April 30, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Dustin Pague of Hulstine Athletics in Harrisburg defeated 3X All-American wrestler Biff Walizer of LionHeart MMA in State College via rear naked choke in round three of the Virginia-based Respect Is Earned inaugural Pennsylvania event at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks tonight. According to a text message, it was a "super tough fight... back and forth the whole time." This is the third straight submission win for the 21-year-old since making his professional MMA debut in October 2008.
Heading into its 13th year, Friday Night Fights NYC Series is rolling out the heavy artillery for the Big Show at the Lexington Avenue Armory on Friday, May 8, featuring Pennsylvania fighters. In the 1st Feature Bout, Team Fairtex fighter Eric Utsch of Allentown faces Travis Lerchen in a super middleweight bout. Utsch is one of the most entertaining fighters in the Friday Night Fights stable. Also known as the "Hooligan", the 29-year-old has an impressive amateur record and is now 2-0 as a professional. Lerchen is a tall south-paw from Connecticut, has experience as an MMA fighter and will be making his debut in professional Muay Thai on this card. Both Utsch and Lerchen are -- colorful characters and if their appearance is any indication of the insanity that can expected, then this match is sure to live up to expectations. In the 2nd Feature Bout, Rami Ibrahim of Sitan Gym and Justin Greskiewicz of Daddis Fight Camp, both of Philadelphia, face off in a junior welterweight bout. Greskiewicz was originally scheduled to compete against Matt McKusker however, when McKusker dropped out, the always game "Arabian Nightmare" stepped up. Ibrahim has a tremendous experience advantage over Greskiewicz however, both fighters are eager to meet one another. Greskiewicz is the larger of the two - ordinarily competing at 147lbs, he has come down to 140lbs to meet Ibrahim, who usually competes between 135-140lbs. This will be a classic match of an experienced veteran against a young gun -- with the winr goes the bragging rights for the City of Brotherly Love. Pennsylvania will also be represented by Osvaldo Dominguez (5-0) and Tim Amorim (8-3) both of Sitan Gym in Philadelphia, Jen Szecker of Cool Hearts Muay Thai in Philadelphia and Omar Davis of Philadelphia.
April 29, 2009
There will be a Welcome Home Benefit for Shane Ott on Sunday, May 10, from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Leesport Auction Hall. The $20.00 donation covers food and beverages. You may recall the Anthracite Combat Club team member was critically injured in a motorcycle accident on Route 422 in Wyomissing (Berks County) in the early morning hours of November 2. The 37-year-old spent months recovering, and he is back. Ott is a local tattoo artist. All proceeds directly benefit the popular Reading-native. The Leesport Auction Hall is located at 312 Gernant's Church Road in Leesport. Call Reading Tattoo at 610.376.144 for more information.
April 28, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, R.I.E. Director of Marketing said in a telephone conversation today that the promotions June 20 event, originally scheduled for the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg, will move to Philadelphia. The Virginia-based promotion was approved for two events earlier this month, including the first all pro MMA in PA card this Thursday, April 30, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks.
King’s Promotions brings for the first time to the Reading area, an amateur mixed martial arts and professional boxing card to be held at the Sovereign Center on Saturday, May 30. The hybrid MMA/Boxing event will mix the two disciplines in one exciting night of non-stop action. Mixed Martial Arts has been enjoying increasing popularity in recent years, and King’s Promotions hopes it will be a good opportunity to introduce Boxing fans to MMA and MMA fans to Boxing. Pain On Penn Street will feature fighters from some of the most active MMA teams in Pennsylvania -- Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven, LionHeart MMA in State College, Team Quiet Storm in Reading, Rosendo Diaz BJJ in Telford, Triple Threat Fighting System in Sunbury and Vicious MMA in Williamsport. Tickets are priced at $65.00, $50.00, $35.00 and $25.00 and can be purchased at the Sovereign Center Box Office (700 Penn Street in Reading 610.898.7200) or at all Ticketmaster outlets (1.800.745.3000 or www.ticketmaster.com).
April 27, 2009
R.I.E., LLC (Respect Is Earned) has announced the debut of RIE Fantasy MMA, one of the first of its kind on the East Coast. With the onset of the first all-pro state-sanctioned MMA event in the Philadelphia area on April 30, RIE's Fantasy experience allows users to select fight winners, including options such as winning round, time, and technique. Participants are limited to those who have purchased online tickets to the April 30 event by Wednesday, April 29. Philadelphia area fans will experience Fantasy score updates as each fight concludes and will be eligible for high end prizes, such as VIP privileges, free gifts and time with UFC veterans such as Jon "Bones" Jones of Team BombSquad MMA. The Pennsylvania inaugural R.I.E. is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks.
The Lancaster County Convention Center will play host to the 2009 Grapplers Quest Northeast Grappling Championships on Saturday, September 26.
Power Productions and Cintron Beverage Group present Raw Power: South Philly Rumble at The Arena (formerly New Alhambra) in Philadelphia on Friday, May 8. Mixed Martial Artist Brutal Brendan Barrett, fighting out of Tenth Round Boxing in Fairless Hills, makes his professional Boxing debut. The 27-year-old says, "this is my pro boxing debut so those who love to watch me brawl and throw bombs in my MMA fights do not want to miss this." The Arena is located at the corner of Ritner and Swanson Streets.
Inkosi Promotions quietly announced last week it was necessary to cancel their upcoming event, "Gemini," scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at the Lehighton Recreation Center in the greater Allentown area, as they were unable to secure sufficient fighters for the card. In seeking additional information, MMAinPA.com learned today that the promotions web site is inactive.
April 26, 2009
Millville-based Mathew Beitz (3-2-0) makes his Brawlroom Fight Promotions debut on Saturday, May 30, in Brookfield, Ohio, against a yet to be named opponent. This will be the first fight for Beitz, now training with Team Triple Threat in Sunbury. The 25-year-old is coming off a first round submission win over Jeremy Lewellen at Warrior Combat XXII on April 18 in Ohio. Edited 4.27.09
Phil Davis of LionHeart MMA in State College "is now 3-0 after his destruction of Terry Cohens" according to Sherdog.com, last night in a light heavyweight fight at UWC - Capital Punishment in Fairfax, Virginia. "A four-time All-American at Penn State University, Davis punished his opponent (fighting out of Palatka, Florida) from a variety of positions before putting him away with punches from the mount at 4:29 of the opening period." The fight streamed live on Sherdog.com. You can View It Here.
April 25, 2009
In first to MMAinPA.com, Pennsylvania went 0-7 tonight at Asylum Fight League in Sayreville, New Jersey. Five Ephrata-based Dragon Theory MMA fighters succumbed to their opponents. Mike Serrano (140) fell to Greg Belardinelli (139) of TSMMA via rear naked choke at 1:42 of round two, Brandon Rook (148.5) fell to Michael Riley (154) Taurus MMA via unanimous decision (all three judges 30-27), Dave Rose (170.5) fell to Jason Alcoba (172) ALL N MMA via rear naked choke at 0:46 of round one, Brian DeBoar (175.5) fell to Mike Fischetti (173) of TSMMA via guillotine choke at 2:51 of round one and Rob Willis (192) fell to Ariel Sepulvida (194.5) of Carmine Zocchi via rear naked choke at 2:01 of round one. Lewis Rumsey (205.5) of Vicious MMA in Williamsport fell to Stelian Rizea (204) of Jerry Jones MMA via unanimous decision (all three judges 28-27). Rizea deducted one point in round one and one point in round three for striking to head while on the ground, while Noah Faunce (186) American Fighters NY continued his undefeated streak by putting an end to the undefeated streak of Erik Purcell (194.5) of Rogue Mixed Martial Arts in via triangle choke at 1:39 of round two in a dual title catch weight fight.
April 24, 2009
Bellator Fighting Championships continues its 12 week nationwide world championship series with its sixth event taking place at the Central Pavilion Arena at Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown, Texas, on Friday May 8. The event will feature two semi-final match-ups with the winners each advancing to the finals and becoming just one step away from capturing Bellator’s Featherweight (145 lbs.) world championship title, including returning just three weeks after his dominating quarter-finals win over Henry Martinez of Jackson's MMA in New Mexico, former EliteXC champion Wilson Reis of Philadelphia-based Daddis FC will continue his fight to capture the Bellator Featherweight world championship title against undefeated All-American wrestler Joe Soto fighting out fo Santa Rosa, California. This fight will air exclusively on ESPN Deportes Saturday, May 9.
April 23, 2009
Jamie Apody of 6ABC in Philadelphia tackles MMA tonight on Action News at 11:00 PM. Here is a preview: Supporters say it's got strategy, critics say it's brutal. It packs the seats at every venue - and with a lot of women! Ultimate fighting has been around for 20 years, but it's reputation was stained with blood, from ruthless, no-holds-barred matches. Now, a renewed version of the sport, Mixed Martial Arts, is gaining popularity like wildfire, thanks to televised matches, high-profile matches in Las Vegas, and a host of celebrity fans, like Bruce Willis. Now, ultimate fighting, or mixed martial arts, is legal in Pennsylvania. A big card of more than a dozen fights is scheduled for the suburbs for later this month, and there is talk of a top-notch card for Philadelphia this summer. A third of the crowd is female, some of the up & coming fighters are female, and a slender young woman from Bucks County who trains in MMA plans to become one of the area's major promoters. Why would something with a reputation like this draw so many women? Tonight on Action News at 11, we take you to Pennsylvania's first legal matches, to meet some of the men and women drawn to this sport. Action News reporter Jamie Apody also takes to the mat, in the Philadelphia gym that's become an epicenter for those yearning to get into the cage for their moment of glory. Apody is a 2nd degree black belt in karate. Look forward to her perspective in reporting on MMA in PA.
The first all professional MMA in PA event is just one week away. The Pennsylvania inaugural R.I.E. - Respect Is Earned is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. Paul Bradley, fighting out of LionHeart MMA is State College, is scheduled to face Mike Pierce, fighting out of Portland, Oregon, in the Main Event. The welterweights are scheduled to meet at a catch weight of 180 pounds due to same day weigh-ins. Red Lion-based Biff Walizer, fighting out of LionHeart, is scheduled to face Dustin Pague, fighting out of Hulstine Athletics in Harrisburg, at a catch weight at 150 pounds. Washington-based Dave Sachs, fighting out of Pittsburgh Fight Club in Pittsburgh, is scheduled to face Jacob Kirwan, fighting out of Clinch Academy in Maryland, and Towanda-native Mike Guerin, fighting out of BombSquad MMA in Ithaca, New York, is scheduled to face Joey Kirwan, fighting out of Clinch Academy.
April 22, 2009
Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis of LionHeart MMA in State College will face Terry "T-Rex" Cohens of Palatka, Florida, this Saturday, April 25, in a light heavyweight fight at UWC - Capital Punishment at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission released the official results for Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge held this past Sunday afternoon in York. You can view the results here in the database of www.MixedMartialArts.com, the Official Certified MMA Registry of the Association of Boxing Commissions.
April 21, 2009
Based out of Harrisburg, Dirty Dog Hauling™ Junk Removal Services is a professional company that specializes in removal of junk from homes, apartments, businesses, and construction sites. The company has acquired the rights to use LionHeart fighter and Harrisburg native Phil Davis as their official spokesperson for the company's print and TV advertising -- "Don't wrestle with your Trash, Call the Experts at Dirty Dog Hauling". Chad Dubin, owner LionHeart Management says, "This is a true win/win relationship. Phil Davis gets to help a company from his hometown and we get financial support for one of our athletes to continue training. It will also be great for Phil to work with Leland Nelson, the owner of Dirty Dog Hauling because he is such a unique and innovative businessman."
April 20, 2009
Although no official results are available from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission on the first MMA in PA event, Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge held Sunday afternoon at the Wisehaven Banquet & Expo Center in York, Teams and Fighters are reporting in to MMAinPA.com. LionHeart MMA in State College offered their fighter Biff Walizer of Red Lion defeated Rob Gaurino of Rhino Fight Team in New Jersey via TKO in round three of a professional fight. Lewis Rumsey of Vicious MMA in Williamsport defeated Mike Oberdick of York County via Unanimous Decision in what sounds like a one-sided fight. According to Rumsey, the fight went like this: bell rang I threw a one two combination then Oberdick bull-rushed in and clinched... I clinched up with him and took Oberdick down... I got on top and pounded him in the ribs the rest of the first round... second round Oberdick bull-rushed in and I took him down again... Oberdick went for numerious submissions, but failed... I was pounding his ribs alot and also passed his guard... but Oberdick got his guard back and I just pounded him in the ribs for the rest of the round... third round I went for a shot and took Oberdick down... Oberdick got my back in the process and had it for a half a minute or so... then I reversed him and I kept good posture and pounded Oberdick's ribs alot (for the remainder of the round). And to wrap up for Team Vicious, who took first place in the Team Challenge, Eric Steppe, Andrew Widdersheim, John Flock and Josh Aarons defeated their respective opponents with Aarons receiving recognition for Fight of the Night, while Ron White fell to his opponent.
From newbreedfighters.tv: Our final fight between Frank Mullin, Team Hassett (in New Jersey), and Dave McMahon of X-Treme Miletich (in Warrington), (Saturday) was to fill our vacant Light Heavyweight Title. Again we had a rematch. Frank came in undefeated while Dave had one loss on an otherwise very impressive record. That loss was to Frank Mullin. In this rematch Anthony Tamburrino came in confident in his strategy and his student. It paid off as Dave systematically controlled the tempo of the fight and winning a unanimous 3 round decision. These were two of the finest fighters representing two of the regions finest schools and it showed. Their fans had everything to cheer for and left overwhelmingly proud of both young men.
April 19, 2009
Jonathan Murphy of Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven was the featured fighter on the MTV series Bully Beatdown tonight. The concept of the show pits hometown bullies against professional mixed martial artists in one segment each of grappling and kickboxing. The bully, Eriq, known as "The Bum Rapper," has a bad attitude toward women and a big, unbruisable ego. The EliteXC veteran got five tapouts out of the bully in the first round, and made him quit at just 0:35 of the second round. Eriq was forced to forfeit his $10,000 purse.
Brian Stann, formerly of Scranton, fell to Canadian Krzysztof Soszynski last night by patented kimura submission in the first round of his UFCA debut at “Redemption” live on PPV from the Bell Centre in Montreal. According to sherdog.com: Stann is unloading with his hands as Soszynski steps forward in the pocket. Stann goes to Soszynski’s lead leg with an inside-low kick. Soszynski secures the Thai plum, but he is unable to mount any offense before catching a right hand on the top of his head. Soszynski drops down for a double-leg takedown and he easily gets it. Stann tries to stand and Soszynski rips his legs out from underneath him. Soszynski hops into the mount but loses it when Stann transitions to a heel hold. Soszynski defends and moves to side control. Stann gets to his feet and is slammed immediately to the floor. From half-guard, Soszynski locks in a kimura and Stann escapes. Another kimura comes from side control and Stann taps quickly. The official time is 3:53 of the opening frame. The former WEC light heavyweight champion has registered the shortest fight in WEC history with a 0:16 TKO win over Miguel Cosio in his WEC debut on June 15, 2006. The 6-2 former Marine has only gone past the first round once, where he lost the title to Steve Cantwell, after previously defeating him by TKO in just 0:41.
Team Jvolutionary Ground Control in Bloomsburg went 1-1 last night at Warfare Fight Series. The fights took place at the Dayton Convention Center located in Dayton, Ohio. Mathew Beitz defeated Jeremy Lewellen in the first round via perivian neck tie (CB Dollaway choke) tapping him at 2:19, bringing his sanctioned record to 3-2-0 at 145pds and 155pds. Kenny Supsic fought Jeremy Meyers for the 145pd championship belt, after three hard fought rounds by both fighters, Meyers was announced the champion via Unanimous Decision.
The Cage MMA Academy in Reading went 1-1 last night at Althouse Kickboxing & Muay Thai at the Hamburg Fieldhouse. Matt Nieves went to a draw with his opponent in what some have called the Fight of the Night -- a rematch has been discussed for June, and Randy Danner lost by KO to his opponent.
April 18, 2009
Pennsylvania went 0-3-1 last night at Ring of Combat at the Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Will Martinez (155) of Philadelphia Fight Factory and Al Iaquinta (154.5) of Serra-Longo in New York went to a Unanimous Draw (all three judges 28-28, Iaquinta deducted one point in round two for grabbing fence), Ricky Lee (144) of Fight Factory fell to Andy Main (146) of AMA in New Jersey via KO at 3:58 of round one, John Doyle (186) of LVIRK MMA in Allentown fell to Sean Salmon (185) of SS Combat in Ohio via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25) and Lamont Lister (185) of Fight Firm in Philadelphia fell to Dante Rivera (185) of Team Ricardo Almeida in New Jersey via guillotine at 1:25 of round one. Edited 4.19.09
April 17, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, WFMZ-TV 69News Sports Reporter Troy Hein is covering the MMA scene in MMA coming to Reading: "It has been less than two months since the State of Pennsylvania voted to make Mixed Martial Arts legal within the states borders. The Sport is growing like crazy around the country in large part because of the popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC. On May 30th, the Sovereign Center will play host to the first MMA event ever in Berks County. The Pain on Penn Street event will actually feature amateur mixed martial arts along with professional boxing. Travis Kauffman and Julio Cesar Matthews will be the co-features on the boxing side of things. Kauffman is now 16-0 with 13 knockouts in his heavyweight career. The MMA fighters have yet to be announced. Unlike the events you may have seen on television, these MMA fights will be held in the boxing ring." You can view the video segment of the story here. WFMZ serves Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey.
The Office of Communications and Press for the Pennsylvania Department of State, issued a Press Release yesterday on the debut of MMA in PA. Excerpts include “After years of review and preparation, we welcome the era of MMA in Pennsylvania,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortés said. Pennsylvania joined the growing number of states to permit and regulate MMA, including New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, California, Nevada and Florida, when Cortés approved final regulations for the sport on February 23. To date, 18 promoters hold MMA licenses in Pennsylvania. “The State Athletic Commission has trained and recruited experienced officials to help ensure that events are safe, fair and orderly,” Cortés added. The names of these officials were not made available. The SAC licenses and regulates over 900 professionals and many sporting events, including boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and now mixed martial arts. The SAC is financially self-sufficient and receives no taxpayer dollars from the General Fund. It generated over $400,000 in net revenues in 2008 and anticipates MMA may generate as much as $80,000 per year in revenue for the administration of the SAC. The release stated "the next MMA event is scheduled for Saturday, May 30, in Oaks, Montgomery County." MMAinPA.com contacted the Office of Communications and Press today for clarification, as the SAC had previously approved Virginia-based promoter David Dussault for an all-professional MMA event on Thursday, April 30, which was confirmed by spokesperson Charlie Young today. R.I.E. - Respect Is Earned will take place at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, while King's Promotions presents Pain on Penn Street at the Sovereign Center in Reading on Saturday, May 30.
April 16, 2009
Mathew Beitz and Ken Supsic of Jvolutionary Ground Control in Bloomsburg are scheduled to fight this Saturday, April 18, at Warfare Fight Series in Dayton, Ohio. Beitz will face Jeremy Lewellen and Supsic will face Jeremy Meyers for the 145lb title.
The Renzo Gracie Pa Academy in Hatfield went 3-0 Saturday night at New Breed Fighters in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ryan Derstine continued to improve as he defeated Jermain Winborn of Tak Wah Kung Fu via rear naked choke at 2:00 of round one. Derstine dropped to a lighter weight class for this fight and entered the cage strong, ready and determined to win at 158.1 lbs. The first title fight of the night was a real dramatic affair between Jeremy Pompei and Evan Chmielski of X-treme Miletich in Warrington for the NBF Super Lightweight championship. Pitting two distinct styles, it was obvious early on that Chmielski was superior on his feet. Pompei was prepared with a brilliant strategy that attempted to neutralize Chmielski's advantage on their feet. Pompei never lost focus and eventually submitted Chmielski at 1:54 of round three via kimura. The Super Middleweight championship fight was one to behold -- a rematch between James Vanderbeek and Tom Phillipi of Team Balance in Philadelphia. Talk about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Phillipi came in with and incredible game plan that he executed with precision as he dominated the first two rounds, leaving Vanderbeek with no thing left but a knockout to salvage his first title shot and that is exactly what he did 33 seconds into round three. A more stunning victory was not witnessed this night. The improvement in Phillipi's game was extremely evident, yet Vanderbeek's perfect athletic ability, power and freakish conditioning is a special package.
April 15, 2009
Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge is scheduled for this Sunday, April 19, at the Wisehaven Banquet & Expo Center in York. This Pro/Am event is the first MMA in PA event under the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission since regulations took affect on Friday, February 27. You can view the current card here. The Wisehaven Banquet Hall is located at 2985 East Prospect Road.
Tristate MMA-BJJ in Milford will host a Saulo Ribeiro seminar on Saturday, April 25, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. The cost is just $125.00 per person prepaid by today. The seminar is open to the first 30 people. Contact tristatebjj@gmail.com or 570.242.4650 for more information.
April 14, 2009
Warrior Martial Arts in Bristol is proudly hosting a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar with 7th degree Red/Black Belt Professor Pedro Sauer on Saturday, May 30, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Warrior Martial Arts is very honored to have Sauer at their academy and would like others to share in this opportunity. The cost is just $100 person. To reserve your spot, or for more information, please contact 215.785.2636 or lorisab2@aol.com.
April 13, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, King's Promotions presents Pain on Penn Street a night of Professional Boxing and Amateur MMA on Saturday, May 30, at the Sovereign Center in Reading. More information, including the card, to follow.
Towanda-native Mike Guerin (2-0-1) fighting out of BombSquad MMA in Ithaca, New York, is expected to face Joey Kirwan (0-1-0) fighting out of Clinch Academy in Frederick, Maryland, in Respect Is Earned at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, on Thursday, April 30.
Minersville-native Jonathan Murphy will appear on the new MTV series Bully Beatdown in the upcoming weeks. The concept of the show pits hometown bullies against professional mixed martial artists in one segment each of grappling and kickboxing. The show airs Sunday at 9:30 PM.
April 12, 2009
At the NAGA World Championships last weekend in Newark, New Jersey, the Berks County BJJ team put in an awesome showing, which helped Team RGDA accumulate enough overall points to earn 2nd Place for all Teams at the world's largest grappling tournament. Lucas Ortiz took 1st Kids Expert 70-79 lbs No-Gi, Dmityri Poltauvskyi took 2nd Lightweight Teens Expert Gi and 2nd Lightweight Teens Expert No-Gi, Dylan Ekis took 3rd Bantamweight Teens Intermediate No-Gi and 2nd Bantamweight Teens Intermediate Gi, Stephen Cunningham took 3rd over 30 Middleweight Intermediate No-Gi and 3rd over 30 Middleweight Blue Belt, Erik Faust took 3rd over 30 Light Heavy Beginner No-Gi and 3rd over 30 Light Heavy White Belt, and Ricardo Pena took 1st Welterweight Expert No-Gi and 1st Welterweight Blue Belt. Pena defeated Daniel Roberts in OT of the No-Gi Finals, after Roberts defeated Jorge "Macaco" Patino in the Semi-Finals. You can watch the regulation time period Finals match here. A copy of the OT match has been requested by MMAinPA.com.
April 11, 2009
Kim's Martial Arts is proud to host a Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Seminar with 4th Degree Judo Black Belt and 4th Degree BJJ Black Belt Paulo Fernando Augusto on Saturday, May 9, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at their Pittsburgh academy, located at 3606 Brownsville Road. For more information and to register, please call 412.716.7689.
April 10, 2009
Pennsylvania fighters went 2-0 at Bellator Fighting Championships tonight at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Both Philadelphia-based Daddis FC fighters won by Unanimous Decision. Matt Makowski defeated Aaron Tregear of London, Canada, (29-28 all three judges) in a non-tournament lightweight fight and Wilson Reis defeated Henry Martinez of Jackson's MMA in New Mexico, (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in a featherweight tournament fight. In other Bellator news, the first semi-final bouts of the 12-week, 4-weight class tournament, featuring a spectacular lightweight match-up between Eddie Alvarez (16-2) of Philadelphia Fight Factory and Eric Reynolds (10-1) of Champions MMA in Bradenton, Florida, along with Jorge Masvidal (16-3) vs. Toby Imada (18-10), is scheduled for Friday, May 1, at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, where the winners of these match-ups advance to the Lightweight Championship.
World-renowned, multiple-time and multiple-event champion Megaton Dias is coming to Pennsylvania for a series of seminars, where he will also be available for private instruction. His Jiu-Jitsu is ridiculous, but you will find him to be extremely friendly and down to earth. Diaz will be in Pennsylvania the week of May 26. His tentative seminar schedule is as follows: Tuesday, May 26 Seminar at World Class Martial Arts in Holmes and Wednesday, May 27 Seminar at Rosendo Diaz Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Telford. Privates are available Wednesday and Friday, May 29 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at RDBJJ Academy. Anyone interested in taking a private lesson should contact Rosendo Diaz at 267-476-1858 or heelhook21@aol.com.
April 9, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Still Standing Productions, LLC, promoting MMA in PA as Ultimate Cage Fighting Challenge (UCFC), will hold their first MMA event in Pennslyvania on Saturday, June 27. This show, which will launch a five-fight series called “Rumble on the Rivers,” will culminate in the crowning of the first-ever UCFC Champion and introduce the first-ever UCFC Championship belt. For more information, check out www.ucfc-mma.com.
WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner will give an MMA seminar at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville on Saturday, May 23, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Space is limited and you must pre-register and pay in advance to reserve a spot. The day will include a warm-up, boxing then wrestling, a lunch break, one on one with Jamie - Q&A and talk about nutrition, grappling and gnp, and gloves on -- put it all together. There will also be a give-a-way of autographed fight gloves and shirts along with an autograph session, where participants can have their picture taken with Varner and his WEC belt. For more information, call Jeff Contraguerro at 412.877.9733.
April 8, 2009
LionHeart in State College is proud to announce Diego Coloma as their new Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts instructor. Born and raised in Brazil, Coloma is a BJJ Black Belt under legendary instructor Leo Vieira and brings over 20 years of BJJ experience with him. He holds a professional MMA record of 6-1 with 3 KO's and 2 submission victories. "We are thrilled to be aligned with Robert Drysdale and his BJJ organization which is one of the best BJJ schools in the world. Through this relationship we were able to land Black Belt Diego Coloma as our head BJJ and MMA instructor. Diego is a perfect fit at LionHeart. In addition to his BJJ and MMA experience that will help elevate our fighters to the next level, he is a passionate teacher who will continue to help grow our MMA and BJJ school. I am grateful to the guys at Drysdale that worked with us over the last few months to find the right fit," said Chad Dubin, owner of LionHeart. For details regarding class schedule, private lessons, or special programs please contact Chad Dubin at 814.280.1982 or chad@lionheartfighters.com .
April 7, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Joel Roberts of Rat Pack Fighting System in Palmerton and James Oliver of Lansford BJJ in Lansford are expected to face each other shortly at 145 pounds in their professional MMA debuts. The 5-1 Roberts has been active on the New Jeresey amateur circuit and is the current New Breed Fighters lightweight champion, while the 3-2 Oliver has been active on the Ohio amateur circuit.
April 6, 2009
News from LionHeart MMA in State College late tonight has Phil Davis facing Terry Cohens fighting out of Palatka, Florida, at Ultimate Warrior Challenge "Capital Punishment" on Saturday April 25, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and Dave Sachs faces Jacob Kirwan fighting out of Maryland at Respect Is Earned on Thursday, April 30.
Ultimate Grapplers Challenge VIII: Clash of the Titans is scheduled for this Saturday, April 11, at Champion Sportsplex in Brodheadsville. The tournament will offer more than 100 divisions in Gi and No-Gi for men, women, teens and children. Weigh-ins start at 8:00 AM. Call 610.441.4559 for more information. Champion Sportsplex is located at 9 Pilgrim Way.
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Dustin Pague of Hulstine Athletics in Harrisburg and Biff Walizer of LionHeart in State College are expected to face each other in the Virginia-based Respect Is Earned inaugural Pennsylvania event at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, on Thursday, April 30. The 21-year-old Pague (2-1) is coming off two straight quick first round wins by submission since making his professional debut in October 2008, seeing just 2:08 of competition. The 33-year-old Walizer (2-3) is coming off a recent loss by submission and late 2008 win by submission. Walizer is scheduled to fight Rob Gaurino of Rhino Fight Team in New Jersey, in an approved fight in the inaugural Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge on Sunday, April 19. Anything shy of a win, with no complications, or a loss by submission, could affect this fight just 11 days later.
April 5, 2009
Jvolutionary Ground Control in Bloomsburg went 3-1 last night at Rumble on the River 2 in Portsmouth, Ohio. Mathew Beitz defeated Ronnie Vansickle via submission by triangle choke in round one, Ken Supsic defeated Morgan Shepphard via submission by kimura in round three and Cody Vidal defeated Mike Smith via submission by rear naked choke in round one. Jason Wharton fell to the hometown favorite Brandon Crabtree of Cornerstone MMA by TKO in the second round. According to Wharton, "I was dominating the fight," with four take downs, mounting his opponent and in side control two times and leading on the score cards "all he did was defend," said Wharton. With flagrant fouls by Crabtree, including striking the spine (six times), punching the back of the head (some 60 times) and an elbow to the temple, and numerous warnings by the referee (of the fouls), an appeal of the outcome is likely by Wharton.
April 4, 2009
Lancaster Family Martial Arts Center hosted a seminar with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and multiple-time Jiu-Jitsu champion Royler Gracie this afternoon at their Mountville academy. Following the well-received seminar, three students earned rank promotions. Rodney Stiffler, Chris Mitchell and Matthew Pape were promoted to blue belt.
Pennsylvania fighters went 2-0 in the inaugural Bellator Fighting Championships last night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. James Brasco (3-1) of Team Popovitch in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, defeated Kevin Abrante (3-1) of Gracie Barra in Orlando, Florida, via arm bar submission at 2:14 of round one of their middleweight non-tournament fight. According to bellator.typepad.com: Brasco scores and early takedown, but Abrante quickly defends from back position. Brasco pounces Abrante and breaks his guard position. Lots of hugging and kisses but no hitting, ref pushes them to fight. Brasco starts pounding to the body and breaks guard. Brasco gains leverage on Abrante’s arm and synchs an arm bar. Abrante quickly taps out. Eddie Alvarez (16-2) of Philadelphia Fight Factory defeated Greg Loughran (18-12) of Progressive Combat in Northern Ireland, via guillotine choke submission at 2:44 of round one in a featured lightweight tournament fight. According to bellator.typepad.com: The fighters begin dancing and feeling each other. A wild countering flurry of punches, Loughlin lands a left hook that buckles Alvarez to a knee. Loughlin pounces but is unable to get control as Alvarez gets back to his feet. Another flurry, this time Alvarez lands an uppercut, stunning Loughlin. Alvarez takes down Loughlinm but is unable to hold him down. Alvarez stalks Loughlin, getting him along the wall…a big powerful slam to the mat. Alvarez capitalizes with a quick shift into a guillotine choke and Loughlin taps out.
April 3, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Waynesburg-native Josh Koscheck, fighting out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, sustained a broken toe in training this week, and is expected to miss his upcoming fight against Chris Wilson of Team Quest at UFC® 98: Evans vs. Machida on Saturday, May 23, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Is there is no official word from the UFC®.
Jason Wharton, Cody Vidal, Ken Supsic and Mathew Beitz of Jvolutionary Ground Control in Bloomsburg traveled to Portsmouth, Ohio, today to compete in Rumble on the River 2 Saturday, April 4.
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Carlton Haselrig (2-1) of Johnstown is scheduled to face Chris Larkin (6-5-1) of Black Dragon MMA in Columbus, Ohio, in the Main Event of the inaugural Iron Will Fighting Championship at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown on Saturday, May 16. Both fighters are coming off losses and should be eager for the win. The 43-year-old Haselrig, an EliteXC veteran and former BCX champion, fell to Joe Abouata by Rear Naked Choke in July 2008, while the 31-year-old Larkin, a Gracie Proving Ground veteran, fell to Demian Decorah by TKO Doctor Stoppage in December 2008. The co-main event will feature Charlie Brenneman (7-1) of East Stroudsburg and Marcus Ajian (6-4) of Sandusky, Ohio.
Pittsburgh-native James Brasco weighed-in last night at 184.5 pounds for his middleweight non-tournament fight against Kevin Abrante (185.5) in the inaugural Bellator Fighting Championships tonight at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. ADCC News had an opportunity to talk with Brasco earlier this week. Read The Interview Here
April 2, 2009
Bellator Fighting Championships announced today weekly Internet English-language webcasts of their events every Wednesday exclusively at www.bellator.com. Follow punch by punch right from your home or office with commentators Jon Anik and Jason Chambers. Posting starts at 7:00 AM EST.
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Paul Bradley (10-0) of LionHeart MMA in State College, is scheduled to face Mike Pierce (6-1) fighting out of Portland, Oregon, in Virginia-based Respect Is Earned at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, on Thursday, April 30. The undefeated Bradley is coming off a Split Decision win over SportFight welterweight champion Nathan Coy of Team Quest at WCA in February. The former Ring of Combat middleweight champion had a stint on Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter. A superb wrestler with KO power, Pierce is coming off a win by TKO from strikes over Justin Haskins at WEC in March. The welterweights will meet at a catch weight of 180 due to same day weigh-ins.
April 1, 2009
Carmelo Marrero of Douglassville fell to Ryan Bader of Tempe, Arizona, by Unanimous Decision tonight at UFC® Fight Night™: Condit vs Kampmann in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission has approved two MMA events for Virginia-based promoter David Dussault in Pennsylvania. The first event is approved for Thursday, April 30, at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Philadelphia, followed on Saturday, June 20, at the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg. However, the promotion, known as R.I.E. - Respect Is Earned, is advertising the April 30 event as the first all professional at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks on their web site. Neither venues web site has a listing on their Upcoming Events pages for MMA on April 30.
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Dustin Pague of Hulstine Athletics in Harrisburg defeated 3X All-American wrestler Biff Walizer of LionHeart MMA in State College via rear naked choke in round three of the Virginia-based Respect Is Earned inaugural Pennsylvania event at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks tonight. According to a text message, it was a "super tough fight... back and forth the whole time." This is the third straight submission win for the 21-year-old since making his professional MMA debut in October 2008.
Heading into its 13th year, Friday Night Fights NYC Series is rolling out the heavy artillery for the Big Show at the Lexington Avenue Armory on Friday, May 8, featuring Pennsylvania fighters. In the 1st Feature Bout, Team Fairtex fighter Eric Utsch of Allentown faces Travis Lerchen in a super middleweight bout. Utsch is one of the most entertaining fighters in the Friday Night Fights stable. Also known as the "Hooligan", the 29-year-old has an impressive amateur record and is now 2-0 as a professional. Lerchen is a tall south-paw from Connecticut, has experience as an MMA fighter and will be making his debut in professional Muay Thai on this card. Both Utsch and Lerchen are -- colorful characters and if their appearance is any indication of the insanity that can expected, then this match is sure to live up to expectations. In the 2nd Feature Bout, Rami Ibrahim of Sitan Gym and Justin Greskiewicz of Daddis Fight Camp, both of Philadelphia, face off in a junior welterweight bout. Greskiewicz was originally scheduled to compete against Matt McKusker however, when McKusker dropped out, the always game "Arabian Nightmare" stepped up. Ibrahim has a tremendous experience advantage over Greskiewicz however, both fighters are eager to meet one another. Greskiewicz is the larger of the two - ordinarily competing at 147lbs, he has come down to 140lbs to meet Ibrahim, who usually competes between 135-140lbs. This will be a classic match of an experienced veteran against a young gun -- with the winr goes the bragging rights for the City of Brotherly Love. Pennsylvania will also be represented by Osvaldo Dominguez (5-0) and Tim Amorim (8-3) both of Sitan Gym in Philadelphia, Jen Szecker of Cool Hearts Muay Thai in Philadelphia and Omar Davis of Philadelphia.
April 29, 2009
There will be a Welcome Home Benefit for Shane Ott on Sunday, May 10, from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Leesport Auction Hall. The $20.00 donation covers food and beverages. You may recall the Anthracite Combat Club team member was critically injured in a motorcycle accident on Route 422 in Wyomissing (Berks County) in the early morning hours of November 2. The 37-year-old spent months recovering, and he is back. Ott is a local tattoo artist. All proceeds directly benefit the popular Reading-native. The Leesport Auction Hall is located at 312 Gernant's Church Road in Leesport. Call Reading Tattoo at 610.376.144 for more information.
April 28, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, R.I.E. Director of Marketing said in a telephone conversation today that the promotions June 20 event, originally scheduled for the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg, will move to Philadelphia. The Virginia-based promotion was approved for two events earlier this month, including the first all pro MMA in PA card this Thursday, April 30, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks.
King’s Promotions brings for the first time to the Reading area, an amateur mixed martial arts and professional boxing card to be held at the Sovereign Center on Saturday, May 30. The hybrid MMA/Boxing event will mix the two disciplines in one exciting night of non-stop action. Mixed Martial Arts has been enjoying increasing popularity in recent years, and King’s Promotions hopes it will be a good opportunity to introduce Boxing fans to MMA and MMA fans to Boxing. Pain On Penn Street will feature fighters from some of the most active MMA teams in Pennsylvania -- Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven, LionHeart MMA in State College, Team Quiet Storm in Reading, Rosendo Diaz BJJ in Telford, Triple Threat Fighting System in Sunbury and Vicious MMA in Williamsport. Tickets are priced at $65.00, $50.00, $35.00 and $25.00 and can be purchased at the Sovereign Center Box Office (700 Penn Street in Reading 610.898.7200) or at all Ticketmaster outlets (1.800.745.3000 or www.ticketmaster.com).
April 27, 2009
R.I.E., LLC (Respect Is Earned) has announced the debut of RIE Fantasy MMA, one of the first of its kind on the East Coast. With the onset of the first all-pro state-sanctioned MMA event in the Philadelphia area on April 30, RIE's Fantasy experience allows users to select fight winners, including options such as winning round, time, and technique. Participants are limited to those who have purchased online tickets to the April 30 event by Wednesday, April 29. Philadelphia area fans will experience Fantasy score updates as each fight concludes and will be eligible for high end prizes, such as VIP privileges, free gifts and time with UFC veterans such as Jon "Bones" Jones of Team BombSquad MMA. The Pennsylvania inaugural R.I.E. is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks.
The Lancaster County Convention Center will play host to the 2009 Grapplers Quest Northeast Grappling Championships on Saturday, September 26.
Power Productions and Cintron Beverage Group present Raw Power: South Philly Rumble at The Arena (formerly New Alhambra) in Philadelphia on Friday, May 8. Mixed Martial Artist Brutal Brendan Barrett, fighting out of Tenth Round Boxing in Fairless Hills, makes his professional Boxing debut. The 27-year-old says, "this is my pro boxing debut so those who love to watch me brawl and throw bombs in my MMA fights do not want to miss this." The Arena is located at the corner of Ritner and Swanson Streets.
Inkosi Promotions quietly announced last week it was necessary to cancel their upcoming event, "Gemini," scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at the Lehighton Recreation Center in the greater Allentown area, as they were unable to secure sufficient fighters for the card. In seeking additional information, MMAinPA.com learned today that the promotions web site is inactive.
April 26, 2009
Millville-based Mathew Beitz (3-2-0) makes his Brawlroom Fight Promotions debut on Saturday, May 30, in Brookfield, Ohio, against a yet to be named opponent. This will be the first fight for Beitz, now training with Team Triple Threat in Sunbury. The 25-year-old is coming off a first round submission win over Jeremy Lewellen at Warrior Combat XXII on April 18 in Ohio. Edited 4.27.09
Phil Davis of LionHeart MMA in State College "is now 3-0 after his destruction of Terry Cohens" according to Sherdog.com, last night in a light heavyweight fight at UWC - Capital Punishment in Fairfax, Virginia. "A four-time All-American at Penn State University, Davis punished his opponent (fighting out of Palatka, Florida) from a variety of positions before putting him away with punches from the mount at 4:29 of the opening period." The fight streamed live on Sherdog.com. You can View It Here.
April 25, 2009
In first to MMAinPA.com, Pennsylvania went 0-7 tonight at Asylum Fight League in Sayreville, New Jersey. Five Ephrata-based Dragon Theory MMA fighters succumbed to their opponents. Mike Serrano (140) fell to Greg Belardinelli (139) of TSMMA via rear naked choke at 1:42 of round two, Brandon Rook (148.5) fell to Michael Riley (154) Taurus MMA via unanimous decision (all three judges 30-27), Dave Rose (170.5) fell to Jason Alcoba (172) ALL N MMA via rear naked choke at 0:46 of round one, Brian DeBoar (175.5) fell to Mike Fischetti (173) of TSMMA via guillotine choke at 2:51 of round one and Rob Willis (192) fell to Ariel Sepulvida (194.5) of Carmine Zocchi via rear naked choke at 2:01 of round one. Lewis Rumsey (205.5) of Vicious MMA in Williamsport fell to Stelian Rizea (204) of Jerry Jones MMA via unanimous decision (all three judges 28-27). Rizea deducted one point in round one and one point in round three for striking to head while on the ground, while Noah Faunce (186) American Fighters NY continued his undefeated streak by putting an end to the undefeated streak of Erik Purcell (194.5) of Rogue Mixed Martial Arts in via triangle choke at 1:39 of round two in a dual title catch weight fight.
April 24, 2009
Bellator Fighting Championships continues its 12 week nationwide world championship series with its sixth event taking place at the Central Pavilion Arena at Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown, Texas, on Friday May 8. The event will feature two semi-final match-ups with the winners each advancing to the finals and becoming just one step away from capturing Bellator’s Featherweight (145 lbs.) world championship title, including returning just three weeks after his dominating quarter-finals win over Henry Martinez of Jackson's MMA in New Mexico, former EliteXC champion Wilson Reis of Philadelphia-based Daddis FC will continue his fight to capture the Bellator Featherweight world championship title against undefeated All-American wrestler Joe Soto fighting out fo Santa Rosa, California. This fight will air exclusively on ESPN Deportes Saturday, May 9.
April 23, 2009
Jamie Apody of 6ABC in Philadelphia tackles MMA tonight on Action News at 11:00 PM. Here is a preview: Supporters say it's got strategy, critics say it's brutal. It packs the seats at every venue - and with a lot of women! Ultimate fighting has been around for 20 years, but it's reputation was stained with blood, from ruthless, no-holds-barred matches. Now, a renewed version of the sport, Mixed Martial Arts, is gaining popularity like wildfire, thanks to televised matches, high-profile matches in Las Vegas, and a host of celebrity fans, like Bruce Willis. Now, ultimate fighting, or mixed martial arts, is legal in Pennsylvania. A big card of more than a dozen fights is scheduled for the suburbs for later this month, and there is talk of a top-notch card for Philadelphia this summer. A third of the crowd is female, some of the up & coming fighters are female, and a slender young woman from Bucks County who trains in MMA plans to become one of the area's major promoters. Why would something with a reputation like this draw so many women? Tonight on Action News at 11, we take you to Pennsylvania's first legal matches, to meet some of the men and women drawn to this sport. Action News reporter Jamie Apody also takes to the mat, in the Philadelphia gym that's become an epicenter for those yearning to get into the cage for their moment of glory. Apody is a 2nd degree black belt in karate. Look forward to her perspective in reporting on MMA in PA.
The first all professional MMA in PA event is just one week away. The Pennsylvania inaugural R.I.E. - Respect Is Earned is scheduled for Thursday, April 30, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks. Paul Bradley, fighting out of LionHeart MMA is State College, is scheduled to face Mike Pierce, fighting out of Portland, Oregon, in the Main Event. The welterweights are scheduled to meet at a catch weight of 180 pounds due to same day weigh-ins. Red Lion-based Biff Walizer, fighting out of LionHeart, is scheduled to face Dustin Pague, fighting out of Hulstine Athletics in Harrisburg, at a catch weight at 150 pounds. Washington-based Dave Sachs, fighting out of Pittsburgh Fight Club in Pittsburgh, is scheduled to face Jacob Kirwan, fighting out of Clinch Academy in Maryland, and Towanda-native Mike Guerin, fighting out of BombSquad MMA in Ithaca, New York, is scheduled to face Joey Kirwan, fighting out of Clinch Academy.
April 22, 2009
Phil "Mr. Wonderful" Davis of LionHeart MMA in State College will face Terry "T-Rex" Cohens of Palatka, Florida, this Saturday, April 25, in a light heavyweight fight at UWC - Capital Punishment at the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission released the official results for Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge held this past Sunday afternoon in York. You can view the results here in the database of www.MixedMartialArts.com, the Official Certified MMA Registry of the Association of Boxing Commissions.
April 21, 2009
Based out of Harrisburg, Dirty Dog Hauling™ Junk Removal Services is a professional company that specializes in removal of junk from homes, apartments, businesses, and construction sites. The company has acquired the rights to use LionHeart fighter and Harrisburg native Phil Davis as their official spokesperson for the company's print and TV advertising -- "Don't wrestle with your Trash, Call the Experts at Dirty Dog Hauling". Chad Dubin, owner LionHeart Management says, "This is a true win/win relationship. Phil Davis gets to help a company from his hometown and we get financial support for one of our athletes to continue training. It will also be great for Phil to work with Leland Nelson, the owner of Dirty Dog Hauling because he is such a unique and innovative businessman."
April 20, 2009
Although no official results are available from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission on the first MMA in PA event, Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge held Sunday afternoon at the Wisehaven Banquet & Expo Center in York, Teams and Fighters are reporting in to MMAinPA.com. LionHeart MMA in State College offered their fighter Biff Walizer of Red Lion defeated Rob Gaurino of Rhino Fight Team in New Jersey via TKO in round three of a professional fight. Lewis Rumsey of Vicious MMA in Williamsport defeated Mike Oberdick of York County via Unanimous Decision in what sounds like a one-sided fight. According to Rumsey, the fight went like this: bell rang I threw a one two combination then Oberdick bull-rushed in and clinched... I clinched up with him and took Oberdick down... I got on top and pounded him in the ribs the rest of the first round... second round Oberdick bull-rushed in and I took him down again... Oberdick went for numerious submissions, but failed... I was pounding his ribs alot and also passed his guard... but Oberdick got his guard back and I just pounded him in the ribs for the rest of the round... third round I went for a shot and took Oberdick down... Oberdick got my back in the process and had it for a half a minute or so... then I reversed him and I kept good posture and pounded Oberdick's ribs alot (for the remainder of the round). And to wrap up for Team Vicious, who took first place in the Team Challenge, Eric Steppe, Andrew Widdersheim, John Flock and Josh Aarons defeated their respective opponents with Aarons receiving recognition for Fight of the Night, while Ron White fell to his opponent.
From newbreedfighters.tv: Our final fight between Frank Mullin, Team Hassett (in New Jersey), and Dave McMahon of X-Treme Miletich (in Warrington), (Saturday) was to fill our vacant Light Heavyweight Title. Again we had a rematch. Frank came in undefeated while Dave had one loss on an otherwise very impressive record. That loss was to Frank Mullin. In this rematch Anthony Tamburrino came in confident in his strategy and his student. It paid off as Dave systematically controlled the tempo of the fight and winning a unanimous 3 round decision. These were two of the finest fighters representing two of the regions finest schools and it showed. Their fans had everything to cheer for and left overwhelmingly proud of both young men.
April 19, 2009
Jonathan Murphy of Anthracite Combat Club in Schuylkill Haven was the featured fighter on the MTV series Bully Beatdown tonight. The concept of the show pits hometown bullies against professional mixed martial artists in one segment each of grappling and kickboxing. The bully, Eriq, known as "The Bum Rapper," has a bad attitude toward women and a big, unbruisable ego. The EliteXC veteran got five tapouts out of the bully in the first round, and made him quit at just 0:35 of the second round. Eriq was forced to forfeit his $10,000 purse.
Brian Stann, formerly of Scranton, fell to Canadian Krzysztof Soszynski last night by patented kimura submission in the first round of his UFCA debut at “Redemption” live on PPV from the Bell Centre in Montreal. According to sherdog.com: Stann is unloading with his hands as Soszynski steps forward in the pocket. Stann goes to Soszynski’s lead leg with an inside-low kick. Soszynski secures the Thai plum, but he is unable to mount any offense before catching a right hand on the top of his head. Soszynski drops down for a double-leg takedown and he easily gets it. Stann tries to stand and Soszynski rips his legs out from underneath him. Soszynski hops into the mount but loses it when Stann transitions to a heel hold. Soszynski defends and moves to side control. Stann gets to his feet and is slammed immediately to the floor. From half-guard, Soszynski locks in a kimura and Stann escapes. Another kimura comes from side control and Stann taps quickly. The official time is 3:53 of the opening frame. The former WEC light heavyweight champion has registered the shortest fight in WEC history with a 0:16 TKO win over Miguel Cosio in his WEC debut on June 15, 2006. The 6-2 former Marine has only gone past the first round once, where he lost the title to Steve Cantwell, after previously defeating him by TKO in just 0:41.
Team Jvolutionary Ground Control in Bloomsburg went 1-1 last night at Warfare Fight Series. The fights took place at the Dayton Convention Center located in Dayton, Ohio. Mathew Beitz defeated Jeremy Lewellen in the first round via perivian neck tie (CB Dollaway choke) tapping him at 2:19, bringing his sanctioned record to 3-2-0 at 145pds and 155pds. Kenny Supsic fought Jeremy Meyers for the 145pd championship belt, after three hard fought rounds by both fighters, Meyers was announced the champion via Unanimous Decision.
The Cage MMA Academy in Reading went 1-1 last night at Althouse Kickboxing & Muay Thai at the Hamburg Fieldhouse. Matt Nieves went to a draw with his opponent in what some have called the Fight of the Night -- a rematch has been discussed for June, and Randy Danner lost by KO to his opponent.
April 18, 2009
Pennsylvania went 0-3-1 last night at Ring of Combat at the Tropicana Showroom in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Will Martinez (155) of Philadelphia Fight Factory and Al Iaquinta (154.5) of Serra-Longo in New York went to a Unanimous Draw (all three judges 28-28, Iaquinta deducted one point in round two for grabbing fence), Ricky Lee (144) of Fight Factory fell to Andy Main (146) of AMA in New Jersey via KO at 3:58 of round one, John Doyle (186) of LVIRK MMA in Allentown fell to Sean Salmon (185) of SS Combat in Ohio via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25) and Lamont Lister (185) of Fight Firm in Philadelphia fell to Dante Rivera (185) of Team Ricardo Almeida in New Jersey via guillotine at 1:25 of round one. Edited 4.19.09
April 17, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, WFMZ-TV 69News Sports Reporter Troy Hein is covering the MMA scene in MMA coming to Reading: "It has been less than two months since the State of Pennsylvania voted to make Mixed Martial Arts legal within the states borders. The Sport is growing like crazy around the country in large part because of the popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC. On May 30th, the Sovereign Center will play host to the first MMA event ever in Berks County. The Pain on Penn Street event will actually feature amateur mixed martial arts along with professional boxing. Travis Kauffman and Julio Cesar Matthews will be the co-features on the boxing side of things. Kauffman is now 16-0 with 13 knockouts in his heavyweight career. The MMA fighters have yet to be announced. Unlike the events you may have seen on television, these MMA fights will be held in the boxing ring." You can view the video segment of the story here. WFMZ serves Eastern Pennsylvania and Western New Jersey.
The Office of Communications and Press for the Pennsylvania Department of State, issued a Press Release yesterday on the debut of MMA in PA. Excerpts include “After years of review and preparation, we welcome the era of MMA in Pennsylvania,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortés said. Pennsylvania joined the growing number of states to permit and regulate MMA, including New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, California, Nevada and Florida, when Cortés approved final regulations for the sport on February 23. To date, 18 promoters hold MMA licenses in Pennsylvania. “The State Athletic Commission has trained and recruited experienced officials to help ensure that events are safe, fair and orderly,” Cortés added. The names of these officials were not made available. The SAC licenses and regulates over 900 professionals and many sporting events, including boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and now mixed martial arts. The SAC is financially self-sufficient and receives no taxpayer dollars from the General Fund. It generated over $400,000 in net revenues in 2008 and anticipates MMA may generate as much as $80,000 per year in revenue for the administration of the SAC. The release stated "the next MMA event is scheduled for Saturday, May 30, in Oaks, Montgomery County." MMAinPA.com contacted the Office of Communications and Press today for clarification, as the SAC had previously approved Virginia-based promoter David Dussault for an all-professional MMA event on Thursday, April 30, which was confirmed by spokesperson Charlie Young today. R.I.E. - Respect Is Earned will take place at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, while King's Promotions presents Pain on Penn Street at the Sovereign Center in Reading on Saturday, May 30.
April 16, 2009
Mathew Beitz and Ken Supsic of Jvolutionary Ground Control in Bloomsburg are scheduled to fight this Saturday, April 18, at Warfare Fight Series in Dayton, Ohio. Beitz will face Jeremy Lewellen and Supsic will face Jeremy Meyers for the 145lb title.
The Renzo Gracie Pa Academy in Hatfield went 3-0 Saturday night at New Breed Fighters in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ryan Derstine continued to improve as he defeated Jermain Winborn of Tak Wah Kung Fu via rear naked choke at 2:00 of round one. Derstine dropped to a lighter weight class for this fight and entered the cage strong, ready and determined to win at 158.1 lbs. The first title fight of the night was a real dramatic affair between Jeremy Pompei and Evan Chmielski of X-treme Miletich in Warrington for the NBF Super Lightweight championship. Pitting two distinct styles, it was obvious early on that Chmielski was superior on his feet. Pompei was prepared with a brilliant strategy that attempted to neutralize Chmielski's advantage on their feet. Pompei never lost focus and eventually submitted Chmielski at 1:54 of round three via kimura. The Super Middleweight championship fight was one to behold -- a rematch between James Vanderbeek and Tom Phillipi of Team Balance in Philadelphia. Talk about snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Phillipi came in with and incredible game plan that he executed with precision as he dominated the first two rounds, leaving Vanderbeek with no thing left but a knockout to salvage his first title shot and that is exactly what he did 33 seconds into round three. A more stunning victory was not witnessed this night. The improvement in Phillipi's game was extremely evident, yet Vanderbeek's perfect athletic ability, power and freakish conditioning is a special package.
April 15, 2009
Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge is scheduled for this Sunday, April 19, at the Wisehaven Banquet & Expo Center in York. This Pro/Am event is the first MMA in PA event under the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission since regulations took affect on Friday, February 27. You can view the current card here. The Wisehaven Banquet Hall is located at 2985 East Prospect Road.
Tristate MMA-BJJ in Milford will host a Saulo Ribeiro seminar on Saturday, April 25, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. The cost is just $125.00 per person prepaid by today. The seminar is open to the first 30 people. Contact tristatebjj@gmail.com or 570.242.4650 for more information.
April 14, 2009
Warrior Martial Arts in Bristol is proudly hosting a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu seminar with 7th degree Red/Black Belt Professor Pedro Sauer on Saturday, May 30, from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Warrior Martial Arts is very honored to have Sauer at their academy and would like others to share in this opportunity. The cost is just $100 person. To reserve your spot, or for more information, please contact 215.785.2636 or lorisab2@aol.com.
April 13, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, King's Promotions presents Pain on Penn Street a night of Professional Boxing and Amateur MMA on Saturday, May 30, at the Sovereign Center in Reading. More information, including the card, to follow.
Towanda-native Mike Guerin (2-0-1) fighting out of BombSquad MMA in Ithaca, New York, is expected to face Joey Kirwan (0-1-0) fighting out of Clinch Academy in Frederick, Maryland, in Respect Is Earned at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, on Thursday, April 30.
Minersville-native Jonathan Murphy will appear on the new MTV series Bully Beatdown in the upcoming weeks. The concept of the show pits hometown bullies against professional mixed martial artists in one segment each of grappling and kickboxing. The show airs Sunday at 9:30 PM.
April 12, 2009
At the NAGA World Championships last weekend in Newark, New Jersey, the Berks County BJJ team put in an awesome showing, which helped Team RGDA accumulate enough overall points to earn 2nd Place for all Teams at the world's largest grappling tournament. Lucas Ortiz took 1st Kids Expert 70-79 lbs No-Gi, Dmityri Poltauvskyi took 2nd Lightweight Teens Expert Gi and 2nd Lightweight Teens Expert No-Gi, Dylan Ekis took 3rd Bantamweight Teens Intermediate No-Gi and 2nd Bantamweight Teens Intermediate Gi, Stephen Cunningham took 3rd over 30 Middleweight Intermediate No-Gi and 3rd over 30 Middleweight Blue Belt, Erik Faust took 3rd over 30 Light Heavy Beginner No-Gi and 3rd over 30 Light Heavy White Belt, and Ricardo Pena took 1st Welterweight Expert No-Gi and 1st Welterweight Blue Belt. Pena defeated Daniel Roberts in OT of the No-Gi Finals, after Roberts defeated Jorge "Macaco" Patino in the Semi-Finals. You can watch the regulation time period Finals match here. A copy of the OT match has been requested by MMAinPA.com.
April 11, 2009
Kim's Martial Arts is proud to host a Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Seminar with 4th Degree Judo Black Belt and 4th Degree BJJ Black Belt Paulo Fernando Augusto on Saturday, May 9, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at their Pittsburgh academy, located at 3606 Brownsville Road. For more information and to register, please call 412.716.7689.
April 10, 2009
Pennsylvania fighters went 2-0 at Bellator Fighting Championships tonight at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut. Both Philadelphia-based Daddis FC fighters won by Unanimous Decision. Matt Makowski defeated Aaron Tregear of London, Canada, (29-28 all three judges) in a non-tournament lightweight fight and Wilson Reis defeated Henry Martinez of Jackson's MMA in New Mexico, (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in a featherweight tournament fight. In other Bellator news, the first semi-final bouts of the 12-week, 4-weight class tournament, featuring a spectacular lightweight match-up between Eddie Alvarez (16-2) of Philadelphia Fight Factory and Eric Reynolds (10-1) of Champions MMA in Bradenton, Florida, along with Jorge Masvidal (16-3) vs. Toby Imada (18-10), is scheduled for Friday, May 1, at the Hara Arena in Dayton, Ohio, where the winners of these match-ups advance to the Lightweight Championship.
World-renowned, multiple-time and multiple-event champion Megaton Dias is coming to Pennsylvania for a series of seminars, where he will also be available for private instruction. His Jiu-Jitsu is ridiculous, but you will find him to be extremely friendly and down to earth. Diaz will be in Pennsylvania the week of May 26. His tentative seminar schedule is as follows: Tuesday, May 26 Seminar at World Class Martial Arts in Holmes and Wednesday, May 27 Seminar at Rosendo Diaz Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Telford. Privates are available Wednesday and Friday, May 29 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at RDBJJ Academy. Anyone interested in taking a private lesson should contact Rosendo Diaz at 267-476-1858 or heelhook21@aol.com.
April 9, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Still Standing Productions, LLC, promoting MMA in PA as Ultimate Cage Fighting Challenge (UCFC), will hold their first MMA event in Pennslyvania on Saturday, June 27. This show, which will launch a five-fight series called “Rumble on the Rivers,” will culminate in the crowning of the first-ever UCFC Champion and introduce the first-ever UCFC Championship belt. For more information, check out www.ucfc-mma.com.
WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner will give an MMA seminar at Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville on Saturday, May 23, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Space is limited and you must pre-register and pay in advance to reserve a spot. The day will include a warm-up, boxing then wrestling, a lunch break, one on one with Jamie - Q&A and talk about nutrition, grappling and gnp, and gloves on -- put it all together. There will also be a give-a-way of autographed fight gloves and shirts along with an autograph session, where participants can have their picture taken with Varner and his WEC belt. For more information, call Jeff Contraguerro at 412.877.9733.
April 8, 2009
LionHeart in State College is proud to announce Diego Coloma as their new Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Mixed Martial Arts instructor. Born and raised in Brazil, Coloma is a BJJ Black Belt under legendary instructor Leo Vieira and brings over 20 years of BJJ experience with him. He holds a professional MMA record of 6-1 with 3 KO's and 2 submission victories. "We are thrilled to be aligned with Robert Drysdale and his BJJ organization which is one of the best BJJ schools in the world. Through this relationship we were able to land Black Belt Diego Coloma as our head BJJ and MMA instructor. Diego is a perfect fit at LionHeart. In addition to his BJJ and MMA experience that will help elevate our fighters to the next level, he is a passionate teacher who will continue to help grow our MMA and BJJ school. I am grateful to the guys at Drysdale that worked with us over the last few months to find the right fit," said Chad Dubin, owner of LionHeart. For details regarding class schedule, private lessons, or special programs please contact Chad Dubin at 814.280.1982 or chad@lionheartfighters.com .
April 7, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Joel Roberts of Rat Pack Fighting System in Palmerton and James Oliver of Lansford BJJ in Lansford are expected to face each other shortly at 145 pounds in their professional MMA debuts. The 5-1 Roberts has been active on the New Jeresey amateur circuit and is the current New Breed Fighters lightweight champion, while the 3-2 Oliver has been active on the Ohio amateur circuit.
April 6, 2009
News from LionHeart MMA in State College late tonight has Phil Davis facing Terry Cohens fighting out of Palatka, Florida, at Ultimate Warrior Challenge "Capital Punishment" on Saturday April 25, at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, and Dave Sachs faces Jacob Kirwan fighting out of Maryland at Respect Is Earned on Thursday, April 30.
Ultimate Grapplers Challenge VIII: Clash of the Titans is scheduled for this Saturday, April 11, at Champion Sportsplex in Brodheadsville. The tournament will offer more than 100 divisions in Gi and No-Gi for men, women, teens and children. Weigh-ins start at 8:00 AM. Call 610.441.4559 for more information. Champion Sportsplex is located at 9 Pilgrim Way.
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Dustin Pague of Hulstine Athletics in Harrisburg and Biff Walizer of LionHeart in State College are expected to face each other in the Virginia-based Respect Is Earned inaugural Pennsylvania event at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, on Thursday, April 30. The 21-year-old Pague (2-1) is coming off two straight quick first round wins by submission since making his professional debut in October 2008, seeing just 2:08 of competition. The 33-year-old Walizer (2-3) is coming off a recent loss by submission and late 2008 win by submission. Walizer is scheduled to fight Rob Gaurino of Rhino Fight Team in New Jersey, in an approved fight in the inaugural Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge on Sunday, April 19. Anything shy of a win, with no complications, or a loss by submission, could affect this fight just 11 days later.
April 5, 2009
Jvolutionary Ground Control in Bloomsburg went 3-1 last night at Rumble on the River 2 in Portsmouth, Ohio. Mathew Beitz defeated Ronnie Vansickle via submission by triangle choke in round one, Ken Supsic defeated Morgan Shepphard via submission by kimura in round three and Cody Vidal defeated Mike Smith via submission by rear naked choke in round one. Jason Wharton fell to the hometown favorite Brandon Crabtree of Cornerstone MMA by TKO in the second round. According to Wharton, "I was dominating the fight," with four take downs, mounting his opponent and in side control two times and leading on the score cards "all he did was defend," said Wharton. With flagrant fouls by Crabtree, including striking the spine (six times), punching the back of the head (some 60 times) and an elbow to the temple, and numerous warnings by the referee (of the fouls), an appeal of the outcome is likely by Wharton.
April 4, 2009
Lancaster Family Martial Arts Center hosted a seminar with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and multiple-time Jiu-Jitsu champion Royler Gracie this afternoon at their Mountville academy. Following the well-received seminar, three students earned rank promotions. Rodney Stiffler, Chris Mitchell and Matthew Pape were promoted to blue belt.
Pennsylvania fighters went 2-0 in the inaugural Bellator Fighting Championships last night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. James Brasco (3-1) of Team Popovitch in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, defeated Kevin Abrante (3-1) of Gracie Barra in Orlando, Florida, via arm bar submission at 2:14 of round one of their middleweight non-tournament fight. According to bellator.typepad.com: Brasco scores and early takedown, but Abrante quickly defends from back position. Brasco pounces Abrante and breaks his guard position. Lots of hugging and kisses but no hitting, ref pushes them to fight. Brasco starts pounding to the body and breaks guard. Brasco gains leverage on Abrante’s arm and synchs an arm bar. Abrante quickly taps out. Eddie Alvarez (16-2) of Philadelphia Fight Factory defeated Greg Loughran (18-12) of Progressive Combat in Northern Ireland, via guillotine choke submission at 2:44 of round one in a featured lightweight tournament fight. According to bellator.typepad.com: The fighters begin dancing and feeling each other. A wild countering flurry of punches, Loughlin lands a left hook that buckles Alvarez to a knee. Loughlin pounces but is unable to get control as Alvarez gets back to his feet. Another flurry, this time Alvarez lands an uppercut, stunning Loughlin. Alvarez takes down Loughlinm but is unable to hold him down. Alvarez stalks Loughlin, getting him along the wall…a big powerful slam to the mat. Alvarez capitalizes with a quick shift into a guillotine choke and Loughlin taps out.
April 3, 2009
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Waynesburg-native Josh Koscheck, fighting out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, sustained a broken toe in training this week, and is expected to miss his upcoming fight against Chris Wilson of Team Quest at UFC® 98: Evans vs. Machida on Saturday, May 23, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Is there is no official word from the UFC®.
Jason Wharton, Cody Vidal, Ken Supsic and Mathew Beitz of Jvolutionary Ground Control in Bloomsburg traveled to Portsmouth, Ohio, today to compete in Rumble on the River 2 Saturday, April 4.
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Carlton Haselrig (2-1) of Johnstown is scheduled to face Chris Larkin (6-5-1) of Black Dragon MMA in Columbus, Ohio, in the Main Event of the inaugural Iron Will Fighting Championship at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown on Saturday, May 16. Both fighters are coming off losses and should be eager for the win. The 43-year-old Haselrig, an EliteXC veteran and former BCX champion, fell to Joe Abouata by Rear Naked Choke in July 2008, while the 31-year-old Larkin, a Gracie Proving Ground veteran, fell to Demian Decorah by TKO Doctor Stoppage in December 2008. The co-main event will feature Charlie Brenneman (7-1) of East Stroudsburg and Marcus Ajian (6-4) of Sandusky, Ohio.
Pittsburgh-native James Brasco weighed-in last night at 184.5 pounds for his middleweight non-tournament fight against Kevin Abrante (185.5) in the inaugural Bellator Fighting Championships tonight at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. ADCC News had an opportunity to talk with Brasco earlier this week. Read The Interview Here
April 2, 2009
Bellator Fighting Championships announced today weekly Internet English-language webcasts of their events every Wednesday exclusively at www.bellator.com. Follow punch by punch right from your home or office with commentators Jon Anik and Jason Chambers. Posting starts at 7:00 AM EST.
In an exclusive to MMAinPA.com, Paul Bradley (10-0) of LionHeart MMA in State College, is scheduled to face Mike Pierce (6-1) fighting out of Portland, Oregon, in Virginia-based Respect Is Earned at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, on Thursday, April 30. The undefeated Bradley is coming off a Split Decision win over SportFight welterweight champion Nathan Coy of Team Quest at WCA in February. The former Ring of Combat middleweight champion had a stint on Season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter. A superb wrestler with KO power, Pierce is coming off a win by TKO from strikes over Justin Haskins at WEC in March. The welterweights will meet at a catch weight of 180 due to same day weigh-ins.
April 1, 2009
Carmelo Marrero of Douglassville fell to Ryan Bader of Tempe, Arizona, by Unanimous Decision tonight at UFC® Fight Night™: Condit vs Kampmann in Nashville, Tennessee.
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission has approved two MMA events for Virginia-based promoter David Dussault in Pennsylvania. The first event is approved for Thursday, April 30, at the Philadelphia Convention Center in Philadelphia, followed on Saturday, June 20, at the Farm Show Arena in Harrisburg. However, the promotion, known as R.I.E. - Respect Is Earned, is advertising the April 30 event as the first all professional at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks on their web site. Neither venues web site has a listing on their Upcoming Events pages for MMA on April 30.