Full event results with round by round summaries are now posted!

Lee Kelly vs. John Tanturri, 145 lbs

They touch gloves, and Lee starts with a few slow leg kicks. John is hesitant to trade, but does come in to clinch. Lee is able to defend a takedown and throws some punches when they disengage. Lee puts John in a guillotine and works to a submission. John is able to stay in a favorable position and not get submitted. John gets his head out, and the fighters get to standing. Lee misses with a jab and John is able to stun him. John grabs Lee and gets mount after a rolling throw. John gets into half guard, but works a decent guillotine that Lee is able to get out of. John brings up his guard and locks in a textbook triangle, but time runs out of the round.

Lee continues with the leg kicks, and John weathers them. Lee misses with a haymaker and John stings him. John takes advantage of the downed fighter and moves to take the back. John is able to get the mount, and as he’s setting up an armbar, Lee quickly stands. John is comfortable on the feet and throws some punches. Lee jumps guard but does nothing to finish. John lets him up and moves in quickly to clinch. John delivers an unintentional low blow and Lee takes a minute. John catches one of Lee’s kicks and goes down hard. John is finding paydirt with punches of his choice. Lee clinches and throws a few knees as John drives him to the fence. Lee works for a guillotine, and they go to the ground as time expires.

Round 3, Lee swings for the fences with everything, while John maintains his composure. John lets Lee up after he knocks him down and then goes at him with punches and knees. John drops him again and lets him up. Lee is dropped a third time, and finally the ref intercedes.

John Tanturri defeats Lee Kelly by TKO (stoppage), Round 3, 0:49.

Alton Tyner vs. Sam Grosse, 135 lbs

Sam begins with some left-right combos that land decently and follows with the clinch and some knees. Alton maintains his composure and returns knees in the clinch before he lands some punches, and then they disengage. Sam shoots a takedown that Alton stuffs, and the latter immediately locks in a guillotine. Sam works to escape only to have it locked in further.

Alton Tyner defeats Sam Grosse by Submission (guillotine), Round 1, 1:05.

Spanky Woods vs. Jeremy Wallace, 185 lbs

Note: Spanky walks in to “Tom Sawyer” by Rush — BADASS.

Spanky rushes in and takes a shot to get the takedown. Spanky ends up on his back, but, typically, is pretty active there. Jeremy pushes him to the fence and tries to post up for some strikes to the body. Spanky has a pretty active guard and works to destabilize Jeremy. Jeremy escapes to standing and lands a one-two shot that Spanky is able to absorb, going in for the takedown. Spanky works for a single leg, but Jeremy is completely sprawled out. Spanky steps over the leg and is able to get Jeremy’s back. Spanky sinks in the hooks and works for a RNC. Jeremy turns into guard, and Spanky finds an armbar attempt. Jeremy defends until time expires.

The second round begins the same as the first: Spanky rushes in and takes some shots to get the fight to the ground. Jeremy is able to get a superior position, but Spanky is active. Jeremy finds himself in a tough spot and stands. Jeremy and Spanky meet in the center and Spanky gets dropped a few times. The ref basically gives him a standing 8 count, which is weird. Spanky has a tough chin and stands up with seemingly little damage. He works a push kick and some jabs to maintain distance, but gets slammed by Jeremy after one of the exchanges. Jeremy is able to maneuver into mount, but is unable to do anything with it and the time expires.

3rd round: Spanky is less inclined to start by taking shots. He is able to maintain his distance, but still takes some hits and goes to the ground. He turns and shoots a single to get Jeremy down. Spanky is able to wrestle into an over-under position. He moves to take the back and attemptds an armbar; he nearly completes it when Jeremy pulls the arm out. Jeremy jumps right back onto Spanky in side control and rains some punches down on Spanky’s side when time expires.

Jeremy Wallace defeats Spanky Woods by Split Decision.

Mike Gallese vs. Stephan Hullander, 155 lbs

Stephan begins with a superman punch immediately after touching gloves. Mike wants to take it to the ground, but Stephan seems adept at escaping to standing. Stephan works some one-two combos and superman punches to close distance. Stephan uses an arm circle to bring Mike to the ground and work some punches to the ribs. Mike is unable to mount any sort of offense. Stephan prefers to keep it on the feet and stands. The SponsoredFan.com ring pad comes lose and time is called; the promoter himself is fixing it from the outside of the ring.

They time back in, and Mike immediately attacks with punches. Stephan weathers some blows and they stall in the clinch. Both fighters appear tired and trade lazy strikes. Mike throws a body kick that is caught, and he eats a straight right that drops him. Stephan doesn’t take advantage, though, and they get back to standing. Mike is breathing heavily and Stephan works the clinch until time expires.

At the beginning of the 2nd round, Stephan throws a big right with bad intentions. Mike works some hooks and knees and is able to dodge the rights effectively. Mike jumps guard and they go to the ground. Stephan posts up to strike the body but is caught in an armbar.

Mike Gallese defeats Stephan Hullander by Submission (armbar), Round 2, 0:51.

Daniel Norton vs. Dustin McKown, 205 lbs

Note: McKown walks in to “Pants on the Ground (remix)” – that guy from American Idol.

Previous to the round, Dustin’s corner leans over and predicts a knockout. Let’s see what happens.

Daniel has some quick feet and throws some probing jabs when Dustin shoots for a double. Daniel sprawls and maintains his base. They engage in a hook battle, and Dustin is able to get a body lock and subsequent takedown into side control. Dustin gets a leg over and momentarily takes mount. Daniel explodes and turns into Dustin’s guard. Dustin appears pretty gassed, having expended a lot of energy for the takedown. Daniel postures up and escapes to his feet. Dustin wants none of the action on the feet and keeps his knees down while Daniel readies for him to stand. Dustin continues to shoot takedowns but appears pretty gassed, and Daniel catches him with a guillotine.

Daniel Norton defeats Dustin McKown by Submission (guillotine), Round 1, 2:50.

Demitrice Turner vs. William “Bobby” Hallman, 145 lbs

Note: Demetrice walked in to “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. The song did not reach the drum solo, unfortunately.

Hallman shoots a double quickly, but is unable to complete the takedown. Turner has a good sprawl, but Hallman is able to pull a switch, and when Turner turns to meet him, Hallman attempts a guillotine. Turner pulls his head out and gets back to standing, and then Hallman attempts another shot that lands him squarely in Turner’s guillotine. Turner pulls guard and Hallman taps quickly.

Demetrice Turner defeats William “Bobby” Hallman by Submission (guillotine), Round 1, @ 1:05.

Dustin “Diablo” Walden vs. Sean Dyer, 155 lbs

Dustin starts with a snappy leg kick, and Sean moves in to the clinch. Sean misses a throw and gives up his back momentarily. Dustin is unable to capitalize, and they go back to square one. Dustin comes in with some punches, but Sean gets a takedown and works for Dustin’s back, then rolls out for a knee bar, which Dustin avoids. From here, they each work for an ankle lock when Dustin escapes to top position; Sean rolls again and goes for another toe hold. Now Sean gets up and is caught in a triangle, and Sean turns and is able to escape with Dustin still in his guard. They jockey for position some more and Sean is able to get on top; however, Dustin locks in another triangle that puts Sean to sleep before he’s even able to tap.

Dustin “Diablo” Walden defeats Sean Dyer by Submission (triangle choke), Round 1, 3:14.

Harris Norwood vs. Blake Bowman, 155 lbs

Harris keeps his hands pretty open and assesses the standup. Blake throws some head kicks but doesn’t connect. Harris is staying elusive until Blake shoots a double and they go to the ground. Blake works him to the fence and throws some shoulder strikes but is unable to do much damage. Harris has a triangle body lock and controls the wrists. Harris connects with an upkick while Blake is posturing, stunning him severely. Harris jumps up quickly and connects with a combo and subsequent clinched knee that KOs Bowman.

Harris Norwood defeats Blake Bowman by KO, Round 1, 2:15.

Aaron “TEX” Johnson vs. Bernard “Ruffneck” Rutherford, 190 lbs

Ruffneck comes out all smiles and Tex hits him with a pushkick. Ruffneck shoots a double and brings Tex down with a slam. Tex works for an armbar immediately, but Ruffneck escapes. When Ruffneck comes down to attack, Tex locks in another armbar. Ruffneck defends and gets back to standing. The fighters trade punches in the center of the ring, where Tex shoots for a takedown. He is able to get Ruffneck down and get into the mount, posting up for another armbar. Ruffneck pulls the arms out and stacks him. Tex keeps a very active guard and works for a second and a third armbar in the same fashion. The third misses, but he falls back to a triangle and soon secures it. Ruffneck taps.

Aaron “Tex” Johnson defeats Bernard “Ruffneck” Rutherford by Submission (triangle choke), Round 1, 3:01.

Byron Bloodworth vs. John Quieroz, 143 lbs

The fighters size each other up to start. Byron controls the center of the ring and throws a big leg kick. John drops levels with a single and gets a takedown, then moves to half guard. John rains down some blows to the head and Byron is able to get back to full guard. John brings some body shots from the top while in the guard. John is using his leverage to drive Byron to the fence and compress the head and neck. Byron gets his hips out and John is able to get an under-gooch [TM] and body slam him to the mat. John works to pass the guard and gets side control, when Byron gives up his back. John gets both hooks in and works for the RNC from Byron’s back. He drills the ankle into Byron’s midsection repeatedly to loosen him up. John is able to sink the choke in, finally, and Byron taps.

John Quieroz defeats Byron Bloodworth by Submission (RNC), Round 1, 4:02.

That’s all for us at Battle of Rome in Rome, GA. We hope you enjoyed the fights, and we will see you at the next fight here in Southeast fight country.

NextMMAFighter got a chance to talk with Chris Manuel as he makes his final preparations for his fight this Friday with Farhad Sharapov at WFC 8 “Battle in the Bay.” Chris is an explosive fighter with a great record — definitely someone to watch.

NextMMAFighter: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Chris. First tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose American Top Team?

Chris Manuel: My name is Chris Manuel; I’m 21 years old and hail from Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. As far as choosing American Top Team, it was kind of an accident. Lol. When I started training BJJ, I was already training with one of the founders of ATT, so I guess you can say I was born into it. I have no complaints, and it is the best team in the world of course, so where else would I go.

NextMMAFighter: We strive to find the best up-and-coming fighters in MMA. What do you think sets you apart from the rest of the pack?

CM: There is a lot of tough competition in the sport already, and there are more dangerous guys now than there used to be for my weight division. I would have to say that the team I’m in would be the best advantage that I have. There are many high-level training partners that I have access to, and we also have a great deal of coaches that help me improve everyday.

NextMMAFighter: Lately we have seen a lot of guys who think they can fight, getting into MMA because they think they are tough. What do you think is important for guys to know before they train to fight?

CM: Well, the first thing that they should know is that anyone can hit a punching bag, but to fight you have to at least know how to throw a punch correctly. If they are tough, that’s a good start, and they should have no problem getting off the couch to go train and learn something new. If someone who wants to fight can’t do that, then they’re in for a rude awakening because there are no shortcuts to training, or fighting for that matter.

NextMMAFighter: What goals have you set for yourself as a professional fighter?

CM: Right now I’m still young, and although I have accomplished a lot, I still need to experience much more. My goal is to have as many fights as humanly possible — not only in MMA, but I would like to try other fighting careers as well. I want to be a veteran in the fighting sport in general, and of course I eventually would like to be the champion in my division. But first things first, and that’s Farhad Sharapov on Friday night in Tampa Bay.

NextMMAFighter: Many of us would love to visit Japan. Tell us what it was like to get a chance to fight there.

CM: Fighting in Japan for Sengoku was an awesome experience, and I hope that all my peers could get a chance to go and fight there. Japan is also very much the place to be for my weight division, in my opinion. I can’t wait to get a chance to go back there and fight in front of the Japanese fans.

NextMMAFighter: What is the one thing on your mind when you step into the arena as you walk in to a big fight?

CM: In my mind I try to concentrate on the task at hand, and worry about the crowd later. I concentrate on what I have to do and work hard to get the win.

NextMMAFighter : Do you have any idols in Mixed Martial Arts, and if so, who are they?

CM: That’s hard to say. I have always been involved with the sport in one way or another, but I never really saw myself to idolize anyone. I have to many people to chose from, so I don’t know who I would pick.

NextMMAFighter: We appreciate your taking the time to talk to us, and wish you the best of luck on Friday. In closing, is there anyone you would like to thank for helping you get ready for this fight?

CM: No problem and thank you for having me. I would first like to thank American Top Team in general for training me, along with all of my training partners that gave me the tips and knowledge that I needed to prepare for this fight.

Chris will be fighting in WFC : Battle at the Bay this Friday night in Tampa Bay, FL. Tickets are still available for purchase from ticketmaster starting at $25 dollars. We wish Chris luck in his fight and encourage you to check out this show if you are able to make it.

Nicolae Cury is probably the most versatile up-and-comer I’ve seen in the regional promotions I’ve been lucky enough to attend. He’s the total package: striking, physicality, and an excellent ground game. He’s 2-1 with both wins by submission. It’s also worth noting that his first pro fight was a win on Elite XC before Kimbo buried that promotion.

Cury suffered a brutal loss at Art of Fighting 2, where he received a broken nose in the first round yet still managed to go the distance and even press the fight at times. Keep an eye on this guy.