MCC 28

Burns Turns up the Heat, Williams Edges Out Giboo, and The King remains Royalty

Slams, slick submissions and surprise ending could have easily been the replacement title for MCC 28: “Impact”. The fight fans were able to see a little bit of everything as Veterans Auditorium hosted another exciting night of mixed martial arts action.

The evening started off with a four-man tournament in the featherweight division. Jordan “Boobie” Webb and Joe Agan made their MCC debuts, but it was Webb who wasted no time in making a statement as he quickly took the fight to the ground and waited for his opportunity to explode. That chance cam at just :42 seconds of the very first round as Agan fell victim to a huge slam that rendered him unconscious. Webb advanced to the finals.

Next up in the tournament, MCC veterans Matt “The Punisher” Young returned after a two year hiatus to face, Mitch “The Convict” Parker. Like the first bout, this one hit the mat quickly with both combatants exchanging strikes and superior positions. But at the one minute mark, Young displayed his Jiu Jitsu prowess as he locked up an incredibly tight triangle choke forcing the tap from Parker and advancing himself into the finals.

When Webb and Young finally met, the pace was furious but the ending was sudden. Just as Webb put Young on his back to inflict some serious ground and pound, Young slapped on another triangle choke. Webb rolled to relieve the pressure but wound up underneath and on the wrong end of a barrage of brutal punches. With nowhere to go, Webb had no other choice but to tap out or go out! Young was crowned the tournament winner.

In other action, MCC fan favorite Josh “Bull” Christensen got back into the winning column as he bested undefeated light heavyweight prospect, Travis Branson in the opening frame. One who favors the ground and pound game, no one, especially Branson, expected “The Bull” to use his submission skills to sneak in a triangle choke. Although it was tough to see that the choke was locked up so tight, Christensen was able to put his opponent to sleep as Branson refused to tap out. Immediately following the fight, Christensen asked MCC for a rematch with “Mean” Dean Bradley.

UFC veteran James Giboo returned to MCC to face up and comer Cole “The Edge” Williams. With both fighters having excellent wrestling pedigrees, most thought the fight would be won with striking. However, it was Williams who was able to get the fight to the ground first. As Giboo searched for a submission from the bottom, he suffered a knee injury which Williams quickly capitalized on as he battered Giboo forcing the tap from strikes. Tough break for Giboo, but a huge win for Williams who immediately shot himself to the top of the MCC food chain.

In the co-main event of the evening, MCC’s fastest rising start, Miguel “El Rey” Rios Jr. returned to the cage to face former training partner and friend, dangerous knock out artist, Ben Crowder. Although there was no bad blood leading up to the contest, feelings became a little more tense when Crowder missed the welterweight limit by ten pounds at Thursday’s weigh in. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Rios used that as a motivating factor in the cage. From the opening bell, Crowder was on the hunt looking to destroy Rios with every punch thrown. He showed his strength advantage on the ground as be rolled and punched Rios at a feverish rate. However, in true “El Rey” style, Rios locked up an uber-tight armbar almost out of nowhere. Crowder quickly tapped to avoid a broken arm. Rios remains undefeated and moves one step closer to a title shot.

To cap out the nights events, MCC newcomer, Kalel Robinson, made the trek across the Midwest to take on five-time UFC alum, Kevin “The Fire” Burns. Burns, who had an amazing training camp, put all of his skills on display as he bested the feared striker in every position in the game. Burns landed brutal punches and knees from the feet. He took the fight to the ground when he was ready, and when he decided to go for the kill he quickly pulled the trigger. Burns dominated the fight from start to finish and showed the world that he is ready to get back to the big show for another run.

With another successful night in the books, MCC gears up for the next event which take place in just one month, at the Guthrie County Fair- September 4th. Check out www.MidwestCageChampionship.com for all of the latest news, fighter interviews and more.

Full fight results below:

Jordan Webb Vs. Joe Agan – Webb KO slam inside guard

Mitch Parker Vs. Matt Young- Young triangle choke

Ethan Underwood Vs. Stoney Stuart – Stuart guillotine choke

Leo Villarreal Vs. Brody Jay – Jay TKO

Joe Morris Vs. Mike Miller – Morris Rear Naked Choke

Tony Crowder Vs. Justin Morrison – Crowder by Triangle choke

Ted Worthington Vs. Ryan Bixler  – Bixler by unanimous decision

Travis Branson Vs. Josh Christensen – Christenson by triangle choke

Cole Williams Vs. James Giboo – Williams by Tap out Strikes

Jordan Webb Vs. Matt Young – Young by Tapout strikes

Ben Crowder Vs. Miguel Rios – Rios by armbar

Kalel Robinson Vs. Kevin Burns – Burns by arm triangle

MCC Announces Next Show; Looks for Repeat Performance

Des Moines, IA (USA)- On Friday, August 6, Midwest Cage Championship will return to Veterans Auditorium for the most explosive fight card of 2010.  MCC 28: “Impact” will feature UFC veterans, exciting up and coming stand-outs, and some of the promotions most popular mixed martial artists.  Fresh off the heels of one of the most impressive events in MCC’s history; MCC 27: “Mutapcic vs. Cummings”, the Midwest’s top MMA promotions looks to repeat its performance in delivering a top notch show for the fight fans.

In the main event of the evening, five-time UFC veteran, Kevin “The Fire” Burns continues his quest back to the big show as he faces dangerous striker, Kalel Robinson in a three round, non-title bout.  After a dominating performance by Burns at MCC 25: “Inferno” against Shawn Huffman, “The Fire” looks to continue his win streak as he welcomes Robinson to MCC. Robinson, a Tae Kwon Do black belt who also holds a purple belt in Vale Tudo with eight years of wrestling experience will look to make his own statement against the hometown fighter. This match up has fireworks written all over it.  Will this be Burns ticket back to the glitz and glamour of the UFC, or will Robinson attempt to utilize this opportunity to propel himself into the spotlight?

Fellow UFC veteran, and training partner of Kevin Burns; James Giboo will, once again, step back into the MCC cage to re-establish himself as a force in the welterweight division.  A wrestling standout, Giboo earned his ticket to the UFC following a series of impressive performances while finishing every opponent he faced.  At MCC 28, he will face an equally qualified grappler who is hungry to put himself on the radar.  That person is Cole Williams.  Owner of a 3-1 professional record, which includes wins over MCC veterans Evan “The Mercenary” Marks and Rod “The Mexicutioner” Montoya, as well as a second place finish in the open division of Mission to Submission Grappling Tournament with his sole loss at the hands of Giboo’s Jiu-Jitsu coach, Chris David, Williams will look to seek revenge with a win in his MCC debut.

Other feature bouts include undefeated submission specialist, Miguel “El Rey” Rios, Jr. and hard hitting knock out artists, Ben Crowder, as well as Josh “Bull” Christensen against Travis Branson.  Also, former Lightweight Champion, Ted “Red” Worthington will return in a rematch with Ryan Bixler.

Tickets for MCC 28: “Impact” are available on-line at www.MidwestCageChampionship.com, Iowa Events Center Box Office, by phone at 515-229-8566, and at all Dahl’s ticket outlets.  For more information on MCC 28, as well as fighter bogs, interviews, and up to the minute news, check out the web site.

MCC28 Impact

*more bouts to be announced soon

Featherweight 4 man tournament Round 1
Jordan Webb	VS	Joe Agan
Featherweight 4 man tournament Round 2
Mitch Parker	VS	Matt Young
Featherweight Division
Ethan Underwood	VS	Stoney Stuart
Lightweight Division
Leo Villarreal	VS	Brody Jay
Lightweight Division
Joe Morris	VS	Mike Miller
Featherweight Division
Tony Crowder	VS	Justin Morrison
Lightweight Division
Ted Worthington	VS	Ryan Bixler
Light Heavy Weight Division
Travis Branson	VS	Josh Christensen
Welterweight Division
Cole Williams	VS	James Giboo
Featherweight 4 Man Final
TBD Round 1 winner	VS	TBD Round 2 winner
Welterweight Division
Ben Crowder	VS	Miguel Rios
Welterweight Division
Kalel Robinson	VS	Kevin Burns

Military Man Turned Mixed Martial Artist; Perkins is Ready to Drop Bombs on the Competition

By Randy Thomas
 
For those who know Patrick Perkins, he’s a nice guy; a caring friend with a good sense of humor who loves to talk about fighting and seldom is without his video camera.  For those who have to stand across the cage from him, it’s another story.  With a stare that will pierce an armored car, and the explosiveness of a scud missile, Perkins is a focused warrior, set to go into battle with one mission in mind- winning.
 
Perkins was first introduced to hand to hand combat while he was in the Army.  Army Combative’s are from the Gracie school of Jiu Jitsu.  They view the system the same way a mixed martial martial artist does; a physical chess game where one wrong move can lead to defeat.  A couple of his battle buddies were into MMA and would teach Perkins some moves during their free time in the barracks.

When his active duty ended and he moved to Iowa, Perkins thought about pursuing mixed martial arts further and after a few researches, he wound up on the MCC web site.  He navigated around and found Roundkick Gym.  A few days later he was a member.
 
Perkins recalls, “Having settled into a gym, I just went about my ways going there two times a week and doing Jiu Jitsu classes.  Every once in a while the subject of DMX (an MCC-owned amateur fight circuit) came up, and I finally got curious.  After checking it out two weeks in a row, I thought “Hell, I came do that.”  So, the very next week I was all over it.  I contacted the promoter with a thousand different questions. You would have thought I was signing up for the Army again.  I showed up, fought, and got my first victory.  I was hooked.”
 
The first couple matches seemed like nothing to him.  One fight ended in a one punch knock out.  He decided to step up his competition and faced fellow MCC prospect, “Mean” Dean Bradley.  Although he won the fight, he felt was it was like to take abuse instead of giving it.  Perkins recalled the time by adding, “I couldn’t buy a punch and I knew, that wasn’t going to work.  Everyone kept asking, how long are you going to do this, what is your goal?  At the time it was to see if I could go 5-0 at DMX, and if that happened, I would go up to MCC and see what would happen there for five fights.  With all that, I knew I had to have some stand up training added, so the next day I went in and signed up for Muay Thai at RoundKick.”
 
Eventually Perkins made it to MCC.  He learned another valuable lesson.
 
Perkins stated, “Against Miguel Rios I learned something: I can lose, and I can lose quickly.  I held out an arm for a fraction of a second, he got it, arm bar, game over.  I have nothing but respect for Rios, he’s a great guy, but I did not like the taste of losing.  I spent about a week mentally beating myself up, then decided, that’s never happening again!”
 
Perkins rebounded from that loss with a highlight reel worthy win over Brad Davis at MCC Trials III.  At MCC 24: “Reloaded”, he will face Chad Vandermark.  He’s prepared harder than ever before.  He’s taken an important concept from his military training: “Hope for the best but prepare for the worst”.  He’s been living that motto for years.  On January 16th, the 34 year old fighter will put that and himself to the test.
 
 
Q and A with Patrick Perkins

MCC: What branch of the Military are you in, and what all have you accomplished in it?

PP: I’m in the Army. Stationed out of Dodgeville, WI with the 469th Engineering Company. I belong to the “300 Club” for scoring 328 out of 300 on the extended scale in the APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test), got the Physical Fitness Excellence Award for scoring the highest in the whole company, and I’m also registered as a Sharp Shooter.
 
MCC: Have you served overseas for the Military?

PP: I have and I haven’t. I have not gone with the Army, but I have been to about 20-30 different countries (yes, including the bad ones) from when I was an overseas contractor. As a contractor I did electrical construction on US Embassies around the world. I’ve been shot at and bombed more than once and worse, as a contractor, we never had the ability to shoot back. I was able to live out of the states for a good 10 years, see the world, but really there is no place like the states. It’s too bad most take it for granted.
 
MCC: Was the Army Combative’s harder or easier then what you do and how you train now?
 
PP: The funny thing about Army Combative’s, is that it is VERY BASIC. Sure, it’s the Gracie school of Jiu Jitsu that they are teaching, But even the instructors tell you not to use it out on the civilian world because “…you’ll get your ass kicked.” Training at Round Kick, you can take as little or as much from it as you like. It can also be as easy or as difficult as you like. Going into a fight, I’m there mostly two times a day working on my stand up. It’s harder where I’m at now, because I make it that way. I am all about technique. Speed and power come second. I want the techniques down first and I try to do as much muscle memory work as I can to get that, then I move on to the next lesson. In the Army you will do Combative’s every once in a while, out here now, I do them every day.
 
MCC: Are you able to add a lot of things you learned in the Military to your MMA game?

PP: Oh, definitely, mostly its the mental aspect. There are four Army Ethos:

1. I will always place the mission first
2. I will NEVER accept defeat
3. I will NEVER quit
4. I will NEVER leave a fallen comrade

Three of the four go right along with MMA fights. The mission, to win the fight. This means putting any and all time you can into getting ready for it. The training, the diet, the mind set, and most importantly, the time. That means loosing a lot of “US” time with the girl, drinking time with the “boys”, and etc. Hell, Christmas Day, I still put in my time at the gym.
Numbers 2 and 3 are pretty self explanatory. Your going to get knocked down and punched in the face at times. As the old cliche goes, “It’s not that you get knocked down, it’s whether or not you get back up.” With the Army training, you learn, that you are pretty much unstoppable. You are limited only by the limits you place on yourself. There is no quit, ever.
 
MCC: Do you feel the Military has made you mentally strong for fighting?

PP: For sure!  Just about the time in your life when you are supposed to be learning that you aren’t ten foot tall and bullet proof, you join the Army and they reinforce in you “YOU ARE 10 FEET TALL AND BULLET PROOF”. When you do basic training, they give you something called a “smart book”. It’s a freaking life manual. It not only deals with about everything you can run into in the Army, but just life in general. It teaches you how to eat, live, etc. I take all that to heart. I have an American theme tattoo sleeve and I had it before I joined the Army.
 
MCC: What do you feel that most fighters lack, that you do not?

PP: Will Power, Drive, and no pressure. I do this because I truly love to do it. I have no delusions of making this a career or to the UFC. I’m not taking anything away from the kids out there that do have that hope and dream, but I don’t have it. That doesn’t mean I want to win any less, it just takes all the burden of thinking I have to do something magical or memorable to win and make a name for myself. I think that’s why I’ve done well. My brother always tells me not to sweat the small stuff and that’s totally true. You work on the big things and don’t worry until there is something truly to worry about, and you will have way less stress in your life.
I’m also extremely null. Once I was overseas and had to give blood because I had to in order to get a transfusion for my daughter. I looked over at the guy next to me that was already plugged in, they stuck me, I pumped my fist and filled the bag, making sure I beat the other guy. I came out of the room saying “yeah, he even started ahead of me!” That’s how competitive I am.
 
 
MCC: What do you feel that you lack as a fighter, that you would like to work on?

PP: Patience! I’ve just recently started to learn to let the fight develop and not to rush it. The only person I’ve lost to was Miguel Rios and, again not to take anything away from him because he is a great Jiu Jitsu guy, but I rushed it, stopped thinking, became focused on one thing, and then rushed it. He saw it, took advantage of it, and I lost quickly. Now, I wait to feel the fighters out a little. What is this guy trying to do? Stand? Go to the ground? What is he good at, weak at? What does he do when I do this or that? A lot of those questions I have just recently learned from talking to and working with Joe Brammer. It all goes back to being patient and seeing the reactions instead of just going out there fast and furious.
 
MCC: You ran right through everyone on the amateur scene up until your loss to Miguel Rios.  Then you bounced back with a highlight worthy win. How do you plan to approach this next fight?

PP: With way less stress on myself. I put myself into so many stressful situations going into that fight with Miguel. My Company Commander was coming, but I had to get tickets to him. My family was running late. I was freaked that I was going to miss something or be the guy that they were looking for when we were supposed to be seeing the doctor, or having the meetings. I wasn’t a wrestler back in high school, so I didn’t know how to loose weight. Going into this, I now know what is going on, what to expect, etc. It will be way more about the fight than worrying about what is going on around me. I’ve spoken with Mick at Nutrishop several times and have my stack all figured out for losing weight. I know how to cut now. I just have way more knowledge of what to do and how to do it. The less stress the better.
Losing to Miguel put this sour taste in my mouth that really fueled me into the Trials against Brad Davis. He ended up taking the brunt of all that being built up and with all the new training I had received in my fight camp I created. I keep that feeling of losing with me, and use it as fuel to push me when I’m tired, when I don’t want to get out of bed, when I’m sore, etc.
 
MCC: Chad Vandermark tends to be the aggressor. How to prepare to counter a fighter like that?
 
PP: I think he has seen me fight more than I’ve seen him fight. I’m not sure if he will stick to his normal attacks or not. I’m prepared either way. It’s really hard to say what you are going to do going into a fight, because other than the beginning, there is nothing else you can do other than react. You come out, you touch gloves, and you have a general plan of attack, but beyond that first punch or block, it’s just a matter of falling back on your training.
In my last fight at MCC, I had a one tracked mind. I knew I had to watch for triangles and arm bars, but I was so focused on a game plan I had come up with and executing it, that I missed the big picture and still got caught off guard. A trap was set and I fell right into it. We’ll see what happens after the first few exchanges, then I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.
 
MCC: How do you see this fight going?

PP: The results from each of our fights seem to always be dramatic. I’ve never had a fight go to decision and I really don’t ever want one too. That’s one of my biggest fears in fighting, leaving it up to someone else to decide if I won or not. What a gut wrenching feeling. I’ve had a couple one punch knock outs and I saw what he did to Leo at the MCC Trials, so each of us knows we have knock out power.

Miguel Rios

Fall Seven Times, Stand up Eight

 By Randy Thomas

On April 2, 1986, long before he became “El Rey,” Miguel Rios Jr. was born in New York City.  Proud of his strong Puerto Rican heritage, he lived in his home land briefly before his family made the journey across the United States and settled in Ankeny, Iowa.  An athletic kid, Rios competed in baseball, basketball, and track.  But in 2006 his dream became a reality when Rios received a phone call from fellow MCC veteran Billy “The Kid” Armstrong, and he was presented an opportunity to compete in the first ever MCC Trials.
 
Rios remembers that night.  “I had just got out of class at DMACC when I got the call. Billy told me about a four man tournament in MCC.  The show was September, 1 and he called me August 28!  I went over to his house that night and went over some basic moves. Between Monday and Friday, I had to cut about 25lbs to make the 170 lb weight limit.”  He continued, “Fight night came quick!  Going into the venue I wasn’t nervous one bit. I was actually very excited for my first fight. I won my first fight pretty quick, but I had one more to go.  And by the final fight, I was way nervous.  I didn’t think I had a chance against my opponent who had been actively training at Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts Academy (DMMMA).   Somehow though, I won!  I remember getting off of him after he tapped out and thinking…did that just happen?”
 
From that very moment Miguel “El Rey” Rios Jr. was hooked.  He wanted to compete with the best, so he knew he had to train with the best.  Rios dove in head first and sought out Anthony Porcelli who owns and coaches at DMMMA.  He was learning to become a mixed martial artist.  Although it was hard juggling college, a job, and training, Rios pushed through as best as he could.  He was spending most of his time doing one of those three things.  But, before he knew it, he was only getting three hours of sleep every night, sometimes less- hardly enough for a student, let alone a fighter.  Soon, the pressure to excel was too much, and Rios was forced to make a decision.
 
“I was out of my element for the first couple months at DMMMA. It was so hard with everything I had going on and trying to learn the ins and out of mixed martial arts. I had a hard time doing it and eventually I had to drop training and fighting all together.  I ended up having a nervous breakdown and turned to some bad alternatives to try and make it all better.  It was the most terrifying time in my life.  I had to drop out of MCC.  I cut mixed martial arts out of my life for almost two years. I had to walk away in order to get better.  It was so hard but I always knew I would get back into it.”
 
It wasn’t until August 2008 that Rios returned to the gym and the sport he loved.  There was one problem; he came back weighing close to 220 lbs- 50 lbs too heavy for the welterweight class he competed in.  Shortly after his return to the sport he was contacted by MCC and offered a second chance.  Rios stated, “I quickly lost 30 lbs. by training six days a week, lifting weighs, wrestling, boxing and re-dedication myself to MMA.”  By November, he was in top shape when he faced Mike Miller.   His come back fight was a sucess.  Rios submitted Miller with a triangle in the very first round.  El Rey was back!
 
What does the future hold for the versatile competitor?
 
“Right now I’m just focused on my next fight in November.  I’m making my professional debut against Thomas Naumann and I’ll be looking to finish the fight.  I don’t care whether it’s ten seconds or three rounds, I will be looking to finish the fight.  That’s what I do- fight to finish.”
 
Despite his rigorous six day fight training schedule, Rios manages to hold down a full time job as an Automotive Technician at a major dealership.  On the weekends he is a counselor for at-risk youths.  He’s still as busy as ever, but he’s found the key to balance his life.  Rios stays grounded with the help from his fiance, Tiffany, who he credits for being there for everything from preparing his meals to helping him promote his fights.
 
Rios has a lot to be thankful for and the humble mixed martial artist is quick to give credit where credit is due.  “I would like to thank all my training partners and Anthony Porcelli at DMMMA. It’s amazing how much talent the guys have there and they have showed me everything I know. I would like to thank my best friend Chris Fitch for giving me the drive to fight since we were little kids and always believing in me. Finally I’d like to thank my fiance, Tiffany she is the main reason I can work and fight. She is my life and makes it go very smooth.”
 
Miguel Rios Jr. will face Thomas Naumann at MCC 23 “Thanksgiving Throwdown”, Wednesday, November 25 at Vets Auditorium.  Tickets are available on-line at MidwestCageChampionship.com.  For more information call 515-229-8566 or log on the the Midwest Cage Championship web site.
 
 
FIGHTER STATS
 
Name: Miguel “El Rey” Rios Jr.
Born: New York City, NY
Resides: Ankeny, IA
Age: 23
Style: Jiu Jitsu, Striker
Gym: Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts Academy
Amateur Record: 8-0-0
Professional Record: 0-0-0
Accomplishments: 2009 NAGA Midwest no-gi champion, MCC Trials Welterweight Champion