Sunday, June 30, 2013

Pittsburgh Challenge Series 3 Recap



Pinnacle Fighting Championships



Pinnacle Fighting Championships
Pittsburgh Challenge Series 3
Iceoplex at Southpointe
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
June 29, 2013
Referee: Bill Bookwalter

Pittsburgh Challenge Series 3


MMA returns to the Pittsburgh Metro area, the Iceoplex at Southpointe hosted Pinnacle Fighting Championships "Pittsburgh Challenge Series 3". The Main Event  was Mark "The Pride of Bloomfield" Cherico Vs. Donny Walker. The Co-main Event was Khama Worthy Vs. Francis Healy. Other local fighters in action were Caleb "Costa" Dobosh and Kyle Dunmeyer.

Pinnacle Fighting Championships bills itself as  "Pittsburgh's premiere professional Mixed Martial Arts league". With the "Pittsburgh Challenge Series" Pinnacle Fighting Championships has put on some high quality fights for Pennsylvania MMA fans to enjoy, bringing in talented local fighters and making exciting match-ups.

If this installment to the series is any indication, MMA fans have alot to look forward to when the next PFC event comes around!

PFC MMA action in the Iceoplex at Southpointe


Fight Results:

Pro Fights:
Main Event:
Mark Cherico defeats Donny Walker TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00 of Round 1
Co-main Event:
Khama Worthy defeats Francis Healy TKO (Strikes) at :57 of Round 2
Johnson Jajout defeats Mike Wiseman by Split Decision
Justin Steave defeats Mike Diggs by Unanimous Decision
Anthony Smith defeats Reggie Merriweather by Unanimous Decision
Amateur Fights:
Nick Browne defeats Chris Humes-Mitchell by Split Decision
Phil Parrish defeats Jake Schilling by TKO at 1:00 of Round 1
Caleb "Costa" Dobosh defeats Jarod Newbraugh by Unanimous Decision
Julian Ramos defeats Eric Gifford by Unanimous Decision
Kyle Dunmeyer defeats Jason Cowden by Triangle Choke at 1:28 of Round 2




Referee Bill Bookwalter working the event
Face-off between Mark Cherico and Donny Walker
Mark Cherico gets the 1st Round TKO victory

Mark Cherico Vs. Donny Walker

Reggie Merriweather Vs. Anthony Smith

Khama Worthy Vs. Francis Healy






Thanks to YouTube user standthemup for providing the fight video. 





















Sunday, June 23, 2013

WCC VI Recap





World Cagefighting Championships VI
June 22, 2013
Kirk S. Nevin Arena
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
http://www.wccmma.com

(Info Provided by Albert Cameron of Cage Nation TV)





World Cagefighting Championships returned to the Kirk S. Nevin Arena in Greensburg, Pennsylvania for WCC VI last night. The fight card had 9 exciting matches and was another successful event for Doug Yasinsky of World Cagefighting Championships. 

The original main event of former UFC stand-out Corey "The Real Deal" Hill Vs. Caleb Ball was cancelled when Caleb Ball suffered a knee injury and had to pull out of the fight.

The Co-main Event was bumped to Main Event status, and Charlie "The Madman" Gathers would face a very tough Brandon "Soku" Seyler. Other local fighters from the Altoona/Johnstown/State College area in action were Paul "P-Mac" McAleer, and Ethan Goss.

Albert Cameron & Drew Shannon of Cage Nation TV were on hand for cageside commentary for the event sponsored in large part by Rocco's Pizzeria in Greensburg.

Results (provided by Albert Cameron) for the event were:

Amateur Fights:
Alexander Wallace defeats Matt Falk by Unanimous Decision
Dino Julklo defeats Keman Jackson by Kimura Armbar at :50 of Round 1
Paul "P-Mac" McAleer defeats Jonathan Coffman by Unanimous Decision
Ethan Goss defeats Donald Bard by Guillotine Choke at :58 seconds of Round 3
David Sholtes defeats Brandon Eckhardt by Unanimous Decision
Daniel Coffman defeats Bob Bianchini by RNC at 2:02 of Round 2 (Advanced Amateur Rules)
Title Fight:
Shawn Downs defeats Sean Diehl by Triangle Choke at 2:25 of Round 1 (Advanced Amateur Rules)
(Shawn Downs wins the WCC Amateur Lightweight Belt)

Professional Fights:
Kenny Gaudreau defeats Mike Guttilla by Arm Bar at 4:03 of Round 1
Main Event:
Brandon "Soku" Seyler defeats Charlie "The Madman" Gathers by Guillotine Choke at :56 of Round 1


Paul McAleer Vs. Jonathan Coffman


Drew Shannon of Cage Nation TV with WCC Cage Girls Nirvana (l) and Crystal (r)
WCC Cage Girls Nirvana Crystal (l) & Crystal Dawn (r)
Kirk S. Nevin Arena
WCC VI Walk-out Banner for Charlie Gathers
Rocco's Pizzeria, Sponsor of WCC VI





Thanks to Albert Cameron for providing the result info and to Drew Shannon of Cage Nation TV.










CFFC 25 Recap







Cage Fury Fighting Championships 25
Valley Forge Casino - King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
June 20, 2013
CFFC President: Rob Haydek
Referee: Kevin Mulhall
Commentators: Will Sisca & Mike Adama
Announcer: Dr. David Sarnoff




Cage Fury Fighting Championships 25 returned to the Valley Forge Casino in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania last night with an incredible night of fights. For Central Pennsylvania MMA fans this was the latest fight for Hollidaysburg native (and UFC veteran) Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman. There was also a title fight to fill the vacant CFFC Heavyweight Title between Jason "The South Jersey Strangler" Williams and Noah "Pressure" Faunce. In all there were 9 fights on the fight card (4 amateur and 5 professional) and the event was broadcast on the Comcast network as well as live internet feed via Go Fight Live

The amateur portion of the fight card was exciting. It began with a Mike Backman getting a quick Guillotine submission win over Mike Miesch. Then Western Pennsylvania's Blaine Shutt got a quick TKO victory over a tough Phil Lopez and Say Tea also got a first round Triangle Choke submission over Geoffrey Melendez. The final amateur fight Michael "Thunder" Shipman Vs. Herney Herrera ended abruptly when Shipman struck Herrera to the head while on the mat. This fight was under the "basic" amateur rules which does not allow for "Ground & Pound" style strikes to the head when the action is on the mat. Shipman went "body, body, head" and referee Kevin Mulhall immediately stepped in to deduct a point for the illegal strike. But after 5 minutes when Herrera still couldn't continue the fight was stopped and the fight was ruled a "no contest".

In the first of the professional fights Soslan Abanokov earned a dominating Unanimous Decision over Myron Baker. The next fight, between Travis Wynn and Daniel Carbonel was basically a sparring match because not much action actually happened during this 3 round fight. At one point referee Kevin Mulhall had to stop the "action" to warn both fighters that they needed to engage and actually fight. It all came down to a drawn-out failed takedown attempt in the second round, and Wynn got the split decision victory over Carbonel. Next came the title fight between Chris "Big Buck" Birchler and "Bazooka" Joe Stripling to fill the vacant CFFC Heavyweight (pro) Title. It was an exciting 3 round fight that ended with Birchler getting the win & the belt, but "Big Buck" said in the post-fight interview that he wasn't impressed with his performance. When the final result was announced you could tell that Birchler was genuinely surprised that he got the win in this fight.

Next was the co-main event. Hollidaysburg native, and UFC veteran of 8 fights, Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman facing Gemiyale "Baby Hercules" Adkins. There was some controversy as Adkins was being prepped to enter the cage when referee Kevin Mulhall noticed that Adkins appeared to have Vaseline or some other lubricant applied to his legs. Mulhall wiped Adkins down & then said he wanted to wait until he was sure the legs had fully dried before he would allow Adkins to enter the cage for combat. Ironically, before this had happened the commentators had mentioned something Adkins had said in a pre-fight interview that he wasn't going to allow the decorated collegiate wrestler Brenneman to take him down. There's no proof that Adkins had intentionally "greased" himself to help make this claim come true, but the referee had a keen eye & spotted the improper application of a lubricant and corrected the situation before Brenneman even got to cageside. When "The Spaniard" finally did get to make his way to the cage, the song he chose was John Mellencamp's "Small Town" - a fitting choice since he comes from the 'small town' of Hollidaysburg in Central Pennsylvania.

This was Charlie Brenneman's third fight at Lightweight (155 lb limit). He had made the drop from Welterweight (170 lb limit) after being cut from the UFC, and since then Brenneman has been undefeated at Lightweight. His previous two fights at 155 lbs were 1st round submissions, and Charlie seems to be working at earning another stint in the UFC. (Brenneman was in the UFC "Octagon" recently as a cornerman for T.J. Grant when he defeated Gray Maynard to become the #1 contender for the UFC Lightweight Title, and Brenneman had said he had spoken with UFC match-maker Joe Silva and that the UFC was impressed with his progress as a fighter since leaving the UFC.)

From the beginning of this fight Brenneman took control. Almost immediately he had Adkins on the mat & was attempting to secure his 3rd first round submission in a row, but Adkins managed to avoid being submitted. The second and third round was basically the same as the first, and it could be said that the only action Adkins did during the fight was to avoid being submitted by Brenneman. I don't have an accurate count of exactly how long the combined submission attempts lasted, but I estimate that about 14 of the 15 minutes this fight lasted was Brenneman having Adkins in one choke or another. Adkins had almost zero offense, but his submission defense was very good. Brenneman had him in dangerous positions several times but Adkins managed to counter the moves each time. The fight ended with Brenneman getting a dominating Unanimous Decision. (30 - 27 but it could easily have been two '10 - 8' rounds for a 30 - 25 score)

The main event had Tim "The South Jersey Strangler" facing Noah "Pressure" Faunce. It was a very exciting fight with alot of back-and-forth action, but Williams was too much for Faunce. The first two rounds clearly went to Williams, and in the third round "The South Jersey Strangler" held true to his nickname by submitting Faunce by Triangle Choke to win the fight.


Full fight Results for CFFC 25:

Professional Fights:
Main Event:
Tim Williams defeats Noah Faunce by Triangle Choke at 1:40 of Round 3
Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman defeats Gemiyale Adkins by Unanimous Decision
Title Fight:
Chris "Big Buck" Birchler defeats "Bazooka" Joe Stripling by Split Decision for the CFFC HW (Pro) Title
Travis Wynn defeats Daniel Carbonel by Split Decision
Soslan Abanokov defeats Myron Baker by Unanimous Decision
Amateur Fights:
Michael "Thunder" Shipman Vs. Herney Herrera ruled No Contest at 1:34 of Round 1
Say Tea defeats Geoffrey Melendez by Triangle Submission at 1:49 of Round 1
Blaine Shutt defeats Phil Lopez by TKO at 2:26 of Round 1
Mike Backman defeats Mike Miesch by Guillotine Choke at 1:03 of Round 1




CFFC Announcer Dr. Dave Sarnoff

CFFC Cage Girl Macy Pratt (r)
Blaine Shutt post-fight victory interview

Soslan Abanakov Vs. Myron Baker
Soslan Abanokov with the win


Travis Wynn celebrating his win
Chris Birchler Vs. Joe Stripling (HW Title Fight)

Chris Birchler - CFFC Heavyweight (Pro) Champion
Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman

Gemiyale Adkins Vs. Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman

Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman post-fight victory interview
Noah Faunce Vs. Tim Williams

Tim "The South Jersey Strangler" Williams


I would like to thank everyone at Cage Fury Fighting Championships & GFL.tv for putting on an excellent night of fights live over the internet! Amazing event & great fights!!!

Thanks to Skippy Cohen & Carl Mortensen at MMAmadhouse.com for allowing me to report the results of CFFC25 tonight. Can't wait to do it again!!!



The event can be purchased for $14.99 at the link below (replay for LIFE!!!)

http://www.gfl.tv/Events/Fight/MMA/CFFC_25_Williams_vs_Faunce/2013














Sunday, June 2, 2013

XFE XXIII Recap


XFE XXIII
Harrah's Casino - Philadelphia, PA
June 1, 2013







Tonight at Harrah's Casino in Philadelphia was a historic MMA event. This was the first event in Pennsylvania under the "advanced" amateur rules. 
 
Previously all amateurs weren't allowed to strike to the head when on the mat, were not allowed to kick or elbow to the head when standing, had to wear shin guards, wore 8oz gloves (as opposed to the 4oz gloves for pro fighters) and fought three 2 minute rounds.

Now, certain amateurs with enough fights on their record who apply for a waiver from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission could fight under the "advanced" amateur rules. The differences being that strikes to the head while on the mat (Ground & Pound, or GnP for short) were allowed, as are elbows & kicks to the head while standing. The gloves are now 6oz not the usual 4oz, no shin pads and the rounds are now three 3 minutes instead of three 2 minute rounds.
 
Tonight at XFE XXIII several fights were under these new rules and the fighters seemed to enjoy fighting under a more pro-style set of rules rather than the old system.
 
Tonight's event had 2 (amateur) title fights, 4 pro fights, and a women's MMA fight. All 14 fights on the fight card were exciting, and the crowd definitely got its money's worth.

Fight Results:


Bryan Danner defeats James Frier by Guillotine choke at 3:08 of Round1 (Main Event)
Brylan Vanartsdalen defeats Justin Dalton by Stoppage (injury) at :42 of Round 1 (Co-Main Event)
Andrew Aguilar defeats Sergio "The Savage" Da Silva by Unanimous Decision
Eric Albright defeats Matthew Brannon by Unanimous Decision
Justin Bonitatis defeats Brandon Odom by TKO at 1:31 of Round 1
Ryan Cafaro defeats Ryan Holmes by Guillotine choke at :26 of Round 1
Nicholas Willey defeats Stephfond Ewins by Unanimous Decision
Michael Jenkins defeats Kris Gratalo by Split Decision (Fight of the Night)
Vincent Oristaglio defeats Matthew Koch by RNC at 1:10 of Round 1
Bassil Hafez defeats Steve Wilson by TKO at  of Round 1
Christopher Williams defeats Randy "Powerhouse" Martinez by Unanimous Decision
Katie Taylor defeats Viktoria Makarova by Unanimous Decision
John "Pipewrench" DiPatri defeats Bilal Kahn by Keylock submission at :45 of Round 1
Eliezar Mendez-Garcia defeats Damien Rafael Melendez by Armbar submission 1:48 of Round 2






Eliezar Mendez-Garcia

John "Pipewrench" DiPatri

Katie Taylor

Christopher Williams

Bassil Hafez

Vincent Oristaglio

Michael Jenkins

Nicholas Willey

Ryan Cafaro wins the XFE Lightweight (ammy) title

Justin Bonitatis wins the XFE Welterweight (ammy) title

Eric Albright

Andrew Aguilar

Brylan Vanartsdalen

Brylan Vanartsdalen celebrating his Co-main event win

Bryan Danner wins the main event fight

XFE Heavyweight (ammy) champ Brian Palakow (middle) doing Commentary


Fight of the Night (ammy) - Michael Jenkins Vs. Kris Gratalo
Ryan Cafaro wins the XFE Lightweight (ammy) title
Justin Bonitatis wins the XFE Welterweight (ammy) title