VFL 42 Recap

VFL 42: Broad Avenue Brawlers 7

Valley Fight League 42
Broad Avenue Brawlers 7
Jaffa Shrine
Altoona, Pa. July 19, 2013
 http://www.vflmma.com




 Last night the 7th installment of the Broad Avenue Brawlers from Valley Fight League came to Altoona, Pa. The Jaffa Shrine was the location for VFL's MMA action in Central Pennsylvania. The event got off to a rocky start when several of the fights from the fight card went away for various reasons. The original main event of Eli Garshnick Vs. Shedrick Goodridge was cancelled fro unknown reasons. Local favorites like Charlie "The Madman" Gathers & Brett "Showtime" Shoenfelt also had their fights cancelled. The reason for the Gathers Vs. Matt OTT fight not happening wasn't announced. After the original main event wasn't happening, the fight of Brett Shoenfelt Vs. Mitch Whitesel became the new main event. But when Mitch Whitesel came in 12 pounds overweight and an agreement on additional pay for Shoenfelt couldn't be resolved that fight was also cancelled less than 24 hours before fight time. Another fight involving a local fighter, Brandon Lux, was cancelled when his opponent, Roman Swaner, came in 20 pounds under the scheduled weight limit and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission wouldn't allow the two to fight. After the Commission called into question the qualifications of Daniel McNulty - who was scheduled to fight local fighter Paul Riggleman - that fight was also cancelled, BUT the Commission had allowed a last minute match-up of Swaner Vs. Riggleman which would be a rematch from their fight at VFL 40. However after some thought & getting advice from his coaches, Paul Riggleman pulled out of the fight. It would have been the 4th potential opponent for Riggleman in the past week and his coaches didn't feel taking this fight on less than 24 hours notice would be a good idea.

With two main event fights not happening the fight between Altoona fighter Ryan "Goose Lee" Glunt and Matthew Dean became the new main event. This fight almost didn't happen when Dean came in 7 pounds over the limit, but Glunt agreed to allow Dean to have some additional time to lose some weight and the fight was able to happen.

The night began with 4 boxing matches in a ring before the crew took down the ring and put up the cage for the MMA fights. Actually, the night began with an unexpected delay that pushed back the start time almost an hour. No actual reason was given for the delay to the fight fans enduring the hot July weather in the Jaffa Shrine arena that has no A/C and no fans to help deal with the high heat/humidity that is Central Pennsylvania weather in the middle of July. But eventually the issues were solved and the boxing fights began. After 4 exciting matches (with one more brief delay in the action) and a relatively quick change from ring to cage the MMA action started.

Local fighter Travis Pfahler lost to Patrick Brett in the 2nd Round by Rear naked Choke. Then another local fighter, Gary Pfahler, lost by Unanimous Decision to Scott Wible. The main event ended quickly - with Ryan "Goose Lee" Glunt defeating Matthew Dean by Standing Guillotine at just 28 seconds of the 1st Round. The fight could have ended sooner, had the referee been in a position to see that Dean was tapping out a few seconds prior to the ref stopping the action and awarding Glunt the win.

The fights that did happen were exciting, but it's hard to not fault the promotion for all the fights that didn't happen, not to mention what definitely seems like poor planning that resulted in fighters coming in way over weight or very under weight. Central Pennsylvania fight fans have come to expect quality fights & high level production value in their combat sport events... what happened last night at VFL 42 might be acceptable to some, but I'm sure the people who paid good money & expected to see a full fight card will spread their opinions of displeasure to their friends, and the next time this promotion comes to town they should put on a better show or not be surprised when the ticket sales decline drastically in the future.

Thankfully this is not the only MMA promotion that holds events in the Altoona area, and later this year in the Fall the other promotion will put on an event in the same venue. I expect fight fans to have a much better experience when CDMMA 9  hits the Jaffa Shrine arena.



 Fight Results:

MMA
Main Event:
Ryan Glunt over Matthew Dean by Standing Guillotine at  0:28 of Round 1
Scott Wible over Gary Pfahler by Unanimous Decision
Patrick Brett over Travis Pfahler by RNC at 1:03 of Round 2
Boxing
Zaiden over Lopez by decision
Whitney Warmus over  by decision
Henry Gaston over  by decision
Marcellus Campbell over  by decision


For more info on the fight card chaos visit: http://cagenationtv.com/2013/07/19/vfl-42-meltdown-glunt-vs-dean-promoted-to-main-event/

(fight result info provided by Mike Kessling of CageNationTV)

10 Questions With Paul Riggleman

Paul "Lionheart" Riggleman

Because of VFL 40 at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona, Pa. I became aware of local Altoona MMA fighter Paul "Lionheart" Riggleman, training out of the Altoona Center for Martial Arts. Paul had lost that fight due to doctor stoppage, but he will be back in action again at the Jaffa Shrine for VFL 42 - this Friday July 19th. Recently I had the opportunity to ask Paul a few questions as he prepared for this fight... here is 10 Questions With Paul Riggleman.







1. Tell us some basic info about yourself.
My name is Paul "Lionheart" Riggleman. I am an ammy fighter looking to make a run at a title hopefully turn pro. My field of study is tactical Hapkido. I train with the Pelligrino family at the Altoona Center for Martial Arts. I hold a yellow belt right now looking for green in August. My current weight division is welterweight, because I'm a natural 177lb guy walking around and it feels great at that weight.


2. How did you get involved with MMA?
George St-Pierre. Watching his work ethic and how he trains really set a tone for my involvement in MMA. I went to a local show one time in Connellsville, Pa. for Simons promotions. A few of my good friends were fighting A.J. Bosely and P.J. Palmer. I watched what they put into their fights and it was inspiring to me.


3. Tell us about what it is like training at your gym.
The intensity of the way we train (at Altoona Center for Martial Arts) is fantastic! Adam and Joe Pelligrino have spent so much time with me there it feels like a second home. My father Ronald Riggleman who is no longer with us studied under Master Brian Gates in the same building years ago. So when I walk in there it really feels like home. We are a family.


4. You lost your amateur debut at VFL 40, how did that effect the way you are preparing for your next fight?
I did lose but let me tell you Roman Swaner who is also on this card is 2-0 now. I popped a rib after the first round and the doctor stopped it. But no excuses we take loses to heart and learn from it. I have a very tough opponent ahead of me July 19th. He's a brawler. He has a chin but I def know I'm in way better shape. I'm just gonna work and work go to war.  Everyday I wake up put on my shoes a hoodie put on my headphones and take a run. To find myself something I wasn't able to do for my last. My mind is definitely in the right place this time.


5. What do you feel are your strengths are an an MMA fighter?
My stand up for sure. Being a Hapkido fighter we tend to be more daring and step into punched and kicks just to hit you back. My kicks are becoming devastating with power and combos are starting to fly.


6. What aspects of your training do you feel you still needs work to become a more complete MMA fighter?
We could all be a little better in shape I think. As fighters there are definitely aspects of the cage we need to work on. Right now my lack of experience hurts me.


7. Who are some of your role models? (in life and in MMA)
I could go on forever there are so many different fighters and styles I love. Frank Mir because he's a got a heart of stone. And a sick ground game. George St-Pierre because I love his work ethic. I train like he does to go all 3 rounds and just work . I'm not looking to finish you early. In life it would be both of my grandfathers. Those gentlemen have paved away for me to make in whatever I may wanna do. (love you granddads)


8.  You are scheduled to fight against Scott Athey at VFL 42 here in Altoona on July 19th, what are you expecting from your opponent and how do you plan to overcome his gameplan?
I'm expecting a brawler. A guy who's looking to finish and has dangerous power. I need to keep moving, stay busy and either finish it late in the fight with a TKO or submit him on the ground. No judges score cards this fight - it will be WAR!


9. What are your goals as an MMA fighter?
My goals are just to be the best that I can be compete as long as the good lord allows me..I do wanna turn pro and hold an ammy title..that's my dream an ammy belt. A couple wins in a row, then maybe I'll get VFL's attention and earn an ammy title fight.


10. Is there anyone you'd like to thank?
I wanna thank all my coaches and everyone who has stuck by me and showed me that I cam do anything I wanna do. Special thanks to my children my son Broden who is 5 and my daughter Marlee who is 4. Daddy is gonna leave it all in the cage regardless of the outcome. But I control the outcome no one else. Its been great, thank you for the time looking forward to seeing you soon!

I just want people to know that I'm a completely different fighter than I was in January. I started training with Adam Pelligrino he had turned me around, and going through a divorce while raising my two babies has helped me realize what kind of man I want to be. I want to be honest and loyal to my friends and family. I can't wait for the fight on the 19th. I want to say a special "happy birthday" to Casey Lykens - I love you sweetheart! And I must say she has been so amazing through all of this, and I appreciate having her by my side.

VFL 42 July 19th in Altoona, Pa.

For tickets, contact Paul on his Facebook page (link above) or visit the official website for VFL at http://www.vflmma.com

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. 

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!!!

MMAmadhouse Recap: http://www.mmamadhouse.com/cffc-25-williams-faunce-results/

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

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

World Series of Fighting signs Nick Newell and Jeff Smith

World Series of Fighting signs Nick Newell and Jeff Smith

The World Series of Fighting (WSOF) has recently signed two new Featherweight fighters to their ever expanding roster. Last week OnFire Management announced that their fighter Jeff Smith was signed by WSOF and would be fighting on their June 14 fight card featuring former UFC veterans Jon Fitch & Josh Burkman in the main event. (plus other stand-out fighters like Jacob Volkmann, Dan Lauzon, and Rolles Gracie)

Today MMAfighting.com announced that former XFC Lightweight Champion "Notorious" Nick Newell was also signed to the WSOF roster.

Jeff Smith



Jeff Smith fights out of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and was on the UFC reality fight show "The Ultimate Fighter Live" (also known as "The Ultimate Fighter 15") In the elimination round to see which fighters make it into the TUF House Jeremy Larsen defeated Jeff Smith by unanimous decision. Central Pennsylvania MMA fans may recognize Smith when he fought D'Juan "Dirty South" Owens at Complete Devastation 5 in Altoona, Pennsylvania back on July 14th 2012. Smith had previously stated at CDMMA 5 that his goal was to return to the UFC and fight for what is widely considered ot be the #1 MMA promotion in the world. By signing with up-and-coming promotion MMA World Series of Fighting Smith will face a higher quality of opponent that could end up with him being in the UFC if he continues his winning ways.

OnFire Management released a statement about Smith getting signed by the WSOF.

The World Series of Fighting can be viewed on NBC Sports channel. Smith's opponent for WSOF 3 has not been announced yet, but the fight card (subject to change) can be seen at http://wsof.com/schedule/ and on the Wikipedia page for the event.

UPDATE: According to OnFire Management's latest press release, Smith Replaces Injured Chris Gruetzemacher Against Jerrod Sanders on the June 14th fight card.  

"Notorious" Nick Newell



Nick Newell made MMA news when he was the first "one arm" fighter to compete in MMA. Nick was born with a congenital amputation resulting in him having nothing below his left elbow. He has not let this condition hold him back in life, he competed in wrestling in high school & college - with over 300 victories to his record.

Before turning professional in MMA, Nick amassed an amateur record of 2 wins, 1 loss. He describes his early MMA career as a struggle, not because he could not win (he is currently undefeated as a pro, with a 9 - 0 record) but because other fighters did not want to fight a one armed fighter. The opponents who have turned down a fight against him felt that it would be a lose-lose situation for them, as if they won, they just beat a one armed fighter, and if they lost they lost to a fighter with only one arm. One fighter did not even show up at the weigh-ins because he did not want to fight him. This became a bit of a struggle for Newell to find good opponents for the number of fights he'd like to have.

Newell signed with up-and-coming regional promotion XFC. Nick continued to keep his undefeated record and eventually won the XFC's Lightweight Championship. Newell was scheduled to face Scott "Hot Sauce" Holtzman at XFC 24, but controversy erupted and the result was Newell announcing that his contract with the XFC had expired and that he chose not to re-sign with the promotion. Nick claimed that he never agreed to fight Holtzman, as no contract for the fight had ever been signed by him. On the internet radio show MMA Mayhem #66 Newell said that he chose not to re-sign with XFC because he wanted to fight "former UFC fighters" rather than "younger fighters looking to make a name off him" as well as not liking the lengthy time periods (that could be 6 months or longer) between fights.

That same episode of MMA Mayhem had XFC President John Prisco explaining the promotions side of the situation. Prisco said that the promotion had announced match-up between Newell & Holtzman because they felt a deal between XFC and Newell would eventually be worked out.

In the MMAfighting.com article is reported as saying that there is no word just yet on when Newell will make his WSOF debut. However, (WSOF Executive V.P.) Abdel-Aziz said it will "most likely happen in August or September."

Back when I first heard that Newell was no longer with the XFC, but that a "deal was in the works" I figured it would be with either Bellator MMA or WSOF rather than other promotions because these two MMA promotions made the most sense. Other promotions would either be a lateral move or worse, and while Bellator has more public awareness due to Viacom's heavily promoting the events & a reality show on Spike TV... but MMA World Series of Fighting has the caliber of fighters Newell was looking to face. Nick has said that his goal is to eventually make it to the UFC, and (like Smith) his best bet is beating the competition in the WSOF.

I'm just glad to see that both of these talented fighters have found a new home in MMA World Series of Fighting.