Friday night fights always make me feel like the kid that I am...
Let's begin shall we?
The Venue:
City Boy and I made the 2 plus hour drive out to the ocean side city of Revere, MA. The traffic was mild and taking route 2 proved to be a smooth choice. We rolled into the Wonderland Station around 8:00pm and were surprised at the abundance of available parking. Once inside...
AFO turns the Wonderland Ballroom into a den of flesh and blood for it's adoring fans and cunning athletes. I grabbed a sweet leather couch up on the stage and a clear view of the jumbotron, the cage, and all the beautiful people while City Boy took his seat at the cage ready to take some incredible action shots with his new Canon T3i. The management was very helpful in providing me with internet access, great seating, plenty of water, and great easy to follow fight cards for each press person.
The Ballroom is a large rectangular room. Along one long wall were vendors, full bar, and the standing room only area. Across the room along the opposite wall was a raised seating area, the DJ, and another bar. The cage was set up between these areas and the floor seating flanked both sides making for great views everywhere. When you couldn't see through the safety gear padding the cage the two projection screens had crisp clean views of the action. The fighters had large open rooms in the rear of the ballroom to get focused and prepare for action.
The Action:
Lawyer Nick DiSalvo was moonlighting as AFO's Promoter for this event. Pete DiLorenzo was present, but on vacation. The card was slated for thirteen bouts of mixed martial arts and grappling, but the grappling match was scratched last minute. Twelve seemed to be the perfect number for this card in particular. Honestly I wasn't very excited about this card, but after a few surprise finishes and some interesting decisions I was happy to have made the trek out to see the show.
I'm going to stray from City Boy's usual review format here and give you my overall impression on each bout rather than give a play by play. The best way I can think to review this card is to refer to our live AFO updates so forgive me if you recognize some of the same wording from that particular document.
The first fight of the night was a three round wrestling clinic run by Adam Aparicio. Both men exchanged kicks and punches, but Aparicio was able to take Oses down several times through out the bout cleanly and effectively using wrestling techniques.
I scored this one three rounds to none Aparicio. The judges felt it was close , but despite the split they find Aparicio the victor.
The Venue:
City Boy and I made the 2 plus hour drive out to the ocean side city of Revere, MA. The traffic was mild and taking route 2 proved to be a smooth choice. We rolled into the Wonderland Station around 8:00pm and were surprised at the abundance of available parking. Once inside...
AFO turns the Wonderland Ballroom into a den of flesh and blood for it's adoring fans and cunning athletes. I grabbed a sweet leather couch up on the stage and a clear view of the jumbotron, the cage, and all the beautiful people while City Boy took his seat at the cage ready to take some incredible action shots with his new Canon T3i. The management was very helpful in providing me with internet access, great seating, plenty of water, and great easy to follow fight cards for each press person.
The Ballroom is a large rectangular room. Along one long wall were vendors, full bar, and the standing room only area. Across the room along the opposite wall was a raised seating area, the DJ, and another bar. The cage was set up between these areas and the floor seating flanked both sides making for great views everywhere. When you couldn't see through the safety gear padding the cage the two projection screens had crisp clean views of the action. The fighters had large open rooms in the rear of the ballroom to get focused and prepare for action.
The Action:
Lawyer Nick DiSalvo was moonlighting as AFO's Promoter for this event. Pete DiLorenzo was present, but on vacation. The card was slated for thirteen bouts of mixed martial arts and grappling, but the grappling match was scratched last minute. Twelve seemed to be the perfect number for this card in particular. Honestly I wasn't very excited about this card, but after a few surprise finishes and some interesting decisions I was happy to have made the trek out to see the show.
I'm going to stray from City Boy's usual review format here and give you my overall impression on each bout rather than give a play by play. The best way I can think to review this card is to refer to our live AFO updates so forgive me if you recognize some of the same wording from that particular document.
The first fight of the night was a three round wrestling clinic run by Adam Aparicio. Both men exchanged kicks and punches, but Aparicio was able to take Oses down several times through out the bout cleanly and effectively using wrestling techniques.
I scored this one three rounds to none Aparicio. The judges felt it was close , but despite the split they find Aparicio the victor.
The second match-up was a bit more interesting in and out of the cage. At the catch weight of 132lbs Dicristoforo and Baker both took this fight on a weeks notice. DiCristoforo was slated to fight Kin Moy. Injury prevented this. Between Baker's solid hands and sound BJJ DiCristoforo had his work cut out for him. Both men give it their all for the first round, but it is apparent that there is a severe weight difference. This comes into play in the opening seconds of round 2. The heavier (150lb) Baker attempts to take DiCristoforo's arm home as a trophy, but only manages to separate his opponents shoulder from the rest of his body. Ref Quon was quickly in the fray and separates the two before the arm is destroyed. DiCristoforo is on the mat for several minutes as the ringside doctors check him out. Shortly after the official decision is announced DiCristoforo and his camp head straight to AFO Matchmaker Mark Vaz to let him know that they felt they had been wronged. They requested he tell the commission about a weight advantage, but Mark was unable to appease them. A brief conversation with DiLorenzo and myself revealed that there are two sides to this coin and with the cooperation of Team United Muay Lao's manager we'll be getting you the whole story.
The fourth fight takes Nick Logan an 0-0 ammy and makes him into a siko in less then 2 minutes. At one minute and thirteen seconds of round one he is able to catch Tundo Odumuso in a sweet Kimura. These guys are jacked and weighing in at 180-190lbs so they can put the hurt on if they choose. The energy both men bring into the cage ignites the crowd.
Fight five takes place between Connor's MMA's Billy Giovanella and Team Ronin's newest member, Kody Nordby. Nordby made his ammy debut a last month on another AFO card and took home a well earned W. This fight goes all the way to the judges decision. After three intense and energetic rounds where both men gave it everything they had Nordby wins a unanimous decision pushing his record to 2-0. Watch for this guys name on a card near you. He's a beast and his fights are well worth the price of admission.
I was surprised to learn that we had a local Western MA fighter who' name I didn't recognize. Fight six saw a Pittsfield native and independent fighter, Daniel Piggott, step into the cage to take on a three fight veteran named Tom Venticinque, a member of Team United Muay Lao. These two meet in the middle of the cage and Tom begins to size up Piggott. The advantage I think of having a great team with lots of talent had to play a role in this match. Piggott is swinging hard and connects at least one clean punch. Venticinque sees his opening and takes it to Piggott eventually bringing the lanky competitor to the mat and blasts him repeatedly with hard hands until the ref calls the fight. Piggott shows his frustration and disappointment by hitting the cage floor before rising to allow the official decision to be announced. Keep your head up Dan we'll be sure to see you again soon.
Thane Stimson vs Sergio Cabrera gets us to the seventh bout of the night. This fight has it all aggression, hard hitting kicks and punches. I see the first round going to Stimson. The guy is a beast. Both fighters prepare for round two as their corners exit the cage. Cabrera extends a gloved hand as soon as the ref starts time. This next action is one I've seen before and every time I see it I think what a shit bag. Stimson extends his arm as both men approach the center of the cage acknowledging Cabrera's wanting to touch gloves. Then it happens just as they are about to touch Cabrera sucker punches Stimson. That was his first and last mistake of the night. Stimson beats this guy into the mat in just one minute and thirty-nine seconds of the second round. The ref stops the fight due to unanswered strikes securing a TKO victory.
The next bout is the eighth and final ammy bout of the night. Chad Kelly of Fighting Arts Academy (Gardner) looks to take the 125lb title opportunity away from fight veteran and title contender Dan Cormier who comes into the cage hungry for a belt to add to his and Team United Muay Lao's accomplishments. Chad and Dan despite their cage experience difference are more than well matched. Hat's off to AFO's Mark Vaz for getting these two together. Right from the start you can tell neither man is going to just walk away a winner. Three rounds of back and forth punching, kicking, bjj, and wrestling that kept even the most vocal audience members somewhat hushed kept me on the edge of my seat. This fight was special for more than one reason. As you all have heard the title belts AFO awards are hard to come by and will be even harder to get after the restructuring of the belt system. Cormier's rash of competitors who couldn't make weight have made this belt into a difficult one for him to earn. Pete DiLorenzo being a pioneering and respected promoter in Eastern MA decided to award the belt to the winner regardless of this bouts status as a catch weight. The action was great and all the elements were there that if you didn't know the particulars of this fight from the beginning you wouldn't know you were watching a catch weight bout. I can't really think of many instances were one fighter clearly looked like an early winner, but the way they threw punches and took take downs the judges had their work cut out for them after three five minute rounds. So much work apparently that they resorted to a little used 10-8 scoring system. Cormier takes the split decision and the belt.
Here I am going to get on a little bit of a soapbox. My friends, fellow MMA practitioners, fans, and Promoters please read this carefully as it is my opinion only.
I have noticed over the last year that most shows I see are fairly well attended. Some more than others, but that isn't the point. Here is my issue and a bit of a challenge for the rest of you. I hope you accept both my opinion and my challenge because I believe it will start a dialogue that will make this sport stronger.
I see packed houses at first and then as the evening continues the crowds get smaller. Nowhere is this more obvious than when attending an event that has both amateur and professional bouts. My thinking is this. Amateur fighters who are in the know know that if they sell tickets they can have a great support group in attendance, make money (as a percentage of tickets sold is theirs to keep and is the only way an amateur can make legal money from fighting), get invited back to fight again because the promotion is well attended and the promoters can pay for another event, and finally they know that the more people in the crowd the more fans you can make. What I see happening is that all these amateur fighters take a back seat in a promotion that has pro's on the card. Billing the pro's as the main event or co-main event seems silly to me.
1) they are pro fighters with sponsors, managers, and purses. Selling tickets is the last thing on their mind, usually...
2) If you're hoping to make money you need people in seats and the local guys and gals are the ones doing that for you, usually...
I propose that promotions shy away from stacking a card with ammy's then pro's. I believe it will have huge effects overall. If a local fighter has sold the most for tickets for the event he or she should be a featured event. Maybe even a main event. Pro's want to fight in front of crowds, hordes, legions of people so it must feel pretty shitty at the end of the night when you realize everyone left at intermission to go party with their ammy fighters and friends cause that is who they came to see. On a DVD it looks great if there is a crowd. The ammy fighters won't mind fighting at the end of the night either if they have fans and friends there watching. The pro's should be interspersed through out the show to keep it flowing and helping build up the night.
Thanks for reading that ridiculously long soapbox speech, but I feel like sharing today. Back to the fights.
Professionals
Fight nine is a great bout between our own, Mark Hoxie, WesternMassMMA.com Contributing Author's little brother Brendon Hoxie and Old School MMA's Nelson Gaipo. The Hoxie's seem to be a fun loving bunch as Brendon makes his way out to the cage with a crown atop his head and one of his seconds had his head shoved up a penguins ass. Pretty funny shit. I'm hoping this kid is serious though because he is getting in the cage with one of Eastern MA's more experienced fighters. Nelson comes out and he looks all business. I think the sound cut out midway through his entrance and the DJ got it figured out quickly. Sucks though cause it messes with a fighters concentration. These guys take it to the edge and back every round. Brendon looks like he's gassing at the end of round two. Gaipo looks to take Hoxie to the mat in round three, but that proves to be a dangerous move. The fight looks like its's going to go to the judges cards as seconds remain in the final round and neither man looks like they could finish it at this point. Hoxie throws up a triangle with 50 seconds left in the round and chokes Gaipo into submission. The crowd leaps to their feet and the whole of Wonderland is cheering this unexpected finish. Nice work by both men leaving all in the cage.
Fight ten features Sam Elliott showing his superiority in the cage over Franklin Isabel earning him a unanimous decision to put a cap on his pro debut.
Next is a fan favorite and a Western MA's native hailing from Worcestor and fighting out of a Black 1983 Chevy Van. The fighter is Ralph "Killa" Johnson. He is squaring off across the cage from Cape Cod Fighters Alliance's Native American Headdress wearing Shawn Baker. Neither man looks like they care to much about the well fare of their opponent. Ill intentions can be felt coming from Killa's corner immediately. Ralph isn't a very technical striker, but don't kid yourself this bean pole has the power and brings it. So after a minute of ugly strikes flying across the cage Shawn looks to duck out of a wild swing from Killa and eats a searing knee. This drops him immediately. The fight is over and Johnson takes home a W, a purse, and a smoking hot goth girl.
The final fight of the night is a title fight. Theo Desjardin takes home the Pro 125lb title and belt after doling out a severe beating to veteran independent fighter Christian Rivera. The fight ends in similar fashion as the Killa Johnson bout via TKO by way of a knee to the face and followed right up with unanswered strikes.
Congrats to all the fighters, their coaches, and teams. Thanks to the AFO for allowing us to attend this event. The Wonderland Ballroom is definitely a great location.
Awards:
Fight of the Night: Brendon Hoxie vs Nelso Gaipo
Submission of the Night: Nick Logan's sick ass Kimura
KO of the Night: There were no knock outs
Blunder of the Night: Ref stoppage of the Sean Boisclaire vs Bret Braxton fight.
Rating of the Show(1-5, 5 Being the Best)
Quality of Fights:3.5
Star Quality:5 (I sat with fighter Randy Smith and his crew most of the evening)
Sound:3.5 (a sound check before hand will eliminate those pesky cutouts when people are singing and speaking)
Refs:3 Ref Quon is the man
Announcer:4 (a little practice and those tricky intros won't be so difficult)
Ring Girls:5
Venues:5
Overall: 3.7
Joe Leonard aka The Artist is a contributing author of www.WesternMassMMA.com and a student of Team Ravenous MMA in South Deerfield, MA. All views are the sole expression of the author and may not directly represent the views of the site administrators, other contributing authors, sponsors, or readers.
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