Check out the latest episode of #TheWarRoom (The Best Podcast Since Al Gore Invented The Internet), featuring JRSportBrief, on the #WarRoomSports Podcast Network!
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/war-room-are-legacies-at-stake/id876851099?i=1000370868076&mt=2
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MMA Fighter Kyle Sefcik will be back in The War Room this Thursday, October 24th, to discuss his upcoming bout with Dave Daniecki at Shogun Fights 9, in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, October 26th!
Tune in Thursday, October 24th at 6pm ET to hear our conversation with “K-Sef”! To tune in, go to www.WarRoomSports.com and click the “Listen Live” button…or dial 323-410-0012 to listen LIVE by phone.
In the meantime, join the War Room Sports Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/WarRoomSports and follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/WarRoomSports (@WarRoomSports)!
If you are in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area and are interested in attending Shogun Fights 9 at First Mariner Arena in Baltimore on Saturday, October 24th, to see Kyle and others, go to http://www.shogunfights.com/ for ticket information. You can also visit Kyle’s site http://www.mmaandsport.com/ for details.
Finally, if you own an Android phone or tablet…an I-Phone, I-Pad, or I-Pod, please go to your Google Play Store and/or Apple App Store and download the FREE War Room Sports mobile app! It’s the VERY BEST way to stay up on all of our media content!
Watching Demetrious Johnson’s movement last Saturday against John Moraga reminded me of another fighter. No, the super-fast footwork and in-and-out movement didn’t remind me of the last person to defeat him. No, the wrestling didn’t remind me of Georges St. Pierre. As a matter of fact, he didn’t remind me of anyone in the UFC or mixed martial arts period. My mind wondered to another sport. This sport also tests your skill level of combat as well, but with your hands only. I started to think of a smaller guy with enough superior speed to have his way with his opponents. This boxer always comes with the proper game plan to take his opponent’s game plans away and make them look two classes below. This fighter is Floyd Mayweather Jr.
A lot of people assume that Mayweather would have never made it in mixed martial arts. I believe they aren’t looking at it objectively and assume his “Philly Shell” defense is horrible for a sport where you can get taken down. The proper way to analyze “Money” Mayweather in mixed martial arts is to look at his dedication to his craft from the age of three-years old to the multiple weight class champion that he is today. Floyd never drinks; trains year-round and has mastered a defensive style that is the hardest to master in boxing. Because of this, I think if he would have studied mixed martial arts from the same age and he would have been almost impossible to take down (watch his footwork in the fights with Carlos Baldomir and Robert Guerrero). He also would have had deceptive takedown skills. All one has to do is look at the false assumption of trapping him on the ropes and what he actually does to his opponents when in close quarters on the ropes. Mayweather is almost as good fighting inside; see Ricky Hatton fight, as he is on the outside. It is only through the assumed, but never proven, idea that trapping him can get you the victory when it isn’t that simple. If Floyd Mayweather were an MMA fighter, he would literally be Demetrious Johnson.
The difference between them are the two losses that “Mighty Mouse” has on his record. Both losses to Brad Pickett and Dominick Cruz were a result of Johnson being in too high of a weight class. This was due to not enough fighters being available to create the flyweight division. As soon as this division was created, Johnson has looked Mayweather-esque in his speed, ability to dictate the fight and pick his opponents apart. I truly do not see anyone taking that belt away from him. Same for Mayweather. He gets flack from crowds on having boring fights and like Mayweather, it is mostly the inability of his opponents to form a game plan to counter his effective style. It is never running when you are punching your opponents and moving in when the time calls for it, and this is in both Johnson and Mayweather’s case.
Outside of John Dodson putting a tad more “umpf” in his punch than Shane Mosley in round two of his Mayweather fight, the belt will stay around Johnson’s waist for years to come. “Uncle Creepy” and Benevitez are excellent fighters, but against Johnson they don’t have the speed to cut him off. The only question left is can “Mighty Mouse” Johnson become Mighty “Money” Johnson with their personalities being polar opposites? We all want the good guy to win in the end, but do our wallets agree with us?
An historic Shogun Fights VIII took place on Saturday April 13, 2013 with the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, MD playing host to Maryland’s first sanctioned female bout in MMA history. Promoter John Rallo put on quite a show for those in attendance and War Room Sports captured the action live from Press Row.
The first bout of the evening featured Baltimore representative and Team Ground Control prospect Ratioender Melo against Spencer Strube of Urbana, MD’s Clinch Academy in a 150lb contest to kick things off. Melo struck first with a nearly successful Kimura attempt, but Strube survived the onslaught, took control of the cage with superior wrestling, and finished Melo with a first round Rear Naked Choke.
Fight number two was contested at 170lbs and had Tactical Combat MMA and Chambersburg, PA’s Craig Hight square off against Evolve Academy’s Dameron Kirby of Gaithersburg, MD. This fight would turn out to go the distance, a three round war with Hight’s hand being raised in the end thanks to his striking defense, superior wrestling, and overall command of the cage.
“Adi 5000”
Fight number three, a 145lb bout, met its end not long into round one as Ground Control representative Adi “Adi 5000” Alic finished The Cave MMA and Stafford, VA’s Charles Kessinger with a vicious armbar. Kessinger was visibly injured from the brutal submission, the crowd roaring with approval for the hometown Alic’s victory.
The fourth bout of the evening, another 170lb matchup, featured Crofton BJJ’s Micah Terril taking on Cheron Gregory of Smyrna, DE’s Team Roc. Unfortunately there wasn’t a great deal to report on this fight as Terril ended Gregory’s night early via knockout 4:03 into the very first frame.
Fight number five didn’t take much longer and by this point it was clear that the Baltimore faithful were receiving their money’s worth and then some. Dan Chacon, representing Beta Academy of Washington, DC survived a spirited stand up effort early to defeat Berlin, MD’s OC Fight Club 145lb fighter Rubin Martinez via Triangle Choke in a hotly contested 145lb matchup.
Fight number six saw Dave Daniecki, another Ground Control standout receive a unanimous decision nod 
over Williamsport, PA and Team Vicious MMA export Lewis Rumsey in a three round, 205lb battle. Daniecki immediately took control with a takedown and Americana attempt early, spending the majority of the round raining down punches from Rumsey’s half-guard. This would indeed prove the “tale of the tape” for the duration of the bout, with Daniecki securing another victory for the Ground Control crew.
The seventh bout of the evening, a 125lb affair, would prove to be the shortest in duration of the evening. Greg Saumenig of Infinity MMA and Ocean City, MD took out Glen Burnie, MD and Practical MMA product Nelson Moody just 1:07 into the very first round with an impressive guillotine choke stoppage.
Fight number eight was a 135lb showdown which pit Umaer Haq, representing Mikido MMA out of Bailey’s Crossroads, VA against the likes of Rob Sullivan, a Team Balance fighter and hometown guy from Baltimore, MD. Haq would control the bout with a potent mix of punches and elbows on the feet, and technical grappling to secure the unanimous decision victory.
Christian Leonard
Fight number nine, a 155lb bout saw Conquest BJJ and Crofton, MD’s Nate Grebb square off against Tech Top Team’s Christian Leonard who made the trip up from Christiansburg, VA. This bout was fast-paced action from start to finish. Leonard was dominant standing, but took things to the ground and claiming victory with a well executed guillotine choke victory.
Fight ten was history in the making as Evolve Academy and 
Gaithersburg, MD product Rosanna Garcia took on Culpepper, VA and Zamora Boxing’s Gabby Holloway in a 135lb contest that was the first sanctioned women’s bout in MMA history in the state of Maryland. In a fashion much like that during bout that took place between the two as amateurs a few years back, Holloway put her wrestling pedigree to work taking a decision victory.
The 155lb Shogun Fights VIII Main Event saw yet another Team Ground Control prospect in 
Dan Root make quick work of Star City Fight Team and Roanoke, VA’s Noe Quintanilla. Root secured a takedown early and didn’t relent from that point forward, winning the bout via first round Rear Naked Choke.
John Rallo puts on another great event
Overall John Rallo and company provided a high quality offering with Shogun Fights VIII. Solid production and entertaining fights made for quite an event. Stay Tuned to War Room Sports for future coverage of Shogun Fights and other MMA events in the region!
Tommy Comeau of “MMA in The War Room”, for War Room Sports
Post-fight excitement filled the air, as you can see in the video below:
This past Saturday October 20th the 1st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, Maryland was home to Shogun Fights VII. I have been to many regional events, as well as UFC events, and I must say I was highly impressed with what Shogun Fights owner John Rallo and his team has been able to put together in a short period of time. This was one of the most professional, well run fight cards I have ever attended. The night was action-packed with many entertaining mixed martial arts contests.
Marshall Thompson may have had the most interesting entrance of the evening, dressed in a Spartan helmet, with entourage in tow. (Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
You may notice a theme when I give my recap on contests. Whether Boxing or MMA, I have the propensity to root for guys who have either unique ring/cage entrances or they enter with music that I am fond of. Considering I am a Hip-Hop Junkie, this usually means someone enters to a Hip-Hop song I love.
Adi Alic celebrates his 1st round KO of Mike Young (Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight 1: Adi Alic VS Mike Young
In this 1st match Adi Alic entered the cage with what appeared to be 50 people behind him. It was a kick-ass entrance which was reminiscent of Cobra Kai. I immediately wanted to see if he could live up to his entrance.
Adi started the fight very aggressive, attempting a couple of submissions until being hit below the belt. This slowed him down for a brief minute but he then exploded with a knee followed by hammer fist which gave him the victory in the 1st round by KO.
If you blinked, you may have missed the fastest KO in Shogun Fights history. (Photo Courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight2: David Perez VS Cole Presley
No interesting entrances to speak of but when the match started, so did the fireworks. Cole Presley wasted no time and won by KO with an overhand right followed by hammer fists. The fight lasted 23 seconds, which was announced as the fastest knockout in Shogun history.
Brent Hess won the pre-fight dance off….
(Photo Courtesy of War Room Sports)
….but Christian Leonard easily won the fight.
(Photo Courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight 3: Brent Hess VS Christian Leonard
Hess wins the entrance with hilarious Gangnam Style dancing with the Gangnam Style music to match. Then the fight starts and immediately it is evident that Christian Leonard is ready for his 1st pro fight. Leonard gets top position and Hess attempts a couple of submissions but after Leonard dropped a hook from the top position, the fight was ended with the 18-year old Leonard proving he is the real deal.
Dave Daniecki enters the octagon.
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight 4: Dave Daniecki VS Najim Wali
Najim Wali wins the entrance contest as he enters to “The Champ is Here” by Jadakiss, which immediately made me root for him, but that’s the last thing he won. Danieki dominated the fight by controlling the tempo the entire match by taking the fight to the ground and landing shots from the half guard position. Danieki wins a unanimous decision 30-27 on all three judges’ scorecards.
Nate Grebb and his team prepares to do battle.
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight 5: Nate Grebb VS Ruben Martinez
Martinez wins the entrance war by entering the ring to Big Pun’s 100%. This makes me take notice but again the entrance wars mean nothing as Grebb wins by triangle choke in the 2nd round.
Cody Baker leaving the octagon after his victory over Ryan Mackin.
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight 6: Ryan Mackin VS Cody Baker
No interesting entrances to speak of in this match but this was one hell of a fight that went back and forth until Mackin was saved by the bell in round 2 after being put in a rear naked choke. Mackin seemed to be drowsy and the fight was stopped giving Baker the victory.
Marshall Thompson
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Ryan Berry…focused.
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight 7: Ryan Berry VS Marshall Thompson
This fight had 2 great entrances as Thompson enters with a Gladiator mask on. Not to be outdone, Berry enters to DMX with one of the scariest faces I have ever seen. Berry looked like he meant business. The fight was close but Berry dictated the pace and won by unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.
Dan Root holding his trophy.
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight 8: Dan Root VS Brian Van Hoven
No interesting entrances to speak of in this match but Root put on a hell of a performance. He wins by Rear Naked Choke in the 2nd round. In the post-fight interview Root has the line of the night when asked about how he got this victory. He says “I take it any way I can get it, like sex”.
Gustavo Kiesler (L); Rob Sullivan (R) – And the winner is…….
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight 9: Rob Sullivan VS Gustavo Keisler
Gustavo wins the entrance by using music from Hip Hop artist The Game but the fight was a different story. This was a close fight with Sullivan winning a unanimous decision 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.
Micah Terrill vs Kyle Sefcik
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Sefcik attempts a kick.
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
The guillotine choke that ended the fight.
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Fight 10: Micah Terrill VS Kyle Sefcik
Nothing special with the entrances but it is a documented fact that Kyle Sefcik is a friend of War Room Sports. Watching him enter the fight I might have been more nervous than Kyle. Kyle started the fight by attempting multiple Superman punches and back fists. The fight went to the ground where Terrill seemed to be winning by controlling the fight. Round 2 was more of the same but in round 3 Sefcik pulled out the victory with an amazing guillotine choke that caused Terrill to tap out.
The Main Event – Frank Lester vs Caleb Ball
(Photo courtesy of Shogun Fights)
Fight 11: Frankie Lester VS Caleb Ball
This was the main event of the night and it did not disappoint. Frankie Lester wins the entrance war by far, entering to The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy”. This entrance had me so amped I was ready to jump in the cage until I realized I have nothing but a black belt in talking trash. This fight was an all-out war with both athletes landing multiple shots. Lester landed a clean shot to the ribs which seemed to hurt Ball and Lester then began to land the better shots. In the 2nd round Lester continued to land shots and eventually cut Ball whose eye started to swell and close. The doctors stepped in and checked Ball but allowed him to continue. After the end of the 2nd round the doctors decided Ball had suffered enough damage and stopped the fight, giving Lester the win. Finally a fighter with a kick-ass entrance wins a fight.
It looked rough, but Caleb was a VERY worthy opponent in defeat.
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
The main event victor – Frank Lester
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Overall the night was action-packed and full of entertainment. Shogun Fights is a quality MMA organization and the Mid-Atlantic region has a vibrant MMA community that will produce many future stars in this sport. If Shogun Fights VII was this exciting, I can only imagine what Shogun Fights VIII will have to offer.
Jimmy Williams (L); UFC Fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (M); Devin McMillan (R)
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Devin McMillan (L); MMA Legend Renzo Gracie (M); Jimmy Williams (R)
(Photo courtesy of War Room Sports)
Jimmy “The Blueprint” Williams of The War Room, for War Room Sports
Diego Brandao and John “The Magician” Dodson did well to represent Greg Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, NM Saturday evening, winning their respective Featherweight and Bantamweight bouts and earning the title of “The Ultimate Fighter” for this final season on SPIKE TV. The UFC has on their hands arguably the two TUF winners with the most legitimate odds of truly contending in their respective divisions at the UFC level since the first 3 seasons of the reality TV show produced fighters for us the likes of Forrest Griffin, Josh Koscheck, Chris Leben,Kenny Florian, Rashad Evans, and Michael Bisping.
Greg Jackson (left) & War Room Sports Writer Tommy Comeau (right)
For true fight purists who favor passion and aggression in the heat of battle over technical prowess and well executed game plans, it’s going to be difficult not to find appeal in Featherweight Diego Brandao. Diego is a fiery, emotional Brazilian who won all of his fights inside the Ultimate Fighter house with first round KO’s. His style is representative of the old-school Brazilian Vale’ Tudo, made famous by the likes of Wanderlei Silva and Maricio Rua.
Diego Brandao
However, it’s not what Diego does inside the cage that I find the most enthralling. Having grown up in the slums, he made a death bed promise to his Father to watch over his Mother at all costs. I find it hard to deny his purpose in life and therefore fighting, especially in light of the relative atmosphere inside the house on “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV show. A midst young 20 something American guys with more tattoos and TAPOUT clothing than skill or genuine appeal, Diego’s simple, brutal, aggression and drive were a breath of fresh air throughout the season. During his post-fight interview, Diego proclaimed that he would be returning to Brazil to buy his Mother a home, and try to get his Brothers off of the streets. Stay tuned as Diego appears primed to make his mark on the UFC Featherweight division. Imagine a clash between Diego and current Featherweight champion and fellow Brazilian Jose Aldo?
Tommy Comeau, for War Room Sports
Tommy Comeau lives in Washington, D.C. and is War Room Sports’ Mid-Atlantic Region MMA Correstpondent.
MMA Fighter & DJ Kyle Sefcik will be in The War Room this Thursday, November 17th to discuss his upcoming November 19th pro debut in the Welterweight division in Washington DC!
Tune in Thursday, November 17th at 6pm ET to hear our conversation with “K-Sef”! To tune in, go to www.WarRoomSports.com and click the “Listen Live” button…or dial 323-410-0012 to listen LIVE by phone.
In the meantime, join the War Room Sports Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/WarRoomSports and follow us on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/WarRoomSports (@WarRoomSports)!
If you are in the Washington, DC area and are interested in attending the One World MMA DC Pro Fights on Saturday, November 19th, to see Kyle and others, click HERE for the details.
Finally, if you own an Android phone or tablet…an I-Phone, I-Pad, or I-Pod, please go to your Market and/or App Store and download the FREE War Room Sports mobile app! It’s the VERY BEST way to stay up on all of our media content!
On February 17, 2011 an Iowa freshman made history when she won a wrestling match during the state tournament. She was the first girl to win a match in the tournament’s 86 year history. However, she won by default. Her opponent, Joel Northrup, a sophomore boy refused to wrestle a girl. He said:
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cassy and Megan [another girl that was eliminated from the tournament] and their accomplishments, however, wrestling is a combat sport and it can get violent at times. As a matter of conscience and my faith, I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner. It is unfortunate that I have been placed in a situation not seen in most of the high school sports in Iowa.”
This young man can still win the tournament, but he has to do it through a loser’s bracket. So far he is doing well. Many applaud this young man for sticking to his convictions. I do not. It’s a tournament, a competition. And as a competitor, you face the opponent in front of you. The girls and their families are well aware of the nature of the sport and still the girls decide to compete. I assume that Joel Northrup entered the tournament to win. What happens if those two are the last ones standing at the end of the competition, will he just give her the title? I’m a skeptic so maybe I’m just reading too much into the situation. Perhaps, this young man (a home schooled preacher’s son) is a stand up guy that just doesn’t think its right to “fight” a girl. But, I feel there is more to this story. Perhaps, while being home schooled, he never learned to socialize with the opposite sex and is afraid of what may happen if she gets too close. Maybe this young man is scared to lose to a girl? If it were your son, what would you advise him to do?
Monica Pierce, Guest Blogger for War Room Sports. Read more of her writing @ monicasthoughts.com.
