Alex Arthur is backing Stephen Simmons to do what he didn't do - and beat his bitter rival on home soil.

Scotland's Simmons takes on Wadi Camacho in Glasgow, on Friday, live on Sky Sports 3, as part of the undercard that sees Ricky Burns return to the ring.

The pair almost traded blows at the weigh-in when the Edinburgh man was pushed in the throat after he had tried to go nose-to-nose with his opponent.

Simmons (14st 3lb2 10oz) and his Cannning Town counterpart Camacho (10st 2lbs) clearly dislike each other and have brought back memories back of Arthur's devastating defeat to Michael Gomez.

It started with a bitter war of words and ended in a surprise fifth-round stoppage at the hands of the out-spoken Manchester fighter in 2003.

And the former super featherweight world title holder Arthur believes if he can keep calm once in the ring, Simmons will give Scotland the win.

Steady pressure will win this fight, but he can't take all that anger into the ring, said Arthur.

There is no reason for him to start going crazy. I don’t think Camacho has good reflexes but he is a fit guy and he's big and if he connects, he will hurt Simmons.

But as far as boxing ability and basic strength, I think he is the favourite for me.

The pair were relatively calm at the weigh-in ahead of the WBC International Silver cruiserweight showdown.

Simmons is the title holder while Arthur lost his British super-featherweight and a similar interim strap after Gomez put him down three times before the  stoppage.

And the retired 36-year-old admits the Scottish capital is right behind their latest local hero.

There is a bit of needle there and Edinburgh just doesn’t like Wadi Camachi, just like they didn't like Gomez, he said.

Let's just hope that Stevie can get the result he wants and there is not a repeat performance of what I did!

www1.skysports.com

There will be a nine-bout card coming to Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington, MD tonight. The Keystone Boxing promotion has four six-round contests that include solid up-and-coming local talent.

Undefeated Landover, MD junior middleweight “The Cuban Assassin” Larry Recio will headline the card in his six-rounder against Grayson Blake of State College, PA. Recio (6-0, five KO’s) will be looking for his sixth straight knockout victory in his first scheduled six-round encounter. In his last outing, Recio stopped Daniel Gonzalez in the second round on May 31 at the Washington Convention Center. Blake (5-2, two KO’s) has not fought since February of 2013 and will be trying to break a two-bout losing streak.

In the co-feature, Laurel, MD middleweight Demond “D Best At It” Nicholson will take on Jess “Thunder” Noriega of Lynchburg, VA in another six-rounder. The last six knockouts for Nicholson (7-0, seven KO’s) have come in the first round including a devastating first-round knockout of Lester Gonzalez on June 28 in Baltimore, MD. Noriega (2-10, two KO’s) has been very durable in his last five bouts albeit in losing efforts.

In another six-round encounter, White Plains, MD lightweight Terron “Kid” Grant will take on Jose Del Valle of Bayamon, Puerto Rico in a bout where the won-loss records will not tell the whole story.

Grant (9-0, four KO’s) is coming off a six-round unanimous decision win over Alberto Candelaria on April 18 at Rosecroft. Del Valle (2-7-3) will be facing his fourth undefeated opponent in his last six outings and he will have one distinct advantage over Grant — height. Del Valle is 6’2″ and will have a seven-inch height advantage over Grant at 5’7.”

Also on the card, DC lightweight Joshua Davis returns to action in another six-round contest when he faces Thomas “The Animal” Herrera of Las Vegas, NV. Davis (6-1, three KO’s) won a tough six-round split decision over Joel Flores on March 7 at Rosecroft. Herrera (3-11-1, one KO) makes his first trip to the East Coast and looks to break a four-bout losing streak. Herrera is a durable opponent who has never been stopped in a pro bout.

In four-round bouts, Forestville, MD junior welterweight Myke “The Professor” Fox will take on Shannon Kelley of Columbus, OH. Fox (2-0) won a four-round majority decision over Benjamin Olinga on the last Rosecroft card on June 13. Kelley (0-1) competes for the first time since losing his pro debut in November of 2012.

Hyattsville, MD junior welterweight Patrick Harris (1-0, one KO) will take on veteran Michael Doyle of Prichard, AL (2-9-1, one KO). Harris made his pro debut on the last Keystone Boxing card on June 13 at Rosecroft and scored a first-round TKO over George Palmer.

Featherweight Marq “Monster” Johns of Fort Washington, MD (3-0-1, three KO’s) battles Luis Hernandez of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico (0-4). Johns also fought on the last Rosecroft card and stopped Tony Green in the first round. Hernandez lost a four-round unanimous decision to Christopher Diaz on March 22 in Caguas, Puerto Rico.

Emmanuel Johnson of Brandywine, MD (1-0) will be in a lightweight contest against Calvin Smith of Prichard, AL (2-7). Johnson won his pro debut on the June 13 Rosecroft card by four-round unanimous decision over Mason Wicket. Smith is another veteran who has never been stopped.

Baltimore, MD welterweight Stephon McDonald (2-0, two KO’s) will take on James Gooding of Tampa, FL (1-6-1, one KO). This will be McDonald’s first time competing in his home state after winning bouts in Virginia and North Carolina. Gooding, after winning his pro debut, is winless in his last seven contests.

http://www.fightnews.com/

The contracts are filed with the Nevada State Athletic Commission so here's the rundown of the purses for the Honor Glory card on Saturday night (Showtime PPV, 9 ET) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas:

• In the main event, fought at a catchweight of 155 pounds, Canelo Alvarez will receive a $1.5 million purse but likely will make more based on pay-per-view sales and Mexican television revenue. His promotional company, Canelo Promotions, is also likely getting a nice chunk of change. Erislandy Lara will make a career-high $1 million for his first pay-per-view main event.

• In the featherweight co-feature, former titlist Abner Mares will make $400,000 for his first fight in the 11 months since he lost his title by first-round knockout and opponent Jonathan Oquendo will receive $50,000.

• Former two-division titlist Juan Manuel Lopez will make $125,000 for his junior lightweight bout with Francisco Vargas, who is getting $75,000.

• Interim junior welterweight titlist Johan Perez is making $100,000 while challenger Mauricio Herrera will receive $125,000.

• In a bantamweight title bout on the card but being televised on Showtime before the pay-per-view begins, Tomoki Kameda is making $60,000 for his title defense against Pungluang Sor Singyu, who gets $40,000.

http://espn.go.com/

Eddie Hearn has revealed the venue for the eagerly-awaited IBF welterweight title showdown between Kell Brook and Shawn Porter.

The promoter took to Twitter to announce the Stubhub Center in Carson, California, will stage the meeting between the undefeated duo on August 16.

Hearn tweeted: What a venue to become the champ @SpecialKBrook.

Brook, the mandatory challenger to Porter's crown, was due to face his American rival on August 9 but the bout was put back until September after a failure to complete the deal.

Speaking to World Boxing News, IBF chairman Lindsey Tucker said: We have spoken to Golden Boy (Promotions) and after originally being told the fight would be September 6, we are now aware it will take place on August 16 at the StubHub Center in Carson.

Last month Brook's trainer Dominic Ingle admitted the prospect of a fight with Porter was a huge lift for the camp after injuries and boxing politics delayed a title shot.

It's been a long time coming and it feels like we've been waiting for this fight forever, he said. Kell's mind is firmly on the job and he is ready to go.

He's been permanently fighting final eliminators and now the dream has become reality and Kell is well prepared.

www1.skysports.com

Two featherweights fresh off victories will meet at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on Sept. 20, when Maximo Blanco faces Daniel Hooker at  UFC Fight Night “Hunt vs. Nelson.”

UFC officials confirmed the bout with Sherdog.com on Tuesday.

UFC Fight Night Japan is anchored by a heavyweight clash featuring Roy Nelson versus Mark Hunt and co-stars Takanori Gomi vs. Myles Jury at 155 pounds. Also, Miesha Tate will lock horns with the undefeated Rin Nakai, and Chris Cariaso will do battle with Kyoji Horiguchi in a bantamweight tilt.

When Blanco is in the cage, crazy things happen. The 30-year-old Venezuelan has made headlines for his antics, being disqualified twice for illegal blows to the head of opponents. But the former Strikeforce fighter has seen a fair amount of success also, winning seven of his 10 fights by way of finish.

Blanco’s last outing at UFC Fight Night “Munoz vs. Mousasi” was a unanimous decision victory over Andy Ogle. The win brought his mark in the UFC to 2-3.

Hooker was successful in his initial Octagon foray. UFC Fight Night “Marquardt vs. Te Huna” saw the Kiwi brutally finish Ian Entwistle via elbows in the opening frame. The 24-year-old has spent most of his career at lightweight, but since dropping to 135 pounds has experienced success.

With 10 of his 11 victories not reaching the judges’ scorecards, “The Hangman” will look to keep the trend -- along with his six-fight winning streak -- alive at the expense of Blanco.

http://www.sherdog.com

Alistair Overeem and Ben Rothwell are set to tangle when the  Ultimate Fighting Championship heads to Connecticut in September.

The organization Wednesday announced the heavyweight bout, which will take place on the Sept. 5 UFC Fight Night card at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Conn. The event will also house a top-10 middleweight duel between Gegard Mousasi and Ronaldo Souza.

Overeem, 34, has been out of action since February, when he snapped a two-fight losing skid by routing Frank Mir in a unanimous decision at UFC 169. In April, the Dutch “Demolition Man”  underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from both elbows and relieve ulnar nerve entrapment. Once a member of the Florida-based Blackzilians camp, Overeem recently joined up with  Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, N.M.

Rothwell will compete for the first time since punching out Brandon Vera in August 2013. After the bout, the 32-year-old Wisconsin native tested positive for elevated testosterone levels and was suspended for nine months by the UFC. The “North Star” has alternated wins and losses in six bouts since joining the UFC in 2009.

http://www.sherdog.com

With so many UFC shows and an ever-growing roster, the amount of rookie talent entering the Octagon is at an all-time high, making the choice for the top newcomer of the first half of 2014 a tough one. All the shows also prevented many of these fighters from getting more than one fight in, so my usual “at least two fights” rule has to be put to the side. I also kept established veterans like Tarec Saffiedine, Tatsuya Kawajiri, and Kiichi Kunimoto off the list because, well, they’re established veterans who really don’t fit the mold of newcomer even though their first UFC fight took place this year. So, without further ado, the Highly Unofficial 2014 Half-Year awards season officially begins

5 - Derrick Lewis

In combat sports, there’s nothing more enticing than a heavyweight with knockout power. And if you like that sort of thing – and who doesn’t – then Derrick Lewis is your man. An American redemption story, Lewis rebounded from some trouble with the law to find his peace in mixed martial arts, and he’s currently

sporting an eight-fight winning streak that includes UFC knockouts of Jack May and Guto Inocente. After those victories, a step-up fight will likely be next, and if Lewis has his way, that will come against Matt Mitrione.

4 - Alex White

Fight fans were initially intrigued with Alex White when they heard his harrowing story of accidentally drinking gasoline as a child and nearly dying. That got them in the door, and once in, they found out that the kid could fight too, and after going unbeaten on the local circuit, he unleashed his fury on Estevan Payan in his UFC debut in April, winning by knockout in just 88 seconds. Up next, an intriguing featherweight matchup in Atlantic City against Lucas Martins on July 16.

3 – Ray Borg

The stock of 20-year-old Ray Borg was already high, but when Flyweight contender Dustin Ortiz scored a big win over Justin Scoggins on Sunday night, it went even higher because many believe Borg beat Ortiz in their April bout - and on short notice no less. And while he was disappointed with the loss, Borg bounced back with a quick and slick submission of Shane Howell last month that put him back in the official win column.

2 – Jake Matthews

The youngest fighter on the UFC roster, 19-year-old Jake Matthews may have a baby face while not even being able to drink legally in the United States, but the term beast often gets tossed around when speaking of the Australian prospect. Those who saw his debut against Dashon Johnson last month aren't likely to disagree, making him an intriguing prospect in the lightweight division.

1 – Corey Anderson

A couple years ago, Corey Anderson didn't even know the UFC fighters he was being compared to. Now he's part of the roster after knocking out Matt Van Buren in the TUF 19 light heavyweight final last weekend. Already known for his stellar wrestling, Anderson showed off bricks in his hands against Van Buren, making it crystal clear that the Illinois native is getting better by the day, and that should frighten those sharing the Octagon with him in the future.

www.ufc.com

It’s 4th of July weekend and the UFC is putting on 2 events in 2 days in Las Vegas, Nevada; starting with UFC 175 on Saturday, July 5th. UFC 175 features 2 title bouts with Lyoto Machid and Alex Davis challenging Chris Weidman and Ronda Rousey for UFC gold.

 

UFC 175: Weidman vs Machida - Post-Fight Press Conference

Fight Pass Prelims @ 5 PM ET
Bout number 1: Kevin Casey (8-3) vs. Bubba Bush (8-2) – Middleweight

Result- Kevin Casey by TKO (elbows) 1:01, RD 1

Bout number 2: Guilherme Vasconcelos (3-1) vs. Luke Zachrich (13-3) -Middleweight

Result- Luke Zachrich by (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Unanimous Decision

Fox Sports 1 Prelims @ 6 PM ET

Bout number 3: Rob Font (10-1) vs. George Roop (15-10-1) – Bantamweight

Result- Rob Font by KO (punches), 2:19, RD 1

*
Bout number 4: Chris Camozzi (19-7) vs. Bruno Santos (13-1) – Middleweight

Result- Bruno Santos by (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Split Decision

*
Bout number 5: Ildemar Alcantara (20-6) vs. Kenny Robertson (13-3) – Welterweight

Result- Kenny Robertson by (30-26, 30-26, 30-26) Unanimous Decision

*
Bout number 6: Urijah Faber (30-7) vs. Alex Caceres (10-5) – Bantamweight

Result- Urijah Faber by Submission (rear naked choke) 1:09, RD 3

Pay Per View @ 8 PM ET
Bout number 7: Marcus Brimage (6-2) vs. Russell Doane (13-3) – Featherweight

Result- Russell Doane by (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) Split Decision

*
Bout number 8: Uriah Hall (8-4) vs. Thiago Santos (9-2) – Middleweight

Result- Uriah Hall by (29-28, 30-27, 29-28) Unanimous Decision

*

Bout number 9: Ronda Rousey (9-0) vs. Alexis Davis (16-5) – Women’s Bantamweight Title

Result- And still the UFC Women’s Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey by KO (strikes) 0:16, RD 1

*
Bout number 10: Chris Weidman (11-0) vs. Lyoto Machida (21-4) – Middleweight Title

Result- Still the UFC Middleweight champion Chris Weidman by (49-45, 48-46, 49-46) Unanimous Decision

*

+ Stefan Struve (25-6) vs. Matt Mitrione (7-3) at Heavyweight was canceled due to health concerns for Struve, who has a heart condition.

Posted on July 5, 2014
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Hammond, IN. It seems that the partnership between, martial arts instructor and originator of Total Combat, Joe Goytia, and businessman, Dave Hemanez, was the spark that Total Combat needed. Although always presenting a great card, Total Combat was not drawing the attendance it deserved. The partnership now has Joe concentrating on match making and Dave on production and promotion. "Battle of the Badges," was the first production of new Total Combat team.

Frank Shamrock was on hand to sign autographs for the fans and present final awards for the tournaments. Frank made himself available to everyone. We saw Frank everywhere talking, joking and signing autographs all night.

The night's master of ceremonies was none other than "Freak" from Mancow's Morning Mad House on Q101 FM in Chicago. Freak kept things running smoothly with give-ways and door prizes and was assisted by the Budweiser Ring Girls which definitely kept the attention on the Ring.

This night's card had a mixture of mixed martial arts and boxing. The boxing had the Chicago Police Department boxing team against the New York City boxing team. These were great matches including a female match that was the most action packed of all the boxing matches. Colleen Sabin, CPD, and Adrienne Delgado, NYPD, pounded each other. Neither woman willing to give ground. Delgado dominated throughout the fight but Sabin's tenacity and ability to get in a few good punches of her own had the crowd and the judges on her side. The judges decision was given to Sabin but in all reality Delgado was the winner of that match up.

Three 4-man tournaments and one title fight were slated for the night. By the end of the night, there would be a new lightweight, light-heavyweight and heavyweight champion. Standing middleweight champion, Jason Chambers, would defend his title against Justin Hynes.

The strong right hand of Justin Hynes had Jason Chambers on the defense for a good portion of the fight. Chambers defense kept Hynes from doing much damage while wearing him down. After being stood up by the referee for being in the ropes, Hynes tried to shoot in for a take down but was a little too high. Chambers was able to cinch in a guillotine choke that had Hynes tapping in short order.

The lightweight final had local favorite Miguel Torres against Brian Szohr. Each had won their preliminary fights to get into the finals. Torres was able to fend off Szohr's attack without too much problem. Comfortable in the guard, Torres waited his time then applied the triangle choke for the win.

Adrian Serrano silenced some critics with his easy win over a much younger Jason Veach. Veach had tried to standup with Adrian but his boxing was weak with Adrian getting the better of him. The fight then went to the ground where Adrian treated us to a clinic on how it is done. Taking side control, Serrano soon had Veach in a strong Keylock that finished the fight. In the finals, Hercules Mitchell was unable to answer the bell due to injury giving Serrano the title.

The last tournament of the evening had favorite son, Jim Theobald, against Jay Massey. Theobald's skill and experience was the deciding factor in this fight. Massey's strength had Theobald stalled for a while but a mistake gave Theobald Massey's back. It was just a matter of seconds before the rear choke was locked in for the win.

Overall, the production was good but the hour and a half delay at the beginning had the crowd on edge by the time the fights started. Early advertising had the fights starting promptly at the slated time. Either the fights need to be scheduled later or the production has to start on time. Delay becomes a problem for the warm up of fighters. Staying warm and ready for over an hour is not feasible. The quality of the matches helped to overcome the few glitches in the production. The next production should have the rough areas straightened out. We are looking forward to the next production.

 

Bethalto, IL-- When anybody talks to promoter, Mike Griffin, about submission wrestling, they can see the enthusiasm build in his eyes. Mike is a submission wrestling enthusiast beyond normal reason. He views submission wrestling as an art form that should be enjoyed. With this in mind, Mike brought together great submission specialists and MMA fighters for his "Ultimate Submission Challenge" event.

Eight submission wrestling matches and five MMA fights held the audience's attention throughout the entire night. The submission wrestling matches were just as exciting, if not more so, as the MMA fights. The matches were so evenly setup that even the matches that went to decision were fast paced classes in submission and defense.

Included in the night's festivities were two women's matches. Local favorite, Peggy Brooks, Pro Gym, Moro, IL, and Anna Ceja, Shirmer's Gym, Chicago, IL went head to head for thirteen minutes. Peggy Brooks eventually won the decision but Ceja put up a great fight. Ceja is a rookie to submission wrestling, having only been training for four months but she defended well against the veteran, Brooks, not allowing a submission.

The other women's match pitted Maribel Schirmer, Schirmer's Gym, Chicago, IL, against Tammy Webb, Iowa. Maribel showing the hereditary skill of the Schirmer family took out Tammy Webb with an arm bar in just eighteen seconds.

The most exciting match of the night was between Jim Bruketta, Silverback's Gym, Canton, IL, and Tim Stafford, Combat Do, Chicago, IL. The submission wrestling match was a whirlwind of submission attempts and counters from both fighters. Never stopping to rest or relax, these fighters kept at each other until the final bell rung. So evenly matched, the fight had to go to judge's decision with Stafford's hand being raised at the end.

RSF Lightweight Champion, Jason Reinhardt continued his winning ways submitting Ryan Sotter, Iowa, with an ankle lock at 2:14 in the first round. Jason even gave us a smile after his match while still sitting on the apron.

The end of the night brought the the main event. Travis Fulton destroyed Matt Clemens in a little over a minute. Clemens took on the fight at the last minute substituting for Ben Boyer who had dropped. Clemens should be congratulated for stepping up to the challenge but it was obvious, from the beginning, that he wasn't prepared for Fulton.

A good turnout and a friendly atmosphere made for a great event. We were amazed at how intense the submission matches were. Plainly, Mike Griffin knows how to match up submission wrestlers to provide eye riveting action. We are looking forward to the next Ultimate Submission Challenge.

 

Sam Davis at Midwest Submission Challenge - 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu Decatur AL

SHOOTO Quarterly Report (part 1):

The first part of the year has come and gone, and we are already a couple weeks into Q2. The first quarter of 2003 had some truly exciting moments for the sport of Shooto, and it looks like that trend will continue n through the next portion of the year. However, before we get into the outlook for the coming months, let's take a look back and see what has gone down so far.

Interestingly, the year opened up not in Japan but rather in the mid-south of the good ole' U.S. of A. It was Tennessee Shooto that kicked things off featuring everything from UFC veterans to exciting new talent. and pleasantly, all in front of a sell-out crowd. Travis Wuiff headlined the card, putting on a crowd-pleasing performance with a methodical handling of his opponent. Then there were strong performances by newcomer Chris Spedale - TKO'ing his opposition in a come from behind victory, Ed Clay - who at only 21 years of age shows a great deal of potential, and finally Kentucky fighter - Joe Jordan - who will be a part of the up coming Superbrawl mega-card scheduled for May 9th in Honolulu, Hawaii. Then things headed out to Japan where Joao Roaque made an impressive return to MMA with a decisive decision victory over the stoic Naoya Uematsu. Also on that card was yet another impressive performance by top female fighter Erica Montoya, and the disappointing loss by her instructor, Chris Brennan. Brennan succumbed to an unorthydox spinning ankle-lock courtesy or Takaharu Murahama. Lastly, former Shooto Lightweight contender, Katsuya Toida also made his return by eking out a decision victory over Rami Boukai. A blockbuster start for the New Year to say the least.

February featured the international Shooto scene with events in Hawaii and Finland. However, as one would expect there was plenty of Shooto action in Japan as the month started out in Tokyo. The K'z factory promoted event on the 6th suffered the cancellation of the main-event between John Renken and Kuniyoshi Hironaka, but regardless, the show was a huge success some great bouts which featuried some great Shooto up-and-comers. These includeg Jin Kazeta and Mitsuhiro Ishida, both of which won their respective bouts. Then in Hawaii, the stage was set for Egan Inoue to get his long awaited shot at the Shooto Light Heavy Weight World title. He dominated Japanese fighter Yukiya Naito, and opened the challenge to current World Champ Masanori Suda. Also on that card were solid wins by top Hawaiians Ronald Jhun and Niko Vitale - two fighters who have been on the edge of real stardom, but have just not been able to break out yet. After that, the European Shooto scene continued to gain momentum when the Finnish promoter - FinfFighters' Gym - held their second Shooto sanctioned event, which was headlined by a victorious John-Olav Einemo. FinFighters now joins Real Fighting Promotions out of Holland as the core of Shooto's European contingent. Then just one day later it was back out to Japan for a bout with Shooto Welterweight World Champion, Takanori Gomi. He was looking for a bout to keep busy, and used that opportunity to impress with an armbar victory over Cesar Gracie student Nick Ertl. Along with that, the Shooto Featherweight title scene heated up when both Kentaru Imaizumi and Ryota Matsune (both top ten rankers) bested Shuichiro Katsumura and Kimihito Nonaka respectively (also rankers). Additionally, American Top Team fighter Dustin Denes continued his pursuit of the Shooto Light Heavyweight belt with a win over long time ranker Shiko Yamashita. The outcome of Inoue/Suda is of particular interest to Floridian who is hungry for his shot.

See that:
MMA fighter Baz Mohammad Mobarez inspires Afghanistan

March was also a month for international Shooto action, but in terms of the match-ups themselves rather than the locations. On the 18th the unpredictable Murahama defeated Norwegian Thomas Hytten, Tetsuji Kato climbed back into the ring after more that a year off to soundly defeat American Brian Gassaway, Shonie Carter lived up to his sobriquet of Mr. International by earning the decision win over Shooto staple fighter Seichi Ikemoto, and then. in an amazing upset, Joachim Hansen of the Scandinavian Brazilian Jiu jitsu Academy won a TKO victory over none other than Rumina Sato. This most certainly launches the Norwegian fighter into the lime-light, but also brings into question the legitimacy of Sato's long held reputation... It will be interesting to see what the future holds for both men.

Lasalle, IL. The little giant, Phil Johns, has announced his retirement but continues to support and promote mixed martial arts. His Silverback's Classic series has helped new fighters get the experience needed for higher level competition. Phil has used his contacts to get up and coming fighters a chance in the bigger shows. Some of the fighters that have stood out over the last year will be on the card at some of this year's Hook-N-Shoot events.

The Silverback's Classic has added an aspect to their events that has attracted a wider range audience. This has given them a chance to show the public what mixed martial arts is all about. This added addition is the "IronMan Boxing" competitions. Local contestants can sign up to compete in boxing matches. They are outfitted with the proper safety equipment and are given the chance to compete against someone within their weight group. Between boxing matches, the audience is exposed to quality mixed martial arts. The reaction has been one of amazement and enthusiasm to see more.

January's competition produced all that it promised. Good IronMan Boxing matches and exceptional local mixed martial arts competition. Local fighter, Jason Rigsby, Ottawa, IL, was slated in the main event against Dan Houston.

The first NHB match of the night was between Brian Geraghty and Shane Danielson. A hard right hand stunned Geraghty but he was able to shoot in and take the fight to the ground. Geraghty was able to fight off attempted chokes and strikes by Danielson. Danielson over extended on a strike and Geraghty was able to lock in an armbar. Referee, Bob Long stopped the fight before any injury occurred.

Fight number two ended differently than most expected by the beginning of the fight. Bryan Zhor had explosive punches and his ground work was good. Robby Rose found himself in a shoulder lock that he was able to slip out of. Rose was able to lock in an armbar, for the win, while Zhor was attempting to pass his guard.

The best fight of the night was a war between Jimmy "Wildcat" Bruketta and "Dangerous" Dan Long. Long had the strength, ferocity and training to keep the Silverback's Lightweight Champion at bay well into the second round. Bruketta was like a whirl wind, always moving and trying different holds that Long would power out of. The constant strain eventually was too much for Long and he succumbed to a triangle. Long's corner threw in the towel when he was not able to defend against the triangle choke with head strikes.

Jeff Snyder's final fight of his career was against a tenacious fighter by the name of Mark Long. Snyder dominated almost all of the three round fight. It was only Long's stubbornness to give up that kept him going. After three rounds the judges decided that Jeff Snyder had won his retirement match. Jeff will go on to teach younger fighters and to help this sport along where he can.

Derrick Noble seemed to dominate most of his fight against Tevarius Hunter. Hunter was able to allude Noble's attempts at submission until the second round when Noble got a front to back choke that forced the tap.

Jason Rigsby's fight against Dan Houston was hard fought. Dan Houston had to withdraw in the second round due to a broken nose giving Rigsby the win.

We are hoping that Phil Johns and his organization can continue to bring us good competitions. Fighters need these types of competitions to learn the sport and test there progress.

We will bring you reports of the Silverback's Classic events when ever possible. They are worth the price of admission and more.

BELLEVILLE, IL--There are times that, despite a multitude of small short comings, the big event is a huge success. Randy Greenmans's Reality Submission Fighting is one such event. Great fighters from all over the country converged on the Belle Claire Exhibition Center to witness this event. On hand were mixed martial art's well known names. Fighters like Jens Pulver, Jeremy Horn, Matt Hughes and Steve Berger, special guest referee, were on hand to give support and encouragement. Monte Cox, Gene LaBell, Gokor, and Phyllis Lee were also in attendance to see what Randy Greenman had put together.

Two titles, the Light-heavyweight title and the Bantam weight title, were decided during the event. Alex Stebbling was able to defeat Dennis Reed with an armbar for the light-heavyweight title. Jason Reinhardt defeated Gil Hawkins with an armbar for the bantam weight title.

One sour note for the evening, with just hours left before the event and staying in a motel just five miles away, Dan Severn backed out of his main event fight against Mike Rogers siting health problems. Mike Rogers addressed the crowd at the beginning of the night to let them know about the drop. The event's promoter, Randy Greenman offered the crowd their money back because of the cancellation of the main event but had few takers. The crowd did, however, boo the fact that Severn was a no show.

The last fight of the night was protracted battle between Chris Lytle and Dave Strasser. It went three rounds and an overtime with the judges declaring the match a draw.

The audience was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. They appreciated the efforts of all the fighters and let them know about it. Comments about the anticipation of the next event were enthusiastic.

You won't want to miss the next Reality Submission Fighting event in June.

Press Release:

1.)Vance McDonald Win by rear naked Choke against against Jon Thompson

2.)Derek Reed Win by strikes in 14 sec against Chris Torres

3.)Josh Mason Win over Rob Copenhaver

4.)Steve Fulton Win by KO over Derek Tamber-One of NHB greatest Knock outs.

5.)Josh Kaine Win against Chad Davis

6.)Matt Shaw Win against Roger Stiner

7.)Bud Lewis Win by Strikes against Chris Maddox

8.)Jason Rigsby Win By heel hook against Phillip Greathouse. Phillips ankle was injured in the bout, J&J Promotions wish's him a fast recovery with the injury.

9.)Vance McDonald Wins by Rear Naked choke against Phillip Jones. Vance gave up 70lbs in a DAVID VS GOLIATH bout.It was also his 2nd bout of the night. Vance is a great athlete and has came along way since his debut bout 2 years ago with us.

10.)SUPER FIGHT-HEAVY WEIGHT TITLE BOUT. Jay Massey defended his heavy weight belt against Brian Van De Valle. It was a very action packed fight, with hard strikes and great reversals from both fighters. Jay had to fight his toughest fight in his career last night. Brian Came for the gold, and was very determined to leave with it. Brian beat Jay by an way of an arm bar. Brian had Jays arm around Jays neck as if he was going to try to choke him out, and out of no where brian got an double leg arm bar on Jays other arm and it was enough to make him tap. Brian is by far one of the most aggressive fighters, that has competed for RING OF HONOR. A THANKS GOES OUT TO BRAIN AS OUR NEW HEAVY WEIGHT CHAMPION.

11.)MAIN EVENT Darrell(BULL DOG) SMITH does it again. This is the 2nd time Chris Myers has fought Darrell Smith and both times they go the distance.They bout went 2-rounds plus and over time. Both fighters have great endurance, stamina & Skill.Both fighters could have went another 2-rounds and still had enough strength and endurance to fight again. Both fighters threw heavy strikes and kicks and both fighters are like machines.-Darrell Smith broke his foot kicking Chris in the 2nd round and still continued on. He did not tell his corner or anyone else what had happened until after the bout was over. Chris had a big gash above his eye and still continued to fight. These 2-fighters have such a high pain tolerance that almost nothing will make them tap or submit.They both have allot of PRIDE,DIGNITY, and HONOR, We congratulate both of them for this. Darrell won the bout by Judges decision at the end of the over time.

RING OF HONOR thanks all the fighters who competed at this event and look forward to having all of them coming back and competing in the future. Congratulations to all the fighters who won their bouts and We want to welcome our New Heavy Weight Champion- Brian Van De Valle on his victory, and everyone can not wait to see who his next opponent is going to be.

Thank you, Jeremy Evans

By Rick Morrison

We are now into the second week after the disasters in New York and Washington and of the heroic acts of the passengers that brought down the plane in Pennsylvania. The initial shock is starting to wear off but the intensity of my emotions burn as brightly as a star going nova.

Like many other Americans I was busy on my paying job when I heard about what happened in New York City. At first, I thought it was a horrible accident that should never have happened. Then came the reports of the second plane and the crash at the Pentagon. My heart started to race, knowing that we were under attack. I worried about where the President was and how vulnerable he might be.

My thoughts and prayers were with people that were forced to experience the horrible events of that day. I could not even begin to imagine what they were going through. All I knew was that I felt sick and mad as hell!

I travel the Midwest area as a truck driver. I have the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful country and meet large amount of people from many very different walks of life. On the day of the attack, I talked with many people that had the same feelings I did. It didn't matter who they were, they all had an inderlying rage about what had happened.

The rage has started to subside. It has been replaced with a grim determination to see that the low life, gutter crawling slime behind the attack pay dearly. Every day, I see and hear of that same determination from people all over the world. The world has embraced our determination and joined with us in the condemnation of the attacks. The attacks, while occurring in the United States, were against all the civilized peoples of the world.

The United States will lead the campaign to eradicate the pestilence that is taros. The terrorists solidified the determination and resolve of the strongest nation in the world. Oh, we may argue and debate issues but against terrorism we are united. Japan found out that they had awakened a sleeping giant in 1941.

The attacks, by terrorists on September 11, were the worst the United States has ever experienced. We have been wounded deeply but already we are recovering. It is time to serve notice to all: