Welcome to BluegrassMMA’s newest feature, the Weekend Preview. Each Friday at noon, we’ll give you a quick glimpse into the weekly spread of MMA action around the Ohio Valley.
The first edition is jam-packed with action, featuring 3 top-flight events in the states that we cover. What’s even better is that the events are all in different states, meaning that there is sure to be some action near you whereever you are located in the Ohio Valley.
Kicking off this weekend on Friday will be the Primetime MMA event in Toledo, followed by a pair of marquee events on Saturday as Gladiators of the Cage returns to its home base in Pittsburgh and Hardrock MMA takes over Louisville for the night.
Without further ado, here’s what’s on tap this weekend.
Aug 9 – Gladiators of the Cage: The North Shore’s Rise to Power VI (Pittsburgh, PA)
GOTC is one of two organizations that have really put Pittsburgh MMA on the map, as they put on consistent pro/am shows at a great venue in Stage AE. And just last month, they traveled to Ohio to make history by being the first organization to host an event in a casino in the Buckeye State.
Now GOTC returns to their home base in the Steel City, with a doozie of a main event on tap. Local favorite Dominic Mazzotta (3-1) will look to return to his winning ways when he faces Cincinnati’s Chris Dunn (8-4) in a bantamweight showdown. Our friends at StandThemUp.org have a full breakdown of this fight, but let’s just say that we expect fireworks here from two fighters who could catapult onto the next level with a win here. Mazzotta joined The Kyote Ugly Show on Wednesday night to talk about his fight.
Other pro fights on the card include Charlie Gathers (5-5) vs. Jacob Bohn (1-1), Jeff Holmes (3-4) vs. Jeff Smith (1-1), and LA Hampton (1-2) vs. Brett Shoenfelt (6-5). And an amatuer matchup featuring jiu-jitsu ace Jonas Rubiano (2-0) vs. Russian/Canadian Vladimir Kazbekov (4-1) is not to be slept on. GOTC executives Robert Joseph and Scott Betten joined Bluegrass MMA Live on Tuesday night to talk about the event. You can catch this entire event on iPPV at GOTCMMA.com.
Aug 9 – Hardrock MMA 66 (Louisville, KY)
Hardrock MMA is easily one of the most consistent organizations in Kentucky, and the proof is in the pudding in the fact that this is their 66th event. The main event this time around features the professional debut of the uber-popular Brandon Hurst (0-0, 6-3 am), as he takes on Robert Howard (3-6). Other pro bouts feature Joshua Blanchard (5-4) vs. J.R. Hines (3-21), and the return of Joe Maiani (2-4) vs. Brian Kerr (0-0, 7-12 am). Both Maiani and Kerr joined Bluegrass MMA Live this week to talk about their fight.
In true Hardrock fashion, a whopping 18 fights are on tap, so strap yourself in for a full night of fights if you plan on making your way down to Expo Five in Louisville.
Aug 8 – Primetime MMA: Summer SMACKDOWN (Toledo, OH)
I’ve seen this event listed as Summer SMACKDOWN and also as Summer Bash. The event has two pro bouts and 13 amatuer bouts, including a female contest.
There’s an intruging pro matchup between two debuting fighters that should be fun, as Jesse Murray (0-0, 6-0 am) takes on Matt Comer (0-0, 4-2 am). Comer joined The Kyote Ugly Show on Wednesday to talk about the fight. The card’s other pro bout features a rematch between Joe Szczublewski (0-3) and Eugene Barrett (3-8), after their first bout ended due to injury last October. The ladies will also compete, as Kendra Wilson (1-2) takes on Corrie Hunt (0-0).
But please, if you decide to make your way out to St. Clements Hall in Toledo, don’t drink the water.
That’s it for this week, and without a national level event on TV it’s a perfect time to make your way out to catch some local MMA.
Be sure to check return to BluegrassMMA.com early next week for full results from all of this weekend’s action.