Coliseum to the Cage: March Mayhem Results and Recap
The SportsZone in Derry, New Hampshire was standing room only for yesterdays for Coliseum to the Cage: March Mayhem. Hundreds of fans turned out for the rare occurrence of MMA in New Hampshire, with seven amateur and four professional fights on our docket.
After stealing a seat next to Commissioner Joe Esposito, I was able to belly up to the cage and cover the action for all you folks who couldn’t make it to NH. Blood was flying, folks were cheering, and I was typing. Check out how it all went down:
Ammy 155lbs.: Tollison Lewis vs. Shawn Bang – Lewis had a great start with effective body work, driving knees into Bang’s midsection for almost the entire three-minute round, yet it was Bang’s simple wrestling that proved too much for the BJJ centric skill set of Lewis. While Lewis worked from his back, and even hit a beautiful sweep into an armbar in the second round, he wasn’t able to steal either of the last two rounds. Bang’s workmanlike wrestling approach was enough to win the day, although the bout didn’t get the arena buzzing with its plodding pace
Shawn Bang wins via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Ammy 170lbs.: Dan Dinan vs. Timmy Loughran – Both fighters came out hard looking to make an impression early, but Loughran ran away with the bout. Landing an overhand into a power takedown, he put the fight onto the mat immediately, while Dinan did his best to roll into a leg lock. The submission was a smart attempt, but Dinan stalled out on the roll and found himself with his head pinned to the mat in a non-defensible position. Rifling left hands into Dinan’s head, Loughran didn’t relent, keeping on target while Dinan went through the motions of trying to defend. The ref had seen enough a minute in though, calling a stop to the bout via ground and pound.
Timmy Loughran wins via 1st Round TKO (ground and pound)
Ammy 145lbs.: Billy Keenan vs. Jamie Courtney – Both men were game, especially for amateurs, in a fight that played out primarily on the feet. While Keenan found his range earlier than his adversary, landing several thudding leg kicks and straight punches, it was Courtney that turned it on as the fight went on. Landing the better straight punches and finding a place for a ripping body hook, Courtney took the first and second rounds on my card. Things would turn around for Keenan in the third round, running Courtney down with a flurry and putting him on the mat. Courtney reversed position and hit a takedown of his own though, narrowly missing an RNC from standing position as the fight returned to the feet, and losing the back ride second before the bell. Courtney was certainly kicking himself for missing that choke as well, as the score cards were read off and Keenan was awarded a decision I found hard to believe with the best seats in the house.
Billy Keenan wins via Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
Ammy 155lbs.: Phil Eldridge vs. Steven Bang – Never Give Up. It was the mantra of the night for Steven Bang, as the young man came into this fight with a tough competitor in Phil Eldridge. Hitting simple but effective takedowns off the cage, Eldridge was running away with the bout from top position; Shutting down everything Bang had off of his back. The fight was nearly in the bag for Eldridge in the 3rd round, yet working against the cage for another takedown, Eldridge found himself out of position and being dragged to the mat. Bang wasn’t about to give up on his last-ditch effort to pull this match off, swung to Eldridge’s back and locked on the submission, ripping a victory for the jaws of defeat.
Steven Bang wins via 3rd Round Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Ammy 170lbs.: JT Harold vs. Ricky Sylvester – A great display of traditional martial arts and straight up toughness. Harold remained composed in the early going, surviving Sylvester’s onslaught of bull rushed punches and front kicks. Finding his rhythm as the fight progressed; Harold faded from strikes and landed hard counters wobbling Sylvester repeatedly. While Sylvester was always game, he was air balling more and more in the later rounds; Harold finding the mark with his strikes and nearly pole axing his foe with a head kick in the second round. Hard work paid off for the karateka, taking a hard-fought decision and my personal pick for Fight of the Night.
JT Harold wins via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ammy 185lbs.: Allan Josselyn vs. Isiah Queen – Another great showing between two prospects, Queen came in with some of the best athletic potential of any of the fighters tonight. Queen’s high-energy strikes came from all angles, and his clear fluidity in the clinch and on the mat had Josselyn looking for a way to unravel his complicated opponent. The fight barely made it out of the first round as Queen landed shot after shot and sent Josselyn back to his corner bloody and battered. \par
To his immense credit, Josselyn came into the second round more composed than most men would have been, and while he had issues getting inside on his opponent to work his wrestling, he did eventually hit a single and worked into dominant position. It was too little, too late, and not enough damage done to stop Queen in the final around however. Coming out with rapid head kicks in the third, Queen put his foe on the defensive and momentarily stunned him before going in for the kill, locking on an RNC and forcing a tap.
Isiah Queen wins via 3rd Round Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Pro 135lbs.: Asa Zorn vs. Josh Baker – An unfortunate start to the professional card, Zorn and Baker came out to bang and neither really got the chance. An inside leg kick from Zorn landed, but Baker’s head collided into Zorn’s temple in a rush, sending him to the canvas badly dazed. The ref missed it and Baker didn’t stop for a second, leading on Zorn with punches and elbows to win the fight in just seven seconds.
Josh Baker wins via 1st Round TKO (ground and pound)
Pro 155lbs.: Josh Hersey vs. Lee Metcalf – A great display of grappling prowess, Lee Metcalf survived some apparent near falls in this fight, hitting takedowns and working a suffocating top game on his opponent. While Hersey is typically the stronger fighter in the cage, Metcalf’s power trumped his, and the superior skill on the mat became obvious over the course of the match. A scramble by Hersey saw Metcalf find his back when the opening presented itself, and it wasn’t long before he was forced to tap to a gable-gripped RNC.
Lee Metcalf wins via 2nd Round Submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Pro 185lbs.: Tom Egan vs. Lowell Zangri - Egan came into the fight with a veteran’s composure, taking on the young talent in Zangri. Doing a spot on impression of Lyoto Machida, Egan worked crippling leg kicks and other single power shots, while Zangri hunted for the right angles to land on his slippery adversary. Using his upper body movement and footwork to avoid all but a handful of Zangri’s strikes, Egan began to throw more and more kicks to the head, most forcing Zangri to take punishment to block the shots. A feinted right high kick into a mid-air left kick landed flush on Zangri’s right eye, sending him tumbling to the mat badly hurt and forcing the stoppage.
Tom Egan wins via 2nd Round KO (head kick)
Pro 135lbs.: Pedro Gonzalez vs. Dave LaChappelle – The main event of the night featured two of the hottest prospects in the New England Bantamweight division, and it didn’t fail to disappoint. The slick striking of Gonzalez was on point tonight, working kicks at multiple heights and mixing in blazing punch combinations. LaChappelle was far from unprepared though, using his own simple and powerful hooking shots and constant takedown threats to keep Gonzalez from putting together too many kill shots in a row. With amazing timing on his double legs, LaChappelle was able to put Gonzalez on the mat twice in the first round, but getting anything going from top position proved to be too difficult, as Gonzalez popped up each time and renewed the attack.
The second round would be decisive as Gonzalez started mixing high knees into his arsenal and made LaChappelle reconsider his takedowns for a time. The knees began to accumulate and soon LaChappelle was on ice skates as Gonzalez gave him no room to breathe. A few more strikes had LaChappelle backed into the cage and a guillotine found its way around his neck before he could find safety in a dominant clinch. Once Gonzalez felt the arm slip under the chin, he dropped back to the mat and tightened the hold, forcing LaChappelle to tap to the veteran battler.
Pedro Gonzalez wins via 2nd Round Submission (guillotine)
Coliseum to the Cage: March Mayhem Results
About the Author (Author Profile)
I'm a 20+ year veteran of martial arts and a fan of MMA since UFC 1, when my world was thrown on its head by the budding sport. I'm obsessive in the pursuit of martial abilities and have competed across the country in everything from Vale Tudo to archery to Scottish broadsword. Once my body broke down, I picked up a pen and went in the direction of writing. I specialize in betting advice, predictions, and I'm a walking encyclopedia of MMA trivia. I own a cafe in Exeter, NH called Hammersmith Sandwich Company and write out of my office between customers.Subscribe
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ASA ZORN landed an inside legkick??? Unfortunate? josh landed a kick and then a clash of heads then he pounded him? Asa didn’t even want to fight! and Billy Keenan didn’t win rd 1? with about 30 leg kicks? ok
Awesome write up, unique style and approach, I like it!
@ mikeGWM:
From my vantage point directly behind them, it looked like they both threw a leg kick, with Asa’s being a full inside leg kick, while Baker’s was more like a half-feint to an overhand, and it was that combination that resulted in the colliding heads.
It was unfortunate in that the fight was 7 seconds and the major deciding factor was a headbutt that clearly hurt Zorn. Could have been over just as quick without the headbutt of it might not have, but we’ll never know.
As for Kennan vs Courtney, Kennan was doing great in the first half of the round, but Courtney slipped the vast majority of his punches thereafter, and I liked his hands more than Kennan’s leg kicks. Second I thought was clearly in Courtney’s favor, and 3rd I gave to Courtney as well, though it was close as well.
Being a manager to both fighters, you’re hardly bias, and you’re going to see things a certain way. I have no connection to anyone at the event and jotted down what I saw from cageside.
@ Bruce: Thanks dude! Haven’t done a cage side recap before considering we rarely get shows in the area and I can rarely go to them anyways. Hope you enjoy the rest of the site as well.