Posted on 11 October 2009.
Respect is Earned returned to Pennsylvania after a five month hiatus with Philly Biker Brawl, run adjacent to the Philadelphia Motorcycle Show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. The card had four amateur fights (all 3 x 2-minute rounds) and three pro fights (no championships at risk). These results are unofficial until confirmed by the Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission. All fights were refereed by octagon veteran official Dan Mirgliotta.
Fight 1
Chris Jones d. Brian Burns (KO) R2
Good pace to start the show. Jones was obviously the better fighter and caught Burns with a big right that turned his power off. Burns got his egg scrambled, and Jones earned my KO of the Night vote.
Fight 2
Mike Bishop d Anthony D’Amario (Split Decision)
Bishop trains with Barbarian Fight Team, headed by Tim Boetsch. He set the mood when he took a solid right through to the grille, and Bishop responded by sticking his chin out and smiling back at the New Jersey based D’Amario. Good striking ability from Bishop, who evens his amateur record to 1-1. Split decision victory, but I agree with result.
Fight 3
James Funaro d Tony Valera (Unanimous Decision)
Not really an exciting fight on the feet, but Funaro consistently earned takedowns, and was very active from the top. The Long Island based Funaro was looking mostly for chokeholds, but wasn’t able to finish off Valera. I had it 10-9 all three rounds for a neutral stand-up game, but active mount for Funaro.
Fight 4
Ben Tichy d John Stahl (TKO) @ 0:53 R1
Both fighters came out on fire. Good stand-up from both men. Tichy dropped Stahl with a nice shot, and Mirgliotta stopped it before the 1 minute mark. From my seat, it looked like Stahl could continue, his head was up, but Mirgs might have seen that glass eyed look.
Pro Fight – Fight 5
Felipe Arantes d Lester Caslow (submission/RNC) R1
This fight may be under review. Arantes came out in some Shinya Aoki style pants, which I believe are outlawed under unified rules. I’m also hearing some rumors about Ben Gay. This will be a developing story. Both fighters looked solid, Caslow had solid back control early but slipped off (possibly due to Arantes’ use of Ben Gay). Caslow gave up his back trying to escape Arantes’ mount, but Arantes’ was able to lock in the mata leao for the tapout. We’ll see if that decision stands, though.
Pro Fight – Fight 6
Jeff Lenz d Joshua Robertson (submission/strikes) @ 0:16 R1
Jeff Lenz is vicious. Lenz, a Kurt Pelligrino student came out and fired a right hand right at Josh Robertson’s No Mas button. Robertson went down, and seemed to panic a little bit. Lenz followed up with three or four shots from the dominant position, and Robertson tapped while grabbing at his neck before he took any more damage. Event medical was immediately in the ring to put Robertson on a backboard, and he was transported to a local hospital. The good news is, he never lost function in any of his limbs and was in the hospital only as a precaution for observation (standard operating procedure, anytime someone’s put on a backboard and neckbrace, they go to the hospital for observations, no questions asked). Watching the replay in the arena, the right hand is the only one that caught Robertson clean.
Pro Fight – Fight 7
Leonardo Pecanha d Aaron Meisner (Submission/RNC) R1
With the Tim Boetsch fight scrapped, thanks to Lorenzo Hood bailing at the last minute, this fight was set to be the main attraction. Meisner came in with a lot of local fans who recognize him from The Ultimate Fighter Season 7. Leo Pecanha entered the ring as a returning RIE winner (defeated Eric Henry in April). Right from the opening bell Pecanha was all over Meisner and was able to quickly get Meisner on his back. From there, Pecanha worked text book ground and pound while trying to open the door for a submission. After controlling Meisner from the mount for almost four minutes, Pecanha was able to climb his back and quickly worked his way into the mata leao.
MAMMA Awards for the Night
Fight of the Night: Mike Bishop vs Anthony D’Amario
Knockout of the Night: Chris Jones
Submission of the Night: Leonardo Pecanha
Amateurs on the Rise: Mike Bishop & Ben Tichy
Paul Miles is a sports photographer who has shot ringside for Respect is Earned, Kings Promotions and Celebrity Boxing. This, obviously, qualifies him to have an opinion. Aside from editing MAMMA, he also maintains a portfolio site.
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