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| Cody Garbrandt (l) Facing off with Dominic Mazzotta |
On November 27th after Cody Garbrandt won his fight at Pinnacle Fighting Championship's Pittsburgh Challenge Series 5 he called out Dominic Mazzotta, Bantamweight Pro fighting for Pittsburgh-based promotion Gladiators of the Cage.
Ten days later on December 7th Dominic Mazzotta defeated Jordan Espinosa in the main event at Gladiators of the Cage: North Shore's Rise to Power III. In the post fight interview Mazzotta called out Garbrandt, and Cody managed to enter the cage for a face-off before Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission personnel separated them. (pictured above)
On December 15th Cody Garbrandt posted this to his Facebook profile:
Cody Garbrandt
December 15 near Muse, PA via mobile
Hey Dom and Gladiators of the Cage:
It has been 19 days since I called you out and 8 days since you called me out in return. I have made it clear I will fight you at GOTC in March. I have already said I am not restricted by a contract and I will fight you anywhere, but I have heard nothing from GOTC or your camp. You have until high noon tomorrow (Monday) to respond to this last offer and then I am going to take another fight. Quit hiding and take this fight and we will settle this once and for all. Pittsburgh MMA fans demand this fight and who are we to deny them!
December 15 near Muse, PA via mobile
Hey Dom and Gladiators of the Cage:
It has been 19 days since I called you out and 8 days since you called me out in return. I have made it clear I will fight you at GOTC in March. I have already said I am not restricted by a contract and I will fight you anywhere, but I have heard nothing from GOTC or your camp. You have until high noon tomorrow (Monday) to respond to this last offer and then I am going to take another fight. Quit hiding and take this fight and we will settle this once and for all. Pittsburgh MMA fans demand this fight and who are we to deny them!
An article was written about this and posted over at StandThemUp.Org that can he read here.
This was posted on a Sunday, and the day before that Dominic Mazzotta was in Philadelphia attending the Bellator Open Tryouts, and the day the "High Noon" ultimatum was posted Mazzotta was doing things not MMA related. Dominic posted this that same day (Sunday):
Dominic Alan Mazzotta
December 15 via mobile
December 15 via mobile
Snowboarding in the mountains. I don't do business on Sundays. Life's good! We'll talk business tomorrow.
Apparently Mazzotta was having a meeting on Monday with his coach & manager to see what they felt was the best thing to do.
I hadn't seen this until earlier tonight. I had contacted GotC match-maker Rich Miller and asked if the fight had been made or not. His response was:
"I don't think so. Because Garbrandt is too impatient."
When I asked whether Dominic's people had contacted him Miller responded with:
"Yes. We were going to do this big,TV coverage and
contract signing. But he just couldn't wait. We were talking to Pinnacle
about a dual promotion for this fight but oh well."
"Robert asked Dave Klick why he made that match. Just because we didn't hop when Cody said to doesn't mean we weren't working on it. We are calculated in what we do cause were professional . So there's thought in our process."
According to Robert Joseph & Rich Miller of Gladiators of the Cage, they were interested in co-promoting the fight/event with Pinnacle Fighting Championships. There was talks about 50/50 sharing of the upfront costs as well as sharing the profits from the event with Pinnacle. According to and article posted here.
"(Robert Joseph) wanted to take this the whole 9 yards… meaning a public contract signing, getting the Post-Gazette and Tribune to cover this, and do a “Road to the UFC” type special on both fighters with interviews, fight camps, training, etc. This is an opportunity to showcase both fighters and truly do what’s best for both guys. This could give them a push that neither GOTC nor Pinnacle could possibly give them on their own. This could be the biggest fight in Pittsburgh MMA history. Rich said that he’d be willing to do a Stage AE show with a 50/50 split of upfront costs, and post-fight monies as well."
It appears that from the stated timeline in this article, these talks ended at 11:40AM on Monday, giving time to contact Garbrandt.
I can't tell what happened between 11:40AM and 12:06PM - but this is what Cody had posted this on his Facebook profile:
Cody Garbrandt
Monday 12/16/13 via mobile
It is 12:06 on Monday. I am tired of waiting for Dominic Alan Mazzotta and his Gladiators of the Cage handlers. Robert Joseph promised me he would make the fight right after Dom’s fight but nothing; no contact from Rich Miller, no communication, no hint of interest. We will let the fans be the judge of this.
In the meantime, I am happy to accept the challenge from Brazen Boxing’s Evan Cheminski at 140 on the Pinnacle Fighting Championships card in March.
I will be looking forward to the challenge! #TeamAlphaMale #FightClubPittsburgh
Monday 12/16/13 via mobile
It is 12:06 on Monday. I am tired of waiting for Dominic Alan Mazzotta and his Gladiators of the Cage handlers. Robert Joseph promised me he would make the fight right after Dom’s fight but nothing; no contact from Rich Miller, no communication, no hint of interest. We will let the fans be the judge of this.
In the meantime, I am happy to accept the challenge from Brazen Boxing’s Evan Cheminski at 140 on the Pinnacle Fighting Championships card in March.
I will be looking forward to the challenge! #TeamAlphaMale #FightClubPittsburgh
And this is where things get complicated. According to the Mazzotta/GotC side of the situation, they were trying to do everything they could to make this fight happen with both promotions being involved with the fight.
According to the Garbrandt/Pinnacle side of things, they seem to think that Mazzotta didn't really want to fight Cody, and that GotC was making things more complicated than necessary.
Matt Leyshock of Pinnacle Fighting Championships posted on Facebook:
I don't know if Pinnacle noticed that GotC wanted to share the upfront costs & the profits with Pinnacle, or if they were conveniently not noticing this aspect of what GotC wanted to do.
I'm not here to choose sides, I'm just trying to understand what happened to cause this fight to not happen - especially when two call-outs happened & both sides say they wanted it to go down. I did make a post on my Facebook page saying that since the fight wouldn't be happening for 10 - 12 weeks, what was the harm of waiting even 48 hours to see if GotC could get the details worked out for a fight that everyone both says they wanted & agree is a fight that all of Pittsburgh (actually Central/Western Pennsylvania) wants to see happen. Maybe Cody was a little impatient, maybe not. Maybe had GotC known Cody had an opponent waiting for him for the upcoming March 2014 Pinnacle event things would have progressed quicker/differently... maybe not.
But I don't really see it as a case of Mazzotta not wanting to fight Garbrandt. I think both fighters truly wanted this fight to happen - it's just the circumstances and timing seem to have prevented it from being signed. The Garbrandt/Pinnacle side had mentioned that Mazzotta being signed to an exclusive contract to GotC makes it harder to get the fight signed... and I feel this is a legitimate point to bring up as well as GotC saying Garbrandt could have waited a little longer.
But as of right now it's a moot point. Garbrandt is set to fight Evan Cheminski at Pinnacle Fighting Championships March 2014 event, and now Dominic Mazzotta is rumored to be possibly fighting Cody Stamman at Gladiators of the Cage's event sometime in March 2014. (exact date not set as of tonight according to Robert Joseph and the match-up hasn't been signed at this point)
It should be mentioned that I had tried to come up with a solution last week when I suggested that the neutral location of Altoona, Pennsylvania be used for the fight - and that CDMMA match-maker Ryan Glunt make the matchup for CDMMA 10 so that neither fighter could claim a "hometown bias" because they fight for competing MMA promotions in Pittsburgh. Cody Garbrandt said he was willing to fight Dominic Mazzotta anywhere and that the promotion didn't matter to him, but the exclusive contract Mazzotta signed with GotC means that idea isn't a possibility.
However, considering that Robert Joseph was willing to co-promote the fight with Pinnacle... maybe he would be willing to do the same with CDMMA to make this fight happen? The Jaffa Shrine in Altoona, Pa. seems to have a larger capacity than any of the venues the Pittsburgh promotions use, and Pittsburgh is close enough that both fighters could bring large amount of fans to the event so that they are properly supported for what would be an historic fight. At CDMMA 9 a PSAC official made the comment to me that the location was the "best venue for MMA I have seen in Central or Western Pennsylvania".
Anything is possible I guess, as long as both fighters still want the fight to happen & GotC is willing to work to make it happen somehow... or until the exclusive contract between Mazzotta & GotC expires & both fighters are free to fight for whichever promotion is willing to make the fight.
Like I said, I'm not picking sides. I'm speaking as both a journalist & a fan of MMA. I want to see the fight happen, and I don't care what needs to be done to make that a reality. That may be a bit unrealistic given the circumstances - but I believe deep down that all parties involved (Mazzotta, Garbrandt, Pinnacle & GotC) want this fight to happen - so hopefully it will soon enough!
UPDATE:
Since posting this article I had been messaging more with Cody Garbrandt, Dominic Mazzotta, Robert Joseph, and even Matt Leyshock on Facebook. I was told that the management for Cody's opponent (Jason Sargus of Brazen Boxing in Philly) was willing to let the fight between Cody Garbrandt & his fight er Evan Cheminski to be pulled if it meant the fight between Mazzotta & Garbrandt could be made.
Apparently Sargus had been following the interaction between the fighters & the promotions - and was willing to do his part to help facilitate things. I had spoken to Robert Joseph and he said he wanted to contact Matt Leyshock of Pinnacle Fighting Championships today (Wednesday) about the possibility of co-promoting the fight/event.
Well, I work up and there was a new development from Cody Garbrandt that may pave the way to this fight being signed.
Around 1AM or so Eastern time Cody posted this to a thread on Dominic's Facebook page that Robert Joseph has responded to:
Cody Garbrandt
12/18/13
8 hours ago via mobile
"Hello Robert
You never told my people to contact you about the fight. That is just not true Sir. You just stated above that:
“Dom has always had the freedom to pick and chose where he fights even under contract with us.”
Obviously that is not true either from what you are saying two posts later.
However, my people do not have to contact your people. I will make this very simple. I want to fight Dom. I will fight for $1.00 to show and $1.00 to win and 50% of ticket sales. I want the opportunity to sell at least 200 tickets. Talk to Dom and please let me know by Wednesday at 5:00PM. You can message me on Facebook with your answer and I will give you a number to fax the contract. Thank You. "
Like I had commented on my post of this article on Facebook. The 5 people I messaged yesterday about this subject (Cody Garbrandt, Dominic Mazzotta, Robert Joseph, Matt Leyshock, and Rich Miller) was very polite & professional, so I am hopeful that things can be worked out so that everyone is happy and this fight can happen.
Apparently Sargus had been following the interaction between the fighters & the promotions - and was willing to do his part to help facilitate things. I had spoken to Robert Joseph and he said he wanted to contact Matt Leyshock of Pinnacle Fighting Championships today (Wednesday) about the possibility of co-promoting the fight/event.
Well, I work up and there was a new development from Cody Garbrandt that may pave the way to this fight being signed.
Around 1AM or so Eastern time Cody posted this to a thread on Dominic's Facebook page that Robert Joseph has responded to:
Cody Garbrandt
12/18/13
8 hours ago via mobile
"Hello Robert
You never told my people to contact you about the fight. That is just not true Sir. You just stated above that:
“Dom has always had the freedom to pick and chose where he fights even under contract with us.”
Obviously that is not true either from what you are saying two posts later.
However, my people do not have to contact your people. I will make this very simple. I want to fight Dom. I will fight for $1.00 to show and $1.00 to win and 50% of ticket sales. I want the opportunity to sell at least 200 tickets. Talk to Dom and please let me know by Wednesday at 5:00PM. You can message me on Facebook with your answer and I will give you a number to fax the contract. Thank You. "
Like I had commented on my post of this article on Facebook. The 5 people I messaged yesterday about this subject (Cody Garbrandt, Dominic Mazzotta, Robert Joseph, Matt Leyshock, and Rich Miller) was very polite & professional, so I am hopeful that things can be worked out so that everyone is happy and this fight can happen.
UPDATE: 12/19/13
Thursday Robert Joseph posted in the Gladiators of the Cage Facebook page (seen here) that the deal had been made and that Cody will fight Dominic at the GotC event scheduled for March 15, 2014. Here is the text of that announcement plus the link for an article on the deal over at StandThemUp.Org
Well Pittsburgh MMA fans, it has finally been completed. The matchup between Dominic “The Honey Badger” Mazzotta and Cody Garbrandt is a go. The venue is none other than Stage AE along the North Shore the date March 15 2014. St. Patrick himself will be at this one. The lights will shine the cameras will roll and the fans will be bringing the house down. With the cooperation of Pinnacle Fighting Championships, The Pittsburgh Fight Club and The Matt Factory this event has become a reality. GOTC will strive to make this event a great start to the 2014 Pittsburgh MMA season. If you want tickets for this incredible show watch for posts from your favorite fighters for sale dates and availability. Watch for Ticketmaster sale dates on GOTC’s Facebook Page and website. If you want to see how this matchup came about tune into ROOT Sports on Friday December 20 2013 at 8pm and if you miss it there tune into My Pittsburgh TV on Saturday December 21 2013 at 10pm. The Fans demanded this fight and the workings of Pinnacle Fighting Championships, Pittsburgh Fight Club, The Matt Factory, and GOTC made it happen. Do not miss this one. Keep your eyes open, as Rich Miller GOTC’s ringmaster will be putting together a card that will truly bring St. Patrick to his feet.
Dominic Mazzotta faces-off with Cody Garbrandt
http://standthemup.org/dr/content/ladies-and-gentlemen-we-have-decision
Thursday Robert Joseph posted in the Gladiators of the Cage Facebook page (seen here) that the deal had been made and that Cody will fight Dominic at the GotC event scheduled for March 15, 2014. Here is the text of that announcement plus the link for an article on the deal over at StandThemUp.Org
Well Pittsburgh MMA fans, it has finally been completed. The matchup between Dominic “The Honey Badger” Mazzotta and Cody Garbrandt is a go. The venue is none other than Stage AE along the North Shore the date March 15 2014. St. Patrick himself will be at this one. The lights will shine the cameras will roll and the fans will be bringing the house down. With the cooperation of Pinnacle Fighting Championships, The Pittsburgh Fight Club and The Matt Factory this event has become a reality. GOTC will strive to make this event a great start to the 2014 Pittsburgh MMA season. If you want tickets for this incredible show watch for posts from your favorite fighters for sale dates and availability. Watch for Ticketmaster sale dates on GOTC’s Facebook Page and website. If you want to see how this matchup came about tune into ROOT Sports on Friday December 20 2013 at 8pm and if you miss it there tune into My Pittsburgh TV on Saturday December 21 2013 at 10pm. The Fans demanded this fight and the workings of Pinnacle Fighting Championships, Pittsburgh Fight Club, The Matt Factory, and GOTC made it happen. Do not miss this one. Keep your eyes open, as Rich Miller GOTC’s ringmaster will be putting together a card that will truly bring St. Patrick to his feet.
(Blogger keeps giving me an error when I try to upload the video, so here's the link on Facebook)
Dominic Mazzotta faces-off with Cody Garbrandt
(Video used with permission of Robert Joseph & Gladiators of the Cage)
http://standthemup.org/dr/content/ladies-and-gentlemen-we-have-decision
It has been a tough couple days for everyone involved in the Mazzotta/Garbrandt “situation”. We have had our ups and downs, the call outs and the “almosts but not quites” and of course about 5-7 averagely written articles. 5:00pm came and went but this time there was contact made and they filed for an extension til 9:00pm. They somehow missed that deadline as well, but it was later announced that Dom had accepted the challenge and didn't have a contract in hand yet either.
The only thing I could think to myself is - what kind of contract are these guys making? Is it etched in stone? Carved from obsidian? Woven with blades of grass flown in last minute from the everglades? Welded with aluminum alloy and dipped into a melted steel vat and fashioned in the likeness of a hand drawn Spartan helmet? I could honestly do this for at least 3 more creative, over built analogies but you get my point, hopefully.
But ladies (probably lady) and gentlemen, it is with great anticipation that I bring you the following news. Like smoke from the Vatican, it looks like we have finally come to a decision.
And that decision (drum roll please) is that Cody Garbrandt will be fighting Dom Mazzotta this coming March for … cough* another local promoter (can’t bring myself to do it). The contract(s) are in route and it would appear that we are in store for a finale to all of this back and forth stuff we have been treated to as fans for the last few weeks. It’s a bitter sweet moment for me and my team but at the end of the day, this is a good move not only for the sport but the region and that in itself bigger than anyone person involved.
All I can say is that someone better send me a Christmas card with some tickets in it.
The only thing I could think to myself is - what kind of contract are these guys making? Is it etched in stone? Carved from obsidian? Woven with blades of grass flown in last minute from the everglades? Welded with aluminum alloy and dipped into a melted steel vat and fashioned in the likeness of a hand drawn Spartan helmet? I could honestly do this for at least 3 more creative, over built analogies but you get my point, hopefully.
But ladies (probably lady) and gentlemen, it is with great anticipation that I bring you the following news. Like smoke from the Vatican, it looks like we have finally come to a decision.
And that decision (drum roll please) is that Cody Garbrandt will be fighting Dom Mazzotta this coming March for … cough* another local promoter (can’t bring myself to do it). The contract(s) are in route and it would appear that we are in store for a finale to all of this back and forth stuff we have been treated to as fans for the last few weeks. It’s a bitter sweet moment for me and my team but at the end of the day, this is a good move not only for the sport but the region and that in itself bigger than anyone person involved.
All I can say is that someone better send me a Christmas card with some tickets in it.
