Matrix Fights (www.MatrixFights.com) formally announced Monday that its second ever event is now scheduled for the legendary “The Arena” in Philadelphia, PA on Friday, June 11.

Coming off a sellout crowd in its debut event this past February, the promotion will look to continue to build on its reputation as one of the fastest growing promotions in the United States by featuring the East Coast return of UFC veteran Jay Silva as he takes on blue chip prospect Tim Williams in a middleweight contest.

Silva now resides in Huntington Beach, California but began his amateur mixed martial arts career in New Jersey. A bouncer at several popular New York City nightclubs, Silva accumulated a large fanbase and emerged as an underground legend.

The Brazilian-born fighter transitioned from being an underground legend to a mainstream figure after building a respectable 5-1 record as a pro and landing a multi-fight contract with the UFC in 2009. Despite having gone 0-2 during his brief stint with the UFC, Silva made a name for himself by going the distance with middleweight standouts Chris Leben and C.B. Dollaway.

“Silva’s evolution from an East Coast-based amateur to a UFC-caliber middleweight has been nothing short of remarkable,” said Matrix Fights President Jimmy Binns Jr. “Jay was already a beloved figure on the New Jersey MMA scene before going to the UFC. But he’s more popular than ever since making it to the big show. We’re happy that we’re going to give fans in the Tri-State area their first chance to see Jay since making it to the UFC.”

Silva, who is drawing interest from several major promotions, could be just one big win away from returning to the big show. Standing in his way is one of the fastest rising middleweight prospects in all of MMA, Tim Williams.

Despite elite-level jiu-jitsu credentials, Williams’ emergence as one of the top unsigned prospects in MMA had been considered improbable. Several years ago the Maryland native nearly lost his life in an auto accident that has left permanent scarring to portions of his face. Then, just last year, Williams was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and his promising career was thought to be at a premature end.

Through all of his life-threatening battles, Williams has persevered and has achieved excellence in the cage; first as an amateur compiling a perfect 6-0 record and now as a pro, having gone 3-0 with three first round submissions.

“I am not sure if you are going to find a more inspirational fighter in MMA than Timmy Williams,” remarked Matrix Fights promoter Phil Migliarese. “Because of the things Tim has experienced in his life outside of the cage, it has made him fearless inside of it. Usually, you don’t see a 3-0 prospect accepting a fight against someone as experienced and dangerous as Jay Silva. But anything that Tim might experience in the cage is secondary to what he has endured outside of it.”

These days fighters with less than five fights rarely show up on the radars of major national MMA organizations such as the UFC, Strikeforce, and the Bellator Fighting Championships. However, an upset victory for Williams could expedite his ascension through the ranks and land him on a big show sooner rather than later.

“Matt Makowski vs. LeVon Maynard was a tremendous main event for our first show,” began Binns. “However, I think being able to bring Jay and Tim together sends a message to our fans that we’re going to deliver a show that at worst is as good as the first and potentially even better. Both Jay and Tim will have a lot at stake on June 11 and the victor is going to walk away with more than just their win bonus.”

In addition to Silva vs. Williams, Matrix Fights II will also feature Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Tim Carpenter competing for the first-time ever in his native Philadelphia. Williams, who trains at Balance Studios and is one of the best unsigned light heavyweights in the world will put his unblemished 5-0 record on the line against New York native Guybson Sa. Sa has just one pro fight on his resume but it was a memorable victory. Facing the vastly more experienced Ryan Contaldi, who was 5-2 at the time, Sa defeated the more experienced fighter in less than two minutes after executing a triangle choke.

Matrix Fights II will feature five pro fights and seven amateur contests with additional bouts set to be announced in the coming weeks. For ticket on-sale information as well as updates to the fight card, please visit MatrixFights.com.

John Doyle

AMSTERDAM, Holland (March 24, 2010) – “M-1 Selection” is changing the sport of professional Mixed Martial Arts by giving new and upcoming fighters an opportunity to gain global recognition by competing in M-1 events held all over the world.

The opening round of “The M-1 Selection: Americas”, featuring 11 entertaining fights, will be held Saturday, April 3 at Bally’s Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

It kicks-off the American edition of a global MMA tournament, unrivaled in size and scope, showcasing 160 of the most promising fighters from all around the world competing in five weight classes.

The “M1 Selection Americas” match-ups include the following fights:

Tournament Fights

Lightweights

Pat “Awesomely Awesome” Audinwood (8-0-1), Cortland, NY vs. Robert Connor (7-2-0), Martinsburg, WV

Dennis Bremidez (2-0-0), Harrisburgh, PA. vs. Don Carlo-Clauss (6-3-0), Rochester, NY

George “Lights Out” Sheppard (6-2-0), Newport News, VA vs. Mervin Rodriguez (3-4-0), Amsterdam, NJ

Welterweights

Vagner “Curio” Fernandes (0-1-0), Newark, NJ vs. Tom Moreau (1-0-0), Derry, NH

Brian DeMuro (2-6-0), Blackwood, NJ vs. Mike Winters (1-0-0), Webster, NY

Josh Smidt (5-8-0), Sioux Falls, SD vs. Colin Schrader (2-0-0), Cortland, NY

Middleweights

Todd “The Hulk” Chatelle (4-3-0), Pawtucket, RI vs. Mike Geurin (6-1-0), Dallas, PA

Plinio Cruz (2-2-0), Newark, NJ vs. John “The Iron Bull” Doyle (8-11-0), Allentown, PA

Three non-tournament super fights are also on tap:

The super fights feature a lightweight match between undefeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist: Renato Migliaccio (6-0-0), fighting out of Greenwich (CT) by way of Brazil, against New York’s John Salgado (3-2-1).

Philadelphia’s highly-regarded flyweight Sedico Honorio (5-1-0) takes on Nebraska veteran Josh Rave (18-6-0), while Kuwait featherweight Rami “Arabian Nightmare” Ibrahim, now based in Philadelphia, makes his long-awaited pro debut against New York City’s Lennox Chance at a 130-pound catchweight featuring two of the top kickboxers in the country. All fights and fighters are subject to change.

About M-1 Selection:

The “M-1 Selection” is a knockout competition. Fighters are eliminated after only one loss while two victories earn fighters a trip to the championship to earn a shot at a coveted “M-1 Selection” title.

The “M-1 Selection” tournament is broken down into four global regions: Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia and the Americas. Each of the four regions will host three rounds and a final of the ““M-1 Selection” tournament. The winning fighter in each weight class will join the team to represent his region in the 2010 M-1 Challenge.

The “M-1 Selection Americas” event will showcase elimination fights in the lightweight, welterweight, and middleweight categories. Winners advance to the Americas second knockout round.

The tournament will feature some of the best up-and-coming fighters from each region as they begin the journey towards a tournament victory.

An Americas light heavyweight and heavyweight round is also scheduled for this spring and will take place to determine the semi-finalists for the region.

How to see the fights:

Free broadcast coverage of the entire 2010 M-1 Selection tournament will be available live to viewers worldwide on www.Sherdog.com.

Tickets, priced at $55.00-$95.00, are available to purchase through www.TicketMaster.com

Doors open at 6.30 pm, first fight at 7:00 PM/ET.

Go to www.M-1Global.com for additional information.

Tyler Buckman right, of Central Dauphin reverses Steve Spearman left, of McDowell.

-

(JOHN C. WHITEHED, The Patriot-News)

It’s only 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, it’s rainy, dreary and incredibly windy, yet the string of automobile headlights lined up on Hersheypark Drive heading for Giant Center stretches from the arena’s intersection beyond the crest of the hill more than a half-mile back.
   
Had one of the six mats used during the PIAA Wrestling Championships been outside, the wind could have rolled it up and rolled it over to Hersheypark Arena, where the championships used to be conducted.
   
But it was the Class AAA semifinals these 8,000 fans wanted to see and little was going to stop them.
   
For good reason. The Triple-A semis are by far the highlight of the eight-session, three-day event. This year’s talent level was Triple-A squared.
   
Check out these champions’ college choices: Josh Dziewa to Iowa. Josh Kindig to Oklahoma State. Mitchell Port to Division I Edinboro. The Alton twins to Penn State. Marshall Peppelman to Cornell. Spencer Myers to Maryland. Evan Craig to Rider.
   
That’s a small sampling.
   
So next year, when you’re en route to the tournament and someone asks you for directions to Giant Center, the answer is simple: “Practice, practice, practice.”
   
How popular is this PIAA event, you ask? I can tell you.
   
Pennlive.com received 442,645 page views for the wrestling coverage over the three days. There were 2,300 people involved in online chats, and they sent more than 3,000 messages.
   
That shows the passion not only statewide, but one person online was in China and another in Florida.
   
However, what would a tournament that draws that much attention and was witnessed by 57,000 fans be without a complaint? I just happen to have one.
   
If you’re a wrestler and you’ve just lost a match, have the decency to shake your opponent’s hand. Look him in the eye and shake his hand. Don’t slap at his hand, don’t offer your left hand, don’t turn your back and throw your hand at his, possibly hitting it, possibly not.
   
Grow up and shake his hand. Losing a match won’t be the worst thing that will happen to you in your life.
   
Having said that, a tip of the mat to Central Dauphin’s Tyler Buckman, the 130-pound senior who lost a heartbreaking finals match to Erie McDowell sophomore Steve Spearman.
   
Buckman not only shook Spearman’s hand, he gave him a pat on the shoulder. And after the two shook the hands of the opposing coaches, Buckman stopped Spearman at the side of the mat and hugged him.
   
The fans appreciated the quality of the match, and they let them know afterward with rousing applause. They also appreciated the sportsmanship.
   
I wouldn’t call this a complaint because you’d have to be a fool to complain about Andrew Alton of Central Mountain, voted the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler.
   
But I would have voted for heavyweight Craig of Abington Heights. He won his second title by pinning four straight opponents. He’s not yet at the already collegiate level of the Alton twins or CD’s Peppelman, but he’s getting mighty close.
   
And if ever there was a year to start an Outstanding Runner-up award, my vote would go to CD’s Buckman.
   
Another tip of the mat to the four District 12 (Philadelphia city schools) wrestlers who earned medals.
   
Shane Springer of La Salle College was runner-up to Dylan Alton at 152. Casey Kent of La Salle lost his first match and won five straight bouts to place third at 125. Only two other wrestlers did that, and it’s quite a feat.
   
Nick Bongard of Monsignor Bonner was sixth at 119, and Anthony White of Northeast Catholic was seventh at 140.
   
Lest you think that Saturday night marked the end of the season, think again. The season will be capped off Saturday with the Dapper Dan Classic at the Pitt Field House.
   
Joe Spisak of Boiling Springs and CD’s Peppelman are part of a Pennsylvania all-star team that will take on a team of stars from around the United States.
   
It’s a prestigious event, one which the USA has dominated as of late. This year could be different.
   
Spisak will face Jamie Clark, a three-time Ohio champion from St. Edwards with a career record of 128-8. Clark is heading for Illinois; Spisak, for Virginia.
   
Peppelman will meet Nick Sulzer, also from St. Edwards and a one-time champ who is 146-17 and headed for UVa.
   
Other matches that should be quite interesting include Andrew Alton against Joe Cozart (226-4), a four-time Florida champ headed for Iowa State; Dylan Alton against Jackson Morse (184-9), a three-time Michigan champ headed for Illinois, and Craig against Bobby Telford (116-40), a two-time Delaware champ en route to Iowa.
   
Mike Evans of Blair Academy in New Jersey by way of Cumberland Valley is on the U.S. team and is set to face Jamie Callender of Council Rock North. Evans also is headed for Iowa next season.
   
The match begins at 8 p.m. It will be preceded at 6 p.m. by a match between a team of WPIAL (Pittsburgh suburbs) all-stars and a team of New York state stars.
   
If you’re not wrestled out, the NCAA Championships begin today in Omaha, Neb. Plenty of action will be on ESPNU Friday (10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.) and Saturday (11 a.m.), and the finals are 7:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., and PHILADELPHIA, March 15, 2010 – DIRECTV and Comcast have reached an agreement to return VERSUS to the DIRECTV programming lineup today. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

VERSUS will return to the same DIRECTV programming packages it was in at the end of August 2009.

“We are pleased that both sides were able to work out a satisfactory deal to bring this programming back to our customers,” said Derek Chang, executive vice president, Content Strategy and Development, DIRECTV.

“We’re excited that we were able to come to a fair agreement that puts VERSUS back in millions of homes with DIRECTV in time for our busy spring programming schedule,” said Jamie Davis, president of VERSUS. “We look forward to super-serving these fans with NHL regular-season and playoff coverage, our first live UFC event and much more.”

The long-expected non-title fight between Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez and UFC veteran/recent signee Josh Neer now has a date.

While a guest on today's edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said the fight takes place May 6 at Bellator 17.

Bellator announced last month that the fight was being targeted for a May card, though an exact date wasn't mentioned. It's now set for the Citi Performing Arts Center Wang Theatre in Boston, which is a half day's drive from Alvarez's Philadelphia home.

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (February 27, 2010) — Two-time NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion Cole Konrad is the latest highly sought-after MMA prospect to join Bellator Fighting Championships growing roster of top fighters.

Konrad made the revelation during a backstage interview earlier tonight following a first round TKO (doctor’s stoppage) of Joel Wyatt during a Matrix Fights event in Philadelphia. The win improved Konrad’s professional record to 2-0.
Konrad broke the news during a post-fight interview after he was asked about his plans for the future. He said that he had been pursued by a variety of other promotions, but made the choice to sign with Bellator.

“I’m excited to sign with Bellator,” Konrad said. “It’s a great opportunity to fight for a great company and I’m just really excited for what the future holds with this company.”

In attendance to watch Konrad’s performance was Bellator Fighting Championships founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, who addressed his promotion’s latest blue chip acquisition with the media following the event.

“Cole Konrad brings some great characteristics to the table that could make him a force at heavyweight,” Rebney said. “Brock Lesner’s dominance in the UFC has shown the impact that an elite, world-class wrestler can have in the heavyweight division. As a two-time NCAA heavyweight champion who is aggressively rounding out his MMA arsenal, Cole’s potential is unlimited. We are happy to be teaming up with him and, as a company, we are excited with what the future may hold.”

Prior to making his professional MMA debut earlier this month in Fargo, N.D., Konrad’s greatest claim to fame in the sport had been his role as a full-time training partner of current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. Konrad is a fixture at Lesner’s training camps in Alexandria, Minn. Konrad’s professional debut took place on Jan. 23 with the former aspiring NFL offensive lineman recording his first-ever win just 1:07 into Round 1 following a “polar bear choke” against Gary Hamen.

With his formidable amateur wrestling credentials and close affiliation with Lesnar, Konrad’s recent entry into the professional MMA ranks is a hot topic among fight fans. According to Matrix Fights promoters, ticket sales and media requests surged dramatically following the surprise announcement early this month that Konrad had been added to the co-main event of its first-ever show.

“Cole has already generated quite a buzz,” Rebney said. “We are happy not only to announce our long-term deal with him but to reveal that fans will be able to see his next fight on one of our nationally televised May events on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo.”

Bellator’s second season will continue for 11 consecutive weeks following the April 8 kickoff in Florida with a third season already planned and slated to start in August. After making a strong debut in its first season last year on ESPN Deportes, Rebney announced a landmark television deal this past fall that included new partnerships with FOX Sports Net, NBC, and Telemundo.

Much like Season 1, Bellator will be conducting tournaments at 145, 155, 170, and 185 lbs. during Season 2 with the winners earning title shots against the promotion’s respective champions in each weight class.

About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (February 27, 2010) — Two-time NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion Cole Konrad is the latest highly sought-after MMA prospect to join Bellator Fighting Championships growing roster of top fighters.

Konrad made the revelation during a backstage interview earlier tonight following a first round TKO (doctor’s stoppage) of Joel Wyatt during a Matrix Fights event in Philadelphia. The win improved Konrad’s professional record to 2-0.

Konrad broke the news during a post-fight interview after he was asked about his plans for the future. He said that he had been pursued by a variety of other promotions, but made the choice to sign with Bellator.“I’m excited to sign with Bellator,” Konrad said. “It’s a great opportunity to fight for a great company and I’m just really excited for what the future holds with this company.”

In attendance to watch Konrad’s performance was Bellator Fighting Championships founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, who addressed his promotion’s latest blue chip acquisition with the media following the event.
“Cole Konrad brings some great characteristics to the table that could make him a force at heavyweight,” Rebney said. “Brock Lesner’s dominance in the UFC has shown the impact that an elite, world-class wrestler can have in the heavyweight division. As a two-time NCAA heavyweight champion who is aggressively rounding out his MMA arsenal, Cole’s potential is unlimited. We are happy to be teaming up with him and, as a company, we are excited with what the future may hold.”

Prior to making his professional MMA debut earlier this month in Fargo, N.D., Konrad’s greatest claim to fame in the sport had been his role as a full-time training partner of current UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar. Konrad is a fixture at Lesner’s training camps in Alexandria, Minn. Konrad’s professional debut took place on Jan. 23 with the former aspiring NFL offensive lineman recording his first-ever win just 1:07 into Round 1 following a “polar bear choke” against Gary Hamen.

With his formidable amateur wrestling credentials and close affiliation with Lesnar, Konrad’s recent entry into the professional MMA ranks is a hot topic among fight fans. According to Matrix Fights promoters, ticket sales and media requests surged dramatically following the surprise announcement early this month that Konrad had been added to the co-main event of its first-ever show.

“Cole has already generated quite a buzz,” Rebney said. “We are happy not only to announce our long-term deal with him but to reveal that fans will be able to see his next fight on one of our nationally televised May events on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo.”

Bellator’s second season will continue for 11 consecutive weeks following the April 8 kickoff in Florida with a third season already planned and slated to start in August. After making a strong debut in its first season last year on ESPN Deportes, Rebney announced a landmark television deal this past fall that included new partnerships with FOX Sports Net, NBC, and Telemundo.

Much like Season 1, Bellator will be conducting tournaments at 145, 155, 170, and 185 lbs. during Season 2 with the winners earning title shots against the promotion’s respective champions in each weight class.

Highly touted heavyweight prospect Cole Konrad (2-0) is the latest
addition to the upstart Bellator Fighting Championships organization.

The former NCAA wrestling champion and current training partner of UFC
heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was officially announced as the
newest member of the organization immediately after a first-round TKO
win at a Matrix Fights event in Philadelphia.

MMAjunkie.com has since learned that the 25-year-old is expected to compete in two
non-tournament bouts during Bellator's second season, and positive
results will likely lead to a spot in an as-yet-unannounced heavyweight
tournament during the promotion's third season.

CHICAGO, Ill. (February 16, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that its reigning lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez, the No. 2-ranked lightweight in the world, will square off in a non-title “Super Fight” with UFC veteran Josh “The Dentist” Neer under the Bellator banner this May.
 
The fight is the first Super Fight matchup to be announced by Bellator, which is now gearing up for its much-anticipated nationally-televised second season. These non-tournament, non-title catch-weight fights will pit Bellator’s Season 1 Champions — Alvarez, Joe Soto, Lyman Good and Hector Lombard — against top competition as they prepare to defend their titles from Bellator’s Season 2 tournament winners this fall.
 
The Alvarez-Neer fight will take place during one of Bellator’s May events and will be televised live on FOX Sports Net and during Bellator highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo. The exact date will be announced in the coming weeks.
 
Alvarez, the Philadelphia native and Fight Factory product, has driven his 19-2 professional record to the No. 2 ranking in the world at lightweight. He dominated Bellator’s Season 1 tournament to take home the first-ever Bellator Lightweight Championship belt.
 
Neer, an Iowa native who is 27-9-1 over the course of his seven-year MMA career, is a three-time veteran of the UFC with signature wins over Melvin Guillard and TUF winners Joe Stevenson and Mac Danzig. Since his last UFC fight in October 2009, Neer is 2-0, with both wins coming via first-round stoppages.
 
“In addition to being one of the top lightweights on earth, Eddie’s a blast to watch fight,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Alvarez vs. Neer should produce fireworks from the start. Our hyper-competitive tournaments, May super-fights and September title-defense fights will all create some awesome nationally televised events.”
 
Alvarez, who underwent minor arthroscopic knee surgery on Jan. 13th, said he is itching to make his return to the cage against Neer.
 
“I’ve seen Josh Neer fight, and he’s a banger,” Alvarez said. “I love this fight because he never puts on a dull fight and those are the kinds of matches that suit me the best. I expect my knee to be 100 percent soon and I’m expecting that this is going to be my best performance ever.”
 
Neer said he also expects the fight to be an exciting one.
 
“This is definitely a tough fight because Alvarez is a really explosive fighter and one of the top two or three lightweights in the world,” Neer said. “I think that if I beat him, it would be a huge win for me and would really help me increase my notoriety. It’s a great opportunity.”
 
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

Philadelphia is a hotbed for Combat Sports. A long-time staple within the Philly sports scene has been pro wrestling. The meteoric rise of ECW caused the then-Viking Hall to be re-named "The ECEW Arena." Now known simply as "The Arena," a new combat sports tradition will take shape when Matrix Fights invades the historic venue.

As I’ve chronicled in my previous two columns, I have been able to cross over from the world of journalism into my ultimate aspiration of working in talent relations in mixed martial arts.

Since last April, I’ve been able to be involved in a number of shows as a matchmaker but my next show on Feb. 27 at The Arena (formerly known as the ECW Arena) will hold special meaning to me due to the fact that it is in my hometown of Philadelphia.

Philadelphia is portrayed as a very tough city by the national media. Some of the bad rap Philly gets is warranted (there is no excused for when Eagles fans cheered when Michael Irvin got injured) and some of it is not warranted (yes, we booed Santa Claus at an Eagles game but he was a bootleg Santa not hired by the team and he was drunk off his ass).

So Philly is indeed an edgy town which is why this city has embraced combat sports with open arms over the years. It started (and continues) with boxing as some of the “sweet science’s” most prolific punchers such as Joe Frazier and Bernard Hopkins call Philly home (and I can’t forget my favorite boxer of all time, Meldrick Taylor).

Pro wrestling also has a rich history in Philly. While it was before my time, the Spectrum used to be packed in the 70s when the likes of Bruno Sammartino and “Superstar” Billy Graham came to town. Growing up, I was a huge pro wrestling fan and even at a young age I followed the NWA (the wrestling promotion, not the rap group — although I thought the rap group was pretty bad ass too) and was a huge fan of Ric Flair, the Road Warriors, and the Midnight Express.

The NWA eventually morphed into World Championship Wrestling and by that point I was old enough to attend events with my younger brother. While the WWF (now WWE) did their events at the more modern Spectrum, WCW was left to do their events at the old Philadelphia Civic Center, a dirty, borderline dilapidated venue that never was past its peak because I don’t think it had one to begin with.

Despite being young, my parents allowed my brother and I to attend these events at the rough and tumble Philly Civic Center because my uncle was the timekeeper for the shows (he even got to carry Ric Flair’s robe to the back once!). Looking back, the wrestling action was pretty weak and the WCW house shows really didn’t live up to what my brother and I watched each week on TV.

Despite all the crap WCW house shows my brother and I endured, I will always remember the one time Cactus Jack Manson (aka Mick Foley) made a surprise return to WCW and had an impromptu hardcore match with Sting. It was pretty cool because just a few weeks earlier I watched an amazing brawl between Cactus Jack and Eddie Gilbert at the Pennsylvania Hall (which was adjacent to the Civic Center) at a Tri-State Wrestling Alliance event (the forerunner to what would eventually become ECW). The feud between Cactus Jack and Eddie Gilbert is legendary in Philly and the attention they generated from their matches earned both second opportunities with WCW.

As I got older I still followed wrestling but simply had other priorities as a teenager than sitting through boring house shows at the rat-infested Civic Center. But my desire to go out and attend wrestling events was renewed in the mid-90s when Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman revolutionized the wrestling industry with a new brand of extreme wrestling. Truth be told, hardcore wrestling had been done for years in the South and also in Japan with FMW but Heyman was a creative genius and the extreme nature of the product extended beyond the ring, as many of the story lines were unique and compelling.

In a lot of ways, Heyman was pro wrestling’s version of Christopher Nolan (the director of the new Batman franchise). Instead of cartoonish and unrealistic story lines, Heyman and his team featured realism and adult-themed wrestling angles. I will always remember the angle they did between Sandman and Raven in which Sandman’s real-life divorce was exposed on camera and Sandman’s young son abandoned him to join Raven’s cult.

ECW most certainly revolutionized wrestling and took its act on the road but it originated in Philadelphia. To this day, I feel the edginess that the Philadelphia crowd brought to the early ECW events really added to the promotion’s brand and helped it grow in popularity. I was not a regular at live ECW events in Philly but I made it a point to attend several shows.

ECW’s home base was formerly a Bingo Hall that had been re-named Viking Hall. However, the promotion became so iconic in Philadelphia that the venue was re-branded as the “ECW Arena” and despite less than stellar sight lines, the venue was portrayed as a “Wrigley Field” of wrestling because of its intimate feel.

There are still a lot of pro boxing and wrestling shows (such as Ring of Honor, CZW, and Chikara Pro) here in Philly but I really feel the combat sports torch has been passed to mixed martial arts. Even before The Ultimate Fighter hit the air there were several jiu-jitsu and MMA schools in Philly along with various Judo, Sambo, and Muay Thai “combat clubs” (usually a basement or garage where a bunch of people trained).

While MMA was legalized in PA just last year, many top schools in the region had emerged since the turn of the century. Schools such as Daddis Fight Camps, the Fight Factory, and Balance Studios have been existence for quite some time in various forms for the past 8-9 years. Thanks to TUF, their student levels have gone through the roof with schools such as Daddis and Balance opening multiple locations to accommodate their rapid growth.

As big as boxing and pro wrestling has been in Philadelphia, it is my sincere belief that as time goes on, MMA will be bigger in this town than both combat sports combined. It may sound like hyperbole on my part but unless you live in the area you truly do not have an understanding just how many people train BJJ, Muay Thai, or MMA in or around the city of Philadelphia. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at a bar or restaurant talking to people and when I tell them what I do for a living I hear “Oh, I have a brother who does that.”

All of the preamble I have laid out here is to try and convey just how much of a dream it has been of mine to be directly involved with a major MMA show here in this city. For Matrix, it will be our first show but we’re coming out of the gate with a bang.

The cool part about the card that we’ve put together is that in many respects I have some sort of direct connection to the fighters and fight gyms that will be involved with the show. For example, the show’s main event will feature welterweights Matt Makowski and LeVon Maynard. If you’re a longtime reader of this site, those names should be very familiar to you.

After leaving traditional martial arts in favor of taking up MMA, Daddis Fight Camps was the first school I trained at. I not only trained there, I even participated in several smokers — fighting within Philadelphia city limits long before MMA had been legalized. One of the top prospects at the school was a kid named Matt Makowski, who I believe was still just a teenager (either 18 or 19) at the time. Matt was working his way up the amateur ranks, participating in a lot of Muay Thai fights as well as amateur MMA bouts in New Jersey. It was obvious to anyone who saw him that he was destined to be a pro fighter.

Despite just being 21, Matt made his pro debut at a ShoXC event in Atlantic City several years back and would go on to fight for EliteXC three times, compiling a record of 2-1 with his most notable win coming over UFC veteran Nick Serra. The Makowski fight vs. Serra took place on the undercard of the first-ever MMA event televised on live, primetime network television and I had the honor of working on the CBS crew for the show. Even though Matt’s fight didn’t air on CBS, it did air live on ProElite.com. The bout has become infamous because Nick Serra was disqualified for repeatedly pulling guard/butt scooting. Nick’s erratic behavior was unfortunate because it really obscured the fact that the reason why he resorted to such tactics was because Matt had nearly leg kicked him into oblivion.

Fast forward to present day and both my wife and 10-year old son train at Daddis. Brad Daddis, my original MMA instructor has really supported Matrix and we will have at least three Daddis fighters featured on Feb. 27. We could possibly have a fourth Daddis fighter on the show if someone steps up and agrees to fight Brylan Van Artsdalen in Brylan’s pro debut. So if you fight at 145 lbs. and live in the area and want to get in on this card, e-mail me at SCaplan8@gmail.com. And while I am at it, we also need a amateur 145 lbs. fighter to step up and fight Ben Tichy.

Finding opponents for Brylan and Ben has been one of the only sources of stress involved with helping put the show together. Having trained, I know what it is like to prepare for a fight. But having competed only in smokers, I always knew I would have an opponent (even though I never knew who it was until just hours before fighting). For Brylan and Ben, I know they have been training hard despite the fact that multiple opponents have pulled out. They pushed themselves to the limit, altered their diet, and made many other sacrifices in preparation for their respective fights. There’s nothing than I want more right now than to make sure they have a fight come Feb. 27, so help spread the word!

With that brief interlude out of the way, let’s get back to the main event.

Matt’s opponent, LeVon, is a fighter I was first introduced to when I covered the IFL draft tryouts in New York several years back. When I arrived, I was surprised by the level of East Coast talent that had shown up in hopes of breaking into the IFL. Such names in attendance included Shane Ott, Jim Bova, Diego Jimenez, Matt Lee, Al Iaquinta, Danillo Villefort, Torrance Taylor, Tiawan Howard, and Matt Brown. Despite the familiar faces I had seen on local shows, there was a civilian contractor from the Air Force out of Virginia who I had never heard of before that was tearing up the tryouts. It was none other than LeVon.

When it came to the grappling portion of the tryouts, LeVon was tapping his opponent out right and left so I immediately branded him as a BJJ guy. That was until they sparred Muay Thai, at which point LeVon worked his opponent so hard that the two-minute sparring session was cut short. He advanced to the finals, which actually turned out to be a full-scale MMA bout — which was surreal because MMA was and still is illegal in New York. LeVon wowed the IFL judges (which included Bas Rutten) with the effort and qualified for the IFL draft.

I was so impressed with LeVon and how he came out of nowhere that he was the feature subject of the CBSSports.com story I wrote covering my experience at the tryout. LeVon never ended up competing for the IFL but did get the call to step in as a last-minute replacement to fight Rory Markham at the 2007 IFL Grand Prix Finals at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. LeVon accepted the bout and was ready to compete but the gaming commission determined that LeVon didn’t have enough experience to fight Markham. The spot went to Brett Cooper, who had turned heads at the IFL tryouts in Los Angeles.

LeVon’s frustration of not being allowed to accept his call to a major show was compounded by the fact that Cooper pulled off an upset against Markham, TKO’ing him in the second round. LeVon is a very professional and polite guy but he is also very confident in his abilities and I believe to this day he feels like that was his upset to pull off and that it was taken away from him.

I am expecting fireworks between Matt and LeVon. Both are still young and will be competing at the highest levels of MMA (UFC, Strikeforce, and or Bellator) in short order. Both are taking a major risk in fighting each other but the reality is that whoever wins this fight will be in line for a bigger and better opportunity because it will be a win that matters.

Stylistically, Matt and LeVon match up very well. Both are true mixed martial artists with good grappling skills and even better striking skills. The unique thing about this fight is that Matt and LeVon fought several years ago in an amateur Muay Thai match at the WKA championships. Matt won the fight but the rematch will be contested under MMA rules.

For me, Matt vs. LeVon is a dream matchup, as it is a fight that I’ve wanted to see for years. When I first decided my ultimate goal was to work in talent relations, I decided to volunteer for a regional promotion called Combat in the Cage so I could gain more experience. I often suggested to the promoter that he should try and make a match between LeVon and Matt. He always liked the matchup but since he was managing Matt at the time, he wanted safer fights for him.

Years later and the two are finally going to get to fight in the main event of the first-ever show I am matchmaking in my own hometown. When I first proposed the fight, I think there might have been some skepticism on the part of both camps. Knowing that I used to train at Daddis, I think some people might have felt I was setting LeVon up. On the flip side, since I have written at length about LeVon and since 5 Oz. has even sponsored him in the past, I think there was also some questions from the other side.

The reality is that I have no ulterior motive. I have no idea who is going to win the fight — which is why I wanted to put it together in the first place. My only motive here is to make sure my bosses (Jimmy Binns Jr. and Phil and Ricardo Migliarese) get a high-caliber main event that allows them to grow their fight promotion. The goal here is to give the fans paying hard earned money a fight that they will talk about for years, much in the same way local Philly wrestling and boxing fans still talk about legendary clashes that they saw at the Blue Horizon, Spectrum, Philadelphia Civic Center, or the ECW Arena.

There is so much more to talk about but this column is already too long and the average reader has already stopped reading. But I am excited that we have Matt vs. LeVon in our main event and that we were fortunate enough to land Cole Konrad’s second-ever MMA fight, as he is set to take on fellow heavyweight prospect Joel Wyatt.

While there aren’t many tickets left, you still can buy them online at MatrixFights.com or via some of the major schools that are supporting us such as Daddis, Semper-Fi MMA (which will be represented by its head instructor, former Marine Julio Rosario), and Balance Studios. If you know a fighter fighting on the show who has tickets, please try to buy it from them, as they will get a percentage of the ticket sale.

In closing, I really want to thank Jimmy and the Migliarese brothers. Matrix is their promotion but they’ve allowed me to be a big part of it and have shown a lot of confidence in me. To be able to matchmake a show in my own hometown in one of the most famous combat sports venues in the United States is simply an amazing opportunity. From a sentimental standpoint it’s such an important milestone that my son and wife are not only going to be there but my father and brother will be as well even though they aren’t MMA fans.

I really hope to see you on Feb. 27 when Matrix helps further a brand new combat sports tradition in Philadelphia. If you aren’t able to make it, don’t worry about it as Matrix is only going to get bigger and better and there will be plenty more shows for you to attend.

Enjoy the fights.