Why So Blu?

CageStars MMA Event a Smashing Success

What do wings, women and the weather all have in common?  Well, if you’re referring to the June 26th CageStars event at the Sheffield Village Quaker Steak & Lube, they were all hot. Having focused their energy on that date, the team at CageStars, Roctagon, Quaker Steak & Lube and Voo Doo Custom Sportsbikes unveiled their months of planning which manifested itself into one phenomenal product.  With weigh-in’s beginning at noon for the mixed martial arts fighters, fans slowly began to meander about while a roster of rock bands, closed out by the hard sounds of Mush, dotted the day’s landscape.

Voo Doo Custom Sportsbikes, makers of Anderson Silva’s Spider Bike, displayed their craftsmanship which included the Tapout bike and one very incredible Dodge Viper bike.  To say the crew at Voo Doo knows their stuff is a gross understatement.  Their machines are the absolute definiton of beauty and power.  Meanwhile, the dynamic Quaker Steak staff worked a feverish day doing their part to cover all ends of their duties and covered them well they did.  The non-profit organization Freely Freely was also present to raffle off Anderson Silva-autographed fight gear, helping to raise money for furniture for families in need.

The CageStars staff was on hand to make sure everything ran according to plan, and while I can’t speak from their point of view, this writer can say with confidence that it certainly looked like it.  Yes, the music was jammin’ and the cage girls were stunningly beautiful, but the magic phrase of the day was ‘mixed martial arts’.  UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva was on hand to meet fans and take in the evening’s event.  Silva’s presence surged through the air with an undeniable electricity and was overwhelmingly appreciated by fan and competitor alike.  As the champ took his seat, sixteen bouts of high octane MMA topped off the event with spectators watching intently while standing shoulder to shoulder.

As this was photographer Scott Morrison’s first MMA event as well as mine, we covered the action ringside with an intensity that was only outmatched by the fighters in the cage.  From painful slams to crushing right hooks, it was tactical aggression personified.  There were yells of intimidation and grunts of pain as the victors rose triumphant from the orange mat match after match.  Silva watched on to my right with a studious expression, carefully monitoring each fighter as they landed kicks and parried blows.

The blast of an airhorn would signal the end of a round with the typical bout lasting 3 rounds.  As fighter after fighter tried to gain the upper hand, the capacity crowd got to see and experience the wide range of styles that included those athletes who favored a grapple to others who relied on the rapidity of their strikes.  From the desperation of a fighter clinging to the chain-link cage, gasping for the hopeless desire of oxygen, their glimmer of hope in a victory would be eclipsed by any overmatched attempt to garner the last of their strength seeking avoidance of a potential tapout.

The opposite perspective was equally present as well.  Fighters getting cheered on by the audience got that extra drop of adrenaline coursing through their veins that they so desired.  The resulting outcome was, in some cases, nothing short of a pummeling delivered through sheer training, want, and killer instinct.  To the victor go the spoils, yet arrogance in a win is not something commonly showed amongst these competitors.  The respect that is shared, albeit brief, speaks volumes for their appreciation of their sport and each other. 

On to the results!  During recent weeks, Why So Blu featured interviews with 3 MMA fighters.  How did they fair at the event?  Two and one.  The evening saw Brandon Vasquez winning his match while Mike Maderitz took part in what was arguably the most entertaining fight of the night.  Momentum shifts took place early and often until Maderitz forcefully turned the tables, overpowering his opponent, Steve Harness.  Harness, who had 5 pounds on the skinnier Maderitz, ultimately found himself on the receiving end under an avalanche of Maderitz’s fists.  The loss came from title fighter Adam Bogle.  Though Bogle went the distance against his opponent, the judges found the match in favor of his opponent who walked away with a belt.

Fight 1 (155 lb. class)
Luis Arenas vs. Jessie Kohler

Unanimous Decision after 3 rounds: Arenas (left) wins

 

Fight 2 (145 lb. class)
Brett Williams vs. Ron Fitch

TKO 18 seconds into the first round: Williams (left) wins

 

Fight 3 (145 lb. class)
Carlos Arroyo vs. Angel Cardona

Unanimous Decision after 3 rounds: Arroyo (right) wins

 

Fight 4 (170 lb. class)
Andrew Law vs. Tyler Drivere

Tapout 2 minutes, 15 seconds in first round: Law (right) wins

 

Fight 5 (170 lb. class)
Tommy Vineis vs. Clifton McNair

Tapout 52 seconds into first round: Vineis (top) wins

 

Fight 6 (Heavyweight class)
Matthew Fox vs. Joe Vincer

Tapout 44 seconds into first round: Vincer (right) wins

 

Fight 7 (170 lb. class)
Andrew Ricketts vs. Dan Scarfano

TKO 49 seconds into first round: Ricketts (left) wins

 

Fight 8 (185 lb. class)
Mike Stuck vs. Brandon Vasquez

Tapout 2 minutes, 19 seconds into first round: Vasquez (left) wins

 

Fight 9 (155 lb. class)
Rocco DeTillio vs. Jake Huffman

Tapout 2 minutes, 12 seconds into first round: DeTillio (left) wins

 

Fight 10 (185 lb. class)
Jesus Santiago vs. Jose Martinez

TKO 1 minute, 49 seconds into first round: Martinez (top) wins

 

Fight 11 (155 lb. class)
Zack McDaniel vs. Dominic Jones

Split Decision after 3 rounds: McDaniel (white shorts) wins

 

Fight 12 (205 lb. class)
Josh Gregorek vs. Tony Dipiero

Unanimous Decision after 3 rounds: Dipiero (right) wins

 

Fight 13 (145 lb. class)
Stephen Harness vs. Mike Maderitz

Tapout 1 minute, 59 seconds into first round: Maderitz (top) wins

 

Fight 14 (170 lb. class)
Joseph Shaw vs. Marcus Washington

TKO 2 minutes, 17 seconds into first round: Washington (right) wins

 

Fight 15 (135 lb. class) Title Fight
Raymond Yanez vs. Adam Bogle

Unanimous Decision after 3 rounds: Yanez (left) wins

 

Fight 16 – Main Event – (170 lb. class) Title Fight
Donnie Cameron vs. Travis Soto

Tapout 1 minute, 31 seconds into second round: Soto wins

Last but certainly not least, the event just wouldn’t have been as beautiful without the lovely ladies of the cage.  Let’s give a big thank-you to (front to back) Faith, Heaven, and Emma.  I wish I could say these sirens of the north coast cooled an otherwise hot day, but their effect was just the opposite.  Posing for photos, greeting fans, and displaying the rounds of each fight, these models carried out their duties with a grace and swagger that was all their own. 

 

 Photography courtesty of Scott T. Morrison / Discovery Photo