Sponsored Fan pro fighters Byron Bloodworth (5-1; 135lb) and Marc Howe (0-0; 145lb pro debut) along with ammy fighter Daniel "The Lumberjack" Norton (4-0) will be fighting on the July 10th, SportfightX card at the Georgia World Congress Center.

via sponsoredfan.com

Continue reading this post »

by Tim Loy

Cage Brawl Fighting Championships returns to Kingsport for it's second show, Friday June 4.  The event takes place once again at the Meadowview Convention Center, located in the Kingsport Marriott Hotel.  Tickets are available now at www.cagebrawlfights.com, and will also be available at the door.  The show is highlighted by a battle for the ISKA 145 lb. title, as Cleveland MMA's Casey Kerr(5-0) takes on Chris Hall(3-2) of Integrated Martial Arts in Lebanon, TN.  Kerr will put his undefeated record on the line against the tough wrestler, Hall. 

The event also features three impressive co-main events.  The CBFC Heavyweight title will be awarded in a bout between Mt. Empire's Tyrone "The Beast" Jackson(4-3) of Bristol, VA and Highway MMA's Bobby Heck(3-3).  Two highly touted lightweights collide when Jesse Grissom(9-0) of Team Truth in Cleveland, TN battles Josh Booher(7-2) out of Mt. Empire.  Finally, two undefeated bantamweights will put their unblemished records at risk when Absolute Jiu Jitsu product, Len Cook(5-0) takes on Ned Spears(5-0) of Iron Lock MMA in Big Stone Gap, VA.

The undercard will feature four Gracie Tampa fighters as they make the long trip north to battle their Tennessee counterparts.  Fans will have a chance to meet UFC vet Matt Arroyo, as he will be on hand to corner his students from Florida.  The full card is as follows.

MAIN EVENT

ISKA 145 lb. Title

Casey Kerr(5-0) Cleveland MMA, Cleveland, TN vs. Chris Hall(3-2) IMA, Lebanon, TN

CO-MAIN EVENTS

CBFC Heavyweight Title

Bobby Heck(3-3) Highway MMA, Kingsport, TN vs. Tyrone Jackson(4-3) Mt. Empire MMA, Bristol, VA

155 lbs.  Jesse Grissom(9-0) Team Truth, Cleveland, TN vs. Josh Booher(7-2) Mt. Empire MMA, Bristol, VA

130 lbs.  Len Cook(5-0) Absolute Jiu Jitsu, Bristol, TN vs. Ned Spears(5-0) Iron Lock MMA, Big Stone Gap, VA

UNDERCARD

170 LBS.

Josh Best(1-0) Gracie Tampa, Tampa, FL vs. Greg Taylor(3-3) IMA, Lebanon, TN

Brian Mullins(7-6) Independent, Big Stone Gap, VA vs. Adam Albert(2-2) Evolution MMA, Kingsport, TN

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Danny Ramsey(3-4) Brawler University, Knoxville, TN vs. Shawn Holston(0-1) Master's Studio, Mount Pleasant, SC

David Bell(1-0) Independent, Kingsport, TN vs. Alex Brown(Debut) Independent, Charlottesville, VA

Danil Nitts(1-0) Iron Dragon Martial Arts, Pound, VA vs. Jessee Thomason(1-0) Mt. Empire MMA, Bristol, VA

Rob Horton(Debut) Gracie Tampa, Tampa, FL vs. John Roberts(3-0) Chattanooga Fight Factory, Chattanooga, TN

145-155 LBS

Aalon Cruz(1-0) Gracie Tampa, Tampa, FL vs. Shane Carroll(6-7) Iron Dragon Martial Arts, Pound, VA

Josh Ryan(Debut) Absolute Jiu Jitsu, Bristol, TN vs. Jordan Alvis(0-1) IMA, Lebanon, TN

Devin Rodriguez(Debut) Gracie Tampa, Tampa, FL vs. Garrison Phillips(0-1) Team Gattlin Gun, Johnson City, TN

Mike Anderson(4-2) Mt. Empire MMA, Bristol, VA vs. Matt Keller(1-0) Chattanooga Fight Factory, Chattanooga, TN

185 LBS

Brian Lewis(Debut) Independent, Kingsport, TN vs. Jeremy Tharp(1-0) IMA, Lebanon, TN

CHARLOTTE, NC – Members of the Durham MMA fight team Bull City Brawlers were looking top notch this weekend as they captured victories in the cage at Elite Championship Cage Fighting’s XII match up on Saturday, May 29th at the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo.

D’Juan "Dirty South" Owens (10-5) won a three round fight against Chris Smith (4-3). Owens dominated the first two rounds with superior striking skills and masterful footwork.  In the middle of round three, Owens was rocked by a haymaker from Smith, putting him on the defensive.  Smith tried to choke him out from behind but was unsuccessful.  Owens remained calm, defended the hold attempt and regained control of the position by the end of the round.

Chris "Sugar Bear" Crawford remains undefeated in his last five fights (7-2 total).  Crawford, currently ranked third in the amateur middleweight division, was scheduled to fight Ronny Huitt.  When Huitt cancelled because of the flu, Crawford stepped up and faced last minute replacement Chad Tyler, a light heavyweight.  Despite the difference in weight, Crawford dominated three solid rounds with his ring generalship, accurate punches and thundering leg and body kicks that echoed off the auditorium walls.  Crawford was awarded the "Beast of the Night" trophy from Beast MMA.

About the Bull City Brawlers

The Bull City Brawlers train at Danny Daniels Fitness Studio under the direction of Coach Danny Daniels.  Daniels competed as a professional MMA fighter and trained exclusively with MMA legend Frank Shamrock.  Daniels brings over 25 years of knowledge and experience as a martial arts and fitness instructor to the Bull City Brawlers. 

Contact Info:

Danny Daniels
Danny Daniels Fitness Studio
229 N. Gregson Street
Durham, NC 27701-2015

Phone: 919-699-6711
Email: Danny.Daniels.Fitness@gmail.com
Web: www.DannyDanielsFit.com

In anticipation of tonight’s highly anticipated grudge match I found myself revisiting select fights of both fighters. In doing this a recurring thought once more slipped into my focus, the essence and fostering of sportsmanship within this sport we love. A topic I touched on in another light some time back. What has troubled me, quite deeply, for some time is the flagrant disregard competitors can show for their contemporaries come combat time. Now personally there are few fighters who hold such a special place in my mma heart as Quinton Jackson. There is something polarizing about the man and something even more deeply infectious to boot. However what disturbed a while back and still does on re-runs is just how callous and unsporting his behaviour against Wanderlei Silva at UFC 92 was. Despite referee Lavigne’s attempts to stymie Jacksons assault on a prone Silva there were clearly extra, uncalled for and critically, unnecessary strikes to an already unconscious Silva.

At first I bought into the talk that Jackson was just "amped up" and in the moment however on repeated viewings the unsporting nature of the incident left a very unsavoury after taste. Yes, there was a heated feud leading into the fight that obviously lent itself to the emotional impairment of judgement but in a professional sport that is weaksauce for an excuse. I wonder now, should we see  another savage Jackson hook this evening, will we also be treated to a further display of impetulance? The sad part is that by no means is this the only example of such unsporting conduct, nor is it by any means the most excessive display of unnecessary damage taken by a prone fighter. Another frightening abuse was perpetrated by Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou  at Dream 9 against Jan Nortje. Frankly I found this a disgusting affront to the sport and found it even more disgusting that no penalty was imposed upon Rameau. The fact that an inactive fighter can be fined part of their earnings but a fighter who beats on an opponent after they are required to stop, jeopardizing the prone fighters health, is beyond risible. I find myself disillusioned by the whole incident to be honest, but it is what it is. Unsporting.

Every storyline with a villain must have a hero to balance out the forces of evil. Much the same, for every tool in mma who flaunts unnecessarily with the health of others there are those who have earned my respect with their mercy and ultimately, understanding of the sport. At Strikeforce: Carano vs. Cyborg, Gegard Mousasi earned my undying respect for his restraint and mercy whilst fighting Renato Sobral. Mousasi put it on him and demolished him, crucially though when he realised he had knocked Babalu into unconsciousness he immediately and mercifully stopped the onslaught.

I find this commendable and think that this attitude should be the natural watermark and barometer by which competitors are judged. Similarly at UFC 113 we witnessed Mauricio Rua acknowledge his battery of Lyoto Machida into a neural shutdown by halting it.

What’s most striking to me about both these demonstrations of sportsmanship is the iniative of the fighters. There was a clear indication that they were depending on the referee’s involvement or judgement alone, but were in fact more than willing to use their own faculties to adjudicate on the given situations.  The referee’s job it to police and officiate the contesting of any given bout, however I don’t believe that the responsibility for conduct lies solely in their hands. Such a scenario would leave us with the horrific violation of sporting decency at WEC 42 when Brian Bowles unimaginably savaged Miguel Angel Torres.

There is no way I buy into the mindset that unless the referee stops it, it’s fair game. That may be the rules granted but in my estimation that excuses abominations like above that tarnish the reputation of the sport as a sport and jeopardize its popularization amongst the public at large. No way in any civilized society should conduct like that be allowed and as such fighters need to demonstrate more willingly a respect for their fellow competitors.

These are only a handful of examples, but they highlight and encapsulate the basis and stimuli for my train of thought. I’ll be intrigued to hear what the community outlook is but I for one would like to see this area of the sport get more acknowledgement and policing. Strict punishments need to be indiscriminantly handed down to offenders, even if that means by the athletic commissions if companies are unwilling to shelve unsporting fighters for unsavoury antics. It’s not too much to ask that professional fighters conduct themselves in a professional manner and heed the rules under which they fight. And, on occasions where they are within the rules, decency and respect for ones fellow competitor go a long way. There but for the grace of God go I. Some day the shoe may be on the other foot.

In Part I we looked backwards so it only makes sense to use Part II to look forward and examine the big stories that might be right around the corner. 

Luckily for us, Kevin Iole of Sports Yahoo took some time out of his busy schedule to discuss THE YEAR 3000! Random blog tributes to Coco aside, we do talk about the potential big stories for the next six months. 

You can download the episode here, subscribe to our RSS feed here and check us out on iTunes. The streaming version is below and you can open up a new window to listen here. Send feedback to watchkalibrun@gmail.com or follow us at Twitter @WatchKalibRun.

UFA 1- The Clash at the Coliseum
June 11, 2010
North Charleston Coliseum, South Carolina
website- http://www.ultrafighteramerica.com/

15 Top fights will be on the fight card, they include: Charleston's own David Griffin, MMA Superstar Houston Alexander, Matt Jaggers, Chris McNally, Ryan Farhat, Josh Barnes, Jason Hicks, Jeremy Joles, Joe Jordan, Ryan L'Ameraeux, Jacob Shelton, Justine Kish

 Tickets are available at the Coliseum Ticket Office, www.Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets (including select Publix grocery stores) or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Continue reading this post »

Bull City Brawlers, return to Charlotte for more action in the cage in Elite Championship Cage Fighting’s XII match up on Saturday, May 29th at the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo.

North Carolina native Chris “Sugar Bear” Crawford is undefeated in his last four fights (6-2 total) and currently ranked third in the amateur middleweight division. Crawford is looking to mix strong and aggressive takedowns with high-scoring strikes to keep opponent Ronny Huitt (2-0) on edge. Crawford always brings professional-quality MMA entertainment to the octagon. Huitt, with only two matches under his belt, will need to prevent Crawford from mounting if he wants to make through all three rounds.

Lightweight fighter D’Juan “Dirty South” Owens (9-5) was scheduled to make his first Pay-Per-View appearance last weekend in Fayetteville, NC. However, legal suits against the fight promoters resulted in the cancellation of the event in the eleventh hour. Now fired up and hungry for action, Owens will use his unremitting fight style to take down Chris Smith (4-2). Owens will look to take the fight to Smith with a strong stand-up game and dominating grappling positions. This clash of fight styles is certain to make for a good match. A victory Saturday will give Owens a great finish to his amateur career; Owens plans to enter the professional arena this summer.

The Bull City Brawlers train at Danny Daniels Fitness Studio under the direction of Coach Danny Daniels. Daniels competed as a professional MMA fighter and trained exclusively with MMA legend Frank Shamrock. Daniels brings over 25 years of knowledge and experience as a martial arts and fitness instructor to the Bull City Brawlers.

by Tim Loy  Photos by Mike Koran

Gene Click's Fit Factory Fighting Championships 3 promised fireworks and certainly delivered.  The 10 bout event was held at the Smoky Mountain Convention Center in Pigeon Forge, TN after a last minute school board vote moved the show from it's original home, Sevier County High School.

Even with the late changes, Click still managed to put on a high quality show.  The event was highlighted by three title bouts, the Main Event being Team Oxendine flyweight Bo Oliver(4-1) squaring off against the tough Chuckie Jennings(16-5) for the 125 lb. title.  Oliver immediately took Jennings down and unleashed a barrage of heavy fists to Jennings head and ribs.  Eventually one hit the sweet spot, and momentarily knocked Jennings out, prompted the KO stoppage in the first round. 

The co-main event was without a doubt a candidate for fight of the year in East Tennessee.  The featherweight belt was on the line as 3FC Champion Jason Kilgore(5-1) defended against Team Huskey fighter Nate Davis.  Davis is thought by many to be the top 145 lb. amateur in North Carolina.  This fight was awesome from start to finish, with several sweeps, reversals, and submission attempts from both guys.  Kilgore took the split decision after three hard fought rounds to keep his title.

The final title fight was another three round war for the 155 lb. strap.  Champion Troy Dollar(6-0) of Team Oxendine battled Mt. Empire's Billy Mullins(6-2) for all three rounds.  Dollar kept top control for the majority of the first two rounds and traded blows with Mullins in the third on his way to the Unanimous Decision win.

Full results are as follows.....

155 lbs.  Mike Anderson(Mt. Empire, 3-2) def. Cage Wilber(Team TKO, 1-1) KO RD 1

155 lbs.  Adam Hyde(Pinnacle MMA, 0-1) def. Matt Dotson(Tuco O Tapa, debut) SUB 2:21 RNC RD 1

HVY  Daniel Ramsey(Brawler U., 2-4) def. Jessee Morton(Mt. Empire, debut) SUB Strikes, RD 1

170 lbs.  Steve Thomas(Team Oxendine, 1-2) def. Jason King(Tuco O Tapa, 0-1) Verbal SUB, broken jaw, RD 1

HVY  Jeff Lewis(Fit Factory, debut) def. Lynn Crockett(Knox Independent, 1-0) TKO RD 1

155 lbs.  Chris Dellerba(Iron Clutch, 2-1) def. Josh Booher(Mt. Empire, 7-1) SUB Guillotine RD 1 0:16

155 lb. 3FC Title   Troy Dollar(6-0, Team Oxendine) def. Billy Mullins(Mt. Empire, 6-2) Unanimous Decision

145 lb. 3FC Title   Jason Kilgore(5-1, Pinnacle MMA) def. Nate Davis(Team Huskey, 5-1) Split Decision

125 lb. 3FC Title   Bo Oliver(4-1, Team Oxendine) def. Chuckie Jennings(16-5)

Odds and ends............

Oliver will be a handful for anybody at 125.  Word is he may be getting a crack at a 125 lb. state title next.  Good to see the 3FC showcase the flyweights, as Oliver will be a very good one.

I can't stress enough how awesome the Kilgore vs. Davis bout was!  Just a war.  Davis had a lot of hype coming into the fight, and he showed why.  However, Kilgore also proved why he is one of the best featherweights in the area.

Troy Dollar also was very impressive.  He announced he would be turning pro now.  That leaves the 155 lb. title vacant.  Look for Georgia's Chris Dellerba to be in the title picture, as he beat a very good Josh Booher tonight.

Team Oxendine was 3-0 at the show, making the team 10-0 over the weekend.  You can always count on that team coming ready to fight.

3fc returns for it's next show July 10.  Click promises more fireworks, as he again will bring in the region's top amateurs

IT"S WKR'S 100th PODCAST -- Woo Hoo!!!

In words of Bilbo Baggins, "I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

Confetti, fireworks and the One Ring of Doom aside we have a very special two part podcast this week with two very influential guests. Today we are joined with Josh Gross of Sports Illustrated to take a look back at the past five months and try to take stock of what all has happened in one of the busiest quarters in MMA's young history.

You can download the episode here, subscribe to our RSS feed here and check us out on iTunes. The streaming version is below and you can open up a new window to listen here. Send feedback to watchkalibrun@gmail.com or follow us at Twitter @WatchKalibRun.

Don't forget to check back on Wednesday as we have another very special guest!

 Promoted to frontpage from fanposts by Kelvin Hunt

by Tim Loy  photos by Mike Koran

The Tri-Cities experienced their first taste of pro mma action last night, as Fight Time Promotions presented Pro 1 MMA: Origins.  The event was held at Freedom hall in Johnson City, TN.  The card featured four pro bouts and eight amateur fights.  Results are as follows.....

The night's featured fight was a lightweight battle between Team Oxendine's Dustin "Diablo" Walden and Justin Blouvet of American Pancration.  This bout was dominated by Walden, as he floored Blouvet with a right cross early.  Blouvet survived the initial onslaught, made it back to his feet, and then took Walden down.  It didn't take Walden long to sweep Blouvet and take his back where he began to assault him with blows to the side of the head.  This prompted a referee stoppage at 2:54 of the first round.  Blouvet immediately began to complain that he was hit in the back of the head, but from my angle, all the shots looked clean.  Walden improves his pro record to 5-2, and has really been on a roll as of late.

Continue reading this post »