Cage Fury Fighting Championship: Throwdown at the Tropicana

*originally published Oct '06 on fullcontactfighter.com*

(October 6th, Atlantic City, New Jersey) The Cage Fury Fighting Championship (CFFC) is 2-0, and with promoter Felix Martinez and matchmaker Gary Moreno at the helm, they may just remain undefeated. Tonight, five championship belts were on the line, and the Tropicana Casino was awash with fight fans as a sold-out crowd cheered (and jeered). Knockouts, submissions, and back-and-forth battles - the action in the cage was equally as impressive, making the second CFFC event a success. Highlights of the night included:

• The memorial to fallen MMA warrior Shelby Walker, which played out in the form of a video tribute and the sounding of the 10-count on the cageside bell.
• Atlantic City MMA’s Anthony Morrison’s post-fight antics. After getting handled by Deividas Taurosevicius, Morrison came back into the cage to challenge Malachy Friedman (the other lightweight who lost that night). When he was heckled and booed, the miniature ‘Rampage’ went on a rant - then ran backstage to attack Friedman. Morrison now faces a 12-month suspension for his actions.
• Team Evolution’s Al Buck, who weathered Malachy Friedman’s submission hurricane to rain down some bout-ending punches of his own.
• Light-heavyweight champ Josh Rhodes’ fists of fury, which he unleashed on Lamont Lister (sending the challenger into a concussion-induced seizure that required him to be carried out on a stretcher). It was a scary moment, but Lister gave the crowd a thumbs-up on his way out of the cage.

Results:

Brian DeMuro (Balance-181lbs) vs. Doug Gordon (Rio JJ-183lbs)

Gordon via ref stop due to unanswered strikes at :51 of the third round.

Carlo Profico (TNT Martial Arts-157lbs) vs. Spencer Paige (CNY MMA-154lbs)

Paige via ref stop due to unanswered strikes at 2:11 of Round One.

Bill Bontcue (Team Balance-171lbs) vs. Jim Sweeney (Team PKA-168lbs)

Sweeney via armbar at :54 of the first round. *Sweeney was suspended for 60 days for failing to release the armbar.

Erik Uresk (United MMA-156lbs) vs. Steve Sorbello (freestyle-151lbs)

Uresk via unanimous decision.

Rich Ashkar (Team PKA-170lbs) vs. Ryan McCarthy (Rhino Fight Team-168lbs)

Ashkar via armbar 2:44 of Round One.

Anthony D’Angelo (United MMA-172lbs) vs. Josh Lydell (Team Invicta-169lbs)

D’Angelo via unanimous decision.

Alexis Aquino (TNT Martial Arts-185lbs) vs. Tim DeIturriaga (Advanced Fighting Systems-185lbs)

Aquino via guillotine at 2:11 of Round One.

Anthony Morrison (Atlantic City MMA-151lbs) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (Panza/Gracie Barra-155lbs)

Taurosevicius via armbar at 2:09 of Round One.

CFFC Middleweight Championship

Dan Miller (Planet JJ-184lbs) vs. Lance Everson (Boneyard-185lbs)

Miller via rear choke at 2:26 of Round One - a dominant performance! Miller is the new CFFC Middleweight Champ.

CFFC Welterweight Championship

Carlos Nieves (Team Renzo/Almeida-170lbs) vs. Bobby Diaz (Boneyard-170lbs)

Nieves via ref stop due to unanswered strikes at 3:21 of Round One - a nonstop slugest. Nieves is the new CFFC Welterweight Champ.
CFFC Lightweight Championship

Al Buck (Team Evolution-153lbs) vs. Malachy Friedman (freestyle-152lbs)

Buck via ref stop due to unanswered strikes at 3:40 of Round One. Buck is the new CFFC Lightweight Champ.

CFFC Light-Heavyweight Championship

Josh Rhodes (freestyle-203lbs) vs. Lamont Lister (Balance-205)

Rhodes via KO at :51 of the first round. Rhodes retains his CFFC Light-Heavyweight belt.

NABC Welterweight Title

Mike Littlefield (Boneyard-169lbs) vs. Tamdan McCory (CNY MMA-168lbs)

McCory via ref stop due to unanswered strikes at 4:10 of the first round - an impressive performance by the relative newcomer. McCory is the new NABC Welterweight Champ.