Operation Octagon XVII
December 17, 2011
MMA Cagefights: 7:00-10:00 p.m.
Ibiza Night Club, 1222 1st St NE, Washington, DC 2002
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Pope traveled to Long Beach, California to compete in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (IBJJ) No-Gi Championship.
No-Gi refers to competition without the traditional Gi martial arts uniform and the IBJJ competition is one of the largest submission grappling competitions in the world.
Pope came home with the Gold Medal, after winning the middleweight (170 pound) Blue Belt Division. He entered a field of over 40 opponents from all over the world, submitting five and out pointing another by 20 points to win the gold. He also recently won the gold at this year’s No-Gi Pan-Am competition in New York City.
Pope currently holds lightweight (155 pound) belt of Northern Virginia’s Operation Octagon mixed martial arts promotion, and has defended his amateur title three times. He will return to cage next year after taking a little time off to focus on Jiu-Jitsu competitions.
Pope also plans to compete at 145 pounds and even considers dropping down to 135 pounds with the help of his nutritionist George Lockhart. With the addition of the bantam and featherweight divisions to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, interest in those weight classes has greatly increase.
There is no shortage of lighter competition locally.
Mixed Martial Arts in Northern Virginia boasts an incredibly active scene with fighters coming from all over the East Coast to compete in local events like Operation Octagon and Dan Severn's DangerZone. Even the big gun of fight promotions, the UFC held an event at the Patriot Center last year.
Local fighter Kris McCray of Woodbridge fought his way into the finals of the Ultimate Fighter season 11 and Dustin Pague of Centreville is on the current season on Spike TV on Wednesday nights at 10pm.
Outside of competition, Pope's a full time coach for Vanguard Gym in Manassas, and was recently awarded his purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu by coach Doug Espisito, a black belt under the world famous Leo Dalla.
Pope can trace his Jiu-Jitsu roots back to legendary Rickson Gracie.
Vanguard’s 7,000 square foot facility specializes in Thai Boxing, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, also known as “Gracie Jiu Jitsu”, and Mixed Martial Arts. Vanguard offers classes seven days a week in Thai Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, CrossFit and a children’s program let by Operation Octagon Bantamweight champ Reed Miller.
Vanguard Gym is located at 9411 Center Point Lane in Manassas, VA, and class schedules and more information about the gym can be found at www.vanguardgym.com.
DeSantis wins Operation Octagon title before her date with Justin Timberlake.
Justin Timberlake's date to the Marine Corps Ball, Corporal Kelsey DeSantis, defeated Stacy Sneeringer to win Women's Middleweight (145 lbs.) Championship Title.
DeSantis quickly took her opponent down and ended the fight by referee stoppage(TKO) at 2 minutes and 51 seconds of the first round. Kelsey recently gained national attention by inviting Justin Timberlake to the Marine Corp Ball on November 12th in DC (click here to see her video invitation to Justin) and he accepted.
Gold Medal Grappling fighter Willie "No Love" Floyd successfully defended his title, and Jeremy "The Brick" Shifflett defeated EJ Mecklenburg to win the vacant light heavyweight title. Shifflet showed excellent grappling against his talented opponent, and submitted the Mecklenburg with a rear naked choke in the first round.
In addition to Floyd defending his title two other Gold Medal Grappling fighters had mixed results in the cage. After Steven Stotler dominated Mosely for the first round and was doing so again in the second, the fight was stopped for an unintentional blow to the back of Mosely’s head and ruled a No Contest when Mosely couldn’t continue. Bryan Robey weathered a rough first round in he match with Somsak Saykosy, but locked in a tight choke at the end of the round. Saykosy was saved by the bell, but didn't have enough time to recover before the second round where Robey sank in a triangle choke on his still woozy opponent.
Lightweight Champ Mike Pope of Manassas' Vanguard gym worked the corner of Kevin Chung, and the excellent ground game coaching of Pope was evident in Chung's performance. Chung sank a tight armbar onto his opponent Shawn Joffe, who must have very flexible elbows as the crowd groaned at the unnatural angle of his arm, but he refused to tap. Unfazed Chung sank the same hold in on Joffe's other arm in the next round with more success earning the tap out.
Operation Octagon announced the next show will be December 17th at a new venue for them in the District.
Operation Octagon 16 Results
Lightweight 155 lbs.
Justin Munson vs Mat Schellenschlager – Schellenschlager UD (Unanimous Decision)
Featherweight 145 lbs.
Darious Thomas vs Ricardo Fearing – Thomas 32 seconds RD 1 Knock Out
Lightweight 155 lbs.
Montrez Tinson vs David Vu – Tinson UD
Welterweight 170 lbs
Nick Mansberger vs Brian Pardini- Pardini UD
Welterweight 170 lbs.
Steven Stotler vs Devon Mosely- No contest
Featherweight 145 lbs.
Kevin Chung vs Shawn Joffe- Chung 1:46 Rd 2 Armbar
Featherweight 145 lbs
Bryan Robey vs Samsak Saykosy- Robey 42 seconds Rd 2 Triangle Choke
Flyweight 125 lbs.
Andy Tran vs Ronnel White- Tran UD
Bantamweight Title Contender--135 lbs.
Brandon Wheeler vs Alejandro Zea – Wheeler 1:36 Rd 3 Topside Triangle Choke
Welterweight Title--170 lbs.
Willie "No Love" Floyd vs DJ Hilton- Floyd 2:22 Rd 1 TKO
Catchweight of 150 lbs.
Paul Cavanaugh vs Nate Jaime- Jaime 1:10 RD 1 RNC (Rear Naked Choke)
Women's Featherweight Title--145 lbs.
Kelsey DeSantis vs Stacy Sneeringer- DeSantis 2:51 Rd 1 TKO (Technical Knock Out)
Lightweight 155 lbs.
Charles Yetter vs Dominique Buck- Yetter 2:13 Rd 1 TKO
Lightweight 155 lbs.
Roshon Williams vs Orlando Torres – Torres UD
Light Heavyweight Title--205 lbs.
EJ Mecklenburg vs Jeremy Shifflett – Shifflett 2:30 Rd 1 RNC
Welterweight 170 lbs.
Francisco Isata vs Robert Streeter- Isata :29 seconds Rd 3 TKO
Heavyweight 265lbs
Steve Nowiank vs Jon Attia- Nowiank SD (Split Decision)
Light Heavyweight 205 lbs.
Garrick Evans vs Umit Kemal – Kemal 2:14 Rd 1 RNC
Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts by Jim Genia comes out Oct. 25 and takes a look at the world of combat sports outside the arena shows of the UFC.
There’s always a flood of fighter bios and Ultimate Fighter Championship (UFC) history books on bookstore shelves, but Jim Genia has staked out a territory of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) history that I haven’t seen before in print.
Focusing on the fight scene in New York and New Jersey and the conditions that have given birth to underground shows and Atlantic City main events, in his new book, Raw Combat:The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts, Genia delivers a story of fighters and promoters living in the dark shadows of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Raw Combat delivers an insider's peek at the origins of some of the big names in the sport and at some of those names that didn’t make the cut.
While sports promotion company Zuffa, the New York State Assembly and maybe the Culinary Union, battle over the mixed martial arts legalization in one of the country’s biggest markets, tiny, more personal battles are waged in back rooms, gyms and casinos within New York City and its MMA friendly neighbor, New Jersey.
While UFC mythology looks back at Zuffa opening the doors to sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts, the cause initially had been carried in New Jersey before Zuffa took over the UFC with successful results in America’s playground.
For years, Atlantic City has been a Mecca of fight promotions on the East Coast, with MFC, the IFL, Ring of Combat, Bodog and the occasional visit by the big dog of fight promotions.
With the success of the UFC came money and interest fueled by the dreams of making it big on the MMA band wagon, while others just wanted a venue to prove their skills and maybe just to hurt someone.
Jim Genia exposes the strange underbelly of fighters bouncing between unsanctioned underground bouts in New York City to sanctioned professional bouts in Atlantic City and beyond. Fighters participating in unsanctioned matches on bloody mats for a handful of spectators hoping to prove something to themselves and learn something that will elevate them to the next level of the game. Promoter’s slapping together fight cards from a handful of mismatched hungry killers waiting for their chance to prove their mettle. Fighters, family and friends propping up hopes as dreams crumble in a sport where half the participants leave the cage losers.
Jim captures something I’ve tried to convey to my readers for going on seven years—the thrill of a live event, and the intimacy of a local show. I’ve been to big shows and where they put on a spectacular production. UFC events explode and the crowd cheers, but it’s a spectacle—like seeing fireworks or going to a NFL football game. Local shows are different, intimate and personal. Sometimes closer to a high school wrestling meet than a spectator sport. Fighters and camps make up the crowd around you.
A fighter’s family, coach and friends scream out encouragement completely invested in the duel before them. Camps face off and rivalries continue from event to event. Fighters' supporters outside the cage line up to walk in with their warrior’s, just like the legendary Gracie train at the first UFC. After the matches, fighters embrace, talk about improvement, and invite each other to cross train.
It’s often hard to cheer a favorite, knowing both participants and knowing someone’s going home defeated. Raw Combat chronicles several fighters and promoters that most of MMA fandom will never see on cable, but that’s where stars come from.
They start on the bottom of the local card and work their way up to local main events. They learn their craft in stifling hot gyms and cold backrooms. For every Eddie Alvarez or Frankie Edgar who fought their way to primetime glory, there’s hundreds who never make it out of the underground or the undercard.
Take a peak. Afterall, Jim Genia has cracked the door for you to look inside the core of MMA without the guise of glitz and glam. You might shudder and unconsciously count your teeth or, you may find yourself sitting at the local show in your town, cheering on a guy whose bloody hand you can shake as he leaves the event, and someday you can cheer as he makes his Octagon debut.
Citadel Publication publishes Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts by Jim Genia.
About the author: James Kirkland has been covering local and national mixed martial are since 2005 for BloodyKnux.com mixed martial arts fan forum and for the Northern Virginia Patch sites.
Kelsey DeSantis fights for the belt two weeks before her date with Justin Timberlake at the Marine Corps Ball. Dulles SportsPlex will be packed again Saturday night as fighters from Virginia, Maryland and beyond gather to test themselves in the Operation Octagon cage.
Northern Virginia’s largest and longest-running mixed martial arts event returns to Sterling Operation Octagon’s 16. Eighteen bouts are scheduled, with three title bouts, including a women’s featherweight championship bout with Kelsey DeSantis.
Corporal Kelly DeSantis, who won a bloody battle last March in Operation Octagon, recently made the news when she invited Justin Timberlake to the Marine Corps Ball in Washington DC on Nov. 12. The pop star accepted according to the LA Times. Kelsey faces LA Boxing fighter Stacy Sneeringer.
Operation Octagon veteran EJ Mecklenburg has earned a shot at the vacant light heavyweight title after his impressive first round submission of Shaun Kama during July's Operation Octagon. He faces Jeremy Shifflett for the belt.
Defending champion Willie “No Love” Floyd proved his resilience and ability to remain calm under fire in his last bout.
The Gold Medal Grappling welterweight quickly found himself defending off his back against an aggressive Perrin Carter. Floyd kept his wits, and when Carter tried for a takedown he left his neck exposed. Floyd slipped in the guillotine choke and cinched it tight, forcing a tap out in the first round. Floyd defends his belt against DJ Hilton. Teammate Steven Stotler will also be fighting on the card Saturday, so expect a good crowd of Woodbridge fight fans to be in attendance cheering on the Gold Medal Grappling team.
With 18 fights on the card, fans are guaranteed a night of excitement. Dulles Sportsplex is located at 21610 Atlantic Blvd. in Sterling Virginia. The fights will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are going fast at operationoctagon.com.
Operation Octagon 16 Fight Card
Women's Featherweight Title--145 lbs.
Kelsey DeSantis vs Stacy Sneeringer
Light Heavyweight Title--205 lbs.
EJ Mecklenburg vs Jeremy Shifflett
Welterweight Title--170 lbs.
Willie "No Love" Floyd vs DJ Hilton
Bantamweight Title Contender--135 lbs.
Brandon Wheeler vs Alejandro Zea
Lightweight 155 lbs.
Montrez Tinson vs David Vu
Lightweight 155 lbs.
Charles Yetter vs Dominique Buck
Featherweight 145 lbs.
Kevin Chung vs Shawn Joffe
Lightweight 155 lbs.
Roshon Williams vs Orlando Torres
Welterweight 170 lbs.
Francisco Isata vs Robert Streeter
Flyweight 125 lbs.
Andy Tran vs Ronnel White
Catchweight of 150 lbs.
Paul Cavanaugh vs Nate Jaime
Lightweight 155 lbs.
Justin Munson vs Mat Schellenschlager
Welterweight 170 lbs.
Steven Stotler vs Devon Mosely
Featherweight 145 lbs
Thomas Lewellen vs Samsak Saykosy
Welterweight 170 lbs
Nick Mansberger vs Brian Pardini
Featherweight 145 lbs.
Darious Thomas vs Ricardo Fearing
Heavyweight 265lbs
Steve Nowiank vs Jon Attia
Light Heavyweight 205 lbs.
Garrick Evans vs Umit Kemal
(card subject to change)
Hooter girls of Manassas
Bartlett pounds Buchman
Keisler finishes Chaviera by RNC
The Danger Zone presents, "BRING IT" 10/15 Results
1 Kelly Quinn defeats Pat Morris
Rd 1 1:10 Sub Rear Naked Choke (RNC)
2. Josh Trainor defeats Albert Benjamin
Rd 1 0.18 Sub RNC
3. Darryn Messersmith defeats Wayne Cephas
Rd 2 1:13 Technical Knock Out
4. Andrew "The Tank" Murray defeats Eric "Country Boy" Hughson
Unanimous Decision
5. Kevin Marks defeats Joe Lahair
Grappling Match
RD1 MARKS Triangle Choke
RD 2 MARKS RNC
6. Tacuma Robinson defeats Francisco Armodo Montoya
Rd 1 1:08 TKO
7. Sean Bennett defeats Nick Weaver
Unanimous Decision
8. Justin "Tangerine" Bartlett defeats Steve Buchman
Rd 2 1:02 TKO
9. Greg Lyman defeats Ryan Grigsby
Rd 1 0:46 TKO
10. Billy "THE BULL" Miller defeats Matt Dudding
Rd 1 1:05 Sub RNC
11. Joe "The Grim" Slaughter defeats Travis Davidson
Rd 1 1:31 Sub Guillotine
12. Gustevio Keisler defeats Dezmond Chaviera
Rd 1 1:37 Sub RNC
Mixed Martial Arts returns to Manassas Park this Saturday for another one of UFC legend Dan Severn’s Danger Zone events. Thirty-two fighters will test their skills at the Manassas Park Community Center in an all-amateur event. The first Mixed Martial Arts event in Manassas Park brought more than a dozen exciting fights to the Cage and an evening filled with knockouts and submissions. With 16 bouts planned for this Saturday at the city's community center, fans will be sure to see lots of action, plus, UFC Hall of Fame fighter Dan Severn.
Ryan Grisby of Manassas will be making his amateur fight debut against Phillip Riggs. Grisby trains with Ron Hill, an Operation Octagon veteran, at Rage Fight Club. “This will be a good opportunity to get in there and get some experience,” Grisby said.
Emit MMA of Fredericksburg will field a team of fighters for the event, two of whom will have their first amateur matches at Danger Zone. “The team is ready for their fights, and have been training hard," Tony Horn, the coach for the team, said.
Teammate Joe Slaughter who is a veteran of Barbarian Fight Club events will be there hoping to improve his 6-2 record.
The event weigh-ins are 7-9 p.m. at Hooters in Manassas on Friday.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m.. Tickets range from $25 to $75 and are available at instantseats.com or, at the door at the Manassas Park Community Center at 99 Adams St. Below is the fight card for Saturday's event:
The Danger Zone presents, "BRING IT" Fight Card
1 Justin Sills 0-1 140 Catch Vs. Pat Morris (0-0)
2. Josh Trainor (1-1) 135 Vs. Albert Benjamin (0-3)
3.Tacuma Robinson (1-1) 130 Catch Vs. Francisco Armodo Montoya (0-1)
4 Ahria Sorbi (1-0) 145 Vs.. Tyson Lee 1-2
5. Eric "Country Boy" Hughson (0-0) 205 Vs. Andrew "The Tank" Murray (1-1)
6.Charles Kessinger 4-6 135 Vs. Open
7. Wayne Cephas (0-0) 170 VS. Darryn Messersmith 1-1
8.Steve Buchman (0-0) 145 Vs. Justin "Tangerine" Bartlett (0-0)
9. Phillip Riggs 0-0 175 Catch Vs. Ryan Grisby 0-0
10. Anthony "Bang-Bang" McClelland 3-2-0 155 VS. Billy "THE BULL" Miller (3-1)
11. Sean Bennett (2-1) vs Nick Weaver 1-1
12. Dezmond Chaviera 2-1 VS 145 2-1 Gustevio Keisler
13. Joe "Giddy Up" Jackson 1-1 260 vs. Open
14.Zach Gobel (6-4) 185 Joe "The Grim" Slaughter 6-2
15.Greg Lyman 0-1 180 Catch Vs. Mark McCaine 0-0
16. Kevin Marks Grappling Match vs Joe Lahair
(Card subject to change)
It’s a busy fall for combat sports enthusiasts, as Operation Octagon returns to Dulles Sportsplex in Sterling on Oct. 22. Dan Severn will host a wrestling clinic at Stonewall Jackson High School in Manassas in November.
One day Dustin Pague and Chris Merritt, high school pals from Harrisburg Pa., discovered a DVD at the video store of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Like most kids, Dustin and Chris started dreaming. They made plans to own a gym in the future—Pague would compete in mixed martial arts, and Merritt would coach him all the way to the biggest fighting stage in the world, the UFC.
Now living in Centreville, Pague is working hard to make his childhood dream come true. On Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Spike TV, The Ultimate Fighter debuts its 14th season with a two-hour premiere. Pague and 31 other fighting hopefuls will compete to earn 16 spots in the Ultimate Fighter house in Las Vegas and a chance to earn a six-figure contract with the UFC. This season's coaches, UFC middle-weight contender, Micheal Bisping, and MTV Bully Beatdown star Jason “Mayhem” Miller will watch the first round of fights and choose their teams.
Pague's path to reality TV didn’t occur overnight. “In high school I played football and boxed, but I didn’t really know anything about martial arts. When we first saw a UFC DVD at the video store I thought it was fake, like wrestling," he said. "After watching it, it was all I wanted to do.”
Soon after his 18th birthday, he joined Blackman Mixed Martial Arts in Harrisburg and entered his first amateur fight six month later in 2006, winning by triangle choke. Amateur fights brought him to Virginia, where he competed in Scott Howard’s Valhalla fight promotion.
“I actually fought one of Scott’s students, Siyam Yousefi, and afterwards we became good friends," Pague said. "Scott invited me to come down and cross-train at his old gym, Evolution, in Sterling.”
But training with Howard was totally different from what he was used to, he said. In Pennsylvania, he didn't have the right training partners or the right kind of instruction.
“Now, every day I wish I had wrestled in high school," Pague said. "And I work all the time to make up for that training regularly with Neil Johnson, national qualifier wrestler for George Mason University and one of the coaches at Disciple MMA Academy.”
Pague went on to have a successful amateur career becoming the North East regional 145 and 155 pound WKA MMA champ as well as the amateur Total Cage Combat feather-weight champ and Valhalla feather-weight champion. In 2008 Pague turned professional and is currently on a five-fight win streak. He won the Ring of Combat Bantam weight title with a victory in Atlantic City this past February. He’s been out of the public eye since June 6th, when he flew to Vegas for the fight to get in the Ultimate Fighter house.
The Ultimate Fighter show gives fighters the opportunity to train with some of the sport’s biggest stars while they live in a group house in Las Vegas. Episodes end with a match between two fighters to see who moves on in the competition to be this season’s Ultimate Fighter. The seasons end with a live event where each division’s finalists face off for a six-figure contract in the UFC. Also, the two coaches eventually will face off in the Octagon and after a season of coaching opposite each other on the show there’s usually a little animosity built up.
Outside of the cage, Pague's high school dreams are also becoming a reality. His high school pal, Chris Merritt, went on to get his B.S. in Kinesiology from Penn State and is now a strength and conditioning coach. They’re partnering with striking coach Scott Howard to open Disciple MMA Academy in Sterling, which opens in October. The brand-new gym has a full cage, boxing ring and all-new equipment, and coaches include a former opponent of Pague's, Siyam Yousefi.
Pague wants people to understand that he's just an ordinary guy, too, not the stereotype of an angry fighter.
“People often have the wrong idea about fighters. I’m a Christian and I glorify God with the good spirit he’s given me to make people laugh, and the skills he given me in the cage," he said. "People think fighters have to angry to fight, but I respect my opponents and treat them like a brother. It’s just a sport.”
Discuss the interview and Season 14 of the Ultimate Fighter over at the BloodyKnux.com fan forum.
Another great night of fights, with tons of action. Here’s the results-
• Jen Gaines vs. Jenny Segovia- Gaines Unanimous Decision
• Bryan Robey vs. Scott Brain- Brain TKO Rd 2
• Andy Luong vs. Ghary Ursua- Luong Unanimous Decision
• John Ruiz vs. Adam Phillips- No Contest
• Mike Johnson vs. Luis Vallecillo- Vallecillo Unanimous Decision
• Jamal Daniel vs. Albert Ranney- Ranney TKO Rd 3
• Anthony Cordero vs. Jovan Davis- Cordero Unanimous Decision
• Caro Castro vs. Casey Terrell- Terrell Unanimous Decision
• Eric Russi vs. Joshua. Aliaga- Russi Split Decision
• Wade Houston vs. Vince Holland- Holland Unanimous Decision
190 lb Title Fight
• Mike Rybak vs. Lubomyr Murashchik- Murashchik TKO Rd !
• Kiall Wright vs. Jeraldo Cotto- Draw
• Derric Threatt vs. Hakim Andrews- Threatt Unanimous Decision
• Tariq Sirgay vs. Kevin Hansen- Sirgay Unanimous Decision
• James Rhee vs. James Chia- Rhee Unanimous Decision
• Brian Carpenter vs. CJ Gaffney- Gaffney Unanimous Decision
• Ander Bordner vs. Arnulfo Alvarado- Bordner Unanimous Decision
• Tommy McDonnell vs. Billy Reynolds- Reynolds Split Decision
• Frank Dawson vs. Konstantine Krapiva- Krapiva Unanimous Decision
The Main Event- 185 lb Title Fight
• Sean Croushorn vs. Brynnen McIver- Croushorn Unanimous Decision
Combat sports are returning to Sterling at Dulles SportsPlex on Saturday. The Thai Championship Fights will feature 22 kickboxing matches including three title fights in two boxing rings on one night.
Sean Croushorn, who trains at L.A. Boxing in Herndon, is set to take on Brynnen McIver in the main event title fight. Vanguard gym of Manassas has three fighters on the card, Billy Reynolds, Adam Phillips and Vince Holland. Vanguard Gym instructor, and current Operation Octagon Lightweight champ, Mike Pope, said they "have been training between 5 and 6 nights a week for this, they’re ready.”
Woodbridge’s Gold Medal Grappling Coach, Elijah Harshbarger, will be cornering his fighters, Brian Robey, Derric Threatt and Jamal Daniel. “These guys are all making their début. They’ve come a long way, they’re showing good distance and timing. I think people are going to be shocked at how good they are right out of the gate.”
Event promoter, Operation Octagon has previously held three Thai Championship events as well as a mixed event with both MMA and kickboxing fights. The action will take place in two boxing rings and will bring participants from all over the Washington, D.C. Metro area to compete.
Fight Card
• Jen Gaines vs. Jenny Segovia
• Bryan Robey vs. Scott Brain
• Andy Luong vs. Ghary Ursua
• John Ruiz vs. Adam Phillips
• Mike Johnson vs. Luis Vallecillo
• Jamal Daniel vs. Albert Ranney
• Anthony Cordero vs. Jovan Davis
• Caro Castro vs. Casey Terrell
• Eric Russi vs. Joshua. Aliaga
• Wade Houston vs. Vince Holland
145 lb Title Fight
• Carlos Lopez vs. Brandon Cherry
190 lb Title Fight
• Mike Rybak vs. Lubomyr Murashchik
• Kiall Wright vs. Jeraldo Cotto
• Derric Threatt vs. Hakim Andrews
• Tariq Sirgay vs. Kevin Hansen
• James Rhee vs. James Chia
• Felix DeJong vs. Juan Pablo Chang
• Brian Carpenter vs. CJ Gaffney
• Ander Bordner vs. Arnulfo Alvarado
• Tommy McDonnell vs. Billy Reynolds
• Frank Dawson vs. Konstantine Krapiva
The Main Event- 185 lb Title Fight
• Sean Croushorn vs. Brynnen McIver
Weigh-ins will be held Friday, Sept. 16, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Hooters restaurant in Chantilly at 14441 Brookfield Tower Dr., in Chantilly.
The action begins on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 5:30 pm at the Dulles SportsPlex, 21610 Atlantic Blvd., in Sterling. General admission tickets are still available for $25 at www.http://thaichampionshipboxing.com, or if tickets are available at the door, for $30.
Additional mixed martial arts events will come to Northern Virginia in October with DangerZone at Manassas Park Community Center on Oct. 15 and Operation Octagon back at Dulles SportsPlex on Oct. 22. Check back with the BloodyDCMMA.com for event previews and results.
Northern Virginia retains 5 out of 6 MMA Titles at Operation Octagon.
Operation Octagon served up a satisfying helping of local mixed martial arts last night with another sold out show and 16 exciting fights. Thousands of fans packed into Dulles SportsPlex in Sterling Virginia. Whether sitting at VIP tables served by the Hooters girls of Chantilly, in the general seats around the cage, or on the balcony overhead, everyone had a good view of the cage and the big screens above it.
In the late afternoon, camps of fighters coming from all over the DC area and beyond quietly prepared for combat, grappling, warming up on pads and wrapping their hands for a few rounds that would be anything but quiet. Soon the venue echoed with audible action, like the loud slap of a leg kick to a thigh, the screams of instruction from a fighter’s corner, the cheers of the crowd or the occasional crack of a low blow to a fighter’s cup. Local fans know nothing is quite like a live mixed martial arts event.
Northern Virginia fighters had a pretty good night, with only one title belt leaving the area. Camps from Woodbridge and Manassas had stake in five of the six title bouts, and fighters in many of the other 10 matches. Each bout consists of three rounds of three minutes each, except title bouts where the rounds are 5 minutes just like professional matches in the UFC or Strikeforce. The matches are sanctioned, refereed, and judged by the Global Combat Alliance out of Richmond, Virginia with similar rules to state athletic commission sanctioned professional fights.
Gold Medal Grappling of Woodbridge had a stellar night with three wins out of three fights and two for title belts. In the events first match, Gold Medal Grappling’s Steven Adams delivered a bloody beating to his tough but outclassed opponent forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight in the second round. In a great showing of class and sportsmanship, the defeated David Weller embraced his opponent after the fight and raised Adams hand in victory.
In the third fight of the night, relatively new competitor Samir Farid defeated Brandon Wheeler in a clear unanimous decision after dominating his opponent for three solid rounds. Samir showed excellent wrestling against his opponent and also did a good job listening to the Gold Medal Grappling coaches in his corner as they gave him advice to remain in control of the fight.
Vanguard gym of Manassas started the night with success in their first title match when Reed Miller showed he’d been working on his wrestling and submissions. Reed quickly took Cody Carter’s back and sank in a rear naked choke, forcing a tap in the first round.
Willie Floyd proved his resilience and ability to remain calm under fire. The Gold Medal Grappling welterweight first had to deal with a surprise change in opponents. Floyd quickly found himself defending off his back. Perrin Carter coming off a victory over Floyd’s originally scheduled opponent, came on strong and looked to be in control, but Floyd kept his wits, and when Carter tried for a takedown he left his neck exposed. Floyd slipped in the guillotine choke and cinched it very tight, forcing a tap out without even jumping to guard.
Vanguard’s Mike Pope defended his belt for a second time, showing the same wrestling and top control dominance he used in his last fight. Spencer Strube seemed to have a slight advantage in the striking when the fight was standing, but Pope kept the match on the ground where he was the most comfortable and won a unanimous decision, keeping his belt in Manassas.
Vanguard’s next trip to the cage was not as successful, but was an exciting fight for the fans. Local favorite Duy Le faced Michael Ledman of Southern Maryland Jui- Jitsu for the featherweight title, and the match was back and forth. Le was in control on the ground for most of the first round, but Ledman defended well. In the last 30 seconds Ledman got a sweep and poured on the leather until the bell rung. Round two showed Le’s heart as he came out blasting, and took control of the second round as he had the first, but Ledman persevered, and revesed Le again, this time hammering his opponent bloody. The referee clearly considered stopping the fight, but gave Le the benefit of the doubt holding off until the bell. Round three saw Le again come out swinging, and taking down his opponent. Le rained down strikes as if he knew he needed a finish to win the match, but again Ledman rallied, this time getting Le’s back and sinking in a rear naked choke submission. Le tapped at 2:04 in the third round making Michael Ledman the new 145 pound Operation Octagon Champ.
In the next to last fight of the event, John Attia of Team Rockhand squeaked out a split decision over Ryan Lall of Warpath Inc. in an ugly match punctuated with low blows, eye pokes, and Attia showing very little offense, preferring only to counter his opponent even thought the crowd booed disfavor at his tactic.
Luckily the evening didn’t end on a sour note as the Operation Octagon Heavyweight Title was on the line between current champ Josh “Cobra” Brown from nearby Chantilly’s Complete Fitness Concepts, and the challenger, Rich Moore from Contract Combatives. The two big men started the bout quickly exchanging strikes. Brown got the better of the standup and found himself delivering damage to his downed opponent, earning the referee stoppage one minute and 37 seconds into the first round.
In addition to the fights, a couple of local celebrities were in attendance. Ultimate Fighter finalist Kris McCray supported his teammates, and even entered the cage to announce another local martial artist would be on an upcoming season of the Ultimate Fighter on Spike. Also in attendance, Corporal Kelly De Santis who won a bloody battle last March in Operation Octagon, has recently made the news when she invited Justin Timberlake to Marine Corps Ball in Washington DC and he accepted according to the LA Times. After seeing her last fight, Justin had better be a perfect gentleman.
Fans left with their thirst for action sated, and will surely line-up to buy tickets for Operation Octagon’s next event, scheduled for October 22nd, also at Dulles SportsPlex in Sterling. Be sure to keep your eyes on the Patch for information about it and other upcoming MMA events in Northern Virginia.
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Quick Results
1) Steven Adams defeats David Weller by tko at 2:59 of round 2
2) Paul Cavanaugh defeats Tyson Kellerman by split decision
3) Samir Farid defeats Brandon Wheeler by unanimous decision for the 125 pound title
4) Lashawn Alcocks defeats Tommy McDonnell by tko at 21 seconds of round 3
5) Reed Miller defeats Cody Carter by rear naked choke at 3:20 of round 1 for the 135 pound title
6) Cameron Smith defeats Alex Coates bu armbar at 1:04 of round 1
7) Jordan Needham defeats Jonathan Vinyard by tko at 1:14 of round 2
8) Willie Floyd defeats Perrin Carter by guillotine choke at 2:45 or Round 1 for the 170 pound title
9) Mike Pope defeats Spencer Strube by unanimous decision for the 155 pound title
10) EJ Mecklenburg defeats Shaun Kama by rear naked choke at 41 seconds of round 1
11) Michael Ledman defeats Duy Le by rear naked choke at 2:04 of round 3 for the 145 pound title
12) Orlando Torres defeats Cary Caprio by tko at 2:43 of round 3
13) Justin Theodore Cooper defeats Greg Lyman by unanimous decision
14) Nathan Jaime defeats Jarred Ferguson by split decision
15) John Attia defeats Ryan Lall by split decision
16) Josh Brown defeats Rich Moore by tko at 1:37 of round 1 for the 265 pound title.
- Jim " DC Books" Kirkland
Northern Virginia’s largest and longest running mixed martial arts event returns to Dulles Sportsplex this Saturday, July 30th, for Operation Octagon’s 15th card. Since January 2008, Operation Octagon promoter Art Sylmar has promoted mixed martial arts events in Northern Virginia. Competitors from Operation Octagon shows have gone on to compete professionally in the M-1 Challenge, Ultimate Warrior Challenge, and the sport’s biggest promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In a night packed with title bouts, fighters from all over the DC area and beyond will face off in the cage in Sterling, Virginia to prove they’re the next warriors ready to be a star.
In the main event, 5-0 amateur fighter Duy Le will face Michael Ledman from Southern Maryland Jiu Jitsu for the vacant 145lb featherweight title. The former champ Casey Watson of Fredericksburg is going professional and has vacated his belt. Local fans are sure to be familiar with Duy who has won four times in Operation Octagon, and fights out of Vanguard gym in Manassas. Duy won his last fight by triangle choke in the first round, but has gone to close decisions several times in the past. “I’d stick to low risk stuff because I was fighting not to lose, but my coach (Doug Esposito) wants me to take chances to finish. I don’t want to leave it to the judges,” says Duy. When asked how he feels fighting for the featherweight championship, Duy replies, “Fighting for the title gives me the opportunity to prepare for five minute rounds, like in a professional fight. Until now I’ve only fought the usual 3 minute amateur rounds.” He isn’t the only Vanguard fighter with a title on the line Saturday night. In the co-main event, current 155lb lightweight champ Mike Pope will be defending his belt against Spencer Strube from Clinch Academy in Frederick, Maryland.
Gold Medal Grappling, out of Woodbridge, will also have a busy night Saturday with multiple fighters on the card. Super flyweight Samir Farid will face Brandon Wheeler for the 130lb belt. Gold Medal Grappling has a history with Operation Octagon, as it is the home of Ultimate Fighter finalist, Kris McCray, who was the Operation Octagon Middleweight Champ before he went pro and all the way to finalist on The Ultimate Fighter reality show and several UFC cards. Willie "No Love" Floyd (4-1 amateur MMA record) from Gold Medal Grappling will face Perrin Carter in a 170lb match. Floyd’s coming off an impressive TKO victory in the second round at the last event in March.
With 18 fights on the card, fans are guaranteed a night of excitement. Dulles Sportsplex is located at 21610 Atlantic Blvd. in Sterling Virginia. The fights will start at 7:30pm on Saturday July 30th. Tickets are going fast at www.operationoctagon.com. Tune back in to the BloodyDCMMA.com for event coverage, photos, and results.
- Jim Kirkland
