Friday, September 11, 2009

Liveblog: ROC 26 Part 1

MMA Journalist is here cageside for Ring of Combat 26 in Atlantic City, the Northeast's top regional show and a great place to see some of the area's best fighters punch each other silly and break limbs. There are 13 bouts scheduled, with three title fights at the tail-end of the card. First up is the prelims, with AMA FC's rising star Andy Main against Daddis FC's Jackson Galka. Main's got insanely heavy hands, which kind of sets him apart from the other 145-pounders in his division. Galka, however, seems to have some sharp as hell Muay Thai skills, and after avoiding an opening flurry, the Daddis FC rep peppers Main with knees and works his ground and pound when they hit the canvas. Round 2 sees Main mix in kicks with his punching, which gives his opponent pause, but one misstep and Galka takes his back and pulls him down, and Main is forced to defend a rear naked choke for a significant portion of the round. The split decision goes to Main when time runs out, but this one was insanely close, and Main likely edged it out because of his damaging punches. Next is Tong Dragon's Liam Kerrigan vs. jiu-jitsu brown belt Roger Mamedov. Kerrigan is making the transition from amateur fighter to pro in this one, while Mamedov runs a BJJ school in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and is probably some kind of hipster, so we'll see how it goes. They come out swinging hard and Mamedov lands a throw that Kerrigan instantly reverses to secure top position. The Tong Dragon rep punishes him a bit before Mamedov can tie him up, and after a referee stand-up they continue to blast each other. In between rounds Mamedov sips some kind of coffee latte while he and cornerman Dante Rivera discuss art and politics, then in Round 2 the striking war continues interspersed with Mamedov's takedowns. Time runs out with Kerrigan fighting off a guillotine, and when the judges' scorecards are read it's declared a majority draw. Good showing by both men.

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