to thank God, who has helped me a lot and protected me Tell the guys to be humble, have faith and pray, because God will certainly help you. A big hug.

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Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (bottom left) on the canvas and through the ropes after getting brutally knocked out for a second time in his career by Vanderlei Silva.

MMA Weakly's Ryan 'The Weasel' Bennett and Frank Trigg recently interviewed Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson. here's what Rampage had to say:


Bennett: Quinton, how are you doing?

Rampage: I'm doing all right man.

Bennett: Let me ask you, a loss is a loss and I know it's never easy to lose. Does it make it any easier when you know you put on a tremendous show and you fought like that?

Rampage: I don't know. I haven't even seen the fight man.

Bennett: You haven't seen it?

Rampage: No, I don't even know you y'all are talking about. You know, I wanted to be champion man but, you know, things didn't work out my way. To me, I don't care how good the fight was. You know what I'm saying?

Bennett: Will you watch that fight? Will you go back and watch it?

Rampage: I might. After a couple of weeks I might watch it. I was hanging on the ropes so it will be kinda hard for me to watch something like that.

Bennett: Quinton, take me through that fight. It was an amazing fight. Let's talk the first round in general. You finished that round so strong. I mean, did you feel like you had him finished in that first round?

Rampage: I don't even remember the fight man.

Bennett: You don't remember it at all?

Rampage: I just remember little bits and pieces. I don't really remember.

Bennett: What do you remember about the fight?

Rampage: I remember talking on the telephone. That's all man [laughs].

Bennett: Talk about the beginning of that fight. You brought up the cell phone, talk about that. Who were you calling?

Rampage: I was talking to my girlfriend man.

Bennett: Did you really?

Rampage: Yeah.

Bennett: [laughs]

Trigg: That is so hot. Rampage, is the reason you can't remember part of the fight because you were finally in a position, in a zone where you could just compete without thought process. Where like Michael Jordon used to call it the zone. Where you're just competing on such a high level you just didn't think about anything. Was that the reason why you can't remember it?

Rampage: I think the main reason why I can't remember is because I got knocked out. I went to this fight, I was over confident. I just knew I was going to win. I wasn't nervous at all and I paid the price for it. I just remember bits and pieces. I remember him hitting me and I remember saying to myself, man some of these punches are kinda hard. So, I think he was landing some of them. I remember my eye bleeding. You know I wear glasses, I felt like I had glasses on. I wanted to push my glasses up. You know how people put their glasses up on their eyes? I remember having that feeling, like I wanted to push my glasses up. I think I had blood dripping in one of my eyes. I remember elbowing him in the body when he was on the ground. I remember that I got the mount and then the bell ring. That's all I remember man. I don't even remember the second round at all.

Bennett: What do you remember, just after the fight? Take me through that. I mean, what happened after the fight? Did you go straight to the hospital or what happened?

Rampage: Yeah, they took me to the hospital. I had some cuts on my eyes. They had to put stitches in my eyes. They did a CAT scan and stuff like that. I was going in and out of consciousness. I remember going to sleep and waking up and going to sleep. I don't know how long I was at the hospital. It was my first time getting knocked out. You know what I'm saying? It's hard to stay awake after you get knocked out. I don't even know what he knocked me out with. Whatever it was man, it put me out man. I went to sleep.

Bennett: It was a crazy fight man. It was one for the ages. I tell you what, everyone who's seen that fight was just, I mean, everyone at my house was going crazy. Everyone at Trigg's place.

Trigg: Haven't you heard the reports that that arguably right now is he best fight ever in the history of Mixed Martial Arts, ever?

Rampage: I heard that. That's what I heard. I haven't watched it yet.

Trigg: I've got to tell you what Rampage. When you get a little more comfortable. I'm the same way. I won't watch my fights. It takes me a little while to actually sit down and get to them. When you get a minute, you should watch this fight. It was the best fight I have ever seen in my life. Ever. I know it doesn't help with the loss. It doesn't help with the fact that you don't have the title but you were absolutely amazing in that fight.

Bennett: Rampage, there was a time in that fight, the end of the first round,you were reigning shots and I kept thinking, man if there was like ten seconds more in this round, they would have stopped the fight. I mean, it was that impressive, that close. You don't even remember the end of that first round do you?

Rampage: I remember the bell ringing. I remember I had him mounted. I thought he got out from the mount. I remember him kept trying to put me in a triangle and he was wrapping his arm around my leg so I wouldn't slam him. I remember him doing this type of stuff. I knew he had trained for this. I don't even know why he was putting the triangle choke on me and stuff like that. Normally when I fight, whether I win or lose, I really don't remember all my fights. I don't remember. I'll have to watch it. I learn what I do when I watch the fight. Most of the time, I don't even know what I did. When I fought Kevin Randleman, I didn't know that I had went to the ground with him at first in the beginning of the fight. I didn't even know that.

Bennett: I know that a lot of fans were pretty concerned after the fight of course. And just judging from what you're saying, when you're going in and out of consciousness, that's always a scary thing. Let me ask you right now, how are you physically?

Rampage: I'm good. I just got a broken nose. I've just got to go get that checked out. I go to the doctor tomorrow, see if I can get my nose fixed and get these stitches out of my head. Other than that, I'm pretty good. I've learned a lesson. I'm going to start training now. I took some pictures of my face. I'm going to put that up in my room and everyday before I go train I'm going to look at that before I start training. Normally I'll be lazy man. As soon as my coach turns his back, I'm goofing off. I ain't doing what I'm supposed to do but that's a wake up call. God's really showed me something. You know what I'm saying? He taught me a lesson.

Bennett: Let me ask you. So did you feel that training wise, that was the big difference in the fight?

Rampage: Well, yeah. I think for this fight, I was in pretty good shape. I think I've been in better shape before. I was in pretty good shape but I see how Tito trains and I trained with Ricco. I never train like those guys. I'm going to have to start training like those guys.

Bennett: So, bottom line, you've got to get your training to a new level to get you to where you want to go?

Rampage: That's what it is. All those times I was just lallygagging. I ain't going to lie to you, I hate training. It's the worst part about being a fighter. I hate the training. I've got to go do it everyday even when I don't feel like it. You know what I'm saying? I've got to take my son with me and, you know what I'm saying, watch him most of the time when I'm training. I ain't going to lie, I hate training. It's one of those things where I've got to do it and sometimes I get burnt out. Then I've got to go on a diet. You know what I'm saying? I hate training. Now, you know what I'm saying, I've got to love it or get knocked out again.

Bennett: Fighters go different ways. Some fighters, when they sustain a loss this, some guys are never the same but Trigg you hear Quinton, he's ready to go train. He wants to get better man.

Trigg: That's true. He can be more than happy to come up here and train with us at R-1 if he wants.

Rampage: Yeah, I need, you know, most guys I train with for all my fights are amateur fighters and some of them don't fight at all. I need some kickboxers and stuff to spar with. I think I sparred all but five times for this fight. I've got nobody to spar with. Sometimes my coach, he tries his best. Sometimes my coach gets in there and spars with me but, you know, he gets injured and stuff like that. Sometimes it's hard to find some of my teammates to spar with me because my team is really young. A lot of guys are small. You know what I'm saying? Even some of the big guys, they're big but they don't know kick-boxing or something like that. They are wrestlers or Jiu-Jitsu guys. I really needed a lot of kick-boxing for this fight. I really can't get that much sparring. It's been that way all the time. Now, my first time getting knocked out, actually it woke me up. You know what I'm saying?

Bennett: Go up to R-1 and beat up on Trigg.

Rampage: Man, I ain't trying to get slammed by "Twinkle Toes."

Bennett: (laughs like a goofball)

Trigg: You're too big for me to pick up.

Rampage: I don't want to get slammed by "Twinkle Toes." [laughs]

Bennett: Who does? You're not that far from Trigg are you?

Rampage: Where are you at, in Vegas?

Trigg: No, I'm right by LAX.

Bennett: He's in L.A. man. He's close to you.

Rampage: Yeah, yeah. I've got to talk to my coach and see what we are going to do. See if we can get somebody, you know, that's well rounded to train with me and bring people down sometimes to train with me too.

Bennett: Rampage, let me ask you. When do you want to fight again?

Rampage: I wanted to fight on the New Year's one but I don't think my nose will be ready. I think I've got to take some time off.

Bennett: That's what I meant. So just to heal a broken nose, how long are you out? What is the doctor telling you? How long are you going to be out for?

Rampage: Japanese doctors don't tell you nothing. That's the only doctor I've seen. They don't even tell you if you've got stitches in your head or not. They don't tell you, you've got to guess.

Bennett: Well Quinton, I appreciate it man. Like I said, a lot of fight fans wanted to know how you were and I appreciate you jumping on. We wanted to check in with you and make sure everything is going OK. Once again man, I know it's not much of a condolence so to speak, but you fought a great fight and a lot of fight fans, I'm telling you, everyone that watched that fight was truly amazed. We look forward to you coming back.

Rampage: That actually makes me feel good, y'all saying it was an exciting fight because that's my skill. That's what I like to do. I like to excite the fans. I like to move the crowd but I just don't like to get knocked out. But you know what I'm saying, I like to move the crowd. At least I did my job. That's what I get paid for right? Put on a show. They ain't going to stop this black man. It's going to take more than this to stop this black man.

Bennett: You'll be back.

Rampage: I'll be back and when I come back, I feel for whoever else I fight.

Bennett: Yeah, I don't think too many guys want to be the next guy in line. Trigg you want to take that fight?

Trigg: Of course I do.

Rampage: Like I said, I don't want to get slammed by "Twinkle Toes." What are you trying to set up man? You going to sic "Twinkle Toes" on me? I've seen him fight.

Trigg: I should be aloud to bring a stick and a chair.

Bennett: Rampage, I appreciate it man. Thank you so much and we'll talk to you soon.

Rampage: All right man. God bless y'all man.

Bennett: You too. Take care.

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By Tape Lord

Jeff "Sherdog" Sherwood and Frank "Frankiscool" Bishop.

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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SHERDOG MAKES FRANKISCOOL LOOK THIN
Did you ever think that you'd see a person associated with MMA who could make Frankiscool look thin?
- BJandCabbageFan
Hawaii

Tape Lord's reply: It seems that Jeff "Sherdog" Sherwood does indeed have a way of making anyone look thin. To Frank's credit, I've heard that he's made great strides on his Atkins Diet (no relation to Todd) program.


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SHERDOG FAT COUNT
What is Sherdog's body mass index?
- nhb critic
Calgary, Canada

Tape Lord's reply: By body mass index I'm assuming you mean body fat percentage? If so, I am no expert but I'd say Sherdog is easily carrying close to 50% body fat on that frame.


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CONCERNED ABOUT SHERDOG
Do you think Sherdog's arteries are clogged with fat and cholesterol, and do you think that Sherdog should undergo a stomach stapling procedure?
- Mark Gayda
San Francisco, CA

Tape Lord's reply: It's a shame to say, but I think it's safe to assume that Sherdog does not look like the healthiest of specimens. A stomach stapling procedure in the future might be in his best interest, but I believe he should try to diet first so that such a change wouldn't be a big shock to his system.


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ANGLE A RACIST?
Tape Lord, do you think Kurt Angle is a racist?
-Andrew Bryant
Pheonix, Arizona

Tape Lord's reply: Andrew, I don't know the answer to this, but did Kurt Angle do anything to make you think he's a racist? I have never seen him give any indication that he's a racist. If I had to guess, I'd say that he is not a racist.


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WHAT'S NEXT FOR 'RAMPAGE'?
I am curious as to what Quinton "Rampage" Jackson should do next in his career? Should he clear the division in order to get another oppurtunity to be beaten by Vanderlei? Or should Rampage think about negotiating with other organizations such as K-1, or even the UFC? Furthermore does the UFC have the intelligence to recognize the huge amount of fans a very YOUNG fighter like rampage could draw in?
- Theaxemurderer
Miami, FL

Tape Lord's reply: Theaxemurderer, I think that Rampage's career still has many options, but he is at a bit of a crossroads right now. Even if he re-dedicates himself, the fact is that he will more then likely need to clean out the PRIDE light heavyweight division again if he is ever to get another shot at Silva. But this is easier said then done when you consider that PRIDE has the deepest roster in the world and are always bringing in new top talent.

If it doesn't work out that Rampage gets another title shot, his style and talent will always see him find work in either PRIDE or K-1 in my honest opinion. I don't think he needs to resort to trying to get into the UFC unless he has absolutely no more option in the more lucrative world of Japanese MMA.

As for the UFC, no, I don't think they are smart enough to realize the marketing potential that a fighter like Rampage could have in the North American market.


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KOTC: 'Revenge'
November 14th, 2004
Soboba Casino
San Jacinto, CA

More matchups are expected to be announced later this week:


Charlie Kohler vs. Takumi
Paul Buentello vs. Bo Cantrell
Jerry Verbonivic vs. 'Kadillac' Marshbanks
'Krazy Horse' Bennett vs. TBA
Thomas Denny vs. James Fanshier
Uriah Faber vs. Eben Kaneshiro

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Dave Menne

Extreme Challenge 60
November 12, 2004
Medina Entertainment Center
Medina, MN


Dave Menne vs. Trevor Garrett
Sean Sherk vs. Lee King
Roger Huerta vs. Jake Short
Daryl Guthmiller vs. Tyrone Roberts
Mike Belker vs. Reed Wismer
Nick Moreno vs. Ron Fields
Joe Jordan vs. TBA
Randy Hauer vs. TBA
Ryan Antle vs. TBA
James Warfield vs. TBA

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SHOOTO: 'WANNA SHOOTO 2004'
November 12th, 2004
Kourakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Takeshi Yamazaki vs. Danilo Sherman
Kohei Yasumi vs. Jani Lax
Yoichi Fukumoto vs. Justin Bruckman
Daisuke 'Amazon' Sugie vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida
Ryota Matsune vs. Kentaro Imaizumi
B.J. vs. Toshimichi Akagi
Seiki Uchimura vs. Yusuke Endo
Lion Takeshi vs. Hayate Usui
Seiji Otsuka vs. Kenji Osawa
Daiji Takahashi vs. HIRO

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KOTC
November 20th, 2004
Belterra Casino
Belterra, IN


Shone Carter vs. Buddy Clinton
Don Richards vs. Travis Fulton
Gary Myers vs. Jody Poff
Stonnie Dennis vs. Jeremey Bolt
Jeff Cox vs. Shaw Huffman
Dave Stone vs. Andre Garcia
Jake Short vs. Arfael Dias
Forrest Petz vs. Ro Brower
Nick Olberding vs. Carvin Masatau
Jason Bryant vs. Mike Boyed
Josh Sourder vs. Scott Hope

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B.J. Penn

'Rumble on the Rock 6'
November 20th, 2004
Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, Hawaii


B.J. Penn vs. Rodrigo Gracie
Carter Williams vs. Tom Howard
Royler Gracie vs. Kazuyuki Miyata
Wes 'Cabbage' Correira vs. Yoshihiro Nakao
Sean O'Haire vs. Shungo Oyama
Kirk Kipapa vs. Spencer Canup
Falaniko Vitale vs. Kristoff Midoux
Wes Sims vs. Anthony Hardonk
Luciano Noguiera vs. Danny Steele
Ross Ebanez vs. Nathan Diaz
Gilbert Melendez vs. Kaynan Kaku

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SHOOTO: 'Rookie Tournament 2004 Final'
November 25th, 2004
Kitazawa Town Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Kentaro Maeda vs. Sakae Niimi
'Heat' Takeshi vs. Yusei Shimokawa
Tenkei Fujimiya vs. Sakae Kasuya
Issei Tsurumi vs. Atsushi Takeuchi
So Tazawa vs. Kouetsu Okazaki
Yu Shiori vs. Takamitsu Oba
Junji Ikoma vs. Homare Kuboyama

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TKO 18: 'Impact'
November 26th, 2004
Pierre-Charbonneau Centre
Montreal, Canada


David Loiseau vs. TBA
Donald Ouimet vs. Steve Duquette
Shane Rice vs. Stephane Vigneault
Todd Gouwenberg vs. Rob McDonald
Curtis Stout vs. Stephan Potvin
David Beneteau vs. Icho Larenas
Johnathan Goulet vs. TBA
Sam Stout vs. TBA
Ryan Diaz vs. TBA
Phillipe Lagace vs. TBA



Any 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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Pancrase: '2004 Brave Tour'
November 26th, 2004
Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan

The following matchup was officially anounced for the Pancrase show on November 26th. The final card is expected to have 8-9 matchups:


Gustavo 'Ximu' Machado vs. Keiichiro Yamamiya

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Mario Sperry

Mario Sperry recently spoke to Brazilian magazine 'Tatame', and was asked to comment on the Vanderlei Silva vs. Quinton Rampage fight that took place in PRIDE 28. Here's what Sperry had to say:


"It was a great fight. Vanderlei was winning the fight until he got knocked down. Quinton did well after that, and in my opinion he won the first round by a very slim margin. But Vanderlei's recovery between rounds was incredible. He was very well prepared and returned in the second round with much more energy then Jackson, finally finishing him off with those violent knees." -Mario Sperry

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Renato "Babalu" Sobral


Brazilian magazine 'Tatame' recently interviewed Renato 'Babalu' Sobral. here's what Babalu had to say (interview by Eduardo Ferreira):


Tatame: How do you evaluate your recent fight against Pele on the Jungle Fight card?

Babalu: Pele is a tough guy, and I think he has fought in more vale tudo fights then me. His Muay Thai is very good and he's always looking for the knockout...you always have to be alert with him. I think now with this victory, and having adapted to my team, that more opportunities will open up for me. I don't have any preference as to where I fight or who I fight, not even against people I've lost to. I will fight wherever I get paid the most. My objective is to always win, just like when I won the IFC tournament.

Tatame: You came in to the Jungle Fight matchup being very well prepared. What's your secret?

Babalu: I don't have any secret. The structure that's been built by our team sponsors is giving us the kind of conditions that lets us only think about fighting. We train wrestling with the Cuban Alejandro Morales, who is a great teacher and very efficient. We have two physiotherapists, Jaqueline Figueiredo and Bruno Mantovano, and nutritionist Ricardo Krause. I can't forget to thank Ary Brum. Any high level athlete needs to have a good structure that guarantees him the proper environment to train correctly.

Tatame: How is it that you almost went one year without fighting?

Babalu: I haven't fought since last year's IFC. I switched teams last year and that slowed me down a little. We were building up the team structure, and it turned out that not many good opportunities came my way. I think that we are now on the right path. With a strong team, and training hard with a professional system, I feel 100% confident. That's all thanks to the structure put together by Unamar, who've brought in specialists, good nutrition, and a fixed salary. Unamar took me in and I've taken to them. I have much thanks to give to everyone, from the janitor to the club president. others should follow that example and support the sport.

Tatame: Are you confirmed to fight at Cage Rage?

Babalu: Everything is arranged for me to fight. It'll be on November 27th against Cyrille Diabate. The guy is good at Muay Thai...I don't know much more about him, but I'll go in there and do my best. I'll embark for England on November 20th, and I hope to put on a great fight.

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Tsuyoshi Kohsaka

Newly crowned Pancrase super heavyweight champion Tsuyoshi Kohsaka announced that he would like to participate on one of the big three MMA shows on December 31st.

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Kondo vs. "Cyborg"

The following report on the main event fights on today's Pancrase card is courtesy of Japanese correspondent Akira S., who attended the event:


Nathan Marqaurdt defeats Kazuo Misaki by unanimous decision: This fight was for the most part boring. The only excitement came when Marquardt knocked Misaki down twice, but other then that it didn't offer much. Marquardt fought very cautiously, always waiting for Misaki to come in. Whereas Misaki was dancing around a lot, but not really looking to engage too much.

Tsuyoshi Kohsaka defeats Ron Waterman by unanimous decision: This was a very close fight. Waterman got the takedowns, but did nothing once the fight was on the ground. Kohsaka was on his back for a good portion of the fight and went for a few submissions, one time seeming to get a triangle as the round ended. Kohsaka got a nice reversal, and some decent strikes while standing that seemed to bother Waterman, but never had him in any serious danger. In reality, the fight really could have been judged a draw, but Kohsaka won the decision and the inaugural Pancrase super heavyweight belt.

Yuki Kondo defeats Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos by unanimous decision: Kondo tried to stand up with Cyborg at the beginning of the first round, but after feeling Cyborg's power (and probably remembering his brutal KO loss to Cyborg's teammate Vanderlei Silva), Kondo decided to take the fight to the ground and keep it there.

Most of the fight after that was Kondo trying to work from inside Cyborg's half guard, throwing strikes to Cyborg's head and body, and attempting a few serious submission attempts on Cyborg's arm. Most of Kondo's strikes did not seem to bother Cyborg, but a few of the bodyshots seemed to register. Cyborg defended the submissions well, but could not really get back to his feet. Kondo won the decision with a ground control strategy mixed in with some ground'n'pound and submission attempts, but it was clear to see that he wanted no part of Cyborg's standup game.

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Pancrase: 'Brave Tour 2004'
November 7th, 2004
Tokyo Bay NK Hall
Tokyo, Japan


Yuki Kondo defeats Evangelista 'Cyborg' Santos by unanimous decision.
Tsuyoshi Kohsaka defeats Ron Waterman by unanimous decision.
Nathan Marqaurdt defeats Kazuo Misaki by unanimous decision.
Sanae Kikuta defeats 'The Iceman' by ankle lock at 2:14, RD 1.
Ryuta Noji defeats Ryushi Yanagisawa by unanimous decision.
Akihiro Gono defeats Tim McKenzie by TKO at 2:53, RD 2.
Katsuya Inoue defeats Satoru Kitaoka by unanimous decision.
Hiromitsu Miura defeats Kwak Yun Seob by TKO at 0:54, RD 1.

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