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Titans of the Cage #7 (12.14.13)

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Titans of the Cage #7 held at Hillsville VFW Post
By: TOC Staff writer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Saturday, December 14th, Titans of the Cage was held at the VFW Post in Hillsville, VA. Despite the foggy conditions and iced over Fancy Gap mountain, local fans filled the VFW post for an evening of hard hitting, fast paced mixed martial arts action. The events special guest ring announcer was Rick Caruso of Mountaineer MMA in Princeton, WV. Lindsey Smith (wife of Dee Smith of Absoloute Jiu-Jitsu) got the evening underway with the singing of the national anthem.

First up, on the undercard was James Settle (Absolute) defeating Shayne Hayden (Decimation) by TKO/Ref stoppage, after he landed a big punch early in round one. Next it was Jeff “Slim Jim” Wright (SWMA) picking up his first win inside the cage as he defeated Josh “the spider” Cox (Reaper MMA) by way of a round one triangle choke. The following fight saw heavyweight Tyler Cardwell (SWMA) stop Robert Spence (Reaper MMA) late in the first round by referee stoppage due to strikes.

The next bout saw Troy “the big bad” Wolfe (Absolute) earn his first win inside the cage, defeating Gary Brown in a light weight match-up, ending the fight in the first round by guillotine choke. Next up was a featherweight match-up between Sam “bam bam” Baker (Mountaineer MMA) and Randy Ferrill (Team Jorge Gurgel), with Ferrill scoring the win by way of rear naked choke late in round one. This was followed by a 175 lb. catch weight bout that saw Johnse “kryptonite” Hatfield (SWMA) earn his second win over James Loftis of Abingdon, winning by a first round guillotine choke and pushing his record to 2-0.

Next it was a female bantam weight match featuring Tiffani “farm-all” Underwood (SWMA) who defeated Lisa Blevins in a dominant performance, softening her opponent up with ground and pound, then applying an arm bar mid-way through the 1st round to earn herself another win inside the cage and run her current fight record to 3-0.
Next up it was bantam weights, as Brandon “conflicted affair” Creed (Tiger Phoenix) defeated Coy “Country Boy” Morrision in a back and forth, crowd pleasing fight that didn’t end until the 3rd round when Creed was able to secure back mount on Morrison and applied a deep rear naked choke. The two men earned the TOC “fight of the night” runner-up award for their efforts. In the evenings next bout it was light heavy weights, as Dakota McGinn (SWMA) stopped Scott Collins (Team Psycho) in round one, by referee stoppage, due to strikes.

In the first of three title bouts, it was TOC feather weight champion, Jesse “the sponge” Hamm (PRO-HEALTH) facing challenger Gil Goncalves (Team Brutal) with the belt on the line. The first round seen both fighters exchange kicks and punches in a very technical feeling out process, with both fighters showing very good fighting skills. It was in round two when the champion Hamm was able to land a big standing knee to the head of the challenger that spelled the difference in the fight and Jesse Hamm retained his feather weight title against a very strong challenge from Gil Goncalves. Next was a 160 lb. catchweight bout with Logan Griffin (Absolute) defeating the always tough Ayron “the hurricane” Davis (Decimation) late in round one when he applied a beautiful kimura, which earned Griffin the TOC “submission of the night” award.

Next it was a 165 lb. catch weigh bout that saw TOC lightweight champion, Micah “the original” Sheffey (SWMA) stop Randy “Rambo” Gibson (Mercenary) after landing a huge knee to Gibson’s head in the evenings quickest finish at 0:15 seconds of round one. Then in the evenings co-main event it was TOC women’s bantam weight champion, Charity Walker (PRO-Health), putting her title on the line against Lutts, TN fighter, Danielle Alexander (Team last man standing). This was a crowd pleasing fight that saw each fighter land significant punches and kicks on each other. At the end of round two, Walker landed a big punch that put Alexander down (maybe out) as the horn sounded to end the second round. Alexander, like a true warrior was able to come off the stool for round #3 and continued to fight hard, pressing forward against the champion for the biggest part of the fight. In the end, after five grueling rounds, it was Walker retaining her title by way of judges split decision, in a fight that earned the TOC “fight of the night” award.

In the second half of the main event, it was big Gage Stanley (Absolute) facing off with Roanoke based fighter Brian Maxwell (Team fight to live) for the vacant light heavy weight championship belt. As the match got underway each fighter exchanged then clinched. From the standing clinch Maxwell landed a couple short punches to the forehead of Stanley, but Stanley then exerted himself and completed a takedown on Maxwell and soon thereafter he worked his way to the mounted position. From there, Stanley began to rain down hard punches. In an attempt to avoid taking the punches directly in the face, Maxwell turned his head at the same time Stanley was throwing punches, causing him self to absorb the punches on the back of the head. After a couple of times of this happening, Maxwell again turned his head simultaneous to Stanley’s incoming punches, causing the referee to call an official time-out to issue a formal warning about strikes to the back of the head. Due to the strikes being unintentional, the referee did not deduct a point, but because of fighter safety standards, the referee felt the need to break the fighters and issue a formal warning. Once the referee called the official time out, Maxwell held the back of his head and seemed disoriented, prompting the ringside doctor to step in to evaluate his ability to continue. After the standard 5 minute time allotment following an accidental foul, the ringside doctor called a halt to the bout because Maxwell had indicated that his vision was blurred and the bout was declared a no contest.

It was an unfortunate ending to the much anticipated title bout, but both men indicated afterwards that they would be willing to rematch and settle the matter at TOC #8 in April. Gage Stanley remains undefeated with a record of 7-0, while Maxwell is the current title holder in another promotion within the Danville area.

The event benefited the local VFW Post in Hillsville, VA, along with the Wounded Warrior project, a non-profit organization. Ring card girls for the event were Jessica Lynn Sexton, Melynda Lester and Rayanne Harl.

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News – TOC #5 Update

From:  TOC FIGHT HEADQUARTERS

If you haven’t heard, Titans of the Cage #5 is returning to George Wythe High School in Wytheville, VA on SATURDAY, APRIL 13TH!  This is the best card to date and will feature 3 TOC Title bouts!  The main event of the evening will be a title bout between Tony “TR” Fowler and Lloyd Phillips.  The card is STACKED with more than 15 hard hitting, action packed MMA Bouts!

To stay informed and interact with everyone and everything at Team TOC, please like us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TOCFIGHTS

You can join the TOC5 Event on facebook and let everyone know that you will be at the event to witness TOC 5 – The STRONG Survive!   Be sure to invite your facebook friends because they WILL NOT want to miss this one!  https://www.facebook.com/events/145079202313769

TOC 5 OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN EVENT (Friday 4.12.13)- Hosted by Black Bear Harley-Davidson of Wytheville, VA

We invite all TOC Fight Fans to join us on Friday, April 12th from 6-8 pm for our Official Weigh-Ins at Black Bear Harley-Davidson in Wytheville.  Stop by to meet your favorite TOC Fighters and Ring Girls. This is the last stop before our TOC Warriors battle in the Octagon on Saturday!

Join the TOC Official Weigh-In Event on facebook to accept this invitation from TOC Fight Promotions!  Be sure to invite all your facebook friends, too!

https://www.facebook.com/events/219631854846960

Tappin’ Out for Now…

Team TOC


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GWHS Seniors to Showcase MMA Fighting Skills

THE YOUNGER GENERATION OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

GWHS Seniors to Showcase MMA Fighting Skills

 This Saturday, October 22nd, two George Wythe High School seniors will enter the cage to test their fighting skills during Titans of the Cage III.

 Doug Williams and McKensey Heath are not only classmates, but they also share a close friendship that dates all the way back to their early elementary school years.

 These young men are “Cage Fighters” and the younger competitors of Mixed Martial Arts.  They can be found training four days a week at Southwest Martial Arts Academy, where they are members of Team SWMA.  While Williams and Heath share a passion for Mixed Martial Arts, they also share a tremendous work ethic and a passion for excellence.

Doug Williams serves as President of the GWHS senior class and ironically, Heath is the Vice-President.  Williams was recently crowned Homecoming King this past weekend during half-time of the GWHS and Chilhowie homecoming game.  

McKensey Heath currently has a 4.2 grade average and Williams a 4.0 grade average after the first six- weeks grading period.  Upon graduation, both young men will become United States Marines. 

In addition to excelling academically, the two young men share a great passion for the martial arts and both train together at Southwest Martial Arts Academy, in Wytheville.  Heath holds the rank of black belt in Tang Soo Do karate under Master Kimberly Ring and is currently an advanced level brown belt in Combat Jiu-Jitsu under 3rd degree black belt, Sensei Greg Ring. 

Williams also started studying karate as a youngster and earned his first two belts, but later became more involved in wrestling, which he has practiced for nearly 10 years.   He returned to Southwest Martial Arts upon entering high school where he has studied Jiu-Jitsu under Sensei Greg Ring. Williams will be testing for the rank of blue belt shortly after the upcoming cage fighting event.

Both Heath and Williams will put their martial arts skills to the test this Saturday night at Titans of the Cage III.  Heath, who is undefeated with a 2-0 record, will face Joseph Shearin of Henderson, NC.  Shearin is considered to be the most experienced young fighter in the Eastern United States.  Joseph Shearin, at age 18, has already had 14 fights inside the cage.   Williams who is 1-1 will face Aaron Davis, 1-1, of Wytheville.  Williams and Davis have been wrestling teammates for the past 4 years.

The two young men would like to invite the whole community to come out and learn more about the sport of Mixed Martial Arts, which according to Kimberly Ring, is often misunderstood.  Ms. Ring states, “There is often a misconception of MMA as being something violent.  MMA is definitely an extreme sport.  Few athletes would be able to endure the intensive training necessary to compete at this level.”  Ring continues, “These young men both set a strong and positive example for MMA.  I have little doubt the work ethic required of them in the gym has also been a huge factor in their academic successes.  Those witnessing their skills during TOC III will see confident and highly determined fighters.  Yet, every Thursday evening you will find them praising and encouraging a pre-school Jiu-Jitsu student at Southwest Martial Arts Academy, or helping a struggling student with their homework after school.”

The community is invited to support our local Mixed Martial Artist competing in Titans of the Cage III on Saturday, October 22nd at George Wythe High School, Wytheville, VA.  For more information please visit www.titansofthecage.com or call 276-405-1566.

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TOC III in the NEWS!

TITANS OF THE CAGE III RETURNS TO WYTHEVILLE

On Saturday, October 22nd, local mixed martial arts fighters will test their fighting skills at Titans of the Cage III.  The event returns to George Wythe High School, where it held its first ever mixed martial arts cage fighting event on September 11, 2010.

The event will once again feature some of the areas most highly skilled fighters who will put their talents on display inside the cage, hoping to position themselves at the top of their respective weight classes and earn themselves an opportunity for a future title fight. 

Titans of the Cage III expects to see the overall talent level of its fighters continue to rise, now that it has already held two successful shows and has established itself as being a fully sanctioned event that is not only promoted locally,  but also promoted by the Global Combat Alliance, who also sanctioned the first two TOC events. 

With several local fighters stepping inside the cage looking to showcase their MMA fighting skills and prove they are a top competitor in their weight class, the theme for the event seems to fit very well.  Fans attending Titans of the cage #3 “Quest for the Best” can expect to see local fighters, as well as fighters from other areas of Virginia and from surrounding states. 

Included in the local talent will be several local fighters as well as fighters from surrounding areas.  Some of the teams and schools that will be represented include; Southwest Martial Arts Academy (Team SWMA) of Wytheville, VA,  Mt. Airy Combat & Fitness of Mt. Airy, NC,  Top Notch Fight Team of Indian Trail, NC,  Team Mannon of Christiansburg, VA,  Team Advantage of Bluefield, WV,  Tech MMA of Christiansburg, VA, Team No-Limit of Henderson, NC and Team Iron Lock of Big Stone Gap, VA,  plus more.

In one of the evenings featured bouts, Team SWMA fighter and two-time National Jiu-Jitsu champion, McKensey Heath will bring an undefeated 2-0 record into the cage to face Henderson, NC fighter, Joseph Shearin.  With 13 official MMA bouts behind him, Shearin is by far the most experienced young fighter in the Eastern Region of the U.S.  With an MMA record of 9-4, the 18 year old Shearin already holds two title belts in other fighting promotions.  In what many people consider to be a battle between the top two young fighters in the Eastern region, Shearin and Heath will finally meet inside the cage to in a long awaited and much anticipated battle of young, sensational fighting talents.

Heath’s Jiu-Jitsu Instructor and Team SWMA Head Coach, Sensei Greg Ring stated; “This match-up has been in the making for quite some time now.  Joe Shearin is a young man that has taken on all comers and is coming off of two big wins, including a dominant performance in TOC #2 where he stopped Team Ironlock fighter Mark Jones who came in undefeated with a 3-0 record.  He is by far the most experienced MMA fighter his age, but McKensey is training hard and welcomes the challenge and is thankful for the opportunity to finally face Joe inside the cage at TOC #3.”

Titans of the Cage III will also showcase a female MMA bout as part of the evenings fight card.  The bout will feature  19 year old, Charity Walker making her MMA debut inside the cage.  Walker, of Pilot Mtn, NC, will face Taylor Miller of Knoxville, TN.  Miller won an exciting three round decision against now professional fighter, Ashley Nee at TOC #1, also held at George Wythe, H.S. last September.

Local fight fans can expect plenty of exciting, hard hitting mixed martial arts action at Titans of the Cage III, October 22, at George Wythe H.S. in Wytheville, VA.   Doors open at 5:30 P.M. and fights start promptly at 7:00 P.M.  Concessions will be provided by the George Wythe H.S. band boosters.  

The Titans of the Cage mission for its events is to place top priority on fighter safety and hold events that focus on “the martial arts” element of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighting.  Fighters, as well as coaches and fans who attend TOC events are expected to conduct themselves in a respectful manner which would be pleasing to the martial arts. 

Get updated information by joining Titans of the Cage on facebook.  For ticket and other information, please visit: www.titansofthecage.com or call (276) 405-1566.

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Titans of the Cage II

Titans of the Cage #2 is tenatively planned for April 2nd, 2011!  We will announce the OFFICIAL DATE for the event as soon as the venue is secured.
 
We are requesting that all fighters interested in being on the TOC #2 card for March, please visit the website at : www.titansofthecage.com
and click on FIGHTERS REGISTRATION and submit your official registration information ASAP!!
 
Our registration form has some slight changes so we are requiring that ALL FIGHTERS submit their registration info, even if they fought in the first event you still need to submit a new fighters resistration.
 
The sooner we receive your registration information the better chance our match-makers will have of finding you a suitable opponent.
 
Please feel free to forward this email to your coaches, instructors, teammates or other individuals that might be interested in fighting in this event. 
 
Please let us hear from you and we will look for your new registration to come in soon.
 
Thanks,
 
TOC Promotions