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