It’s That Time Again!  Are You Ready? 
 
As the fighters make their final preparations to step into the cage, MCC gears up for one of the most stacked cards to date.  With a move just next door to Vets Auditorium into Hy Vee Hall, MCC 25: “Inferno” is talent laden with mixed martial arts superstars and stars in the making.  The main event of the evening features a five-round title bout with newly crowned Middleweight Champion, Elvis “The King” Mutapcic as he defends the title against Brett “The Natural Disaster” Stevens.  Co-headlining the card is five time UFC veteran and Des Moines Native, Kevin “The Fire” Burns, returning to his home town after two years with the world’s most popular mixed martial arts promotion.

The festivities begin Friday night at The Twisted Parrot where all 24 of the competitors step on the scale and square off during the official weigh in.  If you’ve never attended a weigh in, this is the one you want to catch.  There has already been plenty of hype and smack talk between several of the fighters, so you never know what you may see and hear Friday night.  Plus, The Twisted Parrot has the best drink specials in town, an amazing menu, and a special performance by the hilarious music group that’s taken the Midwest by storm; DDEP.

Fight Card

Elvis Mutapcic vs. Brett Stevens- Middleweight Championship

Kevin Burns vs. Sean Huffman- Co Main Event

Josh Christensen vs. Dean Bradley

Will Shutt vs. Tom Ahrens

Rick Glenn vs. Lonnie Scriven

Cory Simpson vs. Jake Burriola

Jeff Carstens vs. Maurice Spiers

Zak Laird vs. DJ Whitlach

Justin Morrison vs. Chad Zurfluh

Patrick Perkins vs. Jobe Hinders

Jon Youngbear vs. Travis Branson

Johnny Coleman vs. Chris Helm

Tickets are available on-line at www.MidwestCageChampionship.com, Wells Fargo Arena Box Office, by phone at 515-229-8566, or at all Dahl’s grocery ticket outlets.  For more information, including fighter blogs, interviews, and up to the minute news, check out the web site.  Also, fight fans can expect bigs news on Saturday as we release the details to MCC 26: “Triple Crown” in April.

If there are any other changes you’d like to see, please contact us, by simply going to the contact tab, and fill out the form.

Thanks!

-MCC

MCC and CONCEDE/IowaMixedMartialArts.com Team Up for 2010

Midwest Cage Championship, the Midwest’s premier mixed martial arts show has joined forces with one of the sports most popular MMA social networking web sites to kick off the new year at MCC 24 “Reloaded”. Concede features state specific forums such as IowaMixedMartial.com as well as popular features like news and events, professional MMA tutorials, and Concede Live, plus the site will soon have the ability to stream all of your favorite MMA events straight into your home computer! Get to know more about Concede by visiting their web site.

MCC co-owner, John Halverson stated, “Not only are they sponsoring at the regional level, but also nationally. You’ll be seeing a lot more from Concede in the future, so get used to the name.” Fight fans will also be seeing more of their name in the MCC cage too, as all of the fighters at MCC will be sporting new Concede MMA gloves.

MCC 24 “Reloaded” Saturday, January 16th at Veterans Auditorium. For more information, check out www.MidwestCageChampionship.com. Tickets for this event are available on-line, by phone at 515-229-8566, or at all Dahl’s ticket outlets.

“The Biggest Midwest Showdown Since Mickle vs. Stephens”

Several years ago, before they became two of the most popular fighters in the Midwest, Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens and Chris “Mad Dog” Mickle put on one of the most epic four round battles in MMA history.  It ultimately ended when Stephens put Mickle to sleep with a highlight worthy spinning back fist.  Shortly thereafter, “Lil Heathen” received his invitation to the UFC and has been putting on highlight worthy performances ever since.

History will repeat itself at MCC 24: “Reloaded” as top prospect, Alonzo “Zo Diddy” Martinez has agreed to replace the injured Chris Mickle to face Paul “Gingabread Man” Bird.

MCC co-owner, John Halverson noted, “We had several options to look at when we found out Mickle was injured, but Paul and Zo made the most sense.  You have two fighters on the verge of breaking into the big show, and this is probably the one fight that is going to push them over the edge.”

Bird, who is a veteran of UFC’s popular television reality show, The Ultimate Fighter, is on a four fight win streak including a win over WEC and Pride veteran, Joe Pearson.  Although this fight could serve as his toughest opponent to date, Bird is looking forward to showing his improvement as a mixed martial artist against a veteran with several notable appearances under his belt.

Martinez, a veteran of Ring of Fire, HD Net, and ESPN’s Bellator, has notable wins over UFC veteran’s Brandon Melendez, Ryan Roberts, Luke Caudillo and a draw with former MCC champion and recent UFC signee, Joe Brammer, is excited for the opportunity to face a fellow up and comer like Bird.

“This is such a great match up,” stated, Halverson.  “This is the caliber of fight you’d see on a UFC prelim or Spike TV Ultimate Fight Night.  I’m sure after this fight one of these two is headed to the big league.”

Tickets for MCC 24: “Reloaded” are available on-line at www.MidwestCageChampionship.com, by phone at 515-229-8566, Iowa Events Center Box office, or at all Dahl’s ticket outlets.  Also on the card is a main event featuring TJ “The Spider” O’Brien and Jake “Dirty Bird” Brown as they battle it out for the vacant interim Lightweight Championship.

Fighter Stats:

Alonzo Martinez                                      Paul Bird

5′10                                                              5′9

155                                                               155

26-10                                                            8-1

Freestyle                                                      Vale Tudo

Wrestling Background                              Boxing Background

MCC Trials III

October 10, 2009

Midwest Cage Championship held it’s third amateur MMA event to seek out the next big name in the fight game, and several fighters showed up to earn their shot for a spot on the MCC roster.  MCC co-owner, Ryan Hass noted, “When we were putting the event together we had ten fights scheduled, but we kept getting more and more interest from fighters, so we ended up with fourteen fights.  We had enough fighters to put more on, but we only have so much time to work with.”  Fighters from all over the Midwest showed up and put on performances worthy of getting their invitation to the Midwest’s top promotion.

One of the most exciting fights of the night was, unfortunately one of the shortest.  Corey McDonald and Chad Thornburg put on a stand up war with McDonald landing a barrage of punches for the TKO victory in just 33 seconds of the first round.  The eighteen year old fighter, trained by muay Thai ace, Pete Peterson did exactly what he intended to do; he kept it standing and landed quicker and more powerful punches.  A teammate of MCC standout, Zak Laird, McDonald will get his shot with MCC at the promotions largest show of the year; MCC 23 “Thanksgiving Throwdown”.  “Like Laird, this is a kid people need to keep their eye on, stated MCC co-owner, John Halverson.  “We’ve seen him fight a couple times and he gets better with every fight.  If he turns out to be anything like Zak Laird, the sky is the limit for him.”

A training partner of MCC Middleweight contended, Andy Branson, Nick Lepa made his MMA debut against a very experienced fighter, Chad Zurfluh.  The entire fight was a back and forth battle as the the wrestler, Zurfluh was able to nullify the jiu jitsu game of Lepa.  It was near the end of the second round when Zurfluh made the mistake of giving up his back, and the blue belt took full advantage of the position and forced the tap out due to a rear naked choke.  Although new to the sport, he proved that he is worthy to perform.  Fight fans may see him step in the cage along side his teammate, Andy Branson, at MCC 23.

The lone knock out of the night came from Chad Vandermark when he  landed a huge right hand to the chin of Leo Villareal folding him like a lawn chair.  A student of Anthonly Porcelli’s Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts Academy, Vandermark had been sidelined for months with a broken hand.  He was eager to make his return at MCC Trials and wanted to put on an impressive performance to leave no doubt in the fans minds that he deserves to bang with the best.  “The knock out came so fast we had to watch it over and over on video.  It was crazy,” stated John Halverson.  He added, “These guys were trading punches and next thing you know Leo is on the ground, legs folded underneath him and Chad’s walking back to his corner with a smile on his face and his right hand in the air.  He asked me for his shot on MCC.  How could I say no?”

In a rematch from earlier this year, Josh “The Jack Hammer” Troen, agreed to fight Tony Crowder again- the aggressive, experience fighter he submitted in his second ever MMA fight.  Unfortunately for the Jack Hammer, Crowder did his homework and put in his time at the gym.  Shortly after getting dropped from a leg kick, Crowder weathered the flurry of punches and snatched a picture perfect arm bar, forcing Troen to submit just 28 seconds in the first round.  Immediately after the fight, the victorious Crowder wasted no time in calling out MCC bantamweight fighter, Nate “Teddy Bear” Williams.  Fight fans can expect to see this fight soon!

In the main event of the night, middleweight brawler, Patrick Perkins faced off against Brad “Popeye” Davis.  Although Davis came into the fight the underdog, despite being the more experienced fighter, he put up a very competitive fight until a liver kick stopped Popeye late in the second round.  Perkins was surprised by the heart and tenacity that Davis brought to the table, but with only one loss to his MMA resume, Perkins remained calm and picked his shots and he knew it would only take one- and, he proved that. Perkins moves on to be 7-1.

Fight fans will now see the select few, make their debut in the MCC cage, at MCC 23: “Thanksgiving Throwdown,” Wednesday, November 25th, at Vets Auditorium.

Thanksgiving Throwdown

MCC has always been known for their annual Thanksgiving Throwdown show, and this year the Midwest’s top promotion is in the midst of putting together another stellar card with not one, but three title fights.  Fans poured into Veterans Auditorium for MCC 22 “Reality Check”, which was, by far, the most exciting card of 2009.  The stacked fight card brought forth new talent as well as allowed some of the veterans of the sport a chance to show they still have what it takes to compete with the toughest up and coming fighters in the game.  Two of the fighters from that night have earned their shot at championship belts in their respective weight classes.

Jesse Lund is one of the most exciting light heavyweight fighters in the sport today.  With a six bout win streak on his MMA record and multiple accolades for putting on the fight of the night, he will face his toughest opponent to date when he steps in the ring at MCC 23 to face Mainstream’s Light Heavyweight Championship, Derek Mehman for the MCC Interim Light Heavyweight title.  MCC co-owner, John Halverson stated, “With our champion, Chuck Grigsby fighting overseas for M-1 and destined to make it back to the big show, we figured we’d better put an interim title in place until we see how the division is going to lay out.”  He added, “Putting Lund against one of the toughest fighters around just makes sense.”   Mehman’s only loss came at hands of UFC veteran Mike Ciesnolevicz where he was submitted by a choke.  Lund, who had planned on taking a break from his rigorous training schedule following his last win, jumped at the opportunity to fight for the title.

One of the most improved fighters on the MCC roster, Josh “Bam Bam” Henry, dug deep and pulled out the biggest win of his young career at MCC 22 which he submitted undefeated brawler and WEC hopeful, Bill Kammery.  Playing the part of the underdog has never bothered Henry, in fact he enjoys the stress free moniker.  At MCC 23 he will, once again, take another step up the ladder when he challenges MCC Featherweight Champion, Eric Marriott, for his belt.  Marriott won his title following a five round unanimous decision victory over former champion, Chris Mad Dog” Mickle.

In the third title bout of the evening, former MCC Middleweight Champion, Mike “Mini Van” Van Meer will, once again, lace up the gloves for a five round war when he steps in the cage with Elvis “The King” Mutapcic.  Van Meer, who has fought from Middleweight to Heavyweight, has battled some of the best fighters in mixed martial arts.  Known for his toughness and never say die attitude, will he have what it takes to defeat the Bosnian bomber with heavy hands, a granite chin, and a hunger to take home the belt?  This is a classic battle of striker versus grappler and with both fighters promising to stop the other in dramatic fashion, this bout could, quite possibly be on the most exciting of the night.
MCC 23: Thanksgiving Throwdown will also feature Chris Mickle vs Will Shutt, Ian Tice vs Andy Branson, Miguel Rios vs Thomas Naumann, Zak Laird vs Joe Trader, Laramie Shaffer, and much more!
Tickets are available on-line at MidwestCageChampionship.com, Iowa Events Center Box Office, Dahls Tickets, or by phone at 515-229-8566.  Veterans Auditorium, Wednesday, November 25th.  Doors open at 6:30pm and the first fight starts at 7:30pm.

MCC Trials III

Over the course of the last few years, the Midwest’s top promotion, Midwest Cage Championship has scoured the heartland for the top up and coming talent.  On a couple occasions, the talent seeks out the promotion.  MCC Trials is a chance for mixed martial artists to put their talents on display as they lobby for a spot on the MCC roster and an opportunity to fight in upcoming events.  MCC Co-owner, John Halverson stated, “We’ve discovered fighters like Cole Jennet, Josh Atwell, Miguel Rios, and the list goes on and on.  The Trials events are getting big.  We have fighters contacting us all the time wanting to fight.  This is sort of like an interview.  You come in, put on a good show- show you have what it takes, and you have the job”

The next event, MCC Trials III is scheduled for Friday, October 9 at Uncle Bucks Kick Ass Party Bar.  Tickets are only available the day of show.  Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the first bout will start at 7:30 p.m.  For more information about this event and upcoming shows, visit www.MidwestCageChampionship.com.  Mixed martial artists who are looking to compete are encouraged to call Ryan Hass at 515-229-8566 or e-mail at Ryan@MidwestCageChampionship.com.

@ Uncle Bucks Party Bar

]]> http://www.midwestcagechampionship.com/2009/09/mcc-trials-3/feed/ 0 http://www.midwestcagechampionship.com/2009/09/mcc-bids-summer-farewell-with-a-bang/ http://www.midwestcagechampionship.com/2009/09/mcc-bids-summer-farewell-with-a-bang/#comments Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:58:49 +0000 Admin http://www.midwestcagechampionship.com/?p=1160

With the most stacked MCC card to date, the Midwest’s top promotion delivered what was promised to be non-stop action from start to finish.  MCC 22 “Reality Check” featured a Lightweight title match between reigning interim champion, Joe “The Hammer” Brammer and former featherweight champion, Chris “Mad Dog” Mickle.  Although most expected Brammer to finish the hard nosed brawler shortly into the contest, Mickle proved that he is still a contender taking the champion five, five minute rounds as he hung tough in losing a unanimous decision to the younger, more technical fighter.  Shortly after the fight, Brammer stated, “I thought I may have broken my hand in the second round, but, when I went back to my corner at the end of the third I knew it was broken.  I wanted to knock him out, but with only one hand I had to start using my elbows more, and I had to get him to the ground to do that.”  Brammer, who retained his title will have plenty of time to heal while he waits to face MCC lightweight champion, Bryce Teager in an upcoming event.

In what became fireworks from bell to bell, young guns Zak Laird and Laramie Shaffer put on a performance deserving of fight of the night honors.  It was Iowa versus Iowa State when the doctor to be, University of Iowa student, Zak Laird used his solid kick boxing skills to defeat ISU wrestler, Laramie Shaffer in a three round war.  MCC Co-owner, John Halverson said, “These are two of my favorite up and coming fighters.  I’d been telling everyone leading up to the show to keep an eye on this fight because I knew it was going to be the best of the night.”  He concluded with, “If we had these guys fight each other at every MCC, the fans would never get sick of watching it.”

In the upset of the night, WEC hopeful, Bill Kammery stepped in to the cage to put his undefeated record on the line when he squared up against Josh “Bam Bam” Henry.  Right out of the gate, Henry came out strong, taking the Golden Gloves champion to the ground.  However, he quickly found himself on the bottom eating heavy leather from the bearded bomber.  Clearly losing the first round, Bam Bam came out of his corner for the second a focused fighter.  With a slick takedown and transition to rear naked choke, Kammery was forced to tap out and Henry found himself at the winning end of the biggest fight of his young career.  Following his win, Henry said he knew he was the underdog, but that didn’t matter to him.  He knew he was going to be victorious no matter who was put in front of him.  Undefeated as a professional, he’s asked MCC for a title shot.  MCC co owner and matchmaker, Ryan Hass noted, “With a win over Kammery he is deserving of a title shot.  We’re going to take a look at scheduling and see when we can make it happen.”

The promotion which is known for showcasing the talents of the best up and coming fighters in the Midwest is already gearing up for their biggest show of the year- the annual “Thanksgiving Throwdown” which is set for Wednesday, November 25 at Vets Auditorium.  For more about MCC 22, the fighters, and upcoming events, log onto www.MidwestCageChampionship.com.

MCC Ring Girls Kristi Lynn and Kyla

Midwest Cage Championship, one of the nations top mixed martial arts promotions which is known for making some of the most exciting bouts between the nations top up and coming talent has taken it one step further. The excitement not only takes place inside the cage, but also directly outside of it. You can hear the whisltes and yells echo throughout the arena when the MCC Ring Girls make their way around the catwalk. “We undoubtedly have the best fights, and Mediacom is providing us with top notch production, so it just makes sense that our ring girls match the rest of our show,” commented MCC co-owner, John Halverson. He added, “We have some deals in the works that not only involve the fighters, but also these girls. People love them, so we’re giving them the best.”

Here is your chance to get to know two of the MCC Ring Girls!

MCC Ring Girl Kyla

Kyla has a personality that is as outgoing as she is beautiful. With a smile as bright as the production lights, she instantly became a fan favorite.  With the exposure she receives from Midwest Cage Championship, the sky is the limit for Kyla.

MCC Ring Girl Kristi Lynn

Born right here in Des Moines, blond bombshell Kristi Lynn now spends much of her time split between Chicago and Los Angeles as a Playboy model and commercial actress.  Be sure to check out her special edition issues as well as her profile on Playboy’s Cybergirl website.  She loves the fights and she loves to meet fight fans.  At MCC 22, Kristi Lynn will be available for pictures and autographs.

MCC 22 “Reality Check” takes place this Saturday at Veterans Auditorium.  Tickets are available on-line at www.MidwestCageChampionship.com, at the Vets box office, or by phone by calling 515-229-8566.  In our main event, Interim Lightweight Champion, Joe “The Hammer” Brammer will face Chris “Mad Dog” Mickle.  To view the entire fight card as well as get up to date on all of the MCC news, log on to MidwestCageChampionship.com.