Missy Hurley from Paradise Advertising & Marketing sent along the following:
Tampa Terrors and Lakeland Blaze Advance to Bonecrunch Fighting Semifinals
Tampa Fighters Terrorize Port St. Lucie and the Lakeland Blaze Light Up Cincinnati
SARASOTA, FLA. (January 13, 2008) — Top professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters faced off in the cage on Saturday, January 12 to kick off Bonecrunch Fighting’s search for the nation’s toughest team. Rob Kahn’s Tampa Terrors dominated UFC veteran Din Thomas’s Port St. Lucie Devils in the cage, winning all five bouts with a final score of 9-0. Winning four of the five bouts, Ross Kellin’s Lakeland Blaze defeated Tim Riddle’s Cincinnati Norsemen with a final score of 7-2.
According to Andrew Neitlich, Bonecrunch Fighting founder and CEO, “Trained by world-class coaches, each of the fighters was relentless in the cage, which created round after round of exciting fights for the crowd. The February 9 fight card will determine which two teams will face the Blaze and Terrors in the semifinals on April 5.”
In the first bout, Gilberto Burgos and Pat Seidel grappled on the ground through three full rounds. Burgos proved his dominance by decision, giving the Terrors an early lead. Leading with explosive energy in bout two, John Turner put Ralph Acosta in an armbar and Acosta tapped out 53 seconds into the first round to continue the Terror’s momentum in bout two. At 170 pounds, Joe “Bamboo” Wissman and Mike “Bonesaw” Hyman had an early stand-up game until a blow to Wissman’s head brought the two to the mat. After an intense ground and pound match on the mat, Wissman was victorious with three seconds left in round one.
Competing as guests on the respective teams, Miguel “El Verdugo” Shoffner and Mitch Harris had an intense but brief bout, with Shoffner taking the lead early in round one to TKO Harris in only one minute. In the fifth bout, Alonzo Roane took down Joe Stutzman and dominated the ground game in round one. The fight continued through three rounds and ended with Roane submitting Stutzman with a front choke hold midway through round three to cinch the Terrors shutout win.
Competing at 145 pounds, Steven Weeks and Ryan “Machine Gun” McIntosh came out swinging. McIntosh took Weeks into the cage after a failed kick but Weeks made a comeback to submit McIntosh in an armbar two minutes into round one. The 155 pound weight class matched up 6’5″ Marine vet Fortin against 5’6″ Brazilian native Queiroz. The height difference did not deter Queiroz who took down Fortin and, as they grappled against the cage, Fortin was disqualified due to a knee to the head. The Devils’ Bobby Friend forfeited to Joe Robinson, giving the Blaze the lead.
At 265 pounds, Matt “The Assassin” Terlau holds the Ohio speed knockout record, knocking out an opponent in only four seconds. His opponent, pro debut Darril Schoonover, did not give Terlau the chance to strike, and took the game to the ground early in the round. Terlau tapped out in the first round as Schoonover put him in a rear naked choke hold. In the final fight of the night, Danny Ruiz dominated Antonio Grant through the first round with ground and pound. Leading the Blaze to victory, Ruiz knocked out Grant in just under two minutes in the first round.
The second fight card in the quarterfinals will take place at Robarts Arena in Sarasota, Fla. on February 9, when veteran IFL fighter Josh Odom’s Tallahassee Warriors will compete against UFC Fighter Seth Petruzelli’s Orlando Iron Monkeys. Also on February 9, Mike Lee’s Sarasota Slammers — with a new coach and fighters — will seek vengeance in a rematch with John Barrena’s Miami Crazy Wolves. Winning teams advance to the semifinals on April 5, 2008 and finals on May 17, 2008 at Robarts Arena in Sarasota, Fla. to determine which team is named the champion.
Bonecrunch Fighting is the nation's first mixed martial arts (MMA) league with local teams and local fan allegiance, entertaining fans with evenly matched professional fights and lively between-fight entertainment. With the assistance of an experienced and supportive leadership team, Sarasota, Fla.-based Bonecrunch Fighting offers sponsorship opportunities for companies to reach the affluent 18-45 year old demographic. Currently, the league has eight teams: Cincinnati Norsemen, Lakeland Blaze, Miami Crazy Wolves, Port St. Lucie Devils, Sarasota Slammers, Orlando Iron Monkeys, Tallahassee Warriors and Tampa Terrors. For more information on Bonecrunch Fighting and its leadership team please visit www.bonecrunchfighting.com.
