Monday 15 June 2009

Demarcus Jones to face Scott Jerald

It was today confirmed that new FIGHT! signee Demarcus Jones will tackle 4-0 wrestler, Scott Jerald on July 5th in a light heavyweight bout.

Jones, a skilled BJJ practitioner will have to negate the ground control of Jerald, but this looks to be a match that Team Unleashed member Jones should walk out of with the win.

On the fight announcement, Jerald had the following to say:
I'm happy to get a shot in FIGHT! I've sat out of two shows now - and I don't like twiddling my thumbs. I'm happier smashing a guys face in, and that's exactly what I'm going to do to Jones. He won't be able to handle my ground and pound.

Thursday 11 June 2009

Demarcus Jones joins the LHW ranks

FIGHT! confirmed the signing of Light Heavyweight Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, Demarcus Jones earlier today.

Jones boasts a 4-1 record and fights out of Team Unleashed in Florida. As dangerous on his feet as he is on the ground, Jones should prove a match for anyone on the current roster.

Speaking shortly after his signing was announced, Jones had the following to say.
"I'm very happy that I have a chance to showcase my talent in the cage and I'm looking forward to the first fight."
Jones is expected to be thrown into action at the next scheduled FIGHT! event with Scott Jerald or Graziano Sanchez his likely opponent.

Sunday 7 June 2009

FIGHT! announces next lineup

The Save Mart Center at Fresno State will host the next FIGHT! event on Sunday July 5th. After crowning a middleweight champion at 'Goldrush', all eyes are on the Heavyweights in a co-main event of epic proportions.

Former FURYPRO Heavyweight Champion, the imposing striker Ivan Vyacheslav will make his FIGHT! debut alongside Rodrigo Alvarez, the newest FIGHT! coup. Alvarez boasts an impressive 18-5 record and his dirty boxing may be the key which unlocks Vyacheslav.

Stephen Greer, fresh off of his slumbersome victory over Jamtsangiin Daisetin will face a sterner test by way of Japanese judo-wizard Keijiro Maeda. Although no gold is on the line, expect the winners of these two bouts to clash further down the line.

Jake Morgan also announced that he would be bringing FIGHT! fans a glimpse of the growing female MMA scene in partnership with SPIRIT-FC. Myra Benedict will face Christi Wasilewski in what should be a great fight.

Both women were at the announcement and gave their thoughts, as well as a tense staredown.

Benedict said:
"I lost my last two fights by decision. That doesn't sit well with me. ANY loss doesn't sit well with me. I must bounce back, and this is the perfect time to do it."
Wasilewski said:
"I've been given a very tough opponent for my first fight. But the tougher, the better. I have size, strength, and striking advantages over her. But make no mistake about it, I fully expect this fight between us to be nothing short of a war."
The card also features an explosive clash of aggressive kickboxers as Dutchman Aaldert Daaf takes on the unpredictable Ikaika Boswick. Del Canada will look to put his debut behind him as he tackles Aramis Vasquez and much more besides.

The full lineup is as follows:

Heavyweight Bout
Rodrigo Alvarez [BRA] vs Ivan 'The Terrible' Vyacheslav [RUS]

Heavyweight Bout
Stephen Greer [USA] vs Keijiro Maeda [JPN]

SPIRIT FC SHOWCASE MATCHUP
'Poison Bliss' Myra B [USA] vs 'Lights Out' Christi Wasilewski

Light Heavyweight Bout
Aaldert Daaf [HOL] vs Ikaika Boswick [USA/HAWAII]

Welterweight Bout
Kyle McIntosh [USA] vs William 'The Wookie' Wilson [USA]

Middleweight Bout
Jeremy Brown [USA] vs Richie Eamon [USA]

Lightweight Bout
Del Canada [USA] vs Aramis Vasquez [USA]

Thursday 4 June 2009

FIGHT! Goldrush - Fighter Payouts, Salaries, Bonuses and Suspensions

Details of fighters purses and show bonus's were released today. The breakdown is as follows.

Dane Kinsley - Knockout of the Night - $20,000
Kinsley and Kowashi - Fight of the Night - $20,000
Submission of the Night unavailable due to no submission finishes

Dane 'Banger' Kinsley - $72,000 [$16,000 to show, $16,000 to win, $20,000 FotN bonus, $20,000 KOotN bonus]
Chizuko Kowashi - $30,000 [$10,000 to show, $20,000 FotN bonus]
Dane Kinsley defeated Chizuko Kowashi via KO [Headkick]

Stephen Greer - $50,000 [$25,000 to show, $25,000 to win]
Jamtsangiin Daisetin - $9000
Stephen Greer defeated Jamtsanglin Daisetin via Split Decision

Julius Rembrandt - $28,000 [$14,000 to show, $14,000 to win]
Kyle McIntosh - $9000
Julius Rembrandt defeated Kyle McIntosh via KO [Punch]

Jeremy Brown - $16,000 [$8000 to show, $8000 to win]
Damian Cruise - $8000
Jeremy Brown defeated Damian Cruise via Doctor Stoppage

William Wilson - $14,000 [ $7000 to show, $7000 to win]
Jason Mercer - $22,000
William Wilson defeated Jason Mercer via TKO

Rahm Petersen - $8,000 [$4000 to show, $4000 to win]
Del Canada - $11,000
Rahm Patersen defeated Del Canada via Unanimous Decision

The NSAC also issued the following medical suspensions
Damian Cruise until July 8 with no contact until June 23 due to several lacerations.

FIGHT! Goldrush - After Show Press Conference

Following FIGHT! ‘Goldrush’ the winners and losers attended an after event press conference alongside Jake Morgan.

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DANE KINSLEY
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Newly crowned Middleweight Champion Dane Kinsley was the centre of attention as expected. The deadly striker was the firm favorite to leave with the gold ahead of the show, but he spent much of the fight on the defensive and only some lenient refereeing stopped Chizuko Kowashi taking the prize.

Q: “What do you think of your opponent tonight, Chizuko Kowashi?”
"Epic, man. That guy is strong, very strong. I don't know how long I would have lasted against him, but I'm sure it wouldn't have been much longer since I couldn't stop his takedowns."
Q: “How do you feel about picking up the win?”
"I sure don't feel like I won, you know? Kowashi took a nap, my hand was raised, and I got the belt, but Kowashi whooped me for sure. I'm glad that I got that opening when I did though."
Q: “And the knockout?”
"I knew going in that I could knock him out, because that's how I feel every fight. So it was just a matter of staying on my feet and doing what I do."
Q: “And what do you think the future holds for you as the Middleweight champion?”
"Striker, wrestler, boxer, brawler, whatever, man. Bring it on. Just 'cause I'm champ doesn't mean I'm gonna start duckin' anybody."
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STEPHEN GREER
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Heavyweight Stephen Greer had a difficult FIGHT! Debut but managed to sneak out a decision victory over his Mongolian opponent.

Q: "How do you feel you fought tonight?"
"I think I fought well. I felt strong, my striking was tight and he didn't have me in any danger. At one point the ref was telling me he was going to stop the show, but I was fine. I smiled and quickly flipped Daisetin over and gave him a few knocks to think about. Was it a perfect fight? Hell no, I should have KO'd him in the second, no doubt, but there's always next time. I got the win, got over that hump and it's all up from here."
Q: "Speaking of the decision, many would say that although you clearly outscored Daisetin during the second round, the first and third rounds could easily have gone to your opponent. Any thoughts on that?"
"You can SAY whatever you want, the fact is that the judges saw the fight my way. He couldn't control me, I stuffed several of his takedowns and I waged war on his face with the striking. I guess from the uneducated point of view, the big slam in the third looked impressive, but what did he do with it? I've been thrown into bed harder than that and believe me, they didn't just lay there on top of me afterward."
Q: "What's next for you in FIGHT!?"
"I'm heading out to do some celebrating and then back to the gym. I figure Oleg Maksimov and I are on a collision course, whether it's for the belt or not, doesn't matter. We'll see how everything unravels in the next few days and go from there."
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RAHM PETERSEN
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Jiu-Jitsu prodigy Rahm Petersen moved to 2-0 in his career with a second consecutive decision victory over the very experienced Del Canada. Although the fight itself didn’t set many pulses racing, Petersen is already starting to make his mark in the Lightweight division.

Q: “How do you feel your second FIGHT! MMA bout went?”
“Honestly, I’m fine with it. For all the game that I talk, you have to remember that this is still only my second MMA fight. I’m trying my hardest to finish my fights. I don’t know if the two guys who I’ve come up against have just been unfinishable, or if it’s all on my end, but I feel like I should have finished both Vasquez and Canada.”
Q: “Will you change your game plan for your next fight?”
“I don’t think there’s much I could change. Can you deny that it’s an effective style? No one can shake my takedowns, and when I get to the ground I maintain positional dominace. I’ve been working on peppering in some ground and pound, but there’s no doubt that my striking is still subpar. That being said…maybe FIGHT! will find an aggressive striker with good takedown defense to pair me with? Jake Morgan is will have to force my hand if he wants a different performance out of me.”
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WILLIAM WILSON
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‘The Wookie’ took one giant leap up the Welterweight division with a shock victory over highly regarded Jason Mercer.

Q: “How do you feel following your victory?”
“I had a lot of people doubting me. Nobody thought I could beat a guy like Jason. He’s a tough guy, no doubt about it. I had to hit him hard. Real hard but he hung in there for nearly fifteen minutes with my fist breaking his face. I knew I was winning that fight though. I broke him in the first twenty seconds. He wilted under me pressure, it was just a matter of time.”
Q: “What’s your next step?”
“I’m going to make sure that I’m in line for a shot at the Welterweight title. Beating Mercer has put me right up there. I liked watching Rembrandt, but I’ll take anyone.”