Extreme Combat Challenge "Ho - Ho - Ho - KO ! "

Muncie, Indiana

The Delaware County Fairgrounds was the site of Saturdays latest installment of Extreme Combat Challenge. GriffonRawl team members Donny Walker (4-3), Mike Russo (7-5), and Jason Dent (12-4) were all on the card. Mike was involved in an 8 man 170 pound tournament, Donny in a single bout at 155 and Jason fought for the ECC 145 pound title. The night for the team started off with a bang as Mike made short work of his first opponent Kreg Lajoy, tapping him out with a armbar 36 seconds into the first round. They exchanged leather briefly before it went to the ground and Mike took over. Mike’s second bout was against a very game Reinhart Fighting Systems member. However, Mike made short work of him tapping him out early in the first via rear naked choke. In his third and final fight of the night Mike was matched against a jiu-jitsu fighter. Mike showed his superior striking skills pummeling his opponent for nearly two rounds until he slapped on a rear naked choke to end the fight and capture the 170 pound tournament championship. Mike showed why his nickname is “The Bull”. Donny however, hit a snag in his fight. Matched against hometown boy Adam Bass(9-1), Donny got caught by a straight right in the first round and never quite recovered and the referee stepped in after a series of stomps by Bass. Donny, like the true warrior he is, will fight another day.Jason was matched against a huge 145 pound competitor named Joe Voisin for the ECC 145 pound title. The first round was pretty even back and forth. Jason did find himself on his back most of the round but showed his skills defending strikes and nearly catching Voisin in an armbar. The second round however, was all Jason. After a brief exchange on the feet Jason got the clinch and threw some great knees. Voisin countered by scooping one of the knees and taking Jason down but landed right in Jason’s triangle. Jason locked it in and forced him to tap, capturing the title. So, between Jason winning the title and Mike winning not 1, not 2, but 3 fights in dominating fashion to capture the tournament championship, GriffonRawl had a good trip to Muncie for ECC: Ho Ho Ho KO.Written by:Josh Burton

Training in OC with Team Next Generation

Los Angeles, California

GriffonRawl globe trotters Jason Dent and Richard Catalano recently headed west to visit Chris Brennan’s Next Generation Team located in OC, CA. After battling two hours of LA traffic during rush hour we knew the hitting the gym would be a would be a much needed break and stress reliever.Russ Miura, a recent brown belt taught an advanced Jiu-Jitsu class Wednesday evening. Jason had no problem keeping up with the advanced boys from OC. Later that evening we crashed at Zack and Jakes Brennan’s place.We got up early Thursday and met Chris Brennan at his Lake Forest Gym and finalized the details of our seminar NOW set for Feb 25&26th, 2005 right here in MENTOR! (Book your space NOW as the seminar is limited to just 30 students each day). Chris and Jake plan to sell NoGi wear (http://www.nogiindustries.com/) at King of the Cage Friday the 25th at the CSU Convocation Center as well as during seminar hours at GriffonRawl. Our first class was kickboxing covering many combination and blocks taught by Chris. Right after class Jason spared with Adam Lynn a Next Generation Team member from Pittsburgh, PA. The second class also taught by Chris, Jiu-Jitsu we did a few drills, escapes and counters. Later rolled with Chris and other students of the Next Generation team. That afternoon we headed to the Pacific Coast Highway to what Chris refers to as 1000 Steps… www.chrisbrennan.com/steps.htm . Steps so steep when you look down from the top you can’t see the bottom step. It’s a challenge everyone should try given the opportunity. After the “Steps” some relaxation was in order. We headed over to Venice Beach to check out the vendors, other tourists and So. Cal sights. Later that evening we went to Hollywood and Vine to see the ECC fights in the Henry Fonda Theater. Congrats to Josh Smith of Next Generation on his 27 second KO win in the cage. Early Friday morning we headed back to Cleveland after an action packed few days in OC. Thanks to the Brennan family for their hospitality. Written by:Richard Catalano

Team Quest - Training Camp

Portland, Oregon

Jason Dent and Richard Catalano ventured all the way across the country to Portland Oregon where they would get to train at Team Quest for a three day camp. The Team Quest group is made of many great fighters in the MMA game. Randy “The Natural” Couture, Matt “The Law” Lindland and many other top rated fighters make up one of the countries best fight clubs. Couture, Lindland, and Robert Follis gym president instructed the camp. Each instructor presented the material in a prolific and professional manner. The Team Quest facility is under construction and amidst a huge expansion to allow for a kickboxing area, a new locker/shower area, and even more mat space. The former auto showroom is rapidly being transformed into a state of the art MMA training facility. Classes began Friday evening with an introduction, take down ideas, and thoughts on getting up off your back. Being on your back can be a offensive place to be but you can benefit from being able to get back to you feet when you want to. Robert Follis also stressed the importance of muscle memory. Don’t be discouraged if at first you don’t do a move with perfection. The move may be NEW to your body and the brain needs to “teach” the muscles to move and react. This process takes time; be patient with it. The first night of camp was a great introduction and two hours of education from 8-10pm.Saturday morning brought three hours from 9am-12noon educating and training which included one hour with Robert, Matt, and last but not least Randy. During each one of these hours each instructor taught a series moves. The major strength of Team Quest is obviously thier wrestling credentials, now don't get me wrong they have good Jiu-Jitsu, and kickboxing skills too boot. Most all three hours were either takedowns, getting off of your back with out using your guard, and we spent a lot of time discussing about using angles with your clinching and takedowns.After a three hour break Saturday afternoon from 3pm-6pm we were given the opportunity to dawn gloves and work on striking techniques. This included getting off the ropes or fence, and closing the distance to obtain the clinch when being struck at. Saturday evening concluded with some interesting relaxation and positive affirmation techniques Randy learned while training with the US Olympic wrestling team in Colorado Springs. Sunday morning brought us to the last two hours of the weekend; Randy, Matt, and Robert presented a question and answer period, followed by nutrition, and some kicking ideas. Randy stressed blocking the punches and kicks he said that you better have it in your mind that you are going to get hit because if you try to fight without getting hit you will get hit worrying about it to much. Jason had the chance to do some free rolling with a member of the Quest team before it was time to jet back to Cleveland.Every technique over the weekend was followed by a chance to try each move; we also traded partners through out the weekend in order to sharpen our game. Each instructor floated around the room, making suggestions, instructing and participating with the students.Quest camp is held every few months in Portland anyone looking to strengthen their game and train along side UFC vets should check out the camp. Its adventure worth your time and will surely prove invaluable.Written by:Richard Catalano

Walter "Sleeper" Michalowski Muay Thai Seminar

Grove City, Ohio

Ryan Madigan, Jason Dent, and Mike Russo all attended this seminar with Walter. Ryan and Jason participated while Mike took notes. Mike had just competed in the KOTC show on the previous night and needed to rest his bones a little. Walter covered everything from clinch drills, thai pad combinations, and we even got to work on the Wai Kru/Ram Muay rituals. The school that hosted the seminar was the International Martial Arts Academy that is owned and operated by Mike Gross. Everybody at the seminar was very cool.Written by:Jason Dent

King of the Cage 41 "The Octagon is here"

Dayton, Ohio

The Hara arena was the place to be this past weekend as King Of the Cage once again hit the Buckeye state with another high caliber MMA show. Over 3000 fans showed up to cheer on their favorite KOTC fighters and get a glimpse of the sport that is exploding nation wide. Fifteen fights were on the card and capped by the main event of Mike "Boom Boom " Buckovich verse Brandon Quigby. Buckovich KO 'd Quigby to stay unbeaten at 10-0 with all ten wins coming via KO, however Buckovich would not be the only fighter to extend his undefeated winning streak. Cincinnati's Team Jorge Gurgel posted a 5-0 record with its five fighters on the KOTC card (Swift, Souder, Tony, Hazlette, Workman) and showed fans why they are considered one of the top Jujitsu camps in the country. KOTC also announced their plans on a potentially huge show set for Cleveland this coming February, which will be available across North America via Pay Per View.Official Results:Josh Souder over Donny Walker – submission (leg lock) rd 2Dustin Hazlette over Justin Hons – tapout rd 1Dan Swift over Matt Horning – submission (choke) rd 1Jason Gillian over Dwight Decker – TKO rd 1Jamie Tony over Drew Longshore – ref stoppage rd 1Dorian Price over Salazar Sanchez – submission (choke) rd 1Brandon Workman over Dave Stone – submission (choke) rd 1Thomas Jones over Leo Sylvest – TKO rd 1David Hieth over Doug Sour – TKO rd 1Ryan Stout over Mike Russo – ref stoppage rd 1Jay Estrada over Luke Spencer submission (RNC) rd 1Jeff Cox over Jake Short – submission (choke) rd 1Sean Hoffman over Eli Ayers – unan decJohn Dixson over Don Richard – submission (choke) rd 1Mike Buckovich over Brandon Quigby – KO rd 1Results from: http://www.prokarateweekly.com/

XFO gives sellout crowd long night of MMA

Lakemoor, Illinois

Donny Walker wins again & Jason vs. Curran was an all out WAR!It started 20 minutes late, but nobody in the sellout crowd was complaining when the Xtreme Fighting Organization finished its third show more than four hours later. The event featured 16 bouts -- eight of them going more than one round, and five of them going into the third round. 'This was one of those shows where everything came together... the fights we thought were going to be good were great, and the ones we thought were going to be OK were also great,' said Monte Cox, one of the event's promoters. Jeff Curran and Jason Dent put on a 15-minute war that left both fighters bloody and with broken noses. Curran showed solid standup and good ground skills en route to a unanimous decision victory. Dent, making his first fight at 145 (he normally fights at 155), showed he can be a top competitor at the lower division. 'Promoters always hope that the main event lives up to its hype and we certainly got that out of Curran and Dent,' Cox said. 'It was a perfect way to finish a great show.' Cox added that the event was a complete sellout. The next XFO event is expected to be in early December. OFFICIAL RESULTS: - Eric Schafer def. Rich Seldel, 2:29 Rd. 1, rear choke. - Kit Kieu def. Omar Choudhury, 3:00 Rd. 3 (9:00), split decision. - Donny Walker def. Jim Calazante, 1:20 Rd. 2 (4:20), rear choke. - Rory Markham def. James Warfield, 1:12 Rd. 2 (6:12), verbal submission. - Sebastian Helon def. Sal Calazante, 2:51 Rd. 1, triangle choke. - Matt Williams def. Rob Mrotek, 1:51 Rd. 1, knockout. - Mark Miller def. Tavaris Hunter, :19 Rd. 2 (5:19), knockout. - Sean Huffman def. Steve Dau, 5:00 Rd. 3 (15:00), unanimous decision. - Troy Guida def. Leo Sylvest, 2:55 Rd. 1, armbar. - Mike Kelly def. Jon Friedland, 3:00 Rd. 3 (9:00), unanimous decision. - Alisa Cantwell def. Adrienna Jenkins, 1:17 Rd. 1, verbal submission. - Mark Wallen def. Troy King, 1:54 Rd. 1, rear choke. - Henry Matamoros def. Chris Moore, 2:11 Rd. 1, rear choke. - Bart Palaszewski def. Jay Estrada, 4:31 Rd. 1, triangle choke. - Terry Martin def. Bill Hill, :19 Rd. 3 (10:19), knockout. MAIN EVENT: - Jeff Curran def. Jason Dent, 5:00 Rd. 3 (15:00), unanimous decision.

South Leauge Extreme Kickboxing

Atlanta, Georgia

Ryan “The Lion” Madigan makes successful return in AtlantaAfter spending over a year away from the ring, Ryan “The Lion” Madigan once again showed why he is widely considered to be one of the top kick-boxers in the170 lb class. Madigan gained a unanimous decision victory over Jeff Perry (6-3) at Lane Collyer’s Extreme Kickboxing Challenge (USMTA sanctioned) this past weekend in Atlanta, GA. Madigan now 6-1 (3 KO’s) as a pro and the current IKF East Coast Super Middleweight Champion, is scheduled to take on Rasheed Lee on October 23rd for the USKBA Super Middleweight title. After a very accomplished amateur career (18-2), Madigan was slowed by a leg injury which kept him out of action for nearly 18 months but now at one hundred percent Madigan says it’s time to make his run to a world title. Trained by legendary boxing coach Lorenzo Scott and former K-1 star Mark “The Shark” Miller, the 27 year old Madigan has his sights set on a future ISKA title but is taking it one fight at a time in the process. Counting his October title fight in Michigan, Madigan may fight as many as three more times in 2004. Ryan credits his trainers and sponsors (Real Fight Gear, Griffon-Rawl Gym) for a successful run so far, but promises he is far from finished.For tickets or event info on the October 23rd USKBA fight card in Michigan, email info@prokarateweekly.com. Ryan Madigan will be making a LIVE appearance this Wednesday night on PKW to discuss his recent win and upcoming title fight with Rasheed Lee. PRO KARATE WEEKLY (PKW) can be heard live exclusively on http://www.sportstalkcleveland.com/ and/or http://www.prokarateweekly.com/ Wednesday nights from 9 to 10:30 pm EST. All shows are archived so fans can listen to the show if they have missed a live broadcast. Archives, sound bytes, interviews, rumors, and all of the latest martial arts news are available daily by logging onto http://www.prokarateweekly.com/.Fans are encouraged to contribute to the show by calling during live broadcasts to 1-866-371-4STC on our national toll free hotline or email PKW live at Studio@sportstalkcleveland.com. For all other Pro Karate Weekly questions please email info@prokarateweekly.com. Written by:Greg Kalikas - SportsTalkCleveland.com Regional Director Marketing & SalesPro Karate Weekly - Executive Producergkalikas@sportstalkcleveland.com (330) 324-3034

Extreme Fighting Challenge 9

Cleveland, Ohio

Finally a local event (The Scene Pavilion), all of this traveling lately is begining to take its toll. On what started off to look like it would be an easy quick trip quickly became complicated. Less than twenty minutes into our trip the vehicle we took broke down and had us stranded leaving only about an hour to get to the show to fight. Luckily Jason's parents came to the rescue and dropped us off another vehicle big enough to hold the five of us (Jason, Cheyenne, Donny, Breanne, and me). We pushed Cheyenne's car into the nearest parking lot off of the freeway and were on our way again - LOL! EFC 9 turned out to be a very good night for our fighters but a very bad night for the promoter of the show. Plagued with fighter drop outs and a very poor attendance this hsow still had a couple of good fights and the crowed that was there seemed to enjoy itself very much. Our team fighters were not even originally scheduled to compete at this show but due to fighters droping out Jason asked Donny and I to join in and we were ready. Donny had a fight a few days out but I did not even know if I was fighting until like fifteen minutes before my bout. This is a good reason why you should always be in good shape and be ready because the fight buisness is crazy and things come out of nowhere sometimes.GriffonRawl goes Undefeated at EFC IXDonny "Eagle Eye " Walker (Now 3-1) defeated Jason Cable by armbar in Rd. 1Mike " The Bull " Russo (Now 4-4) defeated Lou Rodriguez by armbar in Rd. 1A special thanks to all that attended this show to support our team. I would name everybody but their is too many people that were their from our gym and I don't want to leave anyone out. Written By: Mike Russo

Apex Championship Fighting "Genesis"

Montreal, Quebec

APEX Championship Fighting presented their inaugural MMA event Sunday night at the Centre Pierre Charbonneau in Montreal, Quebec. The quickest fight of the night went to Victory Athletics fighter Brad Blackburn finishing local Steve Legault of Club 454 by TKO at just 0:14 of Round 1. In the main event, local icon Ivan Menjivar of Tristar Gym defeated Ryan Ackerman of Grappling Works by TKO in a fight that showcased his diverse skills. Middleweight -- Marcus Celestin (184.0) of Team Charles Nestor vs. Mandela Kponou (182.4) of Dragon’s Lair -- Kponou by submission at 0:50 of Round 2. Heavyweight -- Mike Rogers (255.0) of Rodrigo Vaghi Jiu-Jitsu vs. Lance Cartwright (237.0) of Munduruca -- Rogers by Unanimous Decision after 2 rounds. Featherweight -- Ulysses Rocha (142.6) of Martial X/BTT vs. Matt Martin (135.4) of Dragon's Lair -- Rocha by submission at 1:06 of Round 1. Welterweight -- Steve Legault (168.0) of Club 454 vs. Brad Blackburn (169.4) of Victory Athletics -- Blackburn by TKO at 0:14 of Round 1. Lightweight -- Ryan Schultz (154.8) of Team Quest vs. Jason Dent (154.0) of Griffonrawl Muay-Thai -- Schultz by TKO at 2:00 of Round 1. Middleweight -- Fritz Paul (183.4) of Team Charles Nestor vs. Steve Berger (183.0) of Rodrigo Vaghi Jiu-Jitsu -- Berger by submission at 4:46 of Round 1. Light Heavyweight -- Antony Rea (203.4) of Team Lebanner vs. Matt Horwich (200.2) of Team Quest -- Horwich by submission at 1:13 of Round 2. Middleweight -- Tony “The Freak” Fryklund (184.4) of Miletich Fighting Systems vs. Chris Myers (180.8) of Team Chaos -- Fryklund by Referee Stoppage at 4:20 of Round 2. Heavyweight -- Wes “The Project” Sims (250.6) of Hammer House vs. Ricardeau Francois (202.4) of Team Charles Nestor -- Francois by TKO at 0:26 of Round 2. Featherweight -- Ivan Menjivar (145.0) of Tristar Gym vs. Ryan Ackerman (143.4) of Grappling Works -- Menjivar by TKO at 2:02 of Round 2. Written by: Joseph Cunliffe

Extreme Combat Challenge "Brawl at the Hall"

Muncie, Indiana

Two of GriffonRawls home grown fighters competed this weekend. Putting it on the line was Mike Russo and our Instructor, Jason Dent. The event took place in the Muncie Bingo Hall, and attracted a pretty decent crowd of local fans.I will also say, Muncie is a pretty rowdy joint. If you came to see exciting fights, crowd upsets, small riots, and people kicked out by law enforcement officers, you came to the right place. About 15 fights took place this evening, including two four-man tournament brackets.Team GriffonRawl results are as follows:Mike Russo vs. Jim CarolRusso’s opponent looked like the hulk, and the hulk came out swinging hard. Russo avoided the onslaught, and went for a double leg takedown. He put his opponent’s back against the cage, and got caught up in a quick guillotine choke, ending the fight early in round 1.Jason Dent vs. Tom KirkDent was set against an experienced opponent, having a good amount of fights under his belt, and also having competed for Shooto in Japan before. Round 1 started off moderately, where Kirk scored a couple takedowns, but Dent managed to keep his cool and escape from the bottom. The fighters engaged in some light clinching and punching.Round 2 stepped it up a bit. Several times Kirk would put Dent against the fence, only to be reversed as the fighters struggled for the takedown. Several heavy clinching contests occurred, as Dent manipulated Kirk and landed a lot of knees. Kirk landed a good blow to the side of Dents head when the clinch broke. Again a couple takedowns from Kirk, Dent escapes, and its back to the clinch, as both fighters threw knees and fought for positioning. Dent was really focused on Kirk’s legs, landing straight knees from the clinch and heel tips from the guard.Kirk manipulated Dent into the corner, and once again Dent reversed it. Dent worked to put his opponent to bed, landing MANY knees to the body, legs, and working some heavy punching combinations. Kirk seemed to be in trouble as the bell split for round two, and Dent was ordered to stop.Round three was the final round. Again the fighters engaged in the clinch. Dent and Kirk took turns wrestling each other in the corner, as Dent once again attacked the legs with round knees to the thigh. Kirk threw knees to the stomach as well. The cage latch gave and the fight paused as the door was re-sealed and chained. Wow, these guys really liked to clinch.Another takedown from Kirk. Kirk was skilled in taking down his oponents having a wrestling background. Both fighters struggled for positioning, as they traveled from the corner of the cage to the center. Dent found himself getting mounted, but immediately used an elbow escape to find his guard. Dent put on the triangle, and took home the win.Special thanks to Jasons Dad, and Dan Krempel for coaching, cornering, and taking pics of the fights this weekend.Written by:Dan Krempel

Northern Kentucky Reality Fighting

Covington, Kentucky

A less than capacity crowd occupied the Holmes High School gymnasium in Covington, Kentucky, on Saturday night. Roughly 200 people were on hand for Northern Kentucky Reality Fighting. After a sloppy first few fights and one intermission, Griffon Rawl’s own Jason Dent took to the ring. Jason however only found out who is opponent was about an hour before the fight. After an initial cancellation two weeks prior to the fight, Jason was scheduled to meet Henry Baird. Baird however had other plans when he was a no-show. D’ Angelo Nichols (Black Dragon Society, Cleveland) stepped up on short notice and offered to fight. Jason, despite giving up more than 20 pounds to Nichols, showed he was a true warrior by accepting the match with the much larger Nichols. The fighters started the match by trading strikes. Nichols was throwing heavy hands that Jason avoided flawlessly as he chopped the legs of Nichols with excellent Thai kicks. Then Jason closed the distance and took down Nichols from a body lock landing in Nichols’ half guard. Jason proceeded to throw excellent body-head combinations and easily passed the half and took the mount. A series of elbows followed, as did a vicious knee Jason dropped to the body of Nichols. Obviously in pain Nichols took a straight down right hand from Jason to the jaw that knocked him out as well as Nichols’ mouthpiece, which almost hit corner man Shannon Nadvornik in the face. Jason was happy to get a victory after his disappointing loss at Superbrawl. Jason upped his record to 10-2 in MMA. The intensity of the crowd seemed to pick up after Jason’s fight and continued too, up to the Main Event. Featured in this fight was the other Griffon Rawl representative Mike Russo and Josh Souder (Ground Zero, Middletown), one of Jorge Gurgel’s top fighters. This fight definitely lived up to the hype. It started with both fighters feeling each other out until Souder shot a double-leg and took Mike down and captured side-mount. Mike however defended brilliantly and rolled Souder landing in Souder’s guard. Mike dominated with striking combinations until Souder caught him with an armbar that forced Mike to tap at 2:38 of the first round. A rematch however maybe in the making and I’m sure we’re all looking forward to seeing Mike avenge his loss. Mike’s record moved to 3-3 in MMA.Written by:Josh BurtonOffical Fight Card Dustin Hazlett vs. Edwin Levine- Hazlett by KO in 1st after incidental stoppageJeremy Linville vs. Adam Rivera- Rivera by Rear Naked Choke in 2ndTom Bacon vs. Mike Johns- Johns by KO in 2ndTierre Hall vs. Mike Wells- Wells by Guillotine in 1stD’ Angelo Nichols vs. Jason Dent- Dent by KO in 1stBill Dexter vs. Tim Norman- Dexter by Armbar in 2ndLance Frimouth vs. Jamie Tony- Tony by Unanimous DecisionJosh Cooper vs. Chris Levine- Cooper by TKO in 1stSteve Neal vs. Chris Wells- Wells by Ref. Stoppage (CUT) in 1stMAIN EVENTMike Russo vs. Josh Souder- Souder by Armbar in 1st

Ajarn Surachai "Chai" Sirisute Muay Thai Seminar

Centerville, Ohio

This Seminar was hosted in a Gym by the name of Jeff Browns Martial Arts Institute. The President and founder of the TBA (Thai Boxing Association) Ajarn "Chai" traveled from Carson California to do this 2 day Seminar here in Ohio. GriffonRawl members Mike Russo and Aaron Veverka spent the weekend at this seminar training, learning, and fine tuning their fighting skills and knowledge. I am sure they have learned some cool new drills to bring back and torture us all with.Traveling to these seminars is defintily a plus for everybody in our gym and the next time a good seminar like this comes around I would like to see more of us attend.Written by:Jason DentThe Thai Boxing Association of the U.S.A. (TBA-USA), the oldest and largest Muay Thai organization in the United States, was founded in 1968 by Ajarn Surachai "Chai" Sirisute. (Ajarn is Thai for head instructor.) Ajarn Chai came to the United States with a vision to spread Muay Thai to throughout the world, and he is the first-ever Thai boxing instructor to teach Americans this art and he has worked tirelessly for more than 30 years to that end. We are indeed grateful to Ajarn Chai for his gift of the knowledge of Muay Thai. The TBA-USA now has representation in almost every state in the USA and has expanded to establish affiliate organizations in more than 15 countries around the world. Ajarn Chai continues to promote Muay Thai through a busy teaching schedule. Visit the official TBA website at www.thaiboxing.com/ for more information about this association and there upcoming events.

SuperBrawl 35 "The Return of the Yamato Damashii"

Honolulu, Hawaii

Super Brawl 35 featured Enson "Yamato Damashii" Inoue's MMA debut in Hawaii. Enson brought with him a team of warriors from his Purebred gym in Omiya, Japan. Purebred ended up posting a 4-4 record at the event, which showed that the opponents chosen for the Purebred team were evenly matched and proved that it could be and was anyone's fight. Purebred's opposition included a couple of UFC veterans in Jeff Curran and Rich Franklin, and a man that should be in the UFC, Joe Doerksen, all of whom came out victorious. Some of the highs of the event were the Curran-Nonaka and Doerksen-Fukuda fight. Jeff Curran set the pace for most of the fight, but Nonaka kept it interesting by interrupting Curran's striking dominance with take downs and excellent submission defense. The fight of the night without question was Joe Doerksen taking on a fighter making his MMA debut, Riki Fukuda fighting out of the Purebred gym. Doerksen opened up the fight with a flurry of punches and knees that immediately cut open Fukuda. However, Fukuda was like a machine that took everything that Doerksen had and kept coming forward. Fukuda escaped out of numerous submission attempts by Doerksen and had Doerksen tiring himself out trying to finish off Fukuda. Remember the name Riki Fukuda, you will definitely be hearing a lot about him in the future. A lot of Hawaii fight fans came out to see Enson's Hawaii debut and high expectations were put on him going into the fight. Many of the Hawaii fans have not even heard of Tom Sauer even though Sauer was a highly successful participant in the RINGS USA event that was held in Hawaii about four years ago. On that night, Sauer KO'd both of his opponents, one of them being RINGS and Pride veteran, Valentijn Overeem to go on to the final RINGS USA tournament. Sauer is a tough journeyman fighter who is well versed in submissions and has knock out power as seen in his 17-9 MMA record. The match would end in somewhat of a controversy, topped off by a riot. Read the next issue of Full Contact Fighter for the full details on the referee stoppage, the face off in the ring immediately following the fight and Grappling Unlimited's fight with a huge guy in the crowd. Written by:Chris Onzuka (Found on http://www.fcfighter.com/)Official Results128lbs: 3 Rounds X 5 Minutes: Jyoji Yamaguchi (Purebred, Omiya) def. Bill "The" Kidd (Indianapolis)KO at 0:07 into R3.155lbs: 3 Rounds X 5 Minutes: Bart Palaszewski (Team Curran) def. Hiroaki Okada (Purebred, Omiya)TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes at 3:02 into R3.150lbs: 3 Rounds X 5 Minutes: Makoto Ishikawa (Purebred, Omiya) def. Antoine Skinner (Indianapolis)Unanimous decision [(29-28), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.I found this small write up posted on Sherdogs website.The next fight, Jason Dent versus Tetsuji Kato (Team Purebred), started out lightning quick with both guys exchanging on the feet, but ended up sticking mostly to the ground. Here, Kato was able to ground and pound his way to a unanimous decision. Not much more to this one, as nearly the entire thing past the initial exciting banging was spent moving for position. 155lbs: 3 Rounds X 5 Minutes: Tetsuji Kato (Purebred, Omiya) def. Jason Dent (Indianapolis) Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.Heavyweight: 3 Rounds X 5 Minutes: Kerry "Meat Truck" Schall (Meat Truck Inc., Ohio) def. Ray "King Kong" Serraile (Grappling Unlimited) TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the cross position at 2:15 into R1. *Serraile suffered a separate shoulder some time during the fight160lbs: 3 Rounds X 5 Minutes:Ryan Bow (Purebred, Tokyo) def. Deshaun Johnson (HMC)Submission via Kimura key lock at 2:01 into R1.205lbsJoe Doerksen (Team Extreme) def. Riki Fukuda (Purebred Omiya)Unanimous decision [(30-27), (30-27), (30-27)] after 3 rounds.138lbs: 3 Rounds X 5 Minutes: Jeff "Big Frog" Curran (Team Extreme) def. Kimihito Nonaka (Purebred, Omiya)Submission via rear-naked choke at 4:35 into R3.205lbs: 3 Rounds X 5 Minutes: Rich "Ace" Franklin (Team Extreme) def. Leo SylvestSubmission due to strikes from the mount at 1:13 into R1.Main Event205lbs: 3 Rounds X 5 Minutes:Tom "Trauma" Sauer (Ocala, FL,) def. Enson "Yamato Damashii" Inoue (Purebred, Omiya)TKO via referee stoppage due to strikes from the mount at 4:14 into R1.

Warehouse Wars 2

Toledo, Ohio

The Griffonrawl team ventured deep into the ghetto of Toledo to do battle in the "Warehouse Wars". Promoter Shawn Douglas did a great job of creating a real "Fight Club" type of atmosphere, and Griffonrawl fighters Aaron "Juice" Veverka and Mike "The Bull" Russo were up to the challenge. The turnout was less than expected, but it is understandable, as even the bad boys of Griffonrawl were looking over their shoulders while walking out to their cars in the ghetto warzone of Toledo. The details of each bout are given below.Aaron "Juice" Veverka vs. Mike O'neil (Winner by KO, Aaron "Juice-Dawg-in-the-hizzie" Veverka)Juice and his opponent came out fast and furious in the first round. They both looked sharp, were throwing good combinations, and were both eager to get off first. The first round was pretty even. Juice tended to dominate with kicks and knees, while opponent dominated when punches were thrown. After the first round, Juice adapted quickly to his opponents skills. Although Juice has good hands, his kicks and knees became his real weapons. In the second round, Juice kicked and kneed his opponent skillfully and mercilessly, while staying relaxed and pacing himself. In the third round, Juice began to enjoy himself. He would charge his opponent with flying push kicks and flying knees, and then immediately clinch, and methodically wear down his opponent with knees. He threw one final knee to the chest which sent his opponent to the canvas. Both of these fighters showed great skill, discipline and conditioning. Congratulations to Juice on his superior performance.Mike "The Bull" Russo vs. Carlos Druedwater (Winner by KO, Opponent)This bout should have been called "The Running of the Bulls", as Mike and Opponent came out sluggin' in the first round. They both landed some brutal punches, kicks, knees in the first round, and both seemed to be enjoying a contest of "who can hit harder". In the second round, it was apparent that both fighters wanted to exercise more caution as there was more feigning, head movement, and combinations thrown. Both men were looking good until Opponent had Mike against the ropes, and threw a cross - hook - right head kick combination that sent Mike to the canvas. Mike did not give anything up, as Opponent landed a beautiful head kick from very close range, and it caught Mike right on the buzzer. Hats off to both of these gentlemen, they put on a great show. Written by:Brett Wessler

King of the Cage "Rampage in the Cage"

Canton, Ohio

Young Fighters Shine in CantonKing of the Cage returned to the Midwest for the first time since fielding a star-studded card just outside of Detroit in November 2000 with a show that thrilled the buckeye state crowd. With only one fight making to the second round, the fans were pleased with nonstop action and excitement.This reporter was impressed with the knowledgeable and expansive crowd. The last event I reported from in Canton had a crowd that barley topped 500 fans, which belittled the fighters every time they were in the guard or fighting cautiously. The Canton Memorial Civic Center was bursting with near capacity crowd, roaring during submission attempts and sweeps; there was only a hint of uneducated remarks.Without a major name on the card or any sign of a respectable main event, KOTC "Rampage" displayed local talent and excited the fans with brawls, knockouts, and submissions.While running his record to a perfect 10-0, Forrest Petz proved himself to be ready for a step up in level of competition. The Cleveland-based fighter knocked out Mike O'Donnell around the three-minute mark of round one.Early in the contest O'Donnell looked to pressure the stand up action until he felt the stone hands of his opponent. Petz, who trains with Daniel Bobish, connected with a solid left hook dropping O'Donnell. O'Donnell regained his footing, only to be knocked down three more times. Each time he was knocked to the floor, Petz would step back and wave the butt-scooter up to his feet.Growing ever confident, Petz opened up his punches even more and landed a nice combo finishing the fight with a solid right hook that sent his opponent face down to the mat.Eddie Sanchez got back on the winning path after suffering losses to John Renken and Keith Wisniewski. Sanchez, who trains out of the Gomez academy in Detroit, battled Jeremiah Pocock in a middleweight contest.In the only bout of the evening that made it to the second round, both fighters exchanged position on the mat throughout the first stanza, with Sanchez getting the upper hand when he landed several elbows from the half guard.Both fighters seemed to be gassed going into the respite, but as the action resumed Pocock looked to press the fight with some heavy strikes. To defend from the shots, Sanchez began to work from the clinch. Pocock stumbled to the mat where the Michigan fighter took his back and sunk in the rear-naked choke.In super-heavyweight action, Tony Sylvester and Brian Peoples, who both look-a-like Scott Ferozzo clones, wowed the crowd. Unlike most super heavyweights, these two combatants showed great skill. Peoples landed very crisp leg kicks to open the contest.After a brief stint on the ground, the fighters went toe to toe, landing smooth, crisp shots. This slugfest did not look like a Tough Man contest, rather a skilled boxing match. Sylvester caught Peoples with a left jab that staggered him. As he was reeling, Sylvester followed it up with a flurry. Peoples was unable to answer and referee Herb Dean was forced to halt the action.Jason Dent looked very smooth in his victory over Matt Brady, while improving his record to 8-1. Dent, who stayed calm as Brady took him down early, weathered a ground-and-pound attack. Dent trapped the arm from guard and finished the fight bellying down for the armbar tap.Josh Hendricks, who weighed in at 235, took control of his much heavier opponent, Jonathan Westfall, who tipped the scale at 305. Hendricks shot in on a single-leg takedown and quickly took the back of Westfall, but he was unable to get in his hooks. After mounting his opponent, Hendricks trapped the left arm and worked on a key lock. The tap came around the two-minute mark.In a lightweight contest, Josh Sounder made short work of hometown fighter Brad Mohler. Sounder, who trains with Jorge Gurgel, quickly took down his adversary to side control. After working to mount, Sounder secured an armbar and forced a tap early into round one, running his record to 7-2.Dorian Price earned his second MMA victory when he submitted Drew Longshore 1:30 into the first round. Price, who out muscled his gaunt 6-foot-4 160 pound opponent, locked up a triangle choke and secured the tap after transitioning from an armbar from mount.Fred Parrish won his MMA debut by choking Jamie Tony unconscious late in the first round. Parrish, who was cut early in the fight, endured the blood and worked for a guillotine. Tony defended well for a while, but had no more fence to climb to alleviate the pressure. Tony's body went limp as referee Dean separated the combatants and tended to the unconscious fighter.In welterweight action, Jeff Cox stayed undefeated, improving his record to 4-0. Cox overpowered Mike Russo throughout the short bout. Cox muscled a takedown and then used some vicious ground and pound. When the fighters worked their way back to their feet, Cox landed a big right hand, inciting a ref stoppage.Aitor Canup quickly dispatched Jason Keaton with a rear-naked choke moments into round one. Once the action hit the mat, Keaton seemed out of his element, tapping without much resistance.Written by: John Hanlon (Found on Maxfighting.com)Official Fight Results - GriffonRawl Fighters in Bold1 Fred Parrish over Jamie Toney - Submission (Guillotine Choke) 12 Jeff Cox over Mike Russo - KO (Punch) 13 Josh Hendricks over Jonathan Westfall - Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 14 Dorian Price over Drew Longshore - Submission (Triangle Choke) 1 5 Forrest Petz over Mike O'Donnell - TKO 16 Jason Dent over Matt Brady - Submission (Armbar) 1 7 Eddie Sanchez over Jeremiah Pocock - Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 28 Josh Souder over Brad Mohler - Submission (Armbar) 19 Tony Sylvester over Brian Peoples - Submission 1 10 Aitor Canup over Jason Keaton - Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1

Extreme Combat Challenge "Chaos In The Cage"

Anderson, Indiana

The Griffonrawl team traveled to Anderson, Indiana this past weekend to compete in "Chaos in the Cage". The show was fun, and had 30-40 fighters signed up for it. There was solo matches, tournament competitions and prearranged rematches. It was definitely a fighting environment, held in a run down abandoned big lots building, with plenty of women and beer. There was never a dull moment this evening, as an impressive ammount of people showed to see the event. Even the wet mud all over the floor seemed to make things interesting.The Griffonrawl Lineup and Results are as follows:Dan Krempel vs. Bill Kid (Winner Bill Kid by Ref. Stoppage due to Strikes - in rd 1)Dan was set to compete in a four man tournament. The fighters were called out and introduced at the beginning of the evening. This was Dan's first fight. The round started with Dan making the first move, landing a jab to his opponent right after the bell rang. Bill went for the takedown and put Dan on his back in the corner. Dan played defensively, until Bill gave him enough room to barrel-kick him away. Dan started to get up, but Bill charged so Dan laid back down. Dan push kicked his opponent from the ground and bought enough time to hop to his feet. After a short mingle, Bill attempted a second take down, but Dan reversed it and got sidemount over Bill. Bill had him in a headlock, so Dan worked his elbows and knees to the head in attempt to free himself. He made a technical error and Bill was able to escape. Bill made a second takedown, putting Dan back in the corner of the cage. Dan worked his defense once again, but Bill's aggression paid off, landing several punches to the side of Dan's face. The ref called the fight near the end of round 1.Donny Walker vs. Jason Gillian (Winner Jason Gillian by Ref. Stoppage due to strikes - in rd 1)Donny threw a leg kick in the beginning of the fight, and Jason tackled him and pinned him into the side of the cage. Jason thew punches as Donny tried to secure a triangle choke. Jason picked him up and slammed him down, breaking the triangle lock around him, and continued to punch his way through Donny. The ref stopped the fight to strikes in the middle of round 1. Donny is a true warrior though, and will be back in the cage ASAP!Mike Russo vs. Tristan Yunker (Winner Mike Russo by Split Decision rd 3)Mike was also set to compete in a four man tournament. This fight was very active, and Mike landed a lot of beautiful punching combinations. Mike dominated his opponent on his feet with upper cuts, hooks, and knees to the head. A couple times, Mike was put in a headlock on the ground, against the side of the cage. Mike managed to work through the difficulty and get back to his feet. His opponent fought south paw, allowing Mike to land powerful inside leg kicks. With continued stand up performance, Mike was awarded the three round decision. Mike withdrew from the tournament due to an ankle injury, allowing Tristan to advance.Jason Dent vs. Davey Gibson (Winner Jason Dent by Submission rd 1)Jason's fight was against professional kickboxer Davey Gibson. Davey really wanted an opponent who would stand with him, and Jason brought it to him. Jason landed solid leg kicks against his opponent and evaded most of Davey's strikes. The fight went from corner to corner, as Jason showed his clinching skills and landed a lot of knees. Davey managed to work Jason into the corner, but Jason reversed it and continued to work the clinch. Out of desperation, Davey took Jason to the ground, where Jason slapped on a triangle - arm bar and forced Davey to submit.Written by: Dan Krempel

Muay Thai Challenge 3 "The Reckoning"

Schaumburg, Illinois

Just this past weekend Team GriffonRawl members Aaron Veverka, Ryan Conway, Jason Dent, Mike Russo, and Nick Fross set off to do battle in the windy city. Below you will find our teams results and details of their bouts.Aaron Veverka vs. Robert Walker Jr. (This fight was declared a Draw rd.3)Details: "Juice was lucky enough to be the first fight of the night, and also this marks "Juice's" first fight without shin guards. "Juice" did a good job controlling this fight as he clearly dominated the fight on the outside, however Walker did a good job getting the clinch on "Juice quite often. Being in the corner for "Juice" and seeing the action up close I thought "Juice" had this one in the bag but I guess the judges must have seen something that I did not.Ryan Conway vs. Stanley Rousonelos (Winner Rousonelos by TKO rd2)Details: All I can say is that this was an absolute war! Round one was fast & furious with both fighters trying to gain control. Conway's highlights in this were some of the powerful crosses he landed along with some punishing knees to Rousonelos midsection, which seemed to be doing damage. However in Round two Rousonelos was able to put together some really nice combinations of punches. Trying to avoid Rousonelos's offense Conway made the mistake of reaching in attempt to set up the clinch to land more knee strikes. Late in the second round Rousonelos pinned Conway in the corner forcing him to cover up, at that point Rousonelos was able to score a vicious uppercut that would put Conway down for the count. Conway will be back stronger, faster, and more focused that ever before.Jason Dent vs. Benne Yelle (Winner Dent by Split Decision rd5)UWMTA Midwest Middleweight Amateur ChampionshipDetails: This fight was the Main Event on the evening and also a battle for a UWMTA Amateur Title. This fight would mark the third time in nine months that Dent would square of with Yelle. Their first fight was in Dayton, Ohio on April 26th 2003, followed by their second fight in Schaumburg, Illinois on October 24th 2003, which was there first fight for the UWMTA Title. The funny thing is Dent and Yelle seem to be inseparable opponents seeing how this was there third match and there is now talks of a possible fourth match happening due to the fact that Yell has beaten Dent twice and now Dent has beaten Yell and stolen his Title. Promoters seem to love their fights because they just keep trying to set this fight up over and over again. Having been in the corner for all of Dent's fights against Yelle I would have to say every one of their battles were so different in the fact that they both kept evolving and coming in with different game plans every fight. In my opinion I think Jason lost the first fight when the two met, but I think he should of won the second fight in which they fought because it was really close. The fight was so close that before they announced the decision "The President of the UWMTA Kru Vut" himself announced that there would be an automatic rematch no matter what the decision. On to the third fight, Dent was not to be denied this time around and knew this could very well be his last chance at redemption to avenge his losses to Yelle and maybe his last opportunity at the Title. Dent was the busier fighter in this fight and was the more effective fighter in this fight landing everything from solid punches, knees to the chest, some good leg kicks, and even a spinning back kick that knocked Yelle clear off of his feet. This was an awesome fight to watch and hopefully we will have the videotape at the gym for students to borrow before to long.A special thanks is in store for Nick Fross & Mike Russo for traveling along with Veverka, Dent, and Conway to coach and corner.Written by:Mike Russo