Ring of Combat III:
Heart and Aggression
By Jim Genia
(June 7th, Morristown, New Jersey) To the tune of over two thousand spectators, promoters Lou Neglia and Ray Longo’s Ring of Combat III gave some top-notch local boys a chance to shine here at the Mennen Sports Arena – and shine they did. Representatives from Team Renzo Gracie, the Serra/Longo Competition Team, Team Tiger Schulmann, Pitt’s Penn and Ultimate Sambo gave it their all. Highlights of the night included:
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| Gabert on top of Rodriguez |
- James Gabert’s heart. As predicted, Rodriguez came to throw down, but with the 185-pound belt on the line it was Gabert’s hand that was eventually raised in victory. At one point, the heavy-handed Rodriguez seemed to have him out, but the "Angry Snowman" held on and soon turned the tide. This was the fight of the night!
- Elvis Garcia’s overwhelming aggression. Coupled with his accurate punches, this was the deciding factor in the 160-pound championship bout. Garcia is the man at 160 pounds!
Results:
Grappling-only
- Mike Wojcik (Team Freedom-147lbs) vs. Chris DiPaolo (Tong Dragon-157lbs)
DiPaulo via unanimous decision after 10 minutes.
- Steve Kim (Team Renzo Gracie-177lbs) vs. Michael Wright (Ultimate Sambo-179lbs)
Kim via triangle choke at 1:46.
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| Drago locks up the armbar |
Pro MMA
- 185-pound Ring of Combat Championship
James "Angry Snowman" Gabert (Team Renzo Gracie-184lbs) vs. Jose Rodriguez (Pitt’s Penn-185lbs)
Gabert via unanimous decision after three rounds. Gabert is the new Ring of Combat 185-pound champ.
- Tom Muller (Team Serra/Longo-205lbs) vs. Eirik Certo (Ultimate Sambo-197lbs)
Muller via rear choke at 2:04 of the round one.
- Jay White (Team Renzo Gracie-242lbs) vs. Eric Shaver (Bellmore Kickboxing Academy-253lbs)
White via ref stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 4:17 of round one.
- Luke Cummo (Team Serra/Longo-175lbs) vs. Dave Tirelli (Team Tiger Schulmann-175lbs)
Cummo via doctor stoppage (due to a cut above Tirelli’s nose) at :46 of round two.
- Pete "Drago" Sell (Team Serra/Longo-187lbs) vs. Derek Johnson (BAMA/Team Endgame-189lbs)
Sell via armbar at 2:03 of the first round. A good showing for Drago. Controversy loomed at the end: the referee stopped the match when Sell got the armbar, giving Sell the fight, but the match was restarted after a discussion between the promoter and the fighters (they restarted in the same position – with Johnson’s arm fully extended). Johnson quickly tapped to the armbar after the fight was restarted and Sell won via submission.
- 160-pound Ring of Combat Championship
Nardu Debra (Team Renzo Gracie/Universal Self-Defense-157lbs) vs. Elvis Garcia (Team Tiger Schulmann-161lbs)
Garcia via referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 1:34 of round one – his aggressiveness was just too much for Debra. Garcia is now the new Ring of Combat 160-pound champ.
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