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MONDAY, June 30th, 2003, AT 9:00 PM, PT
How Does An Event Police
Itself?
Beware MMA People...
Look
Who Is Trying To Walk In Your DORE!
There is a very hot
topic running around the last few weeks and it's called SAFETY! The topic has come up from the most recent
deaths in Toughman competition. A total of 14 now. One of the most recent deaths
was a 30-year-old mother of two, Stacy Young of Florida.
Young had no fight training but was encouraged on the day of the
event to step into the ring to fight a younger (20) better conditioned and
TRAINED competitor, Sarah Kobie. However, no one can blame Kobie
for her death. Kobie was there to WIN, but the referee was there to "WATCH",
and he wasn't watching out for the fighters safety. He was watching out for the
promoter Art Dore to assure he would have a "3 Round Cat
Fight" for the crowd to see.
Even when Young dropped her gloves and stumbled to her corner while members of the audience called for the bout's end, the referee never even stepped in to break the two to separate. He just stood by and watched Kobie PUMMEL Young! Kobie landed punch after punch on Young who was visibly out of shape (At 240 lbs) and spent much of the fight backed into a corner trying to defend herself as best she could. At one point, the two fighters fell to the canvas and Promoter Art Dore yelled over the PA System, "A real cat fight!"
Even though
spectators yelled frantically at the ridiculous referee Dore had placed
as the bout referee, he just stood there and watched it all without a care for
fighter safety in mind. Again, he was making sure the audience saw a beating!
And they did. By round 3, Young couldn't even hold her gloves up to
protect herself. As she walked toward her corner before the match was over, Kobie
punched her three times on the side of the head. The referee still didn't step
in as Young went down on the third punch. Young absorbed 14
unanswered punches to her head. Twice, Kobie went after Young
when Young's back was turned to her, and neither time did the referee
intervene.
Nobody knows which punch rendered Young brain dead but the last time she turned her back to Kobie, Kobie jabbed the back of her head with a left and then cocked her right fist and delivered a blow squarely on Young's brain stem, snapping Young's head from side to side. From the final blow, Young collapsed, and never got up. While Young was being fatally pummeled the ringside doctor (Hired by Dore) doctor was busy taking pictures as the event's official photographer. Young collapsed in the ring and suffered a seizure. Paramedics were on hand to treat her, but the fight doctor who was suppose to be there to protect fighters never tried to stop the match even though it was clear Young was being overwhelmed with punches and couldn't defend herself. As Kobie was punishing Young with blows, Dore is heard bellowing through the P.A. system, "C'mon ladies! Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch!" So Sarah Kobie continued to punch, even after Stacy Young turned her back and the referee gave no warning let alone put a stop to it.
Toughman competitions
have made Dore (Right) a millionaire while leaving some
participants disfigured, brain damaged or dead. Fourteen fighters (13 men, 1
woman) have died in Toughman-style amateur fighting since the sport's
inception in 1979 and at least five more have suffered brain damage. The
fatality rate is more than quadruple that of organized amateur boxing and the
sport's deadliness is directly linked to its loose rules and lack of regulation.
"There's no regulation, no strong system to see if these people are physically capable of getting in and performing in such a rough, tough, combative physical sport," said boxing trainer Emanuel Steward, whose Kronk Gym in Detroit has more boxing champs than any club in history.
So who was there to discipline the referee in Young's bout for such a TERRIBLE job? Art Dore of course. And who was there to oversee Dore? Art Dore of course. Wait a minute, "Art Dore?" How can he oversee his own events? Toughman competitor Scott Wood's was killed in January when the referee wouldn't allow him to give up. Jason Pyles of Michigan was Wood's opponent. He said Wood, who died of blunt force head trauma, indicated to the referee that he wanted to give up, but wasn't allowed to, which the referee denies. In some cases, referees are allowed to work bouts even when they don't meet the sport's minimal requirements -- described Dore only as, they have to have been "involved in so many fights in the past." In one fatal bout, the referee had worked only five fights. He has no system for hiring doctors other than recommendations from friends. In states where Toughman is not regulated, Dore appoints all ring doctors, refs, judges and cornermen. Its prefight exam tests only for blood pressure and alcohol; only those over the age of 35 need a doctor's permission to compete; fighters are responsible for their own medical expenses and must sign a waiver that frees Toughman from any liability; and there are no minimum requirements for referees or medical personnel.
"We have some major concerns" about Toughman, said Marc Ratner, the executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. "Those concerns would have surfaced had Dore followed through and applied for a license renewal in Nevada, which he was going to do this past January. But when he got wind of Nevada's opposition, Dore pulled his request and hasn't surfaced here since."
Welcome to the non sanctioned world of Art Dore, and sadly as well, 99% of all MMA events and a good majority of kickboxing events. In MMA, everyone seems to have their own sanctioning body, but they are also their own promotional company. Just like Art Dore.
Art Dore, the founder of Toughman has policed his own events for years by his own sanctioning body. His association takes in more than the IKF and ISCF combined. Dore's non-profit "American Boxing & Athletic Association" took in nearly a million dollars over the last 2 years. (That was on paper, not cash intake from merchandise, ticket sales or any other cash sales.) According to tax records, Dore's nonprofit foundation, originally named the Art Dore Boxing and Athletic Association made just less than $1 million over the past two years. The foundation incurred expenses of more than $820,000, most of it in payments to Adoreable Promotions Inc., the company Dore founded and is now in the name of his daughter, Wendy Dore.
Toughman has had a reported 14 deaths now in its organization. Dore has fighters sign a waiver beforehand. He also has them fill out an entry form that includes these words: "Wimps need not apply." He also promises that a doctor will be on hand. Some of these events have no doctor at ringside and some others have had a Chiropractor as the ringside doctor. In two of the Toughman deaths, the doctors Dore hired to monitor the fights were chiropractors. Some of the weight spreads are as much as 30 to 50 lbs.
Toughman competitions have been banned in five states. Florida also intended to ban the events in the early 1990s, but Dore has been able to continue staging Toughman competitions because of a loophole in the state law. Because Dore does not offer more than $50 in prize money in Florida, the Toughman bouts aren't considered professional boxing and aren't regulated by the state. Boxers in professional fights are required to undergo strict medical evaluations and referees undergo rigorous training before they can judge a fight.
So why this article now?
Well,
over the last week we have received a few phone calls from the likes of some
people with PPV and other TV sources and some news reporters all asking about
what a sanctioning body is for and our stance on Art Dore wanting to now
do his own MMA events (Calling it something like Frontier Fighting.).
Yes... Art Dore nopw wants to be an MMA Promoter!
Although their questions and comments were mainly in regards to Dore's MMA Promotion desires, these individuals informed us that they will be crackin down on ANY and ALL events they will show on TV and support in their press from now on. They asked tons of questions and wanted to know where we stood on them. Questions such as our (IKF & ISCF) safety record (which is 100% clean) and where we sanction events. What MMA promoters we have worked with in the past and who we are working with now, and of course, how we felt about Art Dore wanting to promote MMA now and worse yet, his desire to do so in the state of Georgia.
They wanted to know why not every MMA Promoter sanctions with the ISCF? The "ONLY" MMA Sanctioning body that does not promote their own events. Why so many MMA Promoters sanction their own events, etc. etc. Their main concern was about Art Dore though and his desires to do his new MMA Events in every state he could.
We informed them that MMA in general, despite promoters sanctioning their own events, has a far better safety record than Toughman. However if anyone in MMA allows Art Dore to get involved in our sport, that safety record will get washed down the drain. It's not enough to sanction one of Dore's events. Fighters need TRAINING! Which is something Dore will never require. No matter what safety rules are applied or enforced, if an untrained fighter goes into ANY ring (Like Young did) they take the chance of serious injury or as in Young's case, DEATH!
Those in the media and TV were clear about needing events sanctioned by a sanctioning body that was not promoting the event. But in defense of the groups that sanction their own events (UFC, King of the Cage etc.) they admitted they never thought of the issue we brought up, that sanctioning alone will not save every fighter. Training experience IS MANDATORY and cannot be bought for a $50 enrollment fee! It changed their thinking of the whole Dore issue altogether. Once thinking his events might be safe with sanctioning, we made them realize that sanctioning alone would not save unexperienced fighters who don't know how to protect themselves and fight back. However, a Qualified referee would have saved Young, or at least gave her a much better chance of survival.
The issue of Liability has come up with them and they said they do not want to be a part of an unsanctioned event that has a major injury or worse yet, a death, with no sanctioning body to stand by them to assure that all safety measures were taken. Be aware MMA Fans, Dore is now trying to not just knock, but walk in your door, to your living room and on your TV, no matter what the costs of others like Stacy Young.
For some interesting reading, CLICK HERE!
STILL NOT CONVINCED?
Operation Clean Up...
Congressman
Plays Monopoly
Written By: Boxing Insider -
04.16.2003 03:12 AM, By Charles Jay Editor/Publisher
TotalAction.com at
fightpage@totalaction.com
The following is a FREE Chapter from Charles Jay's award winning series Operation Clean Up.
55th Round CONGRESSMAN PLAYS A DANGEROUS GAME OF MONOPOLY
A
bill introduced in Congress last year illustrates how truly gullible public
officials can be. Or how treacherous. Especially with a promoter pulling the
strings.
Posted April 15, 2003
Years
ago, when I was doing a little matchmaking, both on the pro and amateur level,
in the Tampa Bay area, I was trying to put a certain aspiring heavyweight on one
of my Friday night amateur cards, but was rebuffed by some officials of the ABF
(now known as USA Boxing), who told me he was ineligible, because not only had
he competed in a "Badman" contest (a knock-off of Toughman) a couple
of weeks before that, but he had actually won the first prize - a check in the
amount of $1000.
According to those officials, by just competing in that event, he forfeited his amateur status. I was at the "Badman" show, so I saw the guy fight. But I really didn't know about the rule, since the competition was billed as something that was essentially "amateur" in nature. So I put the kid into a pro show the next week. He wanted to be a fighter, so if he wanted to do so he had no real choice. He got knocked out, and that was basically the end of his career.
The point is, these "toughman" contests - or any variation thereof - exist in this nether land between professional and amateur boxing. As far as some commissions are concerned, they are not professional contests and therefore don't fall under the same laws and/or regulations as professional fights would, and the bouts obviously don't go on anyone's professional record. For anyone but the winner of most of these events, there is no financial reward. But the amateur governing body - USA Boxing - doesn't want to come anywhere near it, beyond the extent to which it bans Toughman competitors from ever competing in amateur boxing - that is, if they find out about it.
On June 13, 2002, a Michigan congressman proposed something he promoted as a solution to this dilemma. Rep. James Barcia, a Democrat, introduced H.R. 4929, which would "recognize the American Boxing and Athletic Commission as the official sanctioning body for amateur elimination boxing contests." This would have established the ABAA as the entity setting and enforcing standards for these types of events across the country. And I would assume that no one would be permitted to go forward with an "amateur elimination contest" without ABAA sanction and approval.
For now, let's get away from semantics. Let's forget about the proposition that someone from this ABAA might walk into a courtroom, maybe even in the state of Michigan, and try to enjoin an event like the National Golden Gloves or the Olympic Trials because it could be argued that these too could be considered to be "amateur elimination boxing contests." For now, I'd rather focus on just exactly what the "American Boxing and Athletic Association" really is. In a letter sent to Barcia on October 16, 2002, Tim Lueckenhoff, president of the Association of Boxing Commissions, wrote, "As they are private entities, there may be more than one legitimate sanctioning body for such sports. To bless one with the designation of 'official' will unfairly give preferential treatment to a non-governmental organization over others in the marketplace, regardless of their proficiency or standards."
It's actually much worse than that. In fact, it's worse than
any sanctioning body one can imagine, because it's clearly set up as a promotional
tool, designed to support one organization and one organization only - The
Original Toughman Contest - to the exclusion of all others.
There's a good explanation for that. You
see, the "ABAA" is Art Dore. And Art Dore IS
the "ABAA".
The Amateur Boxing and Athletic Association is 501-C(3) non-profit corporation that is on file in the state of Michigan. The registered agent for the company is Arthur P. Dore. Dore, and Murray Sutherland, the former super middleweight champion who is one of his employees, are listed as officers on the Form 990 of this corporation, which was previously known as the "Art Dore Boxing and Athletic Association". The address is a post office box in Bay City, Michigan. James Barcia, the representative who introduced this bill, is from Bay City as well. And in case you're a little slow, what this means is that - unbelievable as it may seem - an elected public official actually engaged in a pro-active attempt to create a legal monopoly for one of his constituents - no doubt a constituent who arranged some "campaign financing" somewhere along the way. If this bill had gotten through the House Science and Commerce Committee and eventually passed, Dore could have effectively knocked out all opposition - not to mention all of his competition - in what would have been one of the all-time great end runs around any form of independent boxing regulation.
Thank God it never got that far. Mercifully, for the sport of boxing, Congressman Barcia became a victim of redistricting and re-apportionment. The 2000 U.S. Census eliminated one of Michigan's seats in the House of Representatives for 2002, and Barcia was the casualty. So instead of working for the benefit of Art Dore in Washington, he now must do so from the Michigan State Senate, which he was elected to last year. But this should serve as a cautionary tale for anyone who contends that the solution to ANY of boxing's ills is to get a bunch of Washington politicians involved, because we have before us a textbook example of the potential disaster that can result. Barcia's office won't clarify it, but what we're presented with is one of two possible scenarios - either it was a case of a politician who was completely clueless as to the ramifications of legislation he was actually introducing, or a politician who was perfectly aware of the potential effects, and consciously proposed that kind of bill anyway, in the name of the public interest, with hidden motives we can only speculate on. Either way, it sucks.
Likewise, either way, because this was his "brainchild", there's very little doubt as to where Art Dore's head is at, in terms of his long-term objectives. And that's a very dangerous place, even by the standards of professional OR amateur boxing.
WEDNESDAY, June 25th, 2003, AT 1:25 PM, PT
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St. Louis Is Ready To
Showcase Talent
IKF/ISCF St. Louis,
Missouri: This Saturday Lucky's on the
Landing isn't going to be just another Saturday night out in St.
Louis. Most of the time you would see drinks being poured, people dancing, and
the best nationwide DJ's spinning records, but not this time. On this Saturday
Lucky's on the Landing, is being
transformed once again from the hottest night club to an arena for the hottest
ticket in town, the event...The Midwest Fight Fest. A combination of
IKF
sanctioned Full-Contact Rules Kickboxing and
ISCF sanctioned MMA/HNB fights.
The event will showcase fighters from Canada, Iowa, Oklahoma, Michigan, and Missouri. Once again showing the St. Louis fans why some of the best fighters in the United States come from the Midwest and some of the best fighters in North America come from our neighbor country up north. The fights will showcase many fighters that will be completing in this years 2003 IKF/TKO USA Nationals.
The night will also be filled with plenty of action including a special exhibition fight and two fighters making their returns to the ring after some time off. In the main event Kevin "Boom Boom" Bozada is making his return to the ring after a short retirement. After leaving the kickboxing fight scene to become one of the head trainers of Finney's Championship Kickboxing and Martial Arts, one would think that he would want to come back slowly. Instead he is jumping back into the ring against Ken Keiser out of Windsor, Ontario Canada.
The other fighter
stepping back into the ring is no other than Marc "The Hammer"
Mayfield. Mayfield has taken the last 8 months off after a injury that he
received sparring. Now back in the gym and working hard, he will be coming out
looking for a win. Standing in his way is Dwight Lee, out of Detroit,
Michigan.
There will be three ISCF sanctioned fights on the card. The first will "Mean" Mike Green, from St. Louis, Missouri up against Jaime Dawson, from St. Joseph, Oklahoma. Green has started to put together a good record since starting at Finney's. Green came to Finney's. to work on his stand up and has won some fights in FCR.
The second ISCF NHB/MMA will be between Kyle Hancock, of St. Louis, Missouri and Manual Salato, of St. Joseph, Oklahoma. Hancock has been training at Finney's. for 6 months and has started to put together his stand up and ground techniques.
The Last ISCF fight will be worth the price of the ticket. Up and coming "Brazilian" Mike Rothmeyer, of St. Louis, Missouri has started to make a name for himself in NHB. Now going into his third fight, he has shown that he has the power to stand up and also the patience to work from the guard. His opponent is Marty Daul out of Fort Wood, Ohio.
Kevin "The
Hitman" Engel... What more is there to say? No one will step into
the ring with him. That is why he will be doing a Special exhibition with Ray
Dardon. Dardon is the current KICK North American Pro Light Heavyweight
Champion.
Rounding out the fight card, will be a team from Waterloo,
Iowa. Russ O'Connell will be bring three of his fighters down to fight
three of Jesse Finney's fighters. The first one will be Josh Fisher,
from St. Louis, Missouri against Matt Bedard, from Waterloo, Iowa. Both
these fighters are starting there kickboxing careers.
The second will be two
fighters that are no strangers to the ring. Finney's
Dylon Leonard will be facing John Hoppes. Leonard has improved
dramatically since starting over a year ago. Hoppes has started to
diverse in his fighting styles, not only NHB/MMA but also in the FCR style.
The last of the three fights will be a rematch. "Little" Matt Taff, from St. Louis, Missouri and Nick Anderson, from Waterloo, Iowa. These fighters have fought before with Taff winning by decision. One thing is for sure, we will see both of these fighters in Cedar Rapids in August at the 2003 IKF/TKO USA Nationals.
For additional fight and ticket information call (314) 351-5226. Or email: finneys@finneyskickboxing.com.
MORE NEWS OF 6-25-03
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Cowtown Rumble
Results!
Overland Park, Kansas, USA, June 21st
Cowtown
Fight Promotions, Inc. headed up by
IKF
& ISCF Promoters Mr. Dan Tharp
and
Mr. Oren Gautreaux, presented the third installment of 'Cowtown Rumble'. Riding on the wave of two
previous sold out shows the decision was made to find a larger venue that would
allow for more seating and better show production. The Overland Park
International Trade Center fit the bill.
Mr. Tharp says of the move, "We thought it was
a good thing to invest in making the show bigger and better so more people could
recognize these sports and become fans of them. We did radio
interviews, flyer
distribution and some other marketing things. It was obvious that a lot of new
people were introduced to these sports at our show. With about 1100 people at
the show, the word is sure to spread. We also have received a lot of publicity
through our Hooters sponsorship. They've been great to us and we look forward to
working together in the future."
On to the Fights
After
a card is considered 'confirmed', then the fun begins. This card experienced
numerous pull outs and injuries that would make even the most experienced
promoter grimace. But in the end, the fights proved to be highly competitive and
entertaining.
IKF
Amateur MuayThai Rules Kickboxing: Josh Edmonds vs. Sky Morris.
ISCF MMA: This first fight in a triple
main event matched Rob Kimmons of AJJ against Aaron Bollig of
Victory Sports fight team against each other.
Bollig stands 5'5" and 195 of solid muscle. Kimmons 5' 9",
193. This fight was fast and furious. It wasn't the first day on the job for
either of them. After a flurry of punches and clinching , Kimmons
discovered the Knee and put one to Bolligs face. Stunning Bollig,
he continued the assault, mounting Bollig and the ref stopped the fight
after
Bollig was not defending. The crowd roared in approval. Winner Kimmons,
now 3-0.
IKF Pro
Full Contact Rules Kickboxing:For more info please contact Mr. Oren Gautreaux at (816) 229-6611 or e-mail at Owen@cowtownrumble.com or contact Mr. Dan Tharp at Dan@cowtownrumble.com for event PICTURES, go to their website at www.CowtownRumble.com and click "PAST EVENTS"
TUESDAY, June 24th, 2003, AT 2:30 PM, PT
It's Terrible
Tuesday
So we thought we would get the negative items out of the way
today.
More To Come Later.
STOP THE PRESS!
Ultimate Athlete Magazine
Goes
Under
ISCF News Source: It was by far
the best magazine for Mixed Martial Arts and one of if not the best out there
for kickboxing news as well, considering there are no magazines for kickboxing.
However financial troubles and other issues
have
brought an end to a great publication. As the saying goes, "You don't
know what you had until it's gone." Well everyone, Ultimate Athlete
Magazine is GONE! But this was no surprise to us as you will read below.
Back in late February early March we had announced that the
IKF/ISCF was teaming up with Ultimate
Athlete Magazine (UA) to bring more media attention to kickboxing.
There's a reason you didn't hear much more about this and today is the time to
tell you about it. As many know, in mid January of this year we announced we
were starting our own IKF Kickboxing Magazine.
However on January 28th, we were presented with another opportunity that we
thought would better fulfil our needs and the needs of the sport of kickboxing.
This opportunity presented itself when Mr. John Pack took over All
Operations at UA in January of this year. Pack sent an e-mail to us that
stated, "As of Monday I have assumed the position of Editor as well as
Publisher. I would like to discuss a long-term
relationship between IKF & ISCF, I
would especially like to put together a joint marketing agreement for 2003. This
year I plan to step up the Kickboxing coverage in a big way and very much like
to see how we can work together."
From Pack's e-mail we made the decision to hold off on publishing our magazine, mainly due to the promised distribution numbers UA had given us. To us, these numbers meant great exposure for not just the IKF & ISCF but for our promoters, fighters and trainers as well. UA had made announced that ALL the 7-11 stores would carry the UA Magazine which promised a distribution of 82,000 + per month. We don't know about anyone else but we never saw UA in any 7-11 stores we visited. They also wanted us to be a part of their newsletter that claimed to be 12,000 per week and a website that boasted 150,000 unique visitors per month, yet never ranked on Alexa.com below 250,000. (These numbers are like Golf, the lower the number the more traffic the site receives. For more info, Click HERE.)
Since UA had offered to cover IKF Kickboxing and ISCF MMA we thought it better for everyone and the sport to hold off with yet another magazine that may compete with UA. This is why you have not heard much about the IKF Kickboxing Magazine in the last few months.
On February 7th, Pack sent an e-mail to the IKF/ISCF that stated, "Let's get started. I want to expand my coverage of kickboxing online, in print and on video. I would like to structure an agreement between us that will allow me to market the hell out of you with massive coverage and lots of free advertising. I want to position my company as THE AP/ESPN of combat sports and want to do it through relationships. However to reach my goals I need to work very closely with you."
His enthusiasm continued when he sent another e-mail on
February 18th where he said, "As a marketing partner with us, we'll
provide you and
your tournaments pre
and post coverage as well as free advertising." However after we had
already made an agreement and UA was placing
IKF
Ranking into the May UA issue, we received an e-mail from Pack on April
1st, announcing his resignation from UA. Of course we thought it was an April
fools joke, but not so. In a conversation with him he stated how much financial
trouble the magazine was in and doubted it would last more than 3 more months.
Pack moved on to a better opportunity with his new venture,
www.badbreed.tv.
After Pack left, we re-contacted the new Editor at UA, Dave Davies. Davies countered everything Pack said and assured us UA was in strong financial shape. He stated it would be better than ever and would continue. However Davies was not willing to fulfill the publication promises made to us by Pack. In fact, his reply to us was rather rude in a response e-mail to our agreement on April 17th which stated; "These promises of prostituting the magazine for ones benefit is not what the publication is about. We accept a lot of material that never reaches print. The content submitted is a group effort. This is the way it has to stay! No preferential treatment! We will be happy to accept your submissions, but that's as far as it will go."
From this e-mail we threw in our hat and to say the least, we were a bit offended by it. We had carried the UA link on both the IKF & ISCF front pages since January and all we got back was the IKF Rankings listed in UA one time, in the May issue. Well, good thing we didn't bet Pack on his claims that UA would only last 3 months at the most. Ultimate Athlete Magazine is GONE, and Pack is busy collecting on all those bets he made.
Now that you know what all happened we can assure you that we will re-focused back to our IKF Kickboxing Magazine in hopes to bring you "PRINT" media coverage of our sport and those who are in it. It may have been delayed but the wait will be worth it, and as well, you now have the full reason why there was a delay at all. Look for the new IKF Kickboxing Magazine at this years IKF USA National Amateur tournament in August.
MORE ABOUT Ultimate Athlete
Phone dead, doors
locked, lights out.
May 30th 2003.
RIP
Press From www.badbreed.tv: After 20 months of trying Ultimate Athlete magazine finally succumbs to chasing the rainbow. During the last six months, Ultimate Athlete had made many staffing changes in an effort to saving the drowning magazine all attempts failed. Ultimate Athlete magazine made a great attempt at reaching a broader market by offering the athletic side to combat sports in addition to the event coverage. At least this was the initial plan when John Pack published the first edition in October of 2001.
Beginning in April 2002 the magazine began to feel financial pressure from investors, experience internal bickering between editorial staff and investors and by February 2003 it had all come to a head. The first change was letting go of Editor Clyde Gentry and having publisher John Pack take over the additional responsibility. Then by April 28th with the mounting tension building over video rights, financial threats and pure frustration John Pack quits.
With the only remaining principals of Ultimate Athlete being former Sales Manager Dave Davis and the initial two investors: it was only a matter of time. By the last week in May, the money had dried up and all attempts had failed it was time. A true loss to the sport and will be remembered and missed. Phone dead, doors locked, lights out. May 30th 2003. RIP.
NOTE: the writer called UA's Phone number at
MORE NEWS OF 6-24-03
Fairtex
Deals With
Legal Issues
Press Release
Bangkok, Thailand
NOTICE: FAIRTEX is a trademark of
Fairtex Equipment Company, Ltd. ("Fairtex Thailand"), a Thai
company with exclusive rights to the FAIRTEX tradename and trademarks in the
U.S. Fairtex Thailand owns both the FAIRTEX and TRAIN LIKE A THAI. FIGHT
LIKE A THAI marks, which are protected under U.S. common law, with federal
trademark applications pending. The FAIRTEX brand was established for garments
in the late 1950s in Thailand by the
Busarakamwongs family. Under the direction of Mr. Bunjong
Busarakamwongs, also known as
Mr. Philip Wong, the FAIRTEX brand was expanded to Muay Thai and boxing
training and related apparel and gear. Fairtex Thailand began operating Muay
Thai training camps in Thailand in 1975 under the FAIRTEX name and brought the
training camps to the United States in 1993.
You may have heard or read about offers to license the FAIRTEX mark for training in gyms, camps, cruise ships, and seminars in the United States. These licensing activities are NOT authorized by Fairtex Thailand. Further, trainer certifications issued and/or licenses granted by individuals or entities other than Fairtex Thailand are NOT recognized by Fairtex Thailand and infringe Fairtex Thailand's rights. If you have heard of any such unauthorized licensing activities or trainer certification, or if anyone claiming to be "Fairtex" has approached you with a licensing or training certification opportunity, please contact Mr. Anthony Lin IMMEDIATELY by fax or e-mail at Fairtex Equipment Company, Ltd. Anthony Lin President & CEO Fairtex Equipment Company, Ltd. Fairtex Worldwide Headquarters, Thailand 99/5 Moo 3, Soi Boonthamanusorn, Theparak Road Banplee, Samutprakarn 10540 THAILAND Web: www.fairtexbkk.com Fax: +662 385-5403 (Thailand number) E-Mail: anthony@fairtexbkk.com TRAIN LIKE A THAI. FIGHT LIKE A THAI. FAIRTEX®
MONDAY, June 23rd, 2003, AT 1:15 PM, PST
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IKF
Blasting On Message Board
Is JUSTIFIED!
Steve Fossum, IKF &
ISCF World
President
IKF/ISCF Headquarters: Today we had a look at
the
Kickboxing Message Board and found the issue of
pro's vs amateurs being brought to the
attention of the
IKF.
The issue was directed to this last weekends
IKF/
TKO South East Regional where we (IKF)
allowed Pro MMA/NHB fighter but amateur kickboxer
George Allen (Right) fight amateur
kickboxer Yahoshua Yahudah.
Allen is not ranked as a pro fighter in the
ISCF Pro
rankings but has fought several Pro MMA/NHB bouts. In fact, he's not ranked
at all in the ISCF
Rankings. Amateur or Pro. Allen and
Yahudah along with Chris Sasek had already won their registered
divisions by walkover since they had no competition in them.
Since all three fighters wanted to fight still, we matched them up in a special 3 person fight bracket which included Allen and Yahudah fighting first and the winner would advance to fight Chris Sasek in the night show. All fighters knew who each other were (Including Allen's MMA status and experience) and all 3 agreed to the special bracket. In the first bout, Allen defeated Yahudah by a Head Kick KO at 1:47 of round 1. From what our sources told us, Allen's KO was so disturbing to fighter Chris Sasek (As it would be to anyone) that it made him decide he didn't want to fight Allen at the night event. He never told any of the officials or the promoter this, he simple didn't show up for the night event.
Now "AFTER" the event, we (IKF) are being attacked and questioned on the Kickboxing Message Board for allowing a "PRO" MMA/NHB fighter fight in our IKF Amateur Kickboxing Regional Tournament. To begin with, we would like to admit that we feel the questions and concerns here are JUSTIFIED! However, we feel it is important to inform those concerned here of the full history of this issue in hopes we can come to a final decision and conclusion on the ruling of this for future events.
We too questioned the status and acceptance of pro MMA/NHB fighters fighting as amateur kickboxers over 2 years ago. Our first stance on this was as many have suggested on the Kickboxing Message Board recently, "To NOT allow Pro MMA/NHB fighters to fight as amateur kickboxers." However, when we made the stance, we were attacked from other fronts from MMA/NHB fighters, trainers and promoters in California, Nevada, Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee and other parts of the USA. These attacks brought focus to the beginning fighters in MMA that had not had a lot of amateur experience but were now considered pro mma fighters since they were getting paid to fight. Many of these fighters argued that MMA and Kickboxing were different sports. Their stance was mma had more ground fighting than kickboxing which made it more of a wrestling style of fighting. Their argument was to take the focus off the stand-up portion of the fight and focus on the so called "Ground and Pound" style of fighting they referred to as MMA/NHB.
The discussion and resolve on this issue took several months. During this time we had contacted several state athletic commissions to hear their stance on this. Of the ones we contacted, all of them took the side of the MMA/NHB argument, that the two sports were so different that they didn't care if a fighter had fought pro MMA/NHB, as long as the fighter had never fought in what they determined at the time as the "Big MMA" events which were UFC and Pride. With this knowledge, we finally agreed to a compromise, which was what the athletic commissions agreed to. That as long as the fighters had not fought in the major MMA/NHB events (UFC or Pride) we would allow them to fight as an amateur kickboxer.
As we know, MMA/NHB has grown and progressed greatly over the last year alone. Top fighters are now fighting in "OTHER" big events (Such as Allen in an event called "King of the Cage") and may never get to fight for UFC. Because of this, we are re-opening the case here and we can say at first glance, "This will be changed" and "PRO (PAID) MMA/NHB fighters "Will no longer be allowed to fight as an amateur kickboxer in the IKF."
Although we (IKF) will be the first to stand up to this rule and make this change, we can only hope that other kickboxing sanctioning bodies and their promoters will do the same. For example, over the past few weeks we know of several "PRO" MMA/NHB fighters that have fought as an amateur kickboxer on other sanctioning bodies events but they did not receive the attention this bout did due to the Kickboxing Message Board. It will be up to you, the peers as well as fans in our sport to, as one would say, "Blow the whistle" when you see this being tried again. Feel free to do so on the Kickboxing Message Board or the MMA Message board. This is what these boards are for. So YOU can have a voice in our sports.
More Importantly, we
would like to add that we STRONGLY APPRECIATE and THANK those who posted
their opinions (No matter how abusive towards the IKF
they were written, we know how emotions can get heated on the board) about
this on the Kickboxing Message Board board. NO ONE, including
the IKF
is above the law here and we as a sanctioning body for both kickboxing as well
as our
ISCF
organization for MMA/NHB must LISTEN to our peers. When the complaint is
justified, as we strongly feel this one was, we must stand up for everyone and
make required changes in our sports for the better and move forward in a
positive way for everyone.
Those of you who spoke up were "RIGHT!" What
may have been allowed in the past now needs to be regulated and watched more
closely in the future. The sport of MMA is growing rapidly and changes in
regulations such as this one will not be the last one. As in this case, there
will be times that individuals like those who posted on the
Kickboxing Message Board will be the voice of many.
Some of you feel they are wrong in attacking us, however, we feel they were
RIGHT, and we thank you for standing up and making a stand for what you feel is
right!
Sincerely,
Steve Fossum
IKF &
ISCF World President
PS ADDITION: Now comes another question and another
issue of discussion as well as possible argument we must determine. The fighter
in question here, George Allen (Who is innocent in his actions here)
entered the IKF
Tournament system under the impression that his status in this event was
allowed. He registered to fight in the South East Regional event and has said he
would like to now come to Iowa to fight for the
IKF
National Title. With the discussion now of this new regulation, what should Allen's
status be? Should he be allowed to fight in the
IKF
National Championship Tournament in August or not? Please voice your opinion on
the Kickboxing Message Board.
Thank you.
MORE NEWS OF 6-23-03
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Wiezorek
Storms In Feature Bout At
IKF/TKO
South East Regional In Georgia
IKF/ISCF Valdosta, Georgia, USA:
Although this event didn't get on live internet radio tonight, when we tell you
why you will be more worried about our internet radio man Johnny Walls.
We were informed yesterday
that Walls was
the victim of some flooding around his hometown that caused a retaining wall in
his back yard to slide into the rear of his house. Lucky for Walls him
and his family were unharmed but of course shaken up since a lot of his back
yard is in his kitchen. We hope he has a quick recovery of the damage.
Speaking of Damage there was plenty of damage at the IKF/TKO South East Regional in Valdosta Georgia today hosted by IKF Promoter James Corbett which came in many forms. Some of the damage came in forms of kicks, punches and KO's. However sadly enough, some damage was done with some fighters who no showed as well as others who pulled out of fights just before they were ready to happen, leaving others without a chance to "Walk the Walk" in the ring! This was a 2 part event that finished with a "Standing room only" night time event. Here's a quick rundown below of the fight brackets and the results for all you eager to be informed fight fans.
FCR,
Cruiserweight, Prelim Bout 1: Brad Abel defeated Lonnie Bowen by
unanimous decision, 29-28 on all 3 judges cards. Abel advances to night
final.
NIGHTTIME
IKF
KICKBOXING FINALS
There were several "Walkover" Champions who had no bout as well. They include Jessica Botha, Jason Barrett, Bobbie Brown, Avigail Yahudah, Rachelle Hart, Nathan McCall, Nicholas Finney, William Phillips, Damien Frost, Dallas Crowe, Justin Pickett, Jason Kuhn, John Greubel, Andre Camarena, Reginald Kitchen, Mark Adams, William White, Joe Laughlin, Bert Chandler, Jarel Bowman, Philip Petersen and Michael Bengochea.
Other fighters who had scheduled bouts but were unable to attend due to various reasons were Billie Jo Grieswich, Dennis Waters, Scott Ward, John Ganner and Jin Kim. In all there were a total of 66 amateur kickboxers that registered to "Walk The Walk" at the IKF/TKO South East Regional.
ISCF MMA/NHB RESULTS
The event also featured some ISCF MMA Bouts. Here are those results below.
ISCF
Lightweight: Joe Laughlin defeated Kenneth Graham by TKO/Strikes at
1:56 of round 1.We would like to thank all the volunteers who helped make this event a great success. Without such TEAMWORK, these events would not be possible. GREAT JOB "South East TEAM!" For more information on this event, go to www.valdostamac.com/newregional.html or e-mail South East Regional Director, Mr. James Corbett at sensei@valdostamac.com or call (229) 245-8622.
WEDNESDAY, June 18th, 2003, AT 11:20 PM, PST
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"COWTOWN RUMBLE"
In Overland Park, Kansas, USA!
IKF/ISCF Kansas, USA: This Saturday night
IKF
and ISCF Promoters Mr. Oren Gautreaux
and
Mr. Dan Tharp will host "COWTOWN RUMBLE" at the Overland Park
International Trade Center in Overland Park, Kansas, USA. Although there are no
title bouts scheduled for the event there is sure to be plenty of
IKF
Kickboxing and
ISCF Mixed Martial arts Action. Here's the
nights scheduled fight card:
Chris Jacobson vs.
Mark DonahueFor more info please contact Mr. Oren Gautreaux at
(816) 229-6611 or e-mail at Owen@cowtownrumble.com
or contact Mr. Dan Tharp at
Dan@cowtownrumble.com
or go to their website at
www.CowtownRumble.com
Cowtown Fight
Promotions, Inc. was formed in 2002 by Dan Tharp and Oren
Gautreaux. CFP, Inc. is the Midwests newest fight promotion that showcases a
truly mixed martial arts show. Kickboxing, Muay Thai, and Extreme Fighting are
the centerpieces of each show. CFP has also set a new standard for event
professionalism and style. Each event is held in a clean, respectable venue and
a safe, friendly atmosphere. Thru the help of our sponsors and fans CFP desires
to constantly improve the quality of show and the level of the Combat Sports
showcased.
TUESDAY, June 17th, 2003, AT 11:45 AM, PST
Mother
Killed in Toughman
Fight
Should Toughman's New Slogan Be
"Are
You Tough Enough to DIE?"
Sarasota, Florida, USA: A 30-year-old Bradenton woman was left brain dead and died early this morning after being pummeled in her first amateur boxing competition Saturday at Robarts Arena. Stacy Young, (Far right with her husband, Chuck Young, and daughters Chantelle, top, and Cassie.) who entered the Toughman Competition thinking it would be fun, died at Bayfront Medical Center, according to family members. For full story CLICK HERE!
Police investigate woman's
death in Toughman
fight
The Criminal Investigations Division opened an
investigation of "suspicion" to determine if the death is criminal.
The Toughman
contests allow unskilled boxers the opportunity to compete for a trophy or a
satin jacket and advance to world championship competitions in different weight
classes. For story,
CLICK HERE!
Police Probe
Toughman
Contest That Left Woman On Life Support:
www.sun-sentinel.com:
Police opened an investigation Tuesday into a
Toughman
contest that left a
30-year-old woman on life support after she was pummeled in the amateur boxing
competition. For full story,
CLICK HERE!
See what others are saying about this at mma.tv, CLICK HERE!
Some quotes from individuals at
mma.tv:
"My brother in law was front row at the event.
He said he was amazed at how many people came out of the audience to fight."
"I
take it this was not a sanctioned event? Crazy how they force MMA fighters to go
through a barrage of medicals and paperwork to get licensed in Florida, yet
Toughman
can just pluck people out of the crowd when they don't have enough people to
fight."
"The Toughman formula has long been to match up known
ringers against untrained suckos in order to give the crowd what they
want.......a total ass beating."
"As sad as this is, FL
needs to really look at MMA's safety record and that of
Toughman."
Was the State of Florida
in the wrong?
One individual posted on mma.tv: "I
thought that Toughman was outlawed in Florida. According to
Florida Statute: 548.008 Toughman and badman competition prohibited.-- (1) No
professional or amateur toughman or badman match, as described in this section,
may be held in this state. Such competition includes any contest or
exhibition where participants compete by using a combination of skills. Such
skills may include, but are not limited to, boxing, wrestling, kicking, or
martial arts skills. Notwithstanding the above, this section shall not
preclude kickboxing or mixed martial arts as regulated by this chapter. (2) Any
person participating in or promoting a professional or amateur toughman or
badman match is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as
provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. History.--ss. 4, 18, ch. 88-365; s. 135,
ch. 91-224; s. 4, ch. 91-429; s. 118, ch. 99-251.
But someone pointed out:
"Such competition includes any
contest or exhibition where participants compete by using a combination of
skills. Such skills may include, but are not limited to, boxing, wrestling,
kicking, or martial arts skills." That bans
Toughman
contests that mix punching and kicking, or punching and wrestling.
Toughman
contests that follow boxing rules and use headgear are legal.
So who is Responsible?
Someone added: "mixed feelings here, but she chose to get in the ring,
shes an adult, as long as the reffing was competant I dont think
Toughman
is responsible."
and someone else added: "She was really,
really stupid and irresponsible to fight. I am not saying that she deserved to
die, but she was stoopid to do it."
ISCF Addition: A few weeks back, an associates out of Michigan sent us some very interesting facts about Toughman. A was 4 full pages all about Toughman and their organization. Toughman founder Art Dore's non-profit; "American Boxing & Athletic Association" took in nearly a million dollars over the last 2 years. (That was on paper, not cash intake from merchandise or any other cash sales) The article pointed out that at that time, Toughman has had a reported 12 deaths in its organization, make it 13 now. Some of these events have no doctor at ringside and some others have had a Chiropractor as the ringside doctor. Some of the weight spreads are as much as 30 to 50 lbs. In the article it told of a female fighter named Kelli Hochmuht who weighed 145 lbs who had to fight a girl who was 199 lbs in an Idaho Toughman contest. NONE of the Toughman officials are required to be trained by certified officials unless the state oversees their events. Where does this happen? In only 2 of the 50 states, Ohio and California.
MORE NEWS OF 6-17-03
IKF South East Regional
To Be Broadcast on Internet
June 21st!
Live Audio with Video to Follow!!
IKF Kickboxing and some
ISCF
MMA action will be broadcast via Internet radio for this coming Saturday, June
21st. Fight fans will be able to "tune-in" to the
IKF
South East Regional via the World Wide Web. This broadcast will be courtesy
of Mr. Johnny Walls, proprietor of the
Aggressiontv.com website.
As soon as possible after the live audio broadcast, Walls will broadcast a video feed of the evening finals. For the first time ever, IKF and ISCF fans will be able to watch free video via the Internet of some of their favorite fighters. This broadcast will include selected finals of the IKF South East Regional Kickboxing Tournament and the ISCF U.S. Super Heavyweight Champion, Jonathan Wiezorek in the main event.
Walls is a Internet broadcast pioneer whose credits
include BloodyKnuckles.com
and RealityHosting.com
. In 1999, Walls
launched
AggressionTV.com
and began streaming entire Martial Arts Events over the Internet such as HOOKnSHOOT
and SuperBrawl. A year later he launched
AggressionRadio.com and began
attending events live and streaming the live audio play by play over the
Internet for fans to listen in. His broadcasts of the 2002 IKF South East Regional and the
2002 IKF National Tournament exceeded all previous
records for listeners.
IKF South East Regional Promoter,
James
Corbett
(Right)
says, "Again, I am both humbled and excited about Johnny's
support of our event. We need IKF and ISCF
Fans to make this broadcast break all records for Johnny."
Steve Fossum, IKF & ISCF
World President, says regarding AggressionTV.com and the South East Regional, "As
we said last year about the Internet broadcast of the event, this is another one
of many great things for the sport of kickboxing and MMA through the
IKF
& ISCF World Team. We are meeting a
stated goal this year by having internet video to compliment our upcoming Cable
TV Programming.
Johnny and James are adding another aspect to
IKF
Kickboxing and ISCF MMA and it's a
Knockout!"
The friends and families of the
IKF
South East Regional competitors from Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North
Carolina, Eastern Tennessee, and parts of Alabama, as well as
IKF
Kickboxing & ISCF Fans WORLDWIDE, who
are not able to attend the event in Valdosta this coming Saturday, June 21st,
will be able to tune in on
AggressionTV.com.
ISCF Mixed Martial Arts and
IKF
Kickboxing fans who regularly follow
AggressionRadio.com
will again be able to hear IKF Kickboxing & ISCF
MMA and still enjoy listening in on some mixed martial arts action. The audio
show should begin broadcast about 8:00 AM, EST. Updates regarding the broadcast
will be posted to IKF and the Valdosta Martial Arts Center
website at www.valdostamac.com
MONDAY, June 9th, 2003, AT 4:30 PM, PST
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THE $20,000 Challenge!
AGAIN: Keep In Mind, We as the
ISCF are simply allowing these two to air out this
challenge here on the News Page. Neither of these posts by either camp reflect
our opinions of either camp.
June 10, 2003, Posted By LA Boxing, Atlanta Georgia:
After weeks of anticipation by fans and potential opponents, ISCF Champion, and BJJ Brown Belt, Steve Headden
(Right) is Ready to Make his official reply to the challenge made by
Jacare'
(Romero "Jacare´" Cavalcanti) on his Student Ryan's
behalf. The answer is, "Of course I will fight him, Id fight him
tonight." Steve and LA Boxing are making a request to the ISCF to allow Ryan to fight as a pro and let
some of his BJJ experience count as
amateur MMA. Furthermore LA
Boxing Sponsors and Boosters would Like to ask
Jacare'
(Left) and his very vocal, very anonymous supporters to put their money
where their mouth is.
LA Boxing has arranged to deposit $10,000 in an account managed by Fight Party Promotion President Brett Moses, to go toward a "Winner Take All Purse." Since Ryan made the challenge he will have to fight up to Steve's weight class which tops out at 185, We at La Boxing challenge Jacare' to match it and bring the purse to $20,000, the largest purse for a single bout in Georgia's MMA history! Welcome to the Pro's Ryan!
Hopefully Jacare' and his team will be able to raise the money to make this fight happen on the August 2nd fight card, Its good for the fighters and good for the sport, "I can't wait to see it happen," says LA Boxing President Chris Stolzman.
So there's the answer everyone's been waiting for, step up and take the challenge Jacare'. Please don't come back with any weak remarks about how we are trying to buy our way out of this challenge. We are just trying to make a contribution to the sport. Either step up and take it, or quite down and get some experience, work your way up like everyone else, remember cutting in line costs money. Ryan, you can always fight Steve for free, call him to schedule an appointment, Make no mistake Steve is not dodging you, call him at (404) 918-0454.
Steve says "I regret that this whole situation occurred, After being on vacation for a week I came home to find that Jacare' had challenged me. I never expected this since Jacare' and I had an agreement that I wouldn't fight his guys when I left Alliance. Jacare' asked my business partners to leave Alliance but wanted me to stay I couldn't do that at that time due to contractual obligations. At that point out of respect for Jacare' I told him I would not ever try to fight MMA against his guys. At that time he agreed that that was a good thing. It hurts to see now, since things aren't going his way our agreement is meaningless, and our friendship was jeopardized. When we see each other in public its all handshakes and smiles but behind closed doors at his academy he is piloting against me. This whole situation saddens me."
MORE NEWS OF 6-9-03
IKF
Kickboxing Lands TV Deal!
Comcast Sports South East (CSS) And The
IKF Team Up!
ISCF
Bouts May Be a Part Of Programming
FRIDAY, June 6th, 2003, AT 10:55 AM, PST
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THE HEAT CONTINUES IN
GEORGIA
NOW
Allan Goes
Replies!
AGAIN: Keep In Mind, We as the
ISCF are simply allowing these two to air out this
challenge here on the News Page. Neither of these posts by either camp reflect
our opinions of either camp.
Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
Allan Goes (R)
is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt under master Carlson Gracie, and an
Eight Time World Champion. He has fought in every Major MMA Organization
including UFC and PRIDE. After reading the news below he felt it is time for him
to make a statement.
"I would like to publicly confirm and verify that my friend and Team member Steve Headden is a qualified Brown Belt who I promoted In Person after rigorous testing and observation of both his grappling skill and ability to teach. You can check at my web by clicking HERE!
Steve is the Head of my association in Georgia and is licenced to teach under me. I am disappointed that another BJJ Blackbelt would question my ability to give rank or judge who should have it. It is clear that Steve with four Pan-American Medals and a Winning Pro NHB record and two Professional NHB titles is a very good teacher and a very good competitor and soon Steve will receive his blackbelt from me. As far as the challenge that has been posted, I'm sure Steve will smash this Ryan if the ISCF will allow him to fight pro. Maybe some of his sport Jiu Jitsu matches can count as amateur MMA I don't know. I just wanted to take the time to set the record straight."
Thank You
Allan Goes.
MONDAY, June 2nd, 2003, AT 8:50 PM, PST
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ALLIANCE MARTIAL ARTS
CENTER
Jacare' Replies!
AGAIN: Keep In Mind, We as the ISCF are
simply allowing these two to air out this challenge here on the News Page.
Neither of these posts by either camp reflect our opinions of either camp.
Jacare' (Right) - Atlanta, Georgia,
USA: First of all, I never posted nor issued any challenge to my
former student, Steve Headden, on this or any other public forum.
Whoever gave the information on my behalf was not authorized to do so.
During a conversation with my friend and former student, promoter Brett Moses, I asked for a chance to include some of my guys in one of his upcoming events, in fair conditions, against anybody that he might choose as an opponent. We don't pick our opponents. The subject did come up about LA Boxing fighters and I let him (Moses) know that we would fight anyone, including Steve Headden and his guys at LA Boxing. Once again, I NEVER issued any PUBLIC challenge.
In reference to the comments about the "exodus" of my students to LA Boxing, I know that Headden is failing to speak the truth. There are more than 200 active students in my BJJ program. We don't offer money and or jobs for people to come here to teach, like Headden and LA Boxing have done with some of my students, since they are incapable of developing qualified people to teach there. I develop my own teachers and champions, Mr. Headden. The majority that you know in BJJ you learned with ME in MY school. Now you feed your family with my help, whether you choose to give me credit or not. I just took a photo off of my wall. It said, "Professor Jacare', Thanks for your support, wisdom & guidance. With out you, times like these would not be possible. Thank You - Steve Headden".
This quote after Andy & Simon's Dalton event. The unbiased people in Georgia and around the world know the truth and my reputation speaks for itself. After much success in Brazil (the success continues), I came to Georgia. In 7 years, just to refresh your memory, we won the Griffin Submission Open 3 times, Calhoun Submission Open, Dalton Submission Open, NAGA State Champions, and Pan Am Jiu Jitsu Champions (Masters/Seniors, 2nd Adult/Overall).
Between Paul Creighton, Chad LeBrun, Bull Shaw, and Byron Stone, among others, we have won 98% of the NHB matches we competed in. I have nothing to prove. On the other hand, there are you and some of the other instructors there who are not qualified to teach BJJ, due to the fact that your belt promotions were gotten over the phone, or in seminars. It is for this reason, that I founded, along with Eddie Camden, the Georgia State BJJ Federation. According to the charter, only legitimate black belts are endorsed to head BJJ programs and you are not close to such a title.
You also are not honest about your success in competition and your winning record. The truth is that in the last two Pan Ams your record was 1-4. That's right, one win and four losses. You placed due to lack of competitors, and that in the Masters division (30-34 yr old). In NHB, you lost bad in Augusta, had a rough time in February and fought the former car wash guy at Eclipse Fitness in May. Since you are the actual ISCF Champion, we only want what is right and that is for you to defend your title against skilled opponents. Give one of my guys a chance. This isn't about disrespect or personal feelings, so don't try to hide and disrespect me and my students. I am 50 years old now and have been retired from competition for 15 years now. I successfully defended the Gracie Academy for more than 20 years. I still teach and train with my students every day, despite my age, for your information.
I have always respected by LEGITIMATE instructors, no matter
what art they teach. If you are really so great then do what a true champion is
supposed to do. Give a chance to a good fighter to compete against you and your
students, not just fighting people tailored for you to beat. As for your
challenge to me, I am not concerned since you are really unimportant. You try to
seduce people from other schools in town to teach and train there with you. This
is my final statement. I'm too busy preparing my students to be wasting my time
with people who have no respect or gratitude to the people that once helped
them. Let's allow the fighters settle it in the ring,
not on the Internet.
Jacare'
THURSDAY, May 29th, 2003, AT 8:50 PM, PST
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LA BOXING
Response
To The Ridiculous Below!
Keep
In Mind, We as the ISCF are simply allowing these
two to air out this challenge here on the News Page. Neither of these posts by
either camp reflect our opinions of either camp.
LA Boxing, Atlanta,
Georgia USA:
Pro ISCF Champion Steve Headden (Right)
was both surprised and offended when he learned that Jacare' had
publicly
challenged him, (See
story below entitled "THE
HEAT IS ON IN GEORGIA
")
especially with an amateur Jiu Jitsu student, with no NHB experience.
Steve believes that the true motivation behind
Jacare's challenge is the exodus of
several of his students (Jacare')
to
Steve's programs at the LA Boxing Clubs.
Steve wishes to point out that he has not solicited these students; they
have come of their own free will. Steve feels that this is the result of
his running a very successful NHB/MMA program whose credibility and
effectiveness has been proven time and time again in numerous fights ranging
from those of Steve's students, all the way up to Steve
competing and consistently winning himself. Steve has been very
proactive and is always very positive at his academies. He never slanders other
instructors, which is, unfortunately, the exact opposite of how
Jacare' has been reported to conduct
himself in front of his classes.
As for Steve even considering such an utterly ridiculous challenge, he respectfully suggests that Ryan, while a very good athlete, might want to get some MMA experience, perhaps fighting against one of Steve's White or Blue Belts, who would be closer to his skill level.
Steve, growing
further disgusted at
Jacare's audacity, commented that he has
trained, in the past, at
Jacare's academy and is all to familiar
with the sight of star students being thrown to the proverbial wolves, due to
Jacare's personal inability to solve
problems on his own; or the lack of intestinal fortitude to fight battles on his
own.
Steve says, "If I have a problem I deal with it personally, rather than impose on someone else who is probably incapable of accomplishing my goals for me, simply because I lack the intestinal fortitude to do it myself. In my opinion, this is why Jacare' is losing his students to us."
Students want a positive instructor and a leader who is competing and training with them hard each and every day. They grow tired of one who is living in the past and trying to hold on to his students by slandering and insulting all the other instructors in town.
Thank You,
Steve Headden, LA Boxing
WEDNESDAY, May 21st, 2003, AT 3:00 PM, PST
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Reynaud
Ready For More Action
At Sandy Station In UTAH USA!
IKF Sandy, Utah, USA: IKF and IKF/ISCF Promoter Mr. Griffin Reynaud is all set to hosts IKF and ISCF Action tomorrow night, Thursday, May 22nd at the "Sandy Station" in Sandy, Utah, USA.
The event will feature both IKF and ISCF Amateur bouts. The nights IKF Event Representative will be Mr. Kwame Stephens and the ISCF Event Representative will be Mr. Ben Call. The ISCF Event Referee will be Mr. Steve Gomm and the IKF Event Referee will be Mr. Drew Poulos. For tickets call: (801) 352-8032. For fighter info call (801) 273-0772.
MORE NEWS OF
5-21-03
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The Giant's Eyes Remain
Wide Open And So Do His Shows
King Midas Moses
Proves Golden Touch In Team Effort With Stolzman
By Mike
Carlson - IKF & ISCF
Georgia, USA
When
IKF
and ISCF proclaimed that a sleeping giant
had awakened when promoter Brett Moses (Right) made his long
awaited return to the business, many wondered if he could make lightning strike
twice. Sure, his February Fight Party
held in the Dekalb-Atlanta Center, was a titanic event, but would Moses
enter a sophomore slump and fail to recapture his success?
Any doubters were silenced on Saturday, May 17, 2003. Proving that he has incredible promotional acumen and can fill a different venue in a different part of his city, Moses put forth another successful effort, this time at Earthlink Live in downtown Atlanta. The only empty seats seemed to those of the fans who stood up to cheer their favorite fighters, as Moses packed the house.
The event's success also was a testament to the Georgia
IKF
and ISCF team concept and its efficacy, as
well as Moses' flexibility as an event orchestrator. For this
production, Moses teamed with the valued
IKF
and ISCF supporter Chris Stolzman
(Right) of Atlanta's LA Boxing. Rather than trying to establish
separate fiefdoms, these two men worked symbiotically to create an exciting
series of bouts, before a crowded house. The stands were full and those at the
sponsor tables saw elbow to elbow. Everyone was glued to the action in the ring,
that some seasoned fight watchers said was the best single night of fights in
Georgia history. Without taking a position on that assertion, let's take a look
at the evening's contests.
BOUT ONE:
IKF
Light Middleweight Full Contact Kickboxing: Mike Littrell (LA Boxing)
defeated Nick Hajaji (Team USA San Shou) by TKO in round 1.
What
started off to look like a competitive bout wound up taking on some regrettable
twists. Hajaji seemed, at first, to confuse Littrell by changing
stances. After Hajaji threw Littrell, his opponent became
energized, scoring numerous combinations on Hajiji. After a standing
eight count, Hajaji stopped the fight himself. While waiting for the
final call of the winner, Hajaji began making obscene gestures to the
crowd. Wanting to give Hajiji the benefit of the doubt,
IKF
officials informed him that such conduct, if repeated, would result in his
suspension from IKF events.Hajahi informed the
IKF
officials that he "Did not Care," and resumed. He was asked
to be escorted from the facility.
Hajiji will be suspended. The
IKF
and ISCF organizations are dedicated to
the positive development of the martial sports. That includes image. His actions
and cavalier attitude about their import will earn him what he apparently
wanted, an indefinite suspension from IKF and ISCF
events that will be lifted only upon his written request for re-admittance and a
full panel's review thereof and vote thereon.
WINNER:
LITRELL by TKO at 1:16 of round 1.
BOUT TWO: ISCF Middleweight Mixed Martial Arts: Usif
Murtadi (LA Boxing) defeated Harry Chaconas (Hybrid Vale Tudo/Relson
Gracie Jiu Jitsu) via armbar submission in round 1.
The two fighters almost immediately tied up and Murtadi scored a
throw. After being restarted, Murtadi took Chaconas down, and
placed him into scarf-hold position. From there, Murtadi captured Chaconas'
arm, forcing him to tap out from an arm lock.
WINNER:
MURTADI by Tapout at 3:13 of round 1.
BOUT THREE:
ISCF Welterweight Mixed Martial Arts: James
Castillo (Team Khunpon-LA Boxing) defeated Jerell Bowman (Tramell's)
by split decision.
This bout looked whisker close from the stands and the
judges seemed to have trouble coming up with a clear winner too. Bowman
was aggressive early in each round, backing his opponent up, often taunting Castillo.
This, however, would fade as the rounds progressed. Castillo appeared
steadier, often hitting with clear single shots, including a crowd pleasing
spinning back fist in the second round. After the score cards were reviewed, two
judges had it for Castillo by a single point margin and one for Bowman
by the same.
WINNER:
CASTILLO by Split Decision.
BOUT FOUR:IKF
Women's Muay Thai:
Corrina White (Team Sherri Thompson-LA Boxing) defeated Robin
Finlayson (Columbus, Ohio) by unanimous decision.
These two ladies went
at it as aggressively as any two fighters on the card, at times causing both to
appear fatigued. Finlayson effectively used her reach at times during
the contest, but, ultimately it was White's barrage of punches in the
third and final round that forced a standing eight count. The judges rewarded
the relentless White with a win after three competitive rounds from both
athletes.
WINNER:WHITE
by Unanimous Decision.
BOUT FIVE: ISCF Heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts:
Andy Foster (United Karate) defeated Ben Morell (Suua Khai) via
armbar submission in round 1.
This match up was reminiscent of early MMA
contests that would pit two contrasting body types against each other. The
powerfully built Morrell aggressively rushed and repeatedly took town
the taller and less densely proportioned Foster, who scored on restarts
with effective striking. After numerous attempts, Foster finally found
his mark and secured an arm bar from his back, forcing Morell to tap
out.
WINNER: FOSTER
by Armbar submission at 3:00 of round 1.
BOUT SIX: ISCF Welterweight Mixed Martial Arts:
Cleuder "Junior" Assuncao (LA Boxing) defeated Scottie
"The Body" Johnson (Team Hybrid) via armbar submission in
round 2.
Effective guard play and differing physical dimensions were again
at work in this match up as a powerfully muscled Johnson faced a smooth
technician in Assuncao. Although Johnson scored takedowns, Assuncao
demonstrated phenomenal ground skills, capturing Johnson's arm in a
key-lock from his back. Assuncao applied pressure to his opponent's arm,
while holding
Johnson in a half guard, forcing Johnson to submit.
WINNER: ASSUNCAO by
Keylock Submission at :39 seconds into round 2.
BOUT SEVEN:IKF
Heavyweight Muay Thai:
Marshall Berger (Team Khunpon-LA Boxing) and Kelly Leo
(Trammell's)
This one was left to the crowd to decide. It picked Leo
over Berger in this exhibition bout... That is, if a winner can be
picked in an "Exhibition"...
BOUT EIGHT: ISCF Light Middleweight Mixed Martial Arts: Melvin
Guillard (Team New Orleans/Anconas Gym) defeated Diego Saraiva (LA
Boxing) via KO in round 1.
Pulling guard is often a laudable strategy.
Against a fighter as powerful at his weight as Guillard, however, it
does not look to be well advised. After Saraiva attempted to drop and
put Guillard into his guard, Guillard slammed his opponent on
the mat. As Guillard began to strike from the top, the
contest was quickly stopped.
WINNER: GUILLARD by
Referee Stoppage at 1:47 of round 1.
BOUT NINE: ISCF Super Heavyweight Mixed Martial Arts:
Ron Humphries (Suua Khai) defeated John Gardner (Team Ring
Skilz) via TKO in round 1.
After Garner missed with a high round
kick, Humphries got to work, scoring with numerous punches to Garner,
including a straight right hand that stunned the taller fighter. Humphries
kept on the pressure and followed
Garner to the ground, scoring with repeated blows that lead to the
match's stoppage.
WINNER: HUMPHRIES by Referee Stoppage at 1:06 of round 1.
BOUT TEN: MAIN EVENT
NUMBER 1: ISCF Middleweight Mixed
Martial Arts:
Steve Headden (LA Boxing) defeated Pat "Hammerhead"
Clarke (Team Apocalypse) via TKO in round 1.
In the MMA main event of
the evening, ISCF Champion Headden
came out aggressively. After missing with a kick, Headden took Clarke
down, and rained down knees to his opponent's body from the side mount. While
Covered by Headden on the ground, blood began to be seen persistently
coming from Clarke's face. Although Clarke seemed game to
continue, the bout was stopped after Clarke's condition was checked by
the ringside
doctors, due to a cut.
WINNER: HEADDEN by TKO at
:33 seconds of round 1.
BOUT ELEVEN: MAIN
EVENT NUMBER 2: IKF Heavyweight Full Contact Kickboxing: Mark
Selbee (LA Boxing) defeated
Sylvester Stevenson (Team Bonecrusher/Ring Skilz) via KO in round 2.
Stevenson,
clearly concerned about Selbee's (Right) reach and power,
crowded the IKF
Pro FCR Heavyweight Champion, scoring with a left hook and right cross. This
proved to be a pyrrhic accomplishment for Sylvester, who was dropped by
Selbee at the close of the first round. In the second, Selbee
maintained his technical onslaught, blasting Stevenson with a spinning
back kick and winning via knock out, after landing a head hick on the gutsy but
overmatched Stevenson.
WINNER: SELBEE by KO at 1:45 of round 2.
After a night of outstanding action like this, Southeastern fans are screaming, "More, More!" Moses seems poised to give the people what they want, and plans on returning to the DeKalb-Atlanta Center, for another night of IKF and ISCF action on August 2, 2003 and to Dalton, Georgia on October 25, 2003, for more of the same. For more information, Mr. Moses can be reached at not_tank@hotmail.com
TUESDAY, May 20th, 2003, AT 6:30 PM, PST
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THE HEAT
IS ON IN
GEORGIA
ISCF Atlanta, Georgia:
On the heels of LA Boxing Atlanta's success at the May
Madness In Midtown show, it has come to our attention that
world-renown Jiu Jitsu Master, Jacare', has issued a challenge to his
former partners. Jacare' contacted Fight
Party Promotions and offered to put his top student, Ryan,
against his former student, 2003 Pan Am Brown Belt medalist & ISCF Southeast US Champion, Steve Headden.
Ryan has never fought MMA before, but has plenty of grappling tournament
experience. Nothing like a rivalry to add some
spice to the scene
MORE NEWS OF 5-20-03
POSTED AT 2:30 PM, PST
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Reynaud's
Gallivan Center Results
In UTAH USA!
By
IKF
Representative Kwame Stephens
IKF Sandy, Utah, USA: ISCF/IKF Promoters Griffin Reynaud and Tom Casey hosted another exciting night of IKF and ISCF Action last Saturday night, May 17th, at the "Gallivan Center" in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. This was a great evening of fights. First of all the venue was outside and provided a great atmosphere as people walking down the street became interested in all the commotion. There was live music from local rap groups which made this more of a festival than a regular day out. Even with periods of light rain the crowd continued to grow with the anticipation of great fights. There were definitely class fighters on deck as guest. IVC 16 man tournament winner and PRIDE fighter Alex Steibling was on hand and Upcoming fighter Melanie Kohler, who destroyed Miss Playboy at the May K-1 event in Las Vegas. The nights action was as follows:
Congratulations to Griffin Reynaud and Tom Casey and their staff for providing and excellent show. For more info call (801) 273-0772.
MORE NEWS OF 5-20-03
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Quick Results Of Last Saturday Nights
May Madness In Midtown
Full Event Story To Follow Later This Week
For more info please contact Mr. Chris Stolzman at (404) 943-0609 or cstzman@aol.com
THURSDAY, May 15th, 2003, AT 10:15 PM, PST
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May Madness In Midtown
FINAL FIGHT CARD ANNOUNCED!
Atlanta,
Georgia, USA - Saturday Night, May 17th!
ISCF/IKF
Atlanta, Georgia, USA: Despite major effort, the promoters of May
Madness, 
Brett Moses (Left) and
Chris Stoltzman (Right) were unable to secure first fights for a
number of beginning but game LA Boxing amateur fighters. They also lost the
Kevin Brooks Vs Sean McCully bout because there was some concern
in the Brooks Camp, as to McCully's actual experience level.
This was something the promoters certainly understood.
However, they are pleased to announce the addition of Bout 8 below, which could be a real Barn Burner! Diego Saraiva is a BJJ black belt, while Melvin Guillard is a former high school wrestling champion and an explosive striker. The fight card, as of 9:55 PM Tonight is listed below. in the mean time, "See ya at the PARTY!"
ISCF
Welterweight Mixed Martial Arts:
Cleuder "Junior" Assuncao (LA Boxing) v. Scottie "The
Body" Johnson (Team Hybrid)For more info please contact Mr. Chris Stolzman at
(404) 943-0609 or
cstzman@aol.com
-
CARD SUBJECT TO CHANGE -
MORE NEWS OF 5-15-03
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Reynaud
Ready For More Action
This Saturday Night In UTAH USA!
IKF Sandy, Utah, USA: IKF and IKF/ISCF Promoter Mr. Griffin Reynaud is all set to hosts IKF and ISCF Action Saturday night, May 17th, at the "Gallivan Center" in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
The event will feature both IKF and ISCF Amateur bouts. The nights IKF Event Representative will be Mr. Kwame Stephens and the ISCF Event Representative will be Mr. Ben Call. The ISCF Event Referee will be Mr. Steve Gomm and the IKF Event Referee will be Mr. Drew Poulos. For tickets call: (801) 352-8032. For fighter info call (801) 273-0772.
MONDAY, May 12th, 2003, AT 5:40 PM, PST
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May Madness In Midtown
The Party Returns To Atlanta Georgia, USA On May 17th!
Atlanta, Georgia, USA:
Fight Party Productions, in

conjunction with
LA Boxing
Atlanta, are proud to announce MAY
MADNESS IN MIDTOWN. The event will be held at Midtown Atlanta's
EARTHLINK LIVE venue, on West Peachtree
Street. The card will include ISCF Mixed
Martial Arts and IKF Full Contact & MuayThai Kickboxing.
"With all of the events taking place at or around the 17th, this was one of the hardest cards I've ever had to fill," explained promoter Brett Moses (Left) "LA Boxing's Chris Stolzman (Right) and I spent hour upon hour before finally coming up with a card that would fit our standards."
In keeping with the PARTY atmosphere, there will be music from Flavourset Promotions and more of the finest ring girls the Southeast has to offer! Here's the nights line-up:
LA Boxing)
vs Nick Hajaji (Team USA San Shou).For more info please contact Mr. Chris Stolzman at
(404) 943-0609 or
cstzman@aol.com
- CARD
SUBJECT TO CHANGE -
SATURDAY, May 10th, 2003, AT 7:40 AM, PST
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Reynaud
Packs The House Again
In UTAH USA!
Reported By IKF Utah Representative Kwame Stephens
IKF - ISCF Sandy, Utah, USA: Nothing new here, IKF and IKF/ISCF Promoter Mr. Griffin Reynaud once again packed the house at the "Sandy Station" in Sandy Utah this last Thursday night, May 8th. The packed house was treated to a night of action packed fights of IKF/ISCF NHB and IKF Muay Thai Kickboxing. The atmosphere was set once again with cameras and video screens displaying the nights matches. Here's the nights results:
This was another exciting night with a good look of potential
future stars. This is IKF Utah Representative Kwame Stephens
coming to you from Salt Lake City Utah, another hotbed for American MuayThai!
For more info call (801) 273-0772.
FRIDAY, May 9th, 2003, AT 4:45 PM, PST
New MMA/NHB Message Board!
With the success of the Kickboxing Message Board linked from the IKF web page, we have now added a Mixed Martial Arts Message Board for all you MMA/NHB Fans. To go the new Mixed Martial Arts Message Board sponsored by the ISCF, Click HERE! Have Fun Everyone!
To go to the Kickboxing Message Board sponsored by the IKF, Click HERE!
THURSDAY, May 8th, 2003, AT 1:00 PM, PST
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Reynaud
Ready For More Action
TONIGHT In UTAH USA!
IKF Sandy, Utah, USA: IKF and IKF/ISCF Promoter Mr. Griffin Reynaud is all set to hosts tonights, May 8th IKF and ISCF Action at "Sandy Station" in Sandy Utah.
The event will feature both IKF and ISCF Amateur bouts. Sandy Station is located at 8925 South - 255 West, Sandy Utah, USA The nights ISCF Event Representative will be Mr. Andrew Poulos and the nights IKF Event Representative will be Mr. Kwame Stephens. The ISCF Event Referee will be Mr. Steve Gomm and the IKF Event Referee will be Mr. Drew Poulos. For tickets call: (801) 352-8032. For fighter info call (801) 273-0772.
MORE NEWS OF 5-8-03
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Guidry &
Rothmeyer
Get Big Wins In St. Louis
By Rob Donaker
St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Since the Missouri Athletic Commission has legalized NHB/MMA fighting when using the ISCF as a sanctioning body, promoters have been getting more and more ISCF sanctioned fights on their events. This past weekend at the Midwest Fight Fest, Promoter Jesse Finney brought a team from Kansas City in to face three fighters from St. Louis.
The first fight of the night saw Bryan Guidry -vs- Mike
Sealy
Both of these fighters come from a BJJ background and have both
been very active in tournaments. Guidry is part of
Team Vaghi Submission Jiu-Jitsu. This team
has produced suck talent as UFC Veteran Steve Berger, and King of the
Cage Veteran Mike Rogers. Sealy is from American
Jiu-Jitsu. The fight started out with plenty of excitement, with Sealy
landing a high kick to Guidry's head, splitting his eye open. His kick
sounded like a baseball getting hit by Mark McGuire. Guidry dropped to
the ground, Sealy quickly jumped on Guidry and started throwing
punches. Guidry quickly fell back to his vast Jiu-Jitsu background and
took control on the ground. Sealy looked comfortable, also with a
Jiu-Jitsu background. Now both fighters started working for different
submissions, until Guidry secured one of Sealy's arms and
executed on an arm bar. Winner:
Guidry by arm bar.
The next ISCF NHB/MMA
fight had one fighter returning to the ring after a big win on Feb 3rd. Mike
Rothmeyer is of the members of
Team Vaghi, better known at his club as "Brazilian
Mike", he came to fight. His opponent, Mike Schneider of
American Jiu-Jitsu was in the same mind
set, To win! The fight started with both fighters feeling each other out, until
Schneider shot on Rothmeyer. Rothmeyer controlled Schneider's
shot and landed a knee to counter. Rothmeyer then took it to the ground.
Starting the "ground and pound" technique Rothmeyer
was able to look for many different submissions. Schneider reversed the
position putting Rothmeyer on his back. Big mistake! If no one can put
it together the "Brazilian" in "Brazilian Mike"
means he knows what to do on the ground. Rothmeyer quickly set Schneider
up and executed a triangle choke.
Winner:
Rothmeyer triangle choke.
The last of the ISCF NHB/MMA fight was as exciting as the previous two. Dustin Fercella, of Finney's Championship Kickboxing and Martial Arts, was coming into his second NHB fight. His opponent Grant Hartwig, of American Jiu-Jitsu, has a background in Jiu-Jitsu and has had some tournament experience. Both fighters came out looking to take the other one to the ground. Hartwig shot on Fercella, who sprawled and prevented the takedown. Once the fight went to the ground Hartwig started using his Jiu-Jitsu background, where Fercella went to the ground and pound style, which has made Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz great fighters. Hartwig started on a knee bar, which the crowd thought it was over, until Fercella slipped out. This put Hartwig on his back, where any Jiu-Jitsu fighter would feel comfortable. After both fighters worked for a minute, Hartwig caught Fercella in a guillotine choke. Winner: Hartwig guillotine choke.
For more info please contact Mr. Jesse Finney or Rob Donaker at (314) 351-5226 or by e-mail by clicking HERE or visit their website at www.FinneysKickboxing.com
Results Of The
IKF
Kickboxing On The Above Event Listed Below
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Jesse & Rob Do It Again With Another
Packed
House at "Lucky's on the Landing".
By Brooks Mason - (R) IKF
Ambassador
St. Louis, Missouri, USA: It is always
a joy to work a Finney
fight card. The fighters always come in on weight and the quality of fighters
Finney
brings in for competition is
outstanding. Since the weigh ins went smooth I had a chance to visit the newest
addition to the
Finney
Stable "O'Finney Acres".
This little patch of heaven is located outside St. Louis next to a gentle
rolling creek. A cabin along with a few acres in the wilderness is the official
escape location for Finney and his fighters.
Finney's
better half, Kelly, was getting ready for her own professional battle on
the Professional Beach Volley Ball circuit. Kelly played on the USA Team
that went to Italy and has been a professional athlete for some time. A
household with two professional athletes certainly explains the need for O'Finneys Acres.
On to the Fight Card.
Fight #1: Ralph Harr
vs Mike Winkler
This was a Pro-Am "Exhibition"
with the weight advantage going to Harr. I was looking forward to seeing
if Winkler had
changed
since I saw him fight on Zbilski's card, however the fight lasted only
seconds. Winkler suffered a scratch on his eye and had to go to the
hospital. Our best wishes go out to Winkler for a quick recovery. I have
being told he will be all right but the injury was very painful.
Fight #2:
Leslie McNamara vs. Jenny
Woodrum
How in the world they call what I saw an exhibition, I do
not know. Jenny Woodrum, under the tutelage of Benny Voyles, has
improved by leaps and bounds. Jenny stuck with Leslie the entire
fight. Exchanges were pretty much on an even scale. Good hands and feet from
both fighters with Leslie's patented round house to the body taking it's
toll. Jenny is showing much better composure and use of her hands
inside. Both of these women will be the fighters to beat if you want an
IKF
title this year.
Fight #3:
Erin McNamara vs. Sarah
Schneider
This was a good fight.
Sarah Schneider was a big surprise to everyone but her coach. Few people
have ever dominated a round on either one of the McNamara women but
round one was all Schneider. Staying on top of Erin she cut off
all attempts to counter or build an offense. Good hands and feet in combinations
kept Erin guessing what was coming next.
Round two was a different story. You don't
confuse a Finney
fighter for long. Coming out in the second round, Erin showed why she is
the Champ. Battling back to take the round, Erin and Sarah were
dead even going into the last round.
Round three could have been fought on a
postage stamp. Both fighter stood literally toe-to-toe and banged it out for two
minutes. Sarah showed skills you see at the Championship level but it
was not enough to beat the likes of Erin McNamara.
Fight #4:
Mike Green vs John Hoppes
Green
and Hoppes have faced each other before but it was in NHB. Green
left the ring with two black eyes but won the fight on an arm bar. This time
both fighters said they had more fun. The friendship between these two is what
Kickboxing is all about.
Round #1: Green is taller with a greater
reach. Hoppes did exactly what he was told and took the fight to Green.
Staying inside the first round, Hoppes was able to nullify the longer
reach and work Green's body.
Round #2: Hoppes is trained by
Russ O'Connell and you can tell he is well schooled in doing exactly as
he is told. Hoppes continued to cut the ring and work inside on Green.
Green on the other hand is trained by
Finney
and as you know, Almost nothing works twice on a Finney fighter.
Adjustments were made in the corner between rounds and Green fought to
stay in the center of the ring.
Round #3: Hoppes suffered a hurt
knee and cutting the ring off became impossible with the light of foot Green.
Green came to fight though and was never very far away. They battled it out
till the bell and
Green won on a
split-decision. The two are best of friends who happen to like beating the crap
out of each other. Both fighters should be watched at the
Nationals.
Fight #5:
John Felts vs. Dylan
Leonard
Round #1: John Felts is trained by Benny
Voyles. John Felts is destined to be a world Champion. On to the fight. Not
much of a feeling out period for these two. Dylan comes out of the Finney
camp and feeling out rounds are usually non-existent. The two fought with an
interesting use of combinations for the first round. I think Dylan got
the better of Felts.
Round #2: Felts seemed to come out
connecting better. Dylan is a brawler who wants to get you in his
pounding range. Felts used a great deal of lateral movement and peppered
Dylan from the outside. Counter punching and working from the center of
the ring, Felts won this round.
Round #3: Dylan laid it all
out. Trying to corner Felts and take advantage of his superior strength,
Dylan got caught up in a chasing game. Felts continued to move
around and very effectively counterpunch off Dylan assaults. Felts
wins but it is a very good fight.
Fight #6:
Matt Taff Vs. Nick Anderson
This
was a great fight. Round #1: Taff came out with one purpose, to corner
Anderson and beat him unconscious. Anderson would have none of
it. The first round set the tone for the entire fight. Anderson moved
around the ring counter punching while Taff was throwing bombs.
Round
#2: Remember that Taff can knock you out with either hand and has a
chin like a barn door. His pursuit of Anderson was relentless and it was
all Anderson could do to keep the fight in the center. Taff
connected with a solid right that had Anderson's eye swelling before the
bell.
Round #3: The fight was extremely close and both fighters knew
they had to win this round. Taff took it to Anderson from the
bell but the counterpunching and strong right of Anderson kept him at
bay. Well almost. Taff took the round and the fight. It was a classic
example of conflicting styles and made for a fantastic third round. Looking
forward to seeing these two do it again. Split decision for Taff.
Fight #7:
Kevin Engel vs. Frank Nygen
Round
#1: Frank came into this fight with a good record as a San Shou fighter.
When Kevin closed the gap you could tell Frank was looking to
tie up or throw. He simply wasn't ready for the likes of Kevin Engel. Frank
weathered some vicious assaults and lasted the round. All Kevin.
Round #2: Engel came out of the corner
with a vengeance and the assault was on. Franks kicking, although quite
good, was having no effect on Engel. The knockdown from round #1 was
repeated and it looked as if Frank had had enough. But he showed more
toughness than we imagined and came back to make a fight of it. His trainer,
John James, built some serious heart into this boy.
Round #3:
Engel came out throwing thunderous body shots. The previous rounds
punishment had taken it's toll on Frank and he could not get anything
going. The referee stepped in and stopped the fight. Referee Vance Thompson
is one of the best and his decision to stop the fight was welcomed by all. Frank
put up a good fight but he did face Kevin Engel.
Who out
there will face Engel?
I vote for
an Anthony McGaughey - Kevin Engel rematch. Two bits of big
news. Kevin Bozada is coming out of retirement and intends to go to the
Nationals. He has to
get past one of the best though. He has a match with Adam Sylvia in
June. This should be a war.
Jesse Finney is fighting NHB in June. Working on his grappling skills, Finney hopes to add NHB to his collection of Championship belts. Once again, great fights. Great job Rob Donaker. Until next time, this is Brooks Mason coming to you from Mick Doyle's Emerald Mongoose Muay Thai Camp is Omaha, Nebraska. The "Home of Kickboxing"
For more info please contact Mr. Jesse Finney or Rob Donaker at (314) 351-5226 or by e-mail by clicking HERE or visit their website at www.FinneysKickboxing.com
MONDAY, May 5th, 2003, AT 12:55 PM, PST
-Changed Page Heading-
THURSDAY, May 1st, 2003, AT 8:45 PM, PST
Missouri
Is Where The
ISCF Action Is This Weekend!
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Finney Team
Announces Final Fight Card For
"Midwest Fight Fest"
St. Louis, Missouri, USA: Vice
President of Operations for Finney's Championship Kickboxing and Martial Arts,
Rob
Donaker announced the final fight card for this weekends "Midwest
Fight Fest" on Saturday, May 3rd at Lucky's
on the Landing in St. Louis Missouri, USA. Here
it is in reverse order:
IKF
Amateur Kickboxing: Leslie McNamara,
St. Louis, Missouri, USA vs Jenny Woodrum, Pacific, Missouri, USAFor more info please contact Mr. Jesse Finney or Rob Donaker at (314) 351-5226 or by e-mail by clicking: HERE or visit their website at www.FinneysKickboxing.com
MORE NEWS OF 5-1-03
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Powell Set
For
"Fiesta de los
Guerreros/A Festival of
Warriors"
Columbia Missouri, USA: ISCF Promoter Mr. Jeff Powell and his Mad Dog Productions Present ISCF "Festival of Warriors", this Saturday night, May 3rd 2003 at the Kemper Arena of Columbia in Columbia Missouri, USA.
The venue is located at 1207 Boone Industrial Blvd. The doors open at 6:PM and the bouts are scheduled to begin at 7:PM. The ISCF referees will be Mr. Jay D'amato. for event tickets please call their Ticket Hotline at (573) 529-2289 or e-mail them at powellsport@yahoo.com
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