CALVIN KATTAR TRIUMPHS IN MAIN EVENT OF COMBAT ZONE MMA 36

SALEM, NH— Calvin “The Boston Finisher” Kattar improved his record and enhanced his legend by winning a razor thin unanimous 29-28 decision over Luiz Rodrigues in front of  sold out Sports Club at Rockingham Park on Friday night in a Combat Zone MMA fight that lived up to advanced billing.

With the partisan crowd on its feet enthusiastically chanting Kattar’s name and cheering for him throughout, a very tough and talented Rodrigues took the local fighter from Methuen, MA all the way to an uncharacteristic full three rounds in an intense battle of mixed martial arts skills and gritty determination.

Kattar, one of the most charismatic and exciting fighters in the Northeast who trains with Wai Kru in Boston, improved to 11-2-0 while the previously undefeated Rodrigues from Somerville, MA dropped to 4-1-0. While Rodriques may have lost the fight, the former U.S. Marine won the respect of Kattar’s fans, many of whom personally congratulated him afterward.

I don’t think the crowd support for Calvin factored into the decision,” said Rodrigues. “He got take downs in the key moments and held me down on the ground, so I can’t complain. I’m proud of my fight and my stand-ups, but I have to keep training and learn new tricks.”

Kattar, who competes at 155 pounds and usually wins by KO in the early going of his bouts, termed this as one of his finest performances. “I became a better fighter for it,” he said. “He loosened up in the third round and caught me off guard. This was one of the toughest fights I have ever had.”

In the co-main event at 170 lbs., Nate “The Future” LaMotte of Manchester put on an impressive display of strength and talent as he needed only 4:33 of round one to submit Nuri Shakir from Nashua with a rear naked choke hold and improve to 12-5-0 while his more experienced opponent evened his record at 16-16-0.

“I wanted to take him down and then he hit me with a right hook,” said LaMotte who trains with Team Burgess and was in his first fight since last March because he had to battle back from a series of injuries.“Nuri hits a lot harder than I thought. He’s a lot stronger and tougher, too, than I thought. I had to use my core strength.”

In the most eagerly anticipated fight on the under card, Will “The Brown Bomber” Santiago of Lawrence, MA entered the cage with an undefeated record as both an amateur and a pro for his test against Chris Madden (0-2-0). To the major disappointment of the crowd, Santiago badly injured his left knee when stomping on the mat while being introduced. But with clearance from the ring doctor, Santiago elected to fight and then fired up the crowd when he needed a scant 39 seconds to knock out an over matched Madden with a flurry of powerful and rapid strikes to the head. It was then the vanquished fighter’s turn to require the attention of the medical staff as he lay motionless on the mat for several minutes. 

“I never considered not fighting, “ said Santiago, now 2-0-0 as a pro, while limping back to the dressing area. “I couldn’t quit. I trained too hard for this and I would have fought even if my leg was broken. I definitely feel that I keep getting better with every fight.” 

With UFC veteran Tony “The Freak” Fryklund in the audience, Evan Parker of Leominster, MA needed only 2:53 of round one of the first of five professional bouts before he submitted Adam Touissant with a triangle arm bar. Parker, fighting at 145 pounds, is now 3-1-0 while Touissant slipped to 3-2-0 for Team Havoc from Maine.

In an intense pro battle of previously undefeated 195-pounders, Team Bomb Squad of New York invader Corry Murray and Perry Filkins, representing the Militech Fighting System in Hooksett, NH, brawled all through the three five-minute rounds before Murray won a close and unanimous 29-28 decision. Murray is now 3-0-0 while Filkins is 2-1-0.

A pair of 205 pound amateurs from Lawrence, MA making their debut in the cage got the night off to a good start when they battled until 53 seconds of the third and final round. Bob Larochelle, 34 and fighting for Team Fury, was giving a 14-year age advantage to Cheyenne Vasquez, who recorded his first win after his opponent verbally submitted. Next up, another pair of first timers fought at 170 pounds until Mike Burke (1-0-0) of Lakes Region Valley Tudo submitted Nick Berube (0-1-0) from Manchester, NH with a rear naked choke hold in 1:22 of Round 2.

Milford, NH’s Smith Cotioto Cachay (1-0-0), also fighting for the first time, then showed his boxing skill against the more experienced Peter Wellman from Salem, MA and Team DWMMA in the first round and used his ground game in the second. Wellman (1-3-0) took the third round with his strong ground and pound game but lost an unpopular 29-28 split decision to the representative from Team Tengu.

Mike Sullivan (2-1-0) from Nashua, NH and Gracie Barra NH had the crowd roaring when he dominated Wayne Ahlquist (1-3-0) and scored a vicious knock out in only 1:51 of the first round in the test of 170 pounders. Sullivan had Dennis Olson, a highly ranked MMA pro who trains with the same outfit, working his corner. The 36-year-old Ahlquist, from Lakes Region Valley Tudo, dropped to 1-3-0.

Popular local studio Team Valor sent Lowell Zangri into the cage next with the benefit of Tom Moreau, another top flight MMA pro, in his corner for a spirited battle against Rob Goodwin in the 185-lb. division. Goodwin (1-1-0), only 19 and fighting for Guy Chase Academy of MMA, absorbed a beating in the first two rounds but showed grit before the referee stopped the action at :32 of Round 3. Zangri, who is 21 lives in Manchester, NH, improved his record to 3-1-0).

Ethan Conley, who like Kattar hails from Methuen and also fight for Wai Kru, and Justin Clough next had the crowd on their feet and screaming before Conley scored a standing guillotine tap out in only 2:01 of the first round in the battle at 145 pounds. Conley, who trains with UFC welterweight John Howard, was voted the Best Amateur Fighter of the night and remained undefeated at 4-0-0 while Clough of Plaistow, NH is 1-2-0.

In the final amateur fight of the night, Anthony Loycano from North Andover, MA and Warriors Pride MMA enjoyed his share of local and vocal support as he notched a unanimous 29-28 decision over Dustin Hurtgam (2-3-0) from Team Bomb Squad to remain undefeated at 3-0-0.

Comabt Zone 37 returns to Rockingham Park on Friday, April 29 with another full card of evenly matched and exciting action.

RESULTS:

PROS:
Calvin Kattar (11-2-0), Methuen, MA def. Luiz Rodrigues (4-1-0), Somerville, MA by unanimous decision. 155 lbs.
Nate LaMotte (11-5-0), Manchester, NH def. Nuri Shakir (16-16-0), Nashua, NH by rear naked choke; 4:33 Round 1. 170 lbs.
Will Santiago (2-0-0), Lawrence, MA def. Chris Madden (0-2-0), Danvers, MA by KO. :39 Round 1. 180 lbs.
Evan Parker (3-1-0), Leominster, MA def. Adam Touissant (3-2-0), No. Berwick, ME by triangle arm bar. 2:52 Round 1. 145 lbs.
Cory Murray (3-0-0), Ithaca, NY def. Perry Filkins (2-1-0), Hooksett, NH by unanimous decision. 195 lbs.

AMATEURS:
Cheyenne Vasquez (1-0-0), Lawrence MA def. Bob Larochelle (0-1-0), Lawrence, MA by verbal submission; : 53 Round 3. 205 lbs.
Mike Burke (1-0-0), Laconia, NH def. Nick Berube, Manchester, NH (0-1-0) by rear naked choke; 1:22 Round 2. 170 lbs.
Smith Cotioto Cachay (1-0-0), Milford, NH def. Peter Wellman (1-3-0), Salem, MA by split decision. 155 lbs.
Mike Sullivan (2-1-0,) Nashua, NH def. Wayne Ahlquist (1-3-0), Meredith, NH by KO; 1:51 Round 1. 170 lbs.
Lowell Zangri (3-1-0), Manchester, NH def. Rob Griffin (1-1-0), Portsmouth, NH by TKO; :32 Round 3. 185 pounds.
Ethan Conley (4-0-0), Methuen, MA def. Jason Clough (1-2-0), Plaistow, NH by standing guillotine submission; 2:01 Round 1. 145 pounds.
Anthony Loycano (3-0-0), North Andover, MA def. Dustin Hurtgam (2-3-0), Ithaca, NY by unanimous decision. 150 lbs.