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Ricco was the Coach of the "RAW" (Real American Wrestlers). team. I remember the RAW guys all being there when Randy fought Vitor @ UFC 15.
-----
I did an internet search for Ricco to find out what his wrestling credentials were. He has basically won everything a person can win in wrestling, and even has 1 win over Mark Shultz. (A time when wrestling was FILLED with KILLERS).
The interview is amazing and even talks about how big MMA (they called it NHB Then) will become someday. Its amazing to see how far the sport has come since these times..... I love finding old gems like this. I hope someone else can appreciate this as much as I do. ............. And now, The Interview by Ron Simpson:
This interview was in Australian Ground Fighter
Magazine. It was typed up and e-mailed to the
Combat list by Elvis Sinosic, Australian NHB
fighter.....Ron Sipson
AGF (Australian Ground Fighter): Rico could you
please give me some background on yourself?
Rico Chiapparelli: I'm 34 years old and I was born in
Baltimore Maryland on the US East Coast. My father
was a PE Teacher who taught football and basketball,
one year he was asked to coach wrestling. My brother
Louie and I were introduced to wrestling by our dad but
our first coach was Bill Bley. I did well at sports but
preferred wrestling, Team sports disappointed me
because others failed and can let you down, wrestling
was a personal sport where you made your own succes
When I was young I was a big baby (as in a softie) but
later my father found that wrestling made me more
confident and responsible.
AGF: What styles of wrestling have you practiced?
Rico: I started with US Collegiate style at 6 years old
and Freestyle and Greco Roman at 8 years old. Now I
am learning Jiu Jitsu.
AFG: Rico, can you tell us about some of your many
wrestling accomplishments?
Rico: I started competing interantionally when I was 14
years of age. I was 6 times national schoolboy champion.
I was second in the world twice at the under 14's and under
16's division. In highschool I was the national USWF under
16's champion, and national junior Freestyle champion (Note:
This is the biggest tournament in the world for this age group).
I usually pinned everyone in under a minute, in the semi finals
I beat Kevin Jackson (Olympic Gold Medalist, UFC Champion,
NHB fighter). I was on the first team for the All American Dream
Team. I was recruited by Iowa Universtiy (Note: Iowa is the
Mecca of US wrestling who recruit the best in the USA) under
the coaching of Dan Gable. I was three times the all American
top six and NCAA champ once. I won every national
championship there was. After college I was the National open
Freestyle Champion. I spent 4 years on the US national team
and was a World Cup Champion.
AGF: Sounds like you won everything that there ever was to
win! Did you ever make it to the Olympics?
Rico: In my first year of college in the Olympic trials I beat Mark
Shultz once but he won the next two times so I didn't go to the
Olympics.
(Note: Mark Shultz ranks as one of the alll time greatest
American wrestlers with some 5 Gold medals, he has on NHB
fight defeating Gary Goodridge in UFC 9, he has also trained
in BJJ with Rickson Gracie and Pedro Sauer. Working as the
wrestling coach at Utah Provo University he is now barred
from competing in NHB)
AGF: What do you do these days?
Rico: I train and manage mostly US wrestlers who fight NHB
in my RAW team. Guys like Tom Erickson, Randy Couture
and Dan Henderson.
AGF: Any new faces to look for?
Rico: Yeah, guys like Vladimir Myatachenko a former Russian
who lives in the US and Dennis Hall.
AGF: Rico what your views on NHB?
Rico: I like any NHB, I like the purity of it. Two men compete,
the officals can't decide, nobody can decide the outcome.
The forms become more fluid, a true test of an individual's
self against yourself. To me it is the purest sport that exists
or will ever exist.
AGF: What exactly do you mean by becoming more fluid?
Rico: The original form was combat between two males
whether animal or human this evovled into today's many
styles, NHB brings combat back to its original form.
AGF: What do you feel someone needs to become a NHB
Fighter?
Rico: 1. Realise if you are a fighter, a person will know this
himself. There a a lot of people calling themselves fighters
who are only fooling themselves. 2. Read the book of
"Five Rings" by Musashi in it's very simplicity it tells you
exactly what you need to know about combat, I give this
book to all my fighters and tell them to read it.
AGF: Why the "Book of Five Rings"?
Rico: Musahi was for real, today's Martial Artist's are a
facade, a joke. For me you have to be REALITY based.
Wrestlers are into reality. Realistice techniques and
tactics that work. Not knowing real from unreal, can get
you in trouble. Like they say a little knowledge is a
dangerous thing.
(Note: I show Rico some martial arts magazines with a
very well known Shootfighting Instructor demonstrating
wrestling style takedowns)
AGF: Rico, what do you think of these?
Rico: (pause...chuckle...snort)."..........Laughable (more
laughing) ..."When I see stuff like this it's like a Mad
Magazine". TRUTH the pursuit of truth, like I said a
little bit of knowledge is dangerous.
AGF: I understand you've been dabbling in Brazillian
Jiu Jitsu? Who are you currently training with?
Rico: Yeah, BJJ is the best form of submission and
ground fighting, it's also the best form of self defence for
women. If not for BJJ I would not have become involved
with NHB. I don't believe in the closed mindedness of
the form where BJJ people won't interact. NO EVOLUTION.
If a style is not progressing then it's dying.
AGF: Is this why you've been working with Rigan
Machado?
Rico: Yes, I worked with him for a little while on wrestling
techniques and the transition from wrestling to the ground.
That was until he injured his knee just before UFC 17,
which was to be his debut NHB fight against Mark Coleman.
AGF: What is your opinion of Rigan?
Rico: Rigan is the best submission guy I ever worked with.
AGF: I understand you've been working with a well known
Australian Jiu Jitsuan John Donehue?
Rico: Yeah I work withJohn to learn submission, but I'm
also helping to develop John's wrestling technique.
AGF: What's in the future for the RAW Team?
Rico: Through the RAW Team I'm trying to bring attention
to US Wrestling. Wrestlers are a proud species when
they fight, in one night you lose everything that you built
up over years of hard work, but you must learn if this
happens.. You must learn to filter the knowledge, everyone
should have their own style there is no one style.
AGF: Is there a great rivalry with the RAW Team and the
Carlson Gracie Competition Team?
Rico: Yeah, it's RAW team 4 and Carlson team 0. But
Carlson's guy's seem to be the only Brazillians that are
fighting on a regular basis at a high standard.
AGF: What is the future of NHB?
Rico: The promoters are stuffing it up. This sport in the
future can be bigger than soccer. With the internet going to
30 frames per second and satellite technology available,
with the right programming in 10-15 years time this sport
will be huge. I don't like people who aren't credible like
some of the current fighters and promoters, because the
sport is new these people drop out and it will eventually
develop. At this point World Shooto is the best organisation.
It's a true sport with the best rules and the most technical
fighters.
AGF: A parting note?
Rico: This sport is going to be huge. Just recently in New
York I saw two 60 year old guys with head gear on fightgin
NHB. Every weekend in the US there is some type of event/
comp. This is the future.
AGF: Any plans of coming to Australia?
Rico: Yeah, there are heaps of women who would like to meet
me!
AGF: Thank you Rico.
Rico: My pleasure.
-------
And there it is. Ill post more gems as I find them if anyone else is interested.
-----
I did an internet search for Ricco to find out what his wrestling credentials were. He has basically won everything a person can win in wrestling, and even has 1 win over Mark Shultz. (A time when wrestling was FILLED with KILLERS).
The interview is amazing and even talks about how big MMA (they called it NHB Then) will become someday. Its amazing to see how far the sport has come since these times..... I love finding old gems like this. I hope someone else can appreciate this as much as I do. ............. And now, The Interview by Ron Simpson:
This interview was in Australian Ground Fighter
Magazine. It was typed up and e-mailed to the
Combat list by Elvis Sinosic, Australian NHB
fighter.....Ron Sipson
AGF (Australian Ground Fighter): Rico could you
please give me some background on yourself?
Rico Chiapparelli: I'm 34 years old and I was born in
Baltimore Maryland on the US East Coast. My father
was a PE Teacher who taught football and basketball,
one year he was asked to coach wrestling. My brother
Louie and I were introduced to wrestling by our dad but
our first coach was Bill Bley. I did well at sports but
preferred wrestling, Team sports disappointed me
because others failed and can let you down, wrestling
was a personal sport where you made your own succes
When I was young I was a big baby (as in a softie) but
later my father found that wrestling made me more
confident and responsible.
AGF: What styles of wrestling have you practiced?
Rico: I started with US Collegiate style at 6 years old
and Freestyle and Greco Roman at 8 years old. Now I
am learning Jiu Jitsu.
AFG: Rico, can you tell us about some of your many
wrestling accomplishments?
Rico: I started competing interantionally when I was 14
years of age. I was 6 times national schoolboy champion.
I was second in the world twice at the under 14's and under
16's division. In highschool I was the national USWF under
16's champion, and national junior Freestyle champion (Note:
This is the biggest tournament in the world for this age group).
I usually pinned everyone in under a minute, in the semi finals
I beat Kevin Jackson (Olympic Gold Medalist, UFC Champion,
NHB fighter). I was on the first team for the All American Dream
Team. I was recruited by Iowa Universtiy (Note: Iowa is the
Mecca of US wrestling who recruit the best in the USA) under
the coaching of Dan Gable. I was three times the all American
top six and NCAA champ once. I won every national
championship there was. After college I was the National open
Freestyle Champion. I spent 4 years on the US national team
and was a World Cup Champion.
AGF: Sounds like you won everything that there ever was to
win! Did you ever make it to the Olympics?
Rico: In my first year of college in the Olympic trials I beat Mark
Shultz once but he won the next two times so I didn't go to the
Olympics.
(Note: Mark Shultz ranks as one of the alll time greatest
American wrestlers with some 5 Gold medals, he has on NHB
fight defeating Gary Goodridge in UFC 9, he has also trained
in BJJ with Rickson Gracie and Pedro Sauer. Working as the
wrestling coach at Utah Provo University he is now barred
from competing in NHB)
AGF: What do you do these days?
Rico: I train and manage mostly US wrestlers who fight NHB
in my RAW team. Guys like Tom Erickson, Randy Couture
and Dan Henderson.
AGF: Any new faces to look for?
Rico: Yeah, guys like Vladimir Myatachenko a former Russian
who lives in the US and Dennis Hall.
AGF: Rico what your views on NHB?
Rico: I like any NHB, I like the purity of it. Two men compete,
the officals can't decide, nobody can decide the outcome.
The forms become more fluid, a true test of an individual's
self against yourself. To me it is the purest sport that exists
or will ever exist.
AGF: What exactly do you mean by becoming more fluid?
Rico: The original form was combat between two males
whether animal or human this evovled into today's many
styles, NHB brings combat back to its original form.
AGF: What do you feel someone needs to become a NHB
Fighter?
Rico: 1. Realise if you are a fighter, a person will know this
himself. There a a lot of people calling themselves fighters
who are only fooling themselves. 2. Read the book of
"Five Rings" by Musashi in it's very simplicity it tells you
exactly what you need to know about combat, I give this
book to all my fighters and tell them to read it.
AGF: Why the "Book of Five Rings"?
Rico: Musahi was for real, today's Martial Artist's are a
facade, a joke. For me you have to be REALITY based.
Wrestlers are into reality. Realistice techniques and
tactics that work. Not knowing real from unreal, can get
you in trouble. Like they say a little knowledge is a
dangerous thing.
(Note: I show Rico some martial arts magazines with a
very well known Shootfighting Instructor demonstrating
wrestling style takedowns)
AGF: Rico, what do you think of these?
Rico: (pause...chuckle...snort)."..........Laughable (more
laughing) ..."When I see stuff like this it's like a Mad
Magazine". TRUTH the pursuit of truth, like I said a
little bit of knowledge is dangerous.
AGF: I understand you've been dabbling in Brazillian
Jiu Jitsu? Who are you currently training with?
Rico: Yeah, BJJ is the best form of submission and
ground fighting, it's also the best form of self defence for
women. If not for BJJ I would not have become involved
with NHB. I don't believe in the closed mindedness of
the form where BJJ people won't interact. NO EVOLUTION.
If a style is not progressing then it's dying.
AGF: Is this why you've been working with Rigan
Machado?
Rico: Yes, I worked with him for a little while on wrestling
techniques and the transition from wrestling to the ground.
That was until he injured his knee just before UFC 17,
which was to be his debut NHB fight against Mark Coleman.
AGF: What is your opinion of Rigan?
Rico: Rigan is the best submission guy I ever worked with.
AGF: I understand you've been working with a well known
Australian Jiu Jitsuan John Donehue?
Rico: Yeah I work withJohn to learn submission, but I'm
also helping to develop John's wrestling technique.
AGF: What's in the future for the RAW Team?
Rico: Through the RAW Team I'm trying to bring attention
to US Wrestling. Wrestlers are a proud species when
they fight, in one night you lose everything that you built
up over years of hard work, but you must learn if this
happens.. You must learn to filter the knowledge, everyone
should have their own style there is no one style.
AGF: Is there a great rivalry with the RAW Team and the
Carlson Gracie Competition Team?
Rico: Yeah, it's RAW team 4 and Carlson team 0. But
Carlson's guy's seem to be the only Brazillians that are
fighting on a regular basis at a high standard.
AGF: What is the future of NHB?
Rico: The promoters are stuffing it up. This sport in the
future can be bigger than soccer. With the internet going to
30 frames per second and satellite technology available,
with the right programming in 10-15 years time this sport
will be huge. I don't like people who aren't credible like
some of the current fighters and promoters, because the
sport is new these people drop out and it will eventually
develop. At this point World Shooto is the best organisation.
It's a true sport with the best rules and the most technical
fighters.
AGF: A parting note?
Rico: This sport is going to be huge. Just recently in New
York I saw two 60 year old guys with head gear on fightgin
NHB. Every weekend in the US there is some type of event/
comp. This is the future.
AGF: Any plans of coming to Australia?
Rico: Yeah, there are heaps of women who would like to meet
me!
AGF: Thank you Rico.
Rico: My pleasure.
-------
And there it is. Ill post more gems as I find them if anyone else is interested.
