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Wednesday, Jun 28, 2006

Prelude To Cage Fury



Prelude to Cage Fury
By Jim Genia

Cage Fury Fighting Championships — the newest kid on New Jersey’s MMA block — is poised to debut on Friday, June 30th, at Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall, and it brings with it a world of possibilities for fighters and fans alike. Thanks to the sport’s rise in popularity, the Garden State has such long-standing shows as Reality Fighting and Ring of Combat, as well as relative newcomers Combat in the Cage and the Mixed Fighting Championship. So what does promoter Felix Martinez’ Cage Fury bring to the table? Time will tell for sure, but the fight card is stacked with some solid talent. Here’s a look at some of the fighters:

Carmelo Marrero
He’s a heavyweight wrestling powerhouse who seems to bring his own cheering section whenever he fights, but Marrero is more than just a ground-and-pounder. At MFC 6, Marrero displayed some fast scrambles to secure the choke — showing a range of skills that make him dangerous to anyone on the mat.

Nick Cottone
Lightning fast. That’s the best way to describe Cottone. A bantamweight wrestler with accurate hands to go with his clinch skills and takedowns, he’s been on the scene for a while. And he’s gone through his competition like a hot knife through butter.

Marcus Davis
As a cast member of The Ultimate Fighter’s second season, Davis was heralded as having the best hands in the house — something he was never quite able to prove against the superior grapplers. Either way, when the ‘Irish Hand Grenade’ steps into the ring, he comes to bang.

Rick McCoy
An MMA competitor since the early BAMA Fight Night shows, McCoy has got experience — and a win over a green Rich Clementi — on his side. He tapped out to a Nick Serra triangle choke back in 2003, but since then McCoy has been honing his ground skills.

Dan Miller
A Planet Jiu-Jitsu up-and-comer, Miller’s got a nearly flawless submission game to go with his high-speed fight tempo. Tough, and smart as hell in the ring, he represents the latest generation of MMA fighters here on the East Coast.

The card as of 6/28:

Heavyweight Title Fight
Carmelo Marrero vs. Petrus "Buffalo" Walker

Light-Heavyweight Title Fight
Josh Rhodes vs. Wayne Cole

Bantamweight Title Fight
Nick Cottone vs. Matt McCabe

Super Fight
Marcus "The Irish hand Grenade" Davis vs. Doug Gordon

Main Fight Card
Joe Veres vs. Dwayne Shelton – Lightweight
Al Buck vs. Mike Scneck – Lightweight
Brian Vanes vs. Malachy Friedman – Lightweight
Jeff Williamson vs. Rick McCoy – Welterweight
Jason Pittman vs. Bill Bontcue – Welterweight
Rick Ashkar vs. Frank Lowers – Welterweight
Alex Aquino vs. Josh Roseanne- Middleweight
Brian De Muro vs. John Swangler – Middleweight
Dave Perez vs. Dan Miller – Middleweight



"Spider" Silva Venomous in UFN 5 Debut;
Evans Edges Out Bonnar, Koscheck Tops Menne

By Loretta Hunt

LAS VEGAS, June 28 — Scant seconds and two stiff right jabs in to his Ultimate Fight Night 5 headlining bout with Brazilian Anderson Silva, the fiery-haired Chris Leben was in deficit. The standout character of "The Ultimate Fighter’s" first season barreled back at the former Chute Boxe fighter with looping hooks that mostly missed their mark, then Silva answered with a kick and follow-up fists that sent the Team Quest fighter down.

For a stagnant second Leben’s curled torso rocked back, then forward, and between Silva’s shots, his arms outstretched for the Brazilian’s limbs, then anchored his attempt to stand. His wobbly prey in front of him, "the Spider" swung back in with a connecting uppercut and a final knee that sent Leben to the mat once more. Referee "Big" John McCarthy had seen enough, ushering in Silva’s 49-second UFC debut with a resounding sonic boom and an underlying message that world-class competition is not to be trifled with.

Lansing, Michigan wrestler Rashad Evans took the reigns early in what would become a three-round harnessing of TUF 1 runner-up Stephan Bonnar’s better talents. Unable to connect before Evans had him floating through the air and crashing to the ground with a steady succession of painful-looking slams, Bonnar hunted the submission from his back. However, fifteen minutes’ searching came up empty and Evans was given a majority decision, despite judge Dalby Shirley’s efforts to pawn off the TUF 2 champion’s domination as a 29-29 draw.

Erasing a poor performance against Jason Lambert last March at UFC 58, Canadian light heavyweight Rob McDonald showed a swift wrestling aptitude against TUF 3 vet Kristian Rothaermel, and flourished with an airtight armbar from mount when Rothaermel erroneously exited to his side 4:01 into the first.

Try as he might, Cincinnatti’s Jorge Gurgel, a popular veteran of TUF’s second season who fought the show injured, couldn’t crack the confident Mark Hominick’s will to stand and was left little recourse but to trade with the kickboxer. Catching Gurgel’s numerous kick attempts with his hands throughout their three-round interlude, the Canadian swept Gurgel’s other leg and the Brazilian collapsed to the mat. Often congratulating Hominick’s advances in the cage although things got a little "cat and mouse" when Hominick backtracked multiple times from his would-be aggressor, the good natured Gurgel was unceremoniously sent home with the decision loss in the end.

TUF 2’s Luke Cummo shining moment came at the top of round two when he forced opponent Jonathan Goulet to the mat with a charge led by his overhand right and then a connecting knee. Unfortunately for the Long Islander, that would be all he had to offer to the judges, two of which nodded in Canadian Goulet’s direction for his superior out-positioning and ground-and-pound efforts for the duration of the bout

Ultimate Fight Night 5 Results

  • Anderson Silva def. Chris Leben – KO (Knee) 0:49 R1
  • Rashad Evans def. Stephan Bonnar – Majority decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-29)
  • Jonathan Goulet def. Luke Cummo – Majority decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-29)
  • Mark Hominick def. Jorge Gurgel – Unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  • Josh Koscheck def. Dave Menne – Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
  • Jason Lambert def. Branden Lee Hinkle – TKO (Ref stoppage- strikes) 5:00 R1
  • John Fitch def. Thiago Alves – TKO (Ref stoppage- strikes) 4:37 R2
  • Rob McDonald def. Kristian Rothaermel – Submission (Armbar) 4:01 R1
  • Jorge Santiago def. Justin Levens – KO (Kick) 2:13 R1

posted by Full Contact Fighter @ 8:00 pm
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