|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 2, 2021 22:57:42 GMT 1
The Ultimate Fighter Lands in Denver
 Are we looking at the next evolution of live sports? UFC brand ambassador Ed Healy seems to think so.
“The UFC is going to be the sporting event that people will be talking about for a long long time.”
The UFC, or Ultimate Fighting Championships, is - as Healy described
it - a single night ironman full contact fighting tournament. What
exactly does that mean? Well, Healy describes it as.
“Full Contact Fighting is allowing all forms of traditional hand to
hand combat. It’s a marriage of traditional martial arts and modern
sports. The team’s vision is to make the UFC a brand with the equity of
other major sports leagues.”
And how does the UFC plan to do that?
“There’s literally nothing like what we’re introducing to Denver.
Imagine the very best fighters in the world. We’re talking some of the
toughest men walking on this planet and now they’re competing in a
single night tournament for a chance to become The Ultimate Fighter?
And what’s The Ultimate Fighter?
“The format for The Ultimate Fighting Championship is what we call
an eight man ironman tournament. What that means is the fighter that
wins their fight, will go on to fight later that same night in the next
round, and this continues all the way until the finals. Two fighters
will end up fighting three times in the same night. The man to survive
all three fights becomes The Ultimate Fighter. The Ultimate Fighter
walks away with a $15,000 grand prize with the runner up, receiving
$5,000.”
Ironman indeed. As of this article, we’ve learned that the
tournament fights will be fought with a thirty minute time limit and in
the event of a time limit, three judges will be stationed around
ringside to assess a winner.
This tournament will not be for the faint of heart. Fights can be
won by knockout, submission, the aforementioned time limit expires, or a
referee stoppage.
For my own clarification, I asked and yes, if a fighter can get a
hold of a limb, he is allowed to manipulate it in such a way that his
opponent forfeits. Without question, the Ultimate Fighter tournament
will be one hell of a spectacle.
|
|
|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 2, 2021 23:00:06 GMT 1
Who Will Be the Ultimate Fighter?Bas Rutten
Eindhoven, Holland
28 Years Old
Dutch Kickboxing Known as “El Guapo”, or “The Handsome”, don’t let the nickname or his
colorful personality fool you, Bas Rutten is one man not to mess with.
Bas Rutten has been an active kickboxer since the age of twenty. In the
sport of kickboxing, he was known to pick opponents apart with a
combination of low scything kicks, picking apart the calf to decrease
his opponents mobility, followed by attacking the body to to attain
victory.
Bas Rutten has taken up residence in Japan and from what we’ve been able
to discern, he’s been living in the country for the last few years. In
preparation for this tournament, Bas Rutten has partnered with longtime
friendly rival, Japanese grappling wizard, Masakatsu Funaki.
Opponents of Bas Rutten in The Ultimate Fighter should expect a high volume of kicks from this lively and colorful kickboxer.
Gerard Gordeau
Den Haag, Netherlands
38 Years Old
Savate The first thing people will take notice of is the tattoos that adorn
the body of this European fighter. Gerard Gordeau is a quiet,
methodical savate fighter. Savate, traditionally a French form of close
quarters combat, combines English boxing with a variety of kickboxing
techniques.
With an official record of 27-4, Gordeau is by far one of the most
accomplished competitors in The Ultimate Fighter. We’ve learned that
since signing up to compete in The Ultimate Fighter, Gerard Gordeau has
been incorporating judo and some amateur wrestling into his training in
an effort to become a more well rounded, more complete martial artist.
James Mathews
Compton, California
24 Years Old
Kung Fu
James Mathews has no lack of experience in an environment like The
Ultimate Fighter having spent the last three years competing in
submission fighting tournaments in Japan.
Mathews is a junior college wrestler who transitioned into karate and
taekwondo as a way to stay active and fit after graduating college. He
has competed in multiple martial arts tournaments all over the world and
will look to use his experience to give him an edge against his
Ultimate Fighter opponents.
Ken Shamrock
Susanville, California
29 Years Old
Shoot Fighting
Ken Shamrock is perhaps one of the most intriguing men to enter The
Ultimate Fighter tournament. His story is definitely one that is
specifically unique to full contact fighting. Shamrock was a bouncer at
a Las Vegas club who wanted to be a professional wrestler like Hulk
Hogan of the WWF.
On his journey to be a professional wrestler, Ken Shamrock relocated to
Japan and soon discovered shoot fighting. Ken Shamrock also has
familiarity with James Matthews as the two have competed in the same
submission fighting tournaments in the past.
Shamrock believes that overall, he will be the most well rounded fighter
in the tournament. He was quoted as saying that full contact fighting
existed way before the UFC. This will not be new territory for
Shamrock.
Marco Ruas
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
32 Years Old
Ruas Vale Tudo
In his home country of Brazil, Marco Ruas is a legend in the martial
arts scene. In vale tudo, a Brazilian full contact sport, Ruas earned
the moniker as “The King of the Street” with Ruas very often defeating
his opponents by way of knockout as well as submission.
Ruas is also the founder of the martial arts, Ruas Vale Tudo, which is a
hybrid of mixed martial arts and kickboxing. “The King of the Street”
is looking to become The Ultimate Fighter. To do that, he will need to
utilize his hybrid martial arts style.
Masakatsu Funaki
Aomori, Japan
24 Years Old
Catch Wrestling
 In Japan, Masakatsu Funaki has earned the reputation of being a
grappling wizard. An established name in the Japanese submission
fighter world, it’s widely known that once Funaki grabs hold of an
opponent, there’s nothing they can do to fight him off.
Funaki is lightning quick and freakishly strong. To survive Funaki,
martial artists competing in the Ultimate Fighter will have to make sure
that they keep Funaki at a distance. If he can get within reach and
take an opponent off their feet, it won’t be long before they’re on the
receiving end of a leglock.
Masakatsu Funaki and Bas Rutten have developed a friendly rivalry in
Japan. Over the past year, the two have become close friends, often
training with each other. Despite both competing in The Ultimate
Fighter, Funaki and Rutten have been training together in preparation
for the tournament.
Maurice Smith
Seattle, Washington
31 Years Old
Kickboxing Maurice Smith is one of, if not the, most accomplished kickboxers in
the world. Among his accolades, Smith is a former World Kickboxing
Council World Light Heavyweight Champion, International Sport Karate
Association World Heavyweight Champion, and World Kickboxing Association
World Heavyweight Champion.
Smith is a volume striker who loves to batter his opponents leg kick
after leg kick. Smith has limited knowledge in regards to fighting
against grapplers and other forms of hand to hand martial arts, but a
world class kickboxer the calibre of Smith will spell a major problem
for the other competitors.
Royce Gracie
Torrance, California
26 Years Old
Gracie Jiu Jitsu You wouldn’t need to look much further than the Gracie family name to
find the closest thing to a royal family in the world of martial arts.
Helio Gracie, the patriarch of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or Gracie Jiu Jitsu,
passed the art on to his sons. While many consider older brother
Rickson to be the most proficient in the art, the family considers Royce
Gracie to be the future of the family martial art.
Royce Gracie doesn’t just see this as an opportunity at $15,000 (though
more money never hurts) for Royce, and even the entire Gracie family,
this is an opportunity to show to an audience that Gracie Jiu Jitsu is
the strongest martial art.
To help prepare for the tournament, Royce has enlisted the help of older
brother Rickson. As mentioned earlier, Rickson is considered by many
within the family as being the best Gracie Jiu Jitsu practitioner of the
entire family. With that kind of help in his corner, Royce will prove
to be a formidable foe.
|
|
|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 2, 2021 23:01:58 GMT 1
Initial Rules & Format
No weight classes. Ultimate Fighting Championship fights will be contested in an openweight format.
Fights will be contested under a thirty minute time limit.
A fighter can win by knockout, verbal forfeit, forfeit from corner, referee stoppage, or if the time expires.
In the event of an expired time limit, there will be three judges
presiding over the fights. They will then assess what they witnessed
before declaring a winner.
Strikes to a downed opponent are legal
Fighters are allowed to fight for grappling positioning without being
pressured by interference from an official. There are no resets for
inactivity.
Closing guard is legal
Knees to the head of a grounded opponent are legal
Elbow strikes to the head - be it standing or on the ground - are legal
Stomps and soccer kicks to the head and body are legal
Foot stomps are legal |
|
|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 2, 2021 23:02:21 GMT 1
UFC: The Ultimate Fighter
Live From Denver, Colorado
September 18th, 1993
The Ultimate Fighter Final
Winner of Semi Final Fight A vs. Winner of Semi Final Fight B
The Ultimate Fighter Semi Final Fight A
Winner of Quarter Final Fight C vs. Winner of Quarter Final Fight D
The Ultimate Fighter Semi Final Fight B
Winner of Quarter Final Fight A vs. Winner of Quarter Final Fight B
The Ultimate Fighter Quarter Final Fight D
Royce Gracie vs. Gerard Gordeau
The Ultimate Fighter Quarter Final Fight C
Ken Shamrock vs. Maurice Smith
The Ultimate Fighter Quater Final Fight B
Masakatsu Funaki vs. James Mathews
The Ultimate Fighter Quarter Final Fight A
Bas Rutten vs. Marco Ruas |
|
|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 2, 2021 23:03:03 GMT 1
The Ultimate Fighter Pay Per View Distribution
 We have learned that The Ultimate Fighter, a single night full
contact fighting tournament, will be distributed on PPV. The broadcast,
which will be on tape delay, will air exactly one week after the live
event. Some cable companies are even adding the event as part of their
FITE TV package, which historically has included boxing, kickboxing, and
some professional wrestling as part of its programming block.
Introducing the Voice of the UFC As part of its Pay Per View production, Ultimate Fighting
Championships has introduced Jeff Blatnick as their on-site analyst, who
will call the action of The Ultimate Fighter tournament for the home
viewers watching via Pay Per View.
Jeff Blatnick, a former Division II heavyweight wrestler and Olympic
gold medalist in Greco-Roman, is just one of many names behind the
formation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Blatnick, who was also
instrumental in attracting some of the martial arts talent to the
tournament, will be offering his professional analysis on what the fans
at home will see on their television screens. |
|
|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 2, 2021 23:37:23 GMT 1
Masakatsu Funaki Is the Ultimate Fighter Denver, Colorado saw 1300 fans crowd into a small municipal
auditorium to witness The Ultimate Fighter ironman tournament hosted by
the Ultimate Fighting Championships. On September 18th, Masakatsu
Funaki survived three fights, submitted one opponent, and fought for a
total time of one hour, three minutes, and twenty-three seconds to
become the Ultimate Fighter.
We’d be doing you, the reader, a major disservice if the article skipped
ahead to discussing the tournament final as The Ultimate Fighter
tournament itself provided a spectacle that American sports fans,
particularly those who’d call themselves boxing fans, had never seen
before.
Bas Rutten and Marco Ruas had the unenviable task of introducing the
Denver, Colorado crowd to their first ever full contact fight. Rutten
and Ruas were not only able to successfully set the tone for what the
crowd could expect to see on tonight’s show, they dazzled and wowed the
crowd with a contest that no one would soon forget.
Bas Rutten threw the very first strike in the UFC by cutting into the
calf of Marco Ruas with a scything low kick. The impact of the kick
echoed throughout the auditorium and the crowd gasped upon bearing
witness to Rutten’s offense. Ruas, a fighter who certainly seems to
have a way with the crowd, simply smiled upon receiving the kick and
invited Rutten to do it again. Rutten delivered another kick upon
request but this time Marco Ruas caught it. With Bas Rutten bouncing on
one foot, Marco Ruas seized the opportunity to close the distance
between himself and Rutten and once in arms reach, Ruas began to fire
away on Bas with a series of vicious uppercuts. Rutten covered as best
he could and once he was able to weather Marco’s initial volley of
punches, Rutten responded in kind with a series of punches of his own.
Bas Rutten and Marco Ruas would engage in combat for the entire thirty
minute time limit duration. While initial expectations suggested that
the live audience wouldn’t be able to sit through a thirty minute fight,
Rutten and Ruas were able to prove the skeptics wrong. Ruas and Rutten
spent the entire half hour frame throwing vicious punch after vicious
punch at each other and the audience was on edge the entire time,
believing that they were seconds away from watching one of the two men
become victim to a vicious knockout.
Ultimately, the judges awarded the fight in favor of Marco Ruas. During
the final seven minutes of the contest, Marco Ruas was able to trip a
tiring Bas Rutten to the canvas of the chain linked octagon designed
fighting ring. Rutten displayed his very best defense wildly kicking up
at Ruas. Ruas withstood the kicks and spent the remainder of the round
raining down punches on Rutten who did his very best to cover up.
Referee Bill Davies hovered over both fighters in the event that he
needed to call the match. The bell sounded however and Marco Ruas was
announced as the victor and first semi finalist.
In the second semifinal of the night, Masakatsu Funaki showed Denver,
Colorado why he’s gained notoriety in the martial arts world for being a
dangerous grappler. During his bout with James Matthews, Funaki stuck
close to the California Kung Fu artist, firing away palm strikes that
kept Matthews guessing.
Matthews, who fully expected Masakatsu to keep the fight standing with
his palm strike offense, was caught by surprise when Funaki faked a
right palm strike and then secured a body lock. From there, Matthews
stepped over his own feet after being muscled around by Funaki, and the
two men found themselves fighting on the canvas.
Matthews expected the situation to be as simple as popping back up to
his feet to avoid the grappling exchange. As a result, Matthews threw a
kick at Funaki, who was postured over the downed fighter, and thought
the kick would give him the time he needed to explode back onto his
feet. However, Funaki simply grabbed the ankle firmly and laid himself
flat on the canvas. The crowd wasn’t sure what was going on but then an
audible groan could be heard from James Matthews who waved at the
referee to call off the fight. When Funaki grabbed Matthews’ ankle, he
had apparently placed the Kung Fu fighter in some kind of leg/knee hold.
The pain Matthews went through couldn’t even begin to be described.
He clutched at his knee while Funaki and a ringside physician checked on
his wellbeing.
The excitement slowed down a little during the third quarterfinal bout
between Maurice Smith and Ken Shamrock. Both men seemed to have an
awareness of each other’s skill sets and both showed respect for the
other’s craftsmanship. Ken Shamrock wasn’t looking to get in an
unnecessary kickboxing battle with Smith. Maurice, meanwhile, wasn’t
too keen on letting Shamrock close the distance.
The first ten minutes of the fight saw both fighters trepidatiously
engage each other. Smith would look to go for the body and legs with a
variety of kicks. Shamrock would alternate between palm strikes and
punches to put some damage on Smith. The respect that the two had for
each other’s abilities didn’t produce a fight as exciting as the first
two. However, Shamrock was able to pick Maurice Smith’s ankle 16
minutes into the contest and after a brief ground battle, Shamrock was
able to secure a leg lock of his own earning a place in the semi finals
at eighteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds.
Nothing better exemplifies saving the best for last than the final
quarter final fight of the night. Royce Gracie and Gerard Gordeau
without question had the most entertaining fight of the show. There was
drama before the bell even sounded when Gordeau refused to shake hands
with Gracie, a pre-fight tradition that every fighter had observed
during the tournament up until this match. Royce Gracie wasn’t fazed in
the slightest looking at Gordeau with an icy gaze as John McCarthy
admonished the savate fighter for his lack of sportsmanship.
Despite this being Denver’s first exposure to Royce Gracie, he was given
a hero’s reception in the auditorium thanks to the antics of Gerard
Gordeau, who was well on his way to becoming the UFC’s first villain.
Karma would ultimately set its sights on Gordeau who made the mistake of
immediately pressing the attack, coming at Gracie with a series of wild
punches. At just two minutes half minutes, Royce Gracie didn’t back
down from Gordeau’s charge and instead met the Dutch martial artist head
on, initiating a grapple by securing a bodylock.
Gordeau simply wasn’t prepared for it. He bucked and moved haphazardly
around the octagon hoping to break free of Gracie’s grasp but it was to
no avail. Gordeau’s means of defense proved to do more harm than good
as all the wild flailing tired him out. Three and a half minutes into
the fight, referee John McCarthy put an end to the fight after Gerard
Gordeau had been choked out by Gracie.
Masakatsu Funaki and Marco Ruas returned to the octagon for the first
semi final of the night and they left the fans buzzing with another
thirty minute high octane spectacle. Marco Ruas proved to be a little
tougher for Funaki to get his hands on and Funaki was more than willing
to adjust. Funaki showed to both the Denver audience and Marco Ruas
that he too had no problems engaging in a brawl and Funaki and Marco
Ruas spent the first twenty-five minutes of the fight teeing off on each
other with an array of strikes.
Ruas mistakenly showed just how much The Ultimate Fighter took out of
him by placing his hands on his knees during a small lull in the fight
to catch his breath. The moment Funaki saw Ruas in recovery mode, he
knew it was time to look for a finish. Funaki went low and was able to
trip Ruas off of his feet by picking at an ankle followed by tackling
Ruas to the ground.
Funaki fought valiantly with Ruas, wrestling for another leglock attempt
but Ruas refused to leave himself exposed. Keeping his limbs tight and
securing a body lock around Funaki to keep the Japanese fighter close.
Once again, Funaki changed up his game plan and spent the remaining
time left in the round peppering Ruas with sharp punches to the side of
the face. When the bell sounded to end the fight, all three judges
ruled the fight in Funaki’s favor.
The second semi final bout between Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock
unfortunately left a pretty sour taste in the mouths of the Denver,
Colorado audience. Both Shamrock and Gracie were spent and it showed in
their contest. The two men circled around the ring, both breathing
ragged. Gracie would lead with a kick to Shamrock’s legs but every
single kick lacked any real power. On Gracie’s opponent’s end of
things, Shamrock kept his hands up but never really let any punches fly.
The audience showed their disapproval of the fight, booing while the two
competitors circled each other, neither one taking any strong
initiative one way or another. Even when the circling shifted to
grappling, Shamrock nor Gracie could help make things more exciting as
even the grappling resulted in a stalemate, neither fighter able to make
the most of it.
When the bell sounded to signify the end of the fight, the booing got
louder. Shamrock and Gracie didn’t seem to let the audience affect them
too much. The two men shook hands and praised each other for putting
on a tough fight. The judges would ultimately score the fight in favor
of Royce Gracie much to Shamrock’s disappointment.
After the dismal semi final contest between Gracie and Shamrock, the
audience was looking for Masakatsu Funaki to reignite the fire and give
The Ultimate Fighter finale the exciting closing fight that the
tournament deserved. Excitement turned to disappointment, however, as
the audience witnessed even more inactivity between Funaki and Royce
Gracie.
Unlike his semi final fight, Royce Gracie did try to press the attack,
looking to initiate with Masakatsu Funaki by way of turning the fight
into a grappling exhibition. Funaki however, would throw a 1-2
defensive palm strike combo and it would prove to keep Gracie out of
range. For the first twenty three minutes of the fight, the bout would
follow that exact pattern. To the surprise of no one, Funaki and Gracie
were jeered by the audience for their lack of activity.
With the time limit dwindling down to just a mere few minutes, Funaki
changed strategies and began to work at Royce Gracie with kicks designed
for the knee and thigh. Funaki threw them at such a volume that the
already exhausted Gracie could do nothing but absorb the strikes.
Despite Funaki’s efforts to bring life back into the fight, the fans
were already treated to a poor match up in the fight prior that short of
a knockout, there was nothing that either Gracie or Funaki could do to
bring the audience back into this one.
With the bell sounding, the night’s fighting was finally over and we
would soon crown The Ultimate Fighter. Bryan Borgomeo, Alvin Browning,
Clinton Leon the three judges presiding over the action moved into the
octagon and shook hands with both Gracie and Funaki. Funaki and Gracie
graciously thanked the judges before displaying mutual respect to each
other by shaking hands and bowing. They then faced the judges and
awaited a victor to be declared.
Judges Byran Borgomeo, Alvin Browning, and Clinton Leon all agreed that
due to a stronger volume of offensive pressure, the winner of the fight
and thus the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Ultimate Fighter was
Masakatsu Funaki! |
|
|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 2, 2021 23:37:48 GMT 1
 Ultimate Fighting Championships: The Ultimate FighterLive Gate: $167,875Earnings from Pay Per View Broadcast: $26,346Critical Rating: 65%Commercial Rating: 29%The Ultimate Fighter FinalMasakatsu Funaki defeated Royce Gracie via Judges’ Decision to become The Ultimate Fighter (30:00) (Poor)The Ultimate Fighter Semi FinalRoyce Gracie defeated Ken Shamrock via Judges’ Decision (30:00) (Awful)The Ultimate Fighter Semi FinalMasakatsu Funaki defeated Marco Ruas via Judges’ Decision (30:00) (Good)The Ultimate Fighter Quarter FinalRoyce Gracie defeated Gerard Gordeau via submission (Rear naked choke) (3:29) (Great)The Ultimate Fighter Quarter FinalKen Shamrock defeated Maurice Smith via submission (Kneebar) (18:28) (Average)The Ultimate Fighter Quarter Final Masakatsu Funaki defeated James Matthews via submission (Kneebar) (3:23) (Good)The Ultimate Fighter Quarter FinalMarco Ruas defeated Bas Rutten via Judges’ Decision (30:00) (Good) |
|
|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 3, 2021 0:29:41 GMT 1
The Ultimate Fighting Championships Returns to Denver on New Year's DayFans of The Ultimate Fighting Championships will be glad to hear that
the Ultimate Fighting Championships will return to Denver, Colorado on
New Year’s Day 1994 with a second Ultimate Fighter tournament.
Eight new martial artists from all over the world will step up to the
plate on New Year’s Day for an opportunity to win a $15,000 grand prize.
The second Ultimate Fighting Championships event, titled The New
Warriors, will emanate from Denver, Colorado with a Pay Per View
broadcast being offered a week later for those who are wanting to catch
the action at home.
In the following weeks, we will learn more about the new martial artists
entering into The Ultimate Fighter ironman tournament. We’ve also
learned that the rules and formatting for the second tournament will
remain unchanged from how it premiered. |
|
|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 3, 2021 0:32:14 GMT 1
The New Warriors
Fabio Gurgel
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
23 Years Old
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brazilian Jiu Jitsu grappler, Fabio Gurgel, has established a name
for himself in the Japanese fighting circuit. Prior to agreeing to
compete in the Ultimate Fighter tournament, Fabio Gurgel usurped the #2
ranked fighter in the Japanese fighting circuit, Katsuomi Inagaki, to
become the King of Pancrase.
Fabio Gurgel is an accomplished grappler who brings a strong coaching
team to support him in his corner. His primary trainer is none other
than “The Kings of the Street” himself, Marco Ruas. Expect Gurgel to
mix his world class grappling with kickboxing to keep his opponents
guessing throughout the Ultimate Fighter tournament.
Minoru SuzukiYokohama, Japan
25 Years Old
Catch Wrestling
Fans might be able to recognize this catch wrestler as he was spotted
at the first Ultimate Fighting event assisting both Masakatsu Funaki
and Bas Rutten in their fights. A disciple of Ultimate Fighter,
Masakatsu Funaki, Minoru Suzuki made his debut in the Japanese fighting
circuit by defeating his first opponent by submission in under two
minutes.
Suzuki jumped at the chance to participate in the second Ultimate
Fighter. With both Bas Rutten and Masakatsu Funaki in his corner,
Suzuki will be quite the challenge for any of the martial artists
participating in this tournament to undertake.
Oleg Taktarov
Sarov, Russia
26 Years Old
Sambo With a nickname like “The Russian Bear”, Oleg Taktarov will certainly
be the martial artist to pay attention to in this tournament. Standing
at six feet tall and weighing in at 215lbs of lean muscle, Oleg
Taktarov will perhaps be one of the strongest competitors in the entire
tournament.
Make no mistake about it, Oleg Taktarov is a frightening, imposing man.
A former hand to hand instructor for the Soviet Union agency KGB and a
four time winner of the Jujutsu Full Contact, Oleg Taktarov will look to
use all of his knowledge in hand to hand combat and sambo to best his
opponents.
Wallid Ismail
Rio de Janeiro
29 Years Old
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Lebanese Brazilian, Wallid Ismail, is no stranger to the world of
full contact fighting. In his home country of Brazil, Wallid Ismail has
successfully organized, promoted, and participated in dozens of luta
livre, or Brazilian freestyle fighting, events.
Wallid is an extremely dangerous grappler who never gives up and fights
with such ferociousness and tenacity that many in the fighting circuit
refer to him as a pitbull. Wallid Ismail has legitimately grappling
credentials, earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from the famous
Gracie family.
Prior to entering the second Ultimate Fighter tournament, Wallid Ismail
has most recently competed in the Japanese submission fighting circuit.
In his last fight, Ismail was able to choke out top Japanese competitor
Kenji Kawaguchi and he looks to do the same to the competition in the
Ultimate Fighter tournament.
Patrick Smith
Denver, Colorado
30 Years Old
Tae Kwon Do
Expect Patrick Smith to receive a hero’s welcome in his hometown of
Denver, Colorado as he looks to take home the crown of The Ultimate
Fighter. Smith is a very charismatic, very exciting Tae Kwon Do
practitioner who traditionally likes to start aggressive, going right
after his opponents with power strikes to the body and head.
Patrick Smith, however, has taken a different approach when entering the
sport of full contact fighting. As of this writing, Smith has taken up
residence with Rorion Gracie and is the first disciple in a brand new
American based Gracie Jiu Jitsu Academy. Patrick has not been shy in
displaying the new techniques he’s learned, having won two Japanese
submission fights with a choke and a joint manipulation.
Jason Delucia
Boston, Massachusetts
24 Years Old
Kung Fu Perhaps no one is entering the tournament with the variety of styles
under the belt like Jason Delucia has. Although Delucia claims kung fu
as his primary martial arts background, he also has a belt in Aikido,
Judo, and Tae Kwon Do.
Delucia will look to mix up his different martial arts to keep his
opponents guessing with a dynamic array of strikes. If his last
kickboxing bout in California is anything to go off of, Delucia will
look to press the attack and keep his opponent close in the pocket where
he will be allowed to fire off an offensive flurry of punches and kicks
without receiving any significant punishment in return.
Murilo Bustamante
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
27 Years Old
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Murilo Bustamante is viewed by many to be the future of Brazilian
martial arts. Bustamante has perhaps had some of the best instructors
in the world of martial arts to shape and influence him. He earned his
first Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt under Gracie family instructor,
Carlson Gracie. From there, he met Marco Ruas at a vale tudo event, and
has since been one of Marco Ruas’ brightest and best students.
There’s no secret in Murilo’s game plan. He’s going to look to
immediately take his opponents to the ground where he has a library of
submission attacks to choose from. One would think Murilo Bustamante is
setting himself up to be spoiled, by being a one trick pony. However,
Bustamante is so quick and has an unfathomably strong grip that it’s not
really a matter of if he takes you down, but when.
Rickson Gracie
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
35 Years Old
Gracie Jiu Jitsu Rickson is a man on a mission. For the Gracie Jiu Jitsu wunderkind,
it’s not just about winning The Ultimate Fighter tournament. Rickson,
above all else, is looking to avenge his little brother Royce, who came
up short against Masakatsu Funaki in the finals of the first fight.
Rickson Gracie has already even given out his first edict: upon winning
the Ultimate Fighter, Rickson wants to fight previous tournament winner
Masakatsu Funaki. To Rickson, doing so will both make things right
with Royce and will prove that Gracie Jiu Jitsu is the undisputed king
of martial arts.
By many in the international fight circuit, Rickson Gracie is considered
to be the very best full contact fighter. There’s a wide belief that
no one is on the same skill level as Rickson Gracie when it comes to
grappling, wrestling, and submission fighting. Rickson Gracie is also
looking to add a new dimension to his whole game. He’s most recently
been spotted training with Golden Gloves Middleweight Champion, Art
Jimmerson. If he’s able to combine hand speed and knockout power with
his already tremendous grappling skills, we could very well be looking
at the next Ultimate Fighter.
|
|
|
|
Post by fossil on Aug 3, 2021 0:33:45 GMT 1
UFC: The New Warriors
Live From Denver, Colorado
January 1st, 1994
The Ultimate Fighter Final
Gracie, Suzuki, Bustamante, or Ismail vs. Taktarov, Smith, Delucia, or Gurgel
The Ultimate Fighter Semi Final A
Winner of Gracie/Suzuki vs. Winner of Bustamante/Ismail
The Ultimate Fighter Semi Final B
Winner of Taktarov/Smith vs. Winner of Delucia/Gurgel
The Ultimate Fighter Quarter Final A
Rickson Gracie vs. Minoru Suzuki
The Ultimate Fighter Quarter Final B
Murilo Bustamante vs. Wallid Ismail
The Ultimate Fighter Quarter Final C
Oleg Taktarov vs. Patrick Smith
The Ultimate Fighter Quarter Final D
Jason Delucia vs. Fabio Gurgel
|
|
