Press Release - Triple X Cagefighting: Extreme Cagefight War
Michigan MMA Divides in Half at
East vs. West Collision in Mt. Clemens at the Emerald Theater!
Donofrio Entertainment and Triple X Cagefighting Unite for Another Unforgettable Night of Savage MMA!!!
Saturday, June 4th, at the Emerald Theater in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. MMA fans better get ready for some beat downs, as Donofrio Entertainment, in association with Triple X Cagefighting, proudly present EXTREME CAGEFIGHT WAR, featuring the best full-contact cage fighters from Eastern Michigan and the baddest fighters from Western Michigan colliding in 15 action-packed showdowns.
Coming off their wildly successful first-of-its-kind event at the Dow Events Center in Saginaw on May 21st, the power pairing of Michigan's two top MMA promoters, Joseph Donofrio and Joe Battaglia, is back with another amazing show.
Representing some of the East Side team are Gorden Shell's Eastside 4 Aces, Harley "The Swede" Wallen's Team Undisputed, Mike Krol's Team Shoot, Steve Lowe's Absolute Combat Club and former KOTC Champ Brad Burrick's Team.
On the West Side are Mash GYM, Fight Club Proving Ground, and The System Ultimate Judo and Karate and more.
And when the smoke clears, only the strongest will still be standing.
The night's main event will feature a rematch of an unforgettable war, as current TXC Bantamweight (135 lbs.) champion Andrew Ventimaglia of Team Shoot will face Fight Clubs/System's Jake Lamb in a rematch of their three-round clash a year ago that left fans' mouths hanging open with its savage intensity.
"This show is going to settle a lot of scores between these East and West camps," said event co-promoter Joseph Donofrio. "Joe Battaglia has put together one cross-state grudge match after another. These guys aren't matched up just because they're the same weight. They're here because they want to see what team really is the best in this state!"
Co-promoter Joe Battaglia says, “EXTREME CAGEFIGHT WAR at the Emerald will have all the classy trademarks the two promotions have become known for. There will be 15 unforgettable wars that night."
Tickets for TXC: Extreme Cagefight War are available at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 248.252.0427. They are priced between $20 and $60. Tables of 6 are available, priced between $180 and $270. Doors will open at 6:00 PM and fights will start at 8:00 PM.
The Emerald Theater is located at 31 North Walnut Street in Mount Clemens, Michigan.
Watch TXC on their own TV series. It will start on July 10, 2011. TXC will be broadcast in the Detroit area every week on MYTV20. For more information on TXC, visit http://www.txclive.com/.
Morais vs. Grisham II lights up Mt. Clemens at Genesis FC: Art of War
Article by: Brandon New
Mixed Martial Arts has yet to become mainstream entertainment for most. For those of us with a passion for the sport, we search high and low to find quality, well matched fights. While the UFC is becoming a household name, several other regional promotions put forth great efforts to provide fans a chance to watch the future stars of MMA develop before our very eyes. Genesis Fighting Champions is one of those companies. They presented “Art of War” on Saturday May 21st at the Gibraltar Trade Center in Mt. Clemens, Michigan.
The large audience on hand and those watching on internet pay-per-view were treated to a night featuring vicious knockouts, slick submissions and a very close split decision. The undercard kicked off the night with four submissions all ending in the first round. The fifth fight saw Aaron Anglebrant make an early bid for Knockout of the Night with a 13 second dismantling of Cody Allen. Anglebrant landed one big shot that dropped Allen immediately. As Anglebrant pounced on his downed opponent, Allen tapped relentlessly for mercy.
Following such a brutal finish, Jason Favell added to his own highlight reel by taking only 41 seconds to force the referee to intervene against a rocked Don Brandell.
Deven “Bad News” Brown earned a title shot with his 23 second victory over Jacob Berghuis. Former UFC and Pride FC veteran James Lee, who was the referee for the bout, had to violently pull Brown off of Berghuis as “Bad News” was more than willing to continue pummeling his opponent after the stoppage.
In a matchup with a very evenly fought first round, James Holloway landed a brutal punch on fan-favorite Brandon Sturgis. As the referee called an end to the contest, an obvious look of frustration came over the face of the semi-conscious Sturgis.
The most frightening moment of the night was handed out by Rich Williams at the unfortunate expense of Tim Jenny. After Williams retained his Bantamweight Title by knockout, Jenny required several minutes to regain consciousness. Fortunately, Promoter Josh Lawrence of Genesis FC provided proper medical care and Jenny was able to walk out of the cage safely while exiting to a round of applause.
The Genesis FC Lightweight Title was unified when Interim-Champion Mark “Cash” Christiansen faced the defending Champion Theo Toney. Toney controlled most of the first round and appeared to have an athletic advantage. Christiansen, on a double-digit winning streak, was game for the challenge and found a way to get Toney’s back while standing in the second round. Christiansen sank in a rear naked choke and proceeded to wrap his legs around Toney’s midsection. In an attempt to break the hold, Toney fell backwards to slam his opponent. Christiansen held on and the impact of the slam only made the situation worse for Toney, forcing him to tapout at 2:45 of the second round. Christiansen extends his winning streak and is now the undisputed Genesis FC Lightweight Champion.
The Co-Main Event was the most even contest and Fight of the Night. Drew Morais and Thomas Grisham went back and forth for five hard-fought rounds. The first two rounds were won by Morais and the last two by Grisham. The fight was decided by the third round and resulted in a controversial split-decision. Early in the third round Morais landed a huge punch that left Grisham out on his feet momentarily until Morais swarmed. Grisham was able to survive the onslaught and eventually gain top control for the second half of the round.
As one of the three judges, I was directly in the middle of the controversy. I saw Grisham “out on his feet” and was impressed that he not only survived but controlled most of the second half of the round. That being said, I scored the round for Morais. The near finish and inflicting the most damage in the round led to this decision. Grisham, while in dominant position at the end of the round did not land any significant shots or produce any legitimate damage.
In the end, one of the other two judges agreed with me and Morais took home the split decision victory and retained his Welterweight Title. After the fight, several conversations about that round took place only to determine that it could have gone either way, depending on who was scoring. I feel my view allowed me to see what others may have missed. It was a great fight and tremendous battle by both fighters. These two might have to go again for rounds 9, 10 and 11 as this bout was a rematch for the pair from another local MMA event earlier this year held in Lincoln Park, Michigan.
The Main Event was a Heavyweight Title bout featuring Champion Leroy Johnson successfully defending his title over Anthony Coleman. Johnson showed why he is the champ by making quick work of his competitor, earning the victory by TKO due to strikes.
Overall the night gave the fans a quality show, helped create exposure for fighter's and showcased Mixed Martial Arts in a positive way. You can see all of the fights for free right now at http://www.cagefightinglive.com/ .
Genesis FC: Art of War Quick Results
Leroy Johnson def. Anthony Coleman via TKO
Drew Morais def. Thomas Grisham via split decision
Mark Christiansen def. Theo Toney via RNC
Rich Williams def. Tim Jenny via KO
James Holloway def. Brandon Sturgis via TKO
Ryan King def. John Slayton via unanimous decision
Andrew Crushshon def. Justin Jaynes via unanimous decision
Parris Boyd def. John Hahn via guillotine
Deven Brown def. Jacob Berghuis via TKO
DeAndre Mathis def. Konnor Kuppe via TKO
Jason Favell def. Don Brandell via TKO
Aaron Anglebrandt def. Cody Allen via submission (strikes)
Kaiss Faraj def. Mark Hassmiller via guillotine
Bruce Merrill def. Fidel Oliverez via RNC/body triangle
Trent McGuffin def. Jason Seely via submission (strikes)
Will Waton def. Matt Harris via guillotine
Fight Night Awards
Fight of the Night: Drew Morias vs. Thomas Grisham
Hierarchy Fighting Association: Hierarchy II Review
Stars & Strikes shine bright at Hierarchy II in Wayne
The Stars & Strikes fight team out of Dearborn Heights, Michigan made its presence known locally on Saturday night at Hierarchy Fighting Association’s second MMA event in Wayne, Michigan. Coaches James Beneteau and David Garcia saw their team go an impressive 9-2 overall inside the Wayne Community Center at Hierarchy II. Featherweight Sean Dunn claimed the 145 lb. title and Submission of the Night honors when he defeated Wes McFadden with a slick triangle choke. Welterweight Scott Brown defeated Michael Kuszmaul in short order with a blitzkrieg performance that netted him the 170 lb. title in 45 seconds via TKO.
Continuing the success of Stars & Strikes were Jameson Murray, Derrick Mandell, Jordan Short, Dustin Babler, Robert Yanez, Andrew Morton and James Bryant. Murray, who splits his time between MMA and coaching wrestling at Livonia Churchill High School, dominated AJ Hall in their Welterweight bout. He hopes to soon face Brandon Noble, a talented Welterweight in his own right and someone who Murray feels has been ducking him in the past.
Derrick Mandell got back on the winning track when he defeated Aaron Gilmore in the first round of their Featherweight contest via TKO. Dustin Babler and Robert Yanez both picked up submission victories. Babler was considered for the early Submission of the Night award as he literally lifted his opponent off the ground with his vaunted guillotine choke. Andrew Morton and James Bryant each won their respective bouts with hard fought unanimous decision victories. Rounding out the victories was Jordan Short who had a great showing against Tyler Peach in their Light-Heavyweight bout winning via TKO.
The Main Event of the evening showcased Adam Trombley versus Chris Reppenhagen for the Middleweight title. Although there was a huge difference in their experience, Reppenhagen apparently demanded this bout from the Promotion and wouldn’t have it any other way. He got his wish as Trombley quickly went to the task, netting a takedown in less than five seconds. It was all academic from there as he slammed his opponent four times in a row. The forth slam proved to be the final as Reppenhagen had his right arm snapped in half by the force of Trombleys power as he tried to brace himself coming down towards the mat. It took the Champion all of thirty seconds to end his night of work.
The Fight of the Night went to Brandon Sandford and Antonio Spears for their efforts during their Featherweight bout. The first round had a lot of back and forth action while the second saw Spears gaining steam heading into the third. Spears managed to take over in the final round. Getting his points on takedowns and keeping the fight where he wanted it. Sandford put up an excellent fight but just couldn’t overcome a game Antonio Spears.
Toledo, Ohio's Antonio Gonzalez got the night started off with a bang as he knocked out Dave Levy with a short punch to the head and ended up getting the Knockout of the Night award after all 20 bouts were said and done. Even more impressive is that Gonzalez did it while he was on his back and Levy was in his guard.
Joey Russo and Greg “Mr. Positive” Balteff handled the announcing duties for the night. The referees on hand were local Professional MMA fighter’s Daron Cruickshank and Danny McIntire. Taking care of the judging duties were Korey Strauss, Kenan Kerim and Alex Hudson.
Promoters Richard Browe and Matt Haskell put on a great show and have set their next event for Saturday July 16th at the Modano Ice Arena in Westland. Said Browe, “Hierarchy is a fighter first league; I want the guys to feel appreciated and welcomed. A sense that they are a real part of something! I also want guys who are prepared to fight--not just one guy, but prepared to fight anybody. Ferocity and mental toughness is what I most admire. Haskell also noted, “Rich and I work hard to insure that every matchup is very fair and we are very close with our fighters, trainers, staff and supporters. We are like a big family that keeps growing.
Hierarchy Fighting Association: Hierarchy II – Quick Results
Adam Trombley def. Chris Reppenhagen via injury (broken arm via slam) retains Middleweight Title – Round 1, 0:30
Sean Dunn def. Wes McFadden via submission (triangle) wins Featherweight Title – Round 1, 2:20
Scott Brown def. Kuszmaul via TKO (referee stoppage) retains Welterweight Title – Round 1, 0:45
Jameson Murray def. AJ Hall via via submission (arm triangle) – Round 1, 1:46
Derrick Mandell def. Aaron Gilmore via TKO (referee stoppage) – Round 1, 1:34
Team Tubbs goes undefeated at WXC 29: Victorious in Detroit
If there was one fight team that came to show what they all about at Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting: Victorious on Saturday May 7th at the Cobo Hall Center. It was Detroit’s own Team Tubbs. Kevin “The CEO” Tubbs brought five of his fighters to the event and all five left the building victorious. Mario Aguilar, Tasha Moore, Darryl Childs, Lamar Foster and Trey Suthers all showed their fan’s a glimpse of what Team Tubbs has in store for their future opponents with dominating performances. Aguilar defeated Darryol Humphrey via unanimous decision after three grueling rounds. Moore submitted Kathleen Albany with an armbar submission at 56 seconds into the second round. Childs submitted Andy Carter with a rare crossface submission hold and Lamar Foster defeated Gene Romanowski when he was unable to continue to compete after round one. Lastly, Suthers won a unanimous decision victory over Drew LaFord after three rounds. Mr. Tubbs was elated his teams’ showing to say the least.
It was the WXC’s first event in the City of Detroit. The promotion pulled out all the stops with a twenty bout card to make sure the crowd of over 800 people in attendance got their monies worth with five Title bouts and an evening full of some the best matchmaking around. Dayton, Ohio’s Kyle Lingg reigned supreme as he defended his Lightweight Title by defeating Monroe’s Brad Brown in a swift first round rear-naked choke in the Main Event. Lingg’s record now stands at an impressive 11-0. He could end up going up to the Professional ranks before the end of 2011. The co-Main Event showcased Wayne State graduate Ray Rocheleau against Roseville’s Rob Taylor. Rocheleau defeated Taylor in a hotly contested five round title bout that earned “The War Machine” the WXC Heavyweight Title when it was all said and done. Rocheleau sees his record improve to 12-1.
The Fight of the Night award went to Flat Rock’s Tom Grisham and Lansing’s Dequan Townsend for their outstanding efforts while competing for Townsend’s Welterweight Title. Both fighters left all they had inside the cage by the end of five rounds. Townsend did a good job with his striking in the first round while Grisham established that he was looking to keep the fight on the floor by getting a takedown after a heated exchange. Grisham started racking up the points with two more takedowns in the second round while putting his ground and pound to the test. He got reversed before the bell but the round was his. Townsend came out on fire to start the third landing kicks and punches constantly. Grisham weathered the storm by getting another takedown, ending the round on the mat.
The Championship rounds took the fight to another level as both tried their best to take home the victory. After a little clinch game on the feet. Grisham controlled the forth with his continued takedowns and maintaining top control. The fifth and final round was a toss-up as the Champion started to land more strikes standing but kept getting taken down at the worst moments. Ultimately, that would be his undoing as Judges James Beneteau and James Ward gave Grisham the victory while Judge John Bond awarded the fight to Townsend. Grisham had the look of a newly minted Champion while displaying his battle wounds for all to see. Townsend suffered a broken hand after the culmination of all his strikes during the bout. The WXC fans would surely like to see a Part II down the line at some point.
In other Title bout action, Featherweight Champion Mike Flores of Bellevue, Ohio defeated a game opponent in Jerome Otler of Flint via unanimous decision, winning 49-46 on all scorecards. Flores’s record is now 6-2-0 with three submission wins and one knockout.
Scarred MMA of Belleville also had a great showing as they took home six victories out of seven. James Jones won the WXC Interim-Bantamweight Title on Saturday night when he outpointed Jesse Bazzi. Jones is expected to meet Champion Derrick Mandell at a future event. Christina Daniels earned Submission of the Night honors as she defeated Tori Music at 1:58 of round via triangle choke. Travis Spivey pulled off an excellent shoulder lock submission over Patrick Corbay. Matt Christopher won his Featherweight bout against Nate Ellison when Ellison was unable to continue after the first round. Welterweight Aaron Dickey knocked out Corey Green with a huge looping right hand at 1:18 of the second round in what was an early Fight of the Night contender according to Matchmaker Michael Pedenelli. The aforementioned Grisham rounded out the wins for Scarred MMA for the night as their lone loss came when Team Murcielago’s Skeeter Kittles defeated LaBron Oldham after Refree Danny McIntire stopped the fight at 2:06 of the second round.
Inkster’s Justin “The Hitman” Price bought the crowd to its feet when he knocked out Monroe’s Joshua Palmer. Palmer set the pace in the first round coming out fast with hard straight punches and seemingly landing at will. Palmer came out again in the second stanza with the same attitude. Price fought through the storm and landed the knockout blow at 1:55. Price was awarded the Knockout of the Night.
Overall, WXC 29: Victorious shined very well with exciting fights throughout the whole event while showcasing some of the best talent not only inside of Michigan. But that they can also bring in talent from out of State to their events as well. Promoter Jeff Pitock noted that the next Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting show’s that have been set are Saturday June 25th in Southfield, Saturday July 23rd in Taylor and Friday August 5th in Monroe.
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