April 30, 2008
Two members of The Cage Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Reading will fight this Saturday, May 3, in the first round of Battle of the Cruisers presented by New Breed Fighters at The House of Blues at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. Dave Concepcion and Nolan Armpriester will see individual action in the 16-man tournament, as each vie to be crowned champion in the finals later this year. Concepcion established himself as the #1 seed with an early first round submission win over Christian DeHaas of Team Sniper on March 29, and will face Richie Banks of Team Renzo Gracie. Armpriester is the #7 seed, and will face DeHaas. And Nathan Ebling will make his MMA debut against Terence McDonald of Evolutionary Martial Arts in a light heavyweight fight. The Cage Mixed Martial Arts Academy is located in the Temple Plaza at 5306 Allentown Pike (Route 222) just north of Reading.
April 29, 2008
Steve Blackman Fighting Systems in Harrisburg will be well-represented at Valhalla Fights 6: Absolute Power on Saturday, May 10, at the Dulles Sportsplex in Sterling, Virginia. The card will feature at least four Blackman fighters, including Boris Rakita, Tyler Hopkins, Nick Gentile and Shawn Daughenbaugh seeing action in the 30 foot Valhalla cage.
April 28, 2008
XFC in St. Clair will host a seminar with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Rogerio "Tatu" Taborda on Saturday, May 3, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The seminar will cover 1 hour of Gi, 1 hour of No-Gi and 1 hour of MMA. The cost is just $40 per person. Call 570.429.2404 for more information.
April 27, 2008
At least five fighters from Daddis MMA in Philadelphia will see individual action in four events this May. Robert Peach and Justin Greskiewicz will take part in seperate Friday Night Fights NYC Series presented by Church Street Boxing Gym. Peach is up first. Having earned "Best Fight of the Night" in a previous event, he makes it to The Big One on Friday, May 2, while Greskiewicz fights in a professional Muay Thai main event on Friday, May 30. Brett Linberger is fighting for the USKBA middleweight championship. The 3-1 fighter will face undefeated Nick Catone at Ring Of Combat on Friday, May 9. To round out a month of MMA and Muay Thai, Wilson Reis and Matt Makowski are fighting in Elite XC Primetime on Saturday, May 31. The undefeated Reis is a world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Makowski, also undefeated, has only seen one fight go past the first round.
April 26, 2008
Jon Murphy (4-2) of Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven will face Brett Rogers (6-0) of Team Bison in Minnesota in a heavyweight fight on the CBS broadcast card of Elite XC: Primetime on Saturday, May 31, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Murphy is coming off a second round KO win over Dave Huckaba at ShoXC in August 2007, while the undefeated Rogers is coming off a first round KO win over James Thompson at EliteXC in February.
April 25, 2008
Matthew Riddle of Rat Pack Fighting Systems in Palmerton made the top 15 at the east coast try outs for Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter in New York late last year. The former New York State and National High School Wrestling Champion secured his spot in The Ultimate Fighter house in Episode 2 on April 9 with a KO win over Dan Simmler of New York. The Grapplers Quest and NAGA champion was picked second for Team Rampage over more seasoned fighters in Episode 3 on April 16. Knicknamed "Chipper" on the show, the 22-year-old was pitted against Tim Credeur of Louisiana, in the second preliminary bout, which turned into a battle between youth and experience. From www.ufc.com: "And once the fight starts, there is no blowout for the veteran (Credeur), as Riddle gives as good as he gets on the ground, which is seen as Credeur’s domain. It’s a fast paced bout throughout with plenty of ebb and flow to the action, but it seems like Riddle is about to pull ahead in the final round when the two exchange on the feet. Surprisingly though, Riddle doesn’t keep the fight standing; instead, he takes Credeur down, a strategy that baffles Coach Jackson, who yells for his fighter to get back up. Riddle stays on the mat though, and Credeur capitalizes, locking in an armbar that forces Riddle to tap out, leading to a great deal of disappointment from Jackson." This loss in Episode 4: Everything to Loose on April 23, takes Team Forrest to 2-0.
April 24, 2008
We're just one month away from the largest grappling tournament ever held in Pennsylvania. With academies from across the United States, Brazil, Canada and Mexico represented since its inception in 2003, the Kumite Classic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling Championships continues to attract new competitors and academies each year, and 2008 should be no different. Developed by Joseph Cunliffe, the tournament is part of a weekend full of fitness and world class martial arts competition to be held on Saturday, May 24, at the Pittsburgh Expo Mart in Monroeville. Preregister and save at www.KumiteClassic.com. Call 724.861.5162 or e-mail for more information.
April 23, 2008
BAJJI/Alliance PA will host a seminar with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Helio Soneca this Friday, April 25, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at their Downingtown academy. The cost is just $40. per person. Contact bajji@bajji.com or 484.459.2279 for more information.
April 22, 2008
TSEG Sports and Entertainment presented Battle Cage Xtreme IV Saturday night at The Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 17-bout card featured five Pennsylvania fighters, including three in championship fights. Aaron Salisbury (182.8) of Team Balance in Philadelphia defeated Bryce Harrell (184) of KOA/MFS in New Jersey, via TKO (referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes) at 2:02 of Round 2. Judah Ciervo (170) of Philadelphia Fight Factory defeated Leandro Hernandez (169.3) of Team Ricardo Almeida in New Jersey, via TKO (referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes) at 2:30 of Round 2. Blair Tugman (140.6) of Andrew Calandrelli Fight Team challenged Steve D’Angelis (140.6) of Team Liguori in New Jersey, for his BCX Featherweight title. The determined Lock Haven University D-1 wrestler tapped to a guillotine choke submission at 1:00 of Round 2. And in the main event, former NFL player Carlton Haselrig (261.5) of Haselrig Wrestling faced Shane Ott (263.6) of Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven for the USKBA and BCX Heavyweight championships. Haselrig defeated Ott by TKO (referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes) at 4:09 of Round 1. The cage rookie dominated the fight from beginning to end with wrestling and ground-and-pound, while the IFL veteran had one potentially dangerous kneebar attempt.
April 21, 2008
Combat In The Cage lightweight champion Jim Bova or Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven will face Steve Claveau of Team Legion in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada, at Phoenix Fight Promotions II this Saturday, April 26, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
April 20, 2008
Mac Danzig submitted Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Mark Bocek by rear naked choke at 3:48 of Round 3 in the Canadian debut of the UFC last night in front of a record breaking nearly 22,000 fans. Danzig started his MMA career in Pittsburgh before moving to California, where he continued to excell, winning Gladiator Challenge and King of the Cage titles. Bocek took the first round, but it was the winner of TUF 6 turning the tides early in the second round with a knee and continuing with heart.
April 19, 2008
Tiny St Thomas, Pennsylvania, is a small town in the middle of the state, surrounded by dairy farms and mountainous hunting grounds. It’s only claim to fame is proximity to the historic birthplace of the United States 15th president, James Buchanan, and some footnote Civil War sites in nearby Mercersburg and Gettysburg. UFC veteran and MMA pioneer Sam "The Experience" Adkins has returned to his hometown of St Thomas in central Pennsylvania and will be teaching MMA and boxing classes. Adkins, whose boxing resume includes a bronze medal in the 1985 U.S. National Championship, a silver medal in the national Golden Gloves in 1987, and a U.S. National team membership in 1988, is back in Pennsylvania for the first time in over 25 years. After the U.S. Olympic trials in 1988, the heavyweight turned pro. He is now teaching classes at a gym in nearby Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, called Terrazas Martial Arts & Total Body Sculpting. The UFC veteran has been based out of Houston, Texas for more than 2 decades, and his MMA fights include a whose who of opponents including former UFC champions Ricco Rodriguez, Dan "The Beast" Severn, Ken Shamrock and Don Frye. Other incredibly tough opponents include Gam McGee, Tank Abbott, Kevin Jackson, Travis Fulton, Bobby Hoffman and Homer Moore. "After I retired from boxing in 1992, I came to the UFC by chance," states Adkins. "I missed the competition and I know that after all these years in the ring, I have a lot to offer as a teacher. I am very confident in my stand up fighting and have been tested. People don’t want to stand with me." Adkins, who fought as big as 275 pounds in the UFC is now a lean 200 lbs and is more fit than ever. He has spent the last several years fighting sporadically in MMA but serving as a sparring partner for some of Houston’s best boxers. The competitive streak is not gone either, as he is not ruling out additional MMA fights should the right opportunity turn up. Anyone interested in contacting or training with Adkins can reach him at Terrazas Martial Arts & Total Body Sculpting, which is located at 1331 South Coldbrook Avenue. Their telephone number is 717.264.2026.
April 18, 2008
His long-term goals include becoming a WEC champion, but for 27-year-old Blair Tugman, this Saturday, April 19, is all about the Battle Cage Xtreme Featherweight Championship. You see, the Rank Bank, New Jersey, native called out current champion Steve D’Angelis of Team Edgar at BCX III in October making known to all in the arena his desire for a title shot. The Abu Dhabi veteran was very competitive growing up -- playing baseball, soccer and wrestling, he hated losing in anything. As a Lock Haven University Sports Administration graduate, he started out weak in school, as he had in his MMA career leaving his fights in the Judges hands, but finished strong making the Deans List his last 3 semesters. Now a member of the Andrew Calandrelli Fight Team at Ultimate MMA in North Haven, Connecticut, where he has trained about one year, the 4-1 fighter talks about the championship fight being held this weekend at The Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Read Interview Here
April 15, 2008
The new Tristate MMA/BJJ will officially open its doors tomorrow, Wednesday, April 16, with the first class, Gi BJJ, starting at 6:00 PM. The Grand Opening for will be on Saturday, May 10. The festivities will probably start around 12:00 PM. There will be martial arts demonstrations by various martial artists throughout the day. The academy will be open for all to see. If the time allows there may be a free BJJ class taught by James Terry, Brown Belt under Regis Lebre. Tristate MMA/BJJ is located at 201 West Harford Street in Milford.
April 13, 2008
Balance Studios in Philadelphia will host a seminar with Combat Submission Wrestling founder Erik Paulson on Sunday, April 27, from 12:00PM to 3:00PM. The seminar is just $60.00 per person and limited to 30 people. You must pay first to reserve your spot. Click Here for more information. Balance Studios is located at 108-114 South Bonsall Street between 23rd and 24th and Sansom.
April 12, 2008
Team Balance Pittsburgh at Kim's Martial Arts & Fitness in South Hills will offer a summer training package that will include unlimited BJJ and Judo training. The BJJ schedule offers 5 classes per week and one MMA class. Judo is taught 6 days a week. The summer training package will cover you from the beginning of May through the end of August. Kim's Martial Arts & Fitness is located at 3606 Brownsville Road. Contact Bobby Palumbi at omaplata56@yahoo.com for more information.
April 11, 2008
$6,000 cash is up for grabs as forty of America's best men and women submission grapplers battle on Saturday, June 28, at the Grapplers Quest United States Pro Grappling Trials at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown, New Jersey. Pennsylvania is currently represented by U.S. Trials Finalist Wilson Reis of BJJ United in Philadelphia, 2007 CBJJ No-Gi Champion and Pittsburgh native James Brasco of Team Popovitch and 11-Time GQ Champion Ricardo Migliarese of Balance Studios in Philadelphia. Mennen Sports Arena is located at 161 East Hanover Avenue. Check out www.Grapplers.com for more information.
April 9, 2008
Matthew "The Answer" Riddle of Rat Pack Fighting Systems in Palmerton, secured his spot in The Ultimate Fighter house early in Round 2 with "the knock-out of the century" according to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson over Matt Serra brown belt Dan Simmler, as seen on Episode 2 of Season 7 tonight on SpikeTV. The 21-year-old is a New York State and National High School Wrestling Champion. The middleweight took second in the advanced division of the NAGA Worlds after only a few months of submission training. In 2007, Riddle captured the 190lb Advanced titles at the NAGA Battle at the Beach in August, at Grapplers Quest in October and the Copa Atlantica BJJ Championships in November. In between, the Lehighton fighter found time to win his first MMA match at the USKBA Battle at the Sun II in September by key lock in the first round.
April 8, 2008
IBF Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron, 29-1, 27 KO's, of Reading will defend his title against former world champion Antonio Margarito, 35-5, 25 KO's, of Tijuana, Mexico, this Saturday, April 12, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and broadcast on HBO World Championship Boxing. This will be Cintron’s chance to avenge his only professional loss, which took place against Margarito at Caesars Palace on April 23, 2005.
April 6, 2008
It was a fight. A fight many advised him to back out of the week leading up to it. A fight that followed a long seven months after his debut. Against an opponent he had researched. An opponent whose background and training seemed to work well with his style on paper. His debut was in August 2007. An opponent finally secured just two weeks leading up to fight day after five had backed out. Having been discouraged with the process and with not being able to land a second fight -- he would not do that to his opponent. Read Entire Article Here
April 5, 2008
It took just 1:37 seconds for the main event in the International Fight League to come to an end last night, as Williamsport native Mike Ciesnolevicz and Philadelphia native Carmelo Marrero faced off after months of training and preparation for a fight that could have tested the two collegiate wrestlers. The doctor called the fight due to a laceration to the head of the American Top Team fighter, which he sustained when taking down the Miletich Fighting Systems fighter.
April 4, 2008
A message from Tim Boetsch (regarding his recent fight): "Just wanted to say sorry for not ko'ing (Matt) Hamill. The altitude really played a factor as you saw. Which resulted in me being stupid and knocking myself out on that terrible shot."
April 3, 2008
TriState MMA/BJJ will host a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar with 3rd degree BJJ black belt and 2007 Master Men’s World Champion Regis Lebre on Saturday, May 3, from 11:00AM to 1:00PM at their Milford academy. The cost is just $70.00 per person. Private lessons with Lebre are available, and must be scheduled in advance by calling James at 570.242.4650. TriState MMA/BJJ is located inside the Old Milford School House at 201 West Harford Street.
April 2, 2008
Tim Boetsch of Triple Threat Fighting Systems in Sunbury stepped up again on short notice for the UFC to face TUF 3 veteran Matt Hamill at UFC Fight Night on SpikeTV tonight. From www.sherdog.com: In Round 1, Hamill traded blows briefly before dropping levels for a takedown. Boetsch gave up the tackle and defended from the bottom in half-guard. Now on the feet, Boetsch landed a right hand and a front kick to the body. Boetsch bobbed his head to avoid Hamill's punches while returning fire. Boetsch loaded up with his punches, looking for the one-punch knockout. A knee connected for Boetsch with 20 seconds remaining. Boetsch finished strong with another knee and a low kick. In Round 2, Hamill, bleeding from a split bottom lip, was hit with a right hand early in the round. Boetsch worked for a single-leg and ended up trapped against the fence. Hamill pushed the head to the floor and pounded on Boetsch, who was stuck in the four point position. The hurt fighter went to his back and ate more punishment, which forced referee Adam Martinez to intervene at the 1:25 mark.
April 1, 2008
Both fighters are from Pennsylvania. Both have collegiate wrestling backgrounds. Both have seen success early in their careers in the same promotion. Both represent premier fight teams today. We're talking about Williamsport native and Lock Haven University graduate Mike Ciesnolevicz of Miletich Fighting Systems and Philadelphia native and Rider University graduate Carmelo Marrero of American Top Team. The Reality Fighting veterans face off in a light heavyweight fight at New Blood New Battles this Friday, April 4, in the International Fight League at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Two members of The Cage Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Reading will fight this Saturday, May 3, in the first round of Battle of the Cruisers presented by New Breed Fighters at The House of Blues at the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. Dave Concepcion and Nolan Armpriester will see individual action in the 16-man tournament, as each vie to be crowned champion in the finals later this year. Concepcion established himself as the #1 seed with an early first round submission win over Christian DeHaas of Team Sniper on March 29, and will face Richie Banks of Team Renzo Gracie. Armpriester is the #7 seed, and will face DeHaas. And Nathan Ebling will make his MMA debut against Terence McDonald of Evolutionary Martial Arts in a light heavyweight fight. The Cage Mixed Martial Arts Academy is located in the Temple Plaza at 5306 Allentown Pike (Route 222) just north of Reading.
April 29, 2008
Steve Blackman Fighting Systems in Harrisburg will be well-represented at Valhalla Fights 6: Absolute Power on Saturday, May 10, at the Dulles Sportsplex in Sterling, Virginia. The card will feature at least four Blackman fighters, including Boris Rakita, Tyler Hopkins, Nick Gentile and Shawn Daughenbaugh seeing action in the 30 foot Valhalla cage.
April 28, 2008
XFC in St. Clair will host a seminar with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Rogerio "Tatu" Taborda on Saturday, May 3, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM. The seminar will cover 1 hour of Gi, 1 hour of No-Gi and 1 hour of MMA. The cost is just $40 per person. Call 570.429.2404 for more information.
April 27, 2008
At least five fighters from Daddis MMA in Philadelphia will see individual action in four events this May. Robert Peach and Justin Greskiewicz will take part in seperate Friday Night Fights NYC Series presented by Church Street Boxing Gym. Peach is up first. Having earned "Best Fight of the Night" in a previous event, he makes it to The Big One on Friday, May 2, while Greskiewicz fights in a professional Muay Thai main event on Friday, May 30. Brett Linberger is fighting for the USKBA middleweight championship. The 3-1 fighter will face undefeated Nick Catone at Ring Of Combat on Friday, May 9. To round out a month of MMA and Muay Thai, Wilson Reis and Matt Makowski are fighting in Elite XC Primetime on Saturday, May 31. The undefeated Reis is a world champion Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. Makowski, also undefeated, has only seen one fight go past the first round.
April 26, 2008
Jon Murphy (4-2) of Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven will face Brett Rogers (6-0) of Team Bison in Minnesota in a heavyweight fight on the CBS broadcast card of Elite XC: Primetime on Saturday, May 31, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Murphy is coming off a second round KO win over Dave Huckaba at ShoXC in August 2007, while the undefeated Rogers is coming off a first round KO win over James Thompson at EliteXC in February.
April 25, 2008
Matthew Riddle of Rat Pack Fighting Systems in Palmerton made the top 15 at the east coast try outs for Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter in New York late last year. The former New York State and National High School Wrestling Champion secured his spot in The Ultimate Fighter house in Episode 2 on April 9 with a KO win over Dan Simmler of New York. The Grapplers Quest and NAGA champion was picked second for Team Rampage over more seasoned fighters in Episode 3 on April 16. Knicknamed "Chipper" on the show, the 22-year-old was pitted against Tim Credeur of Louisiana, in the second preliminary bout, which turned into a battle between youth and experience. From www.ufc.com: "And once the fight starts, there is no blowout for the veteran (Credeur), as Riddle gives as good as he gets on the ground, which is seen as Credeur’s domain. It’s a fast paced bout throughout with plenty of ebb and flow to the action, but it seems like Riddle is about to pull ahead in the final round when the two exchange on the feet. Surprisingly though, Riddle doesn’t keep the fight standing; instead, he takes Credeur down, a strategy that baffles Coach Jackson, who yells for his fighter to get back up. Riddle stays on the mat though, and Credeur capitalizes, locking in an armbar that forces Riddle to tap out, leading to a great deal of disappointment from Jackson." This loss in Episode 4: Everything to Loose on April 23, takes Team Forrest to 2-0.
April 24, 2008
We're just one month away from the largest grappling tournament ever held in Pennsylvania. With academies from across the United States, Brazil, Canada and Mexico represented since its inception in 2003, the Kumite Classic Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Submission Grappling Championships continues to attract new competitors and academies each year, and 2008 should be no different. Developed by Joseph Cunliffe, the tournament is part of a weekend full of fitness and world class martial arts competition to be held on Saturday, May 24, at the Pittsburgh Expo Mart in Monroeville. Preregister and save at www.KumiteClassic.com. Call 724.861.5162 or e-mail for more information.
April 23, 2008
BAJJI/Alliance PA will host a seminar with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Helio Soneca this Friday, April 25, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM at their Downingtown academy. The cost is just $40. per person. Contact bajji@bajji.com or 484.459.2279 for more information.
April 22, 2008
TSEG Sports and Entertainment presented Battle Cage Xtreme IV Saturday night at The Tropicana Casino & Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The 17-bout card featured five Pennsylvania fighters, including three in championship fights. Aaron Salisbury (182.8) of Team Balance in Philadelphia defeated Bryce Harrell (184) of KOA/MFS in New Jersey, via TKO (referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes) at 2:02 of Round 2. Judah Ciervo (170) of Philadelphia Fight Factory defeated Leandro Hernandez (169.3) of Team Ricardo Almeida in New Jersey, via TKO (referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes) at 2:30 of Round 2. Blair Tugman (140.6) of Andrew Calandrelli Fight Team challenged Steve D’Angelis (140.6) of Team Liguori in New Jersey, for his BCX Featherweight title. The determined Lock Haven University D-1 wrestler tapped to a guillotine choke submission at 1:00 of Round 2. And in the main event, former NFL player Carlton Haselrig (261.5) of Haselrig Wrestling faced Shane Ott (263.6) of Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven for the USKBA and BCX Heavyweight championships. Haselrig defeated Ott by TKO (referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes) at 4:09 of Round 1. The cage rookie dominated the fight from beginning to end with wrestling and ground-and-pound, while the IFL veteran had one potentially dangerous kneebar attempt.
April 21, 2008
Combat In The Cage lightweight champion Jim Bova or Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven will face Steve Claveau of Team Legion in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada, at Phoenix Fight Promotions II this Saturday, April 26, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
April 20, 2008
Mac Danzig submitted Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt Mark Bocek by rear naked choke at 3:48 of Round 3 in the Canadian debut of the UFC last night in front of a record breaking nearly 22,000 fans. Danzig started his MMA career in Pittsburgh before moving to California, where he continued to excell, winning Gladiator Challenge and King of the Cage titles. Bocek took the first round, but it was the winner of TUF 6 turning the tides early in the second round with a knee and continuing with heart.
April 19, 2008
Tiny St Thomas, Pennsylvania, is a small town in the middle of the state, surrounded by dairy farms and mountainous hunting grounds. It’s only claim to fame is proximity to the historic birthplace of the United States 15th president, James Buchanan, and some footnote Civil War sites in nearby Mercersburg and Gettysburg. UFC veteran and MMA pioneer Sam "The Experience" Adkins has returned to his hometown of St Thomas in central Pennsylvania and will be teaching MMA and boxing classes. Adkins, whose boxing resume includes a bronze medal in the 1985 U.S. National Championship, a silver medal in the national Golden Gloves in 1987, and a U.S. National team membership in 1988, is back in Pennsylvania for the first time in over 25 years. After the U.S. Olympic trials in 1988, the heavyweight turned pro. He is now teaching classes at a gym in nearby Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, called Terrazas Martial Arts & Total Body Sculpting. The UFC veteran has been based out of Houston, Texas for more than 2 decades, and his MMA fights include a whose who of opponents including former UFC champions Ricco Rodriguez, Dan "The Beast" Severn, Ken Shamrock and Don Frye. Other incredibly tough opponents include Gam McGee, Tank Abbott, Kevin Jackson, Travis Fulton, Bobby Hoffman and Homer Moore. "After I retired from boxing in 1992, I came to the UFC by chance," states Adkins. "I missed the competition and I know that after all these years in the ring, I have a lot to offer as a teacher. I am very confident in my stand up fighting and have been tested. People don’t want to stand with me." Adkins, who fought as big as 275 pounds in the UFC is now a lean 200 lbs and is more fit than ever. He has spent the last several years fighting sporadically in MMA but serving as a sparring partner for some of Houston’s best boxers. The competitive streak is not gone either, as he is not ruling out additional MMA fights should the right opportunity turn up. Anyone interested in contacting or training with Adkins can reach him at Terrazas Martial Arts & Total Body Sculpting, which is located at 1331 South Coldbrook Avenue. Their telephone number is 717.264.2026.
April 18, 2008
His long-term goals include becoming a WEC champion, but for 27-year-old Blair Tugman, this Saturday, April 19, is all about the Battle Cage Xtreme Featherweight Championship. You see, the Rank Bank, New Jersey, native called out current champion Steve D’Angelis of Team Edgar at BCX III in October making known to all in the arena his desire for a title shot. The Abu Dhabi veteran was very competitive growing up -- playing baseball, soccer and wrestling, he hated losing in anything. As a Lock Haven University Sports Administration graduate, he started out weak in school, as he had in his MMA career leaving his fights in the Judges hands, but finished strong making the Deans List his last 3 semesters. Now a member of the Andrew Calandrelli Fight Team at Ultimate MMA in North Haven, Connecticut, where he has trained about one year, the 4-1 fighter talks about the championship fight being held this weekend at The Tropicana in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Read Interview Here
April 15, 2008
The new Tristate MMA/BJJ will officially open its doors tomorrow, Wednesday, April 16, with the first class, Gi BJJ, starting at 6:00 PM. The Grand Opening for will be on Saturday, May 10. The festivities will probably start around 12:00 PM. There will be martial arts demonstrations by various martial artists throughout the day. The academy will be open for all to see. If the time allows there may be a free BJJ class taught by James Terry, Brown Belt under Regis Lebre. Tristate MMA/BJJ is located at 201 West Harford Street in Milford.
April 13, 2008
Balance Studios in Philadelphia will host a seminar with Combat Submission Wrestling founder Erik Paulson on Sunday, April 27, from 12:00PM to 3:00PM. The seminar is just $60.00 per person and limited to 30 people. You must pay first to reserve your spot. Click Here for more information. Balance Studios is located at 108-114 South Bonsall Street between 23rd and 24th and Sansom.
April 12, 2008
Team Balance Pittsburgh at Kim's Martial Arts & Fitness in South Hills will offer a summer training package that will include unlimited BJJ and Judo training. The BJJ schedule offers 5 classes per week and one MMA class. Judo is taught 6 days a week. The summer training package will cover you from the beginning of May through the end of August. Kim's Martial Arts & Fitness is located at 3606 Brownsville Road. Contact Bobby Palumbi at omaplata56@yahoo.com for more information.
April 11, 2008
$6,000 cash is up for grabs as forty of America's best men and women submission grapplers battle on Saturday, June 28, at the Grapplers Quest United States Pro Grappling Trials at the Mennen Sports Arena in Morristown, New Jersey. Pennsylvania is currently represented by U.S. Trials Finalist Wilson Reis of BJJ United in Philadelphia, 2007 CBJJ No-Gi Champion and Pittsburgh native James Brasco of Team Popovitch and 11-Time GQ Champion Ricardo Migliarese of Balance Studios in Philadelphia. Mennen Sports Arena is located at 161 East Hanover Avenue. Check out www.Grapplers.com for more information.
April 9, 2008
Matthew "The Answer" Riddle of Rat Pack Fighting Systems in Palmerton, secured his spot in The Ultimate Fighter house early in Round 2 with "the knock-out of the century" according to Quinton "Rampage" Jackson over Matt Serra brown belt Dan Simmler, as seen on Episode 2 of Season 7 tonight on SpikeTV. The 21-year-old is a New York State and National High School Wrestling Champion. The middleweight took second in the advanced division of the NAGA Worlds after only a few months of submission training. In 2007, Riddle captured the 190lb Advanced titles at the NAGA Battle at the Beach in August, at Grapplers Quest in October and the Copa Atlantica BJJ Championships in November. In between, the Lehighton fighter found time to win his first MMA match at the USKBA Battle at the Sun II in September by key lock in the first round.
April 8, 2008
IBF Welterweight Champion Kermit Cintron, 29-1, 27 KO's, of Reading will defend his title against former world champion Antonio Margarito, 35-5, 25 KO's, of Tijuana, Mexico, this Saturday, April 12, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and broadcast on HBO World Championship Boxing. This will be Cintron’s chance to avenge his only professional loss, which took place against Margarito at Caesars Palace on April 23, 2005.
April 6, 2008
It was a fight. A fight many advised him to back out of the week leading up to it. A fight that followed a long seven months after his debut. Against an opponent he had researched. An opponent whose background and training seemed to work well with his style on paper. His debut was in August 2007. An opponent finally secured just two weeks leading up to fight day after five had backed out. Having been discouraged with the process and with not being able to land a second fight -- he would not do that to his opponent. Read Entire Article Here
April 5, 2008
It took just 1:37 seconds for the main event in the International Fight League to come to an end last night, as Williamsport native Mike Ciesnolevicz and Philadelphia native Carmelo Marrero faced off after months of training and preparation for a fight that could have tested the two collegiate wrestlers. The doctor called the fight due to a laceration to the head of the American Top Team fighter, which he sustained when taking down the Miletich Fighting Systems fighter.
April 4, 2008
A message from Tim Boetsch (regarding his recent fight): "Just wanted to say sorry for not ko'ing (Matt) Hamill. The altitude really played a factor as you saw. Which resulted in me being stupid and knocking myself out on that terrible shot."
April 3, 2008
TriState MMA/BJJ will host a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar with 3rd degree BJJ black belt and 2007 Master Men’s World Champion Regis Lebre on Saturday, May 3, from 11:00AM to 1:00PM at their Milford academy. The cost is just $70.00 per person. Private lessons with Lebre are available, and must be scheduled in advance by calling James at 570.242.4650. TriState MMA/BJJ is located inside the Old Milford School House at 201 West Harford Street.
April 2, 2008
Tim Boetsch of Triple Threat Fighting Systems in Sunbury stepped up again on short notice for the UFC to face TUF 3 veteran Matt Hamill at UFC Fight Night on SpikeTV tonight. From www.sherdog.com: In Round 1, Hamill traded blows briefly before dropping levels for a takedown. Boetsch gave up the tackle and defended from the bottom in half-guard. Now on the feet, Boetsch landed a right hand and a front kick to the body. Boetsch bobbed his head to avoid Hamill's punches while returning fire. Boetsch loaded up with his punches, looking for the one-punch knockout. A knee connected for Boetsch with 20 seconds remaining. Boetsch finished strong with another knee and a low kick. In Round 2, Hamill, bleeding from a split bottom lip, was hit with a right hand early in the round. Boetsch worked for a single-leg and ended up trapped against the fence. Hamill pushed the head to the floor and pounded on Boetsch, who was stuck in the four point position. The hurt fighter went to his back and ate more punishment, which forced referee Adam Martinez to intervene at the 1:25 mark.
April 1, 2008
Both fighters are from Pennsylvania. Both have collegiate wrestling backgrounds. Both have seen success early in their careers in the same promotion. Both represent premier fight teams today. We're talking about Williamsport native and Lock Haven University graduate Mike Ciesnolevicz of Miletich Fighting Systems and Philadelphia native and Rider University graduate Carmelo Marrero of American Top Team. The Reality Fighting veterans face off in a light heavyweight fight at New Blood New Battles this Friday, April 4, in the International Fight League at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey.