In the final local MMA event of the year, Karyn Wesch and The Premier FC is bringing us quite simply the best fight card of 2011. We’ve got two UFC veterans, a guy who’s 3-0 at Bellator, an M-1 title fight vet and a who’s who of ranked pro and amateur fighters. These are the kind of fights that left many doubters saying “yeah right” when they were announced over the past months. Here we are a week out and the best local fight card I’ve ever seen is still in tact. These fights are all bound to shake up local rankings yet half the fights on the pro card would qualify national coverage of this event. With tickets starting at twenty bucks, every fan of local AND national MMA should be at this event. To top it off, if they sell more that 4000 tickets, they’re giving away a Lexus. The Mullins Center is massive yet with the talent on this card, common MMA sense sells the place out…
Amateur
Chad Washburn (Nitsuj) 0-0 vs. Brendan Cohen (Bancroft Boxing & MMA) 0-0 165lbs
Justin Hilchuck (Underdog BJJ) 0-0 vs. Roger St. Onge (AFT) 0-0 165lbs.
George Abele (Sityodtong) 0-0 vs. Ray Johns (Thunder) 0-0 185lbs.
Rick Langley (Royce Gracie MMA) 0-1 vs. Louis Grignasfini (Bancroft Boxing & MMA) 0-0 170lbs.
Keith Schneider (Nitsuj) 1-2 vs. Rick Rivera (American Fight Team/Gladiator BJJ) 1-2 185lbs.
Kevin Ortiz (Thorntons) 0-0 vs. Remington Chang (NESF) 0-0 160lbs.
Nestor Xicohtencatl (Renzo Gracie) 1-0 vs. Rob Dumas (Link) 0-0 145lbs
Elysee Sanon (Underdog BJJ) 2-0 vs. Corey Fournier 6 months 0-0 170lbs.
Mike Jensen (Hartford Bando) 0-1 vs. Marcus Clark (AFT) 160lbs.
Josh Beauparlant vs. Justin Lyons 140lbs.
Leon Campbell (Sityodtong) 1-0 vs. Nicolas Pallini (Pallini MMA) 2-1 145lbs.
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| Leon Campbell (Left) |
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| Nicolas Pallini (Top) |
This is going to be one of the better amateur fights of the night. Leon Campbell fights out of the world renowned Sityodtong. In his first win, he grinded out a decision victory against Elijah Paolilo. He put on display the typical Sityodtong style of highly disciplined and efficient striking.
Nicholas Pallini, on the other hand, is a self trained fighter who spent the last two weeks of November training with the Team Ravenous crew at their new home The Web MMA Training Center, his is one of the most unique and unorthodox styles of striking I’ve seen in a long time. To top it off, both of his wins have come via submission which is even more atypical of an independent fighter.
Leon is coming down in weight and Nicholas is coming up a few pounds so there may be a slight size discrepancy but I think the raw talent versus trained ability will make this a must see fight.
Jamie Courtney (Sityodtong) 3-3 vs. Sam Nadeau (AFT/Gladiator BJJ) 6-4-1 150lbs.
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| Jamie Courtney (Left) |
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| Sam Nadeau (Left) |
No local fighter, amateur or pro, fights with more heart than Sam Nadeau. He is an absolute workhorse of a fighter and could probably put on a good show against Fedor. He’s won fights in every fashion and he’s never lost without making his opponent work to exhaustion.
Every one of Jamie Courtney’s fights have gone to decision and he fights for one of the best schools nation wide. He’s never been put away and all of his wins have come from seriously dominating his opponent bell to bell. If there is a person who can keep up with Sam’s work ethic, Jamie is the man.
This blue collar fight could seriously contend with any of the bouts on the pro main event.
Jen Lopez (Iron Horse MMA) 1-0 vs. Sarah Payant (Ravenous/AFT/Gladiator BJJ) 0-1 120lbs.
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| Sarah Payant (Top) |
Sarah Payant is a highly decorated grappler who seems to keep having opponents drop out last minute. With her plethora of submissions and athletic abilities, can you really blame them? Jen Lopez is a tough woman so I don’t think Sarah is going to be let down this time. Her first win came in under a minute via guillotine. Ironically, Sarah’s sole loss came from the same submission. If Jen overwhelms Sarah early, she may have the edge. If Sarah keeps her cool and weathers the storm, she has more than enough talent to grab her first MMA victory.
Angel Laboy (Team Independent) 3-3 vs. Jacob Smith (NESF) 6-0 135lbs.
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| Jacob Smith (Top) |
Jacob Smith has put together a stellar amateur career and I would imagine this is it before he turns pro. If he’s seen Angel fight before, there’s no way going pro is tops on his mind quite yet. Angel pushes the pace in every fight and pushes the action until his opponent messes up. If Angel plays poker, I assure you he’s the guy who keeps betting just to throw you off your hand… If Jacob pulls off the flawless fight, the win is his but if Angel can make Jacob respond and slip up, he could be handed the first loss of his career.
Pro's
Rob Font (Sityodtong) 0-0 vs. Matt Tuthill (Renegade Kumite) 0-0 155lbs.
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| Rob Font (Center) |
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| Matt Tuthill (Closer) |
After three amateur fights apiece, these two warriors are ready to make their pro debut. Font may be the slight favorite but Tuthill has never left an opponent feeling comfortable in the ring.
Fred Mandracchia (Independent) 1-1 vs. Mike Flores (AFT/Gladiator BJJ) 3-0-1 125bs.
Fred Mandracchia must use helium or magnets or something to make weight. This guy is MASSIVE for 125 and knows how to use his power in the ring. Flores has only fought top talent so I’m not sure if Fred’s raw power will intimidate him. If Flores executes a gameplan, he’ll walk away with a win. If Fred lands a clean punch there’s a 50% chance the fight ends on the spot…
Tyson Chartier (Sityodtong) 1-1 vs. Ralph Johnson 5-4 170lbs.
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| Ralph Johnson (Right) |
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| Tyson Chartier (Left) |
Remember when the UFC first came around and we got to witness FREAK match ups between people of all sorts of unusual backgrounds, shapes and sizes? Unless you’ve been watching Japanese MMA, you haven’t seen a match up like this in a long time.
Ralph Johnson comes in standing 6’5” with an epic wingspan to match while Tyson Chartier stands at a generous 5’7”. Johnson is built like scaffolding and Tyson looks like he’s been lifting weights since preschool.
Now this fight is not simply a circus act. Both of these guys are wildly talented and both have major career implications resting on this fight. Tyson put together one of the best amateur careers we’ve seen in New England. In his early 30’s at 1-1, a win is more dire than it may seem. Ralph won his first four fights, lost the next four and then pulled off a quick win against a much larger Shawn Baker. Mid career, this fight will either establish Johnson as a contender or a highly respected journeyman.
I’ve never seen a fight that could potentially go in so many directions. Either guy could win in the first minute with a knock out. Ralph could throw jabs for 15 minutes without being touched by Tyson. Tyson could manhandle Ralph on the ground for just as long. Either guy could get a submission at anytime or end it in a striking flurry. If there is an under-card bout that could upstage some of the main event talent, this is fight is it.
Lowell Zangri (Moreau) 0-0 vs. Josh Mellen (Bancroft Boxing & MMA) 2-4 190lbs.
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| Lowell Zangri (Right) |
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| Josh Mellen (Left) |
Lowell makes his pro debut out of a great school with a great amateur campaign. Mellen has enough experience to make Zangri work for the win but I’m not sure if he can put him away. A great debut for Zangri and a great way for Mellen to advance his career.
Rich Moskowitz (Sityodtong) 10-6 vs. Abner "Skullman" Lloveras (Link) 13-6 155lbs.
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| Abner Lloveras (Flying) |
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| Rich Moskowitz (Left) |
Abner Lloveras has fought on more continents than most of us will ever see in our lifetime. He’s a Shooto vet and has fought for an M-1 title. He’s a notoriously violent fighter with submissions to match. If I was making a movie about MMA, he would be the token bad guy. If you’re a true MMA addict and have seen him fight in M-1, you know what a treat the fans are in for.
There’s no way matchmaker Jason Franklin isn’t obsessed with 1980’s fight flicks because he’s pitted Lloveras against clean cut local “good guy” Rich Moskowitz. Rich has fought everyone at 155 and has made a respectable career doing so. Fighting locally for almost a decade, everyone knows what he brings to the table.
This is the kind of fight you’d expect to see in Bellator or M-1 but we get to see it in our own backyard. Of course I’m kidding and having fun with the good guy bad guy scenario but you could probably record this one fight and release it in theaters with some success…
Ryan Quinn (American Top Team) 7-2-1 vs. Ricardo Funch (Link) 7-2 170lbs.
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| Ryan Quinn (Right) |
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| Ricardo Funch (Left) |
To keep with the theme of unbelievable match ups, Premier FC has given us 3-0 in Bellator Ryan Quinn versus UFC veteran Ricardo Funch.
Funch is a knock out specialist who fights out of one of the best BJJ schools in the North East. This is his first local fight since leaving the UFC so you know he’s going to do everything he can to show he belongs back on top. He was one of the most exciting fighters to watch before he left for the UFC and I highly doubt experience in the big show has changed any of that.
Ryan Quinn is on a three fight win streak in Bellator. Not only am I impressed with the talent he brings to the ring, I’m impressed that he’d take a fight outside of Bellator just to fight a well respected UFC veteran. His patient style is the perfect foil for Funch’s explosive tendencies.
While many of the fights we get to see this weekend have a lot to do with rankings and careers on the local scene, this is a bout that has national implications for both fighters. A win this massive for Funch might be enough to shoot him right back to the UFC. Quinn getting the victory would mean the only serious opposition he’s going to find is in the big leagues.
Dan Lauzon 15-4 vs. Anthony Kaponis (AFT) 4-4 165lbs.
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| Dany James Lauzon (Right) |
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| Anthony Kaponis (Top) |
Anyone who has ready my previews for any Dan Lauzon fights is probably expecting me to sound like a broken record. “It depends on which Lauzon shows up…”
Not this time.
Dan imposed his will on his last three highly touted top local opponents. He’s a phone call away from a return to the UFC so there is no way he’s taking any fight lightly. To top it off, he is undebatably the top local fighter at 155. In 19 fights, he’s only gone to decision once. He wins with knockouts more than half the time and the rest of the time it looks like he’s trying to get a win via every submission in the book. He’s a definitive headliner, a UFC veteran who’s likely heady back and you get to see him fight locally for as little as twenty bucks…
At 4-4, people outside of the northeast might question matching Anthony Kaponis up with Dan Lauzon. Anyone who knows local MMA wouldn’t even blink. His only losses have come to the absolute cream of the crop fighters. His five round split decision loss to Matt Bessette was the best fight of 2010. He knocks guys out quick and he’s got a submission game that keeps him in any fight in any position.
I’ve said it many times in the past, the best fights are fights when there are clearly defined favorites and underdogs. It gives so much more meaning to a matchup and clearly defines the results of any win. A Lauzon win means we’re probably not going to see him fight local again for a while. If Kaponis pulls the upset, it recharges his career putting him right on top of the 155 heap.
For tickets to one of the greatest fight cards in the history of local MMA, visit ThePremierFC.com
-Mark Hoxie
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