Legends MMA

TONIGHT, MAY 6, 5:15PM PST - Alan Jouban x Chidi Njokuani - LINK TO LIVE STREAM!!

2011-05-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Legends welterweight Alan Jouban has his second pro MMA fight at Tachi Palace Fights 9: The Contenders. The action starts at 8:15pm EST / 5:15pm PST.

Alan is scheduled as the 6th out of 13 matches, so expect him to go on after 6pm PST.

Use this link to watch tonight's action: http://www.sherdog.com/events/TPF-9-The-Contenders-15487

Ironically, Alan faces another younger brother to a UFC star in Chidi Njokuani, who replaces Ultimate Fighter alum Jamie Yager. Chidi is the younger brother of WEC-turned-UFC lightweight Anthony Njokuani.

At 4-2 and riding a two-fight win streak, Chidi Njokuani is Jouban's toughest fight to date. Both Njokuani brothers come from Muay Thai backgrounds, and much like Jouban, Chidi is a fast finisher. None of his six pro MMA fights have gone past the first round.

And don't forget, Team Jouban walkout tees can be ordered here: http://www.certifiedathletix.com/Alan-Jouban-Walk-Out-TB2011.htm

Three Up at Tuff-N-Uff TONIGHT, Tommy Gavin fights in Hollywood April 17th, Alan Jouban's Walkout Tee for May 6th

2011-04-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

Light heavyweight Gio Zavala and lightweight Christian Palencia return to Sin City tonight, backing up the reigning Tuff-N-Uff welterweight champion, Legends' own Eddie 'Ambien' Jackson.

When: TONIGHT, April 8th, (Doors 6:30pm, First Fight 7:00pm)
Where: Orleans Hotel & Casino
4500 W. Tropicana Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89103
Tickets: Available at the event or www.tuffnuff.net

If you're not in Vegas tonight, you can still catch all the action via internet pay per view at www.GoFightLive.tv. Show only costs $9.99 (includes unlimited viewing).

One week later, lightweight Tommy Gavin fights in his own backyard, as the University of MMA presents "I Will Be Victorious," at Avalon Hollywood, on Sunday, April 17th.

Tommy will be fighting alongside several "Legends sympatico" teammates, as trainer Amir Rahnavardi also will have four of his Bond Squad proteges (Legends sympatico) on the card. Likewise, 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu coach Alder Hampel is bringing several of his students to compete as well.

Tickets for "I Will Be Victorious" are now available at www.UofMMA.com.

When: Sunday, April 17th, (Doors 3:00pm, First Fight 4:00pm)
Where: Avalon Hollywood
1735 Vine Ave., Hollywood
Tickets: Available at the event or www.UofMMA.com

Finally, get ready for Alan Jouban's welterweight scrap against Ultimate Fighter alum Jaime Yager, at Tachi Palace Fights 9, on May 6th in Lemoore, CA.

Rooms and fight tickets are available at www.TachiPalace.com.

Support Alan and pre-order his team walkout shirt here: http://www.certifiedathletix.com/ALAN-JOUBAN-WALK-OUT-CX07.htm

Still more announcements coming soon!

Legends Double Duty: Jouban’s pro debut short and sweet, Rahnavardi leads six at Combat Fight League

2011-02-26T02:37:00.001-08:00

By Jay Tan

It was a rare dual night of fights for Legends MMA on February 18^th, as welterweight Alan Jouban made his long-awaited pro debut at Tachi Palace Fights in Lemoore. That same night, Legends trainer Amir Rahnavardi led several of his stable of fighters from Tim Bond’s Bond Squad and Sidyodtong in Pasadena to battle at the first Combat Fight League amateur show of 2011.

Tachi Palace Fights 8: All or Nothing

“I feel blessed at the moment, because I had a bad year in ’09. Just work, and problems in my life, and injuries. In ’10, everything came together. I got my five fights out of the way, and me and [Legends head trainer Chris Reilly] decided to go pro. I was kind of nervous going into 2011, thinking ‘how am I going to top 2010?’ It’s starting out with a bang already. I’m really optimistic for the future.”

Indeed, the pendulum has swung in the other direction for Alan Jouban, who, after several start-and-stop career moments, is now fully under way as a professional MMA fighter. Less than one year ago, Jouban made his amateur MMA debut, a 14-second head kick KO in the first round at a Tuff-N-Uff event in Las Vegas. And as if he was setting a trend, he’d follow that up with three more first-round finishes and a no-brainer unanimous decision throughout the year. Of course, any fighter would want a track record like that, but in graduating to the pro ranks, this also raises the bar in expectations of performance.

“I was definitely super-nervous about this fight, because A) it was my pro debut, B) I felt like I had a lot riding on my back. Reilly kind of put his name out there and spoke pretty highly about me. So I felt a little like not only was I carrying my name, but Reilly’s name, and the gym’s name on my back. My biggest thing is I don’t want to let people down. I told so many people to watch it online. And then I ended up having a good little crew of 20-25 people come up and watch,” he recollected.

170 lbs. – Alan Jouban x Kyle Griffin (Xtreme Couture)

There wasn’t much to the match, as Jouban landed a single knee as Griffin shot in for a takedown, then followed up with rights until the referee called the fight for the KO at 0:15 of the first round.

“I knew he was an amazing wrestler, but I didn’t know if he was going to be an amazing wrestler who adapted well to MMA or if he was this great wrestler in college and he doesn’t really know that much about MMA yet. That was the biggest thing running through my head. Is this guy gonna try some dirty boxing and take me down, or is he gonna shoot right away with no chance of even striking with me,” he said.

Ironically, this match also continued the friendly rivalry between Legends MMA and Xtreme Couture. Griffin was a University of Oklahoma grappler and the younger brother of Xtreme Couture’s Tyson Griffin (14-5, fights in the UFC), who was in Kyle’s corner. But the odds were even, as Jouban’s brother Chris, who had never previously seen Alan fight live, flew out to work Alan’s corner.

“I told him, after the fight, that they were going to have to fight. I don’t think he was too thrilled about that,” joked Jouban.

Perhaps most ironic about all the buildup to Jouban’s fight is that besides everything else, the Legends welterweight was also battling a case of food poisoning that day.

“I wasn’t holding down any liquid, and honestly, I kept running to the bathroom every 20 minutes. My stomach was giving me so much trouble. My stomach kept cramping up. I remember thinking ‘I don’t want to put on my Thai cup until the very last minute, because I need to use the bathroom,” he remembered.

“I was worried that if this fight went too long, that if he got me in a guillotine or something – I was like ‘man, if he punches me in the stomach hard enough and my stomach isn’t good. . . Thank God I knocked him out in 15 seconds, because I ran to the bathroom immediately after the fight.

In other Tachi Palace Fights action:

Tyler Freeland def. Diego Melendez via unanimous decision

Collin Hart def. Mike Arellano via submission (bar-arm choke), R1, 1:32

Andy Miranda def. Ryan Burton via submission (triangle choke), r1, 1:06

Doug Hunt def. Andrew Martinez via TKO, R1, 4:27

Fabricio Camoes def. Steve Lopez via KO, R1, 0:23

Dominique Robinson def. John Gunderson via TKO, R3, 0:41

Edgar Garcia def. Mike Moreno via submission (guillotine)

Ian McCall def. Jussier da Silva via unanimous decision

125 lbs. TPF Flyweight Championship – Darrell Montague def. Ulysses Gomez via unanimous decision

185 lbs. TPF Middleweight Championship – David Loiseau def. Leopoldo Serao via TKO (cut), R5, 1:12

As of press time, Tachi Palace Fights already announced Jouban vs. Ultimate Fighter alum Jamie Yager on tap for TPF 9, scheduled for May 6^th.

Alan Jouban is sponsored by Certified Athletix.

Combat Fight League: MAYHEM at the Marriott

That same night, when the rain was ground-and-pounding on the Valley, Legends trainer Amir Rahnavardi led his mix-and-match squad of gypsy fighters to Combat Fight League’s inaugural “MAYHEM at the MARRIOTT” amateur event in Woodland Hills.

On this night, Rahnavardi had three protégés from the Bond Squad in Camarillo and one, Eddie Estrada, from Sityodtong, where he also trains fighters.

“I cornered six guys, but really, only four out of those six guys train regularly with me. I went three-for-four, but my heart, I feel like I went 4 out of 4. So I was extremely proud of how my guys did. I thought they did fantastic,” Rahnavardi said of the night.

Estrada beat ‘hometown hero’ Marc Terre of West Coast Jiu Jitsu (the gym most closely connected to the show) via split decision, earning him Fight of the Night honors. Meanwhile, Andrew Mostowa and Richard LeRoy, both Bond Squad fighters, finished their opponents in the first round.

“Everybody did their best and tried really hard,” noted Andrew.

265 lbs. – Joel Pinckard (West Coast Jiu Jitsu) vs. Jake Weiss (Bond Squad)

Pinckard kept the pressure on Weiss throughout round one, bulling him into the fence on the ground, then throwing rights while holding Weiss with a front headlock. Weiss escaped and broke away. Pinckard tried for a takedown, and when he couldn’t, held Weiss against the cage and peppered him with rights. Round two saw Pinckard charge in. He eventually got Weiss to the ground, took his back, and threw shots from behind. Weiss escaped up, dropping his guard and walking away. Pinckard followed and threw a few more shots before referee Cecil Peoples called an end to the fight.

Joel Pinckard was awarded the victory by TKO, R2.

“Jake used to wrestle 170 or 184 in high school. I think this is gonna be inspirational to cut the weight. His wrestling skills are phenomenal, but [Pinckard] had 25 pounds on him and just outwrestled him,” said Rahnavardi about the fight.

155 lbs. – “Pistol Pete” Mostowa (Bond Squad) vs. Richard Del Riego (A.V. Tapout)

Mostowa threatened several times in round one with a triangle choke and other submissions. Del Riego landed a hard right on Mostowa, who almost dropped, but caught himself and shot in for a takedown. Del Riego ended up on top, but Mostowa prevented him from advancing position until referee Peoples ordered for a stand-up. Del Riego got another takedown and threw rights as the round ended. In the final round, Del Riego pushed in with headshots and scored takedown, but Mostowa worked for a guillotine, then a kimura. Mostowa rolled on top and ground-and-pounded from full mount, and ended the round threatening with a rear naked choke.

Judges awarded the match to Richard Del Riego via unanimous decision.

“After every round, Pete had the guy in a submission. If there was 30 seconds more in each round, he would have submitted the guy in every round. And the guy was like 10 pounds heavier than Pete. . . Cecil Peoples was the referee and he goes ‘dude, your guy won that fight’,” commented Rahnavardi.

155 lbs. – Eddie Estrada (Sityodtong) vs. Marc Terre (West Coast Jiu Jitsu)

Both men came out swinging in round one, with Terre getting the better of the exchange. Estrada got Terre against the cage and threw some knees, which Terre returned. Estrada controlled Terre with a clinch around the neck and collar, but Terre got him to the ground and mounted. Estrada bucked and got top control as the round ended. Round two saw Terre charge in with counterstrikes off Estrada’s various kicks. Terre pulled Estrada to the ground, but Estrada was able to keep his balance and throw punches from top position. Rounds were split one apiece going into the third, where both swung and clinched in the middle. Both men were content to swing from afar, throwing low kicks and looping headshots. Estrada clichéd Terre against the fence and threw knees for most of the rest of the round.

Judges awarded Eddie Estrada the match by split decision.

“They switched the opponent last minute, so we got [Terre] at the weigh-ins. Eddie is just a beast. He trains under Walter at Sityodtong, and he listens to directions real well. Eddie’s definitely gonna be someone to watch out for,” said Rahnavardi.

170 lbs. – Richard LeRoy (Bond Squad) vs. Mike Kreple (The Pit / TapouT)

The match was quick for LeRoy, who threw an overhand right and followed with a double-leg takedown. He got Kreple to the other side of the cage and took him to the ground, where LeRoy got mount and finished with punches.

Richard Le Roy was awarded the victory via TKO, R1.

“I think Dick is going to get to world class level. He’s 20-years old. He’d been training in less than a year. Tim [Bonds] gave him his blue belt that night in the ring. He’s definitely a guy to keep an eye out for.”

185 lbs. – Andrew Mostawa (Bond Squad) vs. Demery Windom (TapouT)

The two started out by trading kicks before Window grabbed for a takedown. Mostowa went to his back, but Windom didn’t follow. Mostowa got up and tried for a trip of his own. Windom tried for a hip toss, but Mostowa kept his balance and stayed on top. When Windom tried to switch out and escape, Mostowa followed him and got a rear naked choke, finally getting the tapout in round one.

“I felt like for this one, he was going to try and make sure it didn’t go to another decision. . . With his flexibility, I think a lot of people aren’t used to that. So when it goes to the ground, it’s going to be real hard to keep him down. He can really sort of get out of any situation,” noted elder brother Pistol Pete.

205 lbs. – Shane Mervau (Bond Squad) vs. John Hernandez (Gracie-Barra Ventura)

Mervau charged in and clinched with Hernandez, who switched position, clinching Mervau against the cage, throwing knees for awhile. Hernandez got Mervau to the ground three times before getting full mount at round’s end. In round two, Hernandez got a single-leg takedown as Mervau charged in. Hernandez took his back and threw punches until referee Ray Rothfelder ended the match and awarded Hernandez the win by TKO.

“Shane is a big guy, and real strong, but at the same time, that was his first fight. And he’s going up against a guy that has a lot of experience and is real good at wrestling. I think it’s just a good learning experience. I don’t think anyone’s going to count Shane out for anything. He’s going to come back even stronger in the next one,” commented Pistol Pete.

For many fighters, training at several different schools is a standard thing, and in working with Rahnavardi, his team has that advantage by default, because of his own residency at so many different schools. Several weeks before the CFL show, Rahnavardi rotated training sessions, giving them a chance to go live and spar with some unfamiliar faces. They spent several days per week working in the Legends’ cage, and likewise stopped in at Sityodtong for some striking practice.

According to the Mostowas, the change in scenery is a welcome challenge.

“It keeps you on your toes. You walk into a new place and you don’t know what to expect. You don’t know who’s going to try to knock your head off or whatever everybody else has,” Andrew said.

Pistol Pete concurred, explaining “Every time we’ve been [to Legends], it’s been a different group of guys that we’ve sparred with. It really helps to go against a guy that you don’t know, because that’s what you’re doing when you go out there and compete . . . it’s just going to give you that preparation that you need to go in there and do good on fight day. Amir, with him moving around to all these different places, all his students sort of can make each other better, and work together.”

“I’m excited about what’s going on with these guys. I think they all have really bright futures to come,” said Rahnavardi.

In other CFL: MAYHEM at the Marriott action:

145 lbs. – Legends alum Keenan Lewis (Gracie-Barra / Legacy MMA / Sityodtong) def. Charles Porter (Fight Factory) via TKO, R1.

135 lbs. – Santiago Raigoza (West Coast Jiu Jitsu) def. Ira Taylor (Millennia MMA) via submission (rear naked choke), R2.

170 lbs. – David Tubbs (West Coast Jiu Jitsu) def. Bobby Fiscer (independent) via TKO, R1.

135 lbs. – Donny Flores (Paragon MMA) def. Heno Alaverdyan (Glendale Fighting Club) via submission, R2.

155 lbs. – Daniel Clark (Gracie-Barra Encino / Sityodtong) def. Carlos Sanchez (West Coast Fight Academy) via submission (D’Arce choke), R1.

265 lbs. – Nathan Langelier (West Coast Jiu Jitsu) def. Abelardo Cantres (A.V. Tapout) via TKO, R1.

155 lbs. – Rob Gooch (Gracie-Barra / Legacy MMA / Sityodtong) def. Johnny Rivas (The Pit / TapouT) via submission, R2.

Amir Rahnavardi and his team are sponsored by Valhalla Brand.

Eddie Jackson to fight SATURDAY, FEB. 26TH!!

2011-02-25T17:34:00.000-08:00

Eddie 'Ambien' Jackson has agreed to a last-minute fight Saturday night, Feb. 26th, at "MMA Fight Night,"an amateur MMA event presented by "Where Champions Are Made."

His opponent is Juan Rodriguez, who hails from Bust You Up Fight Club. The match will be at middleweight (185 lbs.).

Here's the details for the event:

When: Saturday, February 26th, Doors 6:00pm, First Fight 7:00pm

Where: Powerhouse Gym
20914 Nordhoff Street
Chatsworth 91304

Tickets: $50, $100, $150. Available at the door or www.american-warrior.com

For more information, call (818) 919-0192

Come out and support the team!

Welcome Rob Rodriguez (no, not that one), new wrestling coach

2011-02-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have noticed “the new guy” running class at the gym on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Then again, as a 10^th Planet purple belt, Rob Rodriguez may be a very familiar face.

Rob joined the Legends’ training staff and, as of last week, has taken over the Tuesday and Thursday 6:30-7:30 wrestling classes.

Originally from Wisconsin, Rob started wrestling when he was seven and competed all the way through college. He wrestled at 184 lbs. for University of Wisconsin at La Crosse, where he achieved All-American honors twice at the FILA Greco-Roman national championships. Repping 10^th Planet, Rob’s won several national jiu jitsu tournaments. Last year, he placed second in Mens’ No Gi Advanced (under 200 lbs.) at the June Grapplers’ Quest tournament, which took place at the UFC Fan Expo in Las Vegas.

Check out his class. All levels are welcome!

Alan Jouban's Pro Debut (VIDEO)

2011-02-19T19:50:00.000-08:00

We'll have a full story in the near future, but in the meantime, enjoy Alan's pro debut match in its entirety:

Congratulations, Alan! You couldn't have done us prouder!

Alan Jouban’s PRO DEBUT!! Matt Horwich LIVE ON HDNet!!

2011-02-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

The Legends MMA pro side has two big matches coming up, both which have their own special significance.

Alan Jouban – Tachi Palace Fights 8: All or Nothing, Feb. 18, Lemoore, CA

Undefeated Legends fighter Alan Jouban leaves a perfect amateur record of 13-0 (combined MMA and kickboxing) and graduates to the big leagues with his professional debut.

Alan takes on Kyle Griffin (1-0). Griffin himself debuted in April last year, winning by TKO / doctor’s stoppage at Freestyle Cage Fighting 41 in Tulsa, OK.

“I don’t know too much about him, but I saw online that I’m a heavy underdog, and I’m just embracing that role. Gonna prove my worth in the age, ya dig,” Jouban said about the fight.

Tickets start at only $30. Rooms are available at the hotel (though going fast). There is no promo / discount code for rooms.

Friday, February 18, 5:30pm (PST)
Tachi Palace Fights 8: All Or Nothing
Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino
17225 Jersey Avenue
Lemoore, CA 93245-9760
(559) 924-7751

Tickets available here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/online/homePageSearch.do?method=showPerformanceDetail&performance_id=1415945&cobrand=tachipalace

If you can’t make it to the event, the show will be streamed live and for free on MMAJunkie.com. Alan is expected to fight around 6:00pm

Alan is sponsored by X-Pole and Certified Athletics.

Matt Horwich – Shark Fights 14, March 11, Lubbock, TX – LIVE ON HDNet

The Suave-Sabertoothed-Multiverse-Surfing-Lion-of-God-River-Dolphin returns to live TV on March 11^th, as part of Shark Fights’ first show of 2011, emanating live from Lubbock, TX. He faces Danillo Villefort (12-3) of American Top Team.

Like Horwich, Villefort is a UFC and IFL veteran, and most recently beat ‘Smokin’ Joe’ Villasenor via decision on the previous Shark Fights event. Villefort is on a three-fight win streak that dates back to October 2009.

Friday March 11, 6:30pm CT (4:30pm PST)
Shark Fights
Fair Park Coliseum
1012 Avenue A, Lubbock, TX, 79401
(806) 322-1506

Tickets available here: https://secure.ticketsage.net/EventsPage.aspx?PerfID=119506&ws=1

If you’re not in the Lubbock area, Shark Fights 14 will be televised live on HDNet.

Matt is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker.

Meet the Newest Members of Legends MMA!

2011-02-05T12:35:00.000-08:00

Come in throw down a few rounds with our new bags, courtesy of Pro Boxing Supplies in Studio City (www.proboxingsupplies.com).

Big Dog & Little Dog bark at Tuff-N-Uff

2011-02-01T16:33:00.000-08:00

By Jay Tan

Legends MMA got off to a respectable start in 2011, with flyweight Jacob Rockymore and light heavyweight Gio Zavala both making their Tuff-N-Uff debuts on January 7^th at the Orleans Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

After a series of false-starts in 2010, Zavala marked his first MMA match definitively, with a first-round KO victory. Rockymore, facing yet another larger opponent, came up short on a unanimous decision, though by all accounts, he fared well in the striking department.

“I feel like I should have went the opposite of what I was trying to do. . . I was trying to clinch with him and take him down. But I didn’t know he was that much bigger than me. He was probably like 20 more pounds than me,” Rockymore said in reflection.

According to teammate (and Tuff-N-Uff welterweight champion) Eddie Jackson, Rockymore’s opponent, Junior Gomez, weighed in at 133 lbs., claiming he thought the match was at 130 lbs. A request was made for Gomez to try to make 130 lbs., despite that the original agreed upon weight was 125 lbs. Though Legends received no confirmation that Gomez ever reached 130 lbs., Rockymore agreed to fight regardless.

“[Jacob] tagged him up a few times and he bloodied the guy’s nose and everything, but he was too strong and too heavy for Jacob to handle. . . If the dude would have made weight, Jacob probably would have ate him up,” Jackson said of the pairing.

125 lbs. Jacob Rockymore vs. Junior Gomez (Hawaiian Fighting Arts)

Having the obvious reach advantage, Gomez started in with jabs, but Rockymore didn’t hesitate to fire combos right up the middle, bloodying up Gomez’ nose for his efforts. They clinched and worked for position, with Rockymore landing some knees. Unfortunately, one of them caught Gomez south of the border. Rockymore landed some more knees from the clinch and worked for a hip toss. Round two saw both men trade combos. Rockymore worked for a single-leg takedown, but Gomez blocked with underhooks and swung Rockymore down. Gomez kept side control and tried to circle behind Rockymore, who likewise blocked that advance by holding onto the single-leg. In the final round, Gomez landed a head kick that Rockymore no-sold and stalked him around the ring. Rockymore alternated between throwing combos and knees to a takedown attempt, and had Gomez in a Thai clinch at the match ended.

Judges awarded Junior Gomez the victory by unanimous decision.

“The first round was good. I busted his nose and got in some strikes. After the second round, my arms were gassed from clinching with a bigger guy. Should have stood back and struck with him like I did in the last one. . . I won the first round. I know that,” Rockymore said of his match.

205 lbs. Gio Zavala vs. Gabriel Garzon (Mobsters United Fight Team)

Zavala landed the first shot with a leg kick, but Garzon responded with wild lefts and overhand rights. Zavala was controlled, circling away and getting Garzon’s pace. Heavy fists started flying before Garzon shot in and Zavala controlled him with underhooks. Garzon broke away, giving Zavala the chance to land a massive left to Garzon’s temple. Zavala got one more shot in on the ground before the referee stopped the bout at 1:33 of the first round for the KO finish.

Zavala’s debut was a long time in the works, with several false starts in the year or so prior. Matches falling out are far from a rarity in amateur MMA, but after his last opponent backed out literally ten minutes prior to match time, at a Total Fighting Alliance (TFA) show in July last year, the anticipation of getting that first match started to test Zavala’s patience.

“His attitude going in was ‘fuck, I hope it’s not going to be another one where the dude bails out,’ but when he found out it was going to be official, his whole demeanor changed,” noted Jackson. “He jumped 10 notches on taking it seriously. He was like ‘this shit’s about to go down.’ His whole attitude changed. He was happy, he was excited, he was nervous. . . His family and friends were there. Everything played out the way it was supposed to go down.

The weekend was also a new chapter for Jackson, whose last trip to Sin City was a three-round dream-come-true, as he won the Tuff-N-Uff welterweight championship, an accolade he’d been chasing for two years. For this event, however, Jackson assumed cornerman duties for the first timee, as teammate Chris Brady did late last year on several shows. Ironically, the focus and intensity is no different than when he’s the one scheduled to fight.

“For some reason, going up there, even if I’m cornering, I still get the jitters. Because every time I go up there, it’s like I’m going to war. . . this time around, cornering my boys, I got a different perspective, from the outside looking in. I can see what [Legends head trainer Chris] Reilly and Conor [Heun] are looking at. And I can see it too. . . They’re the eyes and ears for what you can’t see or hear [as a fighter in the ring]. Because sometimes the nerves get the best of you and you block everything else out. That corner tells you to do this, do that. That’s like a lifeline. And I didn’t realize how important that was.“

As for Rockymore, despite not getting the win, he feels that fighting for Barry and Jeff Meyer marks a major turning point for his amateur career, one that he’s anxious to embrace with his next match: “That was the biggest fight that I’ve had. The first two fights are alright, but Tuff-N-Uff is where you want to be as an amateur. It was a bigger crowd, a bigger entrance,” he said. “I’m going to be way more ready than I was for my last fight. I’m gonna gain a lot of weight, put up those protein shakes, get that cardio up. I’ll be ready to go next time.”

In other Tuff-N-Uff action that night:

160 lbs. – Casey Picard (10^th Planet Riverside) def. Cody Hamm (Team Envy) via TKO, R1, 1:33.

185 lbs. – Tyler Jeppesen (Team Vegas Bail) def. Joshua Morgan (Centennial Tae Kwon Do) via TKO / doctor’s stoppage due to a cut, R1, 0:28 (team)

135 lbs. – Jesse Romero (Xtreme Couture) def. Raul Sandoval (10^th Planet Riverside) via unanimous decision.

Female 145 lbs. tournament quarterfinal – Ashlee Evans-Smith (Gladiator Training Academy) def. Jessamyn Duke (AFS Academy) via unanimous decision.

185 lbs. – Shane Johnson (Xtreme Couture) def. Rick Borden (10^th Planet Jiu-Jitsu) via unanimous decision.

170 lbs. – Ramon Hernandez (Team Felony / Pitbull Jiu-Jitsu) def. Tony Totero (Team Suffer) via submission, R1, 1:39.

155 lbs. – Troy Remer (Xtreme Couture) def. David Thompkins (10^th Planet Riverside) via unanimous decision.

Female 145 lbs. Exhibition –Tamikka Brents (Team Warrior Concepts) def. Tori Adams via split decision. This match was originally part of the female 145 lb. tournament, but became an exhibition when Brents was unable to make weight.

155 lbs. – Jon Gorton (Team Quest) def. Jonathan Rodeffer (Team Thompkins) via unanimous decision.

145 lbs. – Cesar Campus (LA Boxing (Las Vegas)) def. Josh Grevas (Xtreme Couture) via unanimous decision.

170 lbs. –Lee Henry Lilly (Striking Unlimited) def. Joey Angelo (Tapout Training Center) via unanimous decision.

155 lbs. – Matt Church (Throwdown) def. Kimo Yadao (Xtreme Couture) via split decision.

Female 145 lbs. tournament quarterfinal – Ronda Rousey (Team Hayastan) def. Taylor Stratford via technical submission, R1, 0:24.

155 lbs. – Trace Gray (10^th Planet Riverside) def. Jake Swinney (Xtreme Couture) via unanimous decision.

Legends MMA is sponsored by X-Pole. Tuff-N-Uff’s next event is February 11^th at the Orleans Hotel & Casino.

Three big fights in January for Legends MMA

2011-01-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

The Legends MMA fight team is wasting no time, as three fighters set off the new year of competition and throw leather at two different events in only the first two weeks of 2011.

January 7^th – Rockymore and Zavala at Tuff-N-Uff in Las Vegas

In just a few days, two longtime Legends members will make their Tuff-N-Uff debuts, as flyweight Jacob Rockymore and light heavyweight Giovanni Zavala compete at the Orleans Hotel & Casino.

125 lbs. – Jacob Rockymore x Junior Gomez (Hawaiian Fighting Arts)
205 lbs. – Giovanni Zavala x Gabriel Garzon (Mobsters United Fight Team)

Tickets are available at TuffNUff.net or OrleansCasino.com and the HOTEL DISCOUNT CODE for rooms during 1/4 to 1/8 is YTUFFN1.

If you can’t make it to the show, it will also be available via internet PPV at GoFightLive.com.

Friday, January 7th
TUFF-N-UFF FUTURE STARS OF MMA
Orleans Hotel & Casino
4500 West Tropicana Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89103
702-365-7111
Doors: 6:00pm
First Fight: 7:00pm
www.TuffNUff.net

January 15^th – Garren Smith returns for more ‘Respect’ in Pomona

One week later, heavyweight Garren Smith looks to further his winning momentum at Respect in the Cage, coming off a second-round TKO win at his previous RITC appearance. Smith takes on the powerhouse Kose Sinoti, from Ikon Fitness in San Bernadino.

Garren has $40 and $60 floor seats for sale at the gym.

Saturday January 15th
RESPECT IN THE CAGE
The Fox Theater
301 S. Garey Ave
Pomona, 91766
(877) 283-6976
Doors: 7:00pm
www.RespectInTheCage.com
www.FoxPomona.com

Horwich TKOs Rosholt in OK

2010-11-20T02:46:00.000-08:00

By Jay Tan

Legends MMA’s favorite metaphysician, Matt Horwich, upset local favorite Jake Rosholt at November 12^th’s “Xtreme Fight Night” at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, defeating the three-time NCAA champion in the third round by TKO due to strikes.

“I lost the first round. . . .My game plan was to come back strong the second round. I won that round, finished him in the third round by TKO. So I was thankful the fight went beautiful. It was kind of like a rope-a-dope in the first round, except it was on the ground, so I guess I’ll call it a ground-a-dope,” joked the ever-optimistic Horwich.

By all accounts, Roshalt’s two takedowns and ground-and-pound in the first secured him the round. Horwich tried to secure a footlock and wear his opponent’s cardio out. Seemingly, the slow-burn worked, as Horwich took over in the second, taking Rosholt’s back and implementing his own offensive of punches and rear naked choke attempt. Rosholt escaped, reversed, and went for a guillotine choke, but sure enough, Horwich had his own escape, moving to side control and forcing more ground-and-pound action to round’s end. Round three saw another Rosholt takedown and Horwich reversal, respectively, before they were back to their feet. Finally, Horwich scored his own takedown, mounted Rosholt’s back, and threw punches at will until the referee called for the end.

“When he came back [after the first round], what I told him was that [Rosholt] put a lot of energy into that round, and let’s just make him work everywhere. I want him to work everywhere that he’s at. I want him to have to worry about something everywhere. And Matt just put it to him,” said Brady.

For the reigning Powerhouse World Promotions champion, match result wasn’t just an exercise in redemption, but also in the power of positivity.

“There’s a lot of positive momentum going with our team. After I lost my previous fight [at Bellator 28, against Eric Schambari], I heard my teammates storming in, all mad they lost their fights as well. And I felt like God was up to something with it. So I was telling them if we can keep the same positive momentum after a loss, it’s going to be a huge advantage. . . And I told them I’d be telling them ‘I told you so’ after the next fights. And then Brady came and was cornering me for this fight. So after the fight, I said ‘I told you so.’

Oklahoma itself was a welcome trip for both fighter and corner, however, as both share an affinity and reverence for Native American culture and spirituality.

“When I found out we were going to an Indian reservation, I was kind of excited. You can definitely feel it in the air and in the land. It’s a special place,” said Brady.

“We hung out with some Comanches after the fight, because one of them fought. It was a beautiful experience and cool memory,” added Horwich.

As if a weekend win in the Sooner State wasn’t enough good news, Horwich also is close to signing a three-fight deal with the Palace Fighting Championships, located at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore. PFC has hosted a who’s who of top-tier free agent fighters, such as Razor Rob McCullough, John Alessio, James ‘Sandman’ Irvin, Ulysses Gomez, and even Legends’ alum Jorge Oliveira.

Horwich expects to make his PFC debut in February 2011.

Of course, no Matt Horwich fight would be complete without a new nickname, and indeed, the man of 1,000 monikers seems to have outdone himself in Oklahoma, reportedly declaring himself ‘The Multiverse-Surfing-Sabretoothed-River-Dolphin-Lion-of-God.’

“I had it on the back of my shirt when I walked into the ring. But the Lion of God part wasn’t on it . . . that would have been a lot of money for the printing. Especially if I had Limit Smasher in it too,” he explained deadpan.

The victory also continues Brady’s consecutive string of wins as a chief second. The bantamweight fighter first took the cornerman reins in August, at Combat Fight League, helping teammates Alan Jouban and Eugene Marenya win. In October, Brady supported Garren Smith in his return to the cage after a 10-month hiatus.

“It’s something special. Those certain moments that you experience with people. . . Most people don’t have any idea what that’s like. Right before someone’s about to go out in someone’s hometown and fight five five-minute rounds of combat. That’s a special moment for someone, whether they win or they lost. That’s the most emotional and important part.”

In other XFN action that night:

185 lbs. Amateur MMA – Andrew Todhunter def. Jazz Pierce via submission (triangle choke), R1, 1:36.

155 lbs. Amateur MMA – Brandon McDougal def. James Warren via unanimous decision.

175 lbs. Amateur MMA – Jesse Chaffin def. Wes Long via TKO, R2.

122 lbs. Female Boxing - Chelsea Colarelli def. Jasmine Simmons via TKO / refuse to answer the bell, R2.

160 lbs. Amateur MMA – Charles Wright def. Johnny Wester via unanimous decision.

190 lbs. MMA – Trey Houston def. Brandon Lyons via submission (armbar), R1, 0:44.

170 lbs. Boxing – Codale Ford def. David Taylor via unanimous decision.

XFN 145 lbs. Championship – Nate Murdock def. Josh Pulsifer via TKO, R1.

205 lbs. Kickboxing – Randy Blake def. Ruben Zammaron via TKO, R3.

XFN 170 lbs. Championship – Joe Christopher def. Levi Avera via submission (arm triangle), R3.

168 lbs. Boxing – George Tahdooahnippah def. Steve Warren via TKO, R2.

Special thanks to Dwayne Davis of the Urban Tulsa Weekly for assistance with the event results.

Legends sweeps with wins at Combat Fight League

2010-11-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

By Jay Tan

The treats came a day early for Chris Reilly and Amir Rahnavardi’s four-man squad over Halloween weekend, as amateur fighters from Legends MMA and Bond Squad MMA swept Combat Fight League’s ‘Halloween Fight Fest’ on October 30^th at West Coast Jiu Jitsu in Oxnard, CA.

Reilly and Rahnavardi brought Bond Squad brothers ‘Pistol Pete’ and Andrew ‘Worst Case Scenario’ Mostowa, protégés of Rahnavardi’s, along with Legends MMA’s Dustin Mueller and Alan Jouban. Mueller and Peter walked away with decision victories, while Jouban and Andrew both finished their opponents in late in the first round.

“Everybody did real well. My brother’s fight went real well. Probably as good as anyone could have guessed or wanted it to go. Dustin, his fight, he did a lot of good things in it. And then Alan, he’s undefeated . . . that sort of keeps that ball rolling. With us all winning, it just made it a great night,” said Pistol Pete.

“Just knowing that they’re Amir’s guys, you feel like you’re part of the same team. Because Amir is just everybody’s boy. It’s camaraderie,” Jouban said of his teammates for the night.

As one part of the main event, Jouban wasn’t able to watch their matches until seeing video footage after the event, but their continual victories throughout the night helped keep his spirits high and focused during his warm-up backstage.

“When everyone’s winning, that energy, feeding off of it . . . It always puts you at ease when you see them happy and laughing.”

Andrew Mostowa concurred, saying that his older brother’s win helped set the tone for his own debut: “It helped a lot. It was like ‘alright, we have one win under our belt. Let’s make it another one.’ We’re pretty close, so it’s just one of those things.”

155 lbs. – Pete Mostowa (Bond Squad MMA) def. Carlos Sanchez (West Coast Jiu Jitsu) via decision

Pistol Pete’s previous match, at the first Combat Fight League event, was a lopsided affair in which West Coast Fight Academy favorite Francisco “Turtle” Estrada overwhelmed the then-debuting young gun. In this return match, however, Pete was more composed and relaxed.

Sanchez caught Pete with several shots and a takedown early in the first round. After some scrapping, Pete ended up on bottom and worked to set up a triangle or armbar. When Sanchez stood up, Pete slapped on a tight kneebar which had Sanchez close to tapping. Round two saw similar action. Pete had a mount on Sanchez, who flipped him over. Pete was able to set up an oma plata, but was too crowded against the cage to finish. Round three showcased both men’s stand-up skills. Pete pushed Sanchez against the cage and landed several knees before round’s end.

Judges awarded Pete Mostowa the victory by split decision.

“It was a real close match that went back and forth, and because I was working the whole time for submissions and the positions I was in, I was trying to get the better position and do something . . . That’s when the judges kind of saw that and gave me the decision,” theorized Pete.

“Peter’s a really good fighter. He’s really complete. . . His last fight didn’t get him much experience. So this fight . . . he learned a lot,” noted Rahnavardi.

Dustin Mueller felt that Pete was particularly strong on the ground, noting “Pete was going for a lot of submissions on the ground. . . He seemed definitely more aggressive in this second fight. . . He was transitioning from one move to the other.”

205 lbs. – Dustin Mueller (Legends MMA) vs. Paul Elias (West Coast Fight Academy)

Though he came in with a significant height and reach advantage, Mueller went through several opponent changes, and subsequent weight class changes, which took its toll on his cardio reserves. After his initial fight (at light heavyweight) fell through, Mueller got booked for a heavyweight scrap, and subsequently started to add weight. However, one week before the fight, his light heavyweight match was back on, forcing Mueller to cut 15 pounds in a week, with no prior weight-cutting experience.

“I learned a lot about my body and my whole self. Because I never got to really cut weight. I just felt weak. It was a weird feeling. But thank God that I won. The next fight will be a lot different for me, for sure,” he said in retrospect.

Elias almost immediately shot in early in round one. He caught a knee from Mueller and used it to score a takedown. Elias stacked himself over Mueller on the ground and threw rights, trying to pass guard, but Mueller kept control of Elias’ head and set up an armbar. Mueller flipped over, but Elias stayed on him and threw headshots from behind. Mueller managed to pop his head out the back door, but Elias scrambled and sunk in a guillotine choke, stuffing Mueller in the corner and taking his back as the round ended. Round two saw Mueller keep the match on the feet for the most part, throwing sporadic combinations. Mueller pushed Elias against the cage with lefts and rights. Elias charged for a double-leg takedown and got it, but Mueller transitioned out to side control near round’s end. Round three saw Mueller kept control of the center of the cage and pressure Elias with combos. Elias went for another takedown and eventually took Mueller’s back, but Mueller flipped him over and threw rights from front facelock top position to the end of the match.

Judges awarded Dustin Mueller the victory by unanimous decision on scores of 29-28.

“Dustin’s married, and he’s got three kids, and he’s got a full-time job. So he’s one of those full weekend warriors. But he did good. He’s the guy that came to Legends when I first started teaching, and he knew nothing. And he was a fat guy, so how far he’s come, I’m so proud,” said Rahnavardi.

185 lbs. – Andrew Mostowa (Bond Squad MMA) def. Bobby Fiscer (TapouT Fight Team) via TKO, R1, 1:34.

The younger Mostowa brother came on strong and kept the pressure on Fiscer with combos and several low kicks. He forced Fiscer against the cage and threw knees until Fiscer went to the ground. Andrew stayed on him with ground and pound until the referee called the match at 1:34 of the first round, awarding the man they call ‘Worst Case Scenario’ with the TKO victory.

Rahnavardi couldn’t have been happier about Andrew’s performance, boasting “he stayed completely on game-plan, did exactly what I told him, and just destroyed him. We call him Worst Case Scenario because he’s more flexible than any human being that you’ve ever met. He’s got awe some hands, awesome kicks, and great ground. So he’s seriously like the Worst Case Scenario for anyone to fight.”

Being his debut match, Andrew conceded that nerves were a slight factor, but that “when you get in the ring, everything goes so fast that it just goes back to your instincts, I guess. And everything that you train, it just comes out.”

170 lbs. – Alan Jouban (Legends MMA) vs. Ruben Gudino (West Coast Fight Academy)

Gudino made first contact with several low kicks as Jouban took his time. Gudino got Jouban against the cage, but Jouban clinched and walked into him, getting a trip takedown. Jouban kept top control with a full mount, landing a few lefts. Gudino got to his feet briefly, but Jouban took him down again with a highlight reel belly-to-back slam. Jouban got full mount, but Gudino quickly swept him and landed in guard. Jouban switched to butterfly guard and set up the gogo plata. Gudino tapped moments later, at 1:57 of the first round.

For Jouban, this match represented a big personal accomplishment, and even something of a possible graduation to the pro ranks, a move which is supported by his head trainer, Chris Reilly. Earlier this year, Jouban set the goal of fighting five times before 2011, and not only hit that mark with the Gudino match, but went undefeated in dominating fashion, winning four times via first-round finish, twice by gogo plata submission.

“I didn’t know if I was gonna really be able to obtain that goal. Before I was averaging maybe one or two a year, because of injuries and whatnot. . . It’s kind of played out that way, so I’m extremely thrilled. If I can get my pro fight in before the next year, it would really complete what I wanted to do, starting at the beginning of this year,” he reflected.

To win via gogo plata in an MMA match is rare. To do it twice is almost lightning in a bottle. Ironically, Jouban had intended to keep it a striking match, after his opportunity to make his pro debut a Muay Thai match in Thailand fell through.

“But it was just weird, because it wasn’t as I envisioned the fight. I just kept picturing a beautiful KO. Like some kind of Muay Thai-related head kick or something of that sort,” joked Jouban. “Big props to Alder Hampel. I’ve been working a lot of jits with Eddie Bravo . . . I went to see Alder a couple weeks before my fight, just to kind of fine tune things, and he really came through for me. . . I’m glad that I’m making Eddie Bravo and everybody at 10th Planet proud.”

In other CFL “Halloween Fight Fest” action:

135 lbs. – Benji Gomez def. Jaime Leon Hernandez via decision.

155 lbs. – Nathan Speer def. William BJ Ingram via submission, R1, 1:57.

185 lbs. – Mike Jasper def. Joshua Ramirez via TKO, R2, 1:55.

135 lbs. – Michael Castanon def. Juan Estrada via split decision.

155 lbs. Female – Samantha Mosqueda def. Hayden Munoz via decision.

185 lbs. – Mose Aieti def. Anton Torres via decision.

Combat Fight League returns on December 2^nd with an amateur show at the Westlake Hyatt. Both Mostowa brothers expect to return to action on that show. Legends MMA is sponsored by X-Pole.

Eddie ”Ambien” Jackson, Tuff-N-Uff Welterweight Champion!

2010-10-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

By Jay Tan

Some called him “Action Jackson.” He called himself “The Knockout Artist.” Going forward, people can call Eddie Jackson “champ,” as he claimed the Tuff-N-Uff 170 lb. championship on October 22 at Tuff-N-Uff’s latest installment at the Orleans Hotel & Casino.

“This is what I’ve been working hard for; this is what I’ve earned, and how that I’ve got it. . . .It’s a personal accomplishment for me. Even though it’s on the amateur level, I worked really hard for this,” said Jackson in his first post-fight interview.

“That was a lifetime performance. That was one of those things that, as a fighter, you always want to be involved in. I think it’ll totally stand the test of time,” beemed trainer Chris Reilly.

The Angelo match was in fact Jackson’s second title shot. In early 2009, Jackson went to the finals of a four-man tournament for the same title, losing by KO to Xtreme Couture’s Kenny Marzolla after catching an unexpected high kick in the first round.

“Everybody knows what happened . . . I promised myself that if I ever had a second opportunity for this, I wasn’t going to repeat history,” he lamented.

Since then, Jackson’s road to redemption had its triumphs and setbacks. He followed up the Marzolla loss with two first-round KO / TKO finishes in August and November. However, the first half of 2010 was spent rehabbing an arm injury that had him sidelined for over five months. Upon his return to action, in July, Jackson finally faced Bill Cooper, whom he was supposed to fight in the 2009 tournament finals before Cooper withdraw due to injury. Again, Jackson faced a first-round defeat, getting caught in a guillotine choke by the jiu-jitsu black belt.

However, for this second title shot, a very different Eddie Jackson wrote a very different story.

170 lbs. Tuff-N-Uff Championship– Eddie Jackson vs. Joey Angelo

Jackson and Angelo traded a few low kicks in the first minute of round one before Jackson tagged Angelo with an overhand right. Jackson rushed Angelo into the opposite corner and landed a knee from the Thai clinch before breaking apart. Angelo circled the ring’s perimeter and kept distance with a front kick while Jackson looked for an opening. Jackson got another clinch and threw knees, one of which slipped to the groin. After a break, Angelo was able to continue and pumped the jab. Amidst a flurry between them, Angelo got Jackson to the ground, but couldn’t keep him down. Jackson charged with another kick-punch combo and Angelo tried to force his own plumb clinch, but Jackson escaped. In the final seconds of round two, Angelo fired a superman punch, but Jackson took him to the ground and pounded away. Both men started swinging more wildly in the third round. Angelo controlled Jackson with several knees from a Thai clinch, from where Jackson fired lefts and rights. This exchange got a big pop from the crowd. Angelo tried a spinning backfist that also impressed fans. Jackson dropped Angelo with a short right and followed up with more punches on the ground. Angelo regained his composure and tried to set up a triangle choke, firing shots from the bottom. The crowd was ecstatic as the final bell rang.

Judges awarded Eddie Jackson the win by unanimous decision, making him the new Tuff-N-Uff 170 lb. champion.

“Because he was southpaw, I had to keep staying on his outside foot, and just whip it. Just waiting for my time, struck him whenever I could. Try to hit him with combos, but he used his distanced pretty good. He stopped me from finishing it off. It was a smart fight for both of us,” Jackson remembered.

For Reilly, by the third round, Jackson was clearly ahead, but that wasn’t enough for him to let Jackson coast through: “I was telling him ‘hey, you won two rounds fair and square, but we’re not counting on the judges up here. You need to go after that guy and knock him out’. . . He did such a sound job that I feel like he didn’t leave any opportunity for anyone to rob us. He did it so convincingly that they had to give it to us, even though I feel like they didn’t really want to.”

“The guy had an amazing chin, because Eddie hit him with shots that anyone else would have gone to sleep. That was certainly all I could ask of Eddie,” concluded Reilly.

Teammate Tommy Gavin also noted Jackson’s improved footwork, especially against a fighter whose reach and stance was unprecedented for the now-champion: “Eddie’s fight was a perfect example of how to cut the outside foot off, and stalk your opponent without leaving yourself open. Joey Angelo was fighting as a southpaw, and Eddie cut him off for the outside leg position for the entire nine minutes. I think that made the difference in that fight.”

“He put himself a step closer to a pro career, and that’s a big-time amateur title. I’m happy for him,” said Gavin in the days after the match.

Unfortunately, the night’s events started on a sad but honorable note, as the announcement of thirteen-year old Dylan Woods’ passing was made. Woods, a local boy whose battle with brain cancer became a noted local story and cause that Tuff-N-Uff, Xtreme Couture, and several other fight camps championed over the past year. Woods attended several Tuff-N-Uff events as a special guest, and became a favorite among the fans, fighters, and staff. He was given a 13-bell salute, each ring honoring a year of his life.

According to a friend of the Woods’ family, Dylan would be buried with firefighter honors, as the Las Vegas Fire Department made him a junior firefighter (and "Chief for A Day") just the month prior.

Tommy Gavin was also in action that night, as well as several fighters from Sean Bollinger’s 10^th Planet Riverside team. Gavin lost by TKO moments before the end of the first round, which he was decisively winning in the striking game before being taken to the ground and kept down with a series of lefts and rights. Bollinger’s team went 2-1 for the night, with David Tompkins winning by split decision and Trace Gray earning a TKO win at the 0:30 mark of the first round.

Of Gavin’s performance, Reilly reassured “Tommy comes to fight every time. He always lets his hands go. I think his boxing has gotten a lot better. . . But making punches miss is an athletic ability that comes in different levels in people, and it’s something Tommy’s gonna have to really work on.”

Gavin echoed the sentiment, saying “I let that kid have the outside positioning. I’m a southpaw and I can’t do that.”

In other Tuff-N-Uff action that night:

160 lbs. – David Tompkins (10^th Planet Riverside) def. Jason Rivera (Wand Fight Team) via split decision

135 lbs. – Roman Isbell (Striking Unlimited) def. Joseph Viola (Fasi Sports / Drysdale Jiu-Jitsu) via TKO, R2.

135 lbs. – Jesse Romero (Xtreme Couture) def. Gerald Vecco via submission, R1, 0:29.

135 lbs. – Autumn Richardson (Team Quest) def. Jessica Martinez (Henry’s TKD Combative Training Center)

170 lbs. – Lee Henry Lilly (Striking Unlimited) def. Rick Borden (10^th Planet Riverside) via split decision.

170 lbs. – Guillaume Fricheteau (Wand Fight Team) def. Kenny Gray via submission, R1.

265 lbs. – Juan Chavarin (Xtreme Couture) def. Chrstiain Diaz via TKO, R1, 1:22.

125 lbs. – Tolin Garcia (Striking Unlimited) def. Shane Franklin (Battlegroundz / Las Vegas Muay Thai Center) via KO, R1.

155 lbs. Trace Gray (10^th Planet Riverside) def. James Lanham (Xtreme Couture) via TKO, R1, 0:30.

145 lbs. – Rudy Morales (Knuckle Up) def. Carlo Fudolig (Striking Unlimited / Cobra Kai) via unanimous decision.

125 lbs. – Nikki Rae Lowe def. Latasha Marzolla (Wand Fight Team) via TKO due to injury, R1.

Legends MMA is sponsored by X-Pole. Tuff-N-Uff’s next event is November 12^th at the Orleans Hotel & Casino.

Smith claims his ‘Respect’ against Gutierrez

2010-10-14T13:44:00.000-07:00

By Jay Tan

After ten months of injuries, false starts, and continuous struggle to hit the restart button, pro heavyweight Garren Smith restarted his momentum with a dominating win on October 9^th at the Fox Theater in Pomona, as the semi-main event in Respect in the Cage. Smith beat hometown favorite Andrew “Spike” Gutierrez by TKO in the second round, after Gutierrez’ corner threw in the towel.

“It was a big relief. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever fight again. . . I wasn’t sure if I wanted to fight again,” lamented Smith in the days following the fight.”

“You take enough time off and you run into injuries and obstacles, you start to question what you’re doing. . . Now, instead of being hesitant, and thinking about ‘do I want to fight again,’ now I realize I want to fight again. And it’s got me pretty much right back to where I was when I first started in the game. It was just train your ass off, fight your ass off.”

Smith’s previous outing was in December of last year in Oregon, against former IFL star Devon Cole.

“I knew Garren was going to win this fight because I spar with him, and I know how good he really is. . . They both went 110%, trying to knock each other out. It was an awesome fight. For people watching, I bet it was really exciting fight to watch. Seeing two big guys go at it that hard is pretty bitchin’,” said cornerman Amir Rahnavardi.

“For having not fought in 10 months and go in there and fight a tough guy in there like that, and to show the skills that he showed in there, I was impressed,” noted Smith’s teammate and other cornerman, Chris ‘BLVD’ Brady.

As if Smith wasn’t facing enough pressure coming back from such a long hiatus, contractual hold-ups at weigh-ins caused more confusion. Unbeknownst to him and his team, Smith was kept on reserve as a likely (but unconfirmed) last-minute replacement.

Gutierrez originally was scheduled to face John Potter in a match based on personal issues. According to promoters, with Potter’s reputation for no-showing, it was expected that the match would fall through, and as such, Smith would be their fill-in. Indeed, Potter was not present at weigh-ins, nor did he provide the necessary medical and licensing paperwork to California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) officials. Only after it was established the Potter could not be licensed in time did promoters finally provide bout agreements to Gutierrez and Smith.

The story of the match itself was Smith stalking Gutierrez with left hooks and kicks to the legs and body, setting up for a Thai plumb clinch and knees. Gutierrez worked to keep him at bay with overhand rights and various kicks of his own. Early in the first round, Gutierrez shot in for a takedown, but Smith caught him with a Thai clinch and knees. He later hit a judo trip on Gutierrez and held him briefly with a front facelock. Gutierrez actually turned his back standing at one point, giving Smith the opening to charge in with an overhand right. However, Gutierrez ducked and Smith fell into the cage. Round two saw Gutierrez throw a high kick, slipping in the process and again giving Smith the window to pounce. Smith landed approximately 50-60 strikes before Gutierrez’ corner threw in the towel at 1:07 of the second round.

Smith was aware that ring rust could be a potential big factor in his performance, and in particular noted that the match showed where there was room for improvement: “It made me realize just how much work I’ve got to do. I’ve got to get into way better shape for any fight I take. If I had fought a top caliber opponent for that fight, I’d have been done,” he explained.

Besides a return for Smith, the match also represented continued growth for the Legends team, as the unprecedented combination of Rahnavardi, Brady, and in-house chiro Dr. Joe Canul worked Smith’s corner.

“Amir is great to work with because everything he taught me, everything he did when holding the mitts, right before we went out, that’s what I did to win the fight. Dr. Canul did his magic voodoo on me and completely relaxed me for the rest of the day. Plus, his personality had me very calm in the corner. Chris is very valuable. He helped me with a prayer, right before I went in, that really got me focused. Even though he had a freshly sprained ankle, from that day, he was my runner. He took care of everything. Definitely gonna have him in my corner again.”

Likewise, Rahnavardi noted “the thing that most impressed me with Garren for this fight is how hard he worked eight days before. Because I really pushed him on cardio. He listened to everything that I said as far as getting into shape and dropping the weight. . . What I was telling him on the pads, the way that I was warming him up – he was receiving everything 100%, and then it seemed like everything just fell into place for him,” said Rahnavardi.

Of course, Smith’s win was a big shot in the arm for the rest of the team, several of whom fight later this month and towards the end of the year. “That energy, his positive energy, his happiness, comes into our lives, comes into our mindsets and brings that out in us in our fights,” explained Brady.

Smith is expected to appear at Respect in the Cage’s next event, scheduled for November 12^th at the Fox Theater in Pomona. He is sponsored by X-Pole, The Hundreds, and Royal Clayton’s English Pub.

Legends’ Pro Fight on 10/9 and 11/12, Amateur team returns to Tuff-N-Uff on 10/22

2010-10-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

The calendar may suggest that 2010 is quickly coming to a close, but you’ll be hard-pressed to tell that to Chris Reilly and the boys, as the Legends MMA fight team continues with a busy schedule in October.

Garren Smith’s Legends debut at Respect in the Cage

This coming Saturday, resident heavyweight Garren Smith makes his Legends debut at Respect in the Cage, taking on Andrew Gutierrez of Pinnacle Jiu-Jitsu. This will be Garren’s first fight flying the Legends logo, after making his pro debut in January in Oregon.

Garren joined Legends shortly after his debut, and has spent this year retooling his skills and helping prep the rest of the team for various events.

Garren has $60 and $100 floor seats for sale at the gym, or try FoxPomona.com.

Saturday October 9^th
RESPECT IN THE CAGE
The Fox Theater
301 S. Garey Ave
Pomona, 91766
(877) 283-6976
Doors: 7:00pm
www.RespectInTheCage.com
www.FoxPomona.com

Jackson, Brady, & Gavin return to Sin City

Only a few weeks later, the Legends amateur team checks in at Tuff-N-Uff to remind fans of how Hollywood gets down. Leading the charge will be the newly-christened Eddie “Ambien” Jackson, who faces Joey Angelo of the TapouT R & D Training Center for the Tuff-N-Uff 170 lb. championship. Also in the mix will be Chris “BLVD” Brady and Tommy Gavin.

10^th Planet Jiu Jitsu will be busy that night as well, with two fighters, Rick Borden and Trace Grey, of the Riverside school, competing on the same card.

135 lbs. – Chris “BLVD” Brady x Roman Isbell (Striking Unlimited)
155 lbs. – Tommy Gavin x Dustin Brewick (Team Fasi / Drysdale Jiu Jitsu)
170 lbs. – Eddie “Ambian” Jackson x Joey Angelo (TapouT R& D)

Tickets will soon be available at TuffNUff.net or OrleansCasino.com . If you can’t make it to the show, it will also be available via internet PPV at GoFightLive.com.

Friday, October 22^nd
TUFF-N-UFF FUTURE STARS OF MMA
Orleans Hotel & Casino
4500 West Tropicana Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89103
702-365-7111
Doors: 6:00pm
First Fight: 7:00pm
www.TuffNUff.net

Matt Horwich signs to fight Jake Rosholt in Tulsa

Finally, the ever-evolving Matt Horwich will head to the Sooner State to face hometown hero Jake Rosholt at the inaugural “Xtreme Fight Night,” on November 12^th at “The Joint” event center at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Tulsa, OK.

Rosholt has proven to be a dangerous all-around fighter, having four TKO and three submission finishes to complete his seven victories, including an arm triangle / side choke win over Chris “The Crippler” Leben in August of last year. He’s a three-time NCAA champion and four-time All-American with the Oklahoma Sooners, and was recently voted one of the top ten athletes of the decade in Oklahoma.

If you plan on being in the Tulsa area, tickets will be available through the Hard Rock Tulsa website – www.HardRockCasinoTulsa.com.

Saturday, November 12^th
Xtreme Fight Night
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
770 West Cherokee Street
Catoosa, OK 74015
(800) 760-6700
www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com

Hope to see you at some or all of these fights!

Oct. 2 CAMO tournament at Fight Academy Pasadena CANCELLED, but pro fight in the works

2010-09-29T23:15:00.000-07:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Los Angeles finals of the CAMO state MMA tournament, originally scheduled for this coming Saturday night, has been cancelled. Four amateur Legends fighters were scheduled to fight.

We are working on rescheduling fights for tournament advancees Christian Palencia (155 lbs.), Eugene Marenya (170 lbs.), and Gio Zavala (205 lbs.) as well as Eddie Jackson (170 lbs.), who was scheduled in a non-tournament scrap with Kenny Hwang (Fight Academy).

These matches may be rescheduled to the following week, October 9th, but that plan has yet to be confirmed.

Also in the works for October 9th is a possible pro match for heavyweight Garren Smith. This last minute match would take place at Respect in the Cage, at the Fox Theater in Pomona. Although the match has yet to be confirmed, info on the event is available at www.respectinthecage.com.

Confirmed updates on these two events will be announced as information becomes available.

We apologize for any convenience.

Palencia & Zavala advance in CAMO tournament in a challenging weekend

2010-09-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

By Jay Tan

Christian Palencia and Gio Zavala, who advance in the opening round of the inaugural CAMO (California Amateur MMA Organization) state tournament, shine brightly as the two stars of an otherwise difficult weekend for Legends MMA. The event took place on September 11th at Siren Studios in Hollywood, under the Total Fighting Alliance (TFA) banner.

Palencia and Zavala were two of six Legends fighters scheduled to enter the tournament. The other entrants were Chris “Blvd” Brady (135 lbs.), Tommy Gavin (155 lbs.), Eddie Jackson (170 lbs.), and Eugene Marenya (170 lbs.). The roster dropped to five when Marenya was forced to withdraw from the tournament due to injury. However, pending a medical clearance, Marenya will be the alternate in the next round of the tournament, scheduled for October 2nd at the Fight Academy in Pasadena.

For Zavala, the advance to the next level was bittersweet, as his win came by forfeit after his opponent, Tom Kemp of TapouT, withdrew within minutes of the scheduled fight. According to backstage reports, Kemp was warming up with his trainer, doing some light jiu-jitsu, when he re-aggravated a previous knee injury.

The news was beyond disappointing to Zavala, who had one of the largest fan followings in attendance that day. Promoter Todd Meacham brought Zavala out to the cage to explain the situation. On the upside, Zavala automatically advances to the same October 2nd show as Palencia and Marenya.

“I just wanted to thank everybody that came out to watch me. I trained for this fight. I’m really sorry. I trained really hard. I know this guy’s a good fighter, but, you know, things happen, man,” said the disheartened light heavyweight.

135 lbs. – Chris Brady vs. German Balthazar (Big John McCarthy’s Ultimate Training Academy)
Brady looked to set the pace of the match early with low kicks and combos. Balthazar circled and offered some low kicks of his own, knocking Brady down with a right and clinching up against the cage. Toward the end, Brady shot in for a takedown, but Balthazar caught it and turned it into a trip takedown of his own. The second round saw Brady stay on Balthazar with kicks and combos. Balthazar scored another takedown off a body kick, but opted to keep the fight standing and backed away. They continued to trade low kicks throughout. Brady was quick to press and clinch up in round three, grabbing double overhooks on Balthazar, who turned it into another trip takedown. On the ground, Brady threw punches from “double-bagger” guard before kicking Balthazar off. They clinched on their feet, giving Balthazar the opening to take Brady down again via hiptoss. Brady was immediately back on his feet, but Balthazar then scooped a double-leg takedown. Brady tried to push him back with upkicks, but Balthazar crowded him and threw rights to end the round.

Judges awarded the match to Balthazar by split decision, off two scores of 29-28 for Balthazar
and one 30-27 score for Brady.

155 lbs. – Tommy Gavin vs. Paul Blancaflor (Spiritwolf MMA)
Both men sized each other up for a while, with Gavin charging in with pawing shots, that Blancaflor sidestepped. Gavin shot in from afar for a double leg takedown and was caught in Blancaflor’s guard. Blancaflor kept control of his neck and closed the guard, sitting up and rolling into top position before Gavin was forced to tap at 1:31 of the first round.

170 lbs. – Eddie Jackson vs. Bill Cooper
Cooper refused to touch gloves at the onset, which got a rousing chorus of boos. Both men were careful to engage at first, as Jackson circled form the outside. Cooper charged in with a combo, throwing Jackson off balance to the ground. As Jackson got up and reached for a single-leg, Cooper grabbed a guillotine choke and jumped guard. Jackson tried to fight out of it, but was forced to tap out at 1:21 of round one.

155 lbs. – Christian Palencia vs. Shane Watts (TFA Fight Crew)
Palencia fired the first blows with a jab-kick combo, but Watts retaliated with punches that pushed him back to the cage. Palencia came back with a two-punch combo that bounced Watt into the cage, and caught him with another knee as Watts fell to the ground, prompting the referee to immediately stop the action at 0:14. Palencia was awarded the win by TKO.

Horwich unrewarded in split decision.

Unfortunately, Legends’ woes continued on two other shows this weekend as well. Fresh off a vindicating win at “War on the Mainland” in Irvine, CA, Matt “Lion of God” Horwich lost a split decision against Eric Schambari at Bellator 28, held Thursday night, September 9th, at the Mahalia Jackson Theater in New Orleans, LA. The match was televised on Fox Sports Net.
“Just can’t let fights go to judges. I can never figure out what fight they are watching,” tweeted head trainer Chris Riley.

The story of the match was Schambari’s single-leg takedown attempts, countered with Horwich working for a kimura on the left arm, which took place in each round. Standing, Horwich chased after him in what three different people backstage referred to as “zombie-like,” throwing combos and leg kicks, while Schambari kept the distance with jabs to the head and body. When Horwich did catch him, he threw knees from a Muay Thai clinch. Schambari did get takedowns and top position once in the second and twice in the third, but Horwich escaped each time before much damage was effected.

In the end, two judges awarded the bout to Schambari off 30-27 scores, while the third judge awarded the match to Horwich 29-28.

On this same night as the CAMO tournament, in Pueblo, CO, light heavyweight pro Adriano Camolese lost to Eliot “The Fire” Marshall via unanimous decision (29-28 for all three judges) at Bring the Thunder MMA.

Christian Palencia, Eugene Marenya, and Gio Zavala fight next on October 2nd at Fight Academy Pasadena, in the final round of the Los Angeles branch of the CAMO state tournament. Tickets are available here: http://fightacademymma.com/current-events.htm.

Horwich on TV, six amateurs in CAMO tournament, and Adriano vs. UFC vet - ALL THIS WEEK!

2010-09-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

As the great announcer Jim Ross often said, “business is about to pick up,” as no less than EIGHT Legends MMA fighters compete at FOUR events within 48 hours this week, with one televised pro match and six entrants into the opening round of the first-ever CA state amateur MMA tournament. Not to mention that Adriano Camolese squares off against fellow BJJ black belt Eliot "The Fire" Marshall at Bring the Thunder MMA's inaugural event.

Here's the details:

September 9^th –Bellator Fighting Championships: Matt Horwich vs. Eric Shambari LIVE ON FOX SPORTS Net

This coming Thursday, Matt “Lion of God” Horwich returns to live televised MMA action when he faces Eric Schambari (12-2) of Marc Laimon’s Cobra Kai Jiu-Jitsu (Las Vegas). Schambari is a WEC and Bellator veteran who was in Bellator’s middleweight tournament earlier this year.

185 lbs. – Matt Horwich vs. Eric Shambari

WHEN: Thursday, September 9^th, 9:00pm

WHERE: Televised Live on Fox Sports Net (check local listings)

Bellator Fighting Championships airs every Thursday night on Fox Sports Net in America and The Score in Canada on Friday nights. Abbreviated highlight shows air late Saturday nights on NBC and earlier that night in Spanish on Mun2 cable. Visit www.Bellator.com for more info.

September 11^th – Six Legends fighters compete

Two days later, Legends MMA’s amateur team finally represents right in their own back yard, as six fighters – Chris Brady, Christian Palencia, Tommy Gavin, Eddie Jackson, Eugene Marenya, and Gio Zavala – compete in the opening round of the California Amateur MMA Organzation (CAMO) state tournament. This day-long event takes place at Siren Studios, right in the heart of Hollywood.

135 lbs. – Chris Brady

155 lbs. – Christian Palencia, Tommy Gavin

170 lbs. – Eddie Jackson, Eugene Marenya

205 lbs. – Gio Zavala

Fighters who win their matches on this day advance to fight again on October 2^nd at the Fight Academy in Pasadena.

WHEN: Saturday, September 11^th, Doors open at 12:00pm, First Fight at ??

WHERE: Siren Studios

6063 West Sunset Blvd (cross street is Gower)

Los Angeles 90028

Tickets are available at the Brickhouse (Legends / BeSpun) front desk. Or visit www.TFAFights.com for more info.

September 11^th – Bring the Thunder MMA: Adriano Camolese vs. Eliot “The Fire” Marshall

If you’re in the Pueblo, CO area, you can check out Legends’ own Adriano Camolese as he heads into unfamiliar waters against fellow BJJ black belt Eliot ‘The Fire’ Marshall, at Bring the Thunder MMA’s inaugural event that same day.

Proceeds of this event will go towards the CSU-Pueblo’s athletic program

WHEN: Saturday, September 11^th, 7:30pm

WHERE: Massari Arena (CSU – Pueblo)

2200 Bonforte Blvd.

Pueblo, CO 81001

Tickets are available at www.ticketwest.com. Student and military general admission are $20, with reserved seats at $35, east side reserved seats at $45, and floor seat...s going for $75 each.

Matt Horwich, World Champion!

2010-08-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

By Jay Tan

Photos courtesy of Brian Robertson / MMAStation.com

Legends MMA’s resident middleweight metaphysician, Matt ‘The Limit Smasher’ Horwich simultaneously reversed his own polarity and recorded a new milestone for the gym this past weekend, submitting former UFC title contender Thales Leites to become the first Powerhouse World Promotions (PWP) middleweight champion. The event took place on Saturday the 14^th, at PWP’s “War on the Mainland” pay-per-view event at the Bren Events Center in Irvine.

“It’s a beautiful universe. Thank God for good friends and good victories,” said the newly-crowned champ in the days after the fight.

“I just think it puts him on a whole other level, if he can keep it up. Thales has never been submitted. It’s a huge victory,“ added his wife Kelly.

Ironically, Horwich was a last-minute replacement for Hawaiian fighter Falaniko Vitale, who withdrew from the event in early August. Anxious to shake off the taint of two recent debatable decision losses to hometown heroes, Jason ‘The Athlete’ MacDonald in Canada and Tom ‘Kong’ Watson in the U.K., respectively, Horwich jumped at the chance to fight in his own backyard.

Moreover, the fact that he didn’t need to board an airplane sat just fine with him. .

“It’s funny, because I like skydiving, but I hate flying. . . God’s well aware I’d rather die any way besides flying, because I mention it to him thousands of times every time I have to fly on an airplane to fight,” he lamented, adding “props to Thales. It’s hard to come to someone’s hometown and fight him. This is where my friends and family are. Where I train, and where I’m comfortable and have everything I want.”

The match itself was largely a back-and-forth ground battle, with Leites taking Horwich down, where both would trade sweeps and transitions for top position until one would escape to his feet. Standing, Horwich pushed the action, stalking Leites with jabs and low kicks, though Leites also had several sweeping low kicks that tripped Horwich on his rear.

“I had the reach on him. I was trying to throw the jab, and work a smart game plan. Tie him up and tire him out,” explained Horwich. “I was getting knocked over with that beautiful leg kick that he was doing to the back leg. I wasn’t really hurt from it. I was just looking dumb. I was like ‘alright Horwich, you’re laying down on the job. Get up, stupid!’”

According to head trainer Chris Reilly, beating Leites at the cardio game was a key strategy in the match: “As each minute passed, I saw [Horwich] get stronger and Thales weaken. By the end of the second, I was getting pretty confident. Event after losing the third. I felt good going into the fourth, and it didn’t take long from there,” he said.

The second round was Horwich’s, successfully muting Leites top position offense early, and then coming back with a leglock attempt and strong ground-and-pound in the last minute. Leites decisively took the third round with a threatening side choke that he held on Horwich for almost a minute. However, in Reilly’s eyes, surviving that position was in fact the tipping point which swung momentum back in favor of the Legends team.

“The arm triangle was [Leites’] best move. . . When Thales got it locked in, I knew he was going to gas trying to finish it. As soon as Matt came out, I knew the fight would shift our way.”

Horwich noted “I worked with my good friends at 10^th Planet on how I should defend the side choke, just in case. It’s a good thing we worked on it. I wasn’t gonna tap. I was worried . . . it was like ‘alright, relax. Don’t panic. Do the correct defense. Count to 60’.”

Indeed, the energy Leites burned on that choke compromised him for the fourth round, where Horwich scored an easy takedown and cinched in a rear naked choke to end the match, and win his third MMA championship, at 0:44.

“I felt he was getting tired. . . I’ve been working a lot with Eddie on how to finish it better, squeezing my own leg. Working on squeezing the choke muscles. And then it went under his chin and then I knew it was in. And I was like ‘thank God.’ Then I was going to hold on until the referee pulls me off, because I’ve seen a lot of fights where the guy taps and the ref doesn’t see it,” explained Horwich.

For almost any victorious fighter, once his hand is raised, he realizes that journey is the destination. The hard work, training, sacrifice, and discipline all gain mass and resonance, embodied in the win. According to Horwich, it was his spiritual faith that powered that journey, and as such, it was his faith that defined his victory.

“The thing is my faith felt better than any fight. I didn’t really have any anxiety or anything. I felt fired up, but not anxious. . . So I was feeling that. Even when the fight got tough, my faith felt good, when I was caught in the side choke. So I think that was a big difference in this fight. . . Like Proverbs teaches us, those who work hard will be leaders and those who are lazy will be slaves. Those who work hard are likely to get what they want in life. Faith is the most important, but you just can’t expect God to do everything for you. You gotta put in the hard work,” said Horwich.

“It was an honor to fight Thales. He was really respectful, even afterwards. We saw him when we were leaving and he had the most respect for Matt,” commented Kelly.

Links to Horwich vs. Leites from “War on the Mainland” are here:

Round One:

Round Two:

Round Three:

Round Four:

In other “War on the Mainland” action that night:

PWP heavyweight (275 lbs.) championship – Tim Sylvia def. Paul Buentello via TKO, R2, 4:57.

205 lbs. – Terry Martin def. Jorge Ortiz via split decision.

PWP light heavyweight (205 lbs.) championship – Tony Lopez def. Jason Lambert via KO, R2, 1:49.

Erin Beach def. Joao Silva via unanimous decision.

Diego Garijo def. Jens Pulver via submission, R1, 1:08.

Gustavo Machado def. Rick Reeves via split decision.

Cleber Luciano def. Todd Williamson via submission, R2, 3:18.

A.J. Matthews def. Sean Choice via TKO, R2, 3:54.

PWP has not yet announced a date for their next event. Matt Horwich is sponsored by X-Pole and Melee Fight Gear, with support from Legends MMA and 10^th Planet Jiu Jitsu.

Matt Horwich "War on the Mainland" Official Weigh-In Video

2010-08-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

Matt Horwich "War on the Mainland

2010-08-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

Check out Matt "The River Dolphin" Horwich from earlier today:

Tickets for "War on the Mainland" are available at 949-824-5000. If you're not in the area, the event is also available on PPV. Call your local cable or satellite provider for details.

Jouban & Marenya explode at ‘Ground Zero’

2010-08-09T02:10:00.000-07:00

By Jay Tan

Welterweights Eugene Marenya and Alan Jouban kept Legends MMA’s win streak alive-and-kicking this weekend with a pair of victories at Combat Fight League’s “Ground Zero” amateur MMA event, held at West Coast Jiu Jitsu in Oxnard.

In the main event, Jouban was put in the invader’s role, as he faced West Coast Jiu Jitsu’s star Mose Aieti, who has made waves this year in the SoCal amateur MMA scene. However, Jouban proved to have answers for the hometown hero’s questions, winning by unanimous decision. As the winner of what was declared the Match of the Night, Jouban was awarded a Polanti luxury watch.

“Tough dude. Good fight. It was a fight that I wanted, too. Because I’d been saying I don’t want a quick finish or anything. I want a war. . . I haven’t been out of the first round in my last three fights. So to get to go to a three-round decision, and to kick a guy in the head and have him come back wanting more, it was good,” commented Jouban after the fight.

Marenya, who fought at a 160 lb. catchweight in transition to welterweight, was particularly anxious to get in the cage. He was originally scheduled to fight Anthony Olivas of Bloodbank MMA the week prior, and, ironically, was the main event on that show. However, when rowdy and drunk fans in the crowd started their own fight during the match before Marenya’s, El Monte police and CAMO officials were forced to immediately shut the show down, leaving he and Olivas frustrated and unfulfilled.

“I was pissed off last week. And all that built up into this week, and I put it out there in the ring. I did my thang. Did what my coaches told me, and I banged,” said the North Carolina native.

Also worthy of note about ‘Ground Zero’ was teammate Chris Brady, taking the cornerman reins for the night, covering for head trainer Chris Reilly. Along with Amir Rahnavardi and 10^th Planet brown belt Victor Webster, ‘Boulevard Brady’ was chief second for both Marenya and Jouban. With two successful fights, Brady was praised for his leadership, which, not surprisingly, resembled his longtime mentor’s.

“Brady is like a Little Reilly,” noted Marenya. “He really knows his stuff. He knows the advice to give you. Watches the fight really well. Amir is just a great guy. Great coach. One of the most experienced guys we got. I could hear Vic [Webster] advising. So I basically had all three in my corner, and I really appreciated all of them.”

Jouban noted that having Legends’ more experienced fighters corner their teammates not only helps them grow, but also brings the team itself closer together: “I think not only for me, but for my teammates, I think that it builds their confidence as well. In bringing fighters to fights, [cornering] them, warming them up. That way, we can work together as a team, like an actual cohesive unit. Where, if Reilly can’t make it, I could corner my buddy. I can warm them up. We know that we can all rely on each other.”

160 lbs. – Eugene Marenya vs. Marcus Aven (Right Cross)

Aven spent a good part of the first round working for a takedown, crowding Marenya against the cage and trying a trip, but Marenya fended it off incredibly well, sprawling and stuffing the double-leg shot, quickly escaping when they did finally get to the ground. Marenya opened up with lefts and rights, and then fended off another shot with overhooks and knees. Aven charged and did get Marenya on the ground, peppering him with lefts and taking his back, but Marenya pivoted around and was stacking Aven from above as Aven worked for an armbar as the round ended. Aven was determined to get the takedown in round two, trying to pull in Marenya’s legs against the cage for well over half the round. After breaking apart, Marenya landed a high kick that rocked Aven, who instinctively changed levels and grabbed for a single-leg, which he did score as the round ended. Marenya came alive in the third round, opening with a a low right kic and attacking with lefts and rights to the head, pushing Aven back against the cage until referee Ray Rothfelder stopped the match. Marenya was awarded the victory via TKO.

Marenya’s growth as a fighter, from his first West Coast match back in April, was markedly obvious, not just in his takedown defense, but, according to Jouban, his punches and kicks: “I think Eugene’s striking is really starting to come along. You could see the progression in his last three fights, leading up to this. It really showed because he landed the head kick. . . The guy wore himself trying to take him down. But the striking was the difference-maker. The guy didn’t want any part of the striking, but he had no choice. Eugene had the more dominant reach, and just athleticism.”

“I’ve been working with a lot of the good wrestlers at the gym. I’ve been working with some of the good jiu jitsu guys. Working on little tricks to defend the takedown. And it paid off,” said Marenya.

175 lbs. – Alan Jouban vs. Mose Aieti (West Coast Jiu Jitsu)

Aieti was active on the attack, taking Jouban down off a combo and working from inside Jouban’s guard. Jouban muted Aieti’s options by pulling mission control. Aieti tried a short slam to no avail. Once referee Ray Rothfelder stood them up, Jouban landed several Muay Thai knees, kicks, and punches to end the round. Both men were more cautious in engaging in round two, throwing selective kicks before Aieti charged in. But Jouban caught him with two more Muay Thai knees before being taken to the ground, where Aieti kept the fight. In round three, Aieti shot in for a takedown that Jouban caught with a front headlock, slipping in an underhook and several strong knees. Jouban let go and tagged Aieti with a right kick, then charged in with kicks and punches. Aieti dropped Jouban with an overhand right and pounced, but Jouban caught him in a triangle choke that he held to round’s end.

Judges awarded Alan Jouban the match via unanimous decision, off scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.

Marenya had nothing but praise for the always-poised Jouban, commenting “aw, man. Superman! Great fight. . . He outworked the kid. . . I guess people now know not to stand-up with Legends guys. ‘Cuz Chris Reilly, Muay Thai. It’s just showing how great our stand-up reputation is. No one wants to stand with us.”

In other “Combat Fight League: Ground Zero” action that night:

135 lbs. – Juan Aguilera def. Juan Estrada via TKO, R2.

185 lbs. – JJ Mortimer def. Sid Sidberry via submission, R1.

150 lbs. – Francisco Estrada def. Peter Mostawa via submission, R1.

205 lbs. – John Hernandez def. Jarrod Huggins via KO, R1.

145 lbs. (female) – Ronda Rousey def. Hayden Munoz via submission, R1.

Legends MMA is sponsored by X-Pole, Melee Fight Gear, and MMA Elite.

Rockymore wins big at Spar Star

2010-08-04T01:59:00.000-07:00

By Jay Tan

He might not be old enough to drink, but Jacob Rockymore is old enough to put heads to bed, as he demonstrated on July 30^th at Spar Star MMA’s inaugural event at the El Monte Civic Center in El Monte.

Rockymore, making his California MMA debut, defeated Cole Riley of OC Boxing with a arm triangle choke (aka side choke) at 1:31 of the first round.

“That shit was tight. . . I went in there, had fun, did my thing, and the results came out good. If you see the video, I was focused,” he said proudly in the days after the fight.

The match started out swiftly, as Rockymore attacked with combos and Riley replied with sharp jabs. Rockymore pressed the action with a pair of kicks and an overhand right, which eventually led to grabbing a waistlock and working for a takedown. He did eventually trip Riley to the mat and bully him over, then throwing rights from inside Riley’s guard. Riley swept Rockymore, who swept Riley almost as quickly, before landing in a side choke that he cinched until referee Larry Landless stopped the match.

For Rockymore, this match was not just about the immediate victory, but also about moving past his previous bout and proving to himself that he could perform at the level for which he’s trained. This past May, Rockymore fought in Las Vegas, first coming up on the short end of a hairline-thin split decision and then struggling through sickness backstage. However, in El Monte, the young flyweight was determined to claim his reversal of fortune.

“I felt more confident. Because I knew I was going to win this fight, for some reason. The last one was tough as fuck. Harder than I expected it to be. This one, the guy was overweight, and I was under. . . When I was inside the cage, I was just ready. My mind was set and everything. I knew what I was gonna do.”

Despite such a dominant and adept performance, Rockymore is still quick to recognize that he’s got a long way to go, saying “I still feel like I can do better. I’ve still got a lot to learn. . . [like] the jiu-jitsu on the bottom. After he flipped me, I was like ‘fuck, what do I do now?’ I just tried to strengthen over. Get my butterfly guard and flip him. That worked, but what if it didn’t?”

Teammate Eugene Marenya was also scheduled to fight on the Spar Star event, and was in fact the last match of the night, but in an unfortunate turn of events, the show was cut short when several drunk fans ignited their own brawl in the stands, just one match before Marenya’s.

Fortunately, Marenya didn’t need wait long before finding another match. The next day, he was added to Combat Fight League’s “Ground Zero” event in Oxnard, taking on Marcus Aven of Right Cross.

Legends MMA is sponsored by X-Pole, Melee Fight Gear, and MMA Elite.

New Matt Horwich Interview for "War on the Mainland" PPV!!

2010-08-03T00:12:00.000-07:00

"The Limit Smasher," Matt Horwich, did this interview in anticipation of his next match, a middleweight championship fight against UFC veteran Thales Leites, which is scheduled for August 14th at the UC Irvine Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA.

Horwich is being brought in as a last-minute replacement after Falaniko Vitale was forced to withdraw.

This is the co-main event for Powerhouse World Promotions and Integrated Sports' "War on the Mainland," airing live on pay per view. Also appearing on the card will be Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia, Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello, Jens "Lil' Evil" Pulver, Jason Lamber, Allen Goes, and Terry Martin.

Tickets are available by calling (949) 824-5000. Or watch on pay-per-view.

Hope to see you at the fights!

Updated Fight Cards for July 30th and August 6th

2010-07-28T01:47:00.001-07:00

It’s going to be a busy next two weeks for the Legends MMA team, with fighters scheduled to compete on back-to-back-to-back events from now through mid-August.

July 30 – Spar Star MMA in El Monte

This Friday, July 30^th, Eugene Marenya and Jacob Rockymore do battle at Spar Star MMA in El Monte.

125 lbs. – Jacob Rockymore vs. Cole Hughes Reilly (OC Boxing)

160 lbs. – Eugene Marenya vs. Anthony Olivas (Bloodbank MMA)

WHEN: Saturday, July 30^th, 7:00pm

WHERE: El Monte Expo Center

12051 Garvey Ave.

El Monte, CA, 91732

TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE AT THE LEGENDS / BESPUN (BRICKHOUSE) FRONT DESK!!

August 6 – Combat Fight League in Oxnard

The following week, Alan Jouban puts his undefeated win streak on the line against Mose Aieti of West Coast Jiu Jitsu, at Combat Fight League’s “Ground Zero.”

175 lbs. – Alan Jouban vs. Mose Aieti (West Coast Jiu Jitsu)

WHEN: Friday, August 6^th, 7:00pm

WHERE: West Coast Jiu Jitsu

2945 Los Olivos
Oxnard, CA 93036-8919
(805) 604-0944

Tickets are available at www.CombatFightLeague.com or by calling West Coast Jiu Jitsu at (805) 604-0944.

Jouban & Palencia Sweep at County Cage Fighting

2010-07-14T18:20:00.001-07:00

By Jay Tan

Alan Jouban and Christian Palencia were victorious in their California MMA debuts last night, at the second County Cage Fighting event, held at Adrenaline Combat Sports & Fitness in San Bernadino.

Jouban finished his opponent in the first round via gogo plata, while Palencia demonstrated his striking power and grappling finesse to secure a unanimous decision.

“I was really excited about fighting in the cage. That was a big step for me, to get that first cage fight out of the way,” noted Jouban.

SparWithMe.com was on hand to record the fights, and has graciously made them available to the public.

175 lbs. – Alan Jouban vs. Jason Townsell (Combined Martial Sciences)

http://www.sparwithme.com/2010/07/13/rob-bird-team-cff-manuel-murillo-team-quest/ (Mislabeled, but the correct video)

“I was really happy for him. I was surprised he got taken down, but it kinda looked like he was kinda fine with it and didn’t want to fight it too much. He kinda pulled guard and started working that gogo plata. Got it eventually. He’s working all aspects of the game, which is really good,” Palencia said of his teammate.

Indeed, Jouban says he intended to fight from bottom, explaining that he feels that his amateur days are the prime time to test as many different fight situations as possible.

“I want to finish every one of my fights differently while I’m an amateur. I want a knockout. I want a submission. I want a submission from top, from bottom. I want as many varieties of finishes that I can have. I just want to test myself. So far it’s worked out. . . . Not to sound arrogant in any way, but I don’t want to say ‘oh this works,’ and keep doing it. I really want to see what I can do. How many ways I can finish people, and then have that in my arsenal when I go pro. And know what works, and know what I’ve done in the past,” he explained.

160 lbs. – Christian Palencia vs. Vince Vouquez (HB Ultimate Training Center)

http://www.sparwithme.com/2010/07/12/vince-blue-vs-christian-palencia-red/

“He was easily dominating the striking. He had so much more power on his punches. The first round, he didn’t have the distance yet, because the guy had the way longer arms. But once he had the distance, I thought Christian was gonna knock him out,” said head trainer Chris Reilly.

“Christian, in my eyes, puts on a great fight. I think, after this fight, he’s at the pro level. He’s been tiptoeing in that category, but after this fight – he fought a much bigger, much stronger guy. Very, very tough guy. . . I thought he fought a three-round perfect fight. He won every part of the fight. Stand-up, ground, clinch, takedown, sweeps. Everything,” added Jouban.

For Palencia, the victory was a moral one as well, as he came in far more under weight than necessary. Weighing himself at 170 lbs. (for a 160 lbs. match) 24 hours before the fight, Palencia went into overdrive for the weight cut. However, he officially weighed-in at 153 lbs., and with only a few hours before fight time, rehydrating and rejuvenating his energy levels continued the strain on him.

“It felt really good to win, afterwards because I felt like before the fight, I was going in there less than 50%. Just the way I was feeling. . . . That cut really did me bad. I just felt like I wanted to throw up, but I fought for it to stay down. . .I was like ‘there’s no way I’m going to be able to fight a full fight, or do whatever I want to.’ When I did, I actually beat him, everybody said I did good, I was really proud of myself,” he recanted.

"I was just nervous because I knew how bad Christian’s insides were feeling. Because of the weight loss. Christian was puking at the trash can right before we went out. And he was really not feeling well and he was really worried about it. . . I was like ‘remember how you felt, after your last fight? And you’re the one who begged to get in right away, because you wanted to wash that loss off your memory. Don’t let a little stomach thing stop you,’ recalled Reilly.

Jouban and Palencia will next fight possibly as early as July 30^th, joining teammates Eugene Marenya and Jacob Rockymore, for Spar Star MMA, at the El Monte Civic Center in El Monte.

Legends Fighters competing on July 10th & 30th – TICKETS NOW ON SALE!!!

2010-07-02T01:48:00.000-07:00

This month, the Legends MMA team is scheduled to compete twice, right here in California.
On Saturday, July 10th, the team travels out to Adrenaline Gym in San Bernadino for County Cage Fighting.

Tickets are now available at the Brickhouse (Legends / BeSpun) front desk.

160 lbs. catchweight – Christian Palencia vs. Vince Vouquez (HB Ultimate Training Center)

175 lbs. catchweight – Alan Jouban vs. Jason Townsell (Combined Martial Science)

WHEN: Saturday, July 10th, 6:00pm

WHERE: Adrenaline Combat Sports & Fitness
1930 South E Street
San Bernadino, CA, 92408

For more info, visit www.CountyCageFighting.com or call 909-422-0648

Three weeks later, on July 30th, three Legends fighters compete at the inaugural Spar Star MMA promotion, being held at the El Monte Expo Center (just 20 minutes east of the Brickhouse).

125 lbs. – Jacob Rockymore vs. Omar Martinez (Bloodbank MMA)

160 lbs. – Eugene Marenya vs. Eddy Barrezueta (South Coast Fight Club)

Alan Jouban is also expected to fight on this card.

WHEN: Saturday, July 30th, 7:00pm

WHERE: El Monte Expo Center
12051 Garvey Ave.
El Monte, CA, 91732

For more info, visit www.SparStarPromotions.com/ or call T-Bone at 562-244-8067

Both cards are subject to change.

Conor Heun vs. KJ Noons (Strikeforce: Live) Weigh-In Footage

2010-06-15T19:39:00.001-07:00

Everybody's favorite striking and submission storm, Conor "The Hurricane" Heun, made weight with no problem this afternoon, coming in at 159.5 for his 160 lb. catchweight bout against "King Karl" KJ Noons.

Conor is sponsored by TapouT, Full Tilt Poker, Five Star Fight Gear, X-Pole, Bite Defense Mouthguards, One Eleven Inc, Revive Energy Mints, SFGoldman.com, JoeRogan.net, Melee Fight Gear, HPE, Inc., and On The Mat.

Best wishes to The Hurricane for a triumphant return to the cage!

STORMY WEATHER AHEAD: THE HURRICANE RETURNS TO STRIKEFORCE

2010-06-14T18:07:00.000-07:00

by Jay Tan

After a year’s layoff, Legends MMA / 10^th Planet’s Conor “The Hurricane” Heun returns to Strikeforce action this Wednesday, June 16^th, as part of “Strikeforce: Live.” Moreover, the former Division III wrestler-turned-10^th-Planet-brown-belt comes in for no tune-up match, as he faces his highest-profile and possibly most dangerous opponent to date, KJ Noons.

“KJ is a very talented fighter. Very strong, very dangerous. I’m sure it’s going to be a hell of a fight. Definitely not taking it lightly,” said Heun.

As was previously reported, Heun was scheduled to fight RJ Clifford on this same event. Noons, a former EliteXC lightweight champion, was preparing to fight Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett , in a rematch of their January 2007 bout. That first bout ended when Bennett KO’ed Noons midway through the first round.

However, when Bennett was forced to pull out of his June 16^th date, Heun was reassigned to Noons. This new pairing raises the bar for Heun, as Noons comes with bigger credentials and, with victory, more potential reward.

“When I got that fight, I told them I needed to think about it. I hung up the phone and cried for five minutes. Then I called them back and said ‘fuck yeah, put me on that card’,” he recalled.

This match represents not just a professional, but also a personal climax to Heun’s past 12 months. Following his show-stealing three-round war with Jorge Gurgel at the second Strikeforce Challengers show, Heun was forced to undergo ACL replacement surgery, which found him inactive and frustrated for months. Faced with a growing pile of bills, his main gym in transition to its new location, and several important personal relationships strained, storm clouds were brewing for the Hurricane.

“I was in a dark place, sitting on my couch. . . Peaks and valleys. That was my valley, now I’m ready to hit my peak on Wednesday,” said Heun.

A victory over Noons could quickly reestablish Heun as a quick-rising star in the Strikeforce ranks. Prior to his Gurgel battle, Heun was 3-0 since 2007, with two wins in EliteXC, where many expected him to fast-track to a title shot. Unfortunately for Heun, EliteXC went under in 2008.

Ironically enough, their lightweight champion at the time was none other than KJ Noons.

“Opportunity knocks, you gotta answer the door. We’re never given anything that we can’t handle, and it’s my time.”

Tickets are now on sale at the Legends / BeSpun front desk: $40, $65, and $100.

Conor Heun is sponsored by TapouT, Full Tilt Poker, Five Star Fight Gear, X-Pole, Bite Defense Mouthguards, One Eleven Inc, Revive Energy Mints, SFGoldman.com, JoeRogan.net, Melee Fight Gear, HPE, Inc., On The Mat.

“Don’t Call It A Comeback!” – Legends performs memorably over Memorial Day weekend

2010-06-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

by Jay Tan

It was going to be a tough weekend, with five fighters competing on two different cards, only 48 hours apart, but Chris Reilly, Eddie Bravo, and Conor Heun led Alan Jouban, Eugene Marenya, Christian Palencia, Tommy Gavin, and Chris “Boulevard” Brady to an impressive series of wins at Tuff-N-Uff’s two-day amateur MMA showcase this past weekend.

“We had a great weekend. We had great coaching, and it’s good to pay them back for all the work they’ve put in with us with some nice wins,” said Gavin, who turned two consecutive losses around with an impressive, heavy-handed TKO in the first round.

Jouban, Marenya, and Palencia fought on Friday, May 28th, while Gavin and Brady had matches on Sunday, May 30th. Overall, the team went 4-1, with the only loss, Palencia’s split decision to Jimmy Spicuzza (Team Lethal), igniting a wave of controversy among fans, fighters, and even the promotion and sanctioning body officials who felt that Palencia deserved the victory.

“Christian had a great fight. That was just back and forth. . . And everyone here thought Christian won the first and the third, and gave the other guy the second,” commented Jouban.
As close as the match was, Palencia was able to see both sides of the coin, saying “to me, I was in offense. He was in survival mode when I had him in those guillotines. . . Also, when I was fighting him, it really felt like I was the one being the aggressor. But then, I guess, what can counter that is I guess him taking me down”

Always one to find the silver lining, for Palencia, even without his hand raised, the moral victory was his: “Overall, I felt pretty good about my performance. . . It’s been over a year since I fought, and [fighting in] the same month that I started training again and coming back from my injury - I feel good, coming back and still being able to perform. No fears or anything.”

Tuff-N-Uff Future Stars of MMA – Friday, May 28th

170 lbs. – Alan Jouban x Joden Sieders (Throwdown)
Jouban looked very composed for his second Tuff-N-Uff appearance, opening the round with a right kick and a flurry of punches, punctuated by a head kick that Sieders ducked. Sieders shot in for a clinch, but Jouban fended it off, slipping in a knee. From out of nowhere, Jouban landed a superman punch that immediately dropped Sieders. Jouban pounced, firing lefts and rights on the ground, before taking the back and sinking in a rear naked choke for the win.

Alan Jouban wins by submission (rear naked choke) at 1:16 of the first round.

“He’s already was really seasoned and composed. . . Everyone sees Alan being a Muay Thai fighter, but now he’s definitely an MMA fighter,” commented Palencia.

According to Jouban, the difference between this and his previous Tuff-N-Uff showings, despite them both being first round finishes, was vast: “I was so balled up in the first one. Just ready to explode. So much weight and pressure on me. And this one, I was very relaxed. I just remember going out there and seeing people in the crowd, and looking for my girl. I was just very aware of everything, and it had me a little bit worried that I was so relaxed.”

“Reilly said many times that it takes 10 fights to get to that level, before you go pro. And [I realized afterwards] that was my 10th fight. . . But I was told afterwards that people could see it in my body language – they said ‘you looked real relaxed. You were looking like you were trying to pick your shots, rather than just explode.’ So it felt great. I’m hoping that’s the feeling I get; Now that I’ve hit that level of certain fights.”

170 lbs. – Eugene Marenya x Mike Sutton (Fasi Sports / Drysdale Jiu Jitsu)
Round One: Sutton got a takedown early, but Marenya got to his feet with little problem, keeping the clinch and firing knees. After breaking apart, Sutton tried the stand-up game, but Marenya’s reach was too much. Sutton tried to take him to the ground with a clinch, but it was Marenya who ended up on top, punishing Sutton’s ribs with strong rights to the body. Marenya continued with the ground and pound to the round’s end.

Round Two: Again, Sutton charged in and tried for a trip takedown, but Marenya once more ended up on top, ground-and-pounding and passing guard. Sutton did spin around and get full mount in his own corner, landing some rights of his own, but Marenya eventually turned it around. They got into the ropes then fell into the corner, with Marenya on bottom. Marenya did get to his feet, but Sutton worked a guillotine choke to keep him grounded, and eventually took his back with hooks in, firing rights on Marenya from behind. If Marenya took the first round, this was definitely Sutton’s.

Round Three: Sutton went in for the takedown, and eventually did force a single leg, but Marenya got up and threw a knee to break it up. Marenya’s combos kept Sutton at bay. Another Sutton shot and another Marenya sprawl. Sutton tries to spin him to the ground, but Marenya was calm in defending. Sutton kept trying for takedowns, with shots and body clinches, but to no avail.

Eugene Marenya wins by split decision, off scores of 29-27, 29-27, and 28-29. All three judges were in agreement that Marenya won the first round, while Sutton took the second round. However, two judges awarded Marenya 10-8 scores in the first, while one gave a 10-9. The second round was 10-9 across the board, which still had Marenya ahead 19-18, 19-18, and 19-19 even. The same two judges who awarded 10-8s in the first gave 10-9s to Marenya for the third, while the final judge awarded Sutton the final round by 10-9.

“I felt that Eugene won because of his work to finish. I felt like he almost finished that fight a couple different times. . . And I also thought that the last 15 seconds of the first round was pretty ridiculous. He was sitting there pounding on that dude, and all the dude was doing was holding his hands up. And they let it go. I thought that fight should have been stopped then and there. Especially if they’re supposed to be stopping fights early,” said Brady.

“I think Eugene learned a lot in that fight. That he’s not always going to be able to use his strength and length and athleticism to his advantage. He’s gotta throw his technique in there. But we were all real proud of him. He toughed it out. It was a hard-fought fight. He pulled off the W and that’s all that matters,” said Jouban.

155 lbs. – Christian Palencia x Jimmy Spicuzza (Team Lethal)
Round One: Palencia looked more determined than he usually does, which, once the bell rings, is extremely focused. Spicuzza’s vocal fan base clearly confirmed the hometown boy’s popularity. Spicuzza caught a right kick early, dumping Palencia to the ground. Engaging on the feet, Palencia stalked Spicuzza from the center, keeping him against the ropes and forcing him into the corner. Spicuzza grounded Palencia with a high takedown, but Palencia threatened for several minutes with a tight guillotine choke. Spicuzza did eventually pop out, but was ineffective from the top. Palencia should have won this round with the guillotine and more aggressive striking.

Round Two: Spicuzza continued to circle while Palencia followed him from the center. Spicuzza scored a takedown and side control, but let Palencia up after getting nothing on the ground. Palencia with a right low kick, and later charged in. Spicuzza worked for a clinch takedown, but Palencia instead slipped in a standing guillotine and jumped guard before round’s end.

Round Three: Spicuzza caught another kick and tried to dump Palencia again, but doesn’t. Palencia, however, did get a takedown off a kick. Spicuzza held him in closed guard, but Palencia was able to stand over him and almost pass guard. Palencia ended up in closed guard again, ground-and-pounding to the end of the round.

Judges award the bout to Jimmy Spicuzza by split decision.

In the days after the match, Gavin suggested that the match could have been quite different with three-minute rounds: “it would have been nice to see Christian and Jimmy – they’re both Tuff-N-Uff veterans – get the three three-minute rounds for the main event. I think that would have showed even better. But with the shorter rounds, sometimes that takedown and getting on top, is real big to the judges.”

Heun likewise echoed the sentiment: “[Spicuzza] wasn’t able to do anything, but they score takedowns very highly out there. . . I thought [Palencia] did more damage. I thought he was trying to finish the fight. Would I like the judging criteria changed? Yes. I think the fights should be judged on a whole.”

According to the scorecards, the difference was in the first round, when two judges awarded Spicuzza the round, while one judge saw Palencia winning. All judges agreed that Spicuzza won the second round and Palencia the third. The end result was scores of 28-29, 29-28, and 29-28 in favor of Spicuzza.

“I felt like I got the win. I think the judges just couldn’t tell how tight my guillotines were. The one in the first round, I thought I had that one. The one in the second round. . . it felt really tight, but when I dropped down, I somehow lost it. And then in the third round, I felt like I definitely controlled him on top, and was hitting him up on top. When he took me down, he wasn’t doing anything.”

In other Tuff-N-Uff action that night:

140 lbs. – Joseph Viola (Team Fasi / Drysdale Jiu Jitsu) def. Ramsen Merza (LA Boxing) via TKO, R3, 1:20.

160 lbs. – Lyle Rivera (Hard Knox) def. Carlos Caliso, Jr. (Team Spiritwolf) via split decision.

145 lbs. – Mac McNamara (Xtreme Couture) def. Johnny Parsons (Team Fasi / Drysdale Jiu Jitsu) via split decision.

185 lbs. – Chris Gates (Team Fasi / Drysdale Jiu Jitsu) def. PJ Dombrowski (Xtreme Couture) via TKO, R3, 1:37.

145 lbs. – Justin Vadnais (Vadnais Fight Team) def. Jovon Lorenzo (Freestyle) via TKO / doctor’s stoppage, R2.

155 lbs. – Dustin Bredwick (Team Fasi / Drysdale Jiu Jitsu) def. Paul Blancaflor (Team Spiritwolf) via submission (rear naked choke), R3, 0:53.

155 lbs. – Jason Rivera (Wand Fight Team) def. Zac Chance (Xtreme Couture) via split decision.

160 lbs. – Chris Camacho Gameness Competition Team) def. Jon Gorton (Team Quest / Reign Training Center) via unanimous decision.

205 lbs. – Joseph Mengali (Team PFS) def. Tim Martyn (Freestyle) via TKO, R1, 1:10.

185 lbs. – Greg Gifford (Team Fasi / Drysdale Jiu Jitsu) def. Weston Duschen (Xtreme Couture) via ?? R2, 0:51.

Tuff-N-Uff 115 lbs. Women’s Championship –Ashley Cummins def. Gabriella Lakoczky (Wand Fight Team) via unanimous decision.

Tuff-N-Uff Future Stars of MMA – Sunday, May 30th

Only 48 hours later, in the same ballroom at the Orleans, Tuff-N-Uff promoted twelve more matches, with fighters coming from as far as New Mexico (Jackson’s MMA) and Missouri (St. Louis MMA). Though the crowd was somewhat “hungover in enthusiasm” at the onset of the show, having watched as many as 23 fights since Friday evening, the ballroom filled up quickly for the show, and was as heated for the main event as just about any other previous Tuff-N-Uff show.

170 lbs. – Tommy Gavin x Lee Henry Lilly (Striking Unlimited)
Having fought his last three fights at 155, Gavin moved up a weight class for this event. Being a lifelong wrestler, one would think that he would be extra sensitive to the 15 pound difference, but in fact, Gavin felt very comfortable, noting “I’ve got the strength and power of a 170-pounder. So I think I could fight at either weight class pretty comfortably. . . Not having to do that weight cut was nice for this one, but I don’t know if I’m going to make my home at 170 or 155. I think I’d like to go back down. “

Gavin and Lilly didn’t hesitate in going toe-to-toe with each other, immediately throwing heavy combos to the head. Gavin tried to take control of the pace with a Muay Thai clinch, then underhooks, as they vied for position. Gavin went for the trip takedown, but Lilly broke away with a knee. Coming in with a jab, Gavin caught a left from Lilly that threw him to one knee, but was quick to recover and drop Lilly with an overhand right. Gavin pounced and nailed Lilly on the ground with three more left hooks before referee Jason Tevino stepped in and stopped the match.

Tommy Gavin wins by TKO, R1, 1:06

“We told him not to wrestle so much, to believe in his hands, and he believed enough to put a kid to sleep,” summerized Heun.

For teammate Chris Brady, Gavin’s win hit a personal note, explaining “it made me really happy to see him finish his fight definitively, because we both were on the same track, and he fought before me. . . We had really talked before about snapping that losing streak that we’d gotten on and getting back on track. Back to winning.”

135 lbs. – Chris Brady x Maurice Senters (Striking Unlimited)
Round One: Neither fighter had any problem firing combos from the get-go. Senters forced Brady to the ground with a trip takedown, but was trapped in closed guard and soon stuck in an oma plata, which Brady rode on him until scrambling to the feet, where Brady threw knees, holding a front facelock. Breaking apart, Brady got a lot more liberal with his kicks, landing multiples to the legs and body. Senters, to his credit, didn’t shy away from the offense, shoving Brady to the ground when Senters was stuck eating knees in a Muay Thai clinch. Brady worked a closed guard, then oma plata as the round closed.

Round Two: Both men came out firing legs. Senters caught a right leg and scored a trip takedown, but Brady again worked mission control and an oma plata from the ground position. Eventually, Senters escaped, bringing the fight back to the feet, but Brady had answers there as well, keeping on the attack with combos punctuated by kicks. Senters scored another trip takedown off a kick, but Brady worked for a triangle choke for the remaining time.

Round Three: More kicks from both sides. Senters tripped Brady off another leg catch, but opted not to follow to the ground. Brady kept Senters on the defensive, attacking with combinations punctuated by leg and body kicks. Brady took the fight to the ground with a modified side headlock, spinning Senters down and passing guard. Senters worked to his knees, but Brady stayed with him, riding his back with wrestling legs and a body triangle. Senters eventually did reverse, caught in Brady’s closed guard as the bell ended the match.

“That was a turning point for me – coming up and performing that way. I think my conditioning was a lot better. I was in way better shape . . . the fights before, I had some personal issues and things that were going on at the time. But what you strive for as a professional is to be able to go in there and do your job and do the best you can every time. No matter what happens in your personal life. That’s your job. So I chalk that one up as a learning experience to keep your mind focused on what’s going on. So that you can always perform at your best, no matter what,” reflected Brady.

For Jouban, Brady’s performance on the ground was a larger declaration of how the team has improved, explaining “the Legends guys – you have to fear them on the ground, finally. You don’t want to fuck with us on our feet, but then this guy didn’t want any part of Brady on the ground. So I was real proud of that. That Brady would get him in his guard and the guy would try to back out. He didn’t want to even try to pound.”

In other Tuff-N-Uff action that day:

185 lbs. – Cody Clunas (Freestyle) def. Matt Brisky (Freestyle) via submission (rear naked choke), R1, 1:15.

170 lbs. – Damian Jackson (Hard Knox) def. Justin Bonner (Throwdown) via TKO, R2, 0:41.

265 lbs. – Ahmed Sanchez (TapouT Training Center) def. Phillip Hernandez via TKO, R2, 1:17.

185 lbs. – Jarred Hopkins (Wand Fight Team) def. Sedrick Sweet (One Kick Nick) via unanimous decision.

155 lbs. – Barry Prevost (Striking Unlimited) def. Zach Grossman (Wand Fight Team) via KO, R1, 0:14.

155 lbs. – Kalino Yap (Tapout Training Center) def. Alex Brooks (Hawaiian Fighting Arts) via unanimous decision.

145 lbs. – Jace Crawford (TapouT Training Center) def. Rene Flores (Wand Fight Team) via TKO, R1, 1:40.

135 lbs. – Emily Peters-Kagen (Jackson’s MMA) def. Autumn Richardson (Team Quest) via TKO / doctor’s stoppage, R1, 0:23.

265 lbs. – Kevin Absher (TapouT Training Center) def. Chris Simmons via KO, R2, 1:13.

Perhaps the icing on the cake for this weekend of top performances was the lengths from which the team turned things around, having struggled through their previous Tuff-N-Uff event. In fact, until this weekend, the amateur team’s combined record was a difficult 1-8-1 in 2010.

“That previous card, where we went 1-4, I thought we had a tougher training camp. Sometimes you just can’t get the W, even if you train your butt off. . . This one, I was working my ass off. People had different things going on. . . It was tough, but we were able to pull together, stick together as a team,” commented Jouban.

With Heun, a Strikeforce fighter, coming back next Wednesday from a year-long hiatus to face former EliteXC lightweight champion KJ Noons, he looks to take the momentum and continue the turnaround: “I’ve been talking the talk to those guys for a long time. And finally I’m going to be able to walk the walk, and let them see what I’m talking about. I think that spurred by the great victories last weekend at Tuff-N-Uff. And following my victory over KJ, I think it’s going to be the dawning of a new era for the Legends fight team.

Tuff-N-Uff returns to the Orleans Hotel & Casino on July 2nd.

Legends MMA is sponsored by X-Pole, Melee Fight Gear, and MMA Elite.

Conor "Hurricane" Heun Returns to Strikeforce / Showtime TV Against New Opponent K.J. Noons

2010-06-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

It was recently announced that Legends' / 10th Planet's own Conor "Hurricane" Heun will face off against KJ Noons at Strikeforce's June 16th event at LA Live's Nokia Theater. The event is scheduled as part of the E3 Convention, which takes place at the LA Convention Center.

Noons' original match, a rematch against Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett, fell through when Bennett was forced to withdraw from the match. With no opponent for Noons, a former EliteXC Lightweight champion, Heun, himself originally scheduled to face R.J. Clifford (3-1-0), got the nod to fill in.

Congratulations to Conor for the new challenge! Legends MMA, 10th Planet, and BeSpun will be on hand for this career-defining moment.

Below is the official Strikeforce press release:

KJ NOONS WILL CLASH

WITH CONOR “HURRICANE’’ HEUN

AT NOKIA THEATRE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16

Tickets On Sale; Telecast Begins At 11 P.M. ET/PT On SHOWTIME®

LOS ANGELES (June 3, 2010) – An excellent lightweight (155 pounds) scrap between former world champion KJ Noons (8-2) of San Diego, Calif., and Conor “Hurricane’’ Heun (8-3) of Hollywood, Calif., by way of Boulder, Colo., will round out the televised portion of fights on SHOWTIME® when STRIKEFORCE steamrolls into Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE on Wednesday, June 16.

The first-ever STRIKEFORCE event scheduled for mid-week will take place in the midst of the E3 Expo, the premier trade show for computer and video games. During E3 Expo 2010 at the L.A. Convention Center, EA SPORTS™ will exhibit its highly anticipated title, EA SPORTS MMA, in which STRIKEFORCE is featured as a premier league.

Tickets are on sale at STAPLES Center box office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’S official website (www.strikeforce.com). Tickets will also be sold at the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE box office on days when events take place there.

In other televised matches, hard-hitting “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler (17-5) will collide with ex- STRIKEFORCE light heavyweight (205 pounds) champion Renato “Babalu’’ Sobral, at a catch weight of 195 pounds, DREAM belt-holder Marius “The Whitemare” Zaromskis (13-4) will face Evangelista Cyborg (17-13) in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest and American military hero, Tim Kennedy, will take on the dangerous Trevor Prangley in a middleweight match.

The SHOWTIME broadcast will begin at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Noons will be making his STRIKEFORCE debut and fifth start on SHOWTIME. He has won four consecutive fights and is 7-1 in his last eight outings. His last defeat came to Charles “Krazy Horse’’ Bennett on Feb. 10, 2007, in the opening bout on the historic first MMA fight card ever broadcast on network premium television (SHOWTIME).

A confident, prolific striker, Noons is the last fighter to defeat current STRIKEFORCE welterweight champion Nick Diaz. In a thrilling, bloody fight on Nov. 10, 2007, Noons won by first-round TKO when a cageside doctor stopped matters after the round due to excessive cuts around Diaz’ eyes.

The 5-foot-11, 27-year-old Noons won his three ensuing fights after the setback to Krazy Horse – all by knockout -- over Edson Berto (KO 3, knee) on July 27, 2007, Diaz and Yves Edwards (TKO 1, punches and elbows) on June 14, 2008.

Following a near-two-year respite to continue a boxing career, Noons returned to MMA and won a decision over Andre Armado at DREAM 13 last March 22.

“They’re a lot of good fights out there for me in STRIKEFORCE,’’ said Noons, a former EliteXC 155-pound titleholder. “I’m looking forward to getting a good win and moving on to bigger and better things. Fighting in Los Angeles is very cool. I’m sure I’ll have a lot of friends and fans there rooting for me.’’

The boyishly handsome Noons, who was born and raised in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, has been fighting for more than 20 years.

"My father was a professional kick boxer so I've been in martial arts since I was five or six years old and boxing and Muay Thai since I was eight or nine,’’ he said. “I've been doing this forever and finally it's my time to shine again and I'm ready."

Heun, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt who prefers to kickbox in the cage, is a superb athlete and former IFL and EliteXC fighter who turned pro in 2006.

The 5-foot-10, 30-year-old Eddie Bravo-trained fighter is competing for the first time since losing his STRIKEFORCE debut on a decision in one of the most entertaining brawls of the year to Jorge Gurgel during a STRIKEFORCE: Challengers event on June 19, 2009.

The setback in a fiercely contested, electrifying slugfest between two ground fighters that gave the fans a kickboxing exhibition stole the show. At the conclusion of a grueling, non-stop-action encounter fought at a catch weight of 160 pounds, they got a standing ovation.

Bloodied and battered, the athletes “put on a fight for the ages at 160 pounds,” SHOWTIME announcer Mauro Ranallo commented during the telecast.

“I may go home a couple of bucks shorter and with some scrapes but that was the most fun I’ve ever had. I live for those 15 minutes,’’ said Heun, who was the stronger fighter at the finish despite coming up short by the scores of 29-28 and 30-27 twice.

The loss ended a three-fight winning streak for the aggressive-minded Heun, who entered the bout, his first in nine months, having won seven of eight.

Heun is anxious to put together another winning streak, beginning on June 16. “I’ve been eyeing a fight like this, and have been calling out Noons for a long time,’’ Heun said. “I’m beyond thrilled this fight was made. If Noons thinks this is going to be easy, he is in for the surprise of his life. This is my time’’

Before turning to MMA, Heun was a Division III National Qualifier wrestler at the University of Ithaca where he majored in English. After graduating, Heun did not enter MMA immediately. Instead, he went into the corporate world and even owned his own clothing apparel line. He would later leave Colorado and move to California where he began to work as a dental assistant. A little more than a year ago, Heun beat up a bully MTV's "Bully Beatdown.''

Doors at Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE will open for the event at 6:15 p.m. PT. The first non-televised preliminary bout will begin at 7 p.m. and the first main card fight will begin at 8 p.m.

THIS WEEKEND - Legends MMA Reps Big in Vegas at Major MMA Weekend

2010-05-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Three nights of fights, including two Tuff-N-Uff events, and one giant continuous MMA convention make for what has proven to be a massive annual tradition for fight fans in the Fight Capital of the World, Las Vegas, NV. And of course, Legends MMA is right in the heart of all the action, sending a full squadron of five fighters to compete on both Tuff-N-Uffs, as well as making their presence known at the UFC Expo.

Melee / 10^th Planet / Legends MMA Booth 1552

For the first time, Legends MMA teams up with Melee Fight Gear and 10^th Planet Jiu Jitsu to host booth #1552 at the second annual UFC Expo, a weekend-long fan experience which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

10^th Planet founder Eddie Bravo will be signing autographs at 1:00pm on both Friday the 28^th and Saturday the 29^th. Other fighters and MMA personalities are expected to be confirmed for photo opportunities and autograph sessions as well.

Keep checking back for more details and updates, or visit www.MeleeFightGear.com.

Legends Fighters at Tuff-N-Uff

Sin City’s long-running amateur fight promotion Tuff-N-Uff makes their own history with two events in one weekend, running the Orleans Hotel & Casio with full cards on both Friday the 28^th and Sunday the 30^th.

On Friday night, three Legends fighters will step into the ring with very significant personal storylines. Lightweight (155 lbs.) Christian Palencia makes his long-awaited return to the squared circle, after a seven-month injury layoff. And Palencia is getting no warm welcome back, having drawn Jimmy Spicuzza (Team Lethal), a quick-handed amateur veteran who is 3-2 in Tuff-N-Uff action and 4-2 overall.

Welterweight (170 lbs.) Eugene Marenya makes his Tuff-N-Uff debut against Mike Sutton (Fasi Sports). This face-off will be a restart for Legends vs. Sutton, who was originally scheduled to face Alan Jouban, then Ryan Lupkes, on May 1^st at Las Vegas Mixed Martial Arts. When those pairings fell through, Sutton fought elsewhere on that card. Things now get back on track in the Fasi vs. Legends friendly rivalry.

Finally, undefeated welterweight Alan Jouban returns to Tuff-N-Uff after a spectacular 14-second TKO debut in April. Jouban squares off against Joden Sieders (Throwdown), who broke his MMA cherry late last year with a second-round TKO victory.

Sunday night, May 30^th, Tuff-N-Uff veterans Tommy Gavin (welterweight) and Chris Brady (featherweight, 135 lbs.) set out against two different Striking Unlimited fighters, determined to earn a pair of W’s after coming up frustratingly short in their last several outings. Gavin, the takedown talent from Upstate New York, will fight Lee Henry Lilly, an undefeated prospect.

Brady, the proud auteur of Anybody-Anytime-Anywhere, takes on Tuff-N-Uff veteran (and Lilly’s teammate) Maurice Senters, who spoiled 10^th Planet’s Andrew Lunt’s MMA debut with a unanimous decision win last year. Brady’s 4-6 record belies his danger factor, as his last four matches have been clouded by injury, controversy, or debatable judges’ decision. The self-proclaimed “Country Boy” couldn’t be hungrier to turn his momentum around and claim an important career victory for himself and a moral victory for his team.

Tickets for both Tuff-N-Uff events start at only $25 and are still available here for May 28^th and here for May 30^th. Rooms for the Orleans Hotel & Casino are available here.

If you can’t join us live for this pair of fight nights, you can also catch all the action on internet PPV through Go Fight Live. Just register at www.GoFightLive.tv, where both shows will be available for a total of $9.99.

Legends MMA is sponsored by Melee Fight Gear, MMA Elite, and X-Pole.

10th Planet All-Stars Instructional DVD Ad

2010-05-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

Check out this commercial for the latest and greatest 10th Planet instructional DVD, featuring black belts Denny Prokopos (San Francisco), Sean Bollinger (Riverside) and Scottie "Einstein" Epstein (Burbank / HQ).

Order your copy at www.scottepstein.net.

No Shame in their Game: Legends fights tough battles in Edmonton, Las Vegas

2010-05-06T03:13:00.000-07:00

By Jay Tan

The Legends MMA team stepped up in back-to-back pro and amateur battle, respectively, in the past week, and despite coming up short on hands raised, the team more than earned moral victories for their efforts and marked improvements.

Veteran pro fighter Matt “Sabretooth” Horwich, along with wife Kelly and Legends head trainer Chris Reilly, traveled up to the River Kree Casino in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for Elaine McCarthy’s new “Lets Get It On” promotion, which debuted on April 24th. Horwich, a former IFL Grand Prix champion and UFC veteran, faced an old nemesis in Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald, another UFC alum.

Not only was this Horwich’s first bout of 2010, but also in many ways his first bout since joining Legends MMA. The Pacific Northwest native has been training at “The Brickhouse” since October, strengthening his cardio and technical skill sets. As such, this three-round rematch (from a first-round submission victory over MacDonald six years ago) was Horwich’s first chance since relocating to experiment with his new arsenal, and despite the decision, the recently-anointed “Sabretooth” was very pleased with the upgrades.

“I do feel really good about [getting new skills and strategies]. I was able to get some good clinch work. . . I was happy I got to work my rubber guard, and did a lot of good stuff in the fight. I went out of the fight feeling like a winner, even though I didn’t get paid like one,” he commented.

185 lbs. – Matt “Sabretooth” Horwich vs. Jason “The Athlete” MacDonald

The first round saw Horwich clinch up early, forcing MacDonald into the cage. MacDonald slipped some knees in and tried wresting control with a single-leg takedown, but Horwich kept it a standing match with balance and knees of his own. Horwich sprawled on a double-leg attempt, getting top position on the ground inside MacDonald’s guard. MacDonald held him with a high closed guard and worked for a kimura the last 20 seconds of the match, but Horwich was able to post up and maintain control from top position. In round two, both men threw combinations at the onset. MacDonald immediately went for the single-leg again, with Horwich pulling him back to the side off the age. Horwich eventually got out and threw more knees from the clinch. The two traded punches, and a high kick from Horwich, before MacDonald grabbed Horwich against the cage in a body clinch that, peppered with foot stomps, would compose most of the round. MacDonald briefly got the match to the ground, but it wasn’t long before Horwich was up again. Horwich then scored a trip takedown of his own, moving to side mount for the rest of the match. With seconds left in the round, Horwich tried to take the back, but MacDonald claimed top position right at the bell. MacDonald scored a takedown early in the third round, but Horwich dominated from the bottom with an uma plata for over a minute. MacDonald was able to eventually stand up, and fell into Horwich’s half-guard, where he would stay for the rest of the match,with a punch. MacDonald slipped some headshots in, but Horwich neutralized most of his offense with a tight collar tie-up. It could be argued that MacDonald was in top position for more of the third round, but Macdonald’s “half-mount” position and striking was much less threatening of a finish than Horwich’s uma plata submission earlier.

In a slight controversial decree, Jason MacDonald takes took the win by unanimous decision.

In his post-fight interview, Horwich told the crowd “Jason’s a great fighter. He did an awesome job. I think because I’m on my back in guard doesn’t necessarily mean I’m losing the fight. But it’s an honor to fight him. It’s always awesome to be in Canada. Al the people are great, once I get through the customs.”

“It was such fuckin’ bullshit,” said Horwich’s wife, Kelly, of the judges’ scoring.

However, the Horwiches were complimentary of Elaine McCarthy’s first MMA production, noting “the promotion was excellent. They treated us really well. The motel was nice, food was good.”

Roughly one week later and 1,500 miles south of the Great White North, the trio of Benjamin “Bird Dog” Sample, Jacob Rockymore, and Ryan Lupkes fought on the second Las Vegas Mixed Martial Arts show, “Rising Stars of MMA,” on May 1^st, at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

125 lbs. – Jacob Rockymore vs. T.J. Perez (Filipino MMA)

Although Perez scored several takedowns over three rounds, the majority of the match was spent on the feet, where Rockymore continually attacked with rapid fire combinations that pushed Perez backwards. The first round was a back-and-forth battle, which proved to be the overriding theme of the match. Perez scored a takedown in the second and came close to a choke and armbar at separate times, but Rockymore was able to escape without serious threat. In the final round, Perez again forced a takedown, but Rockymore trapped him with rubber guard, and was working for an uma plata before getting stood up. He went into combination overdrive in the last ten seconds of the match, forcing him into the corner as the bell rang.

T.J. Perez was awarded the match via split decision.

“It was like a street fight, but with more skills than a street fight. It was real fun. Can’t wait to get back in there,” Rockymore commented the next day.

“Jacob really impressed me. He’s a brawler,” said Sample. “I was surprised, because he’s so small. He’s 125 lbs, and I could see the anger in his punches. I could see he was really trying to take the guy out. He caught the guy with a couple shots and I’m like ‘whoa, that was a hard shot. Where’d that come from?’”

150 lbs. Ben Sample vs. Jonny Parsons (Fasi Sports)

The newly-anointed “Bird Dog” was on the hunt for avenging his debut, in which he came up on the short end of a unanimous decision. He opened the first round with a high kick, baiting Parson into throwing a wild combination before Sample dropped him with a left hook. Sample pounced and got his hooks in on the ground, but chose to keep it standing, when he was unable to flatten Parsons out. Parsons returned the striking favor, dropping Sample fast with a left hook of his own, but the Bird Dog recovered swiftly back to his feet. Sample opened the second round with another high kick, keeping distance with additional right kicks and a spot-on body shot. Parsons scored two takedowns in the round, the second of which Sample reversed. Early in the third round, Sample shot in under a Parsons combination, but in doing so, caught a high kick to the head, which immediately put him out.

Jonny Parsons was awarded the match by KO, R3, 0:11.

Spirits barely dashed and hardly deterred, Sample spoke confidently about the outcome and the prospects for his future fights: “They say ‘champions aren’t born, they’re created.’ So it may take me a little more time. . . I feel like any given night, one of us could have knocked each other out. Had it been the following weekend, I may have got the best of him. The weekend after, he may have got the best of me. But I definitely can’t wait for the next fight.”

“Ben was real explosive,” said teammate Lupkes the next day. “They were just coming forward, full speed ahead, and just going at it. But Ben was definitely on top of the exchanges . . .He’s a bad motherfucker.”

175. lbs. – Ryan Lupkes vs. Jesse Bowler (Vadnais Fight Team)

With Bowler’s trademark hiptoss-neck crank combination well-scouted, the first round was largely a feeling out period for Lupkes. The match did go to the ground after a Bowler bodylock, but Lupkes was able to scramble and gain top positio, in guard. From there, Lupkes threw ground-and-pound and worked to pass guard. Round two saw Lukpes land a head kick, but Bowler was also later able to catch him on the ground with a head-and-arm choke. Lupkes was able to hold on, and get a restart in the middle of the ring. In the final stage, Lupkes claimed top position and worked to pass, but Bowler powered a reversal and took side control. After a referee’s stand-up, the two clinched, with Lupkes again ending up on top just before the match ended.

In a very close call, judges awarded Jesse Bowler the match via majority decision.

“I feel like if I had another 30 seconds, I would have won. I was on top twice, but he was on top for the majority of the rounds, so I can’t really argue. It depends on how you want to look at it,” said Lupkes after the match.

Despite the losses, all three protégés were in high spirits in the aftermath, speaking with confidence about the lessons learned and the trainers that stood beside them.

“Conor [Heun] is really in touch with how you relate to the environment, and how to summon your inner strength. That really helps during a fight. And Reilly, he’s totally kick-back. ‘Hey man, just get out there, have some fun, give 110%. Make it do what it do.’ Working with both of them is really good. I couldn’t ask for better coaches – striking coach and wrestling coach. It’s just a matter of me getting in there and implementing what they want me to do,” praised the Bird Dog.

For Lupkes, Reilly’s Muay Thai tradition spoke to the young fighter and helped flip the ‘on’ switch right before going into battle: ”Right before we were about to go, he just grabbed my hands and put them together, Thai style. We just put our heads together. I can’t remember – it was like a mantra; he kept saying something like ‘Ryan, go win this fight’ or ‘Ryan’s a great fighter.’ Right in that moment, it totally focused me. It was like ‘let’s do this shit, man!’”

In other Las Vegas MMA action that night:

150 lbs. – Bashir Saber (Summa Sports) def. Mike Robinson (Fight Capital) via doctor’s stoppage due to cut, R1.

145 lbs. – Wes Clinton (Excel / Throwdown Utah) def. Abraham Duenes (Team Wand) via submission, R1.

185 lbs. – Raul Rivera (Team Mayhem) def. Joe Carpenter (Barry’s Boxing) via TKO, R1.

160 lbs. – Craig Jackson (Team Thompkins) def. Cale Errigo (Siege MMA) via submission (guillotine), R1.

160 lbs. – Randy Rodriguez (Excel / Rising Sun Judo) def. Jimmy Like (independent) via unanimous decision.

155 lbs. – Tony Martinez (Freestyle) def. Josh Smith (independent) via submission (choke), R2.

170 lbs. – Grant Hankinson (Aiki Jiu Jitsu) def. John Allsup (Excel) via submission (armbar), R1.

155 lbs. – David Jorden (Fight Capital) def. Joey Carroll (Team Mayhem) via submission (rear naked choke), R1.

190 lbs. – Christopher Gates (Fasi Sports) def. Danny Pena (Team Mayhem) via TKO, R1.

160 lbs. – Johnathan Rodeffer (Tapout Training Center) def. Michael Sutton (Fasi Sports) via split decision.

265 lbs. – Keven Absher (Tapout Training Center) def. Matt Heinstein (Siege MMA) via KO, R1.

205 lbs. – Mike Florio (Excel) def. Brandon Maynard (Aoki Jiu Jitsu) via submission (rear naked choke), R1.

155 lbs. – Shane Larsen (Vadnais Fight Team) def. Tim Gidley (Lion’s Den) via unanimous decision.

170 lbs. – Joey Angelo (Tapout Training Center) def. Rodney Thomas (Team Mayhem) via TKO, R1.

Sample and Rockymore will return to training after their respective medical suspensions, while Lupkes anticipates fighting as early as the end of May or sometime in June. Matt Horwich is wasting no time getting back to action, as he faces Tom “Kong” Watson on May 15^th at the LG Arena in Birmingham, UK, for the vacant British Association of Mixed Marital Arts (BAMMA) middleweight 185 lb. title.

Matt Horwich Interview for 4/23 Rematch against Jason MacDonald, Let's Get It On MMA (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

2010-04-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

"Sabretooth" Matt Horwich is one of the most recent additions to the Legends MMA Fight Team. And while most people know him from his 2006-2008 matches in the IFL, where he won the promotion's welterweight title, this Oregon-native is an MMA veteran, having fought in the UFC, Strikeforce, WEC, and Bellator Fighting Championships, among others.

Horwich faces off against Jason MacDonald on April 23rd, at the River Cree Resort & Casino in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, as the main event of Linda McCarthy's Let's Get It On MMA promotion. For MacDonald, this rematch is long in the making, as he and the "Sabretooth" previously fought in 2004, when Horwich submitted him with an armbar in the first round.

For those of you in the Edmonton area, tickets are available here: http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/1100446FA80C7018. Show starts at 8pm.

Marenya & Sample make their CA debuts with Playboy

2010-04-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

By Jay Tan

Taking a break from the team’s usual usual jaunts out to Vegas to compete, Legends MMA’s Ben Sample and Eugene Marenya made their California debuts earlier this month, April 7th, at the On-Broadway Events Center.

“It’s an out-of-body experience when you’re inside the ring,” said Sample about his debut.
Titled, “Fight Night to the Playboy Mansion,” the evenings matches were part of the annual National Indian Gaming Association conference and trade show. The semi-private event consisted of three MMA and four kickboxing matches, and featured a ring girl competition and guest Playboy Bunnies.

The Playboy-branded “Fight Night to the Mansion” series is a traveling pro-am MMA and kickboxing event which tours throughout the Western U.S. and Canada.

165 lbs. – Eugene Marenya vs. Carlos Caliso, Jr.
Marenya, a native of North Carolina, relocated out to Los Angeles late last year, with a 3-0 amateur / unsanctioned record.

When asked about the differences between fighting in California and his fights back east, Marenya said “definitely more organized . . .You can get more experience with it, because of the talent level. . . It actually feels like you’re in a big fight, because of the atmosphere.”
Seconds into round one, Caliso’s game plan was apparent, as he immediately shot in for the takedown. With Marenya on bottom, they got caught up in the ropes and repositioned to the center twice. Marenya got the better of a stand-up exchange, but Caliso scored another takedown and full mount before round’s end. Caliso came out in orthodox stance in round two, as both of them fought southpaw in round one. Marenya blocked another takedown attempt and landed some strong knees, holding onto a guillotine as Caliso took it to the ground. Marenya eventually worked mission control and started to set up for an oma plata, but Caliso scrambled and got his back, sinking in a rear naked choke. Marenya survived to the third round, which he opened up with a flying knee that popped the crowd and landed square on Caliso’s head. Caliso survived and clinched him against the ropes, at which point he landed a knee right under the groin. Marenya went down, waving Caliso off. Inexplicably, rather than give Marenya five minutes to recover, the referee called a stop to the match, declaring it a TKO victory for Caliso at R3, 0:38.

Carlos Caliso was awarded the TKO victory at R3, 0:38.

“We were basically just locked up in the clinch, and one of his knees just got a little low, and just got right under my sack. Basically just hurt a lot. And the ref said he had to stop it because I grunted. But I thought that was just a natural reaction . . . because I wasn’t defending myself. I was grunting. He said he had to stop it. He said he didn’t see clearly, see the groin shot. But my competitor, he knew that he hit me in the nuts. He apologized and everything. Great kid.”

After seeing the match on video, Sample gave his thoughts on his teammate’s efforts ““It looks like he fared pretty well. . . He did good standing up. He’s fast as lightning.”

155 lbs. – Ben Sample vs. Paul Blancaflor
Sample is a longtime Muay Thai student who trained and competed briefly in Thailand in 2007. He also is an avid rock climber, and even competed in several events. Earlier this year, Eddie Bravo awarded Sample a blue belt in 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu.

Sample sparked round one with a punch combination that pushed Blancaflor backwards into the corner. Blancaflor scarped back, and the two went at it around the ring, but Sample clearly got the better of the exchange. Blancaflor pulled the match to the ground, and tried for a guillotine, but Sample was able to stay on top. Blancaflor later caught a kick from Sample and used it for a takedown. Sample immediately grabbed mission control, but Blancaflor posted up to throw body shots until the referee restarted them away from the ropes. In round two, Sample charged in with a flurry, but Blancaflor got him to the ground and took side control, throwing combos from top position. Blancaflor got to his feet and kicked at Sample’s body before the referee stood Sample up. Sample fired a left-right combo and grabbed a front facelock, landing a knee before Blancaflor scooped him up for a high takedown to end the round. Round three saw Blancaflor shoot in for another takedown, but Sample rolled through it, ending up back on his feet. Blancaflor later landed another takedown and worked to pass guard, but not before being stood up again. Blancaflor was ground-and-pounding from top position just as the bell rang.
Blancaflor was awarded the match via unanimous decision.

For Sample, regardless the outcome, the big triumph was in turning the corner past his debut match. Throughout 2009, several opportunities to fight had fallen through, which made the process of a first fight all the more relevant.

“Pop that cherry, man. Getting that out the way. . . Try to embrace this time. I’ll never get it back. It’s my first fight experience. My first MMA fight experience. Just try to soak it all up, let it all in . . .Now I’ll be a little less anxious going into the next fight,“ he lamented.

Reciprocating the analysis, Marenya talked about Sample’s match: “He went out there and he banged. The kid didn’t want to stand with him, I know that. He definitely was itching for a takedown. . . In every stand-up exchange, the guy would just ball up and look for a takedown. He was rocking him a few times. He was definitely banging.”

Ben Sample will be fighting again on May 1st, at the Plaza Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas. Eugene Marenya anticipates a fight in the very near future.

Legends MMA is sponsored by X-Pole, Melee Fight Gear, HPE, Inc., and Stripper 101.

Jouban wins debut, Bollinger blemishes Couture’s amateur graduation in controversy

2010-04-07T14:19:00.001-07:00

By Jay Tan

The friendly rivalry between Legends MMA and Xtreme Couture, best illustrated with the historic three-fight saga between Chris Brady and Jimmy Jones, wrote another chapter last weekend, as Sean Bollinger and Ryan Couture battled to a razor-thin draw, capping off a Tuff-N-Uff event which saw six members of the combined 10^th Planet / Legends MMA gym face difficult but important moral victories.

The match, a title bout for the Tuff-N-Uff 155 lb. championship, was a back-and-forth battle of wits between two celebrated ground technicians, one of whom had quickly become an affable fan favorite, and the other an underestimated but dangerous dark horse. Fans were calling it one of the most exciting matches in Tuff-N-Uff history, although several were up in arms that a title match would be allowed to end in a draw.

For Bollinger, the victory was, if nothing else, a moral one, as he said “this fight really showed me my heart. It proved something to myself: nine minutes of straight war. And I didn’t quit. . . It didn’t surprise me, but it showed me something. We both took a beating. I just need to see that in myself, to pursue this MMA career.”

Moreover, there was much debate over whether the match should continue into the third round, as Bollinger trapped Couture in a triangle choke and by all accounts (including Couture’s), put the second generation star to sleep moments before or right at the bell.

Teammate Tommy Gavin noted “I think Bollinger clearly won the first two rounds. He actually put the kid to sleep, so I think he won the fight. “

In a Las Vegas Sun article that ran the next morning, Couture told writer Hepi Mita that that he was put out, saying “He did have me asleep as the bell rang. . . It’s not every day you get to pass out and then still fight another round.”

Not to be outdone, Legends MMA / 10^th Planet mainstay Alan “The Jedi Knight” Jouban finally made his MMA debut, winning with a highlight reel-caliber 14-second TKO over Dustin Chevalier (Striking Unlimited). With an 8-0 record in amateur Muay Thai, Jouban’s MMA cherrybreaker came after a series of injury mishaps. Ironically enough, Jouban was a last-minute replacement for Eddie Jackson, who himself withdrew from the event due to injury.

“I felt like I was more hungry for that fight than I was for almost anything in my life. It was almost two years of being sidelined, watching my peers grow and get better in this sport, and me not getting to do it. And once I kept building momentum, I get hurt again. . . Now that I think I’ve got that first hurdle out of the way . . . that’s my biggest goal right now – to stay hungry, to keep building a career,” explained Jouban.

“Alan was, what can you say? He went out there and took the guy out quick. He did exactly what he wanted to do and looked like an animal with his twelve-pack, the whole time,” said teammate and pro fighter Garren Smith.

155 lbs. – Tommy Gavin vs. Jon Gorton (Team Quest)

Gavin scored two trademark takedowns in round one, and Gorton worked for submissions from the bottom each time. The second takedown was a guillotine choke, which, while tight, offered little threat to the Upstate New York wrestler. With credit to teammate Eddie Jackson’s pre-fight head-shaving tradition, Gavin had little problem popping his head out, working for a D’arce choke to the round’s end. Round two saw Gavin and Gorton repeat the takedown / guillotine sequence from before. Gorton got a takedown of his own, and although Gavin worked for the armbar from bottom, Gordon was able to pass guard to full mount, throwing lefts and rights until the referee ended the match at 0:42 of the second round. Gordon was awarded the TKO victory.

Never one to get hung up on the past, Gavin saw a silver lining in the match itself, noting “one positive thing is I’m definitely getting better on my feet. I believe I was winning the stand-up in the fight, and my coaches told me to keep it standing, but I kind of went back to the wrestler instinct.”

Teammate Jouban added “Tommy let his hands go. He might have discovered something, that he’s got power in his hands.

170 lbs. – Takashi Munoz vs. Warren Roberds (Wand Fight Team)

This match was three rounds of Roberds keeping the pressure on Munoz with jabs and wild overhand rights. Fists flew right from the bell, as Roberds charged and cornered Munoz, who got caught up in the ropes. Munoz was able to retard Roberds’ pace with over/underhooks and Muay Thai knees, but Roberds broke free with lefts and overhands rights, scoring a knockdown that threw Munoz under the bottom rope just as the bell rang. Roberds again bullied Munoz into the corner in round two, but Munoz was able to slip in some knees from a Thai clinch, as well as mounting an offense of his own with kicks.

Munoz opened up round three with a perfectly-timed head kick that could have possibly knocked Roberds out, had he not gone with the momentum, but Roberds was able to clinch up and catch his bearings. Up against the corner, Munoz threw a controversial leg strike which the referee ruled as an illegal knee to the head, penalizing Munoz with a one-point deduction. Munoz threw more kicks and knees in this round than previous bouts, but that wasn’t enough to stop Roberds, who looked for the trip takedown and knees. Munoz fired another head kick, but tripped to the floor as the final bell sounded.

In a very close differential, Warren Roberds takes the match with a majority (split) decision.

Like with his teammate, Munoz indicated that despite not getting the victory, the match added another block to his mental arsenal: “I found out a lot of things about myself in this fight. I realized I’m way tougher than I thought I would be . . . You know how there’s a saying – ‘how can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?’ In this fight, I now know that I’m ready to get hit, and I’m still going to come back at you.”

Discussing the point deduction, Munoz explained “[the referee] said something like ‘I told you there’s no knees to the head.’ And in my case, I was looking at him like ‘that was no knee. That was the middle to the top of the shin.’ If he looks carefully, it didn’t even look like I was throwing a knee. It was a kick. A complete kick.”

185 lbs. – Rick Borden (10^th Planet Riverside) vs. Zach Conley (Xtreme Couture)

Despite this being Borden’s Tuff-N-Uff debut, the 10^th Planet Riverside rookie is no stranger to the lights and big stage. Borden went into the event 2-0 in amateur MMA, and previously played football at Eastern Oregon University.

After the first flurry of strikes and a takedown attempt by Borden, he and Conley circled and felt each other out. Borden pushed Conley into the corner with a punch combination, throwing left body shots as Conley tried to mar the action with over/underhooks. During the scuffle, the corner pad came loose, which led to a brief stop in the action. Upon the restart, the two traded combinations and vied for takedowns that neither got.

Both men engaged much more gingerly in round two, only throwing single or two-strike combinations. Conley had a chance to capitalize off a slip by Borden, but didn’t. Borden tried for another takedown towards the end of the round, but Conley stuffed it and held him at bay, landing a big knee. In round three, Conley opened up with a wild right, then attacked with single left hooks and low kicks. Borden fired combos to the head. Conley scored a trip takedown off a body lock, but was unable to get out of Borden’s half-guard.

Judges awarded the match to Zach Conley by unanimous decision.

“I wish I could have got a little more takedowns and worked my ground game, because that’s what I’ve been working on. My jiu Jitsu game is probably my strong point. . . I knew he was gonna be a pretty well-rounded fighter. I knew he had a lot of experience on me, which obviously showed at the end of the fight,” Borden said after the fight.

135 lbs. – Chris Brady vs. Casey Johnson (Team Driven)

This match was destined to be a barn burner from the entrance music, as Brady walked out to “A Country Boy Can Survive,” with Johnson emerging to Justin Moore’s “I Could Kick Your Ass.” Johnson, making his Tuff-N-Uff debut, is the 145 lb. champion in the MMA Explosion promotion, with a 7-1 MMA record and training out of Jens Pulver’s Team Driven in Idaho.

Round one was a kicking battle, as both men traded a series of low shots, one of which Johnson used to trip Brady to the ground. Johnson chose to keep it standing, however, knocking Brady down again with straight-ahead punches. Brady got revenge by knocking Johnson down with a high kick, but got tied up in top position and almost caught in an armbar before the round ended. The pair traded heavy leather and furious kicks and knees in the second round. Brady neutralized Johnson on the ground with rubber guard and mission control. Round three saw Johnson catch another kick, pushing Brady to the ground and in the corner, but Brady escaped and engaged on the feet, brushing off a Superman punch from Johnson. They traded combinations until Johnson got another trip. Brady had him in an armbar in the waning seconds of the match.

Judges awarded the match to Johnson by unanimous decision, but this was one of the closest matches in recent Legends MMA memory.

For Johnson, the slugfest took its toll, commenting “I tell ya, halfway through the second, all into the third, my ears were ringing. . . Chris Brady is a tough, stacked kid. . . I appreciate him taking the fight. It’s a pleasure for me to have the opportunity to fight him, to go three rounds with him. Hat’s off to Chris and hat’s off to Tuff-N-Uff.”

170 lbs. – Alan Jouban vs. Dustin Chevalier (Striking Unlimited)

Jouban and Chevalier almost instantly started throwing flurries at each other. Jouban connected with left high kick to the head, following up with a right hook that dropped Chevalier. With Chevalier on his knees, Jouban fired off several more punches to the head before the referee jumped in.

Alan Jouban won by TKO, R1, 0:14.

Ever the perfectionist, Jouban was surprisingly disappointed in at least one aspect of his match: “I was really actually kind of jealous of [my teammates’] fights. All of them did things that I wanted to do in my fight that I didn’t get to do. A 14 second knockout’s great, but all-in-all, the amateur league is to get the ring experience, which I feel like I’m not getting when I was with that dude. . . Takashi went three rounds, Brady went three rounds.”

155 lbs. Tuff-N-Uff Title Match – Ryan Couture (Xtreme Couture) vs. Sean Bollinger

This match, along with the two other title matches of the night, were three-minute rounds. The story of the match was that Couture, a noted armbar specialist, was facing his toughest submission challenge in Bollinger, who was only the second black belt under Eddie Bravo’s 10^th Planet Jiu Jitsu system. This was also Bollinger’s second amateur MMA fight.

Bollinger set the first round off with kicks, including an unexpected headshot. Couture got Bollinger to the ground after engaging with a combo, but opted to keep it standing, which would be the theme of the fight for Couture’s ground strategy. Conversely, Bollinger would pull guard whenever possible, and did secure Couture in tight mission control at one point, but Couture eventually escaped. Bollinger didn’t shy away from stand-up engagement, however, holding his own with headwork, left hooks, and overhand rights. Couture missed several overhand rights, but did his fair share of damage with low kicks to Bollinger’s left leg.

Round two opened with a longer feeling out period, as the two traded measured combos for the first minute. Bollinger got double overhooks and pulled Couture down, trapping him with mission control and a triangle. The controversy really kicked in with eight seconds left, as Couture, still trapped in the triangle, tried to escape by stepping over Bollinger’s head. Sensing it, Bollinger hooked the leg and held on to the ring of the bell. Referee Joe Sullivan, not in position to stop the action right at the bell, made contact with the fighters 1-2 seconds after the ring, by which point Couture’s arm was visibly limp.

According to commentator Ron Yacovetti, Sullivan’s hand gesture could have been interpreted as the round ending or the match ending. After a brief celebration by the Legends / 10^th Planet corner, Sullivan informed them that the match was not over.

Going into round three, both men engaged. Couture caught a Bollinger kick and tripped him to the ground, then followed up with combos, stepping away from Bollinger’s sweep attempt. Couture kept the pressure on Bollinger, stuffing a takedown attempt and landing rights to the body and head. Bollinger did briefly get mission control on Couture on the ground again, but Couture peppered the body with punches and escaped. The two traded selective shots in the last few seconds of the round.

Judges scored the entire bout evenly, ruling it a draw. Couture won the first round by a split, with two judges scoring it 10-9 for Couture and one judge scoring it 10-9 for Bollinger. Bollinger took the second round unanimously, 10-9 on two judges’ scorecards and 10-8 on the third scorecard. Couture walked away with the 10-9 for the third round on all judges’ cards, ending the match with one judge scoring it 29-28 for Couture, one judge scoring it 29-28 for Bollinger, and one judge scoring it 28-28 as a draw.

Fans were visibly upset by the decision, with loud chants of both fighters’ names, as well as “one more round.”

Afterwards, Bollinger spoke about the match being an opportunity to show that he wasn’t simply a one-dimensional fighter, saying “I’m just happy that I could go all three rounds, and I can display other talents than just the grappling. I guess people kinda know where my hands are at.”

As for thoughts on a rematch, Bollinger said “Ryan was saying he didn’t want to fight a rematch, unless we went pro. He said he didn’t want to do that for free again, is the actual quote he said. But I’m down for a rematch for sure. I definitely want to fight a couple more amateur fights. I love Tuff-N-Uff. I love coming here and fighting at the Orleans. I’d love to see him in the future. Maybe on a UFC undercard or something.”

In other Tuff-N-Uff action that night:

170 lbs. – Joey Angelo (TapouT) def. Jesse Bowler (Team Hollywood) via sub (triangle) R3, 1:27.

135 lbs. – Jerry Shapiro (Cobra Kai) def. Victor Henry (Strike Sub club) via sub (rear naked choke) R2, 1:57.

155 lbs. Jimmy Spicuzza (Team Lethal) def. Oron Kahlon (freestyle) via TKO, R3, 0:21.

185 lbs. Tuff-N-Uff Title Fight – Edmon Xhelili (Warrior Training Center) def. Tim Bowman (Striking Unlimited) via unanimous decision.

145 lbs. Tuff-N-Uff Title Fight – Andrew Alirez (Top Notch MMA) def. Vince Norica (Suffer Fight Team) via sub (arm triangle), R1, 2:41.

Tuff-N-Uff returns to the Orleans Hotel & Casino on Friday, April 23^rd. Legends / 10^th Planet expect to send fighters. Check back here for details.

Legends MMA is sponsored by X-Pole, Melee Fight Gear, HPE, Inc., and Stripper 101.

Strikeforce MMA Episode of NCIS: Los Angeles AIRS TONIGHT!!

2010-04-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Don't miss tonight's episode of NCIS: Los Angeles, which airs at 9pm EST / PST. This is the episode which was shot here at Legends MMA last month, featuring Strikeforce champions like Gilbert Melendez and Jake Shields, and stars like Dan Henderson, Frank Shamrock, and Cung Le.

Here's a behind-the-scenes clip of the production. Members should have an easy time recognizing the set:

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis_los_angeles/video/?pid=ChA3mXy1PYJSsuGWQALvx6zXdCXCB8MQ&play=true&vs=Default

Check out more videos about this episode here: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis_los_angeles/

Ben Sample & Eugene Marenya make MMA debuts THIS WED in SAN DIEGO!!

2010-04-05T03:24:00.001-07:00

Legends MMA is proud to announce EUGENE MARENYA and BEN SAMPLE upcoming California amateur MMA debuts in just two days, April 7th, at Playboy’s “Fight Night to the Mansion,” being held at the Broadway Events Center in San Diego.

Both Marenya and Sample take on debuting fighters from Spiritwolf MMA, which is based in San Diego and run by regional veteran champion Waachiim Spiritwolf.

Marenya, a native of North Carolina-native, relocated to Los Angeles several months ago, joining Tommy, Ryan, and Garren in our full-time training program. He takes on Carlos Caliso, a rugged former high school wrestler who is known for his aggression and toughness.

For Sample, this debut is a long time in the making. Originally focused on Muay Thai, Sample trained in Thailand, including one fight there. Having recently earned his 10^th Planet blue belt, the stars have aligned such that he will make his US fight debut in MMA. Sample faces Paul Blancaflor, who is reputedly an exciting athlete with impressive cardio.

This semi-private event itself will be a mix of amateur MMA and Muay Thai, presented as part of the larger National Indian Gaming Association conference & trade show.

Wednesday, April 7^th

Playboy’s “Fight Night to the Mansion"

615 Broadway

San Diego, CA 92101-5401

Doors: 7pm

First Fight: 8pm

For anybody interested in coming down and seeing the show, tickets are available here: http://www.battlepass.com/battlepass/battlepass.aspx?Page=EventPage.aspx?EID=59309

Hope to see you there!

Tuff-N-Uff Spotlight on 10th Planet's Sean Bollinger

2010-03-21T18:27:00.000-07:00

Tuff-N-Uff recently posted this video interview with Sean Bollinger, who faces Ryan Couture in just 6 days in Las Vegas.

Tickets are still available (but going fast) here: http://www.orleanscasino.com/whats-new/events/tuff-n-uff-fighting-mar26.

Legends MMA & 10th Planet Compete on March 26th in Vegas at Tuff-N-Uff

2010-03-08T23:48:00.000-08:00

Legends MMA and 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu storm the Vegas Strip once again for the next Tuff-N-Uff event, scheduled for March 26th at the Orleans Hotel & Casino. Tickets and hotel rooms are now available (and filling up fast)!

Legends’ “Tuff-N-Uff Usual Suspects” of Chris Brady, Eddie Jackson, and Takashi Munoz return to their familiar stomping grounds. Joining them is lightweight Tommy Gavin, who is also building a recognizable presence in the amateur MMA promotion.

10th Planet Riverside will square off against Xtreme Couture in a pair of matches, as recently anointed black belt Sean Bollinger faces none other than second generation star Ryan Couture in the main event, while young gun Rick Borden makes his debut against Couture’s teammate Zach Conely in a middleweight melee.

155 lbs. - Tommy Gavin (1-1) vs. Jon Gorton (Team Quest, 0-0)

170 lbs. - Eddie Jackson (4-2) vs. Dustin Chavalier (Striking Unlimited, 3-1)

170 lbs. - Takashi Munoz (1-2) vs. Charles Lee (Xtreme Couture)

135 lbs. - Chris Brady (4-5) vs. TBA

155 lbs. - 10th Planet black belt Sean Bollinger (1-0) vs. Ryan Couture (Xtreme Couture, 4-0)

185 lbs. - Rick Borden (10th Planet 0-0) vs. Zach Conely (Xtreme Couture, 2-0)

*Card is subject to change

Tickets for Tuff-N-Uff Amateur Fighting Championships on March 26th are available at the Orleans Box Office (702-365-7075) or online through OrleansCasino.com or TuffNUff.net. You can also try to win VIP tickets by texting “tuffnuff” to 74700.

A lot of Legends / 10th Planet Headquarters people often car pool to Vegas for fight weekends, so ask around at the gym if you’re interested in coming out to party and support the team. Rest assured, there’s never a dull moment when the Legends MMA team hits the City of Sin!

Visit www.orleanscasino.com or call 702-465-7111 for more details.

March 26th, 2010, 7:00pm
Tuff-N-Uff Amateur Fighting Championships
Orleans Hotel & Casino
4500 W Tropicana Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89103
(702) 365-7111

Hope to see you there!

Dan Hardy's Outlaw Blog

2010-03-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

Check out the latest video blog from 10th Planet's Dan "The Outlaw" Hardy, who's training for his March 27th title match against Georges St-Pierre, for the UFC Welterweight championship.

Clearly, Hardy is taking the fight to St-Pierre, as his preparation seems to involve testing St-Pierre's renowned wrestling pedigree. And quite frankly, it looks like the man they call "Rush" is in for a severe challenge.

WAR HARDY!!