[Combat Zone Press Release]
SALEM, NH—Taylor Trahan, who rose to prominence while fighting as an amateur in Combat Zone MMA events at Rockingham Park, returns as a professional to headline the main event of the promotion’s “Carpe Diem” stacked card in a featherweight battle against Evan Parker at the racetrack on Friday, September 26.
Trahan, 4-1 as a pro, won five of his eight previous fights for Combat Zone and enters the cage fresh from a February 21st third round submission of Bellator fighter Joseph Pingitare in his last bout. Parker (4-2) has been idle since scoring a TKO over Fernando Perez in 2011 and he’ll have to face a Rockingham Park crowd that has been partial to Trahan since his first fight just five days after his 18th birthday.
“It will be nice to be back there. People there have always been very supportive of me over the years and it means a lot,” said Trahan, who is now 23 and a married man after swapping vows with his wife, Shannon, only one month ago.
Trahan, ranked #9 in the Northeast in his division, has been steadily climbing the ladder and a win over Parker would elevate the noise level around him.
“I am coming off knee surgery, but it was nothing serious and I am 100 percent healed and ready,” said the fighter, who lives in Bethlehem, NH and runs his own MMA studio there. “I was supposed to fight Evan a while back, but then I separated my shoulder so I am looking forward to our fight now. I don’t know much about him other than he’s a wrestler and strong, so I’m focusing on my cardio and strength conditioning.”
Fight fans expecting to see the same Taylor Trahan they have come to know and love over the years will get a new and improved model.
“I’m pretty much the same guy, but I have developed better technique as I’ve grown over the years,” he said.
The highly-anticipated co-main event will be an amateur title fight between current Combat Zone belt holder and rising star Jake “The Gorilla” Pilla (2-1) and the undefeated James Squires (2-0) in the lightweight division, while the combatant judged the amateur fighter of the night will take home the hardware provided by Chang’s Tae Kwan do America in Methuen, MA.
Other key matchups on the card of 10 pro and amateur fights include the pro debut of bantamweight Kenny Murphy from Hooksett, NH vs. a very tough Chad Kelly (2-1) of Gardner, MA, and Nick Alley (2-1), who also hails from Hooksett, vs. the #2 ranked welterweight amateur Andrew Tripp (7-1) from Bangor, ME.
Tickets are $40 for general admission, $50, $75, $90 and $120 for ringside seating and may be ordered at www.czmma.com or by calling co-promoters Calvin Kattar (978-305-3372) or Jamison Kattar (978-361-6772). Doors open at 6:30 PM and the first fight is at 8:00 PM.
The full card, with fighters’ hometowns, is as follows and subject to change:
AMATEURS:
155 lbs: David Brown 0-0 (Gilford, NH) vs Jeremy O’Brien 0-0 (Homer MMA)
170 lbs: Taylor Mears 0-0 (Gilford, NH) vs Michel Souza 0-0 (Somerville, MA)
150 lbs: Jimmy Munoz 1-1 (Lawrence, MA) vs David Sousa 1-3 (No. Andover, MA)
150 lbs: Mike Scappachio 1-0 (Plaistow, NH) vs Corey Cohen 0-0 (Gilford, NH)
170 lbs: Dave Spero 4-2 (Atkinson, NH) vs Sean Seaburg 0-0 (Haverhill, MA)
170 lbs: Nick Alley 2-1 (Hooksett, NH) vs Andrew Tripp 7-1 (Bangor, ME)
PROS:
145: lbs Vovka Clay 1-0 (Amherst, NH) vs Rodrigo Faria 0-1 (Windham, ME)
125: lbs Chad Kelly 2-1 (Gardner, MA) vs Ken Murphy 0-0 (Hooksett, NH)
AMATEUR TITLE FIGHT:
155 lbs: Jake Pilla 3-0 (Billerica, MA) vs James Squires 2-0 (Somerville, MA)
MAIN EVENT:
145 lbs: Evan Parker 4-2 (Leominster, MA) vs Taylor Trahan 4-1 (Bethlehem, NH)