ECW - Elite Cage Warfare: WMMA3

[BYU 14]

I really didn’t know why I was sitting here in a small auditorium at the Utah state fairgrounds. I loved MMA and wanted a career in the sport, but in my mind that career would be with GAMMA, not some small local promotion in the Rocky Mountains. Yet here I was, watching fights with a crowd that probably numbered under 100 people. Not a promising start for CEO Jeffrey Storry and newly named Elite Cage Warfare.

Storry had known me only through a column I wrote for Blurcat, yet had apparently decided that I knew enough to help him build a small local promotion based in Utah into a national player. He had purchased the company, previously named Rocky Mountain Fight League, towards the end of 1997 and this was his inaugural offering under the new brand. He had a bankroll of 2.5 Million dollars, which would probably be reduced by over 30K when all the pennies were counted after the show.

I came as favor to one of the Blurcat editors and had a pretty good idea I would turn down Storry’s offer before the show even started. The sparse crowd only strengthened my resolve to say no as I did not want to waste my “talent” in the bushes. Still I stayed for the fights, hoping something would happen to change my mind, yet as the night wore on it seemed the odds of that happening were longer than my Grandmother beating Hassan Fezzik.

Dawn of Destruction, as Storry had christened the card had started with a ho-hum 5 round decision win by someone named Neville Granville over someone else names Log Drake. The bout actually nearly had me sawing logs by the end. Next I was treated to a name I knew, the erstwhile veteran Graham Goodbody (no pun intended if you have seen him) pounded out youngster Adrian Pascal, winning on a TKO by strike at 2:16 of the first round.

Next up was a former Marine named Bill Brown, who Storry raved about, tapping out Pete Shilton with an Americana in the third round in what was a truly pathetic fight and one that did nothing to validate Storry as an evaluator of talent. Two more first round TKO’s by local fighter Rupert Dreck (over Jethro Munter) and Damien Jones (over veteran Ernie Bruns) and I was ready to call it a night.

That was when Jerry Bogdonovich changed my mind and hopefully my life in MMA. Bogdonovich was undefeated at 5-0, but nothing more than a brawler from New Jersey with a big punch. He was matched with wrestling master Guillermo Morales of Cuba, who came in at 7-0-1 and had actually raised some eyebrows in the MMA world. I was actually surprised Storry had been able to sign him considering there were rumors that FBL and GAMMA both had interest in him. I settled in to watch Morales school the brawler from Jersey and was not disappointed in the first round as he made Bogdonovich look foolish at times and I was sure he would take him out in round 2. The round started with Morales stalking his prey, waiting to strike….He lunged, but missed the takedown and as he jumped to his feet Bogdonovich launched a right hand from the parking lot. The thud was sickening, yet as Morales hit the canvas out before his body had even settled, I was suddenly rejuvenated. One wild right hand made it clear. I did need to be part of ECW, because just like Bogdonovich had completed a miracle, I could complete one to by helping Storry turn this unknown promotion into a national MMA force. The men who fight in this sport do so for the challenge and that is what I needed as well. It is a shame I was too blind to see it before that wild right hand.

Before the main event started I accepted Storry’s offer to join the promotion as matchmaker, then settled back in to enjoy the fight of the night as Stormin’ Norman Pike won the ECW heavyweight title taking out Petey Barnum in 3:38 of round one in an absolute war.

There was a lot to do as at the current time ECW only had two divisions, Light-Heavy and Heavyweight. I officially formed a Middleweight division the next day and moved Bill Brown (who I thought was sluggish at LHW) and a couple of others such as Hunter Scribbins down. I then got on the phone and started calling fighters. By the first week in February I had our roster fleshed out and we now boasted 20+ fighters in each weight class. Hey, Storry had 2.5 million and we were going to need to spend it to compete. The only question was, could we become competitive and turn a profit before the bankroll dwindled away?

OOC: I used lucky dip (cool new feature) and my character (Ace Idol) ended up with 5 in negotiating, 4 in eye for talent, 2 in matchmaking and 9 in promotion, which fits my background nicely. I will run monthly shows to start as we hopefully grow and provide quarterly updates on the rest of the MMA world as well. Due to formatting issues with excel and this board (You can't post excel documents over a certain size) I will be starting here in January of 1999.

To catch up on 1998 follow the link below

ECW - Elite Cage Warfare - Page 7 - Grey Dog Software

[duff88]

That's a shame, I read the first post before you deleted it and thought it was a good premise. You planning anything new?

[Abe Sargent]

Yeah, me too

[BYU 14]

I am going to pick it up in January of 1999 and link to the first year on the greydog board, that way I can format the roster and rankings on notepad to fit here

Edit - OK ready to start from January 1999, you can catch up on 1998 through the link in the first post.

[BYU 14]

ECW News – January 1999

Finances – December 1998
Income
Gate Receipts - $5,225
Sponsorship - $1,149
Merchandise - $3,028
Misc - $778
Expenses
Fighter Pay - $49,253
Production - $314
Marketing - $1,757
Administration - $3,194
Contractual - $1,800
Misc - $13,357

Monthly Net: -$59,495
Balance: $2,016,325


Contract issues
New Signings
None

Extensions
None

Terminations
None

Cage Scraps
Jim Carpenter appears on Blurcat Radio and talks about his career and his future as part of ECW, saying the move has rejuvenated him. The next day we officially introduce him at a press conference.

Julio Correa joins Carl Roughton on Blurcat Radio to talk about his February matchup against undefeated Sylvester Collins in what will be a very big fight. Correa thinks he has the game plan to hand Collins (6-0) his first professional loss, acknowledging it will be a tough fight.

Keaton Spratt has resumed training after recovering from a broken nose suffered in November against Justin Brannagh.

Norman Pike is set to appear on the Big Cat show where he will discuss his decision to move to Light Heavyweight after losing the Heavyweight Title to Marvin Stevens, the state of MMA and what he sees as a very deep pool of young talent in ECW.

We announce our plan to hold 2 cards every 3 months beginning in April 1999 and will also look at reducing the number of fights on our cards to 7, though a final decision has not been made on that yet.

Tony Legg gives Blurcat’s Mark Lavin a phone interview and announces he has signed to fight fellow undefeated Middleweight Billy Russell at ECW 15, in a fight he thinks can land him a Title shot by the end of the year if he wins.

Snuffy Fontana is back in training as he has been given a clean bill of health after suffering an Elbow injury in his win over Tobias Goulet at ECW 11.

Roope Kuqi is interviewed by Mark Lavin prior to his pro debut against Wally Bryant. The son of the legendary Veeti Kuqi talked about carrying on his father’s legacy and hope that we would one day fight for a Title.

Ozzy Bintley conducts a phone interview with Blurcat’s Tom Bradburn and expresses disappointment in his ECW 13 fight against Brady Crawford, whom he feels will offer no challenge. The cocky Brit has already inflamed some with his arrogance and will not make many friends after this interview.



Top 15 Pound for Pound Fighters

	Fighter	W	L	D
1	HW: Hassan Fezzik - Alpha-1	27	0	0
2	LHW: Tadamasa Yamada - Alpha-1	22	1	0
3	WW: Julio Regueiro - GAMMA	21	0	0
4	MW: Mathhew Dean - GAMMA	33	5	0
5	FW: Li-Kong Ho - Unemployed	20	0	0
6	LW: Sean Morrison - GAMMA	29	3	0
7	LHW: Zvonimi Asanovic - Alpha-1	28	2	0
8	LW: Sukarno - Unemployed	24	0	0
9	WW: Alan Kendall - GAMMA	15	3	0
10	LHW: Jin Katou - Alpha-1	19	0	0
11	LHW: Affonso Villar - FLB	23	2	0
12	HW: Jeff Carlton - GAMMA	34	7	0
13	MW: Joaquim Fontes - FLB	23	3	0
14	MW: Neil Napier - GAMMA	17	0	0
15	WW: Vikram Sithalayan - BCF	19	2	0

Fights of Note
Alpha-1 – 13,709 are present to watch Heiji Endo defend his Middleweight title as he takes out Tadao Miyazaki by TKO (Strikes) in 0:42 of round 6.

SIGMA – In a fantastic fight SIGMA Welterweight Champion Evgeni Medtner was stopped by Noach Van Der Capellen in 1:30 of round by strikes in front of 743 fans in Germany.

WEFF 9 – Leslie Meyers upset previously unbeaten Jenny DeNeuve by unanimous decision over 5 rounds to win the WEFF Lightweight title before 334 fans in Quebec.

GAMMA 32 – 9,416 fans turned out in Texas to watch Middleweight Champion Matthew Dean retain his Title with a 5 round unanimous decision victory over JJ Reid. It was a competitive fight, but Dean never seemed in danger of losing. The company also announced 269,138 PPV buys.

XCC – In front of 258 fans in California, Jamie Hewitt retained his XCC Lightweight Title with a 5 round unanimous decision over Kenny Magilton.

News of the World
SCF announces their inaugural card will take place on the last Saturday in January, with DeMerritt Laine and Gene Oakley headlining.

Alpha-1 announces the main event for their February show and as expected Jin Katou will defend his Light Heavyweight Title against Tadamasa Yamada, in what could be the highest grossing MMA event to date.

Longtime MMA veteran Ralf Puce announces his retirement at the age of 44. Puce, 26-19 over his career began fighting back in MMA’s outlaw days, often competing on underground cards where there were few, if any rules. He ended his career in style with a 19 second stoppage of Kyle Reinhardt at a local show in England.

GAMMA 33 is announced for the 3rd week of February with a Light Heavyweight title fight between Marlon John and Lawrence Herringbone set as the main event. Norbert Vinkus will take on Raul Hughes in the Co-Main event.

In what can be seen as a potential blow to the company, GAMMA has cancelled the GAMMA TV show set for Florida the week before GAMMA 33 due to injuries. I highlight special will be shown in the time slot instead.

Japanese Middleweight Yoshinobu Tanaka, nephew of famous wrestler Tor Tanaka has officially retired at the age of 40, finishing his career with a 27-16 record.

Thiago Ceni, a respected Jiu Jitsu practitioner has announced his retirement from the sport at the age of 36. Ceni had trouble with strikers and finished his career with a record of 18-12. He fought once in 1998 after being released by FLB late in 1997.

Two mainstays on the French MMA scene announce their retirements as both Claude Lerond (39) and Monty Olivier (44) call it quits. Lerond ends his career after a stopping Jarvis Meyer on a local European show with a record of 20-12. Olivier looked dreadful in his last outing, losing to unknown Kristjan Johansson at a European local show in January and ends his career with a record of 28-26.

Italian Silvio Scirea also decides it is time to walk into the sunset at the age of 39. With a career record of 10-9 he never really got off the ground, but at least goes out with a win in his final fight.

Omega Fighting Championships announce they are commencing operations. A conglomeration of Boxing promoters, the Mexico based promotion will offer a heavy boxing influence, featuring 12 round fights and will also be the first MMA promotion to give fighters a 10 count after they have been knocked down. With the amount of resources this promotion has, they will be an immediate player in the MMA scene, featuring weight classes from Lightweight to Heavyweight.

[BYU 14]

Top 10 Heavyweights - January 1st 1999

	Name	W	L	D
1	Marvin Stevens ©	23	10	0
2	Gladstone Lopes	15	1	1
3	Sylvester Collins	6	0	0
4	Damien Jones	4	0	0
5	Guy Broom	4	0	0
6	Efren Luat	5	0	0
7	Nqate MacReary	4	0	0
8	Julio Correa	7	1	0
9	Sly Twinge	5	1	0
10	Brody Howles	3	0	0

The Rest

Basil McCrystle 7-5
Brady Crawford 6-7
Don Norman 23-15
Gareth Grundy 7-4
Graham Goodbody 19-11
Josimar Martins 16-6
Kevin Portman 10-7
Libor Pudil 3-1
Otto Renner 5-2
Ozzy Bintley 2-0
Renato 3-0
Roope Kuqi 0-0
Sahan Ozbek 2-1
Terry Bull 1-3
Wally Bryant 1-2
Wilson Franklyn 6-3

Probably our strongest division as it is loaded with some good young prospects, some of whom (Renato, Bintley and Kuqi) should crack the top 10 at some point in 1999. Our biggest sleeper is Wilson Franklyn who has improved his stanima and had Gladstone Lopes beaten in his last fight before getting knocked out with less than 20 seconds left in the final round.

Stevens will likely not last long as Champion as his upset win over Norman Pike (who has since droped down to Light-Heavyweight) was nothing more than a fluke due to a large weight difference and Pike's refusal to alter his strategy during the fight. Lopes and Stevens look set to fight in April if negotiations are succesful, with Collins awaiting the winner.

[BYU 14]

Top 10 Light Heavyweights - January 1999

	Name	W	L	D
1	Rupert Dreck ©	7	0	0
2	Norman Pike	19	5	0
3	Osmosis Benn	15	1	0
4	Washi Shiganori	6	0	0
5	Jerry Bogdonovich	8	1	0
6	Glenn Pimm	31	12	0
7	Flavio Alberto	3	0	0
8	Terry Catt	6	1	0
9	Jethro Munter	11	7	0
10	Justin Brannagh	5	1	0

The Rest

Adrian Pascal 2-2
Adrian Swall 4-1
Carson Neuwirth 15-11
Edward Zahn 8-7
Folee Caffatere 2-4
Jasper Osmond 13-11
Joseph King 8-8
Keaton Spratt 8-6
Log Drake 1-3
Logan Sky 1-1
Pete Shilton 6-5
Petey Barnum 21-16
Ranieri Fernanda 4-0
Rens de Beus 3-1
Silvio Leite 5-0

With some of the talent in the top 10 it is hard to belive Carson Neuwirth was our first LHW Champion, upsetting Glenn Pimm. Luckily his reign was short as Jerry Bogdonovich blasted him out in his firs defense. Norman Pike dropping down from Heavyweight definitely bolsters this division, but there is a huge drop off in talent outside of the top 10. Our brightest unranked fighters are Leite and Fernanda, with nobody else likely to develop into a contender.

[BYU 14]

Top 10 Middleweights - January 1999

	Middleweight	W	L	D
1	Ethan Sutton ©	8	0	0
2	Leonardo da Costa	12	6	0
3	Bill Brown	4	0	0
4	Hunter Scribbins	4	0	0
5	Alex Cole	9	1	0
6	Toby Sorkin	5	0	0
7	Keith Plaice	13	5	0
8	Tuck Durdell	4	0	0
9	Snuffy Fontana	5	0	0
10	Atsutane Akera	3	0	0

The Rest

Andrew Rush 15-7
Artak Gevor 3-1
Billy Russell 3-0
Blaze Weeks 2-1
Charlie Oakley 1-0
Ernie Bruns 17-13
Franz Ludwig 10-10
Guillermo Morales 8-2-1
Hardy Tristan 1-2
Holden Strant 4-5
Jon Silvers 7-2
Owen Hyde 2-2
Tobias Goulet 15-17
Tony Legg 3-0

A good mix in this division with some established stars (Cole, Sutton, da Costa) some highly reagarded prospects (Brown, Russell, Scribbins) and some solid veterans (Morales, Rush, Silvers) who will provide a test for anybody looking to ascend to the top of the rankings. Some great fights loom in this division and one to look forward to in May will be a showdown between Billy Russell and Tony Legg.

[BYU 14]

Top 10 Welterweights - January 1999

	Name	W	L	D
1	Jim Carpenter	49	9	2
2	Delroy Rhodes ©	8	0	0
3	Lloyd McAllister	13	4	0
4	Bhumibol Ektawatkul	9	4	0
5	Zachary Gilbert	12	7	0
6	Junmal Skinner	5	2	0
7	Sawyer Hines	4	1	0
8	Heath Kaladadaris	2	0	0
9	Houston George	3	0	0
10	Brad Wyman	3	0	0

The Rest

Eric Dartmouth 1-2
Ethan LeGrange 6-0
Evan Pizzarro 2-0
Feliz Matterson Jr 3-0
Gideon Navarro 3-0
Harold Carrie 3-2
Jeffrey Foxworthy 0-1
Linton Berry 6-4
Nick Detroit 4-1
Phil Ball 11-6
Ralph Kohl 16-9
Sammi Chan 3-1
Stian Abdestein 1-0

A lot of unknowns in our newest division as many of these fighters have yet to be tested. Some who the critics feel are destined for greatness include 19 yr old Evan Pizzarro, Gideon Navarro and Heath Kaladaris. Delroy Rhodes tore through the field in our December tournament to crown a Champion and if he can get best world class veteran Jim Carpenter in his first Title defense he could be Champion for a while.

[BYU 14]

Year end Awards 1998

Fighter of the Year – Kafu Bunya – Alpha-1 (4-0 for the year in Alpha-1, won Welterweight Title in November)

Female Fighter of the year – Jenny DeNeuve - WEFF

Rookie of the year – No Award given

Rise of the year – Bill Brown – ECW (This will surely make him a target)

Fall of the year – Haranobu Oshiro – Alpha-1 (Went 0-3)

Promotion of the year – BCF (An interesting choice)

Team of the year – Animal House

Show of the year – GAMMA 22: Foster vs Hughes – February 1998

Fight of the year – Tim Boyer vs Leon Banks (GAMMA - February 1998)

Worst fight of the year – Caca de Andrade vs Giovanni Silva (FLB – December 1998)

Knockout of the year – Mike Watson vs Anthony LeToussier (GAMMA – April 1998)

Submission of the year – Li-Kong Ho vs Tomohiro Takeuchi (KDM FC – February 1998)

Main event of the year – Jeff Carlton vs Tim Boyer (GAMMA – August 1998)

Upset of the year – Oleg Dorosklov defeats Gempachi Higa (Alpha-1 – March 1998)

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare presents.
ECW 13 – Crimson Reign January, 1999

Main card

Main Event – ECW Light Heavyweight Title 5 rounds
‘The Green Machine’ Rupert Dreck © 7-0 vs Osmosis Benn 15-1

Co-Main – Light Heavyweight 3 rounds
Ranieri ‘Martelo’ Fernanda 4-0 vs ‘No Surrender’ Glenn Pimm 31-12

Middleweights 3 rounds
Leonardo da Costa 12-6 vs ‘The Specialist’ Keith Plaice 13-5

Welterweights 3 rounds
Nick ‘Streets’ Detroit 4-1 vs Junmal Skinner 5-2

Welterweights 3 rounds
Evan ‘The Carpenter’ Pizarro 2-0 vs Brad ‘Dead Eye’ Wyman 3-0

Preliminaries

WW – Houston George 3-0 vs Sawyer Hines 4-1

WW – Heath Kaladaris 2-0 vs Harold Carrie 3-2

HW – Ozzy Bintley 2-0 vs Brady Crawford 6-7

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare 13 – Crimson Reign January, 1999

Preliminaries

HW – Ozzy Bintley defeats Brady Crawford by TKO (Strikes) in 1:34 of round 1
Rating: Good
*Bintley sprawled, got Crawford turtled and it was over after 5 punches

WW – Heath Kaladaris defeats Harold Carrie by TKO (Strikes) in 3:11 of round 1
Rating: Average
*After a quick takedown, Kaladaris lands 7 of 10 strikes from the ground

WW – Houston George defeats Sawyer Hines by Submission (Armbar) in 3:40 of round 1
Rating: Great
*George was dominant once he got Hines to the ground, though it took 2 attempts to submit him

Main Card

WW: Evan Pizzarro 2-0 vs Brad Wyman 3-0
Pizzarro was hyped heavily before this fight and he wastes no time trying to impress as he moves in tight showing no fear of Wyman’s Muay Thai skills. Getting his opponent in a clinch, Pizzarro goes for a Judo throw, taking Wyman down hard. Working quickly, Pizzarro passes guard, traps Wyman in an Armbar and wrenches it in hard forcing the tap!

Winner by Submission (Armbar) in 3:56 of round 1 Evan Pizzarro - Rating: Great
*Wyman landed 5 of 6 punches, but Pizzarro walked right through them to roll to the win

--------------------------------------------------

WW: Nick Detroit 4-1 vs Junmal Skinner 5-2
A matchup of two standup specialists and Detroit gains an early advantage, backing Skinner up with a series of hard shots. Ducking a jab, Detroit nails Skinner in the groin with a kick, prompting a stoppage so Skinner can recover. The low blow seems to spur Skinner on as he picks up the pace and out strikes Detroit over the remaining 2 minutes of the round, landing several pinpoint blows that snap Detroit’s head back.

Round 2 gets underway and the fighters come together on a clinch, where Skinner is able to get the better of the action with some nice dirty boxing. Creating space, Detroit looks to jab, then leaps in with a wild Superman punch that misses, allowing Skinner to counter. Skinner attempts to follow up, but Detroit ducks under a hook and comes over the top with a violent right hand that puts Skinner down! Detroit jumps straight to mount and fires away for punches and elbows, but Skinner covers up effectively. Looking to roll out Skinner then gives up his back and Detroit gets the hooks in and goes for the rear naked choke, but Skinner is able to hang on until the end of the round.

The third and final round begins and Detroit counters a flurry of shots with a vicious leg kick. Skinner now goes back to his jab as Detroit continues to throw kicks, though it seems as if he is losing some steam from his shots. Skinner hits a nice combination, then as he steps in again with the jab, Detroit launches a straight right over the top and Skinner hits the deck again! This time Detroit is able to penetrate Skinner’s defense and the latter is taking numerous shots….Detroit pours it on and the referee has seen enough!!

Winner by TKO (Strikes in 3:59 of round 3 Nick Detroit - Rating: Good
*Skinner hit on 28 of 80 punches standing, but Detroit was lethal on the ground (21 of 29)

--------------------------------------------------

MW: Leonardo da Costa 12-6 vs Keith Plaice 13-5
Its Jiu Jitsu vs Muay Thai as the fight begins with Plaice looking to mix it up with kicks and strikes, but da Costa defends the standup game well and pulls Plaice into a clinch, taking him down with a leg trip. da Costa bides his time on the ground, slowly working to pass guard into side control. Once there he isolates Plaice’s right arm and goes for an Americana….Plaice struggles, but da Costa completes the hold and wrenches Plaice’s arm back forcing him to tap!

Winner by Submission (Americana) in 3:46 of round 1 Leonardo da Costa - Rating: decent
*Nothing of note landed by either fighter before da Costa took it to the ground

--------------------------------------------------

LHW: Ranieri Fernanda 4-0 vs Glenn Pimm 31-12
Pre-fight rumors are circulating that Pimm has been dealing with a multitude of personal issues. The fight begins and after a brief flurry, Fernanda immediately takes Pimm down, but the veteran does a good job maintaining guard. Fernanda tries unsuccessfully to pass guard three times, but also prevents Pimm from sweeping him as the referee finally stands them up as the round ends with boos echoing through the arena.

Fernanda looks to grapple as soon as round 2 starts and secures underhooks, slamming Pimm to the mat again. Pimm again maintains guard and Fernanda resorts to firing away with elbow, which Pimm is able to easily defend. After taking a quick breather Fernanda is finally able to pass guard and slips to side control. After a hard knee to the ribs, Fernanda uncorks a series of hammer fists and Pimm is taking a pounding…Pimm is hurt badly and the referee jumps in and pulls Fernanda away!

Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 4:08 of round 2 Ranieri Fernanda - Rating: Very Poor
*Fernanda was 1 of 5 on passes, but when he did pass he hit 17 of 22 strikes

--------------------------------------------------

Main Event – LHW: Rupert Dreck 7-0 © vs Osmosis Benn 15-1 for the ECW Light Heavyweight Title
This match is heavily hyped and the crowd is alive as the opening bell rings. Benn hits a hard leg kick to start things off and Dreck feints a punch, then goes for the takedown, but Benn defends it and Dreck forces him into the cage. Against the Cage, Benn is able to force Dreck’s head down and roll him over gaining side control. Benn quickly gets mount and unloads on the champion with a series of punishing blows that hurt Dreck. Trying desperately to escape, Dreck is caught again and is now in serious trouble as the referee dives on top of Benn stopping the fight!!!

Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 2:27 of round 1 Osmosis Benn - Rating: Great – Benn wins the ECW Light Heavyweight Title!!!
*Not a lot of punches landed, but every one that did hurt Dreck as Benn made it look easy.

--------------------------------------------------

Attendance: 242 – Gate $6,050 – Critical Rating: Good / Commercial Rating: Great

vs
Fight of the night – Osmosis Benn vs Rupert Dreck

KO of the night – Osmosis Benn

Submission of the night – Leonardo da Costa

Post Show:
Well this certainly changes the picture in the LHW division as Benn handled Dreck, who is an accomplished wrestler in his own right easily. Looking at some of the top contenders, Benn could be in for a long run as Bogdonovich has no prayer if he is locked up and guys like Brannagh and Catt are solid, but not at Benn’s level. Shiganori is an intriguing possibility, but he hasn’t really been tested yet, which leaves Norman Pike who may be the only LHW with a chance to dethrone him anytime soon. Attendance jumped back up a bit and with the commercial success of the card we should be back on track. Popularity is currently at 21% which is a decent bump, hoping that passing the 20% threshold gets some more butts in the seats.

Trainers Report
Rupert Dreck: Out 1 month on medical suspension
Keith Plaice: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Glenn Pimm: Out 4 months on medical suspension (Fernanda but a hurting on him)
Junmal Skinner: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Brad Wyman: Out 4 months on medical suspension (The Carpenter really nailed him)
Sawyer Hines: Out 2 months on medical suspension

Cage Scraps
Leonardo da Costa called out Middleweight Champion Ethan Sutton and is certainly in line after his impressive victory over Plaice. The Winner of next month’s Alex Cole / Bill Brown match will get the next shot at Sutton, so I think the next step may be a match with Hunter Scribbins with the winner getting a Title shot late in the year.

Heath Kaladaris and Ranieri Fernanda are both down to their final fight and I request negotiations with both of them as I feel they are both potential contenders down the road, especially Kaladaris who looks like he could be the total package.

Marvin Stevens makes it official and signs for a Title defense against Gladstone Lopes set for ECW 15 – Defiance in April.

[BYU 14]

ECW News – February 1999

Finances – January 1999
Income
Gate Receipts - $6,050
Sponsorship - $1,192
Merchandise - $3,035
Misc - $961
Expenses
Fighter Pay - $45,653
Production - $297
Marketing - $1,736
Administration - $2,884
Contractual - $0
Misc - $14,273

Monthly Net: -$53,605
Balance: $1,962,720

We slip under 2 million in the bank and I think the move to shows every 6 weeks is well timed. I have considered dropping the number of fights per show to 7, but will hold off on that until we lose a few guys so I can keep everyone busy.

Contract issues
New Signings
HW – Armen Sarkisian 32 yrs old 25-2 Exclusive $4500 for 4 fights over 36 months (Our biggest signing to date as we pry Sarkisian away from both Alpha-1 and Omega. He is #16 pound for pound and the #3 Heavyweight in the world, well worth the cash and instant #1 contender for our HW Strap)

MW – Isaiah Monroe 23 yrs old 3-0 Exclusive $1400 for 5 fights over 36 months (A standout Collegiate wrestler, he is physical and athletic and should add to our Middleweight division down the road)

LHW – Jericho Stewart 23 yrs old 2-0 Exclusive $1200 for 5 fights over 33 months (A fearsome striker, he wants $1400 but I drop to $1200 and refuse to budge and he eventually relents, rather than return to the local scene in South America.)

Extensions
WW – Heath Kaladaris 20 yrs old 3-0 Exclusive $1400 for 5 fights over 45 months (A steal here as he wants to be in ECW)

LHW – Ranieri Fernanda 26 yrs old 5-0 Associate $3000 for 4 fights over 30 months (He priced me out of the market for an exclusive deal and was holding out for $3250 for an associate, finally buckled on my final offer. Hopefully nobody steals him)

HW – Efren Luat 24 yrs old 5-0 Exclusive $2000 for 5 fights over 39 months (Alpha-1 came in at $1800, so I had to go to 2K or I would have lost him, could have been worse I suppose.)

Terminations
HW – Terry Bull 23 yrs old 1-3, Bull quickly turned into a bust losing all three of his ECW fights after joining the company with a 1-0 record. He had three fights left on an associates deal, but there was no point prolonging his agony. (His losses were to Collins, MacReary and Renner)

Cage Scraps
Tony Legg continues to make the rounds in the media hyping his upcoming fight with Billy Russell, sharing some insight on how he prepares psychologically for such a contest.

Justin Brannagh shared road stories on Blurcat Radio, including a semi-legendary tale about a cat, an Undertaker friend and the joke they pulled on a Forensic Pathologist. Humorous, but very disturbing.

Roope Kuqi is becoming one of our most popular interview requests as the second generation fighter conducts a phone interview with Mark Johnstone centered on his upcoming pro debut against Wally Bryant.

Toby Sorkin stirs the pot in a big way insulting Guillermo Morales, saying he can’t take a punch and would be the victim of the quickest knockout loss in history at ECW 15. The interview creates quite the stir online and Sorkin is vilified by several websites. Sorkin has a strong dislike of both Morales and Francis O’Leary and makes no bones about it. (I decide to take advantage of this and hype their match accordingly)

Alpha-1 is coming after Efren Luat and while I think he will eventually be little more than an average Heavyweight, I request negotiations to try and upgrade his contract as I am not ready to part ways yet.

Hunter Scribbins will be appearing on The Big Cat Show, where he will discuss ECW and his future plans and also take some phone calls.

Stian Agdestein joins Mark Lavin for an interview on Blurcat.com and talks about his upcoming ECW debut at ECW 15 against Jeffrey Foxworthy, hoping he makes a big impression.

Sylvester Collins makes a last minute appearance on Blurcat Radio before his fight at ECW 14 against Julio Correa, but surprisingly talks very little about the fight, instead discussing the similarities between MMA and Football and expressing his desire to one day be Champion.



Current Champions
GAMMA
HW – Jeff Carlton
LHW – Marlon John
MW – Matthew Dean
WW – Julio Reguiro
LW – Sean Morrison

Alpha-1
HW – Hassan Fezzik
LHW – Tadamasa Yamada
MW – Heijo Endo
WW – Kafu Bunya
LW – Fumiaki Hayashi

SIGMA
HW – Terron Cabal
LHW – Aleksei Chekhov
MW – Fjodor Kanchlskies
WW – Noach Van Der Capellen
LW – Lubos Plasil
FW – Lars Bolin

BCF
HW – Stafford Alois
LHW – Curt Kitson
MW – Davis Spyrou
WW – Vikram Sithalayan
LW – Jake Keane

FLB
HW – Elzo Alves Moura
LHW – Affonso Villar
MW – Braulio Moura
WW – Manual Silva
LW – Adenor Togni

WEFF
HW – Kelly Andrews
LW – Leslie Myers

XCC
LW – Jamie Hewitt
FW – Easton Frye
Women’s – Layla Holmes

ECW
HW – Marvin Stevens
LHW – Osmosis Benn
MW – Ethan Sutton
WW – Delroy Rhodes

Fights of Note
SCF 1 – Steel City Fury held their inaugural card in Nevada in front of 64 people who watched Gene Oakley starch DeMerritt Laine in 27 seconds of the opening round in a fight graded as good. Overall the card had good critical success, but only average commercial success. Welcome to the MMA world.

Alpha-1 – Tadamasa Yamada beats previously undefeated Jin Katou by strikes in 9:27 of round 1 to capture Katou’s Light Heavyweight Title in a poor match.

GAMMA 33 – In a barn burner that saw an entire fights worth of action packed into 2:42, Marlon John retained his Light Heavyweight Title when Herringbone tapped to strikes in the 1st round.

News of the World
Omega Fighting Championships seems to have opened at the right time as experts are predicting a big boom in Mexico’s economy.

Omega holds a press conference and announces that Dean Guest will assume the duties of CEO for the newly formed promotion

SCF is building up an impressive roster and CEO Joseph Steven is quite the negotiator as they are getting big stars cheap. Currently their Featherweight class is regarded as becoming established, being ranked at 24%.

FLB 13: The Damned is scheduled for the first Monday of March and will feature a Lightweight Title match between Adenor Togni and Grande Silveira.

Greg Atteveld destroys Darren Fry in 59 seconds at a local show in Virginia, and then promptly announces his retirement. One of the first American MMA fighters to fully embrace Jiu Jitsu, the 43 yr old Atteveld bids adieu to the sport with a professional record of 38-14.

SIGMA announces their next show for the last Sunday in February that will feature Aleksei Chekhov defending his Light Heavyweight belt against Nicolai Mickiewicz.

Bence Bodor who has not fought for over a year officially announces his retirement from competition. The 42 yr old Bodor finishes his career with a record of 34-18.

BCF announces an event for the first Saturday in March, featuring a much anticipated showdown between Stafford Alois and Carter Potter for the BCF Heavyweight Title.

Alpha-1 sets the main event for their next show in March as Kafu Bunya will defend his Welterweight Title against Ichisake Miyagi on the second Saturday. The same day as ECW 15 – Defiance!

41 yr old Japanese Middleweight Koji Hashiranti retires with a professional record of 17-12. Hashiranti has not been relevant for over 2 years and with opportunities to get back to Alpha-1 non-existent decided it was time.

GAMMA 34 is announced and will feature a Lightweight Title defense by Sean Morrison against Bud Brockett. The event will take place on the 3rd Saturday in March.

The man who spawned one of our young HW prospects, Veeti Kuqi has decided to retire at the age of 39. I had considered bringing him in to fight on the same card as his son Roope, but never seriously pursued the idea. The elder Kuqi says goodbye with a pro record of 34-19 and legend status in Finland, we will see how junior measures up.

Luigi Kolasinski, an Italian Judo master has also retired at age 41. Kolasinski did not begin his career until age 40 and was 3-0 on the European local circuit, before deciding his mid life crisis was over.

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare presents.
ECW 14 – Rage in the Rockies February, 1999

Main card

vs
Main Event – Middleweight Title Eliminator 3 rounds
Alex ‘Ace in the Hole’ Cole 9-1 vs Bill ‘The Marine’ Brown 4-0

Co-Main – Heavyweights 3 rounds
‘The Big Show’ Sylvester Collins 6-0 vs Julio ‘JC’ Correa 7-1

Light Heavyweights 3 rounds
‘The Dockland Destroyer’ Jerry Bogdonovich 8-1 vs Jethro ‘The Hunter’ Munter 11-7

Light Heavyweights 3 rounds
Silvio Leite 5-0 vs Jasper ‘The Mighty Wasp’ Osmond 13-11

Middleweights 3 rounds
‘The Surgeon’ Atsutane Akera 3-0 vs Artak Gevor 3-1

Preliminaries

MW – Jon Silvers 7-2 vs Ernie Bruns 17-13

HW – Roope Kuqi 0-0 vs Wally Bryant 1-2

WW – Gideon Navarro 3-0 vs Linton Berry 6-4

Predictions welcome

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare 14 – Rage in the Rockies February, 1999

Preliminaries

WW – Gideon Navarro defeats Linton Berry by Submission (Armbar) in 4:21 of round 1
Rating: Great
*Both came out swinging (Navarro 11, Berry 18) before it went to the ground

HW – Roope Kuqi defeats Wally Bryant by unanimous decision in 3 rounds
Rating: Poor
*Sloppy debut as Kuqi is 19 of 45 striking, Bryant 1 of 20 and 0 of 3 on takedowns

MW – Jon Silvers defeats Ernie Bruns by KO (Punch) in 2:21 of round 1
Rating: Great
*Bruns winning with dirty boxing and then got caught in a wild exchange

Main Card

MW: Atsutane Akera 3-0 vs Artak Gevor 3-1
Round 1: The heavily favored Akera is backed up early as Gevor is aggressive with his strikes. Biding his time, ‘The Surgeon’ waits for his moment, then drives forward and plant Gevor, leaving him seated against the cage. Akera manages to get Gevor on his back and looks to set up an Armbar. Gevor sees it coming, but cannot defend it as Akera sinks it in with lightning speed, leaving Gevor no option but to tap or lose the arm!

Winner by Submission (Armbar) in 3:28 of round 1 Atsutane Akera - Rating: Great
*Akera is cool and calculated and once he had an opening it was only a matter of time

--------------------------------------------------

LHW: Silvio Leite 5-0 vs Jasper Osmond 13-11
Round 1: Leite is something of an unknown quantity, but wastes no time making his intentions clear as he eats a jab, then powers through Osmond, taking him down with ease. Osmond is able to defend himself well as Leite works the Elbows. Unable to connect, Leite pulls Osmond away from the cage and works to mount, unloading a withering barrage that has the referee scrambling to stop it.

Winner by TKO (Strikes in 3:13 of round 1 Silvio Leite - Rating: Great
*Osmond scored 13 of 14 strikes from his back, but Leite overwhelmed him.

--------------------------------------------------

LHW: Jerry Bogdonovich 8-1 vs Jethro Munter 11-7
Round1: Bogdonovich comes out looking to strike as expected, but is sloppy allowing Munter to shoot in and score a takedown. Munter goes to work looking to crack Bogdonovich’s defense, but has no luck as the latter covers up nicely. Bogdonovich tries to sweep, but in doing so allows Munter to get side control and takes a few shots. Munter then blocks an attempt to pull guard and traps one of Bogdonovich’s arms and begins to rain down hammer fists. Bogdonovich works hard to escape, but is locked up and taking shot after shot, leaving no choice for the referee!

Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 3:21 of round 1 Jethro Munter - Rating: Decent
*Bogdonovich couldn’t get going and Munter was brutal, landing 13 of 15 strikes from side control

--------------------------------------------------

HW: Sylvester Collins 6-0 vs Julio Correa 7-1
We have put heavy hype into Collins leading up to this match.
Round 1: Both fighters get some nice shots in early as the action is brisk. Correa tastes the power of Collins and looks to keep him at a distance with the jab. Collins is looking to get into the pocket, but Correa is too slippery and Collins grows frustrated, going for the takedown and getting rocked with a big right from Correa. Regaining his composure, Collins lunges in and is caught with another big shot that knocks him back on his heels and has him back peddling as the round ends.

Round 2: Correa’s corner tells him to keep moving, but Collins is determined to take it to the ground and goes straight for Correa’s legs, eating a left hand for his trouble. Collins keeps the pressure up, throwing a quick combination and then ducking under a Correa right, finally getting the takedown. Correa cinches his guard tight and Collins is unable to pass it, trying instead to pound Correa out from inside the guard. Correa does a good job avoiding any major damage and fires a few shots from his back, which are little more than an annoyance. As the action slows, the fighters are ordered to stand up and the round ends with Correa hitting a jab. The final round will decide this fight.

Round 3: Both fighters seem to be tiring and the striking reflects this as both are now missing more than they are connecting. Correa avoids some big right hands and counters with brief flurries that have little behind them. Collins moves in close and they exchange short punches on the inside, Correa then misses a bomb and Collins hits 2 thunderous rights in a row, the second of which drops Correa! Collins immediately drops to Correa’s side and lets the right hand go like a trip hammer. Correa is stunned and has no clue where he is as several more hard shots land before Collins can be pulled off.

Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 4:43 of round 3 Sylvester Collins - Rating: Great
*Correa was sharper on his feet hitting 36 of 68 strikes, but Collins owned the ground with 31 of 38.

--------------------------------------------------

Main Event – MW: Alex Cole 9-1 vs Bill Brown 4-0 #1 contenders match
We have been promoting this fight as a classic in a series of videos
Round 1: Brown looks to bait Cole into striking and Cole obliges, but comes up short. Cole then circles and feints with a lead right, but Brown is unfazed and bores in, elevating Cole, then slamming him against the cage. With his back against the steel, Cole tries to walk up the cage, but Brown grabs the neck and pulls him down into a Guillotine. Cole struggles, but Brown keeps working under the chin and gets it tighter cranking Cole’s neck…..and Cole taps, it’s over!!!

Winner by Submission (Guillotine) in 1:48 of round 1 Bill Brown - Rating: Good
*Brown was machine like in the cage, drawing Cole in and putting him away with ease

--------------------------------------------------

Attendance: 248 – Gate $6,200 – Critical Rating: Great / Commercial Rating: Great

vs
Fight of the night – Gideon Navarro vs Linton Berry

KO of the night – Jon Silvers

Submission of the night – Bill Brown

Post Show:
Two of our brightest stars from the first 6 months of our existence have now both lost two in a row. Alex Cole had a tough challenge in Brown, but the Jerry Bogdonovich loss was a shocker as Munter came in a big underdog, but had his way with J-Bog. There are some cases where a loss can destroy a fighter and these whispers will undoubtedly fly about Bogdonovich who will be facing a crossroads fight his next time out. Brown may have the best ground game in the company and there is no doubt he has the ability to rip the Middleweight Title from Sutton’s grasp. I thought attendance would be better, but we still picked up a bit from January and our popularity jumped 2.4% to 23.4% total. I am hoping going to every 6 weeks now will spike our attendance more as the fans will not get as burned out on the product, we will see what happens.

Trainers Report
Jon Silvers: Out 2 months with an Eye injury
Jerry Bogdonovich: Out 3 months on medical suspension
Alex Cole: Out 3 months on medical suspension
Julio Correa: Out 1 month on medical suspension

Cage Scraps
Bill Brown requests a shot at Middleweight Champion Ethan Sutton after his win over Cole and I will look to make the match for the fall.

Sylvester Collins again calls out Guy Broom in his post fight interview. This one could be a war and the winner would move into position for a title shot against the Stevens / Lopes winner.

Jasper Osmond announces his retirement at the post fight press conference, citing his desire to move on to other things, while acknowledging that his time in the sport has passed. The 36 yr old Osmond ends up with a career record of 13-12, with both his ECW fights ending in defeat (to Terry Catt and Silvio Leite)

Alex Cole has 1 match remaining on his ECW contract and is now up for renewal. The former Champ has lost his last 2 fights after starting his career 9-0 and I don’t know if he will ever be a viable contender again. I will request negotiations and decide whether to resign him based on his asking price.

The main event for ECW 16 – Blood, Sweat and Steel is also announced at the post fight press conference. The ECW Light Heavyweight Belt will be on the line as Osmosis Benn will defend against former Heavyweight Champion Norman Pike.

[BYU 14]

ECW News – April 1999

Finances – March 1999
Income
Gate Receipts - $0
Sponsorship - $0
Merchandise - $2,888
Misc - $808
Expenses
Fighter Pay - $0
Production - $0
Marketing - $1,804
Administration - $3,111
Contractual - $200
Misc - $12,557

Monthly Net: -$13,976
Balance: $1,894,423

The dreaded Misc category puts us on the hole again for the month as we hold no show, but 13K down is better than 50K.

Contract issues
New Signings
LHW – William Harrison 25 yrs old 4-1 Standard $3,250 for 4 fights over 33 months (A nice pick up for our LHW division as GAMMA did not make a concerted effort to keep the Army veteran)

Extensions
MW – Alex Cole 28 yrs old 9-2 Standard $3,000 for 4 fights over 30 months (A good enough deal for someone I think will get back on track)

Terminations
None

Cage Scraps
The feud between Guillermo Morales and Toby Sorkin intensified as Morales finally fired back at Sorkin in an interview with Blurcat’s Stuart Teacher, announcing that Sorkin’s unbeaten streak was nearing an end, expressing confidence that he would overpower the brash youngster.

Sorkin wastes no time in firing back in a an interview with an MMA website he calls Morales a hack and promises to not only choke him out, but run him out of the sport.

Isaiah Monroe, set to debut against Blaze Weeks at ECW 16 in May gave an interview to a local Utah paper and indicated he was working hard on his weaker areas and that his fight against Weeks will be the most well rounded he has been as a fighter.

Toby Sorkin continues his verbal assault on Guillermo Morales, telling an MMA website that once he got Morales on the ground it would be over as he submit T-Bag, a crude play on Morales nickname of T-Bone.

Sorkin pops up again in an interview with a local magazine stating that he will knockout Morales out. The venom of Sorkin’s interviews is growing as their fight draws near, though he will not say why he despises him so much.

Ranieri Fernanda has joined the House of Pain camp which is good on both Kick boxing and Jiu Jitsu.

OOC (Sorkin is really turning into a cornellverse Josh Koschek with his constant bashing of Morales, I hope this fight live up to the hype. Sorkin may become unbearable if he gets an easy win)



Top 15 Heavyweights in the World

	Name	W	L	D
1	Hassan Fezzik - Alpha-1	27	0	0
2	Jeff Carlton - GAMMA	34	7	0
3	Armen Sarkisian - ECW	25	2	0
4	Tim Boyer - GAMMA	26	4	2
5	Ari Peltonon - Alpha-1	24	7	0
6	Terron Cabal - SIGMA	13	0	0
7	Carter Potter - BCF	16	4	0
8	Kunimichi Kikuchi - Alpha-1	26	4	0
9	Murilo Satinho - FLB	10	0	0
10	Harry Milne - BCF	41	7	0
11	Tony McCall - GAMMA	33	10	0
12	Raul Hughes - GAMMA	15	3	0
13	Lefter Oktay - SIGMA	13	0	0
14	James Foster - GAMMA	33	5	1
15	Elzo Alves Moura - FLB	13	0	0

Fights of Note
SIGMA – Nicolai Mickiewicz defeats Aleksei Chekhov by unanimous decision over 5 rounds to win the Light Heavyweight Title in a good match that drew praise from those in attendance.

FLB13: The Damned – Another Title change as Grande Silveira lifts the Lightweight Title from Adenor Togni by Armbar in 3:02 of round 1.

BCF – In a wild donnybrook Carter Potter dethrones BCF Heavyweight Champion Stafford Alois, dropping the Brixton Butcher and then pounding him out in 4:53 of the 1st round.

Alpha-1 – Challenger Ichisake Miyagi dominated defending Champion Kaju Bunya to capture the Welterweight Title via 5 round Unanimous decision. Miyagi landed 45 of 83 strikes standing and 64 of 75 from the ground in the rout.

GAMMA 34 – In a solid battle of two accomplished ground fighters Sean Morrison held on to his GAMMA Lightweight title defeating scrappy Bud Brockett by North/South choke in 3:12 of the final round in front of an announced crowd of 11,182 in Florida.

XCC – Featherweight Champ Easton Frye made the first defense of his Title taking out Wallace Everett by TKO (Strikes) in 4:58 of the first round as 270 fans looked on, earning both Fight and KO of the night in the process.

News of the World
Veteran FLB Lightweight Gustavo Bautista calls it a career at 40 after 95 sanctioned MMA fights. Bautista lost a 3 round decision to Edson Edmilson at FLB 13 and finishes up with a career record of 64-24-9.

Fan favorite Stan Blackheath has retired at the age of 38 with a professional record of 21-9. Stan was a slugger who gave the fans their monies worth and loved nothing better than to stand at ring center and trade punches until somebody fell.

Theo Powers, a former boxer who gave MMA beginning in his late 30’s, but was never able to handle a skilled ground fighter announces his retirement at the age of 46. Powers wraps it up with a career record of 17-11.

Alpha-1’s Warriors of the ring drew a record estimated 770,426 viewers who watched prospects Jiroemon Hasegawa, Jakuchu Abe, Ryuji Gahana and Takesi Yanagimoto all remain undefeated.

Japanese Lightweight Kenta Arimura has retired at the age of 35 with a final record of 14-11. Arimura was an accomplished grappler who was completely out of his element standing up, which contributed to his mediocre record.

GAMMA 35 will feature a Middleweight title fight between Matthew Dean and Neil Napier, while SIGMA announces that Heavyweight Champ Terron Cabal will defend against Lefter Oktay the 3rd Saturday of April.

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare presents.
ECW 15 – Defiance April, 1999

Main card

vs
Main Event – ECW Heavyweight Title 5 rounds
‘The New Jersey Crusher’ Marvin Stevens © 23-10 vs ‘The Brazilian Bomber’ Gladstone Lopes 15-1-1

Co-Main – Middleweights 3 rounds
Toby ‘The Judoka who’ll Choke Ya’ Sorkin 5-0 vs Guillermo ‘T-Bone’ Morales 8-2-1

Heavyweights 3 rounds
‘Silent but Violent’ Wilson Franklyn 6-3 vs ‘Longshore’ Damien Jones 4-0

Middleweights 3 rounds
‘The Tap Out Artist’ Billy Russell 3-0 vs Tony Legg 3-0

Welterweights 3 rounds
Zachary ‘Manitoba Misery’ Gilbert 12-7 vs ‘Made in Germany’ Ralph Kohl 16-9

Preliminaries

LHW – Petey Barnum 21-16 vs Carson Neuwirth 15-11

WW – Stian Agdestein 1-0 vs Jeffrey Foxworthy 0-1

MW – Charlie Oakley 1-0 vs Hardy Tristan 1-2

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare 15 – Defiance April, 1999

Preliminaries

MW – Hardy Tristan defeats Charlie Oakley by split decision in 3 rounds
Rating: Decent
*Tristan did stuff 6 of 8 takedown attempts, but was outworked, an unpopular decision

WW – Stian Agdestein defeats Jeffrey Foxworthy unanimous decision in 3 rounds
Rating: Average
*Foxworthy was 0 of 13 in strikes as Agdestain had his way standing and on the ground

LHW – Petey Barnum defeats Carson Neuwirth by unanimous decision in 3 rounds
Rating: Average
*29-28 on all cards with not a single takedown attempted. Barnum was 28 of 69 on strikes

Main Card

WW: Zachary Gilbert 12-7 vs Ralph Kohl 16-9
Round 1: Kohl needs to keep this standing, but he misses his first 5 punches and Gilbert gets a single leg, moving to mount before Kohl can even attempt to pull guard. Once in control Gilbert doesn’t even bother to strike, going immediately for an Armbar, Kohl is defenseless as Gilbert clamps down forcing the tap!

Winner by Submission (Armbar) in 2:43 of round 1 Zachary Gilbert - Rating: Great
*Gilbert owned Kohl once he got the takedown with a big advantage in speed and technique

--------------------------------------------------

MW: Billy Russell 3-0 vs Tony Legg 3-0
A much anticipated match between two promising prospects
Round 1: Russell throws some tentative strikes to start the round, and then quick as a cat takes Legg down, pressing his back into the cage. Russell goes for a Guillotine and uses his legs to push away from the cage. Legg fights the choke as Russell finally releases the hold and transitions to side control. Legg tries to roll into Russell, but the latter skillfully slides over Legg taking his back. Russell gets the hooks in and now tries for a rear naked choke, Legg again fights valiantly but is flattened out and has to tap!

Winner by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in 3:52 of round 1 Billy Russell - Rating: Great
*Russell used effective striking (5 of 6) to get inside and pull Legg into deep water

--------------------------------------------------

HW: Wilson Franklyn 6-3 vs Damien Jones 4-0
Nobody is getting a Beer as this one is sure to be a war
Round 1: A surprisingly passive round considering the reputation of these two brawlers as Jones throws jabs and Franklyn goes downstairs with leg kicks, looking to load up but never pulling the trigger. The round ends with both fighters looking for the other to make the first move.

Round 2: Franklyn charges out throwing bombs, which Jones deftly avoids, countering with a stiff jab. Franklyn regroups and again cranks it up but can’t find the sweet spot as Jones continues to counter effectively. Frustrated, Franklyn backs off and Jones now presses the action lunging in with a jab, which Franklyn slips before uncorking a wide looping hook catching Jones on the chin and dropping him face first to the canvas………..Out cold!!!

Winner by KO (Punch) in 2:23 of round 2 Wilson Franklyn - Rating: Poor
*Franklyn was sloppy landing only 3 of 20 shots, but one was all in took

--------------------------------------------------

MW: Tony Sorkin 5-0 vs Guillermo Morales 8-2-1
I hyped this match up big time with all trash talk flying (mostly by Sorkin) leading up to the fight. They have a genuine dislike for each other, refusing to touch gloves.
Round 1: Sorkin comes out throwing 2 wild haymakers, which Morales avoids, launching a heavy right hand back, but Sorkin walks through it and goes for the takedown. Morales stuffs Sorkin and tries to turn him into the cage, but Sorkin steps through Morales legs and slams him with a picture perfect Judo throw. Morales tries to scramble, but Sorkin traps him in side control, steps across and pulls Morales arm back……Sorkin is going for the submission and locks the Armbar in……….Morales is in trouble and taps!!!

Winner by Submission (Armbar) in 3:07 of round 1 Toby Sorkin - Rating: Great
*Sorkin backed up the talk, dominating Morales, then mocking him after the win

--------------------------------------------------

Main Event – HW: Marvin Stevens © 23-10 vs Gladstone Lopes 15-1-1 ECW Heavyweight Title
Can Stevens pull off another miracle in his first defense?
Round 1: Lopes opens the action with a wicked leg kick, obviously looking to chop the lumbering Champion down. The fighters close and throw right hands simultaneously, but Lopes gets there first and Stevens is down! Lopes jumps to side control, trapping Stevens’s right arm and the assault begins…..Lopes rains down several hard hammer fists and that’s it!!! The referee has stopped the fight and we have a new Heavyweight Champion!

Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 1:59 of round 1 Gladstone Lopes - Rating: Good – Lopes wins the ECW Heavyweight Title
*Lopes hits 4 of 5 punches standing, then crushes Stevens on the ground nailing 7 of 8

--------------------------------------------------

Attendance: 279 – Gate $6,975 – Critical Rating: Good / Commercial Rating: Great

vs
Fight of the night – Toby Sorkin vs Guillermo Morales

KO of the night – Wilson Franklyn

Submission of the night – Toby Sorkin

Post Show:
Another solid commercial rating though it has yet to pay off in gate receipts. Lopes scored the expected squash of Stevens to lift the HW title and set up some big money fights down the road with Collins and Sarkisian and maybe even a rematch with Franklyn. Sorkin backed up his talk, making an accomplished wrestler in Morales look feeble, he will surely want a shot at the title now, but he will have to wait for Bill Brown to get his shot at Ethan Sutton. One very intriguing matchup is Sorkin / da Costa, with the winner taking on the Sutton / Brown winner. I have to say Franklyn / Jones was a bit of a disappointment despite the sudden ending. I expected both guys to throw bombs and Jones somehow forgot he was a brawler.

Trainers Report
Marvin Stevens: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Damien Jones: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Guillermo Morales: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Tony Legg: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Ralph Kohl: Out 3 months on medical suspension

Cage Scraps
Marvin Stevens asks me for a match against Damien Jones to get him back on track. This would be a good crossroads match.

Carson Neuwirth wants to fight Edward Zahn next. I guess he has resigned himself to prelim status. I will give him the match, because his contract is also due to expire and this will be his farewell match for ECW.

Ralph Kohl is also up for renewal and I decide that I will let him go as well after his next fight, which will be against a prospect.

[BYU 14]

ECW News – May 1999

Finances – April 1999
Income
Gate Receipts - $6,975
Sponsorship - $1,248
Merchandise - $3,113
Misc - $860
Expenses
Fighter Pay - $48,043
Production - $310
Marketing - $1,813
Administration - $3,031
Contractual - $0
Misc - $14,318

Monthly Net:-$55,679
Balance: $1,868,744

A predictable month, as our salaries have now reached the point where monthly losses of this amount are going to be the norm. I need to work on my negotiating skills a bit more. Cutting the cards to 7 fights will help somewhat as I will be happy with losing under 50K each month at this point.

Contract issues
New Signings
WW – Domingo de Vivanco 23 yrs old 5-2 Exclusive $2500 for 5 months over 42 months (FLB does not even counter offer and I probably overpaid for him as he projects as a mid level fighter in our WW division)

LHW – Logan Bluffer 22 yrs old 3-0 Exclusive $1600 for 5 fights over 36 months (I have to go head to head with FLB for his services so the Free Style wrestler costs a little more than I would have liked to spend, but I see him as a decent prospect)

MW – Nathan Ronald 23 yrs old 1-0 Exclusive $800 for 5 fights over 33 months (A powerful striker built like Bogdonovich, he is limited in some areas, but can take you out with one punch)

WW – Ronnie Allen Teller 23 yrs old 4-0 Exclusive $1600 for 4 fights over 30 months (Teller wants $2000 and I take a new approach, dropping down and giving him a take it or leave it option, which he decides is better than unemployment)

Extensions
None

Terminations
None

Cage Scraps
We hold a press conference announcing we will return to holding monthly cards in July, but beginning in August will reduce the number of fights to 7 per card.

Jon Silvers has recovered from his eye injury and resumes training

Omega makes an offer to Jethro Munter which surprises me, but I guess he may get some mileage out of his win over Bogdonovich. I do not counter offer and signs with Omega for less than I was paying him, feeling that they offer him a brighter future.

FLB has made an offer to Ranieri Fernanda and I will also let him go as I did not sign him to an exclusive contract last time he was renewed due to outrageous demands, so of course he also signs for less than I was paying him on an associate contract. I didn’t like him anyway, but I now need some new talent at Light Heavyweight.

We hold a press conference to announce the match everybody is waiting for as ECW 18 – Inferno, which will be held in August will feature Ethan Sutton 8-0 defending his Middleweight Title against the dangerous Bill Brown 5-0 and the hype machine will be in full effect.

Snuffy Fontana spoke to Blurcat Radio about the biggest match of his young career against fellow undefeated Middleweight Hunter Scribbins at ECW 16 at the end of May, stating that he fully expected to remain undefeated when all was said and done.

Rens de Beus spoke with Blurcat’s Sam Stavrakakis by phone regarding his fight against Rupert Dreck at ECW 17 in July and stated he was confident that he was catching Dreck at the right time with the latter making his first appearance in the cage since losing the ECW Light Heavyweight Title.

Snuffy Fontana is back on the radio continuing to predict a victory over Hunter Scribbins who he describes as a “rugged chap, but not quite in me league when comes to pace and determination”

Ethan LeGrange appears on Blurcat Radio and tells Sam Smith he is looking forward to his ECW debut against Eric Dartmouth and promises the fans that he will run his record to 7-0.

Delroy Rhodes grants an interview to a popular MMA website to discuss his Welterweight Title defense against Jim carpenter in July at ECW 17. Rhodes praised Carpenter as a legend and sees this fight as an opportunity to make a huge statement should he get the win, which he fully expects to do.



Top 15 Light-Heavyweights in the World

	Name	W	L	D
1	Tadamasa Yamada - Alpha-1	23	1	0
2	Zvonimir Asanovic - Alpha-1	29	2	0
3	Marlon John - GAMMA	15	0	0
4	Nicolai Mickiewicz - SIGMA	20	4	0
5	Pedro Sousa - FLB	21	3	0
6	Junior Patinkin - GAMMA	17	2	0
7	Aleksei Chekhov - SIGMA	21	4	0
8	Mike Watson - GAMMA	12	0	0
9	Linfield Ballard - GAMMA	22	8	0
10	Roberto Aldez - FLB	42	11	0
11	Arthur Franco - FLB	14	4	0
12	Curt Kitson - BCF	11	0	0
13	Jin Katou - Alpha-1	19	1	0
14	Affonso Villar - FLB	23	3	0
15	Mantis Andreyev - SIGMA	38	12	0

Our Champion Osmosis Benn is ranked 19th

Fights of Note
GAMMA 35 – 10,337 screaming fans turn out in Colorado as Neil Napier shocks Matthew Dean to win the GAMMA Middleweight Title via Arm Triangle in 2:52 of round 3. Unfortunately Napier suffered a neck injury during the bout and early estimates are it could keep him out of action for anywhere from 2 to 6 months.

SIGMA – Terron Cabal remains undefeated and retains his SIGMA Heavyweight title knocking out Lefter Oktay in 2:24 of round 3 in front of 892 fans in Germany. Both fighters took enough punishment to each earn 3 month medical suspensions.

FLB 14: Blown Away – Pedro Sousa defeats Affonso Villar by unanimous decision over 5 rounds to win Villar’s FLB Light Heavyweight Title. There is plenty of controversy surrounding this fight as Villar recently signed with Omega and was appearing in his final fight for FLB. I bid for him as well, but could not compete with Omega.

Omega – The boxing based promotion holds its inaugural show in front of 603 people in Northern Mexico with Marcos Maciel starching Nestor Morozov in 56 seconds of round 2 with a brutal head kick. Fight of the night went to Joey Valdez and Carl Radcliffe in a dandy won by Valdez via 2nd round TKO.

SCF 2 –Only 67 people show up to watch the 2nd Steel City Fury show which features their first title fight as Slade Cregg submits Ray Eton with an Armbar in 4:08 of round 3 to take the Welterweight Title.

BCF – 548 people brave a driving rain in London to watch Curt Kitson defend the Light heavyweight Title against Crow Leddy, with Kitson taking a 5 round unanimous decision.

Alpha-1 – In a shocking upset the MMA world is turned on its head as Ari Peltonen, who entered the fight with 7 losses has toppled the world’s greatest fighter choking out Hassan Fezzik in 3:21 of round 5 to capture the Heavyweight Title in a fight witnessed by 11,432 stunned spectators. The King is dead!!

News of the World
GAMMA 36 is announced for June with the main event featuring a Light Heavyweight Title defense for Marlon John against Mike Watson.

Alpha-1 announces their June show to be held on the 3rd Saturday will feature Heiji Endo defending his Middleweight belt against Dokuotei Kuroki.

American Brawler Soloman Austin announces his retirement at the age of 42 on Blurcat radio, while enjoying a large supreme Pizza. Never known for being in top shape, Austin leaves the sport with a record of 20-15 and indicates his future plans include throwing away the scales in his house and bonding with his recliner.

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare presents.
ECW 16 – Blood, Sweat and Steel, August 1999

Main card
vs
Main Event – ECW Light Heavyweight Title 5 rounds
Osmosis Benn © 16-1 vs ‘Stormin’ Norman Pike 19-5

Co-Main – Middleweights 3 rounds
‘The Arizona Strangler’ Hunter Scribbins 4-0 vs Snuffy Fontana 5-0

Light Heavyweights 3 rounds
Washi Shiganori 6-0 vs ‘Wild Thing’ Justin Brannagh 5-1

Heavyweights 3 rounds
Josimar Martins 16-6 vs ‘The Emperor’ Otto Renner 5-2

Heavyweights 3 rounds
Renato 3-0 vs Graham ‘The Man Mountain’ Goodbody 19-11

Preliminaries

WW – Ethan LeGrange 6-0 vs Eric ‘Big D’ Dartmouth 1-2

MW – Isaiah Monroe 3-0 vs Blaze Weeks 2-1

LHW – Pete Shilton 6-5 vs Adrian Pascal 2-2

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare 16 – Blood, Sweat and Steel May, 1999

Preliminaries

LHW – Adrian Pascal defeats Pete Shilton by TKO (Strikes) in 4:46 of round 1
Rating: Great
*Once Pascal took it to the mat it took just 6 shots to pound Pete out

MW – Isaiah Monroe defeats Blaze Weeks by TKO (Strikes) in 1:06 of round 3
Rating: Average
*Thump was 0 of 3 on submission attempts, so finally unleashed the elbows to finish it

WW – Ethan LeGrange defeats Eric Dartmouth by unanimous decision in 3 rounds
Rating: Decent
*29-28 on all cards as LeGrange saved his undefeated record with a final round knockdown.

Main Card

HW: Renato 3-0 vs Graham Goodbody 19-11
The big Brazilian makes his debut to some considerable fanfare
Round 1: Goodbody tastes a vicious right from Renato early and decides to grapple, which results in him getting slammed to the mat. Renato quickly gets side control and applies an Armbar, which Goodbody is able to fight off, nor once but twice. Renato then moves to full mount and again locks Goodbody in an Armbar…..Graham looks to be in trouble, but the wily vet then turns and ends up in side control, landing a few elbows on Renato as the round ends. Great defense by Goodbody to fend off the submission attempts.

Round 2: Goodbody is already tired from the ground action in round 1 and spends the first 4 minutes of the round circling away from Renato as the latter looks to grapple again. Neither fighter does much striking, until Renato unleashes a series of wild shots, forcing Goodbody to cover and enabling him to finally score a takedown. Renato moves to side control with ease and attempts another Armbar. This one is locked in deep and Goodbody looks beaten…….Renato wrenches it tighter and the bell rings saving Goodbody!

Round3: Renato, who has not fought in quite some time is now looking tired himself and a half hearted clinch early on doesn’t even lead to a takedown attempt as he just doesn’t seem to have the energy. Both fighters are now looking to strike and amazingly it is the veteran that looks sharper as he counters Renato successfully on several occasions and his punches have much more snap on them. Goodbody closes with one final flurry and should carry the round, but it appears to be too little too late. The announcer is handed the cards and all three judges have it 29-28 for the……….

Winner by Unanimous decision in 3 rounds Renato - Rating: Average
*Goodbody didn’t land a punch until round 3, but did a great job defending Renato’s submissions

--------------------------------------------------

HW: Josimar Martins 16-6 vs Otto Renner 5-2
Round 1: Martins comes out firing bombs and Renner does a great job of avoiding them, shooting for the takedown which Martins stuffs. Cutting of the cage, Renner finally pulls Martins into a clinch and works the ribs with short punches, then gets the underhooks and drives Martins to the canvas. Pushing Martins into the cage, Renner applies an Armbar and gets it in tight…..Martins Elbow is bet at a sickening angle but he won’t tap……..Renner arches his hips to increase the pressure, but Martins manages to pop his arm free as the round winds down.

Round 2: Martins corner is screaming at him between rounds to let his hands go and he does just that, unleashing several hard shots, with Renner willing to trade with him. They go toe to toe at the center of the cage with Martins landing a huge right hand that staggers Renner, charging forward Martins lands a big hook and a screaming overhand right and Renner is down!! Martins stands above Renner and blasts away with both hands until the referee to grabs Martins and stops it!!

Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 1:21 of round 2 Josimar Martins - Rating: Good
*Two big shots from Martins turned the tide as he only hit on 8 of 28 strikes standing

--------------------------------------------------

LHW: Washi Shiganori 6-0 vs Justin Brannagh 5-1
A classic matchup of striker vs wrestler, but we have placed all the hype on Shiganori
Round 1: Shiganori starts fast as he always does, but Brannagh moves away, working angles and firing back as they exchange blows with neither landing cleanly. Setting Brannagh up, Shiganori fakes a body kick, then lands a straight right followed by a compact left that drops Brannagh. Shiganori circles Brannagh, who looks to regain his senses, finally diving to side control. Brannagh blocks Shiganori’s attempt to get mount, but he is unable to pull guard and Shiganori goes back to side control and begins to pound away with hard rights……Brannagh is getting tagged and is unable to cover up……..It’s over, the referee has stopped it!!

Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 2:55 of round 1 Washi Shiganori - Rating: Great
*Powerful striking carries Shiganori, who lives up to the hype and likely secures a title shot

--------------------------------------------------

MW: Hunter Scribbins 4-0 vs Snuffy Fontana 5-0
A huge fight for both men, which will have Title implications down the road.
Round 1: Scribbins throws first, but Fontana blocks it and snaps his head back with a nice jab and looks to follow up, but Scribbins drops and gets the double leg takedown. Fontana pulls guard and does an excellent job holding Scribbins, nearly catching him in a guillotine as he works to pass. Scribbins rests then again attempts to pass, but gets too far forward and Fontana clamps on the guillotine again, with Scribbins escaping after an extended struggle. The action slows and both fighters are ordered to stand and the round ends with them circling each other.

Round 2: Within 30 seconds they are again in a clinch and Scribbins uses the underhooks to take Fontana down with the latter pulling guard. Scribbins again works to pass and this time Fontana attempts a triangle choke from the bottom, but Scribbins spins out and ends up in side control. From side control Scribbins tries to strike, which Fontana defends successfully but gives up his back in the process. Scribbins works masterfully to get the hooks in and goes after a rear naked choke. Fontana defends it initially, but Scribbins finally gets under the chin and has the choke applied tightly…………Fontana struggles to pull Scribbins arm off but he is trapped and looks to be finished…..The bell rings and Fontana has staved off defeat!!

Round 3: Fontana, trying to keep distance throws a side kick, but Scribbins catches it and has yet another takedown ending up in guard. As Scribbins tries to pass, Fontana transitions to butterfly guard and tries to push Scribbins away and scramble, but Hunter is too quick and gets side control. The remainder of the fight is in this position as both fighters work hard, but Fontana is able successfully stymie Scribbins attempts to get full mount and Scribbins thwarts several attempts by Fontana to stand up or transition to guard, a solid tactical fight that all judges score 30-27 for the………

Winner by Unanimous decision in 3 rounds Hunter Scribbins - Rating: Very Poor
*Lack of strikes (only 21 combined) killed this fight despite the fine grappling action

--------------------------------------------------

Main Event – LHW: Osmosis Benn © 16-1 vs Norman Pike 19-5 ECW Light Heavyweight Title
Another match up we hype as I am hoping Pike will fight smartly against Benn
Round 1: Benn has the speed advantage and it shows early as he tattoos the challenger with several nice combinations which cause Pike to abandon the stand up game and go for the takedown, which Benn easily defends pulling Pike into a clinch. Pike is calm and waits for the opportunity to get underhooks, but Benn blocks the takedown attempt and uses a whizzer to escape the clinch. As the round winds down, Benn traps Pike against the cage, landing some short punches and knees to finish the first stanza off.

Round 2: Pike seems determined to take Benn down, trying two quick attempts early but Benn blocks both and muscles Pike into the cage scoring effectively with dirty boxing. Pike gets the underhooks, but is still unable to get Benn off his feet, finally working to get behind the champion. From here Pike tries a slam, but Benn drops and is able to escape, circling Pike as the 2nd round ends. The crowd is not happy as we are heading for a repeat of Pikes last Heavyweight bout.

Round 3: Pike tries a quick takedown in response to quick combination by Benn, but is again blocked and beginning to look tired with all the energy he is expending. Benn circles, then moves in and is met with yet another takedown attempt, that is once again blocked. Twice more Benn avoids takedown attempts and now decides to keep the fight at distance as he too is beginning to tire. Another clinch ensues and this time Benn is denied a takedown and instead muscles Pike into the cage, getting underhooks and finally completing a takedown as Pike is slammed to the canvas. Working quickly Benn gets mount, but the round ends before he can mount any offense.

Round 4: The entire round is fought standing up with neither man even trying for a takedown, being intent to alternate striking from range and dirty boxing from the clinch. There is some good back and forth work, but with both fighters exhausted there is little power behind any of the blows and techniques has now gone out the window as they flail away with sloppy arm punches in a fairly even round.

Round 5: Neither has much left as they fall together and Pike goes back to his strategy of taking Benn down, which again is not successful. Some close range striking ensues, with Benn throwing more but mostly missing and Pike landing a few blows before again attempting an unsuccessful takedown. As the round ticks away the fighters circle each other with Pike trying one final time to take Benn to the ground and failing to do so as the fight comes to a close. This fight came nowhere close to living up to the billing as the scores (49-46, 50-45 and 49-46) are read in favor of the………

Winner by Unanimous decision in 5 rounds Osmosis Benn - Rating: Average – Benn retains the ECW Light Heavyweight Title
*A horrid 0 of 13 takedown attempts by Pike who hasn’t learned. Benn hit 19 of 67 punches.

--------------------------------------------------

Attendance: 258 – Gate $6,450 – Critical Rating: Decent / Commercial Rating: Great

vs
Fight of the night – Adrian Pascal vs Pete Shilton

KO of the night – Washi Shiganori

Submission of the night – N/A

Post Show:
Not a good night when your fight of the night is a preliminary matchup between two journeymen, yet somehow we still manage a great commercial rating. A dip in attendance is surprising as I thought this would be a very attractive card, but apparently the fans knew something I didn’t since the top two bouts overshadowed a very good effort by Shiganori has now positioned himself as the top challenger for Benn’s title while Pike has sadly probably seen his last shot at a belt in ECW. Popularity is 27.4% after the show.

Trainers Report
Justin Brannagh: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Otto Renner: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Pete Shilton: Out 1 month on medical suspension
Blaze Weeks: Out 1 month on medical suspension

Cage Scraps
Hunter Scribbins will be live on the Big Cat Show tomorrow and will undoubtedly express his hop to get a shot at the Sutton / Brown winner, while in all reality he will probably have to wait for the winner of a Leonardo da Costa / Toby Sorkin fight first.

Pete Shilton asks for a match with Keaton Spratt after the show…I politely acknowledge him, but nobody wants to see two cans battle.

Osmosis Benn and Graham Goodbody are both up for contract renewal with 1 fight remaining. Benn is a must since he is my LHW Champion and he will be costly. Goodbody has served ECW well, but I will be letting him go after his next fight.

[BYU 14]

ECW News – June/July 1999

Finances – May 1999
Income
Gate Receipts - $6,450
Sponsorship - $1,287
Merchandise - $3,129
Misc - $720
Expenses
Fighter Pay - $46,099
Production - $318
Marketing - $2,006
Administration - $3,296
Contractual - $0
Misc - $14,372

Monthly Net: -$54,905
Balance: $1,783,839

Finances – June 1999
Income
Gate Receipts - $0
Sponsorship - $0
Merchandise - $2,933
Misc - $913
Expenses
Fighter Pay - $0
Production - $0
Marketing - $1,981
Administration - $2,935
Contractual - $700
Misc - $13,667

Monthly Net: -$15,437
Balance: $1,768,402

Nothing new here as we drop another 50K and continue watch the funds dwindle as we fight for mid-level regional. Hopefully the July show will be boosted by increasing marketing and at least in June our losses were only just over 15K with no show.

Contract issues
New Signings
WW – Albert Rahn 21 yrs old 0-0 Exclusive $800 for 5 fights over 36 months (A promising Jiu Jitsu practitioner who reminds many of Billy Russell)

Extensions
LHW – Osmosis Benn 26 yrs old 17-1 Exclusive $3,750 for 5 fights over 48 months (Actually not bad for the current #10 LHW in the world)

Terminations
None

Cage Scraps
Rens de Beus visits Blurcat radio to talk about his fight in July against Rupert Dreck, telling listeners that the ‘Green Machine” could be in for a surprise.



Top 15 Middleweights in the World

	Name	W	L	D
1	Neil Napier - GAMMA	18	0	0
2	Heiji Endo - Alpha-1	16	1	0
3	Joaquim Fontes - FLB	23	3	0
4	Mac Fuller - GAMMA	34	8	0
5	Stuart Strange - GAMMA	19	2	0
6	Jaromir Grygera - SIGMA	21	5	0
7	Tadao Miyazaki - Alpha-1	12	1	0
8	Matthew Dean - GAMMA	34	6	0
9	Jerezo - FLB	32	9	0
10	Mario de Souza - FLB	22	8	0
11	Mal Phe Roby - Alpha-1	18	5	0
12	Ethan Sutton - ECW	8	0	0
13	Petey Mack - GAMMA	11	3	0
14	Dexter Darling - GAMMA	18	3	1
15	Leonardo da Costa - ECW	13	6	0

Fights of Note
GAMMA 36 – In a fantastic fight held in front of 11,389 people in California Mike Watson took the Light Heavyweight Title from Marlon John by TKO (Strikes) in 0:38 of round 2.

Alpha-1 – Chubu hosts the latest Alpha-1 show as 12,322 turn out to watch Heiji Endo defend his Middleweight title against Dokuohtei Kuroki, bring matters to a close with a rear naked choke in 2:33 of round 6.

FLB 15: High Impact – Veteran Edson Edmilson captures the Lightweight Title taking a 5 round split decision from Grande Silveira in front of 904 fans in Brazil.

SIGMA – Germany is the latest venue for SIGMA as 960 fans witness a brutal KO by Welterweight Champion Noach Van Der Capellan who takes out challenger Templeton Crumb with a wicked Knee in 24 seconds of round 3.

News of the World
In a major announcement, the most sought after free agent in the world 29 yr old Jiu Jitsu master Jonathan Huang has signed a 3 fight deal with Alpha-1 that will pay him $240,000 per fight!

Omega announces their July show will be headlined by Fletcher Merman and James Koscheck, who will battle for the Heavyweight Title. A curious matchup since Merman does not exactly have world class written all over him and Koscheck has only one MMA fight.

BCF signs our recently released Terry Bull, a surprising move since he is nothing more than a tomato can who I expected to spend his days on local cards after going 0-3 in ECW.

GAMMA 37 announces that Jeff Carlton will defend the Heavyweight Title in July against Fatuma Roy.

Alpha-1 unveils the lineup for their show on the second Saturday in July, which will feature Fumiaki Hayashi defending his Lightweight Title against Fujimaro Hidaka.

On the 4th Monday of July BCF Welterweight Champion Vikram Sithalayan will defend his belt against Martin Cupples according to the latest press release from the UK promotion.

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare presents.
ECW 17 – Scars and Stripes, July 1999

Main card

vs
Main Event – ECW Welterweight Title 5 rounds
‘The Fight Night Delight’ Delroy Rhodes © 8-0 vs Jim Carpenter 49-9-2

Co-Main – Heavyweights 3 rounds
‘The Big Show’ Sylvester Collins 7-0 vs ‘Boom Boom’ Guy Broom 4-0

Middleweights 3 rounds
Alex ‘Ace in the Hole’ Cole 9-2 vs ‘The Surgeon’ Atsutane Akera 4-0

Light Heavyweights 3 rounds
‘The Green Machine’ Rupert Dreck 7-1 vs ‘White Wolf’ Rens de Beus 3-1

Heavyweights 3 rounds
Nate ‘Big Nate’ MacReary 4-0 vs ‘Boxin’ Basil McCrystle 7-5

Preliminaries

HW – Gareth Grundy 7-4 vs Sahan Ozbek 2-1

WW – Sammi Chan 3-1 vs Felix Mattherson Jr 3-0

LHW – Logan Sky 1-1 vs Joseph King 8-8

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare 17 – Scars and Stripes July, 1999

Preliminaries

LHW – Logan Sky defeats Joseph King by KO (Punch) in 2:48 of round 1
Rating: Great
*Sky hits 11 of 26 strikes keeping King on his heels while it lasts

WW – Felix Mattherson Jr defeats Sammi Chan by TKO (Strikes) in 4:14 of round 1
Rating: Good
*Chan didn’t land a single punch as Mattherson took him down and pounded him out

HW – Sahan Ozbek defeats Gareth Grundy by TKO (Strikes) in 3:48 of round 3
Rating: Good
*Ozbek loses the first two rounds as Grundy out wrestles him, then rallies for the stoppage

Main Card

HW: Nate MacReary 4-0 vs Basil McCrystle 7-5
Round 1: McCrystle is wary of MacReary throwing jabs from a distance that fall well short as he circles the ring. MacReary bides his time stalking McCrystle and finally traps him against the cage, completing a Greco Roman slam and going straight for the Armbar before McCrystle can pull guard. Working smoothly for a big man, MacReary sinks the Armbar tight and McCrystle taps immediately!

Winner by Submission (Armbar) in 3:18 of round 1 Nate MacReary - Rating: Great
*McCrystle was 1 of 13 in strikes, Big Mac threw only 2 strikes before taking him down

--------------------------------------------------

LHW: Rupert Dreck 7-1 vs Rens de Beus 3-1
The Green Machine returns looking to rebound after losing his LHW Title
Round 1: A quick start as Dreck lands several good shots and manages to avoid being taken down be de Beus who has no interest in a stand up battle. Dreck and de Beus come together and Dreck gets the underhooks, taking de Beus down hard. Though he controls de Beus for the remainder of the round, Dreck is unable to land any significant shots as things slow down considerably.

Round 2: An early clinch as both fighters grapple for position with neither gaining an advantage until Dreck is able to again secure the underhooks and slam de Beus down again. From de Beus’ guard Dreck pounds away with elbows but does no damage, finally working to side control and unleashing some knees to the ribcage. As de Beus tries to roll, Dreck takes his back, but times runs out before he can capitalize.

Round 3: Things heat up early as de Beus opens up and takes some chances, catching Dreck with a series of hard shots and Dreck is on rubber legs!! Rens presses the attack looking to take the Green Machine out, but Dreck covers up and is able to get his bearings. As de Beus continues to come forward, Dreck drops down and scores a double leg takedown, quickly working to full mount. Dreck quickly goes for an Armbar, but de Beus is able roll and sweep Dreck gaining side control. From side control de Beus lands knee strikes, but can’t penetrate Dreck’s gloves as he tries to pound him out…..The round comes to close and we go to the cards. All three judge4s score it 29-28 for the

Winner by Unanimous decision in 3 rounds Rupert Dreck - Rating: Average
*Dreck hit 3 of 4 takedowns and 17 of 22 ground strikes, while de Beus was 13 of 59 total

--------------------------------------------------

MW: Alex Cole 9-2 vs Atsutane Akera 4-0
Cole looks to end his 2 fight skid against the dangerous Jiu Jitsu artist
Round 1: Cole defies the experts who expect him to strike and actually looks to clinch with Akera, pushing him into the cage and working the body. Akera gets separation and gets the better of a brief exchange of punches as Cole again drives him into the cage and lands a sharp uppercut. Akera reverses position and traps Cole, digging several hooks to the ribs, but Cole gets him off balance and ends the round back in control working dirty boxing as Akera is pressed into the cage.

Round 2: Cole counters an errant jab and staggers Akera with a big right hand barely 10 seconds in, but instead of letting his hands go he tries to grapple Akera, who counters with a takedown attempt which Cole defends. Akera backs off still wobbly and as Cole closes tries for another takedown, which is again stuffed as Cole walks Akera back into the cage punishing him with dirty boxing. Akera is able to turn Cole around and drops down, elevating the former champ and throwing him to the mat as Cole pulls guard. Akera looks to pass, but Cole stays relaxed and keeps him in guard until the round ends.

Round 3: The pace of the first two rounds shows as both men look tired and immediately fall into a clinch. Cole, thinking he is ahead is content to drive Akera into the cage and hold him there trying an occasional elbow as Akera counters with knees. After they take turns twisting each other back into the cage the referee separates them, but they immediately go back to the clinch and grind out the remainder of the fight basically leaning on each other with very few strikes thrown. This one really slowed down as the scores are tallied and the judges see it 30-27 Cole, 29-28 Akera and 29-28 for the

Winner by Split Decision in 3 rounds Alex Cole - Rating: Poor
*Each fighter only threw 25 punches standing (Cole landed 13, Akera 10) in a snoozer.

--------------------------------------------------

HW: Sylvester Collins 7-0 vs Guy Broom 4-0
We hype this one as a war and I hope Collins did some cardio in camp.
Round 1: Not quite the flurry of fists expected as Collins tries for a quick takedown, which Broom stuffs and comes back with an attempt of his own which Collins defends. Both fighters fire a few punches, with Collins using a wild right as a precursor to another takedown attempt, which Broom again defends. Broom backs up and then shoots in from a distance, but Collins sprawls and is able to control Broom, turning him over and ending up in half guard. Broom tries to sweep, but Collins maintains control and is content to hold him down as the round ends.

Round 2: The fighters quickly come together in a clinch and Broom gets the underhooks, lifting Collins and slamming him down. Collins pulls guard and Broom is content to simply smother Collins without trying to mount any offense as Collins tries to escape to no avail. The referee finally stands them up and Collins immediately goes for a double leg, taking Broom to the ground, but after a couple of tentative punches goes into lay and pray mode holding Broom under him as time expires as the crowd serenades the fighters with derisive cheers.

Round 3: The first half of the round is spent at the center of the cage, but both fighters are only looking to load up with single shots and neither can connect, though Broom is a bit more accurate. Collins comes in close and follows an elbow with an unsuccessful takedown attempt. Broom circles and Collins comes in hard again, but can’t get ‘Boom Boom’ off his feet. Both fighters are tiring and end the fight standing up with Collins landing the more effective blows as the fight comes to a close. A close, yet dull fight as the judge’s scores are announced 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27 for the…

Winner by Unanimous decision in 3 rounds Guy Broom - Rating: Poor
*Between them they land 5 strikes standing, Collins was 2 of 6 on takedowns, Broom 1 of 3.

--------------------------------------------------

Main Event – WW: Delroy Rhodes © 8-0 vs Jim Carpenter 49-9-2 ECW Welterweight Title
Hoping for a good fight to save the card after the Broom / Collins debacle
Round 1: Rhodes comes out and unleashes a violent side kick to the body, but Carpenter is able to catch his leg and takes the Champion down. The challenger quickly passes Rhodes guard to mount prompting Rhodes to turn, which the wily Carpenter takes advantage of and taking his back. Rhodes is expecting a choke attempt, but instead Carpenter pull out an arm and gets Rhodes in an Armbar from his back, Rhodes is unable to turn and has to tap!!! Experience carries the day.

Winner by Submission (Armbar) in 2:30 of round 1 Jim Carpenter - Rating: Great – Carpenter wins the ECW Welterweight Title
*Rhodes gambled early and paid for it as he was like a fish out of water on the ground

--------------------------------------------------

Attendance: 275 – Gate $6,875 – Critical Rating: Decent / Commercial Rating: Great

vs
Fight of the night – Jim Carpenter vs Delroy Rhodes

KO of the night – Logan Sky

Submission of the night – Jim Carpenter

Post Show:
I was sure Collins / Broom would be a slugfest and it was nothing more than a glorified Sumo match. I though Collins won for the record, but he has nobody to blame but himself as the Title shot that was his will now likely go to Armen Sarkisian. Carpenter made a very capable fighter in Rhodes look like an amateur once he took him down. I expect Carpenter to hold the title as long as his body holds up and Rhodes will need to develop a ground game. A third prospect suffered his first loss with Akera going down to Cole in a fight Alex needed to stay relevant, though once again the Ace does not provide a great deal of electricity. Popularity goes up 1.6% to 29.0%

Trainers Report
Sammi Chan: Out 2 months with a thigh injury
Delroy Rhodes: Out 1 month on medical suspension
Basil McCrystle: Out 2 months with a head injury
Joseph King: Out 3 months on medical suspension

Cage Scraps
Gareth Grundy has fulfilled his contract with ECW and will be released

Logan Sky approaches me after the show and requests a match with Petey Barnum

Logan Sky and Atsutane Akera are both up for contract renewal as they have one fight left on their current contracts. Akera would have been tough to sign if he had beaten Cole, but the loss may make it cheaper to keep him and I still think he will be a star down the road. Sky has had mixed results, but he has done enough to earn another run.

[BYU 14]

ECW News – August 1999

Finances – July 1999
Income
Gate Receipts - $6,875
Sponsorship - $1,200
Merchandise - $3,755
Misc - $786
Expenses
Fighter Pay - $48,238
Production - $295
Marketing - $2,014
Administration - $3,124
Contractual - $700
Misc - $14,076

Monthly Net: -$55,831
Balance: $1,712,471

Contract issues
New Signings
MW – Vagner 31 yrs old 14-7 Standard $3,250 for 4 fights over 36 months (The FLB vet will add some toughness to the MW division and be a good test for our younger fighters)

HW – John Patinkin 20 yrs old 0-0 Exclusive $600 for 5 fights over 36 months (A powerful fighter with a Judo background from Phoenix, could be a diamond in the rough)

WW – Matheus Garcia 19 yrs old 0-0 Exclusive $600 for 4 fights over 27 months (A promising Brazilian Judo practitioner who will hopefully be one of the future cornerstones of the Welterweight division.

MW – Buddy Garner 28 yrs old 14-2 Standard $3,750 for 5 fights over 42 months (Another coup, though I am surprised that GAMMA let him go so easily. He has lost 2 of his last 3 fights, but will instantly contend for us. The MW division is now a bit bloated and I will have to let 2 or 3 fighters go soon)

Extensions
MW – Atsutane Akera 21 yrs old 4-1 Standard $2,750 for 5 fights over 45 months (Akera wanted 3K and I wanted an exclusive deal, so this was the compromise)

LHW – Logan Sky 22 yrs old 2-1 Exclusive $1,800 for 5 fights over 39 months (He tried to play hardball early but buckled on my 3rd offer of the same salary, as I was prepared to let him walk)

HW – Guy Broom 26 yrs old 5-0 Exclusive $5,000 for 5 fights over 42 months (Alpha-1 kept bidding me up and made the decision to stick it out, which hopefully will not be a bad one. Broom is now our 2nd highest paid fighter behind Gladstone Lopes and his $5,200 deal)

Terminations
HW – Gareth Grundy 7-5 is released after his loss to Sahan Ozbek at ECW 17. The 29 yr old grappler was 1-2 with ECW beating Basil McCrystle by submission at ECW 6 and losing a decision to Nate MacReary at ECW 11

Cage Scraps
Alpha-1 has contacted Guy Broom with an offer, which would really disrupt our HW division. I am forced to call him to the table as well and it costs me as I knew it would.

Washi Shiganori is normally not a speaker, but he exuded a great deal of confidence discussing his September fight with Osmosis Benn for the latter LHW Strap, stating that he felt he was the superior fighter.

Alex Cole appears on the Big Cat show and gives a nice interview about his career, bouncing back from adversity in the cage and his hope for a rematch with Ethan Sutton.

Kevin Portman gives Blurcat.com an interview and talks about his upcoming fight with Brody Howles, indicating he hopes to derail the young prospect, though acknowledging it will be a tough fight.

Brody Howles gives an interview to Jim Archibald, but refuses to be drawn into any trash talk about Portman, focusing instead on how he prepares for a match and expressing his hope to be victorious.

Basil McCrystle appears on Blurcat radio and talks about the differences between boxing and MMA and how he now sleeps standing up because he can’t do anything right off his back in a good humored poke at his horrid ground skills.

McCrystle returns to training after recovering from his head injury, hopefully with a focus on his ground game.



Top 15 Welterweights in the World

	Fighter	W	L	D
1	Alan Kendall - GAMMA	15	3	0
2	Jack Humphreys - GAMMA	25	6	0
3	Vikram Sithalayan - BCF	20	2	0
4	Noach Van Der Capellan - SIG	25	3	0
5	Ichisake Miyagi - Alpha-1	24	3	0
6	Manual Silva - FLB	14	0	0
7	Xie Ming - Alpha-1	23	5	0
8	Charles Stiles - FLB	16	2	0
9	Syed Tan - Alpha-1	18	2	1
10	Jim Carpenter - ECW	50	9	2
11	Julio Regueiro - GAMMA	21	1	0
12	Kafu Bunya - Alpha-1	13	1	0
13	Rufus Stephens - GAMMA	18	2	0
14	Carlos da Guia - Alpha-1	16	1	0
15	Procopio Golias - FLB	15	4	0

Fights of Note
GAMMA 37 – Just shy of 10,500 fans watch HW Champion Jeff Carlton defend his belt as he chokes out Fatuma Roy (Rear Naked) in 3:21 of round 1 in Mississippi.

Alpha-1 – Fumiaki Hayashi retains the Alpha-1 Lightweight scrap taking Fujimaro Hidaka out with a vicious right hand in 2:10 of round 1 as 11,958 look on in Kinki, Japan.

BCF – Martin Cupples is nicknamed the crippler, but it was he that was subdued as Vikram Sithalayan thwarted his attempt to take the BCF Welterweight strap with an Armbar at 3:02 of the 5th round in front of 469 fans in London.

XCC – A solid turnout of 622 fans see Jamie Hewitt run his record to 10-2 as he defeats Coltrane Aaronson by rear naked choke to retain his Lightweight Title.

SCF 3 – Steel City Fury’s third show draws 193 fans who watch Warren Kitt defeat Julian Beals vis decision over 5 rounds to become the first SCF Lightweight Champion.

GAMMA 38 – 13,617 fans show up to see Jack Humphreys (25-6) lift the GAMMA Welterweight Title from Julio Regueiro (21-1) as the latter suffers his first career setback. Buddy Garner wraps up his GAMMA contract with a submission win over Woody Fierstein on the undercard.

Alpha-1 – The rematch between Ichisake Miyagi and Fukusaburu Hirano is a poorly fought contest that sees Miyagi triumph again via 6 round decision to retain his Welterweight Title in front of 12,448 fans. Both GAMMA and Alpha-1 did well on PPV with GAMMA pulling in 352,496 buys and Alpha-1 announcing 234,172 buys.

News of the World
Seigo Tsuda, a noted Japanese brawler who was a longtime fan favorite announces his retirement, which was a foregone conclusion since he has not fought for 2 years. He could always be counted on for an exciting fight and leaves the sport with a record of 38-27-2.

Rugged Japanese Featherweight Takahiro Nakamura has called it a career at the age of 34. The former KDM FC standout was unable to hook up with another larger promotion after KDM FC folded and goes out a winner on a local Japanese show to post a final record of 23-7.

Alpha-1 reveals their next event will highlight the Welterweights as Ichisake Miyagi will defend his Title against Kukusaburu Hirano and go head to head against GAMMA 38 on the 3rd Saturday in August. The PPV numbers will be interesting as the Titans clash.

Experts are now saying the American economy may not be as bad as expected and good in fact enter a boom period over the next 2 years, which is great news for the MMA industry in the states.

FLB 16: End of Days will feature a Light Heavyweight Title fight between Pedro Sousa and Leandro Piquet on the first Saturday of September.

SIGMA announces that they have completed the contracts for Terron Cabal to defend his Heavyweight Belt against Aleksander Ivanov in September.

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare presents.
ECW 18 – Inferno, August 1999

Main card

vs
Main Event – ECW Middleweight Title 5 rounds
Ethan ‘The Terror’ Sutton © 8-0 vs Bill ‘The Marine’ Brown 5-0

Co-Main – Light Heavyweights 3 rounds
‘The Dockland Destroyer’ Jerry Bogdonovich 8-2 vs ‘The Tornado’ Terry Catt 6-1

Heavyweights 3 rounds
Armen ‘A-Game’ Sarkisian 25-2 vs Don ‘The Rumble King’ Norman 23-15

Light Heavyweights 3 rounds
Adrian ‘The Missing Link’ Swall 4-1 vs Flavio Alberto 3-0

Welterweights 3 rounds
‘The Unbreakable’ Gideon Navarro 4-0 vs ‘Buzz’ Sawyer Hines 4-2

Preliminaries

HW – Ozzy Bintley 3-0 vs Libor Pudil 3-1

MW – Owen Hyde 2-2 vs Holden Strant 4-5

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare 18 – Inferno August, 1999



Preliminaries


MW – Owen Hyde defeats Holden Strant by Unanimous decision in 3 rounds
Rating: Poor
*Strant suffered a bad knee injury, yet finished the fight which says a lot about Hyde’s effort.


HW – Ozzy Bintley defeats Libor Pudil by Unanimous decision in 3 rounds
Rating: Average
*Bintley overwhelmed Pudil landing 32 of 67 standing and 21 of 23 strikes from the ground


Main Card


WW: Gideon Navarro 4-0 vs Sawyer Hines 4-2
Round 1: Both men come out firing punches, but have trouble finding their range with the only effective shots landed by Navarro. As the round reaches the halfway point Navarro shoots and takes Sawyer down looking to pound him out, but ‘Buzz’ defends himself well from half guard. Navarro is finally able to pass guard and with time winding down snags Hines in an Arm Triangle…….The submission is locked in, but Hines is saved by the Bell.


Round 2: Navarro scores with a quick jab and immediately gets a takedown on Hines, where he passes guard to side control and quickly works transitions to mount. Navarro goes for an Americana and Hines is able to fight it off, prompting Navarro to go for an Armbar instead, but Hines rolls and gains side control. With no interest in wrestling, Hines stands up and is rewarded with a crisp three punch combination for his troubles. Navarro steps in and scores a single leg takedown and gets off a few punches before the round ends.


Round 3: The final round starts slowly as Hines looks to circle and stay away from Navarro, who plods along after him. Finally closing the gap, Navarro drives Hines into the cage and the action slows as he is content to hold him in this position. As the crowd grows restless Navarro steps back, fires a short right and Hines goes down in a heap! Navarro jumps to Hines side and pounds away, rocking him with several solid shots before Hines can pull him down. Still hurt, Hines tries to scramble and gives up his back and Navarro takes advantage immediately going for a reverse Armbar, but again Hines is saved by the bell. The scores from the judges are 30-26 and 30-27 twice for the……


Winner by Unanimous decision in 3 rounds Gideon Navarro - Rating: Average
*Navarro is a beast on the ground going 3 of 3 on takedowns and landing 23 of 25 ground strikes


--------------------------------------------------


LHW: Flavio Alberto 3-0 vs Adrian Swall 4-1
Round 1: Alberto’s mastery on his feet is apparent early as he peppers Swall from distance, though Adrian lands a couple of shots. Alberto works his way inside and Swall goes for a takedown catching a hard right in the process. Backing up Swall looks to regroup and shoots again as Alberto walks in, but the takedown attempt is defended nicely. Alberto again starts to work the jab and Swall shoots again, but comes up short a third time as the round comes to a close.


Round 2: Alberto is now sitting and waiting on Swall, countering his punches as he tries to close the gap. Frustrated, Swall lunges at Alberto’s legs, but Flavio easily steps out of the takedown attempt. Swall pushes the pace briefly, but Alberto is able to keep him at a safe distance with a series of well placed strikes, finally causing Swall to stop and motion Alberto fight, but Flavio stand pat and only smiles as the round ends.


Round 3: Swall knows he is losing and fairly chases Alberto who circles and flicks out jab after jab. Swall tries a takedown and gets stuffed as Alberto mocks him. Wasting no time, Swall dives in again and eats a stiff jab as Alberto dances away. The round continues with Alberto running and Swall chasing, failing twice more on takedown attempts before the fight mercifully ends. The scorecards are tallied and all three judges score it 30-27 for the…


Winner by Unanimous decision in 3 rounds Flavio Alberto - Rating: Average
*When the Wrestler (Swall) is 0 for 8 in takedowns the outcome is probably not in doubt


--------------------------------------------------


HW: Armen Sarkisian 25-2 vs Don Norman 23-15
The much ballyhooed debut of the ‘A-Game’ is here
Round 1: Sarkisian comes out throwing two quick strikes, then feinting to try and set Norman up for a takedown. Norman is patient and fails to take the bait, snapping off a jab which Sarkisian avoids. Stalking Norman, Sarkisian finally sees his chance and Norman is taken down hard, with Sarkisian passing guard and going straight for an Armbar, which he sinks, but Norman is able to pop out of the hold. Sarkisian blocks Norman from pulling guard and grabs an Arm Triangle and Norman is in trouble……Sarkisian wrenches the hold, but Norman is again able to break free. Norman then tries to sweep, but gives up his back and Sarkisian gets the hooks in and applies a rear naked choke, but Norman is able to defend it and ride out the round.


Round 2: Sarkisian starts off with a quick flurry of punches to set up a takedown, but Norman avoids it landing a jab as he dances away. Sarkisian goes back to stalking Norman but cannot cut him off as Norman looks to survive throwing an occasional jab. The action has really slowed and Norman is frustrating Sark, who does not have his ‘A-Game’ in this round, which ends in a flurry of no activity.


Round 3: Both fighters land some clean shots in the first 30 seconds, and then Norman is back on his bicycle with Sarkisian chasing. Periodically they stop and throw arm punches that cause no damage and they are soon reduced to occasional sniping as Sarkisian’s debut is hardly living up to the hype after a promising opening round. The last half of the fight is little more than circling, with Sarkisian trying to force the action, but Norman is not a willing participant. The scorecards are totaled and the scores are all 30-27 for the…..


Winner by Unanimous decision in 3 rounds Armen Sarkisian - Rating: Very Poor
*Not up to the hype as Norman fights off 3 submissions, but only lands 3 of 24 punches


--------------------------------------------------


LHW: Jerry Bogdonovich 8-2 vs Terry Catt 6-1
Will J-Bog continue to be cursed when facing a wrestler?
Round 1: Catt comes out and fires a hook and Bogdonovich comes over the top with an overhand right and Catt is down!!! Bogdonovich dives in and begins firing away with both hands as Catt desperately tries to get guard, but his is taking a beating and it’s over!!! The referee has stopped it and Bogdonovich has broken the curse.


Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 0:41 of round 1 Jerry Bogdonovich - Rating: Good
*4 of 4 strikes standing and 8 of 12 from the ground and ‘The Dockland Destroyer’ is back.


--------------------------------------------------


Main Event – MW: Ethan Sutton © 8-0 vs Bill Brown 5-0 ECW Middleweight Title
After the Bogdonovich / Catt slaughter the fans are geeked for the main event
Round 1: Two skilled wrestlers go at it and after a few half hearted punches Brown starts the takedown attempts, but Sutton stuffs him, forcing him back into the cage. Brown reverses the position and gets the underhooks, but Sutton again blocks the takedown, forcing Brown to drop down, where a double leg is defended. Some great position changes take place along the cage and Brown seems to have met his match in the grappling area as Sutton defends his takedowns twice more before the round ends.


Round 2: Brown fires a leg kick, but Sutton steps away and hits a short left. Brown throws a quick combination and again goes for a double leg, but Sutton is equal to the task. Sutton is now bobbing and weaving and Brown is now looking to get inside and dirty box, but he has little success against the Champion, who appears to trying to wear Brown down. As the round comes to a close, Brown lands a series of solid shots, but Sutton walks away at the bell smiling.


Round 3: Brown feints a takedown attempt and fires a punch which Sutton blocks. The Champion throws a right hand and Brown ducks it and goes for a single leg, finally getting the takedown as Sutton pulls guard. Browns Jiu Jitsu skills quickly take over as he gains side control and then full mount, and goes for an Armbar. Sutton, sensing danger rolls and sweeps Brown, gaining side control and then standing back up. Brown closes the distance and backs Sutton into the cage and scores a second takedown after gaining underhooks. On the ground Brown transitions into the side control as the round ends, with both fighters showing some fatigue.


Round 4: A close round throughout as both fighters look to get their second wind. Brown is thwarted on 2 takedown attempts and pushed into the cage by Sutton who then breaks free and circles, looking to keep the fight standing. Brown closes again, but is again turned into the cage by Sutton, who drills him with a couple of knees. Brown reverses position and holds Sutton on the cage as the round ends with little action.


Round 5: Browns opens the final round missing several bombs, with Sutton firing back and then trying for his first takedown, which Brown stuffs. Sutton then forces Brown into the cage and hold him there, before attempting a slam which is again defended. Brown stuffs another takedown and breaks free returning to the center of the cage. Sutton follows and feints a punch and then dives in for another takedown attempt, which he completes as Brown tries to catch him in a Guillotine. Sutton escapes the Guillotine, but is unable to pass Brown’s guard as the fight comes to a close. Will that last takedown be enough to retain his belt…..The judges’ cards are tallied and all three judges score it 48-47 for the………


Winner by Unanimous decision in 5 rounds Ethan Sutton - Rating: Very Poor – Sutton retains the ECW Middleweight Title
*In reality a curious decision as Brown hit 14 punches to 1 and 2 of 12 takedowns to Suttons 1 of 4


--------------------------------------------------


Attendance: 314 – Gate $7,850 – Critical Rating: Poor / Commercial Rating: Great


vs
Fight of the night – Jerry Bogdonovich vs Terry Catt



KO of the night – Jerry Bogdonovich


Submission of the night – N/A

Post Show:
Not a great card, in fact our worst yet with 6 of 7 fights going the distance and none of those better than average. Styles make fights and in the main event two solid wrestlers were able to nullify each other effectively, though the decision was met with boos as Brown was certainly busier. It is great to see Bogdonovich return to his winning ways as he once again proved that it only takes one shot to turn out the lights. I am afraid that the lack of exciting matches will hurt us, which is a shame considering we shattered our previous attendance record and could have really gained momentum if our main event had come through. Our popularity only goes up .8 to 29.8 which is our worst gain ever.

Trainers Report
Terry Catt: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Holden Strant: Out for up to 6 months with a knee injury

Cage Scraps
Terry Catt asks me for a match with Petey Barnum, one of our favorite elixirs after a loss.

Holden Strant and Ethan Sutton are both up for contract renewal and while Sutton is a must sign since he is our Middleweight Champion, Strant’s Knee injury virtually assures he will be let go after his last fight, if he is even able to fight again for ECW

[BYU 14]

ECW News – September 1999

Finances – August 1999
Income
Gate Receipts - $7,850
Sponsorship - $1,253
Merchandise - $3,763
Misc - $734
Expenses
Fighter Pay - $45,477
Production - $321
Marketing - $1,983
Administration - $3,069
Contractual - $300
Misc - $13,572

Monthly Net: -$51,122
Balance: $1,661,449

7 fights reduced the deficit a bit, but still bleeding 50K, hopefully we get to mid-level by year’s end so we can extend our shelf life long enough to start making money.

Contract issues
New Signings
HW – Johan Jeker 22 yrs old 0-0 Exclusive $600 for 5 fights over 22 months (Jeker is a Jiu Jitsu expert who has recently begun cross training and projects as a dangerous ground fighter, who may struggle against good stand up fighters)

Extensions
MW – Ethan Sutton 23 yrs old 9-0 Exclusive $4,500 for 5 fights over 45 months (As expected our Middleweight Champ does not come cheap, but as he is currently the #6 Middleweight in the world the price is not unexpected)

Terminations
None

Cage Scraps
Roope Kuqi goes out on a line on Blurcat Radio predicting he will defeat Brady Crawford at ECW 20. If he can’t he should probably join his Dad in retirement.

Sammi Chan has resumed training after recovering from his thigh injury.

Washi Shiganori appears in the Blurcat studios and completely discounted any thought of suffering his first pro defeat when he meets Osmosis Benn for the ECW Light Heavyweight Title at ECW 19 in September.

Logan Bluffer is interviewed by Matt Edwards and is looking forward to his ECW debut against Edward Zahn and talks about his routine leading up to the fight.

Silvio Leite appears in an online chat on Blurcat and makes it known that he is not happy that William Harrison is getting so much publicity in advance of their fight at ECW 20 in October and that fans will see him in better shape and more focused than ever before.

Damien Jones appeared on Blurcat Radio and talked about how he hopes to take the lessons learned in his loss to Wilson Franklyn at ECW 15 and use them to improve. The 30 yr old also talked about why he got started so late in MMA and the difference it has made in his life.



Top 15 pound for pound in the World

	Fighter	W	L	D
1	LHW: Tadamasa Yamada - Alpha-1	23	1	0
2	FW: Li-Kong Ho - Unemployed	20	0	0
3	LW: Sean Morrison - GAMMA	30	3	0
4	LHW: Zvonimi Asanovic - Alpha-1	29	2	0
5	MW: Neil Napier - GAMMA	18	0	0
6	LW: Sukarno - Alpha-1	24	0	0
7	HW: Terron Cabal - SIGMA	15	0	0
8	WW: Alan Kendall - GAMMA	15	3	0
9	MW: Heiji Endo - Alpha-1	16	1	0
10	WW: Jack Humphreys - GAMMA	25	6	0
11	HW: Tim Boyer - GAMMA	28	4	2
12	LW: Fumiaki Hayashi - Alpha-1	19	4	0
13	WW: Vikram Sithalayan - BCF	20	2	0
14	MW: Joaquim Fontes - FLB	23	3	0
15	LW: Jake Keane - BCF	24	4	0

Fights of Note
FLB 16: End of Days – Leandro Piquet (21-7) upsets Pedro Sousa (21-4) to take the Light Heavyweight Title taking a 5 round unanimous decision in front of 761 people.

SIGMA – 980 fans turn out to watch ‘The Baddest Man in MMA’ Terron Cabal 15-0 take out Aleksander Ivanov 8-1 by KO in 0:51 of round 2 to retain his Heavyweight Title.

Omega – 785 spectators watch a Light Heavyweight Champion crowned as Marcos Maciel (6-0) defeats Samuel Russo (19-12) by KO in 23 seconds of round 2.

GAMMA 39 – Tim Boyer avenges his TKO loss to Jeff Carlton taking him out with a single kick to the head in 4:18 of round 4 in a fight that was an absolute war, to become the new GAMMA Heavyweight Champion.

Alpha-1 – Ari Peltonen is dethroned by Kunimichi Kikuchi by split decision over 5 rounds in a contest for the Heavyweight Title in front of 12,336 fans.

News of the World
GAMMA announces the matches for GAMMA 39 with the headlining match a battle for the Heavyweight Title as Jeff Carlton and Tim Boyer meet for the second time in what should be a slugfest.

Alpha-1 reveals that the main event for their September show will by Ari Peltonen vs Kunimichi Kikuchi for the Heavyweight Title.

Asian Featherweight Cong Dun calls it a career at the age of 36 as he is unable to secure a deal with a regional promotion. One of the fiercest kickers in the game, Dun finishes up with a record of 29-10.

High energy Featherweight Yee Tsuji wraps up his MMA career at age 37 with a record of 23-16-3. Tsuji was no style and all wild, throwing haymakers until either he or his opponent fell.

GAMMA announces a new PPV deal with Public Access Select that will carry them into next year.

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare presents.
ECW 19 – Fall Throwdown, September 1999

Main card

vs
Main Event – ECW Light Heavyweight Title 5 rounds
Osmosis Benn © 17-1 vs Washi Shiganori 7-0

Co-Main – Heavyweights 3 rounds
Efren Luat 5-0 vs Sly ‘Bully Boy’ Twinge 5-1

Middleweights 3 rounds
‘The Demon from Derbyshire’ Andrew Rush 15-8 vs Leonardo da Costa 13-6

Welterweights 3 rounds
Bhumibol Ektawatkul 9-4 vs Evan ‘The Carpenter’ Pizarro 3-0

Heavyweights 3 rounds
Brody ‘Crush Em’ Howles 3-0 vs ‘Granite’ Kevin Portman 10-7

Preliminaries
WW – Heath Kaladaris 3-0 vs Linton Berry 6-5

LHW – Logan Bluffer 3-0 vs Edward Zahn 8-7

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare 19 – Fall Throwdown September, 1999



Preliminaries


LHW – Logan Bluffer defeats Edward Zahn by Submission (Arm Triangle) in 3:11 or round 1
Rating: Good
*Bluffer takes Zahn down early in a completely dominating performance


WW – Heath Kaladaris defeats Linton Berry by Submission (Armbar) in 3:59 of round 1
Rating: Good
*Kaladaris steamrolled over the limited Berry with a stout ground game


Main Card


HW: Brody Howles 3-0 vs Kevin Portman 10-7
Round 1: These guys are going to keep it standing as they both land some good shots in an early exchange, with Portman looking to work from the inside. Howles wants to keep space and gets out of the pocket, land a nice series of counters as Portman is throwing wild bombs. Howles looks to nail Portman, but a powerful hook falls short and Portman steps in catching Howles and driving him back into the cage with a big right hand. Portman charges in and nails Howles again with two wicked shots and Howles goes down….Portman smothers him and lets both hands go as Howles is on dream street, prompting the referee to jump in and stop it!


Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 4:06 of round 1 Kevin Portman - Rating: Great
*Howles was cruising, landing 20 of 33 standing strikes before getting caught and pounded out.


--------------------------------------------------


WW: Bhumibol Ektawatkul 9-4 vs Evan Pizzarro 3-0
Round 1: An exchange of tentative strikes, before Pizzarro fires off a quick combination, then goes for the takedown, which Ektawatkul is able to stuff, but Pizzarro drives him into the cage. With Ektawatkul trapped, Pizzarro goes for a Judo throw and scores the takedown landing in side control. Wasting no time, Pizzarro immediately secures an Armbar and Ektawatkul is caught as ‘The Carpenter’ sinks it in forcing the quick tap!!


Winner by Submission (Armbar) in 2:01 of round 1 Evan Pizzarro - Rating: Great
*Ektawatkul got off just a single errant strike as Pizzarro takes it with surprising ease.


--------------------------------------------------


MW: Andrew Rush 15-8 vs Leonardo Da Costa 13-6
An important MW contender’s fight
Round 1: Rush fires first, but Da Costa is able to slip his punches and counter, which leads to a brief exchange before Rush backs away, wary of being taken down. Da Costa stalks Rush, looking to close the gap and gets nailed with a brutal leg kick, but shakes it off and shoots on Rush, taking him down before he can escape. Rush pulls guard, but Da Costa passes easily, working first to side control and then mount, expertly shifting his hips, Da Costa slaps on an Armbar and Rush has no choice but to give it up.


Winner by Submission (Armbar) in 4:28 of round 1 Leonardo da Costa - Rating: Great
*Da Costa showed no fear of Rush’s vaunted kicks, dragging the Demon into deep water


--------------------------------------------------


HW: Efren Luat 5-0 vs Sly Twinge 5-1
An important bout for both men with the winner moving into contention for a title shot
Round 1: Luat opens up with some wild strikes, but does no damage as Twinge catches the ponderous shots on his gloves. Lust tries to shoot, but Twinge easily avoids the takedown and dances away, but Luat presses forward and grabs Twinge in a clinch. Twinge blocks Luat’s takedown, and then tries to trip the big man, but Luat thwarts the counter throw attempt. They break and slowly circle each other, with Luat trying one final takedown, which Twinge stuffs easily.


Round 2: Twinge lands a hard jab, and then throws a flurry of punches that forces Luat to cover up setting up a takedown, which Twinge completes. Caught in guard Twinge fires some elbows, but Luat is not bothered by the any them and nearly catches Twinge in a triangle choke as the latter tries to posture up. Twinge works to pass guard, getting a leg free, but remaining in half guard for the rest of the round as Luat continues to defend Twinges strikes from his back. Both men are tired as the round ends.


Round 3: Luat continues to lumber forward and Twinge manages to nail him with several nice shots as Luat looks too tired to retaliate. Sensing he has the fight in the bag Twinge begins to circle, pushing Luat away every time he closes to within clinching distance. The remainder of the fight continues in this fashion with Luat too tired to mount a serious attack and Twinge content to stay out of harm’s way……This one looks like a comfortable win for Twinge as the scores are announced, 30-27 twice and 29-28 for the……


Winner Unanimous decision in 3 rounds Sly Twinge - Rating: Average
*Twinge hit 19 of 34 strikes standing and 28 of 33 from the ground outworking Luat easily.


--------------------------------------------------


Main Event – LWW: Osmosis Benn © 17-1 vs Washi Shiganori 7-0 ECW Light Heavyweight Title
Will Shiganori be able to hurt Benn standing or will he be quickly grounded?
Round 1: Benn comes out trying to kick Shiganori’s head off, a dangerous game to play with the talented kick boxer who scorches Benn with a flurry of punches. Benn retaliates with a nice combination and backs away, drawing Shiganori in and then taking him down with relative ease. This is not where the kick boxer wants to be as Benn passes guard and lands a hard elbow, stunning Shiganori. Smelling blood, Benn unleashes a barrage of Hammer fists and Shiganori is unable to defend himself as the referee pulls Benn off….A successful defense for the Champion!


Winner by TKO (Strikes) in 3:34 of round 1 Osmosis Benn - Rating: Great – Benn retains the ECW Light Heavyweight Title
*It took just 4 brutal hammer fists from side control to end it as Shiganori could only land 4 of 13 strikes.


--------------------------------------------------


Attendance: 321 – Gate $8,025 – Critical Rating: Great / Commercial Rating: Great


vs
Fight of the night – Osmosis Benn vs Washi Shiganori



KO of the night – Kevin Portman



Submission of the night – Logan Bluffer

Post Show:
Nothing but good news all around for this show, great ratings both critically and commercially and our first gate over 8 thousand dollars, with a main even that lived up to the hype!! Benn looks to be set for a long reign as I don’t see anybody as an immediate threat to his title. Twinge and Luat was the only so-so match, which is not surprising since neither spends as much time on cardio as they do at Burger King. Our Popularity jumped 2.4% to 32.2%, which is huge heading into the final quarter and should boost our attendance once again at the next show.

Trainers Report
Washi Shiganori: Out 3 months on medical suspension
Andrew Rush: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Bhumibol Ektawathul: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Brody Howles: Out 3 months on medical suspension
Edward Zahn: Out 2 months on medical suspension
Linton Berry: Out 2 months on medical suspension

Cage Scraps
Both Efren Luat and Kevin Portman want a match with Marvin Stevens next. Portman I may consider because he throws punches at least, Luat, you have got to be kidding. I might as well throw two old ladies in Sumo suits into the Cage; the excitement level would be comparable.

Andrew Rush has 1 match left with ECW and I will not resign him. He served his purpose as a good test in the top tier, now I will let him go back across the pond after his next fight.

[BYU 14]

ECW News – October 1999

Finances – September 1999
Income
Gate Receipts - $8,025
Sponsorship - $1,318
Merchandise - $3,802
Misc - $828
Expenses
Fighter Pay - $46,289
Production - $315
Marketing - $1,953
Administration - $2,909
Contractual - $300
Misc - $14,185

Monthly Net: -$51,978
Balance: $1,609,472

Getting closer to Mid Level and at the rate we are going we will be fine long term, especially once we get a TV deal, hopefully by 2001.

Contract issues
New Signings
MW – Pip Mercurial 24 yrs old 6-0 Exclusive $1,800 for 5 fights over 36 months. (He has been tearing up the local circuit and asks for $2,250. I stand firm at 18K and he caves with nobody else after him)

Extensions
None

Terminations
None

Cage Scraps
We announce the main event for our big holiday show, ECW 22 – Holiday Havoc 1999 in December as Ethan Sutton will defend his Middleweight Title against the brash and confident Toby Sorkin.

Josimar Martins talks about his November fight against Wilson Franklyn, calling him a dangerous opponent, but expressing confidence his experience will win out.

Jim Carpenter appears on the Big Cat show and reflects on his career as a mixed martial artist, takes questions from callers and tells the world he is far from finished as the preps for a rematch against the man he defeated to become ECW Welterweight Champ, Delroy Rhodes.

Toby Sorkin begins to hype up his December fight for the Middleweight title with Ethan Sutton on the big cat show……We have over 2 months of this to look forward to.

Otto Renner appeared on Blurcat Radio to talk about his upbringing in Vienna and how he got started in MMA. He then expresses his love for blintzes and shares some road stories.

Rumors surface that Alpha-1 is interested in Petey Barnum. He still owes us 3 fights but is on an associate contract so they can poach him, we will see how it plays out. I won’t get into a bidding war with Alpha-1 over him. He eventually agrees to a 3 fight exclusive deal with them for $1,600 per fight. I make no counter offer.

Ralph Kohl suffers an Ankle injury training and will be out 2 months.

Marvin Stevens appears on Blurcat radio and gives the scoop that he has been signed to fight….no not Efren Luat, but Sylvester Collins at ECW 22 – Holiday Havoc 1999 in December. Stevens thinks he can nullify Collins ground and pound and hopes to get back in title contention.

Snuffy Fontana grants an interview to Sam Stavrakakis and promises an impressive victory over Guillermo Morales in November at ECW 21.



MMA Promotion Rankings
Alpha-1 – Mid Level National
GAMMA – Mid Level National
SIGMA – Mid Level Regional
OMEGA – Mid Level Regional
BCF – Mid Level Regional
FLB – Mid Level Regional
WEXX – Mid Level Regional
XCC – Mid Level Regional
ECW – Low Level Regional
SCF – Low Level Regional

Fights of Note
BCF - 432 turn out in London to watch Jake Keane move to 25-4 and defend his lightweight title submitting Rupert Lennox with an arm triangle in 2:04 of round 1.

SCF 4 – A Featherweight Champion is crowned as Markus Waller in just his third pro fight shocks Norberto (28-6) to take the Strap by rear naked choke in 4:32 of round 2.

SIGMA – Snorri Gunnarsson (23-4-1) knocks off Lars Bohlin (49-7) to win the Featherweight by split decision in front 863 fans.

News of the World
FLB announces that Zaco will be forced to pull out of his scheduled bout with Mark Johnstone at FLB: Blown Away due to a neck injury.

The Japanese economy is said to be about to take a down turn after a boom period. The experts predict a stable situation for 2-3 years before

[BYU 14]

Elite Cage Warfare presents.
ECW 20 – Screaming for Vengeance, October 1999

Main card

vs
Main Event – ECW Heavyweight Title 5 rounds
‘The Brazilian Bomber’ Gladstone Lopes © 16-1-1 vs ‘Boom Boom’ Guy Broom 5-0

Co-Main – Middleweights 3 rounds
Tuck ‘The Everlasting’ Durdell 4-0 vs ‘The Arizona Strangler’ Hunter Scribbins 5-0

Welterweights 3 rounds
Houston ‘Furious’ George 4-0 vs Zachary ‘Manitoba Misery’ Gilbert 13-7

Middleweights 3 rounds
‘The Tap Out Artist’ Billy Russell 4-0 vs Vagner 14-7

Light-Heavyweights 3 rounds
‘Major Damage’ William Harrison 4-1 vs Silvio Leite 6-0

Preliminaries
MW – Ernie Bruns 17-14 vs Tobias Goulet 15-17

HW – Roope Kuqi 1-0 vs Brady Crawford 6-8