Adults -
$60 For One
$90 For Both Gi & No-Gi
Pre Registration until Wednesday June 9th, 2010 at Midnight. Add $15 Late Registration After Wednesday June 9th, 2010. (Please note add $15 for Each Absolute Divisions.)

Kids 5-17 -
$55 For One
$85 For Both Gi & No-Gi
Pre Registration until Wednesday June 9th, 2010 at Midnight. Add $15 Late Registration After Wednesday June 9th, 2010

Spectator Tickets: $10 Adults $5 Kids

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brown And Black Belt Competitors: Grappling Experience is pleased to announce that we will be allowing all Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brown and Black belts to compete for no cost.

750 Nautilus St
La Jolla, CA 92037
MAP

More information on the official site.

Press Release

With less than two weeks away from the event, Fitshop.ca and Wreck MMA are announcing some changes to WRECK MMA: UNITE FOR BRIAN’S FIGHT scheduled for April 16th at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau.

Due to personal reasons, Mark ‘Boots’ Holst will no longer be facing BTT Canada standout Samuel Guillet. But, Wreck is excited to announce that his replacement will be one of Canada’s top lightweights; Alliance member Kurt Southern. Southern is coming off a dominating victory against Tristar/Team Bergeron member Martin ‘The Hammer’ Grandmont. Southern cemented himself as a top Canadian lightweight with that destructive performance against the veteran Grandmont; who has wins against Holst and Tyler Jackson.

Officially added to the card is a bout between two undefeated bantamweights as the Ottawa Academy of Martial Arts’ Xavier Desrochers enters the ring against Team MFC’s Brent Franczuz. Desrochers has been impressive in his first two MMA fights and is looking to add the talented Franczuz to his list of victims.

The event is headlined by two of the world’s top bantamweights as Ottawa’s own and Sengoku veteran Nick ‘The Ninja of Love’ Denis takes on Team Quest member Ian ‘The Barn Owl’ Loveland. Neither fighter has had a boring fight and this fight is expected to be a five round war; if neither gets knocked out before that! Moved up to the co-main event will be another candidate for Fight of the Night, as two of Canada’s top upcoming welterweights Louis-Phillipe Carle and Simon Marini enter the Wreck ring with the goal of taking the next step in the careers. The winner of this fight will be in a position to take a big next step as a huge international level fight will follow.

Also on the card is one of Ottawa’s most popular fighters, Craig ‘Farmer’ Brown, who will be facing the undefeated prospect from Alberta, Chase Degenhardt. Also on the card is a darkhorse for Fight of the Night as Mike ‘Hurricane’ Hong makes his bantamweight debut against the unbeaten Stephane Pelletier. The winner of that bout could possible face the winner of the Desrochers vs. Franczuz fight in a future Wreck event.

Tickets for this stacked event are available at TICKETMASTER.CA or by calling (613) 755-1111. Buy your tickets now to assure yourself a spot for the one show you do not want to miss!! Tickets are also available at The Fit Shop on 1383 Clyde Avenue in Ottawa. Bring your Wreck ticket and receive 10% off on all products and 15% off all Musclepharm products!!!

About Wreck and Brian’s Fight

As Wreck continues our policy of adding a charitable aspect to all our events, Wreck MMA will return to the Robert Guertin Arena to help a member of the Ottawa community. Brian Dyck was diagnosed Lou Gehrig’s Disease in October 2009. Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS ultimately leads to death. Brian has not only served his country in the Canadian forces but is currently an Ottawa police officer. His life has been devoted to helping others including his wife Natalie and their one year old daughter Sophi. It is no secret, Brian will leave us – and his family will need our help! Wreck MMA will donate up to $50,000 to Brian and his family, but we cannot do this without your help! We are calling for the members of the MMA community and the Ottawa/Gatineau region to all come together to help a family that needs us. Let’s all unite; for Brian’s fight.

WRECK MMA: UNITE FOR BRIAN’S FIGHT – CONFIRMED FIGHTS
Date: APRIL 16th, 2010
Venue: ROBERT GUERTIN ARENA
Location: GATINEAU, QUEBEC

MAIN EVENT – Wreck Bantamweight Title

Ian ‘The Barn Owl’ Loveland (Team Quest, Oregon) vs. Nick ‘The Ninja of Love’ Denis (Ronin MMA, Ottawa)

CO-MAIN EVENT

Simon ‘The Mutant’ Marini (Regency Boxing, Hamilton) vs. Louis-Philippe ‘The Joker’ Carle (FIT MMA/Zahabi MMA, Ottawa)
Kurt Southern (Alliance, Saskatoon) vs. Samuel Guillet (BTT Canada, Montreal)
Chase Degenhardt (Progressive Fighting Academy, Lethbridge) vs. Craig ‘Farmer’ Brown (FIT MMA, Ottawa)
Stephane Pelletier (Juvaldo MMA, Val D’Or) vs. Mike ‘Hurricane’ Hong (BAMA, Burlington)
Justin Smethurst (Team MFC, Windsor) vs. Stephane Bernadel (OAMA, Ottawa)
Tannaya Hantelman (Titans MMA, Halifax) vs. Anna ‘Smiles’ Barone (FIT MMA, Ottawa)
Brent Franczuz (Team MFC, Windsor) vs. Xavier Desrochers (OAMA, Ottawa)
Jeff Laughren (RAMA, Rockland) vs. Gerry Bruyere (Florin’s Ultimate MMA, Kanata)
Jeff Thomas (Team MFC, Windsor) vs. Mike Reily (Bluewater Martial Arts, Rockland)
Albert Cheng (Iron Tiger/Xtreme Couture) vs. Wes Ranger (Florin’s Ultimate MMA, Kanata)
Mikael Pellerin (Team Legion, Victoriaville) vs. Randy Turner (OAMA, Ottawa)

*** Subject to change ***

Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu in action at the 2009 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Cyborg earned a silver medal in 2009 but did not register for this year’s event.

Heading in to this coming weekend’s 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Irvine, California, we wanted to reflect a bit on who will be returning to defend their titles from last year. As the second most important event held in North America under the auspices of the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation, the Pan (formerly referred to as the “Pan-Ams”) has traditionally been a “must compete” event for jiu-jitsu’s most talented athletes. For those of us with lower expectations of ourselves (or let’s face it, less talent!) who enjoy it as an opportunity to observe from the sidelines, the Pan is always an amazing event to watch and seems to foreshadow what will happen at the World Championship a few months later.

Below is a list of the various weight classes in the men’s black belt and women’s black/brown belt divisions. You will find the name of last year’s champion and whether they will be competing based on the final list of competitors that the IBJJF has provided now that registration for the event is closed.

Men’s Black Belt

• Roosterweight: Joao Carlos Kuraoka, Axis. There’s a Joao Paulo Kuraoka from Axis signed up, so I presume it’s the same person who will be competing. However this year he’s added a little weight and will be competing in the light feather weight division.
• Light Feather: Yoshihiko Matsamura, Paraestra. Not returning this year.
• Feather: Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles Maciel, Alliance. Cobrinha is signed up and took the gold medal in this division at the Pan tournament from 2007-2009.
• Light: Lucas Lepri, Alliance. Lepri will return and earned the silver medal here in 2008 and the gold in 2009.
• Middle: Lucas Leite, Check Mat. Leite will return and earned the bronze medal in 2008 and the gold in 2009.
• Medium Heavy: Otavio Sousa, Gracie Barra. Sousa will return and earned the silver medal here in 2008 and the gold in 2009.
• Heavy: Roberto “Tussa” Alencar Camargo, Gracie Barra. Tussa will return and earned the silver medal here in 2008 and the gold in 2009.
• Super Heavy: Antonio Braga Neto, Gordo Jiu-Jitsu. Not returning this year.
• Ultra Heavy: Marcio Corleta, Winner Jiu-Jitsu. Not returning this year.
• Absolute: Antonio Braga Neto, Gordo Jiu-Jitsu. Braga Neto will return.

Women’s Brown / Black

• Light Feather: Claudia Martinez Kvenbo, Pinnacle Jiu-Jitsu. Returning, although this year she is listed as affiliated with C Quence Jiu-Jitsu.
• Feather: Fabiana Borges, Gracie Barra. Borges is returning.
• Light: Carol Vidal, Gracie Humaita. Not returning. As Penny Thomas mentioned in our interview on Sunday, Vidal is expecting so will likely be out of action in 2010.
• Middle: Valerie Worthington, Carlson Gracie Team. Val is returning.
• Medium Heavy: Ana Laura Cordeiro, Gracie Barra. Not returning, likely due to injury.
• Heavy: Luciana “Luca” Dias, Gracie Humaita. Perhaps one of the most consistent of athletes at the Pans, Luca is returning. She earned a gold medal at every Pan since 2005!
• Absolute: Ana Laura Cordeiro, Gracie Barra. Not returning, likely due to injury.

So of the 17 divisions described above, seven of the champions from last year did not register for this year’s event. Of course, we have not examined whether the silver and bronze medalists from last year will be present, so as always there will be cutthroat competition the day of the Pan. However, what we do know is that we will definitely see at least seven new champions this year.

The most consistent competitors from the list above like Dias, Lepri, Souza, Tussa, and Cobrinha, certainly are looking to return home with another gold medal around their neck so their opponents can expect them to come out with all guns firing this weekend.

Remember that the 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship will be streamed live online on Sunday for free courtesy of Budo Videos. Make sure to tune in!

I think overall my fight last weekend in Montreal was a good fight. I wanted to come out this spring and fight a lot. It’s a way to stay relevant, especially if you’re working towards getting into the bigger shows, you want to get good wins against quality opponents. Vernon White may be on the backside of his career, but he’s fought a who’s who of MMA and if you look at his record of late, he hasn’t been finished very often.

So I planned to set a pace that I knew he couldn’t keep up with but one that I would be able to maintain. There were a couple of times earlier in the fight that I may have been able to pour it on and possibly finish him. But I wasn’t sure, so didn’t to take the chance of running out of gas in the later rounds.

I was able to wear him down the first couple rounds and then finish him off with a choke in the third. And I don’t have a mark on me. I felt like I controlled the whole fight and short of bruising my foot on a kick, I came out unscathed. So I was able to get back in the gym on Monday morning and get ready for my fight on April 23 against Matt Horwich.

I had spoken to Denis Kang backstage. He of course had done his homework on White, and told me to put him on his back and he’s a fish out of water. Pat Healy said the same thing; they were teammates in the IFL. I just ran out there and did it and it worked out in my favour.

The win has opened up a lot of opportunities. I’ve had a couple of really good offers since. It’s been busy this week as I’m just trying to go through them and figure out which ones are best for me, both career-wise and financially. Bottom line, it looks like it will be a busy April, May and June for me, which is a good thing and I’m excited about it.

The biggest news on this weekend’s UFC card is Thiago Alves dropping out of the rematch against Jon Fitch. I was pretty disappointed because I was really, really looking forward to that fight. That being said, I hope nothing’s wrong with Alves’ brain. I hope we get to see that fight in the near future.

It’s pretty cool that Ben Saunders is stepping up to face Fitch. He’s been improving in every fight; however, I expect Jon to put him on his back and win.

Of course all the hype from the card is for Georges St-Pierre against Dan Hardy. At first I was thinking GSP would just run right through Hardy. But after watching Primetime I think now that Hardy has a legitimate shot. He’s a much better fighter than I’ve given him credit for.

It looks like he’s extremely well-prepared for this fight and he’s ready to take on GSP. One thing we’ve seen before is talk that GSP can be mentally weak. That’s one thing Hardy isn’t. If he’s got anything it’s confidence in his ability. He’s not going to go down without a fight, that’s for sure.

He’s going to give Georges a fight. I’m looking forward to it. I still think that Georges is the better wrestler, and will have the game plan to go in there and put Hardy on his back.

I believe GSP is going to win it, but it won’t be easy. Hardy will give him a fight, which is good for Hardy and good for the UFC.

Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin

I think Carwin is a better version of Brock Lesnar. He has decent standup, great wrestling, and jiu-jitsu. And he’s big and strong, if not stronger than Lesnar.

We saw what Lesnar did to Mir. If you let Mir turn it into a technical jiu-jitsu or kickboxing fight, he’ll have a great chance. But if you go out and turn it into an old-fashioned beat down, Mir doesn’t deal with that very well. So I’m picking Carwin all the way.

Mark Bocek vs. Jim Miller

The thing about this fight is Bocek is definitely the better technical guy, but Miller is a tough, physical type of fighter. Bocek is the opposite; he won’t rough you up.

Miller is real strong, I’ve seen a clip of him dead-lifting 470 pounds. I think he’s going to go out there and make it a rough, rowdy fight, and I don’t think Mark will deal with that well. I’d like to pick a fellow Canadian but I have to go with Miller.

Nate Diaz vs. Rory Markham

Diaz is the more technical, ground fighter and he’s used to training with 170-pound guys; for example, his brother and Jake Shields. I’m going to go with Diaz because he’s used to training with welterweights.

Ricardo Almeida vs. Matt Brown

I’m a little bit interested in this fight. Ricardo at one point looked to be unstoppable. But between injuries and time away from fighting, during which the fight game evolved, I’m not sure if he’s at that level anymore. Brown is getting better and better every fight, and they give him a step up in competition each time, and he keeps on rising to the challenge.

If Brown comes out fast, he could win, but Almeida could make it a slow fight. So I’m sitting on the fence. Brown might overwhelm him and TKO him, or Almeida will make it like the Patrick Cote fight and make it boring.

The UFC’s first ever event on the Versus network, “UFC on Vesus 1″ sold out the 1stBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo. headlined by light-heavyweights Jon Jones vs. Brandon Vera and heavyweights Junior dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga.

The event drew a total of 6,443 fans for a gate total of $568,125 according to UFC president Dana White. A total of 1.24 million viewers watched the event with a 1.66 rating in the males 18-34 demographic, and a total of $713,000 was payed out in fighter salaries.

The same venue was also host to the “UFC Fight Night 13: Florian vs. Lauzon” event in April 2008, which drew an attendance of 6,742 for a $753,429 gate total.

The 1.24 million viewers only ranked third highest among MMA events on the Versus network. The June 2008 event, “WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver” ranks first on the Versus network, drawing 1.54 million viewers, while the “WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber II” event falls into second place after the June 2009 event drew 1.3 million viewers. The total was an improvement over the past MMA event from March 6th, “WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz,” which only saw a viewership of 373,000.

The top earners for the “UFC on Versus 1″ network were heavyweight fighters Cheick Kongo, who earned $110,000 for his victory over Paul Buentello, and Junior dos Santos, who earned $70,000 for his win over Brandon Vera.

A break down of the fighter salaries from Sunday’s “UFC on Versus 1″ is as follows:

Jon Jones: $40,000 ($20,000 win bonus) def. Brandon Vera: $60,000

Junior Dos Santos: $70,000 ($35,000 win bonus) def. Gabriel Gonzaga: $67,000

Cheick Kongo: $110,000 ($55,000 win bonus) def. Paul Buentello: $40,000

Alessio Sakara: $42,000 ($21,000 win bonus) def. James Irvin: $20,000

Clay Guida: $50,000 ($25,000 win bonus) def. Shannon Gugerty: $9,000

Vladimir Matyushenko: $56,000 ($28,000 win bonus) def. Eliot Marshall: $10,000

Darren Elkins: $12,000 ($6,000 win bonus) def. Duane Ludwig: $12,000

John Howard: $26,000 ($13,000 win bonus) def. Daniel Roberts: $6,000

Brendan Schaub: $20,000 ($10,000 win bonus) def. Chase Gormley: $10,000

Mike Pierce: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus) def. Julio Paulino: $6,000

Jason Brilz: $18,000 ($9,000 win bonus) def. Eric Schafer: $13,000

Martins Denis, UFC - Ricardo Almeida. It is a name that is synonymous with Brazil, and fans from the country are eagerly awaiting the former middleweight contender's debut at 170 pounds against Matt 'The Immortal' Brown this Saturday night at UFC 111 in his home state of New Jersey.

The dates for the 2010 Gracie Invitational have been set. With the expansion on the Excel Arena in Docklands completed in late 2009, the space and facilities available for Europe’s 2nd biggest competition will go into overdrive!

Officially over 2 days, the competition will offer Gi and No Gi divisions and will be over 8 matted areas.

Registration is now open.
Event Schedule:
Competition starts at 9:30 am both days

Day 1:
All White Belt weight divisions

Blue Belt:
Rooster: 57.5kg
Super Feather: 64kg
Feather: 70kg
Medium Heavy: 88.3kg
Heavy: 94.3kg
Super Heavy: 100.5k
Super Super Heavy: over 100.5kg

Day 2:
All Kids Divisions
All Womans Divisions
Mens Blue Belt Light Weight: 76kg and Middle Weight: 82.3kg
White Belt Absolute
Blue Belt Absolute
All Purple Belt Divisions
All Black/Brown Belt Divisions
“Absolute 1000″ – Black/Brown and Purple Absolute Division.

The Absolute 1000 will comprise of the Black/Brown and Purple Belt Absolute Division. With the winner walking away with £1000 prize money. There will only be one fighter per academy permited. Fights will be fought for 6 minutes of constant action.

Seni Show
Limeharbour
Tower Hamlets, London E14, UK
MAP

More information on the official site.

Susquehanna Twp.'s Averee Robinson, gets a single leg on Conestoga Valley's Cole Dillman

-

(CHRIS KNIGHT, The Patriot-News)

When Averee Robinson hoisted his arms in the air two weeks ago at Hersheypark Arena, Susquehanna Twp. stepped out of the shadows of midstate high school wrestling.

Finally.

Oh, there has been sporadic success over the years. The Indians have had four state champions since 1938, the last of which came in 1991 when Jesse Rawls collected gold. And who could forget the run of Ed Ruth, who landed a fifth-place medal in 2007 and a fourth at 171 in 2008?

But when Robinson downed Conestoga Valley's Cole Dillman in the 285-pound district final, it gave the Indians two state qualifiers for the first time in, well, forever, according to sources close to the program.

"This is tremendous for our program," Indians head coach Joe Scott said. "It gives the other kids in our program something to look forward to and puts us on the map as a team."

Thank you, Robinson and Daniel King.

These two seem like the unlikeliest of heroes, or friends for that matter. Robinson (34-2) is a huge 285-pounder, and King (30-8) competes in the mite-size 112-pound bracket. And yet they talk on the phone and even roll around on the mat during practice in wrestling room.

Of course, Robinson takes it a little easy.

"It's funny, he can actually hold me down when he is on top," Robinson said with a chuckle. "He is tough. But I try and take it easy on him, and we really only wrestle for a period.

"We watch each other's matches. I can hear him screaming at me when I'm on the mat. When he loses I feel like I'm losing, and it is the same when I lose a match."

Two wrestlers from different backgrounds serving the same purpose: winning matches and representing a school that is known more for basketball and football than wrestling.

King started his wrestling career after he fouled out of a sixth-grade basketball game. His grandparents were influential in taking him to every camp and every open practice imaginable.

But he was far from a natural. He had to work at it. King became a gym rat, constantly biking and racking up miles on the treadmill. Even during state tournament week, King took in a regular practice before going to Middletown for another workout and closing his evening with a gym routine consisting of a bike ride and three-mile run.

"I know you have to work hard to keep winning," King, a sophomore, said. "I like to push myself and challenge myself to see how far I can go."

Robinson is cut from the same cloth.

The Indians sophomore has been mentored by Bobby Martin and his father, Adrian Robinson Sr. He's paid his dues, coming up through the junior ranks, earning his stripes and studying moves and counters with some of the best wrestlers in the area.

And he bounced back from a major setback.

A year ago, he qualified for the state tournament, only to have disciplinary issues force him out of the tournament. But instead of whining and complaining, Robinson cleaned up his act and has made his coaches and supporters proud.

"I learned so much the last year, what to do and what not to do," Robinson said. "Everyone kept supporting me and got me on the right track. I've gotten so much support from the school, and I just want to give back."

So does King.

The first thing he thought about after carving his way through the district consolation bracket, beating Central Dauphin's Shyheim Brown and New Oxford's Andrew Brehm, was doing his school proud and going to states with his friend.

"My coaches told me to leave it all on the mat, and it paid off," King said. "I feel good about what I accomplished, and I think it shows that the program is stepping up. It feels good to represent our school.

"[Robinson and I] rib each other a lot, but it is all in good fun. There is a lot of bragging rights, but we push each other and want each other to win."

For themselves.

And for the school colors.

"They have great wrestling ability and work hard in the weight room," Scott said. "They are both athletic and get good grades. They are great role models for the rest of the team.

"This gives us something to look forward to and something to build on, especially team wise. Once you get good individuals, you can build a team."

ATLANTIC CITY | Jonathan Slack could have a let a bad draw
upset him.
He could have let getting pinned in a quarterfinal knock
him off his game.
The Warren Hills senior could have lost his focus during
the tiring and lengthy consolation rounds.
Slack could have done any of that.
Instead, he finished in third place at 285 pounds Sunday
during the NJSIAA individual championships at Boardwalk
Hall.
A good friend of mine told me it takes more guts to
wrestle back and get third than it takes to win, Slack
said.
Slack pinned Emiliano Betancor of West Orange in 4 minutes
and 56 seconds in the third-place match. His only loss in
the tournament came to Manchesters three-time champion
James Lawson, who won four bouts en route to his latest
title, all by first-period fall.
Had Slack been seeded differently, he could well have made
the final.
I looked at the draw and I thought, What I can
I do about it? said Slack, who finished his senior
season 34-5. I came down here, did my wrestling, lost
to Lawson. I couldnt let it scare me.
It figures Slack would not frighten easily, being the son
of Warren Hills 1977 heavyweight state champion, Dan
Slack, though hes not a carbon copy of his very proud
dad.
He might like me to wrestle with more emotion, but
Ive seen kids wrestle with a lot of emotion and it
loses matches for them, Slack said.
He told me how happy he was for me (taking third);
that beats it all for me, hearing that from him, much more
so than winning and losing. I dont think I can fully
describe what this means for me.
Brown finishes seventh
North Warren senior Kevin Brown finished his career by
hammering Bergen Catholics Keith Switzer in the
seventh-place bout 7-0. Brown had pinned Switzer in a
pre-quarterfinal on Friday.
Brown leaves quite a legacy at North Warren -- hes
the Patriots only three-time state medalist. In fact,
hes North Warrens only state medalist, and
finished with a 124-33 career mark.
I hope North Warren can build on what I did, he
said. Weve got some pretty tough kids coming up
and a good municipal program, so I hope North Warren can
step it up in the future.
Brown was not exactly satisfied with seventh -- his body
language said it all -- but not all that dissatisfied,
either.
Theres a lot of really good kids who
didnt even place here, didnt even get to
states, he said. I am happy I got to medal
again.
Things didnt go my way, but I thought I
wrestled well. The kids that beat me didnt make any
mistakes, and I didnt catch any breaks.
Hafke places eighth
Voorhees senior Mike Hafke took home an eighth-place medal
at 171. He lost a tough 4-2 overtime decision to Egg Harbor
Townships Zach Agostino in the seventh-place match.
Hafke finished 35-5 on the season.
Three Central medalists
Hunterdon Central enjoyed a big weekend. The Red Devils
coach, Steve Gibble, was named the Region 5 coach of the
year, and his wrestlers took home three medals led by Alex
Shaffers championship at 119. Shaffer, a sophomore who
is 34-0 this year and 68-2 career, defeated Heriberto
Quintana of Perth Amboy 15-5 in the final.
Brad Wilson can be reached at 800-360-3601 or
bwilson@express-times.com. Talk about sports at
lehighvalleylive.com/forums

UFC welterweight Matt Brown quickly turned heads as one scary, aggressive guy on "The Ultimate Fighter 7" and has kept that reputation intact since the show. He's shrugged off a pedestrian record to emerge as a serious threat to the 170-pound division with three TKO wins in five post-"TUF" fights.

Ricardo Almeida, Brown's next opponent at UFC 111, is impressed by the Ohio fighter's run in the UFC. But aggression plays right into his hand.

"I always like fighting aggressive guys," Almeida recently told MMAjunkie.com. "I think it makes it a little bit easier than fighting someone who's going to play a very tactical approach."