Archive for January, 2016

The future for Chris ‘The Cutt’ Honeycutt seems bright, Relive his MMA Debut!

Posted: January 28, 2016 in Combat Sports, UFC
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By: Jonathan King

Photos By: John Walsh

Chris ‘The Cutt’ Honeycutt (6-0 MMA) is set to take on Bellator MMA’s Paul ‘The Gentlemen’ Bradley in a rematch of their first fight that ended in a no contest, due to an accidental eye poke. Honeycutt, a former all american wrestler and NCAA finalist now a welterweight, has long been considered one of the top prospects in the sport. His unique combination of speed and strength, coupled with his dominate pedigree make him a legitimate threat to the Bellator MMA 170 lbs division.

His first professional fight took place in January of 2013, under the ‘Up and Comers’ banner in Palm Springs CA. His opponent Jesse Torres came in looking to keep the fight standing, however his plans were quickly scrapped with the first single leg of the day.

Honeycutt then went on a 4 fight tear before signing with Bellator MMA, picking up the UPC 185 title along the way. Making his debut at 170 lbs in September of 2014, Honeycutt has remained undefeated picking up 2 notable wins over former UFC fighter Aaron Wilkinson and the previously undefeated Clayton MacFarlane.

A win over Paul Daley will certainly put Honeycutt on a short list of fighters worthy of a shot at the 170 lbs crown.

 

Bellator 148: Weigh Ins Live Stream:

Posted: January 28, 2016 in Combat Sports, UFC
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Staff:

Undefeated welterweight prospect Chris ‘The Cutt’ Honeycutt (6-0 MMA) is set to take on Paul ‘The Gentlemen’ Bradley (22-6 MMA) in the second act of a fight that was originally halted due to an accidental eye poke. Although Bradley maintains a healthy experience advantage however, Honeycutt’s dominant wrestling pedigree make him a nightmare for any opponent.

In the main event English slugger Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley (37-12-2 MMA) will take on Andy ‘Stunner’ Uhrich in another welterweight bout that could have future title implications. Uhrich, is stepping up as an injury replacement for Josh Koscheck who was unable to compete due to an injury.

Editorial Note:We would not be surprised to see the winners of these two bouts face-off in the near future in a title qualification bout!

Make sure you tune in to the weigh ins below which begin at 5pm PST.

 

Bellator 148 Weigh Ins Stream:

Future Fighters Cut Their Teeth on Historic Evening for Spar Star MMA

Posted: January 26, 2016 in Combat Sports, UFC
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By: Jonathan M King The Clinch Report

Photos By: John Walsh The Clinch Report

Once again Spar Star MMA invaded the historic Hollywood Park Casino for another night of mixed martial arts action. The bout was chock full of fights as over 100 applicants applied to fight on the card, yielding a historic 20 bout fight card. According to C.A.M.O officials on hand the card was the largest card ever under the sanctioning body, and thanks to them the event went off without a hitch.

The colossal fight card was headlined by a three headed monster of a main event, that held three titles at stake. First Oneida Diaz won a hard fought bout over a very tough Jasmine Pouncey, in a scrap that featured some very entertaining exchanges on the feet however, in the end it was Diaz’s grappling that secured her the title. Once on the ground, Diaz was quickly able to score points with her positional transitions, taking Pouncey’s back on several occasions. Although the finish eluded her, Diaz won the fight on all of the score cards and is now the reigning Spar Star MMA Champion.

The second of the headlining bouts featured Emilias Jimenez vs Joseph Williams. Both fighters came out of the shoot swinging for the fences, but quickly Williams took control and established a clear advantage. Once the fight found the mat, Williams began pounding his opponent, prompting referee Larry Landless to call a halt to the bout only 2:01 seconds into the opening round. An emotional Joseph Williams was then crowned the top dog, in the Spar Star 155 lbs division.

The last of the main event bouts featured two fighters that have appeared a combined 11 times inside the Spar Star cage. Undefeated champion Leo Imai took on a surging contender Victor Rivera. Predictably both fighters came out looking for the quick knockout, throwing leather heavy, and often. However quickly into the exchange, Imai landed a vicious body quick that immediately found Rivera on his bicycle. Imai kept the pressure on, backing Rivera up before finishing the fight via TKO less than 2 minutes into the foray. With the win, Imai earns his second Spar Star title, and hinted during his post fight interview to the possibility of maybe adding a third. Only time will tell.

Some other young fighters also showed promise on this stacked card include:

Rick Zelada: Zelada down two rounds to zero on all cards, was able to catch his opponent from the bottom and secured an arm-bar finish out of nowhere. The slick maneuver had the crowd going crazy, as many were not aware of what they had just witnessed. Zelada not only show cased his jiujitsu pedigree he snatched victory from almost certain defeat, utilizing a fortitude most coaches search for in a fighter.

Sean Crenshaw: Crenshaw needed only :57 seconds to secure a TKO win over a very tough Craig Plaskett. Both fighters came out aggressive and met immediately in the center of the cage. Crenshaw moving forward landed a nasty right hand that folded Plaskett’s legs beneath him. The swarm that followed came quick and heavy, prompting the referee to stop the fight, to Plaskett’s dismay. Crenshaw who started his career without a win in 3 fights, now finds himself in the middle of 5 fight win streak (MMA and Kickboxing). Although normally a lightweight, Crenshaw fought this bout at 170 lbs, with the win up in weight, Crenshaw now finds himself on a short list of fighters in line for the 155 lbs title.

Edgar Marroquin: Making his debut in the sport of mixed martial arts, Marroquin needed only :26 seconds of fight time before securing his first win. Catching his opponent in the first exchange to end the fight, Marroquin actually spent more time walking out then he did actually fighting. Undamaged hopefully we can get another look at this promising 205 lbs fighter in the near future.

Tyler Daulley and Kris Calmes also impressed, winning their fights in the first round. Daulley was able to secure a first round rear-naked choke in only :34 seconds utilizing his superior jiujitsu to inspire the tap, while Calmes was able to send his opponent packing with strikes after only :23 seconds of work.

Once again the folks over at Spar Star MMA raised the bar. Before the record setting evening began, plans for the next event were already underway. The April show is rapidly filling up with applicants as the word is definitely out, the Spar Star Cage is quickly becoming one of LA’s hottest stages.

Make sure you stay tuned for the next Spar Star MMA Event! More photos will be added later, and make sure you check out our friends at www.pugilpix.com for their excellent coverage as well.

Title Fight Gallery Below:

Como spots the Liver
Working the mid section
Rivera tries to slip
Oneida charges
Looking for the neck
Foot meet face!
Pouncey counters aggressively
Another nice counter lands
Domo
Williams
The Finish
Emotional Champion celebrates
Trading hands
Williams looking for the win
Slugfest

 

 

 

 

The American National Team Set for Brazil

Posted: January 11, 2016 in Combat Sports
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The Breaking Point: Amanda Jones Tosses her opponent to the mat at The Fighters Source Finals

By: Jonathan M. King The Clinch Report
Photos By: John J Walsh The Clinch Report
Photos By: Bob Fisher Pugilpix.com

Harrah’s Resort Southern California served as the host as Fighters Source finalized the champions in their National mixed martial arts tournament. Each participant earned their way to this point by winning previous competitions across the country. With the champions earning a trip to Brazil to represent the United States in a competition against their host nation.

With so much at stake, the commitment of the fighters stood out first and foremost. With many fighters riding undefeated streaks one might think that protecting that zero was of primary importance. That sentiment quickly got thrown out the window as fighter after fighter came into the cage chomping at the bit; ready for a donnybrook.

The resulting carnage left an indelible mark, perhaps the world of MMA may have found their minor league.

Many fighters stood out on the entertaining card. But these two made the most impressive statements.

1: Amanda Jones: Jones systematically dissected her opponent and did so with clinical precision. Coming in the smaller of the two fighters, Jones needed a few moments to figure out Elizabeth van der Horst’s reach, but once she did the fight was never in question. Jones stepped on the gas about half way through the first round, but did so without getting sloppy. Knowing her opponents grappling pedigree, Jones alternated between securing position and posturing for strikes, when the fight was grounded. On her feet she bounced in and out of her opponents range and changed levels effectively well.  The bell tolled for van der Horst about 20 seconds before the end of the second round. Jones, utilized her position to quickly toss her transitioning opponent with one arm to the mat. If that didn’t punctuate the round, the vicious shot at the end of the frame certainly did. van der Horst could not continue and quit on her stool before the start of the 3rd round. With the win Jones not only secures another amateur title, but earns her spot to compete in Brazil as a representative of the United States.

2:Ahmed White: Grappling is truly an art form. Ahmed White was able to display his prowess with a slick triangle finish over a very tough Nick Lancaster, early into their middleweight bout. Once the bout made its way to the mat, White quickly elevated his legs and set up the finish with an effortless stroke.  Lancaster did his best to survive, and seemed to be fighting the choke effectively, however once White cleared his opponents arm he was able to cinch up the technique forcing the stoppage. White could possibly be the best of all the athletes on the ground, and could turn some heads in Brazil beating them at their own game!

Joining them in Brazil to round out the talented American team are Edwin Rivera, Patrick Mix, Justin Gonzalez, Justin Vazquez, Courtney King,  and Alexander Lopez.

Please review our Image Gallery Below:

All Photos Are The Exclusive Property of The Clinch Report, LLC. Any unauthorized use for private or commercial use is strictly prohibited. Express permission must be granted for use of images or likeness. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

Fighters Source National Finals: The Organization of The Amateur Ranks

Posted: January 8, 2016 in Combat Sports, UFC
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By Jonathan King The Clinch Report

“The Pedigree of Honey does not concern the Bee!” Dickens

One of the most consistent problems in the burgeoning sport of MMA has been and continues to be, the opacity of pedigree. Countless times undefeated amateurs step up in competition only to learn a very painful lesson: State to state, organization to organization there really is no way to measure pedigree in amateur MMA.

Hopefully ‘Fighters Source’ can alleviate that problem, or at least increase the discussion. ‘Fighters Source’ team owner is ‘Up and Comers’ promoter Jason Weiner in concept is quite interesting. Essentially teams were set up in different cities around the country, featuring the top talent in that specific area. Those teams then took on other teams in a round robin tournament across the country. This accomplished two tasks with one fell swoop. First it collected the best fighters in a region, then through natural selection (in this case winning or losing fights) the elite began to emerge.

Not only is the concept intriguing to avid fight fans, but it seems to be translating to the general public as well. The semi finals leading up to this event were the first ever amateur MMA fights shown on network television. The CBS Sports Network covered the semi finals, and will also be televising the finals which takes place on January 9th at Harrahs Resort of Southern California in San Diego.

One of the finalist is local fighter Amanda Jones (4-2). Jones who fights for the San Diego Valor has been one of the busier fighters in the area the past year competing in both kickboxing and mixed martial arts. She will need utilize all of that experience tomorrow when she takes on a very tough Elizabeth Vanderhorst (3-0). Vanderhorst who fights for the Syracuse Gladius team comes into hostile territory ranked #5 in the State of New York.

In other competition Alexander Lopez (12-3) a local fighter who also competes for the San Diego Valor team will be taking on Brooks Conley (7-1) out of Alabama. Both fighters enter the bout as their States respective #1 contender, the winner will leave with the ISKA National Welterweight Title.

In total the event will feature 15 bouts, with 8 titles on the line. However glory is not all that is on the line. The winners will also receive trips to Brazil, where their fight training will resume with some of the pioneers in the sport. With so much at stake, the fights will certainly be closely contested. However there is more than just individual glory on the line. This promotion could be on to something that could change the sport entirely.

The consolidation of amateur ranks will serve as a better feeder system to the professional ranks. Major League Baseball has a national amateur system (AAA, AA, A etc), The NFL uses the NCAA the same way, the NHL (AHL) has the minor leagues and the juniors systems, and the results cannot be argued. Those that emerge are battle tested, vetted, and in most cases conceptually able to live the life of a professional athlete.

Amateur Mixed Martial arts is often one sided and generally not very appealing to the average fan. However this promotion could very well change that way of thinking. Bringing together all of the regional scenes, in a national setting may very well end up being a game changer for the sport. As the standard continues to improve with promotions like this perhaps too will the meaning of the amateur record. At one time we lauded amateur pugilists as national heroes. The Fighters Source could be the avenue the sport needs to take. After all the Fighters Source may end up becoming the”Golden Gloves” type of minor leagues the sport of MMA has been needing.

For more information on the promotion go to:www.fightersource.tv

Below is the entire Main Card for Fighters Source National Finals at Harrahs Resort of Southern California

 

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