The Joint Hosts MMAXplosion
In Action-Packed Night

By Isaac Kuhlman

Las Vegas--Another day, another fight, but this was not just another night of fights. In one of the most up-and-down fight cards in recent memory, MMAXplosion produced a couple of absolutely fantastic fights tonight. There was some criticism of the Jorge Lopez/Dave Terrell fight (and for good reason...I will explain in a moment), but, other than that one fight, there was some great action in the ring inside the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

In the main event of the evening, Vitor Vianna of Wand Fight Team (the team headed by Wanderlei Silva) took on BJ Lacy. The outcome of the fight was very predictable as Vianna brought his 8-1 record against Lacy's 12-12 career log. It was almost too predictable as before the fight I turned to media row and said, "Vianna by submission at 2:30 in the first." I was off by 28 seconds.

However, watching Vianna's smooth and flawless tactical jiu-jitsu was almost like watching a spider consume its prey. Lacy tried to keep it standing, but Vianna wriggled a smooth takedown by bending around until he came up with a "judo trip." After that, it was only a matter of time.

Vianna transitioned from side mount to full mount with ease. He grabbed onto an arm to try to finish the fight, but Lacy gave up his back. Vianna gladly took it, sunk a rear-naked choke, and ended the fight at 2:02 of round 1. Vianna looked seemless in his transitions and patient in his submission attempts. It was almost too easy.

The absolute best fight of the night came from two unlikely candidates. Damien Knight took on Travis Bartlett in a war of attrition. These two could not be beaten by means of a man's punishment. It was clear the judges were going to have to decide.

The first round started by Knight connecting with a couple of shots on the feet to get a takedown into side mount. From there he worked elbows and hammerfists mixed with some short punches and got Bartlett bleeding. Knight then got full mount into back mount and brought Bartlett back up and belly-to-back suplexed him to take him down again. It looked like it would be a short night for Knight.

However, as the two sat in their corners after the round, it became clear that Knight had expended all of his energy on his massive workload in the first. Bartlett was bloody, but he was not broken. He came out on a rampage in the second throwing huge, unanswered bombs on Knight. Anyone of which may have ended the night on any other opponent. Knight's night was far from over. He stayed on his feet as Bartlett looked to be obliterating his opponent, and I have no doubt that Knight remembers little of the early part of the round. He wobbled across the ring and had no defense or offense to answer. Still, referee Steve Mazzagatti did not stop the fight...which turned out to be a good thing.

After about a full minute of getting beat up, Knight started throwing back on Bartlett--and landing. It was one of the most incredible come-back rounds I have ever seen. The fans were going crazy as they were seeing an unlikely change in the tide. Knight was even out of it when he went to take Bartlett down, and he slammed his own face into the canvas. Once he was on the ground, though, it was back to dominance for Knight. Knight got Bartlett in a crucifix and switched between ground-and-pound and Americana attempts.

Round three was tough to watch as Bartlett was bleeding heavily and neither fighter had any energy left in the tank. They gave it their best though. Knight got a side mount on the ground at the end of the round that led to some vicious elbows and punches to end the fight. Nobody in the room could believe what had just happened. Knight pulled out the unanimous victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27), and definitely proved to the observers that he has heart, chin, and skill to go along with his menacing physique and demeanor.

In other action (or inaction) Jorge Lopez took on Dave Terrell in one of the least active fights I have seen outside of an Anderson Silva title fight. Neither fighter engaged in any sort of aggressive manner for any of the three rounds. Lopez did just enough in each round to win by a slim margin. He ended up winning the fight by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28), but the fighters were booed throughout their bout.

In his post-fight interview Lopez stated that he was worried about tarnishing his 7-1 record, and the pressure to stay on his winning streak was fueling some of his hesitancy.

Former TUF 10 contestant, Scott Junk, won by TKO (Kimura) over Ray Savant. Gor Mnatsakanyan beat Maurice Senters in his professional debut by TKO (armbar) in the third round. Danny Davis Jr. defeated Zak Bucia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), and in the knockout of the night, Chidi Njokuani punished Chris Kennedy with about 20 straight hammerfists to the side of the head before Mazzagatti had to stop the fight as Kennedy was on his hands and knees wavering back and forth. The fight only made it 52 seconds in the first round.

Find this article at lvsportsmagazine.com

MMA Xplosion Fight Card Stacked
With Top Talent for July 31st

LAS VEGAS, July 26th, 2010 – Roy Nelson Country Club prospect, Scott Junk, joins an already talent packed fight card set to rock the Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Junk (6-2), who was on the Ultimate Fighter Heavyweight show, will battle DJ Linderman (14-3) in a Heavyweight match that is sure to excite the crowd.

Wanderlei Silva’s two top prospects, Vitor Vianna and Jorge Lopez will be showcased this Saturday. Vianna faces BJ “The Beast” Lacey at 185 lbs and Lopez is set to battle WEC veteran Dave Terrel at 170lbs.

Zac Bucia and Maurice Centers are also new additions to the fight card…
 
“After an extremely successful event this past May 22, we are very proud to be back at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino,” said MMA Xplosion co-founder Rani John.  “We believe The Joint is a great venue for our branding and to showcase exciting MMA stars.”
 
Wanderlei Silva prospect Vitor Vianna has been the talk of the town since arriving at Wand Fight Team earlier in 2008.  He will debut in Las Vegas on July 31st against BJ “The Beast" Lacy.  Also on the card from Wand Fight team are crowd favorites Jorge Lopez and Travis Bartlett.  Another exciting addition on the card will feature the dangerous and highly talented prospect Chidi Njokuani will make his return to The Joint, along with local favorites Danny Davis, Zak Bucia, Robert Scott, and Chris Kennedy.. 
 
Promoter Vlad Warton said, “Given the overwhelming success of our last show at The Joint, we are looking to sell out come July 31 and return to the Hard Rock with at least 2 more prestigious MMA Xplosion events before the end of the year.”
  
Tickets are priced from $30 and are on sale now at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Box Office, (702) 693-5222, www.hardrockhotel.com or www.ticketmaster.com.  The event is open to all ages.  Doors open at 6 p.m. and the first bell is at 7 p.m.

Take Down Sports Network will feature this fight live online all over the world available for viewers to access. With this high quality of video streaming, www.TDSN.tv provides a service that allows viewers to watch and be a part of the action. *Las Vegas residents are excluded on the live streaming video.

MMA Xplosion returns to Vegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino 
on July 31st at The Joint

Your coverage is cordially invited to this event. Please RSVP to Jay Wallace if you would like to attend, send a photographer or camera crew. Thank you.

Fight Results - May 22, 2010

Press Release - May 22, 2010

Heavyweight boxer Reggie Higgins (3-1) was not the only thing Justin Wren (8-2) had to overcome in the main event of Saturday’s MMA Xplosion: Fight Night II at the Hard Rock.

“Coming into and even during the fight, I couldn’t stop my stomach pain and there was pain back in my right side, under my ribs,” said Wren. “That’s really all I could think about.” read more.

Press Release - April 5, 2010

MMA Xplosion to ROCK at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

LAS VEGAS, NV - Millennium Events is proud to announce a series of professional MMA Xplosion events to be staged at the new Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino commencing on May 22, 2010.

This sensational all-star fight card will feature elite local fighters Bryan Humes, Blas Avena, Jorge Lopez, Odis Ruiz, Angelo Antuna, Eric Bradley, Chidi Njokuani, Danny Davis and many more. These athletes have outstanding winning records with impressive results from their last performances.

"We are very pleased with securing The Joint as the ideal place of venue for MMA Xplosion. Our goal is to promote top level fighters in highly competitive matches, stated Vlad Warton, the MMA Xplosion co-founder and promoter, "as these exciting events will be televised on a delayed basis to over 100 million homes across USA and Internationally, there will be a lot of positive exposure."

Rani John, also co-founder of MMA Xplosion, expressed his excitement over the new venue "We are very excited to hold our next event at The Joint. This is the venue where the best in the business performed... it really is a dream come true."

Tickets start from $25. Doors open at 6pm and fights start at 7pm inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

For more information, contact Rani John at 702-898-4269 or Jay Wallace at 215-530-0080 or visit the website www.mmaxplosion.com

Super Fight Night - February 20, 2010