Travis Lizotte "Full Contact Writer"
Michael Polvere and his Cage Titans crew make the quick turnaound, just 20 days after Cage Titans 51, Friday night from Plymouth Memorial Hall as the promotion hosts another Combat Night, the third of its kind. With an emphasis on martial arts as a whole, Friday evening's event will cover an array of disciplines; Gi-Grappling, No-Gi Grappling, 4-Man Team Grappling, Muay Thai and Mixed Martial Arts. Some of the regions newest amateurs will go to war Friday night along side some of the biggest most legendary names in the region as there is sure to be something for everyone when the pin drops on Cage Titans: Combat Night III.
First we take a look at the main card which will kick off with a banger in the Amateur Middleweight division as imposing physical specimens Jideofor Ojukwu (3-1, Citadel) and Lorenzo Fitzgerald (3-1, FAF Gym) meet in the center of Plymouth Memorial Hall with Cage Titans gold on the line. Fitzgerald will be making the walk to the cage for the first time since his first round Submission of Isaiah Ocasio at Combat Zone 60 in 2016 when he competed in the Welterweight Division. Fitzgerald is welcomed to the 185 pound division Friday night by one of the division's biggest Amateur prospects in Jideofor Ojukwu, who looks to stake his claim on the regions Middleweight division with a victory over the veteran Fitzgerald. The fight card has this one scheduled for five rounds, but odds are we won't need them all to decide the new Cage Titans Amateur Middleweight Champion!
We move to the professional Light-Heavyweight division for our next showdown between high level grappling big men; as Daniel Mola (0-0, UFC Gym) makes his professional debut against Alex Davidson (1-1, Nostos). A relatively unknown commodity in the New England region, Michigan's Alex Davidson spends his time on the East Coast training with Devin Powell and his squad of killers at Nostos MMA. Dividson turned pro in September of 2017, dropping a Unanimous Decision to now UFC star Jamahal Hill, before picking up his first professional victory by first round submission last October at Total Warrior Combat. Davidson makes his New England MMA debut Friday night against Tyler King training partner and submission guru Daniel Mola in what should be a very entertaining fight between these two dangerous 205'ers.
Next up we head to the professional Lightweight division as Sityodtong's Leo Laderia (0-3) looks to pick up his first pro win against against well traveled Schaffer MMA veteran Jay "The Assassin" Ellis (16-102). Ladeira made his Cage Titans and New England MMA debut at Cage Titans 49 where he took pro debuting Dion Rubio deep into the second round before falling victim to Rubio's patented Guillotine Choke. Leo makes another bid for his first pro victory in the Cage Titans cage Friday night as he welcomes 118 fight MMA veteran Jay Ellis. One thing is for certain; Ellis has known about this fight long before his calling card 48 hours notice and Jay always shows up ready to scrap. I'm calling it now, this will be no easy task for Laderia as he seeks to crack the professional win column.
Another pair of professional 155 pounders make their returns Friday night in the Co-Main Event as Gorilla Martial Arts' Jay Bakanowski (3-3) meets Lauzon MMA's Robert Ovalle (Pro Debut) in a match that signifies both fighters first taste of competition since 2016. Northborough, Massachusetts' Jay Bakanowski tested himself against some of New England's best Lightweights during his six fight pro career before a nearly six year layoff from the cage. Bakanowski holds wins over New England veterans Lewis Corapi and Bobby Flynn while suffering losses to Leon Davis and Nate "The Snake" Andrews. Experience will definitely reside in the corner of Bakanowski as he welcomes the long awaited professional debut of Robert Ovalle. Ready to finally punch his New England ticket Friday night when he makes his pro debut after a 5-2 Amateur career that came to an end some 6 years ago with a Unanimous Decision victory at New York Fight Exchange 10. Since then Ovalle has moved camps to Lauzon MMA where he has trained with some of the best mixed martial artists in the region in preparations for his Friday night pro debut against Bakanwoski.
Finally in our Mami Event, South Shore Sportfighting Lightweight stand out Zach "The Ripper" DiSabatino (8-2) looks to further his argument for a call to the big leagues when he meets late replacement (for an injured Aaron Lacey) Stephen Stengel (4-16) at a Catchweight of 165 pounds. DiSabatino is currently on a three fight tear that includes finishes of Kris Berberich and Chance Beck, now at 8-2 and with no signs of slowing, DiSab knows that he needs to continue to stack wins if he hopes to take his career to the next level. Stephen Stengel may not be the opponent we all asked for, but he is the man who draws the tough task of solving the surging Zach "The Ripper." Stengel has been around the New England fight game for over 15 years now, compiling twenty professional fights in that time frame and sharing the cage with some of the best the region has to offer. Friday night when the pin drops on the Cage Titans Main Event Stengel gets his shot at yet another New England stud prospect when he sets his eyes on derailing DiSabatino's climb to the top!
The undercard Friday night is a cornucopia full of contests spanning numerous Combat Sports disciplines we will take a quick look at each matchup starting with the MMA portion. Starting with the highly anticipated debut of 45 year old New England MMA writer Brendon "Motor" Boates who will finally get his chance to take the cage Friday night, following the abolishment of his original debut which was scheduled for Cage Titans 51 earlier this month. Boates weighted in at a yolked 160 pounds today for his Catchweight bout with fellow debutant; Mohammad Islam. Islam is a teammate of Boates' original opponent Gage Looby at GoUSFC and will be making his amateur debut against a very motivated Brendon Boates.
Welterweight Amateurs collide when Citadel submission specialist Steve Foley (1-2) meets Loco Lobo's Sergei Peresunko (1-0). Peresunko looked very impressive in his Cage Titans debut last time out against Tyler Wolfe, stopping Wolfe in the third round with ground and pound, Peresunko looks to make it 2-0 Friday night against the submission minded Foley. A pair of 1-0 Amateur Heavyweights share the Cage Titans cage as G&G's Hassan Graham meets UFC Gym's Erick Rondan. South Shore Sportfighting Lightweight Danny Johnston makes his amateur debut against fellow newcomer Alvin McLorrain of GoUSFC. And Citadel's Omar Guerrero makes his amateur debut against Sityodtong's Neil Mazumdar (1-1).
In Cage Titans Grappling action we will see a Quartet Grappling Competition between four man teams from Real BJJ and Tri-Force MMA as well as a myriad of grappling superfights.
No Gi Grappling:
162 pounds - Tyler Gauthier (Renzo Gracie NH) vs. Aaron Hughes (Regiment)
Heavyweight - Levi Guimaraes (Brazilian Top Team Boston) vs. Tyler King (UFC Gym)
185 pounds - Casey LaMonte (Juniko) vs. Leon Davis (Tri-Force MMA)
Gi Grappling:
Bruno Dias (Junkio) vs. Johnny Campbell (South Shore Sportfighting)
Rounding out Friday night's Combat Night card; three Amateur Muay Thai Contests:
140 pounds - Shadi Zakhary (1-0, FightZone) vs. Michael McDevitt (0-0, Sityodtong)
135 pounds - Tyler Smythe (0-0, Evolution Athletix) vs. Avery Andrews (1-0, USMMA)
160 pounds - Steve Gaudet (0-0, FightZone) vs. Julian Connerton (0-0, Evolution Athletix)
Tickets for Friday's event are still available and for those who cannot attend you can purchase the live stream by CLICKING HERE to order the Cage Titans Combat Night III pay-per-view and be sure to use your favorite fighters last name in the code at check out. Unfortunately due to impending weather concerns New England MMA will not be in attendance but we will be sure to share any Cage Titans news we happen to hear throughout the night.
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