Next MMA Fighter

Here are the round by round summaries with photographs and fighter interviews to follow.

Cageside Report by NextMMAFighter correspondent Danny Marett.

Colby Plant vs. John Puerta
The American Top Team wrestler John Puerta almost immediately shots for the takedown, which was stuffed by Plant. As the fighters tied up, Puerta was able to muscle Plant up against the cage. Plant attempted a single leg trip on Puerta, but, was reversed, and quickly found himself on his back. From Plants half guard, Puerta transitioned into the full mount. Puerta found an opportunity to end the fight and went for a premature armbar, which was perfectly defended by Plant. Plant was able to sneak his arm out and gain side control. Puerta recovered into full guard. As Plant postured up, Puerta slapped on another armbar from the ground. Knowing he was in trouble, Plant made one last attempt to get out by picking Puerta up and slamming him hard to the mat. This proved to be unsuccessful as it leads to Puerta executing the armbar from a better position.

Puerta wins by submission @ 2:00 into Round 1.

Audie Champion vs. Stevie Flannigan
Both fighters came out ready to get this fight over with and almost took the referee out in the process. It was Stevie Flannigan who landed a solid left hook, dropping Champion to the ground. Flannigan moved into side control where he faked an arm triangle choke to gain the full mount. Not feeling to comfortable in this position, Audie champion gave up his back to Flannigan. As Flannigan tries to get both leg hooks in to set up a RNC, Audie scrambles to his back up against the cage. Champion able to walk his back up the cage to a standing position, found himself caught in a standing Guillotine choke by Stevie. Flannigan puts him against the cage and applies pressure on Champions throat for the tapout.

Flannigan wins by Guillotine Choke @ 0:51 in Round 1.

Zenith Milton vs. Robert Neal
Robert Neal showed his striking abilities early with very heavy leg kicks to Milton. One leg kick in particular almost took Milton to the ground and Neal closed in quickly, grabbing Milton in a position to set up a Guillotine Choke. Unable to pull off the choke, Neal pushed Milton up against the cage and proceeded with vicious knees to the gut. After recovering from a knee to the groin, Milton wasted no time sinking two left hooks to the jaw of Neal, which dropped him to his back. In Neal’s guard, Milton landed some punches to the body, but was not active enough and the referee had to stand the fighters up. Round 1 ends with a superman punch from Neal that momentarily stunts Milton.

At the start of Round 2, Neal continues the onslaught of leg kicks. Milton motions to Neal to bring it on. Neal complies, and trades left and right hooks with Milton. Finally in frustration, Milton ties up with Neal pushing him back towards the cage, but is reversed and eats a right uppercut. Neal follows up with a solid right hook sending Milton to the ground. At this point, the referee had seen enough and ended the fight.

Neal wins by TKO 1:36 into Round 2.

Jindriska Skees vs. Brittany Tyner
At the beginning of round 1, Skees came out very aggressive and tried to take Tyner to the ground. Tyner sprawled and stopped the takedown. Quickly, Skees repositioned herself and took Tyner down with a single leg takedown. Once on the ground, Skees mounts Tyner’s back, looking for the RNC. Tyner defends against the RNC perfectly, and rolls into Skees guard. After a series of blows to Skees mid section, Skees attempts an armbar from the bottom. Tyner recognizes it and tries to roll out, but rolls straight into an Omoplata. Skees capitalizes on this mistake and applies the submission.

Skees wins by way of Omoplata submission @ 1:26 in Round 1.

Ashley Coursins vs. Chase Thomas
Coursins tries a takedown, which is stopped by Thomas. Thomas sweeps the leg and ends up in the mount. From here, Thomas controls Coursins elbow, takes a quick look at his fans, and applies a well executed armbar.

Thomas wins by armbar submission @ 0:19 in Round 1

Michael Mintz vs. John Risley
Risley shoots for a takedown directly after a strong leg kick by Mintz. Mintz sprawls straight into a Guillotine attempt by Risley. Risley loses the Guillotine and pulls Mintz down into his guard. Feeling very comfortable on his back, Risley puts Mintz into rubber guard. Controlling the wrist and head of Mintz, Risley easily applies a triangle choke hold on his opponent. Mintz tries to posture up and out of the submission, but it was just too tight.

Risley wins by way of Triangle Choke @ 1:25 in Round 1.

Gerry Tena vs. Travis Lord
Travis Lord begins with two straight rights that land solidly. Tena answers back with a right superman punch. Shots are traded by both fighters, until Lord goes for a leg kick which is caught by Tena. Tena delivers two left hooks while still holding Lord’s foot. Lord regains his foundation and continues trading blows with Tena. Tena sets up a takedown which is stopped by Lord. Eventually, Tena is able to hip toss Lord into backside control. Lord scrambles on to his back. In the up down position, Tena lands leg kicks to Lord. Lord waits patiently for an up kick, but Tena stays out of reach and continues vicious leg kicks to close out round 1.

In the start of round 2, Tena shows his superior striking. Powerful punches and powerful leg kicks overwhelm Lord early. Lord clinches Tena and pushes him up against the cage, but is quickly reversed and finds himself cornered. Lord then tries to take Tena down, but is forced down into backside control. After both fighters try to gain a dominate position on the other, they end up trying to leg lock each other at the same time. Tena recovers to a postured up position and controls the rest of round 2 on the ground.

Tena comes out in round 3 very confident, and continues with powerful leg kicks. Lord was not going to give up easily and connects with a right hook and right uppercut, which stuns Tena. Both fighters fall into each others clinch, and wrestle up against the cage. Tena gains the upper hand and controls Lord on the cage relentlessly punishing him. Lord is able to push Tena off and finishes the round with a single leg takedown.

Immediately, Lord comes out in round 4 with a straight right, and hurts Tena. Tena fights back the onslaught, and Lord gives him time to recover. Tena pushes Lord up against the cage, which proved successful for him in the last round. Lord tries everything to get off the cage, but Tena was just too strong. With the time running down in the round, Tena decided to let Lord off the cage, but gets caught by two winging hooks. Lord mounts an offensive attack, but falls into Tena’s clinch. They eventually break and Lord continues to punish Tena with a flurry of punches that ends the round.

Round 5 begins with Tena taking Lord down to the ground. Pinning him up against the cage, Tena starts pounding Lord with every bit of energy he has left. Lord had to do something, and do something quick if he were going to win. Lord tries for a reverse triangle, which is ineffective, but stops Tena from punishing him further. Tena breaks out of the triangle straight to the full mount position, and continues punishing Lord with punches. Tena saw an opportunity to armbar Lord, but the round ends before it was executed.

Tena wins by decision and retains the ISKA Featherweight Championship.

Sportfight X will be putting on another great night of fights in Atlanta on June 5th. After a successful debut at the Georgia World COngress Center, Sportfight X will return for Sportfight X 3 “Undefeated”. The press release is listed below and tickets are available now.

Redline VPX and Project 9-6-1 partners with SportFight X to present “Undefeated” and the 2010 REDLINE 155 Grand Prix

Atlanta, GA- SportFight X (Xtreme) stepped into Atlanta’s sports scene spotlight when in January of this year, attempted to push Mixed Martial Arts into a new demographic by promoting a show at Woodruff Arts Center’s Symphony Hall. An effort met with bias and prejudice from ASO patrons and the backlash created caused swift cancellation of the event with the signed commitment dropped without any further explanation from ASO officials.

On March 26, SportFight X rebounded in another city landmark, the Georgia World Congress Center’s Thomas Murphy Ballroom. The event dubbed “Beatdown in the Ballroom” nearly sold out its 1,800 seat capacity as spectators piled in to see the 10,000 dollar finals of the Redline Grand Prix and proved (with a few minor adjustments including adding giant projection screens to both sides of the venue) GWCC is a worthy venue and new home for SportFight X.

With recent signing of major sponsors Project 9-6-1 and Redline VPX, SportFight X has announced Saturday June 5th it will bring back the popular professional tournament series with an all-new roster of hungry competitors and a notable variance in the plot. The 2010 Redline 155 Grand Prix will feature eight of the toughest up and coming fighters, hand picked from various regions of the country and all share one common trait, they are all UNDEFEATED!

A few of the high caliber contestants recruited for the tournament thus far are; Eric Kreigermeier out of Chicago, IL an Atlanta native who is a brand new father and holds a 4-0 record. Jacob Allman an all-state wrestler out of Charlotte, NC sports an impressive 8-0 fight resume. Troy Dollar of Tennessee enters the tournament 7-0 and is an expert in Kickboxing and a purple belt Brazilian Jui Jitsui. Randy Pogue of Atlanta has over 25 boxing and kickboxing matches and is also unbeaten in MMA. The rest of the tournament roster will be announced soon.

Headlining the fight card will be Kennesaw entrepreneur and elite mixed martial artist Ethan Garrison, co-owner of Iron Clutch Fitness in Marietta and Roswell. Garrison also undefeated in all of his previous eight fights recently won first place in the world class Pan American Jui Jitsu tournament in California. He will be facing his toughest opponent to date in CT Turner, a vicious pro boxer and high-level Brazilian Jui Jitsu expert out of Tampa, FL.

Also on the card is Georgia’s fastest rising and also undefeated star Dhiego Lima. After quick destruction of a far more experienced opponent in his SportFight X debut in March, the 20-year-old Lima has signed a three-fight deal with the promotion and has goals of a championship run in the near future.

Another anticipated match up is the highly touted Roger “The Leprechaun” Carrol of North Carolina who holds recent notable wins over Georgia standouts Tim Stout and Clint Hester, facing off against the experienced and ever dangerous George Allen of Atlanta. Allen has seen wars with some of MMA’s elite including taking UFC’s Keith Jardine three rounds to a decision.

Byron Bloodworth, Andre Caminera and many others are set to round off what looks to be another outstanding card put together by Southeastern MMA’s Ultimate Proving Ground, SportFight X. Card Subject to change.

Other Sponsors for the event include Brawl Nutrition, Iron Clutch Fitness, MusclePharm, US Airforce, ATL Nightlife, Sponsored Fan Sports Management, Heidari Plank & Associates, Omega Attire, Discount Nutrition, Fitness Depot, O’kelly Promotions and J Skye Events

Tickets for SportFight X 3 “Undefeated” at the Georgia World Congress Center’s Thomas Murphy Ballroom range from $29-$75 and are on sale now at www.sportfightx.com or 877-MMA-TIXX. Doors open at 6:30pm action begins at 7:30pm sharp. For additional information regarding fights, press, group sales, sponsorship or VIP services, please contact William “Soco” Mcalister at soco@sportfightx.com

Saturday night in McDonough GA Sportfight X and Soco Mc Allister will be putting on a stellar night of action for MMA fans in the Atlanta area. For more information visit SportfightX.com and we will see you at the fights.

The current fight card is as follows.

170 lb SportFight X Amateur Championship Title Match

Cameron Smith- Hometown fighter known for his ability to turn any fight into a war he comes equipped with a well rounded arsenal of striking and ground game. Fighting out of Genesis MMA in McDonough (Home of Georgia greats such as Joe Merit and Byron Stone), Smith sports a strong 5-1 record and holds a championship belt from another organization. He will take on Amir Dadovic, his biggest challenge to date.

Hailing from the prestigious American Top Team Atlanta, Amir Dadovic trains with some of the toughest men in Mixed Martial Arts. His trainer Roan “Jucao” Carneiro is a five time UFC vet and his camp is full of rapidly accelerating talent. With a record of 2 and 1 in MMA Dadovic has worked extensively with Brazillian Jui Jitsu black belts and has become quite skilled on the ground. But it his striking ability, undefeated 8-0 in Muay Thai Kickboxing, that causes his opponents to second guess facing off with him in the cage.

Sparks will fly when these two young stars face off at “Showdown on the Southside”

145lb SportFight X Amateur Championship Title Match

TUF MMA in Woodstock, Ga is known to manufacture sharp new talent for the Southeastern fight scene and Gerry Tena, is no exception. With the ability to mix it up effectively while standing and finish the fight with his sharp ground game, Tena is a danger to anyone in his weight class. A with a 5 and 1 record the proof as they say, is in the pudding.

Florida native Jason Valle is comfortable with any direction the fight goes. Skilled in BJJ, background in wrestling and an equally vicious striking attack, Valle takes pride in versatility. Combined that with a never die attitude and it’s easy to see why Jason Valle goes from out of town villain to a crowd favorite in a single fight.

Jarod Burke (Hardcore Gym)
Greg Lawrence (Knuckle Up Douglasville)

Thomas Grenkevicius (Tiger Academy)
Mark Harmon (Team Mutelib)

Taking time out of his ridiculously busy schedule, we spoke with promoter Soco McAllister. This guy is a true fan of MMA and is continuing to bring great fights to the Atlanta area.

NextMMAFighter : Thanks for taking the time out of your schedule to talk with us Soco. How are the final preparations coming together for Sportfight X’s “Beatdown in the Ballroom”?

SportfightX Soco : I am doing an interview at 1:40 AM, but there ain’t no rest for the wicked, right? We are exceeding all expectations brother. Honestly every minute that goes by, I get a little more excited because tickets sales are great and as long as everything goes well at the weigh ins I think we are going to have an amazing show. This is a show with genuine interest built around it.

NextMMAFighter : Tell us a bit about the fighters you have in the cage on Friday Night.

SportfightX Soco : 90% of the fighters on the card have been the main event at other regional shows. I think that alone speaks volumes. I don’t even know where to begin, Diego Saraiva UFC veteran in the co-main event against an up and coming stand out DJ Fuentes from Matt Hughes camp. Warren Thompson, honestly the only way you’re not a fan of Warren is if you’ve never seen him fight. The guy is amazing on his feet yet somehow wins more fights by submission, just one of those mysteries. Byron Bloodworth, another main event guy, talented in any direction the fight goes. Frank Millsap, last three fights of his he’s been the main event, excellent wrestler who loves to stand. Card is just loaded with talent from top to bottom.
All of us are looking forward to the Redline Grand Prix finals.

NextMMAFighter : For anyone who hasn’t been following along, tell us about the $10,000 Redline VPX Grand Prix.

SportfightX Soco : This is the most anticipated cage fighting tournament in Georgia history, you’re not the only one who’s ready for this show to happen. We hand picked eight of the toughest unsigned fighters from around the country and put them in a cage to find the best. We put up a 10,000 dollar grand prize courtesy of REDLINE VPX and said may the best man win. Well we’ve seen some amazing fights from it and these final two guys are one fight away from the big show. Douglas Lima is 22 years old and has 14 victories under his belt, his first fight he needed a permission slip from his mother at the age of 17. He is an example athlete.

Cortez Coleman is from Matt Hughes camp in St. Louis and he is an example of struggle. He comes from a very rough background and honestly he was a last minute filler for this tournament. From the beginning, we didn’t think much of him. Turns out that’s kind of the way the world has treated him since birth and he is a fighter. Coming out here against all the odds and in a city where no one cheered for him, he persevered and he is here in the finals. Check out his video at sportfightx.com and see his training routine. It’s intense.

NextMMAFighter : Aside from the stellar pros you have on the card for Friday night, who are some up and coming amateur fighters you think have a bright future.

SportfightX Soco : We don’t have many amateur fights on the card but one that stands out is Hamza Utelib vs Jeremy Wallace. Hamza is about as dynamic as they come and he is an entertainer. Wallace is a piece of iron who is brutally strong and just loves to fight. They are both solid athletes already and I think that’s going to be a fun one to start the show with.

NextMMAFighter : As one of the premier promoters in the Southeast, what got you into the fight game?

SportfightX Soco : I came from a marketing background and spent years in that industry. I have never missed a UFC since the first one and have always been passionate about this sport. I had always dreamed of being involved with the UFC in some way. A few years back I sold out of my marketing businesses and decided to go where my heart was, and pushed myself into the game. I knew this region had some decent MMA shows but nothing for Atlanta to really call it’s home show. We are building that, by creating outstanding relationships with great companies that are interested in the growth of MMA as a sport and those relationships are going to take our events to the next level.

NextMMAFighter : What separates what you are doing from the rest of the shows of the region?

SportfightX Soco : We are doing things that others aren’t. Our image attracts the right type of people, the right caliber of fighter and a bigger group of sponsors. This isn’t Crazy Bob’s Fight Night, we are building a professional sports organization that the entire family can enjoy and everyone will appreciate that as we grow.
It’s funny the bigger you grow, the more critics you seem to find. Someone said today I should look at things in the fighters perspective, I found it funny as I thought of other shows in the region. Has anyone in Georgia history ever given away 10k in a tournament? Why would they? They could keep that money for themselves. I sometimes wonder if I think too much in the fighter’s perspective. Who knows.

NextMMAFighter : What advice do you have for fighters who are trying to take things to the next level in their careers?

SportfightX Soco : Sacrifices have to be made at some point. You have to find a great team to train with. Period. There are plenty of them, you just have to investigate. I just did a blog on this at www.sportfightx.com. If you have a great team to train with I recommend getting a good management team. A good manager can get your name out, build your web presence, make you look your full potential even if you aren’t there yet. They can help you find sponsors and be the bad guy when you don’t know how (pushing for more money). The best managers are the ones that are always selling their fighters not ones who never return phone calls. They make life easy on you because they are workers and represent your best interest. The team at Sponsoredfan.com and SuckerPunchEnt.com are two that I get daily messages from selling their fighters to me and it’s no coincidence they are 70% of my card this Friday.

NextMMAFighter : As MMA is becoming very popular in the US, grassroots shows are definitely on the rise. Do you think this trend will continue?

SportfightX Soco : Sure. But this is a very, very tough game. I am happy that the Athletic Commission is stepping in to keep the events safe and police things because there are plenty of people looking to jump on and just make a quick buck. Sometimes this happens at the cost of safety and integrity of the sport itself. In my short amount of time, I’ve seen many people try and fail and lose lots of money chasing that quick buck. My advice for those interested in getting involved is finding someone with experience in promoting to guide you, or hire them to consult or to even put the entire show together. I am currently working with companies in other areas put on shows. It will save you the time, the stress and money you could otherwise lose very quickly.

NextMMAFighter : In regards to the Southeast where you do most of your promoting, what’s your assessment on the growth of MMA in this part of the country.

SportfightX Soco : MMA is growing fast everywhere, this region is no different. A new fight gym opens up every month and I see 13 year olds doing amazing things in BJJ tournaments like Lutador Grappling. And the women are getting better and better so there is an evolution in progress at all times. What we are working on is continuing the education of the average fan and giving them the drug of knowledge to hook them on the sport the way we are. They become junkies like me and you, get addicted and someone has to provide their fix, and our fix is the purest.

NextMMAFighter : After what will surely be an amazing show on Friday night, can you tell us about any plans you have for big fights in the next few months?

SportfightX Soco : Yeah man, we are definitely looking at doing another tournament. Bigger and better than this one. We will be bringing championships into the mix. And some super fights. And partnering our show with other big promotions and events to expand the awareness of the sport to other genre’s. We are not going to rely on the die hard fan alone, and let UFC do all the marketing and educating for our sport. We all know they are the kings, but I feel I have a responsibility of holding my own in the growth of the sport, not just tapping into the already existing fans which I very much appreciate and work hard to keep them involved. We also have our amateur series Sin City Fight Club getting back into the mix of things where we are going to be traveling to other regions.

NextMMAFighter : It’s going to be a great fight on Friday and we can’t wait, in closing is there anything else you would like to say to the fans?

SportfightX Soco : We appreciate your support and welcome your feedback at every opportunity. We are not perfect and can’t satisfy everyone, but we grow, become better with every show and with your input will continue to do so. Check out my blog at www.sportfightx.com where I am journaling my experiences as a fight promoter. Also follow me on twitter @SportFightXSoco for latest updates, I like to do contests and fun stuff on there for free tickets to our events and tell insider secrets that I probably shouldn’t. And if you can’t make it to the fight Friday, you can watch it on gofightlive.tv. Or catch the highlights on HDNET’S Inside MMA next Friday. Two guys, One cage, Ten Thousand Dollars…. Sparks are going to fly!