MMA fighters ready to rumble

By Don Brennan

With training 'hell' over, Ronin crew eager to embrace Chaos

If the Ben Meireles prediction for Capital Chaos winds up wrong, it certainly won't be for lack of preparation.

His fighters are more than ready to rumble.

"I think we'll go 4-0, for sure," said Meireles, who will manage a quartet of combatants at Wednesday's King of the Cage production at the Robert Guertin Arena in Gatineau. "They've been training really hard and are ready to go to war.

"For these guys, the day of the fight is the easiest day. It's the 12 weeks of training that's hell."

Meireles is not only the co-owner of Ronin Mixed Martial Arts on Carling Ave., but he also manages the club, trains fighters and carries the distinction of being Ottawa's first and only black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The place has grown significantly in the five years since he, Jamie Helmer and Shahram Rasthy gathered a few friends to train in the basement of a building across the street from the Coliseum.

"It was very small," remembered Meireles. "And the entrance was at the back, by the garbage dump."

Now, the Ronin school has dozens of students and occupies both floors of the building. It also has a front entrance.

"We are a big family," said Meireles. "Everything we do, we do together."

The 20 club members who are helping the Ronin fighters prepare for Wednesday's card provide a good example.

Instead of sparring with one guy for 15 minutes, a fighter will face six opponents for 2O minutes each, with 30-second breaks between the three rounds.

"I don't want to give out all the details of the rest of the week," said Meireles, "because then I'd be giving everybody the tools of how to work."

Meireles tells those who join the club with designs of getting in an MMA fight that they must first have at least their blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and train in Muay-Thay for at least a year.

VARIETY OF FIELDS

"These guys are not full-time fighters, they all have full-time jobs," said Meireles. "Some of them have university degrees, some of them are engineers, some of them are computer geeks.

''People think guys come to the school to bang on each other, but that's not the case. We tell them, 'If you want to fight, you have to train hard.' When they're ready, I tell them they're ready."

Ready for his first fight Wednesday night is Jay Bissonnette, who has trimmed down from 260 to 205 lbs. in the past year.

He'll face Sudbury's John Cole, who knocked out his opponent 22 seconds into their fight in the last King of the Cage show.

Cole predicts he'll dispose of Bissonnette -- who's also known as "The Monster" -- even quicker.

However, promoter Pete Rodley says never underestimate a Ronin product.

"Those guys never let me down," said Rodley. "They always come to play."

Also representing Ronin will be Wade Shanley, an instructor at the club, as well as Stephan Lamarche and Nick Denis.

The main event will feature Toronto's Mark Bocek, billed as the next Canadian phenom, who will take on B.C.'s Garrett Davis in a 160-lb. bout. Rodley says Davis was the only Canadian he could find who would fight Bocek.

The semi-main event sees T.J. Grant from Halifax put his undefeated status on the line in a battle with Saskatoon's Elmer Waterhen, who is reputed to be one of the "most feared fighters out of Central Canada."

RANKING BOUT

This will be a ranking bout to determine the No. 1 contender at the 170-lb. class for the next King of the Cage.

While LaMarche takes on London's Eugene "CuJo" White and Dennis squares off against "Pitbull" Chris Myra from Petawawa, Rodley is also anxious to see 18-year-old Jean Marc Lalonde of Sudbury take on Toronto's Paul Ebejer.

Lalonde debuted at the last King of the Cage and, while he lost, put on quite a show in what Rodley hails as "one of the most brutal fights I have ever seen in my life."

Also on the card will be the likes of Jason Motard, who is the owner of local club FIT MMA, as well as "Showtime," X-Man Wayne Xilon, Bruckmann MMA fighter Justin Bruckmann, and Vin Diesel look-alike Eric Muir, who is considered a future champion.

"I am extremely excited as a fan," Rodley said of the upcoming card.

"The last event was just explosive and it was a sellout crowd. All the fans asked for more, so we're bringing them more.''

Fans are invited to the weigh-in at the Hard Rock Cafe in the Market on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.

(Source)

Lake of the Torches Resort Casino Teams Up with King of the Cage

Lac du Flambeau, WI, March 17, 2007 --(PR.COM)-- Lake of the Torches Resort Casino, the leading gaming and hospitality resort for northern Wisconsin, and King of the Cage, the leading name in mixed martial arts has teamed up to bring world-class, no-holds barred, cage-fighting action to the Northwoods of Wisconsin. The recently signed multi-fight deal includes two outdoor mega-shows in the summer months of 2007 and 2008 as well as a number of indoor shows to be held during the winter, ensuring continuous action all year long. The first show is tentatively scheduled to be held outdoors in Lac du Flambeau's amphitheater, known as the "Indian Bowl" in July of 2007.

"We are excited to be joining forces with such an internationally recognized brand," said Michael J. Broderick, Lake of the Torches Director of Marketing. "Wisconsin fans have long awaited for what is touted to be one of the biggest and best cage fighting promotions in the world and it has finally arrived. KOTC's pay-per-view and DVD sales rival even the other well-known organizations out there, but they have never forgotten their roots. We are honored to be Wisconsin's exclusive home for King of the Cage."

"KOTC is truly an international entity," says Terry Trebilcock, owner of KOTC, referring to their presence in Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and the USA. "We take great pride in offering some of the most hardcore and intense mixed martial arts competitions in the world. Lake of the Torches Resort Casino is committed to providing the very best entertainment to the mid-west of the United States, so when the opportunity of teaming up came about, we didn't hesitate."

Broderick and Trebilcock both agreed that Wisconsin fans and fighters will experience nothing short of the best fights and the best production seen both stateside and abroad. More fight dates and information will soon be found on the casino's web site at: www.lakeofthetorches.com and King of the Cage's site at: www.kingofthecage.com.

Situated on the shores of Pokegama Lake and nestled in Wisconsin's Northwoods, the Lake of the Torches Resort Casino has a feel of a classic Northern retreat and reflects its Ojibwe culture and heritage. The casino has over 850 slot machines (including a non-smoking area), 12 blackjack tables and three poker tables, a high-stakes Bingo Hall seating up to 500 persons, a 24-hour food court and the Eagle's Nest Restaurant. The hotel has 101 well-appointed rooms, the Dancing Waters Lounge and versatile business center. The 8,500 square-foot Convention Center with the Hall of Nations offers an outstanding venue for entertainment, receptions, trade shows, meetings, presentations and seminars.

More information on upcoming events at Lake of the Torches is available at www.lakeofthetorches.com.

DAVIS REPLACES INJURED SHORT, FACES BOCEK AT KOTC CANADA-FREEDOM FIGHT “CAPITIAL CHAOS”

By Mike Russell

King of the Cage Canada-Freedom Fight has announced that Vancouver, British Columbia native Garrett Davis (10-6-0) will replace Dearborn, Michigan’s Jake Short (11-7-1) at March 28’s “Capital Chaos,” facing Canadian Brazilian jiu-jitsu phenom Mark Bocek, (3-0-0), of Toronto.

Short had been brought in to fight Bocek when none of the organization’s 155-pound stable would face the feared Nova Uniao black belt.

King of the Cage-Freedom Fight’s “Capital Chaos” will take place at the Robert Guertin Arena in Hull, Quebec at 7:00 pm EST. The Fight Network will have full coverage and results following the event.

Rodriguez looks to be crowned king of cage

By Jay Paris

CARLSBAD ---- The dyed red hair was my clue when I searched a coastal North County coffee house for Manny Rodriguez. "It's called championship red,'' Rodriguez said.

Gotcha.

Here's the heads-up on Rodriguez: He has more vigor than a Venti espresso.

Rodriguez aims to prove he's no regular Joe tonight in Laughlin, Nev. After that casino town's senior citizens consume their blue-plate specials, the redhead from Carlsbad enters the ring.

On Rodriguez's plate is becoming the King of the Cage's heavyweight world champion in its mixed-martial arts title fight.

Rodriguez is considered a fresh face on the caged chaos circuit with a 2-1 record. But he's hit the expressway of this accelerating sport, which features wrestling, boxing, kickboxing and martial arts.

"A win here really, really, really fast-forwards my career,'' said Rodriguez, who turns 27 today. "With a championship belt in a major organization, I can broker it to get a lot more money in fights. More endorsements, more sponsors ---- everyone likes to back a winner.''

Especially one with a tale like Rodriguez's.

"It sounds like a movie script,'' an eavesdropping coffee patron said.

Rodriguez's role at San Marcos High wasn't star quality. He didn't play sports, instead sporting a passion to play.

"I liked to cause trouble,'' he admitted. "Go out and have fun.''

But his biggest thrill came via a cassette. During downtime as a teacher's aide in Jose Fernandez's science class, Rodriguez slipped in an Ultimate Fighting Championship video.

"I'll never forget that guy,'' Rodriguez said of Fernandez. "He changed the direction of the way my life was going. I plopped in the tape and it was just amazing to watch.''

My watching habits, I admit, don't include competitions where rivals kick, wrestle, box, and otherwise distribute mayhem to a rival.

But in Rodriguez's world, mixed-martial arts allows the former Sherwin-Williams corporate executive to paint his athletic portrait.

Or so he thought.

After his first fight in 2004, Rodriguez was presented the fight of his life.

"He said he had a pain in his groin, and it turned out to be testicle cancer,'' said Jeff Clark, his striking coach. "It happened so fast that we weren't worried about him fighting again, we wanted him to live."

Rodriguez said the news shook his sturdy, 235-pound foundation.

"Anyone that has heard the words, 'You have cancer,' has had to do some serious thinking about their life and their mortality,'' Rodriguez said. "I didn't know about fighting again.''

Rodriguez's operation freed his body from the disease. The emotional roller-coaster also produced a fighter with a knockout attitude: Do what your heart desires.

"I enjoyed fighting; it's fun for me,'' he said. "I don't think there is anything else I would rather do.''

So he started climbing the mixed-martial arts ladder again last year, knocking out Adrian Perez in the first round. That produced December's match with King of the Cage's top contender, Brian Sesma.

Rodriguez was supposed to be Sesma's tomato can. Instead, Rodriguez was the fighter to catch up with after an opening-round TKO. The win elevated Rodriguez into today's tape-delayed, pay-per-view title bout against 250-pound Jerry Davis.

The card also includes Carlsbad High's Nick Trejo in the featherweight division.

Once again, Rodriguez is the long shot. Once again, it matters little.

"I'm always going to be the underdog,'' Rodriguez said. "I'm always smaller than everyone else; everyone has bigger biceps and I haven't had as many fights. But I've been training for a really long time.''

Rodriguez's punches pack more than velocity. A dose of perspective accompanies them.

"During my cancer, I was really bitter like most people,'' he said. "It was, 'Why now? I'm 24 years old and I just had my first fight.' It got to me pretty good. But after cancer, it was OK. I thought, 'My God, I can do whatever I want to do.' ''

So it's just Manny being Manny come tonight. Go Big Red!

(Source)

Tapia out, Newalu in to Face Ryan Diaz at King Of The Cage “Chaos” this Weekend

By FCF Staff

Manny Tapia has confirmed to FCF that he will not be defending his King of the Cage Flyweight Championship (135lbs.) against Ryan Diaz this weekend, due to the fact it appears he will be signing with World Extreme Cagefighting. According to Tapia, his imminent signing with the WEC will allow him to still compete for KOTC, but due to the fact he will be fighting primarily for the Zuffa owned promotion, he will be unable to carry on his responsibilities as KOTC flyweight champion.

“It was kinda getting bad, lawyers were coming into it, but we finally came to an agreement,” says Tapia in regards to his contract negotiations and his wish to sign with the WEC. “They were just offering so much on the table; they seem to think I’m a marketable guy. It looks like it’s going to be a 4 fight deal and I might be fighting Antonio Banuelos in May or June. I’ll still fight for KOTC a couple times a year, but I told them to strip me of my title because I’ll be fighting mostly for the WEC. Terry [Trebilcock] and everybody at KOTC have treated me so well, so I’m glad we worked something out.”

KOTC Canada’s Bantamweight Champion Diaz (12-10) will now face Ed Newalu (12-9-1), and is looking forward to the title fight despite the change in opponent. KOTC “Chaos” is set to take place at the Avi Casino, in Laughlin, Nevada , Saturday, March 10th.

“Of course I’m disappointed I’m not fighting Manny.” Diaz tells FCF. “I’m still happy that I’m fighting for the title, I guess Manny got a deal somewhere else, that’s just the way it goes sometimes. I’m hoping that I’ll be the next KOTC world champion.”

Newalu has faced Tapia twice before, losing both fights by unanimous decision at KOTC 63 and KOTC 41 respectively. The Hawaiian fighter is undefeated in his last three fights, and most recently he defeated David Moreno at Extreme Wars Battlegrounds 5 in October. Over the year that intervened between his two fights with Tapia from September, 2004, until December, 2005, Newalu won 6 fights in a row. Diaz is keenly aware of Newalu’s abilities, and knows he’s in for a challenge Saturday night.

“He’s going to be a tough fight,” Diaz says. “He’s got a really good overhand right and he’s a good wrestler. I saw him fight when I was fighting in Hawaii once, so he’s probably seen me as well and knows to expect a real tough fight from me. I also saw one of his fights with Manny and it was really close, he was giving Manny a lot of trouble.”

In Diaz’s last fight he lost by unanimous decision to Nam Phan at KOTC “Rapid Fire” last August, the Canadian fighter went up to 155 lbs from 145 for that bout, a division above where he has typically fought at throughout his seven-year career. Over his last ten fights, Diaz has gone 7-3, with his only losses coming to Mark Hominick twice, and the aforementioned Phan.

Mark Bocek defeats John Mahlow in King of the Cage

Submit Gear would like to congratulate sponsored Canadian fighter Mark Bocek for his recent win at the “King of the Cage – Freedom Fight” in Gatineau Quebec. Mark dominated the fight forcing King of the Cage veteran John Mahlow to submit to an armbar in the first round.

Mark (also known as “Big Red”) began his martial arts training at the age of 8. After receiving his black belt in Kempo Karate, he started training BJJ under Rickson and Renzo Gracie. He then later moved on to Nova Uniao where he received his black belt through Joao Roque, making him the first Canadian-born BJJ black belt.

Now teaching BJJ out of the Kombat Arts Training Academy in Mississauga Ontario, Mark is ready to dominate the MMA world. With a well-established list of local and international championships (including the 2006 ADCC North American Trials for Submission Grappling) and with his current undefeated 3-0-0 record, Mark has his eyes set on the UFC.

For more information on Mark Bocek, visit www.MarkBocek.com.

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