Recently in Philadelphia Category

Found out about this through the Migliarese brothers, who run Balance Studios in Philadelphia. It's a new MMA promotion operating out of Philly that has its first event tentatively scheduled for February 27, location and fights to be announced at a later date.

MATRIX PROMOTIONS MISSION STATEMENT

Our mission is to promote the most electrifying showcase of mixed martial arts. Our promotion will be born in Philadelphia and eventually reach the world. Our elite MMA fighters from around the globe will entertain local professionals and fight aficionados.

Click here for the web site, if you want to fight for the promotion, or just receive updates.

Go to the next page to read about who is involved in Matrix Fights.

Here's a highlight video of Philly's Eddie Alvarez, the reigning Bellator lightweight champ, made by Jerod Phillips, owner of Tap or Sleep, a Hanover-based mma clothing company.

Just found out about this recently. never been, but I guess it's been going on for a few years now. Looking at the Web site, Imight have to go this time.

What's there? What's not there - MMA fighters like Sean Sherk, Shonie Carter, Cung Le nad Kim Couture, MMA hotties, a jiujitsu tournament, plus tons of demos, exhibits and seminars.

Check out the Web site here.

Bout Sheet
(subject to change)
John Michael Holland vs. Mike Serrano
Dave Rose vs. Jim Dewar
Ben Tichy vs. Mike Marlow
Robert Bilardo vs. TBD TBD
Jeremy Reed vs. Andrew Arroyo
Jamal McKellar vs. Christian DeHaas
Nah-Shon Burrell vs. Jason Harmon
Carlos Brooks vs. Mike Johnson
Travis Lerchen vs. James Garzillo
Larry Byrnes vs. Claudio Ledesma
Mervin Rodriguez vs. Steve McCabe

To see the fights for free via streaming, tune in this Saturday to Go Fight Live at 8 p.m.

Respect Is Earned has had two successful events in Pennsylvania, Brotherly Love Brawl and Philly Biker Brawl, both in the village of Oaks, near Philadelphia. The organization's Web site recently added several of the fights from the Philly Biker Brawl. See them here. No word yet on when the next RIE event will take place.

Another win for Philadelphia's Eddie Alvarez, and a hard-fought one, as he had his neck twisted into a pretzel with a standing crucifix.

James Garzillo 0-0 160 lbs. 0-1 Hector Pacheco
Tiger Schulmann's PRO NAC MMA

Brendan Barrett 3-4 215 lbs. 2-5 Randy Durrant
Brutal MMA PRO Abdali International

Adam Searon 0-0 185 lbs. 2-2 Louis Pascavag
LA Boxing/Rhino Fight Team PRO Team KOA / Cordo Urso Militech AC

Craig Alexander 5-2 155 lbs. 1-1 Randy Dunn
Tiger Schlumann's REMATCH! Hurricane MMA

Boetsch punches.

Can Schoenauer take it and then dish it out? Nah, I say The Barbarian skewers him.

As I've blogged about before, Sunbury's Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch was cut from the UFC (and specifically it's ultra-competitive LHW division) after a 2-2 record there. He's already won a main event bout with King of the Cage and now is scheduled to fight Alex Schoenauer at the upcoming Respect Is Earned event.

This is the inside of The Arena, just imagine there's a cage there instead of a ring.

Jerod said overall, the event was cool, although the fights were reduced from 11 to 7, for unforeseen circumstances. The Arena, Jerod said, is like a big, stuffy, sweaty warehouse. I remember hearing about ECW fans talking about hot it would get in there and what a great experience it was - it seems to add to the gritty, primal nature of fighting, whether it be real or choreographed.

"The crowd was really into it, it was loud," he said.

Jerod also said the main event between Dutin Pague, who beat Biff at the Respect Is Earned event and Jeff Lentz was an all-out war.,

"Dutin got beat up - Lentz is crazy with his strikes, unorthodox," Jerod said. "It was a hell of a fight."

Jeff Lentz

Talked with Jerod Phillips of Tap or Sleep fightwear, who attended last night's The Arena Assault at The Arean in Philadelphia. Phillips, who was there to support Hanover Academy of MMA's Jay Haas, said Jay lost in the second round by guillotine.

But, Jerod said it was evident that Jay's ground game had greatly improved.
"He did fine in the first round; he had some big takedowns," Jerod said. "He wrestled good; that's been somehting that had been missing from his game."

In the second round, Jay scored another big takedown, but, unfortunately, "He kind of got himself in a guillotine," Jerod said.

The way I see it, Jay's only gonna get better, and probably quickly. He's been working regularly with BJJ purple belt George McGinnis of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy and Jerod talked about getting Biff Walizer (local York pro and All-American) to train with Jay some more (the two have trained at George's place before).

Click here to register.

Word around the cage was that Big Dan was going to ref at UFC 101 in Philly but had never done any reffing in the state, so to get sanctioned, he did all the fights at CPWC II on July 28. From Mark Jovich's myspace. And head over to warriorchallenge.info to buy tickets for CPWC III on Oct. 23 in Lancaster.

Just talked with Jerod Phillips, owner of Tap or Sleep fightwear, an MMA clothing company out of Hanover. He's on his way to Philadelphia for Arena Assault 1 to support one of his sponsored fighters, Jay Haas, who fights out of Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts. Jerod said Jay, accompanied by trainer Bob Bitner, weighed in this morning. Jerod's traveling with Ryan Harder, another great fighter out of Hanover, and George McGinnis of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy, Jay's BJJ coach, is following them, just to give you the whole scenario.

Best of luck to Jay from MMA Explosion. I'll hopefully have an update on the fight later tonight.

Tomorrow night - Friday - Philly plays host once again to MMA, this time at The Arena. There's a lot of local fighters on the card, including Jay Haas, who trains at Hanover Academy of MMA, and who fought on the first two Warrior Challenge events.

Click here to buy tickets.

Pro fights:
Dustin Pague (Hulstine Athletics)vs. Jeff Lentz (Rhino MMA)

Jay Haas (Hanover MMA) vs. Doug Anderson (Rhino MMA)

Jeff Smith (Blackman MMA) vs.Andy Main (AMA Fight Club)

From Sherdog.com message board member Adouble27:
"the philly media is covering the s--- out of UFC 101..its everywhere down here. This is arguably the biggest boxing town in the world and finally bigtime fights are coming back. I heard this will be the most widely watched sports event in the history of PA. This is what MMA needs. East coast mainstream media exposure.....Wait till you hear the fans tonight. They will be CHEERING louder than anywhere you've ever heard......UFC in Phiily is HUGE for MMA. DOnt be scared..come to south Philly and you'll have a blast...just leave your cowboys jersey at home."

CPWC II Highlights:

Sadollah, the winner of TUF 7, is fighting Johny Hendricks at UFC 101 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia on Aug. 8.

No Holds Barred: Eddie Alvarez, Bellator Lightweight Champion

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with one
of the most exciting and versatile fighters in mixed martial arts, and
the new Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion, Eddie
Alvarez (http://www.alvarezfight.com/).

We had a chance Wednesday afternoon to conduct a lengthy telephone
interview with Eddie Alvarez about his life, his career, and his
family. We discussed the importance of his family to him, how and why
he got involved with mixed martial arts, and how his upbringing in
Philadelphia has affected his fighting career. We discussed his
victory in the eight-man tournament to capture the Bellator Fighting
Championships lightweight title, winning all his fights with
submissions, over Toby Imada, Eric Reynolds, and Greg Loughran. We
analyzed his style, which effectively combines boxing, wrestling, jiu-
jitsu, and muay Thai. We discussed his fights last year in the Dream
organization in Japan against Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and
Shinya Aoki. And we talked about his plans to fight in the future for
the Bellator Fighting Championships after taking a very well-deserved
rest.

You can play or download No Holds Barred at
http://nhbnews.podOmatic.com/entry/2009-07-01T22_05_40-07_00.

You can also download No Holds Barred at http://www.mediafire.com/?dtmxozmgfzz

from mmajunkie.com:
Any doubts about the ability to draw big crowds in the Northeast will be put to rest at UFC 101.

The Aug. 8 event, set for the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, has already resulted in nearly 14,000 tickets sold and more than $3 million in sales.

UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner discussed the success of the show, headlined by UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn vs. top contender Kenny Florian, with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Wednesday.

The state of Pennsylvania only recently began regulating mixed martial arts, but Ratner said UFC 101 has already shattered long-standing boxing records in The Keystone State.

"We put tickets on sale, I believe sometime at the end of April or early May, and we've sold almost 14,000 tickets," Ratner said. "It's the biggest event in Pennsylvania history, as far as a live gate, already."

Earl is from Team Balance, run by the Migliarese brothers in Philadelphia. This was at Dover's Good Fight on Jan. 24.

Phil and Ricardo Migliarese, Relson Gracie black belts.

A while back, I made a post about an event at The Blue Horizon in Philadelphia on June 11 called Broad Street Brawlers, put on by Valley Fight League in West Virginia.

Today I checked the Pa. State Athletic Commission's Web site, but couldn't find any results on the show. I emailed Greg Sirb, the commission's executive director, and he emailed back: "Event was cancelled."

I check the Blue Horizon Web site, which had a statement:"THE MIXED MARTIAL ARTS EVENT PREVIOUSLY SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 11, 2009 HAS BEEN POSTPONED."

And finally, VFL's Web site: "NOTE: Due to matters out of our control, this show will be rescheduled for a later date. Keep posted to the site for the new date. Thank You for your understanding."

So, I really don't know what caused the event to be canceled. But, the good news is, promoter Lionell "L-Train" Royer has another Valley Fight League event scheduled for July 24 in Altoona:

This one features Carlton Haselrig, who fought recently in Johnstown

Competitors looking to fight on the card can contact these folks: Tara Galvin, 215-493-1560; 508-725-1001 or email: tara@extremeforce.tv

Anthony Colantuono, 267-580-5109, or email: avc79@comcast.net

Mark Jovich, 717-250-8841, or email: jovichm@msn.com

The line-up:
B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin
Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks
Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellgrino
Shane Nelson vs. Aaron Riley
Tmadan McCrory vs. John Howard
Thales leites vs. Alessio Sakara
Matt Riddle vs. Dan Cramer
George Sotiropolous vs. Rob Emerson
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort

For tickets, click here.

Thanks to sherdog.com:
Thales Leites now understands how Jon Fitch felt.

One fight removed from a main event, Leites will creep onto the undercard at UFC 101 "Declaration" when he meets American Top Team's Alessio Sakara on Aug. 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. The UFC made the middleweight matchup official on Sunday.

Leites (14-2) last appeared at UFC 97 in April, when he dropped a unanimous decision in a lackluster bout with middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Though Silva bore the brunt of public criticism, Leites performance apparently did him no favors with UFC management.

I called up Greg Sirb, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, this afternoon, with several questions on my mind:

- The UFC traditionally has weigh-ins the day before their events. A by-product of this is that fighters are able to "diet-down" i.e., come in as shredded as they can, hit the maximum weight allowed in their weight class on the mark, and then gain back 10-15 pounds of water weight before their respective fights.

As you probably know, the UFC has announced that UFC 101 will be held at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia on Aug. 8. I asked Sirb - because as I understand it, the state athlectic commission has same day weigh-ins - what would be done in the UFC's case.

"We're going to be discussing that over the next week or two," he said, referring to the himself and the state athletic commission.

On MMA in Pennsylvania in general, Sirb said things are ging great, with no major problems after several shows. Iron Will Fighting, an event that was held in Johnstown recently, drew 3,400 attendees. Respect is Earned's first event, held in Oaks (just outside Philly) had 1,200 spectators, Sirb said.

The next event, this weekend in Reading, Pain on Penn Street, is an MMA-boxing event. When Ia sked what he thought of hybrid events, Sirb said, "We'll see, it might work." I said asked him if he thought, as others have said, that boxing is trying to bring itself up by catching on to MMA's popularity, he said, "Not at all, I think they can both coexist."

Tom and I talk about all things MMA in Pennsylvania.

from mmajunkie.com:
While an anticipated main event between UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn and challenger Kenny Florian has not yet been made official, seven other bouts were announced by the organization today.

In addition to several previously reported matchups, the UFC also announced a middleweight contest between Ricardo Almeida (10-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) vs. Kendall Grove (10-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC), and a lightweight showdown between Rob Emerson (8-7 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and George Sotiropoulus (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC.

UFC 101 takes place Aug. 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

Biff Walizer, Jerod Phillips, and Charlie "The Spaniard" Brenneman

Jerod Phillips, owner of Hanover-based Tap or Sleep fightwear, was at the Respect Is Earned event last night in Oaks, Pa. (near Philly).

As I reported yesterday, Biff Walizer lost in the third round - after a war of a fight - by RNC to Dustin Pague. Two other members LionHeart Fighters had fights there as well: Paul Bradley lost by unanimous decision to Mike Pierce and Dave Sachs won in the third round over Jacob Kirwan by tapout to a rear-naked choke, according to the Pa. State Athletic Commission.

Dave Sachs stands center, joined by two unknown dudes on the left, Jerod Phillips with the Freddie Roach-style glasses and Dave Klick from Cage of Chaos on the far right.

Jon Anik & Co. talk about quadraplegic Kyle Maynard's MMA debut and the upcoming Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin fight at UFC 101.

Just got a call from Jerod Phillips of Hanover-based Tap or Sleep fightwear, who is in Oaks, Pa., just outside Philadelphia, for the state's second MMA event - and the first all-pro event - since the sport was legalized.

The event is called Respect Is Earned, a new relatively new, but seeminly well-financed promotion that has also held events in the western part of the country.

When Jerod and I spoke, he had just wrapped Biff Walizer's hands. He said Biff's fight is third on the card, so it shoudl be over while the night si still young, and I'll have the info. up here as soon as I get it from Jerod.

Besides Walizer, there are two other LionHeart Fighters fighters - Dave Sachs being one, and in the main event, Paul Bradley.

by Thomas Gerbasi, ufc.com:
UFC is coming to Philadelphia for the first time on Saturday, August 8th, and its bringing the big guns for UFC 101, as BJ Penn defends his UFC lightweight crown for the second time against number one contender Kenny Florian, and UFC middleweight boss Anderson Silva jumps back to the 205-pound weight class to take on former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin.

Tickets for UFC 101, which will take place at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center, will go on sale shortly. Stay tuned for further details.

Dana White talks with Steve Cofield about the debacle that was UFC 97's main event. Which leads to this gem from sherdog:

Anderson Silva will meet Forrest Griffin in a light heavyweight co-main event at UFC 101 on Aug. 8 at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia.

MMABay.com was the first Web site to report the matchup Tuesday. UFC President Dana White confirmed the bout with Yahoo Sports shortly after.

An email I received from Chad Dubin, head honcho at LionHeart Fighters in State College:

George Mason Univeristy, The Patriot Center - Fairfax, VA Saturday April 25th - The Ultimate Warrior Challenge "Capital Punishment"

Phil Davis v. Terry Cohens
George Mason University, the Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA
The biggest MMA event in the Mid Atlantic Region (last show had over 6,000 fans!)
Tickets and Fight Details: www.uwcmma.com

Philadelphia - Thursday, April 30th - RIE-MMA "Brotherly Love Brawl: The Beginning"
*Featuring 3 LionHeart Fighters - Paul Bradley, Biff Walizer and Dave "King" Sachs.

Two more fights have been added to UFC 101, which is all but confirmed for Philadelphia on August 8. They are:

Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks

John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory

Here's what mmajunkie has so far for the card:

Location: Philadelphia
Venue: Wachovia Center
Broadcast: Pay per view

Champ B.J. Penn vs. Kenny Florian (for UFC lightweight title)*
Forrest Griffin vs. Thiago Silva
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellgrino*
Matt Hamill vs. Brandon Vera*
Rousimar Palhares vs. Alessio Sakara*
Johny Hendricks vs. Amir Sadollah*
John Howard vs. Tamdan McCrory*
Dan Cramer vs. Matthew Riddle*
Jesse Lennox vs. Danillo Villefort*
* - Not officially announced

I've got a feeling you're going to be hearing a lot more about this promotion - R.I.E., aka, Respect Is Earned - they are putting on an event just outside Philly later this month - so here's a little intro from their Web site.

Owner and founder of Respect Is Earned, LLC, David Dussault, has developed a successful social-networking business team of 23,000+ who, since 1999, has led the market in health and sports nutrition. Along with developing his business, Dussault is well experienced in the VIP/Event hosting industry, co-hosting events upwards of 8,000 attendees. His success in both industries has made Dussault financial independent, and he has been a multimillionaire since the age of 29. With his proven success in building solid businesses, these numbers will only continue to grow in the future.

from sherdog.com:
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. -- It was a rocky start for Eddie Alvarez, but the heavy favorite eventually breezed past Greg Loughran with a first-round guillotine choke in 2:44 at Bellator Fighting Championships 1 inside the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Unaware of his underdog status, Loughran had no problem standing in front of Alvarez and used his reach advantage to clip the Philadelphia Fight Factory star and drop him to his knees. Alvarez composed himself quickly and dropped levels, shooting in for a double-leg to get Loughran down. Alvarez found the guillotine from there, sealing his slot in the next round of the lightweight tournament.

The tourney's other blue-chip prospect, Jorge Masvidal, also advanced with relative ease. Although a strong wrestler, seasoned opponent Nick Agallar chose to circle and trade with the sharp American Top Team striker for the opening minute. Masvidal floored Agallar early and wasted no time pouncing on him. Agallar made no attempt to get back to his feet or recover guard, leaving referee Troy Waugh no choice but stop the bout at 1:19.

I mentioned yesterday that besides the Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge, Greg Sirb mentioned two additional MMA events in Pennsylvania: one in Oaks, the other in Johnstown. Well, the one in Oaks is being promoted by a group known as Respect-Is-Earned, and near the top of the card we'll see State College MMA academy LionHeart Fighters' Paul Bradley in action.

The event, since it's being staged just outside Philadelphia, is being called "Brotherly Love Brawl ... The Beginning." It takes place on April 30 at 7:30PM at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, 100 Station Avenue, Oaks. Click here to order tickets.

Bradley is undefeated at 10-0 and recently dropped from middleweight to welterweight. His last fight was a split decision, fight-of-the-night slugfest against Team Quest's Nathan Coy at WCA Pure Combat in February.

Paul Bradley

A light heavyweight bout between Forrest Griffin (16-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) and Thiago Silva (13-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC), first reported by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), and the long-awaited return of Amir Sadollah (1-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) are both official for UFC 101.

Former "TUF" champions Griffin and Sadollah announced the bouts during the airing of the debut episode of "The Ultimate Fighter: U.S. vs. U.K."

The pair also confirmed UFC 101's Aug. 8 date in Philadelphia.

Binky Jones, Jerod Phillips and Biff Walizer.

Bad nights happen in MMA. Jerod Phillips, owner of York-based MMA clothing company Tap or Sleep knows it, but that doesn't make it any easier.

Case in point was last weekend's Extreme Challenge: Mayhem at the Marina in Atlantic City. York County's Biff Walizer, who is sponsored by Tap or Sleep, fought at 155 pounds, losing in the second round to Kevin Roddy by triangle.

"Biff controlled the fight in the first round," Phillips said. "Biff cut him. ... He landed the better strikes on the feet."

But by the end of the first, Phillips said he could tell Walizer was winded. During the break, Walizer asked Phillips to shake out one of his arms, which had been caught in a tight armbar during the round.

In the second round, Walizer shot in for a single-leg takedown, but it was negated by Roddy, who then punished Walizer with strikes before submitting him.

"If he would have had cardio, that would've kept him on his feet for the second and third rounds," Philips said of Walizer.

Walizer, who trains at LionHeart in state College, teaches at Red Lion Area High School and coaches the school's varsity wreslting team. But now that the season is over, it's Phillips' hope that Walizer can concentrate on his cardio. And he won't have too long - his next fight is at the Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge, the state's first MMA event, to be held at Wisehaven in York Township on April 19.

Also that night, new Tap or Sleep-sponsored middleweight fighter Mike Johnson, who fights out of Philadelphia's Fight Factory, lost to Jay Silva by TKO/referee stoppage from strikes in the second round, Phillips said.

In addition, Matt Kocher, who is the strength and conditioning coach at LionHeart, lost by rear-naked choke to Troy Maxwell in the second round of their welterweight fight.

So it was a bad night, but Phillips is looking ahead to the Warrior Challenge, where he'll have sponsored fighters and a table to sell his

merch.

UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn is set to defend his lightweight title against number one contender Kenny Florian. The newly agreed upon match is set to Headline UFC 101 in Philadelphia, PA on August 8th 2009.

The Challenger, Kenny "Kenflo" Florian, is currently riding a six fight win streak inside the octagon. Most recently dispatching Joe Stevenson via RNC in round 1 at UFC 91. Florian has made it no secret that he desires his second shot at the lightweight title. Most recently stating on ESPNS MMA Live,

"At the end of the day, I just want this fight to be signed. Let's get an event, let's get a date, and let's make it happen."

The Champion, BJ "The Prodigy" Penn, has not been down to lightweight to defend his title since UFC 84, in May of 2008, when he beat Sean Sherk via TKO at the end of the third round. When I asked BJ about the upcoming bout he simply said,

"I look forward to the challenge."

According to our sources here within Team Penn, Florian has already signed the bout agreement for this fight. As for BJ, we received the bout agreement this afternoon and plan on making this fight happen.

from themmafiend.com:
Over on The Underground UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta was answering some questions about the UFC's plans for later this year, and he gave us some interesting information.

1- UFC 101 will be in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 8th with BJ Penn vs Kenny Florian possible for the Main Event.
2- UFC 102 will be in Portland, Oregon on August 29th at the Rose Garden with Randy Couture vs Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira as the main event.

3- They are looking into holding an event on St. Paddy's next year possibly in Dublin, Ireland or Boston, Massachusetts.

4- Says France is a long term investment, but that they have already seen success with their first show on RTL9 (which broadcasts out of Belgium into 13M French homes) being the second highest rated show for the night in the country. Says they love Cheick Kongo over there.

5- Says the UFC is working on getting into Brazil, but it looks like they will make it into Australia first.

6- The ramp will not be making a comeback to the UFC.

7- Has never met Fedor, but he'd like to. Says Fedor is intriguing to say the least, but has been built up way too much, and that he needs to come to the UFC and fight Lesnar, Mir, Carwin etc for us to truly know the answer.

8- Says Detroit wants the UFC. They are trying to work out a date with Motor City/MGM.

9- Japan is impossible to deal with. UFC in Japan will probably never happen.

It used to be the ECW Arena, or the New Alhambra, or the Viking Hall. They all refer to the sports auditorium at 7 Ritner St. in South Philly.

Now it's called simply, "The Arena," and along with the new name comes news that it will most likely host MMA events in the future:

An excerpt from The Philadelphia Daily News, 1/29:
"In addition to a health club that will take over the space formerly occupied by the Joe Hand Boxing Gym, The Arena will continue to host televised monthly wrestling cards under the aegis of Combat Zone Wrestling (the next show is March 1), mixed martials arts (MMA is expected to be approved by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission sometime within the next 90 days) and the Eastern Pennsylvania Golden Gloves tournament, for novice and Junior Olympic boxers, on April 18.

Tom and I talk about Lyoto-Evans and the upcoming Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge

I spoke with Greg Sirb, executive director of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission, on Tuesday, and he told me about some major events that could be happening in the Keystone State this year, now that MMA is legal.

Possibility number one is that Bellator Fighting Championships, a series of events to be shown on ESPN Deportes, will stage an event at the Bryce Jordan Center on April 24, to be broadcasted the next day.

Possibility number two is that the UFC will hold an event somwhere in the state, although Dana White has said Philly, before the end of the year. Sirb told me yesterday it could be Philly, or it could be Pittsburgh.

As with these and any other events, "We haven't scheduled anything yet," Sirb said.

from mmaweekly:
As the UFC expands their business worldwide, the sport's #1 promotion hasn't forgotten about new U.S. markets as well, and on Thursday, UFC president Dana White confirmed that they will head to Philadelphia before 2009 is over.

The state of Pennsylvania just officially ratified the rules and regulations of mixed martial arts on Feb 27 and it looks like the state will welcome the UFC this year as a way to celebrate the sport in the Keystone state.

"It's a big fight town, always has been," White said about Philadelphia on Thursday. "When you talk about Las Vegas, you talk about New York, Philadelphia is one of them too. The Blue Horizon, I saw some of the best boxing ever from the Blue Horizon in Philly. It's a big fight town."

The city has been host to many major sporting events over the years, including last year's World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies, and the UFC will be a great addition to the "City of Brotherly Love."

In addition to Philadelphia, the UFC could also eventually expand to Pittsburgh, which is in the process of building a new stadium for the Penguins hockey team that is slated to open in 2010-2011.

"I'm not saying no to Pittsburgh, but we're going to Philly this year," said White.

The UFC is also hopeful that they will hold an event in New York City by the end of this year, and White said he believes other markets like Buffalo could be home to events such as the popular "Fight Night" series on Spike.

Phil is a Relson Gracie BJJ black belt and runs his school, Balance Studios, in Philadelphia.

Don't forget to visit the myspace of BJJ, jiujitsushare.com

from Sam Caplan at fiveouncesofpain.com:
Highly-ranked lightweight competitor Eddie Alvarez suffered a disappointing first round defeat against Shinya Aoki during FEG's "Dynamite!!" event on New Year's Eve in Japan.

Alvarez was forced to tap at 1:32 of round 1 when he was caught in a heel hook by Aoki. Speculation has run rampant that Alvarez suffered a severe injury as a result of the submission. Some of the speculation was fueled by FEG/DREAM event producer Keiichi Sasahara informing the media after the bout that Alvarez had sustained a an injury that was expected to sideline him for several months.

When contacted by FiveOuncesOfPain.com for comment, Alvarez's manager, Monte Cox, indicated that X-rays conducted in Japan did not reveal a fracture and that Alvarez is expected to undergo additional testing to determine the extent of any injury he may have suffered.

Cox added that as of now, Alvarez is still scheduled to face Naoyuki Kotani (17-8-4) on January 23 during an Extreme Challenge event at the Tropicana Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. However, the status show's main event could change pending results of additional medical testing on Alvarez. If Alvarez is diagnosed with ligament damage of any kind, it would make it unlikely that he'd be able to compete as scheduled.

from my inbox:

WAMMA TO RECOGNIZE WINNER OF NEW YEAR'S EVE MATCH BETWEEN EDDIE ALVAREZ AND SHINYA AOKI AS FIRST-EVER WAMMA LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION

After reports had circulated for several weeks that a highly-anticipated lightweight attraction set for New Year's Eve between Eddie Alvarez and Shinya Aoki would decide the World Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts' (WAMMA) first-ever undisputed lightweight champion, WAMMA officials announced Monday that it will recognize the winner of the bout as its first-ever lightweight champion.

The undisputed WAMMA lightweight title bout between Alvarez, WAMMA's number two ranked lightweight, and Aoki, WAMMA's number three ranked lightweight, will take place December 31 in Saitama, Japan at the Saitama Super Arena during FEG's "FieLDS Dynamtie!!"

"New Year's Eve is rich in both history and tradition for combat sports in Japan," stated WAMMA Chief Operating Officer Michael Lynch. "FEG officials have put together an amazing night of fights and WAMMA is looking forward to recognizing the winner of the Aoki vs. Alvarez fight as our first-ever lightweight champion."

Lynch also added that while the Alvarez vs. Aoki matchup will determine the first-ever WAMMA lightweight champion that the belt will be awarded to the winner during a special ceremony to be held at a later date.

Alvarez was a two-time All-American high school wrestler at Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia and has gone 15-1 since becoming a professional mixed martial artist. A former BodogFIGHT welterweight champion, Alvarez made the decision to drop to the lightweight division earlier this year.

Starting with a 165 pound catchweight bout in Atlantic City this past January, the 24-year old father of two has gone 4-0 as a lightweight. The undefeated streak includes a 3-0 run during DREAM's lightweight Grand Prix that only ended after Alvarez was unable to receive medical clearance to compete in the finals.

"Dynamite!!" will provide Alvarez a chance at redemption, as he had been scheduled to compete against Aoki in the Grand Prix finals.

Aoki is 18-3 and widely regarded as one of the top submission fighters in MMA with black belts in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The 25-year old Japan native has earned his number three WAMMA lightweight ranking with notable victories over current DREAM lightweight champion and WAMMA number five ranked lightweight Joachim Hansen; WAMMA number eight ranked lightweight Gesias "JZ Calvan" Calvancante; former two-time UFC lightweight title challenger Caol Uno; and former Shooto middleweight champion Akira Kikuchi.

The reports of the Alvarez vs. Aoki bout deciding WAMMA's undisputed lightweight champion were not met with universal praise. Several critics have made the valid point that UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn is currently the organization's number one rated lightweight, a designation he has held for almost a year.

"WAMMA's board of directors supports the WAMMA pollsters in their recognition of B.J. Penn as the number one rated lightweight fighter in the world," Lynch began to explain. "However, Penn has not fought since May 24 and isn't scheduled to compete again until January 31. His Jan. 31 fight will be contested at welterweight against Georges St. Pierre for the UFC's 170 pound crown. If Penn wins, UFC President Dana White has already stated that Penn's next fight will be a welterweight title defense against Thiago Alves. Needless to say, Penn's future as a regular competitor in the lightweight division is uncertain.

"With our number two and three ranked lightweight fighters scheduled to compete on one of the sport's biggest stages, we felt that the fight was worthy of determining WAMMA's first-ever lightweight champion. But we're a fan-forward organization and we are aware of the criticism. If after the St. Pierre fight it becomes clear that Penn's future is at lightweight, WAMMA will approach the UFC with the hope of facilitating a fight between Penn and the WAMMA lightweight champion."

The winner of the Alvarez vs. Aoki matchup will join WAMMA heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko as the organization's second-ever undisputed champion. Emelianenko is scheduled to defend his title against former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski during Affliction's "Day of Reckoning" event on January 24 in Anaheim, California.

WAMMA's complete top ten rankings at bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight can be accessed through the organization's official website at www.GoWAMMA.com.

Looks like Philadelphia's Eddie Alvarez, and Japanese submission phenom Shinya Aoki at Field's Dynamite!! on New Year's Eve, are evenly matched, as far as betting goes. I say this as nothing more than a group of people who watch the sport and its fighters closely think it's a toss-up.

Here's hoping that Alvarez, of the Philadelphia Fight Factory, comes away with a win.

Get set for an exciting night of kicks, punches and knees as amateur muay Thai fighting returns to The New Alhambra in Philadelphia this Friday night, courtesy of Angel Cartagena's Evolved Fighting.

The fights start at 7:30 p.m. and take place at The New Alhambra, 7 Ritner Street, Philadelphia, just two minutes from Delaware Avenue, off of Oregon Avenue.

Tickets are $30 at the door. For more information, call 215-520-9682.

To order tickets in advance for $25, click here

Today, I sent Angel Cartagena, owner of body arts gym in Philadelphia and promoter of Evolved Fighting, which features amateur muay Thai kickboxing at the New Alhambra in Philadelphia. Here's my question:

"I noticed on your registration form that you ask for a fighter's record and for what organizations he's fought. Would you accept a fighter without any prior fights, in other words, someone who is 0-0? Or would you suggest they get a few fights under their belt first before applying to Evolved Fighting, and if so, where (what organziations in PA.) should they go to get some bottom-rung, entry-level amateur fighting experience? Thanks, Ted

Here's Angel's response:
We asked the questions to get to know a little bit about who is registering
to compete. Our event is designed to welcome 0-0 amateurs. We do screen
the people that register for our event via video or even visiting them at
the training schools.

So everyone is welcome to register. We reach out to their trainers, get to
an agreement and profile of fighter. Get video work and try to make the
fairest match for that fighter.

Evolved Fighting is committed to amateur fighters getting the fairest
matches and the most professional fighting experience.

Respectfully,
Angel Cartagena
www.evolvedfighting.com
www.bodyartsgym.com

To read an in-depth story on Cartagena and Evolved Fighting, click here.

Here are some shots from recent events: