Travis Lizotte "Full Contact Writer"
This Saturday May, 27th from its hallowed home; Plymouth Memorial Hall in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Cage Titans closes the cage door behind the biggest main event in the promotion's history as Michael Polvere and company present Cage Titans 59: Hylton vs. Battles for the inaugural Cage Titans professional Heavyweight Championship. For the first time since its inception some thirteen years ago, Cage Titans will crown a professional Heavyweight king. Cape Cod Heavyweight Brendan Battles (3-1, Loco Lobo #2 Ranked Heavyweight in New England) all 6'3" and 265 pounds of him and 6'6", 260 pound Mainer Ras "Rasquatch" Hylton (9-7, ATT Tampa #4 Ranked Heavyweight in New England) find themselves marred in the midst of a Heavyweight showdown for the ages, with Cage Titans Gold on the line. The bill reads five, five minute rounds are scheduled to decide this one, but these two finishers intend to use just a fraction of that 25 minutes and leave Plymouth, Massachusetts; Cage Titans Heavyweight royalty.
When it comes to New England big men South Portland, Maine's Ras Hylton is a name which all of our region's Heavyweights could be measured, which is fitting in this situation as the 35 year old Jamaican Shamrock is called upon to challenge for the first ever Cage Titans Heavyweight title. A true student of the martial arts, Hylton's Shotokan background makes him a devastating finisher when the fight remains on the feet. Long limbs and crisp striking make Hylton a tough puzzle to solve in the striking department, leading to eight of his nine career wins coming by way of Knockout. Hylton makes his first ever walk to the Cage Titans cage at Cage Titans 59 hoping to leave Plymouth, Massachusetts draped in Cage Titans gold.
Standing in the way of Hylton's first regional title is "Red Hot" Loco Lobo understudy Brendan Battles. Like his foe Hylton, Battles likes to let his hands do the talking when the cage door closes, leading to all three of his professional wins coming via Knockout including a personal two fight win streak, both coming by first round stoppage. Battles' knockouts come in slightly different fashion than that of Hylton's however, as Brendan uses his powerful Wrestling to get his victims to the ground before finishing them with fists. Battles has been anxiously awaiting his opportunity to capture the Cage Titans Heavyweight crown, as his January 2023 bout with Jamelle Jones for the very same belt, was scrapped, leaving the promotion to find another adversary to challenge Battles for the title. That wait comes to an end Saturday when the Cage Titans cage locks behind these two massive specimens as Battles and Hylton go to war to decide New England Heavyweight supremacy.
If a Heavyweight Championship main event isn't enough to garner your attention, Cage Titans 59 welcomes the return of Jacob "Jaguar" Bohn (12-10, Bohn MMA #7 Ranked Lightweight in New England) to the Cage Titans cage. Participant in two "Fight of the Year" candidates under the Cage Titans banner in 2022, New York's Bohn continued to add to his highlight reel at Cage Titans 58 in March, notching a third round Guillotine finish of New England Lightweight prospect Ali Zebian (9-3, #4 Ranked Lightweight in New England). Bohn looks to extend his personal win streak to three Saturday night against yet another highly touted Lightweight prospect, Cage Titans fan favorite Zach "The Ripper" DiSabatino (11-2, South Shore Sportfighting #6 Ranked Lightweight in New England). DiSabatino will be looking to notch his seventh straight victory inside the Cage Titans cage against Bohn, in what would be the biggest win of the 29 year old Marshfield, Massachusetts native's career.
22 fight professional veteran Jacob Bohn has become quite possibly the most entertaining active fighter in the New England region. Bohn never says "No" to a challenge, finding himself locked inside the cage with some of the region's most highly regarded Lightweight prospects time and time again. Stiff competition just seems to bring out the "Dog" in Bohn, who has ground his axe against the likes of Dan Dubuque, Joe Giannetti (2022 Cage Titans Fight of the Year), Peter Barrett and Ali Zebian during his run through New England. That run continues it's up hill push Saturday night when Bohn touches em up with 13 fight Cage Titans professional and winner of his last six contests; Zach DiSabatino.
South Shore Sportfighting's DiSabatino has grown up before our very eyes inside the Cage Titans cage, gradually stepping up his level of competition and molding himself into one of the most dangerous 155 pounders in the region. Once the bell rings DiSabatino is relentless, using constant forward pressure to soak his opposition in deep waters. Once DiSab has his opponents treading water he looks for the finish by any means necessary, five by Knockout and four by Submission across his 11 professional victories. DiSabatino's pursuit of the finish, along with Bohn's "dog" mentality, put this Lightweight affair in the early running for "Fight of the Night" honors.
Bohn caught up with our Steve Domenico on "The Room Podcast" to discuss his co-main event match up with DiSabatino at Cage Titans 59. Check out the complete interview below.
Cage Titans 59 comes down the home stretch Saturday night with a pair of intriguing Welterweight match ups, sure to shake up the New England MMA 170 pound landscape. Long time New England Welterweight Pat "The Gorilla Ninja" Casey (9-6, G&G Wrestling #10 Welterweight in New England) makes his long awaited Cage Titans debut when he meets Cage Titans mainstay Marty Navis (6-2, Lauzon MMA #5 Welterweight in New England) in a confrontation of top ranked 170 pounders. And it's a clash of Old School vs. New School when Cage Titans veterans Trevor "Scarecrow" Gudde (4-3, Citadel) and Jack "The Gentleman" Congdon (2-0, Lakeville MMA #7 Welterweight in New England) settle their differences inside the jurisdiction of the Welterweight division.
It seems almost hard to believe that during Pat Casey's eight years on the New England scene he has never found himself inside the Cage Titans cage. Well that absence comes to an end Saturday night at Cage Titans 59 when Western Massachusetts' Casey makes the trek East looking to put an end to a current two fight skid as he matches whits with eight fight Cage Titans veteran, Eastern Massachusetts' Marty Navis. Both of these top New England Welterweights employ somewhat similar styles, Wrestling heavy offenses that ultimately lead them to finishes once the fight hits the canvas. Casey totes with him six finishes over his nine career wins (3 Knockouts, 3 Submissions) and Navis carries five finishes over his six victories (4 Knockouts, 1 Submission) this should be an exciting scrap, for as long as it lasts, as these two top Welterweights have been on a collision course for some time now.
Our next Welterweight contest draws far fewer similarities than that of Casey vs. Navis as Trevor Gudde and Jack Congdon meet in two very different spots in their careers. Former Cage Titans Welterweight title challenger Trevor Gudde finds himself at somewhat of a crossroads in his career as the former Bellator combatant looks to shake the thralls of his third professional defeat at the hands of Joe Giannetti in the aforementioned Welterweight title bid. Gudde will be looking to prove that there is still top Welterweight prospect promise in that 6'7" frame of his ,when he steps in with the "new wave" of Welterweight prospects Jack Congdon. Make no mistake about it this is a huge step up in competition for the young Congdon, but if anyone is ready to make this leap it's the Gentleman from Lakeville MMA. Congdon has finished all seven men who have stepped inside the cage with him since hitting the local scene in 2019. If he can make Gudde number eight Saturday night, the sky becomes the limit as to what this young stud can accomplish as a mixed martial artist, but that is going to be much easier said, than done.
A later addition to an already stacked Cage Titans 59 lineup comes in the professional Flyweight division as the region's top Flyweight; "Killa" Mitch Raposo (7-1, Regiment Training Center) returns to Cage Titans for the first time since early 2020 as he looks to remind upstart Evolution Athletix prospect Tyler "Butter Knife" Smythe (2-0, #6 Flyweight in New England) that the New England Flyweight division runs through him. Winner of two straight since returning to New England following his UFC bid, Fall River's Raposo is looking to stack some wins in his effort to get back into the big leagues. Saco, Maine's Smythe understands that this sport provides a very small window in which to succeed and if the 24 year old hopes to make it to the next level, he needs to hunt the heads of the top names in his division. Smythe gets his opportunity to hunt the head of quite possibly the top New England Flyweight EVER Saturday night when he steps in with "Killa" Mitch Raposo in the biggest New England Flyweight fight in recent memory.
No one pumps blood into the veins of the Plymouth Memorial Hall crowd quite like Lauzon MMA's Andrew "The Gladiator" Valdina (3-0, #9 Bantamweight in New England). Valdina will make his fourth professional walk to the Cage Titans cage Saturday night when he welcomes his toughest test to date in Will "Sriracha" Smith (4-5). Since punching his pro ticket Valdina has been perfect, sinking in three consecutive first round chokes on his way into the top ten New England Bantamweight rankings. Valdina bids to stay perfect Saturday when he meets Cage Titans 57 crowd silencer Will Smith, who handed "Killa" Kam Arnold the first loss of his professional career this January by Unanimous Decision. Smith hopes to disable the hype behind yet another top Bantamweight prospect at Cage Titans 59 as he looks to rob the "0" from Valdina's unblemished record and build himself a win streak of his own.
Valdina caught up with our Steve Domenico on "The Room Podcast" to discuss his match up with Will Smith at Cage Titans 59. Check out the complete interview below.
Next up Regiment Training Center Lightweight Aaron "Short Fuse" Hughes (3-3) looks to silence his critics Saturday night. Outspoken across all social media outlets, Fall River's Hughes makes no mistake about his intentions of taking his MMA game to the next level. Hughes, who hopes to follow in the footsteps of training partners like Yorgan DeCastro, Kris Moutinho and Mitch Raposo, continues to evolve as a martial artist as he looks to overcome three losses early in his professional career. The truth of the matter is, if he is going to taste the UFC like his training partners have in the past, he is going to need to conquer the teeth of the Lightweight division here in New England first. Saturday night Hughes hopes to rack up his third straight win against the always tough New Yorker Jake "Hitman" Hixenbaugh (2-1, Bohn MMA). Hix suffered the first loss of his pro career at Cage Titans 58 when he ran into the surging Gerry Meuse (4-0), Hixenbaugh looks to bounce back in a big way against Hughes at Cage Titans 59, throwing his hat back into the ring of top New England Lightweights. The fire under the asses of these two young Lightweights should make this a fun fight to watch as both men look to climb into the top ten in one of New England's toughest divisions.
Hixenbaugh and Hughes caught up with our Steve Domenico on recent episodes of "The Room Podcast" to discuss this match up at Cage Titans 59. Check out the complete interviews below.
Rounding out the professional portion of the Cage Titans 59 fight card Saturday night the "World's Biggest Flyweight" Joe Poirier (1-0, Lauzon MMA #7 Flyweight in New England) continues his ascent up the Flyweight ranks at Cage Titans 59 when he meets John Medina (0-0, Team Yayyoo) at a Catchweight of 130 pounds. Poirier needed just under a minute to finish Rob Fuller with a Von Flue choke at Cage Titans 58 in his professional debut. Joe looks to stack wins here at Cage Titans 59 when he meets virtually unknown John Medina (Debut). In a rather thin New England MMA Flyweight division every win puts the 26 year old Poirier that much closer to the next level.
Highlighting the Cage Titans 59 Amateur undercard are two highly anticipated title fights, the first of which taking place in the Lightweight division as reigning Cage Titans Amateur Lightweight Champion Miguel "MF'n" Sevasin (3-2-1, Lakeville MMA #1 Amateur Lightweight in New England) puts his belt on the line for the first time when he welcomes undefeated Sergei Peresunko (3-0, Loco Lobo) to the New England Lightweight division for the first time. Sevasin ran his unbeaten streak to four straight contests last June with a second round TKO of Kyle Pufahl (5-1) at Cage Titans 53 to capture the Cage Titans Lightweight title. Sevasin puts his strap up for grabs Saturday, in his first defense against Peresunko who finally makes the transition to Lightweight following fights at 160 and 170 pounds to open his amateur career. Sevasin's craftiness meets the striking prowess of Peresunko in a very interesting Lightweight match up with Sevasin's Cage Titans Amateur crown up for the taking.
Amateur Cage Titans strap season rolls into the Middleweight division next when Cage Titans Muay Thai Champion Colin "Superman" Robinson (5-1, Team Link Muay Thai - Wrocester, #1 Amateur Middleweight in New England) meets former Cage Titans Middleweight title challenger; Jideofor Ojukwu (5-2, Citadel #3 Amateur Middleweight in New England) with the interim Cage Titans Amateur Middleweight title on the line. Not only will the winner of this one leave Plymouth with a belt to add to their collection, but it's all but certain the winner will set up a unification bout with current Cage Titans Middleweight Champion David Burke (3-1) when he is ready to return to action this fall. Burke captured the vacant title with a 21 second Knockout of Ojukwu at Cage Titans 55 last August, however due to his unavailability to defend his title this Summer, Matchmaker Michael Polvere put together this matchup between the two top contenders for Burke's belt; Robinson and Ojukwu. Cage Titans fans are in for a treat here as these two powerful Middleweights vie for the title and their eventual shot at reigning Champion; David Burke!
Robinson joined our Steve Domenico on "The Room Podcast" during the lead up to his Cage Titans title fight against Ojukwu. Check out the complete interview below.
The Cage Titans 59 undercard rounds out with four Amateur MMA bouts first at a Catchweight of 193 pounds Ascension Athletics' Joe Lexis (1-2) is riding high off a first round Rear Naked Choke of Sean Wakefield at Cage Titans 57, Lexis' first bout in over 4 years. He meets Lauzon MMA's Andrew Jacobs (2-2) who is fresh of a first round ground and pounding of Troy Cutter at Cage Titans 58 and is looking to go back to back in an effort to push his amateur record above .500. The always entertaining Dexter MMA product Jake Caskey (1-2) returns in search of his second career victory when he meets Loco Lobo's Joe Atallah (2-2) in a Featherweight preliminary bout.
Caskey too sat down with our Steve Domenico in "The Room Podcast" to discuss preparations for his fourth walk to the Cage Titans cage. Check out the complete interview below.
Also Sityodtong's Matthew Martinez (0-1) is back in search of his first victory following up an entertaining back and forth contest with Carlos Balestier at Cage Titans 54, he meets Nostos MMA newcomer Lucas Brock in an Amateur Bantamweight contest. And opening the night of MMA action at Cage Titans 59 Lauzon MMA's Shane Wellman (1-0) makes his Sophomore trip to the Cage Titans cage looking to improve upon a 20 second Knockout of Steve Pyles at Cage Titans 55 as he awaits newcomer Liam Harriman at Middleweight.
Two matchups on the Cage Titans 59 fight card fall under rule sets outside of MMA as "The American Psycho" Brody McDougal (3-0 MMA, 1-0 Muay Thai, Nostos MMA) and USMMA's Will Doolin (0-1 MMA, 1-0 Muay Thai) strap on the "big gloves" in a 170 pound Muay Thai affair. And Mr. Cage Titans Johnny "Cupcakes" Campbell (22-15, South Shore Sportfighting) locks horns with Loco Lobo's Grappling guru Greg Jones (2-0 Amateur MMA) in a Grappling Superfight. Tickets to Saturday nights Cage Titans 59 are SOLD OUT and for those without tickets; you can order the live pay-per-view at spectationsports.com or follow along with New England MMA throughout the weekend as we keep you up to date on all the goings on at Cage Titans 59 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
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