Matrix Fights 4 - Good Friday for a fight- Stacked card, Zu and Alvarez are tested, Brylan and Martinez are not
Sunday, April 24, 2011 at 5:18PM Charles Cieri 
Photo courtesy of Eric Zippe
In the arms-race between the city’s major MMA promotions, Matrix Fights has dropped a bomb. Locked In The Cage 6 and 7 had elevated the local scene in terms of both quality of fight cards and crowd size. While Matrix’ current venue of choice - the hall of the Philadelphia Sheet Metal Workers’ Local maxes out at 1300+ people (which they easily sold out- people were turned away, and the room was virtually packed from the first amateur fight) this card deserved to outsell the Jack Dempsey fight in 1926.
Match maker Andria Caplan provided a night with some notable ‘firsts’- most importantly the local scene’s first fight card without a cancelation. Her stacked card came in heavy at 18 fights so that by the time the program was printed and the typical flake-outs and injuries took their toll, 14 evenly matched bouts remained. With little filler, Matrix Fights keep the action moving from 8PM to midnight- basically the greatest deal in Philly since the Mafia stopped charging tourists to take pictures with the Rocky Statue.
Here’s the quick wrap-up, look out for more details to come.
Amateurs
160 pound bout - James Lajoie (0-1) CNY MMA v Billy Miller (2-1) Shaddock MMA
Miller came out of an awful first round and scored through the second and third rounds on the feet while keeping it close enough on the ground to squeeze out a split decision.
190 pound bout - Cody Plotner (2-0) CNY MMA v Steven Kiss (0-1) NJMMA
A first, of a particularly vicious nature: someone from Plotner’s team yelled out for him to attack the collar bone of Kiss, which he did with straight punches from inside the guard- an indication of the aggression that earned him the unanimous decision.
163 pound bout - Ryan Courtney (2-0) Balance Studios v Zac Conrad (0-1) Grindhouse
Courtney went hulk in the first round, going takedown crazy and slamming Conrad five times in that round alone. However Courtney took some damage in the second round while trying to dig out more takedowns; he regained the momentum in the third round with a few more slams and some pounding from the top position, giving him a unanimous decision.
155 pound bout - Frank Doyle (1-1) Semper Fi v Javier Guzman (1-0) Philly Fight Sports
Javier “Javy” Guzman is a highly touted Golden Gloves champ who begins his MMA career only a week after his 18th birthday. You would never suspect his immaturity by looking at his physique or poise in the cage. He opened up by backing Doyle down with the hands and then made the surprising move to pull guard. After nearly hitting an omoplata, he maintained the attack and tapped Doyle with a second attempt. Guzman could be the truth, we’ll be looking out.
170 pound bout - Curtis Beardsell (0-1) Precision Jiu Jitsu v Joe Lowery (2-0) Daddis FC
Beardsell has an amazing chin, unfortunately he leads with it. Lowery spent the fight connecting to the head of Beardsell earning him the unanimous decision.
155 pound bout - Marius Enache (2-3) Balance Studios v Kyle Nicholson (3-0) Shaddock MMA
Enache came out with tweeker-level energy that he used to stymie Nicholson in the first round by bouncing all over the cage. Nicholson was able to recover in the second and third rounds, settle down and pick Enache apart on the feet and outwork him on the ground for the a split decision victory.
245 pound bout - Mark Krumrie (1-1) Spring Grove, PA v Brian Palakow (2-0) Daddis FC
Krumrie came out to box but due to Palakow’s ability to hit take-downs all fight, he never got the chance. Palakow stayed on the ground and worked Krumrie who, in another first, waved his hands around inviting Palakow to tee off from within his guard- Palakow responded with multiple double hammer fist that didn’t seem to phase Krumrie who comes out on the short end of a unanimous decision.
160 pound bout - Phillip Parrish (5-6) CNY MMA v Adam Roberts (5-1) Rocco MMA
"7-pack" Roberts with Rocco trainers
Roberts has been on our radar for some time and kept things moving in this fight. Despite a very dangerous looking guard from Parrish, Roberts was able to neutralize it with constant pressure. In the second round, Roberts rode a big slam into back control. From there he looked very calm; after dropping his mouth piece, picking up and reinstalling it (without losing his deep arm position around Parrish’s neck) he connecting the rear naked choke and squeezed for the tap.
135 pound bout - Travis Wynn (4-3) 302 BJJ v Matt Friedeborn (7-1) Daddis FC
Wynn losses a unanimous decision to Friedeborn who was able to get to the ground, control and threaten enough submissions to tilt the judges in his favor for the unanimous decision. This is no surprise as Wynn is still a white belt in BJJ. What was a surprise was Wynn’s unique standup. In losing this fight he still wowed me by combining reckless punching with skillful footwork. He was somehow wild with his hands yet controlled with tight careful movements from the hips down. After watching this video of him sparing with Gemiyale Adkins (Check the 2:15 mark), who has some of the most dangerous strikes on the scene - and outweighs him by 40 pounds - it’s s no surprise that he has freak standup skills.
145 pound bout - Derek Hart (4-3) CNY MMA v Albert Alvarez (3-0) Philadelphia Fight Factory
Photo courtesy of Eric Zippe
Alvarez surprised no one by coming out very aggressive, striking with crisp shots and moving and level-changing like a seasoned fighter. Hart however didn’t show up to get stepped on and he ended up putting Alvarez on the defensive with some ballsy jiu jitsu. He jumped to guard early in the first round and trapped Alvarez’ one arm. Alvarez spiked Hart on his tail bone and then picked him up again and dropped him hard on his shoulders. Through it all, Hart keep working for the triangle which he came dangerously close to finishing. The rest of the fight went accordingly with Alvarez winning but not dominating on the feet and Hart earning an edge on the ground. Alvarez takes the split decision. While Alvarez seemed to have the tools, Hart was able to take good chances and capitalize on them, and when he got backed into trouble he managed to counter or drop down for a takedown that would kill Alvarez’ flow. Both fighters should be in high demand after this fight.
Pros
265 pound bout - Derek Sawyer (1-6) Louisville, KY v Azunna Anyanwu (3-0) Balance Studios
Zu leans back on the Nigerian Revolution
Anyanwu is on a steep rise to notoriety but Sawyer came close to monkeywrenching the whole deal. Anyanwu came out head hunting as usual but before he could dial in the distance, Sawyer took him down and worked dexterously over the big man. At one point he came close to finishing an armbar that was fully extended but Anyanwu was able to twist the pressure off his elbow.
Curtains
In the second round, Anyanwu started to feel his standup and was getting closer and closer to Sawyer’s chin. Sawyer bailed on the standup with a takedown but Anyanwu was ready and sprawled hard. As Sawyer tried to dig out the takedown, he inadvertently laid his neck across the best known guillotine since the French Revolution. Anyanwu scooped it up, rose to his feet, arched back and forced the tap.
Even before this fight, Bellator Fighting Championship had inked a deal for Anyanwu and Randy Smith to fight on the undercard of BFC 44, going down in Atlantic City on May 14th. Also on the card is North Philly native and WEC vet Anthony Morrison, check back for more details on this.
145 pound bout - Brett Ewing (1-1) Louisville, KY v Brylan Van Artsdalen (5-1) Daddis FC
Brylan, eyeball stalking
Van Artsdalen charged out of the bell and into a double leg by Ewing who worked it into a slam and then back control. From here he threatened a rear naked choke. Van Artsdalen methodically worked through it all. Seconds after getting to a neutral position, Van Artdalen locked up a darce choke for the tap.
Van Artsdalen added another first on the night by immediately addressing his frenzied fans and instructing them to “be respectful” of his defeated opponent.
179 pound bout - Levon Maynard (11-7) Virginia Beach, VA v Gemiyale Adkins (6-1) 302 BJJ
Maynard on the back, reigning down
Adkins loves to throw hands and the word is out. In a grueling battle, Maynard manages to keep Adkins on his back and in bad positions long enough for the judges to give him a unanimous decision. Maynard was ducking punches and going for takedowns off the opening exchange. At points he dominated on the ground, getting to the back and pounding with strikes. However there were extended periods where Adkins was able to keep the fight standing- switching the advantage 180 degrees. Aside from low-kicks - which Adkins was happy to eat in pursuit of a haymaker opportunity - Adkins dominated, completely neutralizing Maynard’s height and reach. By the third round Adkins hands were low and he didn’t appear worried about Maynard’s strikes. In the end, Adkins inability to stop the takedown and/or recover out of Maynard’s ground control cost him his first loss. I expect to see Adkins returning to his wrestling roots, refocusing on his BJJ with team 302 and making sure no one gets another win via circumventing his standup.
170 pound bout - Chris Wing (2-1) Wing MA v Jesus Martinez (6-1) Semper Fi
Wing and Martinez
Jesus Martinez put on a dominate performance on his way to a second round KO kick to the head of Chris Wing. The fight followed a very clear path as Martinez came out to kickbox and Wing couldn’t get a takedown to change that. Martinez simply punched over the top with more and more confidence. While Wing showed a tough chin, the shots wore him down as he became more and more tentative and an easier target for Martinez. By the time the kick ended it, Wing was severely out-gunned. In another noted display of class, Martinez quickly addressed his fans to make sure that their exuberance over the victory didn’t turn into disrespect of Wing or the venue.
Martinez addresses his faithful
Charles Cieri
Here is video of the Krumrie v Palakow fight, dug up by Ted Czeck over at MMAExplosion
Charles Cieri
Anyanwu video
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