Matrix Fights III Review/ Just what we needed. Well done.

Sky is the limit for Anyanwu

Matrix Fights III went down last Friday night, and demonstrated exactly how and why the local scene could and should stay around. It was an important statement to make with the shadow of Bellator 33 still over the city. In their new home — hall of the Philadelphia Sheet Metal Workers’ Local — the Matrix Fights’ team seems comfortable, it is spacious, well light and centrally located. I have discussed before the pros and cons of holding fights in a hall and have stated firmly that the ideal location is a more traditional fight venue, if for no other reason then it adds credibility and reminds spectators — attending and potential — that these are legit professional fights between athletes who train full time to measure their skill and gameness. Realization of this fact is what brings out the best in fans and helps elevate the perception of the sport to where it deserves to be. 

Having said that, this scene is in its incumbency and in desperate need of cards like this one. So anywhere they can erect a cage, they should. Put this fight on in a North Philly alleyway and I am there to see it, even if my press credentials don’t get me the spot next to the burning trashcan.

This card took a few hits from cancelations, most notably Alexandre Beserra, a freak athlete who impressed us at Locked In The Cage 4 but hasn’t been able to get back on a card, this time due to the bureaucracy at US customs. Also a perpetual disappointment, Andria Caplan lost another opponent but seems to have a lock on a fight in Ohio for later this month, we’ll keep our fingers crossed for her.

 Thankfully, Matrix always aims high so even with some cancellations they stay on target and this card was anchored by legit headliners Brylan VanArtsdalen and Julio Rosario, both fighters gave everything they had— a considerable feet as they come out of crazy deep camps. The undercards delivered as Kasheem Peterson came out hard for his first fight in Philly and Azunna Anyanwu made his pro debut against a very tough Desmond Walker. He was pushed hard and pushed back harder; talk about this heavyweight will now shift from being the best around town to the best around the region. Amateurs delivered as well, a couple of standouts showed progress and the crowd was treated to a striking clinic by Julio Arce.

Amateurs

Joe DeFranco (4-2) Daddis FC v Phil Parish, (4-4) Courtland NY

Throw missed, fate sealed

DeFranco was cornered by Daddis  FC who pretty much brought in their army to anchor this card. He looked good off the bat, landing a solid hook off of the clinch but his aggression waned after an attempted hip toss went south: Parish was able to get heavy and stable to avoid going for a ride and push from the back, taking DeFranco face first to the matt. Parish eventually worked to an armbar that he was able to pull off, despite being in an awkward position against the cage, and force the tap.

 Joe Lowry (1-0) Daddis FC v Shawn Conallen (0-1) Balance Studios

Lowry didn’t try anything fancy but executed his simple techniques well. He ended the fight by taking Conallen off his feet with a strike and finishing on the mat with the rear naked choke.

Standley Eugene (3-0) Paramount BJJ v Mouro Conte (0-1) Philadelphia

The bear trap shuts on Eugene's arm, he barely gets it back without gnawing his limb off

Eugene looked aggressive on the feet and while he seemed a little hyper focused on closing the distance and content to eat shots along the way, his offensive basics were together. On the ground the dynamic was exaggerated. He looked great on the top and passed with little room left for escape — what we would expect from studying under Lloyd Irvin blackbelt Brad Court. However he almost lost it all by slipping into an deep armbar. Had Conte had the stomach for it or Eugene not (he definitely risked the next nine months of training by continuing to fight while his arm was fully extended) this fight could have ended right there. Good or bad decision on Eugene’s part, he survived and controlled the rest of the fight to take the decision.

Julio Arce (10-0) Tiger Schulmann’s MMA, NYC v Anthony Guiterrez (15-3) Kansas City, MO

Now, I’m not familiar with amateurs at this level but the fight was entertaining as hell. Arce owned it and while his record proves he has a ground game, he refused to go there, and after the first round, he didn’t. He repeatedly knocked down Guiterrez, backed off and reset. He closed distance like a specter moving in untouched and firing down the center line to rack up touches. While not quite as graceful in backing out, he had tight clinch game and sprawls that he used to keep the fight standing where he took an easy decision. Isn’t this guy from Lyman Good’s camp? You wouldn’t know it from this fight.

Jimmy Cerra (4-2) Philadelphia v Derek Hart (3-2) NY

Venerable local Cerra had a couple of slams and tight control on the ground that gave him a dominant decision victory.

Brian Pitanelo (3-3) Burlington, VT v Matt Freideborn (4-1) Daddis FC

Pitanelo has crazy heart and stamina (he demonstrated this back at Locked In The Cage 4) but Freideborn’s tight ground game meant that any string of shots that Pitanelo could put together couldn’t be finished. When the two toppled to the ground, even when initiated by Pitenelo, Freideborn would come up on top, his ruthless aggression and tight ground control earned him the decision victory. Pitanelo could be dangerous with some ground training to match his stamina and spirit.

Juan Vasquez (3-1) Advantage MMA, Pannsauken, NJ v George Hibbs (3-3) Daddis FC

While Hibbs had his moments and was strong enough to force the fight the distance, Vazquez capitalized through pure strength to get the close decision.

The Pros

Jeff Cressman (2-3) Daddis FC v  Chad Vandenberg (6-2), Kansas City, Mo

Cressman raised a lot of expectations with his fight of the night performance at Locked In The Cage 2 but, in his last two fights, has fallen far from that. We will continue to look out for a return to his spirited nature but in this fight, he looked rattled and even when on the attack was flat footed with his hands wide and low. He seemed hesitant and out of step. Vandenberg chased him around for a few exchanges before siting on Cressman with a side headlock and pounding with strikes until Cressman tapped.

Kasheem Peterson (3-1-1) Tompkins MMA v Adam Albright (4-3) Philadelphia

We welcome Kasheem to the scene, he welcomes Albright's inards to severe trauma

Making his first appearance on the local scene, Peterson is a huge 170-pounder with a wild reach that stunned Albright from the first shot that turned his mouth and nose area into a red pulp. He would land another one of these rather innocuous looking paws to the face and drop Albright who, blinking hard, was allowed to rise to his feet. Albright didn’t shrink but Peterson was able to reach in once more, collapsing him. He followed through this time and drilled on Albright’s head until the ref stepped in.

Walker gives up the leg, Azunna takes the whole thing

Azunna Anyanwu (1-0) Daddis FC v Desmond Walker (0-1) Bulllpen Vale Tudo, May’s Landing, NJ

Anyanwu explains the fight in his own words here, but the official recored goes like this: He had deep crowd support from the jump and all were stunned by the level of competition brought to him and out of him by Walker. Walker started the action with a low kick that snapped hard on Anyanwu’s lead leg, it was followed up with a high kick that slapped squarely on Anyanwu’s face. Shocked, more then stumbled, Anyanwu dropped his level and regained his composure clinching against the cage. Anyanwu recovered quickly picking Walker up twice by a single leg, extending him high for theatrics and dropping him quick. While Walker may have cushioned the first slam with some squirming, by the third time Anyanwu secured a leg against the cage, Walker was leaning all his weight back in a desperate attempt to stay grounded.

Back on the ground Anyanwu showed tight jiu jitsu securing a head and arm choke before smoothly stepping from side control to mount and to the other side to maximize the pressure. Walker didn’t panic, kept his arm from folding over his neck and forced Anyanwu to abandon the choke. Back on the feet and gassed from the submission attempt, Anyanwu moved in and out of clinches without crisp movement and paid for it by eating a huge uppercut before the round expired.

Most notorious guillotine since the French Revolution

The second round saw the pace slow and while Anyanwu was definitely gassed  and ate some strikes because of it, he managed to rack up points controlling on the ground and ended the round leaning back on a standing guillotine choke.

The third round saw more clinching and dirty boxing before Anyanwu batted Walker into dropping his level and shooting for a leg. Anyanwu then secured another guillotine choke, this time sinking it in deep and leaning back with everything to finish. It was an impressive performance that raises the expectations for the prospect once again.

Julio Rosario (3-2) Semper Fi MMA v Brylan VanArtsdalen (2-1) Daddis FC

In the headline fight, Rosario definitely won the battle of intro music by mixing in some Full Metal Jacket clips. Despite this and the feverish support of his fans, this was VanArtsdalen’s fight (Daddis FC fans matched the level of hysteria and in a testament to the respectability of both camps, the passion never seemed close to boiling over into action outside the cage). 

Both fighters looked to set the pace and went right to work swinging for broke, VanArtsdalen was able to capitalize first by landing a big throw off a body lock. VanArtsdalen popped back to the feet but when Rosario tried to do the same, he rushed back only to get snapped into a head and arm triangle that he was able to roll out of before moving onto Rosario’s back. Rosario rolled into VanArtsdalen’s guard before moving back to a standing position. They would end up back on the ground however when VanArtsdalen ran through some Rosario straight shots to secure a slam that finished out the round.

A hard fought finish

The second round opened with both fighters reaching for KOs and VanArtsdalen getting the best of the exchange as well as the exchange of knees from the clinch that followed. From that clinch VanArtsdalen was able to move in an execute a suplex and come down in side control. From here he moved to mount before sinking in hooks on the back. He then worked relentlessly for a rear naked choke that eventually tapped Rosario. 

In the end, both fighters, bloodied up and exhausted, embraced. 

This fight was definitely a watershed for the scene. Despite switching venues and going down only eight days after Bellator 33 (or perhaps because of it?) Matrix Fights III packed every seat. Even more telling, it was packed by the second fight of the night (Bellator 33 didn’t peak until the headline fight), something that may be an indicator of MMA fans filtering in were there was once was only supporters of individual fighters. Regardless, the crowd was impassioned and there is little doubt that the 1000 or so people who witnessed the event will spread the word about Philly’s up and coming local scene- a huge success considering these are the people, after all, who will be the saviors and benefactors of this scene.

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Update on Monday, November 1, 2010 at 1:14PM by Charles Cieri

Here is video, courtesy of Brad Court, of Standley Eugene's impressive victory from Matrix Fights III.

He's only a white belt!!