King of the Cage "Raging Bull"

Cleveland, Ohio

Below you will find the results of all the bouts that happened at this show. Our team fighters will be in bold print. I love the home shows the best because we always get tons of support from our academy members and friends showing up. A BIG Congrats to Dominic on his win at this show he took out a guy who was an undefeated 5-0. Mike looked awesome early and nearly had like 3 submissions but it just wasn't his night and he will be back as he loves to fight. Complete Results1. Jeremy Johnson vs. Rob KewinWINNER: Jeremy Johnson via Kimura Rd 1 @ 1:532. Josh Schockman vs. Keith McIntoshWINNER: Schockman via TKO (Strikes) Rd 13. Loren Bradley vs. Dominic QurazzoWINNER: Qurazzo via TKO Strikes Rd 24. Josh Martin vs. Sesshoumaru TamashiiWINNER: Martin via TKO @ 1:16 in Rd 15. Jerry Spiegel vs. Sean SalmonWINNER: Salmon via Unanimous Judges Decision6. Terry Martin vs. Ron FieldsWINNER: Martin via Guillotine Choke in Rd 2 @ 2:527. Jimmy Boyd vs. Mike RussoWINNER: Jimmy Boyd via TKO in Rd 1 @ 3:468. Brendan Seguin vs. Trevor GarrettWINNER: Garrett via Ref Stoppage (cuts) Rd 2 @ 4:039. Matt Masterson vs. Rex HolmanWINNER: Masterson via Rear Naked Choke @ 3:01 in Rd210. Jake Ellenberg vs. LaVerne ClarkWINNER: Ellenberg via Triangle @ 3:06 in Rd 211. Derek Keasley vs. Jeff CoxWINNER: Keasley via Triangle Choke @ 4:07 in Rd 112. Joey Smith vs. Dan BobishWINNER: Bobish via Tap Out on Strikes in Rd 1Write up and Pics found on:http://www.prokarateweekly.com/

North League Extreme Kickboxing 5

Cleveland, Ohio

Extreme Kickboxing made its highly anticipated debut in Cleveland last Saturday as XK5 took center stage at McCarthy’s Ale House in the Flats. Cheered on by a boisterous standing room only crowd, ten of the regions up and coming young kickboxers put on a show Cleveland fight fans will not soon forget. Leading off was a welterweight clash between XK veteran Lee “The Kid” Kreisher and newcomer Brody “The Irish Wolf” Arnold of Team Project Pain. Arnold and Kreisher wasted no time and immediately went to war with both fighters exchanging scoring blows. In the end, it would be Kresiher’s experience and tenacious attack that proved to be too much for the very game Brody Arnold. Kreisher went on to win by late first round TKO.In the night’s second bout, it was Team GriffonRawl’s “Big” Ben Parks taking on Pete “The Madman” Beamer of Dover, Ohio. Parks showed much improvement since his last appearance in the XK ring and used his reach advantage to score early and often. After nearly connecting with a right leg high kick, Parks showed his versatility by ending the fight with an overhand right in the second round.Next up was Macedonia’s Brad “The Mind Killer” Kidd taking on Rising Dragon Karate’s Alonzo “Hollywood” Harvey. In what would be the fight of the night, both fighters battled in a grueling five round war which saw non stop action from the opening bell. Harvey was able to knock down Kidd several times during the course of the fight but to Kidd’s credit, was never able to finish him. Kidd has several good flurries of his own ending the second and fourth rounds however Harvey, who seemed to feed off the crowd’s energy, used his quickness to avoid any serious damage and went on to win a unanimous decision.Aaron Veverka added another win to his XK resume with a third round TKO over The Pit’s John “The Lumberjack” Myers. Both fighters did most of their scoring early on from the clinch as the more experienced Veverka looked to chip away from the inside. After recovering from an inadvertent low blow, “The Juice” took control of the fight and opened the third round with a flurry of knees and right hands that prompted referee Lorenzo Scott to stop the fight. The main event featured home town favorites Dominic Qurazzo and Mike Perry in a battle of XK heavyweights. Perry would open strong in the first with a variety of jabs and stiff punches that temporarily slowed Qurazzo’s usual aggressive attack. Qurazzo countered with combinations of his own capped off by devastating low kicks which would take their toll as the fight went on. The pace slowed in the third as Qurazzo would come out with a sense of urgency and looking to end the fight while continuing to pepper the left thigh of Perry. One final low kick was the synching blow as Qurazzo went on to win via third round TKO. Look for both of these great young heavyweights to be back on future XK show soon!Extreme Kickboxing six is set to return to McCarthy’s Ale House on January 28th, 2006. Tickets go on sale soon and will not last long. Reserve yours today by calling 330-324-3034.Write up and Pics found on:http://www.prokarateweekly.com/

Extreme Combat Challenge "Halloween Havoc 2"

New Castle, Indiana

Team GriffonRawl warriors A.J. Pulling and Dominic Qurazzo both made successful MMA debuts in devasting fashion. Niether one of their first opponents made it out of the first round. A.J. ended up being placed in a four man tournament while Dominic would have been happy to do the same but they only had one opponent for him on this night. The trip was a pleasure as everyone got along great and made the five hour drive seem like like two. Below you will find some details on both of our guys fights.A.J. - His first match was under 30 seconds long. A.J's match ended with A.J. sprawling on his opponent then delivering a nice knee to the head and quickly spinning taking his opponents back getting his hooks in and raining down bombs to get the ref stoppage. Not only did A.J. fight once but he entered the cage again for a second time on this night in an attempt to capture a 4 man tourney. A.J. ended up getting caught in a chicken wing from the side mount and was forced to tap out. I think A.J. would crush this guy in a rematch as he is way better all around and just got caught. Dominic - Dominic's fight also ended in round 1 as his opponent came out throwing some leather in which Dominic countered by showing off his takedown skills by quickly getting the take down. Dominic showed great body head combos from within the guard and was then able to pass and get side mount on his opponent. Dominic unleashed some nasty ground and pound and right at the end of the round Dominic opened up with a nasty flurry of punches that were badly hurting his opponent and was very close to getting ref stoppage but the bell sounded. His opponent stood up and almost fell right back down he was so rocked. As you would guess the guy didn't want anymore punishment and was unable to answer the bell for round 2. Great job guys win or lose stepping in that cage/ring takes a lot of courage which most people never have. Written by:Jason Dent

Relson Gracie Nationals Tournament

Columbus, Ohio

The BJJ Gi & Nogi tournament down in Columbus was a great time. Combined with the Griffonrawl team, we had 10 competitors. Here are the results as I remember them: Jason Dent: Jason won his blue belt gi division with some hard fought matches and an exciting final ending with Jason finishing his opponent with a guillotine. Mike Russo: Mike went 2 and 1 for the day, if I remember correctly, catching his final opponent with a nice footlock from the bottom. Mike took the bronze in his blue belt division. AJ: AJ looked great in his no-gi division and after posting a nice win, had an absolute war with Jamie Toney, who went on to win the division. Lucas Beatty: Lucas had a great tournament. He won the silver in his gi division (though he should have won the gold. . . hooray for unfair refs. . .). Lucas also competed in the no-gi 155 and under division and easily dispatched of his first two opponents to reach the quarterfinals. Lucas bowed out in the next round to Jason Fox, an RGDA brown belt who runs our Indiana affiliate. Darren Branch: Darren took the gold in his gi division and showed some serious takedowns that were the talk of the tournament. He also competed in the no-gi 155 and under division (weighing 135) and lost by sub to Robert Bihn, who ended up taking the division. Pete Sherer: Pete took silver in his first tournament ever. His were some of the most exciting matches of the tournament. Pete came from behind in his first match (he was mounted) and spun for a nice armbar from the bottom to finish the match. Not bad for a 250+ lb'er with only a few months of experience. Steven Grubkin: With only 2 months of training, Steven showed a great deal of heart and awesome defense in his gi and no-gi matches. Everyone was proud to see Steven stay cool under pressure and mount some exciting offense as well. Greg Wallace and Bobby Gilliam: Greg and Bobby both lost their first round matches to very game opponents. Donald Park: I entered the no-gi 155 and under division. I won my first four matches against some tough opponents and ended up facing Robert Bihn in the finals. Robert is a great grappler who runs Gracie Barra Cincinnati. Robert showed great defense against my guard attacks and the match ended up 0-0 after regulation. A sudden death overtime was called and Robert scored the takedown as I was jumping guard, giving him the win. Again, everyone did really well at the tournament and it was great to join forces once again.Written by:Donald Park

World Combat League Contestes 1 & 2

Dallas, Texas

Just returned from Chuck Norris's World Combat League! It was a great show "very professional" and we were treated very well the whole time. I got there on the 5th. Thursday was a busy day filled with interviews, uniform fittings, and pictures. Thursday evening all the teams, staff, etc., got to go out to dinner with Chuck Norris. They talked about future expansion and plans for the WCL. Friday our team, the Los Angeles Stars got together for a workout. The stars consisted of Ben Brotherton, Craig Oxley, Angie Woolum, James Decore, Carlos Tearney, Derek Panza, and myself. Friday evening we went downtown with friend and went to a very nice steakhouse. Downtown Dallas was very crazy due to the Oklahoma vs. Texas game. Saturday We arrived at the Dallas Convention Center around 3:30 pm for some walk throughs and warm-ups. A little after 7pm was kickoff and I was picked to fight first! My opponent was Peyton Russell, he was very tough and a classy guy in and out of the ring. It was a very fast pace and towards the end Peyton was throwing a spinning backfist which landed with his forearm and would split the top of my head open. He would be disqaulified which was a close round up till that point. I was penalized a point for holding. Well I can at least say I fought the first fight in the WCL. Overall I was not totally happy with my performance I was a little too stiff. But it was a new set up for everyone. I hope it will grow and become one of the top team sports!! I have alot of fights on the table right now so I am hoping for a title or a few more title opportunities. I want to thank my coach Mr. Lorenzo Scott as always putting the "BRICKS" on my hands and I know alot of my team enjoyed him as well. I can't wait for the next WCL and hope to get that head kick KO next time. Thanks alot to everyone else as well friends, family, and sponsors!!Written by:Ryan "The Lion" Madigan

King of the Cage "Shock & Awe"

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

KOTC Canada promoter Ken Kupsch, aided by announcer-extraordinaire partner Keith Crawford, invaded the beautiful Canadian city of one million-plus in a supercharged fight card that drew 3500 fans to see a face off between Canada’s best cagefighters and top American invaders highlighted by John “The Natural” Alessio. Also on hand to celebrate the action and throw their support behind KOTC Canada were mixed martial arts celebrities Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Jeremy Horn, and Pat Miletich. While the original card was scheduled for 17 bouts, by the time the Edmonton Boxing Commission had vetted the card due to various technicalities it was reduced to a still-respectable 11 matches. Preliminary Fights Kyle Cheyne (185) from Edmonton started the action against fellow Canadian David Mah (170) from Saskatoon. The fight went to mat early with Mah getting the top mount almost immediately against the fence and absorbing some hard ground and pound. Cheyne finally turned over and was tapped-out via rear naked choke at just 1:01 of the first round. Jessy Lessard (168) of Edmonton then faced Donnie Walker.(155) from the faraway and exotic land (if you’re from Edmonton) of Cleveland, Ohio. The two clinched on the feet quickly, and after some jostling for position went to the ground with Walker getting side control. From here, Walker transitioned to the top mount and rained down punches on Lessard, cutting him. Seeking to block the punishment, Lessard reached up to block, allowing Walker to swing into straight arm bar from the top and the 2:32 get round one submission. Next up, David Rodrique (185) of Edmonton faced Demarques Johnson (185) of Salt Lake City. Johnson immediately took the fight to the ground, got the top mount, and seemed to be in control. Rodrique, however, got a reversal – only to be immediately reversed himself! From here, Johnson unleashed a barrage of devastating top-mount blows, which caused Rodrique to tap at 1:51 of the first round. Mike Newton (170) of Edmonton continued the inter-country rivalry as he took on Elmer Waterhen (170) of Saskatoon. The fight was very even on the feet to start, with perhaps Newton having a slight advantage with several stinging punches. Waterhen turned it around quickly, though, as he landed a leg kick to back Newton up, bull-rushed him to the ground via a leg trip, then landed several powerful hammer fists from the top that caused referee Herb Dean to stop that match for a 1:12 first round TKO. Featured Matches The next match featured Billy “The” Kidd (135) of Newcastle, Indiana against “Slick” Rick McCorkell, originally out of Ontario, Canada but now training and fighting out of Los Angeles (135). Kidd wanted to stand and strike from the beginning and stung the shooting McCorkell several times. Persistence finally paid off, however, as “Slick” finally used his superior ground skills to get the takedown and move to side control, where he landed punches that forced Kidd to turn, giving McCorkell his back. Although Kidd gamely hung tough for nearly a minute, McCorkell worked the choke from the back and finally got the 2:05 tapout in a fast-paced and entertaining match. Both fighters looked good and even though Kidd lost, his aggression and desire to mix it up was not lost on the appreciative crowd Mike Jerrace (170) of Edmonton then entered the cage against Kevin Manderson of Winnipeg (170) with Canadian bragging rights on the line. Jerrace hammered the ring post with rights and lefts before the bell, but when it rang he was surprising tentative. Finally, Manderson took the initiative and slammed Jerrace to the mat several times with thundering throws, finally following him to the mat where he got the full mount and unleashed a barrage of blows. Jerrace tried to hold him in to avoid the blows, but Manderson would not be denied and pounded out an impressive and aggressive first round 2:45 TKO. Josh Kyrejto (155) from Edmonton then went international against opponent Jimmy Boyd (155) of Winchester, Indiana. Boyd clinched and took the fight to the ground against the fence, inside Kyrejto’s guard, who smartly held him in until a referee stand up. They clinched again and Boyd went on top again, getting side control but not throwing very many punches, although he did land several knees. Boyd stood up, was put into the guard, and landed a few punches before passing to side control where they were again stood up. Boyd again got a takedown and then the full mount where he landed effectively before Kryrejto pulled him in at the bell, becoming the first fight of the night to go past the first round. The second started with Boyd picking up Kyrejto and slamming him to the mat where he got immediate full mount, rained down punches, and forced a TKO stoppage by referee Herb Dean at :25 of the second round. Chris Peak (205) of Victoria, BC then met Ron Fields (205) of Cincinnati, Ohio. They went almost immediately to the ground with Peak on top. He was then reversed by Fields, only to have Peak execute his own reverse and end up in side control, where he landed several rib punches and a few blows to the head. Peak eventually stopped punching and started dropping forearms, which hurt Fields and caused him to tap out from the bottom at just 2:38 of the first round. Main Events Mac Danzig (155) from Los Angeles, an experienced and tough fighter who trains with John Alessio, then met Frank Kimse (160) of Dallas, Texas in a match far, far from home for them both. Kimsee tried a jumping kick to open the fight which sent Danzig backwards with Kimsee clinching, but Danzig quickly reversed him, got on top against the fence, and landed a punishing ground flurry. Kimsee covered up and resisted, but eventually had had to turn over where Danzig locked in the rear naked choke for the 1:45 round one tap-out. Jason Dent (145) from Cleveland, OH then faced Brandon Garner (145) of North Carolina. The two feinted with each other for nearly a minute before Dent shot in and took Garner down, inside the guard. Garner held him in effectively, but Dent walked him into the fence where Garner launched an arm-lock attack which he then transitioned into a triangle. Dent tried to punch his way out of the lock, but Garner had it cranked tight and got the 2:49 first round tap-out win. John Alessio (175) of Los Angeles, in the main event, the met Savant Young (180), also of Los Angeles, coached by Bo Hershberger, who had taken the match on very short notice. The slow first round mainly consisted of circling and feinting and although Alessio did counter, Young threw most of the initial punches. Young started fast in the second, but Alessio took him down and tried to get to his back. Young countered well and eventually stood up, where he was pressed against the fence by Alessio, who held him there without a lot of action from either fighter. The lack of pre-fight conditioning started to show from Young as the second round wore on, as his attacks slowed and Alessio picked up the pace. When Young tried a big overhand right, Alessio took him to the mat, worked to his back, and had the rear choke locked in as the bell rang, saving Young from the sure submission. The third started with an Alessio takedown, where he got inside Young’s guard and landed several good blows, although Young was effective in blocking many. Young, looking exhausted, turned to his back and Alessio worked for the rear choke, landing several punches to the head in the process. After a game and gutsy performance, Young finally succumbed to the rear naked choke from the precise and very technical Alessio at 2:09 of the third round. Conclusion For the previous fight in Edmonton, KOTC had drawn 4500 fans and would have been a cinch to exceed that number had it not been for the “Audio Slave” rock concert, next to the KOTC venue, that pre-sold 12,000 tickets! As it was, they still drew a very respectable 3,500 fans to the 5,000 seat venue. TSN (the Canadian equivalent of ESPN) was on hand to tape the show and they plan on broadcasting regular KOTC Canada e vents, which should make it explode in popularity. Perhaps the savior of the night was Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. When it was announced to the crowd that six of the original 17 bouts had been cancelled, they started to boo heavily. At this point, “Rampage” jumped up from his ringside seat, ripped off his shirt, started flexing, and then ran into the audience slapping high-fives up and down the rows! The booing immediately turned to cheers and the event went on as scheduled. Found on:http://www.sherdog.com/

Chris Brennan No-Gi BJJ & MMA Seminar

Mentor, Ohio

Chris Brennan returned to our academy and put on another successful seminar. This seminar was just as good as the first time Chris was here and we were able to cover a good amount of material in the four hours we had. We got to work on various types of takedowns, submissions, and even spent a little time on striking. Towards the end of the seminar Chris took the time to roll with each participant and made sure to tap everybody out. The day wrapped up with little Q&A followed by group pictures and a couple people getting autographs. For those of you who don't know who Chris "The Westside Strangler" Brennan is he is a former KOTC Middleweight Champ, Pride vet, UFC vet, ADCC vet, BJJ Black Belt, and runs his own academy in California called Team Next Generation. P.S. Look for Chris to possible return for another seminar sometime in 2006. Also anyone who attended this seminar and had their pic taken with Chris I have those saved on my PC and if you would like them you need to e-mail me at jdent@alltel.net. Just ask I will be happy to send any pics with you in them from the seminar right to you. Written by:Jason Dent

GFS "Fight Nite in the Flats 1"

Cleveland, Ohio

The stars aligned just in time for new Gladiators Fighting Series Promoter Greg Kalikas as the rain stopped as hoped and his Gladiators MMA event "Fight Nite in the Flats" blew the collective roofs off the Scene Pavilion with an array of explosive, jam packed fights this past Saturday night along the river in Cleveland, Ohio's famed "Flats" entertainment district.Presented by McCarthy's Ale House, BetOnFighting.com and BetCris.com, the tight, slick production choreographed by Kalikas produced one of the bests nights of MMA fighting action in Cleveland ever. From the first bout on, the intensity level just kept rising.The location or the weather couldn't have been better, as the ultramodern outdoor (open, but covered) amphitheater provided the perfect backdrop for an amazing night of mixed martial arts fighting in "the cage." With temperatures in the mid 70's and a beautiful breeze blowing through, Kalikas took a gamble on Mother Nature and won.Led off by an "Awesome Amateurs" undercard that produced some sizzling exchanges, the crowd was treated to nothing but in your face, joint popping tap outs, toe-to-toe Thaistyle shin kicks, gut wrenching knee strikes and crisp, powerful punching. When these fighters went to the canvas they usually went down hard, the action never subsided though and eventually many of the bouts ended by arm bars and choke outs.The Torrance "The Tyrant" Taylor vs. "Bad' Josh Barden hard fought bout that rounded out the undercard perfectly set the tone for what was to come on the pro side. Taylor and Barden faced off in a mostly stand-up 3 rounder that saw Barden losing when the referee stopped the bout midway through the 3rd round after Taylor connected with Barden's right eye one punch too many.Barden was an extremely tough comer, but Taylor dished out a ton of punishment and after the bout, one could see that the Ohio State Athletic Commission referee made the right call because quitting wasn't an option for Josh Barden. Watch for both of these talented young guns on future Gladiators Fighting Series MMA shows as Taylor and Barden are two fighters to remember.The pro bouts definitely didn't disappoint on this night, as the show rolled on flawlessly paced by celebrity Ring Announcer and 4-Time World Heavyweight Kickboxing Champion Duke Roufus along with the organizational group led by Jake Digman and the Fight Nite crew who performed with military precision. The crowd got into the action all the way, but stayed off each other as no problems were reported by any of the many police who came out to watch and enjoy the show. The fighting in the cage was obviously too good to miss.The crowd was especially out in force and loud and proud for local favorites Jason "Dynamite" Dent and Jeff Cox. Fight Nite's Main Event between Ben "Berzerker" Rothwell and Allan Weickert lasted less than 1 round, but it was a tasty round if your diet consists of eating jabs and upper cuts with Rothwell serving as chef tonight.Weickert should be commended though for taking the fight in the first place as Rothwell towered over him by a good 6 inches and more than a few pounds. When Weickert went to the canvas for the last time, Rothwell unleashed a barrage of punches the rendered Weickert unable to sustain any more damage from Rothwell's bombardment and the referee stepped in to affirm the fact. Rothwell's flying knee that landed on a collapsing Weickert along the way helped seal the deal in the end.Weickert did all he could and took it to Rothwell with a smile on his face, never backing down. In the end Rothwell overwhelmed a tough-as-nails opponent that on paper he easily should have beat, and he did - taking nothing away from Weickert and his gritty attempt or Rothwell's smart, patient style that led to his victory. It was a worthy main event that produced a decent amount of fireworks in it's short existence, but in the end Rothwell's size and experience was a bit too much for Weickert to stomach.All of the planned celebrity appearances came off without a hitch, as well, with stars Rich Franklin and George Gurgel from Spike TV's reality hit "The Ultimate Fighter" television show in attendance along with WWE's "Tough Enough" reality show winner Dan Puder, UFC star Wes "The Project" Sims and Pride fighter Dan Bobish. In a classy move, each were presented with plaques during a special ceremony before the main event and were warmly received by their minions.If Kalikas' Gladiators promotions keep going the way the first one went, Clevelanders with an appetite for great MMA are definitely in the right place at the right time as "Fight Nite in the Flats" was an overserving of one great MMA bout after another. Look for additional Gladiators MMA shows at the Scene in 2006."Fight Nite in the Flats" is additionally sponsored by SportstalkNetwork.com, Celtic Media Group, The T-Spot, House of Pain and the Pizza & Calzone Company.Watch for official "Fight Nite in the Flats" results and expanded write-up coming shortly.For more information regarding Gladiators Fighting Series MMA in the leveland area, contact: Greg Kalikas (330) 324-3034.Complete Fight Nite in the Flats Results Preliminary BoutsMatt Brown over Evan Sarnicki - TKO 2:22 rd 2Matt Masterson over Damien Parker – RNC 0:37 rd 1Casey Leonard over Walt Felix – TKO 2:38 rd 1Clint Zeedyk over Eric Truckovich – TKO 0:54 rd 1Torrance “The Tyrant” Taylor over Josh Barden – KO 1:26 rd 3Featured Pro BoutsJason “Steeltown” Taylor over Derek Collins – Armbar 2:58 rd 1Mike Bogner over Tommy “Gun” Ridenbaugh – TKO 0:31 rd 2Mitch Whitesel over Mark Miller – Kimura 0:58 rd 1Jason “Dynamite” Dent over Josh “Bam Bam” Souder – TKO (ref stoppage-cut) 1:57 rd 2Josh Hendricks over Joey Smith – RNC 2:44 rd 1Rob “The Bullrider” Wince over Greg Franklin – Guillotine 0:38 rd 1Jeff Cox over Braden Workman – choke 4:20 rd 1Ben “Berzerker” Rothwell over Allan Weickert – TKO 3:45 rd 1Written by:Scott Joffe

Kit Cope seminar a HUGE SUCCESS !

Mentor, Ohio

This being only our second seminar in genaral at our Academy I think it went extremely well. After having to change the date from August 21st to September 11th you would have thought that we would have had a much smaller attendance. The attendance for this seminar was 28 people including Kit and his assistant Shawn. It's a good thing we changed the date for the seminar because we originally had 32 people signed up and we were pretty packed in there when we were shadow boxing. Everyone who attended the seminar got alot of training tips, techniques, and a great workout to boot.The seminar flew by even though it was 4hrs long and almost the entire group from the seminar went out to dinner following it to hang out and mingle a bit. Below you will see that I have included some of the pics that you saw us taking at the seminar and if you had your picture taken with Shawn Yarbough or Kit Cope then please e-mail requesting it and I would be happy to send it to you.Special thanks to Kit and Shawn for doing a fantastic job. Everybody learned alot of great stuff at the seminar and had lots of fun. Good luck to Shawn in his future fights and good luck to Kit who is sheduled to face Kenny Florian in the UFC on Spike TV in November. For more info or pics with Kit Cope please visit his official site at http://www.kitcope.com/Written by:Jason Dent

North League Extreme Kickboxing 4

Akron, Ohio

Originally on this show we were to have both Aaron "Juice" Veverka, and "Big" Ben Parks representing our team. Ben trained very hard and was in great shape leading up to his fight only to have not one but two guys cancel out on fighting him. So it ended up just being "Juice" from our team taking on Aaron Fisher out of the Tiger Pit from Toledo. Veverka and Fisher were the main event and had an all out war for 5rds of intense action. The fight had a little bit of everything but always seemed to end up in the clinch where both fighters stayed very active showing what a Thai fighter is supposed to do in the clinch. In end both fighter seemed like they could of fought a sixth round but the judges had already made thier decision. The decision was a split decision in the favor of Aaron Fisher who fought a smart fight and deserved the W.Do not be fooled by Veverka's record as he has only been put away once and that was his first fight ever. Since that first fight Veverka has had nothing but tough fights and close decison wars like every time. "Juice" keeps getting better and better every time and as soon as he starts putting together a good string of wins I really don't see any reason that he could'nt go Pro in the next two years.Written by:Jason Dent

International Combat Event 16

Cincinatti, Ohio

The 16th installment of ICE MMA may have been the best to date. Fight fans from across the region packed the Metropolis Nite club to witness a card which featured thirteen action packed bouts along with appearances from UFC and TUF stars Rich Franklin and Jorge Gurgel.Kicking off the night's action were two lightweights both making their MMA debuts. Josh Burton of the well respected GriffonRawl team of Cleveland took aim at ICE newcomer Thomas Hayden, who came in with primarily a wrestling background. Hayden was unable to capitalize on initial takedown as Burton showed fans that he came to fight while surviving an early Hayden flurry, however a second scramble left Burton with no choice but to give Hayden his back which would be a costly mistake. Hayden finished the fight at 1:49 of rd 1 via RNC. Hayden would go on to win the four man lightweight tourney that night. If you would like to view the results of this show it is recommended that you go to http://www.fcfighter.com/ click news and then search it out in thier fighter database.On a personal note Josh is a warrior and I am very proud of him stepping in thier I would have like to have seen him get alot more free rolling and sparring in before having competed but it was his only oportunity to compete before returning to college for the fall. Josh will be back and ready to do it again I am sure and next time he will be victorious.Written by:Jason Dent

Training in Vegas with Master Toddy, Kit Cope, and Ricardo Pires !

Las Vegas, Nevada

When you think about 48 hours in Las Vega$ you think of all of Sin City’s endless attractions. Well our 48 hours were filled with training and training and MORE training.Our training adventure began as soon as we got off the plane in the 110-degree heat of Las Vega$. We began a two hour training session with Kit Cope (http://www.kitcope.com/) Kit is a product of Master Toddy’s and also has his own gym located in Las Vega$. Kit is a four time World Kickboxing Champion, a Thai bare knuckle Champion and an MMA fighter. We worked on a number of blocks, kicks, and punching combos. We also worked on some cool Thai takedowns and off balancing maneuvers. Kit is coming to the GriffonRawl Academy Sunday August 21st for a 4-hour seminar.That evening we ventured over to Master Toddy’s Gym for a private lesson (http://www.mastertoddy.com/) Master Toddy’s has to be one of the nicest Thai gyms in the country. Our private lesson was with Master Luck Chang. We worked on punches, kicks, the Cobra, and blocking. The instructors at Toddy’s are some of the worlds finest; to have them hold pads for you is an incredible experience. The next day we returned to Master Toddy’s for a 7am group Kickboxing class.Wednesday afternoon was also action packed as we started out early meeting Diego Sanchez of TUF at the UFC training Center. We had a private lesson arranged with Diego but it had to be cancelled since they were filming interviews for the next Ultmate Fighter series in the building we were at and we could not get in. Diego then invited us to come out and train with him at his academy in New Mexico. We plan to take him up on his offer sooner or later.Later that day we went to Las Vega$ Combat Club. The instructors, Ricardo Pires and Sergio Pehna are true Brazilian warriors. LVCC was an awesome experience! We got to take a private in a cage, and then attended their group classes on the mats. We got to free roll with some of Las Vegas’ finest. We practiced some great techniques: failed arm bar attempts into a triangle, and much-much-more. Frank Mir was also getting back into shape at LVCC and we got to talk with him and watch him do some sparring and grappling drills. The four hours at LVCC were truly an education, and well spent.Our 48 hours in Vega$ were certainly action packed. Written by:Rich Catalano

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

North League Extreme Kickboxing 1

Akron, Ohio

Extreme Kickboxing made its highly anticipated debut in downtown Akron this past weekend in front of a packed house at the Posh Night Club. Due to the recent success of the Atlanta (GA) based promotion, EKB founder and President Lane Collyer made the decision to expand the event to another location and was convinced by co-promoters Ryan and Allison Madigan to make Akron the next stop. Four fights were on the inaugural card which featured both low kick and Muay Thai rules along with eight of the top fighters in the region. In the nights first bout it was Akron’s own Kerry McKinney (Noble Clan Kung Fu) taking on Pittsburgh’s Mike McClelland (Iron City Gym) in a low kick rules clash. McKinney came out with a quick flurry and set the tempo in a very even and fast paced first round. It was more of the same early in the second with McKinney pushing the action but it was McClelland’s conditioning that would prove to be his biggest asset. The Pittsburgh native came out swinging in the third almost sensing that he needed a KO and after a brief exchange, it was a short right hand from McClelland that put McKinney down for the count and gave McClelland the hard fought victory. Both fighters should be commended for a great fight and McKinney will no doubt regroup and be ready to go for his next fight this coming March.In the second bout of the night, it was a battle of two NE Ohio fighters with allot to prove. Drew Longshore (Massillon, OH) is coming of a loss in his last bout and looking to get back on track while making the transition from MMA to kickboxing. On the other side of the ring stood Michael Slayton, another home town favorite who did not want to disappoint his supporters in attendance. Longshore started quickly and landed a straight right which stunned Slayton and momentarily sent him to the canvas. After a standing eight count from referee Lorenzo Scott, the now refocused Slayton went on the attack and finished the first round strong but still was on the losing end of a 10-8 round. In the second it was all Slayton from the opening bell. Slayton opened the attack with a two punch combo followed by a left leg low kick which momentarily stopped Longshore. At that point Slayton smelled blood and like a hungry Shark went for the kill. It was another vicious flurry from Slayton that sealed the deal for the hometown favorite.In what was anticipated as possibly being the fight of the night, it was Jason “Steel-Town” Taylor taking on GriffonRawl-Ohio’s Aaron “Juice” Veverka in a 155 pound, full Muay Thai rules match up. Taylor was coming off an impressive 2004 campaign posting an 18-2 record in the twelve month time span. Veverka came in with an impressive resume of his own and the experience of training with of the regions top MMA/Muay Thai teams in GriffonRawl.Both fighters came out firing from the opening seconds and right away fans knew it was going to be a slugfest. Taylor brought the crowd to its feet first with several high-flying knee strike attempts and back kicks which nearly connected. Veverka, who sported the more traditional style, stuck to his early game plan and worked to take Taylor in to the corner of the ring. The clinch is where Veverka seemed to be most comfortable and was able to inflict most of his damage throughout the fight. With each exchange the advantage seemed to shift from one fighter to the other in what was turning out to be an epic battle as both fighters proved to be in excellent shape. As the five round war began to unfold, it came down to the fifth and final round to decide the outcome. Veverka started quickly in the fifth and once again was able to slow the more active Taylor with his inside body work which in the end proved to be the difference. One final exchange in the final ten seconds left the crowd standing and cheering in response to what they had just witnessed The Majority decision went to Veverka in what was no doubt one of the best fights early 2005 season. After the fight both fighters expressed interest in a rematch but it will have to happen on the professional level as Taylor announced his intentions to turn pro after his next scheduled fight this month. Hopefully, we as fans will get the chance to see these two go at it again….this fight alone was worth the price of admission.In the nights main event it was accomplished Muay Thai veteran Neal Rowe stepping in for his student Jason Kenneman (flu) and taking on Pittsburgh’s Alex Beck in another full Muay Thai rules match up. Rowe started strong and showed the bigger Beck that he would not be pushed around with an early combination of jabs and low kicks to open the scoring. Beck retaliated with what would become his most affective weapon, the right leg low kick. Shot after shot landed square on Rowe’s left thigh and started to take its toll on the smaller fighter. Beck took control of the fight in the late third round with a devastating round kick that buckled Rowe and put him down for the first of two standing eight counts. The damage and swelling proved to be too much and Rowe was unable to come out for round four giving Beck another hard fought victory. Rowe deserves a ton of credit for taking this fight on literally two hours notice and stepping in with such short notice. “He is a great fighter and very quick, I’m sure he will be back soon” said a very satisfied and tired Beck after the fight. Beck is another Iron City Gym (Mark Miller) prospect who has his sites set on turning pro but told PKW that he will wait another week before making his final decision.Congratulations to all of the fighters, coaches, staff and fans that helped make this event possible in NE Ohio. Special thanks to Ryan and Allison Madigan for putting together such a first rate show. After a night of great kick boxing action, EKB Akron was definitely considered a success and we look forward to the next one! You can visit http://www.extremekickboxing.net/ soon for pre fight and post fight comments from all of the fighters on this card, along with an updated list of EKB fights for your viewing pleasure.[i]Written by:http://www.prokarateweekly.com/</i>Feb. 4th EKB Akron- Quick Results:190 LBSMike McClelland (Pittsburgh, PA) over Kerry McKinney (Akron, OH) - KO 1:35 rd 3170 LBSMichael Slayton (Akron, OH) over Drew Longshore (Maxilla, OH) - KO 1:49 rd 2155 LBSAaron“The Juice” Veverka (Mentor, OH) over Jason Taylor (Pittsburgh, PA) - Majority Decision230 LBSAlex Beck (Pittsburgh, PA) over Neal Rowe (Cincinnati, OH) TKO (could not come out for rd 4)

Training with Team Wolf Pack

Muncie, Indiana

Donny and Jason this time would travel to Indiana where Jason's manager, Chas Bowling, trains team Wolfpack. Most of the guys out there are known for there Wrestling, being golden glove boxers, and brawlers. In other words they know how to throw down and they win a lot of MMA matches.Day 1 - We would start the day by MMA free roll for a couple hours in a huge Karate Dojo that was lined in mats. At night we would Spar in a ring that was in a building that looked like something out of a Rocky movie for about 2 hours. Then we went next door where there waw a basketball court full of mats. Chas would have one of Indiana's best Wreslter's work take downs with us. Our goal was simple try to stop the takedown. Then to end the day we would run non-stop sprints up and down the court for three five minute rounds. That night ended by everyone coming over to Chas's and watching The Ultimate Fighter show. Good times.Day 2 - The second day would prove to be more of a conditioning day. We would MMA free roll for a couple hours to start the day again. That night we started sparring a couple rounds each to make sure we got to spar with some of the guys that did not make it out the night before. After that the conditioning began. We would do a lot of jump roping, pummeling, positioning drills, sprawling, and striking on pads. After all of that it was back to the sprints again to end the day.We would like to thank Chas Bowling for having us a place to stay and his father for letting us to use his Dojo. Also we would like to thank Team Wolfpack for good training. All together it was a good and intense 2 days and we look forward to coming out here again and hopefully have them come out to our gym sometime.Written by:Donny Walker

Training in Florida with Dan Rawlings

Brooksville, Florida

Getting ready for his big King of the Cage match on February 25th Jason headed south to visit GriffonRawl Florida. GriffonRawl Florida is on the grow! Dan and Becky recently took over a martial arts gym in Brooksville, Florida. They offer Muay Thai classes to adults and, children and lease space to other martial arts instructors during off hours. Never sitting idle Dan and Becky are set to open the GriffonRawl Tampa gym this Monday January the 24th. The Tampa gym is about an hour south of the Brooksville gym. Dan and Becky are leasing space from Hitmasters Gym, located just 5 minutes north of Tampa International Airport. Next time you head to the sunshine state, don’t forget to stop by and say hi and wish them well! Jason had plenty of warm weather to run, work out, spar, learn some new techniques and even share some of his own skills with Dan and the GriffonRawl Florida crew. Thursday and Friday were set aside for training. Saturday afternoon Jason accompanied Dan to Ocala Florida for a kids martial arts event. Sunday night included some free rolling and more training before heading back to the snow and cold of Cleveland on Monday. Seeing old friends, great training, and warm weather…couldn’t ask for much more. The next time you’re in Tampa, stop by GriffonRawl Florida!Hopefully once the weather breaks we can get Dan and Becky to Cleveland for a Muay Thai seminar in Mentor. Look for details on the website!Written by:Rich Catalano

South Leauge Extreme Kickboxing

Atlanta, Georgia

Ryan Madigan vs Melvin GuillardGoing into the fight I heard alot of people say that Melvin will come out hard and tire in the later rounds. In the first round I would cover up and be patient picking my shots he was very busy throwing everything from flying knees,punches, and kicks but never landing anything that hurt in the first round. He was busier but I still thought I landed cleaner shots, but he would win that round on all three scorecards. The second round would be different I had alot more energy and would land alot of good combonations, a few right hands and a right round kick to the face as he was ducking down. Second round all three judges would give it to me. Third round was a battle I would start out throwing more combonations and backing him up alot. He would work some leg kicks landing one or two good ones. He would land a good right hand that did knock me down but I got right back up to recover and no knock down was called. I then came back even backing him up toward a corner and landed 3 or 4 punches and thought I should have gotten the round. Two judges would see it for him and one for me. The fourth round I simply was dominating with more combonations and backing him up. With 30 or 40 seconds left in that round he would catch all my weight on my front leg as I was throwing a right hand and catch me right above the knee my leg went numb and swolled up. It was like a "monkey bubble from hell" I could not stand and Melvin won the bout by tko.I hope to get a rematch!!! I vow to be back stronger than ever!! "The Lion"Written by:Ryan Madigan