| Payback is a bitch |
 |
|
Worfolk digs his fingers into
Scarola's eye (and every other orifice he can find on Scarola's face) |
 |
| Worfolk writhes in pain after being caught in an armbar |
Ring of Combat XII
$100,000 Tournament of Champions Begins
Report by Timothy Hands – Photos by Tom DeFazio
The Ring Of Combat Tournament Of Champions got off to a rip-roaring start at The
Tropicana last night in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The first installment of the
tournament got underway as local heroes, up-and-comers, and seasoned veterans
from different parts of North America all came to the tournament to advance and
hopefully find a way to take home some of the cash the winners of the series
will receive. And maybe, just maybe, to win a fight or two in the process. It
was a night of blistering endings, foot-stomps, and left-hooks that kept most of
the crowd in awed enthusiasm, squirming around in anticipation for more action.
And with an excellent production value and the overall organization of this
first round of this tournament, promoter Lou Neglia might very well be on the
verge of something special here.
PRELIMINARY BOUTS
140 lbs: Steve Vitti (Rhino) vs. Joe Bentz (Fight Factory)
A good win for a newer talent. Vitti came out hard, went for a big flying knee,
but eventually it was his ground game that got him the hard-earned "W," with an
impressive triangle near the end of the second round.
165lbs: Joe Scarola (Serra-Longo) vs. Bill Worfolk (Depasquale JJ)
Scarola had Worfolk close with a guillotine early on, but lost it when Worfolk
gouged Scarola's eyes. Scarola got revenge a short time later with a
tighter-than-tight armbar that closed the deal.
| Payback is a bitch |
|
|
|
Worfolk digs his fingers into
Scarola's eye (and every other orifice he can find on Scarola's face) |
|
|
| Worfolk writhes in pain after being caught in an armbar |
LIGHTWEIGHT TOURNAMENT
 |
| Boine (right) vs. Roddy |
Kevin Roddy (Rhino) vs. Rich Boine (Tiger Schulmann)
Roddy and Boine are rising stars in the lightweight division, and this one was a
hell of a match-up. Roddy tried to force his game on the ground and extend his
arms while standing, but Boine was just too sharp all around, and the southpaw
finally found his moment with a left hook at the beginning of the third round.
Charles Wilson (Double Tap) vs. James "Binky" Jones (Ground Control/Renzo)
Wilson showed some flash and determination, but Jones was just too good, too
experienced, and wouldn't fall for much this night. Jones is back with a win.
Ian Loveland (Team Quest) vs. Will Kerr (Strikezone)
Along with Rich Boine, Loveland has to be the other favorite in the lightweight
division. Solid wrestling intertwined with his athleticism and submission
know-how, Kerr just couldn't match Loveland's ability, and found himself
guillotined halfway through the first round.
Kevin English (Duneland VT) vs. Jay Estrada (Gilbert Grappling)
This bout was deemed a "No Contest" when Estrada was unable to continue after
taking a blow to the head from his opponent's foot during a transition in
position on the ground.
WELTERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT
Colin O'Rourke (Renzo Gracie) vs. Yon Guenecha (FFA/Young Tigers)
O'Rourke did what he does best on a good night -- take his opponent to the
ground and either pound him out or look for the sub. Here, O'Rourke chose to
rain down thunder; opponent Guenecha was unable to weather the storm for very
long and tapped out.
Phillipe Nover (Insight) vs. Abner Lloveras (Esport Rogent/BTT)
A back and forth affair, Nover took the nod in a well-deserved split decision.
Nover could be tough in the second round of this tournament.
 |
| Coleman |
Jay Coleman (Rhino) vs. Dominic Dellagatta (Tiger Schulmann)
This was perhaps the most anticipated match-up of the night. Dellagatta, an
intense and gifted wrestler. Coleman, a strong and furious grappler. Dellagatta
shows real confidence in his jab. It looked like Dellagatta was going to keep
Coleman at the end of this jab all night, but as Dellagatta attempted adjust his
footing at one point … WHAM! Coleman steps in and laces a left-hook that catches
Dellagatta flush and knocks him out on the spot, 38 seconds in. Not an upset
necessarily, but a surprise to say the least, at least the way it ended.
Impressive.
Coleman, for the time being, has this tournament at the edge of his fingertips.
Dellagatta, a promising and capable fighter, was perhaps regarded along with
Coleman as an early favorite to win the tournament. With both fighters facing
off in the first round, one of these favorites had to go down, and Coleman
calmly provided the exit for Dellagatta with a brisk, short left-hook.
"I'm a pretty-good wrestler myself, but he has more credentials than me, so I
figured he wanted to beat me that way", Coleman said after. "But the rumor was
he wanted to bang with me, and with his reach, I wanted to stay back, in case he
jabbed and wanted to take a shot. When I caught him with that first right, I
figured he would want to shoot on me, but he didn't, and I just dropped down.
You know, I'm a professional; I don't talk shit, I just fight."
Jamie Toney (Jorge Gurgel) vs. Todd Moore (Houston BJJ)
Toney basically owned this fight early on, but Moore kept trucking and moving.
Toney has slick and respectable sub skills, but Moore's takedowns were probably
the difference, as he earned the decision.
MIDDLEWEIGHT TOURNAMENT
Johnny Carson (The Hit Academy) vs. Jason House (Jan Jira)
After effectively chopping away at Carson's legs with round kicks in a close
first round, House reversed a Carson takedown attempt and then transitioned from
mount to Carson's back to sink in a rear choke a minute into the second.
Mike Dolce (Team Quest) vs. Mitch Whitesel (Wreck Room)
Dolce charged out hard, but got too overzealous, and looked in trouble for the
first round and a half of this fight. Whitesel seemed to have all the answers,
but Dolce stopped asking and started producing, earning the right to move on to
the next round with a gutty performance.
Landon Showalter (Charlie's Combat Club) vs. Don Wagner (Shido Seimei MA)
This fight started out as what looked to be a one-sided drubbing, but became a
tad bit interesting in the second round. Showalter appeared to be on the brink
of knocking Wagner out cold in the first round, but inexplicably fell into a bit
of quicksand in the second. Showalter did enough to remain in charge though, and
garnered the victory. So what was the apparent fall-off in Showalter's
performance after the first round? A broken hand, Showalter says.
"I broke my right hand on the second punch of the night. It was a frustrating
night for me, I should've knocked him out. It was a KO waiting to happen."
Marc Stevens (Tai Kai JJ) vs. Hansel Calderon (FFA/Young Tigers)
Stevens, entertaining to watch, had an entertaining opponent -- a very tall,
last-minute replacement named Hansel Calderon. Calderon tried his best to slow
down Stevens, which is never easy, but Stevens managed to bully and brawl his
way through on the ground, and won a pretty crisp and solid unanimous decision.
FULL RESULTS: