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Welcome to Mac’s MMA
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Mac’s MMA, is a website dedicated to the promotion of the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) in New York State. This site is for the fighter, trainer, casual practitioner and fan of mma and is designed to be both an informational resource (through relevant articles on training, nutrition, fighting technique, etc), and a promotional tool for mma fighters and their gyms (through interviews, videos and and positive articles about the sport in New York). We also provide updates on how legalization efforts are progressing in the state.
Finally, check out our original Mac’s MMA Original Line of apparel in our store. We will be adding other gear and products shortly. Thanks for visiting!
HAMILL – Official Teaser from Hamill the Movie on Vimeo.
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NEW YORK MMA NEWS
Check Out New Bombsquad Episode 9 – The Grappling Tournament
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Matt Hamill to Meet Tito Ortiz at UFC 121
Matt ”The Hammer” Hamill will be taking on Tito Ortiz at UFC 121 in Anaheim, Califormia October 21st, according to a report in MMAJunkie.com. The New York light heavyweight, who was coached by Ortiz during his season on the Ultimate Fighter show, returns to the octagon following a unanimous decision victory over Keith Jardine. Hamill’s win in that fight resulted in Jardine’s release from the UFC, a fate that could easily befall Ortiz should he lose this fight. The Huntington Beach Bad Boy enters this fight without a win in his last four outings (0-3-1). With a movie about his early life about to be released and some good momentum building in his fight career, things are looking good for the Hammer.
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New Video Following Jon Jones at his UFC Last Fight in Denver
Check Out New Video About Mike Massenzio’s Return to the UFC
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Aljamain Sterling takes Raging Wolf Title
Aljamain Sterling took home the 135 lb amateur belt Saturday night after a tough battle with fellow New Yorker Zach Lange. Sterling, who trains out of the Bombsquad in Cortland, took home the decision after a five round war that at least one seasoned veteran of the sport said was one of the best fights he had ever seen. Other fights that night included UFC vet Cory Hill submitting Kit Cope in the first round by triangle, Tonya Evinger defeated Adrienna Jenkins in the second round by tko strikes for the featherweight title, and Nuri Shakar took home the welterweight belt by defeating Allen Arzeno by armbar submission in the 4th round. Congratulations to all the fighters who participated making for a great show in Salamanca.
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Long Islander Andrew Montanez Fighting in Georgia Next Weekend
Andrew Montanez, a professional mixed martial artist from Mineola, NY will be in the main event at Wild Bill’s Fight Night in Atlanta, Georgia next weekend when he takes on a Dustin Chovinic. Montanez (8-11-1) wrestled at Mineola High School and Nassau Community College where he was a two time Nassau County All-Star and 4 time Empire State Game Qualifier in Freestyle wrestling. He currently trains with BJJ World Champion Emerson Souza and is part of Team Undefeated. Good luck Andrew.
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Pat “Awesomely Awesome” Audinwood Signs With the UFC
Pat “Awesomely Awesome” Audinwood signed a four fight contract with the UFC today according to sources close to Team Bombsquad. Talks are currently underway for him to debut against Aaron Riley at UFC 119 in Indianapolis. Audinwood, an undefeated lightweight fighter from Elmira Heights, New York currently holds a professional record of 9-0-1. He is the cousin of WEC veteran John Franchi. Pat joins an ever growing list of Bombsquad fighters that have fought in the UFC and other major promotions including Jon Jones, Mike Massenzio and Kevin Jordan (UFC), Anthony Leone and John Franchi (WEC), Pat Bennett (Bellator and Strikeforce), and Colin Schrader, Mike Geurin and Tom Gallichio (M-1). Team Bombsquad, headed by Ryan Ciotoli, is increasingly known for producing top level fighters while situated in one of the few states that have yet to sanction the sport of mixed martial arts. As a result of Audinwood’s and others success, the BombSquad will be moving their camp to Ithaca NY where they are set to open a 20,000 sq ft state of the art MMA training center by the end of the summer.
For an interesting look into the life of Pat Audinwood and his cousin John Franchi, be sure to check out Episode 2 of Mac’s MMA’s Bombsquad documentary series at www.macsmma.com.
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Renzo Gracie Instructor Gets Picked Up by UFC
Rafael “Sapo” Natal, a jiu jitsu black belt middleweight who teaches at Renzo Gracie’s academy in NYC, just signed a four fight deal with the UFC, according to Renzo’s website. Sapo, who holds a 12-2 professional mma record, most recently dispatched Ultimate Fighter 4 winner Travis Lutter at the Moosin MMA event in Massachusetts. Another New Yorker, by way of Brazil of course, joins the big show.
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Dave Branch KO’d in His UFC Debut
New Yorker Dave Branch was knocked out in his octagon debut at UFC 116 tonight. The Brownsville Brooklyn native who trains under Renzo Gracie, was attempting a triangle when Gerald Harris body slammed him to the mat. knocking him out. Branch, now 6-1, earned his BJJ black belt from Gracie and has three Pan-Am championships to his credit. Hopefully we will continue to see this Brooklyn fighter in action in the UFC.
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Pat Bennett and Tom Gallicchio Prevail at M-1 Selection
Pat Bennett and Tom Gallichio from the Bombsquad both won their fights last night at M-1 Selection in Atlantic City. According to Bombsquad owner and head trainer Ryan Ciotoli, Tom won a split decision against Reggie Pena from Tampa (born in the Bronx), and Big Pat Bennett took all of 37 seconds to dispatch Nick Smiley from Georgia by way of TKO from strikes. Bombsquad guys continue to have impressive results in the local and big events. They’re doing something right in Cortland, New York. Congratulations guys!
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Interview with Pro MMA Fighter Colin Schrader
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Good Night for Matt Hamill – Beats Jardine and Promotes New Movie
Matt Hamill had a big night this past Saturday in not only winning an important fight against Keith Jardine, but getting some good exposure for his upcoming movie. Hamill, demonstrating once again his trademark toughness, overcame a first round broken hand, serious eye poke and staph infection to earn a unanimous decision against the always dangerous UFC veteran Jardine. Also, the Hammer’s upcoming film biography received some great publicity from the UFC with a promo spot by Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, and the movie trailer posted on its site. Great to finally see a quality film portraying the life of a UFC fighter. Moreover, it was shot largely in upstate New York and if you look carefully, you can catch a glimpse of the Mac’s MMA logo on his shirt as he’s walking to the octagon! If you haven’t seen the trailer, check it out here at www.macsmma.com.
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New York Fighters in Action in New Hampshire this Weekend
Pat McGreal and Al-Jamain Sterling will be fighting Saturday at the Combat Zone 33, Massacre in the Meadow in Gilford, New Hampshire. Pat, who hails from Boston but currently trains at the Bombsquad in Cortland, will be making his return to fighting after a two year hiatus. He faces Bobby Reardanz from Illinois. Al-Jamain will be competing for the second time in a week having just fought and won at Downtown Beatdown in Erie, Pennsylvania last weekend.
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New York Senate Approves Bill to Legalize MMA
BY a 32-26 margin, the New York Senate approved a bill to legalize mixed martial arts in New York, according to the Wall Street Journal. A similar bill is working its way through the Assembly where it still faces some stiff opposition, headed by Assemblyman Bob Reilly who has called the sport barbaric. If it can make it through the Assembly, it would then be in the hands of the Governor who has been in favor of legalization and will very likely sign it into law. New York would then join the other 44 states who have legalized the fastest growing sport in America. Its getting close – keep the faith!
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UFC Fighter MIke Massenzio Talks to Mac’s MMA about training for his upcoming fight against Brian Stann
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Mac’s MMA EXCLUSIVE: Anthony Leone signs with WEC.
In a Mac’s MMA Exclusive, we spoke to Team Bombsquad owner/head trainer Ryan Ciotoli this afternoon who confirmed that Anthony Leone just signed a contract today with the WEC. Leone, who recently won the XCFL 135 lb title, penned a six-fight deal with the promotion. His first fight will be June 20th when he takes on another up and coming fighter in Renan Barao at WEC 49. Barao currently holds an impressive 20-1 professional record. The Bombsquad continues to gain prominence among MMA training centers as Leone joins several of his teammates who have fought in big shows including Jon Jones, Mike Massenzio and John Franchi. Good things are happening there in upstate New York.
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Episode 8 of the Bombsquad Documentary
Phil Baroni Back In Action at UFC 118
Phil Baroni will be returning to the octagon at UFC 118 in Boston, Masachusetts. The veteran fighter will be facing John Salter from Alabama who is coming off a TKO victory over Jason MacDonald at UFC 113. Baroni, on the other hand, is on a two fight losing streak having dropped fights to Joe Riggs and most recently TUF alum Amir Sadullah in a slugfest at UFC 106. This is a must win for the New Yorker who will return to fighting at 185 lbs.
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Check Out Episode 7 of The Bombsquad Documentary
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Good Night of Fights in Niagara Falls
Raging Wolf VII was held this past Saturday at the Seneca Niagara Casino in NIagara Falls, NY to a packed crowd. Mac’s MMA and WorkHorse Gear sponsored two fighters that night – Don Carlo-Clauss who won a split decision over a tough opponent in Josh Thorpe from Alabama, and Al Sterling who came up short in a split decision to fellow New Yorker Zach Lange. It was a night of decisions as only two fights ended in submissions (Alexis Davis RNC over Tonya Evinger and Nick Bayer over John Cuillo also by RNC). The rest of the decisions that night were Noah Fuance over Jason Trzewieczynski, Sammy Pascuzzi over TJ Sumler, Eric Herbert defeating James Nevels, Alex Carrion over Mark Carrow, James Turner over Drew Graziadei, Kevin Ayers defeats Jesse Hall and finally Eddie Weiser over Kyle Rozanski. Jon “Bones” Jones was in the house as a guest commentator for the event as well. It was a great event, great crowd and bodes well for future fights in western New York once mma is legalized in the state.
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Pat Bennett Goes Distance But Loses Decision
Team Bombsquader Pat Bennett from Marcellus, New York took Cole Konrad three rounds but lost a decision to the highly decorated collegiate wrestler. After surviving a tough first round, much of it on his back supporting Konrads almost 300 pound frame, Pat was able to largely neutralize Cole’s wrestling in the latter rounds. After losing the second round, Pat came alive in the third with a nice spinning back kick and a good right hand to get things going. The two then traded hands sporadically the rest of the round. Given that these guys had all of three pro mma fights between them coming into this fight, and that they were on a televised main card, it portends good things for the futures of both of these heavyweights. And special thanks to Pat for rockin the Mac’s MMA tshirt during his interview!
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Bellator 17 Weigh-In
Pat Bennett and Cole Konrad at Bellator 17
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Another Big Weekend for New York Fighters
This weekend you have the opportunity to see a number of New York mma fighters do battle. As mentioned in an earlier story, Pat Bennett will be facing Brock Lesnar’s training partner and collegiate wrestling stand out Cole Konrad at Bellator 17 in Boston this Thursday. Also, Raging Wolf VII takes place at the Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, NY and features several New York pro and amateur fighters including Don Carlo-Clauss, Noah Fuance, Jason Trzewieczyneski, T J Sumler, Sammy Pascuzzi, Mark Carrow, Al-Jermain Sterling, Zach and Josh Lange, Drew Graziadel, Brian Kelleher, James Turner, Michael Katilus, Kevin Ayers, Kyle Rozanski and Eddie Weiser. This is another great opportunity to check out the talent coming out of New York so don’t miss it!
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Pat Bennett to Go Up Against Brock Lesnar Training Partner Cole Konrad at Bellator 17
New York Heavyweight Pat Bennett will be facing Brock Lesnar’s training partner and collegiate wrestling stand out Cole Konrad at Bellator 17 next week in Boston. This should be a great fight as both of these guys are well-regarded, despite being in the sport a relatively short time and neither has yet to taste defeat in the cage. Pat trains out of the Bombsquad in Cortland and was highlighted in Episode 1 of the Bombsquad documentary (which can be found on this site). The card also includes some big names such as reigning champ Eddie Alvarez, Josh Neer and Roger Huerta, who will be making his Bellator debut. This is a fight you don’t want to miss if you are anywhere near Boston next week!
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WXXI Story on MMA in New York
Public Television station WXXI in upstate New York recently did a story on mma in New York. Marc Gervais, owner and one of the head trainers at East West MMA in Syracuse is interviewed among others. Check out the link below.
http://rochester.ynn.com/all-regions-news-2134-content/top_stories/492891/paterson-may-push-to-legalize-ultimate-fighting
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BombSquad Documentary Episode 6: “Phone, Wallet, Tooth”
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Interview with M-1 and Bellator Fighter
Mike Geurin
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Bombsquad Episode 5 Follows Anthony Leone on the day of Title Fight in XCFL
Interview with Bombsquad Manager Ryan Ciotoli after Jon Jones Fight
Check out Newest Episode of The Bombsquad Documentary- “Home Sweet Home”
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Jon Jones Takes Another Step Closer
Jon “Bones” Jones took another step closer to his goal of being the light heavyweight champion after overwhelming a quality opponent in Brandon Vera. Jones dominated Vera the entire fight, despite taking an illegal up-kick to the jaw early in contest. After controlling him on the ground, Jon threw a vicious elbow that caught Vera just under his eye and ended the fight shortly thereafter. Jon’s relatively easy dismantling of a very skilled and talented fighter in Vera likely puts him two fights away from a title shot. Congrats to both Jon and Ryan Ciotoli of the Bombsquad. A great day for those guys and for New York mma!
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Check out Mac’s MMA’s Original Documentary Series – The Bombsquad Episode 3: “Cause We Can’t Sing or Dance”
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The Bombsquad – Episode 2: “Cousins”
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Check Out Episode 1 of Mac’s MMA’s Original Documentary Series – “The Bombsquad” – Entitled “This is Life.”
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Interview with Phillipe Nover at UFC 109
Mac’s MMA caught up with Phillipe Nover at Mandalay Bay shortly after his fight against Rob Emerson at UFC 109. Despite losing a close battle with Emerson, Phillipe was kind enough to grant us an interview and spoke candidly about his loss, as well as his future plans. Nice guy with a bright future in this sport. Thanks Phillipe and Cee!
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John Fitch Talks to Mac’s MMA about his Upcoming Fight and Documentary Film
We ran into John Fitch out in Vegas at UFC 109 and talked to him about his documentary film and his upcoming fight with Thiago Alves.
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Recent Interview With Jon Bones Jones
Mac’s MMA met up with Jon Bones Jones out at Team Bombsquad where he talks about his nickname, his training and the upcoming fight with Brandon Vera.
Two for Two at Reality Fighting!
John Farrar Jr. wins his debut mma fight and Tom van der Horst is awarded Reality Fighting’s 2009 Outstanding Fighter of the Year! Bedroc Represents! Great job guys (and we like the gear you’re rockin’!)
John Farrar Jr and Tom van der Horst
We ran into Rashad Evans outside the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas and asked him about his experience on the show this year and how much of the conflict with Rampage was the real deal.
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Matt Hamill Movie Information
Check here for updates on the upcoming Matt Hamill movie, shot here in upstate New York; or check out www.matthamillthemovie.com
Mac’s MMA Logo Featured in Movie Scene Shot at UFC 109 in Las Vegas
The film crew from the upcoming Matt Hamill movie were in Las Vegas to shoot a final walk-out scene during UFC 109. We were particularly excited about this because the Mac’s MMA’s logo was to be on the shorts and shirt of Matt Hamill in the scene, played by actor Russell Harvard of “There Will be Blood,” during the scene. We met up with the producers of the film and talked to them about the status of the movie and being ab;e to shoot a scene at a UFC event.
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Dave and Russell Harvard (”There Will Be Blood”) from the Hamill movie at UFC 109 in Las Vegas
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Matt Hamill Talks About His New Movie, Training in New York and Upcoming Fight with Jon Jones at the TUF Finale December 5, 2009
