Combat Zone 47 1/31/2014 Review

We made it in time even though Warchild was half hour late to pick me up.  He said he was busy walking around town trying to get people to sign the petition to get Justin Beiber deported.  We quickly made it in to find our seat.  I like how Combat Zone opens the doors two hours before the event to give people plenty of time to find their seat and get some ice cold beverages.  I am sitting next to my buddy Shawn Flanagan who is judging tonight.  Suckerpunch is here selling their awesome merchandise.  Combat Zone is having 9 amateur fights for the night which is a perfect number if you ask me.  Julie Fisher did a great job singing the national anthem.  Kevin MacDonald and John English are our refs for the evening.  Michael Strazzere, Dan Bonnell, Rodrigo Almeida, Doomsday, Big John, Buck Pineau, Bill Jones, Perry Filkins, Vovka Clay, John Fain, Orto and Tom Evans are in the house!  New NH rules are in effect tonight.  No shin guards and now elbows to the body are allowed for amateurs.  Ring girls are looking good of course. The place is packed and the show is about to begin..

UFC 169: Barao vs. Faber

February 1, 2014 | Prudential Center | Newark, New Jersey

MAIN CARD

Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET

Renan Barao vs. Urijah Faber 

for bantamweight title

Jose Aldo vs. Ricardo Lamas 

for featherweight title

Frank Mir vs. Alistair Overeem

Ali Bagautinov vs. John Lineker

Abel Trujillo vs. Jamie Varner

PRELIMINARY CARD

FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET

John Makdessi vs. Alan Patrick

Chris Cariaso vs. Danny Martinez

Nick Catone vs. Tom Watson

Al Iaquinta vs. Kevin Lee

PRELIMINARY CARD

UFC Fight Pass, 6:30 p.m. ET

Andy Enz vs. Clint Hester

Rashid Magomedov vs. Tony Martin

Neil Magny vs. Gasan Umalatov

IS BRUCE BOYINGTON OVERLOOKING JOHN RAIO?

[NEF Press Release]

Lewiston, Maine (January 30, 2014) – When New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston on February 8, it will feature a bout between popular featherweight professional fighters Bruce "Pretty Boy" Boyington (5-6) and John "First Class" Raio (1-4).  Boyington and Raio are known for having two of the largest, most-passionate fan followings in the northeast.

"It's hard not to be a fan of Bruce and John," said NEF MMA co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson.  "Besides putting on some of the most exciting fights and memorable moments in the NEF cage, both are great guys and family men who have raised wonderful kids.  There are a lot of fans who are going to have a tough time choosing sides next week."

Warrior Nation XFA VIII Promo - 2/21/14 - Boxborough, MA

Hot off the press!  Does anyone say that anymore?  Warrior Nation just posted a cool promo video for their upcoming show at Boxborough MA.  Check it out!

Premier FC Announces Fight Card For April 5th, 2014 Chez Jozef MMA Event

Premier FC is back with their 15th installment on April 5th, 2014.  This one will be held in Agawam Massachusetts at the beautiful Chez Josef.  Karyn Wesch has put together a fight card and they just posted it up on their website.  It is an early card and there are still some holes left in the card so if you are interested on getting on it contact Karyn Wesch by visiting here.  Tickets are now on sale and start at just $20 for standing room.  You can get them by contacting a fighter or by visiting here on their website.    The fight card contains many of Premier FC's returning fighters including Jeremy Reipold, Carlos Candelario, Myles Reid, Ray Johns and Sarah Payant, just to name a few.  Check it out after the jump and keep checking WesternMassMMA.com as we will share more with you as the date approaches.

WNXFA Fight Video: Mikey Sweet vs. John LaMontagne

This 170 lb amateur bout featured a debut fight for Mikey Sweet out of Team Link, Northampton under primary instruction from former UFC Welterweight, Jon "Super" Manley. Sweet was matched with Army Vet, John LaMontagne, who came in as a late add to the card after the original opponent dropped.  I believe this is the first fighter coming out of Team Link Northampton so history was made that night at WNXFA.  

Combat Zone 47 1/31/2014 Teaser

On the last day of January, Combat Zone returns with their 47th show.  This one is held in Salem New Hampshire once again at the Rockingham Park.  Hard to believe that in just 3 more shows they will have 50 total shows under their belts.  The doors open at 6:30pm and I would guess the fights start around 7:30pm this Friday.  Get your tickets quickly because last show sold out and this one might too.  Get your tickets by visiting here starting at just $40 for general admission.  This show features 9 fights that are all amateur and they have some excellent match ups on here.  Amateurs put on damn good shows and I see nothing wrong with promotions doing an all amateur show now and again.  Let me break down the card for you all...

Fan Reactions From Cage Titans 1/25/2014

Time for another edition of Fan Reactions.  This one comes from the Cage Titans event from last Saturday.  We love fan comments, keep 'em coming fight fans!

First one comes from Nick Mahoney who had lots of fans at Cage Titans but unfortunately his opponent hurt his neck warming up before the fight.  Here is what Nick had to say...

YuShun had this to say after his awesome battle with Tim Flores.  One of my favorite fights of the night.  You did a great job YuShun!  You will be back!

Carlos Correia was very excited after he won his amateur debut.  He fought a tough fighter from Lauzon mma in his debut.

Chris Suarez battled it out with Marc Novaco and Marc fought two rounds with a swollen eye.  Not sure how you could see out of buddy but awesome job!  Much respect to both of these fighters.

Battle At The Sun At Mohegan Sun February 15th, 2014

There is a new event happening at Mohegan Sun at the Uncas Ballroom on February 15th,  2014.  The doors open at 6pm and the fights start at 7pm.  Pete Rogers has told me that it will consist of fighters from as from "as far as Arizona ,Florida,New York , New Jersey ,Maine, Mass ,RI, Ct Head liners for this show will be Tyler King vs Eric Bedard  a much talked about Rematch ,Dan Cormier vs Ernesto Ornelas,Jose Rivera vs Brock Hillabrand."  Click on the poster above for more information and as soon as we see the fight card shared with us we will post it.  For more info click on their website here.

WAR OF WORDS ERUPTS ON FACEBOOK: DISRESPECTFUL OR ALL IN GOOD FUN?

[NEF Press Release]

Lewiston, Maine (January 27, 2014) – When New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston on February 8, one of the fight promotion's feature bouts on that evening's card will be a professional lightweight contest between Jesse "The Viking" Erickson (1-2) and Tollison Lewis (0-0).  This will not be the first time the two have met in the NEF MMA cage in Lewiston.  The pair squared off as amateurs at NEF III in June 2012.  Erickson was victorious that night, defeating Lewis via technical knockout (TKO) when the referee stepped in to stop a barrage of unanswered strikes from Erickson.  Lewis felt that the stoppage was early.  Nevertheless, the rivalry will finally be settled and all questions answered on February 8th when Tollison makes his professional debut against Erickson.

On January 11, the feud between the two lightweights heated up when Lewis took to his Facebook account with a little rhyme he had prepared for his opponent:

"As I'm walking to the ring, there stands Jesse the Viking...my eyes try to make contact. But his nowhere to be found....because the Viking knows if he stand he'll hit the ground, the bell ring and he tries to push forward thinking why can't this punishment just be over hit him with a jab hit him with a right he's showing he can't handle this fight.. (Referee) Steve Rita's growing weary ready to step in but he's just too late and the Vikings met his end..."

TRIPP TRIES TO RECLAIM TOP RANKING FROM GAFFNEY IN CZ MMA 47

[Combat Zone Press Release]

SALEM, NH— Andrew Tripp wants his number one ranking in the amateur welterweight division back, but don’t expect Paul Gaffney to surrender it willingly when the two undefeated fighters battle in the main event of Combat Zone MMA 47 at Rockingham Park on Friday night. “I absolutely intend to take back my number one ranking,” said Tripp (5-0), who fights for Team Irish and lives in North Waterboro, Maine. “Paul’s a good fighter and it’s going to be a good match. I look forward to meeting him in there and I think it’s going to be a good experience for both of us. It’s definitely one of the best amateur fights I’ve been able to get.”

Gaffney (3-0), who bears the standard of Team Link in Hooksett, New Hampshire, took over Tripp’s top spot after Tripp dropped out of the New England fight scene following his first round win by submission on May 18. Tripp followed his girlfriend and his heart to Montana and took a break over the summer before resuming training, but now he’s come home and is ready to climb back into the cage.
“I’ve been training great,” said the 21-year-old, who has won four of his five fights by first round submissions and the other by unanimous decision. “I’m ready.”
So is Gaffney, 30, who has a pair of TKOs plus a split decision earned in his last fight on August 30 on his resume.

Fan Reactions From CES 1/24/2014 Event

Here are some reactions after the awesome night of fights from Twin River Casino brought to us by CES MMA.  

Todd Chattelle suffered a broken hand in the first round and fought the rest of the fight with it.

Andres Jeudi had this hilarious comment about Rob Font after the fight.

The always vocal Michael Strazzere had this to say about the fight of the night!

I found this comment from the WesternMassMMA.com Fanpage.  Yes we do read your comments.  This one came from ExtremeMMA's Rob Gagne who had this to say about the fight of the night.

Received this comment from Hub-Knockout from our Twitter!  

That wraps up this installment of Fan Reactions for CES event.  Stay tuned for tomorrow when I will bring you reactions from Cage Titans!

Cage Titans XVII 1/25/2014 Event Review

Warchild and I made our 2.5 hour trip to Plymouth Mass.  We arrived an hour early and had to check out the gourmet pizza at Papa Gino's right around the corner.  Next we got our press credentials and found our seats.  Cage Titans brings us a total of 16 fights.  The female bout between Shannon Harney/Erin Cooney is off the show due to Erin not making weight and the weight could not be agreed upon.  Cage Titans tells us that they are hoping to get the rematch on the April 5th show.  The announcer tonight is once again Harry Jones who does a great job.  The refs are Brian Minor and Steve Rita.  For local celebs I have seen Christian Morecraft, Joe Lauzon, Joey Proctor, Doomsday Howard and Chip Moraza-Pollard.  All the top dogs are in the house tonight!  The hall is packed with fans and it is announced that it is a sold out show!  Now onto the fights.

CES MMA XXI 1/24/2014 Review

We are here live waiting for the fights to start.  CES has put together a 9 fight stacked all professional show for us tonight.  Pat Sullivan has once again done a fine job as matchmaker. As I walked into the beautiful Twin River Casino I saw John Doomsday Howard was available for meet and greet.  I then passed SKS fight gear who was selling their awesome merchandise.  I found my seat next to Tom Evans who thankfully is sharing his WiFi with me so we can do the live play by play.  Kelly MacDonald is the head photographer for the CES show as usual.  The refs are John English and Kevin MacDonald. CES put together some fights the week of the show and they were some nice additions.  One addition was Tunde Odumuso and Adam Quitt who agreed to fight on just a few days notice. For local celebs I have seen Tommy Venticinque, Mario Gonzalez, Luis Felix, Eric Spicely, George Nassar, Scott Rehm, Loco Lobo, Dave Ginsberg, Keith and Pete Jefferies, Ribz, Boogz, Josh Diekmann, Matt Bessette, Soap Am, Nick Mahmood and Shawn Flanagan (both are judging) and more to follow.

UFC on FOX 10: Henderson vs. Thomson

January 25, 2014 | United Center | Chicago, Illinois

MAIN CARD

FOX, 8 p.m. ET

Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson

Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Stipe Miocic

Darren Elkins vs. Jeremy Stephens

Donald Cerrone vs. Adriano Martins

PRELIMINARY CARD

FOX Sports 1, 5 p.m. ET

Alex Caceres vs. Sergio Pettis

Yves Jabouin vs. Eddie Wineland

Chico Camus vs. Yaotzin Meza

Ramiro Hernandez vs. Hugo Viana

Daron Cruickshank vs. Mike Rio

Mike Rhodes vs. George Sullivan

PRELIMINARY CARD

UFC Fight Pass, 4:30 p.m. ET

Walt Harris vs. Nikita Krylov

DAVIS ON EX-STUDENT SANDERS: "HE'S NOTHING BUT TOTAL EGO THAT KID"

[NEF Press Release]

 Lewiston, Maine (January 22, 2014) – Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis (22-10) is a name spoken at dinner tables across the globe.  Over the course of his illustrious combat sports career, Davis has competed in sixteen UFC bouts, two fights for Bellator, and on numerous international stages before tens of thousands of fight fans.  Recently, Davis joined New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA) co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson on the NEF Podcast.  Among topics discussed was Davis' upcoming high-profile bout with his former student "THE" Ryan Sanders (5-4) at "NEF XII" on February 8 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston.  Davis also responded to many of the claims made during Sanders' controversial podcast interview released just days earlier, particularly to Sanders' assertion that he had voluntarily left Team Irish to join the team's cross-town rival Young's MMA.

"Some time went by and I didn't see him for a little while," explained Davis of Sanders' departure from Team Irish.  "And then I saw some Facebook posts.  And I saw some on Facebook had pictures and everything of Ryan training with some guys over at ... at the time Chris Young just had a bunch of people in his garage... They're all working out in Chris' garage.  I have a rule in my school... you have to get clearance to cross train anyplace else other than one of our affiliates... In four hours from Bangor to Boston there are four different places you can train... He had gotten in trouble three times before... He ended up taking two boxing matches and one MMA fight (without coach's permission).  He lost all three.  Winning or losing doesn't matter, but having lost too did nothing but irritate me even more."

SANDERS ON EX-COACH DAVIS: "... HE CAN KIND-OF BE A DICK SOMETIMES"

[NEF Press Release]

Lewiston, Maine (January 21, 2014) – The rivalry between "THE" Ryan Sanders (5-4) and Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis (22-10) is no secret to fans of New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA).  Neither is the cross-town rivalry in Bangor between Davis's Team Irish gym and Young's MMA of which Sanders is a member.  Maine fans have begged NEF MMA to make the fight happen for two years, and it will finally take place on February 8 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston.  Call it "Teacher vs. Student." Call it "The Young Lion vs. The Living Legend." Call it "The Battle for Bangor." Call it what you want, but fight fans are simply calling this bout "a dream come true."  Recently, Ryan Sanders gave a very candid interview on the NEF Podcast, focusing on the upcoming fight as well as reflecting on his time as a member of Davis' Team Irish.

"I came up through Marcus," said Sanders.  "I started training with him.  I think my first amateur fight with him was in '08.  I started training with him shortly before that.  I started going in just once a week.  I was this poser - people that would show up like once a week, and to tell everyone that I was training in the UFC.  I started to get more serious after that.  My first amateur fight came in 2008.  I ended up having five fights, five amateur fights, under him.  He was a good guy.  He was a great guy... but he can kind-of be a dick sometimes, but he was still a great guy."

Font: "I'll be even better in 2014!"

[CES Press Release]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Jan. 22nd, 2014) -- Rob Font had about as good a year in 2013 as any fighter could hope for.

Imagine him being even better this year. It's almost improbable, but not at all impossible for a fighter who defied the odds in a breakthrough 2013.

"I'm coming into this year taking names and collecting bodies," said Font (8-1, 2 KOs), who'll make his season debut Friday night at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I.

"I'm here to win and fight, and I want to fight even bigger and better names this year."

The reigning CES MMA featherweight champion will put his seven-fight win streak on the line against Bombsquad veteran Ahsan Abdullah (5-4, 2 KOs) at "CES MMA XXI."

WNXFA Fight Video: Joe Leonard vs. Jesus Santiago

Here is the fight of the night at the last Warrior Nation event between my good friend Joe Leonard and Jesus Santiago.  It was a good back and forth battle so check it out!

Cage Titans XVII 1/25/2014 Teaser

Cage Titans returns for there first event of the year and they have put together an awesome card once again.  This event will be held on January 25th, 2014 at the Plymouth Memorial Hall in Plymouth, MA.  Warchild and I made our way down last time and discovered the Papa Gino's that is right around the corner and had a blast.  This event has 17 fights total which include four professional fights.  Tickets are still on sale so come on and stop by and you will be glad you did.  Plymouth Memorial Hall is gorgeous and there is not a bad seat in the house.  Parking and maneuvering through busy Plymouth can be fun but it is well worth the hassle.  Special Thanks to the entire Cage Titans team for keeping us up to date with their news.  Let me break down the card for you...

COMBAT ZONE MMA's WINTER BRAWL FOR ALL AMATEURS AT ROCKINGHAM PARK ON JANUARY 31

[Combat Zone Press Release]

SALEM, NH— The main event of Combat Zone MMA promises to rock The Rock when the undefeated Andrew Tripp (5-0) attempts to take back the top ranking in the 170-pound class from the also undefeated Paul Gaffney (3-0) in the "Winter Brawl", which features a stacked all-amateur card featuring six fighters ranked No. 1 in their respective divisions at Rockingham Park on Friday, January 31.

Tripp represents Team Irish and Gaffney fights for Team Link out of Hooksett, NH, where Ken Murphy, who stands at 5-0 and is top ranked at 125 pounds, also trains. Murphy is set to battle the always tough and #1 ranked Jay Perrin (4-1) out of Nashua’s Triumph MMA in the co-main event at 130 pounds, which sets up as another evenly-matched and intensely competitive test.

Twenty-one fights later, Chattelle still going strong

[CES Press Release]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Jan. 21st, 2014) -- Twenty-one fights in just under seven years. Think about that for a second.

In a sport where an athlete's shelf life is about as long as that of your average NFL running back, a sport where a two- or three-year layoff is the norm, not the exception, Todd Chattelle (12-9, 9 KOs) has survived every bruise, break and contusion in a remarkable career defined as much by his longevity as his success.

Friday night, he'll step back inside the cage for the first time in 2014 and the 22nd time in his career when he faces middleweight Shedrick Goodridge (4-6, 2 KOs) in the main event of "CES MMA XXI" at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I.

"I have more fights than CES has shows!" Chattelle said with a laugh.

CES MMA XXI 1/24/2014 Teaser

CES returns with their first mma card of the year and they are picking up right where they left off last year.  By that I mean they are back with another star studded card with many top level guys in New England.  The show is this Friday at the Twin River Casino and the date is January 24th, 2014.  Tickets are on sale at the door and available online here starting at just $41.  We will be there live blogging the action so make sure you stay right here to keep up with all your mma action but of course we encourage you all to come out because nothing replaces the atmosphere of a live event.  Although in our live play by plays we try our best to make you feel like you are there!  Let me break down the card for you...

Gladius IX Results 1/18/2014

We weren't able to make it out to New York for the Gladius Event this weekend but we have heard great things about it.  Here are the quick results and as always for the most up to date news about Gladius check out their website at http://gladiuspromotions.com/.

Christian Torres def. Nick Olson via Americana 2:18 rnd 1
Trey Williams def. James Chaplin via TKO (leg strikes) 1:20 rnd 2
James Taylor def. Brandon MacLaury via TKO (strikes) 2:08 rnd 1
Matt Bogardus def. Christopher Adams via RNC :42 rnd 1
James Briggs def. Tyler Thayer via RNC 1:11 rnd 1
Cameron McClaney def. Neil Maron via TKO :08 rnd 1
Jerry Bradley def. Jim Herrig via RNC :35 rnd 1
Derek Brenon def. Bobby Aylward via Armbar :35 rnd 2
Kevin Carrier def. Josh Taylor via Triangle Choke 1:19 rnd 2
Dylan Freedman def. Pete San Antonio via UD 29-28 x3
Josh Mayville def. Brandon Twamley via KO :26 rnd 1
Janice Meyer def. Cassandra Durant via UD 30-27 x2 (Bolinski, Mills) 29-28 (DeVito)
Bryce Talini def. Eric D'Arce via Technical Submission (Guillotine) 2:55 rnd 2
Luis Chalas-Mejias def. Justin Walker via UD 30-27 x2 (Bolinski, DeVito) 29-28 (Mills)
Dustin Whalen def. Josh Kline via Submission (strikes) 1:28 rnd 1

UFC STAR AND FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TO GREET FANS AT NEF XII; SEMINAR ANNOUNCED

[NEF Press Release]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Lewiston, Maine (January 20, 2014) – When New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on February 8 the popular fight promotion will welcome an honored guest in the form of current UFC star, and former World Featherweight Champion, "MTB" Mike Thomas Brown (26-9).  Prior to the start of the first bout, Brown will conduct an hour-long, free meet-and-greet with fans in attendance.

"I'm excited to return to Maine to be a part of NEF MMA's twelfth event," stated Brown. "I was there for NEF's first event and I'm proud to be there for their two-year anniversary. I've attended mixed martial arts shows around the country and around the world and NEF puts on one of the best shows I've ever seen at the regional level. I look forward to seeing and talking to Maine MMA fans at NEF XII on February 8th."

Premier FC 15 Date Is Set

Warrior Nation XFA VIII Presents Full Fight Card For 2/21/2014

[WNXFA Press Release]

While the sport of mixed martial arts continues to surge on the main stream, so does it develop on the local level and I couldn't be happier with the progress.  Having followed along for so long, I feel like this year is pivotal for myself and the direction I move with Warrior Nation.  I'm calculated in my planning for promotional growth so that we never lose consistency or compromise the integrity of the promotion.  Those who know me since the beginning, know my best intentions were to simply promote the sport in a positive manner.  The fighters put entirely too much time and dedication into the life style to not get a return and I wanted to invite them with understanding and appreciation.  A little over 3 years now and my goals continue to be met.  I can see the following taking shape and it feels good to know that we have done this together.  I continue to learn and sometimes the mistakes made are the best teachers.  I'm ok with that as long as it's recognized and I make the necessary changes to best impact and represent the sport.  From the 0-0 amateur to the veteran pros, you all have your place and the path is never easy.  We, as the components to the sport, take risks together and for that, I am thankful to have shared the journey.  On February 21st I will take Warrior Nation to new territory and with that, comes new challenges.  A partnership with the Holiday Inn in Boxborough, Massachusetts has initiated and a new interest based on location begins to surface.  My goals remain the same and I am focused on how good the "show" can be.  With fighters still looking to match and plenty of room to host, I encourage teams to get in touch with me as it is not too late.  I'm looking forward to unleashing Warrior Nation VIII and have reached out to some of the best in the business with additions like NV Concepts on production and Chris Teebo Films accenting promotional pieces.  This will be my biggest challenge yet and at the same time, I'm smiling as I work endless hours, drive countless miles, and sacrifice personal time while constantly thinking.... "Let's make some noise, let's have some fun."

Get your tickets at the link here starting at just $35!  Full fight card is found below....

AMATEUR BOUTS 

145 lbs Joe Leonard (Team Ravenous 2-2) vs. Ken Bailey (Florian MMA 1-1) 

120 lbs Brayden Fuscaldo (CT United 0-0) vs. Alexander Rodriguez (Team Plus One 0-0) 

125 lbs. Nate Russell (FAA Spfld. 2-0) vs. Jesse Gutierrez (Connors MMA 2-2)

135 lbs Steve Karr (GFV 0-2) vs. Brett Kerpa (Ultimate MMA 0-0) 

145 lbs Shawn O’Dou (Team Ravenous 1-0) vs. Nick Valentino (Sitmangpong 0-0) 

155 lbs Cody McMahon (CT United 0-0) vs. Dan Bardellini (Rivera Athletics 0-4) 

150 lbs Kevin Aurelien (Calasanz MMA 0-2) vs. Kenny Peralta (Ultimate MMA 0-1) 

155 lbs Joe Duong (GFV 0-0) vs. Don Walton (Saratoga Kyushokin 0-0) 

135 lbs Jesus Santiago (Strike Zone MMA 1-2) vs. Jecksan Rosado (NE Combat 0-1) 

125 lbs Nick Mancinone (FAA Spfld 2-1) vs. Kris Moutinho (Rivera Athletics 1-1) 

135 lbs Alex Vinarsky (GFV 1-0) vs. Ali Zebian (FAA Spfld 1-0) 

135 lbs Allen Edgecomb (Shaolin 2-1-1) vs. DaShawn Robinson (Ultimate MMA 2-2) 

155 lbs McLynn Cadiente (CT United 1-1) vs. Brett Morris (Rivera Athletics 5-1) 

PRO BOUTS 

155 lbs Steve Carr (Strike Zone MMA 1-2) vs. Addison O’Neil (DCNU 0-1) 

 CO-MAIN EVENT (150 lbs) 

Ruso Kubejashvili (Connors MMA 1-0)vs. Dominic Warr (Wai Kru 5-3) 

MAIN EVENT (145 lbs) 

Taylor Trahan (Team Link 3-1-0) vs. Joe Pingitore (NE Combat 4-0-1)

CONVICTED FELON FIGHTS EASTPORT POLICE OFFICER AT NEF XII

[NEF Press Release]

 Lewiston, Maine (January 15, 2014) – When New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on February 8 it will feature a professional catchweight bout contested at 160-pounds on the evening's main card.  The event will be the popular fight promotion's first of the new year in Maine and the twelfth since the company's inception.

On one side of the cage in the catchweight bout will be Dave Claroni (0-1), a veteran officer currently with the Eastport Police Department and personal trainer at Olympia Health and Fitness Center in Calais, Maine.  He has spent much of his MMA career competing in the Canadian Maritimes region.  The fight will mark Claroni's debut with NEF MMA.  Claroni will be looking for his first victory as a professional.

WNXFA Fight Video: Addison O'Neil vs. Taylor Trahan

Awesome battle from Warrior Nation XFA VI!

Cage Titans Media Day Was A Huge Success

As you can see above Cage Titans had a huge turnout of fighters and fans to media day/ medical day.  Many fighters I saw online completed all of their medicals done all in one stop place and the only thing left to worry about is getting ready for their fight!  Rich O' Sullivan was there and took as always awesome photos of the event.  The album is found at the link here.   Make sure to get your tickets to Cage Titans event that will take place on January 25th, 2014 at Plymouth Memorial.  Thanks to Cage Titans and CCFA for helping put together the media day.

UFC Fight Night 35: Rockhold vs. Philippou

January 15, 2014 | Arena at Gwinnett Center | Duluth, Georgia

MAIN CARD

FOX Sports 1, 7 p.m. ET

Luke Rockhold vs. Constantinos Philippou

Lorenz Larkin vs. Brad Tavares

T.J. Dillashaw vs. Mike Easton

Derek Brunson vs. Yoel Romero

John Moraga vs. Dustin Ortiz

Cole Miller vs. Sam Sicilia

PRELIMINARY CARD

FOX Sports 1, 5 p.m. ET

Justin Edwards vs. Ramsey Nijem

Elias Silverio vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg

Brian Houston vs. Trevor Smith

Alptekin Ozkilic vs. Louis Smolka

PRELIMINARY CARD

UFC Fight Pass, 4 p.m. ET

Vinc Pichel vs. Garett Whiteley

Charlie Brenneman vs. Beneil Dariush

Warrior Nation XFA Returns on Febuary 21st 2014

If you have noticed the new updated Warrior Nation banner to the side then you will have already known that Warrior Nation is returning with their 8th installment on February 21st 2014.  This show they will be branching out to Central Mass to the Holiday Inn in Boxborough MA.  Now I have seen some mma shows there before and the venue is 'wicked nice.  This event will be a mixed professional and amateur show and it will be with top notch quality fights that Warrior Nation fans expect.  The venue is actually only about an hour away from us in Western Mass and is really easy to get to with minimal traffic.  Now WNXFA has clearly stated that they are just branching out and still plan on returning to the Hu Ke Lau for later events so don't worry Western Mass MMA fans.  For more information, be sure to visit www.WarriorNationMMA.com !

Full fight card announcement coming soon!  I can tell you for one fight I have heard Dominic Warr and Ruso Khubejashvili will go head to head and I promise you that will be a war!   The official facebook event page is located here so please join so you can keep up to date!

Soukhamthath, Moy lock horns jan. 24 at CES MMA XXI in long-awaited bantamweight bout

[CES Press Release]

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Jan. 13th, 2014) -- Andre Soukhamthath might be the first out-of-towner in CES history with a bigger cheering section than everyone else on the show.

Then again, Soukhamthath (7-1, 4 KOs), "The Asian Sensation" originally born in raised in Woonsocket, R.I., isn't your average out-of-towner. The 5-foot-9 bantamweight will return home Friday, Jan. 24, 2014 for the first time since he and his family relocated to Boca Raton, Fla., in December to train exclusively with the famed Blackzilians. This "homecoming" of sorts might be Soukhamthath's toughest fight to date as he faces undefeated Cambridge, Mass., prospect Kin "Kong" Moy (5-0, 1 KO) on the undercard of "CES MMA XXI" at Twin River Casino in Lincoln, R.I.

"I've seen him through the years," Soukhamthath said. "I don't think he's a better athlete than me, and that is where my advantage will be."

NEF Fight Video: CJ Ewer vs. Wayne Ahlquist

Five AFO Ring Card Girls selected for Promoter John 'The Quietman' Ruiz' Combat Sports Promotional Company

AFO RING CARD GIRLS (L-R):  Alicia Wright, Amber Reilly, AFO promoter John "The Quietman" Ruiz, Jaide Fernandez, Amber Siriani and Maria Nazarro.

[AFO Press Release]

(All pictures by Emily Harney / AFO)

MEDFORD, Mass. (January 8, 2014) - The inaugural American Fighting Championship (AFO) Ring Card Girls Competition Finals contest was held this past Saturday night at The Greatest Bar in Boston to select the five original AFO ring card girls.

Two-time World Boxing Association heavyweight boxing champion John "The Quietman" Ruiz owns and operates the new AFO, which will promote professional and amateur mixed-martial-arts and boxing events, starting in the first quarter of 2014.

NEF Fight Video Corey Hinkley vs. Nate Charles

Cage Titans Announces Media Day/Medical Day Clinic on January 11

[Posted directly from Cage Titans Facebook Event]

This upcoming Saturday, January 11 will be our next Medical Clinic/Media Day/Open Workout and it is going to be held at the new Cape Cod Fighting Alliance in Wareham. As always, this is open to fighters, training partners, coaches, fans, etc. (Not just fighters that are fighting for Cage Titans on Janaury 25th)

1) Medical Clinic - Doctors, including an eye doctor, will be there to take care of all medicals, blood work and eye exams for your license. (Including CT scan referrals if needed) Cost for everything is roughly $260 but you can also get individual tests done as well. (Just blood or just EKG, etc for less)

Again, this is open to ALL FIGHTERS not just those fighting on Janaury 25th so feel free to bring your teammates to take advantage of it, especially if they plan on fighting in the future or have something scheduled upcoming for another promotion.

Please give us a heads-up specifically if you plan on using these services so we can staff accordingly.

2) Media Day - All day we will be taking photos, doing interviews and shooting video during and while you train. Footage will be used to hype up the fights in the weeks leading to the event. Plus we will be doing individual promo poster photos and stare down photos between all competitors in attendance.

Also, for those fighters that have not gotten them yet, we will be giving out posters and tickets.

3) Open Workout – Great opportunity to roll and train for fun with guys from other gyms and schools. Last couple media days, at SSSF, MAXX, Lauzon MMA and Sityodtong, each had at least 40-50 guys on the mats. Plus, you may get the chance to test yourself against some UFC veterans which is always a good time…Joe and Dany Lauzon, Joey Proctor, Alex Karalexis, Josh Grispi, Chuck O’Neil, Jimmy Quinlan and Tom Lawler are just some of the guys who have been at past events!

Please confirm that you will be in attendance and also a list of who you are bringing with you so we can add them to the guest list as well. (This event is free!) And remember, this is open to EVERYONE…I know there are a couple fight cards going on, so if you need meds for those fights, come on by!

If you have any questions, please just let us know!

Reality Fighting: New Year's Bash 2014 Review

After a great open mat grappling session at our gym, (Ravenous MMA in Greenfield Ma), I cleaned myself up, iced my new cauliflower ear, kissed my wife and son, and took off to pick up Joe “The artist” Leonard. We gassed up the car and headed out to our favorite venue, the beautiful Mohegan Sun Casino in Ct. It was our first show of the  year, to cover Kipp  Kollar and Joe Cuff’s Reality Fighting MMA event!

Combat Zone Releases Tentative Fight Card For January 31st

Combat Zone has just shared with us their tentative fight card for Combat Zone 47 event which will be held in Salem NH on January 31st 2014.  This is an all amateur card and let me tell you they have some big fights already planned.  Right now there are 9 amateur fights scheduled and Ryan Fennelly the matchmaker tells me that they are planning on adding a few more soon that they will share with us.  Make sure to get your tickets early to this one because the last show CZ 46 just about sold out!  Tickets are available through the fighters or here online starting at just $40 dollars.  One of the huge fights on the show is Jay Perrin from Triumph taking on Ken Murphy at a catchweight of 130lbs that is sure to shake up the rankings.  Jay is now 4-1 coming into this fight with 3 decision and one submission victories in his career.  His opponent Ken is 5-0-1 with all decision wins in which 3 of them are split decisions.  I think it is safe to assume this fight is going to decision!  Also featured on the card is Andrew Tripp and phenom Paul Gaffney (remember the guy who picked up Tollison Lewis by the neck in a guillotine and slammed him).  I am also excited to see undefeated Shane Mulligan back in the cage and also Dave Spero who is fresh off a submission victory over Erik Tseronis.  The rest of the card is found below the jump.

Nick Newell Announces King of the Mat 8

Join the facebook event here for the latest news.

Only $40 if you pre register and $50 at the door. $5 for spectators

No-Gi tournament

PREREGISTRATION WILL BE UP SOON!

All preregistration must be mailed in by Friday, February 7th

Madison Weights (competitors are matched based on age, weight and experience)

Kids, Womens, Mens Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced divisions

Medals for Top Three

Absolute Division Championship

KOTM T-Shirts and food will be for sale as well

Saturday Feb 15th, 2013 @ Fighting Arts Academy

190 Verge Street, Springfield, MA

weigh-ins from 9 am- 10 am 

grappling starts at 11:00

WesternMassMMA.com's 2013 Recap

It was a fantastic year in 2013 of mixed martial arts all around New England, don't you agree??  First off I would like to give a round of applause to all the people who are involved in the mma scene by either being a promoter, a fighter, a fan and even people who work for the commission on a job well done.  Without any of you, mma wouldn't be what it is today in New England.  I always like to take an hour and total up our articles and share with you all just how busy of a year it was.  We had a total of 536 articles written for the year which includes 259 fight videos!  Thanks to Joe Leonard and crew who filmed/edited many of those fight videos for NEF and Warrior Nation.  For total events that we covered we did 36 reviews.  Doesn't seem like we did that much, wow! As we all know that involves countless hours away from our family and gas money to get to these shows.  We thank you all for purchasing photos and sponsoring us as we use all that money towards gas to get to events.  Also special thanks to anyone who has helped us guest write reviews and cover shows for us this year.The Boss wrote us 12 Boss's Picks articles and ended the year with a .680 average which was his best average in 5 years for the website!  Great job buddy!  Lastly, I would like to thank everyone who voted for me to be MassMMA.com's Reporter of the Year.  It is truly an honor and I couldn't have done it without all your votes and of course without the support of my WesternMassMMA.com brethren, Joe Leonard, Jeremy Reipold, Todd Selva and Ed Warchol.

Fan Reactions Around The Cage from Reality Fighting

As we are all anxiously awaiting the review packed with photos from the Reality Event I figured I would do another article on fan reactions of the event.  We had overwhelming positive feedback over the first one we did and I will try to continue to do them for us.  Basically what we do is capture the best reactions from an event from the social media and share their reaction for us all.  The ones I chosen are not meant to offend anyone.  They are just a reaction that I enjoyed reading and wanting to share with everyone.

First reaction is from local fighter Jay Perrin who has a big fight coming up for Combat Zone:

Jeff Nader reacts to one of his training partners Joey Gomez on his victory and winning the title at Reality.  Congrats Joey!

Joe Cushman who lost in the main event left this humbling message.  You will be back Joe for sure!!

Marvin left this message fresh off his submission victory over Mike De Los Reyes.  Congrats to you Marvin.

The best reaction of the night goes to this photo posted on Instagram by Notorious Nick Newell of himself, Jeff Haddad and Matt the Mangler Bessette doing their best impression of ring girls!!  What do you think guys??

That wraps up this installment of Fan Reactions from around the cage from the Reality Fighting Event.  Props to all the fighters and Reality for putting on another awesome event.  Tune in next time for our next Fan Reaction article and keep writing us comments on our fanpage and tweeting us.  You just never know when you might make the next fan reaction article!!

Reality Fighting Live Results 1/4/2014

Fight 1 winner josh Flores rd 1 tko ref stoppage strikes.

Fight 2 winner Marvin Maldonado rd1 armbar

Fight 3 winner Jose Rivera rd 2 too ref stoppage dropped with a punch

Fight 4 winner Steve Barnes rd 2 rnc

Fight 5 winner Johnny Lopez rd 1 sub mounted guillotine.

Fight 6 winner Brigitte Narcise rd 3 unanimous decision

Fight 7 winner rd 1 40 sec KO Joey Gomez new Reality Bantamweight Champ

NEF MMA ANNOUNCES FULL FIGHT CARD FOR FEBRUARY 8 LEWISTON EVENT

[NEF PressRelease]

Lewiston, Maine (January 3, 2014) – New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA) today announced the full card for the fight promotion's next event.  The show, titled "NEF XII," will take place on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee with a start time of 7:00 pm EST.  Tickets to the event are currently on sale at the Colisee box office.

In the main event of the evening, Maine MMA legend Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis (22-10) faces his former student "THE" Ryan Sanders (5-4) in a welterweight contest.  Davis is a veteran of the UFC Octagon, and both Davis and Sanders have competed before national audiences on Spike TV with the Bellator promotion.  The long-awaited showdown between the two has been brewing since Sanders' exit from Davis' Team Irish in 2011.  Sanders now represents Young's MMA - Team Irish's chief rival in the Bangor area.  The well-documented heat between the two camps is no secret to Maine MMA fans, and the rivalry is expected to come to a head in the February 8 bout.  Sanders' recent Podcast interview regarding the bout can be heard at www.NewEnglandFights.com/Podcasts/.

The co-main event of the evening will feature Maine State MMA Middleweight Titleholder Jesse Peterson (7-4) defending his championship against the challenge of "Ruthless" Mike Zichelle (6-3).  Peterson, a native of Rumford, Maine and a 2000 state wrestling champion with Mountain Valley High School, returns to the cage for the first time in nearly a year.  In other featured professional bouts, John "First Class" Raio (1-4) meets Bruce "Pretty Boy" Boyington (5-6) in a battle of fan favorites, and submission specialist Jarod "Last Minute" Lawton (3-1) takes on the always-exciting John Ortolani (7-8) in the main card's other big welterweight contest.

CES Announces Todd Chattelle vs. Shederick Goodridge | Rob Font vs. Ahsan Abdullah| John Johnston vs. William Baptiste

CES has been hard at work over the holidays signing some big fights for their first event of 2014.  The show is set for January 24th at Twin River Casino and they are kicking off right where they left off with what is shaping up to be a stellar card.  Just earlier this week they announced Kin Moy and Andre Soukhamthath.  Now they just announced today Todd Chattelle against Shederick Goodridge.  Todd is a huge fan favorite at CES and comes into this fight with a 12-9 record.  He has 9 of those are KO/TKO and he is riding a one fight win streak with his win over John Troyer back in October.  Shederick has fought for CES as well and comes into this fight with a 4-6 record.  Training out of Team Renzo Gracie in New York, CES fans will remember his huge and odd win over Brett Oteri.  A very big feather in Shederick's cap and now he is ready for another big battle.  Then CES announced Rob Font taking on Ahsan Abdullah.  Rob is now 8-1 and taking out all the top guys and looking to continue is 7 fight win streak.  In his way Ahsan has a 5-4 record  2KO/TKO and 2 submissions so far in his career.  Lastly Big John Johnston puts his undefeated 4-0 record on the line against William Baptiste.  John had a nasty head kick knockout and no doubt will be looking to do that once again.  His opponent is coming from North Carolina and has a 2-0 record.  He has one win by split decision and one win by tko.  Also on the card is big fan favorite Dinis Paiva taking on Franklin Isabel which should make for another awesome battle.  The fight card so far is found below.  Tell us what you think!

JESSE ERICKSON SIGNS NEW LONG-TERM CONTRACT WITH NEF MMA

[Press Release]

Lewiston, Maine (January 2, 2014) – New England Fights Mixed Martial Arts (NEF MMA) today announced the signing of professional fighter Jesse "The Viking" Erickson (1-2) to a multi-fight contract extension with the mixed martial arts promotions company.  While the specific terms of the new contract have not been divulged to the public, the agreement is expected to go into effect later in the 2014 season as Erickson's previous contract with NEF MMA has yet to expire.

“The story of Jesse Erickson's fight career is really the story of NEF itself," stated NEF matchmaker and co-owner Matt Peterson.  "He fought on our first event.  He had all six of his amateur bouts in the NEF cage.  He fought on eight of the first eleven NEF events, and even competed on our co-promotion with Bellator last spring.  He is a homegrown talent with a true passion for the sport.  We could not be more proud to continue our relationship with Jesse Erickson into the foreseeable future and beyond."

"I feel so lucky to be able to compete in the sport I love so close to home," said Erickson when reached for comment.  "Being able to showcase my abilities to my friends, family, teammates and fans is amazing.  I look forward to continuing my professional MMA career with NEF."

Reality Fighting 1/4/2014 Teaser

We are only a few days into the New Year and Reality is back with a bang to Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.  Joe Cuff has worked through the holiday season to secure a solid 7 fight card.  There were some drop outs as usual the last few weeks and they have not been able to fill the slots.  I know Soap Am hurt his hand and had to drop out so we wish him a speedy recovery.  Tickets are on sale at the door and through the fighters of course so get your tickets if you haven't yet.  If you have never been to Mohegan Sun, I strongly urge you to come check it out.  The venue is absolutely gorgeous and the seating is stadium seating so there isn't a bad seat in the arena.  There are tons of awesome places to eat inside the casino and of course you can test your luck on the gambling if you are feeling lucky!  Let me break down the card for you all....