The NAAFS brings MMA back to Canton
Mar 11, 2011
(PRESS RELEASE) -- Professional Mixed Martial Arts returns to
Canton, Ohio, for the first time in nearly four years when the
NAAFS invades the Canton Memorial Civic Center on Saturday April
16th, for what should be one of the Midwest's biggest MMA events of
the year.
The stacked fight card will include the semi-final round of the highly anticipated NAAFS 4-man heavyweight tournament which will crown a new Pro Series Heavyweight champion. In one semi-final bout, Cleveland native, Stipe Miocic (9-0), will put his undefeated record on the line against 2-time UFC veteran, Mike Wessel (10-4). Miocic is widely considered to be the sport's top rated professional HW prospect, while Wessel looks to capture NAAFS gold and work his way back to the UFC.
The Second semi-final bout will include another top heavyweight
prospect in Bobby Brents (8-1) of Team Warrior Concepts in Chicago,
Ill. His opponent, also from Chicago, will be the highly respected
Antoine "Herc" Hayes (9-5) who will look to put himself among the
elite professional heavyweights in the division if he is able run
thru the gauntlet of talented big men participating in this
tourney.
Canton native and current NAAFS pro series welterweight champion, Nick "The Savage" Duell (17-4-1), will look to defend his title for the second time against a former TUF cast member. This time, its Bellator and WEC veteran Kevin Knabjian (9-5-1) that will look to dethrone the champion in his home town. Knabjian was part of season 9 of "The Ultimate Fighter" TV show and lost to UFC contender Mark Miller in January of 2009. Duell comes in off his biggest win to date after dispatching TUF vet Daniel Head (18-3) in December with a second round submission becoming only the second fighter ever to successfully defend hist NAAFS title.
Another Canton native, Terry Blackwell (5-1), will be in action on April 16th in front of the hometown fans. Blackwell, who is one of the head instructors at Victory Martial Arts in Canton and Team Instigator, had a stellar amateur career going 5-0. Now fighting as a professional, Blackwell will once again be tested as this time he faces the always dangerous Tony Castillo (8-1), who is considered one of the heaviest hitters in the lightweight division. This match up already has fans talking "Fight of the Night".
Also slated to compete on April 16th, former NAAFS national champion Chuck Ellison (9-4), up and coming bantamweight phenoms Cody Garbrandt (4-1) and Tyler Saltsman (4-1) will also do battle. Plus the ladies will be in action at Caged Vengeance 9 as Canton native Rachel "The Rage" Dovidio (4-1) returns home as one of the nations' top ranked amateur females to take on Chandra Engel who makes the trip from McPherson, Kansas for the opportunity to face Dovidio.
Several more professional and amateur bouts are expected to officially be added to the card in the coming days along with the announcement of special guest appearances. All bouts and appearances are subject to change. Tickets for Caged Vengeance 9 are on sale now and start at just $22 pre-sale. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets on line at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000 and at the Canton Civic Center box office.
NAAFS Caged Vengeance 9 is proudly sponsored by B3 Enterprises, Mr John P. Lennon, Intimidation Clothing, Discount Drug Mart, Tim Lally Chevrolet and the Ferrucio Law Firm.
Current Confirmed NAAFS Caged Vengeance 9 Fight Card:
170 lbs title - Nick "The Savage" Duell 17-4-1 (Strong Style Fight Team) vs Kevin Knabjian 9-5-1 (Midwest Training Center)
265 lbs - Stipe Miocic 9-0 (Strong Style Fight Team) vs Mike Wessel 10-4 (Westside Kickboxing)
265 lbs - Bobby Brents 8-1 (Team Warrior Concepts) vs Antoine "Herc" Hayes 9-5 (Chicago, Ill)
185 lbs - Travis Clark 10-0 (Evolve MMA) vs Mickey Hughes 8-6 (H20 MMA/Mainstreet MMA)
155 lbs - Terry Blackwell 5-1 (Team Instigator) vs Tony "The Mexican Muscle"Castillo 8-1 (Toledo, OH)
170 lbs - Chuck Ellison 9-4 (Team Instigator) vs TBA
185 lbs - John "The Bullet" Fields 5-6 (Team Instigator) vs Niko Boscarino 8-11 (Walker MMA)
135 lbs - Cody "No Love" Garbrandt 4-1 (Mainstreet MMA) vs Tyler Saltsman 4-1 (Team Titan PA)
135 lbs - Rachel "The Rage" Dovidio 4-1 (Jacksonville, NC) vs Chandra Engel 5-3 (McPherson, Kansas)
115 lbs - Ronda Gale 4-2 (Dungeon MMA) vs Lylna Thao 6-4 (Little Rock, Ark)
*All bouts are subject to change
About the NAAFS
Established in 2005, The NAAFS is the fastest growing mixed martial arts organization in the sport and has produced over 80 live events in the region. Fighters that have been featured by the NAAFS include Chris Lozano, Jason Dent, Forrest Petz, Matt Brown, Ben Rothwell, Jessica Eye, Dave Herman, Ryan Madigan, Paul Bradley, Sean Salmon, Jeff Cox, Josh Hendricks, Daniel Straus, Brian Rogers and Phil Davis among many others. The television program "NAAFS Cage Fighting" can be seen each week domestically on the television home of the Cleveland Indians Sports Time Ohio, nationally via Direct TV and Dish Network. The NAAFS has been featured internationally via G-TV. Log on to the leagues official website at www.NAAFS.tv for additional information.
More NAAFS News:
Midwest Combat Challenge 13 this Saturday in Akron!
The NAAFS is proudly sponsored by John P Lennon, Discount Drug Mart, Tim Lally Chevrolet, Intimidation Clothing, Betonfighting.com, B3 Enterprises and Hex Linc Photography. Please support our sponsors who make these events possible!
The stacked fight card will include the semi-final round of the highly anticipated NAAFS 4-man heavyweight tournament which will crown a new Pro Series Heavyweight champion. In one semi-final bout, Cleveland native, Stipe Miocic (9-0), will put his undefeated record on the line against 2-time UFC veteran, Mike Wessel (10-4). Miocic is widely considered to be the sport's top rated professional HW prospect, while Wessel looks to capture NAAFS gold and work his way back to the UFC.
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Canton native and current NAAFS pro series welterweight champion, Nick "The Savage" Duell (17-4-1), will look to defend his title for the second time against a former TUF cast member. This time, its Bellator and WEC veteran Kevin Knabjian (9-5-1) that will look to dethrone the champion in his home town. Knabjian was part of season 9 of "The Ultimate Fighter" TV show and lost to UFC contender Mark Miller in January of 2009. Duell comes in off his biggest win to date after dispatching TUF vet Daniel Head (18-3) in December with a second round submission becoming only the second fighter ever to successfully defend hist NAAFS title.
Caged Vengeance 9 will also mark the NAAFS debut of unbeaten
middleweight Travis "The Terror" Clark (10-0) who looks to
establish himself as a future contender in the NAAFS at 185 lbs.
Clark will tangle with former title contender Mickey Hughes (8-6)
who moves up a weight class as he looks to get back on track as a
middleweight.
Another Canton native, Terry Blackwell (5-1), will be in action on April 16th in front of the hometown fans. Blackwell, who is one of the head instructors at Victory Martial Arts in Canton and Team Instigator, had a stellar amateur career going 5-0. Now fighting as a professional, Blackwell will once again be tested as this time he faces the always dangerous Tony Castillo (8-1), who is considered one of the heaviest hitters in the lightweight division. This match up already has fans talking "Fight of the Night".
Also slated to compete on April 16th, former NAAFS national champion Chuck Ellison (9-4), up and coming bantamweight phenoms Cody Garbrandt (4-1) and Tyler Saltsman (4-1) will also do battle. Plus the ladies will be in action at Caged Vengeance 9 as Canton native Rachel "The Rage" Dovidio (4-1) returns home as one of the nations' top ranked amateur females to take on Chandra Engel who makes the trip from McPherson, Kansas for the opportunity to face Dovidio.
Several more professional and amateur bouts are expected to officially be added to the card in the coming days along with the announcement of special guest appearances. All bouts and appearances are subject to change. Tickets for Caged Vengeance 9 are on sale now and start at just $22 pre-sale. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets on line at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-745-3000 and at the Canton Civic Center box office.
NAAFS Caged Vengeance 9 is proudly sponsored by B3 Enterprises, Mr John P. Lennon, Intimidation Clothing, Discount Drug Mart, Tim Lally Chevrolet and the Ferrucio Law Firm.
Current Confirmed NAAFS Caged Vengeance 9 Fight Card:
170 lbs title - Nick "The Savage" Duell 17-4-1 (Strong Style Fight Team) vs Kevin Knabjian 9-5-1 (Midwest Training Center)
265 lbs - Stipe Miocic 9-0 (Strong Style Fight Team) vs Mike Wessel 10-4 (Westside Kickboxing)
265 lbs - Bobby Brents 8-1 (Team Warrior Concepts) vs Antoine "Herc" Hayes 9-5 (Chicago, Ill)
185 lbs - Travis Clark 10-0 (Evolve MMA) vs Mickey Hughes 8-6 (H20 MMA/Mainstreet MMA)
155 lbs - Terry Blackwell 5-1 (Team Instigator) vs Tony "The Mexican Muscle"Castillo 8-1 (Toledo, OH)
170 lbs - Chuck Ellison 9-4 (Team Instigator) vs TBA
185 lbs - John "The Bullet" Fields 5-6 (Team Instigator) vs Niko Boscarino 8-11 (Walker MMA)
135 lbs - Cody "No Love" Garbrandt 4-1 (Mainstreet MMA) vs Tyler Saltsman 4-1 (Team Titan PA)
135 lbs - Rachel "The Rage" Dovidio 4-1 (Jacksonville, NC) vs Chandra Engel 5-3 (McPherson, Kansas)
115 lbs - Ronda Gale 4-2 (Dungeon MMA) vs Lylna Thao 6-4 (Little Rock, Ark)
*All bouts are subject to change
About the NAAFS
Established in 2005, The NAAFS is the fastest growing mixed martial arts organization in the sport and has produced over 80 live events in the region. Fighters that have been featured by the NAAFS include Chris Lozano, Jason Dent, Forrest Petz, Matt Brown, Ben Rothwell, Jessica Eye, Dave Herman, Ryan Madigan, Paul Bradley, Sean Salmon, Jeff Cox, Josh Hendricks, Daniel Straus, Brian Rogers and Phil Davis among many others. The television program "NAAFS Cage Fighting" can be seen each week domestically on the television home of the Cleveland Indians Sports Time Ohio, nationally via Direct TV and Dish Network. The NAAFS has been featured internationally via G-TV. Log on to the leagues official website at www.NAAFS.tv for additional information.
More NAAFS News:
Midwest Combat Challenge 13 this Saturday in Akron!
The NAAFS is proudly sponsored by John P Lennon, Discount Drug Mart, Tim Lally Chevrolet, Intimidation Clothing, Betonfighting.com, B3 Enterprises and Hex Linc Photography. Please support our sponsors who make these events possible!
