Hey I'm Joe Leonard an author here at WesternMassMMA.com and I wanted to share a little bit of what I experienced this weekend in the world of Pro-Am MMA, Grappling, and Fight Bands.
October is great isn't it? The weather is cooler and the air has that earthy smell that you know so well that it brings you back to campfires and tents with too many warm bodies in them. Well This past weekend was the kind with all those great sensory memories with the added bonus of three incredible MMA events all in MA.
I wasn't able to secure my tickets in time for the AFO show, but from what I read on NortheastMMA.net Mr. DiLorenzo was pleased with the outcome. Congratulations to all those who got into the cage, bled in the cage, and slept in the cage. Hopefully the November show will be just as good if not better and that WesternMassMMA.com can bring back some content from that promotion.
In Plymouth the quaint village center was hiding a beautiful century old theater which made me wish all MMA venues could be in a place like this. Three stories of gorgeous hardwoods and steep seating. Kipp, Kirik, and Joe all were in attendance. Joe was able to speak to me briefly and give me the official word on a rumor floating around Reality Fighting future events. Sadly he confirmed that there will only be the August event from now on. I will sit with him again in the near future and find out what that exactly means for us fans and fighters. There were some incredible fights all of which will be highlighted over the coming weeks and months as I edit the videos I filmed there. One of the most talked about was the Bessette vs Kaponis Lightweight Title fight. Some are calling this one controversial due to the judges scoring of the fight. I will let you be your own judge and leave you to watch their Fight Videos.
With a little bit of poking around I found that the real "controversy" isn't even happening at the fight. The issue as it would seem to some is that neither men came into the cage as the defending title holder. Odd, you say? I think so. I am going to find out who the poor guy was and where he was that he was not able to defend his own belt. Have some info? Let's hear from you.
Sunday I found myself headed to my home town of Chicopee, MA. My pride for that city is only growing as people like Karyn Wesch and Jason Franklin make homes for fighters in these little Western MA hills and valleys. The Maximum Capacity is a decent spot and with the tents up you really felt apart of something intimate. There was a live band by the name of Lincoln Park which covered, you guessed it, Linkin Park. A mobile tattoo parlor and some other vendors rounded out the something for everyone consumer need. It was by far the best executed outdoor show Premier FC has done. There were more seats, there were awesome lighting effects between fighter entrances, and Rich from RLM Productions upped his efforts to film at a bit better quality than the Mardi Gras event. As for the fights themselves well let's just say with a home like Premier FC it won't be hard to understand where all the young professional fighters are coming from in a few years. Jason and Kym have a great talent when it comes to matchmaking. Disappointment was not on this card. Karyn was even able to introduce some grappling matches into the mix with total support from the crowd. I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Gabriel Gladiator who reffed the two grappling matches and afterwards his calm and direct manner of speaking was a surprise to me because he is one bad ass dude. On the card was a Premier FC first. A female match up. It was quick and probably the only bout that seemed mismatched, but I applaud both women for getting in the cage. The audience was super charged.
Congratulations to all the fighters who made their goals and dreams a reality this weekend. Keep doing what you are doing and we'll be hear to cheer you on, support you if you need it, I personally will do what I can through my articles to educate fans and non-fans alike about the inner workings of this sport that deserves much respect and appreciation. We are bringing back a class of people that I thought was gone from modern history. We are seeing the next generation of great Gladiators.
Thanks for taking the time to read my opinions and thoughts. If you have any feedback or would like to contribute to a future article please use the comment radio button below and or drop me an email at wormwood@gmail.com