UCC 5: “Unleashed”

UCC stands for Ultimate Combat Championship. If they keep going in the direction they’re headed, then they may end up being exactly that. Take, for example, their next event they have coming up. UCC 5: “Unleashed” will take place at a venue which is just a ten minute drive from 

New York City on June 28^th at 7pm. Among other fighters, Joshua Key and Kevin Horowitz will be stepping into the cage that night. These fighters have the same number of wins, but Key has five more losses. However, their amateur records balance that out some, so it should be an interesting fight.

The other fights on the card for this event should be interesting as well. The bout between relative newcomers Darren Goodall and Maykon Santos is one example of why we say this. Goodall has only one loss, but that was in an amateur fight. This is his first professional match. Santos, on the other hand, has been in one professional fight already, which he lost. All three of his amateur fights were recorded as wins: one split decision, one unanimous decision, and one submission. The other fights on the card also promise to live up to the standard of excitement this young fight promotion company seems to be setting for itself.

Speaking of the company, the reason their events have been successful so far is that they’ve combined their love of MMA with the old school, underground fighting atmosphere that the New York boxing culture has become known for. They also try to keep their ticket prices affordable, while selecting venues that allow fans to get right up next to the cage. The ability to view the action that closely certainly does make these fights even more fun to watch, as anyone who has experienced an MMA tournament from that close can attest to.

USFFC 5: “Battle Forged”

Coming June 23^rd to Marion North Carolina is an MMA event that is being billed as, “Battle Forged.” It’s going to be held at the Swamp Fox Restaurant and Bar, which belongs to the US Freedom Fighters. It’s an amateur only event, and the main fight on the card so far is a matchup between Christian Mejia and Joseph Ray. Both of these fighters, as well as several other fighters which are on the card already for that night, have a lot of potential for the possibility of professional careers in the future. That being the case, this could be your chance to see some of tomorrow’s stars today if you live in that area.

Take, for instance, the fight we’ve already mentioned. Joseph Ray has won the Elite Championship Cage Fighting bantamweight championship. Their records are similar in terms of percentages, and any time that happens, you should be in for an exciting fight. As a matter of fact, there are a lot of fights on this card that should be fun to watch. Newcomers Ashley Greenway and Brad Roof are as yet undefeated, having three and two fights behind them, respectively. Chances are, one of or both of them may rack up their first loss that night, but even if they don’t it should be a night to remember.

The company putting on this event, Triangle Fight Promotions, is licensed in North Carolina and promotes exclusively in military venues. Their stated mission is to bring high production value fighting events to smaller towns, and this event is sure to be another example in what has become a long track record of doing just that. In fact, many fans that have been to their events say that the production value is just as high as some of the professional events they’ve been to.

Battle Extreme Championships 'The Rise'

Jun 16^th in Springfield Massachusetts, there will be an MMA event called The Rise. The main event is a match-up between Rafael Dias and Ran Weathers. Let’s take a look at Dias first. He’s a member of America’s Top Team, fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL. He’s thirty-two years old, and Dias is 5 feet, nine inches tall and weighs in at one hundred forty-five lbs. He has a winning record, but so does his opponent, Ran Weathers. What’s more, Weathers is an inch taller and ten pounds heavier. He was born in Atlanta, GA, and he fights for Jackson’s Submission Fighting out of Albuquerque, NM.

The ladies on the card that night should be able to provide us with some more hard hitting action. Specifically, those ladies are Sara McMann and Anita Rodriguez. McMann is undefeated, but she’s only been in four professional fights. Rodriguez, on the other hand, has been in twice as many professional fights, but she has lost three of those. It’s still a winning record, though, so we could see McMann lose her first pro fight. Either way, it promises to be an exciting match-up. A couple of interesting facts about McMann are that both of her recorded amateur fights were wins also, and she’s an Olympic silver medalist.

It isn’t getting much media coverage, but we’d also like to draw your attention to the fight that evening between Pat Early and Kevin Axline. These fighters are both looking for their first pro win. Unless they draw, one of them will get just that. In the amateurs, Axline had a record of 4 and 2. Axline has been in one more pro fight that Early, too. In between the two extremes we’ve presented, there are a lot of match-ups between long term MMA veterans as well.

Titan Fighting Championships 23

Titan Fighting Championships 23 will be the first ever event for this company on a military base. According to a recent episode of “Inside MMA” on HDnet (soon to be known as AXS TV), a fight for the troops is something Titan has wanted to do for a long time. Now, with sponsorship from Briggsauto.com, they will. The event will be broadcast live on HDnet at 10pm EST. It is going to be held on the Marshal Air Field at the Ft. Riley Army base in Kansas City, KS. This is the first time the US military has made such an allowance, so it’s going to be a history making night for MMA in general.

The main event for the evening is three rounds between Jorge Santiago (185 lbs.) and Justin Guthrie (170 lbs.). Guthrie has a fewer percentage of losses than Santiago, but also a fewer total number of fights on his professional record. The two men are exactly the same height: six feet one. Brazilian born Santiago began training in Judo when was only eleven years old. According to members of America’s Top Team, Santiago is very laid back, but that laid back personality outside the cage is totally transformed once he steps inside. As a matter of fact, he made his debut in UFC by knocking out Justin Levens.

There is plenty of other action on the card that night, too. There are several fighters slated for rounds that night that, so far in their pro careers, remain undefeated. Granted, not many of them have been in very many fights. In fact, one of them has only been in one. Still, chances are that fans will see at least one person lose for the first time professionally that night. If not, then that would obviously be significant as well.

UFC On FX: Johnson Vs. McCall

On June 8^th at 9pm at the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, FL, thanks to the UFC organization, MMA fans will get to see a rematch between Ian McCall and Demetirus Johnson. Though Johnson is favored in the fight, McCall is determined not to make things easy for him. His record certainly seems to indicate that he has the power to back up any smack he talks, since he’s only lost two fights. (He’s won ten.) Weighing in at one hundred thirty-five pounds and standing five feet, five inches tall, McCall and his trademark curled mustached both fight for team Oyama out of Dana Point, CA.

His opponent, twenty-five year old Demetrius Johnson, has an exactly equal record and weight, though he stands two inches shorter. Their last match-up was a majority draw, so it should be interesting to see what happens, to say the least. Interestingly, though the odds makers do favor Johnson, the public seems to favor McCall. Maybe the odds makers looked at Johnson’s amateur record and are making their bets on that basis. Johnson had no recorded losses as an amateur. In the final analysis, despite all the hype, this looks to be one of the most evenly matched main events in quite a while, despite the admittedly lopsided odds.

Also on the card that night is a bout between Canadian Sean Pierson and Jake Hecht out of Moscow Hills, MO. Pierson weighs five more pounds, but has lost three more times. Of course, those three losses were extra fights; the two men have the same number of wins. As is usually the case with UFC events, there are actually a very large number of fights on the card that night, but not all of them will be broadcast. Rest assured, however, the bouts slated for broadcast promise plenty of action.