Before I post this, I want to make it VERY CLEAR that I didn’t write this, nor does this reflect my opinion, or the opinion of NorthEastMMA as a whole. I’m sure many will give me shit for putting this disclaimer before this article, but whatever…I’d rather you be mad at me than the people who will be mad at Bonnell 
For those of you that don’t know Bonnell, he’s a long time pro fighter, matchmaker of a popular local promotion, has worked with other promotions in various capacities, and also manages fighters and runs a small MMA gym. Bottom line is that he’s seen the fight game from many angles, and I respect his opinion…that said, I’m not walking…I’m running away from this one.
CFX 10 review-By Dan Bonnell
We witnessed CFX’ tenth installment this past weekend from the Jungle plex. I have to say CFX has a lot of things down pat and I was very impressed, from both a fan perspective as well as a fellow promoter. Five minutes into the show here is what I notice. Gary meets me at the door and escorts me to my seat, Music is clear, loud and sounds great (believe it or not you rarely get that. Its either static or not loud enough). The Cage looks great and sports a blue Canvas and use of the Catwalk. The lighting is great, no dark areas in the cage anywhere. By the first fight I’d estimate 1000 in attendance.
Another treat was that Mike Varner kept him self under control. Short breaks, nothing annoying and even asked if I needed anything. They made some fight announcements, recognized some important people and got the fights under way.
The most negative part of my experience was dealing with the commission. I can’t stress enough how terrible they are. One Commissioner was found walking around the cage all night using profanity with her fellow commissioners and to fans. I witnessed not 2 feet from me as she screamed at a gentlemen in VIP that he can’t drink a F’ing Beer F’ing ringside and she will throw him out. Another one, she ran around the cage swearing “this can’t f’ing happen!!?! What the F this is what I’m talking about!?! This shit cant happen” Does that sound familiar kids? I say that because I saw about 30 kids sitting 3rd row from the cage in the section she so pleasantly used her profanity as Mike Zichelle jumped up on the cage after a win.
Amateur Fights- (No shin guards used, NH should adopt this)
Angel Gonzales (AFK) vs Julio Vasquez (Tri Force) 135lb AM
This fight was all Julio, for an amateur Julio was very calm and composed, didn’t seem nervous at all. He possessed great knee from the clinch and great takedown defense in route to what seemed like an easy win for him. Angel pushed the pace in the fight but he just wasn’t as technical as Julio and Julio was able to counter a guillotine attempt late in rnd 2, move from knee to belly to full mount and apply a mounted triangle which he rolled to his own back for the finish.
Winner: Julio “The bakersman” Vasquez Rnd 2 Triangle Choke
Marc Costa (Rockstar) vs Joshua Torres (Mixed Breed) 155lb Am
Fight starts both guys clinch and Costa grabs a guillotine, jumps guard and it looks tight! Torres pops out and picks Costa up in guard and slams him on the way down Costa throws on a triangle and instantly switches to armbar. Torres defends well and they stand both guys finish the round rocking each other with wild hooks against the cage but neither guy falls.
Rnd 2 Another tight ass guillotine by Costa, no way Torres escapes this, fight is over……..wait as Costa is up celebrating from what everyone thought was a tap Gary Eblan yells to Costa that they were punches and not taps and the fight continues….it was tough to tell from my position I couldn’t see the tap, So they restart and now Torres has new life and takes control for the rest of the round pounding Costa against the cage and even sealing a TD to mount at the bell.
RND 3 This round was all Costa, Costa is a tall kid and finally used that reach to utilize his jab and range to pick Torres apart this round. Late in the round Costa grabs another Guilotine and finishes the round with it sunk in.
Winner: Marc Costa (Rockstar) Unanimous Dec.
Ethan Conley (Wai Kru) vs Anthony Truglia (Terminator) 150lbs Am
Ethan Conley looked great here. clinched to start stuffed the head and grabs the guillotine but uses it to set up some strikes, as tey break clean Ethan pushes Tony’s head away with one hand and blast him with several punches with the other. Tony is rocked and Ethan goes in for the kill, Tony is back peddling and Ethan pops him again while on the run and gets the stoppage.
Winner: Ethan Conley (Wai Kru) TKO ref stoppage 2:14 rnd 1
Ali Corbett (Wai Kru) vs Joe Pingitore (Rockstar) 15lb Am
Ali shoots in right away and gets the takedown to half, a sloppy transition and he loses the position and they stand. Joe takes the rest of the round with some great strikes from outside keeping his distance and controlling the ring.
Rnd 2 Pingitore looks great standing again and you can see his confidence build, Ali shoots in and gets another takedown though and as Joe tries to escape Ali takes the back and locks in a rnc with 1 hook in. the round ends like that, onto 3.
rnd 3 Ali Controlled this whole round with short jabs , some nice combo’s and controlled center. Joe got a desperation takedown at the end of the round but just not enough to seal the deal.
Winner: Ali Corbett Split Dec. 29-28, 28-29, 29-28
Pro Fights
John Downey (Xtreme) vs Keith Jeffrey (Tri-Force) 185lb Pro
Mismatch fight here, John Downey 0-5 vs Keith Jeffrey 5-1. John I hope you were able to pay some bills with this fight.
Keith, Big right hand rocks Downey and he turtles, keith takes the RNC for the win
Winner: Keith Jeffrey rnc :34 rnd 1
Aaron MacKinnon (Wai Kru) vs Tony Roure (Mixed Breed) 170lb pro
Aaron eats a bunch of shots as he trys to clinch for a takedown. He should probably have his hands up. Tony jumps for a guillotine and it looks tight. But Aaron is a black belt in bjj so I know he’ll get out. Aaron escapes and moves to mount, swings for the armbar and has it fully extended. Tony escapes. Wow…..just as I say that Aaron gets a guillotine and traps the arm Tony taps.
Winner: Aaron MacKinnon Guilotine choke 4:58 rnd 1
Mike Zichelle (Fight Factory) vs Glenn Reaves (MMA of SM) 185lb pro
This fight has all the making of the Greg Rebello Anthony Dick fight, even down to the records and Glenn could be Anthony’s brother if you know what I mean.
Reeves throws a middle kick that Mike catches, lifts him up and throws him half way across the ring, pounces on his dead body and pounds the shit out of him for the stoppage. This is where the commissioner stole Mikes thunder and ran around the cage swearing so professionally at her deputy commissioners for all to hear.
Winner Mike Zichelle :44 round 1 ref stoppage (Strikes)
Pedro Da Silva (Independent) vs Ruben Rey (Rockstar) 150lb pro
Pedro Sprints across the ring and kicks Ruben in the chest and sends him into the cage. Pedro follows with some heavy rights and Ruben looks in trouble! Pedro goes for a guillotine…what?!? Oh man, all that great striking and …wait this is tight and the arm is trapped…. It might be over. Nope Ruben pops his head out and looks BULLSHIT, Ruben rains down some nice elbows passes to mount drops short hammers then Pedro rolls, Ruben rnc, Pedro escapes and gives up mount again. Ruben lands about 20 unanswered and gets the stoppage. It seemed once Ruben got position there was no way getting out, great work.
Winner: Ruben Rey (Rockstar) ref stoppage (Strikes) 4:03 rnd 1
Pat Shultz (CCFA) vs Scott Rehm (Pro Elite) 185lb Pro
I sat ringside for this fight from Shultz’ corner and had a perfect view of the fight. I wrote notes on everything I saw and was very specific. I want it to be very clear that I am not biased to either fighter. I have trained with both at sityodtong and hold no ill will against either. I have, and want nothing to do with their personal issues with each other.
Both fighters enter the Cage. Pat seems calm but not him self, I’ve seen him fight a lot and he usually looks amped. Not the case here. Rehm enters the cage and shoots Pat a smile as he passes him feeling out the cage. Can’t tell if Pat returned the favor.
Fights starts and Rehm runs to the middle, they circle and paw at each other to find their range. Rehm rushes pat to the fence in a clinch and attempts a slam but Pat isn’t having it. Pat punches on the way out and throws a nice middle kick but its checked by Rehm. Both guys Jab and Parry punches. Shultz circles back to his corner and Rehm moves in jabbing almost to a clinch and he throws a short straight right. Shultz drops, hands by his side and hits the canvas head first. Rehm pounces and drops three more unanswered rights before Gary Eblan jumps in for the stoppage.
Those are the facts. Here is MY OPINION of what happened. Shultz was out from the first right hand Rehm threw and he dropped. Given the way he dropped and no motion afterward it could have been stopped had Rehm walked away. Rehm rushed and threw three more punches and it was stopped. In my opinion the third punch woke Pat up and Pat began to fight back. Thus, the reasoning behind all the boo’s and the disarray going on cage side. Being a veteran my self I appreciate the time to recover from a flash KO my self but if I’m getting rained on afterward I’d want it stopped too. Look at my fight with LaBerge, it was a flash KO that dropped me and everything else after was just reassurance that I was dead. I appreciate the ref giving me a shot (because I’m a veteran fighter) but I was out.
I want to say to Gresh and Shultz I hope you guys can respect my opinion and view of the fight and not hold it against me, I respect you guys a ton. I just had to write this review as unbiased as possible and do my job. To Scotty Rehm Congrats on the win.
Winner: Scott Rehm via KO rnd 1 1:33
Chris Bagge (Bishops) vs George Papousidis (Mixed Breed) HWT
Both men meet center and swing for the fences! Bagge Catches George with a right and shoots in for the takedown. Bagge’s finishes a single leg takedown and lands in side control. Bagge’s with several knees to the ribs that look like they are killing George. Pap’s begins to get to all fours and work hiw way up, Bagge’s grabs a front headlock and punishes George with some sprawl and brawl. Bagge’s here’s his corner calling for a shuck and shucks George to the side spins and takes the back, George rols and gives up mount. Bagges secures mount and beats George with Elbows and Hammer fists to the face. With one hand Bagges hold the fence to keep position and pounds George with his free hand for the stoppage.
Winner: Chris Bagge tko ref stoppage (Strikes /Mount) rnd 1
CFX Welterweight Title Fight
Chip Moraza-Pollard (CCFA) vs Lionel Young (BJKA) 170lb Pro
I have in my notes here that Lionel is very small at 170. Possibly a 155er. Chip enters the cage, he’s a big 170, looks about 190. Right off the bat I can tell Lionel will have his hands full here.
Fight starts and they clinch. Both men knee to the body and legs. Now Chip gets double Unders and knee’s to the middle and Lionel is having a real hard time getting free. Lionel finally escapes and shoots for a double leg, lifts and BIG slam by Lionel but Chip is up just as fast and doesn’t hesitate to fire away. Chip is a technical machine. One of the best displays of Muay Thai in an MMA fight ive seen. Lionel cant take it anymore and shoots in repeatedly and Chip just hip checks him to the mat takes side control and the round ends.
Rnd 2
Chip looks great and is breathing from the nose. Lionel is exhausted and slouched on his stool visibly tired. The two meet in the center and Chip pushes Lionel against the cage and begins to T-off. Lionel is just covering up as chip picks spots anf fires away at will. Chip is throwing Knee’s, punches, head kicks, elbows, teaps you name it. Lionel tries to shoot again. Stuffed by Chip and Chip takes side control, then mounts then let Lionel up, they repeat the same senario again and the round ends with Chip blasting away on Lionel against the cage. 10-8 round
Rnd 3
Lionel doesn’t even leave his corner, Chip walks clear across the cage and begins to beat the hell out of Lionel in front of his corner until the ref calls it.
I was very impressed with Chip, this kid is a beast at 170 and should be considered top 5 in northeast. Lionel did the best he could and although he is a great fighter and worthy of an honorable mention at 170 I think he was a little out classed here. I think Lionel will do just fine locally at 170, but Chip is just that good.
All in all the show was great. I can’t complain about anything that CFX did, I think Gay, Linda and Mike do a real nice job producing their show and it showed. They still managed to get a good crowd, not your normal CFX crowd, maybe half that as I said about 1000 people were there but I think that has 100% to due with the commission killing MMA in this area.
Commissioners, I hope you read this review and take in what I am saying. This is a fan, fighter, and promoters perspective. The way your Chairman conducted her self was shameful, and unprofessional. You have very little time until the UFC comes to town. I hope your able to get your shit together before you embarrass our state. The KICK union was a joke and Louis Thouin was more interested in telling everyone about himself than promoting Amateur safety.
Please keep the comments respectful…I’ve talked to several people involved with the MSAC and as of right now, they do read the site and they do pay attention to many of the comments. If this turns into a bunch of posts bashing them without any thought put into it, they’ll stop reading. If there is constructive criticism, they’re likely to keep reading…if it’s nothing but “f*ck them, they suck!” there is no reason for them to try to pay attention to what is said on here…and if it turns into that, I’ll be deleting posts and banning people….so be careful, and if you have something to say, make it constructive…or at least well thought out and entertaining.
I was all set to post my real feelings, but after reading Rick’s post heres what I am comfortable saying:
Being chair of a commission must be a very stressful job. Especially if you don’t have a background in, or even like the sport which you are overseeing.
As far as the KICK thing, It seems clear that Lois Thouin must have video cameras inside the strip joints’ champagne rooms and good footage of somebody high up doing something bad.
I just want to reply to this statement: “I hope your able to get your shit together before you embarrass our state”
You cant kill someone that is already dead. This state is a joke and everyone knows it. Maybe we do need a national view of our state so maybe some outsiders will come in and fix this mess. I say get the commissioners drunk and let it rip!
Rick – by reading your preamble, I thought I should break out the popcorn for a Giant Lee – like saga.
What we got was a well informed, well written, honest account of one man’s point of view of the fights, the promoters, and the commission.
Nice job Bonnell.
I’ll start with the Pro commission. Friday afternoon I had no license. Luckily my gym (Tapout Boston, shameless plug) is just blocks from the Dept. of Public Safety. I went in at 4pm and expected a shitstorm. I didn’t have 1inch photos or a money order. They do not take cash in the office. As I filled out my application the attendant told me that there was nobody in the office to approve my license because everyone was at weigh-ins. I told him I needed it for the next night and explained that I am licensed in many states as both fighter and corner. He made a phone call and got me instantly approved. He then did a little computer magic and retrieved a photo of me for the license. He gave me directions to the nearest post office so I could get a money order and then kept the office open until I got back so that I could be licensed. Great experience at a government building, oddly.
I saw commissioner Leticia (sp?) at the venue and we actually shared some laughs about a really old event she worked way back when we were sanctioned by the boxing commission. It was almost like two regular people talking !!
I don’t dispute Dan’s claims, just saying my personal experience was actually pretty good this time around. I think it’s a sign of hope.
As for KICK, if they sanction amateur fights, who sanctions amateur sanctioners? This was a complete hoax. Louis Thouin and whoever put him on are, dare I say…felonious? What a transparent little operation they all have there.
Total insult.
As for KICK, GOOD JOB
Amateur fights are back.STOP THE CRY YOU guy’s are the P…Y OFF MMA
GET OUT OF MMA BAD APPLE,S FUCK IT UP
I respect your insight Dan, and i still love you.
Well written and documented Dan.Precise and to the point. Unlike myself who just rambles aimlessly for hours, haha!! Theres a future in writing for you…Watch out Mark Daniels!!!
Very Fair and Balanced review Dan. Nice job. Bill Orielly should have you on the NO SPIN ZONE. With Dan you will get no B.S. and a real account of what went on. The Lady commish should have been escorted out by the police. No joke. If that was a Male fan, that would have happened in a heartbeat. The whole misuse of power is DANGEROUS.
Did Mike Zichelle win or lose? the review is confusing.
Also Great Job to My good friend and corner man Scott “The Scooter” Rehm he is a hell of a good dude!!!!!
Very descriptive, unafraid to voice his opinion. Maybe we can get a comment from one of the commissioners explaining their view of the incidents in question?
Dan Bonnell sucks…
) nice review Dan. I wasnt at the fights, I saw the video however I wont put my 2 cents in on the Rehm Shultz fight. It is just to bad that 2 good friends turned into such hatred.
On a lighter note Loco Lobo congrats on the BJJ Black Belt!!!!!!!!! Awesome job my man, now when you kill me on teh mats I can atleast say it was by a Black Bely
) Awesome Job!!!!!!!
This commission seems as though it would rather rule in hell then serve in heaven.. and because of the corrupt even ridiculous set up of power we will surely see, if not utter failure, then at least a revamp of personnel. Because this sport is not going to survive with clueless, bitter, dare is say ignorant people running it. Why wouldnt you want to put the most knowledgeable, open minded people in charge? This sport is something that could help the state and economy……. It’s absolutely INSANE to put ppl in charge of something when THOSE very ppl prefer that it didnt exist… This state works in funny ways..
No offense to any other writers out there (Rick, Mark, etc) but that was probably the best review of an MMA show I have ever read…. I understand Rick’s statement at the beginning but once I read it I expect a biased review full of ranting and bashing. What I got was an honest and informative account of the evening… well done
congrats to chip, you get better and better every fight, keep working hard
@Justin Hammerstrom “The Lady commish should have been escorted out by the police.” Never gonna happen- she IS the police. BPD Sgt. Detective, IIRC.
Putting people in charge of something they fundamentally want to see destroyed. It’s like the reagan revolution all over again.
I was expecting something like I would write after Rick’s disclaimer. Good review – of course, Dan is probably going to be indefinitely suspended once if she gets wind of this. I’m not even going to try to get my license (for Reality Fighting), after all the shit talking I do.
Just to clarify…I don’t necessarily have a problem with what Dan said. I’ve heard others say similar things from various people about various fights, and various MSAC issues, but I would have gone about things in a different way. Quick analogy…if I’m a senator and I disagree with something the President is doing, I wouldn’t be the senator that releases a public statement about how terrible I think mr. President is. Simply not my style, especially when you consider that you still have to work with the guy (or girl) and nobody is quick to forget when someone rips them in public.
There are still people that don’t like Biggie because of something he said about them like 5-6 years ago. I’ve had fighters not return my phone calls, then I hear through the grapevine that the reason they didn’t call me back is because they didn’t like the way I reviewed one of their fights.
I don’t have a problem with his opinion, or that he wanted to put it out there the way he did…I just want to make sure people know that it was his opinion, not mine.
As far as his specific points…I HATE the talk about MSAC needing to take responsibility for poorly matched fights. I literally couldn’t be more against that line of thinking. In my humble opinion, if two licensed fighters want to fight each other, they should be allowed to…with a few exceptions, like a 155 pounder fighting a 200 pounder, or a 50 year old guy making a debut against a guy with a ton of pro fights, etc. Stuff like Zichelle vs. Reeves has always been, and will always be a part of combat sports. It happens in boxing all the time too, so please save me the BS arguement.
Again, in my humble opinion, I don’t think it should be the responsibility of MSAC to make sure every fight is perfectly matched. I mean, if you look at the NFL, the Pats are playing the friggin Lions on Thanksgiving this year. If the Pats win 45-3, nobody will say shit. Blowouts happen in all sports, and the slope could be very slippery if we keep pushing MSAC to get even tighter with what they’ll approve. Promoters are struggling as it is to fill their fight cards. Making it more difficult would make it even more difficult on everyone to run a successful show.
I don’t think you can blame MSAC for killing the sport by making it to hard, then tell them they should be harder on what fights they’ll approve. You really can’t have it both ways.
I think Dan’s review of the fights was well thought out, and I don’t think he came across like a dick at all. I always like hearing his opinion about what happens in the cage. He knows his shit, and can give the fighter’s and matchmakers point of view. So if he tells me he liked the stop in the Rehm vs. Schultz fight, I take his word for it. No offense to the other guys, but I think Bonnell is a neutral observer, and he said he had a good angle on it.
Also, I just read his review again and it doesn’t look like he blamed MSAC for the mismatched fights. The comments that followed from readers shit on them, not Bonnell. Either way, I don’t think it’s fair to blame MSAC for the fights if you didn’t like them, and I don’t think they should be harder on what they approve.
stop rooting for the lions rick.
Rick, I know in the past I have had a different opinion, but I agree with you 100% on the matches… If the state is willing to license a matchmaker and go through a process to determine that they are qualified to do the job than they should accept the fights that the match maker, whom they appointed, present… If someone is being negligent than investigate, but I do agree with you now after being a part of the process.
I keep seeing my name mentioned unfavorably in this thread so i figured I’d throw my two cents in. I love fighting. I’ve been doing it since i was born practically. I will step in the cage every oppurtunity i get, even if my opponent is a killer. Sometimes you learn the best lessons from your worst ass whippings. But the point of my post is i always have a choice whether or not to take a fight. Don’t get me wrong i know i sit at the bottom of the rankings but i’m a worker, and i hope someday i can ride a winning streak. When two men enter a cage logically speaking each man has a fifty percent chance of winning. So as far as mismatches go record wise anything can happen inside the cage. Thanks for listening. Glen Reeves
I agree with Rick and several others…it’s not the commission’s job to ok match-ups etc. I understand that you do have the end choice whether to take a fight or not, I put the “blame” on matchmakers setting up these match-ups to favor certain teams. Why does a guy from a top team often get matched-up with some dude who trains with his wife in his garage?? It would be nice for small teams to fight small teams, and the bigger schools get the bigger schools etc, until the fighters have shown they can get a few wins. But, truth is, big schools sell big tickets, and thier fans like to see them win, so they can do it again at the next show.
Reep, I think you have very valid points there my man. One, there does seem to be a sense of favoritism if you will(god I hate having to pick my words so carefully nowadays) but it has been this way for awhile and I sense it will continue to a degree over time.Not necessarily favoring teams per say, but more along the lines of fighters individually may be more acurate at times. And your point that the bigger schools sell more tickets due to fan base etc is also correct. Now the lesson I had to learn while preaching the same message of the best fighting the best is the simple fact that promoters cant always afford to pay the purses that some of these top teir guys either demand or deserve. Its hard to have 3 top class fights involved in one show, especially nowadays when the average top teir fight can run your show 4000 plus. Thats 12 grand almost on 3 fights, and when the crowds are deteriorating rapidly and fighters are not selling tickests, no promotion can afford that.
My thanks go out to John Supelveda on that lesson as I tried repeatedly to argue with him that big name fights were the way to go, and once he showed me the actual budgeting on that idea…haha, suffice to say, I had a reality check.
As for what the commissions job is and what they are accomplishing or not for that matter, know that we all agree to one extent or another. We are all hoping as well that everything comes out in the wash too, and then irons itself out and is a nice fresh cleanly pressed product. The truth is, maybe it will take time, maybe things will get worse before they get better. The general census in the circles I speak to is they believe there is a lull now, but it will come back around. None of us know for sure, thats why it is always imperitively important for us all to contribute at any time. Whether it be a positive or negative comment or action. A word of advice or criticism, or congratulations….in the end, this sport is what we all make it to one degree or another.Its not always about the governing body, but the majority of opinion sometimes.
I think the idea of a state athletic commission “approving” or “disapproving” a matchup has less to do with whether or not a fight is “fairly” matched, and more to do with whether or not a fighter has a greater chance of getting hurt, all other things being equal. It also has to do with the athletic commission’s role of keeping a sport legitimate, a sport that most people out there in the non-MMA world still don’t really like. I don’t think the athletic commissions really care who wins. The intention is to lessen the likelihood of someone getting hurt as a result of more experience over less experience, and keeping the sport legitimate, etc. Now before you point out that it is an inherently dangerous sport, and that fighters agree to fight with their eyes wide open, I get all of that and I agree. But as Rick said earlier, the idea (in my opinion) is to throw out, or not allow to happen, the really obviously mismatched fights to begin with. A 10-0 fighter shouldn’t be matched against an 0-10 fighter. It just looks bad, and takes credibility away from the sport. And promoters shouldn’t even be considering fights like that. Now there is something to be said about a fighter stepping up to the plate and taking on a tough opponent (Lauzon vs. Pulver rings a bell). But guys that are just awful shouldn’t be matched against guys that are really good. That’s just stupid. And I guess that if the promoter matches them up anyway, the role of the athletic commission should be to throw those fights out. Just my opinion.
Now that you’ve commented, John…here is a question. Where do you think the line should be drawn?
For those of you who don’t know, John is a deputy commissioner in NH, and without a doubt the most experienced MMA guy in the state…the commission would struggle without him.
You can say 10-0 shouldn’t fight 0-10…but what about 4-0 vs. 0-2? If 0-2 won’t work, what about 1-3? Maybe 2-3? What about 4-0 vs. 3-6? My point is, it’s very difficult to draw a line…Zichelle was 4-0 when he fought Stengel, who was listed at 3-6. 4-0 vs. 3-6 looks bad on paper, but I knew it was a solid fight when I matched it. In my opinion, it’s damn near impossible to have a real guideline, because no matter where you start, you’re only a hop, skip and a jump away from not allowing 4-0 to fight 3-6.
It takes an experienced matchmaker to know what is a good fight and what isn’t and it’s tough to look at 2 guys on paper and make a decision on it. One of WCF’s best fights ever was between a guy who was 2-4 as a pro and a guy who was 8-3 and 2 of his losses were against top competition in EliteXC.
Here are my 2 cents, we can’t expect the commission to know all the players in the game but I am all for them stepping in and asking about a clear mismatch. The whole record this doesn’t work because thats the beauty of MMA, there all from different disciplines. 7-3 but lost all to RNC and 3-7 who won all by RNC, u never know. But a Guy from SSSF or Sit or Wai or another top well rounded school facing an Indy with an record not so good or an 0-0 might be a reason for the commission to ask about it and that I’m for. Good match-makers have experience, so if one of these fights comes up in front of the commission and it’s a match that Rick made or Mark Vaz made (my plug) that should carry some weight that know what their talking about.
Rick, thanks for the kind words. There is no formula, no secret guideline for this. The OBVIOUS mismatches should not even be proposed by the promoters. But after that , we in NH work with the promoters to discuss the merits of the (for lack of a better way of putting it) less-obvious mismatches. The idea is to promote safety if at all possible. Also, to make sure the paying public is getting value for their dollar. I suppose the promotions with just awful fights and mismatches will get weeded out by the market. But the intent is to try and limit the fighters from getting hurt due to mismatches, where possible. We recognize that it can be a slippery slope, but that is why we expect promoters not to porpose really stupid matches. We are all about free enterprise here in the Live Free or Die state. We only step in when we think the matches are really stupid. Please don’t ask me to define “really stupid.” I think you get my point.
Can Massachusetts draft Hagopian and appoint him commisioner for all of New England MMA?
I second that Kerrigan!!! Good Idea!