AKA News

Team AKA fighters Mike Swick and Josh Koscheck wasted no time in disposing of their opponents at UFC's Ultimate Fight Night which aired on Spike TV on Saturday August 6th in front of millions of viewers watching one of the first nation-wide cable telecasts.

Ultimate Fight Night marked a monumental break through for the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, this was only the second live UFC event to be nationally broadcast on cable television in the United States. For years the sport has been relegated to Pay Per View television because of the perceived violence and brutality of the sport. With the progress made in the past few years such as the restructuring of rules, the addition of rounds, and support from Television companies the "spectacle" has evolved into a ready-for-prime-time sport that is gaining in public acceptance. What better stage for Team AKA fighters to display their talent and skill than that of the biggest MMA events in the sport's young history?

Mike Swick started the action for Team AKA, as his match versus Gideon Ray was the third match on the undercard of the event. Swick had recently garnered the nickname of "Mike Quick Swick" for his quick knockout (20 seconds) of his last opponent, Alex Schoenauer, on The Ultimate Fighter Finale show held in April. Swick had promised another quick knockout for his match with Gideon Ray, and true to form, he delivered in dramatic fashion. The fight started with both fighters taking the middle of the octagon, after a brief exchange of kicks and punches Swick delivered a 4 punch combination that sent Ray to the canvas. Not one to let opportunity pass him by, Swick quickly pounced on his opponent to seal the victory with three punches on the ground to the face of Ray. The time of the fight? A lightning "quick" 22 seconds!!! With this win Swick takes a step forward towards Middleweight title contention in the UFC. Congratulations go out to Mike Swick for his second consecutive Knockout victory in under 25 seconds.

Up next for Team AKA was Josh Koscheck. This matchup was a classic matchup of striker vs. wrestler. What most people didn't know is that Koscheck has been working extensively on his striking and submission skills to compliment his already stellar wrestling skills. Under the direction of Jiu-Jistu instructor Dave Camarillo and Submission expert Crazy Bob Cook, Josh is developing some of the most well rounded submission skills in the Welterweight division. Eager to use his new tools, Koscheck displayed a calmness in the octagon and looked very comfortable on his feet with the much more experienced striker Pete Spratt. Methodical in his ways, Koscheck used his foot work and counter punching to lure Spratt into a corner and immediately shot in for the take down. As a world class caliber wrestler, Koscheck expended little energy in taking Spratt to the ground. From there, Koscheck worked his ground n pound game in order to gain a superior position. Spratt, now wanting to avoid punches and elbows, gave up his back to Koscheck who quickly took the back mount position and applied his hooks (a term for when a fighter wraps his legs around the inner thighs of his opponents legs from the back position in order to make it very difficult for his opponent to escape this position). Once in the back mount position, Koscheck patiently softened his opponent with strikes to the head in order to open up a submission opportunity. The opportunity presented itself and Koscheck applied the rear naked choke (a submission that cuts off blood from the carotid arteries to the head, therefore rendering the opponent unconscious if the fighter does not submit). With no way out, Spratt tapped out (the signaling of submission by a fighter) at just 1:52 into the fight. Congratulations go out to Josh Koscheck for his submission victory.

As brief as their time in the limelight was, they are able to say they participated in Mixed Martial Arts history. In the process they also sent a message to fighters in their respective weight classes (Welterweight and Middleweight) and that message was "We've arrived, and we're for real!" We look forward to great things from both fighters. For more information on the fighters please visit: MikeSwick.com and Kos-Check.com

Paul Buentello to fight for UFC Heavyweight Title at UFC 55!

by Sal Carrillo

Team AKA fighter Paul "The Head Hunter" Buentello will be fighting Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski at UFC 55 in October. This came as somewhat of a surprise to most fans, as Arlovski was originally scheduled to face the current UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir for the undisputed title at UFC 55. Frank Mir has been unable to defend his title since winning it back in June of 2004 due to a severe motorcycle accident which has side-lined him for almost a year. With Frank Mir not being able to go for UFC 55, that opened the door for Heavyweight contender Paul Buentello. Buentello comes into the fight having won six matches in a row and ten of his last eleven.

Buentello is a very experienced fighter with a professional record of 18-7, he is the current King of the Cage Heavyweight Champion, and has fought some of the toughest Heavyweights in the world. Buentello will have to draw upon his experience in this fight, as he faces one of the most feared Heavyweight fighters in the world. An interesting note about this fight is that both fighters, Arlovski and Buentello, share a common opponent in Justin Eilers. In Buentello's UFC debut he knocked out Justin Eilers in devastating fashion in the first round of the fight. Arlovski faced Justin Eilers at UFC 53 and was destroying Eilers when Eilers' ACL blew out. This match should be one of the most exciting match-ups of the year due to the fact that both fighters are well known for their excellent striking skills. Many fans on the Internet have been calling for this match, and at UFC 55 they will get their wish. Best wishes go out to Paul "The Head Hunter" Buentello during his training and on fight night. For more information on this fight please visit: UFC.tv and PaulBuentello.com

UFC 54 Update: Trevor Prangley has a new opponent.

by Sal Carrillo

Trevor Prangley's original opponent for UFC 54, David Terrell, has had to pull out of the fight due to an ongoing elbow injury. Stepping up in his place is a fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt, Travis Lutter. Not much should change in Trevor's training, as he was already training for a submission specialist in David Terrell.

Mike Swick & Josh Koscheck in Ultimate Fight Night.

by Sal Carrillo

Team AKA fighter Mike Swick was supposed to have been fighting Keith Rockel at UFC's Ultimate Fight Night being held on August 6th live on Spike TV, but Rockel was forced to pull out with an arm injury. Mike Swick will now be facing Gideon Ray who sports a 9-2 Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) record. Ray possesses excellent striking skills along with a very solid ground game.

Team AKA fighter Josh Koscheck will also be on the Ultimate Fight Night card going up against UFC veteran Pete Spratt. Spratt is a devastating striker with a wealth of experience behind him. This should make for an interesting match-up of great wrestler vs. great striker. For more information on Ultimate Fight Night, please visit UFC.tv and SpikeTV.com

Trevor Prangley and Mike Van Arsdale in UFC 54.

by Sal Carrillo

Team AKA fighter Mike Van Arsdale has the opportunity of a lifetime at UFC 54 when he faces none other than Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Legend and former Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight UFC champion Randy Couture. Couture's resume is a who's who of MMA that includes wins over Vitor Belfort, Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, and many others. Widely recognized as one of the best Mixed Martial Artists of all time, Randy is coming off a loss to Chuck Liddell at UFC 52 where he lost his Light Heavyweight title. Mike Van Arsdale himself is no slouch, Mike is a former 1988 NCAA Division I champion, a 1983 USA Junior Freestyle champion, a 1985 USA FILA Junior World Freestyle champion, and a 3-time NCAA Division I all-American wrestling for the famous Iowa State Wrestling Team. Mike Van Arsdale sports an MMA record of 8-1 with his only loss being to arguably the best Light Heavyweight fighter in the world in Wanderlei Silva. Mike Van Arsdale first made a name for himself while competing in the International Vale Tudo Championships in Brazil in 1998 winning 3 matches in one day to capture the tournament championship. Mike Van Arsdale, now in his 40's, could instantly catapult himself into a Light Heavyweight title contender with a win over Randy Couture.

Team AKA fighter Trevor Prangley will be facing his toughest opponent to date at UFC 54 on August 20th 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada. His opponent, David Terrell, is widely recognized as one of the best American submission grapplers today. Terrell is a Top Ten ranked fighter in the middleweight division. A win over Terrell would catapult Prangley into the Top Ten rankings and put him in line for a title shot against current middleweight champion Rich Franklin. All the best to Trevor for his fight on August 20th. For more information on UFC 54, please visit UFC.tv

Josh Thomson wins by submission in Pride FC debut!!!

by Sal Carrillo

Team AKA fighter Josh Thomson made his Pride Fighting Championships debut at Pride Bushido Vol. 8 in Japan on July 17th 2005. The Pride organization is widely recognized in the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) as being "THE" biggest stage for MMA fighters. This fight was not only his Pride debut, but could also serve as a doorway to the upcoming Pride Lightweight Grand Prix being held later this fall. Thomson's opponent for the night was Japanese fighter Daisuke Sugie. Sugie was also making his Pride debut and is one of only a few Brazilian Black Belts in the entire country of Japan. Josh Thomson is widely recognized as a Top Ten ranked fighter in the Lightweight division and for good reason, his style of fighting is an all or nothing brand of fighting that always makes for an exciting match. See below for a recap of the fight:

The fight starts with both fighters coming out aggressive, throwing both kicks and punches. Sugie then attempts to tie Thomson up in the clinch but Thomson slips away. Thomson then throws a two punch combo immediately followed by a high kick which Sugie blocks. After one of his famous "Superman Punch" attempts, Thomson is tied up in a clinch with Sugie against the ropes. Sugie obtains double under hooks and executes a beautiful Judo throw to take Thomson to the ground. On the way down, Thomson is able to put Sugie into his guard. From there Thomson lands multiple punches to the head of Sugie that seem to land with power. Having taken some punishment, Sugie is able to work to half guard and then quickly passes the half guard to take side control. From side control Sugie goes into the knee on belly position then back again to side control. Using a beautiful transition, Sugie secures an arm and swings into an armbar attempt. Thomson, staying calm and composed, defends the armbar and starts to work his way out when all of the sudden he transitions from armbar escape to kneebar submission. Thomson applies the kneebar forcing Sugie to tap out or risk permanent damage to the knee. Congratulations go out to Josh Thomson on his spectacular submission victory in his Pride FC debut.

Dan Ashe Stays Undefeated

by Dray Miller

Kickboxer Dan Ashe kept his unblemished record going, improving to 3-0 July 23rd. Facing a more seasoned opponent who came in with a 7-1 record, Dan pulled out a split decision in his toughest fight to date.

Rich Crunkilton & Jon Fitch both win at Freedom Fight 2005

by Sal Carrillo

Team AKA fighters Rich "Cleat" Crunkilton and Jon Fitch both participated in Freedom Fight 2005 USA vs. Canada on July 9th 2005 in Quebec, Canada. Team USA was captained by former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz and consisted of Art Santore, Rich Crunkilton, Tim McKenzie, Lavar Johnson, Tyrone Roberts, Jon Fitch, Matt Horwich, Craig Brown, and Jeremy Bolt. Rich Crunkilton continued to look impressive in just his second fight back since suffering two major injuries. Once again Crunkilton used his superior Judo, Wrestling, and Ground N Pound techniques to earn a TKO at 3:31 of round one. Jon Fitch did not have as easy a time, as we was engaged in an all out war with local favorite Jeff Joslin. From all accounts this fight was a see-saw battle with both fighters looking like they had their opponent beat several times in the match. In the end the match was scored a split decision in favor of Jon Fitch. Overall, Team USA won the competition 6 wins to 3. Congratulations go out to both fighters for not only winning, but representing Team USA.