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WYTHEVILLE MEETING CENTER TO HOST TITANS OF THE CAGE MMA NOV.6th

Titans of the Cage will hold its 30th MMA event on November 6th at the Wytheville Meeting Center.  Five (5) championship belts will be up for grabs at this event, with over 20 hard hitting MMA bouts lined up.  The event is overseen by the Virginia DPOR and sanctioned by United Combat Arts.

Many Wytheville based fighters will be competing on this card, including Ring-Combat Sports fighter, Micah “the original” Sheffey who will be taking on former Titans of the cage featherweight champion, Dylan Smith of Elite Grappling in Lebanon, VA.  Not only will this be the main event, but it will be for the Titans of the Cage lightweight championship.   Sheffey has had over 20 fights inside the cage and is the former TOC lightweight champ and makes his return to the cage to try to reclaim the title against a very tough Smith. In the co-main event of the evening the vacant TOC featherweight title will be up for grabs when Dallas Manspile of Roanoke, VA takes on Josh Lilley of Beaufort, SC.

One of the many Wytheville based fighters will be Ring-Combat Sports Austin Sayers who will face Angel Rigney for the TOC Youth 145 lb. championship title.  Rigney is the current champion and fights out of Roanoke, VA.  Other title fights include two Roanoke based fighters butting heads when Chris Hamlett faces Nick Fisher for the interim Cruiserweight title, with the winner having a chance to face current cruiserweight champion, C.J. Burleson.  Brandon Holloway of Greensboro, NC, will battle Jonathan Freeman, of Winston-Salem, NC, for the vacant bantamweight title.  In a big “super fight” battle it will be Wyatt Joyce of Asheboro, NC martial arts academy taking on Kyle Johnson of team Round 30 out of Roanoke.

Ring-Combat Sports gym of Wytheville is a gym that trains both professional and amateur MMA fighters and has become known as one of the most active MMA gyms in the state and has put fighters inside the cage for over 500 bouts.  They once again have several fighters represented with the following fighters on the card; Pedro Jimenez Vasquez (RCS) vs. Curtis Davis (Wytheville), Luke Kincer (RCS) vs. Josh Cook (Halifax), Chris Spencer (RCS) vs. Jon Dalton (Roanoke), Shalee Spencer (RCS) vs. Desiree Simpkins (Myrtle Beach, SC), Bobby “the bland county bad boy” Collins (RCS) vs. John Coalson (Wytheville), Trevor Carter (RCS) vs. Lance Tate (Bluefield, WV), Kyle Frankenfield (RCS) vs. Devan Hancock (Wytheville), Jordan Cizl (RCS) vs. Mike Salazar (Roanoke), Tyler Mills (RCS) vs. Hunter Anderson (RCS), Alijah Webb (RCS) vs. Justice Cizl (RCS) and Savanna Smith (RCS) vs. Brianna Hancock (Wytheville).

Still other great fighters will be in action in the following bouts;  Gavin Thomas (Denver, NC) vs. Demetri Mebane (Greensboro), Shane McGrew (Hurricane, WV) vs. Dakota Martin (Lacross), Eduardo Castillo (Beaufort, SC) vs. Ryker Powell (Greensboro), Daniel Wilkins (Denver, NC) vs. Matt Justice (Lebanon) and Darren Williams (Winston-Salem) vs. James Anderson (Clover).

The Wytheville meeting center will provide great comfort for all spectators as all seats will be padded banquet room chairs.  There will also be two large projection screens so fans will always have a clear view of the action inside the cage.  Undefeated professional MMA fighter “Razor” Robbie Ring will be in attendance to meet fans and take pictures, so if you have never attended Titans of the Cage, make this your first one.  Titans of the cage recently won “Best of Wythe County 2021” as the top Family Entertainment Venue.  Doors open at the Meeting Center, 333 Community Blvd, Wytheville, VA at 4:00 PM and fights start promptly at 5:00 PM.  Tickets are available online at www.titansofthecage.com , at Ring-Combat Sports (2190 W. Ridge Rd. in Wytheville) or at the door.  Please follow Titans of the Cage on Facebook or visit the website to keep up with all the latest MMA action.


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Sat. March 14th WYTHEVILLE MEETING CENTER TO HOST STATES TOP MMA FIGHTERS

Wytheville fighter Robbie Ring hopes to win MMA state championship in his hometown

Titans of the Cage #29 will be held at the Wytheville meeting center on March 14th and will boast a fight card that will showcase twenty (20) fights inside the cage with ten (10) of those fights being title fights. Three local fighters from Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville will headline one of the best fight cards this area has ever seen.  The event is overseen by the Virginia DPOR and sanctioned by United Combat Arts.

Wytheville’s own, Robbie Ring will attempt to bring home his third championship belt.  The 19 year old Ring, who trains out of Ring-Combat sports in Wytheville, is currently ranked as the #2 fighter in both Virginia and Tennessee with an official record of 6-0.  He will face a top notch competitor in Randall Austin Jr. out of Team Ox in Johnson City, TN in the main event of the evening.  In addition to being an outstanding MMA competitor, Austin has excelled in K-1 kickboxing contests throughout the state of TN.  This fight will be for the United Combat Arts featherweight VA State Championship belt.

In the co-main event of the evening, Ring’s teammate Tyler “Ace” Cardwell will put his TOC light heavyweight belt on the line against Lee Poke of Cleveland, TN.  Cardwell is currently ranked as the #3 light heavyweight in VA. 

TOC cruiserweight champ, C.J. Burleson who also trains out of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville will put his belt on the line against the heavy handed Nicholas Fisher out of Roanoke.  Burleson is currently ranked as the #4 fighter in VA in his weight division and this will be his third defense of his title.

Other notable title fights include; Josh Cook of Halifax who will challenge current TOC featherweight champ, Dylan Smith of Elite grappling in Lebanon.  Evan Lineberry of Hillsville will face Adrian Guijoza of Greensboro for the vacant TOC bantamweight belt.  Dylan Williams, of Hickory, North Carolina will take on interim flyweight champ Will Spann III of Myrtle Beach.  The TOC welterweight title will be up for grabs when Austin Cox of Elite grappling in Lebanon does battle with Brandon Williams of Team Phoenix in Greensboro.  Both Williams and Cox are former champions in this division. 

Two dynamic fighters will clash for the vacant lightweight title when Ferdinand Goke of Greensboro, NC faces Josh Lilley of Beaufort, SC.  Current TOC Middleweight Champ, Zion Tomlinson of Team Legion in Roanoke will defend his title against Jordan Heath of Beaufort MMA in South Carolina. And finally, the 195 pound TOC kickboxing title will be on the line when challenger Andre Williams of Beckley, WV faces current champ, Antwon Curtis of Roanoke.

Other exciting bouts scheduled for the undercard are as follows; Manuel Thurman of Cleveland, TN will face Matt Porter of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville in heavyweight action.  In flyweight action it will be Zach Bobbitt of Chase City taking on Logan Hurley of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville and Ryan Arnold of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville takes on Devon Shewey of Bland in lightweight action.

Still other bouts include; 140 lbs. women’s kickboxing bout Allison Hibbard (Fort Mill, SC) vs. Hailey Harkey (Vale, NC), 145 lbs. Tyler Gilger (Beckley, WV) vs. Clay Bucci (Greensboro, NC), 215 lbs. Curtis Elser (Graysville, TN) vs. Chris Hamlett (Radford), 155 lbs, Kenny Gatlin (Greensboro, NC) vs. Tango Rogers (Princeton, WV) and 155 lbs. Logan Atkins (Myrtle Beach, SC) vs. Brandon Holloway (Greensboro, NC).

Two special youth grappling bouts will feature Tayden Taylor, son of Kyle and Amy Taylor taking on Bryton Viars, son of Chris and Kayla Viars.  Both Tayden and Bryton are students at Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville.  Four year olds will show off their grappling skills when Avery Reeves, granddaughter of Ron and Jen Reeves takes on Mason Holston, son of Chad and Amanda Holston.

The Wytheville meeting center will provide great comfort for all spectators as all seats will be padded banquet room chairs.  There will also be two large projection screens so fans will always have a clear view of the action inside the cage.   Doors open at the Meeting Center, 333 Community Blvd, Wytheville, VA at 5:00 PM and fights start promptly at 6:00 PM.  Tickets are available online at www.titansofthecage.com , at Ring-Combat Sports (213 W. Main St. in Wytheville) or at the door. 

Please follow Titans of the Cage on Facebook or visit the website to keep up with all the latest MMA action.

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LOCAL FIGHTERS HEADLINE TITANS OF THE CAGE #28 AT THE APEX CENTER

Titans of the Cage #28 returns to the Appalachian Apex Center on Saturday, September 21st with a stacked fight card, filled with many local and regional fighters.  The card will feature eight (8) title fights with championship belts on the line.  The event is overseen by the Virginia DPOR and sanctioned by United Combat Arts.

Two undefeated Wytheville based fighters, Tyler “Ace” Cardwell and “Razor” Robbie Ring will headline the card in the Main and Co-Main events.  In the main event it will be champion vs champion as Tyler Cardwell puts his light heavyweight belt on the line against the current TOC Super Cruiserweight kickboxing champion, Antwon Curtis in a MMA championship bout slated for (5) x 3 minute rounds.  Cardwell is a member of Team SWMA and trains out of Ring-Combat Sports located on Main St. in Wytheville.  Curtis fights out of Modern Gladiators in Roanoke.  Both of these fighters bring great skill sets to the cage in this much anticipated match-up.

Local fighting champion, “Razor” Robbie Ring puts his bantamweight belt on the line once again as he will face undefeated fighter, Adrian Guijoza.  Ring. Who is a graduate of George Wythe H.S. and currently enrolled in the criminal justice program at WCC, aslo represents Team SWMA and fights out of Ring-Combat Sports and is coming off of a 1st round rear naked choke victory in his last fight in Johnson City, TN.  Guijoza trains out of Team Rock Bottom located in Martinsville.

TOC lightweight champ, K.C. Cockran of Hybrid martial arts in Roanoke, puts his title on the line against challenger Josh Lilley out of Beaufort, SC.   The women’s flyweight belt will be on the line when two former champions in this division hook up to see who can bring the gold home.  Tasha Hewitt fights out of Marietta, OH and she will face “Machine Gun” Kathy Hatfield out of Advantage martial arts in Princeton, WV.  This one is sure to be exciting and high paced.

Local up and coming fighter Jacob Catron gets his number called to step in on late notice to face current featherweight champion, Dylan Smith who puts his featherweight belt on the line.  Catron comes off of an impressive win in his last outing and now faces his biggest challenge to date in champion, Dylan Smith out of Elite Grappling in Lebanon.  In what could be a fight of the night candidate, Kaine Tomlinson Jr. of Team Legion in Roanoke will challenge TOC welterweight champ, Jacob Lamb of Team Phoenix out of Greensboro, NC.

Two Junior Expo title belts will be on the line, as local youth athletes showcase their skills inside the TOC cage.  Abi Long will face Laci Dixon in a youth kickboxing bout.  Both young ladies train out of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville and both are freshmen in high school.  Abi attends George Wythe H.S. while Laci attends Fort Chiswell H.S.   Also, for the Youth modified MMA expo belt, it will be Angel Rigney of Roanoke, VA doing battle with Nathanael Dalton who attends middle school in Carroll County.

In another much anticipated match-up it will be two TOC hall of famers going head to head inside the cage as Micah “the original” Sheffey makes his long awaited return to the cage to face the always entertaining Josh “the great dane” Cook.  Cook has switched up teams and now trains out of Team ROC in Eden, NC and comes off of a unanimous decision win just 4 weeks ago in Norfolk.  Sheffey, a long time Team SWMA member out of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville, has previously held the lightweight title belts for Titans of the cage as well as Caged Combat.  This will feature two of the most experienced amateur fighters in the state with each man having over 20 fights in the cage.  Team SWMA fighter, Zach Simons out of Ring-Combat Sports will be making his MMA debut as he fights veteran TOC competitor William Hale out of Roanoke, while Evan Lineberry of Hillsville will face Will Spann III (Myrtle Beach, SC) in a flyweight top contender bout.

The remainder of the card is full of local and regional athletes; Joy Miller of Ring-Combat sports faces Maygan Emmett of Charleston, WV in a kickboxing bout.  Teammate Tiffani Underwood of Ring-Combat Sports will face veteran fighter Hannah Elswick of Tazewell in a kickboxing bout.  Still other local fighters out of Ring-Combat Sports will test their skills inside the cage as Logan Hurley (Wytheville) faces James Bowman (Saltville) and Jasmine Dudding (Bland) takes on Stevana Shouvley (Roanoke) in MMA action.

More local youth expo bouts will also be a part of this blockbuster fight card with the following youth athletes competing; Emily Foore vs Amelia Dalton (modified MMA), Hailey Collins vs Grace Crowder (modified MMA), Aiden Jackson vs Levi Collins (kickboxing) and Abagail Collins vs Irene Jackson (grappling).

Other exciting MMA bouts on the card will be; Jordan Thornhill (Roanoke) vs Zach Bobbit (Chase City), Sean Mitchell (South Hill) vs Clay Bucci (Greensboro, NC) and Zack Humbertson (Fairmont, WV) vs James Anderson (Halifax).

TOC has a brand new and much improved seating layout that will put all spectators up close and personal to all the action inside the cage.  Doors open at the Apex Center, 290 Ready Mix Rd. Wytheville, VA at 5:00 PM and fights start promptly at 6:00 PM.  Tickets are available online at www.titansofthecage.com , at Ring-Combat Sports (213 W. Main St. in Wytheville) or at the door.  Please follow Titans of the Cage on Facebook or visit the website to keep up with all the latest MMA action.

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MMA FIGHTERS WILL TAKE TO THE CAGE AT GRAYSON HS

Photo 2

Grayson County high school, in Independence will be the site for Titans of the Cage #24 on Saturday, June 9th.  Doors will open at 5:00 P.M. and undercard fights start promptly at 5:45 P.M.   TOC Promotions will be showcasing a fight card that will feature 19 MMA fights inside the octagon, along with four (4) youth grappling bouts.  The event will feature four (4) title bouts along with a much anticipated “super fight” bout.

The main event of the evening will feature current TOC lightweight champ, K.C. Cockran of Hybrid Martial arts in Roanoke, putting his title on the line against TOC veteran and former lightweight champ, Micah “the original” Sheffey of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville. This will be a rematch of an earlier bout which was won by Cockran in an exciting fight.   Grayson County native, Jaylee Long, who also trains at Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville, will take on Cody Prior of Covington in the Co-Main event of the evening.

Other title belts will be on the line as current TOC featherweight champ; Jeromy Mitchell of Advantage martial arts in Princeton, WV will face Nick Beal of Asheboro martial arts in Asheboro, NC.  The current TOC undefeated light heavyweight champ, Tyler Cardwell of Ring-Combat sports in Wytheville, puts his belt on the line against Josh Short of Staunton, while current flyweight champ, Logan Hurley of Ring-Combat sports in Wytheville will put his belt on the line against Jeff Carico of Roanoke.

In a much anticipated “super fight” bout, it will be Ray Ray Holston of Ring-Combat sports in Wytheville facing Eric Rodriguez of Team Phoenix in Greensboro, NC.  Rodriguez plans to turn pro after this fight, while Holston is looking to record his 10th win inside the cage. 

Photo 1
Many other local fighters will also be in action, including some of the best talent in the region.  Some other local fighters include; Danny Edwards, Stacy Dalton, Clay Anders and Mathew Porter, all of Ring-Combat sports in Wytheville.  In a teen expo bout it will be Zachary Perkins taking on his teammate Tanner Sark, both of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville.  Tanner is the son of Greg and Tonya Sark of Fort Chiswell, while Zach is the son of Stacy and Michelle Perkins of Wytheville.

 Other notable fighters on this card are James Dean (Max Meadows), Kyle Davis (Princeton, WV), Kaine Tomlinison Jr. (Roanoke), Alex Troxal (Pennington Gap), Keith Percora (Beckley, WV), Tango Rogers (Princeton, WV), Josh Cook (Halifax), Dee Venable (Martinsville), Evan Lineberry (Hillsville), Tony Booher (Bristol, TN). Will Holtclaw (Norfolk), Jeremia Wills (Greensboro, NC), Justin Shatto (Dublin), Austin Cox (Lebanon), Will Wilson (Roanoke), William Hale (Roanoke), Josh Cloud (Galax), Jared Gravely (Charleston, WV) and Sean Mitchell (Lynchburg).  There will also be four crowd pleasing youth expo bouts featuring seven local competitors along with a competitor from Norfolk, VA.

The event is sponsored by Grayson County athletic department and will benefit the student athletes at Grayson County H.S. 

Ring card girls for the event are Tiffany Barr of Abingdon and Katie Crump of WV. The early weigh-in event will be held on Friday, June 8that the Italian Garden Restaurant on Monroe St. in Wytheville and is free and open to the public starting at 6 P.M.  Fans are urged to come out and meet all the fighters and ring girls and have your picture made with them.  Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.titansofthecage.com .   Advanced tickets can also be purchased at the early weigh-in event or at the door at Grayson County H.S.

 

Photo 1:  KC Cockran (center) of Roanoke will defend his lightweight belt against Micah Sheffey of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville.

Photo 2:  Undefeated Jaylee Long (right) of Ring-Combat Sports in Wytheville will face Cody Prior of Covington in the Co-Main event

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Titans of the Cage holds 20th event at Grayson County H.S.

toc20_1

Titans of the Cage holds 20th event at Grayson County H.S.

Fight teams came all the way from Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, along with fighters from throughout the region to compete on the Titans of the Cage #20 event at Grayson high school in Independence. An excited group of MMA fans filed into the gymnasium for several matches that were greatly anticipated. New champions were crowned as Kyle Johnson of Roanoke defeated Cody Prior of Covington to become the new middleweight champion. Jeromy “pretty boy” Mitchell of Advantage martial arts in Princeton, WV defeated Josh Cook of Halifax fight team to take home the featherweight belt. And in the fight of the night, it was Joey DeSanto of Indiana defeating Chris Pontier of Beckley, WV to become the new TOC welterweight champ. This was a great fight that seen Pontier come out and win the first two rounds and looked as if he was going to cruise on through to take the title home, when Joey DeSanto came out of nowhere in the 3rd round to win by submission when he applied a Kimura forcing Pontier to tap out.

In other notable bouts, Jacob Catron (17) of Team SWMA in Wytheville fought an expo bout with Elijah Caviness (16) of the Backyard Brawlers team from Hillsville. An “expo” bout cannot announce an official winner, but it was a very entertaining back and forth match between the two teenagers. Also, Logan Houston (16), also of Wytheville and a member of Team SWMA put on a kickboxing expo bout with Jordan Caviness (18) of the backyard brawlers team, in an entertaining bout.

Kristy Stafford of Big Stone Gap who trains at Team SWMA in Wytheville scored her first win in a TKO victory over Anne Okes of Princeton, WV. K.C. Cockran of Hybrid MMA in Roanoke defeated Ray Kahler of Halfax fight team to become the #1 contender in the lightweight division and will challenge Micah Sheffey of Team SWMA in Wytheville for Sheffey’s lightweight title. Tasha Hewitt of Marietta, OH defeated Joy Miller of McLeansville, NC to become the top contender in the women’s flyweight division and she will now get a shot to face TOC women’s flyweight champ, Megan Poe of Team Ironlock out of Pennington Gap.

The next event is set for September 16th at the Bland Elementary school where five (5) title fights are scheduled to be held. Visit www.titansofthecage.com or search Titans of the Cage on facebook to keep up with all the latest info from each event.

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TOC 14 Arrives in Bland on Sat 9-19-15


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Here an update from Titans of the Cage.
Titans of the Cage presents TOC 14 on Saturday, September 19th at the Bland Elementary School in Bland, VA.
 
The card is stacked with 15+ MMA Bouts including 4 TOC CHAMPIONSHIP BOUTS.
 
Online Ticket Sales will close Thursday September 17th,  2015.
All remaining tickets will be available at the door prior to the event.
 
TOC FAN FRIDAY will be held on Friday, September 18th at The Bland County Fair Grounds in Bland VA.  The public is invited to join us to meet your favorite TOC FIGHTERS, Ring Girls and the entire TOC STAFF.  The Weigh-In Event is sponsored by the Bland County 4-H and Supper will be available for an $8-10 donation. Make plans now to stop by to enjoy some Great Food, Great Energy and Great People!
 
For tickets and additional event information please visit:  www.titansofthecage.com or follow us on facebook at www.facebook.com/TOCFIGHTS
 
See you at the fights!
TEAM TOC


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Titans of the Cage 13 held in Hillsville, VA

PIC 1 stanley vs burlesonPIC 2 stanley vs burleson

Titans of the cage #13 held in Hillsville

The VFW post in Hillsville was sold out with a house full of excited MMA fans this past Saturday night. The action began as scheduled with the preliminary bouts. In the first match it was the battle of two Marion fighters with Bryan Watson stopping Jarrett Prince by guillotine choke in the first round. Next up was a women’s 120 lb. bout with Carrie “KO” Rogers of Team SWMA in Wytheville defeating Kelly Stout of Nettie, WV in the second round by TKO due to strikes.   David Brewer of Team SWMA of Wytheville defeated Jr. Smith of Wytheville in round one by referee stoppage due to ground and pound. The final preliminary bout saw Marquis Grimes of Indian Trail, NC stop Dustin Davis of Team Decimation in Wytheville by tap out due to strikes.

The opening ceremony included the introduction of all of the fighters into the cage. The national anthem was performed by Kaitlin Ariel Sturgil of Wise. A moment of silence was held to honor the passing of Mr. Don Smith, who was a long time fan and supporter of TOC, a veteran of the Korean War and the father of Absolute Jiu-Jitsu’s head coach, Dee Smith.

The main fight card got underway with Ryan Adams of Dublin defeating Chase Utt of Mount Airy, NC in round one by arm bar. The vacant TOC cruiserweight title was on the line in the next fight of the evening when Keith Goines of Team SWMA in Wytheville squared off to do battle with 6’6” Matthew “stretch” Stirckland of Oak Ridge, TN. The two men traded punches, then about half way through the first round Goines pressed Strickland against the cage and scored a takedown and had established side mount. As soon as Strickland hit the ground it was obvious something was wrong with him as Goines passed up on the opportunity to punch him and looked at the referee.   This brought an unexpected end to the fight as Strickland’s ankle had given way on the take down and his knee was dislocated. Goines was crowned champion due to referee stoppage.

In the quickest fight of the evening it was Tony Warnke of Sparta, NC defeating Joseph Wright of Hillsville by guillotine choke in 0:42 seconds. Isaiah Thompson of Galax defeated a very game Stacy Dalton of Austinville by second round guillotine choke after Dalton had won the first round.   Next up was Danny Huff of Hillsville stopping Austin Chandler of Mount Airy, NC by referee stoppage due to strikes in the second round. John Crews of Nettie, WV and Jeremy Caviness of Hillsville went the distance with Crews winning the unanimous three round decision.   The next fight was also a three round decision with Brandon Eldridge of Princeton, WV defeating Jaywin Wilson of Charlotte, NC.

Next up was a full contact kickboxing bout with 14 year old “Razor” Robbie Ring of Team SWMA of Wytheville defeating 16 year old Doug “Short Order” Cook of Team Backyard Brawlers out of Hillsville.   Ring took control of the bout right from the start landing a barrage of punches and kicks. The 14 year old continued that pace throughout the fight in a dominating performance that earned him the three round unanimous decision. In a featured welterweight bout it was Dillan Goad of Mount Airy, NC stopping Shawn Rivera of Team Advantage out of Princeton, WV in the second round due to triangle choke.

In the co-main event of the evening the men’s bantamweight belt was on the line with challenger Ray Ray Holston of Team SWMA of Wytheville taking on current TOC champ, Brandon “conflicted affair” Creed.   In the end it was Creed retaining his belt by first round triangle choke.

In the Main Event of the evening, the fans were ready for the much anticipated re-match between current TOC light heavyweight champion Gage Stanley of Absolute Jiu-Jitsu in Bristol, TN and C.J. Burleson of the Snake Pit MMA out of Mount Airy, NC. Stanley came into the fight with a 12-0 record with Burleson being the only man that had ever gone the distance with him. The fans had no idea what kind of fight was in store and this one definitely did not disappoint. Burleson, the challenger, came out and established himself quickly, clearly winning the first two rounds and doing some obvious damage to face of the champion.   However, as the third round began, Stanley came roaring back and got himself back into the fight, as his roundhouse kick begin to find its mark on Burleson’s body, repeatedly. Stanley also rocked Burleson in the third round sending him reeling back into the cage fence. The fourth round was another solid round for Stanley and the fight looked to be even heading into the fifth and final round.

The final round began with both men once again standing toe to toe like two modern gladiators, their faces battered and showing the damage from the previous four hard fought rounds. The final round was a barn burner, as Stanley rocked Burleson once again with an overhand right, but Burleson showed his determination and courage by continue to fight and press forward. The final round also appeared to be a very close round. Now all that awaited was the judge’s decision. In the end, Gage Stanley retained his belt by split decision. Two judges had the fight scored 49-48 for Stanley and one judge had it scored 49-48 for Burleson. At the end of the fight it was obvious to everyone in attendance that there were no losers in this fight, only winners and the biggest winners were the fans who just had witnessed one of the best amateur MMA fights ever seen in this entire region.   It would be safe to say that this fight will likely end up being the 2015 amateur MMA fight of the year in the state of VA.

This wrapped up the event on a very strong note, with all the fighters and the fans in attendance leaving emotionally drained.   Ring girls for the event were Jasmine Miller and Keyona Miller, both of Wytheville, along with Maggie Borchrevink of Independence. The next Titans of the Cage event is set for September 19th at the Bland Elementary school in Bland.

Pic #1   :  Pictured left to right:    Gage Stanley (LHW champ) , Marcelo Rodriguez (UCAS referee) and C.J. Burleson

Pic # 2 :  C.J. Burleson (left) and Gage Stanley (right) exchanges punches in the main event