GAMMA opens in Las Vegas

[Mentor]

GAMMA: April Part 1 by James Isaac Abraham

GAMMA 700: Goodman VS Obama 3

Middleweight Title: Saul Goodman (28-5-0) VS Russian Obama (31-9-1)

The number 1 middleweight fighter of the world and reigning GAMMA Middleweight champ Goodman pushed his win streak to 7 after defeating the challenger Russian Obama in 5 rounds via unanimous decision.

This was the third time that these warriors have faced each other. The first encounter was a close call, Obama getting the W via split decision. The second encounter was a unanimous decision victory won by Goodman. The 3rd clash could seal the deal and it probably did. This win propelled Goodman to 3rd in the P4P rankings, while pushing back Obama to 84th. Maybe a couple of wins for Obama could give him another shot at the title.

The match was surprisingly one-sided and was controlled by the champion all throughout. He displayed a high degree of technique in striking in distance and in the clinch. Goodman landed more strikes with better accuracy, securing every round and outclassing Obama in all aspects of the match.

Despite that, Obama was a great contender, surviving all 5 rounds with a cut he got way back in the first round. I look forward to seeing him climb back up the middleweight rankings and see a Goodman VS Obama 4.

Winner: Saul Goodman retains Middleweight Title via Unanimous Decision

GAMMA 701: Shin VS Laine 2

Welterweight Title: Lao Shin (31-11-1) VS Musta Laine (23-10-0)

Shin the welterweight champ faced Laine for the second time in his career. Their last outing was way back in GAMMA 665 where Laine was the champion. Laine won that match in a viscious 2nd round TKO. Along the way, both fighters have continued to seek reign in GAMMA and aim for the belt. They met again and as expected, a battle of champions is always a good treat.

The story of the match was no different to their first meeting. Laine was aggressive in striking and trying to get it to the ground. Once he got the takedowns, he capitalized on ground n pound while defending the sub attempts by Shin. Given that they are excellent ground fighters, getting a finish was not an easy task. Fun fact, Laine has only been submitted twice in his career.

Overall, Laine did better on the ground. He had better moves and he got more of every aspect in this match. For 5 rounds, it was all Laine and the champ came to a point where he needed a finish in order to win. Great overall control by Laine was the key factor here and Shin got defeated by Laine yet again for the 2nd time.

Will there be a third outing? We’ll see sooner or later.

Winner: Musta Laine wins Welterweight Title via Unanimous Decision

Lightweight Title: Randy Springs (30-11-0) VS Tony Ramos (23-11-0)

Ever since being acquired by Mr. David Brent , the reigning champ Springs has been on a roll and he is at his best form so far. With 12 wins of his last 14 outings, he’s become an unstoppable force in the 170 division. Ramos on the other hand had a streak of his own entering this match winning 5 out of 6 matches.

This match earned fight of the night after both fighters gave a very well contested title match. Giving their all, it was only up to the judges’ scorecards to decide who the winner was and with no surprise, it was a 1 round difference in the votes.

Each fighter focused on their arsenals, trying to edge the other with their advantages. Springs is the better striker, and he did well defending almost 2/3 of Ramos’ takedown attempts. Ramos on the other hand knows that he can capitalize when the match is brought to the ground, and he got 6 successful takedowns but weren’t enough to finish the champ.

Overall, Springs just played the match with better technique and he ended up with the W. He showed why he was champ and how experienced he was. This win is his first defense in his current title reign and moved him to number 7 in P4P rankings.

Winner: Randy Springs retains Lightweight Title via Unanimous Decision

[jsdaugh]

 

Joe Jordan HOF Induction

Managed by Thor HGH, fought in GAMMA from 2015-09-26 till 2017-12-02. He is a former 265lbs champ with a total of 8 title fights and 10 FON awards. His highest ranking as a fighter is 6th. His total ranking points of 125 which places him 25th on the all time list. Biggest wins are over Mickey Shanks, Julien Touret, Gunnar Steigelmann, Tony Slevin all of which are former champs.

One of the more entertaining GAMMA champs, fought in an era of some of the best 265lbs fighters we have ever had and came out on top against all of them. It was during a 7 fight win streak that he beat most of those fighters, that streak was ended in their rematch against Gunnar. From then on he became a bit of a journeyman from 2016-08-06 until his retirement going 8-14 in those last fights.

His 34 fights in the most difficult division though is something that very few fighters can boast. This is also Thor's first HOF fighter, pushing himself in contention for HOF induction in 2018.

 

 

He is also doing very well in DAREDEVILS MMA OPENWEIGHT DIVISION , going 3-1 in the last 4 fights with victories over "Doomsday" Raven Harris (201523), "Fat pig" Kim Jong (157751), and Poto Tupu (250730). Not bad for a 41 yr old thats making another title run. Definitely a great fighter and deserves the recognition!

[jsdaugh]

DARE'S 155 LB CHAMPION IS IN NEED OF A FAIR OPPONENT, LOOKING TO MAKE THE FIGHT HAPPEN IN GAMMA. HE IS INTERESTED IN Sala Barbo (289564).

 

Junior "Tarantula" Vilson (290550)

17-3, 27 YRS OLD

WC 13, 85 P4P @ 155 LBS

 

http://mmatycoon.com/gallery/0/14585508057943.png

 

LETS MAKE IT HAPPEN! CONTACT John Daugherty (118208) CEO/OWNER OF DAREDEVILS MMA.

[Mentor]

Sorry, we are not looking for super fights for anyone under 100 rank.

[Mentor]

GAMMA: Thor HGH (24686) Manager HOF Induction

General Stats

Top Ranking as manager: #4

Started fighting in GAMMA: 2013-08-11

Record inside: GAMMA 36-34-1

Title fights: 16

Super fights: 2

HOF Fighters: 1

Total Points: 292

Thor is a long time legendary GAMMA manager who started fighting in our org about 5 years ago. His first fight did not start so well though:

"Osama Robins did not make it to the correct location before the fight and as a result, his bout with Renan St Juste had to be cancelled."

His first fight was actually part of a super fight exchange at the time when Renan was pushing for #1 in the game. Little did i know that 5 years later Thor would be inducted to our HOF.

His total of 292 points rank him 19th all time among managers and is 8th among "still active" managers.

Thor has been with us during the good and not so good times and it is a honor to induct him to our HOF.

[Mentor]

Current #1 ranking org in the game has gotten a bit bigger today.

As many of you already know, we already have 2 lower tier organizations. GAMMA: Contenders is our tier #2 org running events out of Las Vegas. This org focuses on fighters with ID 1 to 290k. Usually these are veteran fighters that are not quite ready to compete in GAMMA. Running this organization is Bobby Heyman.

Our third tier organization is GAMMA Rising Stars based in New York and run by Kevin Edwards (27496). This org specializes in ID ranges 290k to around 310k.

We now have taken over PFC in St Petersburg and have rebranded it to become our GAMMA: Proving Grounds. The ID ranges are 310k+. Running this organization is former GAMMA RS CEO Scott Petrey (117451). If you have any younger fighters that want to start a career in GAMMA, contact Scott for a contract.

http://www.mmatycoon.com/managerprofilemanager.php?MgrID=117451

Every month the ID of the 2nd and 3rd tier organizations increase but 3-5k, so within a few months the Proving grounds will be merged into the Rising Stars organization. We could reopen a new Proving grounds organization later though.

[Monsieur.Camara]

Mentor the former Peterhoft / New Proving Grounds stands as one of the only 310K orgs in the game.

 

Are you sure merging it to your 290K org next month is a good move? The gap will be quite large no?

 

And if so, perhaps you should include this little piece of information on the contracts you are sending to the managers (I know I got one for Steve and this was not indicated in the contract):

 

Every month the ID of the 2nd and 3rd tier organizations increase but 3-5k, so within a few months the Proving grounds will be merged into the Rising Stars organization. We could reopen a new Proving grounds organization later though.

 

I didn't even know GAMMA had a 3rd Tier org. Wouldn't it be best to put some hard work into Rising Stars the conventional way and grow it instead of absorbing a much needed 310K org ?

[Mentor]

We do not plan to "absorb" this org into the Rising stars, because the 2 orgs have totally different ID's at the moment (as you mentioned yourself), we plan to run it separately. The reason we decided to open a lower ID org is because many people wanted a place to grow within GAMMA and that was not possible when your lower tier org is a 290k org and the current in game ID is 335k+.

 

However, as you may already know, every 1-2 months we increase the ID, this means that within 5-6 months the Rising Stars org will have the same ID as the proving grounds, at that point we plan to merge them into one, the ID at that point will be 310k as it is now.

[Mentor]

I am proud to announce that we have a new full time General Manager, our current writer James Isaac Abraham! James has done some good work for us already and will be taking on a more active role with various org related subjects, for the most part he will be responsible for all things within the organization with exception of booking events and super fight negotiations. He will take on these tasks when i will be away.

We wish James a successful tenure!

[Mentor]

April part 2 by James Isaac Abraham

GAMMA #702

Superheavyweight Bout

Hennan Hoyce vs Brandon Simmons

Both fighters have fallen in the hands of the reigning champ Bubba Gumption. As they look to climb back up the top of the rankings and get another shot, a win in this one would give them a boost for the contender spot. A must win for both fighters.

The first round was a feast. Simmons was more cautious in his striking, landing shots with greater accuracy through counters while Hoyce was the opposite, who was looking to land multiple shots despite missing more than half of his thrown punches.

Just before the 3rd minute, Simmons’ strategy seems to have started to pay off and almost knocked Hoyce out. However, Hoyce quickly retaliates and unleashed his inner beast knocking down Simmons in an instant. When Simmons lost control it was a barrage of heavy punches and Hoyce got the W.

Winner: Hennan Hoyce by 1st round TKO

Featherweight Title

Gareth Keenan vs Jiri Sayonara

After his successful revenge match against Mirowski, Keenan is right back in the championship game. He successfully defended his title against Sayonara using his well rounded striking game. The champion showed his technique and control of the match, defending a total of 11 takedown attempts, thrown over 200 strikes and around 100 strikes landed. Sayonara was no easy opponent but overall, this was Keenan’s match from the get go.

This win pushed Keenan back to rank 12 P4P, and 2nd among all featherweights.

Winner: Gareth Keenan retains title by Unanimous Decision

GAMMA #703

Superheavyweight Title

Bubba Gumption vs Gerbert Bryant

One of the most interesting rivalries in GAMMA heavyweights is back. Reigning champ and number 1 Superheavyweight Bubba Gumption faced the veteran and former GAMMA Superheavyweight champion Gerbert Bryant, marking the 4th time they faced in GAMMA. The head-to-head before the match was 2-1 in favor of Bryant.

Bryant dominated the first round as soon as he successfully took down the champ to the mat. In the 2nd round, it was Gumption’s turn to retaliate. Before Bryant even got a TD attempt, Gumption was landing the strikes effectively with high accuracy. Bryant has only been knocked out 4 times in his career before this match but Gumption’s power was too much for him. The sequence of a hook and an uppercut by Gumption was the end of Bryant.

Gumption proved that he is indeed a champ as he equalized the series against Bryant. This win is now his 5th successful defense in his current title run (all ended via KO, 4 of which in the first round). Bryant will need to get a win soon as he lost his form in his recent matches with a record of 5-5 in his last 10 matches, sliding down to rank 100 P4P and 4th among Superheavyweights.

Winner: Bubba Gumption retains title by 2nd round KO

GAMMA #704

Light Heavyweight Superfight

Menace Defoe (GAMMA) vs Benjamin BK (OFC)

OFC reigning LHW champ Benjamin BK was invited to our very own GAMMA #704 to face one of the best LHWs in history. Long running champ and future hall of famer Defoe welcomes the OFC champ in his home turf with extreme dominance, outclassing BK in almost every aspect of the match.

Defoe destroyed the OFC champ. With around 3 times more strikes landed, BK was barely holding on since the second round and Defoe was very accurate with his strikes. He defended all 11 takedown attempts and his use of the clinch was also superb. The match ended in the 5th via TKO with BK getting knocked down 4 times along the way. Despite that, he still put on a good fight. We witnessed a true fighter and champion in Benjamin BK.

With this win, Defoe continues his feat, winning 12 of his past 13 matches. BK returns to OFC to defend his title on the 28th with no damn injury whatsoever (what a fighter).

Winner: Menace Defoe by 5th round TKO

Middleweight Title

Saul Goodman vs Ilya Mstislav Volkov

After the long rivalry between Shin and Volkov in the welterweight division, Volkov has decided to once again compete at the 185 division. His last middleweight match dates back to October 2015 and with no surprise, he faced the toughest middleweight in the world today, the reigning GAMMA Middleweight Champion. Goodman accepted the challenge, who was about to defend his belt for the 2nd time in his current title run.

The champion Saul Goodman is known for his elite technique in striking while Volkov’s 60% KO rate may have a potential impact but Goodman was just too good all throughout. With more strikes thrown and landed, Goodman took control of the match since round 1. The champ won 4 out of 5 rounds, losing the close 3rd round to Volkov. Once again, Goodman wins by decision for the 23rd time and still has never been KO’d by any opponent.

This win marks Goodman’s 8th straight win and moved him back up to rank 2 P4P. Meanwhile, Volkov is currently unsigned and will probably re-sign in GAMMA or test the waters in another top level org.

Winner: Saul Goodman retains Middleweight Title by Unanimous Decision

[Mentor]

Ilya Mstislav Volkov (228159) HOF Induction

 

Managed by Ed Minasian, with a record inside GAMMA of 19-8-1. Ilya is a former, 170lbs champion with a total of 12 title fights with 15 FON awards. High highest all time rank is 9th. His biggest wins over former GAMMA champs include Lao Shin (x2), Rufus McTearson, Robin Yount (x2) ,Stanly Williams (x2). Upon retirement he accumulated a total of 140 points ranking him 19th all time best GAMMA fighter and 5th best among 170lbs fighters. He is also a former Epicity, Troid and Syn Champion.

[Mentor]

I am proud to announce that GAMMA is at it's peak as an organization, we have never been this dominant in our history. I have been recording our general progress ever since August 13 (we launched in May 2009).

This is the first time we have had 5 top 10 ranked fighters, those being:

Bubba "Shrimpin" Gumption (273905)

Gareth Keenan "Investigates" (272458)

Saul "Slip The Jab" Goodman (271572)

Randy "Fuckn" Springs (258713)

Menace Defoe (268296)

We have a total of 23 top 100 ranked fighters as well (also a personal best), with over 100 fighters ranked in the top 1000. In fact, if you calculate all the top 1000 ranked fighters we have in our affiliate orgs as well, the figure is over 140 fighters.

Thanks to everyone for their contribution.

[philofthefuture]

May Part 1 by James Isaac Abraham

 

GAMMA#705

 

Lightweight Title

Randy Springs vs Ray Malenko

 

Two world class lightweights met each other for the first time in their careers. Before entering the match, both fighters were on a dominant win streak, Springs with 5 and Malenko with 6. This was a well earned title shot for the challenger Malenko, who when reunited his former manager Bobby Heyman rose the ranks in GAMMA Contenders and a 3 fight win streak in GAMMA before facing the defending champ Randy Springs.

 

The match was dominated by the champion. All throughout the 5 rounds, Springs was his usual self. Efficient striking, excellent defense and overall technique. Malenko did his best to bring it to the ground where he had a better chance but Springs knew that and prevented it from happening. Near the end of the 5th round, Malenko desperately tried to end it with a submission but still no good. Springs gets away with the scorecards.

 

Springs has been unstoppable since being acquired by manager David Brent. His only losses were only to Matthew Ridgeway who he then defeated in GAMMA#696 to reclaim the throne. His current run stands at 13-2 since January 2017 and currently ranked 1 in lightweights and 6 P4P.

 

Winner: Randy Springs retains Lightweight Title via Unanimous Decision

 

GAMMA#706

 

Featherweight Title

Gareth Keenan vs Karol Mirowski

 

In the third outing of this new found rivalry between Keenan and Mirowski, each fighter sought out to get the win over the other as they have each scored a match in their last 2 encounters. Both entering the match as top 5 featherweights, a good match was expected indeed.

 

This time, the story was different. Keenan was more aggressive while Mirowski was more of the defensive. Mirowski patiently waited for a big opening but Keenan took advantage of that gameplan. Keenan landed around 150 strikes while Mirowski had only around 20. He was very accurate with his striking making sure that he keeps control of the standup game. The strategy paid off as he circled Mirowski with various strikes to get the judge’s nod all 5 rounds.

 

This win keeps Keenan atop the featherweight rankings and back into the top 10 P4P while Mirowski slides out of the top 100. Losing 4 of his past 7 matches, Mirowski will need to get back in rhythm if he wants to get a shot again.

 

Winner: Gareth Keenan retains Featherweight Title via Unanimous Decision

 

GAMMA#707

 

Super Heavyweight bout

Hennan Hoyce vs Callum Pagnozzi

 

Entering the match as an underdog, Pagnozzi defeated the odds. Hoyce, ranked 30 P4P was en route to another KO win with his 100% KO win record. Pagnozzi displayed great accuracy and defense partnered with his granite chin brought him into a favorable position, knocking the chin out of the older and former champ Hennan Hoyce. The big knockdown in the early minutes shook Hoyce’s composure and with 5 seconds left in the round, he just did not make the bell.

 

Pagnozzi gets a significant boost in rankings and few steps closer to the belt. He’ll probably be in the title scene sooner or later. Hoyce is now 2-3 in his last 5 matches and needs to pick it up to get another shot soon.

 

Winner: Callum Pagnozzi via 1st round TKO

 

GAMMA#708

 

Lightweight Title

Randy Springs vs Jeff Gower

 

In just 2 weeks after successfully defending his title against Malenko, Springs steps up to once again defend his title for the third time. This time, he faces a former champ in Jeff Gower. Jeff Gower is no stranger in the championship scene given his success in Ascension and his long career in UGD. After losing the belt to Fook Man, he took his talents to GAMMA and gets a title shot in his GAMMA debut.

 

With no surprise, it was a hell of a good match. At first glance you would’ve expected Springs to dominate in the match with his advantage in all disciplines but Gower surprised him. The match proceeded to be mainly a clinch showdown between both fighters. With more than 100 strikes thrown in the clinch, no fighter was backing down. In the end, it was a very close call to make and Gower went away with the W.

 

Winner: Jeff Gower wins Lightweight Title via Split Decision

 

Middleweight Title

Saul Goodman vs Hector Verama

 

The streaking Goodman with 8 straight wins faced the challenger Hector Verama with 4 straight wins, earning his spot at the title scene again. Verama’s fallen to Defoe twice in the 205 division and now moved down to 185 to eventually face the champ Goodman.

 

Almost evenly matched in standup skills, it was indeed a great match and worthy of a main event. Both fighters traded blows with almost equivalent numbers and you wouldn’t who would win until the end of the bell. Nearing the end of the bell, Verama was on the verge of winning after scoring a big takedown. With his superior BJJ he could’ve submitted Goodman but the champ kept his guard and defended the subs successfully. After 5 great rounds, 3 judges had varying opinions with 47-48 48-48 and 48-47 giving the match a draw. Great match for both fighters. We can expect a rematch soon.

 

Result: Draw. Goodman retains Middleweight Title.

[Mentor]

Bobby Heyman (99756) HOF Induction

GAMMA Career

Top Rank #15

Started fighting: 2015-01-10 (Still actively fighting)

Record: 45-28-1

Title fights: 7

HOF Fighters: 1

Total Points: 278

Bobby Heyman is one of the most consistent performers in GAMMA history. His 61% win ratio is extremely high, especially within our organization. Bobby has been somewhat unlucky to not have more champions in our history, but mostly that came down to some unlucky results at the very top of the GAMMA ladder.

His most famous fighter is Julien Touret, a top ranking 265+lbs fighter with a long and storied career, who recently became a full member of our Hall of Fame.

Bobby has accumulated a total of 278 points and that ranks him as our #23 best manager in our history and it is expected that by the next update he will shoot up the rankings, it is expected he could be ranked as high as #17 by the summer of 2018.

Bobby has also played a vital role in development of the GAMMA brand, he has participated in work in our affiliate system and is current owner and CEO of GAMMA: Contenders. He has taken that organization from 80 fighters to almost double that number ever since taking over, so his participation in GAMMA goes beyond just the fighting game.

[Mentor]

This month we broke our all time record for top 100 ranked fighters with 23, we also broke our record for most total top 200 fighters with 37 (one is in our affiliate orgs).

[Mentor]

I am proud to announce that 9 years ago to this day we held our very first event! Thanks to everyone who participated in this journey!

[Monsieur.Camara]

I am proud to announce that 9 years ago to this day we held our very first event! Thanks to everyone who participated in this journey!

 

Congrats !

 

That is just incredible.

[Monsieur.Camara]

 

 

The fight/event between Chris Steve and Thomas Raske disappeared We were supposed to fight in less than a week.

 

Any idea of what happened? Those 2 are some of the best 310k WW in the game and I was really looking forward to fighting TJ.

 

Could we please rebook us for one of the 2 events you have coming up?

 

 

Chris Steve: Let me BANG BROS !!!!

[TJMitchell]

 

 

The fight/event between Chris Steve and Thomas Raske disappeared We were supposed to fight in less than a week.

 

Any idea of what happened? Those 2 are some of the best 310k WW in the game and I was really looking forward to fighting TJ.

 

Could we please rebook us for one of the 2 events you have coming up?

 

 

Chris Steve: Let me BANG BROS !!!!

 

 

Yooo, what happened? I second that rebook.

[Mentor]

Stanly Williams (174422) HOF Induction

Highest rank = 20

Total Wins in GAMMA = 31

Title Fights = 9

Fight of the Night awards = 7

Total points = 173

Biggest wins = Robin Yount, Tim Pierno, Lao Shin, Ray Lewis, Rufus McTearson x3, Ilya Mstislav Volkov x2

Stanly is a former 170lbs champion, he was managed by 3 managers in his career, his most successful by far was under Grumpy Bastard.

His total of 173 points ranks him as the 8th best fighter in our history, he also had one of the longest careers fighting until the age of 44, he had a total of 53 fights inside GAMMA which is 7th all time and 2nd among 170lbs fighters.

But it was not only volume, he also had some major wins. In fact he basically beat the who's who in the division with massive wins over former champs or contenders including Robin Yount, Tim Pierno, Lao Shin, Ray Lewis, Rufus McTearson x3, Ilya Mstislav Volkov x2 among others. Maybe the only win that eluded him was against the great Renan St Juste (he had just one fight that he lost).

[Mentor]

GAMMA: June Part 1 by James Isaac Abraham

GAMMA#712

Featherweight Title

Gareth Keenan vs Tony Ramos

The challenger Tony Ramos gets his 2nd shot at the belt after falling to Randy Springs back in GAMMA#701 while Gareth Keenan keeps his good form with his 4th title defense. Ramos has better ground offense but Keenan was ready for it. He blocked most of the takedowns (Ramos had 3 out of 17 TDs), clinches (Ramos had 1 out of 12) and kept control in the ground.

The champ just showed his class right there with efficient striking and good defense. Great challenger in Ramos, but the champ outclassed him this time. Two judges scored 48-47 while the other scored a 50-46 sweep.

Result: Gareth Keenan retains Featherweight Title via Unanimous Decision

GAMMA#713

Light Heavyweight Title

Ghazi Okah vs Menace Defoe

A rematch from the new formed rivalry between the two. Okah gets another shot at the GAMMA veteran Defoe after winning 2 straight matches and earning his right to the belt. Defoe on the other hand returns from a superfight loss against the top ranked LHW Beznisko in CEC 589.

In their last outing, Defoe got the W in a closely contested showdown between the two. This time, it was Okah who was more aggressive and confident landing more strikes with higher efficiency. In the first 3 rounds, it was all Okah dominating and showing his class in offense and defense. However, Defoe evolved in rounds 4 and 5 trying to stage a comeback. A champ really never backs down. Defoe got the last 2 rounds but it wasn’t enough given that Okah had the early advantage. Great fight, new champion. I want a third match.

Result: Ghazi Okah wins Light Heavyweight Title via Unanimous Decision

Lightweight Title

Jeff Gower vs Ray Malenko

The former UGD champ wasted no time heading over to GAMMA and took over the belt immediately. Sitting on his new throne, he faces a former TWGC champ in Malenko.

The challenger Malenko is an excellent grappler and obviously this would be his key weapon in the match. However, Gower was ready and he used his advantages to his strength. He dominated the standup game and was aggressive in the clinch. Malenko was not able to do anything at all in the ground because of Gower’s escapes and defense. Excellent display of class and technique by Gower. I expect him to have a good title run in GAMMA.

With this, Gower is now back into the top 10 P4P rankings while Malenko falls off the top 100. Let’s see if Malenko gets another shot soon.

Result: Jeff Gower retains Lightweight Title via Unanimous Decision

GAMMA#714

Super Heavyweight TItle

Dustin Kruger vs Callum Pagnozzi

When Bubba Gumption fell to Kruger in GAMMA#710, we knew this guy was the real deal. Another former UGD champ taking over right here in GAMMA. His first defense was against a veteran in Pagnozzi who won 4 straight prior to the match.

Pagnozzi’s strategy this time was to take it to the ground landing 3 good takedowns but Kruger escapes all of them easily. Kruger knew he would win the standup game and it was evident as he landed almost all of his strikes. All those strikes coming from Kruger was too much for Pagnozzi’s granite chin. The 29 year old champ Kruger kept coming and Pagnozzi couldn’t hold on early in the 2nd round.

Result: Dustin Kruger retains Super Heavyweight Title via 2nd round TKO

GAMMA#715

Middleweight Bout

Razmig Grigorian vs Yoshihiro Asai

In this bout, newcomer Razmig Grigorian (2nd fight in GAMMA) faces a long time GAMMA fighter in Yoshihiro Asai. Grigorian keeps rampaging through the rankings with 15 straight wins with his only loss way back in his debut match. At an early age of 25, he has climbed up to top 18 P4P. Such a promising young fighter. Asai on the other hand is still finding his way up the top of the rankings with ups and downs in his previous bouts. He looks to find his way up with a win against a higher ranked Grigorian.

In my opinion it was a closely contested match and in my opinion it was a battle to the end. Striking was almost on par and both fighters had good defense. Both fighters were breathing heavily in the 3rd but their determination to win was evident despite that. Epic match and I believe they are to face each other sometime soon.

In the end, Grigorian got the W with 2 judges scoring 30:27 while the other scored a draw. With this, Grigorian might have earned his shot at the title. This won’t be easy as the champ sitting on the throne is the future hall of famer Saul Goodman. Let’s see.

Result: Grigorian wins via Unanimous Decision

Welterweight Title

Musta Laine vs Tim Pierno

Two 34 year old veterans Laine and Pierno face each other again for the 3rd time. Their long running rivalry has finally come to a title match where it matters most. With 1-1 in their previous matches, a win here will settle this rivalry once and for all. In their first outing, Pierno had a quick submission win in the 1st round. The next match was a dominant win by Laine via Unanimous Decision.

This time, Laine was more aggressive with a whole lot more strikes landed. Laine was all over Pierno this time even taking Pierno down 3 times. Pierno kept trying to get good position in the ground and his 7 attempts were all blocked by Laine while landing a significant number of ground strikes. Laine showed how it is to be a champion, depriving the challenger Pierno of his first GAMMA title. It was a dominant win for the champ, all judges scoring 50:45. Pierno needs a win streak if he wants a fourth episode of their rivalry. Let’s see how he does.

Result: Musta Laine retains Welterweight Title via Unanimous Decision

[Mentor]

John McGuirk HOF induction

John McGuirk (1306) is one of the original great GAMMA managers who competed for us in 2011 till around 2014. He is one of 2 managers (the other being Brad O'Neil) that can no longer be looked up (due to the system not recording fighters/managers who went inactive during that time) but still managed to make it to our HOF.

He is one of just 10 managers to ever have 2 or more fighters enter our HOF (those being Vladik Fedotov and Bill Belton).

His all time record in GAMMA is 53-32-2 with a total of 87 fights, however despite the high winning %, he was only involved in 1 title fight, so he made it to this HOF mostly due to his longevity and consistency.

He has accumulated a total of 351 ranking points which rank him as 14th on our all time best list.

[philofthefuture]

GAMMA: June Part 2

by James Isaac Abraham

GAMMA#716

 

Featherweight bout

Karol Mirowski vs Farboleus Ricard

 

For the co-main event of the night, we witnessed a possible contender spot at the 145 belt. The current 135 lbs champion Mirowski is on his way back to the 145 lbs title after losing it to the current champ Gareth Keenan (who by the way became a free agent after his manager’s retirement).

 

The match was a tightly contested one as both fighters have shown versatility in striking. Ricard was a bit more accurate but Mirowski had more strikes landed. Despite having 5 successful takedowns, Ricard was not able to capitalize with striking nor sub attempts given that Mirowski has excellent ground defense. Most of the takedowns came in the later parts of the round and some of which resulted in a referee standup.

 

This would’ve gone another way but 2 of 3 judges chose Mirowski. Great match!

 

Result: Mirowski wins via Split Decision

 

Middleweight Superfight

Saul Goodman vs Russel Tyrone Jones

 

Two of the top 3 middleweights clash in another episode of Synchronicity vs GAMMA superfights. In a battle of two champions, one shall prevail and Jones got it this time.

 

The match was full of close rounds, with a very close scorecard most of the time. It was very difficult to decide given that both fighters had great striking and both fighters were also aggressive. With more than 200 strikes for each competitor, the whole crowd was on fire! Jones had significantly more body punches but Goodman capitalized on leg striking. Despite the close rounds, a winner shall be chosen and the judges have selected Syn’s representative Jones with a win.

 

Sadly, the departure of Mr. David Brent resulted to the release of Saul Goodman. Hopefully the next manager keeps him in GAMMA and remains competitive until the end of his career. With this, Jones moves to the top 3 in P4P rankings while Goodman slides a bit to rank 19. I’d like to see another clash of these two soon.

 

Result: Jones wins via Unanimous Decision

 

 

GAMMA#717

 

Lightweight Title

Jeff Gower vs Randy Springs

 

The new guy Jeff Gower has taken over! Right after his arrival in GAMMA he has dominated the division since! The main event featured a rematch between former long running champ Randy Springs and the recently crowned Jeff Gower.

 

It’s surprising that this match was no close call at all. Randy Springs usually gets to outmatch and outclass his opponents but in this one, Gower did. The closely contested round 1 went to the former champ Springs but the rest of the match was all Gower. Striking was no far matchup but Gower’s clinch game was monstrous. Gower dominated the match with his clinchwork, not allowing Springs to capitalize. From round 2 until the end, Gower owned the match and earned the well deserved decision win.

 

Gower now solidifies his claim to the throne, with his rival Randy Springs becoming a free agent, no one knows who will be the rival or will Gower be dethroned by Partio soon. Let’s see how the division goes.

 

Result: Gower retains Lightweight Title via Unanimous Decision

[philofthefuture]

GAMMA: July Part 1

by James Isaac Abraham

GAMMA#718

 

Super Heavyweight Title

Dustin Kruger vs Mitzi Glozman

 

The new king of the division Dustin Kruger defends his title for the 2nd time. He faces the contender Glozman who has been on a roll in his past 3 fights securing a 3-0 record. The champ Kruger has proven to be a very experienced fighter, managing to secure the W despite struggling early in the fight.

 

Glozman secured the first 2 rounds in the scorecards, displaying his initiation in clinches. He’s managed to secure all 4 clinch attempts and surprisingly, it was Kruger who did much damage in the clinch landing more strikes. That might have been the key as he punched through Glozman’s chin bit by bit. In the 3rd round, Glozman finally fell to the champ in a brutal display of power. With a vicious uppercut followed by a series of strikes, it was over for any guy. Great save by the referee

 

Result: Dustin Kruger retains Super Heavyweight Title via 3rd round TKO

 

GAMMA#719

 

Super Heavyweight bout

Bubba Gumption vs Zdravko Saric

 

The number 1 contender spot for the title featured former SHW champ and future GAMMA Hall of Famer Bubba Gumption and the new guy Zdravko Saric who’s defeated another legend in Hennan Hoyce. Bubba lost the belt to the reigning champ Kruger and he looks to face him again with a win in this one.

 

Right off the bat, it was pure aggression for both fighters. Very aggressive in striking and it was obvious that the match was to end in the first round at that pace. Saric was not to be ignored with his excellent chin and massive KO power. Saric managed to knock Bubba down and he was this close to getting the finish. Surprisingly, the beast in Bubba has awaken, shaking off that damage and managed to knock Saric down right after. This time, Saric was starting to fade, with Bubba going away with the TKO victory with a wonderful fake leg kick followed by a superman punch.

 

Result: Bubba Gumption wins via 1st round TKO

 

Welterweight Title

Musta Laine vs Pablo Maracon

 

A usual face in the championship scene, Musta Laine faces former UGD fighter Pablo Maracon. Maracon was en route to the belt with his winning streak but the organization has called it quits. After his career in UGD he took his talents to GAMMA and earned the rights to the contender spot with a victory against Robin Yount.

 

It was unexpectedly very one sided in favor of the challenger Maracon. Excellent display of striking while maintaining good defense. Laine managed to pull through with 4 successful takedowns but Maracon had good ground defense. Great match indeed but Maracon got away with the victory.

 

Now, Maracon faces a familiar opponent in Robin Yount but this time, the belt is at stake.

 

Results: Pablo Maracon wins the Welterweight Title via Unanimous Decision

 

GAMMA#720

 

Lightweight Title

Jeff Gower vs Katu Partio

 

Excellent duel by two great fighters in champion Jeff Gower and Katu Partio. Striking was almost balanced for both fighters. Both equipped with good technique and strategy but Partio was more on the clinch grappling approach. Knowing that Gower is the better clinch striker, Partio varied his moves with alternating engage and disengage which kept the champ guessing.

 

Gower was more accurate in striking but Partio was more effective and he played the scorecards well. It was a very difficult fight to judge, and was evident in the varied opinions of the judges. 2 judges favored the approach Partio did, the other going for Gower. Excellent strategy and he goes home with the W. That puts Partio in 7 straight wins now while Gower will try to look for a rematch sooner or later.

 

Result: Katu Partio wins Lightweight Title via Split Decision

 

Middleweight Title

Saul Goodman vs Basten Sodergren

 

Newly acquired fighter Saul Goodman is now in the hands of a new top tier manager in Ed Minasian. His first fight with Minasian is a title defense against a challenger who’s been bulldozing his way to the title with 9 straight victories, Sodergren.

 

Both are almost evenly matched on the feet but Goodman was very aggressive coming into the fight. Known as a decision specialist with 24 decision victories, he seems to have gone for a KO in this one. Slow start for Goodman but he took control right after the first round. Sodergren was so close to survive the barrage but Goodman was relentless to finish the match in the third. Goodman gets away with a KO win, his first KO in his past 18 matches.

 

Result: Saul Goodman retains Middleweight Title via 3rd round TKO

 

CEC 600

 

Featherweight bout

Pako Laine vs De Bruyne

 

In a star studded event in CEC 600, De Bruyne represented GAMMA in a duel of veterans. Former top 27 fighter Pako Laine faced former top 26 De Bruyne.

 

It was expected to be a very competitive match given the skills of both fighters. They didn’t fail to give us a good show. Both fighters threw around 200 strikes each but De Bruyne was more efficient. Great showdown, great technique. However, it was De Bruyne that displayed more in this one. He gets the nod of 2 judges, the other giving them a draw.

 

With that win, De Bruyne moves back in the top 100 as he looks to go back to GAMMA or look for another org to compete in the latter years of his career.

 

Result: De Bruyne wins via Majority Decision

[philofthefuture]

GAMMA: July Part 2

by James Isaac Abraham

 

GAMMA#721

 

Welterweight Title

Pablo Maracon vs Robin Yount

 

Former UGD star, now your GAMMA welterweight champ Pablo Maracon took challenge for his first title defense against a homegrown talent in Robin Yount. Robin Yount spent most of his career in GAMMA, with 80% of his career fought in a GAMMA affiliated org, including a time he became a lightweight champ way back in 2016. Yount hit rock bottom a year ago with a series of losses but now he’s back after clinching the GAMMA Contenders middleweight belt. He faced the streaking champ Maracon and the champ didn’t go easy on him.

 

It was a closely fought match and both fighters pushed even if they acquired a cut mid fight. I’d give Maracon credit for his brilliant striking against the challenger. The champ was more accurate with his hits. Yount on the other hand wanted to bring it to the clinch. Yount was more accurate in clinch striking but the champ was far more aggressive, probably earning him more points in that aspect.

The match ended with 3 judges scoring the match to the champ. Great battle and I hope Yount finds his way back to the title scene again for another shot.

 

Result: Pablo Maracon retains Welterweight Title via Unanimous Decision

 

Middleweight Bout

Razmig Grigorian vs Matt Quin

 

Another episode of recent GAMMA superstar acquisition going against a homegrown veteran. The former GAMMA Middleweight champ Matt Quin goes head to head against the former Dare Middleweight champ, a top 5 middleweight of the world.

 

Grigorian was by far the better striker here and it was evident that Quin was smart enough to try and take the match to the ground given his excellent grappling skills. However, Grigorian’s defense on the ground is tremendous, doing a great job defending against the black belt Quin. As Quin tries to take Grigorian down again, Grigorian just keeps on hammering Quin from distance, punching through his chin bit by bit. Quin got rocked early in the 2nd. He tried his best to hold on but the damage was too much. Grigorian doesn’t waste his time and put’s Quin to sleep with an epic uppercut followed by a series of strikes. The referee had no choice but to stop it.

 

Result: Razmig Grigorian wins via 2nd round TKO (Strikes)

 

GAMMA#722

 

Light Heavyweight Title

Menace Defoe vs Ghazi Okah 3

 

Familiar faces atop our 205 rankings, Okah and Defoe go head to head for the 3rd time. When these 2 fight, you always get a good show. Both competitive, highly skilled, experienced and have excellent chin. When Okah came to GAMMA, it was Defoe who was in the way for the title. Defoe showed him that it was his turf but GAMMA 713, Okah came back with a statement that he is the better fighter. Okah was so aggressive dominating the match early but the champ didn’t back down. Defoe staged a comeback but it wasn’t enough as Okah earned the scores for the 3 rounds.

 

In this 3rd encounter, Okah is the champ and Defoe is now the challenger. As expected, it was another closely fought match. Outstanding performance by both fighters. Almost evenly matched in striking and in the clinch. It was a mere battle that anyone could win. However, in the end, it was the judges’ job to call a winner and this time, the belt remains to the champion Okah. A fight of true champions. Will go down as one of the best rivalries in GAMMA. I hope to see a 4th battle though. Let’s see if Defoe finds his way back up or if Okah keeps the throne long enough.

 

Result: Ghazi Okah retains Light Heavyweight Title via Unanimous Decision

 

GAMMA#723

 

Featherweight Title

Gareth Keenan vs Karol Mirowski 4

 

When you talk about a rivalry, you can never forget about the featherweights of GAMMA, Mirowski and Keenan. This is the fourth time they fought this year. It’s not like they are the only good guys in the division. It’s just that they beat their way into the top of the division and end up battling each other’s hearts out. These guys were born to be champs and seeing a match fought by these two is plain luck for us MMA fans.

 

Keenan was the reigning champ when his top ranked manager David Brent went on a hiatus and released him. Now, he’s with a new manager and will make his debut under Lance Templeton’s command (also a top ranked manager).

 

When you see rivals like them going at it, and you are the judge, you’d definitely go crazy trying to score the match. It was so tightly contested all throughout. Both fighters are absolute beasts in striking and they never hold back, specially when they fight each other. Another 200 strikes thrown per fighter match between the two. It was so close until Keenan almost KO’d Mirowski. Mirowski got rocked late in the 5th and he was wobbly. Keenan was this close to a KO win but Mirowski kept evading until he regained control of his body!

 

I honestly didn’t guess the winner until the judges revealed it. Even the judges had a hard time, with 2 judges favoring the challenger Mirowski.

 

Result: Mirowski wins Featherweight Title via Split Decision

 

Super Heavyweight Title

Dustin Kruger vs Bubba Gumption 2

 

Not long after losing the belt to the new guy Kruger, Bubba is back to challenge his former throne. He destroyed Saric and Heimendahl in a 1st round finish, proving that he wants the belt back right away. Kruger on the other hand has his own feat, defending the belt against contenders Glozman and Pagnozzi.

 

Now they met again for the second time. This time, Kruger was the champ. Their last match was a closely contested match until a splendid KO came in via Kruger. Just like the first outing, Bubba wins the first round. Great striking from both fighters but Bubba gets the lead.

 

However, just like the first match, it was Kruger who kept his cool and keeps punching blow by blow. Bubba wants to clinch but it seems Kruger wants to keep it in distance. It was another close match only until Kruger got a clean shot to knock the former champion down. He wants Bubba back up and he does! But here comes another blow by the champ and Bubba goes down again.

 

As expected of a former champ and future legend Bubba, he won’t get KO’d easily. He once again stood up and quickly regained his senses. Excellent heart and chin right there. It would’ve been an early KO for anyone. But it was the champ Kruger in the end who prevailed. After damaging Bubba with a body kick, he puts him to sleep with a nasty hook in the closing seconds of the round. Great win by the champ Kruger. I expect Bubba to be back in no time.

 

Result: Dustin Kruger retains Super Heavyweight Title via 2nd round KO