Press Release

Four of the principal fighters competing in the STRIKEFORCE St. Louis: Heavy Artillery event at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo., on Saturday, May 15 LIVE on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) participated in a national conference call on Thursday.

Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski (15-7) will face off with Antonio “Big Foot” Silva (13-2) in a featured heavyweight bout. The 31-year-old Arlovski’s start will be his first since an upset defeat to Brett Rogers. A former UFC heavyweight champion, Arlovski had won five in a row in the UFC before suffering back-to-back losses to Fedor Emelianenko and Rogers.

Unbeaten Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sensation Roger Gracie (2-0) submitted all eight of his opponents en route to winning the coveted ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship in 2005. The second degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt’s submission skills have proven their worth in MMA competition as the 6-foot-4 heavyweight has won his two professional fights via submission.

Gracie’s opponent Kevin Randleman (17-14) captured back-to-back NCAA Division I national wrestling titles in 1992 and 1993 while attending Ohio State University. His stellar collegiate career gained him entry into the school’s Hall Of Fame in 2004. Randleman has been a force in MMA for years, winning the UFC title in 1999 and competing in Japan’s PRIDE Fighting Championships.

In the main event, STRIKEFORCE World Heavyweight Champion Alistair “The Demolition Man” Overeem (32-11) will put his title on the line against heavy-handed knockout artist Brett “The Grim” Rogers (10-1).

ANDREI ARLOVSKI

“This fight is very important for me. It’s been about nine months since my last fight so I just can’t wait to fight again.

“After I lost to Brett Rogers (June, 2009) I had meetings with all my trainers and they gave me a lot of ultimatums and said that I had to do it their way or that I would have to start to look for new trainers. When I fought Rogers I didn’t stick to my game plan and I didn’t take him seriously. So after that loss I just kept training and training and in November of 2009 I met with Greg Jackson and started training with him. I came back and trained in Chicago and then started working with Bob Cook and the guys at AKA Academy and then went back to Chicago. So I’ve had a lot of experience with different trainers. Everything happens for a reason and I’m more disciplined now. I’m definitely going to stick to my game plan. No more putting my hands down like I did against Rogers. I just can’t lose again. It’s very dramatic for me to lose fights and I want to climb back into the top. It’s going to be a very tough and important fight for me.

“(Silva) is very dangerous on the ground. That’s why I have spent a lot of time here in Chicago with some big heavy guys training a lot on the ground. He’s an all-around fighter. His striking is good. He’s good on the ground. He has long arms. He’s really dangerous. I have to be really prepared for this fight.”

Who would you like to fight next?

“Before I fought Rogers my mind was on (Fedor) Emelianenko. Now, it’s one step at a time. After May 15 then we can talk. Of course, it’s up to Strikeforce. So now I just focus on May 15 against Big Foot. He’s tough and he’s dangerous.

“Now that I’m in Chicago all my good friends are here and like brothers to me and they support me all the time and they try to keep me in a right way. Before I was in a relationship and all the time I worried about where my girlfriend was going to sit or how was she going to fly to the place where I am. Now I have a great girlfriend who supports me and she never asks me, ‘Oh, can I go?’ She lets me focus on my MMA career. Now, it’s just train hard, sleep and eat. I’m just focused on my MMA career and climbing back to the top.

“I still train with Freddie Roach. My boxing debut was going to be June 27 but then I fought Rogers and he knocked me out so it didn’t happen.

“I need to stick to my game plan and be more disciplined. I’m not talking about discipline like with my private life or outside the gym. I have to be more disciplined during my workouts and during my fights.”

ANTONIO SILVA

“I would like to thank everyone for this opportunity. You can expect a knock out or a submission from me on May 15.

“(My last fight) was a big lesson for me (a loss to Werdum on the Fedor-Rogers undercard). I had the opportunity but I could not do it. I fractured my hand and I’m not going to let something like this happen again.

“Because of my former suspension it had been awhile since I fought in the states and I wanted to put on a show. When I got Werdum in trouble instead of going down with him and keeping with ground and pound when he tried to grab my leg I stepped back and let him get back up. I broke my hand at the beginning of the second round after a left hook and it was really bothering me and I wasn’t the same after that. But that’s all in the past now.

“I’ve been concentrating on improving my strikes. I have a feeling this fight will not go to the end.”

How will you handle Arlovski’s speed?

“I train with guys like Jorge Santiago who are lighter and fast so I am very comfortable with his speed. I’m hoping that the fight stays standing up.

“I’ve been improving my hand speed a lot. This is a heavyweight fight and everyone has heavy hands. If Arlovski blinks he’ll get knocked out. If it goes to the ground, however, I am a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and I’m very comfortable there so I think I’m very comfortable anywhere the fight goes.”

ROGER GRACIE

Why did you come back to MMA after so long away?

“I never planned to be away for so long from MMA. I was trying to come back twice before but I injured myself. I think we are going to do two or three fights a year.

“I’ve been training about eight weeks already. I never stop training but as my fight gets closer it intensifies. I’ve been training MMA for about four weeks now.

“This fight can go any direction so I have to be ready for anything. I think I’ve trained enough.

“I believe I can train for both (Jiu-Jitsu and MMA). Of course May 15 is my main focus now but three weeks later I will fight in the Jiu-Jitsu worlds. Before I used to fight in Jiu-Jitsu four or five times a year and I think now I’m down to about two so I can concentrate more on my MMA fights. I feel like I can do both.”

Is there pressure on you because of your famous last name?

“I’ve been hearing that question since I was 10 years old. Of course there’s a lot of weight behind that name and there have been many great fighters for many years. But instead of giving me pressure I think it really pushes me forward and I always feel I have to train harder and I have to do better than everyone else because I have that name. I’m 28 years old now and I have learned to use that pressure and to push forward. You start gaining extra strength from it.

KEVIN RANDLEMAN

“Without the Gracie name we wouldn’t be where we are today in the world of MMA so my thanks to the Gracie clan. I’m under no false impression that I’m going to beat Roger Gracie at his game. I’m just going to try my best to use my game and try to do my best to not let him put me on my back.

“I’ve been working with world-champion boxers for the past year. There were many things I couldn’t do before because of injuries. Both of my shoulders have been re-done over the last four years. Now that I’ve fixed them my boxing is good. My wrestling will always be good. Fighting a guy like Roger Gracie … I’ve watched his Jiu-Jitsu and he is phenomenal. A guy like Roger Gracie, it’s just going to be a battle. It’s going to be just like a chess match. Roger Gracie has what he’s very good at and I have what I’m very good at and it actually intersects each another. I’ve been working my hands and my stand up and my muay thai to try and keep myself off of the ground and keep myself in good position.

“I’ve cleaned up not only my act but my game. I’ve added a lot to the arsenal. I train every aspect of the game. I’m ready to fight Roger Gracie. He is and always will be a factor in the MMA world. His family has history and he’s an athlete. A very good athlete and there’s no doubt in my mind his standup is going to be good and his Jiu-Jitsu will be phenomenal.

“There’s absolutely nothing I take for granted. I don’t take my health for granted and I am not taking him lightly. I know that he can rip an arm off from anywhere in the ring. Cardio is the one thing that I’ve worked on the most so that I can just stay ahead of the pace.

“I’m never going to be on the level of a Roger Gracie as far as Jiu-Jitsu goes because his name speaks for itself. This is like a new beginning for me. Before I had a lot of people around me that were very negative and didn’t want to work as hard as I like to work. But being in Vegas and training at the Tap Out facility and working with Randy Coture and Extreme Coture I’m very well prepared. I don’t plan on putting myself in the position where Roger Gracie will be on me. I plan on keeping the fight on the feet. My plan is to stay away from his web.”

“Scott Coker has done one heckuva job of keeping his company pure. He has stuck to his guns and has not let anyone influence him into changing. He’s done his thing the whole time. He lets the fighters go in there and fight. He’s got a lot of 205-pound fighters in there. I think Roger Gracie can be a champion. I know I can be a champion. I don’t believe this is a conservative card. I believe this is phenomenal card because everyone has got a lot of talent. With the progression of our sport, everyone is getting better. And if you’re not practicing every aspect of the game, it’s going to show when the cage closes.”

SCOTT COKER, Strikeforce CEO

“We felt like St. Louis was a market we really wanted to come back to. The fan base was very receptive and the media was receptive and it was such a good experience for us. When a date opened up at the arena we grabbed it and we’re happy to be back.”

How important is it for Strikeforce to have a name like Gracie fighting?

“You know I’ll tell you we’ve been offered many fighters with the last name Gracie. I don’t think we actually pulled the trigger on any of them. The Gracie name has built the sport in the past but there’s a lot of new stars today. It’s a legendary name and like Roger said there’s going to be some pressure that goes with that. As far as a marketing standpoint, is it a gimmick? Absolutely not. We feel this guy can do what he says he can do and if he can then we’ll work him up the ranks. I’m sure Kevin Randleman feels differently about it but that’s the beauty of this sport that on May 15 we’ll be able to shake it all out.

“When you look at this fight card I think it’s stacked from top to bottom. We’re anxious to see Alistair’s comeback and how Brett is going to do. If you look at this card from top to bottom I believe we’re going to have some amazing fights and that’s our commitment to the sport. Without the support of Ken Hershman and the guys over at SHOWTIME, we wouldn’t be able to throw the fight cards as deep as we do. I say to all the media, after the fight on May 15 then you can judge the event, but I wouldn’t have a pre-conditioned idea of what that will be.”

As part of our ongoing effort to bring you the details of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling news from all parts, here are the results of Northwest Submission Challenge which took place last weekend.

If you are a tourney organizer, we encourage you to send us the results of your Brazilian jiu-jitsu and submission grappling events too. If you are a competitor, feel free to send us a write up of your competition experience as well! Details are here.

Mens Beginner Nogi 130-150lbs
1st – Maziar Sobbi
2nd – JR Paredes
3rd – Hal Hammaker – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens Beginner Nogi 150-170lbs
1st – Carl Sims – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Blake Fluhart – West Side Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Alex Martinez – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens Beginner Nogi 170-190lbs
1st – Mat Lkinger – Team Beast BJJ
2nd – Eric Bowen – Alliance
3rd – Phil Lott – Alliance

Mens Beginner Nogi 190-210lbs
1st – Ryan Vrenderbur – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Scott Gray – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Gary Major – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens Beginner Nogi over 210lbs
1st – Mariano Godoy – Combat Fitness
2nd – Nate Silvester

Mens Beginner Nogi ABSOLUTE
1st – Mariano Godoy – Combat Fitness
2nd – Jeff White – Crow’s MMA
3rd – Blake Fluhart – West Side Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Rick Stone – Combat Fitness

Mens Intermediate Nogi 130-150lbs
1st – David Burgara – Twin Falls BJJ
2nd – Kazuaki Honjo – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Justin Freeman

Mens Intermediate Nogi 150-170lbs
1st – Tyler Freeland – Throwdown
2nd – Mike Getchell – Combat Fitness
3rd – David Iles – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens Intermediate Nogi 170-190lbs
1st – Jake Williams – Throwdown
2nd – Austin Miller – West Side Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Jeff Moore – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens Intermediate Nogi 190-210+lbs
1st – Kevin Wood – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Kurt Gregory

Mens Intermediate Nogi ABSOLUTE
1st – Josh Miler – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Kevin Wood – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Jake Williams – Throwdown
3rd – Cason Bowen – Alliance

Mens Advanced Nogi 140-180lbs
1st – Clint Christensen – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Brian Weiber – Combat Fitness
3rd – Dylan Owen – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens Advanced Nogi over 180lbs
1st – Sam Zylstra – Alliance
2nd – Ricky Robinson – Team Beast BJJ

Mens Advanced Nogi ABSOLUTE
1st – Clint Christensen – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Jacen Flynn – Combat Fitness
3rd – Matt Owen – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens White Belt 130-150lbs
1st – Justin Eyre – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Justing Freeman – Machado Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Hal Hammaker – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens White Belt 150-170lbs
1st – David Iles – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Zach Hollibaugh – Alliance
3rd – Carl Sims – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens White Belt 170-190lbs
1st – Josh Maggard – Alliance
2nd – Eric Bowen – Alliance
3rd – Austin Miller – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens White Belt 190-210lbs
1st – Kevin Wood – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Todd Loree – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Ryan Vredenbur – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Mens White Belt over 210lbs
1st – Phil Shiplett – Alliance
2nd – Jason Bedke – Alliance
3rd – Nate Silvester

Mens White Belt ABSOLUTE
1st – Jordan Tabb – Alliance
2nd – Jared Borge – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Jason Bedke – Alliance
3th – Phil Shiplett – Alliance

Mens Blue Belt 130-150lbs
1st – David Burgara – Twin Falls BJJ
2nd – Batt Badasci – Alliance
3rd – Kazuaki Honjo – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens Blue Belt 150-170lbs
1st – Josh Miller – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Brad Troyer – Pedro Sauer – Team Emfield
3rd – Paul Sundrini – Gracie Barra Idaho

Mens Blue Belt 170-190lbs
1st – Brandon Christensen – Alliance
2nd – Ari Bolden – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – James Hansen – Alliance*
3rd – Damon Tong – Keith Owen*

Mens Blue Belt 190-210lbs
1st – Drew Ledwich – Alliance

Mens Blue Belt over 210lbs
1st – Jeffery Walther – Spokane BJJ
2nd – Jeremiah Clemons – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Drew Ledwich – Alliance

Mens Blue Belt ABSOLUTE
1st – James Hansen – Alliance
2nd – Russell Duke – Alliance
3rd – Jeremiah Clemons – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens BJJ Advanced 140-180lbs
1st – Richard Casena – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Dylan Owen – Keith Owen BJJ

Mens BJJ Advanced over 180lbs
1st – Ricky Robinson – Team Beast BJJ
2nd – Miles Vigil – West Side Jiu Jitsu
3rd – Ryan Andrews – Alliance

Mens BJJ Advanced ABSOLUTE
1st – Dylan Owen – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Matt Owen – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Richard Casena – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Teen Nogi Beginner under 100lbs
1st – Josiah Priddy

Teen Nogi Beginner 100-120lbs
1st – John Hensley – Team Apocalypse
2nd – Nik Pendleton – Crow’s MMA
3rd – Keegan Orvis

Teen Nogi Beginner 121-140lbs
1st – Anthony Bosquez – Boise Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Dakota Kivett – Grappler’s Guild

Teen Nogi Beginner 141-160lbs
1st – Rowdy Robling
2nd – Brandon Cook – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Eric Wakeman – 10th Planet

Teen Nogi Beginner over 160lbs
1st – Alex Owen – Keith Owen BJJ

Teen Nogi Advanced 121-140lbs
1st – John Wick – Boise Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Joshua Bjerkader – Team Beast BJJ

Teen Nogi Advanced over 160lbs
1st – Tom DiNoia – Freestyle Training Academy
2nd – Todd Hastie

Teen Gi 100-120lbs
!st – Kenneth Pollard – Keith Owen
2nd – Khalani Hunt – Gracie Barra Idaho
3rd – Maxamillein Hefley – Integrative Athlete

Teen Gi 121-140
NEED

Teen Gi 141-160lbs
1st – Brandon Cook – Keith Owen BJJ

Teen Gi over 160lbs
1st – Todd Hastie
2nd – Alex Owen – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Tom DiNoia – Freestyle Training Academy

Kids Nogi Beginner 50-60lbs
1st – Cole Watterson – West Side Jiu Jitsu

Kids Nogi Beginner 60-70lbs
1st – AJ Enderle – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Garret Davila – Keith Owen BJJ

Kids Nogi Beginner 70-80lbs
1st – Cole Thompson – Integrative Athlete
2nd – Benjamin Hutchins – Keith Owen BJJ
3rd – Jared Perkins – Keith Owen BJJ

Kids Nogi Beginner 80-90lbs
1st – Jeremy Helsley – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Jake Jeffries – Unified BJJ

Kids Nogi Advanced 60-70lbs
1st – Lana Hunt – Gracie Barra Idaho

Kids Nogi Advanced 70-80lbs
1st – Trinitee Hulse – West Side Jiu Jitsu
2nd – Lana Hunt – Gracie Barra Idaho
3rd – Jillian Dietrich – Keith Owen BJJ

Kids Nogi Advanced 80-90lbs
1st – Lane Hunt – Gracie Barra Idaho
2nd – Grayson Garey – Keith Owen BJJ

Kids Nogi Advanced over 90lbs
1st – Michael Furman – Keith Owen BJJ
2nd – Jesus Playas

***********TEAM AWARDS*************
Youth Team Winners (all kids and teen divisions)
1st – Keith Owen BJJ – 81 points
2nd – Gracie Barra Idaho – 25 points
3rd – West Side Jiu Jitsu – 20 points
4th – Intergrative Athlete – 14 points

Adult Team Winners (all adult divisions)
1st – West Side Jiu Jitsu – 62 points
2nd – Alliance – 60 points
3rd – Keith Owen BJJ – 50 points
4th – Combat Fitness – 20 points

Gustavo Dantas Jiu-Jitsu Events in association with the Arizona State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (AZSBJJF) is proud to announce the 2010 Arizona Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu State Championship. There will be a $1000 Cash Prize for the Black Belt, Open Class Division Champion.

Gracie Mag will be covering the event. Don’t foret to check out their upcoming May issue which will feature an article on the 5th AZ International Open of BJJ.

Westwood High School
945 W. 8th St.
Mesa, AZ 85201
MAP

More information is available on the official site.

We will be having a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu seminar on April 25th 2010 with BJJ Black Belt Jared Weiner. Jared is Lloyd Irvin’s first black belt. Along with that, Jared is a highly respected and skilled competitor in the BJJ competition scene.

Grapplers Guide Academy
On Top of Middletown Fire Station No. 1 Station 8
336 Highway 35 South
Red Bank, NJ 07701
MAP

More information from the official site.

Alliance’s Bruno Malfacine defeats Brasa’s Felipe Costa for the gold medal in the rooster weight division of the 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

The 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship is now in the books, and Alliance continues its winning streak. According to Alliance founder Romero “Jacare” Cavalcanti, Alliance came in first place with 146 points, followed by Gracie Barra’s 44 points, and Gracie Humaita’s 21 points. Today on our show we will begin our conversation with Alliance founder “Jacare”, who proudly shares that the competitors just from his own school in Atlanta scored 55 points. We discuss the improving female competition team from Alliance with competitors like Luanna Alzuguir and Gabi Garcia, new stars like heavyweight and absolute champion Bernardo Faria, as well as the internal work Alliance does to keep its standards high.

We’ll also speak with the highest performing American competitor at the Pan Jiu-Jitsu, Rafael Lovato Jr. Lovato earned the second place in the heavyweight division. We will hear what it was like facing Faria, about some more recent techniques seen in tournaments, as well as Lovato’s overall impression of the tournament.

Our third interviewee is Budo Jake, who visits to discuss how Budo decided what to show during their live web stream on Sunday during the finals.

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show

2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu heavyweight champions from left to right: Joao Assis (Checkmat, 3rd place), Leo Iturralde (Alliance Atlanta, 3rd place), Bernardo Faria (Alliance, 1st place), Rafael Lovato Jr (Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu, second place).

International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation ring coordinators at the 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship.

The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation is already gearing up for its most important event each year: the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championship. IBJJF staffers have issued the call for staff to assist with the greatest BJJ event one can attend.

I am told from friends who have worked these events for the IBJJF that it is a lot of fun and you really get the best seat anywhere in the arena. If I were not working hard to cover the event, I know I would certainly try to be a staffer.

Date: June 3,4,5 & 6th (Thursday-Sunday)

Time: 9:00am-9:00pm

Location: Cal State University Long Beach Pyramid

Stipend: $80.00 per day (Staff t-shirt and meals provided)

If you are interested please email the following to the IBJJF Event Staff Coordinator at ibjjfstaff@gmail.com:

1. Full Name
2. Mailing Address
3. Specific dates you are available

All positions will be filled on a first come first served basis. Feel free to forward this email to friends & family that may be interested.

No experience necessary, on the job training provided.

International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation table staff, coffee in hand, at the 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Championship being prepped on the morning of the event.

This it will be a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Wrestling tournament.
We are offering $250 dollars for the NoGi Open Division!

21615 Hesperian Blvd,
Hayward, CA 94541
MAP

More information on the official site.

Check out the US Navy jiu-Jitsu team Rocking their New Custom MyHOUSE Fight shorts!!!

2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Champion in the black belt super heavyweight division Antonio Braga Neto is going to be offering a Brazilian jiu-jitsu seminar from 2 to 4 PM on Saturday. The cost is only $40.

Everyone welcome!

1500 Ashby Ave
Berkeley, CA 94703
MAP

More information available at the official site.

Fabio Gurgel, the leader of Alliance in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

This weekend the 2010 Pan Jiu-Jitsu Tournament is underway in Irvine, California. The Pan, formerly referred to as the Pan-Ams, is widely regarded as one of the most important Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitions held anywhere in the world. As of this writing, none of the champions have been decided yet but yesterday was full of very high-end talent. We will reflect on some of the action with Alliance Jiu-Jitsu’s Fabio “The General” Gurgel, the Sao Paulo-based instructor who is responsible for some of the most dominant jiu-jitsu competitors today.

The majority of our show today is a conversation with Antonio Antonioli, a brown belt in jiu-jitsu from Porto Alegre, Brazil. Most of us have an idea of what we think Brazilian jiu-jitsu is, and we know what our personal experience in jiu-jitsu is like, but not many of us have experienced jiu-jitsu from Brazil itself. Antonioli will give us a glimpse into the everyday way jiu-jitsu is felt by the multitudes back in the nest of Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (recommended)
[mp3] Download the show

Antonio Antonioli (left) demonstrates a half guard position with Alex Brandao.