Explosive Fight Promotions kicked off the slate of mixed martial arts events in Ohio for 2015 with a fantastic Caged Madness 33 event at the West High Auto Showroom in New Philadelphia, Ohio.
Trent McCown was impressive in his return to the cage, submitting Andrew Law with a guillotine in the first round of their highly anticipated main event bout. Matt Egner and Matt Anderson put on an entertaining co-main event that had fans on their feet, by going toe-to-toe and trading blows mixed in with some fun grappling action.
The amateur side of things also provided some excitement, with Steven Mowry claiming gold, while light heavyweights Lionel Woods and Ray Hollis set up a date for the light heavyweight tile next month.
Here are the highlights from the event:
McCown impressive in return
Trent McCown (7-2) was away from the cage for 20 months, but he returned in the main event on Saturday night and looked like he never left. The 24-year-old is now 11-0 fighting in his home state dating back to his amateur career, and he is 7-2 overall as a professional. He showed off his trademark aggressive style early on, eliminating the reach advantage owned by Andrew Law (4-3) by closing the distance with a looping right hand followed by tight combination. McCown then imposed his will with a clinch against the cage, eventually releasing and throwing an inside elbow and then another combination. He had Law backing up, and when Law threw a counter shot, McCown caught his neck, pulled guard and sunk in the guillotine for the tap.
After his win, McCown called for a shot in the UFC. He definitely has the talent to make it to the big show, but he’ll need to fight more consistently in order to gain entry into the Octagon. He’ll also probably have to drop to 155 pounds in order to be granted a UFC contract.
Egner and Anderson put on a fun show
You have to love a pair of fighters who are willing to sign on the dotted line on Wednesday and then step into a cage on Saturday night. That was the case for this co-main event, and although the cardio went quick, it was all heart in a welterweight co-main event between Matt Egner (4-5) and Matt Anderson (1-4). Both fighters traded big bombs and dominant positions on the ground in a first round that was nearly impossible to score.
The second round started off the same way, with Egner landing nasty little short inside elbows from range. Anderson was landing with counters, mainly a counter left that staggered Egner at one point. In a crazy finishing sequence, Anderson was in full mount on top before grabbing on to Egner and calling for the referee to stand them up. After the standup, Egner turned the tide, dumping Anderson on his head and obtaining a full mount position of his own. Posturing up, he threw a trio of thudding elbows to earn the TKO stoppage.
Mowry taps Ramsey to take heavyweight title
Steven Mowry (6-0) clearly knew that he would have to fight off of his back if he wanted to earn a victory over former NCAA All-American wrestler JD Ramsey (4-1), and he did exactly that, using his 6’9″ frame to chain a triangle submission from a guillotine attempt to earn the tap in the second. Ramsey had been impressive against other veteran heavyweights, but Mowry proved to be too much to handle to earn the win. After the bout, he mentioned a desire to turn pro, but not before he competes in the Golden Gloves boxing competition this spring. The future is bright for the Pennsylvania native.
Woods and Hollis set up light heavyweight date
Caged Madness 33 also saw the first round of a four-man light heavyweight tournament to crown a new EFP champion, and all four competitors in the tournament showed up to fight with a pair of entertaining bouts. First up, Ray Hollis (4-2) held off a surging comeback attempt from Mesmaran Sunsearay (3-2), eventually earning a submission via standing guillotine in the third.
And then Lionel Woods (6-1) and Chris Wood (3-3) put on an entertaining chain wrestling clinic, with Woods gaining the upper hand in the second round by obtaining mount and reining down blows to finish off the TKO victory. The two rising light heavyweights Woods and Hollis will square off next month for the EFP title.
Caged Madness 33 recap
Once again, one of the best promotions in Ohio put together an entertaining show to kick off the Ohio MMA slate for 2014. Promoter Dannon Svab and matchmaker Scott Corbin are two of the best in the business at what they do, and a packed house inside the West High Auto Showroom proved that they are doing something right. It was a night full of entertaining fights and fantastic finishes, with a hot crowd all night.
Check out the full results from Caged Madness 33 HERE.
End of Night Awards
Fight of the Night: Matt Egner vs. Matt Anderson
Knockout of the Night: Mike Seibert
Submission of the Night: Steven Mowry
Performance of the Night: Zak Trout