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Kick Down 8: Redemption

01-21-2004

Denver, Colorado

Fight Review - By Jason Martinez

 

Photo by Peter Lockley. 

 

This is Jason Martinez bringing you, the fans of the greatest sport in the world, another Ringside Report. We venture into the Professional realm of MMA/NHB, with a solid card of five amateur, and six Pro fights; the same mixture of MMA/NHB and Modified Muay Thai.

 

In attendance, Matt Lindland with his fighter's from Team Quest, and Trevor Prangley with a newly established Lion's Den/Team Idaho.  Pat Smith, who will be in King of the Cage next Saturday, the 24th. Of Jan.

Mike Van Arsdale, and Keith Wilson, both from AKA (Frank Shamrock/Bob Cook), also avid supporters of Bloodline Fight Team based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Will, and Billy Hendricks from Pancrase USAA. Keith Schmelzer, and Vic Brabo from Team Freedom Fighters. Jerome Locke was our 3rd. man in the ring for several of the MMA/NHB, as well as Matt and Billy, from above. For All Standup Matches Keith was our ref. Without further ado let’s get to the action!!!

 

O.J. Martinez (May-Tec, Denver) was first up to defend his Kick Down (KDC) NHB lightweight Title against Jose Luis Murillo (Bushido, C/S, CO. The bell rang, and these two were trading punches. Into a clinch, O.J. lands good knees, as Murillo is looking for the take down. Murillo attempts a sweep, O.J. transitions to land in a side guard position and looks to take the back. Murillo does a wonderful job of not giving up top position while getting O.J. back under him. Now in O.J.'s guard, Murillo lands some pounding punches, but is eventually stood up due to lack of action. O.J. still game, lands the better punches, which have Murillo attempting a hip toss. Back in guard, there is another standup by the ref. While in the exchange, O.J. steps behind Murillo. What I thought was to be an O.J. throw, ends up being Murillo dropping down for a knee bar. At 2:14 of the first round that is exactly how Murillo defeated O.J. to become our new Lightweight NHB Title holder.

 

Matt DeWolf (Dynamic Martial Arts, SD.) was our next belt holder with his first Defense of his Middle weight Title, against Rob Graff(The Defense Institute, C/S, CO. Again, as in the 1st. fight these two waist no time as Rob flicks the right punch out. Matt, in for the clinch, has Rob pull guard. There is a stand up from the ref, and we go back at it. Rob throwing strikes, clips Matt's nose with a solid right punch, and then catches him in a guillotine. Standing in the choke for at least 20sec, Matt finally slams Rob into guard. Matt stands and slams Rob again into guard getting enough room to clear his chin from the choke. With 10 sec. left Matt mounts Rob but is unable to finish Rob. This match is stopped by the doctor due to a fractured nose. Rob was awarded the belt, and the battle was over... the war although, has just begun! Look to see these two to fight again in 2004!!!

 

Third fight, third Title bout of the evening.  Fino Soltero (May-Tec, Denver) Holds the Men’s Heavyweight Kickboxing Belt, and would put it up for grabs against Corey Terry (3D,Denver). Corey works his left jab, while Fino starts in with right low kicks to the thigh. Corey finds his right thigh kick as well, Fino Counters with a stiff left jab. Fino has strong knees in the clinch, Corey striking upstairs; break by ref. Fino lands a left, right punch combo, for an eight count. Fino finishes strong with a kick to the head of Corey.

2nd. round, Fino has a mouse under his eye, and a trickle of blood from the nose. Corey has put together his punches and kicks well, and counters a few glancing blows as Fino comes in for the clinch. At this time there is an unintentional groin shot, and Fino receives time to recover. Round ends.

Round 3, Fino steps up with a left punch counter of his own that floors Corey for another 8 count. Fino comes in firing off the l,r,l punch combo and an exchange of right punches before the bell. Unanimous for Fino.

 

We go back to MMA/NHB for Randy Mitchell (May-Tec, Denver), against Tom Johnson (Innovative Martial Arts, Aurora, CO.). Randy is May Tec's up and coming warrior 3-1 NHB, 3-0 Standup, who was willing to take on a master of some arts and practitioner of others. Tom owns his own school, but has not actually been in the ring for four years. This fight started with some trading on the feet and soon went to the ground. Tom attempts a triangle, Randy escapes and calls Tom back to his feet. Randy lands good combos, which have Tom clinching. Randy out working Tom in the clinch has Tom pull guard with a guillotine attempt. Randy attains side mount, but there is a standup for no action. Randy again combos with a left right punch followed with right kick to the sternum. The round ends with Tom landing a kick to the head.

Round 2: Randy is still dominate on the feet as he lets fly a few more combos before he walks into/Slips into a short left punch which is followed up with multiple strikes. The Ref steps in at 0:48 of the R2. Whatever happened these two gentlemen showed true Championship heart, as each good shot was acknowledged by each other. Here is another rematch in the making!!!

 

Mark Korzeniowski (Kongo Do, C/S, CO.) would put his Middleweight Kickboxing belt up against Colorado Springs rival Shale LaPage (The Defense Institute). Shale was the aggressor as he came flying across the ring, with a few combos, on the other side Mark used his height advantage to land kicks to the head at will. Aside from the head kicks, Mark began to follow them up with accurate combos himself.

2nd. round, Mark again starts with high kicks to the head of Shale followed with punches. A standing 8 as a high kick floors Shale, who just seems not able to find his reach. Shale lands a right hook, followed by some good clinch work that puts Mark on the defensive as he starts to chop at the left outer thigh of Shale. Two consecutive outer thigh shots have Shale down once more before the bell.

3rd rd. Mark continues to chop the leg, which has Shale taking a knee most times he is kicked there. Mark follows, or leads with a jab to assure a unanimous victory which keeps the title at Kongo Do!

 

 Now for the first time ever, we witness 6 pro fights at a KDC!!! Jeff Barney (High Desert Martial Arts), who holds an amateur kickboxing belt with KDC, stepped in with a 1-1 record in pro MMA. On the opposite side of the ring stood Paul Weseman (Team Idaho/Lions Den). Paul struck first with a solid left punch, into a clinch. Trading in the guard, Paul hip tosses Jeff, who quickly gains guard. Jeff trading from his guard finally gets stunned, and swiftly catches an arm for an armbar. Paul able to escape, lands back in guard, and Jeff attempts another armbar before the bell.

2nd round, Jeff catches Paul with a (God Bless Lisa Dergan) Knee kick. Paul went for the shoot at the same time Jeff threw a left kick. Because of Paul's position, Jeff's knee connected and staggered Paul! To Paul's credit he recovered quickly, but it was one of the fierce strikes I have seen (although it was unintentional). They clinch, exchange, and finally are back in Jeff’s guard. Paul gains the mount by finally listening to his corner, which was screaming, "POP AND PASS, POP AND PASS!!!" from the 1st. round. I mention this because your corner is very important to listen to while in the heat of battle! There is a restart due to an unintentional point of elbow strike. Paul hip tosses into side mount, into mount, with Jeff's arm covering his own face, until the ref stops it at 2:10 of the 2nd.

 

After a short intermission, the action continued with Modified Muay Thai between Drew Lawrence (Bloodline Fight Team, C/S CO.) and Victor Hernandez (DeLuca Academy, NM). Drew landed a right kick to the body, and then to the head before Victor came in for a clinch, where both worked knees to the body. A low knee landed, Victor given the warning, Drew getting the rest. Drew comes out with more kicks, but is again kicked in the groin on accident. Victor receives a second warning, and Drew another rest.

Round 2, Drew continues scoring with head and body shots, while Victor begins to string a few combos together. While clinched, both are still landing knees. Victor does catch a good left jab, right hook, before the bell.

Round 3. Drew lands a solid right punch that puts Victor down for an 8 count. Drew starts to work knees to the head while clinched, Victor not liking the treatment, breaks the clinch several times through out the round. Victor ends with another combo.

Final round, Drew is getting the better of Victor with knees to the body and head. There is a final low blow which cost Victor a point. Drew is awarded the judges decision.

 

Trevor Prangley (Lions Den/Team Idaho) was next to face Shane Schartzer (DeLuca Academy, NM). I returned to my seat to see Trevor taking Shane's back. At 1:31 Matt Lindland stopped the bout due to tap out. There were talks of Trevor having a rematch against Brett Shafer, who lost to Prangley in Mexico last year. Brett is on a three win streak, with his last fight being at King Of The Rockies NHB Championships, that took place in Colorado on January 3rd. "The Wrecking Ball" was in attendance, and Trevor did agree to a rematch in the near future. Brett is possibly looking to fight at Trevor's up and coming show in Idaho. It is highly doubtful that it would be against Prangley however.

 

The 9th fight was Hank Weiss (The Defense Institute); against Team Quest's hot gun Ryan Schultz. Ryan was quick to get the take down and land in Hank's guard. Not finding a decent position Ryan stands back up. Wasting no time, Ryan explodes with strong right punches that have our ref breaking the action at 2:17 of the R1.

 

Tony Mendoza (Dynamic Martial Arts), and Brandon Mihajcic (Team Quest) was the final stand up bout on the card. Tony showed good left punches with nice clinch work. Brandon had a good left kick right punch. The problem was every time Tony landed his left Brandon would turn his back. Keith (our ref) finally gave Brandon a standing 10 count, followed by a warning that the fight would be stopped if he kept turning.

Round 2, Tony caught Brandon in the corner and began to punish him with flurries of punches. Brandon took all he could before the ref stepped in to stop the fight. I did not get an exact time for this fight.

 

Our main event!!! The rematch of John Cronk (Warrior Dojo, Denver), against Eric Heinz (Gold's Gym, Denver) from the main event at the 3rd. Ultimate Athlete show in Denver August of 2002. Cronk starts with a kick to the head, then clinching. Eric starts some leg work in the clinch, and finally slams Cronk, landing in side mount. Cronk doesn't take long to get into guard, but Eric lands some heavy leather while they transition. Eric wanting to go back to the feet, stands up. Cronk still on the ground does a cover girl pose, which I would love to have a picture of!!!

Round 2, Eric delivers a few knees before Cronk is able to catch an arm. Looking for the kimura, Cronk drags Eric to the ground. Cronk is in a turtle position, still working for the submission. Eric is able to escape, which has the action back on the feet. Cronk lands another kick to the head, then takes Eric's back. At 2:32 of the second round, Cronk again secures victory, this time via rear naked choke.

 

Look for KDC 9: in February, will we will return to thee best amateur show in Colorado!!! Questions, comments, or corrections, please email me at... jason4mma@yahoo.com.

 

 

 

PRIDE 27 - TRIUMPHANT RETURN

H20man takes on Crocop, Kerr returns to ring!

01-20-2004
Osaka Castle Hall, Japan
Date: February 1st, 2004
Start: 15:00

Card Subject To Change:
Mirko CroCop vs
Ron Waterman

PRIDE GP SURVIVAL MATCH
Heath Herring vs Gan McGee

PRIDE GP SURVIVAL MATCH
Igor Vovchanchyn vs Dan Bobish

PRIDE GP SURVIVAL MATCH
Mark Kerr vs Yoshihisa Yamamoto

PRIDE GP SURVIVAL MATCH
Kharitonov Sergey vs LA Giant (prowrestler , 210cm, 180kg)

Kazuhiro Nakamura vs Dos Caras Jr.
Murilo Ninja vs Alexander Otsuka

Pride 2004 Schedule
PRIDE GP Heavy Weight Opening: April at Saitama Super Arena
PRIDE GP Heavy Weight Semi Final: June at Saitama Super Arena
PRIDE GP Heavy Weight Final: August at Saitama Super Arena
PRIDE: LAS VEGAS September

Up Coming Bushido Events
PRIDE BUSHIDO 3: May at Yokohama Arena
PRIDE BUSHIDO 4: July at Nagoya Rainbow Hall
PRIDE BUSHIDO 5: November at Yokohama Arena

 

 

 

Kick Down 8: Results

01-19-2004

Red Lion Inn, Denver Colorado

Sold Out

 

 

Results:

1. Main Event: John Cronk def. Eric Heinz by guillotine choke (2:32 Round 2)
2. Tony Mendoza def. Brandon Mihajcic 2nd Rd. TKO
3. Ryan Schultz def. Hank Weiss (Strikes 2:17 R1)
4. Trevor Prangley def. Shane Schartzer (Strikes 1:31 R1)
5. Drew Lawrence def. Victor Hernandez by Unanimous decision
6. Paul Weseman def. Jeff Barney by TKO 2:10 R1
7. Mark Korzeniowski def. Shale LePage by unanimous decision
8. Tom Johnson def. Randy Mitchell 0:48 R2 TKO
9. Rufino Soltero def. Corey Terry by Unanimous decision
10. Robb Graff def. Matt DeWolfe by TKO R2
11. Jose Luis Murillo def. Orlando Martinez (2:14 R1 knee bar)

 

Promoter: Steve Alley

Referees: Matt Lindland, Billy Hendricks, Jerome Locke, Keith Smeltzer

 

 

 

RING OF FIRE - Results

Bang wins, new ISKA World Champ!

01-11-2004

Courtesy MMAWEEKLY.com

 

1. Mike Baldwin defeated Eric Kusevick by KO in first round...

2. Ben Lowry defeats Hung Duan by ref stoppage at :35 second of round three

3. Sarah Ponce defeats Carla Lopez by KO in RD 2 :42 seconds

4. Chee Bates defeats Steve Graniery by KO at 2:59 of 2nd round

5. Joey Barner defeats Joey Guerrea by unanimous decision

6. Matt Knabb defeats Edwards Banks by armbar at 2:01 of RD 1

7. Ali Abbelavizz defeats Lalo Maldanado by ref stoppage to due strikes :16 1st rd

8. James Martinez defeats Vern Bacca at 1:31 of RD 1 ref stoppage

9. Richard Simons defeats Leo Vavlusch at 1:01 of RD 3

10. Pete Jardine defeats Hector Monterrey by TKO at 1:29 of RD 2

11. Carlos Condint defeats Brad Gumm by ref stoppage at 1:11 of RD 1

12. Jay Jack defeats Donny Reines by rear naked choke in first round

13. Duane Ludwig defeats Malapaiet Sitprapom by judges decision - 48-47, 48-47, 48.5-47

 

 

 

BANG'S ROAD TO WORLD TITLE

01-09-2004

Denver/Broomfield/Boulder, CO
Text by Ken Pishna

“Down goes Pulver! Down goes Pulver! Down goes Pulver!” You could almost hear the echoes of the nasally, thick accent of Howard Cosell's famous recount of George Forman knocking down Joe Frazier as mixed martial arts fans tuning in on the internet were shocked as the news burst onto the MMA forums. Little-known Muay Thai stylist Duane “Bang” Ludwig had just knocked out one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, number one ranked lightweight Jens “Li’l Evil” Pulver.

Duane Ludwig was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He had an average childhood and grew up in a normal family with two brothers and a sister. As a kid - way before being “Bang” was even a thought in his head - he spent his days like a lot of other kids, fascinated by the martial arts stylings of Bruce Lee movies and watching Rocky dig deep to pull off another miracle win against the unbeatable opponent.

At the age of 15, Ludwig took his fascination for the martial arts one step further and began training in Muay Thai kickboxing. While other kids were out in the field dreaming of winning the World Series or the Super Bowl, he began building a dream that was a bit outside of the norm for American kids. Ludwig started building a dream of winning Japan’s K-1 Grand Prix, the world’s premier kickboxing event.

When Ludwig was just 16, he had to deal with the untimely death of his mother. An event that would easily set anyone’s world off kilter. But it would only prove to make him stronger as, through his prayers, he promised her that he would win her a world title.

A good athlete and a quick learner, Ludwig soon started to excel at kickboxing. He began to amass accolades and earn titles left and right: IKF United States Muay Thai Champion, WKA United States Muay Thai Champion, K-1 North American Champion and many others. But no world titles. He went the distance with world Muay Thai champion Alex Gong in Las Vegas, but lost a close decision that many in attendance, including announcer Don “The Dragon” Wilson felt that he should have won.

Along the way to kickboxing stardom, Ludwig crossed paths with “El Guapo,” mixed martial arts legend Bas Rutten. Rutten had been in Denver to train for his upcoming UFC title bout with Kevin Randleman. Upon meeting Bas, Ludwig discovered an interest in mixed martial arts and started training in grappling because, “it was kind of fun and it was something new.”

Rutten and Ludwig quickly hit it off and have been close friends ever since. Ludwig often goes to California to train with Rutten when he is preparing for a fight and Rutten is usually there in his corner when it comes to fight time. Just how important is Rutten’s presence to Ludwig? “I trust everything he has to say. He comes up with something different, I don’t doubt it at all. I go for it right away. He makes you confident, and when you’re confident, things will work.”

Ludwig made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the second edition of King of the Cage in February of 2000. In workmanlike fashion, he knocked out David Ibarra with an efficient combination of Thai kicks that culminated in a perfect round kick to the head. But it was his fight against Shad Smith at King of the Cage 4 that caused the mixed martial arts community to stop and take notice of the young striker from Denver. Ludwig put on a veritable Muay Thai clinic landing kicks and punches at will until Shad Smith’s corner threw in the towel to stop the fight. He then lost his next two fights before starting a winning streak that saw him defeat Caesar Moreno, Charles Bennett, Ressen Messer, and Thomas “Wildman” Denny in succession.

After spending the better part of 2001 reestablishing himself in mixed martial arts, Ludwig spent 2002 focusing on kickboxing. “My dream is K-1,” Ludwig reminds us, and he nearly attained that dream. He won the K-1 North American Middleweight Tournament by defeating a very tough Ole Laursen in the main event of Ring of Fire 4, but it just wasn’t his time to win the world title yet. As luck would have it, Ludwig had to face a very experienced Japanese K-1 veteran, Masato, in his first fight in Japan’s K-1 World J-Max tournament and lost on points after three rounds.

Later that year, Ludwig was offered an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. Though he had been focusing on his K-1 dream, UCC President Stephane Patry presented Ludwig with a shot at one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, Jens “Li’l Evil” Pulver, and the UCC World Lightweight Title at UCC 11. With Pulver ranked as the number one lightweight fighter in the world, Ludwig signed to make his return to mixed martial arts.

Knowing that Pulver was out to shirk his reputation as a boring fighter who always won by decision and prove to the world that he could fight on his feet, Ludwig enlisted the assistance of Denver’s premier boxing trainer Trevor Wittman, the “T” in T’s KO Gym. Ludwig knew he had the combinations down, the quickness, the hand speed, but he wanted to develop the power in his hands to go along with the power he already possessed in his legs. For months Ludwig hit the gym with Wittman, honing his skills, waiting for his meeting with Pulver. On January 25th, it was suddenly time to unleash all that hard work.

When Ludwig enters the ring, he does so with a quiet confidence that belies his years. When the bell sounds, it’s all business, Ludwig’s wide-eyed stare seems to catch any and all movement as he stalks his prey and proceeds to methodically dismantle him until it’s time for the kill. If you’ve seen Ludwig fight before, you know that this is how his fights normally progress - stalking, closing, finishing. But not this time.

When the bell sounded, Pulver started circling in, looking to throw that hard left hook. Ludwig knew he should stay away from Pulver’s power punch, but he didn’t. “I’d been training for four months to circle to my left to stay away from his power. I get in the ring and the first thing I do is circle to my right,” said Ludwig. He continued, “but it was also kind of a blessing because it made him open [his left hook] wider to try and reach me. He threw the first one and I moved away from it. He threw it again, so I just came inside the left hook with a right cross and down he went.” Not a place that Pulver is accustomed to being.

Working on instinct, Pulver was able to work his way back to his feet, taking a bunch of shots to the body first. Still stunned from the punishment he had received, he was stalling at this point and the ref broke them up and restarted the fight, having to point Pulver in the right direction to face Ludwig. The fight to this point had been all Ludwig and it would remain so. “[After the break] I came in and threw a couple fake jabs and a left hook, clinched and went for a knee and he pulled away. Then a left high kick and a right cross, and that was the knockout punch,” recounts Ludwig. It was over. In just one minute and thirteen seconds, Duane “Bang” Ludwig did what most thought was improbable at best, he pulled off the Rocky-like upset knocking out Jens “Li’l Evil” Pulver.

The same Jens Pulver that hadn’t lost in nearly two and a half years. The same Jens Pulver that had crushed John Lewis’ jaw with that mad left hook. The same Jens Pulver that had defeated Caol Uno, Dennis Hallman and B.J. Penn. The same Jens Pulver that walked away from his UFC Championship and remained the number one lightweight fighter in the world.

With the fight unavailable to fans in the United States most of them followed the fight through updates posted on the internet - the net’s mixed martial arts forums burst with activity as “Bang” fired the shot heard round the world. Ludwig’s win was incredible, unbelievable, miraculous!

Except to him and those that had known him over the years, it wasn’t. Ludwig was only doing what he does best... win fights. He went on to an amazing come from behind win over Genki Sudo in his first shot at the UFC. It was controversial due to a standup to check a bleeding Ludwig, but he took advantage of the moment for one of the most dramatic finishes of the year.

Despite his success in MMA, K-1 was still calling. In July, he made it to the second round of the K-1 World Max tournament, but still no title. In November, Ludwig defeated Tashio Matsumoto in a K-1 singles bout. In fact, Ludwig has signed a 2-year deal to fight for K-1, both kickboxing and MMA. The deal is non-exclusive, so he can still fight in other organizations and he will already be exercising that option, facing Sitprapom Malapaiet of Thailand for the ISKA World Kickboxing Championship that was held by Alex Gong.

According to Ludwig, this belt has a special meaning considering its former owner was killed last year and he’s looking to keep the title in the U.S. “This title means a lot to me. I plan to keep the title here in the United States and keep a bit of Alex Gong's memory with it. Since his last defense of the title was against me, I have a little emotion wrapped up with this fight.”

Ludwig is confident, not in a cocky sort of way, just confident that he can hang with best of them. He’s quick to give credit to God, his trainers, his family and his friends. He trains hard and works hard and it pays off.

Ludwig never fights just to fight. Sometimes he fights because it seems fun, or maybe because it’s something new. Sometimes he fights because it’s his dream. And sometimes he fights... because he made a promise.

 

RING OF FIRE 11: BRING IT ON!

SATURDAY 01-10-04
Doors Open to the public 6:00 pm

Douglas County Events Center

Castle Rock, CO

 

 

 

RING OF FIRE #11 - BRING IT ON!

12-31-2003

Denver/Broomfield/Boulder, CO

 

All the bouts for the main card on the January 10th Ring of Fire show have been officially signed. Returning to the successful format of a mixed card featuring fights under both K-1 and MMA rules, promoter Sven Bean has released the final card. The talent stacked event will feature multiple world champions and all martial art styles will be well represented. The card has veterans from the UFC, KOTC, IFC, K-1, SUPERLEAGUE, PRO BOXING, SHIDOKAN and SHOOTBOXING. 

 

"This has got to be one of the best events to hit the state in a long time. I can't remember when I have been so excited about a show, and I don't mean as a promoter, I'm talking as a fan! This show is going to be great. I have been in constant contact with all the camps and everyone is so ready for this show it's scary." said Bean.

 

The night will feature an exciting under card of 6 amateur matches before moving on to the professional portion of the event. 

 

MMA 155 lbs 3 x 3 minutes

Vern Baca, CO, Colo BJJ, 2-0, Wrestling vs James Martinez, NM, AKKA, 0-0 mma,  Muay Thai   

 

K-1 Rules Heavyweight (215 lbs +) 3 x 3 minutes

Leo RUSSIAN ASSASSIN Pavlushkin, CO, 3-D, 255 lbs, Kickboxing vs Richard Symonds, NM, FIT NHB Team, Muay Thai 

 

MMA 155 lbs 2 x 5 minutes

Brad Gumm, CO, Colo BJJ, BJJ vs Carlos Condit, NM, FIT NHB Team, BJJ-Muay Thai

 

K-1 Rules Heavyweight (215 lbs +) 5 x 3 minutes 

Keith Jardine, NM, AKKA, 215 lbs, KOTC vet vs  Hector Monterey, SJO, Costa Rica, 215 lbs, SHIDOKAN Hvywt Champ

 

MMA 170 lbs  Ring Of Fire Welter Weight Title  3 x 5 minutes

Jay Jack, ME, AMMA-BJJ Boulder, BJJ vs Steve Gomm, UT, Bayless Combat JiuJitSu

 

ISKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP  5 x 3 minutes

Malapaiet Sitprapom, Thailand, IMTO World Champion vs

Duane BANG! Ludwig, CO, K-1 MAX North American Champion & UCC World Champion

 

 

 

RING OF FIRE 11

Ludwig to fight for ISKA world title!

12-22-2003

Denver, Colorado

 

On Saturday January 10th in Castle Rock Colorado, Duane BANG! Ludwig will make his second attempt at becoming a WORLD CHAMPION in the sport of Muay Thai. In the main event of the Popular RING OF FIRE series BANG! will face off against one of the top Muay Thai fighters in the world, Thailand's Malapaiet Sitprapom.

 

Malapaiet has 154 fights under his belt and is star in the European promotion SUPERLEAGUE. He holds the IKBA World Championship and is a former stadium champion in Thailand.

 

Up for grabs will be the ISKA Light Middle Weight Muay Thai World Title belt (153.1-159 lbs/69.6-72.3 kg). This belt has special meaning to Ludwig. On the under card of the K-1 USA show in Las Vegas, Ludwig first fought for this belt with the legendary Alex Gong. This was a fight for the ages and everyone in attendance that night was treated to a true battle of champions. Gong edged out the decision and retained his title, while Ludwig finally broke through to the big leagues. Gong's untimely death earlier this year has left the title vacant.

 

"This title means a lot to me. I plan to keep the title here in the United States and keep a bit of Alex Gong's memory with it. Since his last defense of the title was against me, I have a little emotion wrapped up with this fight. I hope that I can keep the title here for a lot of reasons but one reason in particular and that's to keep it here in Alex Gong's memory." said Ludwig. It has also been just about a year since Ludwig has been able to fight in front of his home town fans. He has a busy year competing for the UFC and K-1 in Japan. " I love fighting at home.. I get a lot of energy from the crowd. Denver has some of the best fans in the world!"

 

ISKA president Corey Schafer commented "We feel that Duane definitely should be first in line at a shot at this belt. This particular title has such a great history and legacy, and for the fight to be against a true Thai champion only adds to that history."

 

With a fight of this magnitude only a referee like the legendary Cecil Peoples could handle the duty. Peoples has refereed for the top promotions in the world and has more title bout experience than any other ref in the world.

Also on the card is UFC veteran Brad Gumm. Gumm will be fighting at 155 lbs for the third time in his career. All of his previous matches have been at 170 lbs and he feels that he can really make a statement in the light weight division. Facing Gumm is KOTC veteran and undefeated New Mexico fighter Carlos Condit. Condit has a MMA record of 9-0. He has also fought as a professional boxer and recently traveled to Japan to face one the top fighters in the world in Shootboxing.

 

Rounding out the main card, Jay Jack makes his long awaited return to the ring. Jack was scheduled to fight last month in the Canadian promotion TKO but had his opponent with draw at the last minute. His last appearance was at ROF 7 where he beat the game Isais Martinez (TX). Opposite Jack will be the tough Utah based fighter Steve Gomm. Gomm is a submission stylist who recently finished local wrestler Eric Heinz in the IFC. Gomm's last Ring Of Fire appearance was at ROF 8 where he submitted Cruz Chacon via choke.

 

The full fight card and complete fighter bios will be available at www.rof-mma.com by the end of the week.

RING OF FIRE #11: BRING IT ON!!

Saturday, January 10th, 2004

Douglas County Event Center

Castle Rock, CO

Tickets are on sale now at all KING SOOPERS locations or online at www.ticketswest.com, or call 1-866-464-2626 to charge by phone.

Prices range from $25.00 to $40.00.

The best seats in the house are the catered ring side VIP tables and can be arranged by calling 303-246-5237

 

 

 

PANCRASE - Results

Almeida takes middleweight title!

11-30-2003

Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo Japan

 

Gate Matches

Fight 1: Takumi Murata vs.Atushi Yamamoto, draw

Fight 2: Yuya Shirai vs.Yasuhiro Kirita, draw

 

Pro Matches

Fight 1 (Featherweight): Yoshiro Maeda defeats Baret Yoshida by KO in rd 1

Fight 2 (Middleweight): Kazuo Misaki vs. Jake Shields, draw

Fight 3 (Super Heavyweight): Ron Waterman vs. Jimmy Ambriz, draw

Fight 4 (Light Heavyweight): Akihiro Gono defeats Nilson Castro by unanimous decision

 

King of Pancrase Title Fights

Fight 5 (Welterweight):  Kunioku Kiuma defeats Kenichi Serizawa by unanimous decision.

Kunioku retains title.

 

Fight 6 (Middleweight):  Ricardo Almeida defeats Nathan Marquardt by choke at 4.53 of rd 1.

Almeida becomes 4th Middleweight King of Pancrase.

 

Fight 7 (Light Heavyweight): Yuki Kondo defeats Sanae Kikuta by left hook KO at 8 seconds of rd 2.

Kondo retains title.

 

Event pictures:  http://sportsnavi.yahoo.co.jp/fight/other/live/200311/30/index.html

 

 

 

PANCRASE  News - Middleweight Championship on the line November 30th

11-29-2003

P's LAB, Tokyo, Japan

 

 

Middleweight King of Pancrase title match sign-in ceremony at P's Lab in Tokyo.  Champion Nathan Marquardt (left), weighed in at  81.5kg (180.1lbs).  Challenger Ricardo Almeida came in at 81.8kg (180.7lbs). 

 

 

 

"PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR"
10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EVENT
3 KING OF PANCRASE TITLE MATCHS

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30,2003
DOORS OPEN;3:00PM  FIGHTS START;4:00PM
RYOGOKU KOKUGIKAN (TOKYO,JAPAN)


AMATEUR MATCH#1

PANCRASE GATE RULES FEATHERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUND

TAKUMI MURATA (A-3) vs

ATSUSHI YAMAMOTO (KILLER BEE)

AMATEUR MATCH#2

PANCRASE GATE RULES LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
YUYA SHIRAI (UNPLUGGED KOKUBUNJI) vs

YASUHIRO KIRITA (TEAM ALLIANCE)

PRO-MATCH#1

FEATHERWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
YOSHIRO MAEDA (PANCRASE INAGAKIGUMI) vs

BARET YOSHIDA (U.S.A./GRAPPLING UNLIMITED)

PRO-MATCH#2

MIDDLEWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
KAZUO MISAKI (MIDDLEWEIGHT 5TH RANKED/PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs

JAKE SHIELDS (U.S.A./CESAR GRACIE ACADEMY)

PRO-MATCH#3

SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
RON WATERMAN (SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT 2ND RANKED/U.S.A./TEAM IMPACT) vs
JIMMY AMBRIZ (U.S.A./NEW JAPAN PRO-WRESTLING)

PRO-MATCH#4

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
AKIHIRO GONO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 3RD RANKED/PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs      

NILSON DE CASTRO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 4TH RANKED/BRAZIL/CHUTE BOXE ACADEMY)

PRO-MATCH#5

WELTERWEIGHT K.O.P. TITLE DEFENSE 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
KIUMA KUNIOKU (1ST WELTERWEIGHT K.O.P./PANCRASEism) vs

KENICHI SERIZAWA (WELTERWEIGHT 3RD RANKED/WAJUTSU KEISHUKAI SURUGA DOJO)

SEMIFINAL

MIDDLEWEIGHT K.O.P. TITLE DEFENSE 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
NATHAN MARQUARDT (3RD MIDDLEWEIGHT K.O.P./PANCRASE U.S.A./COLORADO STARS) vs

RICARDO ALMEIDA (MIDDLEWEIGHT 4TH RANKED/U.S.A./RENZO GRACIE JIU JITSU ACADEMY)


MAIN EVENT

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT K.O.P. TITLE DEFENSE 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
SANAE KIKUTA (2ND LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT K.O.P./PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs

YUKI KONDO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 1ST RANKED/PANCRASEism)

 

 

 

K-1 Super Max Results

Bang Wins!!!

11-18-2003

Nippon Budokan

 Tokyo, Japan

 

Magunamu Sakai def Arslan Magomedov by KO 3rd rd
Yaduhiro Kazuya def Serkan Yilmaz by dec 3-0 (30-28, 30-28, 30-28 )
Shin Nopadetsorn def Ohno Takashi1 by dec added RD (9-10, 9-10, 9-10)
Marfio Canoletti def Doi Hiroyuki by dec 0-3 (29-30, 28-30, 28-29)
Kohiruikaki Takayuki def Tony Valenti by KO 3rd rd
Andy Souwer def Murahama Takehiro by dec 0-2 (28-29, 28-28, 28-29)
Duane Ludwig def Toshio Matsumoto by TKO 2nd rd
Albert Kraus def Genki Sudo by dec 0-3 (29-30, 29-30, 29-30)
Daniel Lawson def Kohiro by dec 0-2 (29-30, 29-29, 29-30)
Masato def Vince Philips by KO 2nd rd

 

 

 

THE KING in Tokyo

11-15-2003

Denver/Broomfield/Boulder, CO

Photos courtesy of  Mr. Oitate

 

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After a grueling 16 hour flight, King of Pancrase Nate Marquardt finally arrives at Japan's Nartia Airport.

 

On November 30th, the five-time champ will defend his Pancrase middleweight title against second ranked light heavyweight Ricardo "The Big Dog" Almeida.

 

During his stay, Marquardt will be training at the Pancrase and Grabaka Dojos.

 

 

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Pancrase fighter Akihiro Gono and Marquardt at the Grabaka Dojo.

 

 

 

PANCRASE - 2003 Tour Results

10-31-2003
 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo Japan

1st Match / FEATHERWEIGHT 5m 2R
Miki Shida (P's LAB TOKYO) vs Masahito Wachi (TEAM ROKEN)                          
Winner: Miki Shida, 2R by decision

2nd Match / WELTERWEIGHT 5m 2R
Takuya Wada (7TH RANKED/ SK ABSOLUTE) vs Minoru Ozawa (V-CROSS)
Winner: Takuya Wada, 2R by decision (3-0)

3rd Match / OPEN-WEIGHT 5m 2R
Keigo Takamori (MEGATON vs Hur Sung Jin (KOREA/ NEO FIGHT)
Winner: Hur Sung Jin, 1R  0:18  by KO

4th Match / WELTERWEIGHT 5m 3R
Satoru Kitaoka (5th RANKED/ PANCRASEism) vs Naoki Seki (FREE)
Winner: Satoru Kitaoka, 3R by decision (3-0)

5th Match / MIDDLEWEIGHT 5m 3R
Kosei Kubota (9th RANKED/ PANCRASEism) vs Yuichi Nakanishi (FREE)
Winner: Yuichi Nakanishi, 2R 2:46 by TKO (referee stoppage)

6th Match / SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT 5m 3R
Ron Waterman (3rd RANKED/ U.S.A./ TEAM IMPACT) vsJun Ishii(5th RANKED/ CHOJIN CLUB)
Winner: Ron Waterman, 1R  1:02  by neck lock

7th Match / MIDDLEWEIGHT 5m 3R
Izuru Takeuchi (1st RANKED/ SK ABSOLUTE) vs Eiji Ishikawa (10th RANKED/ PANCRASE GRABAKA)
Draw : 3R (1-0)

8th Match / LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 5m 3R
Akihiro Gono (3rd RANKED/ PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs Daisuke Watanabe(5th RANKED/ PANCRASEism)
Winner: Akihiro Gono , 2R 3:49 KO

 

 

 

RING OF FIRE 10 - Results

10-19-2003

Castle Rock, Colorado

Attendance: Sold out

 

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Pancrase fighter Tom Sarah takes on Team Xtreme's Rocky Johnson

 

 

RESULTS:

MMA 155 lbs: Vern Baca defeats Christian Sanders  by tapout from strikes in rd 1.

 

K1 200lbs: Tony Johnson defeats Steve Simmons by KO at 1:25 of rd. 1.

 

MMA 155lbs: Tom Sarah (Pancrase USA/Stars) defeats Rocky Johnson by triangle choke at 1:14 of rd. 2.

 

MMA 155lbs: Keith Wilson defeats Joshua Kaine by tapout from strikes at 2:13 of rd 2.

 

MMA 155lbs:  Luke Caudillo (Miletich) wins over Brock Jensen (Pancrase/USA) by decision after 3 rds.

 

MMA:  Chilo Gonzales defeats Ruben Escamilla by tapout from strikes at 1:15 of rd. 1.

 

MMA 155lbs:  Fabian Acuna (3D) defeats Danny Jung by guillotine choke at 2:31 of rd 1.

 

K1 175lbs:  Nick Rondinelli defeats Cruz Chacon by unanimous decision after 5 rds.

 

MMA Super Fight:  Pat Smith defeats Allan Sullivan by KO at 3:35 of rd 1.

 

MMA 155lbs R.O.F.Title:  Alberto Crane defeats Christian Carvahlo by rear choke at 3:56 of rd 1.

 

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Stars fighter Brock Jensen loses a close decision to Luke Caudillo

 

 

 

RING OF FIRE 10 - Fighter weigh-ins

10-18-2003

Denver, Colorado

 

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Ring of Fire 10 held the fighter weigh-in and rules meeting last night at the Denver Hyatt Regency Hotel.  Promoter Sven Bean had this to say, "everyone made weight last night.. finally. Fabian Acuna, Christian Sanders, and Luke Caudillo had to try 2-3 times but finally got it, thank god for saunas at hotels! Alberto Crane came in at 159 and Carvahlo weighed 155, Carvahlo did not ask Crane to cut the weight. Pat Smith came in at 237 and A-Dawg Sullivan weighed 222. Everyone is amped... should be a great show."

 

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3D fighter Rocky Johnson  vs. Tom Sarah (Pancrase USA)

 

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Brock Jensen (Pancrase USA) vs. Luke Caudillo from Nebraska

 

 

 

RING OF FIRE 10

Saturday October 18th, 2003

Douglas County Events Center, Castle Rock, CO

Doors at 6:30, first bout at 7:30 pm

 

On Saturday October 18th, 2003 the region's top fight promotion, RING OF FIRE, makes it return to the Douglas County Events Center for it's tenth installment of the popular series. The state of the art facility will host 12 action packed bouts featuring a ROF Title bout in the main event. Headlining the show will be former KOTC Light Weight Champion and BJJ Black Belt Alberto Crane facing off against 6 time Brazilian National Submission Wrestling Champion Christian Carvahlo from Manaus, Brazil. This match is a classic BJJ vs. Luta Livre match up. The winner will walk away with the RING OF FIRE Rocky Mountain Light Weight Belt and will be first in line to face champion Leonard Garcia early next year.

 

In the Super fight of the night UFC veteran Pat Smith makes his long awaited return to the ring. Stepping up against Pat is the ever ready Allan A-Dawg Sullivan from Phoenix, Arizona. Smith is a long time veteran of the game making his MMA debut way back at UFC #1. He has been on a 4 year hiatus and in true ROCKY fashion has sought out long time rival Clarence "The Legend" Thatch to help him get ready for his comeback. A-Dawg Sullivan will be giving up some 20 pounds to face Smith, but the tough Arizona fighter has many wins against the heavyweights in his 27 fight career.

 

Canadian Thai fighter Nick THE ITALIAN STALLION Rondinelli will make the trip down from the great white north to face ISKA Regional Champion Cruz THE SAINT Chacon in a 5 round Professional Muay Thai fight fought under K-1 rules.

 

Rounding out the feature fights will be a battle of the young guns. Fabian THE FREAK Acuna (3-1-1) and Danny Jung (4-1-1) have been on a collision course for over a year now. On the 18th we will all find out who will be the top up and coming 155 lb fighter in the region and gain some bragging rights along the way.  

 

Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico, Arizona, Canada, Chile and Brazil will all be represented by fighters on this talented stacked card.

 

 

 

PANCRASE 2003 HYBRID TOUR
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2003
DOORS OPEN: 5:30PM, FIRST FIGHT: 6:30PM
KORAKUEN HALL, TOKYO, JAPAN

PRO-MATCH #1: FEATHERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
MIKI SHIDA (P's LAB TOKYO) vs MASAHITO WACHI (TEAM ROKEN)

PRO-MATCH #2: WELTERWEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
TAKUYA WADA (WELTERWEIGHT 7TH RANKED/ SK ABSOLUTE) vs
MINORU OZAWA (V-CROSS)

PRO-MATCH #3: OPEN-WEIGHT 2x5 MIN ROUNDS
KEIGO TAKAMORI (MEGATON) vs
HUR SUNG JIN (KOREA/ NEO FIGHT)

PRO-MATCH #4: WELTERWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
SATORU KITAOKA (WELTERWEIGHT 5TH RANKED/ PANCRASEism) vs
NAOKI SEKI (FREELANCE)

PRO-MATCH #5: MIDDLEWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
KOSEI KUBOTA (MIDDLEWEIGHT 9TH RANKED/ PANCRASEism) vs
YUICHI NAKANISHI (FREELANCE)

PRO-MATCH #6: SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
RON WATERMAN (SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT 3RD RANKED/ U.S.A./ TEAM IMPACT) vs
JUN ISHII (SUPER HEAVYWEIGHT 5TH RANKED/ CHOJIN CLUB)

SEMIFINAL: MIDDLEWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
IZURU TAKEUCHI (MIDDLEWEIGHT 1ST RANKED/ SK ABSOLUTE) vs
EIJI ISHIKAWA (MIDDLEWEIGHT 10TH RANKED/ PANCRASE GRABAKA)

MAIN EVENT: LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 3x5 MIN ROUNDS
AKIHIRO GONO (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 3RD RANKED/ PANCRASE GRABAKA) vs
DAISUKE WATANABE (LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT 5TH RANKED/ PANCRASEism)

 

 

 

KICK DOWN 7 - Results

10-5-2003

Red Lion Inn, 

Denver, Colorado

 

Kerry Alies (left), Billy Hendricks (referee) and Joey Welsh await promoter Steve Alley to announce the results of their fight.  Welsh won the decision in his very first MMA fight.

 

Results:

1. Kickboxing:  Kevin Alley (House of Martial Arts) defeated Mike D'Angelis by TKO in round 1.

2. MMA: Jim Aliphin (Ultimate Matial Arts) defeated Phill Baker by KO in round 1.

3. MMA: Joey Welch (Eric Heinz Team) defeated Kerry Alies by decision after 3 rounds.

4. Kickboxing: Jerome Locke (House of Martial Arts) defeats Nick Quinlan by TKO in round 3.

5. MMA: Rob Graff (Defense Institue) defeated David Felix by KO in round 1.

6. Kickboxing: Jeff Barney (High Desert M.A.) defeated David Vega (House of Martial Arts) by KO in round 2.

7. MMA Hvy. Wt. Title:  Pat James (Dynamic Martial Arts) defeated Jeremy Brown in round 2, by rear choke.

8. Kickboxing: Travis Sherman (Freedom Fighters) wins by decision over Vinnie Kano (Kongo Do).

9. MMA: Vern Baca (Co. BJJ) defeated Josh Usera (Dynamic Martial Arts) by TKO in round 1.

10. Kickboxing: Randy Mitchell (May-Tec) defeats Joel Lopez by TKO in round 1.

11. MMA: Josh Barlow (Dynamic Martial Arts) defeated Pete Vandervort (3-D Martial Arts) by armbar in round 1.

12. MMA Md. Wt. Title: Matte DeWolfe (Dynamic Martial Arts) defeats John Sargent in round 1 by TKO.

13. Kickboxing Md. Wt. Title: Mark Korzenioski (Kongo Do) defeats Kyle Burgess (Defense Institute) by TKO in round 2.

 

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Special Guests: 2-time UFC fighter Brad Gumm and K-1, UFC veteran Pat Smith.

 

Fight Officials

Promoter/Announcer: Steve Alley

Referees (MMA): Eric Heinz, Billy Hendricks

Referee (Kickboxing): Keith Schmeltzer, Cruz Chacon

Judges: Will Hendricks, Billy Hendricks, David Smith, Chuck Cordova, Jorge Chacon