“I am going to prove my strength” Emi Fujino Interview
“I am going to prove my strength” Emi Fujino Interview
This weekend’s Pancrase card will be showcasing two of Japan’s top female talents. One of those talents is Emi Fujino (11-6). While having never competed outside of Japan, Fujino has faced off against a who’s who of fighters in both MMA and Kickboxing. Coming off a loss to Jewels Champion Ayaka Hamasaki last December, in a competitive bout that won fight of the night, Fujino looks to rebound with a victory over her American opponent, Amber Brown. Emi has expressed her desire to fight abroad and a win over Brown will put her one step closer. I had the opportunity to interview Emi, so sit back and enjoy.
Manny Pacquaio arrest comes into question after conflicting reports
Manny Pacquaio arrest comes into question after conflicting reports
A report by The Manila Times indicated that pound for pound great boxer Manny Pacquaio was arrested late Saturday evening after he and his bodyguard severely injured a barangay who had caught the boxer in the act of passing out food and distributing cash and other goods in exchange for what is assumed to be their votes. According to the report:
During the melee, Pacquiao and his bodyguards were arrested by police authorities and brought to the General Santos City police command based at Camp Fermin Lira Jr. for investigation. However, Pacquiao’s lawyer, Geng Gacal, arrived at the police station and managed to squirrel him out of the camp before he could issue any statement. Gacal is running for councilor in General Santos City under the Peoples Champ Movement (PCM)-United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).
Today, several reports are coming out that suggest an arrest never occurred. Philboxing.com spoke with Pacman’s chief of staff, who state
“There is no truth to the allegation that Manny Pacquiao was detained. It was the barangay captain who was detained at the police precinct,” Gacal said.
As is typical, the truth will likely never come out. Pacquaio has always had his naysayers, however many have confirmed with AsianMMA.com in the past that Pacquiao’s ways of doing business in the country are very questionable, if not downright corrupt.
“The news was purely a black propaganda because of the elections,” stated Gacal.
Floyd Mayweather P4P top earner in sports, nearly double LeBron James
Floyd Mayweather P4P top earner in sports, nearly double LeBron James
Floyd Mayweather will bank $90 million for 2013, this according to a Sports Illustrated study that compared the top fifty highest earning athletes in sports.
Mayweather, who is boxing’s biggest draw who charges nearly $80 a pop to watch on PPV, takes the honors yet again solely based on the way he promotes his fights. Mayweather handles his own business affairs, which by and large allows him to collect the maximum amount of money. Most boxers run through multiple middlemen that suck them dry of money, leaving far less to be earned.
Mayweather, who last defeated Robert Guerrero soundly in twelve rounds, went into the fight with over a years worth of ring rust having spent a portion of 2012 behind bars. Following his release, Mayweather has come off as much more laid back and less verbal than in fights preceding.
The more humble Mayweather has been rumored to be working on a deal to fight Mexican pound for pound up and comer Canelo Alvarez.
Shinya Aoki breaks down his world title win against Boku [Video]
Shinya Aoki breaks down his world title win against Boku [Video]
Shinya Aoki was recently successful in his title bid against Kotetsu Boku for the OneFC Lightweight Championship. The grappling ace stifled his fellow countryman’s striking attack and implemented one of the best ground performances to date before submitting Boku and beginning what will likely become a very long reign as champion.
Aoki recently took the time out of his daily training to breakdown the fight and share with us what he was thinking and how he executed his near flawless gameplan en route to championship gold. The video is a very small part of what is offered through Evolve-University, the largest world championship online university for martial arts.
“I am very excited for this challenge.” Brenda Gonzales Interview
“I am very excited for this challenge.” Brenda Gonzales Interview
Brenda Gonzels
It seems that this weekend’s Pancrase card is full of promotional debuts. In one of those debuts, professional boxer and MMA fighter Brenda Gonzales (4-0) looks to shake up the Japanese MMA scene. Brenda will be facing off against Pancrase’s female champion, Rin Nakai (13-0-1). While the fight will not be for the title, a win over Nakai will not only put Gonzales on the map in Japan, it will catch the attention of women’s MMA fans all over the world. Due to her success inside the ring and her success in promoting herself, many fans know about Nakai. With the event available outside of Japan on USTREAM, this is without a doubt the biggest MMA fight of Brenda’c career. I had the opportunity to interview “Boom Boom”, so sit back and enjoy!
Omigawa Enters ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament
Omigawa Enters ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament
Michihiro Omigawa is set to compete in the ROAD FC Featherweight Tournament which will take place at ROAD FC 12 on June 22nd.
The 37 year Judoka is 1-5 in his last six bouts, which include a second difficult stint in the UFC and decision loss to Tatsuya Kawajiri last New Year’s Eve at DREAM 18. Omigawa will look to repeat the success he had in the Sengoku Featherweight Grand Prix back in 2009, where, to surprise of many, he reached the finals of tournament, defeating the likes of Marlon Sandro, LC Davis and Nam Phan in the process, he would lose out to Masanori Kanehara in the finals but solidified himself as one of the best featherweights in Japan.
Also competing in the tournament is DEEP veteran Kosuke Umeda. The 42 year old, fighting out of R-Blood, holds a 13-12-3 record, including a win over Won Sik “Parky” Park.
DEEP Tokyo Impact Lightweight GP this Saturday Ueda vs Kondo headline
DEEP Tokyo Impact Lightweight GP this Saturday Ueda vs Kondo headline
Yutaka Ueda and Sadao Kondo will headline this weekends lightweight grand prix and is part of DEEP’s TOKYO IMPACT lightweight grand prix card, which will be held on May 18th at Shinjuku Face in Tokyo, Japan.
Kondo is coming into the fight having finished his last two opponents. His last fight with Fumiya Kiyoshima never made it out of the first round as Kondo finished his counterpart by strikes in a little over two minutes. Kondo, at age 33, is making a late run in his career. Prior to the three fight win streak, Kondo lost the first and second fights of his career.
Ueda, a GRABAKA product, had a much tougher go at it in his last fight, taking a decision from Hideto Kondo in the opening round of the tournament. Prior to the win, Ueda had lost two and fought to one stalemate. Having fought more difficult competition throughout his career, the 26 year old had never lost prior to that skid.
Other tournament bouts include:
DEEP Lightweight GP Second Round Bout 5 min / 2R
Ryosuke Togashi (Japan / ALLIACE) vs. LUIZ (Brazil / Zendo-kai)
DEEP Lightweight GP Second Round Bout 5 min / 2R
Ken Hamamura (Japan / Honey Trap) vs. Naoto Miyazaki (Japan / Tusdanuma Dojo)
DEEP Lightweight GP Second Round Bout 5 min / 2R
Youichi Fukumoto (Japan / Itadaki Jiu-jitsu) vs. Juri Ohara (Japan / KIBA Martial Arts)
DEEP Lightweight GP Reserve Bout 5 min / 2R
Hideto Kondo (Japan / Mach Dojo) vs. Yasuhiro Kawasaki (Japan / R-BLOOD)
