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