Travis Lizotte "Full Contact Writer"
Cage Titans breathes life into the Plymouth, Memorial Hall yet again this Saturday night, August 27th as the promotion presents Cage Titans 55 highlighted by a showdown for the vacant Cage Titans Welterweight Belt, as current Cage Titans Lightweight Champion Joe "Skeletor" Giannetti (12-4) makes a bid for "Champ, Champ" status when he meets Cage Titans stalwart; Trevor "Scarecrow" Gudde (4-2) in the Main Event. In the Co-Main Event, recently returning Heavyweight Brendan Battles (2-1) will look to make it back to back wins inside the Cage Titans cage, following an impressive first round TKO of Fredrick Gray (0-1) at Cage Titans 53, when he locks horns with ten fight veteran; Florida's Jashua Marsh (5-5).
A Bantamweight bout between New England veterans Bruno Dias (19-12) and Lionel "Boogz" Young (10-18, Citadel) was originally due to be highlighted on the Cage Titans 55 lineup, however and injury to "Jacare" Dias forced him from the contest. Stepping up on short notice and replacing Dias, now at a fight weight of 145 pounds; Balck Wolf's Will "Sriracha" Smith (3-4) now meets Lionel "Boogz" Young in a Featherweight feature Saturday night. Now the featured Bantamweight contest on the Cage Titans 55 card falls on the shoulders of the "Maineiac" Kam Arnold (1-0) who looks to keep his perfect pro record in tact when he meets five fight New York veteran Michael "Titan" Taylor (1-4).
Old friend Kris "Easy Money" Berberich (5-8) returns to the Cage Titans fold for the first time in over two years (First round TKO loss to Zach DiSabatino at Cage Titans 47) when he meets Sityodtong's Leo Laderia (2-3) in Lightweight action. The Cage Titans 55 main card rounds out with two Amateur titles up for grabs, first up newly crowned Cage Titans Amateur Flyweight Champion Tyler "Butter Knife" Smythe (5-2) makes the jump up to Bantamweight to match wits with the reigning Cage Titans Amateur Bantamweight Champion; Arthur Mpofu (5-4), with Arthur's 135 pound strap on the line. Next we move to the Middleweight division for a scheduled 5 rounds as another newly crowned Cage Titans Champion; Jideofor Ojukwu (4-1) puts his Middleweight strap on the line against undefeated Nostos MMA finisher; David Burke (2-0).
The undercard at Cage Titans 55 is littered with up and coming MMA talent as well as some of the regional best Amateur strikers throwing down in the Muay Thai division. Promising young prospects Jake Caskey and Mike Antidormi throwdown in an Amateur Featherweight bout that is sure to be worth showing up early for, these two have no idea how to be in a boring fight and this is my early favorite for Amateur fight of the night. Also undefeated Nostos MMA product Josh Smith (1-0) meets former Cage Titans Amateur Welterweight title Challenger Shane Dillehay (2-2). And Cage Titans favorite "Only Dans" Dan Walsh (1-1) looks to notch his second Amateur victory when he meets Cage JSA's John Lee (0-1) at a Catchweight of 150 pounds.
In the Muay Thai division talented Evolution Athletix striker Julian Connerton (2-1, Muay Thai) takes a big leap up in competition when he meets Red Seal's Anthony Scott (11-9) in an Amateur Muay Thai feature. Also USMMA's Avery Andrews (2-1, Am Muay Thai) looks to keep his Cage Titans Muay Thai record unblemished when he meets TNT's Tony Rivera (0-1) at a fight weight of 140 pounds. The full Cage Titans 55 card is listed below, fight order is subject to change. Follow further for a full breakdown of the entire maincard and a deeper look into the maincard matchups.
Joe Giannetti (12-4 BTT Taunton) vs. Trevor Gudde (4-2 Citadel)
Welterweight Title (Vacant)
Jashua Marsh (5-5 Carlos Gracie) vs. Brendan Battles (2-1 Loco Lobo)
Heavyweight
Lionel Young (10-18 Citadel) vs. Will Smith (3-4 Black Wolf)
Featherweight
Kris Berberich (5-8 Pioneer) vs. Leo Ladeira (2-3 Sityodtong)
Lightweight
Kam Arnold (1-0 Recon) vs. Mike Taylor (1-4 Brojo)
Bantamweight
Tyler Smythe (5-2 Evolution) vs. Arthur Mpofu (5-4 SBG)
Amateur Bantamweight (Title)
David Burke (2-0 Nostos) vs. Jideofor Ojukwu (4-1 Citadel)
Amateur Middleweight (Title)
Undercard
Josh Smith (1-0, NOSTOS) vs Shane Dillehay (2-2, Triforce)
Amateur Welterweight
Rafael Lopez (1-0, Cage JSA) vs Jayden Curley (0-0, BTT Taunton)
Amateur Welterweight
Wayne Downer (0-0, Cage JSA) vs Kyle Pavao (0-0, Triforce)
Amateur Lightweight
John Lee (0-1, Cage JSA) vs Dan Walsh (1-1, Lauzon)
Amateur Catchweight (150 lbs.)
Donavan Lozada (1-1, G & G) vs Raoul Scott (0-0, UFC Gym)
Amateur Heavyweight
Wolgang Fiasconaro (1-1, Rogers) vs Andrew Jacobs (1-1, Lauzon)
Amateur Catchweight (210 lbs.)
Jake Caskey (1-1, Dexter) vs Mike Antidormi (2-0, CT Combat)
Amateur Featherweight
Gage Looby (1-9, Red Planet) vs Mike Robillard (0-0, SSSF)
Amateur Catchweight (160 lbs.)
Steve Pyles (0-1, Dexter) vs Shane Wellman (0-0, Lauzon)
Amateur Catchweight (190 lbs.)
Amateur Muay Thai
160 AM Muay Thai Julian Connerton (2-1, Evolution) vs Anthony Scott (11-9, Red Seal)
140 AM Muay Thai Tony Rivera (0-1, TNT) vs Avery Andrews (2-1, USMMA)
170 AM Muay Thai James Thomas (0-0, G & G) vs Will Doolin (0-0, USMMA)
Main Card Breakdown
David Burke (2-0 Nostos) vs. Jideofor Ojukwu (4-1 Citadel)
Amateur Middleweight (Title)
Jideofor Ojukwu claimed his spot atop the Cage Titans Amateur Middleweight heap in February at Cage Titans: Combat Night 3 with a majority decision over Lorenzo Fitzgerald (3-2) to capture the Cage Titans Amateur Middleweight title. Ojukwu makes his first title defense Saturday night when he meets the fast rising Nostos MMA product; David Burke (2-0). Burke has looked scary good since making his debut on the New England scene at NEF 47 with a :19 second knockout of David McCarty and following it up with another first round drubbing of Ryan Fredette last month at NEF 48. Burke invites the toughest test of his young career Saturday night, when he locks in for five rounds with the reigning Cage Titans Middleweight Champion Jideofor Ojukwu. This fight should be an absolute slugfest, as Bruke instills pressure from the word go and Jideofor backs down to no one!
Tyler Smythe (5-2 Evolution) vs. Arthur Mpofu (5-4 SBG Alabama)
Amateur Bantamweight (Title)
This is exactly the type of Amateur title fight we have grown to expect from the Cage Titans promotion, two current Champions; the first, Arthur Mpofu will be entering his fourth Cage Titans title tilt and looking to defend his Cage Titans Amateur Bantamweight title against the newly crowned Cage Titans Amateur Flyweight Champion; Tyler "Butter Knife" Smythe. In Smythe's five appearances within the region, he has been perfect, five wins and no losses, on his way to capturing both the NEF and Cage Titans Amateur Flyweight titles. I'm expecting and absolute dog fight when the pin drops on this one, High Level Amateur MMA for all the marbles, and Mpofu's Bantamweight strap!
Kam Arnold (1-0 Recon) vs. Mike Taylor (1-4 Brojo)
Bantamweight
Maine's "Killa" Kam Arnold (1-0) made a splash on to the professional scene last November at Cage Titans 50 when needed just :11 seconds to send "Cornflakes" Rob Fuller to the Shadow realm. A fortay into boxing under head coach Glenn Cugno that saw him accumulate a 1-1 record, a wealth of expeciance and stayed active. "Killa" Kam returns to the South Shore Saturday night when he makes his second professional walk to the cage, looking to remain undefeated as a professional as he meets five fight New York veteran Michael "Titan" Taylor in a Bantamweight tilt. Both of these guys employ similar game plans and like to keep the fight on the feet, setting up what could be an absolute war between these two hungry 135ers. Taylor is much more of a finesse striker, picking his shots and waiting to counter. Arnold on the other hand will be looking for a big shot as his hands have gained notoriety for separating his opponents from consciousness.
Kris Berberich (5-8 Pioneer) vs. Leo Ladeira (2-3 Sityodtong)
Lightweight
Winner of his last two contests inside the confines of an MMA cage Sityodtong's Leo Laderia has turned an 0-3 pro record around in a big way, Laderia looks to improve that mark to an even .500 Saturday night at Cage Titans 55 when he meets 13 fight pro Kris Berberich. Berberich was saddled with a loss last time out when Zach DiSabatino handed him a first round TKO loss at Cage Titans 47, a brief hiatus from the cage led Berberich into the Boxing arena over the last two years where Kris failed to pick up a win in his four professional bouts. Berberich makes the trip back East this weekend to meet the surging Leo Laderia.
Lionel Young (10-18 Citadel) vs. Will Smith (3-4 Black Wolf)
Featherweight
We are going to be mentioning a fair amount of career resurrections Saturday night at Plymouth Memorial Hall and perhaps all of those stories are trying to live up to that of Lionel "Boogz" Young. Boston's Young turned pro some 13 year ago, earning his stripes by locking himself inside the Cage with some of the regions best Banatmweights and Featherweights, Rob Font, Sean Soriano and Peter Barrett just to name a few. And although the casual fans will turn up their nose at Lionel's "lop-sided" record but his experiance has put him deep into the discussion for Cage Titans Bantamweight title contention. Boogz got his first shot at the Bantamweight strap last time out where he succombed to Champion Joe "The Party" Penafiel in the fifth round of their Bantamweight title fight at Cage Titans 51. Lionel looks to climb his way back to a shot at the belt Saturday when he meets late replacement; Will "Sriracha" Smith in an 145 pound Featherweight feature. Smith will be looking to snap a personal three fight skid at Cage Titans 55 as he is prepared himself for the toughest test of his career in this match up with Boogz Saturday night.
Jashua Marsh (5-5 Carlos Gracie) vs. Brendan Battles (2-1 Loco Lobo)
Heavyweight
Man, a legit Heavyweight professional fight is few and far between here in New England, so it goes without saying what when two big men of this callibur enter the cage we get just a little bit excited. Loco Lobo's Brendan Battles announced his return to the division in dominating fashion at Cage Titans 53 with a first round drubbing of Fredrick Gray that lasted just one minute. Battles looks to show he is here to stay Saturday night as a win over the ten fight veteran Jashua Marsh would signify the biggest of his career. Florida's Marsh is the winner of his last two contest, both coming by way of decision, Marsh looks to upset the comeback of Battles Saturday night as he attempts to push his winning streak to three.
Joe Giannetti (12-4 BTT Taunton) vs. Trevor Gudde (4-2 Citadel)
Welterweight Title (Vacant)
Longtime veteran of both the Cage Titans and Bellator cages Trevor Gudde is an intimidating presence stanging 6'7" tall and fighting at 170 pounds Gudde's length has the potential to throw off anyone's gameplan. But when it comes to the New England region; Joe Giannetti isn't just "anyone," one of the best unsigned talents in the Northeast, Giannetti comes into Saturday night winner of his last three fights,all coming by way of finish, Giannetti looks to capture his second Cage Titans title belt in succession and force the hand of the UFC to once again reconsider the talents of the Abington, Massachusetts native. The one bit of experiance that Giannetti lacks, as do most of Trevor Gudde's opponents, is experiance with someone the size of the "Scarecrow." Gudde's reach and lengthy limbs make him a tough puzzle to solve, lengthy striking and sneaky submission skills on the ground make Gudde a problem at just 170 pounds. This is a tough one to figure out on paper, Gudde's physical size makes him a wildcard against anyone, but there is no doubt that Giannetti is the toughest draw og Gudde's career and its coing to take every inch of his 6'7" fame if he hopes to surpass the former Ultimate Fighter and leave Plymouth Memorial Hall with a professional belt of his very own.
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