Bluegrass MMA would like to thank everyone who sent us emails wanting tickets to the Absolute Action MMA Anniversary Show tomorrow night in bright and sunny Florence, KY. We are happy to announce the winner of the ticket drawing. Jerry Handy of Dry Ridge Kentucky was the lucky man to win 2 tickets to the show and 2 official BluegrassMMA.COM T-shirts.
If your going to the show be sure to stop and chat with us and let us know your a fan. You can stop and tell us you don't like our work too. Weigh-Ins are in the books and we are less than 24 hours away from the action. See you at the show fight fans and keep it locked here for more ticket giveaways. Next up....
Gruesome MMA in Pikeville, KY.
Covering Kentucky Mixed Martial Arts and Combat Sporting events. Trying to push Kentucky into the spotlight and showcase talented fighters and exciting promotions. Exclusive interviews and coverage of all things MMA and profiles of those who attempt to further the growth of the sport.
Apr 1, 2011
Expectations
Today we are taking a minute to reflect a little bit. Before you click off this page and wonder why we are talking reflection hear me out. Becoming a MMA fan early on when the sport was in its infancy I have been able to watch the sport evolve into a main stream outlet for a new generation of fighters. When this site first started we had no other intention than to try to spark a conversation about MMA because here in Kentucky we were thirsty for it. That being said I can relay to you know that our thirst is being quenched. Bluegrass MMA has been blessed to have been put in contact with some OUTSTANDING individuals in the fighting world. Better than that these top notch guys are from right here in the Bluegrass State. Our focus has switched and our purpose now has taken root with promoting Kentucky fighters and regional Kentucky events.
My expectations when reaching out to promoters, match makers and fighters were to maybe get a little response or a very short and to the point answer to my questions. Suprisingly these guys running these events and training in the gym to get their shot have been very accomodating. We are by no means a main stream outlet nor do we want to be but the attention we can provide these men & women here in the state seems to mean quite a bit to them. Our goal now is to try and build our relationships with all the people involved with KY MMA. We want to be a voice for them, a voice for the fighter that trains day after day, a voice for the promoter dreaming of bringing a live event to the hills of Eastern Kentucky or to the small town out west. We expect that we will help these people and that is where our passion is.
I leave you with a question. What is your expectation of us. I know someone is reading this somewhere. You can't hide, I have a view counter. So tell us what you want to see and hear about. How can we help each other. We have committed to going to some shows and making ourselves known. By all means if we can assist you tell us.
If your attending the Absolute Action MMA Anniversary Show tomorrow night please come introduce yourself to us. We are excited to be there and want to thank Billy Donovan, Dr. Parag Patel and Chris Smith. These guys are certified respectable and have taken time to help us help them.
My expectations when reaching out to promoters, match makers and fighters were to maybe get a little response or a very short and to the point answer to my questions. Suprisingly these guys running these events and training in the gym to get their shot have been very accomodating. We are by no means a main stream outlet nor do we want to be but the attention we can provide these men & women here in the state seems to mean quite a bit to them. Our goal now is to try and build our relationships with all the people involved with KY MMA. We want to be a voice for them, a voice for the fighter that trains day after day, a voice for the promoter dreaming of bringing a live event to the hills of Eastern Kentucky or to the small town out west. We expect that we will help these people and that is where our passion is.
I leave you with a question. What is your expectation of us. I know someone is reading this somewhere. You can't hide, I have a view counter. So tell us what you want to see and hear about. How can we help each other. We have committed to going to some shows and making ourselves known. By all means if we can assist you tell us.
If your attending the Absolute Action MMA Anniversary Show tomorrow night please come introduce yourself to us. We are excited to be there and want to thank Billy Donovan, Dr. Parag Patel and Chris Smith. These guys are certified respectable and have taken time to help us help them.
Mar 31, 2011
Bluegrass MMA introduces Chris Smith of Absolute Action MMA
The countdown has begun. Just 3 short days until Absolute Action MMA brings us AAMMA XII - The Anniversary Show. This card is full of heavy hitters and great fighters. One of the biggest hitters is current AAMMA Amateur Heavyweight Champ Chris Smith. Now don't hold this against us but Smith trains and lives in Cincinnati but has told us of his love of fighting in Kentucky. He is giving up the belt and taking his first shot as a professional Saturday night. He took time to chat with us and give us some insight to what he's been doing leading up to the fight.
First off thanks for taking the time do talk with us. Give us a little bit of your background and tell the people who you are.
"My name is Christopher Ephraim Smith, I am 28 but will be turning 29 April 2nd on the anniversary show date- I was born in Cleveland Ohio, and raised in California. Long Beach is my homeland. I am the son of Dr. Richard E. Smith Sr. & Bernice Smith. I've got the same story as a lot of people I guess. hard knock life growing up, surrounded by Gang violence for a period of my life, grew up constantly getting jumped because of my size, just never really fit in any where- Both of my parents are deceased so i guess it made me a very angry person, at least on the inside. i guess you could say i grew up fighting....or at least getting beat up lol, i took a lot of L's (losses). i could go on for days about that crap but ill leave it at that for now."
First off thanks for taking the time do talk with us. Give us a little bit of your background and tell the people who you are.
"My name is Christopher Ephraim Smith, I am 28 but will be turning 29 April 2nd on the anniversary show date- I was born in Cleveland Ohio, and raised in California. Long Beach is my homeland. I am the son of Dr. Richard E. Smith Sr. & Bernice Smith. I've got the same story as a lot of people I guess. hard knock life growing up, surrounded by Gang violence for a period of my life, grew up constantly getting jumped because of my size, just never really fit in any where- Both of my parents are deceased so i guess it made me a very angry person, at least on the inside. i guess you could say i grew up fighting....or at least getting beat up lol, i took a lot of L's (losses). i could go on for days about that crap but ill leave it at that for now."
Mar 30, 2011
Free..Free.Did we mention Free?
Short notice, yes. Got plans Saturday, we hope not. Bluegrass MMA wants to put you in the crowd Saturday for AAMMA XII - The Anniversary Show. How do you win? Easy. Go to the Contact Us page here on BluegrassMMA.com and get up with us. We will give 1 lucky winner 2 tickets and a Bluegrass MMA T-shirt to sport Saturday night. Contact us for your chance. We will feature you in a post here and if you want get your picture with us Saturday night.
Mar 28, 2011
Exclusive : Absolute Action MMA's Vice President of Operations - Billy Donovan
'Another fight week here in Kentucky. Absolute Action MMA is bringing you a jam packed card Saturday, April 2nd at the Midwest Sports Complex in Florence, Kentucky. Bluegrass MMA will be there live covering the fight and giving away some T-shirts. Stay here at the site for more information coming real soon.
We were very lucky to get a few minutes of time with the Vice President of Operations last week leading up to this historic show. Billy Donovan has taken the time to answer a few of our questions and help us to help you get to know more.
Looking at the Anniversary Show coming up on April 2nd give us a run down on the history of your organization. How did you get started? What was your motivation and what have you learned this first year in you business?
"DR.Parag Patel started Absolute Action MMA after going to several local and regional shows where after witnessing promoters worrying more about the cash box then the fighters that were in the cage. He then knew that he wanted to provide an avenue where these athletes could benefit on a stage where they were featured. Over the past year, we learned that it wasnt going to be easy to continue but we had to elevate expectations for 'local' shows"
Tell fight fans who may have not been to a local show what you can expect from an AAMMA show that sets you apart from say a big time UFC fight or your bigger promotions.
"Its a SHOW. Its an EVENT. What it isnt, is a cage in a field with two people from the local bar beating each other up. That isnt the sport that we call Mixed Martial Arts. That isnt what we do. We have the lights, the cameras and definately the Absolute Action. We have been told that WE are the standard in regional shows and are ready to live up to that hype."
We were very lucky to get a few minutes of time with the Vice President of Operations last week leading up to this historic show. Billy Donovan has taken the time to answer a few of our questions and help us to help you get to know more.
Looking at the Anniversary Show coming up on April 2nd give us a run down on the history of your organization. How did you get started? What was your motivation and what have you learned this first year in you business?
"DR.Parag Patel started Absolute Action MMA after going to several local and regional shows where after witnessing promoters worrying more about the cash box then the fighters that were in the cage. He then knew that he wanted to provide an avenue where these athletes could benefit on a stage where they were featured. Over the past year, we learned that it wasnt going to be easy to continue but we had to elevate expectations for 'local' shows"
Tell fight fans who may have not been to a local show what you can expect from an AAMMA show that sets you apart from say a big time UFC fight or your bigger promotions.
"Its a SHOW. Its an EVENT. What it isnt, is a cage in a field with two people from the local bar beating each other up. That isnt the sport that we call Mixed Martial Arts. That isnt what we do. We have the lights, the cameras and definately the Absolute Action. We have been told that WE are the standard in regional shows and are ready to live up to that hype."
Uncharted Territory
I was told once that if your going to be a bear that you should be a grizzly bear. With that being said I have big hopes for Bluegrass MMA. We started as an attempt to spark conversation about MMA. That my friends has been accomplished. Now that we have an audience we have decided to focus on promoting and covering local MMA here in the Bluegrass. Our first attempt at this will be Saturday in Florence at Absolute Action MMA's show there.
I am not one to half ass anything. I either do it or I don't. After my brief encounter on blog talk radio and the enjoyment I got from that I have decided to launch Bluegrass MMA Live on blogtalkradio.com. Going to kick things off later this week with our first show. Going to try and get our introduction out there and hopefully connect with some folks involved with the AAMMA show. Dave should be able to make an appearance as a co-host. I don't know what to expect yet but its just another avenue to help promote Kentucky promotions and fighters. So tune in. Let us know how we sound and call in and chat if you would like. Bluegrass MMA is looking to do big things and help carry the MMA flag for the Commonwealth.
You can link to our radio spot right here on the website. If you've got ideas or suggestions feel free like always to let us know. We can't be what you want us to be unless there is feedback. So Wednesday night we are kicking it off with a bang. BLUEGRASS MMA LIVE baby...watch out Mike and Mike a bigger and better duo is stepping into the talk radio world.
You can link to our radio spot right here on the website. If you've got ideas or suggestions feel free like always to let us know. We can't be what you want us to be unless there is feedback. So Wednesday night we are kicking it off with a bang. BLUEGRASS MMA LIVE baby...watch out Mike and Mike a bigger and better duo is stepping into the talk radio world.
Mar 27, 2011
Less than a week out!
Fight fans make plans now to attend Absolute Action MMA XII - The Anniversary Show. Bluegrass MMA will be there covering the fight and talking with MMA fans about the show. Very few VIP tickets left and maybe just 1 cageside table remaining. If your looking to buy tickets get up with us. Vice President of Operation Billy Donovan and Bluegrass MMA will be donating a portion of ticket sales to charity. So contact us for tickets. We will get you in a seat and you can help be apart of donating to a great cause.
http://www.fallenheroesfund.org/
Weekend Re-cap
Wow. Huge weekend for MMA fans. Plenty of action out there if you wanted to catch a fight. Hard Rock MMA puts on a huge show in Lawrenceburg, KY. Titan Fighting Championship puts on a card with some big names and of course you had UFC Fight Night on Spike TV. I am sure there were plenty more fights that were just as good in regional promotions. In 2011 its not hard to catch a fight worth watching somewhere on a weekend night. So here is our recap of what was hot and what was not.
Friday Night - Titan Fighting Championship 17
This card had some big names that are either on the way out or on the way up. Bobby Lashley and Phil Baroni headline a Kansas City fight card that was full of potential. Local fighter James Krause makes quick work of Nathan Schut getting a TKO victory at the 00:41 second mark. Big strikes and a head kick ends this one. The crowd loved it.
Phil Baroni fresh off his UFC cut was hyped to make his return. Return he did but it wasn't what he wanted. The crowd was not impressed with his appearance. He grinded out a less than stellar performance and got a decision win. Takedowns and the good ol' lay and pray got him back in the win column. This wasn't pretty nor was it exciting but in the end a victory is a victory. We will see Baroni again, to the dismay of the Kansas City fans.
Bobby Lashley couldn't hang in Strikeforce. Everyone thought he would be a fixture and rise the ranks. Well it didn't happen so he finds himself as a heavy..heavyweight fighing a middleweight in John Ott. Ott has flashes of hope but the size of Lashley was too much. Lashley gets the decision.
Saturday Night - UFC Fight Night 24
Just looking at the 2 big fights here. Dan Hardy didn't do anything to keep his job and continues his fall. Anthony Johnson was tired but did enough to get the win. He may be on his way back up the ladder. This was a must win for each of these guys. Phil Davis shows why he is Mr. Wonderful keeping his undefeated streak alive. He had a hard time with the takedowns and ate a few punches but overall looked very athletic. Will he be a contender for the 205 belt, I don't think so. If you can't take down Lil Nog you can't get close to the champ Jon Jones. Spike and UFC put on a good show but nothing to write home about.
The Main Event of Saturday night.. HARD ROCK MMA 32
If you've been following us at all you know we have promoted this show with a passion. With good reason we wanted to get all of our attention focused on this show that was live in Lawrenceburg, KY. Steve Barger won a couple tickets from us and we hope that the show was everything the fans wanted. I am sure it was.
Courtesy of CageCraze.com here is the quick rundown and quick results of the night's action. You can check out Chad Cunningham's full article at:
http://cagecraze.com/news/event-news/mma-event-coverage/2011/03/23/hardrock-mma-32/
Frank Alguera def Robert Williams via Submission (strikes) at 2:35 in Rd.2
Oleg Nesenchuk def Alex Chism via Unanimous Decision
Mike Marripodi def Joe Kidd via Submission (strikes) at 1:54 in Rd.1
Danny Kelly def Richard Tunstill via Unanimous Decision
James Sullivan def Cody Lynn via Submission (strikes) at 2:20 in Rd.2
Brandon Yocum def Justin Collett via TKO (punches) at 1:24 in Rd.1
Dustin Short def Quinton Parks via TKO (punches) at 0:13 in Rd.2
Montez Jordan def Zaldy Tabontabon via Split Decision
Chris Perkins def Adam Baker via Submission (armbar) at 1:04 in Rd.1
Will Bunge def Michael Ricketts via Submission (armbar) at 2:06 in Rd.1
Tyrelle Olding def Derik Byrd via Split Decision
Shawn Woodyard def Alvin Miller via Submission (Triangle) at 2:04 in Rd.3
Andrew Fogg def Zane Powell via Submission (strikes) at 0:45 in Rd.2 – HW Championship
Jason Jones def Chancellor Edmonson via Unanimous Decision – PRO
Bryce Petosky def Brandon Cothern via Submission (armbar) at 1:30 in Rd.2 – Flyweight Championship
Michael Seals def Bryan Ramsey via Submission (kimura) at 0:44 in Rd.2 – WW Championship
BJ Robinson def Jeremy Philpot via TKO (punches) at 2:37 in Rd.1 – Caged Inferno LW Championship
Josh Clark def Bobby Carter via TKO (punches) at 2:11 in Rd.2 – PRO
As you can see lots of action, lots of finishes. Josh Clark ends the undefeated streak of Bobby Carter. Thanks to Chad Cunningham for the coverage there.
Its a wrap. This week is over. Time to focus on next week. Coverage starts later tonight on Absolute Action MMA's big show in Florence. Look for a couple big interviews coming soon right here at BluegrassMMA.com.
Friday Night - Titan Fighting Championship 17
This card had some big names that are either on the way out or on the way up. Bobby Lashley and Phil Baroni headline a Kansas City fight card that was full of potential. Local fighter James Krause makes quick work of Nathan Schut getting a TKO victory at the 00:41 second mark. Big strikes and a head kick ends this one. The crowd loved it.
Phil Baroni fresh off his UFC cut was hyped to make his return. Return he did but it wasn't what he wanted. The crowd was not impressed with his appearance. He grinded out a less than stellar performance and got a decision win. Takedowns and the good ol' lay and pray got him back in the win column. This wasn't pretty nor was it exciting but in the end a victory is a victory. We will see Baroni again, to the dismay of the Kansas City fans.
Bobby Lashley couldn't hang in Strikeforce. Everyone thought he would be a fixture and rise the ranks. Well it didn't happen so he finds himself as a heavy..heavyweight fighing a middleweight in John Ott. Ott has flashes of hope but the size of Lashley was too much. Lashley gets the decision.
Saturday Night - UFC Fight Night 24
Just looking at the 2 big fights here. Dan Hardy didn't do anything to keep his job and continues his fall. Anthony Johnson was tired but did enough to get the win. He may be on his way back up the ladder. This was a must win for each of these guys. Phil Davis shows why he is Mr. Wonderful keeping his undefeated streak alive. He had a hard time with the takedowns and ate a few punches but overall looked very athletic. Will he be a contender for the 205 belt, I don't think so. If you can't take down Lil Nog you can't get close to the champ Jon Jones. Spike and UFC put on a good show but nothing to write home about.
The Main Event of Saturday night.. HARD ROCK MMA 32
If you've been following us at all you know we have promoted this show with a passion. With good reason we wanted to get all of our attention focused on this show that was live in Lawrenceburg, KY. Steve Barger won a couple tickets from us and we hope that the show was everything the fans wanted. I am sure it was.
Courtesy of CageCraze.com here is the quick rundown and quick results of the night's action. You can check out Chad Cunningham's full article at:
http://cagecraze.com/news/event-news/mma-event-coverage/2011/03/23/hardrock-mma-32/
Frank Alguera def Robert Williams via Submission (strikes) at 2:35 in Rd.2
Oleg Nesenchuk def Alex Chism via Unanimous Decision
Mike Marripodi def Joe Kidd via Submission (strikes) at 1:54 in Rd.1
Danny Kelly def Richard Tunstill via Unanimous Decision
James Sullivan def Cody Lynn via Submission (strikes) at 2:20 in Rd.2
Brandon Yocum def Justin Collett via TKO (punches) at 1:24 in Rd.1
Dustin Short def Quinton Parks via TKO (punches) at 0:13 in Rd.2
Montez Jordan def Zaldy Tabontabon via Split Decision
Chris Perkins def Adam Baker via Submission (armbar) at 1:04 in Rd.1
Will Bunge def Michael Ricketts via Submission (armbar) at 2:06 in Rd.1
Tyrelle Olding def Derik Byrd via Split Decision
Shawn Woodyard def Alvin Miller via Submission (Triangle) at 2:04 in Rd.3
Andrew Fogg def Zane Powell via Submission (strikes) at 0:45 in Rd.2 – HW Championship
Jason Jones def Chancellor Edmonson via Unanimous Decision – PRO
Bryce Petosky def Brandon Cothern via Submission (armbar) at 1:30 in Rd.2 – Flyweight Championship
Michael Seals def Bryan Ramsey via Submission (kimura) at 0:44 in Rd.2 – WW Championship
BJ Robinson def Jeremy Philpot via TKO (punches) at 2:37 in Rd.1 – Caged Inferno LW Championship
Josh Clark def Bobby Carter via TKO (punches) at 2:11 in Rd.2 – PRO
As you can see lots of action, lots of finishes. Josh Clark ends the undefeated streak of Bobby Carter. Thanks to Chad Cunningham for the coverage there.
Its a wrap. This week is over. Time to focus on next week. Coverage starts later tonight on Absolute Action MMA's big show in Florence. Look for a couple big interviews coming soon right here at BluegrassMMA.com.
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