AAMMA XI

CageCraze.com was cageside on Saturday night for “Absolute Action MMA presents AAMMA XI” at the Midwest Sports Complex in Florence, Kentucky. The local Pro/Am event had twelve amateur fights and two professional fights scheduled. We were treated to an amazing battle between undefeated amateur lightweights, James Mogollon and James Morton, to determine the #1 Contender for the AAMMA Lightweight Title. Headlining the card was a professional fight between Chris Mierzwiak and Brandon Pinkston, another battle of unbeaten fighters. Before the fights began it was announced that AAMMA referee Chris Kinman had been chosen by the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Authority (KBWA) to referee at the upcoming UFC on Versus event at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. George Conley, one of the judges for AAMMA XI, will also be representing the KBWA as a judge for some of the fights on the UFC card in Louisville next week. Kinman and Conley will likely be used on the unaired portion of the event but if things work out they may get a chance to oversee a fight on the main card. Please read below for the quick results and full recap of AAMMA XI, feel free to comment on the article as well. We want to read opinions from local mma “insiders” that saw the event so join in the discussion below!

Amateur Fights

Christian throws a kick

Jon Christian vs Adam Cogswell

Jon Christian and Adam Cogswell went the distance in the first fight of the night and battled each other to a majority draw. Christian was taken down immediately as his kick was caught by Cogswell at the start of the fight. Christian did a good job of stymieing Cogswell’s offense but was unable to work back to his feet for the rest of the round. Christian did look for an armbar as the first round came to a close but he could not get the finish and Cogswell broke free as the round ended. A point was deducted from Cogswell in the second round for an illegal up-kick which probably cost Cogswell the fight. Cogswell’s corner did not like the call and though that the kick was legal. Cogswell went for an anaconda choke and a triangle choke in this round, and also took Christian’s back and landed several solid shots from the back as he tried to flatten Christian. The point deduction turned a 10-9 round for Cogswell into a 9-9 round. Jon Christian came alive in the final round, scoring on the feet with kicks and then on the ground with punches from the full mount. Christian worked a rear naked choke as time expired to clinch the round. The decision was announced as a majority decision victory for Jon Christian, but Angela Robertson from the KBWA walked over moments later to let us know that the announcement was incorrect, and that the fight had been scored a majority draw.

Adam Prince vs Matt McDaniel

Team Warcry’s Adam Prince brought a quick end to this fight with a KO just 0:43 into the fight. The end came after Prince caught a body kick from McDaniel and then connected with two right hands to send “The Magic Man” crashing to the canvas. Prince went on to say that he will be dropping down to light heavyweight to make a run at the AAMMA 205-lb title.

Derrick Weisenberger vs Brandon Windisch

Team Warcry recorded their second win of the night after Derrick Weisenberger submitted Brandon Windisch at 1:24 in the second round. Weisenberger almost finished the fight in the first round after Windisch slammed Weisenberger and fell into a guillotine. Windisch was able to work his way out of the choke but could not escape in the second round after a nearly identical situation unfolded.

Ryan Roberts vs Matthew Perkins

Ryan Roberts gave Matthew Perkins a rude welcome to the world of amateur MMA by scoring a KO victory just 0:10 into the fight. Perkins was overwhelmed by Roberts and eventually dropped with a right hand. Roberts moves to 1-1 as an amateur while Perkins enters the books at 0-1 after losing his debut.

Virgil Lackey III vs Anthony Stamm

Virgil Lackey III put on a dominant performance to stop Anthony Stamm with strikes at 2:42 in the third round. Lackey punished Stamm for the majority of the fight, solidly winning rounds one and two before heading into the final round. Lackey landed an illegal knee in the third round that cost him a point, but Stamm was okay to continue and the fight went on. Stamm is a very tough fighter, not many people could have withstood the relentless ground-and-pound attack of Virgil Lackey III. Lackey would get the fight to the ground and transition from side control to mount Stamm. Stamm rolled over to cover up and that is all he could do as blows rained down upon him, forcing Chris Kinman to step in and stop the fight with just 0:18 remaining in the bout.

Skelton tosses McKenzie

Brittany Skelton vs Chris McKenzie

Brittany Skelton was too much for Chris McKenzie to handle as McKenzie was forced to verbally submit 1:44 into the first round. Skelton connected with a straight right at the start of the bout and then almost upended McKenzie with a leg kick. Skelton backed McKenzie into the cage an unloaded, eventually dropping his opponent with a right hand. McKenzie survived the onslaught and was able to stand but a few more shots on the feet prompted McKenzie to motion to Kinman that he wanted out of the fight and Kinman obliged, stopping the contest at 1:44 in the first round.

McClain pounces on Scheming

Shane McClain vs Lucas Scheming

Shane McClain has come into his own over the course of the past year and he earned a title shot by dispatching Lucas Scheming via TKO at 0:13 into the first round. McClain landed a vicious left-right-left combo that floored Scheming and then followed up on the ground to force Chris Kinman to swoop in and save Scheming from further damage. Look for Shane McClain to fight for the AAMMA Middleweight Title in April.

Miller tightens the triangle

Joel Miller vs Deric Reece

Joel Miller handed Deric Reece his first loss with a submission victory in the second round. Miller and Reece had a very close battle in the first round, with both fighters scoring on the feet with kicks and punches. Joel Miller grabbed a knee from Reece and took Reece down. Miller quickly worked to full mount but couldn’t finish Reece. The fight went to the ground once again in round two as both fighters tried to work trips at the same time, with Reece throwing Miller to the ground. Miller used the momentum of the takedown to roll Reece over and get on top. Miller mounted Reece and then went for a triangle from the top. Miller locked the choke in and rolled over to finish Reece at 2:03 in the second round.

James Mogollon vs James Morton

James Mogollon won a tough decision against James Morton to become the #1 Contender for the AAMMA Lightweight Title. Mogollon landed more quality strikes throughout the first round but Morton bloodied Mogollon late in the first round with knees from the clinch. Those knees made the first round very hard to score and could have gone either way. Mogollon and Morton traded on the feet to open the second round. Mogollon landed his jab several times and Morton continued to score with knees, but they did not do much damage. Mogollon went on to take Morton down and then controlled Morton for most of the round on the canvas. Morton worked to his feet and landed a kick but then ate a hard right-left combo as the round ended. Morton used his clinch work in round three to throw several knees but Mogollon did a good job of blocking most of them. Mogollon managed to get another takedown but Morton worked back to his feet immediately. Round three ended with Mogollon working a trip as the horn sounded. Mogollon won a unanimous decision and should be fighting for the AAMMA 155-lb belt in April.

Duprie Moon Jr vs Lonnie Mosley

Duprie Moon, Jr., came away with a decision victory over Lonnie Mosley after a very gutsy performance. The fight went back and forth with both men scoring on the feet. Duprie Moon landed the better shots over the course of the fight and also took Mosley down. By the end of the fight both fighters were exhausted. A tired Duprie Moon landed several big shots in the end of the third round but did not have enough in him to finish Mosley. The judges gave Duprie Moon, Jr., the unanimous decision.

Boehm submits Van Zijl

Zachary Boehm vs Pieter Van Zijl

Zachary Boehm dominated Pieter Van Zijl to remain undefeated, finishing Van Zijl with a rear naked choke in the final round. Van Zijl came into the fight undefeated but never found an answer for Boehm’s ground-and-pound. Boehm punished Van Zijl with strikes from the top throughout all three rounds. The end of the fight came in the third round after a failed guillotine attempt from Van Zijl allowed Boehm to take his back. Boehm worked patiently from Van Zijl’s back to flatten him out and then go for a rear naked choke. After softening Van Zijl with punches, Boehm locked on the choke and forced the tap at 2:33 in the third round.

Shaun Asher vs Michael Gay

Shaun Asher made a triumphant return to the AAMMA cage by forcing Michael Gay to tap to strikes in the first round. Asher overpowered Gay and landed punches from the top. All Michael Gay could do was cover up and try to protect himself. Gay struggled to buck Asher off but was unable to do so and Asher followed up with strikes that forced Gay to roll over and give up his back. Michael Gay tapped after a few seconds of Asher landing bombs from the top. The submission ended the fight at 1:28 in the first round.

Professional Fights

Brandon Suber vs Chris Bennett

Mogollon vs Morton was a great fight but Suber and Bennett put on the fight of the night. Brandon Suber defeated Chris Bennett via unanimous decision in a fight where neither combatant quit fighting until the horn sounded. Both fighters seemed comfortable standing and on the ground so we were treated to dozens of transitions throughout the fight. If you have ever seen Chris Bennett fight, you know that he is always looking for an armbar whenever he is on the ground. Tonight was no different except for the fact that Brandon Suber was able to escape several armbar attempts while on top of Bennett, and executed solid ground-and-pound techniques to win the judges over on the scorecards. Bennett landed several hard shots on the feet but Suber kept moving forward, landing kicks and punches of his own before going for takedowns. Chris Bennett looked frustrated at many points in the fight, a testament to Suber’s ability to stifle Bennett’s gameplan and control the fight. It is a hard loss for Bennett to take but it is the type of loss that should help him grow as a fighter. Brandon Suber moved to 1-1 in his professional MMA career with the win, while Bennett drops to 3-2.

Mierzwiak wins via armbar

Chris Mierzwiak vs Brandon Pinkston

Team Jorge Gurgel’s Chris Mierzwiak moved to 3-0 as a professional with a quick submission victory via armbar. Mierzwiak opened the fight with a body kick and both fighters went to the ground. Mierzwiak immediately isolated an arm and the pulled it into an armbar. Pinkston stood up but Chris Mierzwiak held on, somehow. Pinkston dropped to the ground to try and shake Mierzwiak off but the armbar was locked in and Pinkston was forced to tap just 0:35 into the fight. There has been a lot of buzz about Mierzwiak lately and many people close to his camp have told us that they will be surprised if he is not in the UFC by the end of the year.

Quick Results

Amateur Fights

Jon Christian vs Adam Cogswell declared a Majority Draw

Adam Prince def Matt McDaniel via KO at 0:43 in Rd.1

Derrick Weisenberger def Brandon Windisch via Submission (guillotine) at 1:24 in Rd.2

Ryan Roberts def Matthew Perkins via KO (punch) at 0:10 in Rd.1

Virgil Lackey III def Anthony Stamm via TKO/RSC at 2:42 in Rd.3

Brittany Skelton def Chris McKenzie via Verbal Submission at 1:44 in Rd.1

Shane McClain def Lucas Scheming via TKO/RSC at 0:13 in Rd.1

Joel Miller def Deric Reece via Submission (triangle) at 2:03 in Rd.2

James Mogollon def James Morton via Unanimous Decision at 3:00 in Rd.3

Duprie Moon Jr def Lonnie Mosley via Unanimous Decision at 3:00 in Rd.3

Zachary Boehm def Pieter Van Zijl via Submission (rear naked choke) at 2:33 in Rd.3

Shaun Asher def Michael Gay via Submission (strikes) at 1:28 in Rd.1

Pro Fights

Brandon Suber def Chris Bennett via Unanimous Decision at 5:00 in Rd.3

Chris Mierzwiak def Brandon Pinkston via Submission (armbar) at 0:35 in Rd.1

CageCraze.com is your MMA Social Network dedicated to connecting, promoting, covering and improving local MMA everywhere. Create your free profile today, and stay connected with local MMA Everywhere!

Press Release

MMA BIG SHOW PRESENTS LOCAL FAVORITES CHRIS BENNETT, MOJO HORNE, AND TJ BALL
AS THEY PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE AT “ALL OR NOTHING”

Event to take place live at Belterra Casino Resort & Spa on July 17th

Indiana (USA): MMA Big Show, one of the top fight promotions in the Midwest, will present its next exciting event, “ALL OR NOTHING,” which will take place on July 17th at Belterra Casino Resort & Spa in Indiana. In the main event, big-time local favorite Mojo Horne (7-2) will face one of his toughest tests to date, as he tangles with extremely experienced American Top Team product Lucas Lopes (19-8, fifteen finishes). Also featured on the card will be rising young local prospect “The Samurai” Chris Bennett (0-1 pro, 18-1 amateur), as he attempts to capture his first pro win from Brad Smith (1-1). Another notable local showcased on the fight card will be T.J. Ball (1-1), who will be looking to increase his pro experience against Danny “The Hammer” Surface (3-2). And making his return to Big Show will be Scott Cornwell (1-1), who made his Big Show debut last fall against UFC veteran Junie “The Lunatic” Browning (4-3). Tickets for “ALL OR NOTHING” are priced at $25, $45, and $75, and are available through Ticketmaster, as well as http://www.mmabigshow.com/. 21 and over only, please.

A training partner of Rich Franklin and a former MMA Big Show Middleweight Champion, Mojo Horne was glad to put 2009 behind him, as he suffered the first losses of his pro career. However, he ended the campaign on a high note, as he submitted Kevin Barkdull in the first round at November’s “ONSLAUGHT” event. Now back to his winning ways, Horne is looking to target his title once again in 2010. Standing in his way will be extremely experienced veteran Lucas Lopes. A veteran of 27 MMA fights, Lopes has
fought well-known competitors Sean Salmon and StrikeForce fighter Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, and has defeated UFC welterweight contender Thiago Alves and former UFC fighter Antonio “Samuray” Mendes. Lopes is on a four-fight winning streak, including two straight wins in StrikeForce. Lucas is coming off a KO victory over Robert “Bubba” McDaniel, who previous defeated Mojo via ref stoppage after Horne’s nose was broken. This is Mojo’s opportunity to, in a way, avenge his loss to McDaniel, and come out ahead of a highly experience ATT fighter. Certainly, this will be a difficult test for Horne, but he’s ready to go out there and prove that not only can he beat a veteran like Lopes, he is deserving of a shot at “his” belt. “I’m hoping that if I win this fight, that I’ll be able to fight for my title again. From there, once I get my title back, Jason says he has some plans for me. So I’m excited about that.” What does he think about facing a competitor like his opponent? “I’ve seen some footage on him. He looks like more of a standup fighter. Don’t know much about his ground. The fight footage on him doesn’t show much about the ground. But I’m a firm believer in fighting the fight, not the fighter. So I’m just gonna go in there and do my thing.” And to the fans, Mojo had this to say: “I’m going to do my best for you guys, as I always do. Hopefully, I get the KO or submission, and everyone get’s their money’s worth.”

“The Samurai” Chris Bennett built a name for himself with MMA Big Show fans with his incredibly exciting fights. A real crowd-pleaser, he turned professional earlier this year after piling up eighteen amateur victories. Bennett, currently a 0-1 as a pro, is looking to rebound after a devastating loss to American Top Team’s Tony Simms and prove that he’s a serious contender against Brad Smith at “ALL OR NOTHING.” Additionally, T.J. Ball will be fighting the very tough Danny “The Hammer” Surface, who will be making his pro debut. Both fighters recently dropped to 185 lbs. from their former heavyweight status. As a result, this is going to be a war between two muscle-packed fighters looking to dominate.

Fearsome fighter Scott Cornwell put on a show in the main event of Big Show’s “ONSLAUGHT” in November of 2009. is a Cincinnati native who started learning Tae Kwon Do at the age of three under Master David Huffstutler. As a teenager, Cornwell quickly progressed through the ranks, and currently holds a 3rd degree black belt, winning several local and national tournaments. He also had a very impressive high school wrestling career, where he competed for multiple national teams in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. His amateur mixed martial arts career began in 2007 while training under 4th degree black belt and renowned MMA instructor Rob Gerhardt, and he won his first five amateur fights, amassing an impressive record of 7-2. In preparation for his pro debut, Scott began additional training with Rod Housley at Team Vision while continuing to train and teach at Hamilton-Fairfield Tae Kwon Do. In short, Scott is an excellent striker and wrestler, and is well-versed in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Fans can bet on these fights through the MMA Big Show iPhone Fantasy Better, and can also watch the event LIVE on R&R Channel 354 on DirecTV at 8 PM EST on the 17th.

In addition, the Big Show Gym, a 19,000 square foot MMA & Fitness Facility will be opening on June 27th in Eastgate Mall in Batavia, OH. This new facility will opening softly on the 27th and will host a grand opening event approximately 30 days later, once all of the equipment and build-out has been completed. This gym will feature a full strength and cardio center, full MMA cage (the actual MMA Big Show Cage), BJJ mats, Muay Thai center, and will host a multitude of training and group classes such as Extreme Fitness Boxing, Zumba, yoga, aerobics and much more. Please visit http://www.bigshowgym.com/ for more information.

The MMA Big Show is currently looking for both national sponsors for its live national broadcasts as well as the gym.

The full fight card for “ALL OR NOTHING” includes:

Mojo Horne vs. Lucas Lopes
T.J. Ball vs. Danny Surface
Chris Bennett vs. Brad Smith
Scott Cornwell vs. James Baumgardner
Brendon Hampton vs. Josh Curry
Tyler Riley vs. Shannon Casey
Trevor Riley vs. Chris Anness
Joe Pegg vs. Marcus Lewis
Dave Coghlan vs. Eric Grifford
Jordan Seals vs. Jimmie Allen
Nikolas Hoobler- Scherff vs. Korey Comptan
TJ Wash vs. Dallas Rice
BJ Wulff vs. Justin Bruster
Shannon Powell vs. Phil Colston
Denver Myers vs. John Risley
Kirk Miller vs. Dom Steele
William Kimrey vs. Ryan Holubek
Michael Ormes vs. David Smallwood
Vic Sims vs. Colt Helton

Fight card is subject to change.