Pablo Popovitch No-Gi BJJ Seminar

Macedonia, Ohio

Jason and Rich had the pleasure of a private lesson and seminar with Pablo Popovitch. Pablo is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu instructor and competitor. He trains out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at American Top Team. Chris Chard (www.ohiobjjc.com/) operates a BJJ school in Macedonia and brought Pablo in for the weekend.Pablo recently placed number 2 in his division at the ADCC in Long Beach, California. The ADCC (www.adcombat.com/) is by invitation only. The worlds best submission grapplers meet in the annual event to show off their skills and roll with the masters in the sport. Pablo was ranked #7 before the competition, but finished just behind Marcelo Garcia who won the ADCC in 2004. Garcia was ranked number 1 going into the event so Pablo had an impressive showing for his first year competing with the best of the best. The first hour lesson was spent working anything we asked. Pablo showed great insight and skill. He has not competed in MMA but still showed us a great many ways to escape from the mount in an MMA event or submission-grappling match. The key to learning BJJ is repeating the moves you learn over and over. You can never over “drill” any move or technique.The two-hour no-gi seminar covered some great techniques. We spent some time on getting up from the bottom, butterfly guard, and multiple submissions. The highlight of the seminar was a triple submission attempt. Going from a triangle, to an arm bar, to a knee bar. The speed and agility involved in the move is completely amazing. The two-hour seminar went very quickly. We came away with some great ideas that will be presented in class, and most of all even more motivation than one can imagine from a world-class instructor and competitor. Thanks to Chris Chard and Pablo Popovitch.Written by:Rich Catalano

North League Extreme Kickboxing 3

Akron, Ohio

Extreme Kickboxing made its return to the Posh Night Club with it’s biggest Ohio show to date. Once again EKB featured a six fight card which included the return of six previous EKB winners. Event co-promoter and currently the IKF’s #1 ranked super middleweight, Ryan Madigan told PKW that continuity was important in making the events a success in Northeast Ohio. “We are trying to build a strong following for some of the up and coming local fighters” stated Madigan, “There are many great fighters in our region and we are doing our best to provide them with a stage to show off their abilities and hopefully gain some exposure”. Extreme Kickboxing is looking at possibly adding a few shows in the Cleveland area but nothing has yet been confirmed. The EKB shows at the Posh Nite Club in down town Akron have grown in attendance with each passing event and Northeast Ohio fans have proved that they will turn out in bunches to watch quality fights. A semi-regular event in Cleveland can only help the sport continue to thrive in Ohio which his currently one of the most proactive states when it comes to pro and amateur combative sports. No dates have been set for the next Extreme Kickboxing event but an announcement is expected soon. Fight Card:In the nights opening bout it was Cleveland’s Taiwon Howard via split decision over a very game “Bad” Josh Barden. Howard uses his legs to hold off a series of Barden attacks in a very fast paced fight. Howard now improves to 2-0 in EKB competition and is expected to be part of then next Akron card.In a lightweight match-up, “The Kid” Lee Kreisher had another impressive showing while improving his EKB record to 2-0. Kreisher took on a determined Dana Linn from Tracy’s Karate in Independence, Oh who was making his EKB debut. Kreisher used his superior conditioning and hard hitting attack to wear down Linn and proved that he could take a shot if needed. “The Kid’ from New Philadelphia, OH has not let either of his EKB opponents go the distance yet as Linn could not answer the bell four round five. In a heavyweight showdown featuring two first time fighters, it was Griffonrawl’s (Mentor, OH) “Big Ben” Parks over Project Pain’s (Akron, OH) Eddy Lytle. Both fighters came out swinging and exchanged heavy blows in the early stages of the fight, but it was the low kicks of Parks that opened up the upstairs and earned him his first career win. Parks by TKO rd 2. Nationally ranked Keli Cofer displayed her skill in an exhibition bout with future ladies star Stacy Rogers. The fight went three exciting rounds and ended in a draw but fans got a chance to watch two of the sports best females in full contact action.In the nights co-main event, Dominic “Dredz” Qurazzo had no problems with West Virginia’s Adam Sepulveda earning a TKO win in the second round. Sepulveda, a part-time MMA fighter had no answers for the chopping low kick’s of Qurazzo who went to work on the big man early in the fight. Three shots to the left thigh was all it took for the flamboyant Qurazzo to close the book in round two and win by decisive fashion. Qurazzo is quickly becoming a crowd favorite and is another of Ohio’s up and coming young heavyweights.Torence “The Tyrant” Taylor has been cleaning up the competition over the past six months including a prior win at the Posh earlier this year. However his opponent Michael Slaton of Akron’s Project Pain team was not going to make things easy. The two warriors put their friendship aside and went to war in one of the nights best and most hard hitting fights. Taylor established early control with his power shots and ability to dodge and counter on most of Slaton’s attacks but the veteran nicknamed “The Hands of Stone” would not go quietly. It took four rounds of grueling kickboxing to settle the outcome of this one but in the end it was “The Tyrant” improving his EKB record to 2-0 and making a statement to future opponents. Look for Taylor to be a part of September 17th’s Fight Festival 2005 slated for the Scene Pavilion in Cleveland. More news on future EKB events will be available on “The Internet Voice of the Fight fan”, PKW.Found onhttp://www.prokarateweekly.com/

Team GriffonRawl takes a Roadtrip to UFC 53 !

Atlantic City, New Jersy

Kind of a cross between Real world and Road RulesA number of the GriffonRawl members (Mike, Donny, Rich, Ben, Breanne, Cheyenne, and of course me) ventured to Atlantic City for UFC 53. The adventure began Friday afternoon with a LONG drive to Atlantic City. Seven people loaded up in Eddie’s Escalade for what promised to be an interesting weekend. The 8 hour drive was a bit hectic. Some rain, some traffic, a bit cramped but sure enough everyone arrived into AC at about 9pm Friday night. Friday night was an adventure at the beach. Sometime between 3-5am everyone decided to hit the shore. So off we went into the dark Atlantic. Needless to say the wake up Saturday morning was not too swift. Finally everyone got ready and we drove out to Dave Varlaros Muay Thai Gym about 40 minutes from the shore. After a two hour work out back to the board walk area to get ready for the fights. That night we headed out to the Board Walk for some gaming and the fights. To a sold out Board Walk Hall we saw some awesome fights, met some UFC vets and of course took a few pictures. Results of the show are listed below.Nick Diaz def. Koji Oishi via TKO (punches) in Round 1. David Loiseau def. Charles McCarthy via TKO (back-kick/punches) in Round 2. Nate Quarry def. Shonie Carter via TKO (punches) in Round 1. Paul Buentello def. Kevin Jordan via Submission (neck crank) in Round 1. Forrest Griffin def. Bill Mahood via Submission (rear naked choke) in Round 1. Rich Franklin def. Evan Tanner via TKO (stoppage) in Round 4 to become UFC Middleweight champion. Karo Parisyan def. Matt Serra via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after 3 rounds. Andrei Arlovski def. Justin Eilers via TKO (injury stoppage) in Round 1.Sunday morning we loaded but again and hit the road back to Cleveland. Made it back in lightening fast time and arrived home by 4 o’clock Sunday. Thanks to Eddie for driving and letting us crash at his home, Dave for letting us work out and teaching us some new moves, and Mike for running the gym while we could enjoy the UFC and AC.Written by:Rich Catalano

Extreme Combat Challenge "The Real Deal"

Muncie, Indiana

This was definitly not one of our better shows and with that being said this write up will be short and to the point. There were three of us on this trip this time around Mike, Albert, and myself. I ended up with the a terrible cold that felt like the flue about half way into our trip and I am sure I was not to much fun to be around for the other guys. Mike and Albert both competed and both got stopped in the first round of there fights. In this sport even the smallest of mistakes can really cost you. Like I always say this is not a very forgiving sport. Albert got caught in a choke and Mike tapped out from strikes. Both Mike and Albert have an extreme amount of talent but this just ended up not being our weekend. Till the next time.Written by:Jason DentFull fight results as posted on FCFighters fight finder database.1 Dan Lohman Def Mike Russo TKO 2:45 1 2 Zach Kidd Def Sam Becktell TKO 0:00 4 3 Frank Young Def Dustin Garner Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 0:00 1 4 Stony Hayhurst Def Brad Cottrell Submission (Choke) 0:00 1 5 Frank Young Def Stony Hayhurst Submission (Guillotine Choke) 0:00 1 6 Matt Robert Williams Def Chris Bryant TKO 1:28 1 7 Kyle Kramer Def Dustin Kidd TKO 1:48 1 8 Matt Jaggers Def Kevin Thompson TKO 0:32 1 9 Geno Rodderick Def Norm Waters Decision (Unanimous decision) 0:00 3 10 Geno Rodderick Def Jason Zehman TKO 0:00 1 11 Jerome Beal Def Jason Maxwell TKO 1:57 2 12 Cedrick James Def David Kennedy Submission (Choke) 0:00 2 13 Gary Cramer Def Matt Cleary TKO 0:00 3 14 Dustin Cox Def Jomo Bailey Decision (Unanimous Decision) 0:00 3 15 Joe Voisin Def Albert Rosales Submission (Choke) 2:04 1 16 Billy Kidd Def Davey Gibson Submission (Choke) 2:17 1 17 Randy Williams Def Curt Beck Submission (Arm Bar) 2:56 1 18 Wade Hamilton Def Brandon Quigley TKO 2:32 1 19 Josh Martin Def Shawn McCully TKO 0:37 1

Beasts of the East Championships

Belle Vernon, Pennysylvania

Kickboxing made a successful return to the Pittsburg area as Fenian Promotions unleashed The Beast of the East Championships this past weekend. Headlining the card was 4 time World Champion and co-star of MTV's True Life, Kit Cope who took on Pittsburg native and local favorite Lamiin Mohamed Keita. Keita was no match for the 2004 Thai Bare Knuckle Champion and was put away with a vicious Cope flurry halfway thru the third round. In a recent interview heard live on PKW, Cope told listeners that he has his sights set on a return to MMA and even spoke openly about the possibility of being part of season 2 of The Ultimate Fighter. Cope's full length interview is currently available at http://www.prokarateweekly.com/. Cope discusses his thoughts on the first season of T.U.F and his possible return to MTV.In one of the nights featured bouts, Akron Ohio's Ryan "The Lion" Madigan (8-2) defeated Philadelphia's Randy Pogue (18-4) via split decision in what was one of the cards most anticipated match-ups. Both fighters came in with something to prove and its been no secret they the two were not the best of friends. As the fight unfolded, it was Madigan who seemed to be the aggressor and took the fight to the more experienced Pogue. After five exciting rounds of kickboxing, it was Madigan who walked away with the win and now has set his sights on K-1 and a shot at the ISKA or IKF World Titles. "Randy is a great fighter and I was grateful for the opportunity to fight a champion of his caliber but now its my time to shine. I've been wanting a fight with Brian (Schwartz) since the day I turned pro and I feel I have earned the opportunity. I am hopeful he will give me the chance to prove that I am the best fighter in my weight class and I will do whatever it takes to make it to the top of the division." Madigan told PKW during a post fight interview Saturday night. Schwartz is the recurrent ISKA Super Middleweight title holder and has three wins in three K-1 appearances. In a battle of heavyweight hopefuls, it was Alex "The Lumberjack" Beck taking out Sherman Pendergaurst and handing him his first career defeat. Beck, who was coming in with an impressiveTKO victory over the highly touted Neil Rowe, was in control of this one from the opening bell. Beck is known for his vicious low kicks however was unable to utilize his most affective weapon under PA state rules and was forced to show his versatility. Beck went on to win a unanimous decision and now is looking towards his next fight in June. The Lumberjack will be part of the "Return to Coliseum" card which will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on June 3rd and will feature the return of World Champion Duke Roufus. This should be great exposure for Beck who is considered one of the top heavyweight prospects in the country and is another fighter looking to make his way to K-1. The Beast of the East also featured two pro boxing match ups which showcased a few of the up and coming stars of the squared circle. Delaney Howard took out Jeff Coyle by impressive fashion and improved his professional record to 5-2 while Mario Acosta defeated Dan Swift in another exciting and fast paced match-up. Congratulations to Fenian Promotions on a successful debut!Found on http://www.prokarateweekly.com/Complete Beast of the East ResultsKit Cope over Lamiin Mohamed Keita - KO 1:20 rd 3 Ryan Madigan over Randy Pogue - Split Dec Alex Beck over Sherman Pendergaurst - Unanimous Dec Mario Acosta over Dan Swift - Unanimous Dec Delaney Howard over Jeff Coyle - KO 2:06 rd 4 Marcus Antebi over Mark Deluca - Majority Dec Rob Wells over Dennis Costa - Unanimous DecKim Duran vs Jen Vaughn - Exhibition DrawTorrence Taylor vs Dave Endlich - Exhibition Draw

North League Extreme Kickboxing 2

Akron, Ohio

Extreme Kickboxing North Leagues second show took place for a second time at the Posh Nite Club. In this show we had three GriffonRawl fighters get to demonstrate thier skills. However on this show all of our guys only appeared in exhibition bouts. In the first bout of the evening GriffonRawl's own Dominic Qurazzo and JJ Juza put on a war and you could hardly tell that they were friends and training partners. Dominic was originally scheduled to fight but was unable to get an opponent in time so JJ stepped up and used the opportunity to get some ring experience. Moving on to the second bout that one of our students competed in was bout four when GriffonRawl's own Breanne Vickers steped up to fight Britney Trosh on only 24 hours notice. Britney's opponent bailed out of the bout and promoter Ryan Madigan needed a girl to fill the spot since they had been promoting a female bout to take place. Breanne gave up 8 fights experience to Trosh and Trosh weighing in around 125lbs gave up substantial amount of weight. Due to the weight difference the Ohio Athletic Commission ruled this to be an exibition bout even though Vickers and Trosh both threw down. The match was exciting and a good experience for Breanne who had never fought before. Breanne held her own and was never in any trouble and landed many great combos of her own. Don't be surprised to see Breanne back in there before to long as she told me she enjoyed herself very much.Written by:Jason DentOffical Results BelowDominic Qurazzo vs JJ Juza - Draw (Exhibition)Torrence Taylor over Scott McClain – Unanimous DecisionLee Crisher over Carlos DeGuzman – Unanimous DecisionBreanne Vickers vs Britney Trosh – Draw (Exhibition)Josh Barden over Mike Platt – TKO 1:45 rd1Taiwon Howard over Allan Eggburt – KO 2:00 rd5

Fists Against Hunger

Akron, Ohio

Several of Ohio's brightest young fighters put their skills to the test as part of last weekends "Fists Against Hunger 2005" show which took place at the JS Night Convention Center in the heart of Akron, OH. Once again Ohio was well represented as several of the state and regions top MMA and K-1 prospects took to the ring to lay it on the line for a good cause.Cuyahoga Falls Ryan "The Lion" Madigan was impressive once again while scoring two separate knock downs of Chris Overbey on his way to a second round win. Madigan now 7-2 (4 KO's) is the current IKF East Coast Super Middleweight Champion, and is scheduled to take on Pennsylvania's Randy Pogue as part of April 23rd's Beast of the East promotion in Pittsburgh, PA. The card will also feature a main event of Kit Cope vs Mohammed Lamin Keita but the Madigan vs Pogue fight may be the most anticipated of the night . Pogue is one of the nations top ranked fighters at 170 lbs and will be one of Madigan's toughest tests to date. However on a recent live PKW interview, Madigan told listeners that he feels ready for the challenge and added " I want to step up and fight the top fighters in my weight class and Pogue is a top contender". After spending time recently in the training camp of former Muay Thai and K-1 champion Duke Roufus, Madigan has the confidence and ability to make a run at the top of the 170 lb mountain. "K-1 is a goal of mine and each fight gets me closer. . I am hoping they will eventually bring back the 170 lb weight class and I can get to where I want to be" replied Madigan.Cincinnati's Josh Souder chalked up another decisive win over Paul Sharp via rear naked choke in the opening round of the contest. Souder is becoming known for his strong ground game and it should come as no surprise considering he has the benefit of training with Team Gorge Gurgel and UFC star Rich Franklin. Team Gurgel was well represented in going a combined 4-0 on the night. Wins were posted by Souder, Braden Workman, Dan Swift and Dustin Hazlett who stepped in on just a few hours notice for Scott Sheely who was out with strep throat. Hazlett went on to win by armbar against the hometown favorite Kerry McKinney of Akron, Ohio.Pennsylvania's Jason "Steeltown" Taylor made his pro debut after a highly touted amateur career in which he posted an 18-2 combined record in 2004 alone. Taylor took out North Carolina's Robert Bradley, who was also making his pro debut, by armbar in a very fast paced match up. Bradley was the early aggressor and took it to Taylor in the early moments of the fight but Taylor showed the experience of a veteran and waited for Bradley to make a mistake which he would eventually end up capitalizing on. Taylor will be back in action as part of the next Extreme Kickboxing card in Atlanta when he goes after his second straight win as a pro against Georgia's Harris Norwood on April 10th. Look for both of these talented young fighter to have successful careers in the MMA.On the second day of the two day martial arts expo, The Fists Against Hunger foundation provided martial artists from across the region the opportunity to compete in various divisions. The San Shou divisions were very competitive for the second straight year as Terrence Taylor came back to defend his title and establish himself as one of the areas best amateurs. Also included were sport karate, submission grappling and various styles of Kung Fu divisions which is the preferred style of event promoter Khalid Abdusalaam. Preparations are already being made for "Fists Against Hunger 3" .......stay logged on to the Internet Voice of the Fight Fan for the latest breaking event info.Written by:Greg KalikasComplete 2005 Fists Against Hunger ResultsSolemon over John Hayes - TKO rd 1Jason Taylor over Robert Bradley - armbar 1:58 rd 1Braden Workman over Chris Larkin - choke 4:28 rd 1Dan Swift over Jason Halderman - ref stoppage 3:11 rd 2Ryan Madigan over Chris Overbey - TKO 0:48 rd 2Josh Souder over Paul Sharp - rnc 3:02 rd 1JP Pocock over Albert Rosales - guillotine 0:36 rd 1Dustin Hazlett over Kerry McKinney - tapout 1:28 rd 1Chris Heinztman over Mark Miller - ref stoppage 1:26 rd 1

Chris Brennan Muay Thai & MMA 2-Day Seminar

Mentor, Ohio

After a few date changes and a great deal of planning the much-anticipated Chris Brennan seminar finally came to play at the GriffonRawl Academy. Brennan comes to the table with an impressive and very extensive background. He is a BJJ blackbelt under John Delao and the owner/instructor of the Next Generation Fight Team in Lake Forest, CA. Brennan is also a seasoned veteran in the world of MMA, having competed in the UFC, Pride, and being the former KOTC World Middleweight Champion. He was also recently invited to the 2005 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling World Championships set to be held in Long Beach, CA later this year. Here is a brief break down of what we did at the two day semiar.Saturday – The first day of the seminar started off with warm ups, cutting off the ring/cage, striking and shooting from the clinch. Soon enough everyone found themselves on the mat working submissions from the top mount and side control for the remainder of the day.Sunday - The second day of the seminar got started with some basic warm ups and shadow boxing to get everyone’s bodies moving again from day 1 of being twisted into pretzels. Once again it did not take long before we were on the mat again only this time the vast majority of the submissions that were being taught were form the guard. We also were treated to some different ways that Chris likes to pass the guard. Sunday afternoon closed with Q&A. Chris was open to any questions about technique, wins, loses, and nutrition. Following the Q&A Chris rolled with each participant. He often gave the students their choice of position and showed the practical use for many of the moves he taught over the weekend. There was even some time for some showing off as he displayed some slick moves on the mat.The seminar was a great success. We video taped 5 hours of the weekend and we are currently editing the DVD’s. Each seminar participant will receive a copy. We like to thank Chris Brennan for his time, talent, and patience and we’d like to thank everyone who attended and supported the gym. We hope to have future seminars with other MMA athletes. If there is anyone in particular you’d like to see please let us know. Brennan may return this fall for another weekend event. Hope those of you who attended can attend and those who missed will have another chance to further their game. Those of you who missed the seminar please check out http://www.chrisbrennan.com/ he has posted many MMA work out ideas, condition hints, and nutrition advice.Written by:Rich Catalano

Extreme Fighting Challenge 11

Columbus, Ohio

Bo Kimly’s Extreme Fighting Challenge 11 pulled out all stops when it came to filling the bill for one of the fastest growing MMA promotions in the region. Of course featuring a main event with the NY Bad Ass Phil Baroni was sure to draw a crowd of MMA loyalists, however this particular weekend gave many of the stars of MMA a chance to attend while in Columbus for the Arnold Fitness Classic Weekend. Mark Coleman, Wes Sims, and Shonie Carter were all in attendance as well as boxing legends Hector Macho Camacho and Vinny Pazienza who was also in Baronis corner for the main event. For the second straight show it was standing room only at Promo West Pavilion which is located in the heart of downtown Columbus, Oh. The set up is unique but very fitting for an event which draws such an enthusiastic fan base and doesn't have a bad seat in the house. The card featured a total of sixteen fights, three of which were for EFC titles. Cleveland’s Jason Dent defended his lightweight belt with an exciting performance over EFC veteran and #1 contender Primo Luciano. The bad news for Dent was a broken hand which needed surgery and will keep him out of competition for the next 3 months. Todd Seyler took out Travis Burnett in a very evenly contested and fast paced match-up to win the EFC light heavyweight title. In a battle of Canada, it was Joseph Geris over Grant Manske by first round submission earning him the title of EFC heavyweight champion. In the main event, it was the hometown hero and heavy underdog Chris “Cranial Damage” Cruit taking on the motivated Phil Baroni. It’s no secret that Baroni has been scuffling in recent fights and could not afford a loss to a fighter with a sub five hundred record. Baroni looked confident even during his walk to the ring (he sported his all silver NY Yankees robe) and you could sense the crowd was anxious to see the NY bad Ass in action. It didn’t take long for Baroni to gain control of Cruit who looked like he wanted no part of Baroni on his feet, and rightly so as Cruit has a mostly wrestling background. Even on the ground, Baroni had his way landing blow after blow to all parts of Cruits body. At one point, midway through the first round, Cruits corner actually threw in the towel, but after a short meeting by EFC officials and chorus of heavy boos from the crowd, it was determined to be a mistake by an outside party and the fight was allowed to continue. Cruit ended up surviving the first round but found himself in a similar situation quickly in the second. To nearly everyone's surprise Baroni finished Cruit with a submission (kimura) at 1:02 of the second round, but several things were made evident from this fight. 1.Baroni has been working on his ground game 2.Baroni has been working on his stamina 3. Chris Cruit can take a lot of punishment and has a very fitting nickname.After the fight Baroni addressed the crowd and thanked his fans who haven’t counted him out. He considers this fight a fresh start and stated that in his eyes he is now 1-0. He told PKW that he is currently working with Mark Coleman in hopes of possibly getting a fight in Japan with PRIDE FC. Baroni will be fighting Ohio’s Trevor Garrett on March 18th and plans to stay very active over the next few months. PKW’s exclusive Phil Baroni post fight audio interview is now available in our “Fighters View” section.EFC 12 is tentatively set for this coming May in Columbus. Congratulations to Bo Kimly and the entire EFC crew for a great night of MMA action. You can visit http://www.extremefightingchallenge.net/ for future EFC events and info. Written by:Greg KalikasExtreme Fighting Challenge 11 Complete ResultsMichael Lutz over Charles Lopresti – 2:50 1st Rd KO Joshua Wright over Scott DiSorno – 3:01 1st Rd Submission (rnc)Richy Karst over Van Daranikone – 2:37 1st Rd TKO (strikes)Scott Wolford over Phill Parker – 2:06 1st Rd Submission (rnc)Derek Collins over Dan Wallon – 2:17 1st Rd Submission (armbar)Jimmy Rommel over Rich Bivens – 1:06 1st Rd Submission (neck )Matthew Brown over Gary Young - 3:47 1st Rd Submission (choke)Joseph Ezella over Nick Baez - 1:40 3rd Rd Submission (choke)Damon Shuter over Tim Sample – 1:321st Rd Submission (armbar)Aron Crowell over Jesse Deweese – 2:37 2nd Rd TKO (strikes)Albert Rosales over Zach Hummel – 1:35 1st Rd Submission (rnc)Tobin Thomas over Cole Furbee – 0:56 1st Rd Submission (choke)Jason Dent over Primo Luciano – 2:52 1st Rd TKO (strikes)Todd Seylor over Travis Burnett 1st Rd – 1:25 Submission (strikes)Joseph Geris over Grant Manske - 1st Rd Submission (choke)Phil Baroni over Chris Cruit 2nd Rd - 1:02 Submission (kimura)

King of the Cage "Payback"

Cleveland, Ohio

The recent King Of The Cage pay-per-view card that took place in Cleveland had more mainstream press present according to KOTC owner Terry Trebilcock than any MMA show except the UFC. Newspapers from as far away as Colorado and Washington D.C. traveled to Cleveland to see Jarrod Bunch and Michael Westbrook headline a card that also featured Pride vets Daniel Bobish and Charles 'Krazy Horse' Bennett, KOTC Middleweight Champion Joey Villasenor, and several up-and-comers mainly from the Mid-West. KOTC weathered and for the most part controlled the storm from the media circus admirably, thankfully, as this show is bound to be referenced for years to come in the mainstream for sub-UFC events. Got to hand it to Terry, he knows how to spin almost as well as he knows how to run a successful business. First off was the Toughman angle. Steven Burress of Martins Ferry died late January after participating in a Toughman boxing competition in Dayton, Ohio 'likely' due to a blood clot on the brain. He won his first two matches but was knocked down in the third match, the finals of a Heavyweight tournament with a $1000 prize. According to the Times News Service this is the twelfth death in Toughman since their inception in 1979. Both Toughman and KOTC are sanctioned by the Ohio Athletic Commission which in March of '04 was criticized in a report by the State of Ohio Office of the Inspector General when they 'committed a wrongful act in failing to regulate tough person competition during the last two years'. You can bet the house the mainstream press found that report on line but thankfully Terry's spin focused the attention away from this issue as far as what was reported in public. The repercussions this had on the KOTC card resulted in one of the worst fights in KOTC history. Originally Eric 'Butterbean' Esch was supposed to fight Dan Severn. Dan was replaced about a week out by Bo Cantrell, last seen fighting Paul Buentello for the Heavyweight title right before Buentello fought in UFC. According to KOTC owner Trebilcock the unified rules of California adopted and adjusted by New Jersey and Nevada allow for any fighter weighing over 200 pounds to fight in an 'unlimited' class, thus allowing Cantrell at around 240 to fight Esch at a reported 425 despite the weight break between Heavyweight and Super Heavyweight being 265. Problem is Ohio doesn't recognize the 'unlimited' class. According to Cantrell he was told at 10 AM the day of the show that the Athletic Commission was 'clamping down' on the fight, insisting Cantrell make 265 by gaining 20 pounds the day of the fight. According to Trebilcock this was brought on by the Toughman death but sources close to the show speaking on condition of anonymity cited the nationwide press in attendance for KOTC mentioning the Toughman death as being a more accurate rendition of events. Cantrell actually tried to gain the weight and stay in the fight but couldn't do it, resulting in Mike Buchovich taking the fight with only a couple hours to prepare for the much heavier Butterbean, himself a former Toughman competitor. So far the Ohio Athletic Commission has not returned messages requesting comments. Another interesting angle was the two ways this show and particularly the Westbrook/Bunch fight was projected in the media leading up to the show. MSNBC's 'Imus In the Morning' was positive, even featuring Butterbean on the February 18th live broadcast. Newspapers in the DC area however such as the Washington Times and Washington Post both paralleled what many Redskins fans said in this reporter's informal poll of longtime residents, that Westbrook was remembered for his days with the 'Skins as a disappointment on the field and a hothead that feuded with teammates, management, and local press off. Even ESPN.com preceded Westbrook's name with 'NFL bust' while the Rocky Mountain News referred to Westbrook being known 'more for sucker- punching running back Stephen Davis as for catching Kordell Stewart's Hail Mary pass against Michigan'. Actually this fight was good, with Westbrook and Bunch both showing fight skills that would form a good foundation if they were to continue with Bunch showing superior wrestling and Westbrook solid jiu-jitsu. With a reported $100,000 fee for fighting plus a percentage of the pay-per-view profits Westbrook doesn't seem to be bothered, saying in a pre-fight entrance video 'love me or hate me, you'll watch'. So what will fans watch besides the abhorrent Butterbean/Buchovich 'draw' and Westbrook/Bunch? The highlight was definitely George Gurgel vs. Jay Ireland in a standup war where both fighters repeatedly stood toe to toe throwing heavy leather much to the delight of the estimated 7,000 in attendance. Joey Villasenor, James Lee, Daniel Bobish, and Thiago Alves all overwhelmed their opponents in what were only seemingly one-sided fights with worthy opponents. Also worth checking out will be Alvarez's ATT teammate Paulo Dantas who had a close fight with Jason Dent that will please fans of the ground game. This pay-per-view starts airing March 6th. Written by:Keith Mills