LOUISIANA FIGHT CLUB

CIVIL WAR AT THE CIVIC CENTER FEBRUARY 23, 2008 HOUMA, LA

by: Angela Parent Saturday, February 23rd in Houma, Louisiana, In YA Face Productions and Pitbull Productions featured a much anticipated grudge boxing match between Ricky "Pitbull" Folse and Justin "Iron Man" Verdin.   The Houma Civic Center was packed with many friends, family, and fans looking forward to Folse and Verdin amongst other local boxers and mixed martial artists to get in the ring for a night filled of action and excitement.   Gabe Barahona, a Public Relations Representative American Top Team and Sprawl, out of Blacklist LLC in Lockport, Louisiana was the referee for the evening.   "I was a referee on this past Monday night's taping of the BET show in New Orleans. I'm really looking forward to the Louisiana State Championships on March 15th in Hammond. I believe this competition will prepare myself for the Pan Am's at the end of March in California."   Barahona and Derrick Breaux are two instructors at Blacklist, LLC (www.blacklistllc.com) and are hosting a Patrick Barry Kickboxing seminar on March 1st. For more information please visit the website.   Breaux informed us that there is a new MMA gym opening in the Houma area in the Fall of '08. More details about the new gym will be released soon.   Here were the results: MMA -PATRICK BILLOT WINNER 2ND RD REF STOPPAGE DUE TO STRIKES VS ERIC STAPLES MMA -LANCE FOUSELL WINNER 1ST RD REF STOPPAGE DUE TO STRIKES VS RORY GUIDRY BOXING - THOMAS DARDAR WINNER BY DECISION VS STEVE VERDIN BOXING - MARTIN VERDIN WINNER BY DECISION VS MIQUEL AQUILA BOXING - JUSTIN VERDIN WINNER BY DOCTOR STOPPAGE DUE TO INJURY 1ST ROUND VS RICKY FOLSE MMA - ZACK EUNICE WINNER BY RNC 1ST ROUND VS PAUL GUIDRY MMA- DOMINIC FALZOA WINNER BY ARM BAR 1ST ROUND VS CORY LUKE MMA - RANDY BILLIOT WINNER BY GUILLOTINE CHOKE 1ST ROUND VS JOEY GOZELLE MMA -COURTNEY POLLARD WINNER BY SUBMISSION DUE TO STRIKES VS DANIEL BUMGRADOR MMA -CAFFERTY BORDELON WINNER BY REF STOPPAGE DUE TO STRIKES 1ST ROUND VS CORY ? MMA-RAYMOND KNIGHT WINNER BY REF STOPPAGE DUE TO STRIKES 3RD ROUND VS DONALD MAYEAUX MMA- JACOB QUICK WINNER BY SUBMISSION 2ND ROUND VS FRANK SLAUGHTER Anthony Barbier, a professional MMA fighter with Team Apocalypse, was at the event cornering some local friends. "Look out - I'm BACK!," says Barbier. He will be fighting in Slidell, Louisiana on the No Love Heavy Hitters card on March 29th. For more information on this fight, please visit www.steelcagefighting.com. To all the local Houma area fighters and whomever may be interested, N'RPEACE is a local health unit that offers free HIV swabs - no blood - and you get your results in 20 minutes. They were at the event issued free HIV testing's. You can contact them at 985-223-2920 ext 2.

Fist Factory: Bad Intentions

by: Angela Parent

On Saturday, January 19, 2008, Trey Giarrusso and David Garcia of Fist Factory promoted an amateur and professional mixed martial arts event at the New Orleans Convention Center.

UFC's Rich "No Love" Clementi, UFC's Kyle Bradley (debut set for March 1, 2008), and professional K-1 kickboxer and mixed martial artist, Patrick Berry were at the event.

There were eight amateur and three professional bouts which consisted of fighters from Gold Dragon, Gladiators Academy, Combat Club, Xtreme Fitness Academy, In Ya Face, and more.

Amateur bout results:

135 lb Patrick Billiot winner by Unanimous Decision vs. Chris Myers

145 lb Cody Causey winner by TKO 1st round vs. Thomas Manning

145 lb Joseph Abercrombie winner by rear naked choke submission 2nd round vs. Jimmy Guzman

155 lb Robert Auzenne winner by KO 2nd round vs. YannicK Jones

Kyle Bradley (left) cornering Auzenne (right)

155 lb Jason Sheeler winner by arm triangle submission 2nd round vs. Enrique Cruz 

145 lb Chad Roy winner 1st round vs. Steven Volavka

170 lb Richie McCloskey winner by TKO 1st round vs. Mark West

170 lb Jesse Lawrence winner by arm bar submission 1st round vs. Dillon Cooper

 Professional bout results:

Heavyweight Andrew Staples winner by TKO 1st round vs. Joe Nameth

Joe Nameth (bottom), Andrew Staples (top)

170 lb Charlie Rader winner by TKO 3rd round vs. David Knight

155 lb Gary Hancock winner by TKO 1st round vs. Chance Fine

We thank Fist Factory for allowing Louisiana Fight Club and guests to be a part of this event and look forward to future events. For more information on upcoming Fist Factory events, please visit www.fistfactorypro.com.

UKC: Battlegrounds New Orleans

December 20, 2007

By: Angela Chustz-Parent

The Ultimate Kombat Championships (UKC) brought some excitement to the New Orleans Convention Center this past Saturday, December 15th, featuring an entertaining mixed martial arts event.

Anthony Triguero, Owner and President of the UKC promoted this event on a live internet PPV stream through Beatdowntv operated by Paul Glasco and team.

This event consisted of five amateur and five professional mixed martial arts bouts. Within the professional bouts, there were three title shots in the 155lb, 185lb, and 205lb weight classes.

“Most people train for the cage. In my line of work, we use the cage as training,” says Brandon “Beast” Brewer in a pre fight interview as he prepares for Jason “Sick Wit It Harvey” for the UKC Lightweight Championship belt.  Brewer is an Instructor for the Modern Army Combatatives where he trains Army soldiers to defend their lives by way of combat mixed martial arts.

LFC caught an interview with a local spectator and infamous Kickboxer, Mr. Russell Jones. “The grudge match is not over,” says Jones. Jones and Donald “The Python” Mayeaux went for three heavy rounds at the Punishment at the PMAC in Baton Rouge this past October. Jones was declared the winner by decision, but Mayeaux and Jones feel that the grudge still has not died. “Hopefully someone will set this rematch up soon,” says Jones. He hopes that a local promoter will set this fight up so that they can fight in front of their devoted fans and he can “once and for all shut up Mayeaux.”

Amateur, Paul Thomassie of Xtreme Fitness Academy (XFA) in Prairieville, Louisiana was first up against Oklahoma’s Cody Watkins in the lightweight division. “I’m ready for anything,” says Thomassie before his fight. Watkins started off too reserved for Thomassie. Thomassie landed powerful combos that shook Watkins from the start and ended the fight quick in the 1st round with a .38 KO.

Another XFA amateur mixed martial artist, Andrew Massey was up next against Rocky Chapetta of St. Bernard Parish. Both came out aggressive landing hard combos. Massey used a couple of knee strikes and good defense against Chapettas powerful strikes until that one that everyone hates came around and put him to the mats for a KO 1.08 in the 1st round.

XFA now 1-1 and then comes along Jeremy Vaughn of XFA to strengthen the team record. Vaughn and Jacob Smith were the third amateur fight of the evening. Vaughn landed a powerful punch, took Smith down to the mats quickly gaining full guard. Using this as his advantage, Vaughn used his devastating ground and pound for a KO 1.58 in the 1st round.

Modern Army Combatative, Anthony Wikstrom from South Carolina is next to fight Russell McCume for an amateur bout. Both came out strong with strong exchanges and swinging for the fences. Wikstrom threw a few leg kicks and followed up with a hard takedown ending the fight a minute in the first round by a rear naked choke.

The last amateur bout for the evening was between Doug Blanda and Robby Carlise. “Robby” chants were heard from across the room as fans cheered to give Carlise a boost of confidence as he entered the cage. Both came out aggressive exchanging some good combinations. Carlise took Blanda down in the 1st round using the cage as an advantage using some brutal ground and pound. The bell saves Blanda and the fight continues on to round 2. Blanda came out with a couple of leg kicks, but Carlise satisfied another takedown then gaining a triangle choke for a victory in just 1.28 of the 2nd round.

“Crazy” Tim Credeur and Jason Anderson were the first pro fighters of the evening. These two fighters were originally supposed to fight a month ago but there was some confusion between monies from the promoter of another promotion and Credeur. Since then, Anderson has been saying that Credeur backed down from him to fight, and many other internet “bashings” against Credeur. The two fighters and many who had witnessed the bashings were anxious to see this fight. Credeur is known for his sick submissions and didn’t blink an eye before he submitted Anderson in just seconds within the 1st round.

Jason “Sick Wit It” Harvey, Instructor and Owner of Xtreme Fitness Academy, (www.xfalife.com) was pumped up for his UKC Lightweight title shot against Brandon “Beast” Brewer. “I’m ready,” says Harvey before his fight.

Harvey and Brewer were the first professional fighters to go against a UKC belt for the evening. Both were ready and anxious to start. Brewer started off with some strong combos and a knee and Harvey followed up with a takedown. Brewer gained full mount for some powerful ground and pound. Harvey saw an open opportunity to get out of the mount and the two scrambled on the mats. Brewer got some good shots on the ground. Harvey had Brewer against the cage attempting a submission there where it seemed Brewer had tapped opposite of the referee. Harvey hesitated, let go, and Brewer gained a dominate position using more ground and pound. Harvey determined to use his skills on the ground, reversed to a dominate position and submitted Brewer with an arm bar at the end of the 1st round. Congratulations to Jason on winning the UKC Lightweight Championship!

Brewer disappointed in his loss, honorably took possession of the microphone and proposed engagement to his girlfriend. Congratulations!

Next up was professional fighters, Beau the Magnus Admire against Ben Dooley for the UKC Light Heavyweight title. Beau took down Dooley early in the 1st round but Dooley reversed position for dominate control and used his powerful ground and pound leading to referee stoppage in 4.10 of the 1st round. Congratulations to Ben on winning the UKC Light Heavyweight Championship!

Professional heavyweights, Buckly Acosta from Team Apocalypse and Hank Dooley from Deer Tribe Fight Club were the Co-Main event of the evening fighting for the UKC Heavyweight Championship. Acosta came out strong with a hard takedown and gaining side control for some brutal ground and pound. Stood up by the referee, fighters went back in for Buckly to gain another hard take down finishing round one with some ground and pound saving Dooley by the bell. Both come out strong with some nice exchanges, but Buckly was determined to get Dooley back on the mats to finish the fight using his dominate ground and pound position, winning by referee stoppage in 30 seconds in the 2nd round. Congratulations to Buckly Acosta for winning the UKC Heavyweight Championship!

The Main Event of the evening was of professional 185 lb. fighters Eric “Genetic Freak” Thompson and Roland Sharp for the UKC 185lb Championship belt. Thompson determined to win this title shot quickly defeated his opponent with an arm bar submission in just .21 seconds of the 1st round. Congratulations to Eric for winning the UKC 185lb Championship!

A huge thanks goes out to Anthony Triguero of the UKC for allowing LFC to be a part of this amazing event. Props to Beatdowntv.com for showing this live on PPV! It is always nice to see the Beat2lseeP crew there at the local events. You guys always show a great presence with your awesome fight gear (www.beat2sleep.com). Thank you to Erin with LA Fight Photography for taking some outstanding pictures for Louisiana Fight Club! You rock girl! If you want to hire Erin for an event, contact her at www.myspace.com/egr8ness.

Caged Combat

by Angela Chustz Parent

November 10, 2007

In Ya Face Productions does it again by throwing yet another spectacular event in Houma, Louisiana at the East Houma Bingo Hall on Saturday, November 10th.

This all amateur mixed martial arts event was entertaining with no other than Mr. John DeLise of Rock 106.3 there as the announcer and of course Beat2sleeP had a strong presence there selling its fine fight apparel.

The bouts for the evening featured ten amateur bouts featuring hometown favorites and Co-Main event fighters, Jason Breaux vs Chris Guytion and Main-Event fighters, Randy Billiot vs David Capps.

Ed Rossino vs Eric Staples 135lbs.

Rossino from Bushi Ban out of Houston, TX came in ready to fight against Staples, younger brother of Andrew Staples and cornered also by Donald Mayeaux. Staples had some good takedowns at the beginning of round one with submission attempts and trying to get in a full ground and pound position. Rossino quickly reversed gaining back control pushing Staples against the cage in a dominate position ending round one.

Staples started off with another good takedown using the cage as an advantage for some ground and pound. Rossino did not seem to like that and ended up getting up using some knees for defense. Staples ended round two with another hard takedown.

Eager to win, Staples came out with some combos and a takedown to the cage with Rossino quickly reversing but then got caught with a headlock and some one arm punches. Rossino saw an opportunity, took back control, and won round three with a rear naked choke winning the 1st Bushi Ban victory of the night.

Matt Guidry vs Alan Reed 185lbs.

One thing about amateurs is that you know that they are ready to get in the cage for the first time. Reed taking his MMA debut and Guidry still new at the game, were both eager before bell sound. Both came out aggressive. Guidry threw a good leg kick and Reed slammed Guidry down to the mats using the cage as an advantage with some powerful ground and pound. Guidry came back around, got up, and ended up doing the same to Reed. There was an illegal strike by Reed at the end of the first round.

Round two, Reed came out with a strong takedown using some aggressive ground and pound and dominating the entire round. Before round three started, the fight was stopped due to and injury, Reed announced winner.

Zack Hicks vs Lance Roussel 170lbs.

Hicks started the fight out with a hard body kick and Roussel throwing some powerful combos. Roussel landed a takedown against the cage, using some brutal ground and pound ending the fight quick in the 1st round by referee stoppage due to strikes.

Ryoce Guidry vs Cliffort Sellers 155lbs.

Guidry came out and slammed Sellers down to the mats using aggressive punches. Sellers got up and took Guidry down but Guidry found a way to slip in a guillotine choke ending the fight in the first round.

Kyle McBride vs Lewis Johns 145lbs.

Bushi Ban opponent, McBride dominated this bout against Johns opening up with a hard slam to the mats and ending in a arm bar submission in just 1.61 in the 1st round.

RJ Knepp vs Brock Pearah 185lbs.

Bushi Ban strikes again coming out strong against Pearah with powerful combinations and leg kicks. Knepp quickly took his opponent down to the mats for a rear naked choke submission in 2:25 in the 1st round.

Daniel Paulin vs Patrick Billiot 140lbs.

Paulin, fighting out of Fighthouse in Morgan City went against Billiot of Houma. Paulin came out strong with a kick to the head stumbling Billiot to the mats. Paulin saw an opportunity to finish the round quickly by using some of his powerful ground and pound. In the process, the fight stopped due to Billiot complaining of a groin strike by tapping out. Ending in much controversy, this fight was immediately rescheduled for Caged Combat 3 in Galliano, December 15th for a rematch.

Brandon Johnston vs Simon Sullivan 180lbs.

Sullivan came out strong against Bushi Ban’s Johnston throwing some combos and taking him down quickly. Sullivan rolled into an arm bar submission in less than a minute of the 1st round leaving Bushi Ban with another victory.

Chris Guytion vs Jason Breaux 170lbs.       (Co-Main Event)

Hometown fighter, Breaux was one of the most anticipated fights of the evening. Breaux came out strong with a leg kick and Guytion with powerful combos. Guytion caught Breaux with a devastating punch leaving him to stubble, Guytion took advantage of that and went in to finish the fight. Guytion won by referee stoppage in the first round leaving the hometown crowd disappointed. Bushi Ban does it again!

David Capps vs Randy Billiot 170lbs.          (Main Event)

Last but not least, hometown favorite Billiot from Houma, was next to fight Capps from Larose. Billiot came out with a strong takedown and combos. The bout was paused in the first round due to illegal hits from Capps in the 1st round. “Randy” chants filled the room to give their hometown fighter a boost. Billiot started the 2nd round off with a hard takedown satisfying a triangle choke in just seconds.

Congrats to everyone for putting on a great event. A special congrats goes out to all five Bushi Ban team mates who came out and won each of their bouts. Good job!

Thanks again to Pierre and Justin with In Ya Face Productions for allowing LFC to become a part of this event and all the southern hospitality you provided for us.

The next Caged Combat event will be on Saturday, December 15th at the Galliano Centraplex in Galliano, Louisiana. For more information on tickets, please call 985-873-2582.

PUNISHMENT AT THE PMAC

By: Angela Chustz

October 20, 2007

On Saturday, October 13th No Love Entertainment and Gladiators Academy put on a combination event including a rocking car show, spinning by DJ Trashy, and a night of fights to remember.

UFC Vet Rich “No Love” Clementi, owner of No Love Entertainment, and Tony Jarreau, owner of Gladiators Academy put on an excellent mixed martial arts event using some of the best fighters in the state of Louisiana.

There were six amateur bouts followed by seven professional bouts. Former UFC lightweight champion, Jens “Little Evil” Pulver was the featured guest for the evening.

The first fight of the night was Lee Wright vs Brian McKenny. This was full three rounds of intense fighting leaving both contenders winners by my book, by split decision ending in a draw.

Heavyweights Andrew Staples and Keith Warner matched up again at the PMAC. Staples started off strong with powerful knees and a takedown leaving him with a quick TKO victory due to strikes in the first round.

Derrick Hood and Brian White hit the cage next. Hood hit White with some good combos carrying it to the canvas where White gained a restricted side mount using some powerful ground and pounding ending in a victory within the first round.

Fourth were amateurs Jarrod Brignack and Cole Permenter in the lightweight division. Brignack of Team Voodoo came out aggressive with a kick and followed up with a hard takedown using some powerful ground and pound at the end of round one. Round two both came out swinging for the fences. Permenter satisfied a takedown ending with a armbar submission in 1:48 in the second round.

Travis Olinde and Devere Hawkins gave the crowd some entertainment with their entertaining bout of full contact. Both came out strong. Olinde took Hawkins down early in the first round against the cage using some hard ground and pound. Round two came quickly with Olinde coming out with a hard leg kick and takedown. Hawkins was saved by the bell at the end of round two with Olinde in a dominate position using some powerful ground and pound. Olinde quickly ended the bout in round three with a victory.

Next Frankie Caruso and Brett Jackowski enter the cage. Caruso used great takedown defense at the beginning, but Jackowski came through with the takedown and winning by an arm bar submission in the 1st round.

Now to the pro’s. Jason “Sick Wit it” Harvey make his pro debut against Brock Kerry. I think some people were right when describing this fight as a “tennis match” Kerry was on top, then Harvey, and back and forth. Both showed excellent defense skills in submissions. Kerry came back strong in the 2nd round gaining a dominate side position throwing one arm superman punches to end with a win due to referee stoppage due to strikes. Kerry was announced Fighter of the Night, received $500 and a nice trophy.

Another Team Voodoo fighter, Lance Thompson was next against Micah Lopez. Lopez came in and landed a couple of kicks, and I think that it pissed Thompson off because this little freak went at him with some hard punches and knocked him out in 1.04 in the 1st round!

Donald Mayeaux vs Russell Jones. Need I say more? This fight should have happened several months ago but has been prolonged for one reason or another. But, finally, the fans got to see this much anticipated grudge match. “I’m ready to get this crap over with,” Jones tells LFC before the fight. Jones is 46 years old and owns is own kickboxing school, Russell Jones Kickboxing (www.russelljonesfightclub.com). And man, was it a grudge match. Three rounds of non-stop full contact stand up kicking and punching. That was one of the best three rounder local fights we have seen in a while. Jones came out with the victory in the unanimous decision.

I think there is talk of a rematch between Mayeaux and Jones. Maybe we will see these guys fight again in the future.

Speaking of rematches, Ricky Folse and Ron Fields get in the cage with Folse anticipating this match once more. Fields defeated Folse previously at another event. Fields cut Folse early in the 1st round by one of his brutal hits to the head. The doctor came in to assess the cut and continued the fight. A little time went by after the fight started again and the doctor had to stop the fight due to the cut. Fields wins by TKO. Again, I feel a rematch once again between these two guys.

The co-main event for the event was “Crazy” Tim Credeur vs Chris Gates. Gates (8-3) is from Tupelo, MS and has had his own school, Tupelo BJJ (www.tupelobjj.com) for four years. When speaking with Gates before this fight he says, “This fight with Tim will test my skills.” Credeur came out to the cage ready and hungry to win this fight against Gates. Credeur did what he always does and went in and used his BJJ talents to gain a victory with an arm bar submission. I think Gates is a very talented fighter, it just wasn’t his night.

Now, for the main event of the evening, Mr. “No Love”, Rich Clementi and Antoine Skinner come ready to hit the cage and show everyone what they have. This was the first time that Clementi has fought in Louisiana since the UFC. There was much anticipation from many people in seeing him fight since he has been able to train with some of the best fighters. Clementi showed “no love” to Skinner by winning by TKO within 1:46 in the 1st round due to strikes.

LFC wants to thank Rich Clementi and Tony Jarreau for allowing us to be a part of the event. The car show was an excellent addition to a mixed martial arts event and the show was extraordinaire. Thanks to the ARMY, one of the largest sponsors of the night. You guys know how to save the day!

For more information on Gladiators Academy, go to www.gladiatorsacademy.com. For information on No Love Entertainment, go to www.steelcagefighting.com.

 RENAISSANCE MMA

By: Donna Cutrer

Renaissance MMA hosted their third fighting event Saturday, October 13th at the Castine Center in Mandeville, LA. If you haven't seen one of their shows yet, you are missing out. They have a 24' cage, stadium seating and of course, incredible fights!

Kevin Burns vs. Kevin Roberts

The night began with an amateur welterweight match. Kevin Roberts of American Top Team fought against Kevin Burns of Gold Dragon MMA. Burns quickly took Roberts down with a textbook hip throw. Once on the ground, Roberts attempted a kimora.  The rest of round one consisted of Roberts fighting for the kimora and Burns successfully defending it. Burns came out in round two with a side kick. Burns then did a superman punch to a takedown which pinned Roberts on the mat and against the cage.  Burns then mounted Roberts and landed heavy strikes until the ref stopped the fight.

Michael Montelone vs. Michael Melito

The second fight was between Montelone of Team Omega and Melito of New Level. Both fighters weighed in at 155 lbs. Both came out swinging and then Melito got the takedown. Melito landed punches and knees from side control. Montelone reversed Melito to end up in his guard. Montelone landed strong punches at the end of round one. In round two, the fighters quickly went to the ground where Melito gained guard position. Melito complained to the ref about a loss of vision and verbally submitted.

David Castro vs. Gus Becnel

The third fight was a well matched war! The bout was between  Castro of American Top Team and Becnel from Outlaw. Round one was pretty even with Becnel attempting a guillotine and throwing hard straights, while Castro clinched and threw damaging knees. The fight went to the ground where the fighters traded back and forth for dominate position until the end of round one. Round two went clearly to Becnel. The fight quickly went to the matt where Becnel attemped a guillotine and kimora followed by Castro attempting a triangle. They both continued to battle it out with Becnel getting the better of Castro with heavy strikes on the ground. Castro took Becnel down in round three and ended the fight with strikes.

Jodi Cazenave vs. David Pogue

Pogue from Mississippi and Cazenave of New Level, were the next to enter the cage. Cazenave takesdown Pogue and gets mount position. Pogue reverses into Cazanave's guard where Cazanave goes for the triangle choke. Pogue is able to break it by slamming Cazenave. From there were some of the craziest positions I have ever seen in MMA. Pogue gets guard positon and attempts a guillotine. Cazenave breaks out of it and passes the guard at the end of round one. Pogue attempts another guillotine in the beginning of round two. Cazenave escapes by getting to side mount. He then attempted an arm triangle and then went to mount where he landed heavy punches. Pogue turns to his back to avoid the strikes but then loses to a rear naked choke. Cazenave later won fighter of the night.

Cruiser Byron Byrd vs.  Kenny Cavelier

Byrd, from The Armory (Kurt Pellegrino and Hermes Franca's camp) faced off against Kenny Cavelier from Team Extreme. Byrd dominated the fight from the beginning by taking it to the matt, getting to Cavelier's back and landing a barrage of punches. Cavelier was able to get to his back, but Byrd was able to land too many strikes and the ref stopped it early in round one.

R.J. Goodridge vs.   Ryan Gautier

Goodridge from The Armory fought Gautier from Gold Dragon MMA. Ryan clinched with Goodridge and pinned him against the cage. Gautier took the fight to the matt where Goodridge gained guard position and secured a triangle choke for the win in round one.

Jason Galjour vs.  Henry Gomez

Galjour, from New Level, fought Gomez from Outlaw Fight Team. Galjour came out swinging and then quickly went for the takedown where he got side mount position. He quickly got to full mount where he rained punches down on Gomez. Gomez turned his back and Galjour was able to get the win with a rear naked choke.

Rafael Chavez vs. Chris Zuniga

Another fighter from the Armory would face off against American Top Team's Chris Zuniga in a pro match. Zuniga would not have a chance to show his skill due to being knocked down immediately with a flying knee that should have knocked him out. Chevez finished the fight with a few follow up strikes that forced the ref to stop the match.

Our congratulations go out to Warren Donley and Rico Impastato for putting on another first class event. Despite a few quick matches, all the fighters were matched up with opponents of comparable records which made for some great wars. Donley and Impastato strive to maintain high standards and show unquestionable integrity in the sport of MMA. On November 10th, Renaissance MMA will host their 4th event at the Castine Center in Mandeville, LA. It will feature a 4-man tournament between Ryan Gauthier, Jeremy Bufkin, Michael Monteleone, and Josh Solano for a world lightweight Title belt! Chewy Smith will face Jason Goodin for the Light Heavyweight world title belt! In addition to that there will be amateur fights, one featuring Steve Kinnison vs. Reynaldo Duarte. You definitely don't want to miss this one! Go to www.renaissancemma.com to get ticket information.

By: Angela Chustz-Parent

September 18, 2007

Louisiana Fight Club was in Morgan City, Louisiana this past Saturday, September 15th for Battlezone VIII, a Battlezone Promotions mixed martial arts event put on by promoter Steve Miller.

The night started off with the traditional national anthem. Following the anthem all the fighters were announced and faced off before getting in the cage.

There were eight mixed martial arts bouts including six amateur and two professional bouts.

First to hit the cage were amateurs David Villere (1-0) out of Gold Dragon MMA in Slidell, Louisiana and Jules “Rami” Patin (0-0) out of X-treme Fitness Academy in Prairieville, Louisiana. “I’m ready to get in the cage,” says Patin. This was Patin’s amateur MMA debut. He has always played competitive sports. Patin was the football quarterback for Catholic High in New Roads, Louisiana and followed his dream with a scholarship to University of Lafayette. Since his departure, he has missed playing in competitive sports and he believes MMA just might be what he needs to fulfill that void.

Villere and Patin face off in the cage before bell sound. Villere swung a few good punches with Patin using good defense in dodging his stand up power. Villere landed a powerful strike to Patin’s face stumbling him for a few seconds. They went down to the mats were both attempted a submission and stood back up again. Villere came in for a strike and Patin took Villere down to the ground where Villere gained a 1st round guillotine submission.

Next was 170lb. Chris Verdin (0-0) and Hank Hughes (1-1) of Gladiators Academy. Hughes dominated the mats with an armbar submission in the 1st round.

Matthew Lege and Derrick Breaux of Gladiators Academy were next up. Breaux quickly took control of Lege by taking him to the ground and using his powerful ground and pound ending the fight by referee stoppage due to strikes within minutes of the 1st round.

The fourth fight of the evening was between Chris Myers and Daniel Paulin. This was another quick 1st round victory of the night by Paulin with a rear naked choke submission.

Next to hit the cage were Blake Beard and another Gladiators Academy warrior, Derrick Hood. Hood satisfied a quick takedown in the 1st round using his brutal ground and pound for a quick KO.

Derek Arcement and Brandon Rondon, the ISCF Featherweight Champion made it another quick bout for the evening. Rondon took Arcement down to the mats early using his devastating ground and pound strikes. He then took advantage of an arm bar submission defeating Arcement in the 1st round.

The Co-Main event of the evening was between professional mixed martial artists, Mike Braswell and Houma’s, John Leblanc. This fight went to the mats early in the 1st round with Braswell coming out on top with a triangle choke submission.

The Main event featured Ryan Carranza vs. Chris Salinas of Gladiators Academy. Both fighters came out aggressive and ready to fight. The bout went down to the mats early with Salinas gaining top control and using his powerful ground and pound strikes ending the bout with a referee stoppage in a short time within the 1st round.

Fight of the night went out to Derrick Breaux and Matt Lege. KO of the night went to Derrick Hood, and Fighter of the night went out to Daniel Paulin.

Congratulations to all of you! LFC would like to thank Mr. Miller for the southern hospitality and accommodations for this event. We look forward in seeing you at the next Battlezone Promotions event!

By: Angela Chustz-Parent

September 3, 2007

The International Xtreme Fight Association (IXFA) was in the Cajun Dome in Lafayette, Louisiana this past Saturday, September 1st.

Scott Dawson, CEO and President of the IXFA is the first MMA promoter to hold an event at the Cajun Dome. Dawson put together this mixed martial arts (MMA) event consisting of six amateur and eight professional bouts consisting of talented mixed martial artists from Texas and Louisiana.

Dawson jump started the evening out by playing The Rules of Fight Club and introducing the IXFA Extreme Fight Girls for a dance routine, to finish off the Thunderstruck lyrics.

The IXFA Extreme Fight Girls continued with choreographed dances in the cage throughout the evening.

The first amateur bout of the night was between 155lb. Brian Brady of Houston, Texas and Justin Timpa of Lake Charles, Louisiana.  Timpa came out with a hard takedown staying on top of Brady for the entire 1st round. At one second before bell sound, Timpa won by submission.

Next was Steven Aguilar in the 170lb. weight class out of Corpus Christi, Texas fighting Christopher “Blake” McDaniels of Denton, Texas. McDaniels impressive knee strikes and aggressiveness landed him a victory by knock out just 1:19 in the 1st round. McDaniels plans to have his pro debut soon. Watch out for this guy all you pros! Those knees are explosive!

Paul Ascheil (145lbs.) of Denton, Texas and Kyle Miers of Lake Charles, Louisiana were the next contenders. Miers quickly took down Ascheil gaining back control landing some powerful ground and pound strikes leaving him with a victory by submission due to strikes 2:04 in the 1st round.  

The fourth bout of the evening was as quick as the last three bouts. Light Heavyweights, Brannon Wooden and Aaron Davis battle it out for three rounds on the mats leaving Davis with a unanimous decision victory.

Chris Reed (205 lbs.) and Ricky Arvie both of Houston, Texas were next up. Arvie started out with a takedown and submission attempt. Reed reversed control showing good defense in the 1st round. In the 2nd round, Arvie quickly took Reed down gaining back control using his powerful ground and pound ending the round in .56 by referee stoppage.

Heavyweights Brian Lightfoot and Mitch Sawyer fired up the crowd by their aggressiveness. Lightfoot was “saved by the bell” in round one by Sawyer’s brutal ground and pound. Sawyer started the 2nd round aggressively finishing what he started in round one, ending the fight with a verbal submission in 1:04.

The first professional MMA bout was between 170lb. Matt Rangel against James Deuce King. The first two rounds were “battle of the mats.” Rangel brought his game to the mats again early in the 3rd round, winning with an arm bar submission in .33 seconds.

The bout between Anthony Barbier (225lbs.) of Cut Off, Louisiana and Ralph Kelly who fights out of Team No Pain in San Antonio, Texas did not last long. Kelly landed a brutal leg kick to Barbier sending him to the canvas with the fight ending just .25 seconds in the 1st round. 

The ninth fight featured Brandon Farran (185lbs.) and Marcelo Lumakang. These two Texans came out aggressive ready to fight. Farran landed powerful combos and slammed Lumakang to the canvas. His brutal ground and pound ended the fight just 1:54 in the 1st round.

Houston’s Antonio Flores and Jody Draper hit the cage next as the 10th bout of the night. Flores used his strong stand up and boxing skills as an advantage landing powerful strikes and combos. Flores showed great defense in Draper’s take downs and ground game. These pros went all three rounds with Flores winning by unanimous decision. 

Jesse Vasquez fighting out of Team Bushi Ban in Houston, Texas had lots of fans there supporting his bout with heavyweight Jarred Taylor. Vasquez had great stand up landing powerful combos and strikes. Taylor took down Vasquez as it seemed he didn’t want to stand toe to toe with him. Vasquez expedited good ground defense in the 1st round. In the 2nd round, Vasquez started off aggressive with brutal knee strikes and powerful combos which ended the bout with a referee stoppage in 1:40.

The next bout was between York Ash (155lbs.) and Lane Yarbrough out of Death Row MMA. Yarbrough had no mercy and landed brutal combos then a hard takedown gaining a submission victory quick within the 1st round.

The Co-Main event featured hometown fighter Micah Lopez (170lbs.) against Kirk Gibson of Denton, Texas. Lopez had the MMA fans in the Dome pumped up upon entering the cage. Lopez landed two hard kicks then landed one powerful hit to Gibson laying him down to the canvas just 1:34 in the 1st round by KO.

The crowd was still fired up when another hometown fighter, “Crazy” Tim Credeur entered the cage to battle against Brandon McDowell also of Denton, Texas. This bout went quickly to the mats with Credeur in control leaving him with a victory by triangle choke just 1:35 in the 1st round.

To fight in the Cajun Dome was a childhood dream for Credeur. “Thanks for all the community support down south,” says Credeur. He says that it is a blessing that there are pros like Kyle Bradley, Alan Belcher, and Rich Clementi in the south who have helped train him. He believes that he is the next, “Deep South Soldier” and his next dream is to fight in the UFC.

Credeur’s next fight will be at the LSU Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) on October 13th in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This event is expected to be the largest MMA event Louisiana has seen yet. Also included on the fight card are Louisiana’s talented   Rich “No Love” Clementi (UFC Vet), Donald “The Python” Mayeaux, Ricky “Pitbull” Folse, Chris Salinas, and much more! This is the first time for Gladiators Academy and No Love Entertainment to join together to promote a MMA event with a car show, live entertainment, and of course, the girls. Go to www.steelcagefighting.com for more information.

Congrats to all of you for your great performances. Louisiana Fight Club thanks Scott Dawson for allowing us to cover this event and providing everyone with first class service and entertainment. For more information on IXFA events, gear, fighters and how to book the IXFA Extreme Fight Girls, go to www.IXFA.tv.

 By: Angela Chustz-Parent

August 28, 2007

Tony Jarreau, owner of Gladiators Academy in Baton Rouge, put on a "Pro Extreme MMA and Boxing" event this past Saturday, August 25th in Denham Springs, Louisiana at the North Park Assembly Center. This was a first time ever for an event such as this to hit Denham Springs leaving the Assembly Center packed with enthusiastic MMA and boxing fans from the area.

The Pro Extreme MMA and Boxing card consisted of twelve bouts including two boxing matches, two professional MMA bouts, and eight amateur MMA bouts.

The referees for the MMA bouts were UFC veteran Rich "No Love" Clementi and J.C. Pennington. Both are instructors out of GT Extreme Sports in Slidell, Louisiana. Larry Berger was the referee for the two boxing bouts.

 Kyle Bradley (left), JC Pennington (center), and Rich Clementi (right)

The first bout of the event was a four round boxing match between Tommy Dardar of Houma, Louisiana and Mark Hinson of Watson, LA. The four rounds were scheduled for three minutes each. Dardar and Hinson went at it for all four rounds giving it all they had. Hinson had his hometown fans cheering for him to try and push him to his limits. Dardar came out on top dominating punches winning by unanimous decision.

"This was a tough fight being it was Hinson's hometown crowd," says Dardar. "He kept his hands busy but I figured if he ate enough of my right hands he would wear down," says Dardar after his victory. Dardar was voted "Fighter of the Night."

Dardar had his pro boxing debut Saturday, August 18, just one week ago at the In Ya Face promotion in his hometown where he defeated his opponent by KO in the 1st round.

Next was the first amateur MMA bout between Fort Worth, TX's Scott Schipps (0-0) and Ryan Day (1-1) of Oklahoma City, OK. Day came in with a takedown utilizing some good ground work. Schipps turned the game around quickly with some brutal ground and pound ending the fight in just minutes of the 1st round.

Gladiators Academy's Clay Henze battled against Jesse Burress from Alabama. These 145lb. fighters came out showing great talent battling it out on the mats. Burress got Henze in a triangle choke in the 2nd round ending the fight with an Alabamian victory.

Din Thomas brought in his warriors from his American Top Team (ATT) school in St. Lucie, Florida to battle against some local talent. "Louisiana is my favorite state to come for MMA shows," says Thomas. He says the "southern hospitality" is one of the aspects of fighting in Louisiana he enjoys the best. "I bring all my fighters to fight in Louisiana," says Thomas. He says he feels the history of fighting here when he comes to Louisiana which makes him feel right at home. If you are interested in contacting the St. Lucie ATT school for more information or to inquire about having ATT fighters at a local event, please call (772) 337-5588.

The next bout featured 155lb. debuters, Anthony Esposito of ATT and Bill Daniels of Gladiators Academy. Esposito came out with a quick victory in the 1st round. "Thank you to Din Thomas, and my sponsors, Fightstop MMA gear and Villain Fight Wear," says Esposito. He has been training for about six months with Thomas.

The fifth fight of the evening was between Gladiators Academy's Ben Kristonis and Gary Betello of Fort Worth, Texas in the 140lb division. This was an early start to the ground with Kristonis gaining full mount quickly. Betello flipped using powerful ground and pound ending with a referee stoppage in the 1st round. "I want to say thanks to the 4 B's (of Gladiators)," says Kristonis. When asking him who the B's were, he said, "Bradley, Bull, Big, and Batman." Although this is not your normal thank you, I'm sure they know who they are.

Another ATT fighter, Chris Collins, and Jarrad Bricknack of GT Extreme join up together in the 155lb division. In the 1st round they showed excellent talent on the mats. Collins came out on top in the 2nd round leaving ATT with another victory.

The next bout also featured ATT vs. GT Extreme. This time, GT Extreme's Gabe Wood came out on top with a unanimous decision win over John Sardone.

Pat Seidel defeated Chris Macclop in the next bout in just minutes of the 1st round.

The 10th fight was between Lance Thompson and Chris Salinas. Salinas quickly won with a rear naked choke in the 1st round.

The co-main event was the last boxing match. This bout was scheduled for four, three minute rounds between Jerrick Stephens of Alexandria, LA. and Rickey Kinney of Watson, LA. Kinney won by KO in the 2nd round leaving his local fans excited and cheering his name.

The main event featured pro MMA fighters, John Leblanc of Houma, LA and Kyle Bradley (12-4) of Gladiators Academy. Bradley, a Denham Springs High graduate and football player, had a large local fan base at the Assembly Center to cheer him on. Leblanc came out with his superman punches but it didn't take long for Bradley to land his brutal punches that he is most famous for that finished the bout in just the 1st round. "I haven't taken anyone down in five years," says Bradley. He is known for his devastating power strikes and the rest of the world may get a real taste of his hands real soon.

Kyle Bradley and fan

Kyle Bradley has been recently picked up by Monty Cox for management over his MMA career. Cox manages many of the most popular fighters in the professional MMA scene.  

Bradley's next local fight will be as the main event on the "Punishment at the PMAC" card October 13th. This will be a first time No Love Entertainment and Gladiators Academy MMA promotion held in Baton Rouge at the LSU Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC). He will be competing for the 155lb. belt at this huge event. 

Also on the PMAC card will be UFC veteran Rich "No Love" Clementi and "Crazy" Tim Credeur. Other local popular favorites and much anticipated matches such as Donald "The Python" Mayeaux vs. Russell Jones will be on the card.

Credeur will be competing for the #1 contender spot in the 185lb. division. He has a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jiu-Jitsu, and Judo. In interviewing Credeur, he says his fighting style is "well-rounded." This coming weekend, on Saturday, September 1st, he will be fighting at the Cajun Dome in Lafayette at one of the largest venues Louisiana MMA fans and fighters have seen. "I'm excited about fighting in my hometown. It's a dream come true," says Credeur. He and his father use to watch UFC televised fights when younger and he told his father that one day he was going to fight in the Cajun Dome. This is truly a dream come true for him. Credeur wants to become the "best fighter in the world," and his mission is to reach those goals one fight at a time.

Louisiana Fight Club will be at the Cajun Dome September 1st to cheer on all the Louisiana talent. Go to www.tickemaster.com and purchase your tickets today!

A huge thanks goes out to Tony Jarreau of Gladiators Academy for allowing Louisiana Fight Club to come out and cover this event. We look forward to seeing you again on October 13th!

Gladiators Academy is the only facility in Baton Rouge that offers training in Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Mixed Martial Arts, Muay Thai Kickboxing, and Russian Sambo. The facility is over 12,000 square feet featuring a 24' boxing ring, a 20' octagon cage, and over 1,200 square foot of mat space. There is no prior experience necessary to become a member and discounts are available for active law enforcement, military, firemen, and youth (ages 7-17 years old). Gladiators Academy is located in the Broadmoor Shopping Center at 10090 Florida Blvd., and is open seven days a week, Monday-Thursday from 3pm-9pm, Friday from 3pm-8pm, and Saturday-Sunday from Noon-5pm. Go by or call today about memberships and how you can become the ultimate Gladiator you have always dreamed of! Go and "Learn from the greatest trainers and fighters in Louisiana!" For more information, call (225) 218-8871 or go to the website at www.gladiatorsacademy.com.

By: Angela Chustz-Parent

August 23, 2007

Andres Landor, promoter of Left Hook Promotions, put on a fabulous mixed martial arts event this past Saturday, August 18th, at the Heymann Center in Lafayette, Louisiana.

This “Extreme Survival”  event featured 12 amateur mixed martial arts bouts including the first ever female bout in Louisiana.

Jayme “Peaches” Braud out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, sponsored by Beat2sleeP.com, is a Program Director at the ATA Blackbelt Academy in Denham Springs, Louisiana. She is rated Top 10 in the world in Taekwando at just 18 years old. She has been training boxing since she was nine years of age and has developed an interest in mixed martial arts through recent years. “I’m going to win,” says Braud before her MMA debut. Braud has been training at  X-treme Fitness Academy under the assistance of Jason Harvey, Donald Mayeaux, and Thomas Webb to get ready for this fight.

 Jayme Braud (left), and proud sponsor Sterling Byrd with Beat2sleeP.com (right) 

22 year old Christina “The Machina” Zinzi out of Daytona Beach, Florida fighting for Team Main Event, has been training with Reese Hall and Brandon O’Kelly for the past four months to get ready for her first event MMA bout. At 10 years of age Zinzi starting training kickboxing and also runs track. She feels that her endurance and stand up have made her prepared for the fight. “I’m confident and my mind is ready,” says Zinzi.

So, here we go. The first fight of the night featured the first ever female bout in the state of Louisiana, between Zinzi and Braud. Braud came out with some good stand up skills landing a couple of strikes. Shortly thereafter, Braud showed no remorse and was finding every hole she could to utilize her powerful stand up. Braud made some devastating strikes to the face leaving Zinzi bloody at the end of the 1st round. Zinzi’s coach stopped the fight after bell sound of the 1st round. The hometown crowd showed their support for “Peaches” as she celebrated her victory.

2nd fight of the night was between Jeremy Walker and Douglas Frey. This bout went all three rounds for an entertaining display of mixed martial arts leaving Frey with a victory in a split decision.

Casey Simon won his hometown crowd over by his entrance into the cage as he got ready to fight Thomas Webb. This was also another action packed three round bouts between two talented amateurs. Simon came out on top with a hometown victory by unanimous decision.

Another Team Main Event member, Cornelius Breedt faught against Chris Gregorie of Team Know Pain. Breedt came out with a victory over Gregorie.

The next bout was between Gary Hancock of Gold Dragon MMA of Slidell, Louisiana, and Nick Nuila of South Side MMA of Dallas, Texas. Hancock has been on a winning streak with a 7-1 amateur record. Nuila came in with an impressive 4-1 amateur record. This bout went all three rounds with two excellent displays of ground work ending with a Nuila victory by decision. Hancock is set to make his pro debut on September 15th in Morgan City at Battlezone VIII.

Jonathan Suldo, another Team Ronin town favorite and Jared Angelica of Road Fight Club, were the seventh fight of the evening. Both fighters came out aggressive exchanging nice powerful strikes. Suldo quickly took advantage of a submission and won 2:10 in the 1st round.

Jymes Ehlers of Team Dog Pound and Michael Sierra of South Side MMA showed some great exchanges. Sierra came out with a good strike and kick combo. Ehlers gained a takedown and side control in the 1st round using one arm punches and knees to contain Sierra. Ehlers ended up with a Dog Pound victory in the 2nd round.

The battle of the Texans was next with Daniel Ingram from San Marcus and Jimmy Griffin from Grand Prairie. The first round was action packed with entertaining stand up from both fighters. Griffin overpowered Ingram which lead to a TKO victory in the 2nd round.

Next, Derrick Krantz of Team 515 and Alden Hebert of South Side MMA come in with some good stand up action for the 1st round. Hebert came out with some strong leg kicks while Krantz exchanged with some good strikes. Hebert satisfied a submission in 2:14 of the 2nd round.

The Juan Ovalle and Josh Maki bout ended in the 1st round as a no contest due to an illegal hit.

Chris Bell of Team Dog Pound and Kerry Rothchild of Team Big Dream were the co-main event of the evening. This was an exciting bout with lots of hard work from both amateurs. Bell showed extreme domination using his strong hands to utilize his brutal ground and pound skills. Bell says, “Stand up and brutal ground and pound,” is the strongest of his MMA skills. The bout ended in the 3rd round due to injury with a Bell victory.

The main event of the evening featured Emilo Juarez of Warriors Edge and Thomas “The Little Beast” Hebert of Team Tora. Both came out exchanging combos then Hebert slammed Juarez to the mats and satisfied a quick submission in just .36 seconds of the 1st round due to injury.

 “Crazy” Tim Credeur spoke on his upcoming fight on September 1st at the Cajun Dome. If you haven’t purchased tickets, please do so for this event. This “Revolution Fight Night” is a IXFA Extreme Fighting event and ticket information can be found on www.ticketmaster.com.

For all of the amateurs out there in and out of state, please be aware of the rules of the sanctioning body you are fighting for before stepping into the cage. The rules meeting before fights are mandatory for a reason. The rules are one of the most important to know and to follow because they will cause you a fight or points lost if not followed.

A huge thank you goes out to Andres for accommodating LFC and allowing us to be a part of this event. We appreciate everything and look forward to working with you in the future!

By: Angela Chustz-Parent

August 10, 2007

Ricky Derouen of Fight Force International (FFI) put on an extraordinary MMA event at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum on Saturday, August 4th in Biloxi, Mississippi.

There were over 4,000 in attendance at the Blood and Sand I back in April of 2007. When asking Derouen of his expectations of Blood and Sand II he said that all the 1,200 floor seats sold quickly and he expected much more fans to attend on the 2nd event. He says since the word has been out about this Gulf coast event the past few months that the popularity of MMA in Biloxi has substantially increased.

Biloxi is still rebuilding from the 2005 hurricane season. Events such as these that bring in 4,000 MMA fans for the weekend are wonderful in supporting economic growth for the community.

The Mississippi Coast Coliseum was indeed packed on Saturday evening with enthusiastic MMA fans and MMA fighters from across the Gulf coast.

There were fifteen scheduled fights including amateur and professional bouts.

Greg Maher and Tony Rayborn started the night out. Mayer fights out of Dixons Dungen in Picayune, Mississippi. He took Rayborn down to the mats for a quick submission in the 1st round.

Jason Goodwin and Brandon "Pitbull" Skelton were the next fighters to hit the cage. Both came out very aggressive with strikes but Goodwin caught Skelton against the cage and was able to satisfy a quick guillotine choke just .51 seconds in the 1st round. 

The next bout was between Cruz Russell of Gold Dragon MMA against Hovacio Rodriquez of Dothan Combatative in Alabama. Russell of Picayune, Mississippi definitely won the crowd over but Rodriquez took Russell down early in the 1st round gaining a submission victory 2:03 in the 1st round. 

The welterweight division brought out two talented amateurs next, Eric Graham and Gold Dragon MMA's Gary Hancock. Hancock came out aggressive with knees and kicks using his strong Muay Thai as an advantage. His aggressive strikes led him to a TKO victory 3:01 in the 1st round.

Gary Hancock (left) and instructor and corner man, Lawrence Patrick of Gold Dragon MMA (right)

Hancock makes his pro debut on September 15th in Morgan City on the Battlezone VII fight card. He has been a fan of the UFC since he was a child. He started Taekwando at an early age and remembers watching Tito vs. Couture as a stepping stone of him wanting to get into MMA. "I'm going to take this as far as I can go," says Hancock when LFC asked about his future in MMA. There is no doubt that he will go far in his MMA career.

The fifth fight was between Tim Morris and Brian McPherson. McPherson showed great ground defense in the first part of round one. Morris took control and submitted McPherson for a victory within minutes of the 1st round.

Mark Kergosien of Gulfport, Mississippi and Jesus "Razor" Rios of Pensacola, Florida showed great talent of BJJ skills. This bout went for the full fifteen minutes and was a "battle of the mats." Rios won by unanimous decision.

The seventh bout was between James "Razor" Sharp of Ocean Springs, Mississippi and David Villere of Gold Dragon MMA in Slidell, Louisiana. This was another quick 1st round submission with Villere coming out on top 1:46 in the 1st round.

Heavyweight contenders, Bo Hooks (320lbs.) of Gulfport, Mississippi, and Tony Franks of Dothan, Alabama won the crowd over. Hooks came out with fire using strong combos and ground and pound. In the 2nd round Hooks defeated Franks by TKO bringing blood to the sand and winning Fighter of the Night.

Next were two lightweights talented in BJJ experts, Todd Peltier fighting for Gracie Barra and James Isler of Team Intensity. These two showed intense stand up, increasing the crowd reactions and excitement. Peltier suffered an intense cut above his eye. The referee came close in calling a stop to the fight, but all officials agreed to continue. In no time, Peltier came in with a quick armbar submission for a victory.

Peltier is trained by Gracie Barra Northshore by Rafael Ellwanger. Ellwanger is a BJJ expert and instructor and has a few Gracie gyms across the south. To contact him for more information and to learn about the schools, please visit www.gbnorthshore.com.

Todd Peltier (left), Mark Kergosien (center), Rafael Ellwanger (right)

The last amateur bout was between 41 year old Billy Homes and Trenton Burke of the light heavyweight division. Burke satisfied and early take down and slipped Homes into a rear naked choke just 3:04 in the 1st round.

The first pro bout featured crowd favorite, John Brown of Drew, Mississippi and Kenyatte "Silverback" Ravennel of New York, New York. These two heavyweight contenders battled it out for three rounds. Brown used some powerful knees and combos leaving Ravennel trying to dodge Brown most of rounds one and two. Brown's aggressiveness left him with a victory 1:14 in the 3rd round submission due to strikes.

Next was John Brown of Drew, Mississippi and CD "Irish Wolfhound" Williams out of the Slaughterhouse Gym in Mobile, Alabama. Williams came out with an Alabamian victory.

Tony Roberts and Chris Adams were next up. Roberts came in strong with powerful strikes ending the fight quickly in the first round by submission due to strikes.

The co-main event consisted of two 170 lb. contenders, Gary "The Hitman" Holliman and James Orso. Orso started the bout with an 8-0 professional MMA record fighting out of the Slaughterhouse Gym. He is a pro boxer and won his last Blood and Sand I bout between UFC Vet Danny Abaddi. Orso came out with strong combos. He ended up with adding to his no loss record with another KO victory in just 1:04 in the 1st round.

"I want to make it to the UFC," says Orso in a pre-fight interview with the LFC. Orso is known for his powerful striking abilities. Look out all you pro's, you will see lots of Orso in the near future.

Brad "The Machine" Dillon and Aaron "Yoda" Williams was the main event of the evening. Dillon has trained with many of the Gracie's and has studied martial arts since a young age. Williams holds the Masters of the Cage Championship in Oklahoma in the 145lb. weight class.

Williams showed no mercy against Dillon. With his powerful strikes and takedowns, he gained control over Dillon in the 1st round using devastating ground and pound which ended by referee stoppage upon bell sound at the end of the 1st round.

Houston Door and Gabe Barahona were the two referees for the night.

Russell Schenck of Pro Gym Fight Team was the matchmaker for Fight Force International. There is another event coming up September 15th in Dothan, Alabama, and also one in Hattisburg, Mississippi on October the 6th. Blood and Sand 3 are scheduled for December 1st at the same venue, the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi. For more information on reaching Schenck about matchmaking please contact him at 228-669-1446.

Thanks again to Ricky Derouen and crew for allowing Louisiana Fight Club to participate in this event and giving us first class service and entertainment. We look forward to seeing you again in December!

                RENAISSANCE MMA 

Mike Perez (left) and Ronnie Wuest (right)

By: Angela Chustz-Parent

July 31, 2007

  The Castine Center in Mandeville, Louisiana this past Saturday, July 28th, was filled with excited MMA fans anticipating the first ever Renaissance MMA (RMMA1). Ricco Impastato, the RMMA promoter, and Warren Donley, the RMMA matchmaker, put on a very well-organized and professional event including entertaining fights from a mixture of talented MMA teams from all over, stadium seating, and a pleasant and exciting crowd of MMA fans.

The judges for the evening included Skip Hall, Marco Matthias, and Macera Meister. Three beautiful ladies from the Cajun Spice Bikini Team were the ring girls for the 24 foot cage bringing eye candy to all the men in the house. Rafael Ellwanger of Gracie Barra Northshore was the referee for the evening.

There were 12 action packed fights starting off with a lightweight bout between Jeremy Bufkin of the Louisiana Martial Arts Academy and Jessie Benton. Bufkin came out with forceful combos and successfully slammed Benton four times in the 1st round and using   powerful ground and pound between takedowns.  Benton, a freestyle American Top Team (ATT) fighter, displayed great defense on the ground. Benton came back fully charged and gained full guard and showed an excellent display of ground work satisfying a rear naked choke submission 2:51 in the 2nd round.

Scott Warner of Gold Dragon MMA and David Castro, another ATT fighter out of Orlando, Florida, were the next bout. Warner came out strong with a kick to the face and hard kicks to Castro’s body. Castro attempted a submission but failed. Once up again, Warner used his stand up to strike again with more powerful leg kicks to the body. Castro landed a powerful takedown gaining side control and using superman punches for a TKO victory 3:20 in the 1st round.

The 170lb. weight class brought in ATT fighter, Oscar Reyes and New Level’s Judi Cazenave. These two talented fighters gave it all they had in the 1st round. The 1st round ended with Reyes ground and pounding with one arm punches with side control over Cazenave. “Saved by the bell” is what I heard from fans around me. Reyes must have been anticipating that side-control again, because he finished the 2nd round with a TKO victory.

4th we had a 185lb. bout between Gold Dragon MMA’s Sean Baudier, and Ryan Mann of ATT. Baudier took Mann down early in the 1st round. The round was a strong one with Mann and Baudier trying to dominate the mats. Once the round ended, Baudier was announced the winner due to an injury Mann suffered.

Next, Michael Brown of New Level and Jeremy Benton of ATT displayed a three round grappling match showing their expertise on the mats. Benton was announced the winner by unanimous decision.

Another Gold Dragon MMA opponent comes out with a hometown victory. Ryan Gauthier (5-1) came out strong landing powerful knees. Ulysses Carrion of ATT, slammed Gauthier down hard but Gauthier quickly reversed and stood up to kick Carrion hard enough to knock him down to the mats. Gauthier used that advantage to submit his opponent with a rear naked choke in just 2:27 in the 1st round.

The seventh fight of the night was between New Level’s Michael Melito and Brandon Barecca of Outlaw in Laplace, LA. This was an all out war for fifteen minutes between two talented 185lb amateurs. I was almost exhausted from watching. These guys really gave it their all. Barecca walked away with a victory by unanimous decision.

After the last fight of hard core MMA entertainment, the crowd was fired up wanting to see more. Keith Schneider, a hometown favorite, excited the crowd even more. Schneider of Gold Dragon MMA challenged Dimitri Khoror of New Orleans to another three round non-stop action packed bout. “Keith” chants filled the room for fifteen minutes giving Schneider a boost of energy when he most needed it from his team mates and his fans. Keith ended in a unanimous decision victory with an amateur record of 3-1.

 Keith Schneider (top) and Dimitri Khoror (bottom)

If you blinked or turned away, you might have missed the next fight. The ninth fight of the evening was the quickest bout lasting .13 seconds in the 1st round. Jason Galjour (205lbs) of New Level, trained by Warren Donley, landed a devastating punch leaving him with a TKO over Henry Gomez.

Matthew Smith (top) and Tiriee Taylor (bottom)

The crowd got louder and the fights got better. Thenext two bouts were the professional fights of the night.

Mike Perez (left) and Ronnie Wuest (right)

Perez is working on upcoming fights. For more information on his fights, visit his myspace account at www.myspace.com/facewrecker.

THE PYTHON RETURNS FOR A

VICTORY

By: Angela Chustz-Parent

July 23, 2007

Donald “The Python” Mayeaux put on another classy mixed martial arts event this past Saturday, July 21st at

the  St.Gabriel Community Center in St. Gabriel, Louisiana.

The night was filled with 13 exciting amateur bouts and one professional bout for the evening. This was an I.S.C.F. sanctioning event with Steve Miller of Morgan City, LA, as the representative. Miller will be promoting Battlezone VIII, a Battlezone Promotions MMA event on September 15, 2007 at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium. 

Sterling Byrd, the owner of Beat2sleeP, showed a strong presence at this event featuring all of his new items for his MMA store that just opened in Baton Rouge, LA. “I’m bringing it all,” said Byrd when speaking to him in an interview about his new store. Go to www.Beat2sleeP.com for more information on the store and the new items out.

The first fight of the evening was David Cook vs. Paul Thomassie. This was great start for the night with both fighters showing an excellent display of ground work and stand up. This bout with for three action packed rounds ending with a unanimous decision with Thomassie coming out on top.

The next bout was Randy Billiot of PointeChene, LA out of Team Extreme vs. Cruz Russell of Picyanue, MS out of Golden Dragon MMA. Billiot came out strong with leg kicks, punches, and knees, but was quickly stopped by Russell with a hard takedown to the canvas ending the fight with a TKO in just a minute within the 1st round.

Next was Travis Claridy vs. Trey Ealy of American Warriors. In the 1st round both fighters showed a great display of takedown defense. Unfortunately for Ealy, Claridy satisfied a takedown early in the 2nd round ending the fight in a brutal submission.

Thomas Webb, another American Warrior, took a victory over Omar Garcia in just seconds in the 1st round by using damaging ground and pound and stopping the fight with a TKO victory.

The 5th fight of the evening was Michael Monteleone vs. Jason Richardson. Monteleone satisfied one of the quickest victories of the night with a TKO within seconds of the 1st round.

The ISCF along with the doctors’ presence is always appreciated at these events. The 6th fight of the evening was ruled a “no contest” due to improper striking amongst an amateur.

Amateurs, Brian Albin of Ridgeland, MS and Andrew Staples battle it out for fifteen minutes. This was a stand up battle between two heavyweight opponents. Staples used great defense on takedowns and powerful knees to win with a unanimous decision after three exhausting rounds.

One of the quickest bouts was between K.J. Haney and Chris Bell. Bell slammed Haney down gaining side control and using powerful superman punches ending in referee stoppage early in the 1st round.

Chris Wright followed in Bell’s footsteps in finishing his opponent off quickly. Wright submitted Randy Thompson in seconds of the 1st round.

Jason Vasquez and Steven Craig were the next talented amateurs entering the cage. Vasquez gained quick top control and remained there the entire 1st round. Vasquez came out on top with a submission victory in the 2nd round.

Next was Cody Jones vs. Chase Reynolds. Jones was saved by the bell with a submission attempt by Reynolds in the 1st round. The 2nd round was a battle on the mats ending by referee stoppage due to a cut to Reynolds.

Patrick Billiot and Jymes Ehlers gave the crowd some action with three rounds of non-stop fighting. This was an incredible bout between two talented amateurs which lead the judges to call a draw.

The Co-Main event was between Alex Jumonville and Gary Hancock. Jumonville came out strong leaving both exchanging strong punches. Hancock gained quick side control using powerful knees and then locked in a tight rear naked choke within minutes of the first round, leaving Jumonville to tap out. Hancock is out of Golden Dragon MMA, in Slidell, LA. His pro-debut will be September 15th at Battlezone VIII in Morgan City. Watch out all you pro’s, Hancock is coming to a cage near you!

Gary Hancock (6-1)

2nd ranked Welterweight amateur in the U.S. by the I.S.C.F.

The Main event bout was originally between Donald “The Python” Mayeaux and Russell Jones. Mayeaux after being in retirement for over 7 years had planned to fight on his own card after a 15 year anticipated grudge match against Jones. "One more fight left in the basement", says Mayeaux when I asked him why he wanted to come out of retirement to fight a month ago.

Unfortunate for Mayeaux, he did not get to pounce on Jones in front of his home crowd and finishing his one fight “left in the basement”.

However, in just a couple of days notice, John Leblanc out of Houma, LA took the fight against Mayeaux. When asking Leblanc (170lbs.) about why he took the fight with Mayeaux (184lbs.) he said, “I’m steppin’ up to the plate.” Leblanc is always up for a challenging fight. When asking him what his strategy was he said “I’m swinging for the fences.”

Leblanc did just that and brought everything but the kitchen sink to this fight against Mayeaux. Leblanc surprised the crowd and MMA professionals of his strong display of strength, powerful punches and ground game dominating Mayeaux in the 1st and 2nd rounds. The crowd was overpowering with Mayeaux chants and fans. “Leblanc doesn’t have a chance,” one Mayeaux fan replied before the fight. Mayeaux reversed Leblanc’s top control at the end of the 2nd round, landing powerful strikes, satisfying a TKO victory.  Even though he didn’t get to fight Jones, he came out of retirement after seven years and won. Hopefully he will still get the chance to fight Jones in the near future.

Leblanc’s next fight is scheduled for August 25th against Gladiators Academy’s Kyle Bradley in Denham Springs, LA at the North Park Assembly Center. This will be an entertaining event that you will not want to miss! For more information on this fight, call 225-218-8871.

No Surrender

Saturday, March 15th

Denham Springs, LA

Pro Boxing

John Revish winner 3rd rd. decision ( Gladiators Academy ) vs. Jose Guterrez ( Houston )             

Kevin Wallace ( Gladiators Academy ) vs. Don Mouton winner 3rd rd. ( Houston )

3. Mark Hinsen winner 1st rd.( Gladiators Academy ) vs. Randy Billiot  ( Houma ) -Exb. match

Pro MMA

4. Christian Folgium ( Lafayette ) winner 1st rd TKO Vs. Mike Wester (ATT)

Amateur MMA

5. Leigh Wright winner 1st rd. submission ( Gladiators Academy ) vs. Patrick Billiot ( Houma )

6. Shawn Hitchcock ( Gladiators Academy ) Vs. Glen Blackford winner 2nd rd submission (ATT)-

7. Ben Kristonous winner decision (Fighter of the Night)( Gladiators Academy ) Vs. Jason Gladey (ATT)

8. Paul Hebbler winner decision ( Gladiators Academy ) Vs. JasonCortez (ATT)

9. Chabasco Looney (UFN) Vs. Eric Tallbacka winner 1st rd TKO (1.24) (ATT)

No Love Entertainment 

Primal Rage

Hammond, LA

Saturday, March 1st

Amateur Bouts:

155 Cole Permenter defeated Steve Rhodes by TKO 2nd round

155 Keegan Jablonski defeated Steven Oshanasy by TKO 1st round

170 Chad Ferris won by forfeit vs Andy Law

170 Scott Oshanasy defeated Shane Stapp by rear naked choke 1st round

155 Cody Kidder (Won Fighter of the Night trophy!) defeated Jarod Brignack by TKO 2nd round

Professional Bouts

145 Brock Kerry defeated Justin Ham by Unanimous Decision

187 Robert Thompson defeated Eric Thompson verbal submission due to injury (Failure to answer the bell for round 3 due to an injured foot)

155 JC Pennington defeated Mike Braswell by TKO 2nd round

Civil War

at the

Civic Center

results:

February 23, 2008

Houma Civic Center

MMA -PATRICK BILLOT WINNER 2ND RD REF STOPPAGE DUE TO STRIKES VS ERIC STAPLES

MMA -LANCE FOUSELL WINNER 1ST RD REF STOPPAGE DUE TO STRIKES VS RORY GUIDRY

BOXING - THOMAS DARDAR WINNER BY DECISION VS STEVE VERDIN

BOXING - MARTIN VERDIN WINNER BY DECISION VS MIQUEL AQUILA

BOXING - JUSTIN VERDIN WINNER BY DOCTOR STOPPAGE DUE TO INJURY 1ST ROUND VS RICKY FOLSE

MMA - ZACK EUNICE WINNER BY RNC 1ST ROUND VS PAUL GUIDRY

MMA- DOMINIC FALZOA WINNER BY ARM BAR 1ST ROUND VS CORY LUKE

MMA - RANDY BILLIOT WINNER BY GUILLOTINE CHOKE 1ST ROUND VS JOEY GOZELLE

MMA -COURTNEY POLLARD WINNER BY SUBMISSION DUE TO STRIKES VS DANIEL BUMGRADOR

MMA -CAFFERTY BORDELON WINNER BY REF STOPPAGE DUE TO STRIKES 1ST ROUND VS CORY ?

MMA-RAYMOND KNIGHT WINNER BY REF STOPPAGE DUE TO STRIKES 3RD ROUND VS DONALD MAYEAUX

MMA- JACOB QUICK WINNER BY SUBMISSION 2ND ROUND VS FRANK SLAUGHTER

Caged Conflict

results:

February 16.2008

Blackham Coliseum

1. 185 Pro Christian Fulgium def. Marvin Babe, rear naked, rd. 1

2. 185 Pro Matt Brown def. Troy Allison, guillotine choke, rd. 1

3. 205 Am Mark Leblanc def. Simon Sullivan, Ref stop strikes, rd. 1

4. 205 Am Pete Garcia, def. Frank Ready, Ref stop strikes, rd. 2

5. 155 Am Brad Mitchell def. Robert Auzenne, Armbar, rd. 1

6. 170 Am Scott Sonnier, def. Roy Spoon, rear naked, rd. 1

7. 155 Am Ronnie Whiteman def. Dustin Porrier, KO rd. 1

8. 170 Am Matt Boyd, def. Larry Johnson, Ref stop strikes, rd. 1

9. 145 Am Aaron Phillips def. Justin Cowart, triangle choke, rd. 3

10. 170 Am Noah Oliver def. Richie McCloskey, armbar, rd. 3

11. 145 Am Steven Craig def. Steven Volavka, guillotine, rd. 2

12. 185Am Kenny Allen, def. Alex Gainey, sub from strikes, rd. 1

RMMA 5

results: 

February 9. 2008

Amateur Bouts:

Keith Schneider (Gold Dragon) winner by guillotine 1st round vs Brad Prine (Omega)

Gert Kocani (ATT Orlando) winner by triangle choke 3rd round vs Ken Young (Dixon's Dungeon)

Brandon Tingle (AF/AKA) winner by TKO 1st round vs Joshua Favors (Omega)

Jeremy Meadows (New Level) winner by rear naked choke 1st round vs Nicholas Sherlock (Outlaw)

Brock Pearah (AF/AKA) winner by KO 2nd round vs Jimbo Roberson (MISS)

Louis Parria III (NOLA BJJ) winner by decision vs Bryan Burton (Gold Dragon)

David Villere (Gold Dragon) winner by referee stoppage due to injury 2nd round vs David Pogue (MISS)

KJ Haney (Omega) winner by guillotine choke 1st round vs Mike Prince (NOLA BJJ)

Jason Galjour (New Level) winner by decision vs Rickey Bates (UKC)

Scott Barrett (Georgia) winner by TKO 1st round vs Sean Jordon (New Level)

Welterweight Championship:

Keith Schneider winner by KO 1st round vs Gert Kocani

Professional bouts:

Gary Hancock (Gold Dragon) winner 1st round submission vs Seth Clifton (Dallas)

Matthew Smith (New Level) winner 1st round referee stoppage due to injury vs Nunzio Camarato (Gracie Barra)

Beat-2-sleeP

Fashion Show

by: Angela Chustz-Parent

November 4, 2007

Fifty-Two and Shifted Entertainment presented THREADS : A Fashion Event

B2S Clothing Store provided clothes by Beat2Sleep, Affliction, Ed Hardy, Deadneck and Itailian Sweatshop on Thursday, October 11th at The Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge.

Kristen Laird with Lengths by Kristen and Whitney with Eutopia were in charge of all models hair and make up.

The girl models included Brandi, Ryian, Suzzone, Shelly, Enron, Sunny, Kimen, Lacie, and Kate. The boy models included  Jake, Joey, Kristen, Trey, Day day, and Chris.

The show started with Ryan Deffes, then to  the band One Wants, and DJ Trippy closed the night down. 

The night was full of entertainment and a packed house waiting to see girls and guys strut their stuff in some sexy, hot, fight apparel and wear. Many local mixed martial arts fighters were there to support the show.

Kyle Bradley has recenlty recieved a custom made shirt from Beat2sleeP. He was there that evening to show his support.

The Beat2sleeP girls shorts are favorites of many women, and from the crowd response, many men also.

The "HNIC" is one of the most popular men's shirts at the B2S store in house and online. This mechanic style  labeled "HNIC" shirt gets lots of attention. I think it got more than enough attention at the fashion show with the models sporting it around!

 

Go to www.beat2sleep.com for more information on how to get these items!