Normally Mixed Martial Arts is not associated with a caring, loving, family friendly environment but AXC - 7 Redemption in Cullman, AL this past Saturday night was just that.  In fact, it was more than just that.  This show was a fund raising event for Chandler Echols.  Chandler suffered a near drowning accident in July of 2005 at 17 months of age.  The accident left him with severe brain damage and a surgically placed feeding tube.  After years of research a treament that provides promising results has been discovered - Donated Stem Cell Injections and the family and Chandler must travel to Lima, Peru to receive treatment. All proceeds from AXC 7 will be used to secure treatments for Chandler.  Donations can be made to Premier Bank of the South Bank at (256) 737-9900.

People far and wide were in attendence Saturday night to help support and raise money for Chandler and his family.  Everyone from the fighters on down to the concessions were for the sole purpose of fund raising in a sport we all know and love.  Not normally known for being a loving and caring environment–this night was very much an exception to the rule. With the focus not only on the awesome ammy fights but raising money for a worthy cause.

As the music began and the lights dimmed the crowd was pumped up and excited about the prospects of the nights fights and the fact that the main event was a Redemption in true southern style.

Mike Tally of Convict Combat in Jasper, AL was taking on Bradley Gibson representing Aztec Athletics from Gardendale, AL.  With a record of 3:1; Bradley Gibson made short work of Tally in round 1 with 1min 29 secs.  Bradley is a seasoned wrestler that has been training hard with Sasuke Zapata to improve his stand up game and improved he certainly is.  With a tap out due to rear naked choke.  Bradley Gibson defeated Mike Tally.

Heath Bikely of Fear None Cullman vs. Ryan Aaron of Team Champaho Jasper, AL. making his debut.  Aaron was surprisingly strong in his first round but unable to secure his dominance in the 2nd round.  With a tap out due to guillotene choke in the 2nd round at 30 secs. Heath Bikely pulled off his win.

Ben Bruce of Team Don’t Blink with a record of 2:5 vs. Jessie Fowlkes of Florence, AL.  Jessie is 6′ with a record of 7:6 and some strong hard kicks. With a win in the 1st round at 2min 59 secs.  Tap out due to heel hook. Jessie Fowlkes emerged the winner.

Bobby Thomas repping Fear None Cullman with a 2:1 record vs. Mark Williams 5′ 10″ making his debut.  Bobby was quick on his feet for a heavy weight fighter. With a tap out in the 1st round 1min 38secs Bobby was able to sink a reak naked choke on Mark.  The victor–Bobby Thomas.

Steve Wooten with Iron Fist Fight Team Boaz, AL and a record of 1:0 Steveis  6′3″ from Attalla vs. Jerry Fowlkes - Florence, AL at 6′1″.  Jerry rained punches on Steve and Steve just wasn’t able to pull it together.  With a ref stoppage in the 2 round at 2mins 30sec due to punches. Jerry Fowlkes secured his win.

Joe Goss from Team Hybrid in Arab, AL. vs. Mike Gann - Heavyweight Champion from Southern Fighting Alliance in Brookwood, AL. representing Team Relentless.  Mike was taking no prisoners and wasting no time. Joe did the best he could but couldn’t quite take the win.  With a TKO in the 1st round at 50 secs.  Mike Gann defeated Joe Goss.

Jonathan Abad Fear None Cullman, AL came to bang with Brad Collins of Parrish, AL. Collins Brothers MMA.  Fortunately for Brad, Jonathan wasn’t able to defeat his kicks and take down skills.  Securing his victory.  Brad Collins defeated Abad.

Jody Bodeca training with Iron Fist out of Boaz, AL. and Cory Hill an independent fighter at 135 lbs. With a little give and take on behalf of both fighters they were each very good and very quick although Jody was not able to hold out to Cory’s assault.  With a win under his belt, Cory Hill defeated Jody Bodeca.

Chris Smith with Team Hybrid - Arab, AL. vs. Justin Reeser of Team Relentless Brookwood.  Justin just couldn’t be stopped and came out swinging.  I was amazingly impressed with his speed and agility.  With a tap out due to guillotene choke in round 1 at 1min 8 secs. Team Relentless Justin Reeser was very much relentless in his pursuit of the victory.  Reeser defeated Smith.

Tony Crook of Fear None Cullman @ 184 lbs. vs. Johnathon McCollum (178 lbs) of Convict Combat Jasper, AL.  Wow what a match up.  Each of these guys have a terrific stand up game.  Crook was strong and delivered some heavy punches  to McCollum after a body slam put him down on the mat. In his first ever KO McCollum was unable to stand up straight for a few minutes after Crook rained down on him.  With a KO in the first round.  Tony Crook defeated Johnathon McCollum and Crook plans on going PRO next month. Crook dedicated his fight to Trent.

Aaron Todd of Iron Fist Boaz knows how to dance and broke out into some sweet dance moves in the octagon.  Nick Collins of Collins Brothers MMA-Parrish, AL  knows how to cage fight.  With their 2nd victory of the night–Collins Brothers MMA showed they have what it takes to win.  Collins defeated Todd with a KO in round 1.

Anthony Moore - hometown favorite of Fear None Cullman, AL. vs. Wesley Dunlap of Team Hybrid Arab, AL for the Featherweight Title of the night.  This was actually my favorite fight of the night.  Anthony Moore was quick and fast on his feet.  Wesley Dunlap was strong and managed to take each step from his opponent no matter what came his way.  These 2 had a rough, tough and tumble battle til the very end.  The winner was Anthony Moore receiving his title belt of the evening and it was much deserved.  Great fight.

Aaron Parrish repping Team Hybrid of Arab, AL. vs. Braxton Smith of Convict Combat, Jasper, AL.  Braxton has a record of 8:1.  Competing in the Heavyweight Title Belt shot of the night these 2 guys were big and scary.  I would hate to meet either one in a dark alley that’s for sure.  Both guys were tough and ready to brawl but Aaron was just a little bit tougher and stronger on his ground and pound.  The HW Title Belt went to Aaron Parrish with a TKO due to stikes in the 1st round.

Ray “The RAZOR” Echols representing his gym, Fear None Cagefighting Academy Cullman, AL vs. David “D-Mac” McAfee of Walker County Fight Club, Cordova, AL.  This was the REDEMPTION of the evening although it didn’t quite go the way Echols intended.  This was a rematch with Echols looking to redeem himself from the first matchup of McAfee and Echols.  McAfee spent two weeks recently training with Randy Couture and sharpening and fine tuning his MMA skills.  In fact, his level of skill has increased two fold since the last time I saw him fight.  This was an amazing matchup with experience from Echols and precision and skill from DMac.  Go at it they both did.  With McAfee finishing the last fight of the night with a guillotene that was so fast and so quick if you weren’t paying close attention you would have missed the tap.

For photos from the fight please view the photo album at : http://s885.photobucket.com/albums/ac59/mmagal2010/AXC%207%20Cullman%20AL/

Special thanks to my daughter, Carly Clifton for taking pics for me and Johnathon McCollum for always taking extra time to take those special shots that make everyone from the fighters to the fans enjoy themselves immensely.  Also, thanks extended to Josh Smith for being the cagefighting announcer extraorinare for the evening. Great Job. I appreciate each of you for your help in all things.

Vicky Jackson

thevickstergal@blackeyemma.com

By Rodrigo Galvan

On August 19, Scott “Bear” Barrett will finally get to show the world what he has been working towards since he started his journey as a mixed martial artist. After years of training and fighting on the local circuit and for smaller promotions, Barrett now finds himself headlining in the main event for Bellator, one of the biggest organizations out there.

Barrett hails from White County, GA and began his combative sports career during his junior year in high school when he decided to join the wrestling team. From there, he took his wrestling talents to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) where he wrestled under the legendary coach, Terry Brands. After wrestling for a season at UTC, Barrett transferred to Carson-Newman College where he finished his collegiate wrestling career.

After college wrestling, Barrett decided to give MMA a try, and because of his wrestling background, MMA just seemed to click for him. He spent the majority of his MMA career training under the late John Grantham in northeast GA. Grantham took Barrett, who was known as a dominant wrestler with vicious ground and pound, and turned him into a well-rounded fighter. After spending some time training in northeast GA, Barrett took his skills to Gulf Coast MMA in Biloxi, MS and from there he got the call from good friend and UFC fighter Todd Duffee. Duffee invited Barrett out to Las Vegas to come train with him and Rodrigo Artilherio at Throwdown Training Center for his upcoming fight against Damian Grabowski in the Bellator Heavyweight Tournament.

When asked about his opponent Damian Grabowki, here is what Barrett had to say; “He is tough, but never really fought any great guys except for Kita, and that was a weird fight. I think we are both good ground fighters, but we’re just going to see who’s better.” Scott is a 10 to 1 underdog going into this fight and he is ok with that. “I like being the underdog. I guess a lot of people will be shocked.” Scott “Bear” Barrett has come along way in his MMA journey, and on August 19 he will be ready to take his career to the next level and start a new journey to become Bellator’s next heavyweight champion.

ATO caught up with a few of the fighters after the V3 event on Saturday August 14 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN. Hear from new V3 Lightweight Champion Chantein Wasion, former champion Tripp Carter, and MMA newcomer Moses Bushnell.

Now that we broke down the UFC 117 undercard this morning it’s time to move on to the main card that will be televised on pay per view tonight. There are a few good plays but the safest is Jon Fitch over Thiago Alves.

At -105 Fitch is a pretty safe bet to win a decision over Alves. Fitch basically took Alves down at will and will probably have very little doing the same thing again tonight. Alves has gotten better since their last fight but Fitch is a grinder and usually takes his opponent down and gets a decision. It won’t change tonight. Risk the $105 for an easy $100 return.

Another safe play is Ricardo Almeida at -190 over Matt Hughes. Sure Hughes is a UFC legend and hall of famer but what has he done lately. He is in the twilight of his career with wins over Matt Serra (which he could have easily lost on the cards) and an aging Renzo Gracie. Almeida is in his prime and dominated Matt Brown and Kendall Grove in his last two fights. Matt Hughes has solid wrestling but Almeida wants to take the fight to the ground. Almeida wins this fight by submission. Go ahead an play $50 for a $26 return.

Junior Dos Santos vs. Roy Nelson is tricky. I expect Dos Santos to win but in order to win $100 you have to risk $350. That’s too much and Nelson could very well catch him on the ground and hold him down with his big belly. If you want to have some action on this fight take Dos Santos in a parlay.

Another exciting option you can bet on at BetUS.com is the over/under on the rounds. If you think Fitch/Alves will go over 2 1/2 round (which it likely will) you can lay $175 to win $100.

Have fun and don’t bet more than you can stand to lose. Also check out some of the bonuses BetUS.com has for the ATO Army.

We’ll be back later for the breakdown of the main event.

BONUS OFFER: Deposit $200 = Get a $75 Free Play ($50 SB + $25 Casino)
(more…)

Josh Koscheck announced on Twitter that he will face GSP on Dec. 11th at UFC 123. The two have just wrapped up filming for the 12th season of The Ultimate Fighter.

Can’t wait until tuf 12 airs in Sept! & oh ya did u guys know, that I am going to be the next welterweight champion come dec 11th. :))))))

Koscheck earned his title shot by defeating Paul Daley at UFC 113 this Spring. GSP defeated Koscheck at UFC 74 and “Kos” has been chomping at the bit to get another shot at GSP and a shot at the title.

Jeremiah Riggs ended another fight in the first round last night. “Big Rig” knocked out Menden McKeehan in 17 seconds at ACF 12 in Knoxville, TN. Riggs knocked out George Oiler in the first round last month and has won 3 out of his last four fights. The former “Ultimate Fighter” contestant and “Daisy of Love” star is on a roll and could be in line for bigger fights with Strikeforce or Bellator later this year.

By Rodrigo Galvan

MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world today. Every day, more and more men and women are trying their hand in this sport known as mixed martial arts. Because of it’s popularity, we see fight organizations popping up all over the nation. Let’s face it, the UFC is thriving in popularity, pay per view buys, and putting on the best shows. But other MMA companies just can’t seem to get things going. Why is that? What are they doing wrong? Why do we see them on tv one weekend, and the next they are out of business? What does it take to run a successful mixed martial arts organization? Here in the Mid-South, there is a promotion called Empire Fighting Championships and they definitely know what it takes to not only survive, but to succeed in the fastest growing sport in the world today. ATO caught up with Empire Fighting Championship president Tyler Sory and he explains the way his promotion is ran, what their goals are, and what Empire Fighting Championships is all about.

What’s your ultimate goal with Empire Fighting Championships and how far do you want to take this organization?
There are three things we want to accomplish as far as our short term goals are concerned; First, we want to have a good product where our consumers and ticket buyers can come and enjoy their time and it’s a value to them. Second, we want the fighters to have a quality place to fight, they get the best cage, the best places to stay, and have the best all around experience. Third, we want to grow this promotion with a crawl, walk, run attitude where we start slow and gradually pick up the pace and we want to be good for the sport. We love MMA. There are a lot of promotions out there that aren’t good for the sport and we try to hold our level higher than the average promoter out there. As far as our long-term goals, we’re pretty happy where we are. We’re a mid level promotion. We’ve got options with some tv contracts and we’ve got a good home at Harrah’s casino. We would like to extend that relationship we have with Harrah’s to other Harrah’s casinos around the country. I usually describe the UFC as Coca-cola, Strikeforce is Pepsi, and were San Pellegrino. Were a fine dining water, and that’s where we’re going to stay.

So you have no intent to get to the level of the UFC or Strikeforce?
No. In business you have to look at it from a standpoint like McDonald’s or Coke. UFC is branded. Most people call cage fighting “UFC.” We’ve watched Affliction, Pride, and all these other companies out there go down because they’re trying to compete with the UFC. Even Strikeforce is struggling. That’s not a headache we are trying to have. We’d rather feed them fighters.

What are these companies doing wrong that are trying to compete with the UFC?
Again, it’s the crawl, walk, run philosophy. They go in a facility that is to big, they think they are going to sell 3,000 tickets and make a ton of money, and that’s just not the way it works. Unless you have someone with a famous name like a Randy Couture that’s going to be headlining your fights, it doesn’t matter who the fighter is. Let’s say you have Kiko France who has fought with us. He’s the top jiu-jitsu trainer with American Top Team and was undefeated and never went past 90 seconds. In the fight world that’s great because we all know who he is, but the average ticket buyer out there has no clue. So we have to do a whole different selling market to try to get those seats sold. It’s a process. It’s like any business, it’s a two to three year process. You’ve got to get a few fights under your belt before you start making money.

So pretty much you’ve learned from their mistakes on how to run an MMA organization the right way?
Right.

So how long has Empire Fighting Championships been in existence?
We are on our fifth fight. I’ve actually been in the business for about three years. I’ve joined forces with two partners to start Empire back last September.

Do you ever use former UFC fighters or do you like to build your own fighters?
We’ve used them in the past. We’ve used guys that were on “The Ultimate Fighter” (reality show). On our next show we’re trying to get a heavyweight fight together and one of the guys is a UFC vet. We don’t have any problem with that at all. I’m more in tuned to getting the up and coming guy, that next guy that the UFC is going to want to have. We use a website that has the top twenty unsigned fighters in the world and go in there and try to pick those guys out.

How did you get started with MMA and Empire?
I started in MMA when I was living in Destin, FL. I was overweight and a guy that I went to church with trained Special Forces in that area and started showing me how to maneuver some things on the ground and jiu-jitsu and I just got addicted to it. I joined a gym and started training with the fighters. They had a promoter come through and I took the fighters to meet with him because I had a contractual background and the guy was kind of a snake, so I said, “Hey, I can do this myself, and do things the right way.” So I formed a company and ended up getting a contract with the IP with a different business partner in Biloxi. But I wanted to get back to Memphis and so I parted ways with him and I joined these guys up here and we partnered up with Harrah’s.

What all goes into running a successful show for you guys?
You have three different aspects to running a good show. One is production. Production is huge because that’s what the consumer sees. When they walk into the venue and see the lights, the cage, how it’s set up, the camera angles, the videos that they can see the replays on, your announcer and if he is good, every little part of this plays into the experience and if that ticket buyer is going to come back again. To me that’s the most important from a financial standpoint. Second most important is having a great matchmaker. We use David Ferguson and he has done an unbelievable job for us. We’ve had some of the best fights that I have ever seen. It’s important that we’re organized in this area and that he matches the fighters up right and makes sure that they’re equal fights and exciting fights. Last there is the advertisement and marketing, getting the word out there, the posters, the radio ads, the tv commercials and everything else that we use. We make sure that all of these pieces fit together and form a great puzzle.

So what role do you play in all of this? Do you have your hands on every aspect of this business?
The great thing about us right now is that we’re pretty much a well oiled machine. Our production has been with us from day one so they know what they’re doing. When they come in they know exactly what to do, how to do it, what I want, and what I’m looking for. And if there are any changes in graphics or anything I’ll meet with them. I’ll tell David (Ferguson) up front what our budget is and if there are a couple of fighters I’d like to see matched up and he’ll do his best to make that happen. But I leave that ball in his court because that’s what he’s great at. And from the advertisement and marketing standpoint we team up with Harrah’s. Harrah’s primarily does about 80% of our advertising and marketing. So it’s pretty much a well oiled machine.

Talk about your relationship with Harrah’s. How important is it to put on a show in a venue like that?
Well, there are two perspectives, one being from a business perspective. Harrah’s has the hotel rooms, they have the venue, they have the food. So our fighters can come in and stay at a first class hotel, they get first class food all weekend, and they get to fight in a first class event center. So from that standpoint it’s unbeatable. If you go to an outside venue you have to pay for the venue, pay for a hotel sponsorship for the rooms, and pay a food sponsorship for their meals. If you don’t do this, then the quality fighters aren’t going to want to come and fight for you. From our standpoint and Harrah’s, it’s just a good relationship. Every casino likes to have a fight company at their place. We’re different. We’re not the typical MMA promotion. We cater to the VIP crowd. We don’t play heavy metal music, we don’t play hard core rap. Fighters can come out to whatever they want to, but in between the fights we play fun music and have a great DJ and it’s an enjoyable environment. There is enough testosterone in the cage, we don’t need it in the crowd. So when I go to these businesses in Memphis and try to get them as a sponsor, I have to make sure that when they come to see the fight they can bring their wives or girlfriends and they are going to feel safe and be like “Man this is great!” We get people dressing up and they have wine at their tables, it’s like a 1960’s boxing atmosphere. The casino’s like that because we bring in people who spend money and they go to the tables afterward. It’s a win win situation.

What’s the biggest headache when running a show?
I think the biggest problem is if a fighter drops out at the last minute because of injury or something like that. You then have to scramble around and change the fight card on the site and stuff like that.

Obviously running an MMA organization takes a lot of hard work and time, is Empire Fighting Championships your full time job or do you have another job as well?
I actually have two other businesses. I have a business called VIC (Victory In Christ) apparel which is a Christian apparel company and an EMR company which is an electronic medical records software.

What is your opinion of MMA in the Mid-South?
I think overall it’s good. We have a great amateur show out here, which is actually inside of Memphis and not in the casinos. I think it’s thriving. I think it’s a hard town to break into because there are a lot of walk up people so your presale tickets are very hard to judge on what your night is going to be like.

We’ve got Alan Belcher who is making a name for himself in the UFC and of course you have Quinton “Rampage” Jackson who is a UFC superstar. What fighter or fighters in the Mid-South area do you think we may end up watching on pay per view some day?
There are some good guys here. I think Austin Lyons has potential at 155. He’s coming along quick. There are some guys over at Memphis Judo and Jiu-Jitsu that have some serious potential. They have guys who have been on The Ultimate Fighter. Brian Hall I think as an amateur, if he gets his jiu-jitsu down, has a lot of talent. He’s definitely a good fighter that promotes himself well and he could have a shot.

You just mentioned Brian Hall. I know he fights at 135. Right now the WEC is the only big name promotion around that showcases the Bantamweight and Featherweight divisions. It seems those guys need a place to showcase their talents as well because the UFC doesn’t have those weight classes. Does Empire take advantage of that and use those weight classes on their show?
Oh yeah, we probably have at least two fights a night in that area just because they’re so exciting. Rarely do they knock each other out and to me they’re the most exciting fights. It’s also fun for fans who aren’t really big into MMA, but come down to see a fight or a show down at Harrah’s, it’s a good experience for them because they see that fast paced action.

Talk about your upcoming show on October 9.
We know Mike Wessel and Austin Lyons are going to be on the show. Tim Galuzzi will also be on it. I think Brian Hall is going to be there. We’re just now starting to build that card, but I know those are the local names that will be on there. There are some others I want to come back and fight on our card. Charlie Raider (170) out of New Orleans I’d like to bring back and fight for us. He had a tough decision loss back in February to Jake Hecht out of the H.I.T. SQUAD and has really improved his game since then. I think he’s learned a lot from losing to Jake Hecht. October 9 is going to be good. Two football teams are going to be off that weekend, Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Arkansas and Tennessee are playing away, so it’s a good weekend for us. Putting on a fight on a Saturday night during football season is a difficult and October 9 just seemed to make the most sense.

So it’s not just finding a weekend where another MMA organization is not putting on a show, you have to compete with other sports as well?
Oh yeah. It will affect you and will put you out of business real quick. We also look down the road at what UFC fights are coming up on pay per view. They’re doing a better job of letting us know months in advance of when that next UFC fight is because we don’t want to go up against Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin or any other UFC pay per view.

Do you guys feed off the UFC shows because the people who go to the bars to watch these fights are the people who will come to see a fight at Harrah’s?
Definitely. We’ll send a street team, ring girls, fighters out to bars like Buffalo Wild Wing’s and Hooters or whoever is showing the fight and hand out flyers for our show. That’s a big night for us!

Earlier you mentioned boxing. As we all know, boxing is going downhill. Why is it that you think MMA is thriving at a time when boxing is not?
MMA is here to stay. It’s more exciting than boxing. Unfortunately the world of boxing has too many promoters in it. So if you have a Mike Tyson and someone else has another guy who is just as good as Mike Tyson, they can’t fight each other. The promoters don’t communicate. That’s the great thing about MMA right now because the UFC is on top and because they get all of the best fighters, everyone is getting to fight each other. Love him or hate him, Dana White (UFC president) is doing the right things. He’s got a tight grip on the sport, he’s promoting it the right way, and he’s growing it around the world.

I’d like to thank you for your time. It’s been very educational. Before we leave, are there any last words you’d like to leave us with?
I’d just like to thank Harrah’s and my business partners Jay Williams and Aaron Fuller for being there through all of our nicks and dings from the start and we hope to see everybody there on October 9.

Thank you very much.
Thank you.

GO TO WWW.EMPIREFIGHTSONLINE.COM TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROMOTION AND THEIR UPCOMING EVENTS

Three PWP Title fights Aug. 14 in Irvine, CA

SAN DIEGO (July 8, 2010) – Two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim “Maine-iac” Sylvia takes on former UFC and Strikeforce heavyweight title challenger, Paul “The Headhunter” Buentello, in the main event for the vacant Powerhouse World Promotions (PWP), LLC Heavyweight Championship, August 14 on Pay Per View live from Bren Events Center in Irvine, California.

“War on the Mainland,” presented by Powerhouse World Promotions, is being distributed by Integrated Sports Media at 10:00PM ET/6:00PM PT in North America on cable and satellite Pay-Per-View via iN Demand, DIRECTV, Avail-TVN and DISH Network, as well as Viewer’s Choice, Bell TV and Shaw PPV in Canada, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95. It will also be available in the United Kingdom via Primetime Live. The PPV card will also be streamed live on Internet PPV outside of the United States, Canada and United Kingdom by going to www.WarontheMainland.com and registering.

“This event started as a training clinic that we’re still holding August 8 in San Diego,” PWP CEO Brian Manna explained. “It’s a full day, training clinic – MMA, Jiu-Jitsu, striking, boxing kicking, etc. – at Manna’s Martial Arts in San Diego. Tony Martinez (President of Powerhouse) suggested we do a show. We discussed it with members of our team – Joe Moreira, Carlos Palomino, Rodolfo Gonzalez and Burdett Streeter – as well as Doug Jacobs (Integrated Sports Media) and (associate) Benny Ricardo. Pay per view made it an easier sell and we were able to raise capital for the show. Now, people from all over the world will be able to watch our show.

“The depth of our field is unmatched. We not only wanted to make sure that we had three really good fights like we do, but to insure that all of the fights on this show would feature high quality fighters, as well as competitive, entertaining matches. These fights are all very well matched from top to bottom. All of us (Team PWP) are old-school martial artists. We stepped into the ring against anybody that was put in there; the type of show we’re putting on August 14th and few like it exist today in MMA for the public.”

Sylvia (26-6-0), fighting out of Bettendorf, Iowa, is coming off of an impressive second-round submission of 5-time World’s Strongest Man, Mariusz “Dominator” Pudzianowski. During his sensational career, Sylvia (6-8, 300 lbs.) has defeated many of the world’s top MMA heavyweights and super heavyweights – Andrei Arlovski (2) Brandon Vera, Jeff Monson, Wes Sims, Ricco Rodriguez, Mike Whitehead (2), Ben Rothwell and Jason Lambert.

Buentello (6-2, 250 lbs.), fighting out of Amarillo, Texas, has notable victories against “Tank” Abbott, Gary Goodridge, Justin Eilers, Mike Kyle and Kirill “Baby Fedor” Sidelnikov.

Sylvia-Buentello is one of three PWP title fights (5 X 5, all other fights are 3 X 5). Former WEC titlist Jason “The Punisher” Lambert (24-11-0) faces 8-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion Allan Goes (17-3-0) for the vacant PWP Light Heavyweight title belt, while former UFC title challenger Thales Leite (17-3-1) fights Strikeforce veteran Falinko “Niko” Vitale (27-9-0) for the PWP Middleweight crown.

In a Special Lightweight Attraction, former UFC lightweight champion Jens “Little Evil” Pulver (22-13-1), one of the most popular MMA fighters in the world, meets Diego “El Nino” Garijo (4-1-0).

Also fighting on “War on the Mainland” are Brazilian middleweight Gustavo “Ximu” Machado (18-8-1) vs. Rick Reeves (10-3-0), Mexican welterweight Jorge “The Naked Man” Ortiz (16-5-1) vs. veteran Terry Martin (19-8-0), and California lightweights Joao Silva (3-0) vs. Erin Beach (1-0). All fights and fighters are subject to change.

“We’re hitting the ground running,” Manna added. “People all over the world want to fight with us. We’re not interested in signing fighters to long-term contracts. We’re interested in the fighters being self-sufficient and stable. Burdett is a financial advisor and one of our goals is to aid fighters to become more aware of how to make their financial future more stable.”

Tickets, ranging from $35.00 to $110.00 reserved and $110.00 to $295.00 on the floor, are on sale at the Bren Event Center Box Office (10 AM/PT-6 PM/PT, Mon-Fri), going on line to www.bren.uci.edu or www.ticketmaster.com , or by calling 1.949.824.5000.

”

By Rodrigo Galvan

August 14 cannot get here soon enough. I’ve been saying it all week that there was just this feeling that something special was going to happen on Saturday June 19 and V3 didn’t disappoint. From the opening ceremonies when all of the fighters entered the cage for the Star Spangled Banner, to the pre-main event video montage to hype up the crowd, to the actual main event that just so happened to be fight of the night, V3 didn’t hold back in giving the people their money’s worth. According to V3 promoter Nick Harmeir, “It was a great turn out. All of these fighters fought spectacular. I’m really at a loss for words. It’s so rewarding seeing so much hard work going into something and seeing all the pieces come together like it did tonight. I’m very proud of these guys and very proud of our team and we have a lot more coming up.”

The night started out with a Muy Tai fight between Markus Jones and Derek Jackson. The fight started out with Jones pressing the action and using his reach to keep Jackson away. Round 2 started out the same. Once Jackson got past Jones’ reach, Jones was able to use the clinch to land devastating knees followed by some clean shots. Nothing really changed in round 3 with Jones using his reach and clinch and all three judges gave Markus Jones the unanimous decision. According to Jones, “I’ve been working all week on perfecting the clinch and using my reach and I just knew that would be my key to winning whether it was by decision or knockout.”

Next up was Ronnie Sharp taking on Adam Denton. Sharp got the early takedown, but Denton was able to get to his feet and land a kick to the body followed by a flurry of punches and knees. However at :42 seconds of the first round the ref declared this a no contest due to a knee to the head.

If you went to the weigh-ins, then this next fight probably sparked your interest. Phillip Price and Jimmy White continued their intense stare down as they entered the cage. As the bell rang and the fight started, both fighters came out swinging. White was getting the better of the striking so Price decided to pull guard a few times. Jimmy White wanted to keep the fight standing, but at the end of the first round the fight did hit the canvas where White landed some good shots, but Price caught him in a leg lock as time expired. The second round started once again with both fighters swinging and at :40 seconds of the second round the doctor stopped the fight due to an eye injury and Jimmy White was declared the winner.

The third bout of the evening was Matt Hill going up against Jamie Houston. Houston’s ground game was a little too much for Hill. Houston got the early takedown and immediately gained side control. After a few punches he was able to get full mount and punch his way to victory via a TKO at 1:32 of round 1.

Up next were Lenny Edgar and Patrick Burkett. Although this was Burkett’s first MMA fight, he used his superior wrestling skills to dictate where the fight went. Burkett got an early takedown in round 1 and was able to escape Edgar’s guillotine choke attempt. From there Edgar was able to get half guard and Burkett used his ground and pound to finish off the round. Round 2 started off the same way. Burkett got an early takedown and Edgar once again attempted a guillotine choke. After Burkett escaped the choke Edgar was able to use the cage to stand the fight back up. But once again Burkett used his dominating wrestling skills to take Edgar down and ground and pound him for the remainder of the round. In the final round Burkett once again took Edgar down, but this time in devastating fashion. Burkett picked up Edgar and carried him across the cage and slammed him in front of his own corner. The fight stayed there and Patrick Burkett used his ground and pound and with just seconds left in the fight he got in one last shot on Edgar. Unanimous decision went to Patrick Burkett who got his first MMA win.

Up next were Travis Robertson and Jess Brown. The fight started out with Brown hitting a beautiful over/under Greco-Roman throw. Robertson attempted an arm bar in which Brown was able to escape. Robertson almost managed to get back to his feet before Brown was able to get him back to the mat and gain side control and ground and pound him for the remainder of the round. For round 2 both men came out standing and Robertson was able to drop Brown with a punch to the head and immediately take his back and punch his way to victory via TKO at :40 seconds in round 2.

The seventh fight of the night we saw Jessie Parker take on Miles Brown. Everyone was shocked that this fight went to the ground. Miles Brown got an early takedown and was in Parker’s guard. At the 2:00 mark of the first round, Jessie Parker hit a beautiful arm-bar to end the fight. At the fight’s conclusion Miles Brown showed nothing but respect for Jessie Parker. “My fight didn’t go to well. As everyone knows, I’m not the grappler, I was born a striker. But I got to get back into the gym and work on some ground work. But I’m known for my sportsmanship and being able to try my best to put on a good show,” claimed Brown.

The next fight of the evening was the perfect warm-up to the three title fights. Both of these next two fighters were crowd favorites and had a huge cheering section. Chantein Wasion took on Daniel Deossio and both of these fighters laid it all on the line. The fight started with Deossio pressing Wasion against the cage and taking him down. Wasion managed to work his way back up to his feet and catch Deossio in a standing guillotine. Deossio worked his way out and this time it was Wasion who managed to get the takedown with a trip. Wasion was in Deossio’s guard and did some ground and pound and then took Deossio’s back and with :02 seconds left in round 1 Wasion managed to catch Deossio in a rear naked choke which forced him to tap. Chantein Wasion won submission of the night and after the fight was quick to call out Tripp Carter (V3 lightweight champion) for a rematch.

After these amazing fights, the crowd was ready to witness history as the three title fights were up next. First up were Carlton Little and Jaden Booth for the Light Heavyweight Championship. But before we get into the fight, let me say this, “You heard it here first from ATO and V3, Carlton Little WILL be fighting in the UFC someday!!” The fight started with Little getting a takedown on Booth. For every time Booth was able to get up, Little answered with another takedown until he finally caught Booth with a flurry of punches and the ref called the stop at 2:38 of the first round due to strikes. Little was able to TKO Booth while in Booth’s guard. But give credit to Booth, he was able to fight off his back several times and this is not the last we have seen of Jaden Booth.

After the Light Heavyweights went at it, it was time for the Lightweight Title between Tripp Carter and Steven Cornelius. If you blinked, then you probably missed the fight. In just :08 seconds Carter caught Cornelius on the temple and he went straight down. Carter landed one more shot while Cornelius was on the canvas before the fight was called due to knockout. When asked about the devastating knockout, here is what Tripp Carter had to say, “I was real surprised, but he stuck his chin out so I take what I can get.” I know the crowd wants to see him fight again after a dominating performance and it seems that Chantein Waison wants the next shot at Carter.

“HERE WE GO!!!!” These were the words from announcer Mike Kelly as the main event got underway. Give credit to matchmaker Rick McCracken for matching up Brian Hall and Cody Lane as these two warriors left everything in the cage and to the fans for choosing the perfect fight to end the evening. There was not a dull moment in this fight. It started out with Lane attempting to throw a headlock on Hall and Hall using his wrestling background to counter it. Hall took Lane’s back, but Lane was able to reverse it. However, Hall was able to latch on an arm bar and triangle choke, both of which Lane was able to escape. Round 2 started with Lane swinging for the fences and Hall using his athleticism to duck the punch and score a takedown within the first 5 seconds of the round. Hall then took Lane’s back and when Lane rolled over Hall was able to get in the mount. Lane managed to get back to his feet only to be taken down again where Hall immediately got back into the mount and started landing strikes. He was able to take Lane’s back once again and before the round was up Hall managed to land a hard knee to Lane’s side. Round 3 started and both fighters were exhausted. Both fighters were against the cage and Lane managed to sink in a tight standing guillotine choke on Hall. The fight then went to the ground when Lane pulled guard and continued with the choke. Brian Hall escaped and ended up in side control. The fight got stood up by the ref and they stood in the center of the cage swinging like they were in a Rocky movie. After the slugfest both fighters were in the clinch and Hall pulled guard with a guillotine choke in which Lane was able to escape. As the round ended both fighters were exhausted. At the beginning of round 4 the ref called the fight due to Cody Lane being unable to continue. The winner, and new V3 Bantamweight Champion, Brian “The Law” Hall. ATO caught up with Brian Hall after the fight and here is what he had to say, “I thought he was a tough kid, he brought it to me and I brought it back. I expected it to go five rounds and not four, but I was ready to go ten.” After the fight, Hall was quick to call out Thomas Vazquez and made it clear that he wants to avenge his loss and put the belt on the line while doing it. ATO also caught up with Cody Lane and here’s what he had to say, “I came out as strong as I could and cardio killed me. I want a rematch right away or I want the winner of Hall /Vazquez. V3 is the best promotion around. No one comes close and I want to fight here again.”

All in all, not only was this a great night of fights, but a great weekend of V3 festivities. August 14 needs to hurry up and get here because ATO and the Mid-South is ready for more V3 action.

By Rodrigo Galvan

There’s something special going on over at V3 Fights. I’ve been following these guys around for the past few days and can honestly say that although this is an all amateur fight card, it has the feeling of a big time professional organization. From the weigh-ins, to the media attention, to the venue (FedEx Forum) that is hosting this event, to the way they treat their fighters, V3 is on the verge of something major happening.

Last night’s weigh-in was an event within itself. It seemed like the whole Mid-South MMA community filled Primetime Sports Bar in downtown Memphis to witness the start of what is going to be a phenomenal weekend of MMA action. ATO caught up with a few of the fighters on the card and here is what they had to say:

Brian Hall – “I feel great. It’s less than 24 hours to put on a great show and let everyone know that I’m the real deal.” BRIAN WILL BE FIGHTING IN THE MAIN EVENT FOR THE BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE

Miles “The Phantom” Brown – “I have a lot of respect for my opponent and he is a great guy, but sometimes you have to put everything aside and do what you got to do. This fight is going to test me physically and mentally. It’s the biggest card I’ve ever been on and it’s cool fighting in the FedEx Forum because it’s coming off a huge UFC card where BJ Penn and Diego Sanchez fought in the main event.”

Rick Bing – “I just got this opponent and supposedly he’s a brawler but I’m not to worried about it. But I respect anybody that get’s in a cage.”

This may be easier said than done for Bing because he will be facing Jessie Gregory who is 3-0. Jessie’s last fight was 3-4 months ago and he is ready to get back in there.

The fighters are ready, V3 is ready, ATO is ready, are you ready for non-stop MMA action? If you haven’t already done so, get your tickets for tonight’s fights before they are sold out.

V3 FIGHTS WEIGH-IN RESULTS

Catch Weight of 140 -Derek Jackson (140) vs Marcus Jones (140)

Lightweight - Jessie Gregory (155) vs Rick Bing (155)

Catch Weight of 160 - Ronnie Sharp (160) vs Adam Denton (153)

Catch Weight of 160 - Phillip Price (160) vs Jimmy White (159)

Catch Weight of 200 - Matt Hill (201) vs Jamie Houston (201)

Catch Weight of 142 - Lenny Edgar (142) vs Patrick Burkett (141)

Welterweight - Travis Robertson (171) vs Jess Brown (170)

Lightweight - Daniel Deossio (153) vs Chantein Wasion (153)

Bantamweight - Miles Brown (133) vs Jessie Parker (128)

Light Heavyweight (title fight) - Carlton Little (205.5) vs Jaden Booth (204)

Lightweight (title fight) - Tripp Carter (154) vs Steven Cornelius (156)

Bantamweight (title fight) - Cody Lane (135) vs Brian Hall (135.5)

Event: V3 Fights MMA
Date: Saturday June 19 (doors open at 7:00, fights start at 8:00)
Location: FedEx Forum Grand Lobby