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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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Jay Silva May Be The First NJ Amateur MMA Vet To Get To The UFC, But Who's Next?

Jay Silva, a veteran of New Jersey's amateur MMA circuit before turning pro, will become the first person with that fighting pedigree to make it into the UFC when he takes on CB Dollaway at UFN 19. But with the wealth of talented alumni who've followed that same path - fighters who are currently racking up wins while honing themselves to a keen edge - Silva definitely won't be the last. Who are some of the other Garden State amateur MMA graduates currently in the "big show" pipeline? MMA Journalist has compiled a short list!

• Jeff Lentz - Rhino Fight Team's Lentz had nine amateur fights before turning pro, and has since gotten wins against some of the toughest lightweights and featherweights around. This guy can strike and dodge submissions with the best of them, but his greatest weapon is his ability to survive pretty much anything opponents throw at him and give it back tenfold.
• Al Iaquinta - A lightweight wrestler with polished kickboxing skills, Team Serra/Longo's Iaquinta went undefeated in a dozen amateur bouts before turning pro and wrecking things there. He can do it all - nail submissions, score knockouts or go the distance - and he does it with the kind of violence that causes most foes to wither.
• Nick Pace - Before he went pro, TSMMA scrapper Pace had an unblemished amateur record of 6-0, snagging subs at New Breed Fighters events like they were "no thang". But his brightest moment thus far has been his flying-knee knockout win at Bellator, which made the rounds on YouTube and proved to the world that this bantamweight's game was as well-rounded as it was deadly.
• Andrew Main - He was 1-1 as an amateur, but in two bouts since turning pro this AMA Fight Club lightweight has snagged a 33-second armbar and engaged in an epic slugfest that ended when he knocked his opponent out at the bell. Main has shown a ton of talent and promise, and he's proven to be a huge crowd-pleaser.
• Jimmie Rivera - TSMMA's Rivera was 7-0 as an amateur before making the jump to fighting for pay, and despite a close split decision loss at ROC 22, has remained an impressive and capable dude in the cage. His last two bouts saw him score wins in Bellator, and if he keeps on doing what he's doing, he should be on the big stage in no time.

A Note On Underground Shows

There are three underground shows coming up in New York in the following weeks and MMA Journalist will be there to cover them and liveblog. However, the current political climate is such that the promoters have asked that the fighters' identities remain anonymous - and in one instance, the event itself remain shrouded in secrecy. MMA Journalist will of course honor those requests, because hey, why not? So stay tuned for some cryptic, hush-hush reports.

Quinton Jackson To Play "Othello" In Upcoming Martin Scorcese Film

UFC light-heavyweight star and noted thespian Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has been tapped to play Othello in an upcoming Martin Scorcese film adaptation of the Shakespearean classic "Othello, the Moor of Venice". The movie, which is expected to complete production in mid-2010, also stars Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Sir Ian McKellan and Dame Judy Dench, although despite the star-studded cast, Jackson will bear the bulk of the acting and storytelling responsibility. "Orson Welles, Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Laurence Fishburne are all heavyweight actors who've made their mark on this meaty role," said Scorcese. "Now it's time for Rampage to take a bite." As a consequence of this sudden celluloid turn, Jackson's scheduled bout against Rashad Evans has been postponed.

A Collection of News Haiku

• Eiler's killer is/found guilty. Say hi to Big/Bubba, James Malec!
• Matt Hughes signed a new/contract with the UFC./Why? Why the hell not!
• Joe Lauzon will fight/his own brother if he must./Screw Christmas this year.
• Sean Sherk is injured/and out against Tibau. He/got hurt doing 'roids.
• Bellator delayed/until January. Why? Lost/taco sponsorship.
• Sean Salmon claims he/doesn't proofread what he writes./Dude, you still cheated.
• James Malec is/going to love jail. Except/the rape part of course.

Chris Tuchscherer's Nuts: "We Demand A Rematch!"

At last weekend's UFC 102 event, Octagon veteran Gabriel Gonzaga and newcomer Chris Tuchscherer clashed in an unaired preliminary bout that had men everywhere cringing. The contest pitted a jiu-jitsu black belt with devastating kicks against a mountain of a wrestler, and when Gonzaga came out with guns blazing he landed a foot square into Tuchscherer's groin, resulting in an understandable delay (for Tuchscherer to vomit into a bucket). After a restart, Tuchscherer quickly lost via TKO. Did the accidental low blow play a role in the rookie's subsequent defeat? Tuchscherer's nuts seem to think so, and yesterday they released the following statement: "We demand a rematch! Never before has an illegal technique had such a role in the outcome of a fight, and when that big Brazilian bastard crushed us, there was no way Chris could have performed to the best of his abilities. How bad was that groin strike? It's almost a week later and Lefty here is still in pain. We - including our owner, Chris - deserve a rematch. It's only fair."

MMA Journalist contacted Gonzaga's foot for a response to this statement, but his foot has yet to reply.

Sean Salmon's Career: Dead at 31

Glass-jawed UFC veteran and perennial B-level competitor Sean Salmon shot himself in the foot yesterday, penning a column for MMA Junkie that illustrated some recent dark moments that included his throwing of a fight - an admission that has likely cost the wrestler whatever semblance of a career he had. The article, which can be found here http://mmajunkie.com/news/16060/full-time-fighter-sean-salmon-on-biggest-career-mistake-and-new-fight-with-dante-rivera.mma , details Salmon's lack of integrity and a severe lapse in judgement which prompted him to give up an armbar during a bout so he could emerge unscathed. Salmon's greatest mistake, however, was his decision to write it all down and post it on the second biggest MMA news website around - at best a form of idiocy, and at worst a purposeful act of career suicide. As Salmon will not be competing at ROC on September 11th thanks to this and is currently under administrative suspension by the Ohio Athletic Commission pending an investigation, there will instead be a small service in honor of his career. Fans should bring flowers, candles and 40-ounce bottles of their favorite malt liquor.

ROC 26 Bouts to Watch

Ring of Combat 26 returns to Atlantic City on September 11th, and while the original incarnation of the card is long gone like Chuck Liddell's inability to tango is long gone, there are still a number of bouts to watch out for. A list!

• Victor O'Donnell vs. Costa Phillippou - O'Donnell came out of nowhere to win the ROC middleweight belt at the last show, but his knack for recovering from heavy punches and doling out fist salad will get its first real test when he takes on Team Serra/Longo badass Phillippou. Phillippou is a cross between a technical kickboxer and a Terminator, so this match-up should provide fireworks.
• Chris Liguori vs. Dwayne Shelton - Liguori is the Northeast's lightweight high-water mark, meaning that he's so good, defeating him means you're worthy of the UFC (see Jim Miller, Marcus Aurelio). Shelton is a scrappy dude from Virginia with solid submission defense and strong ground-and-pound skills. Expect the local guy to gain top position and hold onto it like a retiree holds onto their winning lottery ticket.
• Chris Schlesinger vs. Nabih Barakat - "Crazy Chris" is a fast-paced and frenetic grappler and face-puncher and Nabih is another technical Team Serra/Longo striking specialist. As Schlesinger has been around for a long, long time, this one is really an old blood vs. new blood match-up, with the old blood still very able to squash the new blood.
• Gian Villante vs. Carlton Haselrig - Both Villante and Haselrig are behemoths who used to play football before turning to MMA, so expect the referee to say "Hut! Hut! Hike!" and these two to charge each other and clash. Then the referee will blow a whistle and throw a flag down, and cheerleaders will go "Rah! Rah! Rah!" Or something like that.
• Rafael Sapo vs. Sean Salmon - In the battle between the heavy-handed Team Renzo jiu-jitsu black belt and the UFC vet with the chin of glass, there can only be one outcome: shattered glass everywhere.