Total Warrior Combat held it’s BIGGEST and BADDEST event to date (which is an ASTRONOMICAL achievement, considering some of their previous fight cards) at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Lansing (formerly the Causeway Bay Hotel and Resort). One look at the card, and there was NO DOUBT that fans were going to be in for one of the most memorable events in recent history. And they were not disappointed! From the very first fight (which ended in a spectacular knockout), to the Ray Reynero/Dan Dunbar Co-Main event and the Adam Nixon/Kory Wertz Main event, the entire event was a barn-burner. The great teams and trainers that came out to rep their gyms and their fighters were a veritable A-list of the very best in the area…Grand Rapids Mixed Martial Arts, Team Striking Dragons, Murcielago MMA, Soldado’s Boxing and MMA, Pound 4 Pound MMA, Master Bill’s Karate, The Pit, Lansing Jiu Jitsu, The Factory, Old School Fitness, Parker’s Martial Arts and Freedom MMA, as well as a who’s who of individual coaches and trainers. From the National Anthem to the afterparty, TWC delivered intensity and excitement from A to Z. As we were looking down the fight card, we noticed something AMAZING. Beside EVERY fighters name on the card, there was a gym or trainer listed. No one-fight Facebook warriors, only TRAINED martial artists. This is quite possibly the only time we’ve seen this at an amateur event to date…a testament to TWC’s credibility.

As mentioned in the opening paragraph, the event turned ELECTRIC right from the get-go when Sammy Watchmaker entered the cage to square off against the VERY experienced Cliffy Creech. Like true warriors, the two engaged right away. In only a few short seconds, Sam landed a shot that rattled Creech. As the fight went to the canvas, Sam knew he was in a position to end the fight, and with Cliff caught against the cage, a few more DEVASTATING and well-placed fists brought an end to the contest, leaving Sammy’s always-game opponent temporarily in Dreamland. By the way…all of this occurred in less than THIRTY SECONDS. Is there any better way to start an event?! After a spectacular undercard that featured some of the area’s best up and comers, we move on to the next bracket. The eighth fight of the evening was a Welterweight WAR between One of Matt Torres‘ proteges, Bobby Nash and the ALWAYS tough, ALWAYS game George “Superman” Allen. Nash was aggressive in this fight…but you could tell that there was a mutual respect between the two fighters. Nash controlled dominant position for a majority of the first round and dealt out some ground and pound, while George flaunted his experience with some pretty nice ground defense. As the second round began, the fight hit the canvas QUICK. There was a scramble for position that left Nash on top in side control. He shot the arm under George’s neck and rolled his shoulder forward, executing a PERFECT shoulder choke. Unable to alleviate the tremendous pressure, George was forced to concede the contest via tap, granting Nash a VERY impressive win over the uber-experienced Allen at exactly the thirty second mark in the second round. The very next fight on the card was an absolutely UNBELIEVABLE matchup between The Pit’s Josh “The Blood Shark” Fish and Team Striking Dragons’ Cameron Brewer. After a brief moment of feeling out on the feet, this fight went ELECTRIC, and so did the crowd. The pace was just plain GRUELING for the whole first round. In round two, both warriors came out with renewed fervor. Fish got the better of an early exchange, and the fight ended up on the ground. There was a battle for position, and Josh weathered the storm and took Cameron’s back. Fish managed to work the hand under the neck with the hooks in deep, and then cinched a really tight rear naked choke for the finish and the win. Fight number twelve on the card was one of the MOST IMPRESSIVE ladie’s debut fight that we have ever seen! Murcielago MMA’s Carly Mocny entered the cage for the very first time to face off against The Factory’s Nekhai Hong. Now, before we go any further, let me say this – when you have Murcielago in one corner, and Jen Kelly and Elsa Gallegos in the other, you are absolutely, 100% GUARANTEED to be in for a treat! These two ladies DID NOT DISAPPOINT! They both showed heart, skill and experience WELL beyond what their record would reflect. The majority of the entire fight stayed on the feet, with some BEAUTIFUL striking exchanges, footwork and clinch work. After three SOLID, NON-STOP rounds, the judges concurred that Nekhai had gotten the better of the amazing exchanges, and awarded her her very first of what will surely be MANY more victories in her career via unanimous decision. Mark my words…BOTH of these young ladies will be ones to watch! Next up, it was a HIGHLY anticipated battle between Murcielago MMA’s Kevin “The Silent Assassin” Shacks and Pound 4 Pound MMA’s Mike Thompson. Intense is really the only way to describe this fight…aside from EXTREMELY well matched. These two chose to stand and bang it out for ALL THREE ROUNDS, keeping the fans screaming the whole time. After what was a veritable standup CLINIC for all three rounds, the judges were assigned the unenviable task of deciding who would get the glory this night. As they reached their decision, they handed over a RAZOR-CLOSE decision (and we say razor-close because it came right down to splitting hairs) in the favor of Mike Thompson. As with any split decision, but ESPECIALLY with this one, it has REMATCH written all over it! Up next, it was time for the Renegade Welterweight title to be put on the line in a rematch that had been MONTHS in the making – Murcielago MMA’s Skeeter Kittle versus Striking Dragon’s shooting star, Denato Richardson. Round one was much like their first encounter, exciting and fast-paced. Both warriors put it down in the first round, trying to one-up each other on the feet, as well as on the ground. Round two started in similar fashion, with the pace going full tilt right out of the gate. The back and forth exchange continued deep into the second round, and around the two minute mark, Skeeter got into full mount and let the fists fly, bringing a stop to the contest via (a somewhat controversial) TKO. Then, it was on to the TWC Interim Lightweight championship, featuring Lansing’s local legend, Pound 4 Pound MMA’s Zack Shaw taking one of Bob Fish‘s disciples, Joe Rogers. Zack came right out and did a smart thing…he used his experience and pushed the pace so quickly, he did not afford Rogers the luxury of being able to fight HIS fight. The strategy paid off, and in rapid fashion, when Zack got the back and whipped out a textbook rear naked choke for the win and the title. Then, it was time for the BIG boys to wage war for the Heavyweight gold, when Lansing Jiu Jitsu’s Joe Clementz took on Grand Rapids Mixed Martial Arts’ “Big” John Lofquist. Now, we all know that when two heavyweights of this caliber are throwing hands, WHEN one of those shots find it’s mark, the results are DEVASTATING. And that is precisely what happened. Both fighters came out with the intention of emerging the victor, and let the leather go early. Joe’s fist found the mark first, dazing Lofquist, and after a quick follow-up, Joe was able to end the night early with a spectacular KO. Clementz was proud to FINALLY be wearing the TWC gold, so much so that it was rumored that he slept in his hotel room with it! Congrats, big guy. The next fight was one for the “WOW” category, as The Pit’s seasoned veteran, Luke “The Assassin” Hnevsa, took the center cage against Murcielago’s undefeated Mario “Wario” James. This is a fight that you could really only fully appreciate it’s magnitude by having been there in person. What a barn-burner! Luke wanted the gold BAD, and you could see it etched on his face. Mario, on the other hand, was not willing to just let him take it, so the frenetic battle ensued. Luke came out to FINISH. The relentless assault began immediately, and early on Mario found himself in some serious danger. At one point, Mario actually rode the momentum of Luke’s VICIOUS flurry of uppercuts back up the cage from the ground! SOMEHOW, Mario endeavored to weather the storm and dish out some gnarly strikes of his own. The onslaught continued at a break-neck pace until nearly the end of the second round, when all of the body shots and kicks were really starting to take their toll, making it impossible to breathe, forcing him to concede the match, leaving a tired, yet satisfied Mario James holding the title strap. Next on the card was the 135 pound title fight, featuring the highly anticipated cage return of GRMMA’s Dan “The American Badass” Dunbar, as he squared off against Soldado’s Boxing and MMA’s Bantamweight badboy, Ray Reynero. While many were expecting to see a lot of boxing in this fight, it ultimately became more of a grappling match. For the ENTIRE first two rounds, both warriors pushed the pace without cease. Round three maintained the same intensity. It was a virtual Grappling 101, with a non-stop chain of submission attempts, sweeps, escapes reversals…you name it, they did it. Nearing the two minute mark in the third round, a well timed reversal found Dan in a compromising position. Ray maintained position, a started delivering blows to the head. Dan fought valiantly to escape the position, but to no avail. The cumulative effect of Ray’s fist were too much, and the referee was forced to stop the fight, crowning Ray Reynero as the NEW TWC Bantamweight champion. The final fight of this CRAZY card was a battle for the TWC Junior Lightweight title pitting Team Striking Dragon’s Adam “The Atomic Zombie” Nixon and Pound 4 Pound MMA’s rising star Kory Wertz. As the battle began, these two wasted no time getting right in the pocket and banging it out. Adam fought like a soldier, but this night would see Wertz emerge the victor, when he landed a series of well placed and timed hands that brought about an early FLASH KO…at just barely past the thirty second mark of the fight! Kory seemed VERY happy about his new hardware, as did his team and his fans, evidenced by their ear-shattering roar of approval! As with EVERY event, FightMichigan honors and recognizes EACH and EVERY fighter and trainer that came out to represent and make this show that will carry an afterglow for a VERY long time!

Now it’s time to shout out the TWC dream team that made this event run silky smooth from top to bottom, starting with the promoters. In only eight shows, Adam Molnar and Petey have made LANDMARK improvements with each event, very quickly scaling the promotional food chain and fixing the TWC name on the lips of fans across the State. The staff they have elected over the course of their tenure in the sport has changed minimally, also providing the consistency that the fans have come to expect. One staff member that has been there since the very beginning is TWC’s head ref and referee for the ENTIRE event, FightMichigan’s T.J. Corwin. The panel of judges were comprised of the experienced trio of Ed Pigeon, Dru Gardner and Mickey Millis, with Scorpion Fighting Systems‘ LEGENDARY BJJ master James David Gray and Miss Shannon Hale from FightMichigan (who was also armed with the trusty stopwatch for the event) stepping in to judge a couple of fights. Handling Vaseline duty at the cage door and occasionally stepping in as a ring GUY was Marky “Cash” Christiansen. The man on the mic for the event was the crowd-pumping up-and-coming MC extraordinarre, Michael “Skipnosis” Gorham. Backing him up on the DJ stand with the street-shaking beats was the one and only Bobby “DJ BabyDaddy” Cantwell. The Director of Sales and Marketing for TWC is the one-man street team, Bear K. Fitz. Heading up TWC’s team of hotties (ring girls) was the always eye pleasing Michaela Prevost. Handling still photography AND video for the event was Fierce Photography‘s Noah Paris. The pics look AWESOME…check out the gallery HERE. Assisting Mr. Corwin with the cage door and keeping the competition area clean were the extremely helpful trio of Jake Prosser, Max Little and Dillon Deal. Last, but MOST DEFINITELY not least, were the guys who MASTERFULLY handled ALL of the coordination in the locker room (a challenging and unenviable task, for those familiar with the promotion game), Mr. Tony Sterk and his assistant, Josh Stuer. We also noticed there were a LOT of people sporting Loved By A Pit gear…if you haven’t got one of these SWEET shirts that support an awesome cause, GET ONE. We did! Well, folks, it’s safe to say that Total Warrior Combat is not only here to stay, but with future plans that include MANY yet-to-be publically announced events and other HUGE, HUGE things on the horizon (that we can’t WAIT for the green light to reveal), TWC has already, and will continue to be, one of the front-runners in the sport. As Petey and Adam release all of this great info to us for public dispersal, we’ll IMMEDIATELY release it to YOU, our loyal readers. Until the next great event, here are your results…
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Well, folks, here at FightMichigan we usually do all of our own writing. The following article was submitted to us via FightMichigan friend, top-shelf trainer and distinguished gentleman Al Cooper. It was a breath of fresh air to receive a publish-ready, well written article such as this one! So, we’ve decided to post it, as written, with links added in. Hats off to Mr. Donofrio for yet another off-the-chain, memorable event! And hats off to ALL of his awesome staff, without whom these spectacular events couldn’t be as flawlessly put together as they are consistently, each and every time. So, without further ado, here is the article:

Promoter Joseph Donofrio put on another of his world-class MMA events on Saturday night (January 14) and treated the large crowd at The Palace of Auburn Hills, to an exciting night of full-contact thrills.

“New Year’s Revolution”, presented in association with Impact Fight League and Palace Sports and Entertainment, featured six men’s title fights and one women’s, plus 16 fights in total.

Also on display were the beautiful cage girls, thumping music, blazing light shows and the superb work of ring announcer Phil “The Voice” Davey to truly create an unparalleled MMA experience in the Midwest.

In the night’s main event, Zack Burns defended his Impact Fight League Welterweight Championship by taking a unanimous decision over Tom Grisham.

Burns kept his distance and stifled Grisham’s aggression with quick leg and body kicks. Grisham seemed baffled by Burns’ careful attack and spent much of the fight following him around the cage.

Grisham finally found some success in the fifth and final round, but it was not enough.

Boxing legend Jackie Kallen was among the glitzy crowd seated around cageside.

All of the night’s matches were competitive and exciting and the credit must go to matchmaker Al Cooper.

Donofrio is scheduled to return to the Palace in February for another MMA show.

Results:

Compiled by Samuel Crawford, Jr.

Bout 1: Will Watson defeated Jordan Guthrie by second round tap out. One of the bloodiest MMA bouts in recent memory ended with Watson submitting Guthrie in the second round. In the first round Guthrie was struck with a punch that resulted in blood freely flowing from his face.

Bout 2: Trey Suthers defeated Jason Pomeroy by TKO in the second round. After a close first round Suthers ended things in the second with a monster right hook to the jaw, dropping Pomeroy to the floor. The referee waved the fight off immediately.

Bout 3: Genaro DeJesus defeated Anthony Nitecki by TKO in the first round. The fighters traded kicks early until the action went to ground and DeJesus forced a referee stoppage due to strikes.

Bouts 4: Rich Stafford defeated Anthony Roosevelt by Unanimous Decision. Roosevelt started fast, scoring early with kicks before Stafford took control the rest of the way punches and knee strikes.

Bout 5: Michael Jordan defeated Austin Delargey by tap out in the first round. Jordan struck quickly, gaining a grip on Delargey’s ankle and forcing the submission.

Bout 6: Antoine Williams defeated Konnor Kuppe by tap out in the second round. This bout featured back and forth action with Kuppe taking the first round before Williams took control in the second, forcing a tap out with a rear naked choke.

Bout 7: Rachel Smith defeated Chrissie Daniels by tap out in the first round. Smith closed the show early with a rear naked choke.

Bout 8: Fred Turberville defeated Russell Campbell by tap out in the second round.

Bout 9: Raylen Davis defeated Kris Lusch by tap out in the second round. After a close first round that featured accurate striking from both fighters, Davis took over on the ground in the second and forced the tap out.

Bout 10: (Flyweight Title Bout): Jonathan Walker defeated Joel Vincent by TKO in the first round. Walker dropped Vincent with a well executed knee strike followed up with effective punches, forcing the referee stoppage.

Bout 11: (Bantamweight Title Bout): Jacob Butler defeated Otis Caldwell by TKO in the first round. Butler forced the stoppage with punishing punches.

Bout 12: (Lightweight Title Bout): Roland Saucedo defeated Kamron Snyder by tap out in the first round. After both fighters traded jabs early, Saucedo executed a perfect guillotine choke to secure the victory.

Bout 13: (Middleweight Title Bout): Charlie Cosens defeated Cody Wall by TKO in the third round. After two rounds of good back-and-forth action, Cosens finished things off with knee strikes and punches.

Bout 14: (Featherweight Title Bout): Vince Murdock defeated James Holloway by TKO in the third round. In the fight of the night, Murdock and Holloway showed great skill and heart, both scoring with devastating strikes before Murdock ended things with a barrage of punches in the third round.

Bout 15: (Female Featherweight Title Bout): Allanna Jones defeated Carolyn Biskup by TKO in the first round. Davis used her accurate striking skills to score the TKO victory over the tough Biskup.

Well, folks…there you have it. A beautifully written article on a fabulous event. Thanks again to Mr. Donofrio and the ENTIRE Impact Fight League cast and crew, and to Al Cooper and Sam Crawford for their hard work on this event, and in the sport in general. And don’t forget…the Impact Fight League and Triple X Cagefighting are teaming up for the next event TONIGHT – Title Survivor – at the Emerald Ballroom in Mt. Clemens. Get your tickets at the door or online at www.neptix.com, and even if you can’t make it out, you can always catch the event on PPV on CageFightingLive.com. Either way, DON’T MISS IT!

The Ionia Armory was COMPLETELY SOLD OUT Saturday night, packed in elbow to elbow, wall to wall with fans who came out to support their favorite local fighter as well as TWO truly great causes, Loved By A Pitbull and The Ellison Foundation. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these noble organizations, we’ll give you a quick overview. Loved By A Pitbull raises public awareness about this gentle and often misunderstood breed of dog, as well as find loving homes for them and rally against breed-specific legislation. We here at FightMichigan (Shannon and T.J.) are proud owners of two hyper-affectionate and exceptionally well-mannered Pitbull mixes, so L.B.A.P. is a cause we truly stand behind. The Ellison Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides financial support for underprivileged fighters by providing gym memberships, equipment and more, so that some of these young athletes can train PROPERLY and have a positive outlet. A lot of great teams also came out to be a part of the event, including Michigan Extreme Combat Sports, Tate’s House of Pain, 416 Annihilation, Corruption MMA and True Fighter, plus a few up-and-coming indies. As final battle preparations were being made in the back, the playing of our National Anthem signified the beginning of a great night of action.

Once the action got underway, it was clear that all the warriors on the card came in with something to prove. One of the faster submissions we’ve seen in a while occurred when True Fighters’ debuting T.J. Wolosonowich stepped up to face Corruption MMA’s Brandon Murray. With no feel out process, the two engaged immediately. The fight hit the ground within seconds, with Murray securing dominant position. He then quickly shot the hand under the chin and cinched in a TIGHT rear naked choke for the tap and the win at only FIFTEEN SECONDS into the fight. The fifth fight of the night was an unbelievable display of grit, heart and determination as Kyle Miller took center stage against Tate’s House of Pain’s Gilbert Chapa. This match was as well matched as a fan could ask for. These two combatants traded back and forth, blow for blow throughout the ENTIRE first round. Round two was more of the same, with neither man willing to concede or break. But, at the conclusion of the second round, the amazing battle had taken it’s toll, leaving Miller unable to answer the bell for the third round, awarding the HARD-FOUGHT victory to the excited and exhausted Gilbert Chapa. Later on the card, it was another UNBELIEVABLE war as the brother of the previously mentioned grueling battle, Tate’s House of Pain’s Adon Chapa squared off against Michigan Extreme Combat Sports’ undefeated Mitchell “The Artist” Bartes. And just like his brother, Adon wasted NO time in getting to work. Mitchell found himself staving off a BRUTAL and non-stop volley of strikes from Chapa. Bartes managed to weather the vicious storm, and also managed to stay composed enough to work for a continuous series of potential finishes, from triangles to leglocks. Chapa managed to escape them in succession, and mete out more punishment in the meantime. In round two, the pace didn’t slow much, if at all. It was a clinic of both strikes and submission attempts for the whole round. Nearing the end of the second round, Bartes managed to secure a dominant position, and opened up with the hands. With the final seconds winding down, Bartes doubled his finishing efforts, and Chapa couldn’t get out of the compromising position quite quickly enough, and with ONE SECOND left in the round, the referee stopped the fight, awarding Bartes the TKO victory. The pace of this fight was UNREAL. Both of these guys showed great fortitude and skill, and this one has REMATCH written all over it! The final fight of the night featured Richard Dominguez facing off against Richmond Stone. The two warriors took to the center of the cage right away, and the striking began. Dominguez got the better of the standup exchange, then the fight went to the mat. Right away, Dominguez started doling out the punishment. At less than a minute into the first and final round, Stone was forced to tap, as one of Richard’s many strikes caused a fight ending injury. All in all, the event went exceptionally smooth for a first-time event. And as always, a HUGE shout goes out to all of the fighters that made this event truly special. Without you, there is NO SHOW!

Now it’s tribute time. The staff that helped make this event SUCH a success was second to none. From start to finish, everything went off without a hitch – a feat that even the most experienced promoter will be quick to tell you is NOT easy. Starting from the top, promoter Dru Gardner smacked it outta the park on the first swing. Impressive! But he didn’t do it all alone. He had his lovely assistant, Amy “Red Hot” Rusnell, as well as the support of Paul Simpson and the AWESOME Ground and Pound Promotions alumni. The enforcer of rules and keeper of safety (referee) for the entire event was FightMichigan’s T.J. Corwin. Judges for the event were two local well-known title holding ammys – “The American Badass” Dan Dunbar and Marky “Cash” Christiansen, joined by Mr. Nick Garland. The timekeeper for the evening was FightMichigan’s resident angel Shannon Hale. The medic on site was the knowledgeable and experienced Ken Merriman. Workin’ the cage door and handling Vaseline duty was Middleville MMA‘s Rich Burtts. Rippin’ up the night, hypin’ the fight and treatin’ the mic right was Michael “Skipnosis” Gorham. Backing him up on the beats was mixmaster Bobby “DJ BabyDaddy” Cantwell. GPP’s Head of Security Samson Marlatt and his crew were on site to keep law and order outside the cage. Keeping the competition area clean and debris-free were Tayvon “Lil’ Soldier” Gardner and Mac Case. This event turned out so well, there are already plans for even bigger and better things coming down the line. While we haven’t officially been authorized to release the date just yet, we promise as soon as we get the green light, we’ll have all the details for ya. Until then, here are your results…
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The Elite Federation of Fighters was back in action in stunning fashion at the elegant Fern Hill Country Club with what most people would agree was the best E.F.F. show to date out of their many great previous events! This card was OFF THE CHAIN, featuring several battles that not only went the distance, but ended up with a SPLIT decision because they were so evenly contested. Promoter Isaiah Gathings and his lovely assistant, Christine Reed, did a STELLAR job of setting up coordinating the event. As if all the spectacular action in the cage wasn’t exciting enough, former UFC Lightweight champion Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk was in the house, signing autographs, taking pics with fans and mingling with the crowd. He even reffed a couple of fights! Thanks to our good buddy Phil “The Voice” Davey, we had the opportunity to meet Sean and had a really cool series of conversations with him. TRULY a gentleman and a champion! Earlier in the day, Sean was at the Academy of Soo Do Thai doing a very beneficial MMA seminar, helping students take their fight game to the next level and giving some lucky Michigan ammys the opportunity to train with a legend! After a BEAUTIFUL rendition of our National Anthem, the night’s festivities got underway.

The first fight on this awesome card featured the brother of well-known, top ranked, MULTIPLE title holder Shamir Garcia. Cooper’s Gym‘s Enrique Garcia began building his own solid winning legacy when he faced the game Chris Kilu. Round one featured some great technical standup being displayed. At about a minute and three quarters into the second round, Enrique unleashed a fight-ending flurry for a spectacular TKO finish to start off the night! A little deeper into the night, Cooper’s Gym’s Cameron Pinnock stepped up to face the Academy of Soo Do Thai’s Dale “The Stun Gun” Stamper in what was a VERY exciting and evenly matched contest. At just over a minute in the second round, Stamper obtained a dominant position, then proceeded to unleash a VICIOUS barrage of strikes that forced his opponent to concede. Moving into the highly anticipated U.S.A. versus Canada brackets, Pound 4 Pound Canada’s Jordan Wilson took the stage against the United States Marine badboy and trainer Trae “The Hitman” Elmore. Elmore’s MMA record may have been low, but you could tell that this man was MORE than comfortable in the cage. He came in with his hands low, waiting to counter on the first opportunity. Elmore picked his shots carefully, and at just past the two minute mark in the first and final round, he landed a series of BRUTAL hands, scoring an amazing and crowd-pleasing knockout! Now, as we’ve said before, an event that has many judge’s decisions is a testament to excellent matchmaking. And split decisions are even better! The first of several unbelievable battles that went to decision on the card was the three round war between Pound 4 Pound Canada‘s John “Johnny English” Walsh and the Academy of Soo Do Thai’s Danny Ouwerkerk. This crazy back-and-forth technical fight was a battle for the ages, leaving the judges with the unenviable task of deciding upon a victor. After some deliberation, the judges awarded the SPLIT decision victory to Danny Ouwerkerk. Fight number twelve of the night was a frenetic Lightweight matchup between Pound 4 Pound Canada’s Matt “The Milk Man” Kendall and the Academy of Soo Do Thai’s Josh Stinson. These two warriors gave it their all for the crowd and their Country, and after a round and two thirds of non-stop all around action, Kendall was able to finish the fight with some devastating ground and pound. In the very next match, Pound 4 Pound Canada’s Andrew Vass took on Cooper’s Gym’s Ahmad Alzayadi in another fight that had to be seen to believed. These guys pushed each other to the limits – on the feet on the ground – all around. Very technical striking, takedowns, transitions, sweeps, ground and pound, this fight had it all. After it was all said and done, the judges concluded that Andrew Vass had done enough to eke out the SPLIT decision victory. Pound 4 Pound Canada’s Saji Bolo squared off against the Internal External School of Combative Arts‘ Usama “Young Lion” Rahman. These two put on an exceptional display of standup throughout almost the ENTIRE regulation time limit. With only 17 seconds left in the fight, Usama let loose with a flurry of fists that forced the referee to call a halt to the action, securing a crowd-hyping TKO win. Fight fifteen of the night was YET ANOTHER phenomenal three round display as Alex “The Terminator” Rozicki took on Academy of Soo Do Thai’s Matt “The Bolt” Holt. These guys put on a clinic of clinch work and pummeling, as well as some great strikes and transitions. After the final round concluded, the judges handed over a unanimous decision victory to Rozicki for his intense efforts. The E.F.F. Middleweight Title was on the line, as Pound 4 Pound Canada’s Matt “The Meat Hammer” Socholotiuk laid it all on the line against the Academy of Soo Do Thai’s Adam “The Beast” Gibson. The two combatants went all out, with Matt getting the better of most of the striking exchanges. Gibson held his own, and fired back with all he had, until just past a minute and a half in the third and final round, Socholotiuk sunk in a DEEP guillotine for the tap out victory and the 185 pound title. In the Welterweight division, the E.F.F. belt and bragging rights were on the line as Tony “Two Time” Nochty went to battle against New Way MMA‘s Tommy McGarey. Nochty’s onslaught was overwhelming, and at just past the halfway mark of round one, he cut loose with a crushing assault that earned him the tap out from strikes and the 170 pound belt. In the MAIN EVENT of the evening, Cooper’s Gym’s Shamir “Bam Bam” Garcia faced reigning defending E.F.F. Light Heavyweight champion, the Academy of Soo Do Thai’s Ryan King. It was a short-but-sweet, THOROUGHLY IMPRESSIVE display of technical striking. King came out looking SOLID, doing a great job in the opening exchange. Shamir’s vast experience became evident when, at almost exactly halfway through the first and final round, after opening a cut on King’s forehead, Shamir smelled blood, and like the veteran predator he is, went in for the kill. Shamir emerges victorious once again, and adds another title belt to his already extensive collection. Now that the event was in the books, the fans filed slowly toward the exit, still marveling at all of the action they had beheld. FightMichigan would like to take a moment to thank ALL of the great fighters, fans and staffers that made this event truly memorable.

And now it’s time to give a shout to the shining staffing stars that made this event a hit. Starting with the referees for the event, Michigan pro fighter and experienced ref “Vicious” Vance Swerdan and the aforementioned UFC legend and champion Sean “The Muscle Shark” Sherk, assisted by Doug “Stone Cold Pimp” Gallegos and Justin “Bubba” MacKenzie. Judges for the event were gentleman and scholar Sam Crawford, along with FightMichigan’s Shannon Hale and T.J. Corwin. Timekeeper for the event was Andrew Nalepa. Handling the microphone with the skills that pay the bills, FightMichigan friend and WORLD-CLASS announcer, Phil “The Voice” Davey. EXCELLENT medics setting cageside were James Hill-Harris and Matt Andrews. Rye Spiteri was in the house reppin’ Garage Muscle, with a sweet Red Carpet photo booth where fans could get special prints of themselves with Sean Sherk. Big shout goes out to the OFFICIAL E.F.F. ring girl Leanne Rumsey. Still photography for the event was done by Charles Mann. You can check out his gallery here. The Elite Federation of Fighters’ events just keep getting better and better with each successive show, and with some of the WARS E.F.F. has facilitated thus far, the future promises great and amazing things! And every time they come to town, we’ll be here to deliver the goods so that you won’t miss a minute of the action! Until then, here are your results…
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Spyder Submissions Fight League came rolling back into the Spinning Wheels Roller Rink in Mount Pleasant on December 10th with an event that made it TRULY a December to Remember. Promoter and Michigan pro fighter Brett “The Spyder” Sbardella, in association with Dan Hoogerhyde and Hitman MMA, did a GREAT job of delivering the goods once again to a PUMPED crowd. An A-list of northern Michigan’s rising stars as well as some popular guys from downstate came out to showcase their skills for the excited crowd in attendance. Before we get underway, we at FightMichigan would like to thank Mickey and Stacey Millis, who without their tireless efforts in the sport, this article would not have been possible. Hats off to them!

With eighteen killer fights on the card, fans were treated to every possible way a fight could end – TKO’s, submissions and LOTS of knockouts! Among the many great battles, there was a Welterweight war that was waged between Larry Cervantes and Brandon Woodcock throughout the entire regulation time limit. At the end of an entertaining and well-matched fight, the judges unanimously concurred that Cervantes put forth the more effective effort. The first of several BRUTAL and impressive knockouts occurred when E.J. Bashor and Matt Mills stepped into the cage to do battle. The AMAZING end came at only NINE SECONDS into the fight, when Bashor landed a shot that put his opponent straight to sleep and got the crowd on their feet! In the fight immediately following, it was another great battle that kept the judges busy, as Talmadge Barnes stepped up to face Michigan Extreme Combat Sports‘ “Bionic” Brian Davis. After three rounds of great exchanges and nonstop action, the judges unanimously concluded that the Bionic one was the victor in this impressive three rounder. Next up, it was knockout-thirty once again as Travis Skinner and Mike Minski went to war. At only EIGHTEEN SECONDS in, Minski landed a THUNDEROUS head kick that brought an immediate halt to the fight and to his opponent’s consciousness! As a result, Minski earned “Fight of the Night honors! If you need to SEE why, check out the killer video. Not wanting to be outdone, in the very next fight James Smith II and Gabe Couch stepped inside to get it done. FOURTEEN SECONDS after “Vicious” Vance Swerdan started the fight, it was ended LITERALLY at the hands of Couch, pulling off yet ANOTHER fabulous knockout finish. Moving into the title brackets, the SSFL Bantamweight title fight was on the line as Michigan Extreme Combat Sports’ Justin Walls took on Jay Defoy. Nearing the end of the first round, Defoy was able to lock on a tight triangle choke. Walls couldn’t escape the technique, and with only FIVE seconds left in the round, Defoy got the tap and the title to go with it! Up next, it was a battle in the Lightweight division for the SSFL gold featuring James “Khaos” Bashor and Ed Celestino. This battle raged DEEP into the third round, when at almost two minutes in, Celestino was able to seal the deal with a sweet choke finish, emerging with the 155 pound title around his waist. Next on the night was the contest for the Light Heavyweight SSFL belt between Nate Sackett and Steve Walters. With ten seconds to go in the second round, Sackett was able to pound out the TKO victory, locking down the 205 pound title. The fight for the Featherweight title was an exciting contest between Robb Steiner and Jose Prieto. Prieto took the fight to his opponent IMMEDIATELY, and in under a minute in the very first round, he was able to finish the fight in DEVASTATING fashion to secure the win and the title. The final fight of the night was the Heavyweight title confrontation between Wes Dinan and Kyle Kinney. Early in the second round, Kinney unleashed an assault that left the ref with no choice but to stop the contest, awarding him the 205 pound SSFL strap. With another great night of action now in the books, it was time for the winners to prepare for the next challenge and the losers to get back in the gym to tighten up their game. Hats off to each and every warrior that came out to show the crowd what they came to see – the best northern Michigan talent on display! If you want to check out any – or ALL of these amazing battles, check out Michigan Extreme Combat Sport’s YouTube channel.

Now it’s shout out time – to the excellent staff that made the event special and dynamic. Maintaining safety, law and order in the cage was Michigan pro fighter and prolific referee “Vicious” Vance Swerdan. Judges for the event were Chris Cousins, Scott Ferguson and Mickey Millis. Keeping time and stats for the event was Stacy Millis. Rippin’ it up on the mic and keepin’ the crowd hyped was FightMichigan friend and King of the Cage experienced announcer Dave “The Butcher” Clifford. The great crew from Michigan Extreme Combat Sports was there shooting video for the event. Handling the color commentary on the footage were Dru Gardner and ammy bad boy Ryan Spicer. Last, but certainly not least, doing an AWESOME job of keeping the cage clean for the event was Kristoffer Hardy. The Spyder Submission Fight League delivers SOLID cage fighting action with each and every event, and there will be many great things to come from them in the future. And each and every time they announce an awesome new show, we’ll be here to deliver ya all the info. ‘Til next time, here are your results…
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Hierarchy Fighting Association was back in action this past weekend, packing the event auditorium at the Marshall Middle School in Westland with rabid fans who came out in force to see the latest and greatest show on Hierarchy’s ever-impressive event lineup. Promoter Richard Browe and matchmaker Matt Haskell, along with an AWESOME crew, did an excellent job of coordinating the event and putting together one impressive fight card! Anyone who was in the house for any of the the four previous events will attest that EVERY Hierarchy card to date has been rock solid, and this one set the bar even higher. One look at the A-list of great gyms, trainers and fight teams involved with this show, and you KNOW you’re in for a good time – Stars and Strikes MMA, Ultimate Judo and Karate, Fierce MMA, Kollide MMA, Empire MMA, Team Fearless, Windsor Jiu Jitsu, Tenacious MMA, MadMen MMA, Southwest Fight Club, Berrien MMA, U.S.A. MMA, Champion MMA, not to mention all the exceptionally skilled indie fighters that came out reppin’ themselves.

The very first fight of the night was a frenetic paced battle between Team Fearless’s Greg “Babyface” Schaffer and Stars and Strikes’ David Levy. Right from the ref’s signal, these guys went ALL OUT. All three minutes of the first round was a NON-STOP series of strikes, transitions and sub attempts. After what was an ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL pace, Levy was unable to answer the bell for the second round, giving Schaffer the first win of the event. Next up was another battle of the flyweights, as Kollide MMA’s Jamal Moses took on rival gym Stars and Strikes’ Sean “Gator” Dunn. Both fighters came straight out of the gate with something to prove. Jamal landed a HARD uppercut early on that may have caused the lights to flicker in Dunn’s house. Dunn recovered quickly, then took the fight to the ground. Once on the ground, Gator was able to maintain a dominant position despite a very spirited effort by Jamal, and slid in the rear naked choke for the victory at just past the halfway point of the very first round. Upon winning the fight, Dunn announced to the roaring crowd that he wanted his rematch against the always dangerous Will Woodford. We don’t know about you, but we DEFINITELY want to see that fight! The fourth fight of the fight was another Flyweight battle, this time featuring two HIGHLY impressive debut fighters, Indie fighter Jamie Bryant and Stars and Strikes’ John Lillis. It is ALWAYS a treat to see a mutual debut fight go the distance. It usually proves that these guys are doing their time in the gym, so they know what to do when it’s time for WAR. And this was one of those fights, where both fighters showed heart from bell to bell and left it all in the cage, with both fighters able to escape some pretty compromising situations. After three thoroughly impressive rounds, the judges awarded the unanimous decision victory to Bryant, granting him the very first win of his career over a TOUGH opponent. Next up, going up to the Featherweight division, it was a battle of two warriors, both looking to secure their first big “W”. Fierce MMA’s Trevor Groves and Stars and Strikes’ Jamarr Armstrong stepped inside the steel to see who was gonna take the next step forward and who would return to the drawing board. Round one was action packed, with both fighters displaying skill and heart. At the start of round two, Jamar went in for the kill right away, taking the fight to the mat and POUNDING out a nice TKO victory. The eighth fight of the night was a GREAT match, AND had an interesting clause…both combatants were in fact TRAINING PARTNERS. Team Fearless’s Antonio “It’s Showtime” Gonzalez and Brandon Morris put aside their brotherhood for a few minutes for the sake of competing and putting on a GREAT display for the crowd on hand. These guys were VERY evenly skilled, to say the least. The fight came to an end at just barely under the one minute mark in round two when Morris picked up Gonzalez and slammed him to the mat HARD, causing a brief but fight ending flash KO. A HUGE amount of respect goes out to both of these guys for showing the type of sportsmanship that makes MMA unique! In the Lightweight division, two fairly new arrivals to the MMA scene put their as-of-yet undefeated records on the line to see whose “0″ would go…Tenacious MMA’s Dan Wince and Stars and Strikes MMA’s Jason Hendrie. These two put on an entertaining standup WAR. Both Wince AND Hendrie stayed right in the pocket and let the hands go, but Hendrie got the better of the exchange in the first round. Hendrie smelled blood going into round two, and came out STRONG right off the bat to finish the fight in less than half a minute into the second round. Hats off to both fighters for an exciting boxing display! Fight number ten had “impressive” written all over it, as Karl Kokkonen took on Southwest Fight Club’s Keith Bullock. These warriors threw leather, mixed it up on the ground, brought it back to the feet…CONTINUOUSLY throughout the entire fight. After the fight ended and the score cards were gathered, all three judges concluded that Kokkonen came out on top in what was an exciting three rounder. This next fight, a Bantamweight battle that had ALL the makings of a title fight, featured two well-known and respected warriors, Marcus “Icemane” Wheeler and Stars and Strikes’ Doug “Chupacabra” Babler. Anything could have happened with this one…these guys came out so hard, it was just a matter of time until one of these two 135 pound studs found an opening and capitalized on it. With the fight hitting the ground IMMEDIATELY, there was a heated scramble for position. During this rapid-fire series of transitions, Doug was able to take Icemane’s back, sink the hooks in and find some neck to squeeze, forcing the ALWAYS tough Icemane to tap out in under a minute in the first and final round. The next fight on the card was a Welterweight war featuring Empire MMA’s Brad Campbell and Ultimate Judo and Karate’s Andrew Crushshon. The level of grappling skills in this fight was amazing. Although the fight was short, there was a clinic of jiu jitsu escapes and reversals. At just under two minutes in the first round, Campbell locked in a TIGHT triangle choke, forcing the tap, and pulling off what many would consider a HUGE upset victory over a well-known local badboy. In yet ANOTHER title fight quality matchup, two more respected and well-known cage warriors stepped up to get it done, MadMen MMA’s Frank “The Tank” Thomas and U.S.A. MMA’s Brandon “Iron Man” Maddox. As was expected, the pace was BRUTAL. Maddox was on the prowl from the start, and Frank was able to snuff some great sub attempts early on. With the fight on the ground, the scramble for position was on. After some killer sweeps and transitions, Maddox threw up a bloodflow stopping triangle choke for the tap and the finish over the always-game Tank at around the minute and three quarter mark of round one. Now it was TITLE FIGHT time…starting with the Flyweights. Ultimate Judo and Karate’s Michael Jordan faced off against Stars and Stikes’ Dustin “The Machinist” Babler for the belt and bragging rights in the 125 pound division. These guys pushed the pace HARD for the duration of the fight, and after some scrambling and ground exchanges, Jordan was able to lock on a firm triangle choke for the tap and the strap late in the first round. The Hierarchy Bantamweight title fight was an epic battle pitting Windsor Jiu Jitsu’s Billie James Smethurst against wrestling specialist and Stars and Strikes’ local badboy Derrick “Give ‘em Hell” Mandell. Billie showed the heart of a champ, fending off Mandell’s constant attacks and returning fire with shots and sweeps of his own. But just past the minute mark into the second round, Mandell’s ground and pound onslaught proved to be too much, forcing the VERY TOUGH Canadian fighter to verbally submit. Derrick Mandell emerges victorious as the 135 pound Hierarchy champ. The Welterweight title fight was a treat for the fans. On paper, this was as exciting of a match as one could ask for. Berrien MMA’s Nick “Rage” Sondergeld stepped inside to face Stars and Strikes’ Scott Brown in what was a short, but VERY sweet title fight. The ref started the fight, and these two took the center of the cage. The feeling out process was SHORT. After a stuffed takedown attempt, Scott found himself on the bottom of Sondergeld’s sprawl. He managed to keep hold of one leg, then grab the other foot and turn the corner for a takedown. But during his takedown attempt, Scott left an opening, and Nick’s experience paid dividends, as he locked in an inescapable inverted triangle for the tap and the title belt finish at a mere forty two seconds in the very first round. The MAIN EVENT was the HIGHLY anticipated Heavyweight brawl featuring Champion MMA’s big, bad brawler Duke “The Big Show” Lough against Stars and Strikes’ heavy hitter, Donnie Laramie. The two fighters touched gloves, took a step back, then charged in with fists flying IMMEDIATELY. Donnie rocked Duke early with some hard shots, and the fight went to the ground. Duke fought as hard as possible to regain position and get the fight back to the feet, but to no avail. Donnie was able to keep Duke grounded, delivering HUGE, punishing shots the whole time. At EXACTLY thirty seconds into the fight, Donnie DEVASTATING assault forced Duke to call it quits. Donnie got the DOMINATING win and walked away holding the Hierarchy Heavyweight championship belt. Now that this great night of fights was concluded, the fans packed up and left the arena, still glowing from all the excitement they had just witnessed. Here’s a shout out to all the AWESOME fighters, trainers and gyms who came out to be a part of this first-class event, as well as a tip of the hat to all of our Canadian brothers and sisters who made the journey all the way to Michigan to put on a show for the fans here! This truly was a great show. But you don’t have to take our word for it…you can check out the footage from this event as well as Hierarchy’s previous events on Hierarchy’s YouTube channel.

The staffing for this event was SECOND TO NONE. These skilled and motivated guys and gals did a PHENOMENAL job of keeping everything in order! Without a solid staff, NOTHING gets done. This section is dedicated to them. Starting with the keepers of the cage, A.K.A referees…Michigan pro fighter and experienced cage official Danny McIntire, Michigan pro bad boy Brian Householder and FightMichigan’s veteran ref T.J. Corwin. Judging the night’s action were Warrior Xtreme Combat promoter Jeff Pitock, Michigan ammy fighter Jamey “Ink Daddy” Dushane and FightMichigan’s very own Shannon Hale. Lightin’ up the night and keepin’ the crowd HYPED was Eternal Entertainment Group‘s Joey Ruckus. Working at the cage door on Vaseline patrol was Michigan ammy fighter and gentleman Anthony Morse. Working the cage door, helping coordinate the event, assisting with ticket sales…you name it, were Brian Duka and his fiancee Jenni Offerman. And to the rest of you who helped ensure smooth sailing, here’s to you…you know who you are! A quick shout to the vendors in the house…Vengeance Fight Gear, MI Entertainment and Tenacious Fight Gear. Last, but MOST DEFINITELY not least, a shout out to the AWESOME cageside EMT’s for the event, Shean “The Docinator” Poppenhager and Jeremy Schroth. Good cageside medics and competent referees are the most important people at an event…period. You guys RULE. If this event is any sign of things to come, you can expect even MORE amazing things from Hierarchy in the future. And we assure you, the SECOND they announce their next event, we’ll be on top of it, and we’ll deliver all the goods via our “Upcoming Events” page, so check back often. And check out these amazing results while you’re waiting…
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Ground and Pound Promotions, in association with Rock Boss Entertainment, returned to Rivertown Sports Complex with an event that fans will be talking about for a LONG, LONG time. While we at FightMichigan was unable to be in the house this time around, we have heard nothing but RAVING reviews on the show, with many hailing the event as “The best GPP event to date”…which covers a LOT of ground, considering some of the unforgettable shows GPP has provided the MMA world in the past. They had to rush order more seats and even all available standing room was PACKED because of SUCH an overwhelming turnout for the event. Promoters Paul Simpson and Rocky Parks did a PHENOMENAL job of setting up and coordinating this event, as well as the rest of the first-class GPP crew. Speaking of first-class crew…before we get started, I would like to take a moment to thank the man who made this article happen, as well as others you will see here on FightMichigan, our good buddy Dru Gardner. As the fans settled in their seats, the lights went low, and the singing of our National Anthem signified the beginning of this unbelievable fight card. As the action got underway, fans were gearing up to root on all of their faves from such prestigious gyms and dojos such as Triumph MMA, Grand Rapids Mixed Martial Arts, Middleville MMA, American Muscle MMA, MadMen MMA, Unleashed MMA, Xtreme MMA and more!

Right from the START, the crowd was amped. And they had good reason to be! The crowd-pumping began IMMEDIATELY, with an exciting stand-up WAR between GRMMA’s Matt Cowger and Madmen MMA’s Jeff Talbot. This ended up being a good, ‘ol fashioned kickboxing match for the most part, with BOTH fighters with a lot of clean, down-the-pipe striking. Round one was a clinic, which picked right back up in round two. After many more nice exchanges throughout the second round, Talbot landed a shot that put his opponent to sleep with only FIVE SECONDS left in the round, securing the victory and a SWEET knockout, as well as kicking off the event with a BANG! In the fourth fight if the night, Ryan Zinski stepped into the cage to face Casey Edgar. While both fighters were working hard for the finish, Edgar’s pedigree in wrestling proved to be overwhelming for most of the duration of the fight. Using said wrestling to secure a dominant position, Casey ended the fight at just past the two minute mark via TKO. Fight number eight was a battle between a couple of rock solid fighters, Dylan Soper and Eric Lozano. The two combatants wasted no time getting to work. Lozano’s assault was relentless and devastating. In less than halfway through the first round, Lozano unleashed a BRUTAL barrage of strikes that forced his opponent to tap out, leaving Eric in the winner’s circle with another impressive victory under his belt. In the very next fight, it was a fast-paced BRAWL as Jake Ackerburg took on Middleville MMA/GRMMA’s Mateo Soto. These two came out with all guns blazing and swingin’ for the fences. The pace continued fast and furious for ALL of the first round. Early in round two, as Ackerburg was attempting the takedown, Mateo was able to shoot his hand under his opponent’s arm and lock in a TIGHT D’arce choke that forced the tap. Moving on to some TITLE FIGHT action, it was a war for the Rock Boss 185 pound gold as defending champion, GRMMA’s Timothy “Too Tall” Harvey, faced off against the challenger, American Muscle MMA’s Joe Knoor. Tim was able to defend his title successfully in rather rapid fashion, taking the fight to the ground and finishing the fight with a textbook Americana at EXACTLY the one minute mark in the very first round, therefor retaining his title. Next up was an excellent matchup in the Lightweight division, with the GPP 155 pound strap on the line. Rich Stafford put the gold up against Xtreme MMA’s seasoned veteran, Arturo DeLeon in a battle that sounded sweet on paper. And it did not disappoint, with the leather flying fast the whole time. Rich got the better of the exchange on the feet, then later into the first round, got the takedown against the cage. Rich wasted no time securing top mount, and just past two and a half minutes into the very first round, Rich was able to punch, elbow and pound out the TKO victory, placing the strap around his waist once again. Next up, it was a five round knock down, drag out MMA CLINIC as GRMMA’s Antwain “A-Train” Wilson took on SMAC’s Derek Martin. This fight had it ALL – excellent standup, killer clinch work, takedowns, sub attempts, you name it. After five absolutely awe-inspiring rounds, the judges awarded the unanimous decision victory to the NEW Rock Boss Welterweight champion, Antwain “A-Train” Wilson. Now it was time for the GPP Middleweight title to be contested, and Unleashed MMA’s Raylen Davis and Madmen MMA’s Alex Russell answered the call. Raylen Davis DOMINATED the fight, with a SPECTACULAR suplex right from the start (Ray enjoys doing that to people), then followed it up with some VICIOUS ground and pound to seal the deal. Ray emerged victorious, with the GPP 185 pound belt in tow. Next, it was time for the Rock Boss Featherweight title fight, featuring Middleville MMA’s Mundo Lerma versus Nick “The King” Beaman. These two went at it NONSTOP for four full rounds. Despite Lerma’s spirited efforts, Beaman got the better of the standup, with the jab keeping his opponent at a distance. Beaman was also able to stuff some takedown attempts, and kept right on with the standup. At the conclusion of the fourth round, Lerma was unable to continue due to the punishment dealt by Beaman. Nick Beaman walked away from the fight as the NEW Rock Boss 145 pound champ. Next on the card were the BIG guy doing battle for the GPP Heavyweight championship. As soon as the ref started the fight, Kevin Koyl and GRMMA’s Felix Juarez got it ON. TWENTY THREE SECONDS LATER, it was all over. Juarez’s hand proved LETHAL, knocking Koyl out cold. You can check out the video here. Juarez takes the PHENOMENAL knockout victory as well as the GPP Heavyweight belt. Getting into the Light Heavyweight division, Unleashed MMA’s Travis Ganong stepped up to face American Muscle MMA’s Victor Jones for the GPP 205 pound title. Travis was able to control the takedowns and position throughout most of round one. In round two, Victor was able to keep the fight upright. At just under a minute and a half in the second round, Jones landed a GNARLY uppercut that knocked his opponent out and made him the newest GPP Light Heavyweight champ! Closing out this fabulous event was the Super Heavyweight battle that everyone was waiting for – The Lab and GRMMA’s Esteven Juarez versus American Muscle MMA’s Ramon Pacheco. Both of these guys are known for their heavy hands, and just about EVERYONE was expecting a knockout, it was merely a question of whose hands it would be at. Both warriors came out respectful and cautious. After a brief feeling out, the clinic began. These two renown strikers exchanged many shots, including BOTH fighters landing HEAD KICKS. That’s right folks…not a typo. Super Heavyweights. Head kicks. At just shy of the two minute mark in the second round, it happened. One of Juarez’s shots found it’s mark, and the fight was over. Knock out. Esteven Juarez was crowned as the GPP Super Heavyweight champ. With this epic card in the books, it was time for the winners to celebrate and the losers to pick up and regroup. A HUGE shout out to ALL of the superb fighters and trainers that helped make this event quite possibly the best GPP event ever. It couldn’t have happened without YOU!

I mentioned above GPP’s first-class crew…now it’s time to be a little more specific. These are the folks that make things happen, both behind the scenes and on the floor. The cage officials (referees) for the event were Michigan ammy Lightweight phenom and Vengeance Fight League 155 pound champion Budd Wright and Triumph MMA’s Sean “The Rebel” Dizay. Judges (in rotation) for the event were George Hedgepeth, Dru Gardner, Dan “The American Badass” Dunbar and Dave “Big Shuck” Shuckerow. Lighting up the night and the mic and deliverin’ the goods right was Michael “Skipnosis” Gorham, and backing him up on the 1′s and 2′s was DJ Babydaddy. A special shout goes out to Lonny Young…anyone who has seen him work at an event knows that he runs himself RAGGED at these shows to make sure EVERYTHING’S well coordinated, and we all appreciate it! The ice cold refreshments on tap (A.K.A. BEER) was provided by the Ellison Foundation. Ground and Pound Promotions and Rock Boss Entertainment made a statement with this event – they are here to STAY. And in order to keep up on all the latest new events from them and ALL the others around the State, all ya gotta do is check back right here at FightMichigan on a regular basis! Here are your results…
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Donofrio MMA and the Impact Fight League made a triumphant return to the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan with their newest offering to the MMA world, the BeatDOWn II. Fans and fighters alike came out in force to witness and be a part of this first-class event. All the warriors in attendance were treated like the champs they are, which is an earmark of Mr. Donofrio’s style. As the lights went down, the crowd lit up, and the familiar sound of Phil “The Voice” Davey‘s trademark “Are you ready for a BeatDOWn?!” signified the start of the event.

In the opening fight of the night, George Simos and Michael Busenbark entered the proving grounds to give the fans what they came to see. And they did, without hesitation. The battle consummated at exactly two minutes in the very first round, with Simos unleashing a series of strikes that left the referee with no choice but to call a halt to the action. Moving down through the night, it was a festival of flying fists as Kirk Moore and Ravindra Karmai hit the cage. One of those fists thrown by Moore found it’s mark at just under two minutes in the first round, ending the fight via SWEET knockout. The next fight was a battle of two VERY well-known and seasoned ammys, Johnathon Dutton and Kamron Snyder. Something had to give with two experienced fighters such as these, and it didn’t take long. Jonathon came out on top in this outing, cinching an impressive submission victory at exactly the halfway mark of the first round. Fight number nine was a exciting and well-matched battle between Ben Bryant and Abraham Perez. The way these two mixed it up through the entire fight was amazing, and the crowd agreed. At the end of it all, the judges awarded the victory to Bryant for all of his hard work. In the very next fight it was another epic battle, this time involving Mike Martinez and Stafon Solgot. These guys put it down for all three rounds in spectacular fashion. At the conclusion of the battle, the judges were left once again to determine who would emerge victorious. The judges awarded the decision victory to Martinez over a very game opponent. In the final bout of the night, Jake May and Austin Delargey put on a great display to close out the event. The fight was INTENSE throughout round one. Round two was equally as intense, but with only THREE SECONDS left in the round, Jake May finished the fight with an excellent submission. As always, a HUGE shout goes out to every warrior that made this event what it was – a SUCCESS! Without you…there’s no sport.

Now for a tribute to the amazing Impact Fight League support staff that make all of Donofrio’s events well coordinated and smooth. Lighting up the night and the mic like no other was our buddy Phil “The Voice” Davey. Large and in charge on the color commentary were Steve “The Fight Guru” Lafrate and undefeated boxing specialist Kara “KO” Ro. In charge of security detail was Mr. Donofrio’s assistant and distinguished gentleman Oscar “Big Ox” Brown, assisted by the great guys and gals from Cooper’s Gym. Donofrio MMA and the Impact Fight League has BIG things on the horizon, with an entire lineup of smokin’ events in 2012, and all the info will be right here for you, all in one place. ‘Til the next time around, here are your results…
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Thunderbolt Cage Challenge rocked the city of Waterford with their very first event this past Saturday evening, taking an approach that is a rare treat these days: the whole fight card was a Light Heavyweight tournament! Promoter Ben Williams and matchmaker Albrecht Williams took this idea and enacted it quite nicely. It was mandatory that ALL of the warriors on the card be debut fighters, thereby ensuring equal experience. The plan seemed to work well, with a majority of the fights making it to the later rounds. The first four bouts on the night were preliminary elimination matchups to see which of these 205 pounders would advance through the tournament, and which would be left to pick up and regroup. After four well-matched preliminary bouts, it was time for the semi-finals. The four combatants who had been successful in their first outing came back to try to make it the rest of the way to the top of the tourney ladder.

The very first fight of the event was a war that went the distance…ALWAYS a solid way to start the show! Debuting bad boys Cedric Bronson and Richard Scholz kept the crowd excited through all three rounds with an extremely impressive display that ended with the judges unanimously agreeing that Bronson got the better of the exchange, officially putting the first check mark in the “Win” column. In the second preliminary bout of the night, Thomas Davenport and Sam Inhofer locked up to see who would move on to the next round. Davenport was able to secure a nice TKO victory nearing the two and a half minute mark, putting him in the contention for the Semi-finals. Next up was Freddy Retro versus Gregory Adams. These two mixed it up hard and fast in the first round. Less than a minute into the second round, Retro landed a punch that put his opponent to sleep, and solidified his progression to the next level. In the final bout in the prelims, Victor Hartman and Miguel Melendez stepped inside the steel for a chance to dance and advance. The battle raged on all the way into the third and final round, when Hartman was able to capitalize on an opening and sunk in a fight ending armbar. Now, it was Semi-final time.

In the first of two Semi-final matchups, Thomas Davenport and Cedric Bronson put each other to the test for the coveted chance to take home the BIG bacon. Once again, the fight was an impressive three rounder that left the judges with ink to put down. After the dust settled, all three judges concurred that Davenport was the more dominant of the two in this well-fought contest. In the final fight of the evening, previous winners Freddy Retro and Victor Hartman took the stage for their opportunity to shine. After some exchanging of blows and some transitions, Freddy Retro was able to dispatch his opponent at just over two minutes in the first and final round. Now that the night’s WARS had consummated, the last two men standing in the tournament are poised to settle the score once and for all to see who will emerge as the king of the mountain.

Thomas Davenport & Freddy Retro will now advance to the Finals bracket and will fight for the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix title at Thunderbolt’s next event. To witness the outcome of this exciting Light Heavyweight Tournament and much more to come from Thunderbolt Cage Challenge, keep us locked and loaded on your browser and check back often…we’ll have all the goods and info as it becomes available. For now, here are your results…
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The Washtenaw Farm Council Fairgrounds this past Saturday evening with their stellar SECOND event. Promoters Lee “The Juggernaut” Trombley and Scott Burke showed that despite it only being event number two for them, they know how to run a well-organized, very coordinated event. The beer was cold and the action was hot, with some of the best teams around in the house representing their respective camps. Among the great teams in attendance were powerhouses such as Michigan Extreme Combat Sports, Jackson MMA, Team Kihon, Team Gamebred, Team Tubbs, the Institute of Mixed Martial Arts, East West Martial Arts, Mighty Dragons Fight Team, Team Cage Rage and more! Fans PACKED the building, elbow to elbow, wall to wall to see exactly why the JFS has earned such an excellent rapport from fans and fighters alike after their first event. And they were NOT disappointed…this card was chock full of exciting battles that kept the energy at maximum levels all night long!

The first of those battles was an EXCEPTIONAL matchup between two debuting fighters – Michigan Extreme Combat Sports’ Mitchell Bartes and Team Gamebred’s Dave Bostater. These two BOTH showed heart and skill that FAR exceeds most debut level fighters. It was clear that both combatants wanted to make a highly memorable debut…and they did just that. After three solid rounds of back and forth standing exchanges, takedowns, transitions and sweeps, Bartes was able to get a dominant position and finish the fight with a TKO via some intense ground and pound a mere TWO SECONDS before the final horn. It’s a shame with fights like this that someone has to go home “not a winner”, because with battles this well fought and matched, there truly is no “loser”. The fans win EVERY TIME with a fight like this one! Moving deeper into the night, Michigan Extreme Combat Sports’ Julian “The Dynamite Kid” Dumlao stepped into the cage to face Jackson MMA’s Bobby Sutherby. The pace on this fight was fast and continuous, with both fighters working for the finish. After working back and forth for dominant position, Dumlao achieved it at about two minutes into the first round, and wasted no time in unleashing a Winter Warrior flurry of strikes that caused the ref to call a halt to the contest, granting Dumlao the TKO victory. Immediately following, it was a three round WAR between Michigan Extreme Combat Sports’ Justin Torcolacci and EastWest Martial Arts’ Anthony Palmer. This fight was a prime example of solid matchmaking, with both fighters VERY evenly paired up. The entire fight was a CLINIC of striking, transitions, sub attempts, you name it. From beginning to end, for all three rounds, these two left it all in the cage, and also left the judges with a HARD decision. Ultimately, the judges awarded the split decision victory to Anthony Palmer for his impressive efforts. This one has rematch written all over it! In the Lightweight division, Team Cage Rage’s ultra-experienced Russell “The Ruckus” Campbell did battle with Might Dragons Fight Team’s Jamal Buckner in yet another well matched fight that almost went the distance. Both fighters were in excellent form throughout the fight. Russell’s experience was apparent in rounds one and two, with some VICIOUS leg kicks being delivered. Jamal managed to weather the storm, all the while firing back. VERY late in the third round, Jamal was able to turn the tide, get dominant position and sink in the rear naked choke with only ELEVEN SECONDS left in the fight. Fight number eight was a battle of the Welterweights, as Michigan Extreme Combat Sport’s “Nice Guy”, Steve Ekquist took on East West Martial Arts’ Bob Schnell. These warriors wasted no time in letting the heavy leather fly, which the fans ATE UP. Something had to happen, and it did. Steve landed a shot that staggered his opponent, and then, at about halfway through the first (and final) round, followed it through and landed a few more HARD shots for an impressive KO win over an extremely game opponent. Next up was the Co-Main event, which was a contest to determine who would fill the vacant Featherweight JFS title slot. Michigan Extreme Combat Sports’ Justin “Pretty Boy” Walls and Team Tubbs & Institute of Mixed Martial Arts’ Mario “The Infamous Spider” Aguilar put on a fast-paced and exciting display for the duration of the fight, which was brief, but INTENSE. Both fighters came out right from the start of the fight looking to seal the deal, but Mario was able to capitalize on a quick opening and snag a nice armbar at just over two minutes into the first round, securing another solid victory and the JFS gold strap firmly around his waist. The MAIN EVENT of the evening was a Middleweight brawl for the belt featuring two heavy-handed individuals, Team Tubbs & Institute of Mixed Martial Arts’ Darryl “The Beast” Childs and current JFS Middleweight champion, Michigan Extreme Combat Sports’ “Bionic” Brian Davis. As I mentioned before, BOTH of these guys are known for putting people to sleep with their hands, so naturally, this was a great fight for the fans of standup action. And they did not disappoint, as the hands were flying hard and fast right from the opening. But not just hands were on display, but there were some takedowns as well with some impressive sweeps and transitions. The last one of the transitions of the fight found Davis in top position, where he went to work right away with some heavy ground and pound action, forcing the referee to stop the contest nearing the two and a half minute mark in the first (and last) round. Davis left the cage STILL holding the JFS 185 pound belt after his first successful title defense. Congrats to Brian and ALL of the other valiant combatants that participated in the event and helped make Juggernaut Fight Series second event a RAGING success! You guys ARE the show.

Now for the AWESOME staff that helped see that the event was one for the ages and made it all go down with NO issues. Starting from the top…Lee “The Juggernaut” Trombley, who truly is a “fighter’s promoter”, as well as an excellent trainer, FightMichigan’s friend, AND daddy-to-be! Lee, alongside co-promoter Scott Burke and assisted by Lee’s lovely wife, Stephanie Trombley, collectively did a smash-up job of putting this event together seamlessly. The referees for the event were a duo of well known and respected PRO fighters and experienced officials, BOTH with a list of credentials and accolades FAR too long to list here…Danny McIntire and Josh “Short Stack” Robinson. The judges in charge of critical decision making were Eric Pearch, John Toth (who just won the 2011 No-Gi World Championship…that is AWESOME!) and FightMichigan’s T.J. Corwin. The timekeeper for the event was Danny Mac’s lovely fiancee (and from our understanding, wife-to-be…congratulations!) Anna Bewersdorf. The announcer for the evening was our good buddy who we hadn’t seen in a while (since he picked up as the announcer for KING of the Cage…nice!), Pete Trevino Jr., assisted by crowd hypemaster Eternal Entertainment Group‘s Joey Ruckus. Backing him up with some street shaking beats was Joey’s partner and the other half of EEG, DJ Trevy Trev. For only being their second event, it is clear that Juggernaut Fight Series is ON TRACK, and will be a force to be reckoned with in the future. With that said, you can expect nothing but great things from the JFS in the future, and we at FightMichigan will be on top of all the latest developments and announcements from them and many others! Stay tuned…and until next time, here are your results…
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