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New Yorkers Split at Combat Zone 32
Mar 6th
Combat Zone 32 in Salem, New Hampshire was held last night with two New Yorkers, Mike Winters (Webster) and Jason Earl (Marietta) competing. According to Ryan Ciotoli, head trainer for the Bombsquad, Mike Winters won his fight against Keaton Van Thoff of Team Tuff by way of tko; while Jason Earl succumbed to an arm bar in his battle against Taylor Trahan from Team Kaze.
Two New Yorker’s on Combat Zone Card this Weekend
Mar 4th
Mike Winters of Webster, New York and Jason Earl from Marietta, New York will be taking part in Combat Zone’s CZ 32 mma event in New Hampshire this weekend. Winters, who is highlighted in Episode 3 of The Bombsquad Documentary, will be having his pro debut that night. Headlining the event is a fight between Thomas Moreau from Team Valor in New Hampshire and Robert Conner out of Team Coalition in Martinsburg, WV.
And Then There Were Four – Alabama Becomes 46th State to Legalize MMA
Feb 25th
Alabama became the 46th state to legalize mma according to Dana White’s twitter page. This leaves four states: Vermont, Connecticut, West Virginia and, of course, New York who have yet to recognize the fastest growing sport in America if not the world. Let’s keep the pressure on!
Several New York Fighters to Compete in WCF 9
Feb 22nd
Four New York fighters will be on the World Championship Fighting 9 card in Wilmington, Massachusetts this coming Friday night. In the main event, Marc Stevens from Watertown takes on WEC veteran Mike “The Beast” Campbell. In another featured fight, Team Bombsquad’s Tom Gallicchio, will face former Olympic Judo player Rick Hawn who is trained by Mark Delagrotte and judo legend Jimmy Pedro. Should be a great fight! Also fighting that night from the Bombsquad are Pete Cole and Colin Schrader. Go support them if you’re in the Boston area friday. Go New York!
N.Y. Secretary of State Pushes for Legalization
Feb 17th
New York Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vazquez wrote a well-reasoned editorial in the Albany Times Union supporting the Governor’s push for the legalization of mma in the state. She reiterates the oft-stated but still very compelling points that mma could be a financial boon to the state, while being regulated in a responsible way as a “fair and disciplined bona-fide athletic competition.” She goes on to say that “[A] goal of legalizing MMA is to cut down on the number of poorly regulated or unregulated knockoffs that put unlicensed, unprepared individuals in harm’s way.” Encouraging.
UFC 109 Claims Another New York Victim-Rolles Gracie Cut
Feb 12th
In what had become a tough event for New York fighters, UFC 109 claims another victim from the Empire State as the UFC cuts Rolles Gracie. Though he fought only once, the UFC apparently thought Rolles’ lackluster performance was poor enough to warrant a quick exit from the promotion. It should be noted that the word is that Rolles entered the fight with a broken foot which would certainly explain his struggles during the fight. This appears not to have been given much if any consideration in their decision. With Trigg and Nover, that makes three New Yorkers dropped after this one event. Cmon UFC, leave NY alone-we have enough problems in the legalization dept!
Vitoria Belfort out of UFC 112
Feb 12th
Vitor Belfort drops out of middleweight championship fight with Anderson Silva due to shoulder injury it’s been reported. Chael Sonnen apparently won’t be able to step in because of injuries he sustained in his war with Nate Marquardt. Will see what happens!?
Phillipe Nover Released From UFC
Feb 11th
Just heard that Phillipe Nover was released from the UFC after losing a close fight with Rob Emerson at UFC 109. We had chance to interview Phillipe immediately after the fight and he was disappointed but still very positive about his future in the sport. We wish him the best and know he will be showing up at a major promotion in the very near future.
Raphael natal Signs with Shine fights
Feb 8th
According to Renzo Gracie tweet, Raphael Natal just signed with Shine Fights. The middlweight from Brazil Who is 11-3 now trains in NYC with Renzo Gracie’s Team. Defintely someone to watch in the future.
Good Weekend for New York Fighters
Feb 8th
Fighters from Team Bombsquad from Cortland and East West Combat from Syracuse both had successful trips down to the PA Championships in Harrisburg, PA this weekend. Despite being delayed a day due to the snowstorm that swept across the east coast, they walked away with three wins and one loss for the day. Mike Winters and Kenny Foster from the Bombsquad won split decisions, and Marc Gervais from East West Combat took home a victory by way of rear naked choke. The lone loss was Mike Geurin from the Bombsquad who was submitted by RNC. Unfortunately, Pat Bennett, the Bombsquad heavyweight from Syracuse, was unable to compete as his opponent was a no-show. As previously reported, Bombsquad’s Don Carlo-Clauss also walked away with a victory at XCFL this weekend, as did Matt Serra making it a good weekend for New York Fighters.
