Brian Foster to take on Brock Larson at UFC 106

The H.I.T. Squad’s Brian Foster (12-4) will take on former WEC welterweight contender, Brock Larson (26-3), at UFC 106 on Nov. 21st in Las Vegas.  Both fighters are coming off of a recent loss, and I’m sure they are similarly anxious to get back to their winning ways.

Larson was recently upset by UFC newcomer Mike Pierce who was just tapped to fight Jon Fitch at UFC 107 after Thiago Alves had to withdrawl due to injury.  Brock’s loss to Pierce ended a five-fight win streak for Larson who had previously only lost to top 10 ranked fighters in Jon Fitch and Carlos Condit.

Foster (12-4) lost his UFC debut against Rick Story at UFC 103 by arm-triangle submission but came away with a performance impressive enough to earn him the Fight of the Night honor with Story.

They will do battle on the undercard of a stacked lineup that is being highlighted by Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin now that Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin has been pushed back to UFC 108 (due to Lesnar having to postpone after being sidelined from training with illness for several weeks).

When I saw Foster at our October 17th event and asked him about the pending bout, all he had to say was, “I’m going to hurt him.  Like bad.”  And, he said it with an ominous smile that reeked of confidence – a must for any man stepping into the octagon.

Given Foster’s pension for ending fights early and Larson’s reputation as a hard nosed fighter with a good chin, this fight has war written all over it.

Matt Veach to Fight Frankie Edgar at TUF 10 Finale Dec. 5th

H.I.T. Squad protege and undefeated lightweight, Matt Veach, has been upgraded to the main card on December 5th.  He’ll now be stepping in for an injured Kurt Pellegrino to face UFC lightweight contender, Frankie Edgar, at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas.

Matt Veach is currently 1-0 in the UFC (11-0 total) coming off of a very exciting knock out win over Matt Grice at the end of round number 1.   Veach had been given a very limited amount of time to prepare for that fight and was challenged with making a significant weight cut very quickly.  But, he was obviously able to prevail in a barn burner that had the crowd on their feet with the back and forth action.

Following that fight, Matt experienced a back injury which has kept him out of action for several months.  But, he will be well prepared for this contest – having already been scheduled to face Mark Bocek at the TUF Finale.  Veach was the obvious replacement for Pellegrino in this fight as Bocek has already fought and lost to Frankie a few years back. 

Edgar (11-1) will have an edge in experience as he’s stepped into the octagon with a who’s who of UFC lightweight contenders:  Sean Sherk, Grey Maynard, Tyson Griffin and Spencer Fisher.  However, Edgar’s one loss in the UFC may have provided the blueprint to beat him.

Although Frankie’s core fighting base is in wrestling, he was actually out-wrestled in a unanimous decision loss to Grey Maynard.  You could point to Edgar’s win over Sean Sherk to defy his potential weakness against wrestlers, but anyone who watched the fight will tell you that Sherk hardly ever went for the shot in that bout – instead attempting to stand with Edgar.  This proved to be a bad idea. 

Frankie has good footwork and is excellent at finding striking angles.  He kept his feet moving and put on a boxing clinic against the “Muscle Shark” last May for an upset that earned them the fight of the night.

So, the fact that Veach is not only an accomplished wrestler, but trains out of the H.I.T. Squad, is definitely in his favor.  There, he spars with Matt Hughes and is coached by Marc Fiore.  Fiore is a world authority on wrestling for MMA, and is establishing himself amongst the top trainers in the world like Greg Jackson and Mark DeleGrotti. 

If Matt can out-muscle Frankie, using his wrestling and slight size advantage to get the win, it would be a catapult for Veach’s status in the UFC’s lightweight division.  Expect a well conditioned and in shape Matt Veach to bring a high tempo ground and pound strategy that could make Frankie Edgar the perfect stepping stone.  But, make no mistake, Edgar is the real deal.  I’m looking forward to this one!

Werthy of a Repeat – Phils are NL Champs and heading to the World Series

The Philadelphia Phillies have done it again!  Jayson Werth hit 2 home runs with 4 RBIs and 3 runs to lead the Phils to a victory over the L.A. Dodgers, 10-4, in Game 5 of the NLCS.  Now, they play in the World Series next week against LA or New York.

The Phillies were down 1-0 going into the latter part of the introductory inning on a solo shot.  But, they wouldn’t be down for long.  With two men out, All Star Chase Utley drew a walk to put a man on for the Phillies consistent run producer, Ryan Howard. 

Although not officially an intentional walk, it seemed as if they were pitching around Howard - throwing him 4 straight balls (all of which were inside with a few nearly hitting him).

Next up and batting 5th was Springfield native, Jayson Werth.  Jay worked the count full without having to swing.  The first 3 pitches were balls – and the pitcher had just walked two batters in a row.  Then he made him pitch two strikes.  With the count full, Jay roped a drive down the 3rd base line foul.  But, the next pitch, he took deep into right center field and sent the fans into a frenzy.  

After that 3 run bomb, the Phillies never looked back.  Last year’s World Champions would log 3 more home runs in the game, and Jay would end up scoring 2 more runs (from first base off a double by Ibanez, and on his second HR – a solo shot in the 7th which is pictured below).

I can’t do the game justice with my summary.  For a more detailed account of the entire game, click here.  But, long story short, it’s a good time to be a champaign, cigar or beer salesman in the city of Philadelphia.

If the Phillies are successful in winning this World Series, they will be the 4th team in the history of the National League to ever win back to back World Champtionships.  The three who have done it:  1975-76 Reds, 1921-22 Giants, and the 1907-08 Cubs .

I liked this particular sound bite from Werth after the game:

“I was in a unique situation coming here to really see a transformation on both ends — not only the organization, but the fans and the city.  I feel like I was here for the old Philly and the old Phillies, and I’m here for the new Philly and the new Phillies.”

Jayson is pictured below with his wife, Julia.  Jayson Werth is a member of 28 Productions which produces Capital City Cage Wars.

Matt Mitrione speaks out at CCCW Event Oct. 17th

UFC TUF 10 contestant, Matt Mitrione, was a special guest at Capital City Cage Wars (CCCW) “The 3rd Coming” this past Saturday, Oct. 17th.  At the event, he asked if he could come into the cage and say a few words to the fans.

I haven’t seen the video recording yet to give you an exact quote, but essentially Mitrione said that he feels he was poorly represented in a couple of the TUF 10 shows so that they could create a villain and conflict (as is typically the case with reality tv). 

However, Matt is confident everything will smooth out once he is shown actually fighting and can prove he’s for real.

For those of you who watch the show, you know that Matt injured his left shoulder a few weeks ago.  And, some of the coaches and teammates questioned whether Matt’s should injury was all that real.  I’m not exactly certain what started the questioning, but this “fake injury” theory was exacerbated when they saw him throwing a football around and shooting baskets after he got home from a practice where his shoulder had been too sore to participate in all of the Team Rashad activities.

The funny thing is, Matt actually hurt and was treating his left shoulder.  But, he was shooting baskets and throwing a football with his right shoulder (which you can clearly see from the video).

I can understand how people missed that detail and were confused about his actions.  But, as confrontational as most of those guys are, I was surprised no one asked Mitrione about it directly which could have cleared everything up.    Instead, it became a topic of gossip.  And, the gossip even got so bad at one point that the coaches hypothesized Matt may be building up drama about his shoulder injury to later use as an excuse and potentially quit a fight as soon as he gets hit.

I don’t know Matt very well, but I can promise you that he has put his heart and soul into training for MMA.  And, I’m very confident he would never fake an injury or look for an excuse to get out of a fight.  So, needless to say, this situation was incredibly frustrating for Matt as they are in some ways questioning his character. 

Anyway, the ads for next week’s show have declared the next fight to be the “fight of the season”.  And, it is my understanding that Matt will be fighting on this episode.  You can hear more from Matt himself on his blog at fight! magazine.com

I’m just anxious to see who Mitrione fights and what exactly happens.  But, win or lose, a big-hearted performance would answer questions for a lot of people and show that Matt is there for the right reasons.

Pictured below at the 3rd Degree after party on the 17th from left to right:  myself (Mike Williamson), Brian Foster, Jeff Cox and Matt Mitrione.

Brief Recap for 3rd Degree – Saturday, Oct. 17th

On Saturday, I’d say we had the best night of fights we’ve ever had.  Huge thanks goes out to all of the competitors and fans who made the show a success.  Below is a brief listing of unofficial results. 

FOR THE AMATEUR BOUTS:

Ryan Gream def Dustin Lash

Brandon Wood def Troy Pence

Jason Smith def Santiago Vance

Darren Jacoby def TJ Bottom

Tony Christodoulou def Noy Ross (Tony took this fight on 2 hours notice after Noy’s original opponent backed out)

 Dustin Nelson def Keith McLaughlin for the 170lb amateur welterweight title.

FROM THE PROFESSIONAL CARD:

Wyatt Green def Rashid Abdullah via submission (amazing come back performance in Wyatt’s professional debut)

Justin Robbins def Nate Williams via unanimous decision

John Salter def Jeremiah Riggs via submission

Bobby Brents def Boban Simic via split decision (most considered this fight the best in our promotions history)

Thanks again to everyone who came out to our show to support MMA in Springfield, IL.  We’ll have official results, interviews, pictures and all kinds of stories in the near future.  So, check back later this week.

Werth with game wining hit as Phillies advance to the NLCS in dramatic fashion

The Phillies showed amazing composure this past Monday night under the most extreme of conditions, reminding us why everyone loves October baseball!  Up 2 to 1 in a best of 5 series, the Phillies were down 4-2 in the top of the 9th inning with two outs.

With a man on first and the count worked full, the baseball’s best 2nd baseman, Chase Utley, was able to draw the walk to put two men on for the big guy, Ryan Howard.

Howard, the NL RBI leader (141), hit a rocket into the outfield which would score both runners and leave him in scoring position with a double.  Next to take his place at the plate was local All Star, Jayson Werth. 

Werth would battle several pitches before landing one in an open spot in the outfield for what  would prove to be the game winning hit (pictured above).  It was a big night for Werth who had already belted a solo HR in the 6th, his second of the series where he batted .357 with 5R and 4RBI. 

Once again, celebration was in order (pictured below) for the defending World Champions who had a few days off before heading to LA tonight.  Game time is 7:07 CST on TBS. 

Jayson Werth is a member of 28 Productions which promotes Capital City Cage Wars (CCCW).

Crystal Chaffin wins 3rd Ring Girl Contest

Crystal Chaffin caught the eye of our judges, including special guest judge Jeremiah Riggs, and won the Show Me’s bikini contest.  Chaffin was able to set herself apart with an impressive “dropping it” display, among other talents. 

For her efforts, not only did she win a $500 cash prize…..Crystal also won the honor of being our third ring girl at The 3rd Degree this Saturday night at the Prairie Capital Convention Center!

We’re very thankful to Show Me’s for uncovering this lovely beauty; and I’m certain everyone is looking forward to seeing all three eye-pleasing, round-counting vixens.

You know where to get tickets.  Be there!

Jason Smith to take on Santiago Vance in 155lb contest

As some of you may have seen from our fight card up on mixedmartialarts.com, two more CCCW veterans will be locking horns this Saturday night – Jason Smith vs. Santiago Vance.

Jason is a well rounded brawler with good wrestling and cardio.  Vance is a tough fighter with a big heart who is 1-0 for CCCW.

VIP tickets for our show this Saturday have been sold out for weeks, but good seats are still available.  Look forward to seeing you there!

Jason is pictued below walking out to his fight at our show this past April. 

Darren Jacoby to fight TJ Bottoms at The 3rd Degree Oct. 17th

CCCW Veterans Darren Jacoby and TJ Bottoms are among the talent scheduled to compete at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in just a few weeks on Oct. 17th.  Both fighters love to stand and bang, making this another bout with explosive potential for the pending event.

TJ fought in the co-main event at our April 11th event and earned “Fight of the Night” honors in a tough loss to HIT Squad amateur stand out, Tony Zucca.  TJ will look to get on to winning ways against a decorated amateur competitor in Darren Jacoby.

Jacoby is coming off of his first successful defense of his middleweight title belt (with another promotion) this past weekend and will be looking for his second win this month against Bottoms.

Darren trains at Robbins Mixed Martial Arts and says that he feels like a new fighter under the tutelage of long time MMA veteran, Justin Robbins.  Below he is pictured with his shiny, freshly-defended title belt as well as trainer, Robbins, and brother, Dustin.

Dustin Jacoby (4-1) is yet another CCCW amateur vet, although he is not fighting on this card due to obligations at Quincy University.  There, he is finishing out his football career as a senior and quarterback of the Division II team.  Once he is finished, Dust plans to invest his athletic talents into MMA full time.  You will almost certainly see this 6′4″ fighter in the cage at future CCCW events.

Justin Robbins (who you may recognize from our billboard) will also be squaring off Oct. 17th against a combatant with 11 professional fights, Kris Boyden.  This will be a 125lb contest for Robbin’s second appearance with CCCW.  Justin is actually the most experienced fighter on the card with fights in the WEC, Elite XC and King of the Cage.  You can always expect slick submissions, crisp stand up and excellent conditioning in a Justin Robbins fight.

Tickets are still available here. We hope to see you all there!

Matt Veach to fight Mark Bocek at UFC Fight Night Dec. 5th

UFC veteran and still undefeated (11-0) Springfield native, Matt Veach, is recovering from his recent back injury and will fight in early December.  He’ll be tested against the seasoned Mark Bocek.

Bocek (7-2) has won 3 of his 5 fights in the UFC with his only losses coming to UFC TUF winner Mac Danzig and the only lightweight fighter to defeat Sean Sherk (other than BJ Penn), Frankie Edgar.  So, this will be a nice challenge for Veach with a win certain to lift his status within the UFC’s most energetic division.

Look for Veach to use his wrestling to control this fight and work for the finish.  And, with both fighters having one fight each to reach a decision over about total 20 contests, it’s likely the judges will have no role in determining a winner.  Our best wishes go out to Matt as he prepares at the world class H.I.T. Squad for his next battle.

Below, Matt is pictured at a public appearance with CCCW last weekend at the Guy Show - joined by a couple of the lovely Show Me’s girls.  Both Matt and the Show Me girls are scheduled to be at our event on Saturday, Oct. 17th at the Prairie Capital Convention Center.  Tickets are available here.

Also, don’t forget about our 3rd Ring Girl contest coming up Friday, October 9th at Show Me’s.  Ladies who are interested in partipating in this special bikini contest should call Show Me’s at (217) 546-2800 .