Myself "The Boss", The
Artist, and our teammate Ioannis packed up The Artist's Jeep and headed out to
Manchester Ct. to attend a single-leg take down seminar that was a benefit for
the Sandy Hook victims. We had a great time and learned some great technique
from a great Martial artist, our good friend Gerry Navarra. After the seminar
was finished we made our way out to Mohegan Sun Casino to cover the Reality
Fighting show later that evening.
We used the locker
room showers, then proceeded to the always appreciated media catered dinner that
Reality and Mohegan always provides. Tonight Chinese was on the menu, and my
love handles jiggled with excitement!!
The arena started to
fill, and we chatted with several friends and local NE MMA heavy hitters,
including Old School and the lovely Barbra, Nick Newell, Jeff Haddad, and Leon
Davis, and Zack Lynch. Sarah “Soulja” Payant was in the house along with PFC lady in charge
Karyn Wesch. Loco Lobo said hi, and I also saw Team Link fighters Ricardo
Funch, and "Skullman" Lloveres with WNXFA head man Jesse Camp. The place was full, and the
fighters were ready, on to the fights!!
Fight 1- 155lb Shayne
Stephenson vs Jeremiah Soto
Rd1- The fighters
come out and Shayne looks a little soft, while Soto is big and ripped for 155.
The bell rings and they engage. They clinch up quickly, and Shayne tries a trip
take down. Soto reverses, and is standing over the downed Stephenson. Soto
fires down with a punch that catches Shayne in the ribs. Shayne cringes in
pain, and rolls away. The ref steps in to call and end to the fight at 33
seconds of rd1. Winner, Jeremiah Soto rd1 TKO ref stoppage.
Fight 2- 140lbs Theo
Desjardins vs Johnny Campbell
Rd1- Once again we
can clearly see that Campbell is the bigger fighter, as Theo took the fight on
short notice, and normally fights at 125. Both guys come out boxing. Theo is
showing good head movement and quick combos, but Johnny is coming forward being
the aggressor. He grabs ahold of Theo and lifts him high and slams him hard. He
tries some ground and pound, but soon lets Theo back up. Johnny is coming
forward, and lands a clean, hard shot to the body and Theo winces in pain.
Campbell sees he is hurt and turns up the heat. Theo gets dropped and the ref
stops it before Johnny can do any more damage.
Winner Johnny Campbell rd1 TKO ref stoppage.
Fight 3- 125lbs Dan
Cormier vs Kody Nordby
Rd1- Kody comes out
with his usual hands low stance, and throws some low kicks. Dan seems reluctant
to come in, and when he does Kody drops him with a right behind the ear. Dan
pops right back up, but is soon dropped again by the same punch. Yet again he
pops up and tries for a take down. Kody stuffs it and tries for his own. Dan
stops the attempt, and lands some nice knees in the clinch. Kody catches one to
the face trying to back out, and has a cut near his eye. He doesn’t look fazed,
and continues to strut his stuff as the round ends.
Rd2- They come out
mixing punches and kicks, and both guys are connecting. Kody shoots in and
picks up Dan for a slam against the cage. He works some ground and pound, and
makes his way to back control. Kody is working the rear naked, and after a bit
of trouble, sinks it in, and Dan has to tap out. Winner, Kody Nordby rd2 rear
naked choke submission.
Fight 4- 135lb womens
fight Dar’ya Hamilton vs Stacey Scappaccia
Rd1- The ladies come
out to the middle of the cage and are banging!! Dar’ya is landing the harder
straight shots, and early on the damage on Stacey’s face is evident. They
clinch up, and Stacey seems to want the take down. Knees are exchanged, and Dar’ya hits a hip toss as the round ends.
Rd2- Stacey looks
beat up, but she comes out hard in the 2nd, throwing several low,
and front kicks. Dar’ya sticks with her plan, and keeps unloading with hard
straight punches. Stacey keeps throwing her own, and won’t back down, but Dar’ya is too much. The doctor takes a long look mat Stacey between rounds, and
determines she can not continue. Winner Dar’ya Hamilton rd2 doctor stoppage.
Fight 5- 155lbs Josh
Beauparlant vs Mike Polvere
Rd1-Mike looks to be
in good shape and looks confident in his return to the cage after a long time
off running his successful Cage Titans promotion. Josh looks a bit nervous and
uncomfortable in there.. The fight starts, and Mike is coming forward throwing
heavy shots, as Josh tries his best to make it look like a good match up. Soon
after Mike drops Josh with a big over hand right, and follows down to side
control for some ground and pound. Josh does well to avoid too much damage, and
Mike starts to look for a sub. He locks up an arm in guillotine and finishes it
on top for the tap out victory. Winner Mike Polvere rd1 submission.
Fight 6- 155lbs Nate
Andrews vs Leroy Derricot
Rd1- The fighters
circle and clinch up early. Both guys trade take down attempts along the cage,
and both guys trade several guillotine attempts as well. It’s a close fight,
and Leroy takes the back and works the rear naked choke as the round ends.
Rd2- Nate comes out
aggressive and throws a nice punch knee combo that lands. He presses and gets
the take down. In a scramble Nate locks up a sweet Peruvian neck tie. Leroy
fights hard and after a bit of trouble escapes, only to have Nate lock up a
deep triangle attempt. Leroy again shows good defense, and fights out of the
sub. They scramble again, and Leroy tries a guillotine attempt. Nate fights
out, and the round ends as they fight for position in the clinch as the round
ends.
Rd3- They clinch
right up again, and Leroy gets the take down into guard. Nate is trying to set
up subs, and using some nice elbows from his guard, as Leroy doesn’t do much to
pass. Nate throws up a triangle, then sweeps to top position. He then reigns
down with elbows while he squeezes the triangle, and Leroy is forced to tap
out. Winner Nate Andrews rd3 submission tap to strikes.
Fight 7- Kevin
Bradham vs Darryl Marcaurelle Jr.
Rd1- Kevin is tall
and thin, while Darryl is much shorter, and thicker. They both come out swinging
for the fences!! This one is looking a bit like a bar brawl, and the crowd
seems to love it!! Darryl winds up and shoots off a huge right from his hip,
and Knocks Kevin out COLD!! Winner rd1 49 sec Darryl Marcaurelle Jr.
Fight 8- 185lbs Roger
Zapata vs Jason Ward
Rd1- The fighters
circle Roger looks calm and collected. Jason is mixing kicks and punches and
coming forward hard. Roger lands a head kick flush, but Jason keeps coming.
They clinch up and Jason gets Roger’s back, and slams him hard to the mat. The
fighters stand, Roger starts to connect with punches, especially when Jason
tries to throw low kicks. A few more connect for Roger and he senses Jason’s
hurt. Jason covers up on the cage, but can’t stop the barrage and the ref is
forced to stop the fight. Winner Roger Zapata rd1 TKO stoppage
Fight 9- 150lbs Jeff
Anderson vs Matt Bessette
Rd1- The fighters
circles and trade, Matt seems to want to clinch early. Jeff pushes off and they
keep mixing it up. Matt stuns Jeff with a hard overhand right, followed by a
clinch knee to the face and Jeff looks in trouble. The fighters end up on the
ground and Matt locks in a triangle and quickly rolls to the top. Somehow Jeff
makes his way out, and they stand. Matt gets another take down into side
control and then mount. Jeff rolls to his back and Matt is working the rear
naked choke as the round ends.
Rd2- The fighters
come out and trade kicks then clinch up. Matt lands several nice punches and
Jeff is hurt again against the cage. Matt gets a take down against the cage and
passes to side control. They scrambled to standing and Jeff is looking for a
take down of his own against the cage. Matt connects with a several more great
strikes and gets another take down. He transitions to the back as the round
ends.
Rd3- The fighters
engage and clinch up quick on the cage. Matt uses the clinch to deliver some
nice knees to the body. They switch positions against the cage, but Matt is
getting the better of all the exchanges. More punches and clinched knees and
another take down for Matt. He jumps to mount and Jeff tries to lock up a
kimura. Without any body control Matt spins into his own arm bar attempt. He
tries his best, but can’t finish it before the round ends. Winner Matt Bessette
rd3 unanimous decision.
After the fight,
Promoter Kipp Kollar came into the cage to congratulate Matt on the victory. He
then presented the Mangler with a certificate stating that he was Reality Fighting’s Fighter of the Year, and that Matt and his girlfriend were receiving
a week long trip to Hawaii!!!! What a great way to cap off a great career in
the Reality cage!!
Yet again another
great night of MMA action from Mohegan Sun! Big thanks to Kipp Kollar and Joe
Cuff of Reality Fighting for the hospitality! A few key match ups were scrapped
due to fighters not making weight, and opponents were changed due to injuries
etc. but, the crowd was packed, we saw submissions, a brutal KO, a few
mismatches, and a great Featured Fight in The Mangler vs The Candy Man!
We hope you enjoy the
review…cage side pictures were taken by none other than our own resident beast
of all trades, Joe "The Artist" Leonard. If you have anything you would like to
add, please comment below, thanks for letting us get you “closer to the cage”!!
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