Team USA Dominates at “World’s Best Fighter”

*originally published in the Feb '07 issue of Full Contact Fighter*

It may have been chaotic behind the scenes, but at the February 3^rd “World’s Best Fighter” (WBF) event at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the thrills in the ring more than made up for it. With matchmaker Ed Hsu’s card pitting some of New Jersey’s best against representatives from South Korea, China and Japan, the evening’s “Team USA versus Team Asia” motif steadily became “Team USA beating the crap out of Team Asia”. Yes folks, aside from two impressive knockouts in the San Da bouts, it was a veritable MMA trouncing. But a healthy dose of nationalist pride goes a long way, and whether the over 2,000 spectators were there to cheer on the local boys or root for the warriors from their homeland, the end result was the same for promoter Gianfranco Fiori’s fledgling fighting endeavor: crowd-pleasing action.

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He took the bout on just one day’s notice, and as he was stepping into the ring against a complete unknown (most of Team Asia were, in fact, unknowns to those of us from this part of the globe), his Rhino Fight Team teammate and usual corner men were thousands of miles away in Las Vegas. But if any of this affected the 154-pound Kevin Roddy, he certainly didn’t let it show. No, he waged an absolute grappling war against the 154-pound Jong Man Kim – who proved to be the toughest Team Asia competitor – and for four minutes and 57 seconds, Roddy once more demonstrated the skills that make him one of the top lightweights in the Garden State.

With fantastic transitions and close submission attempts, Kim really took it to Roddy, first scoring with a takedown then hunting for heelhooks like crazy. But Roddy is 100% dangerous at all times, and in the final seconds of the first round, landed a picture-perfect armbar from the bottom for the tap out. In terms of back-and-forth action and competitiveness, this one was far and away the fight of the night. And as Roddy exited the ring, the text came in on his corner man’s cellphone: teammate Frankie Edgar, fighting simultaneously in his UFC debut, had kicked ass and won a unanimous decision (which the WBF ring announcer relayed to the audience). It was a good night for New Jersey.

The Team Asia beatdown continued when 169-pound Jersey Shore BJJ superstar Greg Soto took on Korean Top Team 169-pounder Hyun Kyu Lim. Lim came out with a flying knee meant to take his opponent’s head off. Soto had other ideas, though, and dumped Lim on his back, mounted, and rained down strikes until the clock struck “armbar o’clock”. The tap out came at :58 of the Round One. Soto has been unstoppable since he burst onto the scene as an amateur last year, and the rumor is he might represent Team USA in the future when the WBF visits Chinese soil.

Originally, the headlining bout featured the infamous Tank Abbott against Ji Hoon Kim, but (thankfully) scheduling snafus saw that match-up fall by the wayside. Instead, fight fans got an upgrade in talent in Miletich-trained UFC veteran Justin Eilers, who had no problem giving up eight pounds to his Korean opponent (Kim was 245 to Eilers 237). When these two big boys tied up, Eilers wasted no time blasting Kim with short punches and knees – one of which tagged Kim in the liver. Kim tapped out at 2:10 of the first round.

Rounding out the MMA rout was Jerry Jones-trained 188-pounder and Reality Fighting champ Mike Massenzio, who wielded far-superior wrestling to overcome Japanese 185-pound judoka Okuda Masakatsu. Like most of Massenzio’s past opponents, Masakatsu was on the bottom in no time, struggling against Massenzio’s constant pressure and ground-and-pound. Masakatsu did manage to score with an upkick and went for a number of submissions, but he was getting the worst of it, and other than a nice spinning backfist in Round Two, this one was all about the Team USA representative beating the stuffing out of the Team Asia representative. Massenzio garnered the well-deserved unanimous decision after three rounds elapsed.

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In non-USA versus Asia action, 174-pound Team Tiger Schulmann stud Lyman Good took on Team Renzo 174-pounder Julio Cruz in what could’ve been a classic “striker against grappler” contest. But it wasn’t. No, this one was all about Good’s precision pugilism versus Cruz’s dogged clinchwork, with the TS-MMA representative peppering the Team Renzo fighter with leg kicks, hooks and crosses while Cruz tried to tie him up and dirty box. In Round Two Cruz continued to move forward, this time more willing to trade from the outside – and he paid for his folly with a face full of leather. Good rocked him good (ha-ha), and the referee stepped in at :29 into the round when Cruz covered up and turned away. Hopefully, Cruz (who is purportedly a beast on the ground) will realize he’ll never make Renzo’s IFL team if he tries to out-strike superior stand-up fighters.

A WBF North American Light-Heavweight MMA Championship belt was on the line on February 3^rd, and the men vying for it – Team Ronin 204-pounder Brendan Barrett and MFS/Daddis 206-pounder John Doyle – were known scrappers. Yes, this WBF bout had all the makings of a brawl, with Doyle working his wrestling and Barrett trying to land strikes from the outset. But the two tied up too close to the ropes, and after a split-second scramble, Doyle was suddenly tumbling out of the ring. The MFS/Daddis representative spent an awful long time on the floor, so it came as no surprise when the ringside physician called off the fight (rendering the bout a No Contest at 2:37 into the round). A bloodied Doyle was visibly dejected, but it was announced on the spot that these two would rematch at the next Combat in the Cage show.

Accompanying the card’s MMA bouts were three San Da fights (a kind of kickboxing with throws and takedowns), and this is where Team Asia shined. Team USA 129-pounder Lennox Chance was flashy, but his flashiness was no match for the 133-pound He Teng’s no-nonsense striking, as Teng sent Chance to the canvas three times before the referee called it off at 2:34 into the first round. The 152-pound David Cummings had speed, but the 157-pound Dai Shaung Hai had power – and with one looping right at 1:08 of Round One, Cummings was on the wrong end of a knockout. But the 181-pound Aaron Miesner saved the day with his Muay Thai skills (which seem to translate well to San Da). After three grueling rounds of clinchwork, the South Philly boy with a ton of heart earned the majority decision over a tough 179-pound Ao Hai Lin.