The first MMA event of the year in Ohio takes place this weekend, as Ohio Combat League 9 is set to go down at the Ohio Event Center in Newark.
The fight card features a total of 17 bouts, including six pros and an amateur title fight.
In the main event, Jerrell Hodge (5-3) returns from a three-year hiatus to face Michigan’s Mike Johnson (4-4) in a 140-pound catchweight bout.
Hodge looks to rebound from back-to-back losses while Johnson looks for his second win in a row in his first bout since 2019.
In the co-main event, former Ohio State wrestler TJ Rigel (3-1) faces another Michigan fighter in Jesse Smith (3-0) in a lightweight bout.
Rigel fights for the first time since his first career defeat at the hands of Damonte Robinson last January, while Smith looks to stay perfect and build on an impressive first round knee bar submission over Corey Dulaney at OCL 8 last month.
Female atomweights will also be in action, as Chelsea LaGrasse (1-3) looks for her second straight win against the debuting Anna Somers (0-0).
Other pro bouts feature a 175-pound catchweight between Ravon Baxter (1-1) and Trenton Zdarko (1-1), a 140-pound catchweight featuring Andre Small (1-1) vs. Yohe Rojas (1-1), and a heavyweight rematch five-plus years in the making between Ryan Shough (0-2) and Justin Richwine (1-5).
In the amateur main event, two rising lightweights will square off for the 155-pound title when Nick Walls (4-2) welcomes Pennsylvania’s top-ranked lightweight Elijah Humes (5-1) to Ohio.
David McKinney will provide live commentary for Ohio Combat League 9. You can purchase the live PPV here.
Ohio Combat League 9 card:
| Pro Bouts: | ||||
| 5-3 | Jerrell Hodge | 140 | Mike Johnson | 4-4 |
| 3-1 | TJ Rigel | 155 | Jesse Smith | 3-0 |
| 1-3 | Chelsea LaGrasse | 105 | Anna Sommers | 0-0 |
| 1-2 | Ravon Baxter | 175 | Trenton Zdarko | 1-1 |
| 1-1 | Andre Small | 140 | Yohe Rojas | 1-1 |
| 1-5 | Justin Richwine | HW | Ryan Shough | 0-2 |
| Amateur Bouts: | ||||
| 4-2 | Nick Walls | 155 | Elijah Humes | 5-1 |
| 6-7 | Robert Presley | 125 | Victor Guarriello | 8-9 |
| 2-0 | Tucker Rogers | 135 | Roger Rice | 3-5 |
| 1-0 | Kobe Woodall | 155 | Jarred Magers | 1-0 |
| 0-0 | Mason Butler | 135 | Koby Carr-Pierce | 0-0 |
| 0-0 | Liam Sallquist | 205 | Blair Phillips | 0-0 |
| 0-0 | Jessica Emerick | 135 | Sam Chiclowe | 0-0 |
| 1-0 | Tony Tortorici | 185 | Jaleel Portis | 0-0 |
| 0-0 | Max Metzgar | 155 | Clinton Ewing | 0-0 |
| 0-0 | Jakim Gaiters | 170 | David Villegas | 0-0 |
| 0-2 | Chris Stanford | 145 | Joseph Rodriguez | 0-1 |