The WCF returns to The Shriner’s Auditorium for the first time in a year for their eleventh event. New to the team is ex-GFL matchmaker Dan Bonnell. Dan has made some of the biggest contributions to the local MMA scene for years through his fighting, writing and matchmaking abilities. I’m sure it didn’t hurt that he also has a swollen rolodex of fighters from his years of experience in the MMA world to match make for Joe Cavallaro.
As with every past WCF, expect a star studded crowd including an autograph signing before the event including such fighter’s as Josh Grispi, Chuck O’Neil and Rick Hawn. While these are the types of guys who would give you an autograph and talk to you for fifteen minutes any other day, it’s a great opportunity for you to come down and meet three of the best fighters in the North East.
170 Corey Jameson 0-0 (MAXX) vs Kyle Gauthier 0-0 (Lysak MMA)
140 Derek Shorey 0-1 (Kaos) vs Kenny Murphy 1-0 (MFS/NH)
155 Mike Materkowsi 2-1 (Cage Strikers) vs Nathan Oses 2-1 (BMAC)
180 John Deluca 0-0 (Pacheco’s) vs Hiago Fontoura 0-0 (Fenix fight club)
180 Zack Costello 0-0 (MAXX) vs Thomas Roy Gussler 0-1
155 Matt Phinney 0-0 (Rivera MMA) vs Dustin Hurtgam 4-2 (Bombsquad)
Matt brings to his MMA debut an undefeated boxing record and the experiences garnered as UFC vet Jorge Rivera’s trainer. With fighting in his blood and MMA experience by association, I expect Phinney to step into the ring looking like a seasoned pro.
This is also Dustin’s pro debut but he put together a solid amateur career with more than six fights, depending on what database you subscribe to… With a name like Hurtgam and a school like Bombsquad, you know he’s going to be ready for a war.
With all the associated fanfare, Matt may be the favorite but I don’t think anything other than actual talent and strength would overwhelm a guy like Dustin so we’ll have to see what happens in the ring.
145 Brian Kelleher 2-1 (Bombsquad) vs Lucas Cruz 1-0 (TapOut)
Kelleher is a fighter out of Bombsquad who much like the rest of his team mates, likes to take the fast track approach to fighting. He’s gone 2-1 in the past 3 months and has ended each of his fights in the first round for better or worse.
Lucas “Barely Legal” Cruz’s first win came via flying knee in the first round. While I won’t speculate where he got his nickname, I will certainly take a stab and say this fight’s ending abruptly in the first round based on these guys track records. Expect a brief and violent war with more time spent helping the loser off the canvass than actual fighting.
155 Joe Manzello 6-6 (The Factory) vs Pedro Da Silva 1-3 (Warrior Spirit)
I love the guys at the WCF but I’ve got to do my journalistic duty and call this one a mismatch. Manzello is a monster who’s only losses have come to guys who have fought in big shows. Pedro has been knocked out in the first round of all three of his losses and his soul win came against someone who is 1-7. Anything can happen at anytime in MMA and credit due to anyone who steps in the ring, but this one is either going to end in a heartbeat or shock the local MMA community.
145 Nelson Gaipo 5-4 (Dragon Lair) vs Mike Marchioni 4-1 (SSSF)
Nelson Gaipo is 1-1 against SSSF fighters. Sure, I may be trying to force a story line but it definitely adds to my personal interest in this fight.
Marchioni is a submission expert who has won all four of his fights via some form of choke. Gaipo is also a submission expert but he likes to look for the knockout as his first option. I think Gaipo brings more to the table and has a bit more experience but there is no arguing the ability of a guy who’s 4-1 out of one of the top schools in the area. If Marchioni can mix it up enough with some striking, he could catch Gaipo in transition with a submission or at least do enough to get the decision. If Gaipo dictates the pace, I wager he’ll cruise to his first decision victory.
145 Bill Jones 9-3 (Kaos) vs Anthony Leone 8-4 (Bombsquad)
What do you get when you cross a guy on a four fight losing streak with another guy who rarely makes it out of the first round?
Believe it or not, one of the best fight match ups of the year for any fight organization out there.
What I failed to mention is that Anthony Leone’s four fight losing streak was orchestrated against top competition in the WEC, Bellator and Strikeforce. This was after winning a local title against Tateki Matsuda to cap off an 8-0 start to his career.
And this Bill Jones guy who rarely makes it out of the first round? It’s because he’s crushing his opponents and never giving them the chance to hear the first bell. In fact, only one of his fights has ever gone the distance; a split decision win against a fighter you may have heard of, Matt Bessette.
So we’ve got a severely motivated fighter out of Bombsquad and a frantic finisher out of Kaos stepping into the ring with the winner likely emerging as the top fighter at 145 to contend with. The only thing taking away from this fight is that it’s not for a belt. Three rounds should be incredible but five would be even better.
Both of these guys are submission whizzes so their ground games will likely cancel each other out. My New York bias lends me to thinks Bombsquad sends Leone in as a better striker but Jones has three KO victories and size where Leone hasn’t hung a win purely on strikes as of yet and he also comes in a bit smaller.
Anything could happen in this fight but no matter what is it, you’ll want to see it.
155LB WCF LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Dan Lauzon 14-4 (Lauzon MMA) vs Noah Weisman 5-1 (Rail City BJJ)
Saturday night’s main event brings together two fighters on the verge of heading to a big show. Back to a big show in the case of Affliction and UFC veteran Dan Lauzon.
To imply that a fight is Lauzon’s to win or lose is almost as cliché as wondering about Mike Campbell‘s Jiu Jitsu skills. There is always a question of which Dan will show up. Will he be under prepared and rely on his immense talent to carry him through or has he been busting his ass in the gym so that he can make enough waves to leave the local scene once again? While Dan might be writing off the talent of his opponent, I highly doubt he’s writing off the importance of this fight. Expect to see a very well prepared Dan Lauzon.
Dan has a very raw sensory talent for fighting. As much as he portrays the fighter attitude, he’s a highly calculated and intelligent fighter. He loves to counter strike and pick his punches and he’ll pull a submission out of anywhere if he sees the opening.
How good is Noah Wiseman? This is the only question, albeit a mighty one, that will be answered in this fight. Noah’s only loss came early in his career in a decision to a much larger John Benoit. Since then he’s beaten some good upper level guys like Joel Ly, Sean Wilmot and Luis Felix . This will be Noah’s toughest test to date.
Noah has a brown belt in Jiu Jitsu and trains with some of the best kept secrets in MMA. He seems to enjoy the semi-outsider status fighting out of Vermont and tends to capitalize on his opponents tendency to be in the dark about his abilities. If he can secure the win, there’ll be no more fighting out of the shadows…
I think this fight is going to go the distance. Both these fighters have the ability to put guys away but they both have the chins and determination to keep this one going.
If Noah can spend enough time in the clinch delivering knees, he’ll get the decision. If Dan can box his way out of the clinch and continuously score, he’ll come away with the victory.
With the Joe Cavallaro - Dana White connection, you know the winner of this fight will be on the UFC’s radar.
Check out WCFighting.com for tickets and info and be sure to show up early for the autograph and photo ops!