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LaBerge,O’Neil,Torrey and Rebello victorious at Bellator 17

admin — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:00:19 +0000

Photo courtesy of Bellator Fighting Championship

Boston,Ma

By Troy McGovern

Bellator Championships came to Boston on May 6^th for a local show at the Wang Center. This being the first big-time promotion to visit the Boston area, there was certain anticipation in the air due to the dissension in local shows lately. The Wang center provided a great venue, with calibrated seating for all to view, mezzanine seating was exceptional for viewing and the crowd seemed to be able to maneuver pretty much where they wanted, and get as close to the action as possible. Bellator seems to pride themselves on organization and creating a big show atmosphere. The cage was displayed very well with exceptional lighting and focus in center stage, media set up was behind the cage and made accessible to plenty of reporters. The only real complaint at this point was the overcrowding of the Mass Commission all over the place. There was an overstock of commissioners, most just standing around watching the event. Purpose served? Not sure

Let’s get to the heart of the matter here…fights. With a template set of eight fights, four local bouts featuring local talent and four fights set in the Bellator elimination series. This card was headlined with two very noticeable and respected names in Roger Huerta and Eddie Alvarez. Local talent was featured with Justin Torrey and his return to Bellator, as well as Greg Rebello and Josh LaBerge.

Fights seemed very evenly matched, kudos to Jeff Clark, matchmaker for Bellator. He matched local talent very well and all fights were relatively competitive. First fight of the night between Chuck O Neil and Damien Vitale was a great battle, with tons of crowd support for O Neil. The battle went back and forth, lots of ground and pound, submission attempts, and in the end, Chuck landed a vicious knee, followed by hammer fists and elbows. This barrage leads to Vitales eye being lacerated and referee stepped in to stop the fight due to unanswered strikes.

The LaBerge-Bonnell fight was a complete beating from the get go. Bonnell was mismatched physically and as it appeared…mentally. He ate a huge right hand out of the gate, was buckled, and within a few seconds was beaten badly and ref stopped that fight as well. Only quick fight of the night, and LaBerge is on a win streak that appears to be taking him to higher places and bigger stages.

In my opinion, fight of the night was Carey Vanier, and Toby Imada. These guys were the first of the televised events, and basically set a pace and a standard that all other fights would be hard pressed to match. Varnier landed a sick Olympic reverse toss over his head, the crowd completely erupts and after a few exchanges, Imada, lands a massive right hand at the bell. Going forward it seems to be more of the same until an absolute maddening ground game takes place, and after massive swells from the crowd cheering and screaming…Imada is frolicking around Vanier like a man possessed, twisting, turning, and maneuvering eccentrically until he lands a quick, brutal arm bar that has Vanier tap immediately.

The Roger Huerta, Pat Curran fight is a chess match. Back and forth, leg kicks, swinging hands, clinching. Both fighters seem cautious, not really wanting to engage with the other out of respect, and in the end it lends to a subpar performance by both, crowd support for Huerta seems high, but Curran gets a decision that could have gone either way. At this point the crowd is getting pretty vocal, seeking excitement, and yelling referee Dan Mergliottas name out loud out of televised recognition, and it’s keeping a comedic resolution throughout the building.

The Alvarez-Neer fight has a big hype to it, with Alvarez being a recognized champion, and crowd support high for him. Alvarez delivers for the crowd, dominating Neer in the first round, and finally pounding him into the ground. Neer makes a move to get himself into a better position and that is the final move. Alvarez took his back, and choked him out in the second round. The appearance that Neer is attempting to tap lends ones imagination to the wonder…is Neer that heart filled he wouldn’t quit, or did Alvarez just get that choke on so quick and tight, he had no choice. Either way, it’s great to see, and the crowd reacts accordingly, with chants and howls!

There was another fight on the card between Pat Bennett, and Cole Konrad. Now every story has to have an aspect of comedy to it, and this was it. Konrad is a physical mess, and after about two minutes into the first round we see evidently that he is not in good shape as well. This fight turns into a sloppy mess on the ground. Two men rolling around each other, no clear strategy, no path to glory here. The crowd is more entertaining with gross misconduct and vulgar comments to the condition of these two fighters. Everyone around, has obviously had a lot to drink, and its becoming a more vocal, violent friendly crowd at this point. Let’s just say there more to say about the crowd than the fight….so on we go.

Justin Torrey is obviously a crowd favorite and is recognized by hardcore Bellator followers and his need to please the crowd is evident from the walk out. Jumping dancing and making creative, comical faces, he seems confident. The initial onset is controlled by Lance Everson, as he comes out strong with a good ground game, and Torrey has no real answers, just simplified solutions. Second round is a different story though as Torrey gets his bearings, leads into some serious control, and blasts Everson with some body shots that were clearly heard in the third row of the crowd. Blistering shots to Lance’s ribcage results in referee stoppage. Another victory for Torrey results in more comical faces for the camera!

Greg Rebello, who seems to have the majority of crowd support and the biggest fan base in the building, is the final bout of the night. This fight was a basic strategic ground game. Which is unusual for Rebello, who is a prideful striker who dislikes the wrestling aspect and tries to avoid that at all costs. But he seems to adapt, and overcome the obstacle, and holds a controlled seminar on ground game, and wins the unanimous decision.

Overall, Bellator provided a great experience for the fans seeking some much needed MMA relief in the Massachusetts area. Their brand of mixed martial arts is unique, and beneficial to the sport, and is not a cliché of what sometimes can be thrown together for financial purposes. It’s based on competition, crowd interaction, and great fight matchups that fans of the sport seek to see. As Bellator moves on through the country, the elimination series continues towards its finales, and more super bouts. The opportunity to see it live is well advised, as it is appreciated, and encouraged. Look for Bellator to visit an arena near you, and don’t miss out on top notched action if able!

Bellator’s back in New England

Bill Murphy — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:47:35 +0000

Hornbuckle vs. Stinson

Uncasville, CT

Bellator Fighting Championship is back at the Mohegun Sun for Bellator 15. The card will feature 6 of the 8 men competing in the welterweight tournament and also feature a featherweight tournament fight between William Romero and Patricio Pitbull.

The welterweight match-ups will feature Dan Hornbuckle (19-3) vs. Tyler Stinson (16-5), Brett Cooper vs. Steve Carl and Jacob McClintock vs. Ryan Thomas.

The under card will showcase some of New England’s top talent, including a great match-up pitting Dennis Olson vs. UFC vet Dan Cramer. Olson only has 2 losses on his record and both came at middleweight which is where this fight will be. Olson’s 10 wins have all been at his more natural 170lbs. Matt Lee will take on (BestWay/ATT) Ryan Quinn, David Branch and Derrick Mehman will meet at a catch-weight of 190 with Brylan Van Artsdalen and Rich de los Reyes rounding out the card in a featherweight match. Below are the official results from the weigh in.

Main Card:

Dan Hornbuckle (170 lbs.) versus Tyler Stinson (170 lbs.) – at 170 lbs.

Brett Cooper (169 lbs.) versus Steve Carl (169.5 lbs.) – at 170 lbs.

William Romero (145 lbs.) versus Patricio Pitbull (144.75) – at 145 lbs.

Jacob McClintock (170 lbs.) versus Ryan Thomas (167.5 lbs.) – at 170 lbs.

Local Feature Fight Card:

Derrick Mehman (191.75) versus Dave Branch (189.5 lbs.) – at 190 lbs.

Matt Lee (170.25 lbs.) versus Ryan Quinn (169.75 lbs.) – at 185 lbs.

Dennis Olson (184.75 lbs.) versus Dan Cramer (184.25 lbs.) – at 185 lbs.

Brylan Van Artsdalen (143.75 lbs.) versus Rich de los Reyes (145 lbs.) – at 145 lbs.

New England fighters find success at UMMAXX 10!

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 23:30:49 +0000

Euclid, Ohio

Three of New Englands top fighters in their respective weight-classes found success in Euclid, Ohio at UMMAXX 10. Nate Kittredge and Glenn Brown of The Green Mountain Boys and Jason McLean all won against some of the top fighters Ohio has to offer. Brown and McLean took home titles while Kittredge’s bout was a non-title fight. Kittredge got things started with what was arguably the fight-of-the-night in a 3 round war with Matt Masterson. While the stand-up action was fairly close, Kittredge controlled the ground game and the judges awarded him the split decision.

Jason McLean, who is the American Fighting Organization featherweight champion, added another title to his resume as he defeated Paul “Str8 Outta” Compton (TKO) with a devastating head kick in the 1st rd. McLean is quickly getting a reputation as one of the better featherweights NOT in the WEC but that may be changing soon!

Coming off the biggest win of his career over John Benoit, Glenn Brown looked equally impressive over the very tough Torrance “The Tyrant” Taylor. Like the Kittredge/Masterson fight this was another all out war, only this was a 5 rounder for the lightweight title. Brown’s game-plan was to avoid the devastating kicks of Taylor’s and use his wrestling to control the ground game which he was able to do for the most part. Taylor was able to land kicks to Brown’s legs as the fight got into the latter rounds which appeared to be taking it’s toll but Brown was still able to shoot for takedowns and control the fight on the ground. It was enough for the judges to declare Brown the split decision winner and NEW UMMAXX lightweight champion.

This was by far one of the best regional shows I’ve been to. The matchmaking from UFC vet Josh ‘Heavy’ Hendricks was outstanding, from the amateurs to the title fights, they were all evenly matched. I wish some of the New England promotions would follow suit by bringing in top tier talent from out of state.

Shogun Fights II, Review

admin — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:09:40 +0000

Baltimore, MD

by Trevor Asher

John Rallo is a man on a mission. As anyone who has ever tried to promote a fight will undoubtedly tell you, it’s alot more work than you’d think. John’s dedication and determination are apparent the moment you walk into 1st Mariner Arena. The feeling is indescribable. I’ve been to shows at the arena featuring world-famous musicians without the preparation, energy, and excitement brought by Shogun EVERY time! This goes without saying, but the next time Shogun comes to town, you’re gonna want to be there. Personally, I feel like this is the type of world-class event that has everyone on the board for Maryland’s Athletic Commission glad they approved MMA, and possibly regretful for waiting so long.
It is impossible to walk into a Shogun Fight and not feel like a VIP. One would liken it to being at a Hollywood party or maybe the Adult Video News Awards. To say the least, if you like beautiful women, Shogun is the place to be. The atmosphere is simply something to behold and alone, reason enough to buy a ticket.
Lets get to the reason everyone showed up, the fights. If you came to see a bad fight, I’m sure you were disappointed. There’s a reason John worked so hard to bring MMA to Maryland. He saw a talent pool deep enough to drown in, without proper representation. It’s safe to say that every fighter proved they deserve to be in the spotlight. Honorable mentions go out to Steve Baker of Primal Fighting Systems out of Delmar, Maryland, Brian Van Hoven, and Joe Stripling coming from 302 BJJ making his second appearance on a Shogun Card. You know Ground Control took over the house, bringing along some of their best fighters, including Rick Desper, Mike Paschall, Dave Daniecki, Ryan McGowan, and James “Binky” Jones.
Saturday’s fight card turned out to be much more evenly-matched than expected, due, in part, to an inordinate number of post-matched fights. Local cards are always exciting because due to injuries and other hurdles, unpredictability is a constant. You often have no idea who you’re going to see. I’ve seen many a card ruined by these trivial details, but everyone in attendance will tell you this isn’t one of them. Every bout stirred up excitement that ran through the crowd, producing explosive shouts and cheers with every well-placed punch and every savage slam. Maryland fans are hungry for MMA action and John Rallo knows it.
The Dave Daniecki/Gemiyale Adkins and Binky Jones/ Jim Hettes fights call for special attention. Both fights were heavily favored toward Ground Control fighters, but unexpectedly turned the other way. Dave Daniecki came in as the Baltimore favorite with a well-rounded fight game the envy of any fighter, while Gemiyale Adkins was a relative unknown with a truckload of heart. Both fighters kept the fight standing up, much to Dave’s dismay, but the result was a slobberknocker that gave the fans exactly what they wanted. When it came to a split decision, everyone knew Gemiyale gave his all but leaned toward Daniecki. When the referee raised Adkins’ hand, every spectator went wild. They knew he put on a show.
The bout between Jim “The Kid” Hettes and James “the Baltimore Submission Machine” Jones was electric, to say the least. Binky Jones came out to a patriotic display and fanfare expected from a Baltimore hero. Jim Hettes is the record-setting first man to ever win an MMA bout in the state of Maryland on his first Shogun Fights appearance back in October. Other than that, the Baltimore fans knew almost nothing about him. No matter how many times the announcer, 98 Rock’s Mickey Cochella, mentioned Gracie NEPA, all spectators let out a collective gasp when Hettes submitted Jones by rear-naked choke in the first round… in 28 seconds.
For any more, you’ll just have to come see the next fight in the fall. If you’re in the area, there is no excuse not to see the fast-paced excitement and world-class entertainment that only a UFC veteran can provide. Saturday night’s spectacle brought several members of the Baltimore Ravens, Chris McCray from this season of TUF, and even the medal-winningest man in American history, Michael Phelps. Also, we hope you caught Mike Kelly on 105.7 The Fan!

Triumph Promotions to make MMA debut in New Hampshire

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:28:25 +0000

Milford, NH

Saturday March 27th a new MMA promotion will be born in New England. Triumph Promotions which is run by John Fain (owner of Gracie Barra NH) and Tom Cortese will make it’s debut at The Hampshire Dome in Milford, NH. The card features some of the top fighters to come out of New Hampshire with the main event pitting Gracie Barra’s own Dennis Olson (10-3) vs. Team Elite’s Nuri Shakir (13-16). Shakir is well known in New England as being one of the toughest at 170 despite a sub-500 record. Nuri has faced several UFC vets. Olson has yet to lose at 170, with all 3 losses coming at 185 and may be the top welterweight in New England. Shakir is looking to bounce back from consecutive losses while Olson is coming off 3 straight wins.

Also in action will be Renzo Gracie NH product Woody Weatherby (7-3). Weatherby will take on N. Carolina’s Johnny ‘Buck Nasty’ Buck (5-5) out of Team Husky. Buck is a very accomplished wrestler out of The Citadel but he loves to stand and slug it out! This should be a great match up of two very strong 185er’s.

Team Burgess’ Nate LaMotte (10-5) returns to the cage as he faces Dave Wessinger (4-3) out of The Shotokan Academy. Aniss Alhajjajy (4-0) will do battle with N.Carolina’s Keith Richardson (2-1). Both fighters have slick submissions which usually means this will be a striking match. In a rematch from earlier this year Team Chaos Bill Jones (5-3) seeks revenge on South Shore Sportfighting’s Lee Metcalf (4-3). Metcalf won their 1st bout when the doctor stopped the fight following the 1st rd due to an apparent arm injury to Jones. Keep an eye on Light Heavyweight Jesse McElligott! Fighting out of Connors MMA McElligott is a purple belt in BJJ and went 2-0 as an amateur and he’s 1-0 pro…but he’s only 18!! The future is bright for Jesse but first he will have to get by the much bigger, stronger Donald DePina (0-1). The card also features Barrington Douse (4-7) vs. Christian Rivera (4-4). Any fight featuring Douse is usually a war and this shouldn’t be any different, both fighters are coming off wins. Joe Faucher (1-1) vs. Mark Giove (2-1 SSSF) rounds out the pro card.

The event will also have amateur fights. Shelby Young (0-2) vs. Jose Rustrain (1-0) and Keegan Hornstra (0-1)vs. Jed Denovalis (1-0). Overall, this card looks very well matched and it’s great to see some out-of-state talent come in to test the local guys.

New England Fighters head to Ohio for UMMAXX 10!

Bill Murphy — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:48:18 +0000

On March 27th New Englands #1 ranked Middleweight and current Full Force and Reality champion Nate ‘The Animal’ Kittredge will be heading out to Ohio to battle Matt Masterson for the UMMAXX middleweight title. Masterson is 6-2 with his 2 losses coming by decision to UFC vets Chris Price and Rory Singer. This will be Kittredges (9-1) biggest test so far. Joining Kittedge will be fellow ‘Green Mountain Boy’ Glenn Brown. Brown last fought at WCF were he beat then undefeated (7-0) John Benoit. Brown will have his hands full as he takes on UMMAXX lightweight champ Torrence ‘The Tyrant’ Taylor. Taylor (7-6-1) is a Strikeforce vet and a devastating striker!

Returning to UMMAXX will be #1 ranked New England featherweight and AFO champ Jason McLean. McLean defeated Ohio’s #1 ranked featherweight Cody Stevens back in November and will now face Paul ‘St8outta’ Compton for the UMMAXX featherweight title.

UMMAXX is quickly becoming one of Ohio’s top organizations and the matchmaking from UFC vet Josh ‘Heavy’ Hendricks is second to none.

Busy Start in 2010 for New England MMA Scene

Bill Murphy — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:41:46 +0000

New England

After a great 2009 year for New England MMA, 2010 looks to be even better. We saw new organizations make some big impacts and others fail miserably. We also finally have a commission being put in place, which won’t take affect until sometime after February of 2010. The UFC will make it’s way to Boston in August, which is sure to have a huge impact on the local scene and will be great for local fighters. Before any of this happens though, we have several shows to cover..

The AFO will kick things off in Braintree, MA on January 9th. Headlining the card will be South Shore Sportfighting’s Paddy Thompson and Jose Valentin of American Fight Team of Holyoke, MA. Thompson puts his Welterweight Title on the line against the very tough Valentin. Also fighting out of SSSF will be the hard-hitting Billy Flynn. Flynn takes on Kenny Hazzard. For the full fight card go to www.afomma.com.

January 16th Reality Fighting returns to the Plymouth Memorial Auditorium. In what may be the most anticipated featherweight bout in quite some time, Reality featherweight champ Mike “Loco Lobo” Gresh (Cape Cod Fighting Alliance) will take on his toughest challenge yet as he will battle NortheastMMA.com’s #5 ranked featherweight Josh “The Problem” LaBerge out of Team Gillett. Gresh had been sidlined for close to a year before coming back at CFX and defeating Pete Reveredo (Reveredo took the fight on a 1 day notice). LaBerge is riding a 3 fight win streak defeating the likes of Frank Latina, Chris Simmons (at Bellator) and Dan Bonnell. “The Problem” has split his training between Gillett’s MMA, Team Aggression and Jackson’s MMA in New Mexico. The co-main event will feature Mike Stewert vs. Fredric Belleton for the Reality Fighting light heavyweight title. The full fight card has not yet been released but check out www.nagafighter.com in the next couple days for a complete line-up.

On January 15th the New Hampshire based Combat Zone will feature on all Amateur card. This event will feature some of the top amateur talent in the northeast. For a full fight card go to www.combatzone.com.

The following weekend, January 22nd, the Global Fight League will be in Concord, NH. This card has been cursed by injuries but match-maker Dan Bonnell is certain to fill the voids with suitable replacements. The card originally featured 3 title fights including Scott Nichols vs. Mikey Zichelle, Jay Fortier vs. Ross Warriner and Tateki Matsuda vs. Rodrigo Almieda. The Matsuda/Almieda fight is still on but injuries to Warriner and Zichelle have scrapped the other 2 title fights. Also on the card will be Chris Grandmaison and Chris “The Ego” Fissette among others. Check out www.GFLMMA.com as the date nears for the latest line-up.

New England fighters go 4-0 at UMMAXX 9 in Ohio!

Bill Murphy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:24:51 +0000

Jason McLean

Medina, Ohio

Earlier this year UMMAXX CEO Tom Yerace brought the concept of bringing in top level talent from other regions to face Ohio’s top fighters. Apparently it is working and it is allowing UMMAXX to stand apart from their competitors. This past Saturday night the Medina Community Center played host to UMMAXX 9, and a packed house. Matchmaker and UFC vet Josh “Heavy” Hendricks did a great job reaching outside of Ohio to match up fighters he hadn’t seen in action with those he sees regularly.

The night started off with Fall River, Ma/Team Gillett amateur Jay Greenberg winning a unanimous decision over Ohio’s Chad Booth. Greenberg got in trouble early by getting mounted, then giving up his back, Booth sunk in a deep RNC but Greenberg showed tremendous heart by battling his way out. From that point on it was all Greenberg as he used his definitive reach advantage to pick Booth apart with his jab. Booth himself proved to have a good chin and showed no quit. Greenberg is now 1-0. Also fighting out of Team Gillett was Brazilian Kaline Medeiros. Medeiros took on Evolve MMA’s Shannon “Pretty Pink” Floyd out of Ohio. This was in my opinion the fight-of-the-night. Both women were completely content to slug it out. Medeiros was landing the bigger shots and seemed to be stronger but Floyd was no slouch. In the 3rd round Medeiros was able to get a big slam but Floyd was able to get back to her feet only to be dropped by a big right. Medeiros then pounced on her fallen opponent and finished her with unanswered shots. Medeiros improves to 1-1.

In other amateur action, Ohio’s Darren Branch defeated N.Carolina’s Ryan Conn by RNC. Branch was able to survive a brutal spinning back fist by Conn, once he collected his thoughts he worked for the submission and sunk it in. Evolve MMA’s Joe Foutty defeated Roger Frydrydoski by KO in rd 1. Tony Dipiero TKO’d Keith Shinn in round 1. Jonny Murphy submitted Brian Dressler in round 1, earning submission-of-the-night. Ricky Garrett won via TKO in round 1 over Brandon Walker.

In pro action, Ohio’s Torrence Taylor defeated N.Carolina’s Matt Covan by TKO in the 1st round. It was a spirited fight which earned the two combatants fight-of-the-night. The most anticipated bout of the evening pitted Ohio’s #1 ranked featherweight Cody Stevens, against New England’s #1 ranked featherweight Jason McLean. The match would be short lived however. Stevens an accomplished Muay Thai fighter, threw a leg kick in the first exchange of the fight, when McLean checked the kick the sound of a bone snapping could be heard from the back of the building. Stevens broke the Tibula and Fibula bones in his lower leg. McLean is now granted a shot at the UMMAXX featherweight title. Another fighter with New England roots was Chandler Holderness. Holderness took on the very dangerous UFC vet Ryan “The Lion” Madigan. Had this fight stayed standing the advantage would go to the World Champion Kickboxer Madigan but Holdernes was well aware of this and took the fight to the ground. Once on top Holderness controlled Madigan’s arms and pounded away until the ref was forced to step in. Holderness wins by TKO in round #1. Coming off a loss to former UFC heavyweight champ Tim Sylvia, Jason Riley was able to get back to his winning ways with a TKO victory over Joel Wyatt in round 2. The win gives Riley a shot at the heavyweight title. Speaking of the heavyweight title.. Joe McCall took home the belt and KO of the night with his win over Patrick Barrantine. This sets up a McCall vs Riley heavyweight title fight for UMMAXX 10 which will take place on February 27th.

UMMAXX 9 was a great event with some very exciting match-ups. It’s always good to see fighters from different regions compete and UMMAXX allows the fans to see that. I expect big things from this promotion in the years to come!

On Nov. 14 CageFX Brings Us “Rumble in the Jungle II”

Frank Gazerro — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:23:55 +0000

Plymouth, Ma

CFX is back at the JunglePlex on November 14th. This is one of the best cards the CFX has had and it will be headlined by Reality Heavyweight champ Christian Moorecraft and Josh Diekman!! You won’t want to miss this show, get your tickets early as this event will surely sell out!! The full card is listed below.

Pro Fights

Chris Bagge vs. Artie Mullen

Lee Beene vs. Cody Lightfoot

Damien Trites vs. Giovanni Pagon

Brett Oteri vs. Robbie Roberts

Todd Chattelle vs. Chris Cape

Shawn Glano vs. Mike Dexter

Mike Mulligan vs. Eric Foley

Rigo Dominnicci vs. Justin Hammerstrom

Josh Diekmann vs. Justin Hammerstrom

Lionel Young vs. Glenn Reaves

Matt Johnson vs. Dan Ford

Greg Mendes vs. Mathew McCusker

Justin Burrill vs. Mike Scott

Jason Sarbacker vs. John Daniels

Amateur Fights

J.P. White vs. Andy Robertson

Steve Dunn vs. Greg Kenny

James Malvesti vs. Jeff Lyon

Nate Robichaud vs. Lee Randolph

Jay Fillippini vs. Brad Conley

Bill Murphy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:20:40 +0000