CAMO Event Round Up for 4/7/10 to 4/11/10

“Fight Night to the Mansion” by way of San Diego

MMA fans were privy to some mid-week excitement in San Diego when Undisputed Promotions held a mixed kickboxing and MMA event at the On-Broadway Events Center.  All MMA fighters were making their CAMO debut.

“It’s an out-of-body experience when you’re inside the ring,” said Sample about the night. “Try to embrace this time. I’ll never get it back. My first MMA fight experience. Just try to soak it all up, let it all in,“ he lamented.

Titled “Fight Night to the Playboy Mansion,” the evening’s matches were part of the annual National Indian Gaming Association conference and trade show.  The semi-private event consisted of three MMA and four kickboxing matches, and featured a ring girl competition and guest Playboy Bunnies.

The Playboy-branded “Fight Night to the Mansion” series is a traveling pro-am MMA and kickboxing event which tours throughout the Western U.S. and Canada.  Winners on these traveling shows are earmarked by the promoters to appear on a fight card at the Playboy Mansion later this year.

Match results from “Fight Night to the Playboy Mansion” on 4/7/10 are as follows:

165 lbs. – Paul Blancaflor def. Eugene Marenya via TKO, R3, 0:38.

155 lbs. – Carlos Caliso Jr. def. Ben Sample via unanimous decision.

205 lbs. – Donny Camp def. Eddie Mendoza via TKO, R1, 0:32.

Return of the Dragon in San Francisco

Later that weekend, Nor Cal was treated to a hot night of competitive combat when Dragon House MMA held their second event, a 12-bout full-amateur card that, according to promoter / matchmaker Zhong Luo, exceeded the fight standards set by the previous show.

“The skill level was definitely much higher than the last show. Guys were much more prepared,” noted Luo.

Among the back-and-forth standouts were Stacie Seidner vs. Jaimelene Nievera, which almost stole the show, and Sasha Montgomery vs. Bryan Cook.  In the main event, Greg Ulatowski, traditionally a ground specialist, tested his striking skills against Cody Orrison, reputed to be tricky striker with a very unorthodox style.

But the highlight reel moment of the night was Lamar Gosey’s 13-second TKO of Leon Big Leggins, which Luo described as being one of the most shocking fights he’d ever seen. Especially given his experience level (four months), Gosey’s aptitude was apparent.

“He came out and performed better than a lot of pros, honestly. He came in, dominated with really fast speed, really quick hands, and was very aggressive,” said Luo.

Match results from Dragon House MMA on 4/10/10 are as follows:

135 lbs. – Jordan Felix def. Miguel Castillo via TKO, R2, 0:12.

155 lbs. – Christian Safranek def. Patrick Jernigan via unanimous decision.

140 lbs. – Andrew Hansen def. Brian Liu via unanimous decision.

140 lbs. – Chris Buron-Navarro def. Christopher Spencer via unanimous decision.

185 lbs. – Sasha Montgomery def. Bryan Cook via split decision.

160 lbs. – Frank Flores def. Tauheed Safi via TKO, R1, 1:18.

265 lbs. – Timothy Palengat def. Tim Miller via TKO, R2, 1:58.

130 lbs. – Stacie Seidner def. Jaimelene Nievera via unanimous decision.

205 lbs. – Lamar Gosey def. Leon Big Leggins via TKO, R1, 0:13.

210 lbs. – Justin Vizcarra def. Steven McGough via unanimous decision.

160 lbs. – Antonio Amaya def. Pardaise Vaovasa via TKO, R1, 1:14.

170 lbs. – Greg Ulatowski def. Cody Orrison via unanimous decision.

With nine matches on the previous event and twelve matches on this night, Dragon House MMA intends to create a promotion whose philosophy towards working with regional gyms is “the more the merrier.” Luo himself explained that his open-arms approach is partially to offer experience opportunities to fighters, but also to foster a camaraderie among coaches and trainers that might otherwise never develop.

“A lot of schools really isolate themselves. Regardless of competition between schools in the same town, coming to an event like this brings all the schools closer to each other. And coaches get to know each other. The more competition like this, you just get the skill level much higher. Amateur fighters need practice much more,” he noted.

Of course, the issues of ticket sales is of paramount concern for any promoter, which underlines the notion that cooperation and inclusion fuels the show, the fans, and the fighters. “The schools help to sell tickets. I couldn’t do this without all the teachers, and different gyms. All the schools have been really supportive. They always fill up the weight classes and help me to put up a good show.”

Among the teams  that competed on this show were Team USA, El Nino Training Center,  Charles Gracie, as well as gyms in Union City, San Jose, and Humboldt, whose team endured a seven-hour drive to participate.

Playboy’s “Fight Night to the Mansion” returns to California, and on June 26^th, Dragon House MMA expands their show to the larger Kezar Pavillion in San Francisco. According to Luo, two female matches will be among the highlights of the event.

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

CAMO Event Round Up for 4.16.10 to 4.18.10

Total Fighting Alliance expands to amateur ranks

With the floodgates of amateur MMA in California wide open and flowing freely, it’s ironic that one of California’s most senior officially-licensed promotions, Todd Meacham’s Total Fighting Alliance (TFA), didn’t hold their first amateur MMA event until this past weekend.

But TFA 17, which took place at the Hawthorne Athletic Exchange (HAX) at Hawthorne Airport, marked another milestone for the three-year old regional promotion, as it creates a breeding ground from which Meacham can nurture talent for his pro shows.

“This was the easiest show I’ve ever done, and I’m gonna do more of them because of that,” beamed TFA matchmaker Todd Meacham, adding “you might not see me pay $1,000 to hold my license for the pro level anymore. All’s I might do is CAMO shows, period. And watch what I do with it. I’ll blow the UFC out of the water.”

The nine-match amateur MMA show was highlighted by furious heavyweight action.  The last match of the night, Danish strongman Jens Grau vs. Danny Radovic was a frantic battle of behemoths, but it was Jesse Escobedo and Kipeni Luto who claimed credit as showstealers of the night.  Their wild back-and-forth clash, which went halfway into the third before Escobedo caught Luto by submission, was touted by fans as the match of the night.

“They were both trying to showcase their skills, but at the same time, they were both going back to what they knew, and that’s street fighting. . .  I thought that roof was going to come down in that building, because of so much excitement,” Meacham lamented.

One pairing that Meacham will likely look to rematch is Rocky Bice vs. Michael Morrow, which ended rather abruptly. What was expected to be a knock-down-drag-out battle concluded 23 seconds into the first round, when Morrow slipped on the mat, giving Bice the window to pounce and earn a TKO victory.

In the days following the fight, an article on the TFA website suggested plans for a rematch, which Meacham, who strongly believes in Bice’s abilities and star power, confirmed as a possibility, saying “I feel that they need to fight again. I don’t think that Michael Morrow got to do what he’s capable of . . . I think that they can a have a back-and-forth fight.”

Match results from TFA 17 on 4/17/10 are as follows:

165 lbs. – Joey Guevara def. Justin Rodriguez via decision.

160 lbs. – Jason Gonzales def. Brian Jimenez via TKO, R1, 0:32.

145 lbs. – Craig Cook def. Juan Estrada via TKO, R1, 1:53.

158 lbs. (catch weight) – James Distler def. Edward Chavez via split decision.

170 lbs. – Bradley Crihfield def. Ryan Escobedo via submission, R1, 1:43.

240 lbs. (catch weight) – Jesse Escobedo def. Kipeni Lutu via submission, R3, 0:54.

160 lbs. – Brandon Anderson def. Shane Watts via submission, R3, 0:54.

195 lbs . (catch weight – Rocky Bice def. Michael Morrow via TKO, R1, 0:23.

235 lbs. (catch weight) – Jens Grau def. Danny Radovcic via TKO, R1, 1:09.

Although his website lists June 19^th as the next TFA date, Meacham also suggested doing a co-promote show with his previous promotion, sometime in July.  Regardless, Bice and Grau, dubbed ‘Todd’s Golden Boys of TFA,’ are confirmed to be featured attractions.

“They sell a lot of tickets, they put on a good show, people like to see them, they’re both successful businessmen, and those are the people I like to sell tickets to,” he explained.

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

Matt Horwich Interview for 4/23 Rematch against Jason MacDonald, Let’s Get It On MMA (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

“Sabretooth” Matt Horwich is one of the most recent additions to the Legends MMA Fight Team. And while most people know him from his 2006-2008 matches in the IFL, where he won the promotion’s welterweight title, this Oregon-native is an MMA veteran, having fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, WEC, and Bellator Fighting Championships, among others.

Horwich faces off against Jason MacDonald on April 23rd, at the River Cree Resort & Casino in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, as the main event of Linda McCarthy’s Let’s Get It On MMA promotion. For MacDonald, this rematch is long in the making, as he and the “Sabretooth” previously fought in 2004, when Horwich submitted him with an armbar in the first round.

For those of you in the Edmonton area, tickets are available here: http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/1100446FA80C7018. Show starts at 8pm.

Jouban wins debut, Bollinger blemishes Couture’s amateur graduation in controversy

By Jay Tan

Ryan Couture and Sean Bollinger fought to an inconclusive draw at the March 26th Tuff-N-Uff amateur MMA event in Las Vegas.

The friendly rivalry between Legends MMA and Xtreme Couture, best illustrated with the historic three-fight saga between Chris Brady and Jimmy Jones, wrote another chapter last weekend, as Sean Bollinger and Ryan Couture battled to a razor-thin draw, capping off a Tuff-N-Uff event which saw six members of the combined 10^th Planet / Legends MMA gym face difficult but important moral victories.

The match, a title bout for the Tuff-N-Uff 155 lb. championship, was a back-and-forth battle of wits between two celebrated ground technicians, one of whom had quickly become an affable fan favorite, and the other an underestimated but dangerous dark horse.  Fans were calling it one of the most exciting matches in Tuff-N-Uff history, although several were up in arms that a title match would be allowed to end in a draw.

For Bollinger, the victory was, if nothing else, a moral one, as he said “this fight really showed me my heart.  It proved something to myself: nine minutes of straight war.  And I didn’t quit. . . It didn’t surprise me, but it showed me something.  We both took a beating.  I just need to see that in myself, to pursue this MMA career.”

Moreover, there was much debate over whether the match should continue into the third round,  as Bollinger trapped Couture in a triangle choke and by all accounts (including Couture’s), put the second generation star to sleep moments before or right at the bell.

Teammate Tommy Gavin noted “I think Bollinger clearly won the first two rounds.  He actually put the kid to sleep, so I think he won the fight. “

In a Las Vegas Sun article that ran the next morning, Couture told writer Hepi Mita that that he was put out, saying “He did have me asleep as the bell rang. . . It’s not every day you get to pass out and then still fight another round.”

Not to be outdone, Legends MMA / 10^th Planet mainstay Alan “The Jedi Knight” Jouban finally made his MMA debut, winning with a highlight reel-caliber 14-second TKO over Dustin Chevalier (Striking Unlimited).  With an 8-0 record in amateur Muay Thai, Jouban’s MMA cherrybreaker came after a series of injury mishaps.  Ironically enough, Jouban was a last-minute replacement for Eddie Jackson, who himself withdrew from the event due to injury.

“I felt like I was more hungry for that fight than I was for almost anything in my life.  It was almost two years of being sidelined, watching my peers grow and get better in this sport, and me not getting to do it.  And once I kept building momentum, I get hurt again. . . Now that I think I’ve got that first hurdle out of the way . . . that’s my biggest goal right now – to stay hungry, to keep building a career,” explained Jouban.

“Alan was, what can you say?  He went out there and took the guy out quick.  He did exactly what he wanted to do and looked like an animal with his twelve-pack, the whole time,” said teammate and pro fighter Garren Smith.

155 lbs. – Tommy Gavin vs. Jon Gorton (Team Quest)

Gavin scored two trademark takedowns in round one, and Gorton worked for submissions from the bottom each time. The second takedown was a guillotine choke, which, while tight, offered little threat to the Upstate New York wrestler.  With credit to teammate Eddie Jackson’s pre-fight head-shaving tradition, Gavin had little problem popping his head out, working for a D’arce choke to the round’s end.  Round two saw Gavin and Gorton repeat the takedown / guillotine sequence from before.  Gorton got a takedown of his own, and although Gavin worked for the armbar from bottom, Gordon was able to pass guard to full mount, throwing lefts and rights until the referee ended the match at 0:42 of the second round.  Gordon was awarded the TKO victory.

Never one to get hung up on the past, Gavin saw a silver lining in the match itself, noting “one positive thing is I’m definitely getting better on my feet.  I believe I was winning the stand-up in the fight, and my coaches told me to keep it standing, but I kind of went back to the wrestler instinct.”

Teammate Jouban added “Tommy let his hands go.  He might have discovered something, that he’s got power in his hands.

170 lbs. – Takashi Munoz vs. Warren Roberds (Wand Fight Team)

This match was three rounds of Roberds keeping the pressure on Munoz with jabs and wild overhand rights.  Fists flew right from the bell, as Roberds charged and cornered Munoz, who got caught up in the ropes.  Munoz was able to retard Roberds’ pace with over/underhooks and Muay Thai knees, but Roberds broke free with lefts and overhands rights, scoring a knockdown that threw Munoz under the bottom rope just as the bell rang.  Roberds again bullied Munoz into the corner in round two, but Munoz was able to slip in some knees from a Thai clinch, as well as mounting an offense of his own with kicks.

Munoz opened up round three with a perfectly-timed head kick that could have possibly knocked Roberds out, had he not gone with the momentum, but Roberds was able to clinch up and catch his bearings.  Up against the corner, Munoz threw a controversial leg strike which the referee ruled as an illegal knee to the head, penalizing Munoz with a one-point deduction.    Munoz threw more kicks and knees in this round than previous bouts, but that wasn’t enough to stop Roberds, who looked for the trip takedown and knees.  Munoz fired another head kick, but tripped to the floor as the final bell sounded.

In a very close differential, Warren Roberds takes the match with a majority (split) decision.

Like with his teammate, Munoz indicated that despite not getting the victory, the match added another block to his mental arsenal: “I found out a lot of things about myself in this fight. I realized I’m way tougher than I thought I would be . . . You know how there’s a saying – ‘how can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?’  In this fight, I now know that I’m ready to get hit, and I’m still going to come back at you.”

Discussing the point deduction, Munoz explained “[the referee] said something like ‘I told you there’s no knees to the head.’ And in my case, I was looking at him like ‘that was no knee.  That was the middle to the top of the shin.’  If he looks carefully, it didn’t even look like I was throwing a knee.  It was a kick.  A complete kick.”

185 lbs. – Rick Borden (10^th Planet Riverside) vs. Zach Conley (Xtreme Couture)

Despite this being Borden’s Tuff-N-Uff debut, the 10^th Planet Riverside rookie is no stranger to the lights and big stage.  Borden went into the event 2-0 in amateur MMA, and previously played football at Eastern Oregon University.

After the first flurry of strikes and a takedown attempt by Borden, he and Conley circled and felt each other out.  Borden pushed Conley into the corner with a punch combination, throwing left body shots as Conley tried to mar the action with over/underhooks. During the scuffle, the corner pad came loose, which led to a brief stop in the action.  Upon the restart, the two traded combinations and vied for takedowns that neither got.

Both men engaged much more gingerly in round two, only throwing single or two-strike combinations.  Conley had a chance to capitalize off a slip by Borden, but didn’t.  Borden tried for another takedown towards the end of the round, but Conley stuffed it and held him at bay, landing a big knee.  In round three, Conley opened up with a wild right, then attacked with single left hooks and low kicks.  Borden fired combos to the head.  Conley scored a trip takedown off a body lock, but was unable to get out of Borden’s half-guard.

Judges awarded the match to Zach Conley by unanimous decision.

“I wish I could have got a little more takedowns and worked my ground game, because that’s what I’ve been working on.  My jiu Jitsu game is probably my strong point. . . I knew he was gonna be a pretty well-rounded fighter.  I knew he had a lot of experience on me, which obviously showed at the end of the fight,” Borden said after the fight.

135 lbs. – Chris Brady vs. Casey Johnson (Team Driven)

Chris Brady vs. Casey Johnson

This match was destined to be a barn burner from the entrance music, as Brady walked out to “A Country Boy Can Survive,” with Johnson emerging to Justin Moore’s “I Could Kick Your Ass.”  Johnson, making his Tuff-N-Uff debut, is the 145 lb. champion in the MMA Explosion promotion, with a 7-1 MMA record and training out of Jens Pulver’s Team Driven in Idaho.

Round one was a kicking battle, as both men traded a series of low shots, one of which Johnson used to trip Brady to the ground.  Johnson chose to keep it standing, however, knocking Brady down again with straight-ahead punches.  Brady got revenge by knocking Johnson down with a high kick, but got tied up in top position and almost caught in an armbar before the round ended.  The pair traded heavy leather and furious kicks and knees in the second round.  Brady neutralized Johnson on the ground with rubber guard and mission control.  Round three saw Johnson catch another kick, pushing Brady to the ground and in the corner, but Brady escaped and engaged on the feet, brushing off a Superman punch from Johnson.  They traded combinations until Johnson got another trip.  Brady had him in an armbar in the waning seconds of the match.

Judges awarded the match to Johnson by unanimous decision, but this was one of the closest matches in recent Legends MMA memory.

For Johnson, the slugfest took its toll, commenting “I tell ya, halfway through the second, all into the third, my ears were ringing. . . Chris Brady is a tough, stacked kid. . . I appreciate him taking the fight.  It’s a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to fight him, to go three rounds with him.  Hat’s off to Chris and hat’s off to Tuff-N-Uff.”

170 lbs. – Alan Jouban vs. Dustin Chevalier (Striking Unlimited)

Alan Jouban vs. Dustin Chevalier

Jouban and Chevalier almost instantly started throwing flurries at each other.  Jouban connected with left high kick to the head, following up with a right hook that dropped Chevalier.  With Chevalier on his knees, Jouban fired off several more punches to the head before the referee jumped in.

Alan Jouban won by TKO, R1, 0:14.

Ever the perfectionist, Jouban was surprisingly disappointed in at least one aspect of his match: “I was really actually kind of jealous of [my teammates’] fights.  All of them did things that I wanted to do in my fight that I didn’t get to do.  A 14 second knockout’s great, but all-in-all, the amateur league is to get the ring experience, which I feel like I’m not getting when I was with that dude. . .  Takashi went three rounds, Brady went three rounds.”

155 lbs. Tuff-N-Uff Title Match – Ryan Couture (Xtreme Couture) vs. Sean Bollinger

This match, along with the two other title matches of the night, were three-minute rounds.  The story of the match was that Couture, a noted armbar specialist, was facing his toughest submission challenge in Bollinger, who was only the second black belt under Eddie Bravo’s 10^th Planet Jiu Jitsu system.  This was also Bollinger’s second amateur MMA fight.

Bollinger set the first round off with kicks, including an unexpected headshot.  Couture got Bollinger to the ground after engaging with a combo, but opted to keep it standing, which would be the theme of the fight for Couture’s ground strategy.  Conversely, Bollinger would pull guard whenever possible, and did secure Couture in tight mission control at one point, but Couture eventually escaped.  Bollinger didn’t shy away from stand-up engagement, however, holding his own with headwork, left hooks, and overhand rights.  Couture missed several overhand rights, but did his fair share of damage with low kicks to Bollinger’s left leg.

Round two opened with a longer feeling out period, as the two traded measured combos for the first minute.  Bollinger got double overhooks and pulled Couture down, trapping him with mission control and a triangle. The controversy really kicked in with eight seconds left, as Couture, still trapped in the triangle, tried to escape by stepping over Bollinger’s head.  Sensing it, Bollinger hooked the leg and held on to the ring of the bell.  Referee Joe Sullivan, not in position to stop the action right at the bell, made contact with the fighters 1-2 seconds after the ring, by which point Couture’s arm was visibly limp.

According to commentator Ron Yacovetti, Sullivan’s hand gesture could have been interpreted as the round ending or the match ending.  After a brief celebration by the Legends / 10^th Planet corner, Sullivan informed them that the match was not over.

Going into round three, both men engaged.  Couture caught a Bollinger kick and tripped him to the ground, then followed up with combos, stepping away from Bollinger’s sweep attempt.  Couture kept the pressure on Bollinger, stuffing a takedown attempt and landing rights to the body and head.  Bollinger did briefly get mission control on Couture on the ground again, but Couture peppered the body with punches and escaped.  The two traded selective shots in the last few seconds of the round.

Judges scored the entire bout evenly, ruling it a draw.  Couture won the first round by a split, with two judges scoring it 10-9 for Couture and one judge scoring it 10-9 for Bollinger.  Bollinger took the second round unanimously, 10-9 on two judges’ scorecards and 10-8 on the third scorecard.  Couture walked away with the 10-9 for the third round on all judges’ cards, ending the match with one judge scoring it 29-28 for Couture, one judge scoring it 29-28 for Bollinger, and one judge scoring it 28-28 as a draw.

Fans were visibly upset by the decision, with loud chants of both fighters’ names, as well as “one more round.”

Afterwards, Bollinger spoke about the match being an opportunity to show that he wasn’t simply a one-dimensional fighter, saying “I’m just happy that I could go all three rounds, and I can display other talents than just the grappling.  I guess people kinda know where my hands are at.”

As for thoughts on a rematch, Bollinger said “Ryan was saying he didn’t want to fight a rematch, unless we went pro.  He said he didn’t want to do that for free again, is the actual quote he said.  But I’m down for a rematch for sure.  I definitely want to fight a couple more amateur fights.  I love Tuff-N-Uff.  I love coming here and fighting at the Orleans. I’d love to see him in the future.  Maybe on a UFC undercard or something.”

In other Tuff-N-Uff action that night:

170 lbs. – Joey Angelo (TapouT) def. Jesse Bowler (Team Hollywood) via sub (triangle) R3, 1:27.

135 lbs. – Jerry Shapiro (Cobra Kai) def. Victor Henry (Strike Sub Club) via sub (rear naked choke) R2, 1:57.

155 lbs. Jimmy Spicuzza (Team Lethal) def. Oron Kahlon (freestyle) via TKO, R3, 0:21.

185 lbs. Tuff-N-Uff Title Fight – Edmond Xhelili (Warrior Training Center) def. Tim Bowman (Striking Unlimited) via unanimous decision.

145 lbs. Tuff-N-Uff Title Fight – Andrew Alirez (Top Notch MMA) def. Vince Norica (Suffer Fight Team) via sub (arm triangle), R1, 2:41.

Tuff-N-Uff returns to the Orleans Hotel & Casino on Friday, April 23^rd.  Legends / 10^th Planet expect to send fighters.  Check back here for details.

Legends MMA is sponsored by X-Pole, Melee Fight Gear, HPE, Inc., and Stripper 101.

CAMO Event Round Up for 4.2 to 4.4

Conquest in the Cage VII / Civic Disobedience 2 Event Results

All-Star Promotions / Ka-Boom Productions held the seventh installment of their “Conquest in the Cage” pro-am MMA series at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. The event, entitled “Civic Disobedience 2,” featured three highly-competitive amateur matches, and another six pro bouts.

Chris Golz faced his highest-profile match to date, against Andre “Priest” Holmes, the younger brother of Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes. Golz, an undefeated fan favorite out of Gauntlet Jiu-Jitsu, traded heavy shots and several big takedowns with the younger Holmes, but in the end, walked away with the unanimous decision.

“To me, that was all about just cardio. Who has the best cardio? And I think Chris was in better shape,” said promoter Ed Holmes (no relation).

Opening the show, Ryan Barela and Chris Westrop locked horns standing and on the ground, with plenty of transitions, for a compelling and razor-thin split decision.  Westrop’s Black Mat MMA teammate, Brandon Wilson, making his CAMO debut, made a fierce impression with fighters and fans alike, winning in bulldozer-like fashion via first round TKO.

Match results for the amateur portion of Civic Disobedience 2 on 4/3/10 are as follows:

1XX lbs – Ryan Barela def. Chris Westrup by split decision.

190 lbs. – Chris Golz def. Andre Holmes via unanimous decision.

140 lbs. – Brandon Wilson def. Brandon Weil via TKO, R1, 0:42.

Having run shows on a regular schedule since late last year in two different locations, All-Star / Ka-Boom have created a solid reputation for establishing an exciting setting for amateur fighters to compete, and for their fans to cheer. With that kind of atmosphere, it would be easy for fighters to get caught up and presume themselves ready for the “Big Time.”

However, Holmes is quick to note the importance of allowing fighters time to establish themselves with more than just a few matches, and not to assume that one or two rising stars indicate that everybody is on the fast track to pro status: “There’s guys that, man, I think they could be a pro already, but there’s guys there that that’s exactly where they belong: with the amateurs. And that’s what we’re trying to do, is make that good. Not put these guys in over their head, because it doesn’t make good for anybody. It should be a fair fight.”

Amateurs bring the noise and rock the boat at Rebel Fighter in Placerville

Farther north that same day, Enrique Perez’ Rebel Fighter promotion held their first-ever pro-am event, drawing a packed crowd to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in Placerville.

For Perez, adding amateurs to the card was a test he doesn’t regret taking: “This was our 10^th event so far. We had always done pros, and I decided to experiment with some amateurs.  I’m really glad I did, because the amateur commission was great to work with. . . I believe one of the amateur fights was Fight of the Night.”

Match results for the amateur portion of Rebel Fighter on 4/3/10 are as follows:

155 lbs. – Eddie Mccleary def. Jacob Preston via TKO (referee stoppage), R1, 1:31.

160 lbs. (catchweight) – Brandon Smith def. Michael Lowder via split decision.

170 lbs. – Jose Quinonez def. Jesse Roberts via unanimous decision.

170 lbs. – Alex Ivanov def. Dave Odlin via submission, R1, 1:14.

According to Perez, Quinonez vs. Roberts was the show-stealer, as the two ground specialists duked it out for three rounds, thrilling the crowd with heavy trades of leather.

“It really surprised me, because Jose Quinones, he’s an awesome jiu Jitsu fighter. Jesse Roberts, he took fourth in state in wrestling.  Both have really good ground credentials, but they decided to stand up and bang it out. . . It was toe-to-toe through the whole fight. There was not a dull moment through the whole deal,” he said.

Perez was impressed not only with the level of competition and skill among the amateurs, but also their fan followings, noting “I think that probably 40-50% of the crowd were there to see the amateurs. They brought their grandmothers, sisters, brothers, whole family and friends.  The loudest [applause], and the most noise that they made were for the amateurs.”

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

CAMO Event Round Up for 3.26 to 3.28

Fight Night Triple Threat for Amateur MMA

MMA fans weren’t at a loss for live action on Friday night, as three different shows took place in California.

Nor Cal fans were treated to another Strikeforce Challengers pro-am event, this time emanating from the Save-Mart Center in Fresno.  The night’s pro bouts featured stars such as Andre Galvao, Ron “Abongo” Humphrey, Miesha Tate, and 2004 wrestling Olympian Daniel Cormier.  The main event saw Lavar Johnson return to MMA action after being the victim of multiple gunshot wounds in July 2009.

As for the untelevised amateur portion, three CAMO-sanctioned bouts opened the event.

Match results from Strikeforce Challengers on 3/26/10 are as follows:

145 lbs. – Avery KayKeo def. Chris Buron-Navarro via split decision.

170 lbs. – Ricky Jackson def. Trinidad Valdez via KO, R1, 1:59.

?? lbs. – Paul Ruiz def. John Chacon via unanimous decision.

Pryme Time runs first amateur MMA event in Oxnard

March 26^th proved to be the right time for Rene Carranco’s Pryme Time promotion, which ran their first CAMO event at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center

“The event went great. We sold out, so I can’t complain with that,” Carranco immediately noted. “I’ve always been speculative about putting on amateur shows, only for the sake of not knowing. All my shows, whether they were boxing or MMA, have always been professional fights. But I was surprised on how the amateurs related to it. In other words, their demeanor. The professionalism is what I really liked about that.” He then added “and the crowd loved it too. The kids did as if they would if they were [professional] fighters.”

This being his first amateur MMA event, Carranco deferred the matchmaking work to colleague Brian Espinoza, explaining “Brian’s very knowledgable. He’s done amateur shows. . . I gotta give him all the kudos on that.”

Taking nothing away from the faith in his partner’s skills, the evening’s first bout had Carranco slightly shaken, as a first round KO had him second guessing the caliber of amateur fighters, recanting “it was really abrupt, and it kind of threw me off a little quick. The first thing that pops into any promoter’s mind is ‘is the matchmaking quality?’ I’m second guessing myself at that particular point. After that particular fight, the fights went on as normal, and I was pleased with the end result by the end of the day.”

Match results from Pryme Time on 3/26/10 are as follows:

145 lbs. – Francisco Estrada def. Jimmy Chavez via DQ, R1, 0:13.

170 lbs. – Guillermo Mondet def. Marc Terre via TKO, R2, 1:45.

135 lbs. – German Baltazar def. Santiago Raigoza via TKO, R3, 1:59.

185 lbs. – Mose Aieti def. JJ Mortimer via unanimous decision.

170 lbs. – Daniel Shin def. Justin Rodriguez via submission (triangle choke), R1, 1:34.

152 lbs. (catchweight) – Rueben Almanza def. Rob Gooch via unanimous decision.

“The good thing about this is that it actually sets the stage for [amateur fighters]. A lot of people are going to remember these kids, and it gets them ready, it gets them prepared to get prepared for the pros. I really like that fact. . . “We need to portray that in this business. We want to make sure that everything is done professional and with the utmost respect for the sport itself.”

CA Fight Syndicate runs Pro-Am event at Ventura Fairgrounds

That same night, Jeff Restivo & Anthony Arria returned to the Santa Barbara area, at the Ventura Fairgrounds, with their CA Fight Syndicate series.  Titled “Battle of the 805,” the event consisted of four amateur and three pro bouts, including wins for Jesse “Powder” Newell, Joe Pearson, and Tony “El Cucui” Ferguson.

Match results from CA Fight Syndicate on 3/26/10 are as follows:

206 lbs. (catchweight) – John Hernandez def. Bruno Casillas via TKO, R1, 1:33.

138 lbs. (catchweight) – Tim Riscen def. Angelo Crinzi via unanimous decision.

185 lbs. – Shannon Good def. Mike Perez via unanimous decision.

155 lbs. – Michael Gahan def. Scotty Robbins via TKO, R1, 1:55.

Pryme Time plans on having their next pro-am MMA event on June 4^th at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez, and is working on the possibility of an all-amateur show sometime in July.  CA Fight Syndicate is scheduled for June 19^th at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara.

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