This Friday, March 26, the XCFL brings their exciting brand of MMA to the Lowell Memorial Auditorium for the first sanctioned MMA event under the newly formed athletic commission. There has been a crazy push from the commission to get ready for this event, and we’re all excited to see not only what the XCFL has in store for their 2nd event, we’re also excited to see how well the newly commissioned events will run. I’m sure the eyes of just about everyone involved with local MMA will be keeping a close eye on this one.
The XCFL has has several big fights booked for this event, and the show is headlined by 2 huge title fights.
Dan Keefe (Xtreme) is set to take on Lance Everson (Boneyard) in what promises to be a war. Both guys hit hard, but prefer to slam their opponent to the mat and beat the hell out of him. I don’t think either guy will have enough BJJ to submit their opponent off their back, so the guy who is able to spend the majority of this fight on top will win, and win convincingly. Both guys fight like bullies, and bullies don’t win off their back. If neither guy can take down the other, standing up it’s a pick-em fight. I really have no idea who wins this one, but the winner has been guaranteed a fight on the Moosin PPV show in May, so both will have ample motivation.
In their second title fight, Anthony Leone (Bombsquad) takes on Tateki Matsuda (Sit-Yod-Tong) at 135. Neither guy has fought at 135, so how easily they make weight could factor in here. I also see conditioning playing a huge role. I think they are both good at everything, with Leone being the better wrestler and Matsuda having the better stand up. However, I think both are good enough at everything to avoid getting dominated and finished early, so how much gas they have left in rounds 4 and 5 will determine the winner. If Leone has more gas, his takedowns will come easy and he’ll be able to grind to a late stoppage or decision win. If Matsuda is the fresher of the two, He’ll be able to keep the fight standing and leg kick the hell out of Leone, setting up a late TKO or clear cut decision win. This is a hell of a fight, and we’re all in for a treat.
Calvin Kattar (Xtreme) makes his return to action against undefeated contender Jeff Anderson (Neives). Anderson has fought mostly for ICE events, and hasn’t received a ton of press for his fights, but he’s been fighting for a few years now and hasn’t been beat, so that say something. He comes from a kickboxing school, so I assume that’s where he’ll want the fight. Kattar was well on his way to stardom, but ran into a snag in his last fight, which was a very close decision loss to Don Carlo-Clauss. His stock really didn’t drop in his loss, as it was a great fight against a tough opponent, but I’m sure Calvin is eager to get back on track. He hits very hard, and if Anderson is a kickboxer, this could be a war.
Greg Rebello (Sit-Yod-Tong) also makes his return to action against Anthony Dick. We all know Greg, and he’s riding a very impressive 8 fight winning streak. He typically has trouble finding guys to stand with him. I’m told Dick has some pro boxing fights, so he could be just what Rebello needs to showcase his stand up.
In a very interesting fight, the XCFL is bringing us a battle of two guys with rough records. Bill Walsh is set to take on 0-forever Joe Kavey. I like both guys, and it’ll be good to see one of them get a much needed win. Walsh will likely have the striking advantage, and on the mat it’s anyone’s guess.
Nick Drummond (Wai-Kru) vs. Greg da Silva (Xtreme) should be another great fight. Both have striking backgrounds, and though Greg is making his debut, I’m told he’s more than ready. From what I hear, he has some boxing and MT experience, and the Wai-Kru guys are always tough.
Mario Cardia (Xtreme) won by big KO in his debut, and he looks to keep the train rolling against Don Grady Jr. (Grady). I’ve never seen Don fight, but Mario is the type of guy that will make for an exciting fight no matter the opponent.
Steve Skrzat (Factory) vs. Andy Lampson (MMAT Center) should be a fun one. Both are big heavyweights from the same area, and anytime you have guys from the same area fighting, there seems to be some pride at stake. They fought once before, and Steve took a unanimous decision. I missed the fight, so I can’t really comment on how it went down. Either way, HWT fights are always cool.
The XCFL said they have 1-2 more fights they plan to announce, but wanted to wait until contracts were in and the commission approved the bouts before announcing them.
This is going to be a historic event for MMA in MA, and I can’t wait to see what the XCFL, along with the newly formed athletic commission have in store for us. Expect a report on both from us on Saturday.
wow – pretty stacked card
Sounds like a solid card. Best of luck to all fighters.
Rebello vs Dick should be a barn-burner……..
otherwise I like the main events, and I hope the Kavey – Walsh fight is good. What weight will this be at? I know Kavey usually can’t get to 155, and Walsh last fought at 145? Good luck newly formed commission!
Weights going fine. I do have to cut but not too much. Feelin alright. Pretty excited for the whole night.
I heard Dick pulled out…………………………………………..tee hee tee hee!
good title fights but………
just 8 fights? where’s the other half of the card?
i like the two title fights, and the venue, but the commission is bound to screw something up and make this difficult.
I heard they may still add a fight or two, but to me, it is a wise idea to run with less fights for the first sanctioned card. There are obviously going to be some delays/issues on this first card with the commission. That to be expected whenever someone else (i.e. the MSAC) steps in. I would much rather see less fights scheduled with things running smoothly than lots of fights with all kinds of backstage drama and delays. The title fights alone have the potential of going the distance which could be an hour of action just for 2 fights. This should be a great night!
Good Luck Tateki and Rebello… I have to disagree with the review as Tateki is light years ahead of Leone in stand up. He has good wrestling and BJJ but looks uncomfotable with the striking game. It will be interesting to see how this fight plays out. If he cant take it to the ground Tateki will KO him.
So I take it Rebello didnt last too long in the Ultimate Fighter house…
I believe Andy Lampson took that fight last time on a weeks notice. Andy should be ready this time.
i tried ordering tickets on line but there are 25+ dollars in restoration fees? this seems rediculous!! anyone notice this?
In all fairness the service charges are probably handled by the Lowell Auditorium. It’s lame, yes, but not uncommon. Ever buy tickets to something through ticketmaster?
there are always service charges when you use a ticket service. It is considered a luxury to buy your tickets online rather than wait outside in a line of hundreds of people for whats left. Buy your tickets off the fighters they earn a commission.
bwalsh….what weight is your fight at?
It’s at 155.
I spoke to the XCFL today and they mentioned that there is no fee at all if you go to the box office in person to buy your tickets, and that can be done during normal business hours up until fight time. Also, the fees are less if you order your tickets over the phone. The internet is by far the most expensive way, and the XCFL has no control over that.
Good luck Kavey…make your weight, and WIN your fight!!!!! You can do it!!!
It will be interesting to see how many people pay to see this event.The Lowell Auditorium is a cool venue.The Gloves always draw but I think MMA is more popular now.
Just wanted to add my 4 cents here, because I am new to this area, site, and MMA in New England, but have had the opportunity to meet alot of folks in the game, as well as be hands on with alot of managers, promoters and fighters. It seems as XCFL is trying to navigate into the future, its best that things should be left as they are, not try to change things and “be the best”. Their goals to be a farm system for bigger leagues is a crap shot, at best. They ended up with Moosin and a fight card that features 8 fights or so? Not impressive, as I have read on other posts here, they cut payrolls for their second event already for the fighters? Ticket problems with fighters “code numbers”? Hardly a way to make a statement that your here for the long haul and here for fighters best interests.Where I come from, fighters get the tickets to sell to make commissions, it seems to be that if codes are messed up, and people are going to buy tickets at the box office to save money, which this economy requires, then fighters are the ones getting screwed , but the promotion will still make the buck in its pocket.
The card is pretty well matched for fighters, but as Ive read in newspapers, and other sites, a few of the main guys are already moving on to bigger venues, and YES!!!, Bellator is a much bigger venue and draw than Moosin…by fan draw as well as financing.Another organization Ive had the pleasure of working with in depth, and theres no need to worry about them, they are pretty stable and growing with national spots in May. So what this tells me is that this card and league isnt a farm system, but a stopping ground, a passer by spot. If there was any solid base, fighters would want to stay on board for their promotion, not just make a buck and move on. This can speak volumes about the people running the show. I havent had the pleasure to meet the guys running XCFL yet, but our paths have crossed and well, as we know, stories prelude actual encounters.
I am however looking forward to this show for the fact that it will be memorable in some facet. This Lowell Memorial building you have here in Mass seems pretty solid in reputation, and holds alot of nostalgia, so for that fact alone it should be interesting. I do have the pleasure of having some ring side seats for this event, so itll be interesting to see how it all plays out! Good luck to all the fighters, Im sure I will be leaving my 5 cents worth on Saturday. BTW…where can I catch some weigh ins for this event, there hasnt been any publication as to where they will be held…any ideas?
John Howard on right now live at http://www.mmamonthly.org
Great article about Keefe on the Boston Herald.com blog right now:
http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/inside_the_octagon/index.php/2010/03/25/as-the-bigger-stage-looms-keefe-stands-ready/
I have a question. I have seen a handful of posts now from the supporters for this promotion about being the best thing since slice bread to NE MMA. I paid for a ticket to their last show and I honestly wasn’t impressed at all except for the TV screens, now I look at their card posted and 1 of the 8 is Joe vs Bill. I’m not trying to knock them but really why would the top promotion or at least self proclaimed be booking a fight like that? Another is a HW rematch from a few months ago on another show? then I see Rebello vs Dick? Come on, Anthony doesn’t have a chance at all, you all know that, I’m surprised Greg even took that. I think if anything this just shows they are no better what so ever and in my opinion far behind some of the others. This is just my opinion and I give credit to all fighters that step in but shame on the promotions that brag about cards like this
So i take it that there is just 8 fights then? no announcement of more fights.
If what MMA Insider is saying is true thats bad news. Bad news in any MMA promotion, is Bad news for MMA period. Did XCFL really cut their pay to fighters in half? Wasn’t that their model for their promotion? They pay fighters more than anyone…what they’re really worth….
None the less , still a decent card and Venue but like MMA insider said they aren’t better than everyone, like they claimed. It took just one show to prove that.
I cant even find a website for Moosin by the way, anyone else?
http://www.moosinusa.com
Ordered the XCFL show on fight stream… started a half hour late… 29 minutes into the show they take a 15 minute intermission… who do i see for a refund??? may as well get my moneys worth… here you go all… thank you for your extreme security fight-stream http://www.fight-stream.com/fightstream_008.htm?merchant_return_link=Return+to+FIGHT-STREAM
back from intermission, 2 more fights and another 15 minute intermission, well at least the greg rebello fight went 26 seconds, almost ten percent longer thant the skrzat fight…. another stellar display of matchmaking.
The Mass State Commission should be ashamed of them selves for allowing the Greg Rebello vs Andy Dick fight Happen!!! 0-4 vs 9-2 ? what is the commission there for? to watch the fights? that was discusting, thanks to Warwick Wrestler im watching this for free!
Whats with all the intermissions? 3 so far and only 5 fights deep? wtf. i am pretty disgruntled.
They advertise the best and give us the worst card, and so many mismatches.
Terrible…….
Let me be the first to congratulate the new XCFL Middleweight Champion, Dan “The Ghost” Keefe!!
Some results from what I remember…
Robby roberts def tom vanderhost by tko
Mario cardia def bill walsh by dec
Steve s. def andy l by tko
Greg rebello def anthony by tko
Calvin katter def jeff anderson by tko
Dan keefe def lance everson by triangle
Anthony leone def tateki matsuda by split dec
xcfl results http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/inside_the_octagon/index.php/2010/03/27/xcfl-results/
Well I will be the first to say XCFL is a group of the most sketchy assholes running a show right now around here.
You fuckers best believe that you guys, the comission, and myself are going to have to talk about the basically all of my purse being robbed from me. You think because I have a shitty record and I still fight makes me stupid and you figure you can rip me the fuck up off the easiest. I signed a contract for a 500 to show and things were messed up with my paper work and I “was not” allowed to fight so I put about 7 pounds of weight back on and then a couple hours later I have calls saying everything is cool and if I roll up and I said I am not cutting weight twice in a day. So they say “we will throw and extra 200″…I think to myself this is too good to be true but I was like fuck it and hopped in the car. I get to weigh ins and meet the very overweight Foney Fat Dave and he tells me I am fighting on national tv and shit. Dude if you want your shit to go national maybe you should hire an anouncer that can fucking read. Well anyway I had to get an EKG done the day off the fights and I have a minor heart disorder that they recommended I get cleared by a cardiologist before I am allowed to fight again. These things happen theres nothing I can do about it now. So I show up with the bad doctors note and I went right up to Dave and apologized out of good measure because I know it isn’t my fault but I mean damn that shit sucks. Anyway I ask Fat if I still get my purse because I am there and I believe it is your first part of your purse to show just like it always has been seeing how I weighed in and was at the event ready to fight. He tells me alright buddy don’t worry about a thing I will take care of you at the end of the night. I sit through his sub par show and the end of the night rolls around and he sees me walking towards him “oh shit whats that a twinkie” and this fucker disappears on us. Then we got like 20 angry respectable fighters all sketched the fuck out about their money. People are thinking this guys skippin out the back door with our shit. We all sit there for about an hour or so it seemed and didnt get paid until security was about to get slayed by everyone and then the checks slowly came out one at a time. I ask about my shit and am ignored twice. Then they came and got me and said I could talk to them in the back room and I was thinking oh here we fuckin go I am the only one getting pulled into the back, shoulda brought my bat, So I sit here for ten minutes watching them sign checks away to the two guys behind me in line. I said hey guys what about me I think 2 times and they apparently didnt hear me although we were all at the same table and im fucking loud as it is so fuck that. I take my girls sun glasses I don’t usually rep off and I am like hey guys how about that extra 2 and then I got their attention. “Joe unfortunately because of the state…” I just got the fuck up and was like I didnt come here to not get paid walked out . This fat kid says ok Joe so we will take out the licence fee(75) and the EKG(50) and I end up with 200 bucks. Then he tries saying some bullshit abour how he just cut my original purse in half which would be 250 so that does not even make sense.
He tells my manager I told the doc I have been trying to hide my little heart issue. I have told every doctor since I have been fighting in EVERY pre fight physical that I have Wolf Parkinsons White. Go check the paper work and then go fuck yourself. I go in the back door after everyones gone confronting Dave and Donny about this and then I brought the money up again and they said under the rules of the state if I am taken out of a fight by doctor the contract is a void. So I said show me the contract and where it says this but all I get is a bunch of fags trying to change the subject. Dont you think if that contract was a void there would have been no money in the first place. No arguments about why money you gave me is not the correct amount. I was even seeing fighters pushing security and shit. Their whole show is outta line. They say what you want to hear to try and make your life a fucking fantasy. Oh yeah sorry everyone likes your tv’s apparentley.
I know I won’t see the rest of my money so thats why I decided to share this with everyone even if it comes back against me. I don’t often talk shit but everytime I meet a walking piece of shit I get very angry. I know theres going to be atleast 5 people talking mad shit about me now in response to this but thats just how it happend. Take it from me or take it from them.
Yo REEP thanks and I am sorry I couldn’t have tried to win for anyone routing for me. I have been givin so much respect from the fighters and it honestly has helped me through the aaaahhhh struggle of life and meeting all these good kids and watching some asshole who don’t care about em run a show bothers me. I like legit shit like Full Force and shit, not this I will build a shit empire in 10 or whatever pre booked shows with over priced seating. It would be an honor if I were never allowed to fight for you again.
I think I spelled foney wrong but I think you get it.
What a Joke. I think the ones who were not in their pockets in the beginning saw it right away with their 1st show. 30 minutes into the show with 3 awful 1st rounders, there was a 20 minute intermission. There wanna be Joe Rogan is the gayest thing I have ever seen. Great point by Rainman about the commission, I made a comment yesterday about Greg himself even taken that fight, why? and when that out of shape 0-4 Dick got in the cage it was completely laughable. Anyone that comes on this site and says it was good or defends them is clearly getting paid by them or is them. I was embarrassed that this was the 1st show in Mass under new rules, very bad night for MMA . This was one of those show if you didn’t see it for yourself you wouldn’t believe how bad it was.
R U TELLING ME GREG REBELLO FOUGHT ANTHONY DICK???
WTF KIND OF MATCH IS THAT?? THATS LIKE A GROWN MAN FIGHTING A LITTLE KID….TALK ABOUT A EASY WIN THIS IS WHY MMA IN THE NORTHEST IS A JOKE….I WONDER HOW MUCH HE GOT PAID TO FIGHT THAT BUM?? THIS IS ALSO WHY WHEN GUYS LEAVE THE NORTHEAST TO GO FIGHT IN STRIKEFORCE, UFC, AND WEC THEY GET THERE ASS BEAT……IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE JUST WANTS TO WALK AROUND WITH A GREAT RECORD AND NOBODY WANT TO FIGHT ANYONE WORTH ANYTHING……………..
Oh boy….what a joke this one seemed to be!!! I didn’t see it, but if there is this much shit talk already…….and by the way, I was the first to talk about the joke of a fight the Rebello vs Dick would be. Why do the shows cater to the “bigger name” guys, when the fights flat out suck!!! Good way to start Mass…….
Maybe there should be a page on this website with “fighter only” reviews of shows they fight for.
Sounds like this was a total FIASCO! Unreal.Looks like everyone wants to take a chunk of the Local MMA and in the process weaken the sport.I’ll save my hard earned cash on proven promotions.
SOOOOOOOO, let me get this straight. XCFL offered you $500 to show (which seems pretty darn generous for a guy whose never won a fight fighting another guy whose never won a fight! (Only in America!!)). From what I understand, a fighters “show” money involves a little bit more than “showing up”. Correct me if I am wrong but the “show” money is for the fighter who has ALL of his medical and neccessary documentation to become LICENSED, shows up at the agreed upon time to weigh in, is cleared by the event doctor, and gets in the cage and fights.
In your situation Joe, it seems like you did not meet many of these requirements. First up I am amazed at how many fighters have “issues” with their medicals. Seriously guys, it’s not rocket science. (step 1, find dr., step 2 get medical, step 3 keep copy of medicals handy if you want to avoid “issues”) . I digress. So Joe, unless I’m wrong, you did not meet the requirements for your “show” money to begin with. Next, it appears that XCFL agreed to PAY for your EKG, your license, AND give you an extra $200 just for making the effort.
Now is where things seem to get a bit, as you say, “sketchy”. In the first sanctioned show where the state actually signs off on medicals, you are not allowed to fight because of a heart condition. But then it appears that you have been fighting for a long time…………..(uncomfortably long pause for effect), soooooo what does that mean? If I wanted to be a fighter and had a heart condition, I would get real documentation from a real doctor that cleared me because that would get messy real quick!
At the end of the day, it sounds like you got $200 for driving to lowell, some free medical testing, and a ticket to watch some fights. Sound like a pretty good gig to me.
Opinions, opinions, everyone has one! Well I was actually at this show so my opinion can be related here. First I will notice as I walk through the door is no vendors. Isnt that a major part of the expirience of MMA, for fans to get the gear and shirts, and items they desire to support fighters and promotions? There were a few vendors honestly, Boston Brawler, who I have noticed is everywhere. Good for them, they seem like a solid apparel company. I did notice alot of other apparel shirts from another company. Prime Athletics were on alot of the fighters shorts, and a company called Malevynce?? Sorry if I hacked that, seemed to be on shorts, banners and shirts in the crowd for 2 fighters, seems you would want these companies vending your shows if they have that much presence?
Lots of lights, cameras, but little action, the early announcer was so bad that they pulled him after the first 3 interviews, and crowd opinion was mutual I believe. There was no fight cards available to see who was actually competing. It seemed to be a opportunity to introduce alot of supposedly famous people in the crowd, yes a few people can be adressed, but it seemed more like a stall tactic.
I did finally get the opportunity to meet the guys running the show and talk with both of them briefly, seemed like nice enough guys, but I will have to agree with Kavey here, sketchy characters. More worried about explaining that government officials, and famous people were there, as opposed to the quality of the fights. The quote of”we are the UFC, only smaller” was not even close. I think I was told that about 4 times, as it would impress me. But overall, I think those guys may have some aspect of good intentions, to make a buck for themselves!
As for the fights, it seemed the final 3 fights of the night were the only salvation in this event. The last fight seemed to have some serious confusion as to late strikes after the bell or illegal blows? Either way, no one really cared, because as soon as the bell rang, everyone seemed to just fly out the door. My first impression of your local boy, Calvin Kater is he is a show stealer, tough kid, who not only fights honorably, but tries to really please the crowd as well, and was evident by his support. Great fight, I got some friends back home that would be great competition for him if he ever went to a more prominent level. Needles to say, I liked his whole aura! Dan Keefe is another guy I was impressed with, pulling out a last minute win in a battle, I liked all the little ghost masks, great support for him as well. The rest of the card was good to a degree, yawned a few times during the night, but its to be expected with some serious mismatches. And reading the few posts here, you who are real familiar with the whos who, agree as well.
Overall, not impressed with this best show in New England, seems like there is a whole bunch of room for major improvement overall. And if the post by Kavey is true, and theres fighters rioting in the back to get paid, well I sense that speaks volumes to the character of this organization and the people putting it on. Thanks for letting me voice an opinion, I love this site, and the passion you locals all show. Its inspiring!
500 Isnt that big a deal. I usually fight guys who are rediculous and well known and I have been fighting for years with over 20 pro fights and thats why I get paid like that. If you dont think I diserve it thats absolutely fair but a deal is a deal and when I get lied to my face like I am a child I believe it’s a bit unfair.
@mma insider…. Just because the XCFL or the people the XCFL pay off say it is the best show in New England, it does not mean it is true.. Do yourself a favor, if you really want to get a handle on local MMA go to whoever is running the next show out of these 4 – WCF, GFL, AFO, Full Force…I’m not sure the schedule but you will leave satisfied! Any promotion that has an X in the name is a clear indication of eXtremely poor match up and eXtremely poor show! No one believes the XCFL hype except the guys getting something out of it… just a question, since i wasnt at the show… how many people were there? I watched it online and it looked like no one was there and there wasn’t much crowd reaction at all…. just wondering how many were there and how many actually bought a ticket to be there.
Oh and a friend of mine who owns a clothing company wanted to vend the show, but what he told me was that the XCFL wanted such a ridiculous amount of money for a vendor booth that he could not afford to buy it and expect to recoup even 25% of its cost.
@Warwick, there were whole sections in the front area completely empty. Areas of the balony as well, completely empty. We are talking whole sections. It seemed as though the balcony looked a little full because the people all crammed down to the first rows cause I am assuming they were empty. Security was pretty decent as to the floor seats, but where there were so many empty ones, people eventually seemed to filter down into them. Maybe, now this is a guess, maybe 500-600 paying seats if that. VIP, obviously was full, but seemed to be a bunch of seats at like buffet tables, dont know for sure, cause I never got up there, but I did notice ALOT of people walking with VIP passes on, so I am to assume a majority of VIP was free and non paying
I was at the show lastnight and once again poor match making showed up top pay 50 $ for a seat and to find out there was mayb 7-8 fights on the card in which a goo 4 of them were barely a minute long didnt care to hear about all the special people int he crowd every break all in all weak card thanks to keeefe kattar n the last fight the show didnt end on an even shittier note
As for the crowd when you only have 7-8 fights you wont b filling up a place the show was empty and when your payin the likes of kattar greg keefe and other well known local stars they prob didnt have much left to pay the guys who should be fighting lesser opponents then steve or greg lol
Its seems as though XCFL was paid some due Karma after the poor announcement they made of the GFL postponing their show in order to not disappoint the fans as the XCFL clearly did here.
The XCFL should learn something from this, instead of jumping down another promotions throat they should have taken notes on how to run a proper gig. At least there is still Triumph tonight for those who are looking for a good night of fights without the drama.
I have a question for you guys…what do you consider horrible matchmaking? I ask because I’m curious, not because I’m trying to argue. I saw one fight last night that was bad match making, and that was Rebello vs. Dick, but I could name 20 fights like that in the last 6 months. The whole thing about “all the fights ended in the first round” frustrates me, because tons of really good fights, and well matched fights end in round 1. The Skrzat fight looked bad, but that was a rematch that went the distance previously, and both guys were confident going in.
I’ve actually had 2 very long conversations today with very influential local people (guys we all know and respect their opinion) and they had polar opposite views. Both understand matchmaking, yet both were completely on opposite sides of it. One had no problem with really any matchmaking, as long as both guys knew what they were getting into…meaning Dick knew who Rebello was, knew he was an underdog but wanted the fight anyway. We’ve seen Dolloff do the same time and time again…he fights tough guys over and over knowing he’s the underdog. The first guy said he had no issues with that.
The second guy said it should be regulated…and my question is, how? Where do you draw the line? Do you look at guys records and determine it based on that, or do we use the all important “eye” test, meaning we’ve seen him fight and know he’s not going to be competitive. I ask, because if we go the route of record…guys like Mike Dolce are like 2-8, yet we know he’s very tough and would beat many really good 170 pounders in this area, and would give them all a hard fight. If we do the “eye” test, what if the guy had a bad night? If we say it takes multiple bad fights, how many? What if he gets a win in the middle of 2-3 bad nights?
Everyone seems to have an opinion as to what is ok and what isn’t…I’m curious as to what your view is. This post isn’t about what you thought about the XCFL’s matchmaking, or anyone specific…more about matchmaking in general, and please be specific if you can…meaning, don’t just say “come on, we all know a bad fight when we see one.”
Skrzat fought for another promotion recently and got beat up and lost in the first round, meanwhile he blows through two opponents in the XCFL. But aside from that, Greg Rebello is on THIS SEASONS ULTIMATE FIGHTER!!!! Why is he fighting 0-5 Dick? Dick realizing he is the underdog and taking the fight is irrelevant… He turtled seconds into the fight and waited for the stop. Rick let me ask you this simple question, as the matchmaker for the WCF… Would you book Greg Rebello vs. Anthony Dick or Tateki Matsudo vs. Bill Walsch? Honestly? I understand your need to defend your biggest advertiser as well as your need to defend matchmaking, but just give me an honest opinion because I respect yours… All other fights aside… would you book these in advance and know that you have done your best? They were not last minute replacements or anything like that.. They were advertised fights. The point is the entire XCFL undercard on both shows have been squash fights, sure the last 3 bouts were good fights, and sure great match ups end early, and every show has its mismatches, but is it so wrong for us as paying fans not want to see this trend on back to back shows? Particularly when its only an 8 fight card?
Now that we have a commission you have to remember that they first have to approve the fights.
Also, one thing you are not taking into account is that Dick’s baby was in the hospital last night. He really didn’t look like he wanted to be in the cage and I can imagine that was why. Kudos to him for fighting. It would understandable if he pulled out.
Skrzat lost to Barry, and I’d bet on Barry to beat any HWT in New England. Barry is a beast. I absolutely would have matched the Skrzat vs. Lampson rematch.
As far as me needing to defend my “biggest advertiser”, they are not my biggest advertiser, and that has nothing to do with it. I’ve known WarwickWrestler was a fake account since day 1, but I let it slide because I was pretty sure there were other fake names going back and forth with you about bullshit, but now you’re trying to make me personally look bad by accusing me of playing favorites for a couple bucks.
If you and Jsmith think I’m playing favorites for money, call me…I think you both have my phone number, and I know you both have my email address because we’ve emailed in the past week or so. I’m more than a little offended that instead of calling/emailing me, you guys drop anonymous posts on my website acting like the reason I defend the matchmaking is because I’m “in their pocket” there by attacking my credibility on a public website.
I just went through it and of the 49 posts on this thread so far, almost 20 came from CONFIRMED fake accounts. I let most things slide on this site…if a fake account is talking about how good fighter XX just looked, when they are in reality fighter XX talking about himself from his fake account (hilarious btw), or if fake accounts try to stir up interest in a particular fight card by talking about how great past events were…fine, the site is here to increase interest in local fights, but several on this thread are piling up on the XCFL from fake accounts instead of posting from their real account…which I was going to let slide because I’m sure fake names have shit on other promotions before, but the second you guys try to come at me personally from fake accounts, I get really grumpy.
Consider this the warning shot…I have no problem going all Joslyn James on every single fake poster on this site and posting an article outing every single one of you, along with every insult you’ve ever posted. I don’t make enough money off this site to deal with people I know talking shit about me from fake accounts and saying good things from their real account. I let it slide for as long as I did by saying things like “I really have no idea how to track IP’s on this version of the website” so I could catch all you fucks and it worked..
Thats awsome Rick haha
DAMNNNNN…Great Post Rick, I Loved it!!!!!
I happen to manage Rebello and an entire team of fighters. In fact 2 of my guys Woody and Nick won tonight at what I thought was a great show… Both of them looked absolutely great . Look I can’t even imagine wanting to get in the cage and fight Greg Rebello, let alone wanting to get into the cage while my son was in the hospital…I also would imagine that having another promoter calling him for 2 weeks every day telling him “Rebello is going to kill you” and “they are paying him huge amounts of money to beat you up” and ” you should drop out of the fight and fight for me instead” probably didn’t exactly put the kid in the right frame of mind. It is what it is I guess…anyway, I checked in with Anthony and his mother every half hour to see not only how his child was doing but to see how he was doing and I was pretty close myself to telling Donny that the fight was not going to happen. He told Greg and myself that he wanted to do this in fact his exact words were “no disrespect to you Greg but I want to fight you”. Like Rick mentioned we have all been to fights that ending in under a minute , Jesus Christ who are we kidding most of us have been to at least 1 fight where 80% of the fight card ended this way. Being that there was only 68 people in the croud (depending on who you ask) you didn’t miss much as far as that fight goes but what you did miss and what nobody seems to want to mention is after Dick was down and done, Rebello was the first one to check on him. Greg Rebello didn’t run around the ring and act like he just knocked out Rampage Jackson after a 5 round war….Here is something else you may have missed Greg nor anyone from his team would leave the ring or ringside area until they gave Greg the mic…if you were there you may recall they said they were going to take another short break and the music came on, but Greg would not leave the ring….once he got a mic in his hand Greg told the croud what was going on with Anthonys child and how he had just found out 4 hours before about the change in his sons condition. He told everyone how much courage that must have taken for him to get in the cage and how there was no way anyone could be expected to be at 100%…He expressed not only his, but his entire teams, Tim Burrill, Pat Shultz and CCFA, Kru Mark and all of the SYT students deepest concerns and hopes that everything would be okay with his child… in my opinion it was probably the coolest moments of the night. It certainly showed the depth of Gregs charactor and that of his entire teams…I am happy to say that his kid is fine and looks to be out of the woods
Look it, I only mentioned that I manage Greg for this reason. I am the one who took that fight, Not Greg, Not his coaches, Not his teammates, not his moms… I did….I took the fight to keep him training over the last 8 weeks to get him ready for Bellator. To keep him moving and to make sure that he would have exactly enough time off before he starts his next training camp
so if you really feel the need to hate on somebody for this fight taking place, hate on me
BG
rick i have been watching local fighters for years just like you And i know know a bad match when i see it on paper and so do you..
LOL…perfect!
Well, let me get at this BG guy first by saying, commendable article! I did see Greg that night give full credit to Anthony and his situation, and found it to be a class act, circumstances aside, it was an opportunity for the kid to also add a great name fighter to his resume, at 0-5, atleast he can now say” I fought Greg Rebello”
At Warwick: You cant go roughing up the web master of a site man!! haha, accusing him of favoring advertisers, takes balls though, and is a tactic to rile someone up good, but when this person can throw you under an oncoming bus if they so desire, hmmm, better moves have been made! I think Ricks opportunity to get info and provide very detailed world class descriptions of these events is second to none here in the NE, I personally have found this site to be quite enjoyable and current, as well as entertaining since Ive come out here from Cali. You guys have a great little thing going on, and I say little in disrespect, as you all know Cali MMA is a world reknown function, 5 times what it is out here. All you who chime in make this site what it is as well, and keep it alive. YES, people are going to use aliases, Christ…I do, when I set this site up I used the name Tiger Woods. Obviously people have positive and negative opinions that they are free to voice on, and in some cases ones opinion is better left to aminimity in a community such as this. But as I have found where Im from, voices and opinions are what create a broaded scale, deeper imagination, and an ability to take this sport to another level, which is exactly what Mass needs…a new level!!
Now on the supporters side: Rick(who I have met and seems to be a great, intellegent, well versed and knowledgable guy), you cant go compromising the identities of your faithful readers and commentors, despite their personal opinions towards you or this site in general. Yes if someone goes out and insults your integrity, or actually disrespects you, ban the account, but once you start throwing aliases out there that people use for a certain degree of privacy or opinion, then you compromise the safety and security of the site itself, and no one visits because any opinion is then a crusade for or against any one at any level. A site like this is great, because of the ability to post opinions on a level where a whole community sees it, not whos actually saying it, because as we all know, its not exactly who says it, but what is said that rather dictates outcomes of scenarios. And Northeasttmma is a great vehicle for that!! I hope everyone keeps things in check to a degree. The biggest reason my love for this sport has developed is due to the passion some seem to share for it. Whether or not you calling someone out, supporting, or against, its passion! Just be smart about it and use it respectfully, not ignorantly, because when that happens, I promise you will see a very rapid decension of the qualities that make our sport unique!!
Well, to be honest Insider, I don’t want to out people…but when the motives for the posts are simply to make one particular show look bad, for personal reasons, that crosses the line.
Hypothetically speaking…lets say one fighter, manager, or rival promotion has a genuine dislike for a promotion, or one guy involved with a promotion, and he creates a fake name to post bad remarks over and over about this same promotion…instead of saying things like “I think these guys are dicks because they put on a show the same day as me” or “these guys are dicks because the lied to me about my opponent” they come on here instead and pose as “real fans” saying that the event sucked, was filled with mismatches, and the only reason Rick says good things about them is because he’s getting paid. That’s my issue with it…it’s not that we have fake posters with real opinions that they want to express…we have well known people using fake names to settle personal grudges anonymously.
I have to draw the line when a personal grudge with a promotion turns into a smear campaign, and they act like I’m saying what I’m saying because I’m paid to. In case you all didn’t notice, I basically defend all promotions 99% of the time. I say good things about every show.
I noticed in my post I said “with direspec”t…oops…I meant no disrespect, and I see your point Rick, its difficult coming from an unbiased perspective, having to lend an actual perspective. Its a complexity that can drive us all insane! As fans, personal grudges will always be in the forefront, its human nature, and as it may be, its the sport we are in. Human combat as it is in the end is a field based on rivalry, competition and grudges. Unfortunately, some take it to a whole new level, and its not beneficial at times. But as we see transcend through time, human nature is a characteristic we all cannot escape! Much respect to you for what you do, and a world of respect to the fighters who compete in this field. And also great respect and thanks to all the fans, who no matter what degree it is, keep not only the passion alive and thriving, keep the sport growing and hopefully moving forward!! Lets take the sport to the top worldwide, but base it on good ethics and intentions. We have all seen what happened to the boxing world! God I love Sunday morning rants….
Well i know alot of people think that i had no right to fight greg rebello and that it was a easy fight for him i know i have never won and i may never win but i try to do the best i can when i get out there even when i know i have no chance at all Brian thank you for everything on friday it was very kind of you and the guys and to greg for fighting me it is true i didnt feel like getting in there and fighting but after talking with both greg and brian i knew i had to my son was fighitng for his life while i was getting ready and i was gonna do my best to make him proud and while some of the people were yelling that i suck and this and that i did something not alot of people want to do and thta is get in there with greg the guy is amazing and i only wish i could have given him a better fight his words at the end he didnt need to say but it just shows the class he has hopefully i can come back and fight cause i would love to read this site and see a win next to my name but we will have to see.i love coming up here to mass living in pa it takes about 8 hrs to get there but the fans promoters and fighters make it worth the trip thanks again xcfl for the chance to fight and greg brian donny brian caldwell pat schultz thanks for the concern about my son he is doint great now and hopefully he will be home soon
I wish we could get comments about the comission and how everyone involved in the fight night felt about them, and the first sanctioned night.
My view, as a photographer cageside.
Nothing but a bunch of egotistical bullies. They were given an entire side of the cage, comission only, no big deal.
The problems (maybe, for me only) began when they had “roving” comissioners. I had a seat I had been using to shoot the fights, I moved momentarily to get better photos, I walk back to my seat and a commisioner is sitting next to me, then another one is standing over me “you stole my seat”. So I got up, I wasn’t going to be the one causing a fight with a commisoner and getting the XCFL, or any other MMA org banned, or fined. This happened throughout the night, commissioners randomly taking seats. I spoke with someone in the XCFL, and they said they could go anywhere they wanted, nothing I could do.
No photographers allowed downstairs in the rooms pre-fight. I see plenty of cameras during UFC events and they deal with the Neveda commission. I don’t know the reason for such high security.
Nevermind the commissioner who wouldn’t allow my 11 yr. old son back to his seat because he didn’t have a pass…
So for future events I would suggest promoters get with the commission ahead of the fights and assign seats. Photographers, judges, cutmen shouldn’t be bullied out of seats and made to move for these crusty old bastards.
There has got to be some type of control over where they sit. The commission being given free reign over every cageside seat seems a little over the top to me. I took it as they wanted to flex their authority over the MMA community, they showed very clearly that they don’t like us. I heard one of them say “good, only 8 fights, we can get out of here early”.
Hope to hear others thoughts on the night.
@eks any photos?
As a reporter my biggest gripe was the locker room issue as well. Usually, I have no problems and go to where the fighters are pre-fight just to say hi and ask them to stick around after their fight so we can talk. It’s no big deal, I stay out of everyone’s hair.
I was told no one was allowed down there unless they were a licensed official. So here I am and I want to give this event and this local scene adequate coverage. However if I don’t have the access to the fighters than that makes my job much much harder.
For example, if I wanted to track down Dan Keefe after his fight I would be in jeopardy of missing the Tateki-Leone fight. I’m not going to miss a single fight at an event I cover.
If this is a continued issue with the commission not allowing me the access to the fighters I have had in the past – without problems – maybe
the promotions around might need to get more organized with the press situation.
Again, as I’ve never had this problem before I can see how a local promotion might not be fully prepared.
Just my two cents.
Well after this whole weekend of my son being in the hopitol and dealing with all that as well as fighting greg today i went to cash my check and guess what it bounced like a basketball i think it was funny that the people kept moving us from one spot to the other trying to get us outside cause they knew this was gonna happen the secruity gurads were doing what the could to get us out and the fighters were trying to stand there ground and get paid and this is what happens i have two cracked ribs and for what not to get paid i took this fight for the money and to have another fight and gave up the chance to fight for people whO PAY THE FIGHTERS RIGHT AWAY NO BULLSHIT i am hoping this gets resolved cause i was gonna try and fight for them agian but hell no i gave up the chance and probaly burned a bridge with a good compnay for a peice of paper
i would also like to clarify something i had the chance to fight for cfx and already agreed to fight for them and was offered more money to fight here i should have listened to gary but i did not and now i burned my bridge fightig for them hopefully down the line i will get the chance to fight and win as i said in previous posts the cfx guys have always been respectfull and awesome to me and my family and i should have listened to them i have no one manager wise or such and i should listen to advice given but what done is done i am sorry to say all this but it bugs me Max my son could have died and i wasnt here for it but enough from me
just wanted to say that the issue with pay is gonna be resolved i am told b this afternoon if not then i will let you all know
Thanks for the compliment Rick. The checks in the mail.
So last week there was some talk on the website about people posting behind screen names that were not their own name – it was brought to my attention by the xcfl that 2 people that had posted not so favorable opinions had come from my camp. I was told that by cross referencing ip addresses from emails that had gone to them and ip’s here on the site they were able to tell they were the same. I have spoken to Dave and Don personally and apologized that this had happen but also wanted to put something here too