ROC was rocking once again last Friday night as Lou Neglia threw one of his patented Ring of Combat spectaculars at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. I had my ace reporter Dino Kostakio down there with me and after the jump he breaks down each and every fight. You will also find some pics of the event. Pat Collins vs. Jim Boudourakis: This fight was a huge mismatch, imo. Collins stuck his jab in Boudourakis’ face right from the start and then started unloading some bombs once he found his rhythm. Boudourakis was outclassed and realized this quickly. Pat Collins defeats Jim Boudourakis by TKO at 0:31 of Round 1. Nick Pace vs. Sean Santella: Three fighters from last night impressed me most. Nick Pace was one of them. He was well-rounded and very relaxed in the ring. Although I picked Santella to win, Pace’s skill and ferocity made me a new fan. I can’t wait to see this kid fight again. Nick Pace defeats Sean Santella by Unanimous Decision (20-18, 20-16, 20-18). Chris Presta vs. Mike Stewart: Stewart was impressive in his win, but a little disrespectful with his post-fight antics (he got up and cursed at Presta for some reason). Did they have bad blood or something? It’d be a little baffling if not. Mike Stewart defeats Chris Presta by tapout due to arm triangle choke at 3:34 of Round 1. John Salgado vs. Jay Isip: Salgado was the second of three fighters I mentioned. I was in the bleachers cheering him on despite Isip’s entourage staring me down. He too is well-rounded and very relaxed in the ring. His win was well-deserved because Isip was game and in his face before the bell even rang. John Salgado defeats Jay Isip by tapout due to rear naked choke 3:24 in Round 1. Dom Stanco vs. Bill Walizer: Stanco seemed to be a little frustrated at times by Walizer’s wrestling ability, but Stanco’s heavy hands once again made up for any skill disparity. I can only describe Stanco’s killer instinct as ‘evil’. Dom Stanco defeats Biff Walizer by KO at 0:40 of Round 2. Joe Abouata vs. Paul White: White seemed to be finding his range within the first couple of seconds but managed to be taken down by a relentless Abouata. Once on the ground, Abouata was clearly the better ground fighter and was able to dispatch of the 6’4 behemoth with relative ease. Joe Abouata defeats Paul White by tapout due to rear naked choke at 3:06 of Round 1. Jason McLean vs. Jimmie Rivera: McLean and Rivera stepped up to fight each other despite expecting different opponents. Admittedly, I had picked Rivera to win no matter who he was slated against. But McLean, who was built like a fire hydrant, was just too strong and unyielding for Rivera. Jason Mclean defeats Jimmie Rivera by split decision (30-28, 28-29, 29-28). Igor Gracie vs. Troy Maxwell: Gracie had Maxwell in just about every submission imaginable. I got to watch this fight in the locker rooms and the general consensus among fighters was that Maxwell is a “tough bastard”. Despite being twisted into a pretzel on nineteen occasions, Maxwell was able to keep his head above water and make it to the final bell. It was a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu clinic. And Brazilian Jiu Jitsu DEFENSE clinic! Igor Gracie defeats Troy Maxwell by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-26). Costa Phillipou vs. John Doyle: Phillipou is the third fighter that really impressed me. Although his striking is polished, his ground game has always been in question. However, last night he really showed that he’s been diligently working on rectifying any holes in his game. He seemed comfortable when warding off takedowns and even scored a couple of his own. But I also applaud Doyle’s efforts because he came in with a great gameplan. It appeared that Doyle was content with picking shots and changing levels (for wrestling), so that he had Phillipou constantly guessing and unable to mount much of a striking offense. Unfortunately, it was his own pace that led to his demise. Doyle became increasingly exhausted to the point where he no longer was able to defend himself and he eventually succumbed to Phillipou’s ground and pound. Costa Phillipou defeats John Doyle by TKO at 3:05 of Round 3. Dave Sachs vs. Tim Troxell: Right from the start, it was Sachs who showed his was made of steel. He was able to control and overwhelm Troxell, who appeared to just be having an off night. Sachs went on to win by… camel clutch?? Dave Sachs defeats Tim Troxell by tapout due to choke at 4:40 of Round 2 to win the ROC Featherweight title. Chris Liguori vs. Cory Mahon: Despite Liguori being a crafty veteran, many picked the undefeated and hungry Mahon to leave the ring with the lightweight belt. But Liguori proved to be ravenous as he came out like a bat out of hell from start to finish. Although I was thoroughly impressed with Liguori’s ground game, it was no surprise since he has been meticulously training with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu legend Ricardo Almeida. Spectators were treated to a magnificent display of ground skills that even included a slick gogoplata. Even though Mahon escaped and fought his heart out, he finally surrendered to an armbar. Chris Liguori defeats Cory Mahon by tap out due to armbar at 3:41 of Round 2 to win the ROC lightweight title. Paul Bradley vs. Dante Rivera: If you recall, Bradley and Rivera were contestants on Spike TV’s The Ultimate Fighter. Bradley was sent home early due to a contagious skin infection and Rivera was eliminated by Jesse Taylor. Many expected both fighters, with points to prove, to take this fight seriously and come out with guns blazing. Unfortunately for Rivera, within seconds Bradley was able to catch Rivera with a hard shot that sent Rivera crumbling to the mat. Bradley was able to capitalize by unloading devastating punches on the ground, forcing the referee to make the stoppage. Interestingly, Rivera jumped up as if his numbers were called in Bingo, and adamantly protested, leading most to believe that he was fine (aside from the goose egg on his left eye). Personally, I would love to see a rematch. Paul Bradley defeats Dante Rivera by TKO at 0:34 of Round 1 to win the ROC middleweight title. Another great effort by Lou Neglia and Ring of Combat! [gallery]

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