CAMO Event Round Up for 3.19 to 3.21

All-Star / Ka-Boom returns to Quiet Canyon in Montebello

Whether you were in Nor Cal, So Cal, or somewhere in between, MMA fans did not starve for live action this weekend, as three amateur events took place in the Golden State.

Friday night, March 19^th, All-Star Promotions returned to the Quiet Canyon Country Club for a night of pro-am MMA action. Three matches, including fan favorites Chris Golz and John Chacon, set off a night of 10 firework fights, with all three matches finishing in exciting fashion.

“I’m excited about the amateurs. . . All the kids have been doing really good with the tickets. . . Right now, in today’s economy, it’s really tough to really cover and all-pro show. It’s expensive. You’re looking at $35,000-plus. So the amateurs have really helped us out a lot.”

Golz and Chacon have both been featured on the past several All-Star / Ka-Boom events, but any thoughts these young talents have become promotion darlings come with a caveat, as Holmes explains: “They’re special guys, so we’re trying to make special fights. Not just give them the win.”

That said, Holmes is proud of the synergy he’s found with the regional teams, noting “we like what they’re doing and they like what we’re doing. It seems like [the fighters] really enjoy the venue, versus what was illegal, prior to CAMO. . . At least now they have some place that they can really proud to bring people to.”

Match results from the amateur portion of All-Star MMA on 3/19/10 are as follows:

265 lbs. – Chris Golz def. Mycal Osborne via TKO, R1, 0:50.

145 lbs. – John Chacon def. Jose Medina via submission, R3, 1:46.

135 lbs. – Steve Ramirez def. Jose Huerta via submission, R1, 1:06.

Fighters Stand-Up in South Sacramento

Up north, Stand Up Fighters debuted in a new location, the Lord’s Gym at South Sacramento’s Cal Skate, with “Retribution.” This amateur caged MMA event featured 13 matches, with Derek Formoso vs. Kyle Burnett toplining the night’s festivities.  Formoso was crowned the “Best Fighter in Northern California” at the previous Stand-Up event, earning him the opportunity to main event his next fight at Stand Up Fighters.

However, this night’s “Best Fighter in Northern California” honors went to Chaz Sanchez, who emerged victorious against David Durham. Together, the two combatants won “Fight of the Night” honors, with the both of them given Stand Up Fighters varsity jackets.  For Sanchez’ victory, he received an in-house title belt and is expected to main event the next Stand-Up Fighters bout in which he competes.

Promoter Gary Shurley was especially proud of the standout bout, stressing how closely competitive it was before ending early from a nasty cut.

“That was up and down, a lot of standing. It could have gone either way. What stopped that fight was that David took a bad shot to the head, and he got the front of his head split open. . . It took six staples.”

“We had one fight that went the distance. People got knocked out, TKO, or they got submitted. People really enjoyed the fights. There was a lot of action,” said Shurley of the night’s results.

As with Shurley’s previous show, fans were treated to a female MMA bout, as Charlene Gellner and Jenelle Gomes battled in a short-but-thrilling match that all but stole the show.

“Charlene was from Bay Area Fight Academy. Man, she’s tough. I see that girl being a really good pro. . . She overwhelmed her opponent. Took her out in the first round,” he noted.

Match results from Stand-Up Fighters “Retribution” on 3/19/10 are as follows:

145 lbs. – Derek Formoso def. Kyle Burnett via TKO, R1, 1:05.

250 lbs. (catchweight) – Karl Stallcop def. William Butler via TKO, R1, 0:17.

170 lbs. – Ryan Guzman def. Frank Sanchez via TKO, R2, 0:14.

118 lbs. (catchweight) (Female) – Charlene Gellner def. Jenelle Gomes via submission, R1, 1:15.

140 lbs. (catchweight) – Freddie Patino def. Raymond Aguilar via submission, R1, 0:54.

210 lbs. (catchweight) – Thomas Ballard def. Robert Acuna via verbal submission, R1.

125 lbs. – Zach Smith def. David Catano, Jr. via submission  (armbar), R2, 0:59.

155 lbs. – Nicholas Balestra def. Jerry Ribeira via KO, R2, 0:20.

150 lbs. (catchweight) – Brett Mulkey def. JJ Nguyen via submission (armbar), R1, 1:44.

165 lbs. (catchweight) – Marqus Betancourt def. Michael Herrera via KO, R1, 0:10.

160 lbs. (catchweight) – Chaz Sanchez def. David Durham via TKO doctor’s stoppage, R3, 0:35.

170 lbs. – Levi Temple def. Dan D’Angelo via TKO, R3, 1:35.

140 lbs. (catchweight) – Larry Fernandez ef. Edgar Torres via unanimous decision.

Central Coast Throwdown’s debut event a big success

The next night, in Salinas, Central Coast Throwdown made their CAMO debut, featuring 11 matches that sold out the Chieftain Dome at Palmas High School. This event proved to be among the biggest all-amateur events in CAMO history.

“The success of the show was based on good preparation. . . Keeping in contact with the fighters and their coaches.  Everybody knew they were fighting a month and a half before the show, which was key,” noted promoter Michael Macneill.

“Friends and family came out and saw their fighters fight. No one walked out displeased. It was a balls-to-the-wall type of fight. And that was exactly what I was expecting from the guys,” he added.

“I gave a speech in the locker rooms, before we went out, and I said ‘this is the time to shine. This is no different than your last two games in your senior year of football. Or whatever sport you played. The scouts are watching, and you get out there, and you give it everything you got. Win or lose.’ And they bought into it and they want out there and executed.”

Match results from Central Coast Throwdown on 3/20/10 are as follows:

160 lbs. – Fernando Lopez def. Eddie Morales via submission, R1, 0:40.

Michael Ellis def. Evan Rodriguez via submission, R1, 1:12.

Angelo Henry def. Lucas Oliveira via TKO, R2, 0:32.

175 lbs . – Christian Barber def. Dustin Mouser via KO, R1, 1:19.

145 lbs. – Richard Delfin def. Daniel (Max) Fraley via unanimous decision.

205 lbs . – Keith Cutrone def. Andres Alcantar via unanimous decision.

185 lbs . – Jared Hess def. Robert Valenti via TKO, R2, 1:35.

265 lbs. – Steven Dickey def. Mat Painter via TKO, R3, 0:22.

175 lbs. – Marco Orozco def. Matt Lovato via TKO, R1, 1:23.

165 lbs. – Eric Prado def. Giacomo Gomiero def. split decision.

125 lbs. – Jose Marin def. Josh Sanchez via KO, R1, 1:07.

Despite California’s notoriety as a hotbed for grooming fast-rising MMA fighters, Macneill believes that it’s crucial not to rush talent, noting “the Central Coast is untapped. A lot of fighters training but not enough fighting and competing. . . But it’s going to take a little bit of time to develop these key fighters. . . I have a couple right now that we’re grooming up, and taking it slow. We travel out to the Mid-West and compete out there. I would give it the next year to two years that we start developing some key fighters, which are going to be out there, actually, with big names. And ranked.”

Of the stars that shined that night, Macneill was quick to point out “Steven Dickey, out of Frank Shamrock’s gig in San Jose. Heavyweight, 240-pounder, he fought a 6’7”, 260-pounder, and he won by TKO. I can see him going pro in the next 4-5 fights. You had Jared Hess, out of Salinas. He did really well. Mike Ellis, and there’s two other guys from Santa Maria that did really well.”

Central Coast Throwdown expects to product their next show at the Chieftain Dome on July 17^th, then hopes to produce shows regularly every two months after that. Likewise, Stand Up Fighters is targeting July for a return date. All-Star Promotions / Ka-Boom Productions returns to Quiet Canyon Country Club on May 10^th.

For more info on upcoming amateur MMA action, visit http://www.camo-mma.org/events.