World of Mixed Martial Arts

thedr · July 15, 2012

<img src="

http://i49.tinypic.com/34imes4.png" width=560 height=230>

Background: This diary will be based on my C-verse mix between the GDS Fighter Share and Default Database. Although that's not to say additional databases won't be utilized in the future. I will not be an employee/owner of any promotion, just an observer who will document the evolution of MMA throughout this fiction universe.

thedr · July 15, 2012

1998 <img src="<a href="http://i50.tinypic.com/34i65x2.jpg" rel="external nofollow">http://i50.tinypic.com/34i65x2.jpg"</a> height=35> ALPHA-1 continued their reign as the world’s premier Mixed-Martial-Arts promotion. Fumiaki Hayashi’s win over Motoki Hojo for the ALPHA-1 Middleweight title in July won the esteemed “Fight of the Year” award along with the “Main Event of the Year”. In March, national superstar and former Japanese Olympic judoka Sho Kitabatake defeated ALPHA-1 Light-Heavyweight Champion Tadamasa Yamada winning his first ever MMA crown. The promotion also made their television debut on the All Japan TV network with approximately 840,000 viewers. <img src="<a href="http://i49.tinypic.com/33xwj89.jpg" rel="external nofollow">http://i49.tinypic.com/33xwj89.jpg"</a> height=35> GAMMA CEO Lance Decker announced a television deal with American broadcaster East Coast Today. Less than a month later Decker would call a press-conference to announce the promotions move to PPV after forging a deal with Public Access Select. In June, the face of North American MMA James Foster would lose his Heavyweight title to former pro-boxer Raul “The Demolition Expert” Hughes. Things went from bad to worse for Foster who would lose again in December after being defeated by Jack Cobblepot by split decision at GAMMA 32. One of the world's best Light-Heavyweights Linfield Ballard would have a disastrous 1998 losing to Spencer Rubenstein at GAMMA 28 in August and then again too Mike Watson at GAMMA 31 in November. <img src="<a href="http://i47.tinypic.com/akfqls.jpg" rel="external nofollow">http://i47.tinypic.com/akfqls.jpg"</a> height=35> East Asian promotion Kadena De Mano Fighting Circuit (KDM FC) President Raymundo Reyes would announce in late December that the promotion had went bankrupt and was ceasing operations. Eisaku Higashikuni founded the Osaka based Dragon Fighting Championships (DRAGON) who had their inaugural show in April. DRAGON features smaller fighters, and their rules are set up to encourage highly technical fights, as ground strikes are outlawed entirely making the promotion a haven for submission-based competitors. Dutch Light-Heavyweight Kickboxer Rafael van der Moot of the German based SIGMA promotion won "Fighter of the Year" honors after winning four fights in '98, three of which ended by KO. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="34161" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div> Jan. GAMMA announced television deal with American broadcaster East Coast Today. Feb. GAMMA signs PPV deal with Public Access Select. Mar. ALPHA-1: Sho Kitabatake (14-0) defeats Tadamasa Yamada (21-2) via submission to win the Light-Heavyweight Title. Apr. The Dragon Fighting Championships (DRAGON) debuts in Osaka under the ownership of Eisaku Higashikuni. Jun. GAMMA: Raul Hughes (15-2) defeats James Foster (32-5-1) via (R2) KO to win the Heavyweight Title. Oct. GAMMA renews PPV deal with Public Access Select. Dec. KDM FC promotion declares bankruptcy. GAMMA: Jack Cobblepot (39-9-3) defeats James Foster (32-6-1) via Split Decision. GAMMA: GAMMA 32 Thomas vs. De Viries scores the highest PPV buyrate ever: 336,379. </div></blockquote> <hr /> End of Year Web Awards: Fighter of the Year: Rafael van der Moot (SIGMA) Show of the Year: KDM FC 5: Watanabe vs. Sasaki Fight of the Year: Fumiaki Hayashi defeats Motoki Hojo (ALPHA-1 7/98) (LW Title) KO of the Year: Raul Hughs defeats James Foster (GAMMA 6/98) Main Event of the Year: Fumiaki Hayashi defeats Motoki Hojo (ALPHA-1 7/98) (LW Title) Female Fighter of the Year: Yutsuko Sasaki (KDMFC) Rise of the Year: Coltrane Aaronson Fall of the Year: Linfield Ballard Submission of the Year: Li-Kong Ho defeats Tomohiro Takeuchi (KDMFC 2/98) (FW Title) Team of the Year: Dragon’s Lair Gym Upset of the Year: Tore Herlovsen defeats Jaromir Grygera (SIGMA 2/98)

thedr · July 15, 2012

1999

Perhaps the greatest fighter in the history of MMA, Hassan Fezzik, would make return to the ring after taking the entire 1998 season off to heal. In late October, Fezzilk would beat Ikuhisa Tamura using a rear naked choke submission late in the fourth round to retain the ALPHA-1 Heavyweight title. “The Dragon”, Tadamasa Yamada returned to the win column after stopping powerhouse wrestler Naozane Yamaguchiya. In June ALPHA-1 announced that they had signed on with a new TV partner, Japanese Sports Vision 2. A larger network then All Japan TV, ALPHA-1’s “Warriors of the Ring” TV show would bring in a record 1.16 million viewers.

Over in GAMMA, the 6’7 Canadian Tim Boyer would rally to defeat Raul Hughes to win the Heavyweight title in the third round by way of a TKO cut at GAMMA 38 in New Jersey. At GAMMA 35 in April, the headliner saw Sean Morrison retain the Lightweight title against Truck Gleeson. The event was the most successful PPV to-date with just over 351,000 buys. Spaniard Julio Regueiro picked up the “Fighter of the Year” award after winning the GAMMA Welterweight title in February and then successfully defending it in July and October. Osmosis Benn’s vicious KO of Stuart Strange at GAMMA 33 won the “KO of the Year” and JJ Reid not only won the GAMMA Middleweight crown at GAMMA 29, but his submission victory over Matthew Dean also won him “Submission of the Year” honors.

The “Fight of the Year” award went to Yoshitora Ouchi’s win over Kei Maki at DRAGON.6. American businessman Dean Guest would start up the Mexican based promotion Matador Cage Fighting (MATADOR) with the goal of building a Hispanic audience before moving into the United States.

Jan.
MATADOR opens in Mexico under the ownership of American CEO Dean Guest.

Apr.
ALPHA-1: Tadamasa Yamada (22-2) defeats Naozane Yamaguchiya (7-2) via (R1) Submission.
GAMMA: GAMMA 35 Morrison vs. Gleeson scores the highest PPV buyrate ever: 351,103.

Jun.
ALPHA-1 signs TV deal with Japanese Sports Vision 2 to resurrect the broadcast of “Warriors of the Ring”.

Aug.
GAMMA renews PPV deal with Public Access Select.
GAMMA: Tom Boyer (27-3-2) defeats Raul Hughes (15-3) via (R3) TKO (cut) to win the Heavyweight Title.

Oct.
ALPHA-1: Hassan Fezzik (26-0) defeats Ikuhisa Tamura (21-9) to retain the Heavyweight Title.

<hr>

TOP 5 POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS (1999)

<table><td>1. Hassan Fezzik (26-0)

ALPHA-1 Heavyweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://evan.stasis.org/alpha1/Hakan%20Fezzik.gif" height=75 width=75></td></tr><tr><td>2. Li-Kong Ho (20-0)

Unemployed</td><td><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/immortal_enigma/Li-KongHo.gif" width=75 height=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>3. Sean Morrison (30-3)

GAMMA Lightweight Champion</td>

<td><img src="http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx252/LoNdOn_BeAsT/WMMA2%20renders%20for%20Mr%20Ryland/SeanMorrison-1.gif" width=75 height=75></tr><tr><td>4. Tim Boyer (28-3-2)

GAMMA Heavyweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://i50.tinypic.com/24mht20.gif" width=75 height=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>5. Philip Ziskie (21-1-1)

XCC Featherweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg251/scaled.php?server=251&filename=philipziskie.gif&res=landing" width=75 height=75></td></tr></table>

<hr>

End of Year Web Awards:

Fighter of the Year:

Julio Regueiro (GAMMA)

Promotion of the Year:

SIGMA

Show of the Year:

KBIL 8: Schilt vs. Dooley

Fight of the Year:

Yoshitora Ouchi defeats Kei Maki (DRAGON6 3/99)

KO of the Year:

Osmosis Benn defeats Stuart Strange (GAMMA33 2/99)

Submission of the Year:

JJ Reid defeats Matthew Dean (GAMMA39 9/99) (MW Title)

Main Event of the Year:

Chuck Dooley defeats Sander Schilt (KBIL8 1/99) (HW Title)

Female Fighter of the Year:

Jenny DeNeuve (WEFF)

Rise of the Year:

Sharaku Kon (ALPHA-1)

Fall of the Year:

Mark Cohen

Team of the Year:

Dragon’s Lair Gym

Upset of the Year:

Adam White defeats Maarten De Vries (GAMMA34 3/99) (MW Title)

thedr · July 16, 2012

2000 <img src="<a href="http://i50.tinypic.com/34i65x2.jpg" rel="external nofollow">http://i50.tinypic.com/34i65x2.jpg"</a> height=35> It’s the new millennium and the sport of Mixed-Martial-Arts continues to grow in popularity throughout the world. After eight years, ALPHA-1 founder and CEO Meiji Nishimura’s dream of building a promotional powerhouse is coming to fruition as television ratings skyrocketed to an all-time high average of 2.1 million viewers. It was also the year of Hassan Fezzik. After only fighting once in the past two years, Fezzik would silence his critics and successfully defend the ALPHA-1 Heavyweight Champion no less then three times in 2000! Starting in January, in front of over 20,000 fans at the storied Kanagawa Stadium, Hassan Fezzik would beat the undefeated elite kickboxer Gyokusho "Fujizilla" Fujimoto 3:07 into the first round using an armbar submission. Fezzik’s second title defense of the year would come in May at Matsuyama Stadium when he faced Sumo legend Tomoji “HULK” Takaoka. The match was exciting and the “HULK” put forth a valiant effort but Fezzik finally ended the bout by TKO at 2:35 of round 2. Four month later at the Izumo Civil Stadium Fezzik would once again step into the ring and defend the title, this time knocking out Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Armen Sarkisian 0:25 seconds into the 2nd round winning the 29th straight fight of his storied career. After the match the Japanese fight press pondered whether this would the final run of Hassan Fezzik’s unparalleled career. Jiu-Jitsu legend Jonathan Huang took to the ring in January defeating former Ukraine Judo gold medalist Oleg Dorosklov. In October Huang returned and won the ALPHA-1 Middleweight Championship after defeating Heiji Endo by rear naked choke just 2:13 into the 1st round. In December, 44-year old Japanese pro-wrestling legend Hito Ichihara made his professional MMA debut defeating Willie York with an arm triangle 5:25 into the 1st round. Ichihara told the press after his win that despite his age, he felt good that he’d like to return to the ring next year praising the ALPHA-1 promotion. <img src="<a href="http://i49.tinypic.com/33xwj89.jpg" rel="external nofollow">http://i49.tinypic.com/33xwj89.jpg"</a> height=35> GAMMA Lightweight Champion Sean Morrison made his 8th successful title defense in January at GAMMA 43 dropping Bud Brockett at the 2:10 mark of the 1st round via TKO. GAMMA held a great card in March from the V. Thompson Arena in California that saw James Foster exact revenge on Raul Hughes as the fight was stopped midway through the 1st round when Foster landed a flurry of strikes forcing the referee to stop the bout. In the main-event, elite level BJJ practitioner Buddy Garnder defeated JJ Reid by unanimous decision to win the GAMMA Middleweight crown. <img src="<a href="http://i47.tinypic.com/akfqls.jpg" rel="external nofollow">http://i47.tinypic.com/akfqls.jpg"</a> height=35> 2000 also saw the sport of the Mixed Martial Arts expand globally with a host of new promotions. The Universal Cage Fighting Federation (UCFF) was launched in Africa by Morten Bendix in an attempt to make money from running shows in the under-served continent. Matt Tripp created the small regional promotion based out of south Florida, Rumble at the Palms (RATP) which looks to focus on the lower weight classes. After the demise of Asia’s most prominent promotion KDM FC, Chinese media mogul Bungle Bhave started Warriors of War (WOW) sponsored and supported by the Chinese government. The promotion also announced a tie-up with the Asian PPV network Jade 237. The annual “Fighter of the Year” award went to Brazilian Rafael Tavares, who after winning his first fight in May would quickly return to the ring in July and defeat Lamont Banner to win the XCC Featherweight Championship. Tavares would turn around and just two months later successfully defend the title against Azor Portela Nunes in August and then he’d beat Luiz Machado to retain the title once again in November. The "Fight of the Year" honors went to the bout between Teeratep Nutnum and Vesa Rintala who met in December in China under the WOW banner. Teeratep Nutnum would end the hard fought war between the two with a spectacular flying knee early in the 4th round. <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="34161" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div> Jan. Universal Cage Fighting Federation (UCFF) opens in Africa. Rumble at the Palms opens in Flordia USA. Warriors of War (WoW) opens in China. WoW signs a PPV deal with Jade 237. ALPHA-1: Hassan Fezzik (27-0) defeated Gyokusho Fujimoto (10-1) via (R1) Armbar to retain the Heavyweight Title. ALPHA-1: Jonathan Huang (4-0) defeated Oleg Dorosklov (2-1) via (R2) Submission. GAMMA: Sean Morrison (30-3) defeated Bud Brockett (11-1) to retain the GAMMA Lightweight Title. Mar. GAMMA: James Foster (33-6-1) defeated Raul Hughes (15-4) via (R1) TKO. Apr. GAMMA renews PPV deal with Public Access Select. May. ALPHA-1 renew their TV deal with Japanese Sports Vision 2. ALPHA-1 Hassan Fezzik (28-0) defeated Tomoji Takaoka (3-1) via (R2) TKO to retain the Heavyweight Title. Sep. ALPHA-1 Hassan Fezzik (29-0) defeated Armen Sarkisian (26-3) via (R2) KO to retain the Heavyweight Title. Oct. WoW renews PPV deal with Jade 237. Nov. ALPHA-1 signs a PPV deal with OLHAR Network. ALPHA-1: Jonathan Huang (5-0) defeated Heiji Endo (14-2) via (R1) Submission. Dec. SIGMA signs a PPV deal with EuroNet. ALPHA-1: Hito Ichihara (1-0) defeated Willie York (0-1) via (R1) Submission. </div></blockquote><hr> TOP 5 POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS (2000) <table><td>1. Hassan Fezzik (29-0) ALPHA-1 Heavyweight Champion</td><td><img src="<a href="http://evan.stasis.org/alpha1/Hakan%20Fezzik.gif" rel="external nofollow">http://evan.stasis.org/alpha1/Hakan%20Fezzik.gif"</a> height=75 width=75></td></tr><tr><td>2. Sean Morrison (31-3) GAMMA Lightweight Champion</td><td><img src="<a href="http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx252/LoNdOn_BeAsT/WMMA2%20renders%20for%20Mr%20Ryland/SeanMorrison-1.gif" rel="external nofollow">http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx252/LoNdOn_BeAsT/WMMA2%20renders%20for%20Mr%20Ryland/SeanMorrison-1.gif"</a> height=75 width=75></td> </tr><tr><td>3. Zvonimir Asanovic (32-2) ALPHA-1</td> <td><img src="<a href="http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo302/brettney1980/WMMA/ZvonimirAsanovic.gif" rel="external nofollow">http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo302/brettney1980/WMMA/ZvonimirAsanovic.gif"</a> height=75 width=75></tr><tr><td>4. Li-Kong Ho (21-0) WOW</td><td><img src="<a href="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/immortal_enigma/Li-KongHo.gif" rel="external nofollow">http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/immortal_enigma/Li-KongHo.gif"</a> height=75 width=75></td> </tr><tr><td>5. Thais Antonio Taffarel (22-2) FLB Middleweight Champion</td><td><img src="<a href="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/immortal_enigma/ThaisAntonioTaffarel.gif" rel="external nofollow">http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/immortal_enigma/ThaisAntonioTaffarel.gif"</a> height=75 width=75></td></tr></table> <hr> End of Year Web Awards: Fighter of the Year: Rafael Tavares (XCC) Promotion of the Year: KBIL Show of the Year: KBIL 17: Saladin vs. Schilt Fight of the Year: Teeratep Nutnum defeats Vesa Rintala (WOW 5 12/00 KO of the Year: Tony McCall defeats Tim Boyer (GAMMA 48 6/00) (HW Title) Submission of the Year: Buddy Garner defeats Neil Napier (GAMMA 45 3/00) (MW Title) Main Event of the Year: Luka Hajek defeats Chaim Alexievich (KBIL 16 5/00) (MW Title) Female Fighter of the Year: Chelsea Lawson (WEFF) Rise of the Year: Masato Wai (DRAGON) Fall of the Year: Fumiaki Hayashi Team of the Year: House of Pain Upset of the Year: Carl Chenoweth defeats Beau Gorshin (GAMMA 44 2/00)

thedr · July 17, 2012

2001

ALPHA-1's global expansion plans mobilized in 2001 as the promotion signed new PPV deals in the United States (Public Access Select), Asia (PPV-ASIA) and Japan (Emperor Choice PPV). This global PPV strategy lead to the best buyrate numbers in MMA history, with the promotion holding three events in 2001 that topped one million buys (Jan - 1.15m, Jul - 1.54m, Nov - 1.61m). ALPHA-1 TV continued the good ratings domestically as “Warriors of the Ring” averaged around 2 million viewers and made the jump to Japanese Sports Vision primary channel in the Late Night slot.

In January, popular Lightweight Go Yamamoto (26-10) made his return to the fight game after a 3-year absence only to be defeated by kickboxer Naizen Hamacho (13-2). Devastated by the loss, Yamamoto publicly announced plans to retire from active competition early in 2002 or after one final fight. Jui-Jitsu legend and ALPHA-1 Middleweight Champ Jonathan Huang (7-0) made one appearance in 2001 defeating rising star Tadao Miyazaki (13-1) with a kneebar submission in the 3rd round. After missing all of 2000 with a knee injury, the legendary Sinanju practitioner Sukarno stepped back into the ring for the first time since making his ALPHA-1 debut in late ‘99. It was a huge return for Sukarno, who was pitted against ALPHA-1 Lightweight Champion Tomohiro Takeuchi. After a marathon 6 rounds, the bout ended in a split decision with the judges awarding the win to Sukarno. Four months later in late May, from the Matsue Sports Park in Chugoku, Sukaro would successfully defend the Lightweight crown knocking out Naizen Hamacho with a flying knee at the 2:06 mark of round 4. With his 27th straight victory Sukaro is undoubtedly the best Lightweight in the world today. One of the most popular Japanese Light-Heavyweights Jin Katou stepped his game up to new heights in 2001. In March, Katou beat the legendary Tadamasa Yamada by TKO in the 1st round and then won the ALPHA-1 Light-Heavyweight title by dropping Sho Kitabatake after the referee stopped the fight in round 2. Four months later in November, Katou would make his first title defense in front of the largest live crowd in MMA history (21,832) and finish Zvonimir Asanovic off with a guillotine at the 4:00 mark of the 5th round. The event was also the most successful PPV ever racking up more than 1.6 million buys. No doubt helping to push the success of the PPV was the co-main event Openweight match between Japanese pro-wrestling legend Hito Ichihara and the man who's a cult figure in Japan, Plamer Lette. The fight didn’t last long with Lette unleashing a barrage of strikes early on forcing the referee to stop the match at 2:49 into the 1st round. Questions remain how long Ichihara will continue to fight, with 2 matches left on his contract (1 guaranteed). Many critics have become vocal about the danger the 45-year old faces each time he enters the ring, but Ichihara has brushed off such criticism and said he will continue to fight for as long as his body will allow him too.

After years of regulatory delay, GAMMA finally debuted their first television broadcast on the East Coast Today network in the United States. The show averaged a respectable 1.3 million viewers. GAMMA CEO Lance Decker said that this would be the start of a new era of the sport in the United States.

GAMMA 58 took place in California in front the most spectators ever for a North American MMA event as 13,918 packed into the V. Thompson Arena. The co-main event would see James Foster vs. Raul Hughes III and headlining was GAMMA Lightweight Champion Sean Morrison making his 11th title defense against fellow veteran Brandon Sugar. In the grudge match between two American MMA legends, it was James Foster who came out on top locking in a rear naked choke late in the 1st round to take the series 2-1 over Hughes. Sean Morrison needed little time to dispose of Sugar, ending the match at 2:05 of the 1st round via TKO. In September, Sean Morrison would step back into the ring to defend the title again, this time a re-match against collegiate wrestling standout Bud Brockett. Back in January of 2000, Morrison had stopped Brockett early in the 1st round. This time around though, the fans at GAMMA 60 in Hawaii were stunned when Brockett caught Morrison with a stuff right, dazing the champ and then forcing the referee to stop the fight as Brockett dropped bombs with Morrison pinned on the ground against the cage. Sean Morrison’s run as GAMMA Lightweight Champion was one of the greatest in MMA history, lasting 11 title defenses over 6 years since winning the title in May of 1995. The GAMMA Welterweight Champion Julio Reguerio was also busy in 2001. In April at GAMMA 56, he retained the title by beating Rufus Stephens by submission choke and then in July at GAMMA 59 he disposed of the fighter fans love to hate, Jack Humphreys. Julio Reguerio is not only the best Welterweight, he’s also rated the #3 pound for pound fighter in the world today. After winning the GAMMA Light-Heavyweight title in 2000, and going on to make two successful title defenses that very same year, Toby Sorkin looked to continue his good fortune in 2001. At GAMMA 57 in May he defeated Linfield Ballard to retain the title. In December, at GAMMA 63 he would face off against the “The Man with the Fastest Hands in MMA", Canadian kickboxer Mike Watson. Despite Sorkin’s effort to keep the fight on the ground, Watson caught Sorkin with a wicked left hook early in the 3rd round that ended up being the “KO of the Year” and in turn Watson became the new GAMMA Light-Heavyweight Champion.

In July, the Dutch based Kombat Sports Worldwide (KSW) opened for business under the leadership of Burnt West becoming one of the few promotions to feature a Super-Heavyweight division. Also in July, the California based Xtreme Cage Combat (XCC) promotion ceased operations and closed.

Jan.
GAMMA renews PPV deal with Public Access Select. (USA)
ALPHA-1 signs a PPV deal with Public Access Select. (USA)
ALPHA-1: Naizen Hamacho (13-2) defeated Go Yamamoto (26-10) via (R3) TKO.
ALPHA-1: Jonathan Huang (7-0) defeated Tadao Miyazaki (13-1) via (R3) Submission to retain the ALPHA-1 Middleweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Sukarno (26-0) defeated Tomohiro Takeuchi (21-4) via (R6) Split Decision to win the Lightweight Title.

Feb.
GAMMA: Tank Manu’a (24-5) defeated Leon Banks (36-13) via (R4) Submission to retain the GAMMA Heavyweight Title.

Mar.
ALPHA-1 extended their TV deal with Japanese Sports Vision 2.
ALPHA-1: Jin Katou (19-1) defeated Tadamasa Yamada (22-3) via (R1) KO
ALPHA-1: Ichisake Miyagi (28-5) defeated Fukusaburu Hirano (16-2-1) via (R6) Unanimous Decision to win the ALPHA-1 Welterweight Title.

Apr.
GAMMA: Julio Reguerio (29-1) defeated Rufus Stephens (19-3) via (R4) Submission to retain the GAMMA Welterweight Title.

May.
ALPHA-1: Sukarno (27-0) defeated Naizen Hamacho (13-3) via (R4) KO to retain the ALPHA-1 Lightweight Title.

Jun.
ALPHA-1 signs a PPV deal with PPV-ASIA.
SIGMA extended their PPV contract with EuroNet.
GAMMA: James Foster (34-6-1) defeated Raul Hughes (15-5) via (R1) Submission.
GAMMA: Sean Morrison (33-3) defeated Brandon Sugar (29-7) via (R1) TKO to retain the GAMMA Lightweight Title.

Jul.
Kombat Sports Worldwide opens under the ownership in Burnt West in the Netherlands.
XCC declared bankruptcy and ceased operations.
WOW signs a PPV deal with Jade 237.
ALPHA-1: Jin Katou (20-1) defeated Sho Kitabatake (15-1) via (R2) TKO to win the Light-Heavyweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Tadamasa Yamada (23-3) defeated Valentin Taneyev (9-2) via (R1) Submission.
GAMMA: Julio Reguerio (30-1) defeated Jack Humphreys (27-9) via (R3) Submission.
ALPHA-1: Ichisake Miyagi (29-5) defeated Kafu Bunya (14-2) via (R6) Unanimous Decision to retain the ALPHA-1 Welterweight Title.

Aug.
ALPHA-1 signs a PPV deal with Emperor Choice.

Sep.
GAMMA: Bud Brockett (14-2) defeated Sean Morrison (33-4) via (R1) TKO to win the Lightweight Title.

Oct.
ALPHA-1: Ichisake Miyagi (30-5) defeated Randy Carsley (6-1) via (R5) Submission to retain the ALPHA-1 Welterweight Title.
GAMMA: Buddy Garner (19-1) defeated Stuart Strange (21-4) via (R5) Submission to retain the GAMMA Middleweight Title.

Nov.
GAMMA renews PPV deal with Public Access Select.
SIGMA extend their PPV contract with EuroNet.
ALPHA-1: Palmer Lette (20-5-2) defeated Hito Ichihara (1-1) via (R1) TKO.
ALPHA-1: Jin Katou (21-1) defeated Zvonimir Asanovic (33-3) via (R5) Submission to retain the Light-Heavyweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Katou vs. Asanovic II scores the highest PPV buyrate ever: 1,612,931
ALPHA-1: Katou vs. Asanovic II has highest attendance, 21,832 (Kanto Region)
GAMMA: Bud Brockett (15-2) defeated Carl Chenweth (7-1) via (R2) TKO to retain the GAMMA Lightweight Title.

Dec.
GAMMA: Mike Watson (16-2) defeated Toby Sorkin (10-1) (R3) via KO to win the GAMMA Light-Heavyweight Title.

<hr / >

TOP 5 POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS (2001)<table><td>1. Hassan Fezzik (29-0)

ALPHA-1 Heavyweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://evan.stasis.org/alpha1/Hakan%20Fezzik.gif" height=75 width=75></td></tr><tr><td>2. Li-Kong Ho (21-0)

WOW</td><td><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/immortal_enigma/Li-KongHo.gif" height=75 width=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>3. Julio Regueiro (30-1)

GAMMA Welterweight Champion</td>

<td><img src="http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/Lucrativo/GAMMA/JulioRegueiro.gif" height=75 width=75></tr><tr><td>4. Affonso Villar (27-2)

FLB Light-Heavyweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7379/affonsovillar.gif" height=75 width=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>5. Manuel Silva (17-0)

FLB Welterweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx252/LoNdOn_BeAsT/WMMA2%20renders%20for%20Mr%20Ryland/ManuelSilva-1.gif" height=75 width=75></td></tr></table> <hr />

End of Year Web Awards:

Fighter of the Year:

Bud Brockett (GAMMA)

Show of the Year:

GAMMA 60 Morrioson vs. Brockett II

Fight of the Year:

Taye Burrnett defeats Stan Still (GAMMA 60 9/01)

KO of the Year:

Mike Watson defeats Toby Sorkin (GAMMA 63 12/01) (LHW Title)

Submission of the Year:

Ross Smith defeats Helio (GAMMA 56 4/01)

Main Event of the Year:

Jerry Bogdonovich defeats Andoni Olano (KBIL 24 10/01) (LHW Title)

Female Fighter of the Year:

Piper Evergood (WEFF)

Rookie of the Year:

Yu Arishima (WEFF)

Rise of the Year:

Clarence Randleman (GAMMA)

Fall of the Year:

Tony McCall

Team of the Year:

Dragon’s Lair Gym

Upset of the Year:

Bill Brown defeats Heiji Endo (ALPHA-1 1/01)<hr />

2001 Promotional Rankings<table><td>1. ALPHA-1

JAPAN</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/ALPHA1.jpg" height=75 width=75></td></tr><tr><td>2. GAMMA

USA</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/GAMMA.jpg" width=75 height=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>3. SIGMA

EUROPE</td><td><img src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c98/chris_kotw/BCF/SIGMA.jpg" width=75 height=75></tr><tr><td>4. BCF

UK</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/BCF.jpg" width=75 height=75></td></tr><tr><td>5. FLB

BRAZIL</td><td><img src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c98/chris_kotw/BCF/FLB.jpg" width=75 height=75></td></tr>

<td>6. WOW

ASIA</td><td><img src="http://i49.tinypic.com/4gg2s6.gif" height=75 width=75></td></tr><tr><td>7. WEFF

CANADA</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/WEFF.jpg" width=75 height=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>8. DRAGON

JAPAN</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/DRAGON.jpg" width=75 height=75></tr><tr><td>9. KBIL

RUSSIA</td><td><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/joebd80/WMMA/Logos/KBIL-L.jpg" width=75 height=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>10. MATADOR

MEXICO</td><td><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/33mo8dk.jpg" width=75 height=75></td></tr></table>

thedr · July 20, 2012

2002

2002 would mark the 10th anniversary for the world’s top MMA promotion. The PPV in May, which saw the newly minted Middleweight Champ Jakuchu Able retain the title against well-known former professional wrestler Fumiki Ikeda, would set a new PPV record of 1.66 million buys. In February, ALPHA-1 announced they had come to terms with Australia Channel 100 PPV, once again expanding their global PPV network. TV programming continued strong for the promotion as they averaged 2.9 million viewers in the Late Evening slot on Japanese Sports Vision. It came as no surprise this past March that the popular and charismatic Go Yamamoto officially announced his retired from active competition at the age of 36. Yamamoto had taken a three year hiatus from competition between 1998-2000 before returning last year, only to be defeated by Naizen Hamacho. Although he never reach the pinnacle of the sport, he was a popular fighter who’s exciting fighting style would be missed.

To kick the year off, Light-Heavyweight Champion Jin Katou would step into the ring to face a tough wrestler in Gyukudo Teshigahara. Despite Katou getting into trouble a few times, he finally secured an Americana on Teshigahara at 2:03 into the 4th round to retain the crown. Katou is really coming into his own and establishing himself as a great Champion in ALPHA-1's 205 division.

In March, Middleweight Champion Jonathan Huang was defeated by 25-year old Jakuchu Abe who caught the champ with a triangle choke midway through the 3rd round. It was a huge victory for Abe, whose win over the popular Huang immediately caught the attention of not only the Japanese fight press, but the mainstream Japanese press as well landing him in the middle of a media frenzy.

Light-Heavyweight Champ Jin Katou would return to action in March, just 3 months after his successful title defense in January and drop Nilton Fantoni via submission to retain his title. Katou would take the rest of the year off but promised to return in 2003 more exciting than ever. Katou moved into the #5 slot of the top pound-for-pound rankings, a recognition he so rightly deserves.

After going 1-1 in 2001, Tadamasa Yamada picked up his second victory in a row defeating Canadian veteran Samuel Russo. Yamada is working hard to return to the top of the Light-Heavyweight division and told the fight press his plan is to avenge his loss to current divisional champ Jin Katou and he’d do whatever it takes to reach this goal.

In May the Welterweight crown was on the line as Ichisake Miyago would make his third title defense, this time against former BCF Welterweight Champ David Webb. The Englishman put his catch wrestling skills to good use hitting a rear naked choke at 6:00 of round 1 to win the title in his ALPHA-1 debut.

As previously mentioned, May also saw Middleweight Champ Jakuchu Abe step back in the ring to face pro-wrestling legend Fumiki Ikeda just two months after defeating the legendary Jonathan Huang for the title. The charismatic young Japanese Jiu-Jitsu black belt had the fight world abuzz with his win over Huang and huge expectations to live up to. The big PPV buyrate numbers only validated Abe’s success and the win over Ikeda would lift his celebrity to new heights.

Come July, Heavyweight Champion Hassan Fezzik would return to action one year and ten months after he had successfully defended the title 3 times in 2000. He’d face the ever popular Japanese cult figure Palmer Lette. Although many purists of sport didn’t think Lette deserved a title shot, the match-up created quite a buzz and ended up being the promotions second best selling PPV in history. Despite Lette starting strong, Fezzik ultimately dominated the match and locked in an armbar submission at the 7:21 mark of round 1 for the win. Weeks later, ALPHA-1 CEO Meiji Nishimura would call a press-conference and announce that Fezzik would defend the title in December against Japan’s Heavyweight sensation, “Unstoppable K” Kunimichi Kikuchi.

Tadamasa Yamada would step back into the ring in July, his second fight of the year and this time he'd defeat kickboxer “Hollywood” Ricky Heath using a armbar early in the 1st round. With Yamada’s third win in a row, he told a Japanese MMA publication that he ready now ready to face Jin Katou for the Light-Heavyweight title and urged the promotion to grant his request.

ALPHA-1 would hold a special 10th Anniversary show in September from the Matsuyama Stadium. With over 20,000 fans in attendance, some of the biggest names in the fight game were invited as special delegates. This list included the likes of Hassan Fezzik, James Foster, Li-Kong Ho, WOW President Bungle Bhave and DRAGON CEO Eisaku Higashikuni. The fearsome wrestler “Samurai Spirit” Tomohiro Takeuchi would pull off the biggest win of his career defeating the legendary Sukarno by split decision. It was the first loss Sukarno suffered in his career breaking a 27-fight winning streak. Sukarno was not impressed by the judging and went on TV in his home country of Indonesia to publicly chastise ALPHA-1.

September would also see one of MMA’s fastest rising stars Carlos da Guia knock out freshly minted Welterweight Champ David Webb with an amazing flying knee just 0:25 into the 1st round.

Jakuchu Abe would return to action in November for this third fight of 2002, this time defending the title against former Welterweight Champion Heiji Endo. It was Abe who controlled the fight and finished Endo with a rear naked choke 8:00 into the 1st round. The Middleweight Champ became a perfect 13-0 and looks unstoppable, at just 25 years of age Jakuchu Abe could become a very special fighter.

December saw one of the most highly anticipated fights of the year as Hassan Fezzik was set to defend the Heavyweight crown against Japan’s top Heavyweight, Kunimichi Kikuchi. It was an all out war that lasted only 5:03 as Fezzik caught Kikuchi with a elbow stunning the challenger. Fezzik following up the attack up with a flurry of strikes forcing the referee to stop the match. It was the 31st win of the Hassan Fezzik’s storied career and the Heavyweight champ is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Despite Sukarno’s frustration with the judging earlier in the year, he would step back into the ring for ALPHA-1. Sukarno took out his frustrations on the over-matched journeyman Kazuya Chano ending the fight by TKO just 0:24 into the 1st round.

Perhaps the biggest news in 2002 for GAMMA came from outside the ring. In June, the face of North American MMA James Foster signed a 4 fight deal (2 guaranteed) with British Cage Fighting (BCF) for a reported $112,000. The man that helped lead GAMMA, and lift the sport of MMA out of the dark ages in North America, would head off the to fight in the UK. GAMMA CEO Lance Decker said that Foster told him he felt he had accomplished all he could in GAMMA and would look to new challenges aboard. However, rumors circulated that Decker wanted to give Foster a substantial pay-cut, as the fighter was well past his prime. Reports said that Foster grew frustrated by the negotiations and walked away from the table.

In October, CEO Lance Decker held a press-conference with the President of Programming from the Pop! Network to announce the promotion had signed a TV broadcast deal with the network. Decker told the press the move away from The East Coast Network to Pop! would help the promotion focus on the younger age demographic, something he thought would be beneficial in helping expose the younger generation to the sport. GAMMA programming would begin on the Pop! Network in January 2003.

Former GAMMA Heavyweight Champion Tony McCall announced his retirement from the sport in May. McCall was 39-years old and held a professional record of 38-15. His reign as Champion lasted for 5 months from July to November 2000.

In February Julio Regueiro, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and the 1999 Fighter of the Year, would step into the ring and meet one of the hardest working men in MMA, David Allen. Despite being a huge underdog, Allen battled Regueiro through 4 rounds until finally the Champ landed the guillotine choke at 2:02 to retain the Welterweight crown. But the world’s top Welterweight shocked everyone when he announced he was relinquishing his title and dropping down to the Lightweight division.

CEO Lance Decker would quickly announce a “Decision Match” between Josh Aldarisio and Evan Gardner for the vacant Welterweight Title which would take place in April. Many pinned the former American Olympic Wrestling Alternate, Josh Aldarisio, as the favorite. The 35-year old had considerably more experience over fellow wrestler Evan Gardner. It was a hard fought bout by both competitors that went the full 5 rounds. In the end, all three judges awarded the fight to an elated Evan Gardner.

Before James Foster’s exit from GAMMA, his last fight was against Heavyweight Champion Tank Manu’a in May. It was a bloody 5 round affair in which both competitors looked sluggish and slow. The judges awarded Manu’a a unanimous decision much to the chagrin of Foster, who walked out of the GAMMA cage for the last time.

Two months after winning the vacant Welterweight crown, Evan Gardner would make his first title defense in June against judoka Slade Cregg. Perhaps Gardner had returned to action to early as Cregg scored a Americana at 2:32 of the 5th round to win the title.

In August, Julio Regueiro would make his debut at Lightweight and he was given an instant title shot against Bud Brockett. Many consider Julio Regueiro one of the top Brazilian Jui-Jitsu competitors in MMA and at the 2:40 mark of the 4th round, he displayed his elite-level skill by locking in a kneebar to win the Lightweight Title. Regueiro became the first fighter in GAMMA history to hold two titles in two different weight classes within the same year.

Also in August, Light-Heavyweight Champ Mike Watson would make his first title defense against the athletically gifted and undefeated amateur wrestler, Marlon John. Oh, and Marlon John was also the former Light-Heavyweight Champion reigning between 1998 and 2000. Watson wanted to keep the fight standing but John surprised Watson with a big left hand that dropped the Champ and John moved in the for kill, forcing the referee to stop the match. Marlon John looks to have return to top form as he begins his second reign as Light-Heavyweight Champion.

October saw GAMMA Middleweight Champion Buddy Garner make his third title defense, this time facing off against former NCAA wrestling Champ Osmosis Benn. Garner, who is considered one of the most dangerous BJJ black belts on the planet (and the only American to win gold at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships) found his groove late in the 2nd round and landed an armbar at the 4:44 mark to retain the title. Garner has cleaned out most of GAMMA’s Middleweight division, so it’ll be interesting to see who steps up next to face this very talented fighter.

The saga of the Welterweight Title continued in November, as Slade Cregg would defend the title against former Welterweight Champion Rufus Stephens. It would be Stephens fourth fight of 2002, and the masterful technician put his elite level Greco-Roman wrestling to good use using the clinch to dominate the fight. Stephens would end the fight by TKO at 3:52 of the 4th round to win the Welterweight Title for the second time in his career. He also became the fourth fighter in 2002 alone to hold the title.

The end of year would see a couple big fights. Heavyweight Champion Tank Manu’a would make his third title defense, taking on Brazilian Vitor de Melo. The physically imposing de Melo used his speed and agility to keep the larger Manu’a at bay. Early in the 2nd round de Melo was able to force Manu’a to the ground and quickly apply an armbar at 1:23 for the win. It was Manu’a first loss since 1997. At 27, Vitor de Melo is only approaching the peak as a fighter. After the match de Melo thanked GAMMA for the opportunity and said he would take on all-comers.

After losing the Lightweight crown last year, a title Sean Morrison had held since May 1995, the Kentucky native would step back into the ring to take on Ross Smith. Morrison wasted little time and attacked Smith from the opening bell ending the match at 1:28 of the 1st round by TKO. Morrison said after the fight he looked forward to facing new Lightweight Champion Julio Regueiro, a superfight dream come true!

In January, SIGMA Welterweight Champion and Australian judoka Kenneth Toadspew would meet one of the most exciting strikers in MMA, Noach Van Der Capellen. Toadspew controlled round 1 but at the 1:46 mark of round 2, Van Der Capellen connected with a fantastic right uppercut to KO Toadspew and became new Champion.

In April, FLB Welterweight Champion Manuel “The Prodigy” Silva who’s arguably the most exciting fighters in the sport today, defeated submission expert Claudio Palacious for his 5th title defense dating back to 1997. After the fight, Silva announced he was dropping down to the Lightweight and in turn vacated the Welterweight Championship.

In September former KDMFC Featherweight Champ and possibility the best Featherweight in the world Li-Kong Ho, would challenge the Malaysian Muay-Thai Champ and reigning WOW Featherweight Champion Chan Wan Wah. The match took place in China, and after an unbelievable 10 rounds --30 minutes of action, the fight went to judges decision. Li-Kong Ho was the slightly more dominant fighter and he was awarded the the unanimous decision. Ho would state that this was by far the toughest fight of his career.

BCF also had a big September as BCF Heavyweight Champion Curt Kitson defeated Scottish boxer Garry McSweegan for his 6th successful title defense and 15th straight victory.

In October, KBIL Heavyweight Champion Sander Schiller would take on comically massive Soren Rasmussen. These two big men went into the round 2 when Schiller landed a big right hook to KO Rasmussen at the 3:32 mark.

In December Manuel Silva made his return and debuted a Lightweight to face FLB Lightweight Champion Anderson Desailly. Silva, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world executed a masterful game plan and landed a KO knee at 4:28 of round 1.<hr/>

Jan.
ALPHA-1: Jin Katou (22-1) defeated Gyukudo Teshigahara (13-5) via (R4) Submission to retain the ALPHA-1 Light-Heavyweight Title.
SIGMA: Noach Van Der Capellen (26-4) defeated Kenneth Toadspew (13-3) via (R2) KO to win the SIGMA Welterweight Title.

Feb.
ALPHA-1 signs a PPV deal with Australian network Australia Channel 100.
GAMMA: Julio Regueiro (31-1) defeated David Allen (18-6) via (R4) Submission to retain the GAMMA Welterweight Title.
GAMMA: Julio Regueiro relinquishes the GAMMA Welterweight Title and moves to the Lightweight division.

Mar.
Go Yamamoto (26-10) retired from active competition at the age of 36.
WOW sign a PPV deal with Asian network Jade 237.
ALPHA-1: Jakuchu Abe (11-0) defeated Jonathan Huang (7-1) via (R3) Submission to win the ALPHA-1 Middleweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Jin Katou (23-1) defeated Nilton Fantoni (13-3) via (R6) Submission to retain the ALPHA-1 Light-Heavyweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Tadamasa Yamada (24-3) defeated Samuel Russo (19-15) via (R2) Submission.

Apr.
SIGMA extended with PPV deal with European network EuroNet.
GAMMA: Evan Gardner (10-1) defeated Josh Aldarisio (21-4) via (R5) Unanimous Decision to win the vacant GAMMA Welterweight TItle.
FLB: Manuel Silva (18-0) defeated Claudio Palacious (25-7) via (R3) Submission to retain the FLB Welterweight Title.

May.
Former GAMMA Heavyweight Champion (06/00-11/00) Tony McCall (38-15) retired from active competition at the age of 39.
ALPHA-1 extended their TV deal with Japanese broadcaster Japanese Sports Vision.
ALPHA-1: Jakuchu Able (12-0) defeated Fumiki Ikeda (5-1) via (R5) Submission to retain the ALPHA-1 Middleweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Abe vs. Ikeda PPV scores a record 1.66 million buys.
ALPHA-1: David Webb (23-4) defeated Ichisake Miyagi (30-6) via (R1) Submission to win the ALPHA-1 Welterweight Title.
GAMMA: Tank Manu’a (25-5) defeated James Foster (34-7-1) via (R5) Unanimous Decision to retain the GAMMA Heavyweight Title.

Jun.
GAMMA: Slade Cregg (14-4) defeated Evan Gardner (10-2) via (R5) Submission to win the GAMMA Welterweight Title.
BCF: James Foster signs a 4 fight deal (2 guaranteed) for a reported $112,000.

Jul.
SIGMA extended with PPV deal with European network EuroNet.
ALPHA-1: Hassan Fezzik (30-0) defeated Palmer Lette (20-6-2) via (R1) Submission to retain the ALPHA-1 Heavyweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Tadamasa Yamada (25-3) defeated Ricky Heath (17-10) via (R1) Submission.

Aug.
GAMMA: Julio Regueiro (32-1) defeated Bud Brockett (16-3) via (R4) Submission to win the GAMMA Lightweight Title.
GAMMA: Marlon John (20-1) defeated Mike Watson (16-3) via (R1) TKO to win the GAMMA Light-Heavyweight Title.

Sep.
ALPHA-1: Tomohiro Takeuchi (24-4) defeated Sukarno (27-1) via (R6) Split Decision to win the ALPHA-1 Lightweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Carlos da Guia (25-2) defeated David Webb (23-5) via (R1) KO to win the ALPHA-1 Welterweight Title
WOW: Li-Kong Ho (22-0) defeated Chan Wan Wah (12-2) via (R10) Unanimous Decision to win the WOW Featherweight Title.
BCF: Curt Kitson (15-0) defeated Garry McSweegan (24-9) via (R2) Submission to retain the BCF Light-Heavyweight Title.

Oct.
WOW extended their PPV deal with Asian network Jade 237.
GAMMA signed a TV deal with American broadcaster The Pop! Network.
GAMMA: Buddy Garner (20-1) defeated Osmosis Benn (20-3) via (R2) Submission to retain the GAMMA Middleweight Title.
KBIL: Sander Schiller (9-1) defeated Soren Rasmussen (17-4) via (R2) KO to retain the KBIL Heavyweight Title.

Nov.
GAMMA extended their PPV deal with American network Public Access Select.
SIGMA signed a TV deal with European broadcaster Euro Cable Sports 1.
ALPHA-1: Jakuchu Able (13-0) defeated Heiji Endo (17-4) via (R1) Submission to retain the ALPHA-1 Middleweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Tadao Miyazaki (14-2) defeated Jonathan Huang (7-2) via (R2) TKO.
GAMMA:; Rufus Stephens (24-3) defeated Slade Cregg (14-5) via (R4) TKO to win the GAMMA Welterweight Title.

Dec.
ALPHA-1: Hassan Fezzik (31-0) defeated Kunimichi Kikuchi (29-5) via (R1) TKO to retain the ALPHA-1 Heavyweight Title.
ALPHA-1: Sukarno (28-1) defeated Kazuya Chano (11-9) via (R1) TKO.
ALPHA-1 averaging 2.9 million TV viewers on Japanese Sports Vision.
ALPHA-1: Fezzik vs. Kikuchi PPV scores 1.63 million buys.
GAMMA: Vitor de Melo (14-1) defeated Tank Manu’a (25-6) via (R2) Submission to win the GAMMA Heavyweight Title.
GAMMA: Sean Morrison (34-4) defeated Ross Smith (10-2) via (R1) TKO.
FLB: Manuel Silva (19-0) defeated Anderson Desailly (10-2) via (R1) KO to retain the FLB Welterweight Title.

<hr />

TOP 5 POUND-FOR-POUND RANKINGS (2002)<table><td>1. Hassan Fezzik (31-0)

ALPHA-1 Heavyweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://evan.stasis.org/alpha1/Hakan%20Fezzik.gif" height=75 width=75></td></tr><tr><td>2. Julio Regueiro (32-1)

GAMMA Lightweight Champion</td>

<td><img src="http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee209/Lucrativo/GAMMA/JulioRegueiro.gif" height=75 width=75></tr><tr><td>3. Li-Kong Ho (22-0)

WOW Featherweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk264/immortal_enigma/Li-KongHo.gif" height=75 width=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>4. Manuel Silva (19-0)

FLB Lightweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://i761.photobucket.com/albums/xx252/LoNdOn_BeAsT/WMMA2%20renders%20for%20Mr%20Ryland/ManuelSilva-1.gif" height=75 width=75></td></tr><tr><td>4. Jin Katou (23-1)

ALPHA-1 Light-Heavyweight Champion</td><td><img src="http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff206/freebird8818/Gif%20Renders/JinKatou_RRF.gif" height=75 width=75></td>

</tr></table> <hr />

End of Year Web Awards:

Fighter of the Year:

Vitor de Melo (GAMMA)

Show of the Year:

SIMGA: Oktay vs. McDonald

Fight of the Year:

Carl Chenoweth vs. Truck Gleeson

KO of the Year:

Sander Schiller vs. Saladin

Submission of the Year:

Jiromon Hasegawa vs. Rafael van der Moot

Main Event of the Year:

Lefter Oktay vs. Kurt McDonald

Female Fighter of the Year:

Yutsuko Sasaki

Rise of the Year:

Sadatake Hiro

Fall of the Year:

Helio

Team of the Year:

Evolution MMA

Upset of the Year:

Frank Ryland defeats Carlos dos Santos<hr />

2002 Promotional Rankings<table><td>1. ALPHA-1

JAPAN</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/ALPHA1.jpg" height=75 width=75></td></tr><tr><td>2. GAMMA

USA</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/GAMMA.jpg" width=75 height=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>3. SIGMA

EUROPE</td><td><img src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c98/chris_kotw/BCF/SIGMA.jpg" width=75 height=75></tr><tr><td>4. BCF

UK</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/BCF.jpg" width=75 height=75></td></tr><tr><td>5. FLB

BRAZIL</td><td><img src="http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c98/chris_kotw/BCF/FLB.jpg" width=75 height=75></td></tr>

<td>6. WOW

ASIA</td><td><img src="http://i49.tinypic.com/4gg2s6.gif" height=75 width=75></td></tr><tr><td>7. WEFF

CANADA</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/WEFF.jpg" width=75 height=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>8. DRAGON

JAPAN</td><td><img src="http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/jamielynnwoodson/WMMA/DRAGON.jpg" width=75 height=75></tr><tr><td>9. KBIL

RUSSIA</td><td><img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/joebd80/WMMA/Logos/KBIL-L.jpg" width=75 height=75></td>

</tr><tr><td>10. MATADOR

MEXICO</td><td><img src="http://i47.tinypic.com/33mo8dk.jpg" width=75 height=75></td></tr></table>

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