by Jim Genia

If you view the Northeast as a microcosm of the MMA world, then Ring of Combat and promoter Lou Neglia are akin to the UFC and Dana White. You simply cannot be a homegrown aspiring pro fighter around these parts without harboring designs on making your mark in ROC (or the Cage Fury Fighting Championship, but that's for another post), and given that dozens and dozens of UFC veterans can credit ROC as the stepping stone that helped them reach the Octagon, well, that makes Neglia the man who laid those stones down to create that path.

It's not hard to find old pics of Neglia from his championship-kickboxer days, but most of us know him as a promoter. Ring of Combat, which began in 2002 and is now up to its thirty-eighth pro installment, is perhaps his greatest achievement in the realm of MMA; however, there are amateur MMA events in there, too, plus a long-running NYC-based kickboxing show called Combat at the Capitale and a seemingly endless number of one-off events (Battle on Broadway featured kickboxing and MMA bouts in a hotel ballroom in Times Square almost a decade ago, while there was a recent kickboxing extravaganza out in Brighton Beach). Before that, there were fourteen Vengeance at the Vanderbilt installments on Long Island, which saw the likes of Matt Serra and Pete Sell getting their MMA on… heck, the first sanctioned MMA bout in New Jersey took place on one of Neglia's show in Atlantic City. "Longevity" may be an abstract concept to some promoters, but to Neglia, that word is like a genetic sequence coded into his DNA.

It takes a very shrewd business men to survive for any length of time in this sport, but Neglia has managed to temper that necessary shrewdness with traits like kindness, compassion and a genuine friendliness. If you're a reporter, he'll accomodate you; if you're a promising young upstart, he'll make sure you're tested (remember: padded records don't get you into the UFC, hard fights do); and if you're a grizzled veteran, he'll find a spot for you on the next card.

There's a few reasons why ROC has thrived for so long. But without question, the biggest one is Neglia.

by Kevin Garvey

MMA has seen many new organizations try to go head to head with the UFC and fail.  EliteXC,  Affliction, Bodog and the IFL all tried to compete with the UFC, but soon realized why the UFC is the number 1 MMA organization in the world.  It's nice to think big, but in MMA you have to be realistic.  The UFC is number 1 for a reason.  It has the best fighters on the planet and the best brand recognition.  And when it comes to business, Dana White and the Ferttitta brothers take a no holds barred approach to beating the competition, which is why the UFC is still the undisputed champion of MMA promotions.

One organization, however, Lou Neglia's Ring of Combat, has managed to thrive where so many others have failed.  The ROC is one of the longest running shows outside of the UFC, and the longest sanctioned promotion outside of the UFC.   And there is good reason for this.  Instead of trying to compete with the UFC, Lou Neglia sees his promotion as one where fighters can hone their skills to such a level that they can move on to the big show.  Indeed, where other promoters try to lock up their fighters into contracts that forbid them from fighting in the UFC, Lou encourages his fighters to move upwards and onwards.

"The UFC deserves its place in history," Lou said.  "They are the World Series of MMA.  I have a great relationship with the UFC and even have their logo on one of my event  posters.  When a fighter tells me he has on offer from the UFC, I gladly rip up his contract."

As a former kickboxing world champion himself, Lou understands the ambitions of professional fighters, and has a keen insight into what it takes to be a high level professional athlete.  He would never dream of trying to stifle their growth.   Lou takes great pride in developing the talents of his fighters, to the extent that an astounding 44 fighters who have fought at the ROC have moved on to the UFC, including current UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.  Many more if you count those who have moved on to Bellator, the WEC and Strikeforce.

Not only is Neglia the CEO of Ring of Combat, he is the matchmaker too.  And he's a tough matchmaker–there are no "gimme" fights at the ROC.  In this way, Lou prepares fighters for the adversity they will face in the Octagon.  He does his best to give fighters the kinds of tough fights they need to take the ultimate step in their MMA career.

"If you give people easy fights, what happens when they get to the UFC?" Lou said.  "The best fighters are in the UFC and you need to be prepared."

This mindset is why so many of his fighters have gone on to have great success in the Octagon.  Chris Weidman is the latest example of a fighter who fought his entire pro career at the Ring of Combat and is now undefeated in three fights in the Octagon.   His tough fights at the ROC have prepared him for the tough fights in the UFC.

But the ROC is about more than just finding and developing new talent.  The shows always feature "superfights" which include some of the sport's biggest names from all around the world.  At ROC XVIII, for example, the card featured fighters from Brazil, Canada and even the Republic of Georgia, making it a true international event.

This is all part of Lou's strategy to make the Ring of Combat the biggest show not competing with the UFC.  And his formula is working.  He is providing fighters with an opportunity of a lifetime, as well as giving MMA fans what they want most: the best fights you can find outside of the UFC.

The Rasputin is one of the most famous Russian nightclubs in the United States, and on December 2, 2011, it was filled to capacity with fight fans who enjoyed an evening full of world class kickboxing action.  Lou Neglia put on a great show, and the night and the sell-out crowd was treated some great action, including KOs and close decisions.  Many great camps were represented at the show, and the Neglia competition team went undefeated on the night.   Here are the official results:

Pat Sullivan def. Tom Casal by Unanimous Decision

Joe Tomaszewski def. Chris Bonilla by Split Decision

Dom Biondo def. Felipe Carlos by TKO

Odalis Gonzalas def. Nicole Cruz by Unanimous Decision

Micheal Totora def. Mike Casal by Unanimous Decision

Jennie Nedell def.Lauren Wygant by Unanimous Decision

Andrew Ball def. Costas Gemelas by Unanimous Decision

Christine DeRosa def. Lauren by Unanimous Decision

Matt Castillo def. Lance Kaplan by Unanimous Decision

Andrea DeAngelo def. Katie Jankowski by TKO

Omar Fowler def. Maris Bilecki by TKO

Ryan Cassar def. Justin Esperon by Unanimous Decision

Clinso Brumfield def. Dave Farely

Julio Arce def. Niko Tsigaras by Unanimous Decision

Chris Wagner def. Mike Corleone by TKO

Ring of Combat 38 is in the books and it was no surprise that Lou Neglia and company put on another stellar show.  The preliminary card had some very well matched fights, with only one getting a finish. Frankie Perez put on a Jiu-Jitsu show and subbed Allen Cozze with a tight Guillotine in the first round. The other prelims all went to the score cards.  Perez continues to impress in his young career. Expect big things from this kid.

The main event of the night and arguably the fight of the night belonged to Tom DeBlass and his Russian opponent, David Tkeshelashvili.  The two fighters went to war for three grueling rounds.  DeBlass controlled the pace and landed more strikes in each round.  Tkeshelashvili kept coming forward in a terminator like fashion, but was bested on the feet and on the mat.  The Russian proved to be a tough opponent to say the least.  DeBlass had his work cut out for him, but managed to pull out the unanimous decision victory.

Tkeshelashvili obviously came to fight, but despite a few decent takedowns, seemed to be a little overmatched by DeBlass’ skill set.  Tom dropped the Russian early in the fight with a quick punch and landed effective striking throughout the fight.  When the fight spilled to the mat, Tom used some great Jiu-Jitsu to sweep from guard to mount and got David’s back on more than one occasion.  Tom was a little frustrated after the fight as he had hoped to finish his opponent, but Tom took home the win, retained his Light-Heavyweight Title, and his unbeaten streak remains intact.

It was not such a good night for Team Serra, however, as two of Serra’s Champions were dethroned last night.  Peter “Drago” Sell was knocked out in the second round by Canadian, Nordine Taleb.  Taleb used some great footwork and movement to keep Sell guessing while landing some solid strikes and great combinations.  Sell had no answer for the Canadian’s attack and took a few punches too many before succumbing to Taleb’s strikes.  Nordine put on an impressive performance and took the ROC Welterweight Championship back to Canada.

Al Iaquinta came to defend his Lightweight Championship for the first time and despite a good start, got taken down and submitted for his troubles.  Pat Audinwood brought his A game last night and after eating a big punch early on, was able to recover and land some punches of his own before scoring a takedown.  From there Audinwood used his long limbs to grab a hold of Iaquinta’s arm and despite some great defense from Iaquinta, was eventually able to sink in the armbar and get the first round tapout and the ROC title.

Deividas Taurosevicus had the comeback of the night, last night.  Tauro was dropped and huirt early by up and comer, Marlon Moraes.  Moraes capitalized on his efforts and when the fight went to the mat, Moraes took Deividas’ back and was able to secure what appeared to be a very tight choke.  However, his position against the cage prevented him from using the leverage he needed to really sink in the choke.  Taurosevicus was able to escape, reversed the position, and secured his own rear naked choke and got the tap out victory near the end of the first round.  It was a great performance of perseverance from Deividas and a successful title defense.

The main card also saw some highly contested bouts.  Drew Puzon took a hard fought unanimous decision victory over Aung La N Sang.  Brett Linebarger put on a flawless performance in his unanimous decision win over Fikret Darzanoff.  Linebarger picked apart and beat the BJJ ace at his own game.  I look forward to seeing Linebarger back in the cage soon.  Ryan Vaccaro and Mike Prokop put on a great show for the fans, but it was the Pellegrino standout, Vaccaro, that broke his losing streak and took home the unanimous decision.  Thomas English, Chris Wade, Ande Harrison, and Pat DeFranco all won their respective bouts last night as well.

I also had the privilege of shadow judging the final five fights of the night and I have to say, it was incredibly different watching the fight as a fan and as a judge.  Things you might normally look past in a fight because you are rooting for one particular fighter, you cannot when you are a judge.  It changes everything about the fight from the judge’s perspective.  I had a blast, learned some new things, and look forward to judging again in the future.  Thanks to Nick Lembo, for the opportunity and Anthony Tamburino, for letting me observe over his shoulder for those five fights.  The judging in the state of NJ is some of the best around.  Now I know why, first hand.

This card was filled with action and excitement.  The  capacity crowd in attendance was absolutely electric.  Great fans and great fights are the ingredients of a great promotion.  Ring of Combat is just that.  Another great show and we are already looking forward to the next one.  I hope to see you all there.  Until then, have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Here are the official results from the NJSACB:

Title Bouts—3 rounds of 5 minutes, plus one round of 5 minutes in the event of a draw.

13 Co-Main Event. 205 TITLE
Davit Tkeshelashvili (124-522) vs. Tom DeBlass (106-968)
Tkeshashvili 203. DeBlass 205
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Sanidad, Tamburrino and Tirelli
DeBlass wins unanimous decision in three rounds 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 Tirelli.

12. Co-Main Event. 170 TITLE
Nordine Taleb (123-498) vs. Pete Sell (102-216)
Taleb 170.5. Sell. 170
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Krawiec, Tamburrino and Tirelli
Taleb wins via KO at 0:53 of round two.

11. 145 TITLE.
Marlon Moraes (125-123) vs. Deividas Taurosevicus (105-898)
Moraes. 144. Taurosevicus 145.5
Ref Oliver
Judges Sanidad, Tamburrino and Tirelli
Taurosevicius wins via head and arm choke at 2:34 of round one.

10. 155 TITLE.
Patrick Audinwood (106-014) vs. Al Iaquinta (105-390)
Audinwood 155.5. Iaquinta. 154
Ref Peterson
Judges Krawiec, Tamburrino and Tirelli
Audinwood wins via verbal tap due to armbar at 2:06 of round one.

Main Card–3 rounds of 4 minutes

9. 185. Main Card
Aung La N Sang (118-847) vs. Drew Puzon (106-488)
N Sang. 183.5. Puzon. 185
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Sanidad, Tamburrino and Tirelli
Puzon wins unanimous decision in three rounds 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 Tirelli.

8. 185. Main Card
Brett Linebarger (106-504) vs. Fikret Darzanoff (120-205)
Linebarger 183.5. Darzanoff 186
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Krawiec, Proenza and Sanidad
Linebarger wins unanimous decision in three rounds, all three judges 30-27.

7. 147 Catchweight Main Card
Jarred Mercado (117-316) vs. Jerome Isip (101-230)
Both fighters weigh 147
Ref Peterson
Judges Sanidad, Tamburrino and Tirelli
Mercado wins unanimous decision in three rounds, 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 Sanidad.

6. 155 Main Card
Mike Prokop (103-005) vs. Ryan Vaccaro (103-092)
Prokop. 154. Vaccaro. 154.5
Ref Peterson
Judges Sanidad, Tamburrino and Tirelli
Vaccaro wins unanimous decision in three rounds, all three judges 30-27.

Preliminary Bouts—2 rounds of 4 minutes, plus a 3rd round of 4 minutes in the event of a draw.

5. 155. Preliminary
Allen Cozze (101-879) vs. Frankie Perez (102-979)
Cozze. 154.4. Perez. 155.5
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Sanidad, Tamburrino and Tirelli
Perez wins via guillotine at 1:09 of round one.

4. 150. Preliminary
Anthony Facchini (101-886) vs. Tom English (104-958)
Facchini 150.5. English. 150
Ref Oliver
Judges Krawiec, Proenza and Tirelli
English wins unanimous decision in two rounds, all three judges 20-18.

3. 170. Preliminary
Chris Wade (121-115) vs. Vinicius Agudo (125-458)
Wade 167 Agudo. 168
Ref Oliver
Judges Krawiec, Proenza and Tirelli
Wade wins unanimous decision in two rounds, all three judges 20-18.

2. 145. Preliminary
Alex Davydov (114-712) vs. Andre Harrison (106-337)
Davydov. 144. Harrison 145.25
Ref Oliver
Judges Krawiec, Proenza and Tamburrino
Harrison wins unanimous decision in two rounds, all three judges 20-18.

1. 170. Preliminary
Robert Gittens (114-983) vs. Pat DeFranco (117-526)
Gittens. 166.5. DeFranco. 170
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Krawiec, Proenza and Tirelli
DeFranco wins unanimous decision in two rounds, all three judges 20-17.

COMBAT AT THE CAPITALE
REPORT BY ROBERT S. REITER.

FULL RESULTS FOR COMBAT AT THE CAPITALE
ON SEPTEMBER14, 2011:

AmateurMiddleweight Men – Muay Thai:Howard Wang (B52 Muay Thai) def. Mike Hurtinole (TeamTyrant) by TKOat 1:08 of Round 3.

AmateurSuper Middleweight Men – Muay Thai:Randy Brown (Budokan) def. Jeremy Uy (Miletich Fighting Systems) by Unanimous Decision:  30-25, 30-26, 30-25.

AmateurSuper Middleweight Men – LowKick:Michael Tortora (Neglia Competition Team) def. Raul Gonzalez (Alpha Omega MMA) by Unanimous Decision:  30-275, 30-26, 30-27.

AmateurLightweight Women – Muay Thai:Tiger Lily Charles (EFA) def. Odalis Gonzalez (Team Tiger Schulmann) by TKOat 1:08 of Round 1.

AmateurJunior Welterweight Men – Muay Thai:Kyle Wehrhahn (Impact/Pellegrino MMA) def. JohnJononulak (Weapons9/Strategic Combat Academy) by Unanimous Decision:  30-27, 29-27, 30-27.

AmateurCruiserweight Men – Muay Thai:Jose Marin (The Center Martial Arts) def. PaulMiller (B-52 Muay Thai) by Unanimous Decision:  30-27, 29-27, 30-27.

AmateurLight Heavyweight Men – Muay Thai:Ryan Owens (Serra Longo Competition Team) vs.Mike Nitto (Impact/Pellegrino MMA). Draw:  28-28, 28-27, 29-29.

AmateurCruiserweight Men – Low Kick:JoshuaGermain (East West MMA) def. Andrew Ball (Neglia Competition Team) by KOat 1:30 of Round 1.

AmateurJunior WelterweightWomen – Low Kick:Jennie Nedell (Fusion Competition Team) def. Jennifer Yang (Arlington LA Boxing) by Unanimous Decision:  30-27, 30-27, 30-27.

AmateurSuperMiddleweight Men – Muay Thai:Mike Casal (Alpha Omega MMA) vs.Lance Kaplan (Brooklyn MMA). Draw:  28-28, 30-27, 28-28.

AmateurCruiserweight Men – Muay Thai:Ed Sabino (Sierra Longo Competition Team) def. ChrisFigueroa (Lion’s Roar Muay Thai) by Majority Decision:  29-28, 28-29, 29-28.

AmateurJunior Welterweight Men – Muay Thai:Julio Arce (Team Tiger Schulmann) def. MathewEason (Champion Karate Academy) by TKOat 1:20 of Round 3.

AmateurJunior WelterweightWomen – Low Kick:Andrea Deangelo (Neglia Competition Team) def. Katie Jankowski (Arlington LA Boxing) by Unanimous Decision:  30-27, 29-28, 30-27.

AmateurMiddleweight Men – Muay Thai:Christian Deferis (Alpha Omega MMA) def. Rich Castro (Latino MMA Soldiers) by Unanimous Decision:  29-27, 30-26, 30-26.

WKA Regional AmateurMiddleweight Men’s Championship – Muay Thai:Stephen Regman (Alpha Omega MMA) def. Felix Andino (Lion’s Roar Muay Thai) by Majority Decision:  39-27, 38-38, 39-37.

FULL RESULTS FOR COMBAT AT THE CAPITALE
ON SEPTEMBER14, 2011(Continued):

WKA U.S.A. AmateurJunior Lightweight Women’s Championship – Low Kick:Christine Tyqueginco (Art Martial Arts) def. Heather Hardy (D’Energizer Fight Team) by Unanimous Decision:  39-37, 39-37, 39-37.

ProfessionalWelterweight Men – Muay Thai:Jim “El Toro” Rivera (Team Tiger Schulmann) def. Kevin “The Jet”Molina (Molina Martial Arts) by Majority Decision:  39-37, 38-38, 40-36.

WKA NYS AmateurCruiserweight Men’s Championship – Muay Thai:Steve Hernandez (Pin Point Muay Thai) def. DanGirace (Serra Longo Competition Team) by Unanimous Decision:  40-36, 39-37, 40-36.

ProfessionalJunior Welterweight Men – Muay Thai:Terrence “The Truth” Hill (Bellemore Kickboxing) def. Troy Yania (PA Damage, Inc.) by TKOat 1:30 of Round 2.

ProfessionalCruiserweight Men – Muay Thai:James “B-52” Smith (B-52 Muay Thai) def. Mike Parker (Arlington LA Boxing) by KOat 2:22 of Round 2.

WKA AmateurLight HeavyweightMen’s Championship – Muay Thai:Mike Fischetti (Team Tiger Schulmann) def. Carlos Tanas (Team Hail Mary) by KOat 1:28 of Round 1.

On September 9^th 2011, Lou Neglia’s 37^th Ring of Combat was held at the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City. In his usual fashion Neglia offered fans a night filled with thrilling fights. In addition to the main card, which featured an exhilarating super fight and three championship fights, the explosive undercard did not disappoint fight fans.

The super fight of the night saw a rematch between Chris “The Story” Liguori, who trains at Ricardo Almedia Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and John Salgado, of Fusion MMA. Round one was evenly matched, with both fighters exchanging strikes and scrambling to gain control on the ground. Despite Salgado’s strong take down defense, Liguori was able to take him down in the second round.  Once on top, Ligouri was able to dictate the pace of the remainder of the round. With both fighters exhausted in the final round, they traded punches and kicks in one of the most exciting back and forth fights of the night. Ultimately, it was Liguori, who trains with Frankie Edgar’s Boxing coach Mark Henry, that landed a flush right that knocked out Salgado in the third round.

In the first championship bout of the evening, New Jersey’s own Tom DeBlass won the Ring of Combat Light-Heavyweight Title by TKO-ing Team Bombsquad’s, Mike Stewart. DeBlass, who also trains with Ricardo Almeida and Frankie Edgar, dropped Stewart with a big right hand early on. Stewart quickly recovered and instinctively took DeBlass down. After a back and forth scramble on the mat, both fighters were once again back up to their feet. DeBlass, who has focused intensely on improving his striking, landed a solid left hook that caught Stewart square on the jaw. Stewart dropped to the mat and DeBlass seized the opportunity, pouncing on Stewart and dropping bombs until the fight was called three minutes into the first round.

In a highly anticipated rematch, Al Iaquinta of Team Serra Longo took on Vitor Shaolin Jiu-Jitsu’s Gabe Miglioli for the vacant Lightweight championship.  At ROC XXXVI the two met in what was one of the most thrilling battles in the promotion’s history, with undefeated Iaquinta earning the razor close split decision. Friday night’s victory for Iaquinta was much more convincing. Iaquinta came out on fire, catching Miglioli with a high kick that sent Miglioli into the cage. Iaquinta attacked with some ground and pound and the fight was stopped only 26 seconds into round one, earning Iaquinta the Lightweight Championship.

In the Featherweight Championship title fight, WEC and IFL vet, Deividas Taurosevicious, who once fought the current UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, defeated Ronnie Rogers, who was fighting for the sixth time in 2011. Rogers, no stranger to the cage, has fought for both Strikeforce and Bellator promotions. After a takedown early in round one by Taurosevicious, most of the first round was spent in a scramble to gain position with a few unsuccessful guillotine attempts by both fighters. In the second round, Taurosevicious had Rogers tied up in a clinch up against the cage and utilized his knees to wear Rogers down. Taurosevicious got another takedown, took Rogers’ back, flattened him out, and got the rear naked choke for the submission victory.

The undercard of this show had some amazing action as well. After feeling each other out briefly, Bellmore’s Kickboxing Academy’s Tom English connected with a right hook that dropped Virginia’s Carlos Oliveira. English jumped on Oliveira and finished the fight with another big right. This was the third fight in 2011 for English and he was able to add another “W” to his record by getting the KO victory.

Shawn “Wing Chun Kid” Obassi came out taunting AMA’s Chris Birchler. Birchler took Obassi down early in the first round, and Birchler easily dominated the rest of the round, including dishing out some vicious ground and pound that left Obassi gassed and probably regretting his earlier antics. Birchler mounted Obassi and the “Wing Chun Kid” turned, giving up his back. Birchler landed a few punches and Obssai was forced to verbally tap, giving Birchler the win by verbal submission due to strikes.

It was a BJJ matchup between submission specialists Casey Manrique, who trains with Marcelo Garcia, and Aung La N Sang of Crazy 88 BJJ. However, Manrique’s ground game was no match for N Sang who maintained a dominant position for all of the first round. Just seconds in to round two, after a quick takedown, N Sang quickly trapped Manrique and finished with some ground and pound and N Sang earned the TKO victory.

Jimmy Jenkins of Team Serra Longo remained undefeated by finishing off Cody Castillo with a beautifully executed standing guillotine at only 24 seconds into round one. This move is reminiscent of the SOTN win at UFC 131 by Jenkins’ Serra Longo teammate, the former ROC champion and up and coming UFC prospect, Chris Weidman. This was definitely an impressive showing for Jenkins and he improves his winning streak to four in a row.

Jenkin‘s teammate, Ed “Truck” Gordon‘s victory over Steve Edwards was not as quick, but still as sweet. In the first round, Edwards, the Black and Blue MMA standout, attempted an armbar. After spinning out though, Truck was able to maintain top position. Truck then used his massive body weight to smother his opponent, pushing him up against the cage and landing some hard blows. Round two saw Truck controlling Edwards until Edwards caught Truck in a Kimura that lasted almost thirty seconds. Truck remained composed, did not tap, and the fight was ended by medical stoppage from Edward’s corner.

Michael LaDuke had some slick submission attempts in round two against Team Bombsquad’s, Brian Kelleher. However, Kelleher was able to inflict too much damage as the fight went on. Kelleher was able to press LaDuke up against the cage and after a few punches to the face, a cut above LaDuke’s left eye from the previous round opened up and doctors were forced to stop the fight.

Gracie Jiu-Jitsu specialist, Matt Ruskin came out throwing a fury of fists and elbows against Eduardo Telles at the opening bell. However, once on the mat, Ruskin locked Telles in a body triangle and continued to land some heavy strikes until Telles, a BJJ black belt under Fabio Gurgel, escaped and maintained top position. Telles then put on his own display of ground and pound until he finished the fight with a textbook armbar in the first round.

Ring of Combat is a showcase for local fight talent and former ROC champions have gone on to fight in promotions such as Bellator, Strikeforce and the UFC. This past Saturday fans were able to witness the crowning of three new ROC Champions; Light-Heavyweight Tom DeBlass,

Lightweight Al Iaquinta and Featherweight Deividas Taurosevicious. If you can’t get down to Atlantic City to enjoy the fights you can always watch them on Gofightlive.com. But with the talent that comes out of the ROC, you never know where you may these see these fighters next. Perhaps on MTV2, Spike, or PPV, or maybe even one day on Fox.

Here are the official results of the bouts:
 

Feature bouts-
3 rounds of 5 minutes, fourth 5 minute round in the event of a draw

145 TITLE
Ronnie Rogers (118-706) Vs. Deividas Taurosevicus (105-898)
Ref Oliver
Judges Sanidad, Tamburrino and Urso
Both fighters weigh 146
Taurosevicus wins via rear naked choke at 3:24 or round two.
Taurosevicus suspended 45 days for laceration healing.

160 SUPERFIGHT
John Salgado (100-280) vs. Chris Liguori (105-585)
Ref Peterson
Judges Sanidad, Tamburrino and Urso
Both fighters weigh 160
Liguori wins via KO punch at 4:12 of round three.
Salgado suspended 60 days for KO.
Salgado suspended indefinite pending CT head scan.


155 TITLE
Gabriel Miglioli (119-464) vs.
Al Iaquinta (105-390)
Ref Peterson
Judges Bilyk, Sinclair and Urso
Miglioli. 156. Iaquinta 154.5
Iaquinta wins via TKO referee stoppage at 0:26 of round one.
Miglioli suspended indefinite pending opthomologist clearance

205 TITLE
Mike Stewart (101-062) vs. Tom DeBlass (106-968)
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Dudley, Tamburrino and Urso
Stewart 202. DeBlass. 205
DeBlass wins via KO punch at 3:07 of round one.
Stewart suspended 60 days for KO.
Stewart suspended indefinite pending CT head scan.

Main Card–
3 rounds of 4 minutes

185
Aung La N Sang (118-847) Vs. Casey Gonzalez (103-392)
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Bilyk, Sanidad and Urso
N Sang. 184.5. Gonzalez. 185
N Sang wins via TKO referee stoppage due to unanswered strikes at 1:03
of round two.
Gonzalez suspended 60 days for TKO.
Gonzalez suspended indefinite pending CT head scan

145
Cody Castillo (100-491) Vs. James Jenkins (100-315)
Ref Oliver
Judges Bilyk, Dudley and Urso
Castillo 142. Jenkins. 145.75
Jenkins wins via standing guillotine at 0:24 of round one.

170
Eduardo Telles (123-780)Vs. Matt Ruskin (123-716)
Ref Peterson
Judges Bilyk, Sanidad and Urso
Telles. 169.75. Ruskin 169.50
Telles wins via armbar at 3:10 of round one.
Telles suspended 45 days for facial laceration
Ruskin suspended 30 days for facial laceration.

130
Michelle Ould (117-651). Vs. Munah Holland (113-946)
Ould. 129. Holland. 130.5
Fight canceled
Ould suspended indefinite pending MRI of lower spine

135
Michael LaDuke (107-028) vs.
Brian Kelleher (100-336)
Ref Oliver
Judges Dudley, Sanidad and Urso
LaDuke. 134.75. Kelleher 136
Kelleher wins via TKO doctor stoppage due to laceration at 3:14 of round
three.
LaDuke suspended 45 days for facial laceration.

205
Steve Edwards (116-852)
Vs. Ed Gordon (115-268)
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Bilyk, Tamburrino and Urso
Edwards 203 Gordon. 202.5
Gordon wins via TKO doctor stoppage in corner at 3:00 of round two.

Preliminary Card-
2 rounds of 4 minutes, third 4 minute round in the event of a draw

260
Shawn Obasi (123-714) Vs.Chris Birchler (119-159)
Ref Miragliotta
Judges Dudley, Sanidad and Tamburrino
Obasi. 227.75 Birchler. 248
Birchler wins via TKO verbal tap due to strikes at 2:47 of round one.

145
Carlos Oliviera (114-152) Vs. Tom English (104-958)
Ref Oliver
Judges Bilyk, Dudley and Tamburrino
Oliviera. 142.50. English 145
English wins via KO punch at 1:59 of round one.

Melissa Laterra def. Danielle Farula

John Onulak def. Nico Caine

John Maguire vs. Val Stoyanov

Vinny Landolfo vs. Manny Collado

Costa Gemelas draw Andrew Ball

Katie Jankowski vs. Jennie Nedell

Sean Nolan def. Chris Edmund

Paul Miller def. Ryan Owens

Andrea DeAngelo def. Olga Khanukaeva

Ed Lenoli def. Mike Casill

Julio Arce def. George Derock

Joe Bastone def. Juan Fertita

Mike Miso def. Justin Esperson

Stephan Regman def. Chris Molina: Regional Championship

Pro Bouts:

Mario Cowboy Vaguero vs. Cannon

Deshawn Robertson vs. Terrence Hill

Mike Fischetti def. Luis Ruiz, Jr.:  NY State Muay Thai Championship

Friday night’s Ring of Combat event was another well put together card that once again showed off a little bit of everything.  We saw some close decisions, some submissions, and some TKO’s.  Former world champion, Lou Neglia certainly knows how to put a fight card together and that is why Ring of Combat has become a staple on the East Coast as the premier gateway to the UFC.  Upwards of fifty fighters that have had success at the ROC have gone on to sign with the UFC.  Some of them even make their way back “home” after fighting at the UFC.

The main event saw ROC and UFC vet, Pete “Drago” Sell return to the cage after a two year layoff and take a beating in the first round at the hands of Welterweight Champ, Elijah Harshbarger.  Harshbarger used some quick strikes to set up the takedown and took Sell to the mat.  From there it was all Elijah as he unleashed a vicious ground and pound assault that saw Sell’s eye swollen shut.  Harshbarger showed some great improvement with his grappling as well, transitioning from mount to taking Sell’s back and raining down more punches to close out the round.

This was a very pro Sell crowd and they were stunned.  However, none of them had given up hope that Sell could still win this thing.  Apparently Sell never doubted himself either.  Round 2 was much closer early on and this time Sell was the one that took over the fight.  “Drago” used some great striking to create distance and when the fight spilled to the mat, was able to get into side control.  Sell took Harshbarger’s back this time and then came back to side control where he nearly sunk in a guillotine choke. 

Harshbarger was able to escape the guillotine, but during the scramble, Sell grabbed a hold of Harshbarger’s arm and was able to secure an armbar to get the submission victory and become the new ROC Welterweight Champ.  The crowd was elated as they came to their feet and cheered on their fighter for coming back from the brink of defeat and pulling off a stunning victory over a very impressive Elijah Harshbarger.   Sell showed tremendous heart in the cage Friday night and earned every bit of that victory.  Pete Sell came home Friday night and became a Champion.

Claudio Ledesma showed some great ground work and brilliant defense from his back, but it was not enough to overcome the wrestling and ground and pound from Aljamain Sterling.  This fight was extremely close with the action swinging back and forth like a pendulum.  Both fighters exchanged the advantage and defended the other’s submissions quite well.  Sterling was just a bit more aggressive in there and it earned him the split decision victory and the ROC 135lbs Championship. 

The first of the three title fights saw Sean “Shorty-Rock” Santella get the unanimous decision victory over Tito Jones to retain his ROC 125lbs title.  This was another fairly close contest that saw the two fighters exchange kicks and punches for three rounds.  Jones did an amazing job with his sprawl to avoid Santella’s takedowns.  When Santella did land the takedown, it was a beauty.  Santella scooped Jones up ala Matt Hughes in the first round, carried him across the cage back to his corner, and slammed Jones down with authority. 

That slam set the pace for the rest of the fight and the two continued the back and forth battle.  Jones was able to score points with some great leg kicks and matched Santella’s wrestling nicely.  However, it was just not enough in the judges eyes as the decision victory was given to “Shorty-Rock”.  Santella, the AMA standout, continues his impressive run of victories and I look forward to seeing him back in the cage in the very near future.   

Even the women came to fight Friday night, as they always do, as Tiger Schulman scrapper, Munah Holland continues to impress.  It took Holland only two rounds, but it was a very one sided affair.  Holland dominated Marissa Caldwell from start to finish, peppering Caldwell with strike after strike before landing a great takedown.  Round two saw Holland utilize some brilliant combinations and serving up a beating to Caldwell before the referee stopped the fight and awarded the TKO victory to Munah Holland.  Holland is a force to be reckoned with at the 130 lbs division. 

The fight of the night honors belonged to Gabriel Migliosi and Al Iaquinta.  These two blew the roof off the Tropicana in one of the best fights I have seen in a very long time.  It was an absolute slugfest and these two were fast.  Both warriors stood in the pocket and traded blows to the delight of the capacity crowd.   Round two saw some more great striking, but this time Iaquinta used the strikes to setup a great takedown and even on the ground this fight was closely contested.

After the slugfest in round two, the third round may have been the closest of the three.  Iaquinta scored with two big takedowns and utilized his ground and pound.  Migliosi scored with a takedown of his own, setup by a stunning superman punch.  After three brilliantly and closely contested rounds, the fight went to the judges score cards.  It was a split decision victory in favor of Al Iaquinta.  Both fighters received a standing ovation and rightfully deserved.  You can check the fight out at Go Fight Live's website in case you missed itor want to see it again.

So another spectacular night of fights is in the books and ROC 36 lived up to the hype.  The cards keep getting better and better as the year goes on.  You will not want to miss ROC 37 this September as Mike Stewart and Tom DeBlass will fight for the Light Heavyweight Championship in what should be another blockbuster card.

Preliminary Fights (2 Four Minute Rounds plus 1 Four Minute Round in the event of a tie)

1
145
Alex Bruzzese vs. Thomas English
English wins majority decision.

2
145
Jimbo Hoffman vs. Mike Benoit
Hoffman 145.5. Benoit. 144.25
Hoffman wins via rear naked choke at 3:19 of round one.

3
155
Andre Shuler vs. Frankie Perez
Shuler 154. Perez. 155
Perez wins via rear naked choke at 2:32 of round one.

Main Card (3 Four Minute Rounds)

4
155
Brian Smiley vs. Mike Prokop
Smiley 156. Prokop. 154
Ref Oliver
Prokop wins via standing front choke at 0:26 of round one.

5
205
David Colabella vs. Keith Berish
Colabella 206. Berish. 202
Berish wins via TKO referee stoppage due to unanswered punches at 1:04 of round one.

6
240
J.A. Dudley vs. Ed Gordon
Dudley. 239. Gordon. 225
Gordon wins unanimous decision.

7
146
James Jenkins vs. Jason McLean
Jenkins. 147. McLean. 145
Jenkins wins unanimous decision.

8
190
Brandon Saling vs.Casey Gonzalez Manrique (103-392)

Sailing 188. Gonzalez. 189.25
Manrique wins via rear naked choke at 1:30 of round two.

9
170
Erik Oganov vs. Whitney Francois
Oganov. 171 Francois. 169.5
Oganov wins via armbar at 1:32 of round one.

10
130
Marissa Caldwell vs. Munah Holland
Caldwell. 129.5 Holland 130.75
Holland wins via TKO referee stoppage due to unanswered punches at 1:00 of round two.

11
205
Rob Wince vs. Ryan Contaldi
Wince. 205. Contaldi. 205.5
Contaldi wins unanimous decision.

12
155
Gabriel Miglioli vs. Al Iaquinta
Miglioli. 154.5. Iaquinta. 155
Iaquinta wins split decision.

Championships (3 Five Minute Rounds plus 1 Five Minute Round in the event of a tie)

13
135
Tito Jones vs. Sean Santella
Jones. 135.5. Santella. 133.5
Santella wins unanimous decision.

14
135
Aljamain Sterling vs. Claudio Ledesma
Sterling 134.5 Ledesma. 134.75
Sterling wins split decision in three rounds 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29 Tamburrino.

15
170
Peter Sell vs.Elijah Harshbarger
Sell 170. Harshbarger 170.5
Sell wins via armbar at 3:24 of round two.

Another Ring of Combat card has come and gone and another Ring of Combat has, once again, outdone the last.  Of the eleven fights on the card, only three went to a decision.  Even those fights were full of action and one of them was also a very close split decision.  All the matchups were very well put together by Lou Neglia, who continues to outdo himself each and every time he and his company put on a show.  My esteemed colleague, “The Garv”, has already posted the complete results so let us relive some of the highlights of the evening.

In the main event of the night, Elijah Harshbarger came all the way from Virginia for this welterweight title fight and his trip paid off.  Harshbarger used several takedowns and some ground and pound to hold worthy opponent, George Sullivan, down for three rounds.  The takedowns were impressive and Harshbarger earned every one of them as Sullivan can more than hold his own out there and taking him down is no easy task. 

Elijah was able to do enough after those takedowns to control the ring and land effective strikes.  Sullivan showed great ring presence and defended several submission attempts, but was unable to mount much offensive despite a tremendous effort.  Harshbarger won a unanimous decision victory and took his belt back to Virginia.

In the first of the two title fights, Pellegrino standout Justin Haskins used his size and strength advantage to take down Tong Dragon’s Liam Kerrigan and keep him there while he found his range and dropped some serious bombs to earn himself a TKO victory and the lightweight title.  Kerrigan came to fight last night though and did not make things easy for the much bigger Haskins.  Kerrigan worked very hard from his back and attempted several submissions.  A great effort from young fighter with a long career ahead of him. 

Haskins just proved to be a little too strong.  Haskins is a big lightweight and we expect him to stick around for a while to defend that belt.  Kerrigan should be sticking around for a while too.  This kid shows tremendous heart each and every time he steps out there.  Expect big things from this guy.  For now, though, it is Haskins time to shine.   Ring of Comabt has a pretty deep lightweight division so Haskins should have some very tough competition in the coming months.

In the night’s “superfight”, we saw a good one.  Then again, when was the last time you Chris “The Story” Liguori in a bad fight?  Right, keep thinking.  Chris Liguori and Mikhail Malyutin put on a great show for the packed house at Tropicana with some intense back and forth action.  The entire fight took place on the feet to the delight of the crowd.  Both fighters landed some heavy leather, but neither could establish dominance.  It seemed Malyutin was getting the better of the striking, but Liguori was effectively countering just about every time.  Liguori also seemed to be the busier of the fighters as well. 

Three intense rounds of trading punches and kicks brought the fans to their feet to show their appreciation.  This fight was razor close and it proved to be a very tough one to score as the judges awarded a hard fought split-decision victory to Malyutin.  Many in the crowd felt that Liguori had won the fight.  A rematch may definitely be in order.  After the first fight, who wouldn’t want to see a second one.  Liguori’s career has been a “storied” one indeed.  Chris can certainly add another chapter to his book of amazing fights after Friday night.

Uriah Hall made a successful return to the Ring of Combat picking up a very tough KO victory over a game Aung La N Sang.  Aung, the Crazy 88 BJJ standout came to fight Friday night. I am sure there very few people that gave Sang much of a chance considering his opponent, but Sang put on a hell of a show and took the fight into the third round against the baffled Hall.  Hall was no doubt ahead on all score cards going into the third round, but nobody expected it to go this long.  Hall realized this and landed a straight punch that dropped Sang and may have knocked him out briefly.  Referee Dan Miragliotta stepped in the check Sang and promptly called a stop to the action.  Hall gets back in the win column with a brutal TKO victory.

We saw several submission victories Friday night as well.  However, none were as appropriate and as stunning as the one pulled off by Ricardo Almeida BJJ Black Belt, Tom DeBlass.  DeBlass had his toughest opponent to date as he squared off against UFC vet, Sean Salmon.  No doubt Tom wanted to make this the best fight of his young MMA career.  What actually happened was possibly even better.   Salmon came out swinging and landed some heavy shots that tested DeBlass’ chin.  His chin passed and DeBlass showed no signs of being concerned.

Salmon decided to use these strikes as a setup for a takedown.  Sean was able to secure the takedown, but put himself right smack in the center of the Lion’s den.  DeBlass is most comfortable on the ground and he proved why as he immediately went for submission after submission and finally transitioned to a figure four ankle lock that put a look of shear pain on Salmon’s face and DeBlass got the tapout victory.  DeBlass did all this in a mere 57 seconds.  The win earned Tom the fastest finish of the night.  This was a more than impressive performance after a very trying week for DeBlass.   Expect some big things from this guy.

So another stellar night of fights is in the books and we can all eagerly anticipate the next show from Lou Neglia and his Ring of Combat.  Lou and his staff put together a fantastic show every time and never disappoint.   Ring of Combat is a fixture here in New Jersey and has more than proved to be a breeding ground for future UFC fighters as somewhere around 50 fighters have graduated from the ranks of Ring of Combat to move up to the big show.  Keep watching, folks.  You never know who will be next to get the call.

Our own, Kevin Wuchter, from Final Round Photography was on hand with his trusty camera and got some amazing photos for us.

Here are the official results:

1
145 plus one
Anthony Facchini (101-886) vs. Mike Benoit (107-703) 
Facchini. 145.25. Benoit. 144
Ref Peterson 
Judge Rodriguez, Tamburrino and Krawiec 
Facchini wins via guillotine at 3:04 of round one.

2
145 plus 1
Brian Smiley (100-767) vs. Donnie DiFilippis (120-805)
Smiley 149.5. DiFilippis. 145
Smiley fined $350 weight penalty and paid to DiFilippis 
Ref Oliver 
Judge Krawiec, Rodriguez and Tamburrino 
DiFilippis wins via rear naked choke at 1:52 of round one.

3
150 catch 
Mike Prokop (103-005) vs. Tom English (104-958) 
Prokop. 150. English. 150
Ref Oliver 
Judge Bittencourt, Tamburrino and Krawiec 
Prokop wins unanimous decision in three rounds, all three judges 29-28.

4
135 plus one
Claudio Ledesma (103-287) vs. Michael LaDuke (107-028) 
Ledesma 135. LaDuke 133.5
Ref Peterson 
Judge Tamburrino, Rodriguez and Krawiec 
Ledesma wins via rear naked choke at 3:17 of round two.

5
245 catch
J.A. Dudley (100-252) vs. Joe Abouata (105-588) 
Dudley 238. Abouata 233
Ref Miragliotta 
Judge Rodriguez, Krawiec and Bittencourt 
Dudley wins unanimous decision in three rounds, all three judges 29-28.

6
205 plus one
Tom DeBlass (106-968) vs. Sean Salmon (101-543) 
DeBlass. 204. Salmon. 202.75 
Ref Miragliotta 
Judges Tamburrino, Rodriguez and Agustin
DeBlass wins via tap due to figure four ankle lock at 0:57 of round one.

7
145 plus one
Evan Chmielski (103-582) vs. Ryan Vaccaro (103-092) 
Chmielski. 145. Vaccaro. 146
Ref Oliver 
Judge Bittencourt, Agustin and Rodriguez 
Chmielski wins via TKO referee stoppage at 3:35 of round two.

8
185 plus 1
Aung La N Sang (118-847) vs. Uriah Hall (107-859)
Ref Miragliotta 
La N Sang 185. Hall. 184.75
Judges Krawiec, Agustin and Bittencourt 
Hall wins via KO at 1:44 of round three.

9
Title 
155 plus one
Liam Kerrigan (101-642) vs. Justin Haskins (103-055) 
Kerrigan 154. Haskins. 156
Ref Miragliotta 
Judge Bittencourt, Krawiec and Rodriguez 
Haskins wins via TKO referee stoppage at 3:52 of round one.

10
Title
155 plus one
Mikhail Malyutin (103-675) vs. Chris Liguori (105-585) 
Malyutin 155. Liguori. 155.5
Ref Peterson 
Judge Bittencourt, Rodriguez and Tamburrino 
Malyutin wins split decision three rounds 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29 Rodriguez.

11
Title 
170 plus one 
Elijah Harshbarger (111-601) vs. George Sullivan (105-669) 
Harshbarger 170 Sullivan 169.5
Ref Miragliotta 
Judge Krawiec, Bittencourt and Tamburrino 
Harshbarger wins unanimous decision three rounds