--------------------
Kimo Leopoldo is still
alive!
--------------------
Reports of his demise originated on MMA websites that
incorrectly reported the 41-year-old died from complications of
a heart attack late Monday night.
By Mark Medina
July 22 2009
Former mixed martial arts fighter Kim "Kimo" Leopoldo woke up
Tuesday afternoon not knowing friends and fans were deeply
concerned about his welfare.
The complete article can be viewed at:
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-kimo-leopoldo22-2009jul22,0,485261.story
Visit latimes.com at http://www.latimes.com
Guida plans to nail Lashley
Jones-Sheika headlines boxing/MMA
PPV show March 21 in Pensacola
PENSACOLA, Fla. (March 16, 2009)
– Thirty-eight fight veteran Jason Guida, replacing Ken
Shamrock, plans to nail former WWE star Bobby Lashley on
the March 21st pro boxing/MMA pay-per-view event at
the Pensacola Civic Center.
Eight-time world boxing champion
Roy Jones, Jr. (52-5, 38 KOs) faces 4-time world title
challenger Omar Sheika (27-8, 18 KOs) in the main event
on the hybrid pro boxing/mixed-martial arts card, presented by
Square Ring Promotions, in association with Hirsch Borao Boxing
and the Pensacola Civic Center.
The unparalleled pro boxing/MMA
show is being distributed by Square Ring Promotions, Inc. at
9:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America
on cable and satellite via iNDemand, TVN,
DirecTV and
Dish Network in the United
States, as well as Viewer's Choice, Shaw Cable,
Star Choice and Bell TV in
Canada,
for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.
Guida (17-19-0, 2 NC, 4 KOs, 10
submissions), fighting out of the South Side of Chicago, is a
union carpenter who has fought at anywhere between 185 and 235
pounds during his 5-½ year career. He accepted the fight on a
little more than one week’s notice to fight Lashley (1-0, 1 KO),
3-time NCAA champion (1996-98) and 4-time All-America wrestler
at Missouri Valley College.
“I’m always training and this has
become my MO,” he explained. “I do a lot of short notice fights,
where I’ve been most successful, and this fight fell into my
lap. I’ve always made the best of it and I plan on doing the
same Saturday night in Pensacola. I want to fight the top guys;
Lashley may not be a top guy but he’s a top name, and beating
him will put me on the map again.”
Guida may be giving away 5-inches
and around 30 pounds to the Adonis-like built Lashley, but Jason
has a significant advantage in MMA fighting experience, 39 pro
fights and 78 rounds to Bobby’s single, one-round fight. In fact
there’s a more than a slight similarity between Guida and
another late replacement for Shamrock, Seth Petruzelli, who
upset Internet sensation Kimbo Slice last October. “I definitely
see my experience being a huge factor,” Guida remarked. “But
Lashley has less experience than Kimbo and I have more than Seth
had. I don’t know if Seth (he stopped Kimbo in the opening
round) was set to go three rounds, but I’m ready to finish
Lashley or outpoint him. I was training for a fight that
fell-out in February and I just kept training.
“Size doesn’t matter. I’ve had my
best fights against big guys and put my hands on guys bigger
than Bobby. I wrestled (UFC heavyweight champion) Brock Lesnar
in junior college. I don’t think Lashley has the background or
knows how to put his body into MMA as well as Lesnar. MMA is new
to Bobby. I don’t have anything against him. Someday he could be
good for MMA. I welcome him, after I beat him, to work at our
club (Hellhouse) to learn how to fight. Lashley’s going to find
out that this is MMA not WWE. He’s in for a rude awakening,
which probably will be a good thing -- he’ll be fighting a real
MMA guy. I don’t wish him any ill harm, in fact, I wish him the
best because beating him will look even better if he goes on to
succeed in MMA. ”
After graduating from Missouri
Valley College, Lashley joined the U.S. Army and was a 2-time
Armed Forces Champion and 2002 Military Games Championship
silver medalist. Two years ago, Lashley became a WWE (World
Wrestling Entertainment) superstar, joining Donald Trump at
Wrestlemania 23 in a bet against WWE president Vince
McMahon. Lashley won the match and helped Trump shave McMahon’s
head in the ring. Bobby made his MMA debut last December 13,
stopping Joshua Franklin only 0.41 into the opening round.
Guida, who will become a father
for the first time in July, has dedicated his March 21 fight in
memory of Ryan Burke, a 15-year-old wrestler who also trained at
Hellhouse and died last month in an accident.
The MMA portion of the hybrid
card features a match-up between world-class grapplers
Roy
“Big Country” Nelson (13-6, 6 KOs, 4 Submissions), ex-IFL
heavyweight champion, and former UFC title challenger Jeff
“Snowman” Monson (27-8, 2 KOs, 15 Submissions).
Tickets, priced at $128.00,
$103.00, $78.00, $53.00 & $28.00 are on sale and available at
all Ticketmaster locations, the Pensacola Civic Center Box
Office and ticketmaster.com.
-30-
Hot UFC lightweight Joe
Lauzon
positioned for future
title run
E. BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (February
16, 2009) – Tattoo-less Joe "J-Lau" Lauzon, coming off
his impressive win against Jeremy Stephens, headlining the
February 7th "UFC Fight Night 17" in Tampa, has
positioned himself for a future UFC title run in the highly
competitive lightweight division.
Lauzon (18-4, 5 KOs, 13
submissions), star of The Ultimate Fighter 5 television
reality show, put on a classic Brazilian Jui-jitsu demonstration
against Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens (14-4, 10 KOs, 2
submissions), who was a late replacement for injured Hermes
Franca (20-7).
After suffering a 7-inch cut on
his hairline from an elbow, Lauzon used a "fireman's carry" to
take power striker Stephens to the mat, where Joe mounted Jeremy
and locked in a submission by arm-bar at 4:43 into the second
round. Lauzon earned "Submission of the Night" honors.
"The flying heel hook is a move
MMA people don't see a lot," Lauzon described his somewhat
unconventional leg-lock. "I did it 4-5 months ago and decided to
do it again. This was a good fight for me to showcase what I
like to do in a UFC main event on Spike. I knew he (Stephens)
was dangerous on his feet but not on the ground. My corner was
upset with me at one point for getting caught with a few
punches, but it wasn't as bad as it looked, and I wasn't hurt at
all. Some thought I rushed for a submission after I got cut, but
I stayed calm and I heard somebody in my corner yelling
45-seconds. I knew I had time for a submission, if I picked up
the pace, and I did. He's a tough, stocky kid."
Lauzon is one of the few, if not
the only MMA fighter without a single tattoo. In fact, he stands
out from other fighters because he doesn't have the customary
"tats" all over his body. "Yeah," Joe laughed, "I just can't
commit to anything. Some tattoos look good but most are
terrible. Fighters either have 1 or 2, or all up and down their
body. Maybe down the road, on a certain place, but right now I
don't have a desire to have something permanent on my body like
a tattoo."
The UFC lightweight division,
from top to bottom, is loaded. Lauzon finds himself on the verge
of cracking into a spot among the UFC's elite 155-pound, chasing
champion (and his former coach) B. J. Penn, former title-holder
Sean Sherk and a rematch with Kenny Florian among the more
notables. "I think the lightweight division, by far, is the
toughest and deepest, talent- wise," Lauzon commented. "A lot of
those top guys are a solid 170-180 pounds, walking around, and
lose weight to fight at 155. Someday I'd like a rematch with
Kenny Florian, of course, and I want to fight Hermes, especially
after all the trash he talked after pulling out of our fight.
But he's going to be out of action for a while with a torn ACL
(knee injury). Next, I'd like somebody like Clay Guida (26-6),
who just won a big fight against Nate Diaz (decision)."
For more information about Joe
"J-Lau" Lauzon, who has a Bachelor's degree in computer
networking from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, go
online and visit
www.joelauzon.com
or
myspace.com/lauzonrsd.
-JL-
