Kurt Pellegrino is a legend in New Jersey high school wrestling for all his grappling success at Pt. Pleasant. The grown up version, nicknamed Batman, is on a three fight win streak in the UFC. Pellegrino was gracious enough to share a few secrets recently, and show how he works his ground game magic in the Octagon.
The UFC’s Ricardo Almeida has an immense challenge ahead at UFC 111 Vs. the rising Matt Brown. Not only will Almeida be dropping down in weight class to 170lb, but he will be faced with the emerging all-around talents of Brown under the tutelage of Matt Hume. During my last visit to Almeida’s gym in central Jersey, he shared this tip per working off the back defending the ground and pound.
Professional MMA
Ring of Combat XXVII
Promoter Louis Neglia
Tropicana Hotel and Casino showroom, Atlantic City
November 20, 2009
Referees Kevin Mulhall and Dan Miragliotta
Judges Jeff Blatnick, Cardo Urso and Carlos Rodriguez
Ringside Physicians Dr. Sherry Wulkan, Dr. Vincent Guida and Dr. Steven Oxler
Timekeeper Jason Robinson
Scorekeeper Ellen Rubin
Inspectors Jon Bilyk, Tony Tamburrino, Kerri Kaminski, Vincent Chapple, Todd Manfredi, Gary Gudzak, Erik Miller, Casper Oliver, Jim O’Connor, Paul Hafner, and Mike DiBella.
Announcer Peter Neglia
ROC Heavyweight Title
Silmar Rodrigo (111-435) Ricardo Romero (101-569)
Both fighters 211
Ref Miragliotta
Romero wins via tap due to v armlock at 4:56 of round one
ROC Featherweight Title
Jeff Lentz (103-160) Anthony Morrison (103-981)
Lentz 147. Morrison 145
Ref Mulhall
Morrison wins unanimous decision three rounds, all three judges 30-27
Marcelo Pereira (105-989) Gian Villante (105-386)
Pereira 212. Villante 215
Ref Miragliotta
Villante win via KO punch at 3:59 of round one
Pereira suspended 30 days for KO
Dante Rivera (105-584) Justin Haskins (103-055)
Rivera 185.5. Haskins. 185
Ref Miragliotta
Rivera win via tap due to rear naked choke at 3:51 of round two.
Rivera suspended indefinately pending opthalmological clearance
Mitch Whitesel (101-531) Uriah Hall (107-859)
Both fighters 186.5
Ref Miragliotta
Hall wins via TKO referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 2:34 of round three
Joshua Key (105-945) Al Iaquinta (105-390)
Iaquinta 156. Key 161
Ref Miragliotta
Iaquinta win via TKO referee stoppage due to unanswered punches at 1:47 of round one
Iaquinta suspended indefinately pending x-rays and orthopaedic clearance of right hand.
Ryan LaFlare (101-063) Marc Berrocal (105-912)
LaFlare 171. Berrocal 170.5
Ref Mulhall
LaFlare deducted two points in round one for illegal knee strike to downed opponent
LaFlare win via TKO stoppage due to unanswered punches at 3:19 of round one
Berrocal suspended 30 days for TKO
Berrocal suspended indefinately pending neurological clearance
Ariel Sepulveda (106-511) Plinio Cruz (104-467)
Sepulveda 185. Cruz. 186
Ref Miragliotta
Cruz via split decision three rounds 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29 Urso
Nate Williams (108-051) Louis Gaudinot (101-887)
Williams 126. Gaudinot 125.25
Ref Mulhall
Gaudinot wins unanimous decision three rounds, 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 Blatnick
Jesus Martinez (110-980) Jim Tomczuk (105-385)
Martinez. 180. Tomczuk 179
Ref Mulhall
Martinez wins unanimous decision three rounds, all three judges 29-28
Mervin Rodriguez (101-649) Andrew Main (103-285)
Both fighters 146
Ref Mulhall
Main win via tap due to triangle at 1:05 at round two
Will Martinez, Jr. (105-880) Liam Kerrigan (101-642)
Martinez. 154. Kerrigan 156
Ref Mulhall
Kerrigan win via tap due to kneebar at 1:07 at round two
Since I will be on FoxFightGame.com tonight with Frankie Edgar, I thought I would honor the great Jersey fighter by digging up some old footage I posted months ago. Under the tutelage of training guru Martin Rooney, they are put through a workout tailored for the highest level MMA fighter. Martin Rooney trains many of best MMA fighters in the world and runs a highly successful pre NFL combine program for players seeking to be drafted.
Kurt Pellegrino is known for being one of best wrestlers in New Jersey high school history, for his current three fight win streak featuring a win over Josh Neer at UFC 101, and for his numerous tattoos. What does all the ink mean to Batman? Check out this video breakdown from the man himself.
TOO MUCH MMA?
Is MMA becoming over-saturated in the media marketplace? Are there so many fights now between the large and small organizations that some are getting lost in the din of the sports news crush? Has the mainstream media already lost it’s fascination with MMA? Are you already losing track of all the UFC, WEC, UFC Fight Night StrikeForce, Strikeforce Challeger and regional shows? So much so, that no ‘one’ show feels like a big deal anymore? I don’t know the answer to these questions - but things I wonder about. Starting to feel these questions are becoming relevant and like any growing industry, MMA needs to guard against quick “hot” revenues instead protecting the consumer against product burnout.
Why do we long for the fall football season, because the sport “went away” for six months from our daily news diet and it is “new” again each year. I think the with no off-season in MMA, product fatigue can and will set in. But, will executives ever sacrifice short term profits for long term gain? It is rare. Most suits want to suck up as much profit, “get it while it is hot” mentality, to always show growth on the balance sheet. Growth is good - don’t get me wrong - I guess it is a matter of how it is accomplished. Maybe this is just the natural “free for all” period any high growth industry experiences giving way to inevitable over-growth and consolidation.
Professional MMA
September 11, 2009
Tropicana Hotel and Casino Showroom
Atlantic City, NJ
Promoter Louis Neglia
Ring of Combat XXVI
146.2 Jackson Galka vs. 145.8 Andy Main
Ref Mulhall
Main via split decision two rounds, 20-18, 20-18 and 18-20 Judge Martin
155.6 Liam Kerrigan vs. 154.4 Roger Mamedov
Ref Mulhall
Judge Crosby 20-18 Kerrigan, 19-19, 19-19
Bout is a majority Draw after 2 rounds
125.8 Louis Gaudinot vs. 126.2 Jeff Cressman
Ref Mulhall
Gaudinot via TKO referee stoppage due to strikes at 0:24 of round two
145.6 Matt McManmon vs. 145.4 Lester Caslow
Ref Miragliotta
Caslow wins via verbal submission due to armbar at 3:20 of round one
McManmon suspended pending xray of right elbow and forearm and orthopaedic evaluation of same
171.3 Jose Sulsona vs. 169.4 Ryan LaFlare
Ref Miragliotta
LaFlare wins via armbar at 2:18 of round two
134.4 Sean Santella vs. 135.6 Jose Villanueva
Ref Mulhall
Santella wins via verbal submission due to armbar at 2:00 of round two
155.4 Ed Guedes vs. 156.2 John Salgado
Ref Miragliotta
Guedes win unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27 and 30-25 Judge Crosby in three rounds
155.8 Nabih Barakat vs. 156.4 Chris Schlesinger
Ref Mulhall
Schlesinger via unanimous decision three rounds, all three judges 30-27
185.4 Allan Weickert vs. 186.2 Rafael Sapo
Ref Miragliotta
Sapo win via rear naked choke at 2:53 of round one
215 Rob Wince vs. 226.6 Gian Villante
Ref Miragliotta
Villante wins via KO kick to head at 1:25 of round two
186.4 Costa Phillipou vs. 185 Victor O’Donnell
Ref Miragliotta
Phillipou wins unanimous decision three rounds, all three judges 29-28
155.6 Dwayne Shelton vs. 155.8 Chris Liguori
Ref Mulhall
Liguori wins unanimous decision three rounds 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 Judge Crosby
204.2 Rich Lictawa vs. 209.6 Ricardo Romero
Ref Miragliotta
Romero win via kimura 2:14 of round two
Officials—-
Ringside Physicians Dr. Sherry Wulkan, Dr. Vincent Guida and Dr. Steven Oxler
Referees Dan Miragliotta and Kevin Mulhall
Judges Doug Crosby, Ray Martin and Carlos Rodriguez
Timekeeper Fred Blumstein
Inspectors Ellen Rubin,Gary Gudzak, Kerri Kaminski, Todd Manfredi, Tony Tamburrino, Cardo Urso, Jon Bilyk, Steve Errickson, Jim O’Connor, Paul Hafner, Mike Di Bella and Ben Valentino