Cage Titans returns with their first show of the year at Plymouth Memorial Hall this Saturday January 30th, 2016. Mike Polvere and company have put together an excellent fight card consisting of 16 total fights with 3 of them being title fights and 3 professional ones. MassMMA.com will also be giving out their awards that night so you definitely don't want to miss it. Cage Titans will be looking to set the bar for what will be another incredible year of fights in New England. Let me break down the fight card for you and keep in mind that this might not be the exact fight order.
135 AM Aaron Paul (0-0, Rare Breed) vs Marty Kelly (0-0, Carlson Gracie)
The first fight is between Aaron Paul and Marty Kelly at 135 lbs amateur. Paul trains with Rare Breed and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Marty Kelly and he trains with Carlson Gracie. Kelly will also be making his amateur debut this Saturday night. This is a great way to kick off the night with two fresh young fighters looking to show the fans what they got.
145 AM Aaron Hughes (0-1, TriForce) vs Sean Murrin (0-0, Carlson Gracie)
Next match up is Aaron Hughes against Sean Murrin at 145 lbs amateur. Hughes trains with Triforce and comes into this fight with an 0-1 record. In his first fight he found Joe Smith and lost by unanimous decision. He is still hungry for his first mma win. His opponent is Sean Murrin and he trains with Carlson Gracie. Murrin will be making his amateur debut. This one should be another close battle and I am feeling a decision on this one.
175 AM James Collins (0-0, Rare Breed) vs Marty Naves (0-0, Lakeville)
At 175 lbs James Collins will face off against Marty Naves. Collins trains with Rare Breed MMA and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Marty Naves and he trains with Lakeville MMA. Marty will also be making his amateur debut. Both fighters are starting with clean slates, who will bring home the W??
125 AM Jose Lugo (1-1, Rivera Athletics) vs Nick Mancinone (2-3, FAA)
Jose Lugo is set to face Nick Mancinone at 125 lbs. Lugo trains with Rivera Athletics and comes into this fight with a 1-1 record. Lugo has 1 win by decision and one loss by submission. His opponent is Nick Mancinone who trains with Fighting Arts Academy in Springfield MA. He comes into this fight with a 2-3 record with both of his wins by way of submission. For his losses, he lost 2 by submission and 1 by decision. This fight is sure to be a fast paced battle that will keep the crowd on edge. I see this one ending by a submission.
125 AM John Semenuk (0-0, Rivera Athletics) vs Sheriden Descristoforo (1-1, TriForce)
In another 125 lb fight John Semenuk takes on Sheriden Decristoforo. John trains with Rivera Athletics and will be making his amateur debut. Being from RAC you know he will be ready for a battle. His opponent is Sheriden Decristoforo and he trains out of Triforce MMA. He comes into this fight with a 1-1 record with 1 win by submission and one loss by decision. Sheriden has the experience coming into this fight and he will be looking to use that to his advantage.
Hvy AM Jon Gruber (0-0, Team BKJA) vs Gary Watson (0-0, Victory)
In a heavy weight fight Jon Gruber will square off against Gary Watson. Gruber trains with Team BKJA and will be making his amateur debut. His opponent is Gary Watson and he trains with Victory MMA. Watson will also be making his amateur debut. Both of these beasts will be looking to show off their mma skills and no doubt they will be swinging hard so you don't want to miss this battle.
155 AM Derek Trahan (1-0, Santos) vs John Douma (2-0 Triforce)
Derek Trahan is set to fight John Douma at 155 lbs this Saturday. Now both of these fighters were scheduled to fight on the card but their opponents dropped out and thankfully they both agreed to fight each other and their fans get to see them battle. Trahan is out of Team Santos and comes into this fight with a 1-0 record. He won his first fight by submission in under a minute of the first round. His opponent is John Douma and he trains out of Triforce MMA. . He comes into this fight with a 2-0 record with 1 win by submission and 1 win by decision. Both fighters are two up and comers and they will want to make this one exciting for their fans.
185 AM Chris Marriott (0-0-1, Team Anubis) vs Sean Bettencourt (2-1, Victory)
At 185 lbs Chris Marriott will take on Sean Bettencourt. Chris trains with Team Anubis and comes into this fight with an 0-0-1 record. He fought for CFX back in 2015 and the fight went to a draw in his first amateur fight. Now he is ready to do it all again and get the W but he is going to be facing a tough opponent in Bettencourt. Sean trains with Victory MMA and comes into this fight with a 2-1 record. He has 1 win by ko/tko and 1 win by split decision so far in his ammy career. His one loss came by a submission in Rd 2 against Jonathan Deupree at a previous Toe 2 Toe event. This should be a close battle but I give the slight edge to Sean with the 3 fight experience on this one.
205 AM Ron Marshall (0-0, Team Anubis) vs Yorgan De Castro (2-2, Lauzon)
Ron Marshall will face off against Yorgan De Castro at 205 lbs amateur this Saturday. Ron trains with Team Anubis and will be making his amateur debut. De Castro trains with Lauzon MMA and comes into this fight with a 2-2 record. For his wins, he has 1 win by ko/tko and 1 win by decision. For his losses, he has 2 losses by decision but he is looking to break that 2 loss streak with a win. In this battle Yorgan has the 4 fight experience that he will be looking to use towards his advantage. This should be another good battle.
155 AM Matt Alger (0-1, Rivera Athletics) vs Alex Dolan (0-3, Independent)
At 155 lbs Matt Alger will take on Alex Dolan. Alger trains with Rivera Athletics and comes into this fight with an 0-1 record. He lost his first fight by ko/tko at a previous WNXFA event. His opponent is Alex Dolan and he is an independent fighter with an 0-3 record. He has 1 loss by ko/tko and 2 losses by submission. Now, both fighters are ready to bleed for us in the cage to get their first W and that makes this exciting.
125 AM TITLE Rich Santiago (RAC 3-4) vs. Ryan Kane (Juniko 4-2)
For the 125 lb amateur title Rich Santiago takes on Ryan Kane for the coveted belt. Rich trains with RAC and comes into this fight with a 3-4 record. For his wins, he won 1 fight by ko/tko, 1 by submission and 1 by decision and a nice streak of winning 3 out of his last 4 fights! For his losses, he lost 3 by submission and 1 by decision. Rich trains hard and is always improving and never backs down from a fight. His opponent is young phenom Ryan Kane who trains with Juniko. Kane comes into this fight with a 4-2 record with 1 win by ko/tko, 1 by sub and 2 decision wins so far in his amateur career. His 2 losses were decisions and he just like Rich has always been improving each fight. It is also worth noting that Ryan will most likely have the nicest hair of the night. This is going to be an awesome battle that you don't want to miss and I see it being mostly stand up.
145 AM TITLE Don Shainis(5-0 Redline) vs. Kris Moutinho (6-2 RAC)
The next title is at 145 lbs between Don Shainis and Kris Moutinho. Shainis is the current 155lb Cage Titans champ and is now looking for the 145lb title. Moutinho has had the Cage Titans 125, 135 and 145lb belt and is looking to successfully defend the 145 lb belt once again. Confused yet? Both fighters aren't afraid to shift their weight and go through grueling cuts to get the strap. Both fighters have been extremely dominant in their divisions and this has fight of the year potential all over it. Shainis trains with Redline MMA and comes into this fight with a perfect 5-0 record with 2 wins by ko/tko 1 sub and 2 decision wins. Moutinho trains with RAC and comes into this fight with a 6-2 record with 2 wins by ko/tko, 2 subs and 2 decision wins. I don't think anyone can successfully predict what will happen in this fight but I can tell you this, it is going to real fun to watch.
155 AM TITLE Jose Rivera (4-3 Thornton MMA) vs. Joe Giannetti (SSSF 6-0)
In the final title fight Jose Rivera will take on Joe Giannetti for the 155 lb strap. Rivera trains with Thornton MMA and comes into this fight with a 4-3 record with 1 win by ko/tko and 3 wins by submissions. For his losses, he lost 2 by decision and 1 by submission to Joe Giannetti. He is currently riding a 3 fight win streak and is looking to continue. His opponent is Joe Giannetti and he trains out of SSSF. He comes into this fight with a perfect 6-0 record with 2 wins by ko/tko and 4 wins by submission. Jose is looking to show that he has improved and has what it takes to take the belt to CT. Joe is looking to prove once again that he is the better fight and keep his belt that he has worked so hard to earn.
145 PRO David Espino (Trifecta 0-0) vs. Max Barrett (0-0 Juniko)
In the first pro fight of the night David Espino will face Mad Max Barrett. Espino trains with Trifecta and will be making his pro debut. As an amateur he went 3-3 with 2 wins by ko/tko and 1 submission. In his last amateur fight he stepped up last minute to fight Max and I think everyone will agree that the fight was pure awesomeness. Now they are both looking to do it again as a professional. Barrett trains with Juniko and is also making his pro debut. As an amateur he went 6-4-1 with 4 out of his 6 wins by ko/tko. I think this fight will be more of what we saw when they fought as an amateurs and that is an all out stand up war.
145 PRO Dan Dubuque (2-0 DCNU) vs. Manny Bermudez (4-0 SSSF)In the first pro fight of the night David Espino will face Mad Max Barrett. Espino trains with Trifecta and will be making his pro debut. As an amateur he went 3-3 with 2 wins by ko/tko and 1 submission. In his last amateur fight he stepped up last minute to fight Max and I think everyone will agree that the fight was pure awesomeness. Now they are both looking to do it again as a professional. Barrett trains with Juniko and is also making his pro debut. As an amateur he went 6-4-1 with 4 out of his 6 wins by ko/tko. I think this fight will be more of what we saw when they fought as an amateurs and that is an all out stand up war.
At 145 lbs Dan Dubuque will take on Manny Bermudez in the Cage Titans cage. Dan trains with DCNU out of CT and comes into this fight with a 2-0 record. For his wins he has both of his pro wins by decision. In fact all of Dan's amateur fights were also resulting in a decision in which he had a record of 5-2. His opponent is Manny Bermudez and he trains out of SSSF. Manny comes into this fight with a 4-0 record with 3 submission and 1 ko/tko win. He has done all of this in a 7 month span and just fought at CES on January 8th. This fight was just put together about 3 weeks ago and man it is going to a great one. Manny is going to try to do what no one has done before and that is try to submit Dan Dubuque. Dan will look to continue what he does best and that is win the rounds with his striking and take home the W.
155 PRO Keenan Raymond (Rivera Athletics 3-2) vs. Peter Barrett (Juniko 4-0)
In the main event Keenan Raymond will take on Peter Barrett at 155 lbs professional. Raymond trains with Rivera Athletics and comes into this fight with a 3-2 record. He has 1 win by ko/tko, 1 by submission and one by decision. For his losses, he lost 1 by ko/tko and 1 by submission and also he has fought for Bellator in his career. His opponent is Peter Barrett and he trains with Juniko and comes into this fight with a 4-0 record. For his wins, he has 3 wins by ko/tko and 1 by submission so far in his pro career. This is going to be another stand up battle and I suggest to the Cage Titans fans that you don't leave early because this should be an awesome one.
There you have the complete breakdown of the entire Cage Titans card. Warchild, The Artist and I will be making the trip out east to keep you all up to date. MassMMA will be giving out their awards at 6:30pm and throughout the night and the fights start at 7pm. As you can see it should be a memorable night and I hear its practically sold out already. Hope to see you all there!