I'll take the big one, you take the one with the face tattoo. via www.ripten.com

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We talked about this when the Microsoft Kinect tech demo came out many months ago, that the Microsoft Kinect looked like the perfect platform for a fully interactive kickboxing game. It was kind of just a pipe dream that such a game could ever exist, as when you think about it, it is not an easy sell. It is a very, very physical application of one's self. Sure, WiiFit and the like are pretty popular, but they don't involve roundhouse kicks and a lot of flexibility.

Here is the preview from Ripten and tell me this does not sound incredible; real muay thai techniques and "Streets of Rage" style gameplay.

Ubisoft has entered the motion control fight with Xbox 360 Kinect exclusive "Fighters Uncaged".   Currently in development by AMA and scheduled for the November Kinect launch, it promises to teach real Muay Thai kickboxing techniques.

Players will create 70 different strikes that are all inspired by real martial arts. This includes punching, elbowing, kicking, and blocking, as well as voice-activated "super-strikes."  It will also feature a Final Fight style Co-op Multiplayer in 21 different settings.

Swoon. Video of the game in action after the break.

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Our good friend and your favorite color man in the industry, Michael Schiavello has yet another episode of "The Voice Versus" coming up at the end of the month on HDNet, this time against the ever-colorful Jason "Mayhem" Miller. Be sure to tune in to HDNet on July 30th.

Kotomitsuki is among the most high profile wrestlers caught up in the scandal

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When it rains, it pours. And the trouble just keeps on piling up in the world of sumo wrestling. 

First, a scandal broke as some coaches were selling special ringside seats to the yazuka (mafia). Shortly after a second scandal hit as 34-year old ozeki Kotomitsuki admitted that he had a problem gambling on baseball games and got into trouble with the yakuza. And then, a Hairdresser going by the single name of Tokoike is suspected of having acted as a go-between between wrestlers and bookmakers. 65 sumo association members and wrestlers have admitted to illegal gambling, Japanese media have reported.

The latest trouble comes now as police have obtained an arrest warrant for 38-year-old Mitsutomo Furuichi for allegedly trying to blackmail Kotomitsuki in connection with the illegal gambling on professional baseball games. Kotomitsuki had claimed he had paid 3.5 million yen (US$38,000) in 'hush money' to Furuichi, who had demanded over 100 million yen.

And as if things weren't bad enough, sumo has lost their biggest sponsor as Nagatanien Co. decided to cancel its 12 million yen ($130,000) in sponsorship for the Nagoya tournament, scheduled to begin July 11.

A decision is to be made on July 4 on whether to go ahead with the Nagoya basho amidst talk of broadcaster NHK canceling their live coverage. The last time the Japan Sumo Association canceled a tournament was in 1946, when repairs at a hall were delayed. 

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This past weekend the 27th Japan Kyokushin Karate Championships was held in Osaka. The tournament was comprised of 263 competitors from Japan, Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Poland, Russia, Switzerland and USA with approximately 1,600 fans in attendance.

It was a weight category tournament consisting of (Lightweight) 65kg, (Middleweight) 75kg, (Light Heavyweight) 85kg and (Heavyweight) 85+kg divisions.

Checkout the Japanese kyokushinkaikan.org site for pictures.

Results after the jump.

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This totally happened and nobody saw it, I bet.

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This really caught me off guard the other day, it was something so vague and downright silly that I brushed it off. Then I realized that I was actually sitting on something that most people didn't realize, as I sure as hell didn't. All of this talk of Pat Barry and reviewing some of his WCL fights to do some analysis for the upcoming fight at UFC 115 against Mirko Cro Cop reminded me of WCL and how, while a flawed concept of the "team" kickboxing, it was still a major American movie star promoting kickboxing and martial arts. This made me wonder and reach out to the World Combat League to see exactly where they stand and what their future plans are.

So color me surprised when I was actually able to speak to somebody from the World Combat League and they told me that the WCL is not only still alive, but planning on putting together a third season of regional, team-based kickboxing action. Of course, chances are it will be difficult to hunt down unless you somehow get the ALN network and catch WCL in between repeats of "My Three Sons."

Regardless, an American kickboxing promotion that has pushed out prospects into the UFC is still chugging along and planning on promoting more kickboxing events in the U.S. If anything, maybe some prospects from WCL could get some exposure and move on to UFC like Barry did, or to K-1, who sorely needs an American fighter outside of Mighty Mo and his ever-bruised balls.

via www.tatame.com

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Roger Gracie, who was fresh off his MMA win over Kevin Randleman in Strikeforce back in May, solidifed the fact that he's one of the greatest Jiu-Jitsu fighters of all time. Gracie returned to the 2010 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Long Beach California over the weekend where he took top honors in the Absolute (Openweight) and Super Heavyweight (under 221.0 lbs) Black Belt divisions.

Seven-time weight champion, three-time absolute champion: Roger Gracie became the greatest fighter in all history of Jiu-Jitsu. On an impeccable performance, Roger suffered only four points during the whole competition, and submitted all of his opponents, except Ricardo Demente, who he confronted on the weight finale. Rômulo Barral’s injury made things easier for the black belt, who did not have to fight the finale to become the absolute champion.

Checkout Tatame for more coverage!

Zach Anrold picked up on an interesting story from the Mainichi Daily News that a couple sumo coaches have been implicated for selling special ringside tournament seats to the yakuza (Japanese mafia).

Two sumo coaches participated in selling special ringside seats to senior yakuza gang members affiliated with the Yamaguchi-gumi crime syndicate at last year's July Grand Tournament in Nagoya, a source with the Japan Sumo Association (JSA) has revealed to the Mainichi.

The JSA questioned the two coaches after receiving an inquiry from police, and will consider disciplinary action against the coaches at a board of directors meeting opening Thursday. The two have also been given an opportunity to provide an explanation.

According to police, some 50 senior members of yakuza gangs affiliated with the Kodokai -- the Nagoya branch of the Yamaguchi-gumi -- attended the 15-day Nagoya tournament using the seats. Different gang members used the seats on different days.

And as Zach points out:

It’s something that has also been commonplace in the Japanese fight game for a long, long time. It was a critical part to the storyline about the yakuza scandal that destroyed PRIDE. Seiya Kawamata, who was the yakuza fixer that took care of gangsters at MMA events, claimed that he was ordered to take gangsters from front row seating and put them backstage into VIP rooms. This activity, according to Kawamata, allegedly occurred during the days when PRIDE & K-1 were co-promoting with each other.

Remember when former gangster Hiromichi Momose used to be at ringside for all the PRIDE events and after every fight the winner would go to him at ringside and shake his hand? (He was the one in a black ball cap and black glasses).

The idea of “yakuza special seating” at fighting events is nothing new. It’s why when you saw ticket prices for ring side seats go for 30,000Y and “royal ringside seats” go for 100,000Y a pop that there was always some snickering about the VIP seating.

The more things change, the more they stay the same in the Japanese fight game.

Brazilian Judo fans pack the Maracanazinho Sports Hall in Rio.

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The first Grand Slam of the 2012 Olympic Qualification period received the entries from four Olympic Champions, 18 world champions and 21 Olympic medalists.

The IJF Rio de Janeiro Grand Slam brought together 358 athletes from 40 countries. The Maracanazinho sports hall, one of the venues for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, received an amazing boisterous crowd of over eight thousand people, who sang and shout from the very first minute in a true Brazilian atmosphere. The IJF Rio de Janeiro Grand Slam shared US $150,000 prize money among the winners.

In the Men's +100kg division, Japanese judoka Kazuhiko Takahahi beat German Andreas Toelzer in the finals.Takahashi had to beat his fellow countrymen and Olympic champion Kenji Suzuki in the semifinal in a very balanced match. Takahashi is the 2010 Japanese national champion and was bronze medalist in the IJF Suwon Masters 2010.

In the -100kg class, Dutch turned Belgium Elco Van Der Geest picked up his second consecutive win in the Rio de Janeiro Grand Slam. In 2009, Van Der Geest beat Brazilian Luciano Correa (world champion 2007) for gold. This time around he defeated Japanese star Takamasa Anai by ippon in less than 15 seconds of combat. At the age of 31, the veteran Van de Geest won the Paris Grand Slam earlier this year and is the current European Champion (Vienna 2010).

25-year old Japanese Hiroaki Hiraoka finally was back on the top of the podium after winning the -60kg division. He's been close the past five World Circuit events placing as runner-up in Grand Prix Düsseldorf, IJF Masters Suwon, Grand Slam Tokyo, World Championships Rotterdam and Grand Slam Rio 2009. “I am very happy. The Grand Slam Tokyo was not good for me but judo is practice and I train hard every day to win”, says Hiraoka, who is back to the top of the World Ranking List, leaving both Georgii Zantaraia (UKR) and Rishob Sobirov (UZB) a few points behind.

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